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b/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/260_260.jsonl @@ -0,0 +1,4405 @@ +{"meta":{"pmid":36480683,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"E-cigarette Flavors, Sensory Perception, and Evoked Responses.\nThe chemosensory experiences evoked by flavors encompass a number of unique sensations that include olfactory stimuli (smell), gustatory stimuli (taste, i.e., salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami (also known as \"savoriness\")), and chemesthesis (touch). As such, the responses evoked by flavors are complex and, as briefly stated above, involve multiple perceptive mechanisms. The practice of adding flavorings to tobacco products dates back to the 17th century but is likely much older. More recently, the electronic cigarette or \"e-cigarette\" and its accompanying flavored e-liquids emerged on to the global market. These new products contain no combustible tobacco but often contain large concentrations (reported from 0 to more than 50 mg\/mL) of nicotine as well as numerous flavorings and\/or flavor chemicals. At present, there are more than 400 e-cigarette brands available along with potentially >15,000 different\/unique flavored products. However, surprisingly little is known about the flavors\/flavor chemicals added to these products, which can account for >1% by weight of some e-liquids, and their resultant chemosensory experiences, and the US FDA has done relatively little, until recently, to regulate these products. This article will discuss e-cigarette flavors and flavor chemicals, their elicited responses, and their sensory effects in some detail.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8132768,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Marked elevation of plasma chitotriosidase activity. A novel hallmark of Gaucher disease.\nGaucher disease (GD; glucosylceramidosis) is caused by a deficient activity of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GC). Clinical manifestations are highly variable and cannot be predicted accurately on the basis of the properties of mutant GC. Analysis of secondary abnormalities, such as elevated plasma levels of some hydrolases, may help to increase insight into the complicated pathophysiology of the disease and could also provide useful disease markers. The recent availability of enzyme supplementation therapy for GD increases the need for markers as early predictors of the efficacy of treatment. We report the finding of a very marked increase in chitotrisidase activity in plasma of 30 of 32 symptomatic type 1 GD patients studied: the median activity being > 600 times the median value in plasma of healthy volunteers. In three GC-deficient individuals without clinical symptoms, only slight increases were noted. Chitotriosidase activity was absent in plasma of three control subjects and two patients. During enzyme supplementation therapy, chitotriosidase activity declined dramatically. We conclude that plasma chitotriosidase levels can serve as a new diagnostic hallmark of GD and should prove to be useful in assessing whether clinical manifestations of GD are present and for monitoring the efficacy of therapeutic intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21443732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 channels are involved in ginsenoside Rg3-induced apoptosis in gastric cancer cells.\nGinsenosides play a role in a number of physiological and pharmacological functions in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of this study was to clarify the potential role for transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) channels in ginsenoside Rg3-inhibited growth and survival of AGS cells, the most common human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line. The AGS cells were treated with varying concentrations of Rg3. Sub-G1 analysis, caspase-3 activity and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage analysis were conducted to determine whether AGS cell death occurs by apoptosis. TRPM7 channel blockers (La(3+) or 2-APB) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) were used in this study to confirm the role of TRPM7 channels. Furthermore, TRPM7 channels were over-expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells to identify the role of TRPM7 channels in AGS cell growth and survival. The addition of Rg3 to the culture medium inhibited AGS growth and survival. Experimental results showed sub-G1 was markedly increased, caspase-3 activity was elevated, and degree of PARP cleavage was increased. TRPM7 channel blockade, either by La(3+) or 2-APB or by suppressing TRPM7 expression with siRNA, blocked the Rg3-induced inhibition of cell growth and survival. Furthermore, TRPM7 channel over-expression in HEK 293 cells exacerbated Rg3-induced cell death. These findings indicate that ginsenoside Rg3 inhibits the growth and survival of gastric cancer cell which is because of the blockade of TRPM7 channel activity. Therefore, TRPM7 channels may play an important role in the survival of gastric cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11840011,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Preventing the ax: proving education productivity and linking productivity to cost using the edvision methodology.\nEducation productivity, resource consumption, and the link between productivity and cost continue to be critical dimensions that need to be managed effectively in the face of continued downsizing and restructuring. EdVision is a fiscal based methodology that measures all three dimensions. The methodology was initially developed in the early 1990s and has been refined over the past 7 years. EdVision links productivity to cost by assessing Total Direct Expense per Education Relative Value Unit (RVU). Benchmarking this new indicator is key to moving toward an accurate measure of education prductivity and cost across organizations. EdVision allows education and training departments to prove their productivity and base resource decisions on data, thereby reducing vulnerability to unnecessary budget cuts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22205029,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Humoral and cellular cross-reactivity between Amb a 1, the major ragweed pollen allergen, and its mugwort homolog Art v 6.\nRagweed and mugwort are closely related weeds that represent the major cause of pollen allergy in late summer. Concomitant sensitization and clinical cross-reactivity frequently occur in subjects who are coexposed to both pollen species, and have implications for diagnosis and specific immunotherapy. Molecules involved in this cross-reactivity might be Amb a 1, the major ragweed pollen allergen, and Art v 6, a highly homologous allergen from mugwort. Therefore, we investigated the IgE and T cell response to Art v 6 of 60 weed pollen-allergic patients and assessed its immunological cross-reactivity with Amb a 1. Results of ELISA inhibition experiments suggested that both allergens are largely cross-reactive, but Amb a 1 possesses more IgE epitopes than Art v 6. In patients with IgE to both allergens, Amb a 1-induced T cell lines and clones responded weakly to Art v 6. Moreover, Art v 6-induced T cell lines responded stronger to Amb a 1. T cell epitope mapping of Art v 6 revealed that it contains only a few cross-reactive epitopes, which is opposed to the multiple T cell-activating regions present in Amb a 1. In summary, Amb a 1 can elicit more diverse allergen-specific IgE and T cell responses than Art v 6 and dominates the cross-reactivity with its homolog. Nevertheless, Art v 6 can act as a primary sensitizing allergen in areas with high mugwort pollen exposure, and consequently may facilitate sensitization to Amb a 1 by epitope cross-recognition of T and B cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14631884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Pilot study: access to fitness facility and exercise levels in olanzapine-treated patients.\nIncreasingly alarmed by the health risks (that is, weight gain, elevated lipids, and poor glucose tolerance) posed by novel antipsychotic medications, clinicians who treat schizophrenia are attempting to help patients improve lifestyle factors. Unfortunately, schizophrenia research has neglected exercise as a legitimate adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia. To assess the extent to which stable patients with schizophrenia would adhere to an exercise program if offered access to a fitness facility. Ten of 20 stable patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were treated with olanzapine for at least 4 weeks had the opportunity to receive access to a Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) fitness facility, based on random allocation. The intervention included a free membership to the YMCA for 6 months, with access to all the fitness amenities and equipment. The mean dosage of olanzapine was 11.5 mg daily for the YMCA group. Of the 10 subjects, 2 did not attend at all. One subject met criteria for full attendance for each of the 6 months and lost 15 Kg. Dropout rates were as follows: 90% at 6 months, 70% at 5 months, and 40% at 4 months. The main reason they gave for poor attendance was lack of motivation. The mean weight gain was 2 kg in the YMCA group. Most subjects did not regularly exercise or attend. They cited poor motivation as the main reason. The subject who exercised regularly lost a significant amount of weight.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11483175,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Automatic gain control contrast mechanisms are modulated by attention in humans: evidence from visual evoked potentials.\nThis study investigated the effect of attention on the contrast response curves of steady-state visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to counter-phased sinusoidal gratings. The 1 cyc\/deg gratings were modulated either in luminance or chromaticity (equiluminant red-green). The luminance grating counter-phased at 9 Hz (to favour activation of the magno-cellular system), and the chromatic grating at 2.5 Hz (to favour activation of the parvo-cellular system). Attention was directed towards the gratings (displayed in the left visual field) by requiring subjects to detect and respond to randomly occurring changes in contrast. In the control condition, attention towards the grating was minimised by requiring subjects to detect a target letter amongst distracters briefly flashed in the contra-lateral visual field. Attention increased VEP amplitudes for both luminance and chromatic stimuli, more so at high than at low contrasts, increasing the slope of the contrast amplitude curves (over the non-saturating range of contrasts). The estimates of contrast threshold from extrapolation of amplitudes were unaffected by attention. Attention also changed the VEP phases, but only for luminance gratings, where it acted to reduce the magnitude of phase advance with contrast. Attention had no effect on the average phases for chromatic gratings. The results are consistent with the notion that attention acts on cortical gain control mechanisms, which are known to be different for the magno- and parvo-cellular systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":635616,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Neural and dural optic nerve measurements with A-scan ultrasonography.\nUltrasonography has been shown to be of great value in studying drusen, cupping, and elevation of the optic disk, as well as mass lesions of the orbital optic nerve. We have found A-scan ultrasonography to be an accurate and simple method of measuring both the diameter of the retrobulbar optic nerve and the size of the subdural perineural space. We have found the intervaginal space of the retrobulbar optic nerve to be uniformly enlarged in papilledema, optic nerve lesions, and endocrine orbitopathy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10613450,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Sequential cis-platinum and fludarabine with or without arabinosyl cytosine in patients failing prior fludarabine therapy for chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a phase II study.\nPatients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who fail fludarabine (Fluda) therapy have a poor response to subsequent salvage regimens and a poor prognosis. This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy and toxicity of a cis-platinum, (cis-p)fluda and arabinosyl cytosine (ara-C) combination in patients who were refractory to fluda or had relapsed following prior fluda therapy for CLL. Forty-one patients who had progressive CLL were treated on study. Eleven patients (27%) were sensitive to fluda and thirty (73%) refractory prior to study entry. Therapy consisted of cis-p 100 mg\/m2 continuous intravenous (i.v.) infusion over 4 days, fluda 30 mg\/m2 i.v. over 15 minutes on Days 3 and 4 either given alone (PF) or with ara-C 500 mg\/m2 i.v. over 1 hour on Day 4 (PFA). The median number of PF or PFA courses received was two. No patient achieved a complete response. Eight patients (19%) achieved a partial response (PR), 28 were taken off study with progressive or refractory disease and 5 had induction deaths. The overall median survival was 6 months, 15 months in responding patients, and 4 months in non-responding patients. Rai stage I-II patients had a median survival of 7 months and stage III-IV patients had a median survival of 3 months. Major toxicities (myelosuppression, sepsis, renal failure and tumor lysis syndrome) were frequent. In conclusion, it can be said that the PF and PFA regimens have equivalent modest activity in patients with progressive CLL following prior fluda therapy, predominantly among patients whose disease was sensitive to fluda at last prior exposure. Ara-C did not add to the activity of the cis-p\/fluda combination in this study group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30916356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mindfulness-based stress reduction for women diagnosed with breast cancer.\nBreast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Diagnosis and treatment may drastically affect quality of life, causing symptoms such as sleep disorders, depression and anxiety. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a programme that aims to reduce stress by developing mindfulness, meaning a non-judgmental, accepting moment-by-moment awareness. MBSR seems to benefit patients with mood disorders and chronic pain, and it may also benefit women with breast cancer. To assess the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in women diagnosed with breast cancer. In April 2018, we conducted a comprehensive electronic search for studies of MBSR in women with breast cancer, in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, and two trial registries (World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov). We also handsearched relevant conference proceedings. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) comparing MBSR versus no intervention in women with breast cancer. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. Using a standardised data form, the review authors extracted data in duplicate on methodological quality, participants, interventions and outcomes of interest (quality of life, fatigue, depression, anxiety, quality of sleep, overall survival and adverse events). For outcomes assessed with the same instrument, we used the mean difference (MD) as a summary statistic for meta-analysis; for those assessed with different instruments, we used the standardised mean difference (SMD). The effect of MBSR was assessed in the short term (end of intervention), medium term (up to 6 months after intervention) and long term (up to 24 months after intervention). Fourteen RCTs fulfilled our inclusion criteria, with most studies reporting that they included women with early breast cancer. Ten RCTs involving 1571 participants were eligible for meta-analysis, while four studies involving 185 participants did not report usable results. Queries to the authors of these four studies were unsuccessful. All studies were at high risk of performance and detection bias since participants could not be blinded, and only 3 of 14 studies were at low risk of selection bias. Eight of 10 studies included in the meta-analysis recruited participants with early breast cancer (the remaining 2 trials did not restrict inclusion to a certain cancer type). Most trials considered only women who had completed cancer treatment.MBSR may improve quality of life slightly at the end of the intervention (based on low-certainty evidence from three studies with a total of 339 participants) but may result in little to no difference up to 6 months (based on low-certainty evidence from three studies involving 428 participants). Long-term data on quality of life (up to two years after completing MBSR) were available for one study in 97 participants (MD 0.00 on questionnaire FACT-B, 95% CI -5.82 to 5.82; low-certainty evidence).In the short term, MBSR probably reduces fatigue (SMD -0.50, 95% CI -0.86 to -0.14; moderate-certainty evidence; 5 studies; 693 participants). It also probably slightly reduces anxiety (SMD -0.29, 95% CI -0.50 to -0.08; moderate-certainty evidence; 6 studies; 749 participants), and it reduces depression (SMD -0.54, 95% CI -0.86 to -0.22; high-certainty evidence; 6 studies; 745 participants). It probably slightly improves quality of sleep (SMD -0.38, 95% CI -0.79 to 0.04; moderate-certainty evidence; 4 studies; 475 participants). However, these confidence intervals (except for short-term depression) are compatible with both an improvement and little to no difference.In the medium term, MBSR probably results in little to no difference in medium-term fatigue (SMD -0.31, 95% CI -0.84 to 0.23; moderate-certainty evidence; 4 studies; 607 participants). The intervention probably slightly reduces anxiety (SMD -0.28, 95% CI -0.49 to -0.07; moderate-certainty evidence; 7 studies; 1094 participants), depression (SMD -0.32, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.06; moderate-certainty evidence; 7 studies; 1097 participants) and slightly improves quality of sleep (SMD -0.27, 95% CI -0.63 to 0.08; moderate-certainty evidence; 4 studies; 654 participants). However, these confidence intervals are compatible with both an improvement and little to no difference.In the long term, moderate-certainty evidence shows that MBSR probably results in little to no difference in anxiety (SMD -0.09, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.16; 2 studies; 360 participants) or depression (SMD -0.17, 95% CI -0.40 to 0.05; 2 studies; 352 participants). No long-term data were available for fatigue or quality of sleep.No study reported data on survival or adverse events. MBSR may improve quality of life slightly at the end of the intervention but may result in little to no difference later on. MBSR probably slightly reduces anxiety, depression and slightly improves quality of sleep at both the end of the intervention and up to six months later. A beneficial effect on fatigue was apparent at the end of the intervention but not up to six months later. Up to two years after the intervention, MBSR probably results in little to no difference in anxiety and depression; there were no data available for fatigue or quality of sleep.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24498993,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"HLA alleles and HLA-B27 haplotypes associated with susceptibility and severity of ankylosing spondylitis in a Portuguese population.\nHuman leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27 is the mostly known major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Nonetheless, there is substantial evidence that other MHC genes appear to be associated with the disease, although it has not yet been established whether these associations are driven by direct associations or by linkage disequilibrium (LD) mechanisms. We aimed to investigate the contributions of HLA class I and II alleles and B27-haplotypes for AS in a case-control study. A total of 188 HLA-B27 AS cases and 189 HLA-B27 healthy controls were selected and typed for HLA class I and II by the Luminex polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (PCR-SSOP) method. Allelic and haplotypic distributions were estimated by maximum likelihood method using Arlequin v3.11 and statistical analysis were performed by Stata10.1. No associations were found between non-HLA-B27 loci and AS susceptibility, but several associations were observed for phenotypic features of the disease. DRB1*08 was identified as a risk factor for uveitis and DQB1*04 seems to provide protection for AS severity (functional, metrological and radiological indexes). A*02\/B27\/C*02\/DRB1*01\/DQB1*05 [P<0.0001; odds ratio (OR) = 39.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) (2.34-651)] is the only haplotype that seems to confer susceptibility to AS. Moreover, the haplotype A*02\/B27\/C*01\/DRB1*08\/DQB1*04 seems to provide protection for disease functional and radiological repercussions. Our findings are compatible with the hypothesis that other genes within the HLA region besides HLA-B27 might play some role in AS susceptibility and severity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37759082,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Objective measures of smoking and caffeine intake and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes.\nIn pregnancy, women are encouraged to cease smoking and limit caffeine intake. We employed objective definitions of smoking and caffeine exposure to assess their association with adverse outcomes. We conducted a case cohort study within the Pregnancy Outcome Prediction study to analyse maternal serum metabolomics in samples from 12, 20, 28 and 36 weeks of gestational age. Objective smoking status was defined based on detectable cotinine levels at each time point and objective caffeine exposure was based on tertiles of paraxanthine levels at each time point. We used logistic and linear regression to examine the association between cotinine, paraxanthine and the risk of pre-eclampsia, spontaneous pre-term birth (sPTB), fetal growth restriction (FGR), gestational diabetes mellitus and birthweight. There were 914 and 915 women in the smoking and caffeine analyses, respectively. Compared with no exposure to smoking, consistent exposure to smoking was associated with an increased risk of sPTB [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.14 to 5.85)] and FGR (aOR = 4.07, 95% CI: 2.14 to 7.74) and lower birthweight (\u03b2 = -387 g, 95% CI: -622 g to -153 g). On univariate analysis, consistently high levels of paraxanthine were associated with an increased risk of FGR but that association attenuated when adjusting for maternal characteristics and objective-but not self-reported-smoking status. Based on objective data, consistent exposure to smoking throughout pregnancy was strongly associated with sPTB and FGR. High levels of paraxanthine were not independently associated with any of the studied outcomes and were confounded by smoking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27209385,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Impact of thermal annealing on wettability and antifouling characteristics of alginate poly-l-lysine polyelectrolyte multilayer films.\nPolyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of poly-l-lysine (PLL) and alginic acid sodium salt (Alg) are fabricated applying the layer by layer technique and annealed at a constant temperature; 37, 50 and 80\u00b0C, for 72h. Atomic force microscopy reveals changes in the topography of the PEM, which is changing from a fibrillar to a smooth surface. Advancing contact angle in water varies from 36\u00b0 before annealing to 93\u00b0, 77\u00b0 and 95\u00b0 after annealing at 37, 50 and 80\u00b0C, respectively. Surface energy changes after annealing were calculated from contact angle measurements performed with organic solvents. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, contact angle and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements show a significant decrease in the adsorption of the bovine serum albumin protein to the PEMs after annealing. Changes in the physical properties of the PEMs are interpreted as a result of the reorganization of the polyelectrolytes in the PEMs from a layered structure into complexes where the interaction of polycations and polyanions is enhanced. This work proposes a simple method to endow bio-PEMs with antifouling characteristics and tune their wettability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1423214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Dysregulation of strongyloidiasis: a new hypothesis.\nFew other human parasites are associated with such a diverse spectrum of clinical manifestations as Strongyloides stercoralis, yet the basic biological behavior of this unusually versatile worm, particularly with respect to its ability to cause severe disseminated disease in certain hosts, is poorly understood. The current uncritical acceptance of the theory that cell-mediated immunity controls autoinfection has stifled research in other directions. After reviewing what is and is not known about the parasite's behavior in its host, this article explores some of the mechanisms that could be involved in the regulation of the parasite population. Taking the provocative viewpoint that the parasite, not the host, is mainly responsible for the maintenance of a balanced relationship between the two, I propose a new theory that corticosteroids may act on the intraintestinal larvae as molting hormones and directly promote the development of disseminated disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6353636,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Adult inguinal hernia: pathophysiology and repair.\nAn anatomic and physiologic rationale is presented for the correction of inguinal hernias utilizing a simplified anterior approach, which opens and overlaps the transversalis-transversus abdominis posterior wall. The absence of tension is vital. It permits an uninterrupted repair of the direct and indirect components without additional reinforcement. A prospective randomized study is currently in progress comparing this two-layer technique to the author's three-layer modified Shouldice operation. Three-hundred and twenty-six repairs have been followed for at least 20 months with a mean follow-up time of 29 months. There have been two recurrences in each group. A better evaluation will be available when 1000 operations have been collected with a mean follow-up time of 46 months.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28339618,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Telomere Length, Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and BDNF Levels in Siblings of Patients with Bipolar Disorder: Implications for Accelerated Cellular Aging.\nGrowing evidence supports the existence of neurobiological trait abnormalities in individuals at genetic risk for bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to examine potential differences in brain-derived neurotrophic factor, cytokines, oxidative stress, and telomere length markers between patients with bipolar disorder, their siblings, and healthy controls. Thirty-six patients with bipolar disorder type I, 39 siblings, and 44 healthy controls were assessed. Serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1, C-C motif chemokine 11, C-C motif chemokine 24, and 3-nitrotyrosine were measured, as were the activities of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione S-transferase. Telomere length (T\/S ratio) was measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Telomere length was different between the 3 groups (P = .041) with both patients and siblings showing a shorter T\/S ratio compared with healthy controls. Patients showed increased levels of interleukin-6 (P = .005) and interleukin-10 (P = .002) compared with controls as well as increased levels of interleukin-6 (p = 0.014) and CCL24 (P = .016) compared with their siblings. C-C motif chemokine 11 levels were increased in siblings compared with controls (P = .015), and a similar tendency was found in patients compared with controls (P = .045). Glutathione peroxidase activity was decreased in patients compared with controls (P = .006) and siblings (P = .025). No differences were found for the other markers. The present results suggest that unaffected siblings may present accelerated aging features. These neurobiological findings may be considered as endophenotypic traits. Further prospective studies are warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30918654,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Immediate and long-term effects of a very-low-calorie diet on diabetes remission and glycemic control in obese Thai patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.\nA very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) can reverse the underlying defects of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in obese subjects. We determined the efficacy, safety, and durability of VLCD in Thai patients with DM and obesity. Twenty Thai patients with DM and obesity were enrolled. After a 2-week trial, VLCD (600 kcal\/day) was continued for 8 weeks, followed by a 4-week transition period. Data on diabetes remission (fasting plasma glucose level <126 mg\/dl and HbA1c <6.5% without the use of glucose-lowering medications), glycemic control, metabolic parameters, and quality of life (QOL) were collected along with indices of insulin resistance (IR) and beta cell function. Glycemic control 12 months after discontinuation of VLCD was also examined. Among 19 patients (age 48 \u00b1 2 years, BMI 27.7 kg\/m2) who completed the study, rapid improvement in glycemic control was observed in the first 2 weeks of VLCD. At both 8 and 12 weeks, diabetes remission was achieved in 79%. Significant weight loss was accompanied by a significant reduction in IR and an increase in beta cell function, starting at 4 weeks of VLCD. QOL also significantly increased. At 12 months after VLCD, however, DM remission was achieved in approximately 30%. Very-low-calorie diet was effective and safe in inducing short-term diabetes remission in Thai subjects by ameliorating beta cell function and IR. Optimal long-term glycemic control was potentially durable as one-third of subjects remained without diabetes medication 12 months after VLCD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20649599,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Effect of the I(to) activator NS5806 on cloned K(V)4 channels depends on the accessory protein KChIP2.\nThe compound NS5806 increases the transient outward current (I(to)) in canine ventricular cardiomyocytes and slows current decay. In human and canine ventricle, I(to) is thought to be mediated by K(V)4.3 and various ancillary proteins, yet, the exact subunit composition of I(to) channels is still debated. Here we characterize the effect of NS5806 on heterologously expressed putative I(to) channel subunits and other potassium channels. Cloned K(V)4 channels were co-expressed with KChIP2, DPP6, DPP10, KCNE2, KCNE3 and K(V)1.4 in Xenopus laevis oocytes or CHO-K1 cells. NS5806 increased K(V)4.3\/KChIP2 peak current amplitudes with an EC(50) of 5.3 +\/- 1.5microM and significantly slowed current decay. KCNE2, KCNE3, DPP6 and DPP10 modulated K(V)4.3 currents and the response to NS5806, but current decay was slowed only in complexes containing KChIP2. The effect of NS5806 on K(V)4.2 was similar to that on K(V)4.3, and current decay was only slowed in presence of KChIP2. However, for K(V)4.1, the slowing of current decay by NS5806 was independent of KChIP2. K(V)1.4 was strongly inhibited by 10 microM NS5806 and K(V)1.5 was inhibited to a smaller extent. Effects of NS5806 on kinetics of currents generated by K(V)4.3\/KChIP2\/DPP6 with K(V)1.4 in oocytes could reproduce those on cardiac I(to) in canine ventricular myocytes. K(V)7.1, K(V)11.1 and K(ir)2 currents were unaffected by NS5806. NS5806 modulated K(V)4 channel gating depending on the presence of KChIP2, suggesting that NS5806 can potentially be used to address the molecular composition as well as the physiological role of cardiac I(to).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28704010,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Smarter medicine in ambulatory care : beliefs and practices of family doctors and training of future clinicians].\nFollowing an American and then international initiative, the Swiss Society of Internal Medicine launched the \u00ab Smarter Medicine \u00bb campaign in 2014 with five recommendations of activities to be avoided, focusing on low back pain, antibiotic prescriptions, pre-operative chest x-rays, prostate cancer screening and treatment with proton pump inhibitors. In 2016, 69 % of family physicians reported that they knew the recommendations and levels of agreement were very high. However, physicians reported differences between recommendations in how often they are followed in practice, and there remains room for improvement. We need to put in place training programs at the pre- and post-graduate levels, as well as continuing medical education. It would also be useful to educate patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30133475,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sedentary songbirds maintain higher prevalence of haemosporidian parasite infections than migratory conspecifics during seasonal sympatry.\nLong-distance migrations influence the physiology, behavior, and fitness of migratory animals throughout their annual cycles, and fundamentally alter their interactions with parasites. Several hypotheses relating migratory behavior to the likelihood of parasitism have entered the literature, making conflicting, testable predictions. To assess how migratory behavior of hosts is associated with parasitism, we compared haemosporidian parasite infections between two closely related populations of a common North American sparrow, the dark-eyed junco, that co-occur in shared habitats during the non-breeding season. One population is sedentary and winters and breeds in the Appalachian Mountains. The other population is migratory and is found in seasonal sympatry with the sedentary population from October through April, but then flies (\u2265 900 km) northwards to breed. The populations were sampled in the wild on the shared montane habitat at the beginning of winter and again after confining them in a captive common environment until the spring. We found significantly higher prevalence of haemosporidian parasite infections in the sedentary population. Among infected juncos, we found no difference in parasite densities (parasitemias) between the sedentary and migrant populations and no evidence for winter dormancy of the parasites. Our results suggest that long-distance migration may reduce the prevalence of parasite infections at the population level. Our results are inconsistent with the migratory exposure hypothesis, which posits that long-distance migration increases exposure of hosts to diverse parasites, and with the migratory susceptibility hypothesis, which posits that trade-offs between immune function and migration increase host susceptibility to parasites. However, our results are consistent with the migratory culling hypothesis, which posits that heavily infected animals are less likely to survive long-distance migration, and with the migratory escape hypothesis, which posits that long-distance migration allows host populations to seasonally escape areas of high infection risk.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26780828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The cerebellum linearly encodes whisker position during voluntary movement.\nActive whisking is an important model sensorimotor behavior, but the function of the cerebellum in the rodent whisker system is unknown. We have made patch clamp recordings from Purkinje cells in vivo to identify whether cerebellar output encodes kinematic features of whisking including the phase and set point. We show that Purkinje cell spiking activity changes strongly during whisking bouts. On average, the changes in simple spike rate coincide with or slightly precede movement, indicating that the synaptic drive responsible for these changes is predominantly of efferent (motor) rather than re-afferent (sensory) origin. Remarkably, on-going changes in simple spike rate provide an accurate linear read-out of whisker set point. Thus, despite receiving several hundred thousand discrete synaptic inputs across a non-linear dendritic tree, Purkinje cells integrate parallel fiber input to generate precise information about whisking kinematics through linear changes in firing rate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16052440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[Cannabinoids in multiple sclerosis -- therapeutically reasonable?].\nFor centuries extracts from the Cannabis sativa plant have been used for recreational use and as remedies. Anecdotal reports from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experiencing relief of their spasticity and pain after smoking marihuana have prompted discussions about a potential therapeutic application of cannabis preparations in MS. Only recently the first large, multicenter, double-blind, placebo controlled study was conducted evaluating the use of cannabinoids for treatment of spasticity and other symptoms related to MS. Based on this trial and previous uncontrolled observations together with insights from basic research and animal experiments there is reasonable evidence for the therapeutical employment of cannabinoids in the treatment of MS related symptoms. Furthermore, data are arising that cannabinoids have immunomodulatory and neuroprotective properties. However, results from clinical trials do not allow the recommendation for the general use of cannabinoids in MS. This article summarizes the present knowledge of clinical and experimental research regarding the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids for the treatment of MS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8100744,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Neutrophil integrin assay for clinical studies.\nThe level of expression of neutrophil adhesion molecules may be a useful marker for neutrophil activation in clinical studies. We therefore determined neutrophil integrin expression under various experimental conditions using a Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) after the cells had been labelled with fluorescent conjugated antibodies to the integrin subunits CD11a, CD11b and CD18. Levels of labelled CD11b and CD18 increased after activation with the chemotactic peptide formyl-methionyl-leucyl phenylalanine (fMLP) in a dose- and time-dependent manner, but CD11a did not, indicating that CD11a would not be a useful marker of neutrophil activation. The baseline expression of CD11b and CD18 on unstimulated neutrophils was similar in heparin and EDTA anti-coagulated blood but the response to activation with fMLP was significantly less for the EDTA anti-coagulated samples (p < 0.01 in paired t-test). The labelling of integrins was significantly higher in unfixed whole blood samples compared to samples fixed with 1 per cent paraformaldehyde. However, the increase in labelling induced by fMLP was similar whether or not the samples were fixed after activation. Labelling of CD11b and CD18 was greater for preparations of isolated neutrophils than for neutrophils in whole blood, and the response to fMLP stimulation tended to be lower for the isolated cells. Our results indicate that heparin should be used as anti-coagulant in clinical studies utilizing whole blood if subsequent activation of neutrophils is planned (e.g. to detect in vivo priming), although EDTA may be used if baseline expression alone is to be measured. Fixation of blood samples should not affect the ability to detect neutrophil activation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3492983,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Regional brain function in schizophrenia. II. Repeated evaluation with positron emission tomography.\nCerebral glucose metabolism was measured twice in a sample of 15 schizophrenics and eight controls, using positron emission tomography (PET) with 18-F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Studies were separated by three to 33 weeks. Patients were unmedicated during the first study, and the majority were receiving neuroleptics during the second study. There were no changes from study 1 to study 2 in average whole-brain metabolic rates, regional cortical activity, or the gradient of subcortical to cortical activity. The steeper subcortical to cortical gradient in schizophrenics, present in the first study, persisted in the second. Changes in this gradient were uncorrelated with changes in clinical status. Laterality (right-left) was stable across studies, and changes toward higher right relative to left hemispheric metabolism were correlated with clinical improvement. The results support the hypothesis of abnormal hemispheric activity in schizophrenia and implicate the subcortical-cortical gradient as another dimension that merits further exploration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22323162,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Small firms' actions in two areas, and exchange premium and enrollment impact.\nThe Affordable Care Act changed the regulations governing small firms' health insurance premiums. However, small businesses can avoid many of the new regulations by self-insuring or maintaining grandfathered plans. If small firms with healthy and lower-cost enrollees avoid the regulations, premiums for coverage sold through insurance exchanges could be unaffordable. In this analysis we used the RAND Comprehensive Assessment of Reform Efforts microsimulation model to predict the effects of self-insurance and grandfathering exemptions on coverage and premiums available through the exchanges. We estimate that Affordable Care Act regulations restricting employers' ability to offer grandfathered plans will result in lower premiums on plans available through the exchanges and will have small negative effects on enrollment in the exchanges. Our results suggest that these regulations are essential to keeping premiums on the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) exchanges affordable. Our analysis also found that Affordable Care Act regulations limiting self-insurance will reduce enrollment in the exchanges somewhat, without substantially affecting exchange premiums.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2277217,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[An evaluation of excisional biopsy for tongue carcinoma].\nAn evaluation of excisional biopsy for tongue carcinoma (T1, T2) as a surgical treatment was performed. Forty-seven patients who received excisional biopsy among 394 patients with tongue carcinoma (T1, T2) treated in National Cancer Center Hospital during 24 years were examined. These patients were divided into following three groups: group a) patients treated with excisional biopsy only, group b) those treated with excisional biopsy and cryosurgery, group c) those treated with excisional biopsy and radiotherapy. We examined local control rate of these groups, degree of differentiation in histopathological examination, and median cancer free surgical margin. From these we obtained following results: 1) There was no significance in local control rate among these three groups (group a 77%, group b 84%, group c 45%) 2) There were no local recurrences in the patients with cancer free margin of 5 mm or more except when the histopathology showed perineural invasion, lymphatic vessel invasion, and\/or deep invasion to the muscle. 3) Even if we had cancer positive surgical margin with excisional biopsy, we could obtain high local control rate (75%) with additional cryosurgery. We conclude that excisional biopsy for tongue carcinoma (T1, T2) is a good method for primary therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27198210,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Systematic review of risk factors for nonadherence to TB treatment in immigrant populations.\nForeign-born populations carry a significant TB burden in low-prevalence countries, composing over half of all cases in parts of Europe and North America. This study systematically reviewed evidence of risk factors for nonadherence to TB drug therapy in this group. On 28 October 2013 MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsychINFO and ProQuest were systematically searched for studies examining adherence in foreign-born populations with TB. Grey literature and reference lists were hand-searched. Risk factor studies were selected for inclusion if they consisted of at least 95% foreign-born populations. Of 1761 studies identified in the search, 20 were included in the risk factor review. Undocumented immigration status, older age, and social risk factors were consistently correlated with nonadherence; gender, ethnicity, immigration time, education level, adverse side effects, and HIV status were inconsistently correlated; and behavioural risk factors and marital status were consistently not correlated. This review emphasizes documentation status as a risk factor candidate for further investigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28684437,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The role and clinical implications of diastolic dysfunction in aortic stenosis.\nDiastolic dysfunction in aortic stenosis results primarily from left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis due to chronically elevated left ventricular systolic pressure. Currently, diastolic dysfunction does not have an explicit clinical role in management of patients with aortic stenosis. Studies have shown that improvement in diastolic dysfunction follows left ventricular remodelling after aortic valve replacement and that it occurs gradually or incompletely. Retrospective studies suggest that advanced grades of diastolic dysfunction at baseline are associated with increased mortality and adverse events even after aortic valve replacement. Recent studies have also associated myocardial fibrosis, a hallmark of diastolic dysfunction, with worse outcomes. In addition, these results were independent of the degree of aortic stenosis or valve replacement. Indirect evidence of the role of diastolic dysfunction in aortic stenosis also comes from paradoxical low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis, where disproportionate left ventricular hypertrophy leads to underfilling of the left ventricle, low-flow state and is associated with worse prognosis. Lastly, a limited number of studies suggest that worse diastolic dysfunction at baseline is detrimental in patients who develop aortic regurgitation after transcatheteraortic valve replacement, due to superimposition of volume overload on a stiff left ventricle. Current major limitations in our understanding of the prognostic role of diastolic dysfunction are the lack of universally accepted classification schemes, its dependence on dynamic loading conditions and the lack of larger prospective studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18660675,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Therapeutic targets in focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis.\nFocal and segmental glomerulosclerosis occurs due to a defect in the glomerular filtration barrier. This review highlights contributions from the past year that have enhanced our understanding of the pathophysiology of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis with emphasis on discoveries which may lead to the identification of therapeutic targets. Slit diaphragm proteins have become increasingly important in signal transduction and in mediating downstream events. Actin polymerization occurs after the podocin-nephrin-Neph-1 complex is phosphorylated by Src kinase and Fyn. Recent studies of angiotensin receptor antagonists, corticosteroids and erythropoietin unravel new mechanisms that ameliorate proteinuria by targeting the cell cycle within the podocyte. The discovery that an N-acetylmannosamine kinase (MNK) mutant mouse has glomerulopathy is suggestive that human sialylation pathways may represent therapeutic targets. Proteinuria before podocyte effacement demonstrated in laminin-beta2 null mice highlights the importance of the glomerular basement membrane. Interferon-beta reduced proteinuria in three models of kidney injury, showing greatest effect on glomerular endothelial cells in vitro. Basic research has illuminated mechanisms by which classic therapies have antiproteinuric effects directly on the podocyte. As knowledge expands with improved molecular techniques, understanding signaling pathways in health and proteinuric states should lead to potential therapeutic targets in focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3331004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Treatment of pelvic fractures and associated dislocations.\nFractures of the pelvis result in high morbidity and mortality as a result of uncontrolled hemorrhage and associated soft tissue damage. Early reduction and fixation of these fractures has been shown to result in control of hemorrhage, decreased morbidity and mortality, and improved function. Seventeen pelvic fractures, so treated, are reported. Despite a high complication rate of almost 75%, surgical fixation resulted in rapid control of hemorrhage, restoration of hip joint congruity, early mobilization of the patient, and decreased incidence of decubitus ulcers, bronchopneumonia, thrombophlebitis, and urinary tract infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11546797,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Stimulation of glucose transport by AMP-activated protein kinase via activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase.\nActivation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been recently demonstrated to be associated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR)-stimulated glucose transport mediated by both GLUT1 and GLUT4 transporters. However, signaling events upstream and downstream of AMPK are unknown. Here we report that 1) p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3 (MKK3) were activated by AICAR in Clone 9 cells, which express only the GLUT1 transporters, and 2) activation of p38 was required for AICAR-stimulated glucose transport since treatment of the cells with p38 inhibitor SB203580 or overexpression of dominant negative p38 mutant inhibited glucose transport. Moreover, we found that overexpression of the constitutively active form of AMPK mutant also resulted in a significant activation of p38, and inhibition of p38 activity by SB203580 did not affect AICAR-stimulated activation of AMPK. These findings demonstrate that AICAR-stimulated activation of p38 is indeed mediated by AMPK, and the p38 MAPK cascade is downstream of AMPK in the signaling pathway of AICAR-stimulated glucose transport in Clone 9 cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12521283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bacteremia in childhood cancer.\nInfection-related mortality affects the overall survival rates of children who are receiving treatment for cancer. The leading cause of mortality is bacteremia and sepsis related to it in febrile neutropenic patients. All positive blood cultures of febrile neutropenic patients treated in the Department of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Cerrahpasa Medical School, between January 1995 and January 2001 were reviewed. Cultures grew 159 micro-organisms, 95 (60 per cent) of which were Gram-positive bacteria, 56 (35 per cent) were Gram-negative bacteria and eight (5 per cent) were fungi. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (63, 40 per cent) and S. aureus (8, 5 per cent) were the most frequent Gram-positive pathogens. Klebsiella, E. coli, Enterobacter and Pseudomonas infections were the primary Gram-negative pathogens. Twenty cases were lost because of sepsis: in 11 cases (55 per cent) Gram-negative bacteria, in eight cases (40 per cent) Gram-positive bacteria, and in only one case a fungus were the causative organisms. Although vancomycin was not included in the first-line treatment, the mortality rate of Gram-positive bacteremia was 8 per cent. In Gram-negative bacteremia it was 20 per cent. Gram-negative pathogens, which were resistant to multiple antibiotics, caused the mortality. Drug resistance and mortality due to micro-organisms must be taken into consideration while febrile neutropenia protocols are prepared.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22197534,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Clinical outcomes in patients with prolonged intensive care unit length of stay after cardiac surgical procedures.\nAdvances in critical care medicine have allowed for improved care of patients requiring prolonged intensive care unit length of stay (prICULOS) after cardiac operations, yet little is known regarding their eventual outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine short- and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing cardiac operations with prICULOS. All cases of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve, mitral valve, and combined CABG\/valve surgical procedures performed at a single institution from July 2002 to July 2007 were identified. All-cause mortality in patients discharged alive from the hospital was determined until December 2007 through linkage with the Social Security Death Index. Patients who experienced intraoperative death or those with missing or invalid social security numbers were excluded. The definition of prICULOS was total ICULOS greater than 7 days. A total of 3,478 patients met inclusion criteria. One hundred thirty-seven of three thousand four hundred seventy-eight patients (3.9%) experienced prICULOS. These patients were more likely to be older than 70 years (55.5% versus 30.5%; p<0.0001) and to have had recent myocardial infarction (28.5% versus 20.1%; p=0.02), previous cardiac operation (18.3% versus 6.9%; p<0.0001), and emergent status (9.5% versus 1.6%; p<0.0001). They experienced greater in-hospital mortality (37.2% versus 1.7%; p<0.0001) and those who were discharged alive had worse long-term survival (log-rank, p<0.0001). After risk adjustment, prICULOS emerged as a significant predictor of in-hospital death (odds ratio [OR] 20.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 12.9-33.7) and decreased long-term survival (hazard ratio [HR] 2.9; 95% CI, 2.0-4.3). Patients with prICULOS after cardiac operations have worse overall outcomes. These data may be used to inform these patients and their families of realistic expectations regarding their clinical course.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30283215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Crash Characteristics and Pattern of Motorcycle Related Facial Bone Fractures in a Sub-Urban Nigerian Teaching Hospital.\nRecent studies indicated that significant proportion of facial fractures attributed to road traffic mishaps in the middle- and low-income countries are caused by motorcycle (MC) crashes. However, there is limited information on crash characteristics of such injuries. This study was designed to examine the crash characteristics, pattern of fracture, and sociodemographics of patients with facial bone fractures due to MC crashes in our institution. Data on patients' sociodemographics, pattern of presentation, type(s) of fracture, patient status, crash characteristics, level of consciousness, and treatment offered were collected and analyzed. A total of 151 patients, aged 7-59 years were reviewed during the study period. A male preponderance was observed (M:F = 4:1) and the patients were predominantly motorcyclists (64.8%, n = 98). The most common mechanism of crash was collision with another MC (51.6%, n = 78). A total of 194 fractures were reviewed and the mandible (58.8%, n = 114) was more commonly affected than the midface (41.2%, n = 80). The predominant site on the mandible was the body (31.6%) while zygoma (32.5%) was the most affected part of the midface. Patient status was found to have a statistically significant relationship with loss of consciousness (P = 0.02). Eighty-two fracture sites (42.3%) were managed with open reduction and internal fixation. Facial bone fractures occur in a significant proportion of MC crashes and riders are predominantly affected. In addition, a larger proportion of commuters rarely wear crash helmet which could have offered protection. Continual advocacy on preventive measures and enforcement of road safety regulations is hereby advised.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19589891,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A pilot risk model for the prediction of rapid radiographic progression in rheumatoid arthritis.\nIdentifying patients with RA at high risk of rapid radiographic progression (RRP) is critical for making appropriate treatment decisions. We developed an exploratory prediction model for the risk of RRP using an RA study population undergoing either conservative or aggressive disease management. Using data from the active-controlled study of patients receiving infliximab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis of early onset (ASPIRE) early RA study, RRP was defined as a threshold change in modified Sharp\/van der Heijde score (SHS) of > or =5 U\/year. Spearman's rank analysis was used to identify baseline risk factors for RRP. Logistic regression was used to calculate the probability of RRP in 1 year. The results were combined into a matrix model that consisted of risk factors and initiated treatment arranged in increasing risk of RRP. Data from the anti-TNF trial in rheumatoid arthritis with concomitant therapy (ATTRACT) established RA study were applied to the model to test its generalizability in another population. The 28 swollen joint count, RF, CRP and ESR are included as trichotomous variables and initiated treatment (monotherapy or combination therapy) as a dichotomous variable. Two models, one incorporating all risk factors except CRP and another incorporating all risk factors except ESR, were developed to adjust for collinearity. These models identify subpopulations of RA patients at higher predicted risk for RRP. These preliminary matrix models predict the risk of RRP using initiated treatment and easily accessible clinical and laboratory variables. Further testing in other populations and with other therapies is needed to obtain a definitive risk model that will guide rheumatologists in making treatment decisions for individual RA patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2292283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on the bronchial hyperresponsiveness of middle-aged male smokers.\nBronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in smokers is believed to be a consequence of airway wall inflammation. We have examined the effects of treatment with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on BHR to inhaled histamine, measured as the provocative concentration reducing forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) by 20% (PC20), in middle-aged male cigarette smokers in two separate double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trials. Baseline FEV1 in these smokers ranged from 41-117% predicted values. In the first study 15 men (mean age 58 yrs, FEV1 2.20 l) were examined before and one hour after a single dose of 1.2 g aspirin. There was no significant change in PC20 (geometric mean 1.88 mg.ml-1 pre-aspirin, 1.89 mg.ml-1 post-aspirin) or baseline FEV1 and we observed no tachyphylaxis to the effects of inhaled histamine at one hour after placebo. In the second study 10 men (mean age 60 yrs, FEV1 2.53 l) were examined before and after three days' treatment with the NSAID flurbiprofen 50 mg t.d.s. Baseline PC20 was higher in this group than in the first study. There was no relationship between the excretion of urinary thromboxane metabolites and the intensity of BHR under baseline conditions; flurbiprofen greatly reduced the urinary excretion of thromboxane metabolites, but baseline FEV1 was not altered. Analysis of change in PC20 was complicated by a difference in baseline PC20 before the two treatments, but treatment with flurbiprofen did not significantly attenuate BHR. The results suggest that thromboxane or other cyclo-oxygenase products of arachidonic acid metabolism do not play an important role in the short-term maintenance of BHR to histamine in middle-aged male cigarette smokers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2471784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Recognition of respiratory syncytial virus fusion protein by mouse cytotoxic T cell clones and a human cytotoxic T cell line.\nTwo mouse cytotoxic T cell (Tc) clones, D5 and H11a, with specificity for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein (F) were derived from BALB\/c mice primed intranasally (i.n.) with RSV (A2 strain). These clones possessed essentially the same characteristics, and only clone H11a is described here. Tc clone H11a lysed target cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus (VV) expressing the RSV F gene, and similar target cells infected with RSV strains Long, 8\/60, or 18537. In addition, two RSV-specific mouse Tc lines are described, from BALB\/c mice primed i.n. with RSV A2 (Tc line MJC-A2), or intraperitoneally with a VV-RSV F gene recombinant (Tc line MJC-F). Tc line MJC-A2 was of unknown antigen specificity, failing to lyse targets infected with recombinant VVs expressing the RSV nucleoprotein (N), large glycoprotein, F, 1A, 1C, or partial matrix protein (amino acid residues 88 to 257) genes. MJC-A2 Tc were cross-reactive for all strains of RSV tested. In contrast, the F-specific MJC-F Tc showed a marked degree of RSV strain specificity, efficiently lysing targets infected with RSV Long or A2 strains, but showing greatly reduced lysis of targets infected with RSV 8\/60 or 18537 strains. An anti-RSV human Tc line, IH.K2, also recognized the fusion protein. IH.K2 Tc efficiently lysed autologous Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells (BCL) persistently infected with RSV A2 and BCL infected with a VV-RSV F gene recombinant. IH.K2 function was not exclusively RSV F-specific, however, as these cells also lysed autologous BCL infected with a VV-RSV N gene recombinant. These data show that the RSV fusion protein is a target antigen for anti-RSV Tc following infection of mice and humans, and that the F-specific Tc repertoire in mice can be influenced by the method and route of priming.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32856054,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Time- and Site-Dependent Postmortem Redistribution of Antidepressants and Neuroleptics in Blood and Alternative Matrices.\nPostmortem redistribution (PMR) leads to challenges in postmortem case interpretation. Particularly antidepressants and neuroleptics are expected to undergo PMR based on their physico-chemical properties. For the current study, time- and site-dependent PMR of 20 antidepressants and neuroleptics were investigated in humans (authentic cases); five of which are discussed in detail (citalopram, mirtazapine, quetiapine, risperidone and venlafaxine) along with two metabolites (9-OH-risperidone and O-desmethylvenlafaxine). Blood [femoral (pB) and heart blood (HB)] and tissue biopsy samples (lung, kidney, liver, spleen, thigh muscle and adipose tissue) were collected upon admission to the institute utilizing a computed tomography-guided sample collection workflow (t1). Approximately 24 h later (t2; mean 23 \u00b1 9.3 h), samples from the same body regions were collected manually. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used for quantification. Most antidepressants and neuroleptics showed significant time-dependent concentration changes indicating the occurrence of PMR. For the first time, two phases of redistribution in pB for quetiapine were proposed (concentration decreases in the early postmortem phase, followed by concentration increases) and contrasting existing literature, both concentration increases and decreases in pB overtime were observed for risperidone and 9-OH-risperidone. Venlafaxine and its metabolite only showed minimal concentration changes, while citalopram exhibited a trend for concentration increases and mirtazapine for concentration decreases in pB overtime. Based on time-dependent tissue data, passive diffusion processes along the muscle-to-pB, liver-to-HB and lung-to-HB concentration gradients could be proposed along with bacterial degradation. Overall, no case interpretation had to be adjusted, which suggests that PMR changes of antidepressants and neuroleptics do not seem to be relevant for forensic case interpretation within the 24 h period that was investigated. However, limitations of the current study (e.g., temperature-controlled storage of the bodies) could have led to an underestimation of occurring postmortem changes, hence, interpretation of postmortem results should always be conducted with care, considering PMR phenomena and inter-individual variability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19007645,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"2008 Guidelines for gamete and embryo donation: a Practice Committee report.\nThe 2008 Guidelines for Gamete and Embryo Donation provide the latest recommendations for evaluation of potential sperm, oocyte, and embryo donors, incorporating recent information about optimal screening and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), genetic diseases, and psychological assessments. This revised document incorporates recent information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the American Association of Tissue Banks, with which all programs offering gamete and embryo donation services must be thoroughly familiar.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16078972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Antiaging medicine and mild cognitive impairment: practice and policy issues for geriatrics.\nThe claim that aging itself is treatable or even preventable has repeatedly been made over the centuries. Antiaging medicine is the current leader of approaches that even claim that geriatrics as a discipline will become increasingly unnecessary. The concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as a condition intermediate between normal cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease highlights the conceptual and practical difficulty of differentiating aging from disease. What should geriatricians and their organizations make of scientifically mainstream attempts to decelerate, arrest, or compress aspects of the normal human aging, including the brain aging process? This article reviews the political, philosophical, practice-related, and economical implications of antiaging medicine for geriatrics using MCI as a practical example. It concludes by suggesting actions that geriatricians should consider to strengthen their profession and to improve patient care in response to the challenges of longevity medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37493925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Maintenance Treatment in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Clinical Primer.\nCure rates in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) currently approach 90% in the developed world. Treatment involves 6-8 mo of intensive multi-drug chemotherapy followed by 24 mo of maintenance treatment (ALL-MT). The cornerstone of ALL-MT is the daily administration of oral 6-mercaptopurine (6MP), a purine analogue. 6MP is combined with weekly oral methotrexate (MTX), an antifolate drug, to augment therapeutic activity. Some protocols include additional chemotherapy drugs (such as vincristine and corticosteroids) during MT. The objective of ALL-MT is to ensure uninterrupted treatment at the highest tolerated doses of 6MP and MTX. This requires periodic adjustments of 6MP and MTX doses throughout treatment. Tolerance is determined through regular clinical assessments and careful monitoring of blood counts. Tolerated drug doses vary widely among patients, influenced by genetic and non-genetic factors, and require individualized dosing. Suboptimal treatment intensity in ALL-MT is associated with inferior outcomes and results from failure to treat at highest tolerated drug doses and\/or interruptions in treatment due to non-adherence or toxicity. Management of MT thus requires close supervision to ensure treatment adherence, periodic drug dose modifications, and treatment to tolerance, while minimizing treatment interruptions due to toxicity. The review highlights these challenges and discusses approaches and strategies for the management of MT, focusing on the Indian context.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23271180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Genetic populations of Bacillus anthracis isolates from Korea.\nBacillus (B.) anthracis is the pathogen that causes fatal anthrax. Strain-specific detection of this bacterium using molecular approaches has enhanced our knowledge of microbial population genetics. In the present study, we employed molecular approaches including multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and canonical single-nucleotide polymorphism (canSNP) analysis to perform molecular typing of B. anthracis strains isolated in Korea. According to the MLVA, 17 B. anthracis isolates were classified into A3a, A3b, and B1 clusters. The canSNP analyses subdivided the B. anthracis isolates into two of the three previously recognized major lineages (A and B). B. anthracis isolates from Korea were found to belong to four canSNP sub-groups (B.Br.001\/2, A.Br.005\/006, A.Br.001\/002, and A.Br.Ames). The A.Br.001\/002 and A.Br.Ames sub-lineages are closely related genotypes frequently found in central Asia and most isolates were. On the other hand, B. anthracis CH isolates were analyzed that belonged to the B.Br.001\/002 sub-group which found in southern Africa, Europe and California (USA). B.Br.001\/002 genotype is new lineage of B. anthracis in Korea that was not found before. This discovery will be helpful for the creation of marker systems and might be the result of human activity through the development of agriculture and increased international trade in Korea.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34616538,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Case series: MRD negativity assessment using 11C-Acetate PET with 3-weekly daratumumab-based quadruplet induction in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.\nComplete response (CR) is an important favorable factor for survival in multiple myeloma (MM). However, CR patients continue to relapse, especially in the presence of minimal residual disease (MRD). Bone marrow (BM) MRD is predictive of progression-free survival (PFS) in MM. However, myeloma outside the BM aspiration site may result in subsequent relapse despite MRD-negativity. Therefore, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) based on F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is a complementary tool to monitor residual disease in MM. However, FDG may miss myeloma lesions that are not FDG-avid. On the other hand, 11C-Acetate (ACT) has been found to be a more sensitive and specific tracer than FDG in MM. Recently, the addition of daratumumab to bortezomib, thalidomide, dexamethasone (VTd) or bortezomib, lenalidomide, dexamethasone (VRd) backbone has been proven to improve outcomes. Herein, we report three newly-diagnosed MM patients achieving deep responses with imaging CR using ACT PET in addition to conventional immunofixation CR and MRD-negative CR after a 3-weekly daratumumab-based quadruplet induction regimen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31479995,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Proteolytic activity of Lactobacillus strains isolated from Mongolian traditional dairy products: A multiparametric analysis.\nThe aim of our study was to characterize the proteolytic activity of 170 Lactobacillus strains isolated from traditional Mongolian dairy products (yogurt and fermented milk), and to investigate their capacity to generate bioactive peptides during milk fermentation. All isolates were screened for proteolytic activity using skim milk agar-well diffusion test. Fifteen strains (9 Lactobacillus helveticus and 6 Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) were then selected and further evaluated using an original strategy based on multiparametric analysis, taking into account growth rate, acidification capacity, proteolytic activity, cell envelope associated peptidase (CEP) profile and LC-MS\/MS analysis of peptides. All parameters were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). Results showed that strain growth and acidification correlate with peptide production and that Mongolian L. helveticus strains differ from Western strains in terms of CEP distribution. The PCA revealed that CEP profiles are major determinants of \u03b2-casein hydrolysis patterns. Strains with distinctive proteolytic activities were identified.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25421456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Determinants associated with veterinary antimicrobial prescribing in farm animals in the Netherlands: a qualitative study.\nAntimicrobial use in farm animals might contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance in humans and animals, and there is an urgent need to reduce antimicrobial use in farm animals. Veterinarians are typically responsible for prescribing and overseeing antimicrobial use in animals. A thorough understanding of veterinarians' current prescribing practices and their reasons to prescribe antimicrobials might offer leads for interventions to reduce antimicrobial use in farm animals. This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of factors that influence prescribing behaviour of farm animal veterinarians. Semi-structured interviews with eleven farm animal veterinarians were conducted, which were taped, transcribed and iteratively analysed. This preliminary analysis was further discussed and refined in an expert meeting. A final conceptual model was derived from the analysis and sent to all the respondents for validation. Many conflicting interests are identifiable when it comes to antimicrobial prescribing by farm animal veterinarians. Belief in the professional obligation to alleviate animal suffering, financial dependency on clients, risk avoidance, shortcomings in advisory skills, financial barriers for structural veterinary herd health advisory services, lack of farmers' compliance to veterinary recommendations, public health interests, personal beliefs regarding the veterinary contribution to antimicrobial resistance and major economic powers are all influential determinants in antimicrobial prescribing behaviour of farm animal veterinarians. Interventions to change prescribing behaviour of farm animal veterinarians could address attitudes and advisory skills of veterinarians, as well as provide tools to deal with (perceived) pressure from farmers and advisors to prescribe antimicrobials. Additional (policy) measures could probably support farm animal veterinarians in acting as a more independent animal health consultant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7793939,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cloning and sequencing of LlaDCHI [corrected] restriction\/modification genes from Lactococcus lactis and relatedness of this system to the Streptococcus pneumoniae DpnII system.\nThe natural 7.8-kb plasmid pSRQ700 was isolated from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris DCH-4. It encodes a restriction\/modification system named LlaDCHI [corrected]. When introduced into a phage-sensitive L. lactis strain, pSRQ700 confers strong phage resistance against the three most common lactococcal phage species, namely, 936, c2, and P335. The LlaDCHI [corrected] endonuclease was purified and found to cleave the palindromic sequence 5'-GATC-3'. It is an isoschizomer of Streptococcus pneumoniae DpnII. The plasmid pSRQ700 was mapped, and the genetic organization of LlaDCHI [corrected] was localized. Cloning and sequencing of the entire LlaDCHI [corrected] system allowed the identification of three open reading frames. The three genes (llaIIA, llaIIB, and llaIIC) overlapped and are under one putative promoter. A putative terminator was found at the end of llaIIC. The genes llaIIA and llaIIB coded for m6A methyltransferases, and llaIIC coded for an endonuclease. The LlaDCHI [corrected] system shares strong genetic similarities with the DpnII system. The deduced amino acid sequence of M.LlaIIA was 75% identical with that of M.DpnII, whereas M.LlaIIB was 88% identical with M.DpnA. However, R.LlalII shared only 31% identity with R.DpnII.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19864501,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evidence for similarity-assisted recombination and predicted stem-loop structure determinant in potato virus X RNA recombination.\nVirus RNA recombination, one of the main factors for genetic variability and evolution, is thought to be based on different mechanisms. Here, the recently described in vivo potato virus X (PVX) recombination assay [Draghici, H.-K. & Varrelmann, M. (2009). J Virol 83, 7761-7769] was applied to characterize structural parameters of recombination. The assay uses an Agrobacterium-mediated expression system incorporating a PVX green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled full-length clone. The clone contains a partial coat protein (CP) deletion that causes defectiveness in cell-to-cell movement, together with a functional CP+3' non-translated region (ntr) transcript, in Nicotiana benthamiana leaf tissue. The structural parameters assessed were the length of sequence overlap, the distance between mutations and the degree of sequence similarity. The effects on the observed frequency of reconstitution and the composition of the recombination products were characterized. Application of four different type X intact PVX CP genes with variable composition allowed the estimation of the junction sites of precise homologous recombination. Although one template switch would have been sufficient for functional reconstitution, between one and seven template switches were observed. Use of PVX-GFP mutants with CP deletions of variable length resulted in a linear decrease of the reconstitution frequency. The critical length observed for homologous recombination was 20-50 nt. Reduction of the reconstitution frequency was obtained when a phylogenetically distant PVX type Bi CP gene was used. Finally, the prediction of CP and 3'-ntr RNA secondary structure demonstrated that recombination-junction sites were located mainly in regions of stem-loop structures, allowing the recombination observed to be categorized as similarity-assisted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12515972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[The usefulness of the quantitative ultrasound to diagnose glucocorticoids induced osteoporosis].\nThe aim of this study was to evaluate the utilization of heel ultrasonometry in the diagnosis of glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis. The study group included 108 caucasian women, ranging in age from 30 to 81 years. They were all affected by inflammatory disorders (rheumatoid arthritis and other connective tissue diseases) and had been in chronic glucocorticoid therapy for at least 8 months, at an average daily dosage of not less than 7.5 mg of prednisolone. The control group was composed of 112 women. Every subject was evaluated by a heel ultrasonography (Hologic Sahara). The ultrasonometry data average values noted were: QUI (Quantitative Ultrasound Index) 71* (86); SOS (Speed of Sound) 1324 m\/sec* (1541); BUA (Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation) 61 dB\/MHz (62). The asterisk shows a statistically significant difference in comparison to the value in brackets. QUI\/Stiffness and SOS had reached a significant statistic value in all the age groups, with regard to average values of patients not on glucocorticoid therapy. The BUA values did not demonstrate a significant difference, even if they always appeared inferior to the average observed (except in the range 60-70 years age group). The concept that osteoporosis is a disease characterized exclusively to a reduction in bone density, now leaves room for consideration that corresponds with the concepts of quantitative and quality elements. Chronic glucocorticoid therapy is one of the major causes of osteoporosis. The use of glucocorticoids increases the risk of fractures, independently from the bone \u00f9ineral BMD in the various ages, which therefore cannot be explained solely by the reduced BMD. Ultrasound may provide information on the bone structure, and so its eventual modification, after chronic glucocorticoid therapy. Our results show that bone ultrasonometry is able to detect a population in chronic glucocorticoid therapy in comparison with those not treated. BUA and SOS are reduced in all the patients. Our experience derives that in the chronic glucocorticoid therapy patients, a major prevalence is noted of SOS which may provide information on the modification of the bone structure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29800835,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Transformation of microcystin-LR and olefinic compounds by ferrate(VI): Oxidative cleavage of olefinic double bonds as the primary reaction pathway.\nThe presence of toxic microcystins in algal-impacted surface waters is a concern for drinking water quality management. In this study, the potential of ferrate(VI) to eliminate microcystins during drinking water treatment was assessed by investigating reaction kinetics, reaction sites, transformation products, and toxicity changes for the oxidation of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) as a representative microsystin. The investigations also included several substructural model compounds of MC-LR, such as cinnamic acid and sorbic acid, to elucidate the major transformation products and pathways of MC-LR and olefinic compounds. Second-order rate constants were determined in the pH range 6-10.4 for the reaction of ferrate(VI) with MC-LR and the model compounds. The kinetic data revealed that the olefinic double bonds in the Adda and Mdha residues of MC-LR were the primary ferrate(VI) reaction sites, while the phenyl or guanidine moiety was not the reaction site. This finding was supported by detection and identification of the MC-LR transformation products of double bond cleavage, with high peak abundance in the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the reaction of ferrate(VI) with cinnamic and sorbic acids formed the corresponding aldehydes and organic acids with near complete carbon mass balance, indicating the oxidative cleavage of the double bonds as the primary reaction pathway. A quantitative protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) binding assay for ferrate(VI)-treated MC-LR solutions showed that the MC-LR transformation products exhibited negligible PP2A binding activity compared to that of the parent MC-LR. Oxidation experiments in a filtered river water matrix spiked with MC-LR demonstrated the efficient elimination of MC-LR during water treatment with ferrate(VI).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18055585,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Micro-electrode flux estimation confirms that the Solanum pimpinellifolium cu3 mutant still responds to systemin.\nIn this study, we introduce the Micro-Electrode Ion Flux Estimation technique as a sensitive and accurate technique to study systemin-induced changes in ion fluxes from isolated nearly intact plant tissues. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness and value of the Micro-Electrode Ion Flux Estimation technique to monitor and characterize those elicitor-induced ion flux changes from intact tissues. We used the method to monitor the systemin-induced changes in ion fluxes from leaf tissue of various plant species, including wild-type and cu3 mutant tomato (Solanum pimpinellifolium) plants, and confirm previous observations, but now in intact leaf tissue. Upon exposure of leaf tissue of plant species from the subtribe solaneae to systemin, the H(+) influx and K(+) efflux were transiently strongly increased. Plant species of other clades did not show a response upon systemin exposure. Although it has been reported that the gene containing the cu3 null mutation is identical to the SR160\/tBRI1 gene, which encodes the systemin\/brassinosteroid receptor and is essential in systemin and brassinosteroid perception, we observed no differences in the response of H(+) and K(+) fluxes from both wild-type and mutant leaf tissue to systemin. Also, the effects of various pharmacological effectors on systemin-induced flux changes were similar. Moreover, a SR160\/tBRI1 transgene-containing tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) line was insensitive to systemin, whereas both this line and its wild-type predecessor were responsive to the elicitor flg22. Our results support the conclusion that the Cu3 receptor of tomato is not the systemin receptor, and, hence, another receptor is the principal systemin receptor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27713824,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparison of [11C]TZ1964B and [18F]MNI659 for PET imaging brain PDE10A in nonhuman primates.\nPhosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitors show therapeutic effects for diseases with striatal pathology. PET radiotracers have been developed to quantify in vivo PDE10A levels and target engagement for therapeutic interventions. The aim of this study was to compare two potent and selective PDE10A radiotracers, [11C]TZ1964B and [18F]MNI659 in the nonhuman primate (NHP) brain. Double scans in the same cynomolgus monkey on the same day were performed after injection of [11C]TZ1964B and [18F]MNI659. Specific uptake was determined in two ways: nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) was calculated using cerebellum as the reference region and the PDE-10A enriched striatum as the target region of interest (ROI); the area under the time-activity curve (AUC) for the striatum to cerebellum ratio was also calculated. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of solvent-extracted NHP plasma identified the percentage of intact tracer versus radiolabeled metabolites samples post injection of each radiotracer. Both radiotracers showed high specific accumulation in NHP striatum. [11C]TZ1964B has higher striatal retention and lower specific striatal uptake than [18F]MNI659. The BPND estimates of [11C]TZ1964B were 3.72 by Logan Reference model (LoganREF) and 4.39 by simplified reference tissue model (SRTM); the BPND estimates for [18F]MNI659 were 5.08 (LoganREF) and 5.33 (SRTM). AUC ratios were 5.87 for [11C]TZ1964B and 7.60 for [18F]MNI659. Based on BPND values in NHP striatum, coefficients of variation were ~10% for [11C]TZ1964B and ~30% for [18F]MNI659. Moreover, the metabolism study showed the percentage of parent compounds were ~70% for [11C]TZ1964B and ~50% for [18F]MNI659 60 min post injection. These data indicate that either [11C]TZ1964B or [18F]MNI659 could serve as suitable PDE10A PET radiotracers with distinguishing features for particular clinical application.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35511940,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention and diagnosis in COVID-19: Practice patterns and outcomes at 33 hospitals.\nEarly reports of increased thrombosis risk with SARS-CoV-2 infection led to changes in venous thromboembolism (VTE) management. Real-world data on the prevalence, efficacy and harms of these changes informs best practices. Define practice patterns and clinical outcomes related to VTE diagnosis, prevention, and management in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) using a multi-hospital US sample. In this retrospective cross-sectional study of 1121 patients admitted to 33 hospitals, exposure was dose of anticoagulant prescribed for VTE prophylaxis (standard, intensified, therapeutic), and primary outcome was VTE (pulmonary embolism [PE] and deep vein thrombosis [DVT]); secondary outcomes were PE, DVT, arterial thromboembolism (ATE), and bleeding events. Multivariable logistic regression models accounting for clustering by site and adjusted for risk factors were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs). Inverse probability weighting was used to account for confounding by indication. 1121 patients (mean age 60 \u00b1 18, 47% female) admitted with COVID-19 between February 2, 2020 and December 31, 2020 to 33 US hospitals were included. Pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis was prescribed in 86%. Forty-seven patients (4.2%) had PE, 51 (4.6%) had DVT, and 23 (2.1%) had ATE. Forty-six patients (4.1%) had major bleeding and 46 (4.1%) had clinically relevant non-major bleeding. Compared to standard prophylaxis, adjusted odds of VTE were 0.67 (95% CI 0.21-2.1) with no prophylaxis, 1.0 (95% CI 0.06-17) with intensified, and 3.0 (95% CI 0.89-10) with therapeutic. Adjusted odds of bleeding with no prophylaxis were 5.6 (95% CI 3.0-11) and 5.3 (95% CI 3.0-10) with therapeutic (no events on intensified dosing). Therapeutic anticoagulation was associated with a 3-fold increased odds of VTE and 5-fold increased odds of bleeding. While higher bleeding rates with high-intensity prophylaxis were likely due to full-dose anticoagulation, we conclude that high thrombosis rates were due to clinical concern for thrombosis before formal diagnosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26781082,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"WCOACH: Protein complex prediction in weighted PPI networks.\nProtein complexes are aggregates of protein molecules that play important roles in biological processes. Detecting protein complexes from protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks is one of the most challenging problems in computational biology, and many computational methods have been developed to solve this problem. Generally, these methods yield high false positive rates. In this article, a semantic similarity measure between proteins, based on Gene Ontology (GO) structure, is applied to weigh PPI networks. Consequently, one of the well-known methods, COACH, has been improved to be compatible with weighted PPI networks for protein complex detection. The new method, WCOACH, is compared to the COACH, ClusterOne, IPCA, CORE, OH-PIN, HC-PIN and MCODE methods on several PPI networks such as DIP, Krogan, Gavin 2002 and MIPS. WCOACH can be applied as a fast and high-performance algorithm to predict protein complexes in weighted PPI networks. All data and programs are freely available at http:\/\/bioinformatics.aut.ac.ir\/wcoach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33813107,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Immunogenicity and duration of protection after yellow fever vaccine in people living with human immunodeficiency virus: a systematic review.\nWe lack the rationale on which to base the development of a yellow fever (YF) vaccination schedule for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWHIV). To report on the current evidence regarding the seroconversion rate and the duration of humoral protection after YF vaccine, as well as the impact of revaccination in PLWHIV. MEDLINE, Google Scholar, LILACS and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched. We selected studies on PLWHIV of all ages (including perinatally HIV-infected patients) and all settings (YF endemic and non-endemic zones). Intervention investigated was vaccination against YF, at least once after the HIV diagnosis. The research questions were the seroconversion rate, duration of humoral immunity after YF vaccine and impact of revaccination in PLWHIV. Selected studies were assessed for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Ten, six and six studies were selected for the systematic review of each question, respectively. Only one study addressed the first question in perinatally HIV-infected children. The quality of the studies was assessed as Poor (n = 16), Fair (n = 2) or Good (n = 4). A meta-analysis demonstrated that 97.6% (95% CI 91.6%-100%) of the included population seroconverted. Between 1 and 10 years after YF vaccine, reported persistence of neutralizing antibodies was 72% (95% CI 53.6%-91%), and it was 62% (95% CI 45.4%-78.6%) more than 10 years after YF vaccine. No conclusions could be drawn on impact of revaccination because of the small number of patients. The current evidence regarding seroconversion rate, duration of humoral protection after YF vaccine and impact of revaccination in PLWHIV is limited by the low number and quality of studies. Based on the presently available data, it is difficult to rationally develop yellow fever vaccination guidelines for PLWHIV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32938440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"IgE reactivity to fish allergens from Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in atopic dogs.\nIgE reactivity to fish allergens in atopic dogs, which are used as models for food allergy, has not been elucidated to date. We investigated IgE reactivity to crude extracts and purified allergens derived from the Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) in atopic dogs to identify the allergenic proteins of cod. The levels of specific IgE to crude cod extracts were measured in the sera of 179 atopic dogs, including 27 dogs with cod allergy, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Specific IgE to crude cod extracts were present in 36 (20%) of the 179 atopic dogs and in 12 (44%) of the 27 dogs with cod allergy. The allergens in crude cod extracts were analyzed by ELISA, immunoblotting, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. In allergen component analysis, IgE reactivity to tropomyosin and enolase was observed in the sera of dogs with cod allergy. IgE reactivity to parvalbumin, collagen, and tropomyosin was evaluated using the sera of atopic dogs that tested positive for specific IgE to crude cod extracts. Among the 36 dogs with IgE reactivity to crude cod extracts, 9 (25%), 14 (39%), and 18 (50%) dogs tested positive for specific IgE to parvalbumin, collagen, and tropomyosin, respectively. The IgE reactivity to cod allergens observed in dogs was similar to that in humans, and this finding further supports the use of atopic dogs with fish allergy as a model for fish allergy in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30282445,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The Health Burden of Cancer Attributable to Obesity in Korea: A Population-Based Cohort Study.\nConsidering the health impact of obesity and cancer, it is important to estimate the burden of cancer attributable to high body mass index (BMI). Therefore, the present study attempts to measure the health burden of cancer attributable to excess BMI, according to cancer sites. The present study used nationwide medical check-up sample cohort data (2002-2015). The study subjects were 496,390 individuals (268,944 men and 227,446 women). We first calculated hazard ratio (HR) in order to evaluate the effect of excess BMI on cancer incidence and mortality. Then, the adjusted HR values and the prevalence of excess BMI were used to calculate the population attributable risk. This study also used the Global Burden of Disease method, to examine the health burden of obesity-related cancers attributable to obesity. The highest disability-adjusted life year (DALY) values attributable to overweight and obesity in men were shown in liver cancer, colorectal cancer, and gallbladder cancer. Among women, colorectal, ovarian, and breast (postmenopausal) cancers had the highest DALYs values attributable to overweight and obesity. Approximately 8.0% and 12.5% of cancer health burden (as measured by DALY values) among obesity-related cancers in men and women, respectively, can be prevented. Obesity has added to the health burden of cancer. By measuring the proportion of cancer burden attributable to excess BMI, the current findings provide support for the importance of properly allocating healthcare resources and for developing cancer prevention strategies to reduce the future burden of cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23307659,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Strategies adopted by cerebellar ataxia patients to perform U-turns.\nCerebellar ataxia is associated with unsteady, stumbling gait, and affected patients report a high rate of falls, particularly during locomotor tasks. U-turns (180\u00b0 turns while walking) require a high level of coordination in order to completely reverse the body trajectory during ongoing motion, and they are particularly challenging for patients with cerebellar ataxia. The aim of this study was to investigate the kinematic strategies adopted by ataxic patients when performing U-turns. Nine ataxic patients and ten controls were analysed as they performed 180\u00b0 turns to the right while walking. We evaluated the following aspects: centre of mass velocity, body rotation, number of steps needed to complete the task, step length and step width, lower limb joint kinematics and segmental reorientation. Compared with controls, the ataxic patients showed slower deceleration and re-acceleration of the body, needed more steps to complete the U-turn, showed markedly reduced step length and were unable to modulate step width between steps. Furthermore, the patients adopted an extended joint rather than a flexed joint turning strategy, and the degree of knee flexion was found to be negatively correlated with the number of falls. Ataxic patients show an abnormal U-turn in comparison to age-matched healthy subjects. Some of the observed alterations are indicative of a primary deficit in limb-joint coordination, whereas others suggest that patients choose a compensatory strategy aimed at reducing the instability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27484674,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Parenting while living with advanced cancer: A qualitative study.\nPatients with advanced cancer who have dependent children are an important population with a life-limiting illness and high levels of psychological distress. Few studies have addressed the experience of being a parent with advanced cancer and their potential palliative needs. To describe the experience of living with advanced cancer as a parent, including illness experience, parental concerns, and treatment decision making and to explore whether these experiences differ by their functional status. We conducted a cross-sectional, qualitative study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. A total of 42 participants with metastatic cancer and with at least one child under the age of 18 years were recruited from a comprehensive cancer center. 25 participants were rated as having high functional status (the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status Scale = 0-1) and 17 with low functional status (ECOG=2-4). We identified four themes regarding the experience of being a parent with advanced cancer: (1) parental concerns about the impact of their illness and death on their children, (2) \"missing out\" and losses of parental role and responsibilities, (3) maintaining parental responsibilities despite life-limiting illness, and (4) parental identity influencing decision making about treatment. Parental functional status influenced not only physical responsibilities but also intensified parenting psychological concerns. Parents with metastatic cancer may have unique palliative care needs as they experience parenting concerns while managing the psychological and physical demands of advanced cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8286751,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hydroxyurea affects cell morphology, cation transport, and red blood cell adhesion in cultured vascular endothelial cells.\nHydroxyurea (HU) significantly increases fetal hemoglobin (Hb) production and concomitantly affects passive erythrocyte K transport and cell volume in patients homozygous for Hb S, thus decreasing disease severity. Red blood cells (RBCs) with Hb S display a greater adherence to vascular endothelial cells (VECs) than do Hb A cells, thus increasing the probability of vaso-occlusive crisis. The effect of HU on the structure and function of VECs is still unknown. In the present study, HU significantly changed, in a dose-dependent manner, the morphology and monovalent cation composition of cultured VECs after incubation in normal culture medium for up to 10 days in the absence and presence of 0.3 (therapeutic dose) and 3.0 (toxic dose) mmol\/L HU. Treated cells showed significant morphologic changes such as an increase in apparent cell size and the formation of multinucleated giant cells. The protein content per dish decreased by 50% and 80% at 0.3 and 3.0 mmol\/L HU, respectively, accompanied by an increase in cell Na (maximum, approximately 200%) and cell K (maximum, approximately 50%) contents at about days 4 to 6 and 8 to 10, respectively. In addition, HU decreased RBC adherence to VECs in experiments with 51Cr-loaded Hb A or Hb S RBCs. The HU-induced changes in VEC morphology, cation composition, and RBC adherence may be caused or accompanied by alterations in cell membrane permeability, transformation of endothelial cells, or decreased number\/density of VEC adhesion molecules. Precise mechanisms of the HU effects warrant further investigation in light of the reported beneficial effects of HU in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32860791,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of Diet-Modulated Autologous Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Weight Regain.\nWe evaluated the efficacy and safety of diet-modulated autologous fecal microbiota transplantation (aFMT) for treatment of weight regain after the weight-loss phase. In the DIRECT PLUS (Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial Polyphenols-Unprocessed) weight-loss trial (May 2017 through July 2018), abdominally obese or dyslipidemic participants in Israel were randomly assigned to healthy dietary guidelines, Mediterranean diet, and green-Mediterranean diet weight-loss groups. All groups received free gym membership and physical activity guidelines. Both isocaloric Mediterranean groups consumed 28 g\/d walnuts (+440 mg\/d polyphenols provided). The green-Mediterranean dieters also consumed green tea (3-4 cups\/d) and a Wolffia globosa (Mankai strain, 100 g\/d) green shake (+800 mg\/d polyphenols provided). After 6 months (weight-loss phase), 90 eligible participants (mean age, 52 years; mean weight loss, 8.3 kg) provided a fecal sample that was processed into aFMT by frozen, opaque, and odorless capsules. The participants were then randomly assigned to groups that received 100 capsules containing their own fecal microbiota or placebo until month 14. The primary outcome was regain of the lost weight over the expected weight-regain phase (months 6-14). Secondary outcomes were gastrointestinal symptoms, waist circumference, glycemic status, and changes in the gut microbiome, as measured by metagenomic sequencing and 16s ribosomal RNA. We validated the results in a parallel in vivo study of mice specifically fed with Mankai compared with control chow diet. Of the 90 participants in the aFMT trial, 96% ingested at least 80 of 100 oral aFMT or placebo frozen capsules during the transplantation period. No aFMT-related adverse events or symptoms were observed. For the primary outcome, although no significant differences in weight regain were observed among the participants in the different lifestyle interventions during months 6-14 (aFMT, 30.4% vs placebo, 40.6%; P = .28), aFMT significantly attenuated weight regain in the green-Mediterranean group (aFMT, 17.1%, vs placebo, 50%; P = .02), but not in the dietary guidelines (P = .57) or Mediterranean diet (P = .64) groups (P for the interaction = .03). Accordingly, aFMT attenuated waist circumference gain (aFMT, 1.89 cm vs placebo, 5.05 cm; P = .01) and insulin rebound (aFMT, -1.46 \u00b1 3.6 \u03bcIU\/mL vs placebo, 1.64 \u00b1 4.7 \u03bcIU\/mL; P = .04) in the green-Mediterranean group but not in the dietary guidelines or Mediterranean diet (P for the interaction = .04 and .03, respectively). The green-Mediterranean diet was the only intervention to induce a significant change in microbiome composition during the weight-loss phase, and to prompt preservation of weight-loss-associated specific bacteria and microbial metabolic pathways (mainly microbial sugar transport) after the aFMT. In mice, Mankai-modulated aFMT in the weight-loss phase compared with control diet aFMT, significantly prevented weight regain and resulted in better glucose tolerance during a high-fat diet-induced regain phase (all, P < .05). Autologous FMT, collected during the weight-loss phase and administrated in the regain phase, might preserve weight loss and glycemic control, and is associated with specific microbiome signatures. A high-polyphenols, green plant-based or Mankai diet better optimizes the microbiome for an aFMT procedure. ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03020186.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32841943,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Executive Control, Alerting, Updating, and Falls in Cognitively Healthy Older Adults.\nCognitive impairment represents a risk factor for falls in older adults. However, cognition is a complex construct comprising several functional domains. The relationship between specific cognitive domain and falls in cognitively healthy older adults is unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between falls, attention, and executive function in older adults while considering the three components of attention (alerting, orienting, and executive control) and three components of executive function (updating, inhibition, and shifting). Cognitively healthy older adults were recruited (n = 60 for fallers and n = 100 for non-fallers). The participants were assessed on the Attention Network Test (alerting, orienting, and executive control), running memory test (updating), Stroop test (inhibition), and digit switching test (shifting). Confounder-adjusted logistic models were used to examine the associations between falls and specific cognitive functions in cognitively healthy older adults. The results showed that falls were associated with alerting, executive control, and updating. These associations were not attenuated when adjusting for a series of covariates such as age, gender, education, balance, general health, and emotional status. The results suggest that among cognitively healthy older adults, falls are related to three specific cognitive functions: alerting, executive control, and updating. Disentangling the mechanism and contribution of cognitive deficits in fall risk may provide insights for the development of prevention and rehabilitation strategies for falls in older adults.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24119936,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"The association between perceived emotional support, maternal mood, salivary cortisol, salivary cortisone, and the ratio between the two compounds in response to acute stress in second trimester pregnant women.\nLittle is known about the effect of social support on the reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during pregnancy. Moreover, when investigating the HPA axis most studies do not consider the activity of 11\u03b2-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11\u03b2-HSD2), an enzyme within the salivary glands that inactivates cortisol to cortisone. This study explores the association between perceived emotional support and the maternal psychobiological stress response to a standardized naturalistic stressor by assessing maternal mood and the reactivity of salivary cortisol (SalF), salivary cortisone (SalE), and the SalE\/(E+F) ratio as a marker of 11\u03b2-HSD2 activity. Repeated saliva samples and measures of maternal mood were obtained from 34 healthy second trimester pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis which served as a psychological stressor. The pregnant women additionally responded to a questionnaire of perceived emotional support and provided sociodemographic (e.g., maternal educational degree) and pregnancy-specific data (e.g., planned versus unplanned pregnancy). Perceived emotional support neither showed a significant effect on mood nor on the SalF or SalE response to stress. However, a moderately strong positive association was found between perceived emotional support and SalE\/(E+F) (r=.49). Additionally, the final regression analysis revealed a significant negative relationship between educational degree, planned\/unplanned pregnancy and SalE\/(E+F). Findings suggest a higher metabolization of cortisol to cortisone in pregnant women with higher emotional support. In contrast, higher maternal education and unplanned pregnancy appear to be associated with decreased salivary 11\u03b2-HSD2 activity. The current study emphasizes the importance of taking the activity of 11\u03b2-HSD2 into account when examining SalF.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16952294,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Access to the kidney transplant wait list.\nThe study examines selection for kidney transplantation and determines who are referred, how many had contraindications and whether comorbidity indices predict transplant status. Of 113 consecutive adult incident end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients at this single center 47 (41.6%) were referred. Using published guidelines, 48 (42.5%) had a specific contraindication. However 26 (23%) were neither referred nor had contraindications. An ESRD mortality score, acute renal failure status and albumin were independent predictors of referral but only the mortality score was predictive of contraindication status. The Charlson and ESRD comorbidity indices were less predictive of contraindication or referral status. In a comparison of patients who were Candidates (referred and no contraindication, n = 39) compared to those who were Neither (not referred and no contraindications, n = 26), age was the most discriminating factor (c = 0.99, 95% CI 0.97-1.00). Comorbidity and mortality indices were inferior. Neither patients were older (75 +\/- 7 years) and had comorbidity scores that were higher than Candidates but similar to those with contraindications (ESRD index; Neither 3.3 +\/- 2.5, Candidate 1.4 +\/- 1.8, and contraindication 4.1 +\/- 3.4). Comorbitity indices do not help explain selection practices whereas age is an important discriminator. How many Neither patients would benefit from transplantation is not known.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33763860,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Contributions of Clinical Pharmacology to HIV Cure Research.\nCombination antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress plasma HIV-RNA to < 50 copies\/mL, decrease HIV transmission, reduce mortality, and improve quality of life for people living with HIV. ART cannot, however, eliminate HIV from an infected individual. The primary barrier to cure HIV infection is the multiple reservoir sites, including adipose tissue, bone marrow, central nervous system, liver, lungs, male and female reproductive system, secondary lymph nodes, and gut-associated lymphoid tissue, established 1 to 2 weeks after acquisition of HIV. Additional challenges include understanding the mechanism(s) by which HIV is maintained at low or undetectable levels and developing treatments that will eradicate or produce a sustained suppression of virus without ART. To date, the most extensive clinical investigations of cure strategies have been the shock-and-kill approach using histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) to induce reactivation of latent HIV. Despite evidence for HIV latency reversal, HDACis alone have not decreased the size of the latent reservoir. Clinical pharmacologic explanations for these results include a low inhibitory quotient (i.e., low potency) within the reservoir sites and intrinsic (e.g., sex differences and reservoir size) and extrinsic (physiochemical and pharmacokinetic drug characteristics) factors. We offer an outline of desired clinical pharmacologic attributes for therapeutics intended for clinical HIV cure research and call for research teams to have early and ongoing involvement of clinical pharmacologists. We believe such a collective effort will provide a solid scientific basis and hope for reaching the goal of a cure for HIV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16858073,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Identification of novel brain biomarkers.\nThe diagnosis of diseases leading to brain injury, such as stroke, Alzheimer disease, and Parkinson disease, can often be problematic. In this study, we pursued the discovery of biomarkers that might be specific and sensitive to brain injury. We performed gene array analyses on a mouse model to look for biomarkers that are both preferentially and abundantly produced in the brain. Via bioinformatics databases, we identified the human homologs of genes that appeared abundant in brain but not in other tissues. We then confirmed protein production of the genes via Western blot of various tissue homogenates and assayed for one of the markers, visinin-like protein 1 (VLP-1), in plasma from patients after ischemic stroke. Twenty-nine genes that were preferentially and abundantly expressed in the mouse brain were identified; of these 29 genes, 26 had human homologs. We focused on 17 of these genes and their protein products on the basis of their molecular characteristics, novelty, and\/or availability of antibodies. Western blot showed strong signals in brain homogenates for 13 of these proteins. Tissue specificity was tested by Western blot on a human tissue array, and a sensitive and quantitative sandwich immunoassay was developed for the most abundant gene product observed in our search, VLP-1. VLP-1 was detected in plasma of patients after stroke and in cerebrospinal fluid of a rat model of stroke. The use of relative mRNA production appears to be a valid method of identifying possible biomarkers of tissue injury. The tissue specificity suggested by gene expression was confirmed by Western blot. One of the biomarkers identified, VLP-1, was increased in a rat model of stroke and in plasma of patients after stroke. More extensive, prospective studies of the candidate biomarkers identified appear warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26497934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Elongation factor-1A1 is a novel substrate of the protein phosphatase 1-TIMAP complex.\nTIMAP (TGF-\u03b2 inhibited membrane associated protein) is a protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) regulatory subunit highly abundant in endothelial cells and it is involved in the maintenance of pulmonary endothelial barrier function. It localizes mainly in the plasma membrane, but it is also present in the nuclei and cytoplasm. Direct interaction of TIMAP with the eukaryotic elongation factor 1 A1 (eEF1A1) is shown by pull-down, LC-MS\/MS, Far-Western and immunoprecipitations. In connection with the so called moonlighting functions of the elongation factor, eEF1A is thought to establish protein-protein interactions through a transcription-dependent nuclear export motif, TD-NEM, and to aid nuclear export of TD-NEM containing proteins. We found that a TD-NEM-like motif of TIMAP has a critical role in its specific binding to eEF1A1. However, eEF1A1 is not or not exclusively responsible for the nuclear export of TIMAP. On the contrary, TIMAP seems to regulate membrane localization of eEF1A1 as the elongation factor co-localized with TIMAP in the plasma membrane fraction of control endothelial cells, but it has disappeared from the membrane in TIMAP depleted cells. It is demonstrated that membrane localization of eEF1A1 depends on the phosphorylation state of its Thr residue(s); and ROCK phosphorylated eEF1A1 is a novel substrate for TIMAP-PP1 underlining the complex regulatory role of TIMAP in the endothelium. The elongation factor seems to be involved in the regulation of endothelial cell attachment and spreading as silencing of eEF1A1 positively affected these processes which were monitored by transendothelial resistance measurements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30747849,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hypothermic Oxygenated Perfusion: A Simple and Effective Method to Modulate the Immune Response in Kidney Transplantation.\nHypothermic oxygenated perfusion (HOPE) has been shown to protect liver recipients from acute rejection in an allogeneic model of liver transplantation in rats. Here we investigate the impact of HOPE on the T cell-mediated immune response following kidney transplantation. Kidneys from Lewis rats were transplanted into Brown Norway recipients to trigger acute rejection (allogeneic untreated group). Next, Brown Norway recipients were treated either with tacrolimus,= or donor kidneys underwent 1h-HOPE-treatment before implantation without additional immunosuppression in recipients. Syngeneic kidney transplants (Brown Norway to Brown Norway) served as controls. In a second set of experiments, the immune response was assessed in a donation after circulatory death model of kidney transplantation comparing standard cold storage with subsequent HOPE treatment and hypothermic nitrogenated perfusion, where oxygen was replaced during cold perfusion. Allogeneic kidney transplantation led to death in all untreated recipients within 10 days due to severe acute rejection. In contrast, immune activation was prevented by tacrolimus with significantly improved recipient survival. Similarly, HOPE treatment, without any immunosuppression, protected recipients from acute immune response, as measured by less cytokine release, T-cell, and macrophage activation. Additionally, HOPE-treated kidneys showed better function and less early fibrosis leading to a significantly improved recipient survival, compared with untreated allogeneic controls. Similarly, HOPE treatment protected recipients of extended donation after circulatory death kidneys from immune activation. This effect was lost when deoxygenated perfusate was used. In summary, this is the first study demonstrating the beneficial effects of HOPE on the immune response following kidney transplantation in an allogeneic rodent model.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32867044,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A One-Health Model for Reversing Honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) Decline.\nGlobal insect decline impacts ecosystem resilience; pollinators such as honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) have suffered extensive losses over the last decade, threatening food security. Research has focused discretely on in-hive threats (e.g., Nosema and Varroa destructor) and broader external causes of decline (e.g., agrochemicals, habitat loss). This has notably failed to translate into successful reversal of bee declines. Working at the interdisciplinary nexus of entomological, social and ecological research, we posit that veterinary research needs to adopt a \"One-Health\" approach to address the scope of crises facing pollinators. We demonstrate that reversing declines will require integration of hive-specific solutions, a reappraisal of engagement with the many stakeholders whose actions affect bee health, and recontextualising both of these within landscape scale efforts. Other publications within this special issue explore novel technologies, emergent diseases and management approaches; our aim is to place these within the \"One-Health\" context as a pathway to securing honeybee health. Governmental policy reform offers a particularly timely pathway to achieving this goal. Acknowledging that healthy honeybees need an interdisciplinary approach to their management will enhance the contributions of veterinary research in delivering systemic improvements in bee health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38132476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Systemic Immune Modulation Induced by Ephedrine in Obese-Diabetes (db\/db) Mice.\nImmune-modulatory effects in obese-diabetes (db\/db) mice were observed to understand the possible mechanism(s) of ephedrine-induced unfavorable responses. The ephedrine doses were selected based on the FDA report (NTP Tech Rep Ser NO 307; CAS# 134-72-5), which showed the non-toxic dose for B6C3F1 mice. In db\/db mice, higher doses (6 and 12 mg\/mouse) of ephedrine significantly harmed the liver and lung morphology, including fatty liver with multiple blood vessel engorgement, alveolar wall thickening, and inflammatory response in the lung. The immune micro-environment of db\/db mice was an inflammatory state with suppressed adaptive cellular immunity. After the administration of ephedrine, significant deterioration of NK activity was observed with lowered gene transcription of klrk1 encoding NKG2D, and of ccl8, a NK cell targeting chemokine. Suppressed cellular immunity in db\/db mice was lowered ever further by single ephedrine treatment, as was evidenced by mitogen-induced T or B cell proliferations. These observations demonstrate that at the non-toxic doses in normal B6C3F1 mice, ephedrine clearly suppressed systemic immunity of db\/db mice. The data suggest that the immune micro-environment of obese individuals is fragile and susceptible to ephedrine-related pathologic response, and this may be a prelude to the induction of obesity-related secondary immunological disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10616148,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Stochastic optimization of intensity modulated radiotherapy to account for uncertainties in patient sensitivity.\nThe aim of the present work is to better account for the known uncertainties in radiobiological response parameters when optimizing radiation therapy. The radiation sensitivity of a specific patient is usually unknown beyond the expectation value and possibly the standard deviation that may be derived from studies on groups of patients. Instead of trying to find the treatment with the highest possible probability of a desirable outcome for a patient of average sensitivity, it is more desirable to maximize the expectation value of the probability for the desirable outcome over the possible range of variation of the radiation sensitivity of the patient. Such a stochastic optimization will also have to consider the distribution function of the radiation sensitivity and the larger steepness of the response for the individual patient. The results of stochastic optimization are also compared with simpler methods such as using biological response 'margins' to account for the range of sensitivity variation. By using stochastic optimization, the absolute gain will typically be of the order of a few per cent and the relative improvement compared with non-stochastic optimization is generally less than about 10 per cent. The extent of this gain varies with the level of interpatient variability as well as with the difficulty and complexity of the case studied. Although the dose changes are rather small (<5 Gy) there is a strong desire to make treatment plans more robust, and tolerant of the likely range of variation of the radiation sensitivity of each individual patient. When more accurate predictive assays of the radiation sensitivity for each patient become available, the need to consider the range of variations can be reduced considerably.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12325136,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Influences of postconceptional age and postnatal experience on the development of auditory recognition memory in the newborn infant.\nWe evaluated the effects of postconceptional age and postnatal experience on the development of neonatal auditory recognition memory. Three groups were tested: a premature newborn group (tested at 35-38 weeks postconceptional age, < or = 1 week old), a full-term newborn group (tested at 39-42 weeks postconceptional age, < or = 1 week old), and a full-term experienced group (tested at 39-42 weeks postconceptional age, > 1 week old; range 8-30 days). Event-related potentials were collected while infants listened to the maternal voice alternating with a stranger's voice. Postconceptional age was correlated with the development of recognition memory for the maternal voice while there were qualitative effects of postnatal experience on latency measurements. Maturity of auditory cortical responses was not correlated with recognition memory abilities. We conclude that maturation of the recognition memory pathways is primarily a function of postconceptional age with qualitative effects of postnatal experience. Maturation of the auditory recognition memory pathway is not contingent upon maturation of the \"P2\" peak thought to arise from primary auditory cortex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10953868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Tartrate-sensitive and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatases in Amoeba proteus].\nIn free-living Amoeba proteus (strain B), acid phosphatase (AcP) was examined by disc-electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel. The tartrate-sensitive amebian AcP was greatly inhibited by dithiothreitol and Cu2+, and only partly inhibited by sodium orthovanadate, ammonium molybdate, EDTA, disodium salt and Mg2+, Ca2+, Zn2+ and Mn2+. On the contrary, it appeared to be resistant to sulfhydryl reagents--4(hydroxymercury) benzoic acid, sodium salt and N-ethylmaleimide. Unlike the tartrate-sensitive enzyme, the tartrate-resistant AcP was greatly inhibited by EDTA and partly inhibited by dithiothreitol, Mg2+ and Cu2+ (Mn2+ > Cu2+), being activated by orthovanadate, molybdate, sulfhydryl reagents, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+. Both tartrate-sensitive and tartrate-resistant AcPs lack apparently free SH-groups necessary for their catalytic activities. Using 2-naphthyl phosphate as a substrate at pH 4.5, six AcP electromorphs were revealed in cytosol and sediment, four of these being most frequently localized in the former, and two in the latter. Two other AcP electromorphs were confined to the sediment only. Depending on the quantity of sedimented amoebae making a homogenate (0.5 or 2.0 cm3), that was added to Percoll solution, the lysosomal AcP fraction in polyacrylamide gel was represented by one or two tartrate-sensitive electromorphs. Therefore, tartrate-resistant AcP in A. proteus may be a lysosomal enzyme, while tartrate-resistant AcP may correspond to serine\/threonine protein phosphatase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33213914,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Mass balance approach to assess the impact of cadmium decrease in mineral phosphate fertilizers on health risk: The case-study of French agricultural soils.\nCadmium is a ubiquitous and highly toxic contaminant that can cause serious adverse effects. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES) have shown that the risk related to food contamination by cadmium cannot be ruled out in Europe and France. Fertilizing material is one of the main sources of cadmium contamination in the food chain on which regulators can play to reduce cadmium exposure in the population. The aim of this work was to develop a mass-balance approach integrating the various environmental sources of cadmium to estimate the effects of a decrease in cadmium concentrations in crop fertilizers on dietary exposure and on the health risk. This approach led to a predictive model that can be used as a decision-making tool. Representative and protective fertilization scenarios associated with controlled cadmium levels in mineral phosphate fertilizers were simulated and converted into cadmium fluxes. Cadmium inputs from industrial mineral phosphate fertilizers were then compared with cadmium brought by the application of manure, sewage sludge and farm anaerobic digest, at the levels typical of French agricultural practices. Regardless of the fertilizer and scenario used, a flux lower than 2 g Cd.ha-1.year-1 reduces both the accumulation in soils and the transfer of cadmium in the food chain. It corresponds to a cadmium content of 20 mg.kg P2O5-1 or less in mineral phosphate fertilizers. Modelling the transfer of cadmium from the soil to consumed food made it possible to propose cadmium limits in fertilizers applied in France. In a global context of ecological transition to promote human health, this research will help risk managers and public authorities in the regulatory decision-making process for the reduction of environmental cadmium contamination and human exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28431142,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Respiratory chain enzyme deficiency induces mitochondrial location of actin-binding gelsolin to modulate the oligomerization of VDAC complexes and cell survival.\nDespite considerable knowledge on the genetic basis of mitochondrial disorders, their pathophysiological consequences remain poorly understood. We previously used two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis analyses to define a protein profile characteristic for respiratory chain complex III-deficiency that included a significant overexpression of cytosolic gelsolin (GSN), a cytoskeletal protein that regulates the severing and capping of the actin filaments. Biochemical and immunofluorescence assays confirmed a specific increase of GSN levels in the mitochondria from patients' fibroblasts and from transmitochondrial cybrids with complex III assembly defects. A similar effect was obtained in control cells upon treatment with antimycin A in a dose-dependent manner, showing that the enzymatic inhibition of complex III is sufficient to promote the mitochondrial localization of GSN. Mitochondrial subfractionation showed the localization of GSN to the mitochondrial outer membrane, where it interacts with the voltage-dependent anion channel protein 1 (VDAC1). In control cells, VDAC1 was present in five stable oligomeric complexes, which showed increased levels and a modified distribution pattern in the complex III-deficient cybrids. Downregulation of GSN expression induced cell death in both cell types, in parallel with the specific accumulation of VDAC1 dimers and the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytosol, indicating a role for GSN in the oligomerization of VDAC complexes and in the prevention of apoptosis. Our results demonstrate that respiratory chain complex III dysfunction induces the physiological upregulation and mitochondrial location of GSN, probably to promote cell survival responses through the modulation of the oligomeric state of the VDAC complexes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3967001,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":3,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Impaired contrast sensitivity in diabetic patients with and without retinopathy: a new technique for rapid assessment.\nA simple technique is described for assessing the sensitivity of the human visual system to gratings at threshold contrast. The technique has advantages for clinical use in that it is (1) inexpensive, (2) quick to administer, (3) portable, and (4) relatively free from bias. Forty-two diabetic patients and 84 normal controls have been tested. Fifteen diabetic patients (6\/20 with retinopathy and 9\/22 without) had test scores more than two standard deviations below the norm for age-matched controls.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14627656,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Drosophila amphiphysin functions during synaptic Fasciclin II membrane cycling.\nRecent studies have revealed that endocytosis and exocytosis of postsynaptic receptors play a major role in the regulation of synaptic function, particularly during long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Interestingly, many of the proteins implicated in exocytosis and endocytosis of synaptic vesicles are also involved in postsynaptic protein cycling. In vertebrates, Amphiphysin is postulated to function during endocytosis in nerve terminals; however, several recent reports using a Drosophila amphiphysin (damph) null mutant have failed to substantiate such a role at fly synapses. In addition, Damph is surprisingly enriched at the postsynapse. Here we used the glutamatergic larval neuromuscular junction to study the synaptic role of Damph. By selectively labeling internal and external pools of the cell adhesion molecule Fasciclin II (FasII), and by using a novel in vivo surface FasII immunocapture protocol, we show that the level of external FasII is decreased in damph mutants although the total level of FasII remains constant. In vivo FasII internalization assays indicate that the reincorporation of FasII molecules into the cell surface is severely inhibited in damph mutants. Moreover, we show that blocking soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) function in postsynaptic muscle cells interferes with FasII exocytosis. These experiments suggest that in Drosophila, Damph functions during SNARE-dependent postsynaptic FasII membrane cycling. This study challenges the notion that synaptic Amphiphysin is involved exclusively in endocytosis and suggests a novel role for this protein in postsynaptic exocytosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33777764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Postoperative Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Versus Radiotherapy Alone for Advanced Oral Cavity Cancer in the Era of Modern Radiation Techniques.\nSurgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy (RT) has been considered the standard treatment for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) of advanced stages or with adverse prognostic factors. In this study, we compared the outcomes in patients with OCSCC who received postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or postoperative RT alone using modern RT techniques. A total of 275 patients with OCSCC treated between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Adverse prognostic factor was defined as extranodal extension (ENE), microscopically involved surgical margin, involvement of \u22652 lymph nodes, perineural disease, and\/or lymphovascular invasion (LVI). In total, 148 patients (54%) received CCRT and 127 patients (46%) received RT alone. More patients in the CCRT group had N3 disease and stage IVB disease (46.6% vs. 10.2%, p<0.001), ENE (56.1% vs. 15.7%, p<0.001), LVI (28.4% vs. 13.4%, p=0.033). With a median follow-up of 40 (range, 5-203) months, there were no significant differences in the 5-year overall survival (OS) and PFS between treatment groups. In the subgroup analysis according to high risk, the concurrent use of chemotherapy showed significantly improved OS in patients with ENE (HR 0.39, p=0.003). Our retrospective study showed that postoperative CCRT group had comparable survival outcomes to those in the RT alone group for advanced OCSCC in the era of modern RT techniques and indicated that concurrent chemotherapy should be administered to patients with ENE. Prospective randomized studies for confirmation are needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8286095,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis. A clinicopathological study of 20 cases and review of the literature.\nXanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a focal or diffuse destructive inflammatory process of the gall bladder, characterized macroscopically by yellowish tumour-like masses in the wall of the gall bladder. Microscopically, it is characterized in the early stages by a large number of foamy histiocytes and acute inflammatory cells. Later stages demonstrate increasing fibrosis. The gall bladder from 20 of 352 consecutive patients subjected to cholecystectomy showed XGC. Gall stones were found in the gall bladder of all 20 patients and in the ductus choledochus in 3 cases. Perforation of the gall bladder was observed at operation in six cases; in one case there was also a fistula to the colon. A perivesical abscess was found in five other cases. Adhesions to the surrounding structures were seen in a total of 16 cases. Pathogenetically, XGC is probably due to an interplay between obstruction of the gall flow, infection with subsequent inflammation, and leakage of gall fluid to the tissue, where histiocytes accumulate and phagocytize the bile pigment, haemosiderin and cholesterol, resulting in the formation of xanthoma cells. The correct diagnosis of XGC is important for several reasons, first and foremost due to the high frequency of complications, but not least because the condition may give rise peroperatively to the suspicion of malignancy. The new laparoscopic method for cholecystectomies further stresses the necessity of correct preoperative diagnosis of complicating disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27707841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Forty years of economic growth and plummeting mortality: the mortality experience of the poorly educated in South Korea.\nSouth Korea has experienced rapid economic development and a substantial increase in life expectancy in an extremely short period. Whether this rapid development has been able to adequately address inequalities in health in South Korea may have important policy implications. This paper explores long-term trends in inequalities in mortality related to education in South Korea between 1970 and 2010. We used secondary data on population size and deaths in 1970 and 1980 from a previously published study, and census and death certificate data from Statistics Korea from 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010. Trends in age-standardised mortality rates for men and women aged 25-64 according to education, as well as the rate ratio (RR), rate difference (RD), relative index of inequality (RII) and slope index of inequality (SII), were examined over the period 1970-2010. Despite overall mortality declines of 70-80% in the past 4 decades, educational inequalities have increased or been stagnant. There was minimal decline in mortality since 1970 in South Koreans with only a primary or lower level of education. The RR and RD between tertiary education and primary or lower education increased over the study period, while the RII and the SII in both genders remained stable. The South Korean experience over the past 40 years suggests that plummeting mortality rates and huge advances in education at the population level do not translate into reduced educational inequalities in mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26040785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Organotellurium scaffolds for mass cytometry reagent development.\nMass cytometry (MC) is a powerful tool for studying heterogeneous cell populations. In previous work, our laboratory has developed an MC probe for hypoxia bearing a methyl telluride mass tag. The methyl telluride was unoptimized, displaying stability and toxicity limitations. Here, we investigate three classes of organotelluriums as MC mass tags: methyl tellurides, trifluoromethyl tellurides and 2-alkyl-tellurophenes. NMR was used to compare the stability of these compounds in aqueous and organic solutions and the compounds were analysed for toxicity in Jurkat cells. The methyl tellurides were moderately stable to aerobic oxidation in organic solution under dry ambient conditions. The trifluoromethyl tellurides were stable to aerobic oxidation in organic solution but decomposed in aqueous solution. The 2-alkyl-tellurophenes proved to be stable in both organic and aqueous solutions under ambient conditions and showed limited toxicity (IC50 > 200 \u03bcM) in cell based assays. The synthetic feasibility, chemically stability, and limited toxicity of tellurophenes suggests these groups will be good choices for MC reagent development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15119614,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Removing nonlinearity of a homodyne interferometer by adjusting the gains of its quadrature detector systems.\nMost homodyne interferometers have a quadrature detector system that includes two polarizing beam splitters that cause nonlinearity of the order of a few nanometers by phase mixing. Detectors should have the same gains to reduce nonlinearity under the assumption that there is no loss in optical components. However, optical components exhibit some loss. We show that nonlinearity can be reduced to an order of 0.01 nm when the detector gains are adjusted by simulation to include the optical characteristics. The compensated nonlinearity is 18 times smaller than that when the four detector gains are set to be equal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20447268,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pepino mosaic virus: a successful pathogen that rapidly evolved from emerging to endemic in tomato crops.\nPepino mosaic virus (PepMV) belongs to the Potexvirus genus of the Flexiviridae family. PepMV virions are nonenveloped flexuous rods that contain a monopartite, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome of 6.4 kb with a 3' poly-A tail. The genome contains five major open reading frames (ORFs) encoding a 164-kDa RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), three triple gene block proteins of 26, 14 and 9 kDa, and a 25-kDa coat protein. Four PepMV genotypes, with an intergenotype RNA sequence identity ranging from 78% to 95%, can be distinguished: the original Peruvian genotype (LP); the European (tomato) genotype (EU); the American genotype US1; and the Chilean genotype CH2. PepMV is very efficiently transmitted mechanically, and a low seed transmission rate has been demonstrated. In addition, bumblebees have been associated with viral transmission. Similar to other Potexviruses, PepMV has a rather narrow host range that is thought to be largely restricted to species of the Solanaceae family. After originally being isolated from pepino (Solanum muricatum), PepMV has been identified in natural infections of the wild tomato species S. chilense, S. chmielewskii, S. parviflorum and S. peruvianum. PepMV is causing significant problems in the cultivation of the glasshouse tomato Solanum lycopersicum, and has been identified in weeds belonging to various plant families in the vicinity of tomato glasshouses. PepMV symptoms can be very diverse. Fruit marbling is the most typical and economically devastating symptom. In addition, fruit discoloration, open fruit, nettle-heads, leaf blistering or bubbling, leaf chlorosis and yellow angular leaf spots, leaf mosaic and leaf or stem necrosis have been associated with PepMV. The severity of PepMV symptoms is thought to be dependent on environmental conditions, as well as on the properties of the viral isolate. Minor nucleotide sequence differences between isolates from the same genotype have been shown to lead to enhanced aggressiveness and symptomatology. Prevention of infection through strict hygiene measures is currently the major strategy for the control of PepMV in tomato production. Cross-protection can be effective, but only under well-defined and well-controlled conditions, and the effectiveness depends strongly on the PepMV genotype.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30917664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"What's next after failure of OTSC\u00ae for the closure of gastrostomy fistula? Another OTSC\u00ae?\nA 55-year-old female patient was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx stage in 2016 and proposed for radical chemo\/radiotherapy. A percutaneous endoscopy gastrostomy was performed in 2016 because of the patient\u00b4s difficulty in swallowing. The patient had good response to therapy with disease\u00b4s remission so the gastrostomy tube was removed in 2018. After two weeks of conservative management, the patient maintained a gastrocutaneous fistula with extravasation of liquid contents. Endoscopic closure with over the scope clip (OTSC\u00ae) was performed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8069954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Purines. LXII. Both enantiomers of N6-(1,3-dimethyl-2-butenyl)adenine and their 9-beta-D-ribofuranosides: synthesis and cytokinin activity.\nBoth enantiomers [(1'R)-6 and (1'S)-6] of N6-(1,3-dimethyl-2-butenyl)adenine and their 9-beta-D-ribofuranosides [(1\"R)-16 and (1\"S)-16] have been synthesized for the first time from both enantiomers of alanine (15) in nine steps. These aglycones and nucleosides, together with N6-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)adenine (5) and its 9-beta-D-ribofuranoside (18) as well as 9-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-cis-zeatin (20) and 9-(2-deoxy-beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-cis-zeatin (19), were tested for cytokinin activity in the tobacco callus bioassay. The order of their activity was 5 > (1'R)-6 > (1\"R)-16 approximately 18 > (1'S)-6 > (1\"S)-16 > 20 > 19. The bioassay results are compared with those obtained previously for the derivatives modified analogously in the N6-substituent in the cis- and trans-zeatin series.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34223907,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Review: optimizing genomic selection for crossbred performance by model improvement and data collection.\nBreeding programs aiming to improve the performance of crossbreds may benefit from genomic prediction of crossbred (CB) performance for purebred (PB) selection candidates. In this review, we compared genomic prediction strategies that differed in 1) the genomic prediction model used or 2) the data used in the reference population. We found 27 unique studies, two of which used deterministic simulation, 11 used stochastic simulation, and 14 real data. Differences in accuracy and response to selection between strategies depended on i) the value of the purebred crossbred genetic correlation (rpc), ii) the genetic distance between the parental lines, iii) the size of PB and CB reference populations, and iv) the relatedness of these reference populations to the selection candidates. In studies where a PB reference population was used, the use of a dominance model yielded accuracies that were equal to or higher than those of additive models. When rpc was lower than ~0.8, and was caused mainly by G \u00d7 E, it was beneficial to create a reference population of PB animals that are tested in a CB environment. In general, the benefit of collecting CB information increased with decreasing rpc. For a given rpc, the benefit of collecting CB information increased with increasing size of the reference populations. Collecting CB information was not beneficial when rpc was higher than ~0.9, especially when the reference populations were small. Collecting only phenotypes of CB animals may slightly improve accuracy and response to selection, but requires that the pedigree is known. It is, therefore, advisable to genotype these CB animals as well. Finally, considering the breed-origin of alleles allows for modeling breed-specific effects in the CB, but this did not always lead to higher accuracies. Our review shows that the differences in accuracy and response to selection between strategies depend on several factors. One of the most important factors is rpc, and we, therefore, recommend to obtain accurate estimates of rpc of all breeding goal traits. Furthermore, knowledge about the importance of components of rpc (i.e., dominance, epistasis, and G \u00d7 E) can help breeders to decide which model to use, and whether to collect data on animals in a CB environment. Future research should focus on the development of a tool that predicts accuracy and response to selection from scenario specific parameters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12769526,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Enhanced resistance to Helicoverpa zea in tobacco expressing an activated form of maize ribosome- inactivating protein.\nProgeny of two transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) lines that expressed an activated form of maize (Zea mays L.) ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) had varying resistance to the insect species tested. A subset of R(2) plants from the two lines appeared to be more resistant to larvae of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.), and the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta (L.) than the wild type plants. Progeny (R(3)) of the more resistant R(2) plants were tested more extensively for insect resistance. Resistance to the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), was most consistent, with significantly decreased feeding often accompanied by increased mortality and reduced weights of survivors fed on leaf disks of the two transgenic lines compared to the wild type. The amount of damage by H. zea was significantly inversely correlated with levels of RIP. Resistance of RIP-producing plants to H. zea was greater than expected on the basis of prior in vitro results using diet-incorporated maize RIP. The R(3) transgenic plant leaf disks were also often more resistant to feeding by larvae of L. serricorne compared to wild type plants. Although reduced feeding by M. sexta was noted when they were fed leaf disks from transgenic compared to wild type plants the first day of exposure, differences were not significant. This information provides further support for maize RIP having a role in resistance to maize-feeding insects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17091861,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[An uncommon cause for unilateral vocal fold paralisis: aortic aneurysms. Case report and literature review].\nUnilateral vocal fold paralysis is frequently encountered during ENT practise. It may result from many different conditions and it always should be regarded as a sign revealingan underlaying disease that can be located anywhere along the traject of the tenth cranial nerve or at the cricoarytenoidjoint being malignancies and trauma the leading causes. Etiology, glottal characteristics and compensative maneuvers, and individual factors such as comorbility or age must be considered when treatment options are proposed to the patient. A case of an uncommon etiology for unilateral vocal fold paralysis, an aortic aneurysm, is presented and considerations about the management of this condition are provided.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20470676,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Training, practice, and referral patterns in rhinologic surgery: survey of otolaryngologists.\nRhinology, which encompasses clinical and surgical treatment of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, is a growing subspecialty with advances in the surgical, clinical, and research realms. The advancement of this subspecialty and its impact on the practice of otolaryngology, in both academic and nonacademic institutions, is not yet understood. A novel survey created by our research team was mailed out to 150 randomly selected otolaryngology staff and 8 fellowship-trained rhinologists throughout Canada asking questions related to demographics, training, referral patterns, technique, and adequacy of training. One hundred respondents completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 63%. The average age of rhinologists who responded (38 years) was younger than those who were nonrhinologists (50 years). Compared with fellowship-trained rhinologists, nonrhinologists felt less comfortable with cerebrospinal leak repairs, skull base surgery, frontal sinus surgery, paranasal sinus neoplasm removal, and sphenopalatine artery ligation. Rhinology is a distinct subspecialty with new fellowship opportunities combined with advances in surgical technique, clinical treatments, and research opportunities. There are procedures that can be performed by both rhinologists and nonrhinologists; however, there is a subset of procedures that nonrhinologists do not feel comfortable performing. These procedures should be referred to fellowship-trained rhinologists who practice out of academic centres.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23197364,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The heterogeneity in femoral neck structure and strength.\nMost measures of femoral neck strength derived using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry or computed tomography (CT) assume the femoral neck is a cylinder with a single cortical thickness. We hypothesized that these simplifications introduce errors in estimating strength and that detailed analyses will identify new parameters that more accurately predict femoral neck strength. High-resolution CT data were used to evaluate 457 cross-sectional slices along the femoral neck of 12 postmortem specimens. Cortical morphology was measured in each cross-section. The distribution of cortical thicknesses was evaluated to determine whether the mean or median better estimated central tendency. Finite-element models were used to calculate the stresses in each cross-section resulting from the peak hip joint forces created during a sideways fall. The relationship between cortical morphology and peak bone stress along the femoral neck was analyzed using multivariate regression analysis. In all cross-sections, cortical thicknesses were non-normally distributed and skewed toward smaller thicknesses (p < 0.0001). The central tendency of cortical thickness was best estimated by the median, not the mean. Stress increased as the median cortical thickness decreased along the femoral neck. The median, not mean, cortical thickness combined with anterior-posterior diameter best predicted peak bone stress generated during a sideways fall (R(2) = 0.66, p < 0.001). Heterogeneity in the structure of the femoral neck determines the diversity of its strength. The median cortical thickness best predicted peak femoral neck stress and is likely to be a relevant predictor of femoral neck fragility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12148829,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Parametric classification of multichannel averaged event-related potentials.\nThis paper focuses on the systematic development of a parametric approach for classifying averaged event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded from multiple channels. It is shown that the parameters of the averaged ERP ensemble can be estimated directly from the parameters of the single-trial ensemble, thus, making it possible to design a class of parametric classifiers without having to collect a prohibitively large number of single-trial ERPs. An approach based on random sampling without replacement is developed to generate a large number of averaged ERP ensembles in order to evaluate the performance of a classifier. A two-class ERP classification problem is considered and the parameter estimation methods are applied to independently design a Gaussian likelihood ratio classifier for each channel. A fusion rule is formulated to classify an ERP using the classification results from all the channels. Experiments using real and simulated ERPs are designed to show that, through the approach developed, parametric classifiers can be designed and evaluated even when the number of averaged ERPs does not exceed the dimension of the ERP vector. Additionally, it is shown that the performance of a majority rule fusion classifier is consistently superior to the rule that selects a single best channel.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36159873,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparable bidirectional neutrophil immune dysregulation between Kawasaki disease and severe COVID-19.\nKawasaki disease (KD), a multisystem inflammatory syndrome that occurs in children, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) may share some overlapping mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the differences in single-cell RNA sequencing between KD and COVID-19. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing in KD patients (within 24 hours before IVIG treatment) and age-matched fever controls. The single-cell RNA sequencing data of COVID-19, influenza, and health controls were downloaded from the Sequence Read Archive (GSE149689\/PRJNA629752). In total, 22 single-cell RNA sequencing data with 102,355 nuclei were enrolled in this study. After performing hierarchical and functional clustering analyses, two enriched gene clusters demonstrated similar patterns in severe COVID-19 and KD, heightened neutrophil activation, and decreased MHC class II expression. Furthermore, comparable dysregulation of neutrophilic granulopoiesis representing two pronounced hyperinflammatory states was demonstrated, which play a critical role in the overactivated and defective aging program of granulocytes, in patients with KD as well as those with severe COVID-19. In conclusion, both neutrophil activation and MHC class II reduction play a crucial role and thus may provide potential treatment targets for KD and severe COVID-19.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26489154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[A CASE OF NON-TUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIOSIS WITH PLEURAL EFFUSION AND THICKENING IN A PATIENT WITH AN OCCUPATIONAL HISTORY OF ASBESTOS EXPOSURE].\nWe report a case of a 75-year-old man with pleural effusion and an occupational history of asbestos exposure. Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG-PET\/CT) examination revealed FDG up-takes along his pleura, leading to an initial suspicion of pleural mesothelioma. Pathological findings of a diagnostic video-associated pleural biopsy showed epithelioid cell granuloma. Repeated sputum cultures were positive for Mycobacterium intracellulare. The patient was diagnosed with pleuritis caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). NTM should be considered a potential cause of pleuritis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19761004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Survey of the home sewage disposal systems in northeast Ohio.\nThis article reports on failure rates in onsite sewage treatment systems (STS) that were found as part of a comprehensive seven-county survey that was performed under the auspices of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) during the summer of 2000. The goal was to determine the percentage of onsite, individual home wastewater systems that were \"failing.\" A system was identified as \"failing\" if, upon inspection, it had observable surfacing of effluent from the treatment system. A certified soil scientist conducted each on-site investigation to ensure consistency in methodology and to provide verification of soil types for each installation. The survey revealed that between 12.7% and 19.7% of the onsite wastewater treatment systems are allowing wastewater to surface as opposed to infiltrate (at the 95% confidence interval). The rate of failure does not vary significantly between aerobic and septic systems or between systems with or without filters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26357100,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"3D Finger CAPE: Clicking Action and Position Estimation under Self-Occlusions in Egocentric Viewpoint.\nIn this paper we present a novel framework for simultaneous detection of click action and estimation of occluded fingertip positions from egocentric viewed single-depth image sequences. For the detection and estimation, a novel probabilistic inference based on knowledge priors of clicking motion and clicked position is presented. Based on the detection and estimation results, we were able to achieve a fine resolution level of a bare hand-based interaction with virtual objects in egocentric viewpoint. Our contributions include: (i) a rotation and translation invariant finger clicking action and position estimation using the combination of 2D image-based fingertip detection with 3D hand posture estimation in egocentric viewpoint. (ii) a novel spatio-temporal random forest, which performs the detection and estimation efficiently in a single framework. We also present (iii) a selection process utilizing the proposed clicking action detection and position estimation in an arm reachable AR\/VR space, which does not require any additional device. Experimental results show that the proposed method delivers promising performance under frequent self-occlusions in the process of selecting objects in AR\/VR space whilst wearing an egocentric-depth camera-attached HMD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38173926,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-18":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Enhancing crop resilience by harnessing the synergistic effects of biostimulants against abiotic stress.\nPlants experience constant exposed to diverse abiotic stresses throughout their growth and development stages. Given the burgeoning world population, abiotic stresses pose significant challenges to food and nutritional security. These stresses are complex and influenced by both genetic networks and environmental factors, often resulting in significant crop losses, which can reach as high as fifty percent. To mitigate the effects of abiotic stresses on crops, various strategies rooted in crop improvement and genomics are being explored. In particular, the utilization of biostimulants, including bio-based compounds derived from plants and beneficial microbes, has garnered considerable attention. Biostimulants offer the potential to reduce reliance on artificial chemical agents while enhancing nutritional efficiency and promoting plant growth under abiotic stress condition. Commonly used biostimulants, which are friendly to ecology and human health, encompass inorganic substances (e.g., zinc oxide and silicon) and natural substances (e.g., seaweed extracts, humic substances, chitosan, exudates, and microbes). Notably, prioritizing environmentally friendly biostimulants is crucial to prevent issues such as soil degradation, air and water pollution. In recent years, several studies have explored the biological role of biostimulants in plant production, focusing particularly on their mechanisms of effectiveness in horticulture. In this context, we conducted a comprehensive review of the existing scientific literature to analyze the current status and future research directions concerning the use of various biostimulants, such as plant-based zinc oxide, silicon, selenium and aminobutyric acid, seaweed extracts, humic acids, and chitosan for enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants. Furthermore, we correlated the molecular modifications induced by these biostimulants with different physiological pathways and assessed their impact on plant performance in response to abiotic stresses, which can provide valuable insights.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18928573,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Size dependent heat generation of magnetite nanoparticles under AC magnetic field for cancer therapy.\nWe have developed magnetic cationic liposomes (MCLs) that contained magnetic nanoparticles as heating mediator for applying them to local hyperthermia. The heating performance of the MCLs is significantly affected by the property of the incorporated magnetite nanoparticles. We estimated heating capacity of magnetite nanoparticles by measuring its specific absorption rate (SAR) against irradiation of the alternating magnetic field (AMF). Magnetite nanoparticles which have various specific-surface-area (SSA) are dispersed in the sample tubes, subjected to various AMF and studied SAR. Heat generation of magnetite particles under variable AMF conditions was summarized by the SSA. There were two maximum SAR values locally between 12 m2\/g to 190 m2\/g of the SSA in all ranges of applied AMF frequency and those values increased followed by the intensity of AMF power. One of the maximum values was observed at approximately 90 m2\/g of the SSA particles and the other was observed at approximately 120 m2\/g of the SSA particles. A boundary value of the SAR for heat generation was observed around 110 m2\/g of SSA particles and the effects of the AMF power were different on both hand. Smaller SSA particles showed strong correlation of the SAR value to the intensity of the AMF power though larger SSA particles showed weaker correlation. Those results suggest that two maximum SAR value stand for the heating mechanism of magnetite nanoparticles represented by hysteresis loss and relaxation loss.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30885927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Microbiome Profiles of Ligature-Induced Periodontitis in Nonhuman Primates across the Life Span.\nThis investigation compared the microbiomes colonizing teeth during the initiation, progression, and resolution of periodontitis in nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta) at different ages. Subgingival plaque samples were collected at baseline; 0.5, 1, and 3 months following ligature-induced periodontitis; and following naturally occurring disease resolution at 5 months. Samples were analyzed using 16S amplicon sequencing to identify bacterial profiles across age groups: young (<3 years of age), adolescent (3 to 7 years), adult (12 to 15 years), and aged (17 to 23 years). \u03b1-Diversity of the microbiomes was greater in the adult\/aged samples than in the young\/adolescent samples. \u03b2-Diversity of the samples demonstrated clear age group differences, albeit individual variation in microbiomes between animals within the age categories was noted. Phylum distributions differed between the young\/adolescent animals and the adult\/aged animals at each of the time points, showing an enrichment of the phyla Spirochetes, Fusobacteria, and Bacteroidetes associated with periodontitis. Major differences in the top 50 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were noted in the young and adolescent microbiomes during initiation and progression postligation compared to the adult and aged animals. The proportions of a large number of species in the top 50 OTUs were lower at baseline and in resolved disease microbiomes in the young samples, while profiles in adolescent animals were more consistent with the disease microbiomes. Microbiome profiles for resolution for adults and aged animals appeared more resilient and generally maintained a pattern similar to that of disease. Use of the model can expand our understanding of the crucial interactions of the oral microbiome and host responses in periodontitis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Salicylic Acid Suppresses Potato virus Y Isolate N:O-Induced Symptoms in Tobacco Plants.\nABSTRACT The effects of salicylic acid (SA) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) on the systemic development of symptoms induced by a severe isolate of Potato virus Y group N:O (PVY(N:O)) in tobacco were investigated. Upon inoculation, the systemic development of symptoms in tobacco plants could be divided into three stages: virus incubation stage, rapid symptom-progress stage, and partial recovery and symptom-shifting stage. Treatment of seedlings with SA delayed the virus-induced necrosis in stems by 1 to 2 days. SA, not ACC, also significantly suppressed the symptom severity in stems. However, neither SA nor ACC treatment affected the partial recovery phenotype exhibited in the latterly emerged upper parts of the plants. Further analysis indicated that the accumulation of PVY was retarded by SA at the early stage of infection, and the effects were more profound in stems than leaves. Peroxidase (POX) activity and pathogenesis-related (PR) genes PR-1a and PR-1b were enhanced by PVY infection. SA not only increased POX activity in stems and PR genes in stems and leaves of mock-inoculated plants, but also elevated the activity of POX in both leaves and stems and the expression of PR-1a in leaves of PVY-infected plants. Together, the results suggest that systemic acquired resistance plays a key role in suppressing PVY(N:O)-induced symptom development through SA-mediated and ethylene-independent pathways. The symptom suppression was correlated with reduced replication\/ accumulation of virus at the early stage of infection. The results also suggest that neither SA nor ethylene plays a role in the recovery phenotype.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17218347,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Health promotion at NHS breast cancer screening clinics in the UK.\nSuboptimal diets, sedentary lifestyles, overweight and obesity expose two-thirds of women in England aged over 50 to a heightened risk of lifestyle-related morbidities. The UK's NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme now reaches 75% of all women aged 53-64 but provides only mammography screening. This cross-sectional survey of 413 women attending two NHS breast screening clinics in North Yorkshire found that the majority of women were interested in having diet and exercise advice at screening clinics and anticipated a neutral or positive effect on their future screening appointments. Interest was highest among older, less educated and overweight women suggesting that this may be a particularly effective medium for reaching higher risk subgroups. Women showed most interest in problem-solving advice, which provided short-term, life-enhancing benefits such as looking and feeling better, having more energy, losing weight and reducing menopausal symptoms, as well as potentially reducing their disease risk. Most appeared to find doing sufficient exercise more problematic than eating healthily and this might be exacerbated by low awareness of exercise guidelines. Given a choice, preferences were to access advice in leaflets or one to one from an expert; however, many younger, professional women were also interested in computer access. Findings indicate the need first for flexible, multi-level access, combining some broad-based information dissemination with pathways to more personalized support and secondly for the relevant 'consumer benefits' associated with better diet and exercise to be promoted as well as longer-term disease prevention. Overall, this study indicates that the UK's NHS Breast Cancer Screening Programme may be uniquely placed to provide health-enhancing advice as well as mammography screening to the majority of women in England, throughout the course of their mid-life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27344651,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cyanobacterial ultrastructure in light of genomic sequence data.\nCyanobacteria are physiologically and morphologically diverse photosynthetic microbes that play major roles in the carbon and nitrogen cycles of the biosphere. Recently, they have gained attention as potential platforms for the production of biofuels and other renewable chemicals. Many cyanobacteria were characterized morphologically prior to the advent of genome sequencing. Here, we catalog cyanobacterial ultrastructure within the context of genomic sequence information, including high-magnification transmission electron micrographs that represent the diversity in cyanobacterial morphology. We place the image data in the context of tabulated protein domains-which are the structural, functional, and evolutionary units of proteins-from the 126 cyanobacterial genomes comprising the CyanoGEBA dataset. In particular, we identify the correspondence between ultrastructure and the occurrence of genes encoding protein domains related to the formation of cyanobacterial inclusions. This compilation of images and genome-level domain occurrence will prove useful for a variety of analyses of cyanobacterial sequence data and provides a guidebook to morphological features.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30760415,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"2019 Canadian Cardiovascular Society\/Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology Guidelines on the Acute Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Focused Update on Regionalization and Reperfusion.\nRapid reperfusion of the infarct-related artery is the cornerstone of therapy for the management of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Canada's geography presents unique challenges for timely delivery of reperfusion therapy for STEMI patients. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society\/Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology STEMI guideline was developed to provide advice regarding the optimal acute management of STEMI patients irrespective of where they are initially identified: in the field, at a non-percutaneous coronary intervention-capable centre or at a percutaneous coronary intervention-capable centre. We had also planned to evaluate and incorporate sex and gender considerations in the development of our recommendations. Unfortunately, inadequate enrollment of women in randomized trials, lack of publication of main outcomes stratified according to sex, and lack of inclusion of gender as a study variable in the available literature limited the feasibility of such an approach. The Grading Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system was used to develop specific evidence-based recommendations for the early identification of STEMI patients, practical aspects of patient transport, regional reperfusion decision-making, adjunctive prehospital interventions (oxygen, opioids, antiplatelet therapy), and procedural aspects of mechanical reperfusion (access site, thrombectomy, antithrombotic therapy, extent of revascularization). Emphasis is placed on integrating these recommendations as part of an organized regional network of STEMI care and the development of appropriate reperfusion and transportation pathways for any given region. It is anticipated that these guidelines will serve as a practical template to develop systems of care capable of providing optimal treatment for a wide range of STEMI patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15345978,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Renovascular injury: an argument for renal preservation.\nRenovascular injury is uncommon among children. This study hypothesized that preservation of the severely injured kidney can be achieved safely without renal insufficiency, postinjury hypertension, or the need for hemodialysis. Retrospective chart review of renal injuries seen between 1997 and 2001 at a level 1 pediatric trauma center was conducted. Severity of injury was graded by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Organ Injury Severity Scale. The outcome variables included the need for hemodialysis, impaired renal function (creatinine), and postinjury hypertension. In this study, 34 children presented with grade 1, 2, or 3 injury (74%), whereas 13 children presented with grade 4 or 5 renovascular injury (28%). The children with unilateral renovascular injury who underwent either nephrectomy or renal preservation had comparable outcomes with no hypertension, hemodialysis, or renal insufficiency in either group. The treatment outcomes were not different between the patients who underwent renal preservation and those who had immediate nephrectomy. The authors conclude that renal preservation should be attempted for all children with grade 4 or 5 renovascular injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17620338,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-48":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Binding of Cbl to a phospholipase Cgamma1-docking site on platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta provides a dual mechanism of negative regulation.\nUbiquitin conjugation to receptor tyrosine kinases is a critical biochemical step in attenuating their signaling through lysosomal degradation. Our previous studies have established Cbl as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for ubiquitinylation and degradation of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) alpha and PDGFRbeta. However, the role of endogenous Cbl in PDGFR regulation and the molecular mechanisms of this regulation remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that endogenous Cbl is essential for ligand-induced ubiquitinylation and degradation of PDGFRbeta; this involves the Cbl TKB domain binding to PDGFRbeta phosphotyrosine 1021, a known phospholipase C (PLC) gamma1 SH2 domain-binding site. Lack of Cbl or ablation of the Cbl-binding site on PDGFRbeta impedes receptor sorting to the lysosome. Cbl-deficient cells also show more PDGF-induced PLCgamma1 association with PDGFRbeta and enhanced PLC-mediated cell migration. Thus, Cbl-dependent negative regulation of PDGFRbeta involves a dual mechanism that concurrently promotes ubiquitin-dependent lysosomal sorting of the receptor and competitively reduces the recruitment of a positive mediator of receptor signaling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31952841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Impact of Lipid Monitoring on Treatment Intensification of Cholesterol Lowering Therapies (from the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System).\nTreatment guidelines recommend monitoring of lipids to assess efficacy and adherence to lipid lowering therapy. We assessed whether lipid profile monitoring is associated with intensification of cholesterol lowering therapy. Patients from the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and at least one primary care visit between October 2013 and September 2014 were included (n = 1,061,753). Treatment intensification was defined as the initiation of a statin, an increase in the intensity or dose of statin therapy and\/or the addition of ezetimibe. An association between the number of lipid panels and treatment intensification was assessed with adjusted regression models. During the study period, 87.1% of included patients had \u22651 lipid panel. Patients with \u22651 lipid panel were more likely to undergo treatment intensification compared with individuals with 0 lipid panels (9.3% vs 5.4%, respectively, p <0.001). Among individuals not on statin therapy at the index date (n = 287,636), those with \u22651 lipid panel were more likely to have a statin initiated compared those who without a lipid panel (21.5% vs 8.7%, p <0.001). On regression analysis (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval {CI}]), patients with 1 lipid panel (1.55 [1.50 to 1.59]), 2 to 3 lipid panels (1.76 [1.71 to 1.81]) and >3 lipid panels (3.02 [2.90 to 3.14]) showed greater odds of treatment intensification compared with individuals without a lipid panel. In conclusion, lipid monitoring is associated with higher rates of treatment intensification in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This has important clinical implications as higher intensity regimens with statins and in combination with select nonstatin therapies is associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27380724,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Destabilizing an interacting motif strengthens the association of a designed ankyrin repeat protein with tubulin.\nAffinity maturation by random mutagenesis and selection is an established technique to make binding molecules more suitable for applications in biomedical research, diagnostics and therapy. Here we identified an unexpected novel mechanism of affinity increase upon in vitro evolution of a tubulin-specific designed ankyrin repeat protein (DARPin). Structural analysis indicated that in the progenitor DARPin the C-terminal capping repeat (C-cap) undergoes a 25\u00b0 rotation to avoid a clash with tubulin upon binding. Additionally, the C-cap appears to be involved in electrostatic repulsion with tubulin. Biochemical and structural characterizations demonstrated that the evolved mutants achieved a gain in affinity through destabilization of the C-cap, which relieves the need of a DARPin conformational change upon tubulin binding and removes unfavorable interactions in the complex. Therefore, this specific case of an order-to-disorder transition led to a 100-fold tighter complex with a subnanomolar equilibrium dissociation constant, remarkably associated with a 30% decrease of the binding surface.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26551593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Creating Drug Solubilization Compartments via Phase Separation in Multicomponent Buccal Patches Prepared by Direct Hot Melt Extrusion-Injection Molding.\nCreating in situ phase separation in solid dispersion based formulations to allow enhanced functionality of the dosage form, such as improving dissolution of poorly soluble model drug as well as being mucoadhesive, can significantly maximize the in vitro and in vivo performance of the dosage form. This formulation strategy can benefit a wide range of solid dosage forms for oral and alternative routes of delivery. This study using buccal patches as an example created separated phases in situ of the buccal patches by selecting the excipients with different miscibility with each other and the model drug. The quaternary dispersion based buccal patches containing PEG, PEO, Tween 80, and felodipine were prepared by direct hot melt extrusion-injection molding (HME-IM). The partial miscibility between Tween 80 and semicrystalline PEG-PEO led to the phase separation after extrusion. The Tween phases acted as drug solubilization compartments, and the PEG-PEO phase had the primary function of providing mucoadhesion and carrier controlled dissolution. As felodipine was preferably solubilized in the amorphous regions of PEG-PEO, the high crystallinity of PEG-PEO resulted in an overall low drug solubilizing capacity. Tween 80 was added to improve the solubilization capacity of the system as the model drug showed good solubility in Tween. Increasing the drug loading led to the supersaturation of drug in Tween compartments and crystalline drug dispersed in PEG-PEO phases. The spatial distribution of these phase-separated compartments was mapped using X-ray micro-CT, which revealed that the domain size and heterogeneity of the phase separation increased with increasing the drug loading. The outcome of this study provides new insights into the applicability of in situ formed phase separation as a formulation strategy for the delivery of poorly soluble drugs and demonstrated the basic principle of excipient selection for such technology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26041876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"European views on patients directly obtaining their laboratory test results.\nMedicine is a highly professionalized endeavour, by tradition centred on the authority of physicians. Better education and the advent of the information age cater for increased demands on society in general and on health care in particular to enable people to make informed decisions regarding themselves. Participation in medical decisions requires informed knowledge which is hard to obtain without substantial and time consuming professional help. We performed a survey amongst the member organizations of European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) in order to investigate the recognition and preparedness of providing help to patients in interpreting their laboratory results. Out of 40 EFLM Member Societies, 27 sent their responses to the survey. In most cases the first line delivery of laboratory results to physicians is by computer link (63%). Patients receive their laboratory results on demand from their physician in 60% of cases. However, 34% of laboratory specialists showed a negative attitude for delivering laboratory results to patients. Yet, in 48% of countries 1-5 patients per day ask a laboratory specialist about the significance of laboratory results outside the reference range. When patients are informed about the purpose of laboratory testing, they seek information primarily from their physician, followed by the internet and the Specialist in Laboratory Medicine. Changing practices increasingly enabling patient access to their records are on the increase facilitated by recent innovations in information technologies. Successful transfer of some of the responsibilities of physicians, demands a mutual triangular dialogue between the patient, their physician and laboratory medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36729711,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Economic evaluation of improving HIV self-testing among MSM in China using a crowdsourced intervention: a cost-effectiveness analysis.\nCrowdsourcing, which taps into the wisdom of crowds, has been successful in generating strategies to enhance HIV self-testing (HIVST) uptake. We determined the cost-effectiveness of a crowdsourced intervention (one-off or annual) compared with a control scenario (no crowdsourcing) among MSM living in China. Economic evaluation. We used data from our cluster randomized controlled trial of MSM (NCT02796963). We used a micro-costing approach to measure direct health costs ($USD2017) from a health provider perspective. Using outputs from a dynamic transmission model over a 20-year time horizon, we estimated the incremental cost-effectiveness ratios using cost per disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted with 3% discounting. An intervention was considered highly cost-effective if it was less than one gross domestic product (GDP, $8823) per DALY averted. Across all cities, the crowdsourced intervention was highly cost-effective compared with the control scenario (incremental cost-effectiveness ratios ranged from $2263 to 6152 per DALY averted for annual crowdsourcing; $171 to 204 per DALY averted for one-off crowdsourcing). The one-off intervention was cost-saving in Guangzhou and Qingdao. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings; specifically, changes in discounting, costs of the crowdsourced intervention, costs of HIV testing and cost of antiretroviral therapy did not alter our conclusions. Scaling up a one-off or annual crowdsourced HIV prevention intervention in four cities in China was very likely to be cost-effective. Further research is warranted to evaluate the feasibility of scaling up crowdsourced HIV prevention interventions in other settings and populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31636263,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Enantiomeric glycosylated cationic block co-beta-peptides eradicate Staphylococcus aureus biofilms and antibiotic-tolerant persisters.\nThe treatment of bacterial infections is hindered by the presence of biofilms and metabolically inactive persisters. Here, we report the synthesis of an enantiomeric block co-beta-peptide, poly(amido-D-glucose)-block-poly(beta-L-lysine), with high yield and purity by one-shot one-pot anionic-ring opening (co)polymerization. The co-beta-peptide is bactericidal against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), including replicating, biofilm and persister bacterial cells, and also disperses biofilm biomass. It is active towards community-acquired and hospital-associated MRSA strains which are resistant to multiple drugs including vancomycin and daptomycin. Its antibacterial activity is superior to that of vancomycin in MRSA mouse and human ex vivo skin infection models, with no acute in vivo toxicity in repeated dosing in mice at above therapeutic levels. The copolymer displays bacteria-activated surfactant-like properties, resulting from contact with the bacterial envelope. Our results indicate that this class of non-toxic molecule, effective against different bacterial sub-populations, has promising potential for the treatment of S. aureus infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3491124,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Major histocompatibility complex influences reproductive efficiency: evolutionary implications.\nMeasurements of six reproductive characteristics revealed differences in seven congenic mouse strains with genetic differences in H-2, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Associations between reproductive efficiency and MHC has evolutionary implications. One association explains the uneven distribution and heterozygosity of MHC alleles in wild mouse and human populations. The second is based on links between MHC and hormonal sensitivities that regulate an individual's responses to the environment. MHC may be a seat of genotypic-environmental interactions that guide natural selection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11482337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Agreement between ophthalmologists and optometrists in optic disc assessment: training implications for glaucoma co-management.\nMany studies have estimated observer variability for optic disc assessment among experts, but there are few data on agreement between optometrists and ophthalmologists. The aim of this study is to report inter- and intraobserver agreement among optometrists and ophthalmologists in optic disc assessment and discuss the implications for glaucoma co-management. Twelve observers (six optometrists and six ophthalmologists) graded 48 stereo-pairs of optic disc photographs from 48 patients on two separate occasions. Observers graded the vertical C\/D ratio, the narrowest rim width and the presence\/absence of disc haemorrhage. Agreement was assessed by calculating the standard deviation (SD) of differences and the kappa statistic, within and between observers. Systematic differences in grading between and within individuals were described by calculating mean differences. Intra-observer agreement is \"substantial\" and significantly better than inter-observer agreement for all disc features (P<0.0001). Intra-observer agreement is comparable for optometrists and ophthalmologists with regard to C\/D ratio estimates. Although some optometrists show close agreement with ophthalmologists, overall agreement between optometrists and ophthalmologists is significantly worse than agreement among ophthalmologists alone for vertical C\/D ratio (P=0.002) and disc haemorrhage (P=0.02). There are fewer inter-observer mean differences that differ significantly from zero among ophthalmologists (7%) than among optometrists (67%; chi2=11.63, P<0.001) or between optometrists and ophthalmologists (69%; chi2=16.7, P<0.001). There is evidence of systematic under-reading of C\/D ratios by less experienced optometrists. Although individual optometrists can show good agreement with ophthalmologists on disc grading, the variation in individual performance indicates that training and accreditation in disc assessment is an essential prerequisite for participation by optometrists in glaucoma co-management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20640972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Calcium channel blockers for the management of preterm birth: a review.\nPreterm birth continues to be the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. A wide range of tocolytics have been utilized for the management of preterm labor. Calcium channel blockers, namely nifedipine, gained popularity as tocolytics due to the oral route of administration, availability of immediate- and slow-release preparations, the low incidence of maternal adverse effects associated with their use, and the fact that they are inexpensive. This article reviews the available literature on the clinical utility of calcium channel blockers for acute and maintenance tocolysis with special emphasis on potential adverse effects, the most appropriate dose\/regimen, and contemporary practice patterns among obstetricians. There are no randomized, placebo-controlled studies demonstrating the benefit of nifedipine in preterm labor. A suggested tocolytic protocol would be to start with the lowest dose of oral immediate-release nifedipine. For the first 48 hours thereafter, all attempts should be made not to exceed 60-mg daily doses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10850313,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"MSC, a new benzoquinone-containing natural product with antimetastatic effect.\nAn orally applicable fermentation product of wheat germ containing 0.04% substituted benzoquinone (MSC) has been invented by Hungarian chemists under the trade name of AVEMAR. Oral administration (3 g\/kg body weight) of MSC enhances blastic transformation of splenic lymphocytes in mice. The same treatment shortens the survival time of skin grafts in a co-isogenic mouse skin transplantation model, pointing to the immune-reconstructive effect of MSC. A highly significant antimetastatic effect of MSC has been observed in three metastasis models (3LL-HH, B16, HCR-25). The antimetastatic effect of MSC--besides the immune-reconstitution--may also be due to its cell adhesion inhibitory, cell proliferation inhibitory, apoptosis enhancing, and antioxidant characteristics, also observed in our in vitro experiments. It is even more noteworthy that combined treatment with MSC and one of the following antineoplastic agents (5-FU and DTIC)--both in wide use in every day clinical practice--exhibited a significantly enhanced antimetastatic effect in appropriate metastasis models (established from C38 mouse colon carcinoma and B16 mouse melanoma respectively) as compared to the effect elicited by any component of these therapeutic compositions (MSC + 5-FU and MSC + DTIC) administered alone. The results show that the fermented wheat germ extract (MSC) has more than an additive effect and synergistically enhanced the metastasis inhibitory effect of both antineoplastic agents studied till now. It is also worthy of mention that the synchronous treatment with MSC profoundly decreased the toxic side effects of the applied antineoplastic agents (decreased weight loss etc). Based on the biological effects of MSC--shown to be non-toxic by subacute toxicology studies--this product may be used as an adjuvant in the therapy of malignant neoplasia and other diseases caused by or following immune-deficiency.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23713677,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Estrogen receptor ligands: a patent review update.\nThe role of estrogens is mostly mediated by two nuclear receptors (ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2) and a membrane-associated G-protein (GPR30 or GPER), and it is not limited to reproduction, but it extends to the skeletal, cardiovascular and central nervous systems. Various pathologies such as cancer, inflammatory, neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases are often associated with dysfunctions of the estrogenic system. Therapeutic interventions by agents that affect the estrogenic signaling pathway might be useful in the treatment of many dissimilar diseases. The massive chemodiversity of ER ligands, limited to patented small molecules, is herein reviewed. The reported compounds are classified on the basis of their chemical structures. Non-steroidal derivatives, which mostly consist of diphenolic compounds, are further segregated into chemical classes based on their central scaffold. Estrogens have been used for almost a century and their earlier applications have concerned interventions in the female reproductive functions, as well as the treatment of some estrogen-dependent cancers and osteoporosis. Since the discovery of ER\u03b2 in 1996, the patent literature has started to pay a progressively increasing attention to this newer receptor subtype, which holds promise as a target for new indications, most of which still need to be clinically validated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26049421,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Multidimensional infrared spectroscopy reveals the vibrational and solvation dynamics of isoniazid.\nThe results of infrared spectroscopic investigations into the band assignments, vibrational relaxation, and solvation dynamics of the common anti-tuberculosis treatment Isoniazid (INH) are reported. INH is known to inhibit InhA, a 2-trans-enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase enzyme responsible for the maintenance of cell walls in Mycobacterium tuberculosis but as new drug-resistant strains of the bacterium appear, next-generation therapeutics will be essential to combat the rise of the disease. Small molecules such as INH offer the potential for use as a biomolecular marker through which ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopies can probe drug binding and so inform design strategies but a complete characterization of the spectroscopy and dynamics of INH in solution is required to inform such activity. Infrared absorption spectroscopy, in combination with density functional theory calculations, is used to assign the vibrational modes of INH in the 1400-1700 cm(-1) region of the infrared spectrum while ultrafast multidimensional spectroscopy measurements determine the vibrational relaxation dynamics and the effects of solvation via spectral diffusion of the carbonyl stretching vibrational mode. These results are discussed in the context of previous linear spectroscopy studies on solid-phase INH and its usefulness as a biomolecular probe.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32853672,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Safety and effectiveness of azithromycin in patients with COVID-19: An open-label randomised trial.\nAs no specific pharmacological treatment has been validated for use in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we aimed to assess the effectiveness of azithromycin (AZM) in these patients at a referral centre in Iran. An open-label, randomised controlled trial was conducted on patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19. A total of 55 patients in the control group receiving hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and lopinavir\/ritonavir (LPV\/r) were compared with 56 patients in the case group who in addition to the same regimen also received AZM. Patients with prior cardiac disease were excluded from the study. Furthermore, patients from the case group were assessed for cardiac arrythmia risk based on the American College of Cardiology (ACC) risk assessment for use of AZM and HCQ. The main outcome measures were vital signs, SpO2 levels, duration of hospitalisation, need for and length of intensive care unit admission, mortality rate and results of 30-day follow-up after discharge. Initially, there was no significant difference between the general conditions and vital signs of the two groups. The SpO2 levels at discharge were significantly higher, the respiratory rate was lower and the duration of admission was shorter in the case group. There was no significant difference in the mortality rate between the two groups. Patients who received AZM in addition to HCQ and LPV\/r had a better general condition. HCQ+AZM combination may be beneficial for individuals who are known to have a very low underlying risk for cardiac arrhythmia based on the ACC criteria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7526590,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Thalamic aphasia syndrome.\nEighteen patients (11 male, 7 female) with left thalamic haemorrhage confirmed by CT-scan of the brain were investigated for their language function. Aphasia Test for Turkish Citizens modified from Mayo Clinic Aphasia Test and Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination were given for evaluating the language modalities. Fluent aphasia was observed in 16 subjects (with paraphasia in 8 and hypophonia in 3). Dysarthric speech output was seen in 2 cases. Repetition and naming were well preserved while comprehension was moderately affected. This type of aphasia differs considerably from the classical aphasias and its rapid recovery is a very prominent feature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21115714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Quantification of the relationship between bacterial kinetics and host response for monkeys exposed to aerosolized Francisella tularensis.\nFrancisella tularensis can be disseminated via aerosols, and once inhaled, only a few microorganisms may result in tularemia pneumonia. Effective responses to this threat depend on a thorough understanding of the disease development and pathogenesis. In this study, a class of time-dose-response models was expanded to describe quantitatively the relationship between the temporal probability distribution of the host response and the in vivo bacterial kinetics. An extensive literature search was conducted to locate both the dose-dependent survival data and the in vivo bacterial count data of monkeys exposed to aerosolized F. tularensis. One study reporting responses of monkeys to four different sizes of aerosol particles (2.1, 7.5, 12.5, and 24.0 \u03bcm) of the SCHU S4 strain and three studies involving five in vivo growth curves of various strains (SCHU S4, 425, and live vaccine strains) initially delivered to hosts in aerosol form (1 to 5 \u03bcm) were found. The candidate models exhibited statistically acceptable fits to the time- and dose-dependent host response and provided estimates for the bacterial growth distribution. The variation pattern of such estimates with aerosol size was found to be consistent with the reported pathophysiological and clinical observations. The predicted growth curve for 2.1-\u03bcm aerosolized bacteria was highly consistent with the available bacterial count data. This is the first instance in which the relationship between the in vivo growth of F. tularensis and the host response can be quantified by mechanistic mathematical models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31683561,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Characterizing Obesity Interventions and Treatment for Children and Youths During 1991-2018.\nOverweight and obesity have become a serious health problem globally due to its significant role in increased morbidity and mortality. The treatments for this health issue are various such as lifestyle modifications, pharmacological therapies, and surgery. However, little is known about the productivity, workflow, topics, and landscape research of all the papers mentioning the intervention and treatment for children with obesity. A total of 20,925 publications from the Web of Science database mentioning interventions and treatment in reducing the burden of childhood overweight and obesity on physical health, mental health, and society published in the period from 1991 to 2018 were in the analysis. We used Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) for identifying the topics and a dendrogram for research disciplines. We found that the number of papers related to multilevel interventions such as family-based, school-based, and community-based is increasing. The number of papers mentioning interventions aimed at children and adolescents with overweight or obesity is not high in poor-resource settings or countries compared to the growth in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among youth due to cultural concepts or nutrition transition. Therefore, there is a need for support from developed countries to control the rising rates of overweight and obesity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33819924,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Tele-Rehabilitation with Virtual Reality: A Case Report on the Simultaneous, Remote Training of Two Patients with Parkinson Disease.\nPhysical training in Parkinson disease improves motor performance, alleviates nonmotor symptoms, and enhances cognition and quality of life. Nonetheless, adherence to exercise is low and travel costs and time may limit participation and compliance. Training at home can help avoid these burdens and, as needed during the recent global pandemic (COVID-19), reinforce social distancing and reduce the risk of infection. However, training at home requires motivation and self-control and telerehabilitation is time-consuming for both patient and therapist. In recent years, there is growing use of virtual reality and exergaming to increase motivation and adherence for exercising with evidence of improvements in mobility and balance after using virtual reality in the clinic. Here, a novel telerehabilitation training program using a treadmill-virtual reality system for simultaneous training of two patients with Parkinson disease in their homes is described. Remote monitoring software enabled visual and auditory communication with the two patients, allowing the trainer to adapt the settings remotely and provide feedback. Participants received weekly training sessions over 1 yr. The findings show high adherence to training, increased walking duration throughout the sessions, and increased patient confidence, gait speed, and mobility. Training multiple participants simultaneously was feasible, enabling an individualized treatment approach while conserving therapist time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23305695,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"ABO-incompatible heart transplantation in early childhood: an international multicenter study of clinical experiences and limits.\nIntentional blood group (BG)-incompatible (ABOi) heart transplantation in childhood is emerging in many centers. Safety limits remain undetermined. In this multicenter study we have compiled experience on clinical and immunologic boundaries. Data from six centers in Europe and North America on ABOi transplantation were collected in a standardized survey. Fifty-eight ABOi transplants were performed in 57 patients. Median age at transplant was 6.8 months (0.03 to 90 months); post-transplant follow-up was 37.7 months (0.46 to 117 months), accumulating 188 patient-years. Forty-seven percent of the patients received pretransplant mechanical circulatory support. Donors were either blood group A (n = 25), B (n = 18) or AB (n = 15). The median peak antibody titer to the donor BG pretransplant was 1:8 (0 to 1:64) for anti-A and 1:4 (0 to 1:32) for anti-B. Titers against the donor BG were lower post- than pretransplant in B recipients (p = 0.02), whereas third-party antibodies in BG O recipients developed normally post-transplant. Induction immunosuppression included anti-thymocyte globulin (61%), basiliximab (32%) or none (7%). All patients received calcineurin inhibitors, including 62% with mycophenolate mofetil, 10% with azathioprine, 2% with everolimus and 24% with steroids. There were 4 episodes of cellular rejection (Grade\u22652R) and 7 antibody-mediated rejections. Five patients underwent antibody removal post-transplant. One patient developed severe graft vasculopathy. Freedom from death or retransplantation was 100%\/96%\/69% at 1\/5\/10 years. No graft loss was attributed to BG antibodies. Successful ABOi heart transplantation can be performed at an older age and with higher isohemagglutinin titers than initially assumed and using similar immunosuppressive regimens as for ABO-compatible transplants. Rejection and graft vasculopathy are rare. Persistently low titers of antibodies to the donor BG post-transplant suggest elements of tolerance and\/or accommodation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32393491,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In Vitro Evaluation of Radiolabeled Amphotericin B for Molecular Imaging of Mold Infections.\nInvasive pulmonary aspergillosis and mucormycosis are life-threatening complications in immunocompromised patients. A rapid diagnosis followed by early antifungal treatment is essential for patient survival. Given the limited spectrum of biomarkers for invasive mold infections, recent studies have proposed the use of radiolabeled siderophores or antibodies as molecular probes to increase the specificity of radiological findings by nuclear imaging modalities. While holding enormous diagnostic potential, most of the currently available molecular probes are tailored to the detection of Aspergillus species, and their cost-intensive and sophisticated implementation restricts their accessibility at less specialized centers. In order to develop cost-efficient and broadly applicable tracers for pulmonary mold infections, this study established streamlined and high-yielding protocols to radiolabel amphotericin B (AMB) with the gamma emitter technetium-99m (99mTc-AMB) and the positron emitter gallium-68 (68Ga-AMB). The radiochemical purity of the resulting tracers consistently exceeded 99%, and both probes displayed excellent stability in human serum (>98% after 60 to 240 min at 37\u00b0C). The uptake kinetics by representative mold pathogens were assessed in an in vitro Transwell assay using infected endothelial cell layers. Both tracers accumulated intensively and specifically in Transwell inserts infected with Aspergillus fumigatus, Rhizopus arrhizus, and other clinically relevant mold pathogens compared with their accumulation in uninfected inserts and inserts infected with bacterial controls. Inoculum-dependent enrichment was confirmed by gamma counting and autoradiographic imaging. Taken together, this pilot in vitro study proposes 99mTc-AMB and 68Ga-AMB to be facile, stable, and specific probes, meriting further preclinical in vivo evaluation of radiolabeled amphotericin B for molecular imaging in invasive mycoses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23128049,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Renoprotection by continuous erythropoietin receptor activator in puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrotic syndrome.\nRecent studies have demonstrated that erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) induce a tissue-protective effect in the kidney. In this study, we examined whether continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA), a long-acting ESA, could prevent kidney injury, especially podocyte damage, in a rat model of nephrotic syndrome induced by puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN). Rats were injected with CERA (30 \u00b5g\/kg) or vehicle 4 h before the injection of PAN (50 mg\/kg). Renal function, kidney injury, and podocyte damage were assessed at 7 days. The levels of proteinuria, BUN, and plasma creatinine significantly increased in rats with PAN-induced nephrosis. Treatment with CERA significantly prevented these deteriorations induced by PAN. Glomerular lesions, especially vacuolation of podocytes, and the increase of desmin expression in PAN-treated rats were significantly ameliorated by treatment with CERA. Treatment with CERA also significantly prevented the decrease in the protein productions of nephrin and podocin in the kidneys of PAN-treated rats. We found persistent activation of the Akt signaling pathway in the kidneys of CERA-treated rats. CERA could ameliorate renal dysfunction in PAN-induced nephrosis, which might be due to the amelioration of podocyte injury. CERA inhibited the depletion of nephrin and podocin, key components of the glomerular filtration barrier, and alleviated proteinuria. Activation of the Akt signaling pathway might be involved in the renoprotective effect of CERA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21206649,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Laparoscopic transabdominal extraperitoneal repair of lumbar hernia.\nLumbar hernias need to be repaired due to the risk of incarceration and strangulation. A laparoscopic intraperitoneal approach in the modified flank position causes the intraperitoneal viscera to be displaced medially away from the hernia. The creation of a wide peritoneal flap around the hernial defect helps in mobilization of the colon, increased length of margin is available for coverage of mesh and more importantly for secure fixation of the mesh under vision to the underlying fascia. Laparoscopic lumbar hernia repair by this technique is a tensionless repair that diffuses total intra-abdominal pressure on each square inch of implanted mesh. The technique follows current principles of hernia repair and appears to confer all benefits of a minimal access approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20214574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Tagging molecules with linear polymers: Biocatalytic transformation of substrates anchored on soluble macromolecules.\nWith the increasingly available technology in automated synthesis and screening protocols, the combination of polymer-supported chemistry and biocatalysis, with their respective advantages over classical organic synthesis, has become more scientifically attractive, yet remains challenging. Since the development of solid-phase synthesis and its rapid expansion in combination with the advent of combinatorial techniques, a variety of alternative methodologies have been proposed and demonstrated to be viable for applications in high-throughput and multistep syntheses of the desired products. These alternative methodologies overcome the disadvantages of crosslinked polymer beads, which, as a consequence of their insolubility and their being necessarily heterogeneous in the reaction mixture, do have operational drawbacks. They often rely on a common strategy: tagging the target substrate of interest with other fragments (fluorous synthons, macromolecules, \"precipitons\") in such a way that the tag-substrate covalent ensemble is then easily separated from the reaction mixture by physical methods (liquid-liquid extraction, precipitation, etc.). The efficiency of enzymes in transforming substrates is often enhanced when the stability limitations of the biocatalyst in unnatural conditions (i.e. organic solvents, high temperatures) are avoided by the use of immobilization-stabilization techniques. We comment here, with recent examples, on the use of linear macromolecules as recyclable tags capable of acting as covalent supports in combination with a biocatalyzed reaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17887809,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Metabolic consequences of exercise-induced muscle damage.\nExercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is commonly experienced following either a bout of unaccustomed physical activity or following physical activity of greater than normal duration or intensity. The mechanistic factor responsible for the initiation of EIMD is not known; however, it is hypothesised to be either mechanical or metabolic in nature. The mechanical stress hypothesis states that EIMD is the result of physical stress upon the muscle fibre. In contrast, the metabolic stress model predicts that EIMD is the result of metabolic deficiencies, possibly through the decreased action of Ca(2+)-adenosine triphosphatase. Irrespective of the cause of the damage, EIMD has a number of profound metabolic effects. The most notable metabolic effects of EIMD are decreased insulin sensitivity, prolonged glycogen depletion and an increase in metabolic rate both at rest and during exercise. Based on current knowledge regarding the effects that various types of damaging exercise have on muscle metabolism, a new model for the initiation of EIMD is proposed. This model states that damage initiation may be either metabolic or mechanical, or a combination of both, depending on the mode, intensity and duration of exercise and the training status of the individual.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26029873,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Inhibitors of thermally induced burn incidents \u2013 characterization by microbiological procedure, electrophoresis, SEM, DSC and IR spectroscopy.\nDifferential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric (TGA) investigations, acetate electrophoresis (CAE), Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and microbiological procedures were all carried out after heating the samples to a temperature sufficient for simulating a burn incident. In particular, the purpose of the present study was to analyze the effect of antioxidants, such as fucoidan from brown seaweed and flame-retardant cyclic organophosphates and phosphonates, on an organic chicken skin that gets changed by a burn incident. DSC was considered to be a useful tool in assessing in vitro temperature-mediated cross-linking; an innovative analytical conclusion was obtained from the experimentation described in the paper. FTIR tests revealed that heating a dry organic chicken skin to the boiling point leads to the disappearance of a wide band in the 1650-1550 cm(-1) area or the conversion of a band, which may be attributed to the intermolecular \u03b2-sheet aggregates. Fucoidan from brown seaweed and flame-retardant cyclic organophosphates and phosphonates probably bind with the collagen that is changed by the burn (in addition to the influence of antioxidant solutions on samples of a blank or not boiled organic chicken skin) incident forming a polymer film with the collagen of the chicken skin surface (SEM analysis), decreasing the aggregation process and native collagen recovery. Good bacteriostatic properties were determined for fucoidan samples from brown seaweed and flame-retardant cyclic organophosphates and phosphonates against the pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, it was observed that the fucoidan incorporated into collagen films can be used as a therapeutically active biomaterial that speeds up the wound-healing process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36816648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Tail-Approach-Based Design and Synthesis of Coumarin-Monoterpenes as Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors and Anticancer Agents.\nIn this study, sixty novel coumarin-monoterpene compounds were synthesized in two series [thirty-two compounds (12-43) bearing a triazole ring in the first series, and twenty-eight compounds (44-71) bearing an alkyl chain in the second one]. Their inhibitory effects on the human carbonic anhydrase (hCA) isoforms I, II, IX, and XII and anticancer potentials were determined. All synthesized molecules selectively inhibited CA IX and XII. 23 and 42 were found to be the strongest inhibitors, with K i values of 1.9 nM against hCA IX. Also, 70 showed the highest inhibitory activity with a K i value of 4.9 nM against hCA XII. Moreover, their cytotoxic effects on colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), prostate adenocarcinoma (PC-3), and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) cell lines were evaluated. According to the cytotoxicity results, 14 (IC50 = 2.48 \u03bcM) and 63 (IC50 = 3.91 \u03bcM) exhibited the highest cytotoxicity on the MCF-7 cells, while 23 showed the strongest cytotoxic effect on both PC-3 (IC50 = 9.40 \u03bcM) and HT-29 (IC50 = 12.10 \u03bcM) cell lines. 14, 23, and 66 decreased CA IX and CA XII protein expression in HT-29 cells, while 23 and 66 showed the strongest reduction of both CA IX and CA XII in MCF-7 cells. All of the selected compounds increased total apoptosis in a concentration-dependent manner in HT-29 and MCF-7 cells. 14 has the strongest apoptotic effect in MCF-7 cells. 23 increased early apoptosis primarily, while 14 and 66 increased total apoptosis in HT-29. In addition, PI\/Hoechst staining proves that apoptotic cells are increased in HT-29 with an effect of 14, 23, and 66. As a result of the modeling studies, it has been shown that only the open coumarin form of the compounds can interact directly with the active-site Zn2+ ion. It has been shown that coumarin-monoterpene structures with different alkyl and monoterpene groups both specifically inhibit CA IX and XII and exhibit specific cytotoxicity in different cell lines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27897464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Classification and Effects of Implant Surface Modification on the Bone: Human Cell-Based In Vitro Studies.\nImplant surfaces are continuously being improved to achieve faster osseointegration and a stronger bone to implant interface. This review will present the various implant surfaces, the parameters for implant surface characterization, and the corresponding in vitro human cell-based studies determining the strength and quality of the bone-implant contact. These in vitro cell-based studies are the basis for animal and clinical studies and are the prelude to further reviews on how these surfaces would perform when subjected to the oral environment and functional loading.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32388142,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Investigating safety effects of wider longitudinal pavement markings.\nMany road authorities in Canada have been contemplating the use of wider longitudinal pavement markings (LPMs) to enhance road safety and driver comfort. However, conclusive evidence on the safety impacts of wider LPMs has not been available. To address this gap in the literature, this study was conducted to investigate the safety impacts of wider LPMs. The study adopted the Full Bayes approach to conduct a before and after safety evaluation, using data collected from 38 treatment sites (highway segments) from three Canadian jurisdictions (i.e., British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec). Collision and traffic data were obtained from the 38 sites over a period of eight years (2008-2015). The widths of LPMs at all sites were increased between 2012 and 2013, which enables a before and after safety evaluation to investigate the impact of the wider markings on the collision frequency. The results showed an overall significant reduction in both total collisions and target collisions (i.e., run-off-the-road collisions) by 12.3 % and 19.0 %, respectively, after implementing the wider LPMs. Total collisions were reduced by 11.1 %, 27.5 %, and 1.1 % in Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec, respectively. Similarly, a reduction in the run-off-the-road collisions that ranged between 22.7 % and 28.9 % were observed in the three jurisdictions. The results suggest that wider longitudinal pavement markings can reduce collisions and improve safety on Canadian highways. As such, road authorities should consider using this intervention to enhance road safety, particularly, at locations that experience a high frequency of run-off-the-road collisions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24725675,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Influence of diet and rennet on the composition of goats' milk and cheese.\nDry matter, protein, fat, pH, mineral (Na, K, Ca and Mg) and trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn and Se) concentrations were determined in samples of goats' milk and in fresh, semi-hard and hard cheeses to study the effect of the goats' diet and the type of rennet used for the cheese processing of the Palmero Protected Designation of Origin cheeses. Two groups of 20 Palmero goats were fed 2 different diets: a Palmero diet (PD supplied by native forages adapted to subhumid areas, which had a high ratio of long fibre to concentrates (65:35), and an actual diet (AD), the most commonly used by goat farmers, with a low ratio of long fibre to concentrates (35:65). In general, the cheese samples from goats fed with PD had higher mean Ca, Zn, Cu and Se concentrations than the samples obtained from AD fed goats. The diet exhibited a greater influence on the chemical composition of the cheeses than the rennet used in their production. Applying a stepwise linear discriminant analysis a complete percentage of correct classifications of the three types of cheeses according to the diet of the goats was observed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38109528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SERS analysis of cancer cell-secreted purines reveals a unique paracrine crosstalk in MTAP-deficient tumors.\nThe tumor microenvironment (TME) is a dynamic pseudoorgan that shapes the development and progression of cancers. It is a complex ecosystem shaped by interactions between tumor and stromal cells. Although the traditional focus has been on the paracrine communication mediated by protein messengers, recent attention has turned to the metabolic secretome in tumors. Metabolic enzymes, together with exchanged substrates and products, have emerged as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However, traditional techniques for profiling secreted metabolites in complex cellular contexts are limited. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) has emerged as a promising alternative due to its nontargeted nature and simplicity of operation. Although SERS has demonstrated its potential for detecting metabolites in biological settings, its application in deciphering metabolic interactions within multicellular systems like the TME remains underexplored. In this study, we introduce a SERS-based strategy to investigate the secreted purine metabolites of tumor cells lacking methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), a common genetic event associated with poor prognosis in various cancers. Our SERS analysis reveals that MTAP-deficient cancer cells selectively produce methylthioadenosine (MTA), which is taken up and metabolized by fibroblasts. Fibroblasts exposed to MTA exhibit: i) molecular reprogramming compatible with cancer aggressiveness, ii) a significant production of purine derivatives that could be readily recycled by cancer cells, and iii) the capacity to secrete purine derivatives that induce macrophage polarization. Our study supports the potential of SERS for cancer metabolism research and reveals an unprecedented paracrine crosstalk that explains TME reprogramming in MTAP-deleted cancers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8572171,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Differential expression of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, ankyrin, fodrin, and E-cadherin along the kidney nephron.\nIonic homeostasis in vertebrates is maintained by epithelial cells that line kidney nephrons. Transport of ions and solutes is coupled to Na+ reabsorption from the ultrafiltrate and requires specific subcellular distribution and activity of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase along the nephron. Studies using cell culture models of renal epithelia indicate that the subcellular distribution of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase is regulated by interactions with the submembrane cytoskeleton and E-cadherin-mediated adherens junctions. We have now examined the relevance of these in vitro observations to the subcellular organization of these proteins in different nephron segments of the adult mouse kidney using immunofluorescence microscopy. Our results demonstrate that segmental and subcellular distributions of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and the membrane-cytoskeletal proteins, ankyrin and fodrin, vary in parallel along the nephron and do not parallel variations in expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1 or E-cadherin. These data indicate that a mechanism for restricting Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase subcellular distributions through interactions with the membrane cytoskeleton is likely to be relevant in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26033985,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Low gradient severe aortic stenosis with preserved ejection fraction: reclassification of severity by fusion of Doppler and computed tomographic data.\nLow gradient severe aortic stenosis (AS) with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) may be attributed to aortic valve area index (AVAi) underestimation due to the assumption of a circular shape of the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) with 2-dimensional echocardiography. The current study evaluated whether fusing Doppler and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) data to calculate AVAi results in significant reclassification of inconsistently graded severe AS. In total, 191 patients with AVAi < 0.6 cm2\/m2 and LVEF \u2265 50% (mean age 80 \u00b1 7 years, 48% male) were included in the current analysis. Patients were classified according to flow (stroke volume index <35 or \u226535 mL\/m2) and gradient (mean transaortic pressure gradient \u226440 or >40 mmHg) into four groups: normal flow-high gradient (n = 72), low flow-high gradient (n = 31), normal flow-low gradient (n = 46), and low flow-low gradient (n = 42). Left ventricular outflow tract area was measured by planimetry on MDCT and combined with Doppler haemodynamics on continuity equation to obtain the fusion AVAi. The group of patients with normal flow-low gradient had significantly larger AVAi and LVOT area index compared with the other groups. Although MDCT-derived LVOT area index was comparable among the four groups, the fusion AVAi was significantly larger in the normal flow-low gradient group. By using the fusion AVAi, 52% (n = 24) of patients with normal flow-low gradient and 12% (n = 5) of patients with low flow-low gradient would have been reclassified into moderate AS due to AVAi \u2265 0.6 cm2\/m2. The fusion AVAi reclassifies 52% of normal flow-low gradient and 12% of low flow-low gradient severe AS into true moderate AS, by providing true cross-sectional LVOT area.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19588379,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2013-48":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The effects of antimicrobial therapy on bacterial vaginosis in non-pregnant women.\nBacterial vaginosis (BV) is a very common cause of vaginitis that has been associated with a high incidence of obstetric and gynaecologic complications and increased risk of HIV-1 transmission. This has led to renewed research interest in its treatment. To assess the effects of antimicrobial agents on BV in non-pregnant women. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library), MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, and African Healthline (December 2007); and proceedings of relevant international conferences (from 1981 to date). Randomised controlled trials comparing any two or more antimicrobial agents, or antimicrobial agents with placebo or no treatment, in women with clinical or Gram-stain criteria of BV. Two authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data from the original publications while the third author cross checked the data. Twenty-four trials involving 4422 participants were reviewed. Most examined symptomatic women only. Only seven trials analysed results by intention to treat; we re-analysed the remainder.Compared with placebo, clindamycin showed a lower rate of treatment failure (relative risk (RR) 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.16 to 0.37). Clindamycin and metronidazole showed identical rates of treatment failure, irrespective of regimen type, at two and four-week follow up (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.46; RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.18, respectively). Clindamycin tended to cause a lower rate of adverse events (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.02); metallic taste, and nausea and vomiting were more common in the metronidazole group (RR 0.08, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.59; RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.51, respectively). Given intravaginally as gelatin tablets, lactobacillus was more effective than oral metronidazole (RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.08). Similarly, oral lactobacillus combined with metronidazole was more effective than metronidazole alone (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.77). Clindamycin showed a lower rate of clinical failure than triple sulfonamide cream (RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.72). Hydrogen peroxide douche showed a higher rate of clinical failure (RR 1.75, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.00) and adverse events (RR 2.33, 95% CI 1.21 to 4.52) than a single 2 g dose of metronidazole. Clindamycin preparations, oral metronidazole, and oral and intravaginal tablets of lactobacillus were effective for bacterial vaginosis. Hydrogen peroxide douche and triple sulphonamide cream were ineffective. Metronidazole caused metallic taste, nausea and vomiting. We need better-designed trials with larger sample sizes to test the effectiveness of promising drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24138027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Migration and dispersal may drive to high genetic variation and significant genetic mixing: the case of two agriculturally important, continental hoverflies (Episyrphus balteatus and Sphaerophoria scripta).\nPopulation structure of pests and beneficial species is an important issue when designing management strategies to optimize ecosystem services. In this study, we investigated for the first time the population structure at a continental scale of two migratory species of hoverflies providing both pest regulation and pollination services [Episyrphus balteatus and Sphaerophoria scripta (Diptera: Syrphidae)]. To achieve this objective, we used two sets of 12 species-specific microsatellite markers on a large-scale sampling from all over Europe. Our findings showed a high level of genetic mixing resulting in a lack of genetic differentiation at a continental scale and a great genetic diversity in the two species. All the pairwise FST values between European localities were less 0.05 in the two species. These low values reflect a large-scale genetic mixing probably caused by the existence of frequent migratory movements in the two species. Mantel tests revealed isolation-by-distance pattern on the East-West axis, but not on the North-South axis. This isolation-by-distance pattern confirms the existence of North-South migratory movements in both directions and suggests an important step by step dispersal. Population features shown by this study are common in invasive species and pests, but are not often observed in beneficial species. They reflect great colonization abilities and a high adaptive potential when dealing with a changing environment. Our results highlight the two studied species as particularly interesting beneficial insects for pollination and pest predation in the current context of global change.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14730868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Twenty year experience in the treatment of peritonitis, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in perforative ulcers].\nThe results of treatment of 573 patients, operated on the clinic for the period from 1981 to 2000 year for perforative gastroduodenal ulcer were analyzed. In 24 (4.2%) of them the necessity of relaparotomy performance for peritonitis, polyorgan insufficiency had occurred. In all patients complex intensive therapy, intestinal decompression, flowing peritoneal dialysis were conducted, in 10--the governed laparotomy. In 9 patients plasmapheresis was performed, in 8--drainage of ductus thoracicus with lymphosorption, in 7--xenosorption. Application of complex treatment equally with active detoxication in patients with peritonitis, polyorgan insufficiency have allowed to achieve recovery in 66.6% of them.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31409196,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Anxiety in Informal Dementia Carers: A Meta-Analysis of Prevalence.\nMuch of the carer literature has focused on depression and burden as primary outcomes and anxiety appear somewhat neglected. Providing evidence on the prevalence of carer anxiety is critical as it can enhance awareness among professionals, which in turn can lead to improved access to efficacious treatments. This meta-analysis updated the previous review conducted in 2007 to estimate the up-to-date prevalence of anxiety in informal carers for people with dementia. Literature searches were conducted in databases of published and unpublished literature. Events and sample size data were pooled using a random effects model to obtain an overall prevalence percentage. A total of 10 studies were included, resulting in a pooled estimate of anxiety prevalence at 32.1% (95% confidence interval: 20.6%-46.2%, P = .01). Significant heterogeneity was found, which was not reduced following sensitivity analysis. This study suggests anxiety is a prevalent difficulty experienced by dementia carers. Additional research recommendations and clinical implications are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2574207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A CD4 cell is capable of transferring suppression of collagen-induced arthritis.\nCollagen-induced arthritis can be suppressed by i.v. injection of intact type II collagen (CII) but not type I collagen before immunization. To identify the mechanism mediating this suppression, splenocytes were obtained from mice injected with CII or OVA and administered to recipients that were subsequently immunized with CII. Mice receiving cells from donors injected with CII had a lower incidence of arthritis and lower antibody titers than those receiving cells from OVA-injected donors. Treatment of cells with 3000 rad of gamma-irradiation abrogated the suppression. To determine the phenotype of these donor cells, spleen cells were fractionated by adherence to plates coated with mouse anti-IgG to enrich for Thy-1+ phenotype. Thy-1+ cells injected into naive mice could significantly suppress arthritis. Further depletion of T cell subsets by panning revealed that depletion of CD4+ cells prevented the transfer of suppression whereas removal of CD8+ cells had no effect. Isolated CD4+ cells transferred into naive mice were also suppressive. Recently the Pgp-1 (Ly-24) Ag has been described to identify a unique memory subset of CD4+ cells when present on the cell surface. In CII-tolerized spleen populations, removal of the Pgp-1+ (Ly-24) subset of T cells abrogated suppression and transfer of isolated Pgp-1+ cells suppressed arthritis. These findings indicate that the Pgp-1+ subset of CD4+ cells can suppress collagen-induced arthritis and suggest that a CD4+ memory cell down-regulates autoimmunity. In addition, treatment of donor animals with cyclosporin, which inhibits the development of CD4+ cells, abrogated suppression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16953942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Interactions between respiratory syncytial virus and the host cell: opportunities for antivirus strategies?\nAt the start of the 21st century, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains a serious global health concern. Although RSV has traditionally been acknowledged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the paediatric population, the elderly and people with suppressed immune systems are now also recognised as being at risk from serious RSV infection. This problem is currently exacerbated by the lack of an effective vaccine to prevent RSV infection. Although the virus proteins play a variety of roles during the virus replication cycle, in many cases these tasks are performed via specific interactions with host-cell factors, including proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. The way in which RSV interacts with the host cell is currently being examined using a battery of different techniques, which encompass several scientific disciplines. This is providing new and interesting insights into how RSV interacts with the host cell at the molecular level, which in turn is offering the hope of new strategies to prevent RSV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22056872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Twist contributes to hormone resistance in breast cancer by downregulating estrogen receptor-\u03b1.\nThe role of estrogen receptor-\u03b1 (ER) in breast cancer development, and as a primary clinical marker for breast cancer prognosis, has been well documented. In this study, we identified the oncogenic protein, TWIST1 (Twist), which is overexpressed in high-grade breast cancers, as a potential negative regulator of ER expression. Functional characterization of ER regulation by Twist was performed using Twist low (MCF-7, T-47D) and Twist high (Hs 578T, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7\/Twist) expressing cell lines. All Twist high expressing cell lines exhibited low ER transcript and protein levels. By chromatin immunoprecipitation and promoter assays, we demonstrated that Twist could directly bind to E-boxes in the ER promoter and significantly downregulate ER promoter activity in vitro. Functionally, Twist overexpression caused estrogen-independent proliferation of breast cells, and promoted hormone resistance to the selective estrogen receptor modulator tamoxifen and selective estrogen receptor down-regulator fulvestrant. Importantly, this effect was reversible on downregulating Twist. In addition, orthotopic tumors generated in mice using MCF-7\/Twist cells were resistant to tamoxifen. These tumors had high vascular volume and permeability surface area, as determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Mechanistically, Twist recruited DNA methyltransferase 3B (DNMT3B) to the ER promoter, leading to a significantly higher degree of ER promoter methylation compared with parental cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation that Twist interacted with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) at the ER promoter, causing histone deacetylation and chromatin condensation, further reducing ER transcript levels. Functional re-expression of ER was achieved using the demethylating agent, 5-azacytidine, and the HDAC inhibitor, valproic acid. Finally, an inverse relationship was observed between Twist and ER expression in human breast tumors. In summary, the regulation of ER by Twist could be an underlying mechanism for the loss of ER activity observed in breast tumors, and may contribute to the generation of hormone-resistant, ER-negative breast cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31971487,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Electrically induced cycling and nutritional counseling for counteracting obesity after spinal cord injury: A pilot study.\nObjective: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the preliminary efficacy of interval functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling combined with nutritional counseling in obese adults with SCI.Setting: Community-based individuals with chronic SCI.Participants: Ten participants with chronic SCI.Interventions: Participants were divided into 2 groups (1) FES cycling and nutritional counseling (FES & Nutri) and (2) nutritional counseling only (Nutri Only). The FES & Nutri group performed high intensity interval FES cycling for 30 min 3 times per week for 8 weeks and received nutritional counseling for 30 min once per week for 8 weeks. The Nutri Only group received the nutritional counseling only.Outcome Measures: Body composition (fat mass, lean mass, body fat percentage), blood glucose levels.Results: Participants in the FES & Nutri group had a statistically significant greater decrease in body fat percentage (M = -1.14) compared to those in the Nutri Only group (M = +0.28) and gained more lean mass in their legs (M = +0.66 kg) compared to the Nutri Only group (M = -1.05 kg).Discussion\/Conclusion: The statistically significant decrease in body fat percentage for the FES & Nutri group provides evidence that further study is merited. Future studies should include larger numbers of participants and the possible introduction of a preliminary strengthening program before initiating interval FES cycling. In addition, an increase in exercise volume and a greater role for nutritional counseling should be considered in order to optimize the treatment for obesity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8098757,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ifenprodil prevents glutamate cytotoxicity via polyamine modulatory sites of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in cultured cortical neurons.\nNeuroprotective effects of ifenprodil, a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, against glutamate cytotoxicity were examined in cultured rat cortical neurons. The viability of the cultures was markedly reduced by a 10-min exposure to glutamate followed by incubation with glutamate-free medium for 60 min. Ifenprodil and its derivative SL 82.0715 dose-dependently prevented cell death induced by glutamate. The NMDA antagonists MK-801 and 3-[(+\/-)-2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl]propyl-1-phosphonic acid also prevented glutamate cytotoxicity with a potency similar to that of ifenprodil. Ifenprodil as well as MK-801 prevented NMDA-induced cytotoxicity, but did not affect kainate-induced cytotoxicity. Glutamate cytotoxicity was inhibited by removing extracellular Ca++ during and immediately after glutamate exposure. Ifenprodil and MK-801 reduced NMDA-induced Ca++ influx measured with rhod-2. Either spermidine, a polyamine modulatory site agonist, or glycine, a strychnine-insensitive glycine site agonist, potentiated NMDA- and glutamate-induced cytotoxicity. The protective effects of ifenprodil against NMDA- and glutamate-induced cytotoxicity were significantly reduced by spermidine, but not by glycine. These findings indicate that ifenprodil protects cortical neurons against glutamate cytotoxicity by selective antagonism of the polyamine modulatory site of the NMDA receptor complex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15368962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[\"Using model organisms and phylogenetic conservation, the DrosoMan project combines high tech hand-made science and industrial know-how to target the Achilles heel of cancer cells. A comparative proteomic project that associates Academia and Biotech\"].\nThe post-genomic era offers a huge challenge for scientists used to hand-made tailored approaches that can deal with deep insight into a small number of objects. Reciprocally, industry is used to undergo massively parallel approaches, dealing with large numbers but rather shallow insight. The complementation is obviously tantalizing, and Institut Curie and Hybrigenics (HGX) have signed an alliance in the field of cancer and signal transduction. A comparative proteomic approach was undertaken, where ortholog baits from Homo sapiens and flies were used to screen extremely complex two-hybrid cDNA libraries. New partners of \"old\" proteins have been identified, new networks have emerged, and unexpected connectors have been shown to link biological niches supposed to be independent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35464062,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Mediates Renal Tubular Vacuolation in BK Polyomavirus-Associated Nephropathy.\nThis study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of cytoplasmic vacuolation caused by BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) and thus search for potential target for drug repurposing. Morphological features of BK polyomavirus-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) were studied under light and electron microscopes. Microarray datasets GSE75693, GSE47199, and GSE72925 were integrated by ComBat, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed using limma. Furthermore, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-related genes obtained from GenCLiP 2.0 were intersected with DEGs. GO and KEGG enrichment pathways were performed with intersection genes by R package clusterProfiler. The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) from a BKPyVAN recipient was analyzed with a dataset (GSE140989) downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) as control for gene set variation analysis (GSVA). Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy of kidney sections from drug-induced ERS mouse models were performed to explore the association of ERS and renal tubular vacuolation. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the intersection genes was constructed to identify hub target. AutoDock was used to screen Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs that potentially targeted hub gene. Light and electron microscopes exhibited obvious intranuclear inclusions, vacuoles, and virus particles in BKPyV-infected renal tubular cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed 629 DEGs between samples of BKPyVAN and stable transplanted kidneys, of which 16 were ER-associated genes. GO analysis with the intersection genes illustrated that ERS-related pathways were significantly involved, and KEGG analysis showed a prominent enrichment of MAPK, Toll-like receptor, and chemokine signaling pathways. GSVA analysis of the proximal tubule revealed similar pathways enrichment. An electron microscope image of the kidney from ERS mouse models showed an obvious renal tubular vacuolation with prominent activation of ERS markers verified by immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, DDIT3 was identified as the hub gene based on PPI analysis, and ZINCOOOOO1531009 (Risedronate) was indicated to be a potential drug for DDIT3. ERS was involved in renal tubular cytoplasmic vacuolation in BKPyVAN recipients. Risedronate was screened as a potential drug for BKPyVAN by targeting DDIT3.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24617990,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ontogenetic allometry in the thoracolumbar spine of mammal species with differing gait use.\nVertebrae are serially homologous structures with tight integration through their evolution and development. However, in mammals, the thoracic and lumbar regions are morphologically and functionally differentiated. We test the hypothesis that locomotor specialization is associated with altered post-natal growth patterns in vertebrae from different vertebral regions. We use longitudinal data to examine thoracolumbar growth in two specialized half-bounding (Oryctolagus cuniculus and Chinchilla lanigera) and two non-specialized (Cavia porcellus and Monodelphis domestica) species with similar body sizes. Lateral X-rays of 38 individuals were the source of centrum length, centrum height and intervertebral space length measures for 19-20 thoracolumbar vertebrae. The repeated measurements design included the same individuals soon after birth and again at adult size. Data from columns with different vertebral counts were compared by either summing (length) or averaging (height) within regions, and individual vertebrae were directly compared at the first and last five vertebral positions. Specialized half-bounders had longer lumbar regions than generalists, which was attributable to positively allometric growth of the lumbar centra. Lumbar centrum length was more variable both ontogenetically and interspecifically than the other variables, suggesting heterochrony may be generating lumbar variation. Craniocaudal patterns of centrum growth correlate with expression of regionalizing genes (i.e., Hox).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27567594,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Inter-rater reliability of the APD, SFU and UTD grading systems in fetal sonography and MRI.\nAntenatal hydronephrosis (ANH) is frequently detected on screening obstetric ultrasonography. Common ANH grading systems include the anterior-posterior diameter (APD) and the Society for Fetal Urology (SFU) grading system. Recent developments in the management of ANH include the use of fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a new grading system - Urinary Tract Dilation (UTD). This study reviewed patients who underwent fetal MRI and ultrasound, and compared the grading systems across these imaging modalities. Patients who underwent paired fetal MRI and ultrasound studies between January 2012 and January 2014 were included. Two pediatric urologists and a pediatric radiologist reviewed the studies. Data collected included APD, SFU grade, and UTD grade. Fleiss' kappa statistic determined the inter-rater reliability (IRR) of the SFU and UTD grading within each imaging modality. Intra-class correlation assessed the consistency of the APD measurements. Forty-seven patients and 88 renal units were evaluated. Median gestational age was 22 weeks. Kappa values of the SFU grading system indicated fair IRR for ultrasound imaging and moderate IRR for MRI imaging, while the UTD grading system reached moderate IRR for both. The IRR of the SFU grading system was improved with the use of MRI, while the UTD grading system was no different. The APD intraclass correlation coefficient improved significantly when measured by MRI. As the ultrasound SFU grade increased, the odds of the MRI SFU grade being scored higher increased by a factor of 3.7. There was no difference between ultrasound and MRI when using the UTD grading system. This study was the first to assess the UTD system in a cohort of patients who underwent paired ultrasound and MRI studies. The results suggested that the UTD system might improve IRR, compared with the SFU system. The use of fetal MRI may improve the IRR of the SFU grading system. It also found that the proportion of SFU grades was affected by the imaging modality, raising the possibility that MRI 'overcalls' the SFU grade, compared with ultrasound. This difference was not observed using the UTD grading system. The most important limitation was the selection bias favoring complex pathology with severe ANH diagnosed at an early gestational age. In this unique cohort, the UTD system improved IRR when compared to the SFU grading system. Fetal MRI improved the IRR of the SFU grading system, and improved the APD intraclass correlation. The SFU grading was likely to be higher when assessed by MRI vs ultrasound, but the UTD grade was not affected by the imaging modality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3136481,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Size and genetic composition of long terminal repeat sequences in the mouse intracisternal A-particle gene 81.\nThe intracisternal A-particle (IAP) genome is a retrovirus-like gene family. Over 1000 copies of IAP genes are dispersed throughout the mouse genome. The purpose of this study was to determine the nucleotide sequence of both ends of the long terminal repeat (LTR) units which bind the IAP gene 81. The results obtained showed that, whereas the structural domain and several genomic characteristics of the IAP 81 LTR units and other LTR structures of a given IAP gene were almost identical, the nucleotide sequences of these LTR units associated with different IAP gene were sometimes very different from each other. In the comparisons of different LTR structures, the transcriptional signals for promotion, initiation, polyadenylation and termination as well as several characteristic sequences of the Z-DNA region, enhancer core sequence and glucocorticoid-responsive element were all found to be present in IAP 81 LTRs. The possible roles of the primary nucleotide sequence of an LTR structure are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31457371,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Catalytic Properties of Vanadium Diselenide: A Comprehensive Study on Its Electrocatalytic Performance in Alkaline, Neutral, and Acidic Media.\nHere, we report the synthesis of vanadium diselenide (VSe2) three-dimensional nanoparticles (NPs) and two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets (NSs) utilizing nanosecond pulsed laser ablation technique followed by liquid-phase exfoliation. Furthermore, a systematic study has been conducted on the effect of NP and NS morphologies of VSe2 in their catalytic activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under alkaline, neutral, and acidic conditions. Research on VSe2 clearly demonstrates that these morphologies do not have a significant difference for ORR and OER; however, a drastic effect of morphology was observed for HER. The ORR activity of both NSs and NPs involves \u223c2.85 numbers of electrons with the Tafel slope of 120 mV\/dec in alkaline and neutral pH. In alkaline solution, NPs are proved to be an efficient catalyst for OER with an onset potential 1.5 V; however, for HER, NSs have a better onset potential of -0.25 V. Moreover, the obtained NPs have also better catalytic activity with a 400 mV anodic shift in the onset potential compared to NSs. These results provide a reference point for the future application of VSe2 in energy storage and conversion devices and mass production of other 2D materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37350433,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Emergency surgical intervention in acute corrosive ingestion: single-center experience from India.\nSurgical intervention for acute corrosive injury is often required. It is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Sparce data is available on the types and timing of surgery after acute corrosive ingestion and complications associated with the same. This is a retrospective single-center study from a tertiary care center in India. All patients who underwent surgical exploration after acute corrosive intake between January 2003 and June 2014 were enrolled in the study. Data on patients' presentation, their endoscopic findings, indications of surgery, type of surgery and post-operative follow-up was retrieved. Out of 170 patients who presented with acute corrosive ingestion, 24 patients (14.11%) required emergency surgery. The mean interval between ingestion and surgery was 9.92 \u00b1 9.03 days. Presence of peritonitis was the most common indication for surgery (n = 10; 41.7%) followed by mediastinitis (n = 7; 29.2%). A total of 17 resectional and 7 non-resectional procedures were performed. Thirteen (54%) patients succumbed to their illness post-operatively due to multi-organ failure (n = 9), refractory shock (n = 3) or pulmonary thromboembolism (n = 1). Patients with early surgery (\u22647 days) after corrosive ingestion had similar mortality compared to patients with late surgery (>7 days) (50% versus 67%; P = 0.30). Of the 11 surviving patients, eight patients (72%) underwent successful reconstructive surgery on follow-up. Emergency surgery after corrosive ingestion carries high morbidity and mortality. However, after the initial stormy acute phase, majority of patients can undergo successful reconstructive surgery on follow-up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23210344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Experience of Lucentis use in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration].\nThis article provides information about development and introduction of regional standard of specialized medical care for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration in medical practice in Tumen region. It discovered new opportunities for improvement of ophthalmologic care in the region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31681789,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations After the Ingestion of Dairy and Collagen Proteins, in Healthy Active Males.\nIntroduction: Recent evidence suggests that the consumption of essential amino acids (AA) and\/or those abundantly present in collagen may have the capacity to influence the synthesis of new collagen in ligaments and tendons, when tissue perfusion is optimized (e.g., during exercise). However, little is currently known about the bioavailability of these AAs in blood after the consumption of various collagen and diary protein sources: such information is needed to develop potentially useful dietary and supplement intake strategies. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to characterize blood AA concentrations in response to consumption of collagen and dairy protein sources; specifically, maximum concentrations, the timing of maximum concentration, and total (area under the curve) exposure above baseline. Methods: A 20 g serve of various dairy and collagen proteins, and a 300 mL serve of bone broth were consumed by healthy, recreationally active males after an overnight fast. Blood samples were drawn every 20 min for a total of 180 min, for analysis of plasma AA concentrations. Total AA, essential AA and collagen specific AAs were analyzed for maximum concentration, timing of peak, and area under the curve. Results: In general, protein intake was associated with a similar increase in total and collagen specific AAs, except for collagen proteins being a superior source of glycine (683 \u00b1 166 \u03bcmol\/L) compared to 260 \u00b1 65 \u03bcmol\/L for dairy proteins (P < 0.0001), whilst dairy proteins were a superior source of leucine (267 \u00b1 77 \u03bcmol\/L) compared to 189 \u00b1 \u03bcmol\/L for collagen proteins (P < 0.04). Although there were several differences in the bioavailability of hydrolysed compared to non-hydrolysed proteins, this only reached statistical significance within the dairy proteins, but not for collagen proteins. Conclusions: The intake of collagen proteins result in higher plasma peaks of glycine, whilst the intake of dairy proteins result in higher plasma peaks of leucine. This information may support further investigations, and identification of key AAs that may support exercise in the synthesis of collagen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16945401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Flow patterns of dairy wastewater constructed wetlands in a cold climate.\nConservative tracer experiments, and spatial temperature and dissolved oxygen mapping within four subsurface treatment wetlands employed in this study demonstrated the importance of supplemental aeration and vegetation in reducing preferential flows in cold climate treatment wetlands. Four constructed wetlands, employing horizontal subsurface flow were used to treat dairy wastewater in a 2 x 2 factorial design consisting of two wetland cells with vegetation and two with supplemental aeration. Four tracer studies were conducted between November 2004 and May 2005. Two key observations were made, demonstrating that vegetation and aeration can be utilized in cold regions to prevent clogging and freezing, thereby reducing preferential flow paths which can reduce treatment efficiencies: (1) vegetation contributed to thermal protection and (2) aeration increased temperature and mixing. A comparison of multiple wetland cells with varying flow rates showed that the use of pore volume in tracer response curves was a better indicator of preferential flows than other indicators including volumetric efficiency, hydraulic efficiency and number of continuosly stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). This research helps further establish how constructed wetlands are a viable tool for treating wastewater in cold climates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11494515,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Gap junctional communication between the satellite cells of rat dorsal root ganglia.\nMany studies have described the ultrastructure of the dorsal root ganglia in various embryonic and adult animals, but in spite of the efforts of many investigators the functional role of the satellite cells in this tissue is not clearly understood. In this study, we discuss the function of this cell type based on the concept of cell-to-cell interaction through gap junctions. Five male 60 day-old Wistar strain rats were used. All animals were anesthetized with pentobarbital and perfused with glutaraldehyde fixative, then the dorsal root ganglia in levels L4, L5 and L6 were taken from each rat. After postosmication, the specimens were prepared for observation by transmission electron microscopy. All nerve cells were completely surrounded by satellite cell cytoplasmic expansions. The boundaries between adjacent nerve cells and satellite cells were complicated due to the presence of perikaryal projections of nerve cells. Gap junctions which showed the typical trilamellar structure of plasma membranes were found mainly between satellite cell processes belonging to the same nerve cell. On the other hand, some gap junctions were found between the satellite cell projections belonging to different nerve cells. The size of the gap junctions ranged from 300 to 400 nm. No gap junctions were associated with the plasma membrane of any nerve cell. In conclusion, only satellite cells can share free transcellular exchange of cytoplasmic molecules such as ions, amino acids, sugars and several second messengers including cAMP and inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate by way of gap junctions in dorsal root ganglia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20339595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Cost effectiveness of influenza vaccination in children under 2 years old and elderly in Colombia].\nEstimating the burden of disease associated with influenza virus season and modelling the epidemiological and economic impacts of introducing an inactivated vaccine to Colombia. A complete economic evaluation was done in children aged less than 2 and adults aged over 65. The outcomes evaluated in the under 2-year olds included: the yearly number of cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI), medical visits, hospitalisations and deaths by ARI. The outcomes measured in adults were the number of yearly deaths and hospitalisations due to cardiocirculatory diseases (CCD). Influenza infection in children under 2 years old not having had vaccination may cause 4,300 cases, 2,700 medical visits, 900 hospitalisations and 230 deaths by ARI yearly. Amongst the elder group, influenza infection would be associated with 670 deaths by pneumonia and 1,870 deaths from CCD. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) for flu vaccination among children under 2 ranged from USD$ 1,900 to USD$ 2,967 per averted death. ICER was cost saving in adults aged over 65. This study's results supported the Colombian Ministry of Health's initiative for introducing yearly flu vaccination amongst small children and older adults in Colombia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20335621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phototoxicity of indocyanine green under continuous fluorescent lamp illumination and its prevention by blocking red light on cultured M\u00fcller cells.\nTo investigate the phototoxicity of persistent indocyanine green (ICG) under continuous visible light illumination and to determine whether blocking peak absorbance wavelengths of ICG is cytoprotective. Cultured quail M\u00fcller cells were exposed to 0 to 5 mg\/mL ICG for 30 seconds or 10 minutes and then were cultured in a colorless medium for 24 hours with or without continuous fluorescent lamp illumination. Cells exposed to 5 mg\/mL ICG for 10 minutes were cultured under illumination filtered through a dichroic mirror that blocks red to near-infrared, green, or blue wavelengths. After microscopic observation, cell viability and cell death were evaluated. ICG exposure followed by illuminated culture induced severe morphologic changes in cells, significant reductions in cell viability, and increases in cell death from apoptosis compared with exposure to ICG or illumination alone or with no exposure. Although ICG exposure at higher concentrations caused cell damage in a dose- and time-dependent manner, an increase in cell viability was noted for cells exposed to lower ICG concentrations. Blocking red to near-infrared wavelengths prevented the decrease in cell viability and the increase in cell death in the culture exposed to ICG followed by illuminated culture. Continuous fluorescent lamp illumination enhanced the cytotoxicity of persistent ICG on M\u00fcller cells in a dose- and exposure time-dependent manner. Blocking peak absorbance wavelengths of ICG prevented photodynamic cytotoxicity of persistent ICG under continuous visible light illumination in vitro. This culture system could be used to study the mechanisms of prevention of unfavorable outcomes in ICG-assisted surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18950093,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An Ideal One-Dimensional Antiferromagnetic Spin System Observed in Hydrogen-Bonded Naphth[2,3-d]imidazol-2-yl Nitronyl Nitroxide Crystal: The Role of the Hydrogen Bond.\nA novel stable organic radical, 2-(naphth[2,3-d]imidazol-2-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazolyl-1-oxyl-3-oxide (4), has been designed, synthesized, and structurally characterized to examine the effects of ring extension on 2-(benzimidazol-2-yl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazolyl-1-oxyl-3-oxide (2). 4 forms four-centered intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and the hydrogen bonds are repeated along the c-axis to form a one-dimensional chain structure. This hydrogen-bonding motif contrasts that of 2, which forms three-centered intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The magnetic susceptibility measurement of 4 reveals that an antiferromagnetic interaction is dominant between spins, and the magnetic behavior is reproduced by the Bonner-Fisher model with J = -14 cm-1. Because each hydrogen-bonded chain is well isolated, a magnetic interaction pathway was thought to exist along the chain direction. Two interaction pathways have been assumed: (i) through-space interaction between the O atoms of the nitroxide and (ii) through the NH...ON intermolecular hydrogen bond. We have concluded that pathway (i) is predominant, by considering the identical magnetic data between the NH nondeuterated and deuterated samples. The hydrogen bond mainly has a role in crystal scaffolding.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25417623,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Pulmonary embolism and acute pancreatitis: case series and review.\nReports of pulmonary embolism in the setting of acute pancreatitis are rare. We present three cases of acute pancreatitis associated with pulmonary embolism and review the literature. Two of the three patients had severe acute pancreatitis with bilateral pulmonary emboli, and to our knowledge, these cases represent the first report of pulmonary embolism occurring in the setting of pancreatic ascites and pleural effusion. All patients experienced abdominal pain, though in one patient, symptoms suggestive of a pulmonary embolism were lacking. All three patients were successfully treated with unfractionated heparin and conservative management. Pulmonary thrombosis may occur in the setting of severe acute pancreatitis as the result of systemic inflammatory response. We review the literature and provide microvascular explanations for the occurrence of pulmonary complications and thrombosis in the setting of acute pancreatitis. We also review prior cases of pulmonary embolism in acute pancreatitis. Our experience suggests that pulmonary embolism may be an under-recognized complication of severe acute pancreatitis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30160166,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Intra-Articular Delivery of Quercetin Using Thermosensitive Hydrogel Attenuate Cartilage Degradation in an Osteoarthritis Rat Model.\nQuercetin (Que), a bioflavonoid, is both anti-inflammatory and antioxidative. Que has been used as an oral supplement for osteoarthritis (OA) with inconsistent findings because of its low bioavailability. We encapsulated Que in a mPEG-polypeptide thermogel to prolong its bioactivity. The efficacy of this formulation was evaluated in a posttraumatic OA rat model. Methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-l-poly(alanine) (mPEG-PA) polymer was synthesized and characterized in terms of cytotoxicity and release kinetics in vitro. At 12 weeks old, Sprague-Dawley rats underwent anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). At 24 weeks post-operation, rats received either an intra-articular (IA) injection of saline, hydrogel, or hydrogel with Que (50 or 500 \u03bcg). Gait analysis was performed at pre-ACLT, pre-treatment, and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks post-treatment. At 12 weeks post-treatment, knee joints were collected for histopathological evaluation. In vitro studies showed that chondrocytes were viable after 72 hours of incubation with mPEG-PA, and the release of Que could be sustained for >28 days. Among all OA rats, the limb idleness index (LII) were significantly increased at 24 weeks post-ACLT. Rats that received hydrogel with Que (50 \u03bcg) showed the most reduction in LII at both 4 and 8 weeks post-treatment. The Osteoarthritis Research Society International score of rats received hydrogel with Que (50 \u03bcg) was significantly lower than the control group. All rats suffered from low-grade synovitis (Krenn score: 2-4). This study suggests that a sustained delivery of Que (50 \u03bcg) could provide symptom relief and also delay the progression of OA in the knee.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34063492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation on Trigeminal Blink Reflex Excitability.\nRecent evidence indicates that transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) modulates sensorimotor cortex excitability. However, no study has assessed possible TUS effects on the excitability of deeper brain areas, such as the brainstem. In this study, we investigated whether TUS delivered on the substantia nigra, superior colliculus, and nucleus raphe magnus modulates the excitability of trigeminal blink reflex, a reliable neurophysiological technique to assess brainstem functions in humans. The recovery cycle of the trigeminal blink reflex (interstimulus intervals of 250 and 500 ms) was tested before (T0), and 3 (T1) and 30 min (T2) after TUS. The effects of substantia nigra-TUS, superior colliculus-TUS, nucleus raphe magnus-TUS and sham-TUS were assessed in separate and randomized sessions. In the superior colliculus-TUS session, the conditioned R2 area increased at T1 compared with T0, while T2 and T0 values did not differ. Results were independent of the interstimulus intervals tested and were not related to trigeminal blink reflex baseline (T0) excitability. Conversely, the conditioned R2 area was comparable at T0, T1, and T2 in the nucleus raphe magnus-TUS and substantia nigra-TUS sessions. Our findings demonstrate that the excitability of brainstem circuits, as evaluated by testing the recovery cycle of the trigeminal blink reflex, can be increased by TUS. This result may reflect the modulation of inhibitory interneurons within the superior colliculus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24278217,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Resequencing three candidate genes for major depressive disorder in a Dutch cohort.\nMajor depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric disorder, characterized by periods of low mood of more than two weeks, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities and behavioral changes. MDD is a complex disorder and does not have a single genetic cause. In 2009 a genome wide association study (GWAS) was performed on the Dutch GAIN-MDD cohort. Many of the top signals of this GWAS mapped to a region spanning the gene PCLO, and the non-synonymous coding single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2522833 in the PCLO gene became genome wide significant after post-hoc analysis. We performed resequencing of PCLO, GRM7, and SLC6A4 in 50 control samples from the GAIN-MDD cohort, to detect new genomic variants. Subsequently, we genotyped these variants in the entire GAIN-MDD cohort and performed association analysis to investigate if rs2522833 is the causal variant or simply in linkage disequilibrium with a more associated variant. GRM7 and SLC6A4 are both candidate genes for MDD from literature. We aimed to gather more evidence that rs2522833 is indeed the causal variant in the GAIN-MDD cohort or to find a previously undetected common variant in either PCLO, GRM7, or SLC6A4 with a higher association in this cohort. After next generation sequencing and association analysis we excluded the possibility of an undetected common variant to be more associated. For neither PCLO nor GRM7 we found a more associated variant. For SLC6A4, we found a new SNP that showed a lower P-value (P = 0.07) than in the GAIN-MDD GWAS (P = 0.09). However, no evidence for genome-wide significance was found. Although we did not take into account rare variants, we conclude that our results provide further support for the hypothesis that the non-synonymous coding SNP rs2522833 in the PCLO gene is indeed likely to be the causal variant in the GAIN-MDD cohort.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10028761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical experiences with rabies in cattle in Hungary.\nOver the past years, bovine rabies has become a significant problem in Hungary. Not only do foxes play and important role in the transmission of the virus to cattle, but also cats have recently been recognized as an important source of infection in cattle. In the investigated regions, seasonal peaks of transmission could be observed. The first cases of the year occurred in June, but the most cases were diagnosed in autumn and early winter. The average clinical course of rabies in infected animals extended over a period of 2-6 days, occasionally shorter and longer courses were presented. A short clinical course was usually related to an early onset of prominent nervous symptoms, while prolonged cases expressed fewer nervous signs. Prevention and control of the disease can be best achieved by regional oral vaccination of foxes as the positive results demonstrate in the Transdanubian region of Hungary.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10161361,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Will you be ready when the pink slip arrives?\nAre you prepared to ride the waves of change? Will you be ready when the pink slip arrives? Health care executives who can jump a little higher and run a little faster will go further in the draft. Those of you who are prepared for change will always be appealing to recruiters and prospective employers. How can you ride these turbulent waves and not capsize? This article explores some suggestions for positioning yourself: Proper positioning with the inevitable changes in mind will help you move your career in a forward direction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2532038,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Strategy of acne therapy with long-term antibiotics.\nA study of the outcome of conventional antibiotic treatment in 543 patients with acne was performed. All were treated initially with erythromycin 1 g\/day and topical 5% benzoyl peroxide. The median improvement at 6 months was 78%, with an interquartile range of 67-90%. Four-hundred and eight of the 492 who completed 6 months' treatment showed over 50% improvement and 247 of the 279 patients treated for a subsequent 6 months with benzoyl peroxide alone, continued to do well. Another subgroup of 174 patients, was continued for 6 months with systemic antibiotic and 5% benozyl peroxide. No significant benefit was gained, however, by maintaining successfully treated patients on a further 6 months of systemic antibiotics. Of the 84 patients who did less well, 18 were given alternative treatment (Diane, isotretinoin). The other 60, subsequently referred to as slow responders, were continued on antibiotics (erythromycin, 31; minocin, 29; cotrimoxazole, 4; trimethoprim, 2) and benzoyl peroxide. Those prescribed minocycline for the second 6 months appeared to have greater benefit (64%) than those receiving erythromycin (57%). This level of improvement was still lower than that seen in those who responded well within 6 months (78%). Of the risk factors analysed, the poorest response occurred in males with truncal acne. Age at presentation, duration and severity did not adversely affect therapeutic outcome. Side-effects were minimal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8995209,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Cytokeratin-filament expression in epithelial and non-epithelial tissues of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio).\nCytokeratin expression in mammals is generally restricted to epithelial cells and has been utilized to differentiate epithelial from nonepithelial tissues in these species. Since cytokeratins have been shown to be highly conserved during vertebrate evolution, the objective of the present study has been to ascertain the expression pattern of cytokeratins in tissues of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio). A panel of 10 anti-human cytokeratin antibodies was evaluated using a streptavidin-biotin-peroxidase complex detection system. Tissues were fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin, 100% ethanol or methacarn. Only formalin-fixed tissues were pre-digested with trypsin prior to immunostaining. Formalin-fixed tissues generally resulted in a less intense, more diffuse staining pattern with considerable background compared with ethanol and methacarn and was therefore the least desirable fixative. The diverse staining pattern observed with the various antibodies used in this study was consistent with previous findings in other teleosts. The results confirm that cytokeratin expression in teleosts is fundamentally different from that in mammals and therefore should be used as a method to differentiate epithelial cell types in these species only with discretion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22213409,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Biomarkers for insulin resistance and inflammation and the risk for all-cause dementia and alzheimer disease: results from the Framingham Heart Study.\nTo investigate the contribution of biomarkers of glucose homeostasis (adiponectin, glucose, glycated albumin, and insulin levels) and inflammation (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) levels) to the risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD) and all-cause dementia. Prospective cohort study. Dementia-free Framingham Heart Study participants had sera measured for these biomarkers at the 19th biennial examination (1985-1988) and were followed up prospectively for the development of AD and all-cause dementia. Eight hundred forty (541 women, median age of 76 years) subjects participated in the study. We used sex-pooled and sex-specific multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for age, education, body mass index, recent change in weight, APOE \u03b54 allele status, and plasma docosahexaenoic acid levels to determine association of these biomarkers with the development of all-cause dementia and AD. Over a mean follow-up period of 13 years, 159 persons developed dementia (including 125 with AD). After adjustment for other risk factors, only adiponectin in women was associated with an increased risk of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.66; P=.054) and AD (HR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.00-1.76; P=.050) per 1-SD increase in adiponectin level. Women with baseline adiponectin values more than the median had a higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.03-2.56; P=.04) and AD (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13-3.10; P=.01) as compared with those with values less than the median. In women, increased plasma adiponectin levels are an independent risk factor for the development of both all-cause dementia and AD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31998321,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"TLR7 Agonism Accelerates Disease and Causes a Fatal Myeloproliferative Disorder in NZM 2410 Lupus Mice.\nMurine models of lupus, both spontaneous and inducible, are valuable instruments to study SLE pathogenesis. Accelerants such as Type I IFN are often used to trigger earlier disease onset. We used a topical TLR7 agonist, previously reported to induce lupus-like disease in WT mice within weeks, to validate this data in C57BL\/6j mice, and to test TLR7 agonism as an accelerant in lupus-prone NZM2410 mice. We found that TLR7-stimulated B6 and NZM2410 mice had significantly reduced survival and exhibited profound splenomegaly with significantly reduced B cells (4 vs. 40%), and T cells (8 vs. 31%). Spleen pathology and IHC revealed massive expansion of F4\/80+ cells in TLR7-treated mice consistent with histiocytosis. While resiqimod treatment caused mild autoimmunity in B6 mice and accelerated autoimmunity in NZM2410 mice, it did not cause significant nephritis or proteinuria in either strain (renal function intact at death). Given the macrophage expansion, cytopenias, and disruption of normal splenic lymphoid follicle architecture, histiocytic sarcoma is favored as the cause of death. An alternative etiology is a macrophage activation syndrome (MAS)-like syndrome, since the mice also had a transaminitis and histologic hemophagocytosis in the setting of their rapid mortality. For investigators who are focused on murine models of lupus nephritis, this model is not ideal when utilizing B6 mice, however topical resiqimod may prove useful to accelerate autoimmunity and nephritis in NZM2410 mice, or potentially to investigate secondary complications of lupus such as histiocytic diseases or macrophage activation like syndromes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15921522,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effect of Cr(V) on reproductive organ morphology and sperm parameters: an experimental study in mice.\nCr(V) species are formed during the intracellular reduction of Cr(VI), a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. In this study, the acute toxicity of a physiologically stable Cr(V) compound, [CrV-BT](2-) (BT = bis(hydroxyethyl)aminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane) was investigated in the male reproductive system of sexually mature 60-day-old male ICR-CD1 mice. Eight-week-old animals were subcutaneously injected daily with a dose of ca 8 micromol of Cr\/mouse, during 5 days. The control group was injected with 0.5 mL of BT buffer. Testis and epididymis morphology was evaluated using light and transmission electron microscopy. Epididymal sperm counts, motility and acrosome integrity were also assayed using standard methods. Seminiferous epithelium abnormalities were detected in the CrV-BT experimental group, including intraepithelial vacuolation, and remarkable degeneration of Sertoli cells, spermatocytes and spermatids. The premature release of germ cells into the tubular lumen was also evident. Histological evaluation of epididymal compartments revealed apparently normal features. However, the epididymal epithelium presented vacuolation. [CrV-BT](2-) induced a reduction in sperm acrosome integrity. However, sperm motility and density were not significantly affected. This in vivo study using a Cr(V) compound, provides evidence for the potential reproductive hazards caused on male reproductive system by species containing chromium in intermediate oxidation states.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30927100,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Automatic classification of ultrasound breast lesions using a deep convolutional neural network mimicking human decision-making.\nTo evaluate a deep convolutional neural network (dCNN) for detection, highlighting, and classification of ultrasound (US) breast lesions mimicking human decision-making according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). One thousand nineteen breast ultrasound images from 582 patients (age 56.3 \u00b1 11.5 years) were linked to the corresponding radiological report. Lesions were categorized into the following classes: no tissue, normal breast tissue, BI-RADS 2 (cysts, lymph nodes), BI-RADS 3 (non-cystic mass), and BI-RADS 4-5 (suspicious). To test the accuracy of the dCNN, one internal dataset (101 images) and one external test dataset (43 images) were evaluated by the dCNN and two independent readers. Radiological reports, histopathological results, and follow-up examinations served as reference. The performances of the dCNN and the humans were quantified in terms of classification accuracies and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. In the internal test dataset, the classification accuracy of the dCNN differentiating BI-RADS 2 from BI-RADS 3-5 lesions was 87.1% (external 93.0%) compared with that of human readers with 79.2 \u00b1 1.9% (external 95.3 \u00b1 2.3%). For the classification of BI-RADS 2-3 versus BI-RADS 4-5, the dCNN reached a classification accuracy of 93.1% (external 95.3%), whereas the classification accuracy of humans yielded 91.6 \u00b1 5.4% (external 94.1 \u00b1 1.2%). The AUC on the internal dataset was 83.8 (external 96.7) for the dCNN and 84.6 \u00b1 2.3 (external 90.9 \u00b1 2.9) for the humans. dCNNs may be used to mimic human decision-making in the evaluation of single US images of breast lesion according to the BI-RADS catalog. The technique reaches high accuracies and may serve for standardization of highly observer-dependent US assessment. \u2022 Deep convolutional neural networks could be used to classify US breast lesions. \u2022 The implemented dCNN with its sliding window approach reaches high accuracies in the classification of US breast lesions. \u2022 Deep convolutional neural networks may serve for standardization in US BI-RADS classification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12354730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Circulatory assistance with a permanent implantable IABP: initial human experience.\nThe Kantrowitz CardioVAD (KCV) is an electrically powered, pneumatically driven circulatory assist device which provides diastolic augmentation and systolic unloading to the failing heart. It consists of a 60cc-pumping chamber, a percutaneous access device (PAD), and an external controller. The pumping chamber, is surgically implanted in the descending thoracic aorta with the patient on cardiopulmonary bypass. Its physiologic function is analogous to that of the intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). Between 1997 and 2000, 5 men (age 59 to 73) with end-stage cardiomyopathy refractory to maximal drug treatment and with documented hemodynamic improvement on an IABP were enrolled in a feasibility study. Mean bypass time was 157 minute (range 120 to 196 minute); mean cross-clamp time was 101 minute (range 69 to 144). Patient 1 died intra-operatively. Compared with preoperative values, at 1 month, cardiac index increased (1.7 to 2.6 L\/min\/m(2)) and there were significant decreases in creatinine (2.6 to 1.5 mg\/dL), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) (32 to 14 mm Hg), and right atrial pressure (RA) (19 to 9 mm Hg). NYHA class improved (IV to II). The mean increase in cardiac index with the KCV OFF to ON was 0.53 L\/min\/m(2) (36%). Two patients were discharged home. The device was used intermittently without thromboembolic complications. The only device related complications were attributed to PAD design and have been corrected. CONCLUSION Our initial human trial demonstrates successful implantation of the KCV in end-stage patients, the ability of the device to be used intermittently without anticoagulation, and documents hemodynamic and functional improvement in the status of these patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10233884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Modulation of integrin function in hematopoietic progenitor cells by CD43 engagement: possible involvement of protein tyrosine kinase and phospholipase C-gamma.\nAttachment of cells to extracellular matrix components is critical for the regulation of hematopoiesis. CD43 is a mucin-like transmembrane sialoglycoprotein expressed on the surface of almost all hematopoietic cells. A highly extended structure of extracellular mucin with negative charge may function as a repulsive barrier to hematopoietic cells. However, some investigators have shown that CD43 has proadhesive properties, and engagement of CD43 has been reported to upregulate integrin-mediated cell adhesion in T cells. We found that cross-linking of CD43 with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) enhanced integrin alpha4beta1 (very late antigen [VLA]-4) and alpha5 beta1 (VLA-5)-dependent adhesion of human cord blood CD34(+) cells to fibronectin. CD34(+) CD38(hi), but not CD34(+)CD38(-\/low) cells responded significantly to the stimulus, suggesting that committed, but not stem and more immature progenitors are sensitive to CD43-mediated activation of integrin. To elucidate the molecular mechanism leading to integrin activation, we used the growth factor-dependent cell line MO7e. Cross-linking of CD43 induced tyrosine phosphorylation of several intracellular molecules including the protein tyrosine kinase Syk, the proto-oncogene product Cbl, and phospholipase C (PLC)-gamma2 in MO7e cells. Moreover, protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A and PLC inhibitor U73122 both blocked CD43-induced enhancement of adhesion to fibronectin. These results indicate that signals mediated through CD43 may increase integrin affinity to fibronectin via a pathway dependent on protein tyrosine kinase and PLC-gamma activation in hematopoietic progenitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30988964,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Clinical Aspects, Immunophenotypic Analysis and Survival Rate of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia Patients in Erbil City, Iraq.\nChronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is characterised by an accumulation of clonal B cells in the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and immunophenotypic characteristics and survival rate of CLL patients. This retrospective study was conducted at the Nanakaly Hospital for Blood Diseases & Oncology in Erbil, Iraq, between January 2011 and December 2017. A total of 105 CLL patients were assessed to determine clinical presentation and staging, immunophenotype and survival rate. The median age of the patients was 65 years and 63.8% were male. The main clinical presentations were splenomegaly (64.8%), pallor (61.9%) and lymphadenopathy (60%). More than half of the patients presented at an advanced clinical stage according to the Rai and Binet staging systems (59.1% and 55.2%, respectively). All CLL cases expressed both cluster of differentiation (CD)19 and CD5, 67.6% had monoclonal kappa light chains and 21% expressed CD38. The five-year overall survival (OS) rate was 61.3%. The mean duration of five-year survival was 41.3 months (95% confidence interval: 36.4-46.3 months). There were no correlations between survival and sociodemographic, clinical or laboratory characteristics. In comparison to the existing Western literature, Iraqi CLL patients more frequently presented with hepatosplenomegaly and at a more advanced clinical stage. In addition, the five-year OS rate was much lower.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16201850,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Fucoidan extracted from Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida induces apoptosis of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1-infected T-cell lines and primary adult T-cell leukemia cells.\nAdult T-cell leukemia (ATL) is caused by human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and remains incurable. The highest endemic area of HTLV-1 carriers in Japan is located in Okinawa, and novel treatments are urgently needed in this area. We extracted fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide, from the brown seaweed Cladosiphon okamuranus Tokida cultivated in Okinawa, Japan and examined its tumor-suppression activity against ATL. Fucoidan significantly inhibited the growth of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of ATL patients and HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines but not that of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Fucoidan induced apoptosis of HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines mediated through downregulation of cellular inhibitor of apoptosis protein-2 and survivin and G1 phase accumulation through the downregulation of cyclin D2, c-myc, and hyperphosphorylated form of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein. Further analysis showed that fucoidan inactivated NF-kappaB and activator protein-1 and inhibited NF-kappaB-inducible chemokine, C-C chemokine ligand 5 (regulated on activation, normal T expressed and secreted) production, and homotypic cell-cell adhesion of HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines. In vivo use of fucoidan resulted in partial inhibition of growth of tumors of an HTLV-1-infected T-cell line transplanted subcutaneously in severe combined immune deficient mice. Our results indicate that fucoidan is a potentially useful therapeutic agent for patients with ATL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8098731,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Defective major histocompatibility complex class II assembly, transport, peptide acquisition, and CD4+ T cell selection in mice lacking invariant chain expression.\nWe used gene targeting techniques to produce mice lacking the invariant chain associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules. Cells from these mice show a dramatic reduction in surface class II, resulting from both defective association of class II alpha and beta chains and markedly decreased post-Golgi transport. The few class II alpha\/beta heterodimers reaching the cell surface behave as if empty or occupied by an easily displaced peptide, and display a distinct structure. Mutant spleen cells are defective in their ability to present intact protein antigens, but stimulate enhanced responses in the presence of peptides. These mutant mice have greatly reduced numbers of thymic and peripheral CD4+ T cells. Overall, this striking phenotype establishes that the invariant chain plays a critical role in regulating MHC class II expression and function in the intact animal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28051907,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Novel R2R3-MYB transcription factors from Prunus americana regulate differential patterns of anthocyanin accumulation in tobacco and citrus.\nThe level of anthocyanins in plants vary widely among cultivars, developmental stages and environmental stimuli. Previous studies have reported that the expression of various MYBs regulate anthocyanin pigmentation during growth and development. Here we examine the activity of 3 novel R2R3-MYB transcription factor (TF) genes, PamMybA.1, PamMybA.3 and PamMybA.5 from Prunus americana. The anthocyanin accumulation patterns mediated by CaMV double35S promoter (db35Sp) controlled expression of the TFs in transgenic tobacco were compared with citrus-MoroMybA, Arabidopsis-AtMybA1 and grapevine-VvMybA1 transgenics during their entire growth cycles. The db35Sp-PamMybA.1 and db35Sp-PamMybA.5 constructs induced high levels of anthocyanin accumulation in both transformed tobacco calli and the regenerated plants. The red\/purple color pigmentation induced in the PamMybA.1 and PamMybA.5 lines was not uniformly distributed, but appeared as patches in the leaves, whereas the flowers showed intense uniform pigmentation similar to the VvMybA1 expressing lines. MoroMybA and AtMybA1 showed more uniform pink coloration in both vegetative and reproductive tissues. Plant morphology, anthocyanin content, seed viability, and transgene inheritance were examined for the PamMybA.5 transgenic plants and compared with the controls. We conclude that these TFs alone are sufficient for activating anthocyanin production in plants and may be used as visible reporter genes for plant transformation. Evaluating these TFs in a heterologous crop species such as citrus further validated that these genes can be useful for the metabolic engineering of anthocyanin production and cultivar enhancement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":593452,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Sensory input to neurons of the motor area of the biceps in cat cortex].\nCorrelation between activity of cortical neurons in the biceps motor area and a conditioning movement of the contralateral forelimb was studied in chronic experiments of two male cats. In the group of neurons related to the movement sensory inputs were not found in 68.1% of neurons, in the group not related to the movement in 97.9% of neurons. 24.2% of neurons from the first group had cutaneous receptive fields on the dorsal surface of the distal part of the moving forelimb, in this group 5 neurons had inputs from the forelimb joints.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26219966,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"EpiReumaPt: how to perform a national population based study - a practical guide.\nThe aim of this article was to describe and discuss several strategies and standard operating procedures undertaken in the EpiReumaPt study - which was the first Portuguese, national, cross-sectional population-based study of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases (RMD). The technical procedures, legal issues, management and practical questions were studied, analyzed and discussed with relevant stakeholders. During the 1st phase of EpiReumaPt the coordination team and Centro de Estudos de Sondagens e Opini\u00e3o (CESOP) worked to recruit and interview 10,661 subjects. The 2nd phase involved the participation of a multidisciplinary team, several local authorities, a specialized vehicle (\"mobile unit\") and a specific software program for the clinical appointments. The development of specific recruitment strategies improved the participation rate. Blood samples were collected and sent to Biobanco-IMM and to a central lab for immediate measurements. In the 3rd phase the RMD diagnosis were validated by a team of three experienced rheumatologists - clinical data, imaging and lab test results were revised according to previously published classification criteria. EpiReumaPt was a nationwide project successfully conducted, which followed critical logistic\/coordination and research strategies. EpiReumaPt methodology and coordination could be used as an example for other epidemiologic endeavors and public health policies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32324388,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Statistics in Proteomics: A Meta-analysis of 100 Proteomics Papers Published in 2019.\nWe randomly selected 100 journal articles published in five proteomics journals in 2019 and manually examined each of them against a set of 13 criteria concerning the statistical analyses used, all of which were based on items mentioned in the journals' instructions to authors. This included questions such as whether a pilot study was conducted and whether false discovery rate calculation was employed at either the quantitation or identification stage. These data were then transformed to binary inputs, analyzed via machine learning algorithms, and classified accordingly, with the aim of determining if clusters of data existed for specific journals or if certain statistical measures correlated with each other. We applied a variety of classification methods including principal component analysis decomposition, agglomerative clustering, and multinomial and Bernoulli na\u00efve Bayes classification and found that none of these could readily determine journal identity given extracted statistical features. Logistic regression was useful in determining high correlative potential between statistical features such as false discovery rate criteria and multiple testing corrections methods, but was similarly ineffective at determining correlations between statistical features and specific journals. This meta-analysis highlights that there is a very wide variety of approaches being used in statistical analysis of proteomics data, many of which do not conform to published journal guidelines, and that contrary to implicit assumptions in the field there are no clear correlations between statistical methods and specific journals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18929068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Sulfur metabolism in phototrophic sulfur bacteria.\nPhototrophic sulfur bacteria are characterized by oxidizing various inorganic sulfur compounds for use as electron donors in carbon dioxide fixation during anoxygenic photosynthetic growth. These bacteria are divided into the purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) and the green sulfur bacteria (GSB). They utilize various combinations of sulfide, elemental sulfur, and thiosulfate and sometimes also ferrous iron and hydrogen as electron donors. This review focuses on the dissimilatory and assimilatory metabolism of inorganic sulfur compounds in these bacteria and also briefly discusses these metabolisms in other types of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria. The biochemistry and genetics of sulfur compound oxidation in PSB and GSB are described in detail. A variety of enzymes catalyzing sulfur oxidation reactions have been isolated from GSB and PSB (especially Allochromatium vinosum, a representative of the Chromatiaceae), and many are well characterized also on a molecular genetic level. Complete genome sequence data are currently available for 10 strains of GSB and for one strain of PSB. We present here a genome-based survey of the distribution and phylogenies of genes involved in oxidation of sulfur compounds in these strains. It is evident from biochemical and genetic analyses that the dissimilatory sulfur metabolism of these organisms is very complex and incompletely understood. This metabolism is modular in the sense that individual steps in the metabolism may be performed by different enzymes in different organisms. Despite the distant evolutionary relationship between GSB and PSB, their photosynthetic nature and their dependency on oxidation of sulfur compounds resulted in similar ecological roles in the sulfur cycle as important anaerobic oxidizers of sulfur compounds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36151760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A comparative review of nutrition education intervention duration and impact on reduction of prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes mellitus among adults aged 45 years or older.\nPrediabetes and Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasingly prevalent and both conditions have a variety of comorbidities. There are many programs aimed at the reduction or prevention of prediabetes and\/or T2DM. However, only a few studies have evaluated the effect of intervention duration and evidence-based frameworks on specific populations at risk for prediabetes or T2DM. This review evaluated evidence-based lifestyle intervention programs to determine whether the duration of programming relates to the efficacy of evidence-based lifestyle change interventions. The aim was to assess relevant outcomes of these interventions in prediabetic or T2DM individuals aged 45 and older. The PRISMA framework was followed. Searches systematically screened and evaluated 2654 articles. Thirteen articles met the inclusion\/exclusion criteria. Databases searched included: PubMed; SCOPUS; ProQuest; Biomed Central; SpringerLink; ScienceDirect; EBSCOHost; JSTOR; Taylor & Francis; Wiley Online; BioOne; CINAHL; SAGE Journal; and Google Scholar (2009-2022). Identifying the most effective timeframe for lifestyle intervention programming to reduce the risks associated with prediabetes\/T2DM can help providers develop appropriate educational initiatives for patients at risk for pre-diabetes and\/or T2DM. After screening, there were 13 studies which met the review criteria. All of the studies included in this comparative review used evidence-based interventions. Evidence-based lifestyle intervention programs that are \u226512 months produced significant and consistent results in mediating outcomes related to prediabetes\/T2DM than <12-month programs in adults aged 45 years and older.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15877239,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The effect of femoral lengthening on skeletal muscle: an experimental study in rats.\nTo investigate the muscular changes occurring during femoral lengthening performed in 42 rats. The rats were randomly divided into six groups and different rates of lengthening were utilized and the rats were sacrificed at the end of the distraction. Histopathologic and histomorphometric measurements were done for all specimens. The results were analyzed statistically by Mann-Whitney U test. By increasing the rate of lengthening, the severity of pathologic changes such as degeneration of muscle fibers, number of vacuoles and cellular infiltration was increased. Phagocytosis of degenerated muscle fibers was observed after 14 days and cellular infiltration decreased sharply and fibrosis formed in the vacuoles and around the muscle fibers after 21 days of lengthening. Cellular infiltration was lost, the muscle had gained its normal appearance and endomysial, perimysial and epimysial fibrosis formed in the group, which were observed for 31 days. Twenty one percent of muscle fibers were atrophic but the ratio of type I to type II muscle fibers did not change. The findings of the current study showed that different regions with different phases of degeneration occur in the same muscle and irreversible changes in the muscle may develop even in 10 percent lengthening.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25042302,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Massage therapy plus topical analgesic is more effective than massage alone for hand arthritis pain.\n20 adults were randomly assigned to a massage therapy or a massage therapy plus a topical analgesic application group. Both groups received a weekly massage from a therapist and were taught self-massage (same procedure) to be done by each participant once daily over a four-week period. The massage plus topical analgesic group as compared to the massage group had greater improvement in hand function as measured by a digital hand exerciser following the first session and across the four-week period. That group also had a greater increase in perceived grip strength and a greater decrease in hand pain, depressed mood and sleep disturbances over the four-week period. Massage therapy has been effective for several pain syndromes including migraine headaches (Lawle and Cameron, 2006)), lower back pain (Hsieh et al., 2004), fibromyalgia (Kalichman, 2010), neck and shoulder pain (Kong et al., 2013), carpal tunnel syndrome (Elliott and Burkett, 2013), and pain related to upper limb arthritis (Field et al., 2013). The purpose of the current study was to determine whether applying a topical analgesic following massage might be more effective than massage alone in treating pain associated with hand arthritis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24128013,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Molecular analysis of subtilase cytotoxin genes of food-borne Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli reveals a new allelic subAB variant.\nThe open reading frames of subAB genes and their flanking regions of 18 food-borne Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) strains were analyzed. All but one subAB open reading frames (ORF) were complete in all STEC strains. The subAB1 genes of nine STEC strains were located on large plasmids. The subAB2 allele (here designated subAB2-1), which was recently described by others to be present in the Subtilase-Encoding PAI (SE-PAI) was found in 6 STEC strains. A new chromosomal subAB2 variant, designated subAB2-2 was detected in 6 strains and was linked to a chromosomal gene hypothetically encoding an outer membrane efflux protein (OEP). Three STEC strains contained both subAB2 variants. DNA analysis indicated sequence conservation in the plasmid-located alleles and sequence heterogeneity among the chromosomal subAB2 genes. The results of this study have shown that 18 subAB-PCR positive STEC strains contain complete subAB open reading frames. Furthermore, the new allelic variant subAB2-2 was described, which can occur in addition to subAB2-1 on a new chromosomal locus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16409081,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Measuring microlymphatic flow using fast video microscopy.\nDespite advances in the measurement of lymphatic function, little is known about the actual velocities of flow in microlymphatic ( approximately 100 mum diam) vessels. In this work, video microscopy and particle tracking methods are adapted and integrated with an ultra-high-speed imaging camera to obtain measurements of lymph velocities throughout the entire lymphatic contraction cycle in the ratmesentery, something that previous systems were incapable of measuring. To determine the system's accuracy, calibration experiments are conducted across the hypothesized physiologically significant range of velocities for microlymphatic flow (up to 15 mmsec). The system shows high accuracy, less than 2% error, when comparing actual with measured velocities. Microspheres flowing through 140-mum-diam tubing are imaged to demonstrate the system's ability to determine flow rates in these small vessels by measuring particle velocities. To demonstrate biological applicability, mesenteric microlymphatics in loops of the small intestine of three male Sprague-Dawley rats are exteriorized and imaged with the high-speed system at a rate of 500 framessec for several contraction sequences. Lymph velocity fluctuates cyclically with the vessel wall contractions, ranging from -1 to 7 mmsec. These rates are higher than would be possible with standard video microscopy (3.75 mmsec maximum).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30843369,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Reference values for handgrip strength and their association with intrinsic capacity domains among older adults.\nThe purposes of this study were three-fold: (i) to describe handgrip strength in older individuals aged \u226560 years in Colombia; (ii) to identify sex-specific and age-specific muscle weakness cut-off points in older adults; and (iii) to determine the odds of adverse events for each of the intrinsic capacity domains for individuals with handgrip strength greater than the muscle weakness cut-off points, as compared with their weaker counterparts. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Colombia, among 5237 older adults aged \u226560 years old (58.5% women, 70.5 \u00b1 7.8 years), according to 'SABE Survey 2015'. Handgrip strength data were obtained with a Takei dynamometer. Sociodemographic variables, five domains of intrinsic capacity (i.e. locomotion, vitality, cognition, psychological, and sensory), and medical conditions were assessed and analyzed. Adjustments variables were age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, urbanicity, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, drug use, physical activity, and co-morbid chronic diseases. Sex-stratified analyses were conducted with logistic regression models. Handgrip strength was greater among men than among women (26.7 \u00b1 8.5 vs. 16.7 \u00b1 5.7 kg, respectively, P < 0.001) at all ages. Weak handgrip strength cut-off points ranged from 17.4 to 8.6 and from 10.1 to 4.9 in men and women, respectively. Overall, participants with optimal handgrip strength had better intrinsic capacity [in men, odds ratio (OR) = 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 0.71; P < 0.001; and in women, OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.92; P = 0.002] than their weaker counterparts. Also, men with optimal handgrip strength had a lower risk of hospitalization (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.78; P = 0.004) than their weaker counterparts. This study is the first to describe handgrip strength values and cut-off points for muscle weakness among a nationally representative sample of Colombian older adults by age and sex. After categorizing older adults as weak or not weak based on the handgrip cut-off points, non-weakness was associated with a decreased odds of intrinsic capacity impairments. These cut-off points may be good candidates for clinical assessment of risks to physical and mental health in older Colombian adults.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33806094,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Understanding the Environment for Health-Promoting Schools Policies in Nova Scotia: A Comprehensive Scan at the Provincial and Regional School Level.\nThe World Health Organization has identified the school community as a key setting for health promotion efforts, laying out its priorities in the Health-Promoting Schools (HPS) framework. This framework offers a comprehensive approach that has been adopted in countries around the globe, with defining characteristics focused around the school curriculum and environment. Nova Scotia (NS) adopted the HPS framework at a provincial level in 2005, but it has been variably implemented. We aimed to identify, categorize, and broadly describe the environment for HPS policies in NS. Four iterative steps were employed: (1) a scan of government and regional school websites to identify publicly available policies; (2) consultations with provincial departments with respect to policy relevance and scope; (3) cross-comparison of policies by two reviewers; (4) compilation of policies into an online database. Seventy policies at the provincial level and 509 policies across eight public school regions were identified. Policies focusing on a 'safe school environment' were most common; those addressing mental health and well-being, physical activity, nutrition and healthy eating, and substance use were among those least commonly identified. This scan provides a comprehensive overview of HPS-relevant policies in NS, along with relative proportions and growth over time. Our findings suggest areas of policy action and inaction that may help or hinder the implementation of HPS principles and values.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23142833,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Posturography and locomotor tests of dynamic balance after long-duration spaceflight.\nThe currently approved objective clinical measure of standing balance in astronauts after space flight is the Sensory Organization Test battery of computerized dynamic posturography. No tests of walking balance are currently approved for standard clinical testing of astronauts. This study determined the sensitivity and specificity of standing and walking balance tests for astronauts before and after long-duration space flight. Astronauts were tested on an obstacle avoidance test known as the Functional Mobility Test (FMT) and on the Sensory Organization Test using sway-referenced support surface motion with eyes closed (SOT 5) before and six months after (n=15) space flight on the International Space Station. They were tested two to seven days after landing. Scores on SOT tests decreased and scores on FMT increased significantly from pre- to post-flight. In other words, post-flight scores were worse than pre-flight scores. SOT and FMT scores were not significantly related. ROC analyses indicated supra-clinical cut-points for SOT 5 and for FMT. The standard clinical cut-point for SOT 5 had low sensitivity to post-flight astronauts. Higher cut-points increased sensitivity to post-flight astronauts but decreased specificity to pre-flight astronauts. Using an FMT cut-point that was moderately highly sensitive and highly specific plus SOT 5 at the standard clinical cut-point was no more sensitive than SOT 5, alone. FMT plus SOT 5 at higher cut-points was more specific and more sensitive. The total correctly classified was highest for FMT, alone, and for FMT plus SOT 5 at the highest cut-point. These findings indicate that standard clinical comparisons are not useful for identifying problems. Testing both standing and walking balance will be more likely to identify balance deficits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15379634,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Estrogen receptors as targets for drug development for breast cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.\nEstrogen receptors (ERs) are proteins that mediate the action of estradiol and a series of natural and synthetic chemicals that mimic the estradiol structure. Estrogenic action was initially attributed to a single type of ER, now known as ERalpha, but ERbeta was discovered in 1995. Tissue specific distribution and the intensity of expression of these proteins determine the first response of tissues to estrogenic compounds. Estrogens and ERs play a major role in the origin and progression of breast cancer, and antiestrogens that block ER function are useful for breast cancer prevention and treatment. Estrogen mimetics, however, do not fall into distinct categories of agonists and antagonists, since their action is regulated by tissue-specific expression of a number of auxiliary proteins called coactivators or corepressors. In addition, small molecules such as polyamines, fattyacids, and thioredoxin may modulate ER function. Estrogenic functions encompass multiple organ systems, including the reproductive, skeletal, cardiovascular, and nervous system. Estrogens are critical for bone remodeling and mineralization so that estrogen replacement therapy is proven to strengthen bone health in post-menopausal women. Ideally, selective blockade of ER function in breast epithelial cells should be accompanied by growth support on bone and cardiovascular systems. The details of estrogenic function in different organs are to be fully realized, in order to better utilize selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) to fight not only breast cancer but also osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Current research on SERMs points toward accomplishing this goal by exploiting ER as a versatile target against multiple diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22226108,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"NK cells--from bench to clinic.\nAfter decades of mouse and human research, we now know that natural killer (NK) cells have unique properties including memory. Although initially described as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) unrestricted killers, NK cells have several families of receptors that directly recognize MHC including Ly49 receptors in the mouse and killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) in humans. The strength of this signal is determined by polymorphisms in NK cell inhibitory receptor genes and their MHC ligands inherited on different chromosomes. Inhibitory receptors protect \"self\"-expressing normal tissue from being killed by NK cells and protecting against autoimmunity. Therefore, for NK cells to kill and produce cytokines, they must encounter activating receptor ligands in the context of \"missing self\" that occurs with some viral infections and malignant transformation. The second property of inhibitory receptors is to educate or license NK cells to acquire function. This is best demonstrated in the mouse and in humans by enhanced function on self-inhibitory receptor-expressing NK cells when in a host expressing cognate ligate. In contrast, NK cells without inhibitory receptors or with nonself-inhibitory receptors are relatively hyporesponsive. The basic biology of NK cells in response to cytokines, education, and viruses will translate into strategies to manipulate NK cells for therapeutic purposes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12167873,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices.\nA doubling in global food demand projected for the next 50 years poses huge challenges for the sustainability both of food production and of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the services they provide to society. Agriculturalists are the principal managers of global usable lands and will shape, perhaps irreversibly, the surface of the Earth in the coming decades. New incentives and policies for ensuring the sustainability of agriculture and ecosystem services will be crucial if we are to meet the demands of improving yields without compromising environmental integrity or public health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12754068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The behaviour of individual contrast agent microbubbles.\nIn recent years, our knowledge of the behaviour of ultrasonic microbubble contrast agents has improved substantially through in vitro experiments. However, there has been a tendency to use high concentrations of contrast agents in suspension, so that ultrasonic backscatter data are generated by a cloud of microbubbles. Such experiments involve a variety of assumptions with validity that is open to question. In addition, high concentrations of microbubbles cannot be used to understand the behaviour of individual microbubble scatterers. This paper proposes a technique that minimises the number of assumptions that need to be made to interpret in vitro experimental data. The basis of the technique is a dilute suspension of microbubbles that makes single scattering events distinguishable. A commercial scanner was used to collect radio frequency (RF) data from suspensions of two different contrast agents, Quantison and Definity. Backscatter data were collected over a range of acoustic pressures. It was found that Definity provided a constant number of scattering events per unit volume of suspension for almost all applied acoustic pressures. Quantison demonstrated an increasing number of scattering events per unit volume with increasing acoustic pressure. Below 0.6 MPa, Quantison scatterers were not individually detectable and provided levels of backscatter similar to those of a blood-mimicking fluid, which suggests that Quantison microbubbles had almost linear scattering behaviour. At acoustic pressures greater than 0.6 MPa, both agents appeared to provide echoes from free bubbles. The change in the number of scatterers per unit volume with acoustic pressure cannot be demonstrated using high concentrations of contrast agent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20659173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comt1 genotype and expression predicts anxiety and nociceptive sensitivity in inbred strains of mice.\nCatechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is a ubiquitously expressed enzyme that maintains basic biologic functions by inactivating catechol substrates. In humans, polymorphic variance at the COMT locus has been associated with modulation of pain sensitivity and risk for developing psychiatric disorders. A functional haplotype associated with increased pain sensitivity was shown to result in decreased COMT activity by altering mRNA secondary structure-dependent protein translation. However, the exact mechanisms whereby COMT modulates pain sensitivity and behavior remain unclear and can be further studied in animal models. We have assessed Comt1 gene expression levels in multiple brain regions in inbred strains of mice and have discovered that Comt1 is differentially expressed among the strains, and this differential expression is cis-regulated. A B2 short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) was inserted in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of Comt1 in 14 strains generating a common haplotype that correlates with gene expression. Experiments using mammalian expression vectors of full-length cDNA clones with and without the SINE element show that strains with the SINE haplotype (+SINE) have greater Comt1 enzymatic activity. +SINE mice also exhibit behavioral differences in anxiety assays and decreased pain sensitivity. These results suggest that a haplotype, defined by a 3'-UTR B2 SINE element, regulates Comt1 expression and some mouse behaviors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36626419,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Efficacy and safety of Qi and Blood Tonic Chinese Medicines in the treatment of COVID-19: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.\nCoronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) is a sudden public event affecting all human beings, with the rapid transmission, extensive groups affected, many complications, and high mortality. Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history of preventing and treating infectious diseases, and numerous studies have shown that Traditional Chinese Medicine, especially herbal medicine, has a positive effect on the prevention, treatment, and post-healing recovery of this COVID-19, and herbal medicines to supplement qi and blood often occupy a certain proportion of it. However, there is no relevant meta-analysis to date. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of qi and blood tonic herbal medicines in the treatment of COVID-19 through Systematic Review and meta-analysis to provide a reference basis for widespread clinical application. We will search from the following databases for the period from the time of database construction to March 1st, 2023. The English databases include: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane library, WOS, Google Scholar, and CENTRAL; The Chinese databases include: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biomedical Literature Database, Technology Journal Database, and Wanfang. Randomized controlled trials in English or Chinese that include Chinese herbal medicines for tonifying Qi and Blood in the treatment of patients with COVID-19 will be included. Data were independently screened and collected by 2 investigators. The risk of bias for each trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. RevMan 5.3 software was used for the meta-analysis of the data. Primary outcome indicators included cure, mortality, and exacerbation rates (change in disease severity category, patient admission to ICU, etc.). Secondary outcome indicators included recovery rate or duration of major symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, fatigue, and weakness, etc.), rate or duration of nucleic acid conversion for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, improvement or recovery of chest CT performance, length of hospital stay, and other adverse events. This protocol adheres to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-P guidelines to ensure clarity and completeness of reporting in all phases of the systematic review. This study will provide evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of Qi and Blood Tonic Chinese Medicines for the treatment of COVID-19. CRD42022361822 (https:\/\/www.crd.york.ac.uk\/prospero\/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022361822).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20207970,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Identification of novel substrates for the serine protease HTRA1 in the human RPE secretome.\nPURPOSE. To define the role of the serine protease HTRA1 in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by examining its expression level and identifying its potential substrates in the context of primary RPE cell extracellular milieu. METHODS. Primary RPE cell cultures were established from human donor eyes and screened for CFH, ARMS2, and HTRA1 risk genotypes by using an allele-discrimination assay. HTRA1 expression in genotyped RPE cells was determined by using real-time PCR and quantitative proteomics. Potential HTRA1 substrates were identified by incubating RPE-conditioned medium with or without human recombinant HTRA1. Selectively cleaved proteins were quantified by using the differential stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) strategy. RESULTS. HTRA1 mRNA levels were threefold higher in primary RPE cells homozygous for the HTRA1 promoter risk allele than in RPE cells with the wild-type allele, which translated into a twofold increase in HTRA1 secretion by RPE cells with the risk genotype. A total of 196 extracellular proteins were identified in the RPE secretome, and only 8 were found to be selectively cleaved by the human recombinant HTRA1. These include fibromodulin with 90% cleavage, clusterin (50%), ADAM9 (54%), vitronectin (54%), and alpha2-macroglobulin (55%), as well as some cell surface proteins including talin-1 (21%), fascin (40%), and chloride intracellular channel protein 1 (51%). CONCLUSIONS. Recombinant HTRA1 cleaves RPE-secreted proteins involved in regulation of the complement pathway (clusterin, vitronectin, and fibromodulin) and of amyloid deposition (clusterin, alpha2-macroglobulin, and ADAM9). These findings suggest a link between HTRA1, complement regulation, and amyloid deposition in AMD pathogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22229506,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Directional effect on post-stroke motor overflow characteristics.\nMotor overflow (MO) is an involuntary muscle activation associated with strenuous contralateral movement and may become manifested after stroke. The study was undertaken to investigate physiological correlation underlying atypical directional effect of joint movement on post-stroke MO in the affected upper limb. Thirty patients with unilateral post-stroke hemiparesis and fifteen age-matched healthy controls participated in this study. According to motor function assessed with the Fugl-Meyer arm scale, the patients were categorized into two groups of equal number with better (CVA_G; n = 15) or poorer motor functions (CVA_P; n = 15). Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to record irradiated muscle activation from eight muscles of the affected upper limb when the subjects performed maximal isometric contractions in different directions with the unaffected shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. The results showed that only MO amplitude of the CVA_G and the control groups was more sensitive to variations in direction of joint movement in the unaffected arm than the CVA_P group. The CVA_G group exhibited larger amplitudes of MO than the control analog, whereas this tendency was reversed for the CVA_P group. In terms of EMG polar plots, spatial representations of post-stroke MO were insensitive to direction of contralateral movement. The spatial representations of the CVA_G and CVA_P groups were predominated by potent flexion-abduction synergy, contrary to the typical extension adduction synergy seen in the control analog. In conclusion, post-stroke MO amplitude was subject to contralateral movement direction for healthy controls and stroke patients with better motor recovery. However, alterations in MO spatial pattern due to directional effect were not strictly related to the degree of motor deficits of the stroke victims.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30135678,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Can Aspirin Minimize Stroke Risk and New Lesion Formation in Multiple Sclerosis?\nEven with increasing data implicating the venous side of the vascular tree of the brain in MS, no diagnostic or treatment protocol has addressed the risk of acute stroke in MS and no systematic study has documented the incidence or prevalence of acute strokein MS patients. Approximately 795,000 strokes occur in the U.S. each year-every 40 s, someone has a stroke and every 4 min, a person dies from a stroke. However, no large, prospective, multi-center study has investigated acute stroke incidence in MS patients either in the U.S. or internationally, leaving a gap in our understanding of the association between stroke and MS. Additionally, data on acute stroke in MS as determined by age, gender or ethnicity are unknown. To compound this further, the diagnosis and definition of acute stroke in MS remains poorly understood. A survey of published literature shows a few anecdotal reports of acute stroke occurring among MS patients, but most studies do not address the fundamental association between acute stroke and MS. Symptoms of acute stroke and MS can overlap and the lack of clear clinical\/radiological criteria that alert the patient or clinician to the development of acute stroke in an MS patient compound the dilemma, even leading to the administration of IV alteplase in cases that are later diagnosed as either MS or having an \"MS flare.\" Clinical trials that use aspirin in multiple sclerosis are urgently needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31945858,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improvement of Sense of Agency During Upper-Limb Movement for Motor Rehabilitation Using Virtual Reality.\nSense of agency refers to the feeling of controlling one's own body. Many patients surviving from a stroke lose the sense of agency over their body. This is due to impairments in both motor control and sensory brain functions. As a result of this lack in the sense of agency, stroke patients tend to lose the intention of moving the paralyzed limb, which results in further deterioration of brain functions and worsening muscles and joints. The present study proposes a motor rehabilitation system using virtual reality to improve the sense of agency during upper-limb movement which is required for various daily life activities such as eating meals and operating devices. Specifically, participants were instructed to move their hand to track a moving target ball in a virtual reality environment, while the position of their real hand was measured via a motion capture system. Participants were shown another ball presenting the position of their hand in virtual reality. We tested the proposed system with healthy participants, of which the motor control was disturbed by a 1-kg weight attached on the wrist. Participants reported their sense of agency after each trial. The results showed that the sense of agency was enhanced by the proposed intervention. Our results pointed out a potentially useful method to improve the sense of agency during body movements using modified visual feedback, which may contribute to the development of rehabilitation for stroke patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27197273,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Temporal Trends in Colorectal Cancer Screening among Asian Americans.\nAsian Americans (AA) are less likely to be screened for colorectal cancer compared with non-Hispanic Whites (NHW), with a widening disparity for some AA subgroups in the early 2000s. Whether these patterns have continued in more recent years is unknown. We examined temporal trends in colorectal cancer screening among AA overall compared with NHWs and by AA subgroup (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, South Asian, Vietnamese) using data from the 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2009 California Health Interview Surveys. Unadjusted (PR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios for colorectal cancer screening, accounting for sociodemographic, health care, and acculturation factors, were calculated for respondents ages 50 to 75 years (NHW n = 60,125; AA n = 6,630). Between 2003 and 2009, colorectal cancer screening prevalence increased from 43.3% to 64.6% in AA (P \u2264 0.001) and from 58.1% to 71.4% in NHW (P \u2264 0.001). Unadjusted colorectal cancer screening was significantly lower among AA compared with NHW in 2003 [PR = 0.74; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.68-0.82], 2005 (PR = 0.78; 95% CI, 0.72-0.84), 2007 (PR = 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.96), and 2009 (PR = 0.90; 95% CI, 0.84-0.97), though disparities narrowed over time. After adjustment, there were no significant differences in colorectal cancer screening between the two groups, except in 2003. In subgroup analyses, between 2003 and 2009, colorectal cancer screening significantly increased by 22% in Japanese, 56% in Chinese, 47% in Filipino, and 94% in Koreans. In our study of California residents, colorectal cancer screening disparities between AA and NHW narrowed, but were not eliminated and screening prevalence among AA remains below nationwide goals, including the Healthy People 2020 goal of increasing colorectal cancer screening prevalence to 70.5%. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(6); 995-1000. \u00a92016 AACR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27210284,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Development and evaluation of the herd dynamic milk model with focus on the individual cow component.\nThe herd dynamic milk (HDM) model is a dynamic model capable of simulating the performance of individual dairy animals (from birth to death), with a daily time step. Within this study, the HDM model is described and evaluated in relation to milk production, body condition score (BCS) and BCS change throughout lactation by comparing model simulations against data from published experimental studies. The model's response to variation in genetic potential, herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation was tested in a sensitivity analysis. Data from experiments in Ireland and France over a 3-year period (2009-11) were used to complete the evaluation. The aim of the Irish experiment was to determine the impact of different stocking rates (SRs) (SR1: 3.28 cow\/ha, SR2: 2.51 cow\/ha) on key physical, biological and economic performance. The aim of the French experiment was to evaluate over a prolonged time period, the ability of two breeds of dairy cows (Holstein and Normande) to produce and to reproduce under two feeding strategies (high level and low level) in the context of compact calving. The model evaluation was conducted at the herd level with separate evaluations for the primiparous and multiparous cows. The evaluation included the two extreme SRs for the Irish experiment, and an evaluation at the overall herd and individual animal level for the different breeds and feeding levels for the French data. The comparison of simulation and experimental data for all scenarios resulted in a relative prediction error, which was consistently <15% across experiments for weekly milk production and BCS. In relation to BCS, the highest root mean square error was 0.27 points of BCS, which arose for Holstein cows in the low feeding group in late lactation. The model responded in a realistic fashion to variation in genetic potential for milk production, herbage allowance and concentrate supplementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7319680,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Uncontrolled adipocyte proliferation is not the primary lesion in the genetically-obese Zucker rat.\nOne of several hypotheses concerning the nature of the genetic lesion which produces obesity in the Zucker fatty rat is that a defect in control of cellular proliferation in adipose tissue leads to hypercellular-hypertrophic obesity with all its metabolic and behavioral sequalae. Three lines of evidence are presented which render this hypothesis untenable: (1) maximal cell enlargement precedes maximum rate of cell addition in adipose tissue; (2) lipectomized obese rats do not regenerate subcutaneous adipocytes; and (3) cultured adipocyte precursors from obese rat adipose tissue grow at the same rate as do cells cultured from lean tissue. An alternative hypothesis that an alteration in hepatic lipid metabolism may be the locus of the genetic lesion is presented along with evidence from in-vivo and in-vitro studies of hepatic lipogenesis in the Zucker rat.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33228687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Head phantoms for bioelectromagnetic applications: a material study.\nAssessments of source reconstruction procedures in electroencephalography and computations of transcranial electrical stimulation profiles require verification and validation with the help of ground truth configurations as implemented by physical head phantoms. For these phantoms, synthetic materials are needed, which are mechanically and electrochemically stable and possess conductivity values similar to the modeled human head tissues. Three-compartment head models comprise a scalp layer with a conductivity range of 0.137 S\/m to 2.1 S\/m, a skull layer with conductivity values between 0.066 S\/m and 0.00275 S\/m, and an intracranial volume with an often-used average conductivity value of 0.33 S\/m. To establish a realistically shaped physical head phantom with a well-defined volume conduction configuration, we here characterize the electrical conductivity of synthetic materials for modeling head compartments. We analyzed agarose hydrogel, gypsum, and sodium chloride (NaCl) solution as surrogate materials for scalp, skull, and intracranial volume. We measured the impedance of all materials when immersed in NaCl solution using a four-electrode setup. The measured impedance values were used to calculate the electrical conductivity values of each material. Further, the conductivities in the longitudinal and transverse directions of reed sticks immersed in NaCl solution were measured to test their suitability for mimicking the anisotropic conductivity of white matter tracts. We obtained conductivities of 0.314 S\/m, 0.30 S\/m, 0.311 S\/m (2%, 3%, 4% agarose), 0.0425 S\/m and 0.0017 S\/m (gypsum with and without NaCl in the compound), and 0.332 S\/m (0.17% NaCl solution). These values are within the range of the conductivity values used for EEG and TES modeling. The reed sticks showed anisotropic conductivity with a ratio of 1:2.8. We conclude that agarose, gypsum, and NaCl solution can serve as stable representations of the three main conductivity compartments of the head, i.e., scalp, skull, and intracranial volume. An anisotropic conductivity structure such as a fiber track in white matter can be modeled using tailored reed sticks inside a volume conductor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16059664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Free energy perturbation approach to the critical assessment of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors.\nThe discovery of selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors represents a major achievement of the efforts over the past few decades to develop therapeutic treatments for inflammation. To gain insights into designing new COX-2-selective inhibitors, we address the energetic and structural basis for the selective inhibition of COX isozymes by means of a combined computational protocol involving docking experiment, force field design for the heme prothetic group, and free energy perturbation (FEP) simulation. We consider both COX-2- and COX-1-selective inhibitors taking the V523I mutant of COX-2 to be a relevant structural model for COX-1 as confirmed by a variety of experimental and theoretical evidences. For all COX-2-selective inhibitors under consideration, we find that free energies of binding become less favorable as the receptor changes from COX-2 to COX-1, due to the weakening and\/or loss of hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interactions that stabilize the inhibitors in the COX-2 active site. On the other hand, COX-1-selective oxicam inhibitors gain extra stabilization energy with the change of residue 523 from valine to isoleucine because of the formations of new hydrogen bonds in the enzyme-inhibitor complexes. The utility of the combined computational approach, as a valuable tool for in silico screening of COX-2-selective inhibitors, is further exemplified by identifying the physicochemical origins of the enantiospecific selective inhibition of COX-2 by alpha-substituted indomethacin ethanolamide inhibitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8459196,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Variations in oxytocin secretion during the 4-day oestrous cycle of the rat.\nOxytocin concentrations in the plasma, pituitary and hypothalamus of female rats were determined in the morning and evening over the 4-day oestrous cycle. Vasopressin concentrations were also determined to allow calculation of the ratios of the two hormones. The results were compared with those from male rats. Plasma oxytocin concentrations were significantly higher in the evening than in the morning on the day of oestrus. Although the evening concentration achieved was similar on each day of the cycle, morning plasma oxytocin concentrations showed a progressive rise from oestrus to pro-oestrus so that no significant diurnal increases were observed on the other days of the cycle. Vasopressin concentrations in the plasma were also seen to increase over the days of oestrus, dioestrus day 1 and dioestrus day 2. On pro-oestrus the plasma concentrations of vasopressin remained unchanged. The ratio of oxytocin:vasopressin fell during the light hours of the cycle. The hypothalamic content of both hormones showed a rise during the hours of daylight parallel to that seen in the plasma, whereas the pituitary content fell over the same period. The diurnal pattern of hormone release observed in male rats was similar to that in females at oestrus. However, the plasma oxytocin concentrations were significantly higher in the male. The plasma clearance rate of vasopressin did not vary significantly during the oestrous cycle. However, the plasma clearance rate for oxytocin did show significant variation, being highest on dioestrus day 1 and lowest on dioestrus day 2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7331224,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Experiments to elucidate the role of Aspergillus fungi in the hemorrhagic syndrome in poultry].\nAttempts were made to assess the role played by fungi of the Aspergillus genus in the occurrence of the hemorrhagic syndrome in birds. Groups of test birds were given continuously a forage mixture containing 30 per cent of ground nut cake which had aflatoxin at the rate of 1.5 ppm, a forage mixture 30 per cent of which was preliminarily contaminated with spores of Asp. fumigatus or Asp. flavus, and subtoxic amounts of nonpurified aflatoxin. Growth retardation was established along with the development of slightly manifested morphologic changes in some organs of the test birds. No morphologic picture characteristic of a hemorrhagic syndrome was found. In the authors' opinion the toxic Aspergillus fungi entering the body of the birds via the forage were not the sole factor contributing to the outbreak of such a syndrome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2473793,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mechanisms of tumor-induced neutrophilia: constitutive production of colony-stimulating factors and their synergistic actions.\nTransplantation of a murine mammary carcinoma (CE maca) into mice induces marked granulocytosis and hypercalcemia secondary to excessive bone resorption. Such responses are not induced by another murine mammary carcinoma Bc66. In order to understand the mechanisms of these unique phenomena, we analyzed mRNA of tumor cells for expression of murine granulopoietic growth factors and studied interactions of tumor-derived factors using antiserum to a growth factor in vitro and in vivo. The Northern blot analysis of CE tumor clones revealed the expression of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), but no other CSF genes, while the Bc66 clone expressed only M-CSF. The G-CSF and M-CSF gene expression in CE tumor clones was accompanied by secretion of these proteins in culture. The granulocyte stimulating activity of CE tumor-derived G-CSF or recombinant human G-CSF was markedly enhanced by purified M-CSF in vitro. Significant but variable neutrophilia was observed in mice inoculated with CE tumor clones. Anti-M-CSF treatment of CE tumor-bearing mice significantly reduced neutrophilia, but did not affect hypercalcemia. These studies document that G-CSF and M-CSF are produced constitutively from the CE maca, and G-CSF is likely responsible for granulocytosis induced by this tumor. G-CSF and M-CSF function synergistically in granulocyte stimulation in vitro and this synergism may also play a role in marked granulocytosis of tumor-bearing animals, providing further evidence of the effect of CSFs in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6651420,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Human cryptosporidiosis: spectrum of disease. Report of six cases and review of the literature.\nAlthough once regarded exclusively as an animal parasite, Cryptosporidium has emerged during the last decade as a cause of diarrhea in humans. Of the 43 cases of human cryptosporidiosis reported, 27 patients in whom either humoral or cell-mediated immune defects were present had chronic protracted diarrhea that was almost invariably unresponsive to therapy and culminated in death. In contrast, 16 patients with intact immune systems had either self-limited disease or were asymptomatic. Animal exposure was almost exclusively recorded in the latter group. During the last six months at University of Texas M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston, gastrointestinal (GI) tract cryptosporidiosis developed in six homosexual men with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis was established histologically in five patients. In four, cryptosporidial oocysts were detected in the stool. In addition to extensive GI tract cryptosporidiosis, two patients had biliary tract involvement. Multiple chemotherapeutic agents failed to control the disease, and five patients eventually died. Cryptosporidiosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of diarrhea, in animal handlers or in the severely compromised patient, especially one with AIDS, who has chronic protracted diarrhea.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15925103,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"AMPA\/kainate receptors mediate axonal morphological disruption in hypoxic white matter.\nWe used acute brain slices to investigate the hypothesis that oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) induced loss of axon function and neurofilament labeling are correlated to axonal morphological disruption in the corpus callosum of adult brain. Coronal brain slices including corpus callosum were prepared from adult mice. White matter immunohistochemical properties and conduction along axons remained stable over 12 h after preparation. White matter injury was assessed by recording compound action potentials (CAPs) across corpus callosum, combined with immunofluorescence for axonal neurofilaments and by bright field microscopy of myelin profiles in semi-thin sections. OGD for 30 min resulted in irreversible loss of the CAPs, formation of axon heads and bulbs, and swelling of myelin profiles in slices examined 1h after OGD. In slices followed for 9 h after OGD, there was complete loss of neurofilament labeling and myelin profiles. Because overactivation of AMPA\/kainate receptors mediates axon structural and functional disruption in hypoxic corpus callosum slices, we tested whether blockade of AMPA\/kainate receptors reduced OGD-induced axonal morphological disruption. NBQX (30 microM), an AMPA\/kainate receptor antagonist, prevented OGD-induced formation of axon heads and bulbs, swelling of myelin profiles, loss of neurofilament staining and preserved axonal morphology. These results expand our previous findings that the AMPA\/kainate receptor activation contributes to axonal morphological disruption, as well as loss of electrical function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31409337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Low bone density and high morbidity in patients between 55 and 70 years with displaced femoral neck fractures: a case-control study of 50 patients vs 150 normal controls.\nA displaced femoral neck fracture (FNF) in patients 55-70 years is a serious injury with a high risk of treatment failure and the optimal surgical treatment remains unclear. We aimed to describe characteristics of fracture patients compared to a sample from the normal population. Fifty patients aged 55-70 years with a displaced FNF were gender- and age- matched with a control group of 150 persons without a hip fracture using computergenerated randomization and the Norwegian National Population Register. To reduce the risk of spurious selection bias, the sample size of the control group was trebled compared to the fracture group. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was performed. Demographics and hip function (Harris Hip Score, Oxford Hip Score, and Hip Dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score) were collected. There were more than 75% women in both groups. The mean age was 64.5 years in the fracture group and 65.1 in the control group. Results for DXA measured for lumbar spine, total hip and the femoral neck showed that patients with displaced FNF were significantly more osteoporotic. Fracture patients had significantly lower body mass index, higher Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and higher ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) score than the control group. No clinically relevant differences in hip function were found. There were 48% smokers in the fracture group compared to 10% in the control group. The odds ratio for obtaining a displaced FNF was high if the patients suffered from osteoporosis, smoked or had several comorbidities. This study showed that patients aged 55-70 years with a displaced femoral neck fracture had lower bone density and higher comorbidity compared with a gender- and age-matched population without femoral neck fractures. This suggests that this patient group is epidemiologically similar to older patients with femoral neck fractures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30083426,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Science of Gun Policy: A Critical Synthesis of Research Evidence on the Effects of Gun Policies in the United States.\nThe RAND Corporation's Gun Policy in America initiative is a unique attempt to systematically and transparently assess available scientific evidence on the real effects of firearm laws and policies. Good gun policies require consideration of many factors, including the law and constitutional rights, the interests of various stakeholder groups, and information about the likely effects of different laws or policies on a range of outcomes. This study seeks to provide the third-objective information about what the scientific literature examining gun policy can tell us about the likely effects of laws. The study synthesizes the available scientific data on the effects of various firearm policies on firearm deaths, violent crime, the gun industry, participation in hunting and sport shooting, and other outcomes. By highlighting where scientific evidence is accumulating, the authors hope to build consensus around a shared set of facts that have been established through a transparent, nonpartisan, and impartial review process. In so doing, they also illuminate areas where more and better information could make important contributions to establishing fair and effective gun policies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10024585,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Clearance of Chlamydia trachomatis from the murine genital mucosa does not require perforin-mediated cytolysis or Fas-mediated apoptosis.\nThe molecular mechanisms of resistance to genital infection with the mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) strain of Chlamydia trachomatis are unknown. A role for major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted, interleukin-12-dependent CD4(+) T cells has been established, but the functional activity of these cells does not depend on secretion of gamma interferon. Here we examined the potential contribution of T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity and apoptosis to mucosal clearance of MoPn by using mice deficient in the molecular mediators of target cell lysis. Animals lacking perforin, Fas, Fas ligand, or both perforin and Fas ligand were infected genitally with C. trachomatis MoPn and monitored for expression of immunity to chlamydial antigens and clearance of MoPn from the genital mucosa. In each case, the profile of spleen cytokine production, the magnitude of the host antibody response, and the kinetics of chlamydial clearance were similar to those of genetically intact controls. Compensatory overproduction of tumor necrosis factor alpha, an alternate mediator of apoptosis in certain cell types, did not appear to account for the ability of mutant mice to resolve Chlamydia infections. These results fail to support CD4(+) T-cell-mediated apoptosis or CD8(+) T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity as being critical to the clearance of C. trachomatis MoPn urogenital infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22047558,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Inducible apoptosis as a safety switch for adoptive cell therapy.\nCellular therapies could play a role in cancer treatment and regenerative medicine if it were possible to quickly eliminate the infused cells in case of adverse events. We devised an inducible T-cell safety switch that is based on the fusion of human caspase 9 to a modified human FK-binding protein, allowing conditional dimerization. When exposed to a synthetic dimerizing drug, the inducible caspase 9 (iCasp9) becomes activated and leads to the rapid death of cells expressing this construct. We tested the activity of our safety switch by introducing the gene into donor T cells given to enhance immune reconstitution in recipients of haploidentical stem-cell transplants. Patients received AP1903, an otherwise bioinert small-molecule dimerizing drug, if graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) developed. We measured the effects of AP1903 on GVHD and on the function and persistence of the cells containing the iCasp9 safety switch. Five patients between the ages of 3 and 17 years who had undergone stem-cell transplantation for relapsed acute leukemia were treated with the genetically modified T cells. The cells were detected in peripheral blood from all five patients and increased in number over time, despite their constitutive transgene expression. A single dose of dimerizing drug, given to four patients in whom GVHD developed, eliminated more than 90% of the modified T cells within 30 minutes after administration and ended the GVHD without recurrence. The iCasp9 cell-suicide system may increase the safety of cellular therapies and expand their clinical applications. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Cancer Institute; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00710892.).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30084215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Extruded gallbladder mucoceles have characteristic ultrasonographic features and extensive migratory capacity in dogs.\nLimited information is available on the ultrasonographic characteristics of extruded gallbladder mucoceles. The objective of this retrospective case series study was to describe the ultrasonographic features of extruded gallbladder mucoceles in a group of dogs. Medical records of four veterinary centers were searched between June 2010 and January 2018 for all dogs with a suspected extruded gallbladder mucocele based on abdominal ultrasound. Seven client-owned dogs met the inclusion criteria. All seven dogs had a discrete, heteroechoic, multilayered, stellate, or striated mass within the peritoneal cavity. Blood flow was not present in these structures. Four of these structures were identified in the caudal abdomen. In five cases, the gallbladder lumen was filled with material similar in appearance to the free-floating peritoneal mass. Four cases were confirmed surgically and one case was confirmed at necropsy. Histopathology of the gallbladder wall was evaluated in all surgical cases and analysis of the free-floating material was performed in one of the four cases. Extruded gallbladder mucoceles have common imaging characteristics that may be helpful in establishing a presumptive diagnosis. Additionally, these structures may have extensive migratory capacity. The results of the study justify the recommendation for exploration of the entire abdomen during cholecystectomy for gallbladder mucocele removal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16197290,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Anti-N-homocysteinylated protein autoantibodies and cardiovascular disease.\nMetabolic conversion of homocysteine (Hcy) to a chemically reactive metabolite, Hcy-thiolactone, catalyzed by methionyl-tRNA synthetase is the first step in a pathway that is suggested to contribute to Hcy toxicity in humans. The accumulation of Hcy-thiolactone is detrimental because of its intrinsic ability to modify proteins by forming N-Hcy-protein adducts, in which a carboxyl group of Hcy is N-linked to the epsilon-amino group of a protein lysine residue. N-linked Hcy occurs in each protein examined and constitutes a significant pool of Hcy in the blood. N-Hcy proteins are likely to be recognized as neo-self antigens and induce an autoimmune response. Indeed, we found that autoantibodies specific for an Nepsilon-Hcy-Lys epitope on N-Hcy-proteins occur in humans. Serum levels of anti-N-Hcy-protein autoantibodies are directly correlated with plasma tHcy, but not with plasma cysteine or methionine levels. In a group of male patients with stroke, levels of anti-N-Hcy-protein autoantibodies and tHcy were significantly higher than in a group of healthy subjects. In a group of male patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease, seropositivity for anti-N-Hcy-protein autoantibodies occurred five-fold more frequently than in controls and was an independent predictor of coronary artery disease. These findings show that the formation of N-Hcy-proteins has important physiological consequences and support a hypothesis that N-Hcy-protein is a neo-self antigen that contributes to immune activation, an important modulator of atherogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35517612,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A FRET based ratiometric fluorescent probe for detection of sulfite in food.\nA new fluorophore pyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole based ratiometric fluorescent probe for the selective detection of sulfite ions in water was investigated. It shows large (pseudo) Stokes shifts (260 nm), high FRET efficiency, high selectivity and sensitivity. A distinct color change from red to colorless was observed and importantly, it proves to be a convenient and efficient tool to detect the sulfite levels in sugar samples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9658819,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Long-term outcome after corrective surgery of the neuro- and viscerocranium of patients with simple and syndrome-related premature craniosynostosis].\nA retrospective and partly prospective study was conducted to analyse both clinically and cephalometrically the craniofacial growth pattern of patients with isolated and syndrome-related premature craniosynostosis after standardized fronto-orbital and midface advancement. The file data of 293 children with fronto-orbital advancement were evaluated over an average period of 4.4 years. In addition, lateral teleradiographies of 117 patients from this group were cephalometrically analysed. Moreover, late results of 36 children and 8 adults with midface-advancement with an average follow-up period of 4.5 years were assessed. In contrast to linear craniectomy and so-called lateral canthal advancement, in only 8.2% of cases (24 out of 293 patients) were relapses requiring reoperation found in this study after fronto-orbital advancement. The evaluations indicate that with simple forms of craniosynostosis such as trigonocephaly and plagiocephaly predominantly very good or good growth can be observed. Cephalometric evaluation confirmed the limited potential of growth in the area of the anterior skull base and in the midface in the presence of syndrome-related faciocraniosynostoses. In such cases the cephalometrically confirmed maxillary hypoplasia, which increases in severity in the following order of syndromes 'Saethre-Chotzen-Crouzon-Apert-Pfeiffer', could be influenced only to a limited degree by fronto-orbital advancement. For this reason midface advancement is of secondary importance in children with very severe anomalies. In the present evaluation, a high rate of relapse of midfacial hypoplasia was to be found in children and adolescents after this operation in accordance with other references. Therefore, the indication for Le Fort III osteotomy in the growth period should be limited.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28332191,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Combined application of Er:YAG and Nd:YAG lasers in treatment of chronic periodontitis. A split-mouth, single-blind, randomized controlled trial.\nThe aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of combined Er:YAG and Nd:YAG laser therapy to that of scaling and root planing with hand instruments in non-surgical treatment of chronic periodontitis. Twenty-five systemically healthy patients with chronic periodontitis were selected for this study. The quadrants were randomly allocated in a split-mouth design to either combined Er:YAG (160 mJ\/pulse, 10 Hz) and Nd:YAG laser (100 mJ\/pulse, 20 Hz) therapy (test group) or scaling and root planing alone (control group). At baseline, 1 month and 3 months after treatment, plaque index, gingival index, probing depth, clinical attachment level and bleeding on probing (%), were recorded and gingival crevicular fluid and subgingival plaque samples were taken. The gingival crevicular fluid levels of interleukin-1\u03b2 and tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1 were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Quantitative analysis of red complex bacteria was performed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The clinical parameters had significantly improved for both groups after treatment. There were statistically significant differences in probing depth and clinical attachment level between the test and control groups only for deep pockets (\u22657 mm) (P<.05). No significant differences between the two groups were observed for the biochemical and microbiological parameters at any time points (P>.05). The present study suggests that a combined course of Er:YAG and Nd:YAG laser therapy may be beneficial particularly in inaccessible areas such as deep pockets on a short-term basis. Further, well-designed studies are required to assess the effectiveness of the combination of these lasers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3980496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Aneurysmal bone cyst of the spine.\nThe cases of twenty-two patients with an aneurysmal bone cyst of the spine above the sacrum were analyzed with regard to sex, age, site, symptoms, and radiographic findings. Four patients had extension of the lesion to the adjacent vertebra or rib, and twelve patients had neurological deficits. The primary treatment was either radiotherapy or surgery alone, or surgery and radiotherapy combined. No recurrences were found in patients who were treated with surgery alone or with surgery and radiotherapy, while three of the six patients who were treated with radiotherapy had a local recurrence, two of which were fatal. The patients with neurological deficits recovered after healing of the cyst.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35501155,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Perceptual Uncertainty Alternates Top-down and Bottom-up Fronto-Temporal Network Signaling during Response Inhibition.\nResponse inhibition is a primary executive control function that allows the withholding of inappropriate responses, and requires appropriate perception of the external environment to achieve a behavioral goal. It remains unclear, however, how response inhibition is achieved when goal-relevant information involves perceptual uncertainty. Twenty-six human participants of both sexes performed a go\/no-go task where visually presented random-dot motion stimuli involved perceptual uncertainties. The right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) was involved in response inhibition, and the middle temporal (MT) region showed greater activity when dot motions involved less uncertainty. A neocortical temporal region in the superior temporal sulcus (STS) specifically showed greater activity during response inhibition in more perceptually certain trials. In this STS region, activity was greater when response inhibition was successful than when it failed. Directional effective connectivity analysis revealed that, in more coherent trials, the MT and STS regions showed enhanced connectivity to the rIFC, whereas in less coherent trials, the signal direction was reversed. These results suggest that a reversible fronto-temporal functional network guides response inhibition and perceptual decision-making under perceptual uncertainty, and in this network, perceptual information in the MT is converted to control information in the rIFC via STS, enabling achievement of response inhibition.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Response inhibition refers to withholding inappropriate behavior and is important for achieving goals. Often, however, decision must be made based on limited environmental evidence. We showed that successful response inhibition is guided by a neocortical temporal region that plays a hub role in converting perceived information coded in a posterior temporal region to control information coded in the PFC. Interestingly, when a perceived stimulus becomes more uncertain, the PFC supplements stimulus encoding in the temporal regions. Our results highlight fronto-temporal mechanisms of response inhibition in which conversion of stimulus-control information is regulated based on the uncertainty of environmental evidence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16865070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Prolonged unintended brain cooling may inhibit recovery from brain injuries: case study and literature review.\nTracheal intubation of comatose patients is common, but contrary to most standards for respiratory care, heated nebulizers are not always used. This deviation from recommendations appears to be widespread. In the case examined, a tracheotomized patient suffering from severe anoxic brain injury was unintentionally exposed to chilled air, 17 degrees C (63 degrees F) at the cannula, for a period of 31 months. A month after upper respiratory tract warming was restored the vegetative state lifted, as marked by the patient's ability to verbalize responses to questions. This clinical experience led us to a review of the literature. Among other findings, we learned that brain temperature is strongly affected by the temperature of arterial blood flow. Arterial blood, in turn, is strongly affected by the air temperature in the lungs. Experiments have shown that the introduction of colder air in the lungs will produce rapid cooling of at least some surface brain tissues. Chilled aortic blood is also more viscous and less efficient in transfer of oxygen. Hypothermia of brain tissue may significantly affect the endocrine system and neurochemistry. Through inferences from the literature, we also identify other possible effects. We hypothesize that intubated delivery of air into the lungs at a temperature significantly below body temperature, especially over a prolonged period, is likely to inhibit recovery and may even produce iatrogenic effects. We recommend the use of heated nebulizers. Research strategies are recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32344769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Migrant Caregivers of Older People in Spain: Qualitative Insights into Relatives' Experiences.\nThe traditional structure of families is undergoing profound changes, causing the so-called \"crisis of family care.\" This study describes the experiences and emotions of the family member who hires migrant caregivers for the older people. This is a qualitative study using a phenomenological design with nine women participants between 53 and 72 years of age. The data collection was carried out through two in-depth interviews and a focus group. There were three major topics: (1) the women in this study recognized that they were not able to take care of the family member directly, due to their responsibilities as female workers and mothers. The fact that migrant caregivers were chosen was conjunctural, where economic reasons were more important. (2) The family members supported the caregivers by teaching them about care and also resolving conflicts produced by culture shock. (3) Trusting the caregiver was a gradual process; the family members felt a complex set of emotions (insecurity, gratitude for the help, moral obligation). In conclusion, they wanted a caregiver who would provide the elder dependent with the love and compassion that they, as daughters, would provide if they had time to do so. The family became the caregiver's managers and assumed the responsibility of training and helping them.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24829761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Vaccination with dendritic cells loaded with allogeneic brain tumor cells for recurrent malignant brain tumors induces a CD4(+)IL17(+) response.\nWe tested the hypothesis that a novel vaccine developed from autologous dendritic cells (DC) loaded with cells from a unique allogeneic brain tumor cell line (GBM6-AD) would be well-tolerated and would generate an immune response. Patients with recurrent primary brain tumors underwent vaccination with GBM6-AD\/DC vaccine. Subjects were treated at escalating DC cell doses: 5 \u00d7 10(6) (one patient), 10 \u00d7 10(6) (one patient) and 15 \u00d7 10(6) (6 patients). Subcutaneous injections were planned for days 0, 14, 28, 42, 56, and monthly thereafter. The primary endpoint was the safety of the GBM6-AD\/DC vaccination. The secondary endpoints were immune response, measured by flow cytometry, and the clinical outcome of tumor response defined by time to progression and overall survival. Eight patients were treated. The first three patients were treated in the dose escalation phase of the trial; the remaining five patients received the maximum dose of 15 \u00d7 10(6) DC. No dose limiting toxicity was observed. The best response per modified McDonald criteria was partial response in one patient. Flow cytometric immune profiling revealed significant differences in CD4(+)IL17(+) lymphocytes and myeloid derived suppressor cell populations between patients characterized as having stable vs. non-stable disease. This first-in-human study shows that the GBM6-AD\/DC vaccine was well tolerated and was associated with an immune response in a subset of patients. No MTD was achieved in this trial. This small-scale pilot provides information for larger scale investigations into the use of this allogeneic vaccine source.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28953667,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Empyema caused by a colopleural fistula: A case report.\nEmpyema is a condition in which pus gathers in the area between the lungs and the inner surface of the chest wall. An empyema caused by colo-pleural fistula is a rare but potentially life-threatening condition. We describe a case of 42-year-old man was brought to our Emergency Department for chest pain with dyspnea and fever. The final diagnoses are empyema caused by colo-pleural fistula and colon cancer. The patient underwent laparotomy surgery, during which a tumor was found in the splenic flexure of the descending colon. The tumor penetrated the colonic serosa and invaded the left side of the diaphragm. A left hemicolectomy was performed. After the operation, the patient recovered smoothly and was discharged on postoperative day 14. It's been over 3 years now, CT and colonoscopy assessments show no recurrence or metastasis. This case serves as a reminder to test for pathogens in patients with an unexplained empyema. If normal intestinal bacteria are detected, the empyema may be derived from intestinal disease. In addition, an abdominal examination should be performed in patients with an empyema of unknown origin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10169262,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prepaid capitation versus fee-for-service reimbursement in a Medicaid population.\nUtilization of health resources by 37,444 Medicaid recipients enrolled in a capitated health maintenance organization was compared with that of 227,242 Medicaid recipients enrolled in a traditional fee-for-service system over a 1-year period (1983-1984) in the state of Kentucky. Primary care providers in the capitated program had financial incentives to reduce downstream costs like specialist referral, emergency room use, and hospitalizations. The average number of physician visits was similar for both groups (4.47\/year in the capitated program; 5.09\/year in the fee-for-service system). However, the average number of prescriptions (1.9 versus 4.9 per year), average number of hospital admissions per recipient (0.11 versus 0.22 per year), and average number of hospital days per 1,000 recipients (461 versus 909 per year) were 5% to 60% lower in the capitated group than in the fee-for-service group. The Citicare capitated program resulted in a dramatic reduction in healthcare resource utilization compared with the concurrent fee-for-service system for statewide Medicaid recipients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34959857,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Diet Quality Assessment and the Relationship between Diet Quality and Cardiovascular Disease Risk.\nCardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the U.S. and globally. Dietary risk factors contribute to over half of all CVD deaths and CVD-related disability. The aim of this narrative review is to describe methods used to assess diet quality and the current state of evidence on the relationship between diet quality and risk of CVD. The findings of the review will be discussed in the context of current population intake patterns and dietary recommendations. Several methods are used to calculate diet quality: (1) a priori indices based on dietary recommendations; (2) a priori indices based on foods or dietary patterns associated with risk of chronic disease; (3) exploratory data-driven methods. Substantial evidence from prospective cohort studies shows that higher diet quality, regardless of the a priori index used, is associated with a 14-29% lower risk of CVD and 0.5-2.2 years greater CVD-free survival time. Limited evidence is available from randomized controlled trials, although evidence shows healthy dietary patterns improve risk factors for CVD and lower CVD risk. Current dietary guidance for general health and CVD prevention and management focuses on following a healthy dietary pattern throughout the lifespan. High diet quality is a unifying component of all dietary recommendations and should be the focus of national food policies and health promotion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24065784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Outcomes assessment of a pharmacist-directed seamless care program in an ambulatory oncology clinic.\nThe primary goal of seamless care is improved patient outcomes and improved standards of care for patients with cancer. The pharmacy service of the Newfoundland Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation conducted a randomized control study that measured clinical and humanistic outcomes of a pharmacist-directed seamless care program in an ambulatory oncology clinic. This article focuses on the intervention group, particularly the identification of drug-related problems (DRPs) and utilization of health care services as well the satisfaction of 3 types of health professionals with the services provided by the pharmacist-directed seamless care program. Overall, the seamless care pharmacist (SCP) identified an average of 3.7 DRPs per intervention patient; the most common DRP reported was a patient not receiving or taking a drug therapy for which there is an indication. The SCP identified more DRPs in patients receiving adjuvant treatment compared to those receiving palliative treatment. On average, family physicians, oncology nurses, and hospital pharmacists were satisfied with the SCP intervention indicating that they agreed the information collected and distributed by the SCP was useful to them. Pharmacist-directed seamless care services in an ambulatory oncology clinic have a significant impact on clinical outcomes and processes of patient care. The presence of a SCP can help identify and resolve DRPs experienced by patients in an outpatient oncology clinic, ensuring that patients are receiving the highest standard of care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28055006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Biliary tract instillation of a SMAC mimetic induces TRAIL-dependent acute sclerosing cholangitis-like injury in mice.\nPrimary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a cholestatic liver disease of unknown etiopathogenesis characterized by fibrous cholangiopathy of large and small bile ducts. Systemic administration of a murine TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptor agonist induces a sclerosing cholangitis injury in C57BL\/6 mice, suggesting endogenous TRAIL may contribute to sclerosing cholangitis syndromes. Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAP-1 and cIAP-2) are negative regulators of inflammation and TRAIL receptor signaling. We hypothesized that if endogenous TRAIL promotes sclerosing cholangitis, then cIAP depletion should also induce this biliary tract injury. Herein, we show that cIAP protein levels are reduced in the interlobular bile ducts of human PSC livers. Downregulation of cIAPs in normal human cholangiocytes in vitro by use of a SMAC mimetic (SM) induces moderate, ripoptosome-mediated apoptosis and RIP1-independent upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Cytokine and chemokine expression was mediated by the non-canonical activation of NF-\u03baB. To investigate whether downregulation of cIAPs is linked to generation of a PSC-like phenotype, an SM was directly instilled into the mouse biliary tree. Twelve hours after biliary instillation, TUNEL-positive cholangiocytes were identified; 5 days later, PSC-like changes were observed in the SM-treated mice, including a fibrous cholangiopathy of the interlobular bile ducts, portal inflammation, significant elevation of serum markers of cholestasis and cholangiographic evidence of intrahepatic biliary tract injury. In contrast, TRAIL and TRAIL-receptor deficient mice showed no sign of cholangiopathy following SM intrabiliary injection. We conclude that in vivo antagonism of cIAPs in mouse biliary epithelial cells is sufficient to trigger cholangiocytes apoptosis and a proinflammatory response resulting in a fibrous cholangiopathy resembling human sclerosing cholangitis. Therefore, downregulation of cIAPs in PSC cholangiocytes may contribute to the development of the disease. Our results also indicate that inhibition of TRAIL signaling pathways may be beneficial in the treatment of PSC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33064149,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A new genome allows the identification of genes associated with natural variation in aluminium tolerance in Brachiaria grasses.\nToxic concentrations of aluminium cations and low phosphorus availability are the main yield-limiting factors in acidic soils, which represent half of the potentially available arable land. Brachiaria grasses, which are commonly sown as forage in the tropics because of their resilience and low demand for nutrients, show greater tolerance to high concentrations of aluminium cations (Al3+) than most other grass crops. In this work, we explored the natural variation in tolerance to Al3+ between high and low tolerant Brachiaria species and characterized their transcriptional differences during stress. We identified three QTLs (quantitative trait loci) associated with root vigour during Al3+ stress in their hybrid progeny. By integrating these results with a new Brachiaria reference genome, we identified 30 genes putatively responsible for Al3+ tolerance in Brachiaria. We observed differential expression during stress of genes involved in RNA translation, response signalling, cell wall composition, and vesicle location homologous to aluminium-induced proteins involved in limiting uptake or localizing the toxin. However, there was limited regulation of malate transporters in Brachiaria, which suggests that exudation of organic acids and other external tolerance mechanisms, common in other grasses, might not be relevant in Brachiaria. The contrasting regulation of RNA translation and response signalling suggests that response timing is critical in high Al3+-tolerant Brachiaria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25392585,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-26":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Pigmentation and dermal conservative effects of the astonishing algae Sargassum polycystum and Padina tenuis on guinea pigs, human epidermal melanocytes (HEM) and Chang cells.\nThe preference for a fairer skin-tone has become a common trend among both men and women around the world. In this study, seaweeds Sargassum polycystum and Padina tenuis were investigated for their in vitro and in vivo potentials in working as skin whitening agents. Seaweed has been used as a revolutionary skin repairing agent in both traditional and modern preparations. The high antioxidant content is one of the prime reasons for its potent action. It has been employed in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine. For centuries, most medical practitioners in the Asian cultures have known seaweed as an organic source of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 and antioxidants. The present objective of the study was to evaluate the potent dermal protective effect of the two seaweeds Sargassum polycystum and Padina tenuis on human cell lines and guinea pigs. Seaweeds were extracted with ethanol and further fractionated with hexane, ethyl acetate and water. The extracts were tested for mushroom tyrosinase inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity in human epidermal melanocyte (HEM), and Chang cells. Extracts with potent melanocytotoxicity were formulated into cosmetic cream and tested on guinea pigs in dermal irritation tests and de-pigmentation assessments. Both Sargassum polycystum and Padina tenuis seaweeds showed significant inhibitory effect on mushroom tyrosinase in the concentration tested. SPEt showed most potent cytotoxicity on HEM (IC50 of 36\u00b5g\/ml), followed by SPHF (65\u00b5g\/ml), and PTHF (78.5\u00b5g\/ml). SPHF and SPEt reduced melanin content in skin of guinea pigs when assessed histologically. SPEt, SPHF and PTHF were able to inhibit HEM proliferation in vitro, with SPHF being most potent and did not cause any dermal irritation in guinea pigs. The results obtained indicate that SPHF is a promising pharmacological or cosmetic agent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22558799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Antibacterial effects on acinetobacter species of commonly employed antineoplastic agents used in the treatment of haematological malignancies: an in vitro laboratory evaluation.\nAlthough about 75-80% of neutropenic fevers are thought to be caused by infections, a causal organism can be confirmed microbiologically or suspected clinically in only 30-50%, and even fewer of these cases (16%) have a documented bacteraemia. The cause of neutropenic fever in the remaining cases remains elusive. The reasons for this failure may be due to the difficulty in recovering low numbers of organisms, fastidious organisms which fail to grow using conventional culture media, the presence of non-culturable organisms, or the presence of inhibitory substances in specimens. Previously, the authors showed the presence of Acinetobacter in peripheral blood of febrile neutropenic patients with a haematological malignancy, using 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing techniques. However, conventional culture was unable to detect these organisms. Hence, it was felt necessary to examine the antibacterial properties of four antineoplastic agents used in the treatment of haematological malignancy, namely bleomycin, cisplatin, doxorubicin and vincristine. A total of 56 wild-type Acinetobacter including seven species (A. calcoaceticus [n=17], A. septicus [n=11], A. baumannii [n=10], A. johnsonii [n=7], A. lwoffii [n=8] A. haemolyticus [n=2] and A. radioresistens [n=1]) were examined for their susceptibility to the four antineoplastic agents at therapeutic concentration. No inhibition was observed, but inhibition was seen at higher concentrations of both bleomycin and doxorubicin. Time to detection of blood culture bottles containing separate antineoplastic agents (i.e., bleomycin and doxorubicin) was compared to that containing saline using a paired t-test. Samples containing doxorubicin at 1 pg\/mL were shown to have a mean time to detection of 21.8 h (range: 15.6-31.4 h). Bottles containing saline had a mean time to detection of 22.9 h (range: 18.2-31.3 h). Statistical analysis showed no significant difference (P=0.3361) between time to detection for blood culture bottles containing doxorubicin at achievable plasma concentration and corresponding negative controls. With regard to bleomycin (300 miu\/mL), the mean time to detection was 27.29 h (range: 20.2-38.4 h) in the test bottles, with mean time to detection in the saline negative controls of 22.56 h (range: 17.0-30.1 h). Paired t-test gave P=0.000451, hence a significant difference in time to detection for blood cultures containing therapeutic levels of bleomycin. Overall, the antineoplastic agents vincristine, cisplatin or doxorubicin did not have any inhibitory effects on the Acinetobacter organisms examined. At worst, therapeutic concentrations of bleomycin may delay automated detection of an Acinetobacter bacteraemia by a mean time of 5.9 h.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34177397,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Exploring Possible Mechanisms of Hormesis and Homeopathy in the Light of Nanopharmacology and Ultra-High Dilutions.\nSerially diluted succussed solutions of a suitable drug\/toxic substance can exhibit physicochemical and biological properties even far beyond Avogadro's limit defying conventional wisdom. They can show hormesis, and homeopathy uses them as medicines. Many studies confirm that they can have an impact on gene expression different than controls. Water in the exclusion zone phase can have memory but for a short period. However, the nanoparticle as the physical substrate can hold information. Nanoparticle and exclusion zone duo as nanoparticle-exclusion zone shell can provide a prolonged memory. The Nanoparticle-Exclusion Zone Shell Model may be an important step toward explaining the nature and bioactivity of serially diluted succussed solutions used as homeopathic medicines. This model may also provide insight into the workings of hormesis. Hormesis is the primary phenomenon through which homeopathic phenomenon may have evolved exhibiting the principle of similars. Hahnemann exploited it to establish homeopathy. The nanoparticle-exclusion zone shells present in the remedy, selected on the principle of similars, can be patient-specific nanoparticles in a symptom syndrome-specific manner. They can carry the drug-specific information for safer clinical applications in an amplified form for high yielding. It suggests homeopathy is a type of nanopharmacology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24508849,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Validity of instruction leaflets for parents to measure their child's weight and height at home: results obtained from a randomised controlled trial.\nTo compare the validity of parent-reported height, weight and body mass index (BMI) values of children (aged 4-10 years), when measured at home by means of newly developed instruction leaflets in comparison with simple estimated parental reports. Randomised controlled trial with control and intervention group using simple randomisation. Belgian children and their parents recruited via schools (multistage cluster sampling design). 164 Belgian children (53% male; participation rate 62%). Parents completed a questionnaire including questions about the height and weight of their child. Parents in the intervention group received instruction leaflets to measure their child's weight and height. Classes were randomly allocated to the intervention and control groups. Nurses measured height and weight following standardised procedures up to 2 weeks after parental reports. Weight, height and BMI category of the child were derived from the index measurements and the parental reports. Mean parent-reported weight was slightly more underestimated in the intervention group than in the control group relative to the index weights. However, for all three parameters (weight, height and BMI), correlations between parental reports and nurse measurements were higher in the intervention group. Sensitivity for underweight and overweight\/obesity was respectively, 75% and 60% in the intervention group, and 67% and 43% in the control group. Weighed \u03ba for classifying children in the correct BMI category was 0.30 in the control group and was 0.51 in the intervention group. Although mean parent-reported weight was slightly more underestimated in the intervention than in the control group, correlations were higher and there was considerably less misclassification into valid BMI categories for the intervention group. This pattern suggests that most of the parental deviations from the index measurements were probably due to random errors of measurement and that diagnostic measures could improve by encouraging parents to measure their children's weight and height at home by means of instruction leaflets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19593430,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Energy stores are not altered by long-term partial sleep deprivation in Drosophila melanogaster.\nRecent human studies reveal a widespread association between short sleep and obesity. Two hypotheses, which are not mutually exclusive, might explain this association. First, genetic factors that reduce endogenous sleep times might also impact energy stores, an assertion that we confirmed in a previous study. Second, metabolism may be altered by chronic partial sleep deprivation. Here we address the second assertion by measuring the impact of long-term partial sleep deprivation on energy stores using Drosophila as a model. We subjected flies to long-term partial sleep deprivation via two different methods: a mechanical stimulus and a light stimulus. We then measured whole-body triglycerides and glycogen, two important sources of energy for the fly, and compared them to un-stimulated controls. We also measured changes in energy stores in response to a random circadian clock shift. Sex and line-dependent alterations in glycogen and\/or triglyceride levels occurred in response to the circadian clock shift and in flies subjected to a single night of sleep deprivation using light. Thus, consistent with previous studies, our findings suggest that acute sleep loss and changes to the circadian clock can alter metabolism. Significant changes in energy stores were also observed when flies were subjected to chronic sleep loss via the mechanical stimulus, although not the light stimulus. Interestingly, mechanical stimulation resulted in the same change in energy stores even when it was not associated with sleep deprivation, suggesting that the changes are caused by stress rather than sleep loss. These findings emphasize the importance of taking stress into account when evaluating the relationship between sleep loss and metabolism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17234086,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Benzodiazepine's utilization in continental Portugal (1999-2003)].\nPortugal has one of the highest levels of benzodiazepine's utilization at European level. This issue was highlighted on the latest International Narcotics Control Board report, which advises Portugal to analyse the actual procedures on prescription and utilization of these drugs. This study aimed to analyse Portuguese benzodiazepine's utilization patterns and trends at regional and national level, and analyse its relation with factors known to affect the utilization of these drugs. Drug utilization data refers to the drugs prescribed and dispensed in the ambulatory to the population covered by the National Health Service, from 1st January 1999 to 31st December 2003. Data was expressed in Defined Daily Dose (DDD) per 1000 inhabitants per day (DHD). In the Portuguese National Health Service during the period in study there was a decrease of 1.2% on benzodiazepine's utilization. Nevertheless, it was observed an increase on anxyolitics benzodiazepine's utilization (3.8%;72.66 DHD), although hypnotics benzodiazepine's suffered a marked decrease (-21.9%;13.15 DHD). The expenditure has not followed the utilization's trend, and in the period in study the retail sale price expenditure increased 12%. Anxyolitic benzodiazepine's utilization accounted for 85% of the growth on expenditure observed in this study. At national level there were some asymmetries either on utilization's level or on drug utilization's pattern. In 2003, Faro, Bragan\u00e7a and Viana do Castelo were the sub-regions with the lowest utilization level and Portalegre and Evora the ones with the highest levels. Lisbon presented the highest decrease either on percentual (-13.8%) or on absolute (-13.45 DHD) values. Benzodiazepine's utilization in Portugal was considered of concern by International Narcotics Control Board. Therefore the stabilization on utilization, with even a small decrease, should be considered potentially positive. The asymmetries either on utilization's level or on drug utilization's pattern do not seem to be totally attributable to age-structure, unemployment levels or the percentage of retired people, as there wasn't a statistical significant relation between these variables. For this reason the variations on Benzodiazepine's utilization in Portugal seem to be attributed to a combination of different factors, which emphasize the need of more initiatives conducted to health care professionals and patients, in order to diminish the chronic use of these drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9010173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The legal and scientific basis for FDA's assertion of jurisdiction over cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.\nOn August 28, 1996, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asserted jurisdiction over cigarettes and smokeless tobacco under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Under this Act, a product is a \"drug\" or \"device\" subject to FDA jurisdiction if it is \"intended to affect the structure or any function of the body.\" The FDA determined that nicotine in cigarettes and smokeless tobacco does \"affect the structure or any function of the body\" because nicotine causes addiction and other pharmacological effects. The FDA then determined that these pharmacological effects are \"intended\" because (1) a scientific consensus has emerged that nicotine is addictive; (2) recent studies have shown that most consumers use cigarettes and smokeless tobacco for pharmacological purposes, including satisfying their addiction to nicotine; and (3) newly disclosed evidence from the tobacco manufacturers has revealed that the manufacturers know that nicotine causes pharmacological effects, including addiction, and design their products to provide pharmacologically active doses of nicotine. The FDA thus concluded that cigarettes and smokeless tobacco are subject to FDA jurisdiction because they contain a \"drug,\" nicotine, and a \"device\" for delivering this drug to the body.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3434170,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Axial mesenchyme structure in the anlage of the human vertebral column. Light microscopy study of a human embryo of 9 mm CRL (Carnegie stage 16)].\nThe anlage of the cervical vertebral column of a human embryo has been investigated (9 mm CRL, Carnegie stage 16). The nuclear density in the axial mesenchyme increases rhythmically from cranial to caudal. This phenomenon superimposes a metameric pattern on the blastema. Furthermore, cell formations are shaped by the orientation of the mesenchymal cells. The name 'formationes quasi distensae' is proposed for this system. The anlage of the atlas shows a distinct mesenchymal anlage of a vertebral body. The conclusion is drawn that the dens axis is predominantly formed out of the anlage of the atlas body. The opinion that man does not show an anlage of the atlas body can no longer be sustained.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2464961,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"NIH conference. Development and evaluation of a vaccine for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.\nThe development of a safe and effective vaccine for infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is complicated by several unique scientific, logistic, and ethical issues. These issues include a lack of understanding of protective immunity to HIV and disease development, the absence of an adequate and convenient animal model for studying HIV infection, and difficulties in phase III evaluation of candidate vaccines. Because HIV can be transmitted as either a cell-free or cell-associated virus, a protective immune response against HIV infection will likely require both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. A neutralizing antibody against HIV and an antibody involved in antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity have been shown in HIV-infected persons, but their precise relation to protection is unclear. Cytotoxic lymphocytes from HIV-infected persons have been shown to lyse target cells expressing HIV or its proteins. Cloned T cells have been developed that manifest HIV-specific, major histocompatibility-complex class I-restricted cytotoxic capabilities that are broadly specific. Thus far, all attempts to protect chimpanzees, currently the only suitable animal model, from HIV infection have failed. Ongoing vaccine studies in humans include phase I trials of recombinant proteins of the HIV envelope in uninfected persons as well as the administration of whole killed virus to persons already infected with HIV. Rapid progress is being made in the development of new animal models for HIV infection. The establishment of alternative animal models, both primate and small animal models, will greatly facilitate the development of a vaccine for HIV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3475330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Employment considerations of AIDS in dental institutions.\nAcquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has become one of the most pressing public health issues of this decade. As a member of the health care team, dental professionals are increasingly confronted with the responsibilities of treating AIDS victims, preventing the transmission of HIV and other infectious agents, and being nondiscriminatory employers. Guidelines are currently available to help the dental profession in these first two responsibilities. However, policies governing the employment of health care workers with AIDS have not been established firmly. Therefore, this article focuses on the AIDS employment issue facing dental practitioners, administrators, and educators today. Background information on the current medical status, transmission, epidemiology, and populations-at-risk is reviewed. Legal considerations of AIDS in the work place are addressed as to HIV testing, employee rights to gain and\/or retain employment, economic considerations, and confidentiality issues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26789002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Eye Movement Evidence for Hierarchy Effects on Memory Representation of Discourses.\nIn this study, we applied the text-change paradigm to investigate whether and how discourse hierarchy affected the memory representation of a discourse. Three kinds of three-sentence discourses were constructed. In the hierarchy-high condition and the hierarchy-low condition, the three sentences of the discourses were hierarchically organized and the last sentence of each discourse was located at the high level and the low level of the discourse hierarchy, respectively. In the linear condition, the three sentences of the discourses were linearly organized. Critical words were always located at the last sentence of the discourses. These discourses were successively presented twice and the critical words were changed to semantically related words in the second presentation. The results showed that during the early processing stage, the critical words were read for longer times when they were changed in the hierarchy-high and the linear conditions, but not in the hierarchy-low condition. During the late processing stage, the changed-critical words were again found to induce longer reading times only when they were in the hierarchy-high condition. These results suggest that words in a discourse have better memory representation when they are located at the higher rather than at the lower level of the discourse hierarchy. Global discourse hierarchy is established as an important factor in constructing the mental representation of a discourse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1609128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Results of post-operative or exclusive radiotherapy in grade I and grade II cerebellar astrocytoma patients.\n43 Patients with the diagnosis of cerebellar astrocytoma were post-operatively treated, between 1 January 1976 and 31 December 1985. Their age ranged between 2 and 51 years with a median of 13. There were 22 males and 21 females. The tumours were reported as grade I in 18, and grade II in 25 patients. The primary surgical intervention was in the form of biopsy in 3, subtotal excision in 24 and macroscopic total excision in 16. All patients were treated with cobalt-60 teletherapy unit, to a total tumour dose of 4500-5500 cGy in 6-7 weeks. The obtained 5 and 10 year actuarial survival rates are 78% and 78%. Our study gives the impression that, age, sex and tumour grade are not determining factors in survival and post-operative radiotherapy improves prognosis in cases treated by subtotal excision while it remains unnecessary in those who had undergone total surgical removal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29463340,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Evaluation of a Novel Disaster Nursing Education Method.\nA common method of disaster training is needed to improve disaster nursing education and facilitate better communication among interprofessional disaster responders. To inform the development of disaster nursing curricula, a novel disaster nursing education method consistent with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) framework was developed to improve disaster nursing competencies in a baccalaureate nursing program. In total, 89 undergraduate nursing students participated. Perceived disaster nursing knowledge, confidence, and training\/response were assessed with 14 items before and after the education. Exploratory factor analysis showed 3 factors, knowledge, confidence, and training\/response, explained 71% of variation in items. Nursing students showed large improvements in perceived disaster nursing knowledge (t=11.95, P<0.001, Cohen's d=1.76), moderate increases in perceived confidence (t=4.54, P<0.001, d=0.67), and no change in disaster training and response (t=0.94, P=0.351, d=0.13). Results show preliminary evidence supporting the effectiveness of disaster nursing education informed by HSEEP. This training has the potential to fill current practice gaps in disaster nursing knowledge and build confidence to use those skills in practice. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:703-710).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33840414,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Effect of astragaloside IV on the expression of NOD-like receptor protein 3 inflammasome in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage].\nTo study the effect of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). A total of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 7 days, were randomly divided into a sham-operation group, an HIBD group, and an AS-IV treatment group, with 8 rats in each group. After 24 hours of modeling, brain tissue was collected for hematoxylin-eosin staining, yo-PRO-1 staining, and EthD-2 immunofluorescent staining in order to observe the cerebral protection effect of AS-IV in vivo. HT22 cells were used to prepare a model of oxygen-glycogen deprivation (OGD), and a concentration gradient (50-400 \u03bcmol\/L) was established for AS-IV. CCK-8 assay was used to measure the viability of HT22 cells. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to observe the effect of different concentrations of AS-IV on the mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, gasdermin D (GSDMD), caspase-1, and interleukin-1\u03b2 (IL-1\u03b2). Yo-Pro-1 and EthD-2 staining showed that compared with the sham-operation group, the HIBD group had an increase in pyroptotic cells with a small number of necrotic cells, and the AS-IV group had reductions in both pyroptotic and necrotic cells. Compared with the sham-operation group, the HIBD group had significantly higher protein expression levels of NLRP3, IL-1\u03b2, caspase-1, and GSDMD (P < 0.05). Compared with the HIBD group, the AS-IV group had significant reductions in the protein expression levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and GSDMD (P < 0.05). HT22 cell experiment showed that compared with the OGD group, the AS-IV group had inhibited mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3, GSDMD, caspase-1, and IL-1\u03b2, with the best therapeutic effect at the concentration of 200 \u03bcmol\/L (P < 0.05). AS-IV may alleviate HIBD in neonatal rats by inhibiting the expression of NLRP3, GSDMD, caspase-1, and IL-1\u03b2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34071917,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Targeting in Multiple Myeloma.\nMultiple myeloma (MM), a clonal plasma cell disorder, disrupts the bones' hematopoiesis and microenvironment homeostasis and ability to mediate an immune response against malignant clones. Despite prominent survival improvement with newer treatment modalities since the 2000s, MM is still considered a non-curable disease. Patients experience disease recurrence episodes with clonal evolution, and with each relapse disease comes back with a more aggressive phenotype. Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) has been a major target for B cell clonal disorders and its role in clonal plasma cell disorders is under active investigation. BTK is a cytosolic kinase which plays a major role in the immune system and its related malignancies. The BTK pathway has been shown to provide survival for malignant clone and multiple myeloma stem cells (MMSCs). BTK also regulates the malignant clones' interaction with the bone marrow microenvironment. Hence, BTK inhibition is a promising therapeutic strategy for MM patients. In this review, the role of BTK and its signal transduction pathways are outlined in the context of MM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2321993,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Behavior modification obtained by sun protection education coupled with removal of a skin cancer.\nThe 1042 people in this study who had a nonmelanoma skin cancer surgically removed received repetitive and interactive oral and written education in forms of sun protection. One year after these educational efforts, the subjects responded to a questionnaire that measured their compliance. Sixty-two percent complied with starting to use sunscreens and 56% changed their habits of outdoor activities. The portion of behavioral change attributable to surgery alone vs surgery plus education was unable to be determined. Despite intensive educational efforts, the noncompliance was 38%. This study identifies a health risk-taking pattern of behavior among those who were noncompliant. Those over age 65 years tended to be less compliant. When the data were analyzed by the transtheoretical model of behavior change, those already acting on some form of sunscreen use prior to this study achieved 100% compliance with increasing to a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 or greater. It is hoped that with more educational efforts those in precontemplative and contemplative phases of behavior can be recruited to take action, and those who acted by acquiring one sun protective behavior will add other behaviors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16471233,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Recurrent miscarriage and thrombophilia].\nIn more than half of the couples with recurrent miscarriage, no underlying cause can be found. Both acquired and hereditary risk factors for venous thrombosis, i.e. thrombophilia, constitute an aetiologic factor in a minority of patients with recurrent miscarriage. In women with a diagnosis of antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, treatment with low-dose acetylsalicylic acid and low-molecular-weight heparin has been shown by a valid randomised controlled trial to improve the results of a subsequent pregnancy. However, it is unknown whether anticoagulant treatment of women with recurrent miscarriage and hereditary risk factors for thrombophilia improves the outcome of a subsequent pregnancy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12519596,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Splenectomy versus conservative management for acute sequestration crises in people with sickle cell disease.\nAcute splenic sequestration crises are a complication of sickle cell disease, with high mortality rates and frequent recurrence in survivors of first attacks. Splenectomy and blood transfusion, with their consequences, are the mainstay of long term management used in different parts of the world. To assess whether splenectomy (total or partial) to prevent acute splenic sequestration crises in people with sickle cell disease improved survival and decreased morbidity in patients with sickle cell disease, as compared with regular blood transfusion. We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis and Genetic Disorders Group specialist trials register which comprises references identified from comprehensive electronic database searches, hand searching relevant journals and hand searching abstract books of conference proceedings Additional randomized controlled trials were sought from the reference lists of the studies found and reviews identified by the search strategy. Date of the most recent search: December 2001 All randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing splenectomy (total or partial) to prevent recurrence of acute splenic sequestration crises to no treatment or blood transfusion in people with sickle cell disease. No trials of splenectomy for acute splenic sequestration were found. No trials of splenectomy for acute splenic sequestration were found. Splenectomy, if full, will prevent further sequestration and if partial, may reduce the recurrence of acute splenic sequestration crises but there is lack of evidence from trials that it improves survival and decreases morbidity in sickle cell disease. There is a need for a well-designed, adequately powered randomised controlled trial to assess the benefits and risks of splenectomy compared to transfusion programmes as a means of improving survival and decreasing mortality from ASS in people with sickle cell disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28246980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Arthroscopy for diagnosis and therapy of early osteoarthritis of the hip.\nFailure to conservative treatment in patients with less advanced radiographic signs of osteoarthritis of the hip (Danielsson grade 2-5) confronts with the decision of further treatment. Since radiographic imaging has not been proved very useful in demonstrating intraarticular structures and results of hip arthroscopies have been promising, arthroscopies have been performed in 17 hips from November 1997 to September 1998. Arthroscopic findings were exceeding preoperative imaging. In addition to cartilage degeneration, concomitant loose bodies, impinging osteophytes, degeneration of the labrum and synovial disease were found. Removal of loose bodies and osteophytes, partial resection of labral tears and partial synovectomy were performed. 1 month after arthroscopy (n = 15), mean Harris-Hip-Score was increased by 13 points und pain reduced by 39 % on average. 6 months after arthroscopy (n = 9), mean Harris-Hip-Score was increased by 14 points and pain reduced by 32 % on average. In addition to its therapeutic benefit, arthroscopy offers direct visualisation of the hip providing important information for the decision of further treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11396936,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Iron extraction from soybean lipoxygenase 3 and reconstitution of catalytic activity from the apoenzyme.\nLipoxygenases contain a unique nonheme iron cofactor with a redox role in the catalyzed reaction. The conditions for the extraction of the metal atom were investigated for one of the soybean lipoxygenase isoenzymes. Removal of the iron by o-phenanthroline was attained in the presence of substrate under anaerobic conditions, but the apoenzyme could not be isolated and reconstituted. The freshly regenerated sodium form of Chelex-100 also removes the iron atom from native soybean lipoxygenase 3, but only in sodium bicarbonate buffer at pH 8.0. The soluble but inactive apoenzyme was reconstituted with ferric ammonium sulfate in Tris--HCl buffer at pH 7.0. Stoichiometric iron in the reconstituted enzyme was established using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The reconstituted enzyme contained 90 +\/- 10% of the specific activity of the native enzyme. The native configuration of the reconstituted iron site was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8992419,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Nitric oxide. Basic research and possible clinical use].\nThe journal Science considered nitric oxide (NO) the molecule of the year 1992. This small, instable, potentially toxic gas freely crosses cell membranes. NO is produced from L-arginine by NO-synthase. The various physiological and pathological effects of NO can be explained by its reactivity and different routes of formation and metabolism. In mammals, at least three isoenzymes of NO-synthase (neuronal, endothelial and inducible forms) are known. NO exerts different effects in acidic, neutral and basic pH conditions, it is cell-protective when produced is small quantities whereas it is toxic when exceeds millimolar concentrations. Both the overproduction and suppression of NO release may have harmful effects. As a neurotransmitter, it plays important role in cell-signaling, in the erection of penis and also in the learning process. When produced by endothelial cells, it is a potent vasodilatator, and phagocytes use NO to kill microorganisms. NO also may play pathological role in chronic inflammations, immune processes and tumour generation. Based an our current knowledge, NO can be used in the therapy of pulmonary hypertension, cerebral ischemia and relaxation disturbances of smooth muscle sphincters, and the blockade of NO synthase activity may help in the management of septic shock, hypotension and inflammations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36864737,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Soil surface treatments and precipitation timing determine seedling development across southwestern US restoration sites.\nRestoration in dryland ecosystems often has poor success due to low and variable water availability, degraded soil conditions, and slow plant community recovery rates. Restoration treatments can mitigate these constraints but, because treatments and subsequent monitoring are typically limited in space and time, our understanding of their applicability across broader environmental gradients remains limited. To address this limitation, we implemented and monitored a standardized set of seeding and soil surface treatments (pits, mulch, and ConMod artificial nurse plants) designed to enhance soil moisture and seedling establishment across RestoreNet, a growing network of 21 diverse dryland restoration sites in the southwestern USA over 3 years. Generally, we found that the timing of precipitation relative to seeding and the use of soil surface treatments were more important in determining seeded species emergence, survival, and growth than site-specific characteristics. Using soil surface treatments in tandem with seeding promoted up to 3\u00d7 greater seedling emergence densities compared with seeding alone. The positive effect of soil surface treatments became more prominent with increased cumulative precipitation since seeding. The seed mix type with species currently found within or near a site and adapted to the historical climate promoted greater seedling emergence densities compared with the seed mix type with species from warmer, drier conditions expected to perform well under climate change. Seed mix and soil surface treatments had a diminishing effect as plants developed beyond the first season of establishment. However, we found strong effects of the initial period seeded and of the precipitation leading up to each monitoring date on seedling survival over time, especially for annual and perennial forbs. The presence of exotic species exerted a negative influence on seedling survival and growth, but not initial emergence. Our findings suggest that seeded species recruitment across drylands can generally be promoted, regardless of location, by (1) incorporation of soil surface treatments, (2) employment of near-term seasonal climate forecasts, (3) suppression of exotic species, and (4) seeding at multiple times. Taken together, these results point to a multifaceted approach to ameliorate harsh environmental conditions for improved seeding success in drylands, both now and under expected aridification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31410079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Complete genome sequence analysis of a lytic Shigella flexneri vB-SflS-ISF001 bacteriophage.\nShigellosis is one of the most important acute enteric infections caused by different species of Shigella, such as Shigella flexneri. Despite the use of antibiotic therapy to reduce disease duration, this approach is becoming less effective due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance among Shigella spp. Bacteriophages have been introduced as an alternative for controlling shigellosis. However, the bacteriophages must be without any lysogenic or virulence factors, toxin coding, or antibiotic-resistant genes. In this study, the whole genome sequence of vB-SflS-ISF001, a virulent Siphoviridae bacteriophage specific for Shigella flexneri, was obtained, and a comparative genomic analysis was carried out to identify its properties and safety. vB-SflS-ISF001 genomic DNA was measured at 50,552 bp with 78 deduced open reading frames (ORFs), with 24 ORFs (30.77%) sharing similarities with proteins from the genomes of homologous phages that had been reported earlier. Genetic analysis classifies it under the genus T1virus of the subfamily Tunavirinae . Moreover, comparative genomic analysis revealed no undesirable genes in the genome of vB-SflS-ISF001, such as antibiotic resistance, virulence, lysogeny, or toxin-coding genes. The results of this investigation indicate that vB-SflS-ISF001 is a new species, and confirm its safety for the biocontrol of S. flexneri.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9364377,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Allogeneic cortical strut for benign lesions of the humerus in adolescents.\nAllogeneic cortical strut associated with or without cancellous bone grafting for benign adolescent humeral shaft lesions is an alternative management option offering a good chance of stabilization and healing. This study monitored 16 patients who had been treated with this surgical method from 1988 to 1993. There were nine boys and seven girls between the ages of 11 and 16 years (average, 14). Eleven patients had unicameral bone cysts; two had aneurysmal bone cysts; and three had fibrous dysplasia. All 16 patients received fresh-frozen (-70 degrees C) cortical strut inlay grafts in the humeral shaft defect after subtotal excision of the large lesions. No intramedullary rod or plate was used. The follow-up period ranged from 26 to 58 months (average, 41). There were no local recurrences or fractures of the shaft or allograft implants. The radiographs of all humeri revealed the cortical grafts to be well incorporated with new bone formation in the cavity. The overall functional results were good and excellent. This reconstruction with biologically safe and active material provided increased strength and prevented refracture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19847667,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Predictors of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with mitral valve prolapse.\nArrhythmias have been reported to occur frequently in symptomatic patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP). The mechanisms causing ventricular arrhythmias in patients with MVP have not been fully investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical, echocardiographic and heart rate variability parameters, and plasma concentrations of electrolytes and inflammatory markers in predicting ventricular arrhythmias in patients with MVP. A total of 58 consecutive patients with MVP were included in this study. We performed electrocardiography, echocardiography, holter analysis, routine biochemical tests including plasma concentrations of electrolytes and inflammatory markers, and evaluated the clinical characteristics. Ventricular arrhythmia defined as occurrence of any of the followings: ventricular premature contractions (VPCs), VPC couplets, and ventricular tachycardia documented by holter analysis, continuous monitoring or by electrocardiography. Twenty patients (34%) had ventricular arrhythmias, and 38 (66%) patients had no ventricular arrhythmias. Seventeen patients had VPC, 2 patients had VPC couplets and 1 patient had ventricular tachycardia. Univariable predictors of ventricular arrhythmias included isovolumetric relaxation time and the occurrence of moderate to severe mitral regurgitation. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that occurrence of moderate to severe mitral regurgitation was the only independent predictor of ventricular arrhythmias (relative risk: 8.42, 95% confidence interval: 1.49-47.64, p = 0.01). Present study showed that the only independent predictor of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with MVP is the occurrence of moderate to severe mitral regurgitation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30987450,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ethical consideration of the research proposal and the informed-consent process: An online survey of researchers and ethics committee members in Thailand.\nResearchers designing and conducting studies using human data should consider the values and principles of ethical conduct. Research ethics committees (RECs) typically evaluate the ethical acceptability of research proposals. Sometimes, differences arise between how researchers and RECs interpret ethical principles, and how they decide what constitutes ethical conduct. This study aimed to explore the opinions of these two groups about the importance of core ethical issues in the proposal and in the informed-consent process. An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to a target population in health-related academic\/research institutes across Thailand; 219 researchers and 72 REC members participated. Significantly, more REC members than researchers attributed the highest importance to three core ethical considerations - risk\/benefit, vulnerability, and confidentiality\/privacy. For the informed-consent process, significant differences were found for communication of risks, decision-making authority for consent, process for approaching study participants, and availability of a contact for study deviations\/violations. The different ratings indicate differences in the groups' perspectives on ethical principles, which may affect focal congruence on ethical issues in the proposal. Communication of these findings should help close gaps between REC and researcher perceptions. Further study should investigate how RECs and researchers perceive equivocal ethics terms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26050502,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Japanese soybean paste miso lessens sympathovagal imbalance and attenuates brain sodium sensitivity in mice with pressure overload.\nMiso is a traditional Japanese food that is made from fermented soybeans, and it can attenuate salt-induced hypertension in salt-sensitive hypertensive rats. We also recently demonstrated that regular miso intake inhibits salt-sensitive sympathoexcitation in mice with pressure overload (CPO). In this context, sympathoexcitation contributes to the pathogenesis of hypertension, including salt-sensitive hypertension. Therefore, we hypothesized that miso might be able to improve sympathovagal imbalance, thereby attenuating salt-induced hypertension. We first treated mice with an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of miso supernatant that was suspended in a 0.28 M sodium solution. Five hours after the miso injection, the mice's systolic blood pressure and heart rate had decreased, with a lower ratio of low frequency (LF) to high frequency (HF) power of heart rate variability. However, an IP injection of high-sodium saline solution (0.28 M sodium) alone had no effects on these parameters. To evaluate the effects of miso on sodium sensitivity in CPO-mice, we also performed aortic banding. At 4 weeks after the surgery, the mice received an IP injection of miso supernatant or high-sodium saline. The ratio of LF\/HF increased after the high-sodium saline injection, although not after the miso injection, which indicated that miso inhibited the enhanced sodium sensitivity for sympathetic activity in CPO-mice. We also pre-treated CPO-mice with an intracerebroventricular infusion of miso supernatant to evaluate its effect on increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sodium-induced hypertension. Diluted miso supernatant (in a 0.14 M sodium solution) attenuated the increased CSF sodium-induced hypertension, although pre-treatment with normal-sodium (0.14 M) saline failed to change the hypertension. These results suggest that miso acts on the brain to sway the sympathovagal balance towards a parasympathetic nerve dominant state, and to attenuate the brain sodium sensitivity for sympathoexcitation in CPO-mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33861179,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparison of the anticancer effect of microalgal oils and microalgal oil-loaded electrosprayed nanoparticles against PC-3, SHSY-5Y and AGS cell lines.\nMany of the bioactive substances used in pharmaceutical industry are easily affected by temperature, light and oxygen, and are easily degraded during storage and processing, and exhibit poor adsorption properties during digestion, which limits their direct use. Microalgae are rich in oils which have antimicrobial properties and antioxidants that attract attention in both food and pharmaceutical sectors in recent years. Studies to encapsulate bioactive compound-rich microalgae oils with nanotechnological approaches to improve the physical and chemical stability are relatively new, and it is promising to apply these approaches for pharmaceutical purposes. In this study, cytotoxic effects of oil extracts of Botryococcus braunii and Microcystis aeruginosa and their oil-loaded nanoparticles on L929 cell line, PC-3 prostate cell line, SHSY-5Y neuroblastoma cell line and AGS gastric adenocarcinoma cell line were investigated. The obtained extracts were found to have no cytotoxic effect on L929 cells. However, they showed cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. As for the nanoparticles; a gradual release was determined and the stability of the nanoparticle structure was shown. In the light of obtained findings, it was considered that nanoparticles produced with oil extracts of microalgae which have bioactive substances, have potential to be evaluated especially in pharmaceutical and cosmetic fields.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10615975,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Development of the ball-and-socket ankle as assessed by radiography and arthrography. A long-term follow-up report.\nWe studied the development of ball-and-socket deformity of the ankle by arthrography and radiography in 14 ankles of ten patients with congenital longitudinal deficiency of the fibula accompanied by various anomalies. The mean follow-up was for 18 years 10 months. In three ankles in infants less than one year old the lateral and medial sides of the ankle were already slightly round. In another seven ankles the ball-and-socket appearance developed before the age of five years. This was thought to be due to osseous coalition which limits eversion and inversion. In another four ankles in children who were over the age of one year at the initial examination, the deformity was demonstrated by arthrography and radiography at their first examination. Ball-and-socket deformity accompanied by tarsal coalition is an acquired deformity secondary to limitation of movement of the subtalar and midtarsal joints. It has completely developed by about five years of age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1412579,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Assessment of intracranial hemodynamics in sleep apnea syndrome.\nSleep apnea syndrome may lead to changes in cerebral hemodynamics due to altered alveolar ventilation. We investigated the dynamics of CO2- and blood pressure-regulated alterations of cerebral blood flow velocities during apneic episodes and evaluated CO2 reactivity during different sleep stages. A computer-assisted pulsed Doppler system (2 MHz) was used for continuous overnight recordings of middle cerebral artery flow patterns together with simultaneous polysomnography, continuous blood pressure recordings, and measurements of end-expiratory CO2 in six patients with sleep apnea syndrome. Increases in mean flow velocity of 19-219% and in blood pressure of 12.5-83.1% could be observed during the apneic episodes, with maximum increases during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. CO2 reactivity was in the normal range (4.4 +\/- 1.2%) in the waking state and was markedly increased during sleep stages 1 and 2 (p less than 0.005 compared with awake). The greatest increase was found during REM sleep, with a rise of up to three times the waking value (p less than 0.0001 compared with sleep stage 2). The changes of mean flow velocity could be interpreted as reactive adaptation processes because of CO2 and blood pressure increases corresponding to apnea. The increased CO2 reactivity during sleep may indicate a \"hypersensitivity\" of intracranial vascular CO2 or pH receptors and a disturbance of central catecholaminergic and cholinergic systems. The pronounced velocity changes during apneic episodes and the concomitant alterations of vessel wall tension might lead to microangiopathies and macroangiopathies due to chronic strain on the brain vessels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26055953,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Placental specializations in lecithotrophic viviparous squamate reptiles.\nSquamate reptiles have been thought to be predisposed to evolution of viviparity because embryos of most oviparous species undergo considerable development in the uterus prior to oviposition. A related hypothesis proposes that prolonged intrauterine gestation, an intermediate condition leading to viviparity, requires little or no physiological adjustment, other than reduction in thickness of the eggshell. This logical framework is often accompanied by an assumption that mode of parity (oviparity, viviparity) and pattern of embryonic nutrition (lecithotrophy, placentotrophy) are independent traits that evolve in sequence. Thus, specializations for viviparity should be absent in some lecithotrophic viviparous species. Studies of species of lizards with geographic variation in mode of parity challenge this scenario by demonstrating that placental specializations are correlated with viviparity. Uterine specializations for placental transport of calcium to viviparous embryos alter uterine physiology compared to oviparous females. In addition, comparative studies of oviparous and viviparous species, i.e., in which gene flow is disrupted, reveal that both uterine and embryonic structural modifications are commonly associated with viviparity, suggesting relatively rapid evolution of placental specializations. Studies of squamate reproductive biology support two hypotheses: 1) evolution of viviparity requires physiological adjustments of the uterine environment, and 2) evolution of viviparity promotes relatively rapid adaptations for placentation. Models for the evolution of viviparity from oviparity, or for reversals from viviparity to oviparity, should reflect current understanding of squamate reproductive biology and future studies should be designed to challenge these models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25032996,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"An insight into fluorescent transition metal complexes.\nThe emission from transition metal complexes is usually produced from triplet excited states. Owing to strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the fast conversion of singlet to triplet excited states via intersystem crossing (ISC) is facilitated. Hence, in transition metal complexes, emission from singlet excited states is not favoured. Nevertheless, a number of examples of transition metal complexes that fluoresce with high intensity have been found and some of them were even comprehensively studied. In general, three common photophysical characteristics are used for the identification of fluorescent emission from a transition metal complex: emission lifetimes on the nanosecond scale; a small Stokes shift; and intense emission under aerated conditions. For most of the complexes reviewed here, singlet emission is the result of ligand-based fluorescence, which is the dominant emission process due to poor metal-ligand interactions leading to a small metal contribution in the excited states, and a competitive fluorescence rate constant when compared to the ISC rate constant. In addition to the pure fluorescence from metal complexes, another two types of fluorescent emissions were also reviewed, namely, delayed fluorescence and fluorescence-phosphorescence dual emissions. Both emissions also have their respective unique characteristics, and thus they are discussed in this perspective.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17601824,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Common functions for diverse small RNAs of land plants.\nEndogenous small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are critical components of plant gene regulation. Some abundant miRNAs involved in developmental control are conserved between anciently diverged plants, while many other less-abundant miRNAs appear to have recently emerged in the Arabidopsis thaliana lineage. Using large-scale sequencing of small RNAs, we extended the known diversity of miRNAs in basal plants to include 88 confidently annotated miRNA families in the moss Physcomitrella patens and 44 in the lycopod Selaginella moellendorffii. Cleavage of 29 targets directed by 14 distinct P. patens miRNA families and a trans-acting siRNA (ta-siRNA) was experimentally confirmed. Despite a core set of 12 miRNA families also expressed in angiosperms, weakly expressed and apparently lineage-specific miRNAs accounted for the majority of miRNA diversity in both species. Nevertheless, the molecular functions of several of these lineage-specific small RNAs matched those of angiosperms, despite dissimilarities in the small RNA sequences themselves, including small RNAs that mediated negative feedback regulation of the miRNA pathway and miR390-dependent ta-siRNAs that guided the cleavage of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR mRNAs. Diverse, lineage-specific, small RNAs can therefore perform common biological functions in plants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3209063,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Studies on the expression and evolution of the glycogen phosphorylase gene family in the rat.\nMuscle, liver, and brain glycogen phosphorylases in mammals comprise a family of closely related isozymes that are differentially expressed in a wide variety of cell types. Towards obtaining a better understanding of the mechanisms governing the tissue-specific control of expression of this isozyme family, we used an antibody generated against bovine liver phosphorylase to obtain quantitative estimates of the concentrations of the three isozymes in rat tissues by Western blot analysis. This analysis indicated that expression of these isozymes at the protein level, although widespread, was tissue-specific and each isozyme exhibited variations in expression throughout the tissues where it was produced. We also began a preliminary analysis of the evolution of the genes encoding these three isozymes. Towards this end, we isolated and sequenced a partial cDNA to the rat brain isozyme that encompassed the coding region from amino acids 569 to 729. Using known phosphorylase gene sequences, we reconstructed a phylogeny spanning three kingdoms. This phylogeny indicated that brain and muscle isozymes are more closely related to each other than to the liver isozyme and that gene duplications that give rise to the family predate the mammalian radiation. Differences in the relative rates of change of the three isozymes were observed and this may reflect different constraints on their evolution perhaps related to their functional roles and (or) tissue-specific expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":752793,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Nucleoprotein melting. II. Melting of irreversible DNA-protein complexes].\nThree with different complexity models: single-stranded, periodic theeropolymer, two-stranded periodic heteropolymer and complex of DNA with irreversible bound proteins have been considered. It is shown that the individual bands on the differential melting curve appear if the length of protein bound regions exceed 25 base pairs. In this case the melting temperature of free and protein bound regions depends on their reciprocal length in almost linear manner. Moreover, the temperature of the peak corresponding to the protein bound regions is independent on the length of the adjacent free DNA regions if their length exceeds 15 base pairs. If the length of free and protein bound regions exceed 300 base pairs, their melting temperatures becomes almost equal to that of infinitely long polymer with the analogous structure. A simple method for determination of length of the free and the protein bound regions length has been proposed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20636473,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The stage-regulated HASPB and SHERP proteins are essential for differentiation of the protozoan parasite Leishmania major in its sand fly vector, Phlebotomus papatasi.\nThe stage-regulated HASPB and SHERP proteins of Leishmania major are predominantly expressed in cultured metacyclic parasites that are competent for macrophage uptake and survival. The role of these proteins in parasite development in the sand fly vector has not been explored, however. Here, we confirm that expression of HASPB is detected only in vector metacyclic stages, correlating with the expression of metacyclic-specific lipophosphoglycan and providing the first definitive protein marker for this infective sand fly stage. Similarly, SHERP is expressed in vector metacyclics but is also detected at low levels in the preceding short promastigote stage. Using genetically modified parasites lacking or complemented for the LmcDNA16 locus on chromosome 23 that contains the HASP and SHERP genes, we further show that the presence of this locus is essential for parasite differentiation to the metacyclic stage in Phlebotomus papatasi. While wild-type and complemented parasites transform normally in late-stage infections, generating metacyclic promastigotes and colonizing the sand fly stomodeal valve, null parasites accumulate at the earlier elongated nectomonad stage of development within the abdominal and thoracic midgut of the sand fly. Complementation with HASPB or SHERP alone suggests that HASPB is the dominant effector molecule in this process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17106594,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Conflicts of interest in dermatology.\nConflicts of interest exist in dermatology when professional judgement concerning a primary interest, such as research validity, may be influenced by a secondary interest, such as financial gain from a for-profit organization. Conflict of interest is a condition and not a behaviour, although there is clear evidence that gifts influence behaviour. Little has been written about conflicts of interest in dermatology. This series of papers raises awareness of the subject by exploring it in greater depth from the perspective of a dermatology researcher, an industry researcher, a dermatology journal editor, a health services researcher and a patient representative. Collectively, they illustrate the many ways in which conflicts can pervade the world of dermatology publications and patient support group activities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24825925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dual language profiles of Latino children of immigrants: Stability and change over the early school years.\nDual language children enter school with varying levels of proficiencies in their first and second language. This study of Latino children of immigrants (N = 163) analyzes their dual language profiles at kindergarten and second grade, derived from the direct assessment of Spanish and English proficiencies (Woodcock Language Proficiency Batteries-Revised). Children were grouped based on the similarity of language profiles (competent profiles, such as dual proficient, Spanish proficient, and English proficient; and low-performing profiles, including borderline proficient and limited proficient). At kindergarten, the majority of children (63%) demonstrated a low-performing profile; by second grade, however, the majority of children (64%) had competent profiles. Change and stability of language profiles over time of individual children were then analyzed. Of concern, are children who continued to demonstrate a low-performing, high-risk profile. Factors in the linguistic environments at school and home, as well as other family and child factors associated with dual language profiles and change\/stability over time were examined, with a particular focus on the persistently low-performing profile groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24304436,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-06":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epilepsy in TSC: certain etiology does not mean certain prognosis.\nPrevalence and long-term outcome of epilepsy in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is reported to be variable, and the reasons for this variability are still controversial. We reviewed the clinical characteristics of patients with TSC who were regularly followed since 2000 at the San Paolo Multidisciplinary Tuberous Sclerosis Centre in Milan, Italy. From patient charts we collected data about age at epilepsy onset, seizure frequency and seizure type, history of infantile spasms (IS), epileptic syndrome, evolution to refractory epilepsy or to seizure freedom and\/or medication freedom, electroencephalography (EEG) features, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, cognitive outcome, and genetic background. Among the 160 subjects (120 adults and 40 children), 116 (72.5%) had epilepsy: 57 (35.6%) were seizure-free, and 59 (36.9%) had drug-resistant epilepsy. Most seizure-free patients had a focal epilepsy (89.5%), with 54.4% of them drug resistant for a period of their lives. Epilepsy onset in the first year of life with IS and\/or focal seizures was characteristic of the drug-resistant group of patients, as well as cognitive impairment and TSC2 mutation (p < 0.05). A small group of patients (7 patients, 4.4%) experienced a seizure only once; all of them had normal cognition. Although epilepsy management can be challenging in TSC, more than one third of patients had their seizures controlled: through monotherapy in 56% and by polytherapy in 32%. Moreover, 12% of the patients became seizure-free and were off medication. Identifying predictive features of epilepsy and cognitive outcome can ensure better management for patients with TSC and delineate genotype-phenotype correlations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31461625,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Notch Coordinates Periodontal Ligament Maturation through Regulating Lamin A.\nTooth eruption is a continuous biological process with dynamic changes at cellular and tissue levels, particularly within the periodontal ligament (PDL). Occlusion completion is a significant physiological landmark of dentition establishment. However, the importance of the involvement of molecular networks engaging in occlusion establishment on the final PDL maturation is still largely unknown. In this study, using rat and mouse molar teeth and a human PDL cell line for RNAseq and proteomic analysis, we systematically screened the key molecular links in regulating PDL maturation before and after occlusion establishment. We discovered Notch, a key molecular pathway in regulating stem cell fate and differentiation, is a major player in the event. Intercepting the Notch pathway by deleting its key canonical transcriptional factor, RBP-Jkappa, using a conditional knockout strategy in the mice delayed PDL maturation. We also identified that Lamin A, a cell nuclear lamina member, is a unique marker of PDL maturation, and its expression is under the control of Notch signaling. Our study therefore provides a deep insight of how PDL maturation is regulated at the molecular level, and we expect the outcomes to be applied for a better understanding of the molecular regulation networks in physiological conditions such as tooth eruption and movement and also for periodontal diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19578064,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Crystal structure and assembly of the functional Nanoarchaeum equitans tRNA splicing endonuclease.\nThe RNA splicing and processing endonuclease from Nanoarchaeum equitans (NEQ) belongs to the recently identified (alphabeta)(2) family of splicing endonucleases that require two different subunits for splicing activity. N. equitans splicing endonuclease comprises the catalytic subunit (NEQ205) and the structural subunit (NEQ261). Here, we report the crystal structure of the functional NEQ enzyme at 2.1 A containing both subunits, as well as that of the NEQ261 subunit alone at 2.2 A. The functional enzyme resembles previously known alpha(2) and alpha(4) endonucleases but forms a heterotetramer: a dimer of two heterodimers of the catalytic subunit (NEQ205) and the structural subunit (NEQ261). Surprisingly, NEQ261 alone forms a homodimer, similar to the previously known homodimer of the catalytic subunit. The homodimers of isolated subunits are inhibitory to heterodimerization as illustrated by a covalently linked catalytic homodimer that had no RNA cleavage activity upon mixing with the structural subunit. Detailed structural comparison reveals a more favorable hetero- than homodimerization interface, thereby suggesting a possible regulation mechanism of enzyme assembly through available subunits. Finally, the uniquely flexible active site of the NEQ endonuclease provides a possible explanation for its broader substrate specificity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30925630,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Imaging of Total Ankle Arthroplasty: Normal Imaging Findings and Hardware Complications.\nEnd-stage ankle osteoarthritis often significantly impacts patients' quality of life. This can be managed surgically either by ankle arthrodesis or total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). Although ankle arthrodesis is considered by some as the standard-of-care surgical option for this condition, it restricts range of motion and may lead to accelerated osteoarthritis of neighboring joints. Better understanding of ankle biomechanics, the biological effects of orthopaedic devices, and new surgical techniques have led to significant improvements in the designs of TAAs, and over the last several decades TAA has been used increasingly to treat patients with end-stage tibiotalar osteoarthritis. However, complication and ultimate failure rates remain greater than those seen with total knee and hip arthroplasty, and imaging is often critical in determining whether a prosthesis is beginning to fail. As a result, imagers should be familiar with the basic types of TAAs in clinical use, the normal radiographic appearances, as well as the common complications seen with this procedure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":50408,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The location of bacterial antigens on sections of Bacillus cereus by use of the soluble peroxidase--anti-peroxidase complex and unlabelled antibody.\nThe location of antigens on sections of bacteria using the soluble peroxidase-anti-peroxidase complex in conjunction with unlabelled antibody is described. Using this technique, spore antigens have been detected in the cytoplasm of vegetative cells during forespore septum formation and subsequent stages of sporulation. Antigenic sites were first associated with poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid granules and subsequently were found in increasing quantities in the cytoplasm of the sporangium. Vegetative cell antigens were located on the cell wall and in the cortical region during sporulation. During germination antigens were located in the cortical region, and during outgrowth on the cell wall. These findings are discussed in the light of existing biochemical data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20639549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Handedness, heritability, neurocognition and brain asymmetry in schizophrenia.\nHigher rates of non-right-handedness (i.e. left- and mixed-handedness) have been reported in schizophrenia and have been a centrepiece for theories of anomalous lateralization in this disorder. We investigated whether non-right-handedness is (i) more prevalent in patients as compared with unaffected siblings and healthy unrelated control participants; (ii) familial; (iii) associated with disproportionately poorer neurocognition; and (iv) associated with grey matter volume asymmetries. We examined 1445 participants (375 patients with schizophrenia, 502 unaffected siblings and 568 unrelated controls) using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, a battery of neuropsychological tasks and structural magnetic resonance imaging data. Patients displayed a leftward shift in Edinburgh Handedness Inventory laterality quotient scores as compared with both their unaffected siblings and unrelated controls, but this finding disappeared when sex was added to the model. Moreover, there was no evidence of increased familial risk for non-right-handedness. Non-right-handedness was not associated with disproportionate neurocognitive disadvantage or with grey matter volume asymmetries in the frontal pole, lateral occipital pole or temporal pole. Non-right-handedness was associated with a significant reduction in left asymmetry in the superior temporal gyrus in both patients and controls. Our data neither provide strong support for 'atypical' handedness as a schizophrenia risk-associated heritable phenotype nor that it is associated with poorer neurocognition or anomalous cerebral asymmetries.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35167276,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"RoboMoClo: A Robotics-Assisted Modular Cloning Framework for Multiple Gene Assembly in Biofoundry.\nEfficient and versatile DNA assembly frameworks have had an impact on promoting synthetic biology to build complex biological systems. To accelerate system development, laboratory automation (or biofoundry) provides an opportunity to construct organisms and DNA assemblies via computer-aided design. However, a modular cloning (MoClo) system for multiple DNA assemblies limits the biofoundry workflow in terms of simplicity and feasibility by preparing the number of cloning materials such as destination vectors prior to the automation process. Herein, we propose robot-assisted MoClo (RoboMoClo) to accelerate a synthetic biology project with multiple gene expressions at the biofoundry. The architecture of the RoboMoClo framework provides a hybrid strategy of hierarchical gene assembly and iterative gene assembly, and fewer destination vectors compared with other MoClo systems. An industrial bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum, was used as a model host for RoboMoClo. After building a biopart library (promoter and terminator; level 0) and evaluating its features (level 1), various transcriptional directions in multiple gene assemblies (level 2) were studied using the RoboMoClo vectors. Among the constructs, the convergent construct exhibited potential transcriptional interference through the collision of RNA polymerases. To study design of experiment-guided lycopene biosynthesis in C. glutamicum (levels 1, 2, and 3), the biofoundry-assisted multiple gene assembly was demonstrated as a proof-of-concept by constructing various sub-pathway units (level 2) and pathway units (level 3) for C. glutamicum. The RoboMoClo framework provides an improved MoClo toolkit for laboratory automation in a synthetic biology application.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23690820,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Polyomavirus JC in the context of immunosuppression: a series of adaptive, DNA replication-driven recombination events in the development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.\nPolyomavirus JC (JCV) is the etiological agent of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a demyelinating infection of oligodendrocytes in the brain. PML, a frequently fatal opportunistic infection in AIDS, has also emerged as a consequence of treatment with several new immunosuppressive therapeutic agents. Although nearly 80% of adults are seropositive, JCV attains an ability to infect glial cells in only a minority of people. Data suggest that JCV undergoes sequence alterations that accompany this ability, and these changes can be derived from an archetype strain by mutation, deletion, and duplication. While the introductory source and primary tissue reservoir of JCV remain unknown, lymphoid cells have been identified as potential intermediaries in progression of JCV to the brain. This review is focused on sequence changes in the noncoding control region (NCCR) of the virus. We propose an adaptive mechanism that involves a sequential series of DNA replication-driven NCCR recombination events involving stalled DNA replication forks at NCCR palindromic secondary structures. We shall describe how the NCCR sequence changes point to a model in which viral DNA replication drives NCCR recombination, allowing JCV adaptation to different cell types in its progression to neurovirulence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11557120,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Phase I\/II trial of docetaxel and vinorelbine in patients with non-small cell lung cancer previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy.\nWe conducted a phase I\/II trial of the combination of docetaxel and weekly vinorelbine in patients with stage IIIB or IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were refractory or resistant to platinum-based regimens. The objectives of the study were (1) to determine the maximum tolerated doses of docetaxel and weekly vinorelbine when given in combination and (2) to evaluate the response to and quantitative and qualitative toxicity of this combination of agents. Patients were required to have an ECOG performance status of 0 or 1, evaluable lesions, and no prior treatment with docetaxel or vinorelbine. A total of 30 patients were treated on this phase I\/II study. Eight patients were treated at various doses on the phase I portion of the study. Twenty-two patients (11 males, 11 females, median age 64.5 years) were treated at the phase II dose of vinorelbine 15 mg\/m(2) weekly with docetaxel 60 mg\/m(2) on day 1 of a 21 day cycle. Twenty of these 22 patients enrolled at the phase II dose required dose modification or delay. Sixteen patients experienced absolute neutrophil count (ANC) <500\/mm(3), and eight patients had neutropenic fever. Four patients experienced partial response (18%), nine patients had stable disease (41%), and nine patients had progressive disease (41%). With a median follow-up of 11 months, median survival for these 22 patients was 15.9 months (95% CI 8.1, 23.6 months). Median time to disease progression was 3.2 months with a 95% CI of (1.4, 4.1) months. Thus, the combination of docetaxel 60 mg\/m(2) every 3 weeks and vinorelbine 15 mg\/m(2) weekly appears to be active as a second line regimen in NSCLC, although it is a highly myelosuppressive regimen requiring dose modification in 91% of patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37772312,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Biomechanical comparison of titanium alloy additively manufactured and conventionally manufactured plate-screw constructs.\nTo biomechanically compare the bending stiffness, strength, and cyclic fatigue of titanium additively manufactured (AM) and conventionally manufactured (CM) limited contact plates (LCP) of equivalent dimensions using plate-screw constructs. Twenty-four 1.5\/2.0-mm plate constructs (CM: n = 12; AM: n = 12) were placed under 4-point bending conditions. Data were collected during quasi-static single cycle to failure and cyclic fatigue testing until implants plastically deformed or failed. Bending stiffness, bending structural stiffness, and bending strength were determined from load-displacement curves. Fatigue life was determined as number of cycles to failure. Median test variables for each method were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test within each group. Fatigue data was also analysed by the Kaplan-Meier estimator of survival function. There was no evidence for a difference in bending stiffness and bending structural stiffness between AM and CM constructs. However, AM constructs exhibited greater bending strength (median 3.07 (min 3.0, max 3.4) Nm) under quasi-static 4-point bending than the CM constructs (median 2.57 (min 2.5, max 2.6) Nm, p = 0.006). Number of cycles to failure under dynamic 4-point bending was higher for the CM constructs (median 164,272 (min 73,557, max 250,000) cycles) than the AM constructs (median 18,704 (min 14,427, max 33,228) cycles; p = 0.02). Survival analysis showed that 50% of AM plates failed by 18,842 cycles, while 50% CM plates failed by 78,543 cycles. Additively manufactured titanium implants, printed to replicate a conventional titanium orthopaedic plate, were more prone to failure in a shorter fatigue period despite being stronger in single cycle to failure. Patient-specific implants made using this process may be brittle and therefore not comparable to CM orthopaedic implants. Careful selection of their use on a case\/patient-specific basis is recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28244411,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Joint Estimation of Cardiac Toxicity and Recurrence Risks After Comprehensive Nodal Photon Versus Proton Therapy for Breast Cancer.\nThe study aims to perform joint estimation of the risk of recurrence caused by inadequate radiation dose coverage of lymph node targets and the risk of cardiac toxicity caused by radiation exposure to the heart. Delivered photon plans are compared with realistic proton plans, thereby providing evidence-based estimates of the heterogeneity of treatment effects in consecutive cases for the 2 radiation treatment modalities. Forty-one patients referred for postlumpectomy comprehensive nodal photon irradiation for left-sided breast cancer were included. Comparative proton plans were optimized by a spot scanning technique with single-field optimization from 2 en face beams. Cardiotoxicity risk was estimated with the model of Darby et al, and risk of recurrence following a compromise of lymph node coverage was estimated by a linear dose-response model fitted to the recurrence data from the recently published EORTC (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer) 22922\/10925 and NCIC-CTG (National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group) MA.20 randomized controlled trials. Excess absolute risk of cardiac morbidity was small with photon therapy at an attained age of 80 years, with median values of 1.0% (range, 0.2%-2.9%) and 0.5% (range, 0.03%-1.0%) with and without cardiac risk factors, respectively, but even lower with proton therapy (0.13% [range, 0.02%-0.5%] and 0.06% [range, 0.004%-0.3%], respectively). The median estimated excess absolute risk of breast cancer recurrence after 10 years was 0.10% (range, 0.0%-0.9%) with photons and 0.02% (range, 0.0%-0.07%) with protons. The association between age of the patient and benefit from proton therapy was weak, almost non-existing (Spearman rank correlations of -0.15 and -0.30 with and without cardiac risk factors, respectively). Modern photon therapy yields limited risk of cardiac toxicity in most patients, but proton therapy can reduce the predicted risk of cardiac toxicity by up to 2.9% and the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 0.9% in individual patients. Predicted benefit correlates weakly with age. Combined assessment of the risk from cardiac exposure and inadequate target coverage is desirable for rational consideration of competing photon and proton therapy plans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8083741,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Oligodendrocyte precursor quantitation and localization in perinatal brain using a retrospective bioassay.\nSeveral late stages of the oligodendrocyte (OL) developmental lineage can be identified immunologically in the newborn rat brain. However, OL lineage-specific markers are not available for the detection of the less mature, yet determined, OL precursors. We have developed a retrospective bioassay, combining limiting dilution analysis with a novel culture system, that quantitatively assesses the developmental potential in vivo of phenotypically undefined OL precursors in order to (1) demonstrate their existence, (2) estimate their total number in the premyelinated rat brain, and (3) demonstrate their presence in regions distal to germinal zones at times previously predicted to be devoid of such cells. Between embryonic day (E) 21 and postnatal day (P) 0, cells determined to become oligodendrocytes increase in frequency approximately 5-fold in the whole brain (from one precursor for every 365 cells to 1 in 74), and approximately 2.5-fold in the telencephalon (from 1 in 298 to 1 in 115). From these data it is calculated that a pool of approximately 10(6) phenotypically undefined cells are present in the newborn brain that are able to differentiate into OL in vitro. Further, by applying this assay to tissue samples of subdomains of the developing cerebellum, we have demonstrated that such cells are present in large numbers as early as E20 in regions sparsely populated with cells expressing the blastic neural cell marker ganglioside GD3, suggesting that they migrated to this position as a pre-GD3-expressing cell. These results significantly change the predicted ontogeny of the oligodendrocyte lineage and should fuel the ongoing search for these early OL precursors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20211773,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A new method to reduce frequency-temperature coefficient of sapphire-loaded cavities for compact hydrogen masers.\nTo reduce the size and weight of the hydrogen maser atomic clocks, some useful attempts and related research results about sapphire-loaded cylindrical cavities for hydrogen masers were reported by the Beijing Institute of Radio Metrology and Measurement. The fractional frequency stability of the order of 10(\u00bf15) over 10,000 seconds can be realized. However, because of a large frequency-temperature coefficient in a single sapphire bulb in the cavity, further improvement of the stability in the compact hydrogen clock was restricted. In this work, we chose several small single-crystal chips of SrTiO3 with a large negative frequency-temperature coefficient to compensate the sapphire microwave cavity. Based on the theoretical calculation, the frequency-temperature coefficient in the TE011 mode of a sapphire cavity associated with several small chips of SrTiO3 can be greatly reduced. A sapphire-loaded cavity and 8 compensated chips of SrTiO3 were prepared, and a combined cavity was simulated by finite element method and measured by experiments. When quality factor was kept above 40,000, the frequency-temperature coefficient can be reduced to about 1\/5 of its starting value. The experimental results agree very well with the calculation and simulation. Furthermore, this new method was applied in the compact hydrogen maser. Because of the decrease of temperature frequency shift, the hydrogen maser stability at medium- and long- term averaging time from 1 s to 10(5) s has an obvious improvement compared with the our previous results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30754088,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Inpatient continuous cardiac monitoring in hyper-acute stroke: a comparison between telemetry by cardiology and stroke unit.\nThis retrospective study assessed the pattern of telemetry usage and rates of atrial fibrillation (AF) detection in the 6 months pre- and post-implementation of stroke unit monitored telemetry; 122\/154 (79%) of patients had telemetry prior to implementation of stroke unit based telemetry and 164\/194 (85%) in the 5 months post (P = 0.31). The use of stroke unit based telemetry was associated with a small increase of telemetry usage and significant increase in telemetry hours per patient. AF detection was similar during the two study periods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16041208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Postoperative ERCP versus laparoscopic choledochotomy for clearance of selected bile duct calculi: a randomized trial.\nProspectively evaluate whether for patients having laparoscopic cholecystectomy with failed trans-cystic duct clearance of bile duct (BD) stones they should have laparoscopic choledochotomy or postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP). Clinical management of BD stones found at laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the last decade has focused on pre-cholecystectomy detection with ERCP clearance in those with suspected stones. This clinical algorithm successfully clears the stones in most patients, but no stones are found in 20% to 60% of patients and rare unpredictably severe ERCP morbidity can result in this group. Our initial experience of 300 consecutive patients with fluoroscopic cholangiography and intraoperative clearance demonstrated that, for the pattern of stone disease we see, 66% of patients' BD stones can be cleared via the cystic duct with dramatic reduction in morbidity compared to the 33% requiring choledochotomy or ERCP. Given the limitations of the preoperative approach to BD stone clearance, this trial was designed to explore the limitations, for patients failing laparoscopic trans-cystic clearance, of laparoscopic choledochotomy or postoperative ERCP. Across 7 metropolitan hospitals after failed trans-cystic duct clearance, patients were intraoperatively randomized to have either laparoscopic choledochotomy or postoperative ERCP. Exclusion criteria were: ERCP prior to referral for cholecystectomy, severe cholangitis or pancreatitis requiring immediate ERCP drainage, common BD diameter of less than 7 mm diameter, or if bilio-enteric drainage was required in addition to stone clearance. Drain decompression of the cleared BD was used in the presence of cholangitis, an edematous ampulla due to instrumentation or stone impaction and technical difficulties from local inflammation and fibrosis. The ERCP occurred prior to discharge from hospital. Mechanical and extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy was available. Sphincter balloon dilation as an alternative to sphincterotomy to allow stone extraction was not used. Major endpoints for the trial were operative time, morbidity, retained stone rate, reoperation rate, and hospital stay. From June 1998 to February 2003, 372 patients with BD stones had successful trans-cystic duct clearance of stones in 286, leaving 86 patients randomized into the trial. Total operative time was 10.9 minutes longer in the choledochotomy group (158.8 minutes), with slightly shorter hospital stay 6.4 days versus 7.7 days. Bile leak occurred in 14.6% of those having choledochotomy with similar rates of pancreatitis (7.3% versus 8.8%), retained stones (2.4% versus 4.4%), reoperation (7.3% versus 6.6%), and overall morbidity (17% versus 13%). These data suggest that the majority of secondary BD stones can be diagnosed at the time of cholecystectomy and cleared trans-cystically, with those failing having either choledochotomy or postoperative ERCP. However, because of the small trial size, a significant chance exists that small differences in outcome may exist. We would avoid choledochotomy in ducts less than 7 mm measured at the time of operative cholangiogram and severely inflamed friable tissues leading to a difficult dissection. We would advocate choledochotomy as a good choice for patients after Billroth 11 gastrectomy, failed ERCP access, or where long delays would occur for patient transfer to other locations for the ERCP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15740324,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Molecules in high spin states III: the millimeter\/submillimeter-wave spectrum of the MnCl radical (X (7)Sigma(+)).\nThe pure rotational spectrum of the MnCl radical (X (7)Sigma(+)) has been recorded in the range 141-535 GHz using millimeter-submillimeter direct absorption spectroscopy. This work is the first time the molecule has been studied with rotational resolution in its ground electronic state. MnCl was synthesized by the reaction of manganese vapor, produced in a Broida-type oven, with Cl(2). Transitions of both chlorine isotopomers were measured, as well as lines originating in several vibrationally excited states. The presence of several spin components and manganese hyperfine interactions resulted in quite complex spectra, consisting of multiple blended features. Because 42 rotational transitions were measured for Mn(35)Cl over a wide range of frequencies with high signal-to-noise, a very accurate set of rotational, fine structure, and hyperfine constants could be determined with the aid of spectral simulations. Spectroscopic constants were also determined for Mn(37)Cl and several vibrationally excited states. The values of the spin-rotation and spin-spin parameters were found to be relatively small (gamma=11.2658 MHz and lambda=1113.10 MHz for Mn(35)Cl); in the case of lambda, excited electronic states contributing to the second-order spin-orbit interaction may be canceling each other. The Fermi contact hyperfine term was found to be large in manganese chloride with b(F)(Mn(35)Cl)=397.71 MHz, a result of the manganese 4s character mixing into the 12sigma orbital. This orbital is spsigma hybridized, and contains some Mn 4psigma character, as well. Hence, it also contributes to the dipolar constant c, which is small and positive for this radical (c=32.35 MHz for Mn(35)Cl). The hyperfine parameters in MnCl are similar to those of MnH and MnF, suggesting that the bonding in these three molecules is comparable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2281799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Adenylate cyclase system of differentiating erythroid cells.\nThe review provides a survey of current knowledge about the changes in hormone-sensitive adenylate cyclase complex of erythroid cells. The basal enzyme activity decreases continuously during differentiation and maturation. Guanine nucleotides (GTP and GMP-P (NH)P) increase the adenylate cyclase activity of both early and late rabbit bone marrow erythroblasts. The stimulating effect of the beta 2-adrenergic drugs such as L-isoprenaline is limited to the immature cells. L-noradrenaline, a beta 1-agonist is inactive. The lack of response of non-dividing rabbit erythroblasts to beta-adrenergic stimuli is not due to loss of beta-receptors during differentiation, but to a decrease in the effectiveness of the coupling between the components of the system: receptor-guanine nucleotide regulatory protein-catalytic subunit. Prostaglandins E1 and E2 consistently enhance adenylate cyclase activity of erythroblasts on different stages of development. Erythropoietin (0.2 U\/ml) causes a transient increase in the activity of adenylate cyclase, which is maximal by 20 min incubation of the cells in the presence of the hormone and disappears within 4 hours. The magnitude of the response to erythropoietin depends on the stage of erythroid cell development and is inverse related to the extent of previous hormonal stimulation of the cell.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8069279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adolescent health promotion and risk reduction: cementing the social contract between pediatricians and the schools.\nIn this article the implications of a biopsychosocial model of adolescent health promotion for the delivery of relevant services in the schools are examined. Adolescent health status is reviewed and is found, despite existing efforts for health promotion and risk reduction, to be in need of substantial improvement. For this to happen, having an early and sustained positive impact on the health trajectory of children is essential; further school-based and school-linked curricular efforts for health promotion are a necessary feature of a successful strategy for adolescent health promotion. In fact, this approach brings to life the social contract between pediatricians and the public to apply the biopsychosocial model at both clinical and societal levels. Curricula serve as the glue that binds diverse health-related concerns and findings emerging from health research into a coordinated, thorough, and detailed strategy and set of actions for school-based and school-linked health promotion efforts. School-linked health programs are consistent with a biopsychosocial perspective, from which the school is best viewed as a health-promoting environment, centered in concepts and practices outlined in and conveyed through the curriculum and associated instructional practices and delivery systems. Many benefits can result from pediatricians and other medical professionals taking a renewed, prominent role in comprehensive school-based and school-linked health promotion efforts, beginning in the early grades, when the trajectory of adolescent health is strongly set into motion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28706984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The UK National Registry of ABO and HLA Antibody Incompatible Renal Transplantation: Pretransplant Factors Associated With Outcome in 879 Transplants.\nABO and HLA antibody incompatible (HLAi) renal transplants (AIT) now comprise around 10% of living donor kidney transplants. However, the relationship between pretransplant factors and medium-term outcomes are not fully understood, especially in relation to factors that may vary between centers. The comprehensive national registry of AIT in the United Kingdom was investigated to describe the donor, recipient and transplant characteristics of AIT. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare survival of AIT to all other compatible kidney transplants performed in the United Kingdom. Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to determine which pretransplant factors were associated with transplant survival in HLAi and ABOi separately. The primary outcome was transplant survival, taking account of death and graft failure. For 522 HLAi and 357 ABO incompatible (ABOi) transplants, 5-year transplant survival rates were 71% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66-75%) for HLAi and 83% (95% CI, 78-87%) for ABOi, compared with 88% (95% CI, 87-89%) for 7290 standard living donor transplants, and 78% (95% CI, 77-79%) for 15 322 standard deceased donor transplants (P < 0.0001). Increased chance of transplant loss in HLAi was associated with increasing number of donor specific HLA antibodies, center performing the transplant, antibody level at the time of transplant, and an interaction between donor age and dialysis status. In ABOi, transplant loss was associated with no use of IVIg, cytomegalovirus seronegative recipient, 000 HLA donor-recipient mismatch; and increasing recipient age. Results of AIT were acceptable, certainly in the context of a choice between living donor AIT and an antibody compatible deceased donor transplant. Several factors were associated with increased chance of transplant loss, and these can lead to testable hypotheses for further improving therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18939771,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Outbreaks of salmonellosis in Minnesota (1998 through 2006) associated with frozen, microwaveable, breaded, stuffed chicken products.\nFrom 1998 through 2006, four outbreaks of salmonellosis associated with raw, frozen, microwaveable, breaded, prebrowned, stuffed chicken products were identified in Minnesota. In 1998, 33 Salmonella Typhimurium cases were associated with a single brand of Chicken Kiev. In 2005, four Salmonella Heidelberg cases were associated with a different brand and variety (Chicken Broccoli and Cheese). From 2005 to 2006, 27 Salmonella Enteritidis cases were associated with multiple varieties of product, predominately of the same brand involved in the 1998 outbreak. In 2006, three Salmonella Typhimurium cases were associated with the same brand of product involved in the 2005 Salmonella Heidelberg outbreak. The outbreak serotype and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis subtype of Salmonella were isolated from product in each outbreak. In these outbreaks, most individuals affected thought that the product was precooked due to its breaded and prebrowned nature, most used a microwave oven, most did not follow package cooking instructions, and none took the internal temperature of the cooked product. Similar to previous salmonellosis outbreaks associated with raw, breaded chicken nuggets or strips in Canada and Australia, inadequate labeling, consumer responses to labeling, and microwave cooking were the key factors in the occurrence of these outbreaks. Modification of labels, verification of cooking instructions by the manufacturer, and notifications to alert the public that these products contain raw poultry, implemented because of the first two outbreaks, did not prevent the other outbreaks. Microwave cooking is not recommended as a preparation method for these types of products, unless they are precooked or irradiated prior to sale.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3965701,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Structural requirements for muscarinic receptor occupation and receptor activation by oxotremorine analogs in the guinea-pig ileum.\nThe muscarinic activities in the isolated guinea-pig ileum of nine analogs of oxotremorine, modified only in the amino group, were resolved into affinity and efficacy components. The method used involved analysis of dose-response data before and after fractional inactivation of receptors with propylbenzilylcholine mustard. The dissociation constants (KA) thus obtained for oxotremorine (6.79 X 10(-7) M), oxotremorine methiodide (6.74 X 10(-6) M) and oxotremorine-M (2.92 X 10(-6) M) agreed well with their reported low-affinity dissociation constants (KL) determined in receptor binding studies. There was no correlation between relative affinities and efficacies of the nine agonists studied, suggesting different structural requirements for occupation and activation of muscarinic receptors in the guinea-pig ileum. Although oxotremorine had higher affinity than its analogs, some of the latter had substantially greater efficacy than oxotremorine. Thus, replacement of the pyrrolidine ring of oxotremorine by azetidino, dimethylamino or trimethylammonium groups was accompanied by a 4- to 7-fold increase in efficacy. A diethylamino group in place of pyrrolidine gave an 18-fold decrease in efficacy and a triethylammonium group abolished efficacy. The relative efficacies of the nine agonists were inversely correlated with the size of the amino or ammonium group. No significant correlation was observed between relative affinities for the receptor and size of the cationic head.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23216368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Non-fatal occupational falls on the same level.\nThe purpose of this study was to describe antecedents and characteristics of same level fall injuries. Fall incidents and costs were compiled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources from 2006-2010. This study indicated that over 29% of 'fall on same level' injuries resulted in 31 or more workdays lost. The major source of injury was 'floors, walkways or ground surfaces', and the most affected body parts were the lower extremities and the trunk. With regard to gender and age, female workers had the highest risk of falls, while advancing age coincided with an increase in incidence rates. Overall, workers in the healthcare and social assistance industry, the transportation and warehousing industry, and the accommodation and food services industry had the highest risk for 'fall on same level' injuries. Furthermore, the overall compensation cost increased by 25% from 2006-2009. Along with existing evidence, these results may facilitate the design and implementation of preventative measures in the workplace and potentially reduce fall-related compensation costs. This research presents a unique and detailed analysis of non-fatal 'fall on same level' injuries in a large population of workers from various private industries in the USA. This information can be used to prioritise designing and implementing preventive measures and to provide workers with the understanding of risk factors associated with falls in the workplace.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23117352,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Efforts to achieve anastomosis forms in coronary artery bypass grafting; cuff-like and skirt-like anastomoses].\nAs the type of anastomotic site is considered to be one of the decisive factors for graft-patency in coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG),our aim is to achieve anastomosis forms that potentially promote long-term graft-patency rates. When an arterial graft is used, side-to-side anastomosis is performed, with its incision length being longer than that of the coronary artery, to achieve a cuff-like anastomosis form. When a vein graft is used, on the other hand, it is incised shorter than the coronary artery to achieve a skirt-like anastomosis form instead of a purse-like one. It is thus expected that reliable anastomosis forms can be observed in postoperative angiography.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16420336,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Changes in the timing of SIDS deaths in 1989 and 1999: indirect evidence of low homicide prevalence among reported cases.\nAn unknown proportion of cases diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are misdiagnosed, and in some cases are homicides. Because recent SIDS prevention measures were unlikely to reduce homicides, changes in the reported timing of SIDS cases provide an indirect measure of covert homicides in this group. This paper uses United States vital statistics microdata to explore these questions. The sample includes all reported infant deaths to singletons with birthweight > 500 g in the 1989 and 1999 US birth cohorts. Deaths attributed to SIDS (n = 7708), homicide (n = 597), or object inhalation and mechanical suffocation (n = 860) are specifically examined. If reported SIDS cases were a mixture of 'true' cases and misdiagnosed homicides, it is hypothesised that the age-at-death distribution of SIDS deaths would have changed to reflect greater prevalence of misdiagnosed homicide. We find that the age-at-death distribution of reported SIDS cases was virtually unchanged in the two cohorts, showing no increase during periods of infancy when relative homicide risk is most pronounced. One cannot reject the hypothesis that the timing was drawn from the same distribution (chi2(52)= 62.2, P = 0.157). Analogous results hold for infants born in circumstances associated with high homicide risk (chi2(50) = 61.5, P = 0.12). The stable age-at-death distribution of reported SIDS cases between 1989 and 1999 suggests that covert homicides are a small fraction of reported SIDS cases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30737818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical trials in traumatic brain injury: cellular therapy and outcome measures.\nClinical trials for traumatic brain injury (TBI) have not successfully produced a new therapeutic for neuroprotection or neurorestoration, despite multiple attempts. Stem cell-based therapies and\/or cellular therapies have been developed over the past 20 years such that clinical trials are now in Phase II and III stages for neurologic diseases such as TBI and stroke. Many of the vexing issues from past clinical failures still exist today, namely, preclinical data that may not translate to clinical trial because of design and injury heterogeneity that poorly stratifies enrolled patients. Recognition of these problems has led us to advocate for outcome measures that are clinically meaningful, but do not represent a global functional \"score.\" Specifically, we seek to measure those early physiologically relevant outcomes (intracranial pressure, edema, and therapeutic intensity) and later structural outcomes in regions of interest that are linked to putative mechanisms of action of cell based therapies. Early approval of therapeutics that are successful by these metrics would then allow further access to treatments that could be further tested via patient registries and other surveillance for ultimate adoption. Continuing to do the same thing with each iterative trial will assure the same results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16434726,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A tale of two signals: Wnt and Hedgehog in dentate neurogenesis.\nIt is now widely accepted that discrete regions of the adult brain contain stem cells that continue to generate new neurons. However, it remains unclear what molecular signals define the neurogenic niche and how such signals act on the heterogeneous cell populations within these regions. Here we discuss two recent studies that demonstrate the role of Wnt and Sonic Hedgehog signaling in neurogenic zones. Wnts act on neuronal precursors that mature and contribute to the dentate gyrus (DG), whereas Sonic Hedgehog affects the bona fide stem cells and transit amplifying cells (the partially committed progeny of stem cells). These studies further define how discrete populations of cells react to specific extracellular signals provided within the neurogenic niche to survive, proliferate, and form functional mature cell types.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31652442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Berberine improves insulin resistance in adipocyte models by regulating the methylation of hypoxia-inducible factor-3\u03b1.\nMethylation of hypoxia-inducible factor-3\u03b1 (HIF3A) was previously demonstrated to be highly associated with insulin resistance (IR) in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We aimed to study the therapeutic effects of Berberine (BBR) on GDM and the possible mechanisms. The expressions and methylated states of HIF3A in pregnant women with GDM were compared with that in healthy controls. The IR cell models of 3T3-L1 adipocytes was constructed by 1 \u03bcmol\/l dexamethasone (Dex) and 1 \u03bcmol\/l insulin (Ins). To evaluate the effects of BBR on IR adipocyte models, cells were subjected to BBR treatment at different concentrations. Transfection of HIF3A siRNA further confirmed the role of HIF3A in the BBR-induced improving effects. Low expression and high methylation of HIF3A gene were frequent in the GDM pregnancies. BBR treatment noticeably increased the glucose usage rates, adiponectin secretion and cell differentiation of IR 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Increased HIF3A expression and decreased methylated state of HIF3A were also found in IR adipocytes. Furthermore, HIF3A silencing not only reversed the effects of BBR on improving insulin sensibility, but also partially abolished the expression alterations of insulin-related genes in IR adipocytes induced by BBR treatment. Our results suggest that BBR improves insulin sensibility in IR adipocyte models, and the improving effects of BBR are possibly realized through the inhibition of HIF3A methylation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":13974619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A review of recent advances in scientific knowledge of the symptomatology, pathology and pathogenesis of onchoceral infections.\nIn this review, the author discusses separately the cutaneous and the ocular aspects of the symptomatology, pathology and pathogenesis of onchocercal infections. Original results are also reported on dermal onchocerciasis.The less well known lesions are described in greater detail than the better-known. Among the former are the association of cutaneous tumours with dermal onchocerciasis, depigmentation of the skin, and the posterior ocular lesions. In dealing with the pathology of dermal onchocerciasis, the author demonstrates that the main effect of the death of the parasites is on the blood vessels, causing them to become atrophic so that the consequent anoxia gives rise to the better-known, more obvious changes of pachyderma.The relationship of allergic and nutritional factors with the different lesions is discussed. It is pointed out that the evidence connecting the symptomatology with allergy is not very conclusive while the evidence connecting nutritional factors with the ocular manifestations continues to mount.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34800014,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Long-term within- and between-subject biological variation of 29 routine laboratory measurands in athletes.\nWithin- and between-subject biological variation (BV) estimates have many applications in laboratory medicine. However, robust high-quality BV estimates are lacking for many populations, such as athletes. This study aimed to deliver BV estimates of 29 routine laboratory measurands derived from a Biological Variation Data Critical Appraisal Checklist compliant design in a population of high-endurance athletes. Eleven samples per subject were drawn from 30 triathletes monthly, during a whole sport season. Serum samples were measured in duplicate for proteins, liver enzymes, lipids and kidney-related measurands on an Advia2400 (Siemens Healthineers). After outlier and homogeneity analysis, within-subject (CVI) and between-subject (CVG) biological variation estimates were delivered (CV-ANOVA and log-ANOVA, respectively) and a linear mixed model was applied to analyze the effect of exercise and health related variables. Most CVI estimates were similar or only slightly higher in athletes compared to those reported for the general population, whereas two- to three-fold increases were observed for amylase, ALT, AST and ALP. No effect of exercise and health related variables were observed on the CVI estimates. For seven measurands, data were not homogeneously distributed and BV estimates were therefore not reported. The observation of higher CVI estimates in athletes than what has been reported for the general population may be related to physiological stress over time caused by the continuous practice of exercise. The BV estimates derived from this study could be applied to athlete populations from disciplines in which they exercise under similar conditions of intensity and duration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10864202,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Telomerase activity is frequently found in metaplastic and malignant human nasopharyngeal tissues.\nTelomerase is a specialized ribonucleoprotein polymerase that directs the synthesis of telomere repeats at chromosome ends. Accumulating evidence has indicated that telomerase is stringently repressed in normal human somatic tissues but reactivated in cancers and immortal cells, suggesting that reactivation of telomerase plays an important role in carcinogenesis. In this study, the status of telomerase activity in diseased human nasopharyngeal lesions was determined by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP). Fifty-four patients participated including 17 inflammation or hyperplasia, eight with squamous metaplasia, and 29 with different stages of carcinomas. Telomerase activity was detected in 1 of 17 (5.9%) inflammatory or lymphoid hyperplastic tissues, 3 of 8 (37.5%) squamous metaplastic, and 25 of 29 (86.2%) carcinoma tissues. The differences in telomerase expression in these groups is statistically significant (P < 0.001). Levels of telomerase activity correlated with tumour stage (P = 0.024). These results suggest that telomerase reactivation plays a role in the carcinogenesis of nasopharyngeal cancer. Since telomerase activity is found in the majority of nasopharyngeal cancers and a subset of metaplasia, this enzyme may be served as a reference to monitoring the status of abnormal nasopharyngeal tissues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24839548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Two patients with a neuroendocrine tumour of the small intestine and paraneoplastic myasthenia gravis.\nThis paper reports on two patients with a long-standing diagnosis of an ENETS stage IV neuroendocrine tumour (NET) of the small intestine who developed neurological symptoms. The first patient only had bulbar symptoms and tested positive for acetylcholine receptor antibodies. The second patient had more classical symptoms of fatigable diplopia and muscle weakness of the legs, but no detectable antibodies. The diagnosis of paraneoplastical myasthenia gravis (MG) was postulated. Both patients were treated with pyridostigmine for MG and octreotide for the NETs. Interestingly, treatment of the NETs resulted in improvement of myasthenic symptoms. Paraneoplastic MG has been described to occur with certain malignancies, mainly thymoma. Herein, we prove that the association with gastrointestinal NETs, however, rare, is also one to be considered by clinicians dealing with either of these diseases. The pathogenesis has yet to be elucidated. NETs are rare malignancies with a wide variety of symptoms.Paraneoplastic MG can occur with various types of malignancies.Herein, we provide evidence of paraneoplastic MG in association with a grade IV NET of the small intestine.Treatment of the NETs resulted in remission of myasthenic symptoms in one patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23118586,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Intrahepatic portosystemic venous shunt: successful embolization using the Amplatzer Vascular Plug II.\nA 67-year-old woman presented with memory impairment and behavioral changes. Brain MRI indicated hepatic encephalopathy. Abdominal CT scans revealed an intrahepatic portosystemic venous shunt that consisted of two shunt tracts to the aneurysmal sac that communicated directly with the right hepatic vein. The large tract was successfully occluded by embolization using the newly available AMPLATZERTM Vascular Plug II and the small tract was occluded by using coils. The patient's symptoms disappeared after shunt closure and she remained free of recurrence at the 3-month follow-up evaluation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15911569,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genome-wide screen for inner nuclear membrane protein targeting in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: roles for N-acetylation and an integral membrane protein.\nAppropriate nuclear membrane structure is important for all eukaryotic organisms as evidenced by the numerous human diseases and alterations in gene expression caused by inappropriate targeting of proteins to the inner nuclear membrane (INM). We report here the first genome-wide screen to identify proteins functioning in INM targeting. We transformed to near completion the 4850 members of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae deletion collection of unessential genes in the 96-well format with a plasmid encoding a reporter protein, Trm1-II-GFP, which normally resides at the INM. We found that deletion of genes encoding subunits of the N-terminal acetyltransferase, NatC, cause mislocation of Trm1-II-GFP from the INM to the nucleoplasm. Mass spectroscopic analysis indicates that Trm1-II-GFP is N-acetylated. N-terminal mutations of Trm1-II-GFP predicted to ablate N-acetylation cause nucleoplasmic location, whereas a variant with an N-terminal alteration predicted to allow N-acetylation by NatC is located at the INM, providing genetic support that Trm1p-II N-acetylation is necessary for its subnuclear INM location. However, because N-acetylation appears not to be sufficient for INM targeting, it may provide a necessary role for INM targeting by affecting Trm1-II-GFP structure and exposure of cis-acting INM targeting motifs. We also discovered that YIL090W\/Ice2p, an integral membrane protein located in the endoplasmic reticulum, is necessary for efficient targeting of Trm1-II-GFP to the INM. YIL090W\/Ice2p may serve as a tether for INM proteins or as a regulator of INM tethers. Our methodology can be extrapolated to obtain genome-wide perspectives of mechanisms necessary to achieve appropriate subcellular and\/or suborganellar location for any resident protein.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7571492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The organizational characteristics of psychiatric care in modern local wars and armed conflicts].\nIn order to improve the organization of psychiatric care in modern local wars and armed conflicts the authors propose to follow a number of basic principles: to bring psychiatric care closer to the forward combat zone; to realize prognostic triage throughout casualty staging; to assure in maximum the return of minimally wounded and sick to their ranks directly from the forward zone; to unify the approaches to diagnosis, treatment and rating evaluation of psychic disorders; to observe the sequence and succession in psychiatric care; to realize recovery measures throughout all stages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3204364,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Dissociation of changes in apparent myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity and twitch relaxation induced by adrenergic and cholinergic stimulation in isolated ferret cardiac muscle.\nIn isolated, aequorin-injected ferret cardiac muscle we measured the apparent myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity and its relationship to twitch relaxation time in the presence of autonomic perturbations. The Ca2+-tension relation was determined from the peak aequorin luminescence and peak twitch tension measured in muscles across a broad range of bathing [Ca2+] in the presence and absence of acetylcholine (ACh) (1 microM) or isoproterenol (ISN) (1 microM), or both drugs. ACh shifted the relationship of peak tension to (peak) aequorin light leftward, which suggests an increase in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity, but it did not alter relaxation, which was measured as the time for peak tension to decay by 50% (t 1\/2 R). ISN produced its previously documented effects, i.e., a rightward shift of the relationship of peak tension to peak aequorin light and a decrease in t1\/2R. ACh abolished the ISN effect on the peak tension-aequorin light relationship but did not reverse the effect of ISN to decrease t1\/2R. The effects of ACh and ISN of modulating the apparent myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in intact muscles, corroborate findings of previous studies in isolated myofibrillar preparations. However, these perturbations of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in the intact muscle do not relate to twitch relaxation, measured as t1\/2R, since (a) ACh affects the former but not the later and (b) the effect of ISN on the Ca2+-tension relationship is abolished by ACh, while the relaxant effect persists.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28239390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Using Landscape Genetics Simulations for Planting Blister Rust Resistant Whitebark Pine in the US Northern Rocky Mountains.\nRecent population declines to the high elevation western North America foundation species whitebark pine, have been driven by the synergistic effects of the invasive blister rust pathogen, mountain pine beetle (MPB), fire exclusion, and climate change. This has led to consideration for listing whitebark pine (WBP) as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, which has intensified interest in developing management strategies for maintaining and restoring the species. An important, but poorly studied, aspect of WBP restoration is the spatial variation in adaptive genetic variation and the potential of blister rust resistant strains to maintain viable populations in the future. Here, we present a simulation modeling framework to improve understanding of the long-term genetic consequences of the blister rust pathogen, the evolution of rust resistance, and scenarios of planting rust resistant genotypes of whitebark pine. We combine climate niche modeling and eco-evolutionary landscape genetics modeling to evaluate the effects of different scenarios of planting rust-resistant genotypes and impacts of wind field direction on patterns of gene flow. Planting scenarios showed different levels for local extirpation of WBP and increased population-wide blister rust resistance, suggesting that the spatial arrangement and choice of planting locations can greatly affect survival rates of whitebark pine. This study presents a preliminary, but potentially important, framework for facilitating the conservation of whitebark pine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33828387,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prescribing of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, Tramadol, and Opioids in Children: Patterns of Its Utilization.\nAnalgesic is commonly used in children but little is known about its patterns of utilization. This study explored the patterns of analgesic prescribing in children. This cross-sectional study used prescription databases of tertiary hospital settings in Malaysia from 2010 to 2016. Prescriptions for nine NSAIDs (diclofenac, ketoprofen, etoricoxib, celecoxib, ibuprofen, indomethacin, mefenamic acid, meloxicam, and naproxen), tramadol, and five other opioids (morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl, buprenorphine, and dihydrocodeine) prescribed for children aged <18 years were included. Number of annual patients and prescriptions were measured and analyzed using Stata v15. During a 7-year study period, a total of 5040 analgesic prescriptions of the nine NSAIDs, tramadol, and five other opioids were prescribed for 2460 pediatric patients (81.8% NSAIDs patients, 17.9% tramadol patients, and 0.3% opioid patients). Ibuprofen was the primary analgesic in young children less than 12 years old (\u22642 years old [y.o.] [75%], 3-5 y.o. [85%], and 6-12 y.o. [56.3%]). However, there was a wide range of analgesics used in older children (>12 y.o.) with the majority for naproxen (13-15 y.o. (28.2%) and 16-17 y.o. (28.2%). Other frequently prescribed analgesics for older children included ibuprofen (20.6%) and diclofenac (18.2%) for 12-15 y.o. and diclofenac (26.7%) and tramadol (17.6%) for 16-17 y.o. Ibuprofen was the primary analgesic for children less than 12 y.o., whereas there was a wide range of analgesics prescribed for children age >12 y.o. including naproxen, diclofenac, and tramadol.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19870942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A CRYSTALLINE PRESSOR SUBSTANCE (ANGIOTONIN) RESULTING FROM THE REACTION BETWEEN RENIN AND RENIN-ACTIVATOR.\n1. Renin reacts with renin-activator to form a strong pressor substance which is heat-stable, water- and alcohol-soluble, fluorescent, acid-stable, and alkali-labile. It is a reducing substance and is destroyed by strong oxidizing substances. It forms crystalline salts with oxalic and picric acids. The color reaction for arginine is the only one found to be strongly positive. It is suggested that this substance be called angiotonin. 2. Angiotonin produces a sharp, immediate rise in arterial pressure when injected intravenously. Pithing and dissipation of the anesthetic appear to increase the response. Tachyphylaxis occurs, in contrast to renin, only after many single doses. 3. The responses to adrenaline and angiotonin do not parallel one another. Cocaine, atropine, and stilbestrol do not affect the pressor action of angiotonin. Suprarenalectomy in brief experiments is also without effect. 4. Maximal amounts of angiotonin result when the proportion between renin and activator is roughly 3 to 100. This is not a stoichiometric relationship in the chemical sense. The temperature suitable for good yields is about 38 degrees C., and the time of reaction from 10 to 20 minutes. 5. Renin destroys angiotonin when incubated with it. 6. Angiotonin causes marked contraction of intestinal segments of rabbits without reducing their rhythmic motion. It sensitizes the intestine to further doses of angiotonin and alters the intestine such that renin-activator contracts it. Angiotonin also constricts the vessels of a rabbit's ear perfused with blood or Ringer's solution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7780426,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Evaluation of optimal stent size after endourologic incision of ureteral strictures.\nThe stent size necessary to promote optimal ureteral healing after an endoureterotomy is not known. We compared healing of an endoureterotomy over a 7F indwelling ureteral stent with healing over a 14F endopyelotomy stent. A midureteral stricture was created in each of 25 anesthetized female minipigs using an electrified stone basket passed retrograde. Six weeks later, the stricture was incised with a 24F cutting balloon device. Twenty pigs were randomized to receive a 7F or a 14F stent; four control pigs received neither incisions nor stents. At 1 week, a radiograph was performed to confirm proper stent position, and the stents were removed. At 3 months, a retrograde ureterogram was performed, and the ureters were examined grossly and harvested for histologic studies. Two of the ten pigs in each study group developed a recurrent stricture. The use of a 14F stent provided no advantage over the use of a smaller, more easily positioned 7F stent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35517128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Developing non-isocyanate urethane-methacrylate photo-monomers for 3D printing application.\nUrethane-methacrylate photo-monomers were prepared via a non-isocyanate route for the 3D printing application. The monomers were synthesized through reacting aliphatic amines, i.e. 1,6-hexanediamine, 1,4-butanediol bis(3-aminopropyl) ether, or n-butylamine, with cyclic carbonates, i.e. ethylene carbonate or propylene carbonate, followed by the methacrylation of the generated hydroxylurethanes. The effects of the chemical structure of monomers on their photo-reactivity and physicomechanical properties of the cured samples were studied. Propylene carbonate generated side methyl groups within the urethane block, which significantly limited the crystallization of the monomers resulting in high photo-reactivity (R p,max = 6.59 \u00d7 10-2 s-1) and conversion (DBCtotal = 85%). The ether bonds of 1,4-butanediol bis(3-aminopropyl) ether decreased the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between urethane blocks, which not only improved the photo-reactivity (R p,max = 8.18 \u00d7 10-2 s-1) and conversion (DBCtotal = 86%) of the monomer but led to a high crosslinking density (\u03bd c = 5140 mol m-3) and more flexibility for the cured sample. An ink was developed based on the monomers and successfully 3D printed on a digital light processing machine. In the absence of toxic isocyanates and tin compounds, the non-isocyanate route can be employed to develop urethane-methacrylates with desirable photo-reactivity and physicomechanical properties as good candidates to formulate inks for 3D printing of biomedical materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23117514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Factors associated with initiation on clozapine and on other antipsychotics among Medicaid enrollees.\nDemographic and clinical factors associated with starting clozapine and other antipsychotics were examined. New York State Medicaid claims from 2008 to 2009 identified individuals with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder, continuous Medicaid eligibility during the study, and at least one clinic service and antipsychotic fill. The sample included individuals who initiated an antipsychotic without any fills for the same medication in the prior 90 days (N=7,035). Only 144 patients (2%) started on clozapine. They were more likely to be younger, white males who had received services in a state-operated facility, with more hospital admissions and higher total psychiatric costs. African Americans and Hispanics were less likely than whites to start on clozapine. Individuals with substance use disorders were less likely than those without them to start on clozapine. Clozapine was rarely prescribed, and problematic disparities were found. Quality improvement efforts are needed to ensure that patients are offered this effective treatment when appropriate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8113761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intermediates in influenza virus PR\/8 haemagglutinin-induced membrane fusion.\nThe fusion kinetics with erythrocyte ghosts of two influenza A virus strains, A\/Aichi\/2\/68 (X:31) and A\/PR\/8\/34 (PR\/8), were compared and correlated with the kinetics of haemagglutinin (HA) conformational change. Previously it had been shown that X:31 fuses with liposomes or erythrocytes at 4 degrees C, pH 5 after a lag time of 5 to 10 min whereas PR\/8 displayed no fusion with liposomes at that temperature. We have confirmed the absence of cold fusion by PR\/8 with erythrocyte ghosts. In contrast to X:31, PR\/8 could not be committed to fuse at neutral pH and 37 degrees C by a preincubation at low pH and 4 degrees C. To examine whether the lack of commitment and cold fusion were due to a failure of PR\/8 HA to undergo conformational changes at low temperature and pH, we analysed susceptibility of HA to proteinase K digestion, liposome binding to the virus, and immunoprecipitations of HA with conformation-specific antibodies. Although there was little binding of PR\/8 to liposomes at 4 degrees C and pH 5, we did observe exposure of the fusion peptide. This study reveals a low temperature intermediate in membrane fusion exhibited by the HA of influenza virus strain PR\/8, which involves low pH-induced conformational changes including exposure of the fusion peptide with little interaction of HA with the target membrane.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9646558,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Seroprevalence versus Parvovirus B19 in blood donors].\nThe aim of the study was to describe the seroprevalence against Parvovirus B19 in a random sample of blood donors in the Hospital Universitario de Salamanca. We studied the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies against Parvovirus B19 in 136 sera from asymptomatic blood donors by enzyme immunoassay methods. From 136 samples tested, 88 (64.7%) had positive absorbance values for IgG. Forty eight samples (35.5%) were negative. IgM was negative in all cases. We did not find indeterminate results. Parvovirus primoinfection usually happens in the childhood. Thus, we can expect a high percentage of general population to have antibodies against Parvovirus B19. Anti-Parvovirus B19 antibodies prevalence in blood donors was 64.7%. This failure is similar to data reported before (65%). Clinical importance of these viruses in currently related with hemathopoyesis diseases and with the possible role in theratogenesis. The presence of IgG seems to give protection except in some chronic infections recently described.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15348686,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The interaction of dental cements with aqueous solutions of varying pH.\nA study is reported in which a series of dental cements of varying types (zinc phosphate, zinc polycarboxylate, glass-ionomer and resin-modified glass-ionomer) was exposed to aqueous solutions of differing pH for time intervals of a week, after which the pH of the storage solutions was determined. The results showed that all of the acid-base cements altered the pH of their storage solution, regardless of whether that initial solution was weakly acidic, weakly alkaline or close to neutral. All cements were found to act as buffers, because they not only increased the pH of the weakly acidic lactic acid solution, but they also decreased the pH of the weakly alkaline artificial saliva. In deionized water, the zinc polycarboxylate generally increased pH, while all other cements reduced it. In all cases, these results were shown to be repeatable on exposure to fresh-aqueous solutions of the appropriate pH for a further week, such experiments being carried out for up to six weeks. In terms of mass change, in most solutions, there was a modest increase during the first week, after which the mass remained steady. In lactic acid, zinc phosphate and zinc polycarboxylate cements showed a gradual reduction in mass throughout the six weeks, whereas the glass-ionomers showed an initial increase, followed by a much slower decrease in mass. These results confirm that glass-ionomers are the most resistant of the cements towards acid erosion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21093988,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cortisol response to acute trauma and risk of posttraumatic stress disorder.\nThis study sought to characterize the variability of the acute cortisol response following trauma and its relationship to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Forty eight participants were recruited within 24h of a traumatic accident requiring hospital admission. A saliva sample was collected at 08.00 h and 16.00 h 2 days, 1 month and 6 months after hospital admission, together with 24-h urine collection. Participants completed a dexamethasone suppression test (0.5mg DEX at 21.00 h) at each follow up, together with self-report questionnaires. The Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) was administered at 1 and 6 months to identify PTSD. Prevalence of PTSD was 27% at 1 month and 21% at 6 months. PTSD symptoms at 6 months were negatively correlated with salivary cortisol at 08.00 h on day 2 (r=-0.36, p=0.04), but positively correlated with 16.00 h cortisols (r=0.41, p=0.03). A lower rise in cortisol at 08.00 h on day 2 was associated with an increase in risk of PTSD at both 1 month (OR=1.411 (1.017, 1.957)) and 6 months (OR=1.411 (1.066, 1.866)). At 1 month, 70% of participants with PTSD suppressed cortisol to more than 90% of pre-dex levels compared with 25% without PTSD (\u03c7(2)=6.77, p=0.034). Urinary cortisol excretion was not different between groups at any time point. The findings support a hypothesis that sensitization of the HPA axis and enhanced suppression of cortisol following the dexamethasone suppression test are established early in the disease process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8043743,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Lyme disease: a multisystemic condition].\nWhile Lyme's Disease is clinically well known since 1920, its complete ascertainment and its etiological agent, as well as the details of its transmission mechanisms and multisystemic clinical manifestations (mainly dermatological, cardiac, neurological and articular) have been only recently known. In Spain, the number of papers published on this affection has increased lately, although its understanding is still not as generalized as it should be. This review focuses mainly on our country's experience, as well as on its clinical characteristics. We think that it is a very important affection, since its estimated incidence is 500 cases per year, a significant figure compared to other European countries.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19474392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Novel bUT-B2 urea transporter isoform is constitutively activated.\nOur previous studies have detailed a novel facilitative UT-B urea transporter isoform, bUT-B2. Despite the existence of mouse and human orthologs, the functional characteristics of UT-B2 remain undefined. In this report, we produced a stable MDCK cell line that expressed bUT-B2 protein and investigated the transepithelial urea flux across cultured cell monolayers. We observed a large basal urea flux that was significantly reduced by known inhibitors of facilitative urea transporters; 1,3 dimethylurea (P < 0.001, n = 17), thionicotinamide (P < 0.05, n = 11), and phloretin (P < 0.05, n = 9). Pre-exposure for 1 h to the antidiuretic hormone vasopressin had no effect on bUT-B2-mediated urea transport (NS, n = 3). Acute vasopressin exposure for up to 30 min also failed to elicit any transient response (NS, n = 9). Further investigation confirmed that bUT-B2 function was not affected by alteration of intracellular cAMP (NS, n = 4), intracellular calcium (NS, n = 3), or protein kinase activity (NS, n = 4). Finally, immunoblot data suggested a possible role for glycosylation in regulating bUT-B2 function. In conclusion, this study showed that bUT-B2-mediated transepithelial urea transport was constitutively activated and unaffected by known regulators of renal UT-A urea transporters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8370725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparative evaluation of AccuProbe culture identification test for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and other rapid methods.\nThe AccuProbe chemiluminescent culture identification test for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Gen-Probe Inc., San Diego, Calif.) was assessed in a comparative evaluation with other rapid methods by using 269 isolates of oxidase-positive, gram-negative diplococci. Chemiluminescence was read with a PAL luminometer, and results were expressed as PAL light units (PLUs): the cutoff value for a positive identification was 1,500 PLUs. All 200 isolates of gonococci confirmed by carbohydrate utilization and serotyped with monoclonal antibodies were identified correctly by AccuProbe on initial testing. The API Quadferm system (Bio Merieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) identified 95% (n = 190) of the gonococci correctly on initial testing and 99.5% (n = 199) on repeat testing, while the Phadebact Monoclonal GC test (Kara Bio Diagnostics AB, Huddinge, Sweden) identified 95.5% (n = 191) of the gonococci on both initial and repeat testing; 8 of the Phadebact-negative isolates were all of the same rare serovar (serovar 1B-17). The mean PLU for the gonococcal isolates was 9,014 (range 2,264 to 10,845) compared with a mean of 51 (range, 8 to 109) for the 69 nongonococcal isolates. We conclude that the AccuProbe culture confirmation test provides a rapid and accurate objective means of identifying cultured N. gonorrhoeae isolates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35172996,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Development of a core outcome set for multimorbidity trials in low\/middle-income countries (COSMOS): study protocol.\n'Multimorbidity' describes the presence of two or more long-term conditions, which can include communicable, non-communicable diseases, and mental disorders. The rising global burden from multimorbidity is well documented, but trial evidence for effective interventions in low-\/middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited. Selection of appropriate outcomes is fundamental to trial design to ensure cross-study comparability, but there is currently no agreement on a core outcome set (COS) to include in trials investigating multimorbidity specifically in LMICs. Our aim is to develop international consensus on two COSs for trials of interventions to prevent and treat multimorbidity in LMIC settings. Following methods recommended by the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials initiative, the development of these two COSs will occur in parallel in three stages: (1) generation of a long list of potential outcomes for inclusion; (2) two-round online Delphi surveys and (3) consensus meetings. First, to generate an initial list of outcomes, we will conduct a systematic review of multimorbidity intervention and prevention trials and interviews with people living with multimorbidity and their caregivers in LMICs. Outcomes will be classified using an outcome taxonomy. Two-round Delphi surveys will be used to elicit importance scores for these outcomes from people living with multimorbidity, caregivers, healthcare professionals, policy makers and researchers in LMICs. Finally, consensus meetings including all of these stakeholders will be held to agree outcomes for inclusion in the two COSs. The study has been approved by the Research Governance Committee of the Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK (HSRGC\/2020\/409\/D:COSMOS). Each participating country\/research group will obtain local ethics board approval. Informed consent will be obtained from all participants. We will disseminate findings through peer-reviewed open access publications, and presentations at global conferences selected to reach a wide range of LMIC stakeholders. CRD42020197293.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":628397,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chlamydia trachomatis infant pneumonitis: comparison with matched controls and other infant pneumonitis.\nWe determined the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in 30 consecutive hospitalized infants less than six months of age with pneumonitis and in 28 matched controls (nine of 30 vs. one of 28. P less than 0.05). In comparing 16 cases of pneumonitis due to C. trachomatis with 27 not due to that agent, we found several distinguishing clinical and laboratory features: C. trachomatis was highly correlated with radiographic hyperinflation, prolonged cough and congestion, greater than or equal to 400 eosinophils per cubic millimeter and serum lgG greater than or equal to 500 and lgM greater than or equal to 110 mg per deciliter. C. trachomatis was responsible for 13 of 21 cases seen at three to 11 weeks vs. three of 22 seen at other ages. Antibody to C. trachomatis in tears (13 of 14 vs. two of 27), nasopharynx (12 of 14 vs. one of 27) and blood (16 of 16 vs. two of 23) was specific for C. trachomatis pneumonitis. C. trachomatis is prevalent among hospitalized infants with pneumonitis. Conjunctival infection precedes C. trachomatis pneumonitis more commonly than has previously been thought.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38114656,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Study of AEB and active seat belt on driver injury in vehicle-vehicle frontal oblique crash.\nThe safety of vehicle occupants in oblique collision scenarios continues to pose challenges, even with the implementation of Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems. While AEB reduces collision risks, studies indicate it may heighten injury risks for out-of-position (OOP) occupants. To counteract this issue, the integration of active seat belts in vehicles equipped with AEB systems is recommended. Firstly, this study established an oblique angle collision scenario post-AEB activation using data from the Chinese National Automobile Accident In-depth Investigation System (NAIS) database, analyzed through Prescan software. The dynamic response of the vehicle was examined. Following this, finite element (FE) models were validated to assess the effects of collision overlap rate, AEB braking strategy, and active seat belt pre-tensioning on occupant injuries and kinematics. Under specific collision conditions, the impact of the timing and amount of seat belt pre-tensioning, as well as airbag deployment timing on occupant injuries, was also explored. Findings revealed that a 75% collision overlap rate significantly increases driver injury risk. Active seat belts effectively mitigate injuries caused by OOP statuses during AEB interventions, with the lowest Weighted Injury Criterion (WIC) observed at a pre-tensioning time of 200 ms for active seat belts. The study further suggests that optimal results in reducing occupant injuries are achieved when active pre-tensioning seat belts are complemented by appropriately timed airbag deployment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14618895,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Nutrition for optimum wound healing.\nNutrition is crucial in a holistic approach to wound healing (Todorovic 2002). Nurses need to understand the roles of specific nutrients in wound healing. Such an understanding would enhance their role in the assessment of nutritional risk and enable them to obtain more easily the necessary support for patients to promote optimal wound healing. This concept is often neglected (Cartwright 2002). The literature shows that nutrition plays a key role in the pathology of wound healing. More research is needed into the effects of different food types on aspects of wound healing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27195197,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A case of split notochord syndrome: Presenting with respiratory failure in the neonatal period.\nSplit notochord syndrome (SNS) is a very rare congenital anomaly. This report describes a male newborn with a neuroenteric cyst in the posterior mediastinum and multiple vertebrae anomalies presenting with respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension. This report also discusses the embryological development and the etiologic theories of SNS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11553846,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SOCS proteins: negative regulators of cytokine signaling.\nCytokines regulate the growth and differentiation of cells by binding to cell-surface receptors and activating intracellular signal transduction cascades such as the JAK-STAT pathway. Cytokine signaling is negatively regulated with respect to both magnitude and duration, and it is now clear that the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) family of proteins (SOCS1-SOCS7 and CIS) contributes significantly to this process. Transcripts encoding CIS, SOCS1, SOCS2, and SOCS3 are upregulated in response to cytokine stimulation, and the corresponding SOCS proteins inhibit cytokine-induced signaling pathways. SOCS proteins therefore form part of a classical negative feedback circuit. SOCS family members modulate signaling by several mechanisms, which include inactivation of the Janus kinases (JAKs), blocking access of the signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) to receptor binding sites, and ubiquitination of signaling proteins and their subsequent targeting to the proteasome. Gene targeting has been used to generate mice lacking socs1, socs2, or socs3, in order to elucidate the physiological function of these SOCS family members. The analysis of socs1(-\/-) mice has revealed that SOCS1 plays a key role in the negative regulation of interferon-gamma signaling and in T cell differentiation. Socs2(-\/-) mice are 30%-40% larger than wild-type mice, demonstrating that SOCS2 is a critical regulator of postnatal growth. Additionally, the study of embryos lacking socs3 has revealed that SOCS3 is an important regulator of fetal liver hematopoiesis. The biological role of other SOCS proteins remains to be determined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29799319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Role of Nrf2 in the Response to Normal Tissue Radiation Injury.\nThe transcription factor Nrf2 is an important modulator of antioxidant and drug metabolism, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, as well as heme and iron metabolism. Regulation of Nrf2 expression occurs transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. Post-transcriptional regulation entails ubiquitination followed by proteasome-dependent degradation. Additionally, Nrf2-mediated gene expression is subject to negative regulation by ATF3, Bach1 and cMyc. Nrf2-mediated gene expression is an important regulator of a cell's response to radiation. Although a majority of studies have shown that Nrf2 deficient cells are radiosensitized and Nrf2 over expression confers radioresistance, Nrf2's role in mediating the radiation response of crypt cells is controversial. The Nrf2 activator CDDO attenuates radiation-mediated crypt injury, whereas intestinal crypts in Nrf2 null mice are radiation resistant. Further investigation is needed in order to define the relationship between Nrf2 and radiation sensitivity in Lgr5+ and Bmi1+ cells that regulate regeneration of crypt stem cells. In hematopoietic compartments Nrf2 promotes the survival of irradiated osteoblasts that support long-term hematopoietic stem cell (LT-HSC) niches. Loss of Nrf2 in LT-HSCs increases stem cell intrinsic radiosensitivity, with the consequence of lowering the LD5030. An Nrf2 deficiency drives LT-HSCs from a quiescent to a proliferative state. This results in hematopoietic exhaustion and reduced engraftment after myoablative irradiation. The question of whether induction of Nrf2 in LT-HSC enhances hematopoietic reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation is not yet resolved. Irradiation of the lung induces pulmonary pneumonitis and fibrosis. Loss of Nrf2 promotes TGF-\u03b2\/Smad signaling that induces ATF3 suppression of Nrf2-mediated target gene expression. This, in turn, results in elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and isolevuglandin adduction of protein that impairs collagen degradation, and may contribute to radiation-induced chronic cell injury. Loss of Nrf2 impairs \u0394Np63 stem\/progenitor cell mobilization after irradiation, while promoting alveolar type 2 cell epithelial-mesenchymal transitions into myofibroblasts. These studies identify Nrf2 as an important factor in the radiation response of normal tissue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6159932,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Partial plasma exchange using albumin replacement: removal and recovery of normal plasma constituents.\nUsing albumin and crystalloid as the only replacement fluids, the effect of partial plasma exchange on the removal and recovery of normal plasma constituents was studied. The results of 30 procedures on 10 individuals were evaluated. Four patterns of removal are described: reduction in the concentration of fibrinogen and C3 were greater than would be expected based upon the extent of the exchange, while IgG, IgM, cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase and SGPT were removed as expected. Reduction of serum glutamicoxalacetic transaminase (SGOT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), amylase, and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) averaged 17% less, and uric acid, calcium and K+ averaged 53% less than expected. Concentrations of HCO-3 and glucose did not change. The mean recovery for all constituents except fibrinogen, C3, cholesterol. IgG and IgM was near 100% at 48-72 hr postpheresis. The 72-hr recovery of fibrinogen and complement was 66% and 60%, respectively. Cholesterol recovery was also slow, requiring a minimum of 1 wk to reach prepheresis levels. Measured at a time when quantitative IgM levels were still reduced, alloantibody agglutinating activity (anti-A and anti-B) in a postpheresis sample exceeded prepheresis agglutinating activity. These data demonstrated that, depending upon quantity and frequency of pheresis, partial plasma exchange using albumin replacement may cause progressive marked reduction in concentrations of immunoglobulin, complement, fibrinogen, and cholesterol. Furthermore, newly synthesized antibody may have increased biologic activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27870875,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Novel Organ Culture Model to Quantify Collagen Remodeling in Tree Shrew Sclera.\nIncreasing evidence suggests that unknown collagen remodeling mechanisms in the sclera underlie myopia development. We are proposing a novel organ culture system in combination with two-photon fluorescence imaging to quantify collagen remodeling at the tissue- and lamella-level. Tree shrew scleral shells were cultured up to 7 days in serum-free media and cellular viability was investigated under: (i) minimal tissue manipulations; (ii) removal of intraocular tissues; gluing the eye to a washer using (iii) 50 \u03bcL and (iv) 200 \u03bcL of cyanoacrylate adhesive; (v) supplementing media with Ham's F-12 Nutrient Mixture; and (vi) culturing eyes subjected to 15 mmHg intraocular pressure in our new bioreactor. Two scleral shells of normal juvenile tree shrews were fluorescently labeled using a collagen specific protein and cultured in our bioreactor. Using two-photon microscopy, grid patterns were photobleached into and across multiple scleral lamellae. These patterns were imaged daily for 3 days, and tissue-\/lamella-level strains were calculated from the deformed patterns. No significant reduction in cell viability was observed under conditions (i) and (v). Compared to condition (i), cell viability was significantly reduced starting at day 0 (condition (ii)) and day 3 (conditions (iii, iv, vi)). Tissue-level strain and intralamellar shear angel increased significantly during the culture period. Some scleral lamellae elongated while others shortened. Findings suggest that tree shrew sclera can be cultured in serum-free media for 7 days with no significant reduction in cell viability. Scleral fibroblasts are sensitive to tissue manipulations and tissue gluing. However, Ham's F-12 Nutrient Mixture has a protective effect on cell viability and can offset the cytotoxic effect of cyanoacrylate adhesive. This is the first study to quantify collagen micro-deformations over a prolonged period in organ culture providing a new methodology to study scleral remodeling in myopia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20304725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fast semi-analytical model-based acoustic inversion for quantitative optoacoustic tomography.\nWe present a fast model-based inversion algorithm for quantitative 2-D and 3-D optoacoustic tomography. The algorithm is based on an accurate and efficient forward model, which eliminates the need for regularization in the inversion process while providing modeling flexibility essential for quantitative image formation. The resulting image-reconstruction method eliminates stability problems encountered in previously published model-based techniques and, thus, enables performing image reconstruction in real time. Our model-based framework offers a generalization of the forward solution to more comprehensive optoacoustic propagation models, such as including detector frequency response, without changing the inversion procedure. The reconstruction speed and other algorithmic performances are demonstrated using numerical simulation studies and experimentally on tissue-mimicking optically heterogeneous phantoms and small animals. In the experimental examples, the model-based reconstructions manifested correctly the effect of light attenuation through the objects and did not suffer from the artifacts which usually afflict the commonly used filtered backprojection algorithms, such as negative absorption values.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32322880,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Neural correlates of cognitive bias modification for interpretation.\nThe effectiveness of cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I), a treatment method employed to reduce social anxiety (SA), has been examined. However, the neural correlates of CBM-I remain unclear, and we aimed to elucidate brain activities during intervention and activity changes associated with CBM-I effectiveness in a pre-post intervention comparison. Healthy participants divided into two groups (CBM, control) were scanned before, during and after intervention using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Ambiguous social situations followed by positive outcomes were repeatedly imagined by the CBM group during intervention, while half of the outcomes in the control group were negative. Whole-brain analysis revealed that activation of the somatomotor and somatosensory areas, occipital lobe, fusiform gyrus and thalamus during intervention was significantly greater in the CBM than in the control group. Furthermore, altered activities in the somatomotor and somatosensory areas, occipital lobe and posterior cingulate gyrus during interpreting ambiguous social situations showed a significant group \u00d7 change in SA interaction. Our result suggests that when facing ambiguous social situations, positive imagery instilled by CBM-I is recalled, and interpretations are modified to contain social reward. These findings may help to suggest an alternative manner of enhancing CBM-I effectiveness from a cognitive-neuroscience perspective.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21207628,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Reversible mutarotation in a macrocyclic ytterbium complex.\nM40 is a four-fold symmetry macrocyclic ligand endowed with axial and central chiral elements, all of R configuration. It promptly binds late lanthanides (Yb(III) and Lu(III) ) yielding a negative helicity, as witnessed by NIR-electronic circular dichroism. In the course of a few hours, a new conformation of the complex takes over, which has opposite helicity and allows for a dynamic free-bound equilibrium. Upon slow solvent evaporation, the original conformation is retrieved and the whole dynamic process can be started again, as in a sandclock, allowing one to envisage applications as a time-marker chiral switch.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28705795,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Selective Deletion of Leptin Signaling in Endothelial Cells Enhances Neointima Formation and Phenocopies the Vascular Effects of Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice.\nObesity is associated with elevated circulating leptin levels and hypothalamic leptin resistance. Leptin receptors (LepRs) are expressed on endothelial cells, and leptin promotes neointima formation in a receptor-dependent manner. Our aim was to examine the importance of endothelial LepR (End.LepR) signaling during vascular remodeling and to determine whether the cardiovascular consequences of obesity are because of hyperleptinemia or endothelial leptin resistance. Mice with loxP-flanked LepR alleles were mated with mice expressing Cre recombinase controlled by the inducible endothelial receptor tyrosine kinase promoter. Obesity was induced with high-fat diet. Neointima formation was examined after chemical carotid artery injury. Morphometric quantification revealed significantly greater intimal hyperplasia, neointimal cellularity, and proliferation in End.LepR knockout mice, and similar findings were obtained in obese, hyperleptinemic End.LepR wild-type animals. Analysis of primary endothelial cells confirmed abrogated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 phosphorylation in response to leptin in LepR knockout and obese LepR wild-type mice. Quantitative PCR, ELISA, and immunofluorescence analyses revealed increased expression and release of endothelin-1 in End.LepR-deficient and LepR-resistant cells, and ET receptor A\/B antagonists abrogated their paracrine effects on murine aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation. Reduced expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-\u03b3 and increased nuclear activator protein-1 staining was observed in End.LepR-deficient and LepR-resistant cells, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-\u03b3 antagonization increased endothelial endothelin-1 expression. Our findings suggest that intact endothelial leptin signaling limits neointima formation and that obesity represents a state of endothelial leptin resistance. These observations and the identification of endothelin-1 as soluble mediator of the cardiovascular risk factor obesity may have relevant therapeutic implications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27485042,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Diagnostic mistakes of culturally diverse individuals when using North American neuropsychological tests.\nAlthough the role of culture has increasingly gained acceptance in clinical neuropsychology, relatively minimal research exists regarding the actual impact on clinical activities. In this study, we assess how using North American neuropsychological tests affects diagnostic accuracy in cognitive disorders of culturally diverse individuals. To address this question, participants from Colombia, Morocco, and Spain were administered five commonly used neuropsychological tests and the test results were used to determine whether they would be classified as having the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Mild Cognitive and Major Cognitive Disorder. Results reveal that diagnostic error occurred up to 20% of the time, and that the frequency of misdiagnosis differed by nationality. These results provide evidence that using tests from one culture to assess individuals from other cultures produces significant false positives. Findings are discussed in terms of the foundations of neuropsychological assessment and its relationship to cultural variables.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28222941,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Diabetes and lifetime risk of stroke and subtypes in an urban middle-aged population.\nLifetime risk (LTR) is defined as the cumulative probability of developing a disease in one's remaining lifetime from a given index age. The impact of diabetes on the LTR of stroke events in Asians, where stroke incidence is higher than for Westerners, has not been estimated yet. These estimates can be useful for diabetes knowledge translation activities. All participants who were stroke-free at baseline in the Suita Study, a cohort study of cardiovascular diseases in Japan, were included in the study sample. Age, in years, was used as the time-scale. Age-specific incidence rates were calculated using the person-years method within five-year bands. We estimated the sex- and index-age-specific LTR of first-ever stroke accounting for the competing risk of death. In this cohort study, we followed 5515 participants from 1989 to 2007 for 71,374.23 person-years. At age 40, the LTRs, adjusted for competing risk of death, for all strokes were 15.98% for men without diabetes and 26.64% for men with diabetes. The LTR for stroke was 10.66% higher for men with diabetes than men without diabetes. For women of same index age, the LTR of stroke was 17.29% and 30.72% with diabetes and without diabetes, respectively. The difference in LTR between persons with diabetes and without diabetes was 13.43%. This increased LTR of strokes for persons with diabetes was observed among both men and women across all index ages. Similar results were observed for cerebral infarction stroke subtype. In this urban community-based population we observed that diabetes has a significant effect on the residual LTR of stroke for both men and women of middle age. This knowledge can be used to inform public health education and planning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27459727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Estimated Costs of Sporadic Gastrointestinal Illness Associated with Surface Water Recreation: A Combined Analysis of Data from NEEAR and CHEERS Studies.\nThe burden of illness can be described by addressing both incidence and illness severity attributable to water recreation. Monetized as cost, attributable disease burden estimates can be useful for environmental management decisions. We characterize the disease burden attributable to water recreation using data from two cohort studies using a cost of illness (COI) approach and estimate the largest drivers of the disease burden of water recreation. Data from the NEEAR study, which evaluated swimming and wading in marine and freshwater beaches in six U.S. states, and CHEERS, which evaluated illness after incidental-contact recreation (boating, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, and rowing) on waterways in the Chicago area, were used to estimate the cost per case of gastrointestinal illness and costs attributable to water recreation. Data on health care and medication utilization and missed days of work or leisure were collected and combined with cost data to construct measures of COI. Depending on different assumptions, the cost of gastrointestinal symptoms attributable to water recreation are estimated to be $1,220 for incidental-contact recreation (range $338-$1,681) and $1,676 for swimming\/wading (range $425-2,743) per 1,000 recreators. Lost productivity is a major driver of the estimated COI, accounting for up to 90% of total costs. Our estimates suggest gastrointestinal illness attributed to surface water recreation at urban waterways, lakes, and coastal marine beaches is responsible for costs that should be accounted for when considering the monetary impact of efforts to improve water quality. The COI provides more information than the frequency of illness, as it takes into account disease incidence, health care utilization, and lost productivity. Use of monetized disease severity information should be included in future studies of water quality and health. Citation: DeFlorio-Barker S, Wade TJ, Jones RM, Friedman LS, Wing C, Dorevitch S. 2017. Estimated costs of sporadic gastrointestinal illness associated with surface water recreation: a combined analysis of data from NEEAR and CHEERS Studies. Environ Health Perspect 125:215-222; http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1289\/EHP130.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9018210,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Using Medicare claims data to assess provider quality for CABG surgery: does it work well enough?\nTo assess the relative abilities of clinical and administrative data to predict mortality and to assess hospital quality of care for CABG surgery patients. 1991-1992 data from New York's Cardiac Surgery Reporting System (clinical data) and HCFA's MEDPAR (administrative data). STUDY DESIGN\/SETTING\/SAMPLE: This is an observational study that identifies significant risk factors for in-hospital mortality and that risk-adjusts hospital mortality rates using these variables. Setting was all 31 hospitals in New York State in which CABG surgery was performed in 1991-1992. A total of 13,577 patients undergoing isolated CABG surgery who could be matched in the two databases made up the sample. Hospital risk-adjusted mortality rates, identification of \"outlier\" hospitals, and discrimination and calibration of statistical models were the main outcome measures. Part of the discriminatory power of administrative statistical models resulted from the miscoding of postoperative complications as comorbidities. Removal of these complications led to deterioration in the model's C index (from C = .78 to C = .71 and C = .73). Also, provider performance assessments changed considerably when complications of care were distinguished from comorbidities. The addition of a couple of clinical data elements considerably improved the fit of administrative models. Further, a clinical model based on Medicare CABG patients yielded only three outliers, whereas eight were identified using a clinical model for all CABG patients. If administrative databases are used in outcomes research, (1) efforts to distinguish complications of care from comorbidities should be undertaken, (2) much more accurate assessments may be obtained by appending a limited number of clinical data elements to administrative data before assessing outcomes, and (3) Medicare data may be misleading because they do not reflect outcomes for all patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11473633,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"A novel somatostatin analogue prevents early renal complications in the nonobese diabetic mouse.\nPTR-3173 (S) is a novel somatostatin analogue that has been found to exert a prolonged inhibitory action on the growth hormone (GH)-insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I axis, but not on insulin secretion. We investigated the potential effect of this agent on the development of markers of diabetic nephropathy in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of insulin-dependent diabetes. Female diabetic NOD mice treated with PTR-3173 (DS group) or saline (D) and their control groups of nonhyperglycemic age-matched littermates (C) and C mice treated with PTR-3173 (CS) were sacrificed three weeks after onset of diabetes. Serum GH was elevated in the D group, decreased in the DS group, and unchanged in the CS group. Serum IGF-I was significantly decreased in both the D and DS groups. Kidney weight, glomerular volume, albuminuria, and creatinine clearance were increased in the D animals and showed a trend toward normalization in the DS animals. Renal extractable IGF-I protein and IGFBP1 mRNA were increased in the D group and normalized in the DS group. GH antagonism by PTR-3173 has a blunting effect on renal\/glomerular hypertrophy, albuminuria, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in diabetic NOD mice. This phenomenon is apparently associated with the prevention of renal IGF-I accumulation. Thus, modulation of GH effects may have beneficial therapeutic implications in diabetic nephropathy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":40952,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Distribution of coenzyme F420 and properties of its hydrolytic fragments.\nThe ability of hydrolytic products of coenzyme F420 to substitute for F420 in the hydrogenase and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-liniked hydrogenase systems of Methanobacterium strain M.o.H. was kinetically determined. The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked hydrogenase system was employed to quantitate the levels of F420 in a number of methanogenic bacteria as well as in some nonmethanogens. Methanobacterium ruminantium and Methanosarcina barkeri contained low levels of F420, whereas other methanogens tested contained high levels (100 to 400 mg\/kg of cells). F420 from six of the seven methanogens was tested by thin-layer electrophoresis and was found to be electrophoretically identical to that purified from Methanobacterium strain M.o.H. The only exception was M. barkeri, which contained a more electronegative derivative of F420. Acetobacterium woodii, Escherichia coli, and yeast extract contained no compounds able to substitute for F420 in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-linked hydrogenase system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12957557,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Trunk muscle response to lifting unbalanced loads with and without knowledge of centre of mass.\nTo examine the effects of lifting a bin with a variable centre of mass on muscle activity, with and without knowledge of the centre of mass. Numerous parameters related to lifting have been examined yet the effects of changing the load centre of mass in two dimensions, with or without knowledge, has not been examined. Participants lifted a 6 kg industrial tote bin with a 7 and 11 kg mass randomly placed in each of nine compartments, into which the interior of the bin was partitioned. Participants were not restricted in lifting style other than using the handles, which were equipped with force gauges. Two series (9 lifts per series) were completed using the 7 kg load without knowledge of the load placement and one series with knowledge of the load placement. One series was completed using an 11 kg mass without knowledge of load placement. Electromyographic activity of the upper and lower erector spinae, latissimus dorsi and the external obliques were collected bilaterally. Left and right muscle pairs demonstrated mirror images for all muscles with lowest activity levels when the load was placed nearer the lifter in the sagittal plane. Peak electromyographic activity of the upper erector spinae and latissimus dorsi increased with the weight in the compartments nearest the body and\/or the ipsilateral handle. Conversely, peak electromyographic activity of the lower erector spinae and the obliques increased when the weight was on the contralateral side. Peak upper erector electromyographic activity reached up to 41% of maximum and the lower erectors reached 50% of maximum, while the obliques and latissimus dorsi were below 5% and 7%, respectively. No electromyographic activity differences were found between the known and unknown load placements. A segmental control strategy appears to exist during lifting that works from the upper to lower torso based on peak electromyographic activity activity. When lifting a bin with a varied centre of mass, highest peak electromyographic activity for the upper and lower erector spinae occurred when the load is closest to the body, regardless of load knowledge. Based on our findings with asymmetrical loads, we conclude that the moments acting on the wrist play an important role in spinal loading and must be included in future studies. Asymmetrical loads are often encountered in daily life. Regardless of the lifter's knowledge of the balance of the load, the differential and asymmetrical loading of the muscles of the back play a role in the development of low back pain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15736159,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficacy and safety of botulinum type A toxin (Dysport) in cervical dystonia: results of the first US randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.\nBotulinum toxin type A (Dysport) has been shown in European studies to be a safe and effective treatment for cervical dystonia. This multicenter, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial assessed the safety and efficacy of Dysport in cervical dystonia patients in the United States. Eighty patients were randomly assigned to receive one treatment with Dysport (500 units) or placebo. Participants were followed up for 4 to 20 weeks, until they needed further treatment. They were assessed at baseline and weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 after treatment. Dysport was significantly more efficacious than placebo at weeks 4, 8, and 12 as assessed by the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (10-point vs. 3.8-point reduction in total score, respectively, at week 4; P < or = 0.013). Of participants in the Dysport group, 38% showed positive treatment response, compared to 16% in the placebo group (95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.41). The median duration of response to Dysport was 18.5 weeks. Side effects were generally similar in the two treatment groups; only blurred vision and weakness occurred significantly more often with Dysport. No participants in the Dysport group converted from negative to positive antibodies after treatment. These results confirm previous reports that Dysport (500 units) is safe, effective, and well-tolerated in patients with cervical dystonia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23619129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow is preserved in primary intracerebral hemorrhage.\nTreatment of acute hypertension after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is controversial. In the context of disrupted cerebral autoregulation, blood pressure (BP) reduction may cause decreased cerebral blood flow (CBF). We used serial computed tomography perfusion to test the hypothesis that CBF remains stable after BP reduction. Patients recruited within 72 hours of ICH were imaged with computed tomography perfusion before and after BP treatment. Change in perihematoma relative (r) CBF after BP treatment was the primary end point. Twenty patients were imaged with computed tomography perfusion at a median (interquartile range) time from onset of 20.2 (25.7) hours and reimaged 2.1 (0.5) hours later, after BP reduction. Mean systolic BP in treated patients (n=16; 4 untreated as BP400,000 patients who receive methadone for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and methods for safely dispensing large quantities of methadone to patients are lacking. This study evaluated the MedMinder \"Jon\", an electronic and cellular-enabled pillbox that provides real-time monitoring to remotely manage take-home doses of methadone using a 12-week, within-subject, Phase II (NCT03254043) trial. We transitioned all participants from liquid to tablet methadone one week prior to randomization. Participants completed both treatment-as-usual and electronic pillbox conditions before choosing a condition in a final \"choice phase\". We assessed feasibility, satisfaction, and safety outcomes during the exit interview. Overall, we randomized 25 participants, 24 (96.0%) completed >1 study session, and 21 (84.0%) completed the exit interview. We dispensed 167.92 g (1,974 doses) of methadone. Participants would use the pillbox again (86.3%) and recommend it to others (95.4%). Overall, 52.4% selected the pillbox in the choice condition and those who did not cited issues related to study requirements. Less than 1% of pillbox alerts were for medication being consumed outside the dosing window and we observed no evidence of actual or attempted methadone diversion. We were able to adequately manage patients who would not otherwise qualify for large quantities of take-home methadone when we dispensed methadone tablets via a secure pillbox. The integration of a commercially available pillbox into routine clinic operations increases opportunity for dispensing medication. Our data support remote monitoring of methadone take-home doses and may inform clinic practices related to Covid-19.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28235465,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Ovarian reserve testing: a user's guide.\nOvarian reserve is a complex clinical phenomenon influenced by age, genetics, and environmental variables. Although it is challenging to predict the rate of an individual's ovarian reserve decline, clinicians are often asked for advice about fertility potential and\/or recommendations regarding the pursuit of fertility treatment options. The purpose of this review is to summarize the state-of-the-art of ovarian reserve testing, providing a guide for the obstetrician\/gynecologist generalist and reproductive endocrinologist. The ideal ovarian reserve test should be convenient, be reproducible, display little if any intracycle and intercycle variability, and demonstrate high specificity to minimize the risk of wrongly diagnosing women as having diminished ovarian reserve and accurately identify those at greatest risk of developing ovarian hyperstimulation prior to fertility treatment. Evaluation of ovarian reserve can help to identify patients who will have poor response or hyperresponse to ovarian stimulation for assisted reproductive technology. Ovarian reserve testing should allow individualization of treatment protocols to achieve optimal response while minimizing safety risks. Ovarian reserve testing may inform patients regarding their reproductive lifespan and menopausal timing as well as aid in the counselling and selection of treatment for female cancer patients of reproductive age who receive gonadotoxic therapy. In addition, it may aid in establishing the diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome and provide insight into its severity. While there is currently no perfect ovarian reserve test, both antral follicular count and antim\u00fcllerian hormone have good predictive value and are superior to day-3 follicle-stimulating hormone. The convenience of untimed sampling, age-specific values, availability of an automated platform, and potential standardization of antim\u00fcllerian hormone assay make this test the preferred biomarker for the evaluation of ovarian reserve in women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28334091,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Landscape-Level Patterns of Elevated FS1 Asian Allele Frequencies in Populations of Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) at a Northern U.S. Boundary.\nFrom a regulatory perspective, Asian gypsy moth is a species complex consisting of three species of Lymantria and two subspecies of Lymantria dispar (L.), differing from the European subspecies, L. dispar dispar (L.), by having consistently flight-capable females. As such, the invasion potential in North America is thought to exceed that of European gypsy moth. USDA-APHIS therefore has a monitoring program to detect Asian gypsy moth at high-risk introduction pathways. Molecular markers are used to improve the diagnosis of Asian gypsy moth. One such marker, which targets the FS1 locus, detects an allele, FS1-A, prevalent in Asian populations but occurring at low frequencies (3-6%) throughout the European gypsy moth's range in North America. However, some locales, such as Minnesota, exhibit elevated FS1-A frequencies. We studied the distribution of the FS1-A allele in northern Minnesota, 2013-2014, assessing spatial patterns in the distribution of the FS1-A allele using Moran's I and using spatial regression techniques to examine if the FS1-A allele was associated with putative movement pathways. We also used time series analysis to discern if temporal patterns in FS1-A or possible introduction events occurred. Our results indicated that FS1-A occurred randomly in space and time. We found no evidence that elevated FS1-A frequencies were associated with movement pathways or possible immigration events into this region over the two years. Elevated frequencies of the FS1-A allele within this region could be due to genetic drift and allelic surfing along the expanding population front, or to selection of physiological or behavioral traits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12525388,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The level of BLyS (BAFF) correlates with the titre of autoantibodies in human Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome.\nIncreased levels of B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) have been detected in serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. To determine the level of BLyS in serum from patients with primary's Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome (SS), another autoimmune disease in which B cell activation is high. Serum samples from 49 patients with primary SS according to the revised European criteria were assayed for BLyS, quantitative immunoglobulins, and autoantibody levels and compared with samples from 47 healthy control subjects. The median level of BLyS was 5.99 ng\/ml (25th-75th centile range 3.20-8.93 ng\/ml) in SS v 2.49 ng\/ml (25th-75th centile range 1.96-2.96 ng\/ml) in healthy controls (p<0.001). More importantly, among patients with SS, the presence of anti-SSA antibodies was associated with significantly higher levels of BLyS (medians 7.90 ng\/ml v 3.70 ng\/ml; p=0.008) as was the presence of anti-SSB antibodies (medians 7.14 ng\/ml v 3.70 ng\/ml; p=0.02) and of rheumatoid factor (medians 7.70 ng\/ml v 3.80 ng\/ml; p=0.016). The level of BLyS in three patients with a monoclonal gammopathy was higher than in the other patients (medians 26.53 ng\/ml v 5.92 ng\/ml; p=0.13). Higher levels of BLyS were associated with higher levels of gammaglobulins and IgG. There was a strong correlation between BLyS and rheumatoid factor level (r=0.71, p<0.0001), anti-SSA IgG level (r=0.32, p=0.02) and anti-SSA IgM level (r=0.39, p=0.006). In human SS the level of BLyS correlates with the level of autoantibodies. Thus, BLyS may play a part in activating specific autoreactive B cells and modulating the level of production of autoantibodies which are the hallmark of the disease. These findings raise the possibility of a novel therapeutic approach in human SS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8454878,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Immunization with recombinant BCG-SIV elicits SIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in rhesus monkeys.\nBecause the transmission of HIV is likely to occur through cell-associated virus, an effective HIV vaccine should be capable of eliciting HIV-specific CTL. We have employed the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)\/rhesus monkey model to explore the use of the attenuated tuberculosis bacillus, Calmette Gu\u00e9rin bacillus (BCG), as a vaccine vehicle to elicit AIDS virus-specific CTL. BCG was engineered to express SIVmac gag under the control of hsp70 regulatory sequences. Immunization with this rBCG-SIVmac gag elicited MHC class I-restricted, CD8+ SIVmac gag-specific CTL in rhesus monkeys. In fact, SIVmac gag-specific CTL could be cloned readily from peripheral blood lymphocytes of these immunized monkeys. These findings provide further evidence for the power of BCG as a vaccine vector and its continued exploration as a vehicle for eliciting HIV-specific immunity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32526752,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Diosgenin Attenuates Cognitive Impairment in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats: Underlying Mechanisms.\nProlonged diabetes mellitus causes impairments of cognition and attentional dysfunctions. Diosgenin belongs to a group of steroidal saponins with reported anti-diabetic and numerous protective properties. This research aimed to assess the effect of diosgenin on beneficially ameliorating learning and memory decline in a rat model of type 1 diabetes caused by streptozotocin (STZ) and to explore its modes of action including involvement in oxidative stress and inflammation. Rats were assigned to one of four experimental groups, comprising control, control under treatment with diosgenin, diabetic, and diabetic under treatment with diosgenin. Diosgenin was given daily p.o. (40 mg\/kg) for 5 weeks. The administration of diosgenin to the diabetic group reduced the deficits of functional performance in behavioral tests, consisting of Y-maze, passive avoidance, radial arm maze, and novel object discrimination tasks (recognitive). Furthermore, diosgenin treatment attenuated hippocampal acetylcholinesterase activity and malon-dialdehyde, along with improvement of antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione. Meanwhile, the hippocampal levels of inflammatory indicators, namely interleukin 6, nuclear factor-\u03baB, toll-like receptor 4, tumor necrosis factor \u03b1, and astrocyte-specific biomarker glial fibrillary acidic protein, were lower and, on the other hand, tissue levels of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-related factor 2 were elevated upon diosgenin administration. Besides, the mushroom-like spines of the pyramidal neurons of the hippocampal CA1 area decreased in the diabetic group, and this was alleviated following diosgenin medication. Taken together, diosgenin is capable of ameliorating cognitive deficits in STZ-diabetic animals, partly due to its amelioration of oxidative stress, inflammation, astrogliosis, and possibly improvement of cholinergic function in addition to its neuroprotective potential.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7748085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Should all in situ saphenous vein bypasses undergo permanent duplex surveillance?\nTo evaluate the need for color duplex surveillance (CDS) for pure in situ bypasses beyond 6 months. We reviewed our in situ surveillance data from August 1987 to April 1994. Lower-extremity revascularization was performed using 245 pure in situ greater saphenous vein bypasses in 219 patients. The CDS of the entire bypass and inflow and outflow arteries was done prior to discharge, at 1 month, every 3 months in the first year, every 6 months in the second year, and annually thereafter. A peak systolic velocity of less than 45 cm\/s throughout the bypass or a velocity ratio of greater than 3 (peak systolic velocity at the stenosis divided by peak systolic velocity at an adjacent normal bypass segment) were defined as abnormal during the review of this patient subset. The outcomes were analyzed. Patency and limb salvage rates were calculated by life-table analysis. The mean age of this population (120 men and 99 women) was 67 years (range, 32 to 97 years). We analyzed all bypasses that were subjected to CDS for 6 months or more and identified 171 such bypasses. These bypasses were followed up for a mean duration of 30 months (range, 6 to 82 months). The primary and secondary patency and limb salvage rates at 5 years were 60.4%, 89%, and 92.1%, respectively (SE, < 10%). During the first 6 months of surveillance, 54 bypasses had abnormal CDS findings, and 117 had normal CDS findings. Arteriography was performed on 42 of these bypasses with abnormal CDS findings, and 37 had significant findings requiring direct surgical or endovascular intervention. Only two of 117 bypasses that had normal CDS findings for up to 6 months had to be revised later, compared with 43 of the 54 bypasses with abnormal CDS findings prior to 6 months, which were occluded or were revised (significantly different by chi 2 test [P < .001]). Vigorous CDS of pure in situ bypasses for up to 6 months is useful to detect bypass-threatening lesions. Continued CDS of a normal in situ bypass after 6 months may not be justifiable, as the incidence of lesions requiring later revision is minimal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31841134,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Development of a vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus invasive infections: Evidence based on human immunity, genetics and bacterial evasion mechanisms.\nInvasive Staphylococcus aureus infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both hospital and community settings, especially with the widespread emergence of virulent and multi-drug resistant methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains. There is an urgent and unmet clinical need for non-antibiotic immune-based approaches to treat these infections as the increasing antibiotic resistance is creating a serious threat to public health. However, all vaccination attempts aimed at preventing S. aureus invasive infections have failed in human trials, especially all vaccines aimed at generating high titers of opsonic antibodies against S. aureus surface antigens to facilitate antibody-mediated bacterial clearance. In this review, we summarize the data from humans regarding the immune responses that protect against invasive S. aureus infections as well as host genetic factors and bacterial evasion mechanisms, which are important to consider for the future development of effective and successful vaccines and immunotherapies against invasive S. aureus infections in humans. The evidence presented form the basis for a hypothesis that staphylococcal toxins (including superantigens and pore-forming toxins) are important virulence factors, and targeting the neutralization of these toxins are more likely to provide a therapeutic benefit in contrast to prior vaccine attempts to generate antibodies to facilitate opsonophagocytosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8387934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Kinins and respiratory tract diseases.\nBradykinin and related kinins are peptidic hormones, formed in tissues and fluids during inflammation. Various functional sites have been proposed as mediators of the biological effects of kinins, including the B1, B2 and B3 receptors. The existence of the B1 and the B2 receptor has largely been confirmed, whilst that of the B3 receptor is controversial and needs further confirmation. The role of bradykinin in the pathophysiology of asthma is not well understood, but bradykinin was proposed as a putative mediator of asthma, since asthmatic subjects are hyperresponsive to bradykinin, and since immunoreactive kinins are increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of asthmatic patients. Kinins could provoke bronchoconstriction by acting directly on smooth muscle and\/or indirectly by their inflammatory properties. They may also contribute to the symptomatology of allergic and viral rhinitis, since they are the only mediators detected to date that are generated in nasal secretion during experimental and natural rhinovirus colds. Moreover, they can induce relevant symptoms when applied to airway mucosa. It has also been proposed that coughing during treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors is linked to the action of kinins, since ACE is able to degrade kinins, and since the effects of ACE inhibitors are reduced by kinin antagonists. Due to their mitogenic properties, kinins have been proposed to regulate lung carcinoma growth. Their action remains speculative, but some findings are of great interest in order to define their role in these pathologies. Despite many studies in animals and in humans, the mode of action of kinins in airways is still poorly understood.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27375209,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The CRP level and STATE score predict survival in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by transarterial embolization.\nPrognostic biomarkers are needed in a heterogeneous population of patients with intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated by transarterial (chemo)embolization. We aimed to validate the prognostic value of serum CRP levels and the STATE score, combining CRP, albumin and tumor burden. All cirrhotic patients with HCC treated by a first transarterial (chemo)embolization (2007-2013) in our institution were included. Overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, log rank, univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. Among 157 patients included, 87% were men, 86% had Child Pugh A. Etiologies of liver disease included alcohol (57%), hepatitis C (32%), hepatitis B (11%) and\/or metabolic syndrome (32%); 89% of patients were classified BCLC B. 33% of the patients had a CRP >1mg\/dl and 33% a STATE score conferring poor prognosis (<18). Patients with CRP <1mg\/dl had better overall survival than patients with CRP >1mg\/dl (20 vs. 8 months, P=0.00186). Median overall survival was 6.73 months for patients with a STATE score <18 vs. 22.23 months for patients with STATE-score \u226518 (P=0.0002). In multivariate analysis, a STATE score <18 was independently associated with increased mortality (HR: 2.06 (CI95%: 1.28-3.34), P=0.0031). In cirrhotic patients with HCC who underwent transarterial treatment, serum CRP level and STATE score at baseline can predict overall survival.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33066982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The worst-case scenario: Bridging repair with a biologic mesh in high-risk patients with very large abdominal wall hernias-a prospective multicenter study.\nWhile modern techniques allow midline fascial closure for most abdominal hernias, a bridge repair with mesh may be the only alternative in very large defects. When the risk of infection is high, the use of prosthetic mesh is controversial. We aim to examine outcomes after bridge repair of very large abdominal hernias at high risk for postoperative infection with a second-generation biologic mesh. Prospective, multicenter, single-arm study of patients with very large abdominal hernias who received bridge repair with a neonatal bovine dermis mesh. Primary outcome was hernia recurrence, as identified on computed tomography 1 year after the operation. Secondary outcomes included mesh laxity, surgical site occurrences, and any other mesh-related complications. Independent risk factors of the outcomes were determined by univariate and multivariable analyses. A total of 117 bridge repair patients were enrolled with a mean defect size of 442.5 \u00b1 254.2 cm2. The patients were predominantly obese (mean body mass index 36.5 \u00b1 10.5) and with multiple comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity index 3 \u00b1 2.5). Hernia recurrence was identified in 24 (20.5%) patients. An infected mesh at the index operation was an independent predictor of hernia recurrence, whereas obesity was an independent predictor of the pooled endpoint of recurrence and mesh laxity. Surgical site occurrences were recorded in 36.8% of the patients, and no independent risk factors were identified. In patients with very large abdominal hernias and at high risk for postoperative infection, who cannot undergo midline fascial closure, a bridge repair with neonatal bovine dermis mesh offers an acceptable profile in terms of hernia recurrence and wound occurrences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19587872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparison of five parameters as risk factors for peri-mucositis.\nThe aim of this study was to identify risk factors for the development of clinical signs of peri-implant mucositis and for the presence of periodontal pathogens and to determine a possible correlation between these clinical signs and the presence of periodontal pathogens. In 100 patients, a modified Plaque Index (PI), a modified Sulcular Bleeding Index (BOP), and pocket probing depth (PPD) were recorded. Patients with one implant site that scored positive for PI, BOP, and PPD greater than or equal to 5 mm were considered to have peri-implant mucositis. A sample taken at the implant with the deepest pocket was analyzed for periodontal pathogens. Implant surface roughness, smoking, augmentation at the implant site, type of dentition, and radiation therapy were recorded as possible cofactors in the disease process. Thirty-one patients showed clinical signs of peri-implant mucositis and, in 25 implant sites, periodontal pathogens were found. Smoking showed a statistically significant correlation with clinical signs of peri-implant mucositis (univariate analysis). For periodontal pathogens at the implant site, the type of dentition was statistically significant. In the multivariate analysis of the clinical signs of peri-implant mucositis, smoking and radiation therapy were significant explanatory variables. Seventy-two percent of the patients showed agreement for finding either clinical signs of peri-implant mucositis and periodontal pathogens or for no clinical signs and no pathogens. The sensitivity for diagnosis of peri-implant mucositis was 45%, and the specificity was 84%. Smoking was the most important risk factor in the formation of peri-implant mucositis. Radiation therapy was an explanatory variable for the occurrence of inflammation. Implant surface roughness, augmentation at the implant site, and type of dentition had little influence on clinical signs of peri-implant mucositis. The type of dentition influences the periodontal microbiota at the implant site.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30222265,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mid-Infrared Trace CH4 Detector Based on TDLAS-WMS.\nIn order to detect trace methane (CH4) with non-contact method, a trace CH4 detector is designed and developed with the combination of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) detection technology, using the absorption line (1 332.8 cm-1) of CH4 in mid-infrared band. The instrument uses mid-infrared quantum cascaded laser (QCL) with centre wavelength at 7.5 \u03bcm, and uses the method of changing the injecting current (0.6~1.6 A) of QCL with fixed working temperature to make the emission wavelength of QCL to scan the methane's absorption line (1 332.8 cm-1) via tuning parameters 0.2 cm-1\u00b7A-1. In terms of optical structure, the instrument using a gas absorption sealed herriott cell with 76 m long optical path, cooperating with difference detection optical path, reduces the noise which caused by the fluctuation of QCL, and guarantees the detection of trace CH4. In the experiment, we adopted minimum mean square error criterion to fit the relationship between methane concentration and harmonic peak signal. In addition, the minimum detection limit is 40\u00d710-9, and the relative error of test results is 0.09%., The stability is better than 2.8%, which verify the feasibility of the instrument.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20210662,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparison of intra-abdominal abscess formation following laparoscopic and open appendicectomy in children.\nControversy exists over the association between laparoscopic (LA) and open appendicectomy (OA) and the formation of postoperative intra-abdominal abscesses (IAAs). Our aim was to compare the outcome following these two techniques in a pediatric population. A retrospective data collection was carried out on all patients undergoing either an LA or OA at a single center over a 26-month period. Patients were identified from a hospital database and theater records. An intra-abdominal abscess was defined as recorded pyrexia, a raised inflammatory marker, and radiologic confirmation of an intra-abdominal collection. Other parameters studied included wound infection, appendiceal perforation, hospital stay, conversion rate, microbiology, histology, radiologic investigation, and serologic analysis. Data were analyzed from using Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney tests, as appropriate. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Two hundred children were identified, with a median follow-up of 18 months. Forty patients underwent an LA and 151 an OA. Nine patients underwent interval appendicectomy and were not included in the final data. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of baseline demographics, duration of stay (P = 0.5), or wound infection (P = 1.0). The incidence of an intra-abdominal abscess was 0 of 40 (0%) in the laparoscopic group and 5 of 151 (3.3%) in the open group, although this was not statistically significant (P = 0.8). The median time to postoperative diagnosis of abscess was 9 days (range, 8-11). A consultant was present in more laparoscopic procedures than open (88 versus 24%; P = 0.0001). The rate of intra-abdominal abscess formation was not significantly different following either an LA or OA, although there were no intra-abdominal abscesses observed in the laparoscopic group. Further investigation could address this finding more accurately in a randomized, controlled trial.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9415347,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Attacks of pericarditis as a manifestation of familial Mediterranean fever (FMF).\nFamilial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is characterized by recurrent attacks of febrile serositis. While arthritis, pleuritis and peritonitis are common in FMF, no association of pericarditis with FMF has been described in detail. We retrospectively studied about 4000 FMF patients, using a computer chart review. Pericarditis was diagnosed when patients sustained attacks of pleuritic retrosternal chest pain and had typical findings in the electrocardiogram, echocardiogram or chest radiogram. The incidence and features of pericarditis in FMF were compared to published data. Over a period of 20 years, one or more episodes of pericarditis were recorded in 27 patients, a significantly higher incidence than in the general population (68 vs. 6 per 10(5) per year, p < 0.001). Each patient experienced 1-3 pericarditis attacks, lasting a mean of 4.2 days, accompanied by high temperature and symptoms of FMF attack at another site. The pericarditis attack resolved spontaneously and left no sequelae. FMF patients with pericarditis were comparable to other FMF patients in most demographic and clinical parameters. Pericarditis may be considered another rare manifestation of FMF.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8576687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Immunolocalization of the 17 kDa vacuolar H(+)-ATPase subunit c in Heliothis virescens midgut and malpighian tubules with an anti-peptide antibody.\nThe transmembrane sector of V-ATPases is involved in proton conduction across the membrane where a 15-17 kDa proteolipid forms a putative proton channel. An affinity-purified rabbit polyclonal antibody was developed to an antigenic and putatively extracellular region of a cloned 17 kDa proteolipid. In larval tissue sections, this antibody labeled the midgut goblet cell apical membrane in Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the apical membrane in Malpighian tubules from H. virescens and Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). The antibody also recognized the 17 kDa protein in an immunoblot of H. virescens Malpighian tubule homogenate. Northern blot analysis revealed the presence of two transcript sizes in the midgut (1.9 and 1.2 kb) and Malpighian tubules (2.2 and 1.9 kb). Our results strongly support the hypothesis that the 17 kDa protein is a component of the V-ATPase, where it is thought to be the proton-conducting subunit. This polyclonal antibody may provide a powerful tool for V-ATPase regulation studies, while the use of the anti-peptide antibody approach may be helpful for the immunolocalization of other ductins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8461225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Long-term follow up of patients treated with a software based antitachycardia pacemaker.\nOver the past decade, several advances have been made in the management of tachycardias by pacing techniques, but limited data are available on the long-term outcome of patients treated with antitachycardia pacemakers. An antitachycardia pacemaker, the Intermedics Intertach, was implanted in 22 (17 female) patients with supraventricular tachycardia over a five year period. All were selected after detailed evaluation and testing of a temporary antitachycardia pacemaker system showed that their arrhythmia could be stopped promptly, reliably, and under different physiological conditions. The 22 patients have been followed up for a mean period of 57.3 (range 19-76) months. All except one of the patients has had frequent episodes of tachycardia reliably ended by the pacemaker. Complications have occurred in seven patients, necessitating removal of the pacing system in four. Of the 18 patients who continue to have pacemakers, seven are being treated with beta blockers or verapamil; no other antiarrhythmic drugs are being taken. Antitachycardia pacing is an acceptable long-term option for carefully selected patients with supraventricular tachycardia, but even after extensive testing a substantial number of the patients may continue to require drug treatment. Furthermore, the widespread use of curative techniques for supraventricular arrhythmias (catheter ablation and surgery) has decreased the need for this palliative treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25023620,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The dysfunction of T follicular helper cells.\nT follicular helper (Tfh) cells play a critical role as providers of B-cell help and dysfunction in Tfh\/B-cell interactions can lead to autoimmunity or immunodeficiency. These observations have generated a great deal of interest in understanding how these cells are affected during HIV infection and how their functional changes might affect antibody responses. Recent studies have shown that HIV\/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection affects both Tfh-cell frequency and function and suggest that Tfh-cell perturbations might contribute to the relative inefficiency of HIV-infected individuals to generate broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). The present review will highlight these recent findings addressing the role of Tfh cells in HIV infection as well as the impact HIV infection has on Tfh and circulating memory Tfh (cTfh) cell frequency and function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1788236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Changes in the functional activity of blood lymphocytes in patients with destructive pulmonary tuberculosis during the treatment].\nLymphocyte function was studied by the Rigler method modified by V. A. Kolesnikov et. al. in 118 patients with different forms of pulmonary tuberculosis and 15 healthy subjects. This parameter was found to depend on the nature and dynamics of a tuberculosis process and the predominance of the exudative or productive inflammation phase. A considerable reduction of lymphocyte functional activity (LFA) up to 60% was found in the presence of dissemination in pulmonary tissue. Transition from infiltration to destruction was marked by a average rise of LFA from 67 to 79%. The initial LFA parameters can be taken into account as a prognostic criterion. Prescription of immunity stimulators in destructive pulmonary tuberculosis requires LFA evaluation by the above method.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":68112,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Autoimmune disease antigens.\nThe first step towards understanding the cellular interaction which results in autoimmune disease is to determine what triggers the recognition between a specific autoimmune antigen determinant and the cellular receptor. In this review, we have focused on the antigen inducing experimental allergic encephalitis (EAE) because the antigen has been characterized and a relatively large body of information on its biological activities has been accumulated. Clearly, a specific allergic encephalitis-producing determinant is present and is represented on a relatively small portion of the molecule. The determinant induces a wide variety of biological reactivities, some of which are classed as cellular mediated. An attempt is made to dissect activities such as blast transformation (BT), migration inhibitory factor (MIF), in vivo delayed type hypersensitivity reaction (DTH) and EAE and to relate them to the structural requirements which the determinants possess. The complexities which arise indicate that subpopulations of cells with different receptor activities may respond selectively and that recognition of the receptor is produced by an EAE determinant consisting of three amino acids in a specific linear sequence. Furthermore, under experimental circumstances the EAE activity can be dissociated from the other activities (BT, MIF, DTH), indicating that while these tests are used generally to follow various human autoimmune disease activities, they may represent the reaction of a broad spectrum of cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16957184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Biological filtration limits carbon availability and affects downstream biofilm formation and community structure.\nCarbon removal strategies have gained popularity in the mitigation of biofouling in water reuse processes, but current biofilm-monitoring practices based on organic-carbon concentrations may not provide an accurate representation of the in situ biofilm problem. This study evaluated a submerged microtiter plate assay for direct and rapid monitoring of biofilm formation by subjecting the plates to a continuous flow of either secondary effluent (SE) or biofilter-treated secondary effluent (BF). This method was very robust, based on a high correlation (R(2) = 0.92) between the biomass (given by the A(600) in the microtiter plate assay) and the biovolume (determined from independent biofilms developed on glass slides under identical conditions) measurements, and revealed that the biomasses in BF biofilms were consistently lower than those in SE biofilms. The influence of the organic-carbon content on the biofilm community composition and succession was further evaluated using molecular tools. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of 16S rRNA genes revealed a group of pioneer colonizers, possibly represented by Sphingomonadaceae and Caulobacter organisms, to be common in both SE and BF biofilms. However, differences in organic-carbon availabilities in the two water samples eventually led to the selection of distinct biofilm communities. Alphaproteobacterial populations were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization to be enriched in SE biofilms, while Betaproteobacteria were dominant in BF biofilms. Cloning analyses further demonstrated that microorganisms adapted for survival under low-substrate conditions (e.g., Aquabacterium, Caulobacter, and Legionella) were preferentially selected in the BF biofilm, suggesting that carbon limitation strategies may not achieve adequate biofouling control in the long run.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3491059,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Alpha 1-protease inhibitor in serous effusions: differences in lectin crossed immuno-affinoelectrophoresis precipitin profiles between benign and malignant disease.\nDifferences in the lectin crossed immuno-affinoelectrophoresis (LCIE) precipitin profile of the antiprotease alpha 1-protease inhibitor (alpha 1-PI) have been detected between serous effusions of benign and malignant origin. Extra proteins with antigenicity towards anti-human alpha 1-PI appear in both malignant pleural effusions and malignant ascitic fluid caused by ovarian cancer that are not detected in effusions of benign origin. These compounds may be protease-antiprotease complexes caused by tumour excretion of proteases into the serous effusions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31676718,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Vimentin protects cells against nuclear rupture and DNA damage during migration.\nMammalian cells frequently migrate through tight spaces during normal embryogenesis, wound healing, diapedesis, or in pathological situations such as metastasis. Nuclear size and shape are important factors in regulating the mechanical properties of cells during their migration through such tight spaces. At the onset of migratory behavior, cells often initiate the expression of vimentin, an intermediate filament protein that polymerizes into networks extending from a juxtanuclear cage to the cell periphery. However, the role of vimentin intermediate filaments (VIFs) in regulating nuclear shape and mechanics remains unknown. Here, we use wild-type and vimentin-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts to show that VIFs regulate nuclear shape and perinuclear stiffness, cell motility in 3D, and the ability of cells to resist large deformations. These changes increase nuclear rupture and activation of DNA damage repair mechanisms, which are rescued by exogenous reexpression of vimentin. Our findings show that VIFs provide mechanical support to protect the nucleus and genome during migration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6150333,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Unemployment and mortality in the OPCS Longitudinal Study.\nThe mortality of men aged 15-64 who were seeking work in the week before the 1971 census was investigated by means of the OPCS Longitudinal Study, which follows up a 1% sample of the population of England and Wales. In contrast to the current position, only 4% of men of working age in 1971 fell into this category. The mortality of these unemployed men in the period 1971-81 was higher (standardised mortality ratio 136) than would be expected from death rates in all men in the Longitudinal Study. The socioeconomic distribution of the unemployed accounts for some of the raised mortality, but, after allowance for this, a 20-30% excess remains; this excess was apparent both in 1971-75 and in 1976-81. The data offer only limited support for the suggestion that some of this excess resulted from men becoming unemployed because of their ill-health; the trend in overall mortality over time and the pattern by cause of death were not those usually associated with ill-health selection. Previous studies have suggested that stress accompanying unemployment could be associated with raised suicide rates, as were again found here. Moreover, the mortality of women whose husbands were unemployed was higher than that of all married women (standardised mortality ratio 120), and this excess also persisted after allowance for their socioeconomic distribution. The results support findings by others that unemployment is associated with adverse effects on health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28229841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Neuroimaging and Blood Biomarkers in Functional Prognosis after Stroke].\nStroke remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality around the world and it is associated with an important long-term functional disability. Some neuroimaging resources and certain peripheral blood or cerebrospinal fluid proteins can give important information about etiology, therapeutic approach, follow-up and functional prognosis in acute ischemic stroke patients. However, among the scientific community, there is currently more interest in the stroke vital prognosis over the functional prognosis. Predicting the functional prognosis during acute phase would allow more objective rehabilitation programs and better management of the available resources. The aim of this work is to review the potential role of acute phase neuroimaging and blood biomarkers as functional recovery predictors after ischemic stroke. Review of the literature published between 2005 and 2015, in English, using the terms \"ischemic stroke\", \"neuroimaging\" e \"blood biomarkers\". We included nine studies, based on abstract reading. Computerized tomography, transcranial doppler ultrasound and diffuse magnetic resonance imaging show potential predictive value, based on the blood flow study and the evaluation of stroke's volume and localization, especially when combined with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Several biomarkers have been studied as diagnostic, risk stratification and prognostic tools, namely the S100 calcium binding protein B, C-reactive protein, matrix metalloproteinases and cerebral natriuretic peptide. Although some biomarkers and neuroimaging techniques have potential predictive value, none of the studies were able to support its use, alone or in association, as a clinically useful functionality predictor model. All the evaluated markers were considered insufficient to predict functional prognosis at three months, when applied in the first hours after stroke. Additional studies are necessary to identify reliable predictive markers for functional prognosis after ischemic stroke.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27471417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Lebanese-Syrian crisis: impact of influx of Syrian refugees to an already weak state.\nLebanon, a small Middle Eastern country facing constant political and national unity challenges with a population of approximately 300,000 Palestinian and Iraqi refugees, has welcomed more than 1.2 million Office of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)-registered Syrian refugees since 2012. The Government of Lebanon considers individuals who crossed Lebanese-Syrian borders since 2011 as \"displaced\", emphasizing its long-standing position that Lebanon is not a state for refugees, refusing to establish camps, and adopting a policy paper to reduce their numbers in October 2014. Humanitarian response to the Syrian influx to Lebanon has been constantly assembling with the UNHCR as the main acting body and the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan as the latest plan for 2016. Review of secondary data from gray literature and reports focusing on the influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon by visiting databases covering humanitarian response in complex emergencies. Limitations include obtaining majority of the data from gray literature and changing statistics due to the instability of the situation. The influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon, an already weak and vulnerable state, has negatively impacted life in Lebanon on different levels including increasing demographics, regressing economy, exhausting social services, complicating politics, and decreasing security as well as worsened the life of displaced Syrians themselves. Displaced Syrians and Lebanese people share aggravating hardships of a mutual and precarious crisis resulting from the Syrian influx to Lebanon. Although a lot of response has been initiated, both populations still lack much of their basic needs due to lack of funding and nonsustainable program initiatives. The two major recommendations for future interventions are to ensure continuous and effective monitoring and sustainability in order to alleviate current and future suffering in Lebanon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38110351,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Treatment of postprandial hypotension with acarbose in an adult with cervical spinal cord injury: a case report.\nPostprandial hypotension is a type of autonomic dysfunction where there is a decrease in systolic blood pressure of >20 mm HG within 2 h after eating thought to be due to poor cardiovascular compensation for splanchnic blood pooling that occurs with meals. This form of autonomic dysfunction is underdiagnosed in patients with spinal cord injury, likely in part because it can be asymptomatic. 26-year-old with complete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) presented with neck pain described as severe 10\/10 pain, which felt like \"a rope around his neck.\" Pain came on during and after meals and was associated with a feeling of pressure behind his eyes, white spots in his vision along with feeling as if he was going to pass out. The caregiver noted a systolic blood pressure drop by about 30-40 points with meals and lost weight due to avoiding eating. A diagnosis of post-prandial hypotension (PPH) was made and Acarbose was started at a low dose 25 mg three times per day with meals. During follow up, the patient reported complete resolution of drops of blood pressure, neck pain, and all associated symptoms. The patient was able to eat comfortably and gained weight. There are few case reports on PPH in SCI and none looking at acarbose on a young, nondiabetic person with SCI. Clinicians should be aware that PPH can occur in young otherwise healthy people with SCI. Further research is needed on PPH, including the use of acarbose, in the SCI population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26024279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Porewater geochemistry of inland Acid sulfate soils with sulfuric horizons following postdrought reflooding with freshwater.\nFollowing the break of a severe drought in the Murray-Darling Basin, rising water levels restored subaqueous conditions to dried inland acid sulfate soils with sulfuric horizons (pH <3.5). Equilibrium dialysis membrane samplers were used to investigate in situ changes to soil acidity and abundance of metals and metalloids following the first 24 mo of restored subaqueous conditions. The rewetted sulfuric horizons remained severely acidified (pH \u223c4) or had retained acidity with jarosite visibly present after 5 mo of continuous subaqueous conditions. A further 19 mo of subaqueous conditions resulted in only small additional increases in pH (\u223c0.5-1 pH units), with the largest increases occurring within the uppermost 10 cm of the soil profile. Substantial decreases in concentrations of some metal(loid)s were observed with time most likely owing to lower solubility and sorption as a consequence of the increase in pH. In deeper parts of the profiles, porewater remained strongly buffered at low pH values (pH <4.5) and experienced little progression toward anoxic circumneutral pH conditions over the 24 mo of subaqueous conditions. It is proposed that low pH conditions inhibited the activity of SO-reducing bacteria and, in turn, the in situ generation of alkalinity through pyrite production. The limited supply of alkalinity in freshwater systems and the initial highly buffered low pH conditions were also thought to be slowing recovery. The timescales involved for a sulfuric horizon rewetted by a freshwater body to recover from acidic conditions could therefore be in the order of several years.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28398065,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Vertically Aligned and Ordered One-Dimensional Mesoscale Polyaniline.\nThe growth of vertically aligned and ordered polyaniline nanofilaments is controlled by potentiostatic polymerization through hexagonally packed and oriented mesoporous silica films. In such small pore template (2 nm in diameter), quasi-single PANI chains are likely to be produced. From chronoamperometric experiments and using films of various thicknesses (100-200 nm) it is possible to evidence the electropolymerization transients, wherein each stage of polymerization (induction period, growth, and overgrowth of polyaniline on mesoporous silica films) is clearly identified. The advantageous effect of mesostructured silica thin films as hard templates for the generation of isolated polyaniline nanofilaments is demonstrated from enhancement of the reversibility between the conductive and the nonconductive states of polyaniline and the higher electroactive surface areas displayed for all mesoporous silica\/PANI composites. The possibility to control and tailor the growth of conducting polymer nanofilaments offers numerous opportunities for applications in various fields including energy, sensors and biosensors, photovoltaics, nanophotonics, or nanoelectronics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17885002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Betaine can partially spare choline in chicks but only when added to diets containing a minimal level of choline.\nThe ability of betaine to serve as a methyl donor in chicks was assessed in 3 bioassays using a choline-free purified diet that contained adequate methionine (Met). In assay 1, choline and betaine were each supplemented at 300 mg\/kg in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of diets. Supplemental choline improved (P < 0.05) growth performance over the 9-d growth period, whereas betaine alone had no effect. In assay 2, graded supplements of choline produced a linear increase (P < 0.05) in growth performance criteria over a 9-d growth period. Additionally, hepatic betaine-homocysteine (Hcy) methyltransferase (BHMT) activity decreased linearly (P < 0.05), whereas plasma total Hcy remained unchanged. Addition of 260 or 600 mg\/kg betaine to the choline-free basal diet did not affect growth performance or BHMT activity, but 600 mg\/kg betaine reduced (P < 0.05) plasma total Hcy. Assay 3 was designed to quantify the ability of betaine to spare choline. Minimal supplemental choline requirements of 20.8 +\/- 1.50 mg\/d (722 mg\/kg diet) and 10.5 +\/- 1.03 mg\/d (412 mg\/kg diet) were estimated in the absence and presence of 1000 mg\/kg supplemental betaine, respectively. Based on these estimates, 50% of the dietary choline requirement must be supplied as choline per se, but the remaining 50% can be replaced by betaine. Collectively, these data suggest betaine and Met have minimal choline-sparing activity in chicks fed purified diets devoid of preformed choline. However, addition of betaine to diets containing minimal choline allows a marked reduction in the total dietary choline requirement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20473599,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Serum vitamin D concentration and short-term mortality among geriatric inpatients in acute care settings.\nVitamin D insufficiency is related to acute medical conditions known to increase the risk of short-term death in older adults. The objective of this study was to determine whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentrations were associated with the occurrence of in-hospital mortality in geriatric acute care settings while taking into account all characteristics likely to improve the rate of in-hospital mortality. Three hundred ninety-nine Caucasian adults admitted between January and October 2009 to the geriatric acute care unit of Angers University Hospital, France were included in this cross-sectional study. The occurrence of all-cause in-hospital death and the measurement of serum 25OHD were assessed. Age, gender, body mass index, supine systolic blood pressure, numbers of acute diseases, chronic diseases, and hospital days, serum albumin, creatinine clearance, and season of hospital admission were used as potential confounders. Mean serum 25OHD was 34.88+\/-1.7 nmol\/L. Seventeen deaths occurred in the acute care unit. Only serum 25OHD concentration was significantly and independently associated with in-hospital death (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.65; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.96; P=0.029 for full adjusted logistic regression. OR 0.87; 95% CI: 0.76, 0.99; P=0.029 fo or step-wise backward model). Increased serum 25OHD concentrations were associated with a low in-hospital mortality rate in this cohort of acute care geriatric inpatients. It is not only a new orientation of research,but also an additional argument for prescribing vitamin D in deficient older adults.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20464969,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Pulse flows of populations of cortical neurons under microwave radiation: the number of burst activity].\nIn unanesthetized nonimmobilized rabbit pulse flows of populations of cortical neurons were investigated prior, during, and after 1-min microwave irradiation (wavelength 37.5 cm, power density 0.2-0.3; 0.4; 0.5; and 40 mW\/cm2) on the basis of the analysis of burst activity identified by means of time levels 5, 10, and 20 ms. Changes of the number of the spike bursts resulted from these exposures. The direction of the shifts its dynamics was determined by as intensity of irradiation as the kind of the bursts themselves.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7575197,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Spinal subdural empyema. A case report].\nSpinal subdural empyema is a very unusual condition. About 40 cases have been previously reported. The authors describe another case, mentioning the difficulties in diagnosis particularly when no primary infection is known. In these circumstances, the neurological signs and MRI are important; MRI demonstrates the level of the lesion and its subdural localization. Surgical treatment and antibiotics are clearly indicated and the earliest it is done, the better the results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15934615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":2,"2024-10":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in clinically ill cats in the United States.\nTo determine regional seroprevalence estimates of Toxoplasma gondi-specific IgM and IgG in clinically ill cats throughout the United States. Sample Population-Sera from 12,628 clinically ill, client-owned cats. Toxoplasma gondii-specific IgM and IgG antibodies were detected by use of ELISAs. Sera from clinically ill cats previously submitted for T. gondii antibody testing were sequentially selected from our serum bank and the sample submission paperwork reviewed. The country was divided into 12 geographic regions. Overall prevalence as well as prevalence for each region, age group, season, sex (male vs female), and breed (domestic shorthair vs other) was calculated. Data were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Overall, 31.6% of the cats were seropositive for T. gondii-specific IgM, IgG, or both. Percentage of cats seropositive for T. gondii antibodies ranged from 16.1% (southwestern United States) to 43.5% (northeastern United States). As age increased, odds of positive T. gondii antibody assay results (IgM alone, IgG alone, and any combination of IgM or IgG) increased. Males were more likely than females to be seropositive for T. gondii antibodies (IgG alone and any combination of IgM or IgG). Domestic shorthair cats were more likely than other breeds to be seropositive for T. gondii antibodies (IgM alone, IgG alone, and any combination of IgM or IgG). Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies are common in serum samples of clinically ill cats from all regions of the United States. Seroprevalence increases as cats age and is higher in male and domestic shorthair cats, compared with females and other breeds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23258267,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lipidation of the autotransporter NalP of Neisseria meningitidis is required for its function in the release of cell-surface-exposed proteins.\nAutotransporters of Gram-negative bacteria consist of an N-terminal signal sequence, a C-terminal translocator domain and the secreted passenger domain in between. The autotransporter NalP of Neisseria meningitidis includes a protease domain that facilitates the release of several immunogenic proteins from the cell surface into the extracellular milieu. Rather exceptionally among autotransporters, NalP is a lipoprotein. We investigated the role of lipidation in the biogenesis and function of the protein. To this end, the N-terminal cysteine, which is lipidated in the wild-type protein, was substituted by alanine. Like the wild-type protein, the mutant protein was secreted into the medium, demonstrating that lipidation is not required for biogenesis of the protein. However, the non-lipidated NalP variant had a drastically reduced capacity to cleave its substrate proteins from the cell surface, suggesting that the lipid moiety is important for function. Kinetic experiments demonstrated that the autocatalytic processing of the non-lipidated protein at the cell surface was much faster than that of the wild-type protein. Thus, the lipid moiety delays the release of NalP from the cell surface, thereby allowing it to release other surface-exposed proteins into the milieu.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26222173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Weaknesses of vaccine storage in Primary Healthcare Centers.\nassessment through qualitative approach of vaccine storage in Primary Healthcare Centers. assessment study of qualitative approach in which 30 interviews were conducted with nurses, nursing technicians or assistants and technical reference in immunization, in 12 vaccine rooms that had 100% of the structural criteria evaluated. Recorded testimonials of the subjects were organized and analyzed using thematic Content Analysis. the assessment pointed to absence of knowledge on the parts of nurses and nursing technicians and assistants with respect to the effects of low temperature on vaccines. Barriers were also encountered in relation to the supervision of nurses in the vaccine room activities and in relation to the knowledge needed by workers to care for preservation of vaccines. vaccine storage is inadequate and may compromise the quality of the immunobiologicals dispensed to the populace.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8307460,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Expression of mutant p53 protein in hepatocellular carcinoma.\np53 mutations are a common genetic finding in hepatocellular carcinoma from areas of high aflatoxin exposure. Recent small studies have shown that p53 gene mutations may be less common in areas with a low prevalence of hepatocellular carcinoma such as Great Britain. The protein product of mutant p53 can be detected immunohistochemically because of its longer half life in comparison with native protein. This study used a novel monoclonal antibody DO-7, raised against recombinant p53 and effective in routinely processed biopsy specimen tissue, to detect the mutant protein in a series of 45 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma occurring in white subjects resident in the United Kingdom. Focal nuclear labelling was seen in four cases (9%); surrounding cirrhotic tissue in one of these was negative for p53 expression. This study shows that p53 mutations are a rare event in hepatocarcinogenesis in Great Britain, an area of low aflatoxin exposure, and supports the concept of geographical variations in the cause and pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7316828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Experimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis replicated in several generations of immunized animals].\nExperimental autoimmune glomerulonephritis was reproduced in 10 generations of animals by parenteral inoculation on two occasions of 0.3 ml of a mixture (1 :1) of AF stimulator and 20% renal cortical layer homogenate. The animals were immunized with minimal doses which routinely did not cause renal pathology, however, in sequential regular immunization from generation to generation the renal pathology increased. The forth-fifth generation exhibited clinical signs typical of glomerulonephritis. Morphological examinations of the kidneys revealed mesangial-proliferative and membranous-proliferative glomerulonephritis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32332168,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The structure of helical lipoprotein lipase reveals an unexpected twist in lipase storage.\nLipases are enzymes necessary for the proper distribution and utilization of lipids in the human body. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is active in capillaries, where it plays a crucial role in preventing dyslipidemia by hydrolyzing triglycerides from packaged lipoproteins. Thirty years ago, the existence of a condensed and inactive LPL oligomer was proposed. Although recent work has shed light on the structure of the LPL monomer, the inactive oligomer remained opaque. Here we present a cryo-EM reconstruction of a helical LPL oligomer at 3.8-\u00c5 resolution. Helix formation is concentration-dependent, and helices are composed of inactive dihedral LPL dimers. Heparin binding stabilizes LPL helices, and the presence of substrate triggers helix disassembly. Superresolution fluorescent microscopy of endogenous LPL revealed that LPL adopts a filament-like distribution in vesicles. Mutation of one of the helical LPL interaction interfaces causes loss of the filament-like distribution. Taken together, this suggests that LPL is condensed into its inactive helical form for storage in intracellular vesicles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25014301,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Suicide and work in Brazilian metropolises: an ecological study].\nThe scope of this study was to correlate suicide mortality with health indicators and work in six Brazilian metropolises: Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and S\u00e3o Paulo. It was an ecological study, the outcome of which is the death rate from suicide in the historical series from 2002 to 2010, and the independent variables are the indicators of occupational activity and mental suffering. Statistical association using the Pearson Correlation test was conducted and the variables associated with suicide (p < 0.05) were included in a multivariate linear regression model. The suicide mortality was higher in Porto Alegre, followed by S\u00e3o Paulo, and the trend of the phenomenon was in the ascendant (p = 0.03). It was observed that the economically active and gainfully employed population remained in the final regression model in the city of S\u00e3o Paulo. The association between suicide mortality and occupational variables suggests that work in the context of insecurity worsens the quality of life of the working population, causing physical and mental suffering and increasing the risk of self-harm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30877937,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"One-year clinical outcomes between biodegradable-polymer-coated biolimus-eluting stent and durable-polymer-coated drug-eluting stents in STEMI patients with multivessel coronary artery disease undergoing culprit-only or multivessel PCI.\nThere are limited data comparing clinical outcomes among new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD) who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with culprit-only or multivessel PCI. We investigated 1-year clinical outcomes between biodegradable-polymer (BP)-coated biolimus-eluting stent (BES) and durable-polymer (DP)-coated DES in STEMI patients with MVD who underwent two different reperfusion strategies. A total of 4255 patients were enrolled and divided into two groups, a culprit-only (n = 2571, BP- [n = 264] or DP-DES [n = 2307]) or a multivessel PCI group (n = 1684, BP- [n = 145] or DP-DES [n = 1539]). The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), and total repeat revascularization. The secondary endpoint was the incidence of definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST). BP-BES and DP-DES showed a similar 1-year adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for MACE (culprit-only, adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.114; p = 0.740; multivessel, HR, 0.564; p = 0.167) and ST (culprit-only, HR, 1.110, p = 0.891; multivessel, HR, 0.375; p = 0.402). The adjusted HR for all-cause death, re-MI, and repeat revascularization were similar between the two groups. In the total population, the culprit-only PCI group showed a higher incidence of total repeat revascularization than the multivessel PCI group. BP-BES and DP-DES showed comparable safety and efficacy in STEMI patients with MVD who underwent primary PCI with two different reperfusion strategies during a 1-year follow-up period.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26011136,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A review on polyamide thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes: History, applications, challenges and approaches.\nThis review focuses on the development of polyamide (PA) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for various aqueous media-based separation processes such as nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and forward osmosis since the concept of TFN was introduced in year 2007. Although the total number of published TFN articles falls far short of the articles of the well-known thin film composite (TFC) membranes, its growth rate is significant, particularly since 2012. Generally, by incorporating an appropriate amount of nanofiller into a thin selective PA layer of a composite membrane, one could produce TFN membranes with enhanced separation characteristics as compared to the conventional TFC membrane. For certain cases, the resulting TFN membranes demonstrate not only excellent antifouling resistance and\/or greater antibacterial effect, but also possibly overcome the trade-off effect between water permeability and solute selectivity. Furthermore, this review attempts to give the readers insights into the difficulties of incorporating inorganic nanomaterials into the organic PA layer whose thickness usually falls in a range of several-hundred nanometers. It is also intended to show new possible approaches to overcome these challenges in TFN membrane fabrication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3341758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Interrelation between the charge isoforms of mammalian ornithine decarboxylase.\nOrnithine decarboxylase (ODC) isolated from a variety of tissues has been separated, using DEAE ion-exchange chromatography, into multiple peaks of activity that appear to be related to control of this enzyme stability. Reports of these charge isoforms in current literature are generally unclear as to whether these represent a covalent posttranslational modification or merely an alteration in structural conformation or association. In this study we investigated the relationship of this form separation to the degree of enzyme polymerization, interaction with other proteins and buffer components, and the multiple isoelectric forms of this enzyme noted in denaturing concentrations of urea. High-performance chromatography techniques were used to demonstrate that two of the major enzyme forms, ODC I and II, are really monomers of the enzyme, while minor peaks of activity frequently observed to elute after ODC II contain various dimeric enzyme states. Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (0.05 mM) added to isolated enzyme preparations composed of I and II monomers induced the formation of I and II dimers as well as a mixed I-II dimer. All three dimer forms were observed to be natural components of freshly isolated crude cell homogenates. The charge distinction between the monomer forms I and II was found to be maintained during ion-exchange chromatography in the presence of 8 M urea, and the enzyme isoforms demonstrated distinct bands on isoelectric focusing gels run in the presence of 9 M urea. Thus, although some of the multiple ornithine decarboxylase forms identified by ion-exchange chromatography of crude mammalian cell homogenates are related to enzyme conformation, the two major forms are distinctly charged protein states that can be visualized using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of highly purified samples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16594277,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"\"Because you know there's an end to it\": caring for a relative or friend with advanced breast cancer.\nThe aim of this paper is to delineate the particular nature of the end-of-life care experience from the perspective of family members and friends. Ideas drawn from feminist analyses of caring and the sociology of death and dying are used to illuminate study respondents' accounts. Qualitative study with people who cared for a family member or friend who died of breast cancer. Two interviews were conducted with each of 12 study participants, and one carer responded by letter to a series of questions drawn from the interview guide. Accounts were analyzed with reference to grounded theory methods. The analysis presented here suggests that anticipating the death of an ill relative or friend generates imperatives to care, imperatives that are both \"felt\" and linked to wider social structures and processes. The value assigned to closeness with the ill person can be seen to reflect cultural injunctions toward a \"good death,\" and to shape informal carers' perceptions of their labor. Also discussed in this paper are the complex negotiations undertaken by relatives and friends, for the life and death of someone with advanced cancer. This paper offers insight into the social processes of caregiving, revealing how care may be shaped in particular ways by an awareness of approaching death.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21128577,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Patient and general practitioner attitudes to healthy lifestyle behaviours and medication following coronary heart disease: an exploratory study.\nPatients with coronary heart disease often engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. We explored patients' and general practitioners' (GPs') perceptions about the effectiveness of healthy behaviours and medications for the prevention of further cardiovascular disease. This exploratory study used semi-structured interviews with eight Sydney GPs and 13 of their patients with coronary heart disease. Patients perceived medications to be more effective than healthy behaviours in improving specific aspects of cardiovascular health, such as angina symptoms, cholesterol and blood pressure, whilst GPs perceived that medications were more effective in patients they considered at highest cardiovascular risk, patients with uncontrolled risk factors, or where adherence to healthy behaviours was poor. Among patients we found a negative perception of the effort required to adhere to healthy behaviours and possible underestimation of their future cardiovascular risk. Patients valued support from peers and family. This study opens up avenues for investigation in further research, including whether patient adherence to healthy behaviours may be enhanced by the exploration oftheir perceptions about behaviour effectiveness, barriers and cardiovascular risk and by GP facilitation of practical supports.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33268016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Translation and validation of an epilepsy-screening questionnaire in three Nigerian languages.\nWe describe the development, translation and validation of epilepsy-screening questionnaires in the three most popular Nigerian languages: Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. A 9-item epilepsy-screening questionnaire was developed by modifying previously validated English language questionnaires. Separate multilingual experts forward- and back-translated them to the three target languages. Translations were discussed with fieldworkers and community members for ethnolinguistic acceptability and comprehension. We used an unmatched affected-case versus unaffected-control design for the pilot study. Cases were people with epilepsy attending the tertiary hospitals where these languages are spoken. The controls were relatives of cases or people attending for other medical conditions. An affirmative response to any of the nine questions amounted to a positive screen for epilepsy. We recruited 153 (75 cases and 78 controls) people for the Hausa version, 106 (45 cases and 61 controls) for Igbo and 153 (66 cases and 87 controls) for the Yoruba. The sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire were: Hausa (97.3% and 88.5%), Igbo (91.1% and 88.5%) and Yoruba (93.9% and 86.7%). The three versions reliably indicated epilepsy with positive predictive values of 85.9% (Hausa), 85.4% (Igbo) and 87.3% (Yoruba) and reliably excluded epilepsy with negative predictive values of 97.1% (Hausa), 93.1% (Igbo) and 95.1% (Yoruba). Positive likelihood ratios were all greater than one. Validated epilepsy screening questionnaires are now available for the three languages to be used for community-based epilepsy survey in Nigeria. The translation and validation process are discussed to facilitate usage and development for other languages in sub-Saharan Africa.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23620439,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Forecasting asthma-related hospital admissions in London using negative binomial models.\nHealth forecasting can improve health service provision and individual patient outcomes. Environmental factors are known to impact chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, but little is known about the extent to which these factors can be used for forecasting. Using weather, air quality and hospital asthma admissions, in London (2005-2006), two related negative binomial models were developed and compared with a naive seasonal model. In the first approach, predictive forecasting models were fitted with 7-day averages of each potential predictor, and then a subsequent multivariable model is constructed. In the second strategy, an exhaustive search of the best fitting models between possible combinations of lags (0-14 days) of all the environmental effects on asthma admission was conducted. Three models were considered: a base model (seasonal effects), contrasted with a 7-day average model and a selected lags model (weather and air quality effects). Season is the best predictor of asthma admissions. The 7-day average and seasonal models were trivial to implement. The selected lags model was computationally intensive, but of no real value over much more easily implemented models. Seasonal factors can predict daily hospital asthma admissions in London, and there is a little evidence that additional weather and air quality information would add to forecast accuracy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36085909,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Computationally efficient neural network classifiers for next generation closed loop neuromodulation therapy - a case study in epilepsy.\nThis work explores the potential utility of neural network classifiers for real- time classification of field-potential based biomarkers in next-generation responsive neuromodulation systems. Compared to classical filter-based classifiers, neural networks offer an ease of patient-specific parameter tuning, promising to reduce the burden of programming on clinicians. The paper explores a compact, feed - forward neural network architecture of only dozens of units for seizure-state classification in refractory epilepsy. The proposed classifier offers comparable accuracy to filter- classifiers on clinician-labeled data, while reducing detection latency. As a trade-off to classical methods, the paper focuses on keeping the complexity of the architecture minimal, to accommodate the on-board computational constraints of implantable pulse generator systems. Clinical relevance-A neural network-based classifier is presented for responsive neurostimulation, with comparable accuracy to classical methods at reduced latency.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7377909,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Life events and depressive disorder reviewed. I. Events as predisposing factors.\nI reviewed studies examining the hypothesis that life events that occur during childhood or early adolescence may predispose a person to a depression in adulthood. Of studies that compared the incidence of childhood bereavement or other childhood loss events among depressed patients and controls, the majority found an increased incidence among the depressives. Although discrepant negative findings exist, it seems that the childhood loss of a parent by death generally increases depressive risk by a factor of about 2 or 3. In addition, early loss events also seem to be related to the severity of subsequent depression and to attempted suicide. Despite this significant association between childhood loss events and depression, most depressives have not experienced an early loss event, and clearly other causal factors are operative as well.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9022846,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Serological studies of bovine respiratory syncytial virus in feedlot cattle in South Africa.\nSerum antibody titres to bovine respiratory syncytial virus were determined in cattle (n = 282). Samples were obtained at various feedlots and were collected in the 1989 and 1990 winter seasons, during the course of investigations into outbreaks of respiratory tract infections in feedlot cattle. Results of the survey revealed an antibody prevalence of 43% to bovine respiratory syncytial virus. Titres ranged from 1:10 to 1:1280 as determined by the indirect fluorescent antibody test. The results also indicate that bovine respiratory syncytial virus is probably widespread in feedlot cattle in South Africa, and that this virus may be a contributing factor in the bovine respiratory complex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23187173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":3,"2015-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Stress induced birefringence tuning in femtosecond laser fabricated waveguides in fused silica.\nFemtosecond laser exposure produces form and stress birefringence in glasses, mainly controlled by laser polarization and pulse energy, which leads to challenges in certain applications where polarization mode dispersion or birefringence splitting is critical for the desired responses from optical devices. In this paper, parallel laser modification tracks with different geometries were applied to preferentially stress the laser-written waveguides and explore the possibility of tuning the waveguide birefringence in devices fabricated in bulk fused silica glass. Polarization splitting in Bragg grating waveguides showed the laser modification tracks to controllably add or subtract stress to the pre-existing waveguide birefringence, demonstrating independence from the nanograting induced form birefringence and the contributions from material stress. Stressing bars are shown that offer tunable birefringence in the range from ~0 up to 4.35 \u00d7 10(-4), possibly enabling great flexibility in designing polarization dependent devices, as well as making polarization independent devices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9398991,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Factors associated with breast and cervical cancer screening practices among Vietnamese American women.\nTo investigate predictors of breast and cervical cancer screening tests among Vietnamese women in California in preparation for developing and testing interventions to promote such screening. Cross-sectional telephone survey of 933 randomly selected Vietnamese women in four California counties. Overall, 70% of the respondents had had at least one prior clinical breast examination, but only 30% had had a mammogram and 53% a Pap test. Among women who had been screened, more than two-thirds were up-to-date and among those who had not been screened, more than two-thirds were planning future tests. Factors positively associated with receipt of one or more of the tests included age (among women < 40 years old), number of years in the United States, having ever married, and having health insurance. Factors negatively associated with test receipt included having a Vietnamese doctor, being unemployed, and being of Chinese-Vietnamese background. The multiple factors associated with utilization suggest intervention targets for promoting breast and cervical screening among new immigrant women. Increasing screening test receipt to recommended levels will require a two-pronged approach directed at both Vietnamese consumers and Vietnamese physicians.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27367102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Resonant optical propulsion of a particle inside a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber.\nResonant propulsion of small nonresonant particles inside metal waveguides due to the formation of resonant states by the guided modes below their cutoffs has been predicted in the past. Here it is shown that stable resonant propulsion exists in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers, which are all-dielectric structures and are a major platform for various photonic applications. Specific features of the resonant propulsion are discussed together with the fiber design issues. The results may enable power-efficient transport of particles over long distances, particle sorting, and sensitive detection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22044648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A \"concrete view\" of aging: event related potentials reveal age-related changes in basic integrative processes in language.\nNormal aging is accompanied by changes in both structural and functional cerebral organization. Although verbal knowledge seems to be relatively stable across the lifespan, there are age-related changes in the rapid use of that knowledge during on-line language processing. In particular, aging has been linked to reduce effectiveness in preparing for upcoming words and building an integrated sentence-level representation. The current study assessed whether such age-related changes extend even to much simpler language units, such as modification relations between a centrally presented adjective and a lateralized noun. Adjectives were used to elicit concrete and abstract meanings of the same, polysemous lexical items (e.g., \"green book\" vs. \"interesting book\"). Consistent with findings that lexical information is preserved with age, older adults, like younger adults, exhibited concreteness effects at the adjectives, with more negative responses to concrete adjectives over posterior (300-500 ms; N400) and frontal (300-900 ms) channels. However, at the noun, younger adults exhibited concreteness-based predictability effects linked to left hemisphere processing and imagery effects linked to right hemisphere processing, contingent on whether the adjectives and nouns formed a cohesive conceptual unit. In contrast, older adults showed neither effect, suggesting that they were less able to rapidly link the adjective-noun meaning to form an integrated conceptual representation. Age-related changes in language processing may thus be more pervasive than previously realized.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18940924,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Stability and structural recovery of the tetramerization domain of p53-R337H mutant induced by a designed templating ligand.\nProtein p53 is a transcription factor crucial for cell cycle and genome integrity. It is able to induce both cell arrest when DNA is damaged and the expression of DNA repair machinery. When the damage is irreversible, it triggers apoptosis. Indeed, the protein, which is a homotetramer, is mutated in most human cancers. For instance, the inherited mutation p53-R337H results in destabilization of the tetramer and, consequently, leads to an organism prone to tumor setup. We describe herein a rational designed molecule capable of holding together the four monomers of the mutated p53-R337H protein, recovering the tetramer integrity as in the wild-type structure. Two ligand molecules, based on a conical calix[4]arene with four cationic guanidiniomethyl groups at the wider edge (upper rim) and hydrophobic loops at the narrower edge (lower rim), fit nicely and cooperatively into the hydrophobic clefts between two of the monomers at each side of the protein and keep the tetrameric structure, like molecular templates, by both ion-pair and hydrophobic interactions. We found a good agreement between the structure of the complex and the nature of the interactions involved by a combination of theory (molecular dynamics) and experiments (circular dichroism, differential scanning calorimetry and (1)H saturation transfer difference NMR).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20197596,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Drug-induced liver injury].\nDrug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a well known adverse reaction of many drugs. Direct toxic liver damage is associated with paracetamol toxicity whereas most other drugs causing liver damage have an unpredictable or idiosyncratic pattern of injury. Although idiosyncratic liver injury was initially thought to be dose independent, it has been shown that many drugs leading to idiosyncratic injury have a dose dependent component. Physicians need to bear in mind DILI in all patients who present with symptoms or signs of liver dysfunction. Clinically and histologically DILI can mimick any known liver disease and there are no pathognomonic histological features of DILI. The diagnosis is one of exclusion. In patients with a high clinical suspicion of DILI the causative drug need to be discontinued and patients with jaundice and\/or coagulopathy have to be hospitalized and some cases considered for a liver transplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30968814,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Altered brain functional networks in Internet gaming disorder: independent component and graph theoretical analysis under a probability discounting task.\nInternet gaming disorder (IGD) is becoming a matter of concern around the world. However, the neural mechanism underlying IGD remains unclear. The purpose of this paper is to explore the differences between the neuronal network of IGD participants and that of recreational Internet game users (RGU). Imaging and behavioral data were collected from 18 IGD participants and 20 RGU under a probability discounting task. The independent component analysis (ICA) and graph theoretical analysis (GTA) were used to analyze the data. Behavioral results showed the IGD participants, compared to RGU, prefer risky options to the fixed ones and spent less time in making risky decisions. In imaging results, the ICA analysis revealed that the IGD participants showed stronger functional connectivity (FC) in reward circuits and executive control network, as well as lower FC in anterior salience network (ASN) than RGU; for the GTA results, the IGD participants showed impaired FC in reward circuits and ASN when compared with RGU. These results suggest that IGD participants were more sensitive to rewards, and they were more impulsive in decision-making as they could not control their impulsivity effectively. This might explain why IGD participants cannot stop their gaming behaviors even when facing severe negative consequences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23207297,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Third-order aberration coefficients of a thick lens.\nIn this paper, formulas are described for the calculation of the third-order aberration (Seidel) coefficients for a thick lens in air. The explicit analytic dependence of individual aberration coefficients on a lens thickness is presented. Such formulas make it possible to analyze an influence of the lens thickness on lens aberration properties and the replacement of a thick lens optical system by a thin lens model.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17585317,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Claudin-1 and claudin-5 expression patterns differentiate lung squamous cell carcinomas from adenocarcinomas.\nWe investigated the expression of tight junction proteins in human lung squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We found a statistically significant correlation between diagnosis and positivity of tumors with either claudin (CLDN)-1 or CLDN-5. Squamous cell carcinomas and basal cells of bronchial epithelium were positive for CLDN-1 and negative for CLDN-5, whereas adenocarcinomas, normal cylindrical cells and pneumocytes were positive for CLDN-5 and negative for CLDN-1, suggesting different pathways in tumor development and progression. CLDN-4 and ZO-1 staining were detected in both types of tumors, whereas cingulin (CGN) was not detected in squamous cell carcinomas. Quantitative RT-PCR was used to evaluate changes in transcript levels for a large panel of tight junction proteins. In squamous cell carcinomas, we observed statistically significant decreases in the mRNA levels of JAM-1, occludin, CLDN-3, CLDN-4, CLDN-7, CGN, ZO-2 and ZO-3, and an increase in CLDN-1 mRNA. In adenocarcinomas, when transcript levels were compared with bronchial cells, we observed statistically significant decreases in the mRNA levels of CLDN-1, CLDN-3, CLDN-4, CLDN-7, ZO-2 and ZO-3. These results indicate that characterization of tight junction protein expression in human lung tumors can be an additional diagnostic tool and provide new insights on their histogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31952828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"The relationship of atrial fibrillation and tricuspid annular dilation to late tricuspid regurgitation in patients with degenerative mitral repair.\nGuidelines do not address preoperative atrial fibrillation when considering adding tricuspid annuloplasty to mitral surgery. Our purpose was to determine the occurrence of late tricuspid regurgitation in patients with less than moderate tricuspid regurgitation undergoing surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation and the importance of atrial fibrillation and tricuspid annular dilation. From 2004 to 2017, 1021 patients underwent surgery for degenerative mitral regurgitation; 869 (85%) had less than moderate tricuspid regurgitation, and 846 (97%) underwent repair. Preoperative atrial fibrillation was present in 199 patients and ablated in 194 patients (97%). Tricuspid annular diameter was measured in 657 of 869 patients (76%). For patients who did not receive tricuspid annuloplasty, recurrent moderate or more late tricuspid regurgitation was 8% (45\/576) in the no atrial fibrillation group and 25% (38\/154) in the atrial fibrillation group (P < .001; odds ratio, 2.42). In 75.2% of patients (494\/657), the tricuspid annulus was less than 4.0 cm; in 17% of patients (112), the tricuspid annulus was 4.0 to 4.4 mm (mean 41.1 mm); and in 7.8% of patients (51), the tricuspid annulus was 45 mm or more (47.8 mm). Only tricuspid diameter 45 mm or more was a risk for late tricuspid regurgitation (P = .002; odds ratio, 3.25). Progression to moderate or higher tricuspid regurgitation was associated with an increase in long-term mortality: unadjusted hazard ratio, 3.58 (2.04-6.29) (P < .001); adjusted hazard ratio, 2.37 (1.23-4.57) (P = .010). Preoperative atrial fibrillation is an important risk factor for late tricuspid regurgitation despite concomitant ablation surgery. Tricuspid annular dilation was not associated with late tricuspid regurgitation until the annulus was 45 mm or greater. Progression to moderate or greater tricuspid regurgitation was associated with an increase in late mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15930829,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Visual recognition of the host in the parasitoid fly Exorista japonica.\nWe presented the tachinid fly Exorista japonica with moving host models: a freeze-dried larva of the common armyworm Mythimna separata, a black rubber tube, and a black rubber sheet, to examine the effects of size, curvature, and velocity on visual recognition of the host. The host models were moved around the fly on a metal arm driven by motor. The size of the larva, the velocity of movement, and the length and diameter of the rubber tube were varied. During the presentation of the host model, fixation, approach, and examination behaviours of the flies were recorded. The fly fixated on, approached, and examined the black rubber tube as well as the freeze-dried larva. Furthermore, the fly detected the black rubber tube at a greater distance than the larva. The rubber tube elicited higher rates of approach and examination responses than the rubber sheet, suggesting that curvature affects the responses of the flies. The length, diameter, and velocity of host models had little effect on response rates of the flies. During host pursuit, the fly appeared to walk towards the ends of the tube. These results suggest that the flies respond to the leading or trailing edges of a moving object and ignore the length and diameter of the object.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38116769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Effects of Different Types of Diets on Steroid Hormone Concentrations.\nThe great popularity of various diets in recent years has led us to reflect on their suitability for our health. The aim of this communication is to review current knowledge on the influence of the most well-known diets on the concentrations of the main steroids and to consider possible mechanisms. The influence of diet on hormone concentrations is expected, but the literature data on this topic are inconsistent and yield conflicting results. The main problem in evaluating these influences is the change in weight that a change in diet induces. This effect needs to be filtered out in order to discover interesting associations between diet and steroid hormones. This is illustrated by the example of the effects of ketogenic diets on testosterone levels in men, where the direct effect of the diet is to reduce testosterone levels, but a number of papers have described increases that are due to diet-related weight loss and the modification of obesity-induced changes. A second major driver is the change in circadian rhythm, and it is necessary to assess hormonal changes induced by changing the time of day of the diet. Such shifts within the circadian rhythm rather than due to a particular type of diet itself are documented by changes in the circadian rhythm of cortisol.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33757271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Odorant degrading carboxylesterases modulate foraging and mating behaviors of Grapholita molesta.\nOdorant degrading carboxylesterases (CXEs) play key roles in the process of odor signal reception via degrading ester odorants. But the functional mechanisms of CXEs in modulating insect behaviors are unclear. Herein, we studied the roles that CXEs played in mating, foraging, and signal receptions of sex pheromones and host volatiles in Grapholita molesta. As a result, 23 candidate CXEs were identified by transcriptome analysis of G. molesta. The GmolCXE1 and 5 highly expressed in the antennae of male moths and GmolCXE14 and 21 abundantly expressed in larval heads, were significantly upregulated after exposure with odors from female adults or fresh ripe fruits respectively. After knockdown of GmolCXE1 and 5, or GmolCXE14 and 21 by RNA interference, the behavioral responses of G. molesta to ester sex pheromones or host volatiles were decreased, by exhibiting an inhibited searching behavior of G. molesta for females or fruits, respectively. Then evidence form GC-MS analysis, showed that the protein GmolCXE1 and GmolCXE5 could metabolize the sex pheromone components (Z\/E)-8-dodecenyl acetate to their metabolites products (Z\/E)-8-dodecenol, and that GmolCXE14 and GmolCXE21 could metabolize ethyl butanoate and ethyl hexanoate of ripe pears. In addition, fluorescent binding assays verified that GmolCXEs could degrade the free ester odor molecules, but not degrade the odor molecules protected by odorant-binding proteins. Our study not only demonstrated CXEs modulated the mating and foraging behaviors of G. molesta through inactivation of ester sex pheromone and host volatiles, but also discovered great potential molecular targets to develop behavioral inhibitors for pest management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15337733,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Vascular response to angiotensin II in upper body obesity.\nUpper body obesity is associated with insulin resistance, hypertension, and endothelial dysfunction. We examined forearm vascular function in response to vasodilator (endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent) and vasoconstrictor stimuli in 8 normotensive, upper body\/viscerally obese men with a positive family history of hypertension and 8 age-matched nonobese men. We also measured body composition and insulin regulation of free fatty acid (FFA) and glucose metabolism. Forearm blood flow was measured before and during brachial artery infusions of acetylcholine (Ach), sodium nitroprusside (NTP), and angiotensin II (+\/-nitric oxide synthase [NO]) synthase blockade with N(G)-monomethyl L-arginine [L-NMMA]). On a separate day, baseline and insulin-regulated glucose ([3-3H]glucose) and FFA ([9,10-3H]palmitate) turnover were measured. The vasoconstrictor response to angiotensin II was greater (P<0.05) in obese men than in nonobese men, whereas endothelium-dependent vasodilation was similar. The slope of the angiotensin II dose-response curve correlated significantly with the basal plasma palmitate concentration. Basal and insulin-mediated glucose disposal was significantly reduced and FFA turnover significantly increased in viscerally obese men. No differences in endothelium-independent vasodilation or relationships between vascular responsivity and palmitate and glucose kinetics or body composition were found. Angiotensin II-stimulated forearm vasoconstriction is increased in viscerally obese normotensive men.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19842516,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Teamwork: how does this relate to the operating room practitioner?\nTeamwork in the operating room is vital. We must view a picture of the evolving role of operating room practitioners and our educational needs. By raising our profile, we can encourage team work amongst multidisciplinary groups and secure the future of operating room practitioners in this complex matrix of patient care. With support we can create professional teams that will meet the values and expectations of trusts as well as government targets on a day to day basis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33066689,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Oncolytic Virotherapy in Glioma Tumors.\nGlioma tumors are one of the most devastating cancer types. Glioblastoma is the most advanced stage with the worst prognosis. Current therapies are still unable to provide an effective cure. Recent advances in oncolytic immunotherapy have generated great expectations in the cancer therapy field. The use of oncolytic viruses (OVs) in cancer treatment is one such immune-related therapeutic alternative. OVs have a double oncolytic action by both directly destroying the cancer cells and stimulating a tumor specific immune response to return the ability of tumors to escape the control of the immune system. OVs are one promising alternative to conventional therapies in glioma tumor treatment. Several clinical trials have proven the feasibility of using some viruses to specifically infect tumors, eluding undesired toxic effects in the patient. Here, we revisited the literature to describe the main OVs proposed up to the present moment as therapeutic alternatives in order to destroy glioma cells in vitro and trigger tumor destruction in vivo. Oncolytic viruses were divided with respect to the genome in DNA and RNA viruses. Here, we highlight the results obtained in various clinical trials, which are exploring the use of these agents as an alternative where other approaches provide limited hope.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25397684,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Zinc-finger nuclease knockout of dual-specificity protein phosphatase-5 enhances the myogenic response and autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in FHH.1BN rats.\nWe recently reported that the myogenic responses of the renal afferent arteriole (Af-Art) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) and autoregulation of renal and cerebral blood flow (RBF and CBF) were impaired in Fawn Hooded hypertensive (FHH) rats and were restored in a FHH.1BN congenic strain in which a small segment of chromosome 1 from the Brown Norway (BN) containing 15 genes including dual-specificity protein phosphatase-5 (Dusp5) were transferred into the FHH genetic background. We identified 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the Dusp5 gene in FHH as compared with BN rats, two of which altered CpG sites and another that caused a G155R mutation. To determine whether Dusp5 contributes to the impaired myogenic response in FHH rats, we created a Dusp5 knockout (KO) rat in the FHH.1BN genetic background using a zinc-finger nuclease that introduced an 11 bp frame-shift deletion and a premature stop codon at AA121. The expression of Dusp5 was decreased and the levels of its substrates, phosphorylated ERK1\/2 (p-ERK1\/2), were enhanced in the KO rats. The diameter of the MCA decreased to a greater extent in Dusp5 KO rats than in FHH.1BN and FHH rats when the perfusion pressure was increased from 40 to 140 mmHg. CBF increased markedly in FHH rats when MAP was increased from 100 to 160 mmHg, and CBF was better autoregulated in the Dusp5 KO and FHH.1BN rats. The expression of Dusp5 was higher at the mRNA level but not at the protein level and the levels of p-ERK1\/2 and p-PKC were lower in cerebral microvessels and brain tissue isolated from FHH than in FHH.1BN rats. These results indicate that Dusp5 modulates myogenic reactivity in the cerebral circulation and support the view that a mutation in Dusp5 may enhance Dusp5 activity and contribute to the impaired myogenic response in FHH rats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20456292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Drug-related behaviors independently associated with syphilis infection among female sex workers in two Mexico-US border cities.\nTo identify correlates of active syphilis infection among female sex workers (FSWs) in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. Cross-sectional analyses of baseline interview data. Correlates of active syphilis (antibody titers >1 : 8) were identified by logistic regression. Setting Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, two Mexican cities on the US border that are situated on major drug trafficking routes and where prostitution is quasi-legal. A total of 914 FSWs aged > or =18 years without known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection who had had recent unprotected sex with clients. Baseline interviews and testing for syphilis antibody using Treponema pallidum particle agglutination (TPPA) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR) tests. Median age and duration in sex work were 32 and 4 years, respectively. Overall, 18.0% had ever injected drugs, 14.2% often or always used illegal drugs before or during sex in the past month, 31.4% had clients in the last 6 months who injected drugs, and 68.6% reported having clients from the United States. Prevalence of HIV and active syphilis were 5.9% and 10.3%, respectively. Factors independently associated with active syphilis included injecting drugs (AOR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.40, 4.08), using illegal drugs before or during sex (AOR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.16, 3.65) and having any US clients (AOR: 2.85; 95% CI: 1.43, 5.70). Among female sex workers in Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, drug-using behaviors were associated more closely with active syphilis than were sexual behaviors, suggesting the possibility of parenteral transmission of T. pallidum. Syphilis eradication programs should consider distributing sterile syringes to drug injectors and assisting FSWs with safer-sex negotiation in the context of drug use.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8945542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Bacteroides fragilis toxin rapidly intoxicates human intestinal epithelial cells (HT29\/C1) in vitro.\nEnterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis strains associated with childhood diarrhea produce a 20-kDa protein toxin (BFT). Purified BFT causes striking morphologic changes in subconfluent human colonic epithelial cells (HT29\/C1). In a 3-h HT29\/C1 cell assay, the estimated half-maximal effective concentration of BFT was 12.5 pM, and morphologic effects were detectable as early as 30 min and nearly complete by 1.5 h. Concentrations as low as 0.5 pM could also cause intoxication, but morphologic changes were detectable only when the assay was extended to 18 h. The onset of this intoxication was concentration dependent and rapid, occurring within minutes (<7 min at 0.25 nM, <2 min at 2.5 nM). Notably, the onset of intoxication at 37 degrees C became irreversible to washing within 2 min after exposure to BFT. Morphologic changes were completely inhibited by treatment of HT29\/C1 cells with BFT at 4 degrees C but could be demonstrated by subsequent warming to temperatures of 15 degrees C or higher after washing. The time required for the association of BFT with HT29\/C1 cells at 4 degrees C was inversely correlated with concentration. Inhibitors of endosomal and Golgi trafficking (NH4Cl and brefeldin A) prevented the intoxication of HT29\/C1 cells by Clostridium difficile toxin A and cholera toxin, respectively, but not by BFT. Agents altering microtubule structure did not affect the cellular activity of BFT. These data indicate that a purified toxin from B. fragilis strains associated with diarrhea rapidly and irreversibly intoxicates human intestinal epithelial cells (HT29\/C1) in a concentration- and temperature-dependent manner and that the process of intoxication may not involve internalization mechanisms utilizing microtubules or sensitive to pH or brefeldin A.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":465299,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Oesophageal cancer studies in the Caspian Littoral of Iran: results of a case-control study.\nThe results are presented of a case-control study conducted in the north of Iran. The main aim was to study factors identified in a previous study as potentially causally related to cancer of the oesophagus. Other tumours (lung, stomach, breast, large bowel, larynx and pharynx) were included to distinguish findings specific for oesophageal cancer from general characteristics of cancer patients, due for example to ascertainment bias, and to verify that expected associations, such as between lung cancer and cigarette smoking, would emerge under the prevailing field conditions. Two controls were chosen per case, matched for village of residence, age, sex and language group, Reinterviewing was performed to a limited extent to assess the accuracy of replies to questionnaires. The following were found not to be associated with oesophageal cancer: consumption of sheep's milk and yoghurt, sesame oil, chewing of nass, making of carpets, use of pregnancy diets, salting and sun-drying of meat and use of wild spinach. The use of opium, bread and tea could not be assessed in the retrospective framework. Strongly associated with risk of oesophageal cancer were low socio-economic status and low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. The two factors each had an independent effect, and were more marked for oesophageal cancer than for the other tumours.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21954831,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Interleukin-6 autocrine signaling mediates melatonin MT(1\/2) receptor-induced STAT3 Tyr(705) phosphorylation.\nMelatonin receptors have previously been shown to elicit cellular signaling through the hematopoietic-specific G protein, G(16) . In the present study, we show that this functional coupling elicited biphasic stimulatory phosphorylation on STAT3 in recombinant MT(1) \/G\u03b1(16) cells and native Jurkat T cells (endogenously expressing MT(1) and G\u03b1(16) ), with maximal Ser(727) phosphorylation occurring at 15min, while marked Tyr(705) phosphorylation became detectable only upon agonist treatment for 4 hr or more. By employing signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation-resistant mutants (STAT3-Y705F and STAT3-S727A), we further showed that the receptor-mediated STAT3 phosphorylations at Ser(727) and Tyr(705) were independent of each other. Results obtained from fractionation of 2-IMT-induced cells revealed that the Ser(727) and Tyr(705) phosphorylations were spatially distinct, with the former mainly situated in mitochondria and cytosol, while the latter was predominantly located in the nucleus. Further experiments revealed that the agonist-induced STAT3 phosphorylation at Tyr(705) was significantly suppressed by pretreatment with cycloheximide (a ribosome inhibitor), suggesting that de novo protein synthesis might play a critical role for this response. Using conditioned media obtained from 2-IMT-treated MT(1) \/G\u03b1(16) cells, multiplex immunoassays revealed that prolonged agonist treatment led to elevated productions of IL-6, GM-CSF and CXCL-8. Antibody against IL-6, but not those for GM-CSF and CXCL-8, effectively abolished the agonist-induced STAT3 Tyr(705) phosphorylation, suggesting the involvement of IL-6 in melatonin receptor-mediated STAT3 activation. Our results demonstrate that melatonin receptor\/G\u03b1(16) coupling is capable of triggering the production of cytokines including IL-6, and this autocrine loop may account for the subsequent STAT3 phosphorylation at Tyr(705) .","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3132173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Radical cations in the horseradish peroxidase and prostaglandin H synthase mediated metabolism and binding of benzo[a]pyrene to deoxyribonucleic acid.\nMetabolism and DNA binding studies are used to investigate mechanisms of activation for carcinogens. In this paper we describe metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene (BP) and 6-fluorobenzo[a]pyrene (6-FBP) by two peroxidases, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and prostaglandin H synthase (PHS), which are known to catalyze one-electron oxidation. In addition, binding of BP and BP quinones to DNA was compared in the two enzyme systems. The only metabolites formed from BP or 6-FBP by either enzyme were the quinones, BP 1,6-, 3,6- and 6,12-dione. HRP metabolized BP and 6-FBP to the same extent and produced the same proportion of each dione from both compounds, approximately 40% each of BP 1,6- and 3,6-dione and 20% BP 6,12-dione. PHS formed twice as much quinones from BP as from 6-FBP and produced relatively more BP 3,6-dione from 6-FBP (46%) compared to BP (30%) and relatively less BP 6,12-dione from 6-FBP (16%) compared to BP (33%). Removal of the fluoro substituent in the metabolism of 6-FBP is consistent only with an initial one-electron oxidation of the substrate. Since BP quinones were the only products formed in HRP- and PHS-catalyzed activation of BP, their possible binding to DNA was compared to that of BP. No significant binding of BP quinones to DNA occurred with either HRP or PHS. These results, coupled with those from other chemical and biochemical experiments, demonstrate that HRP- and PHS-catalyzed one-electron oxidation of BP to its radical cation is the mechanism of formation of quinones and binding of BP to DNA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26526964,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"High homocysteine, low vitamin B-6, and increased oxidative stress are independently associated with the risk of chronic kidney disease.\nHyperhomocysteinemia, increased oxidative stress, and decreased antioxidant defense function have been found to be associated with the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Deficiencies of folate and vitamin B-6 (pyridoxal 5'-phosphate, PLP) may cause hyperhomocysteinemia and increased oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations among homocysteine, folate, PLP, oxidative stress indicator, and antioxidant capacities in patients with stage 2 to 3 CKD, and to further analyze these relationships with respect to risk for CKD. Ninety-seven patients with CKD and 135 healthy subjects were recruited. Patients with CKD had significantly higher levels of malondialdehyde and total antioxidant capacities, but had significantly lower antioxidant enzyme activities compared with healthy subjects. Serum folate but not plasma PLP was significantly negatively associated with plasma homocysteine. There were no significant associations of homocysteine, PLP, and folate with oxidative stress indicator and antioxidant capacities. High homocysteine (odds ratio [OR] = 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.22) and malondialdehyde (OR = 34.24; 95% CI, 4.44-264.40) level increased the risk of CKD, whereas high plasma PLP (OR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.97-0.99) and superoxide dismutase activity (OR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.74-0.91) decreased the risk of CKD after adjusting all potential confounders. High homocysteine, low PLP, increased oxidative stress, and decreased antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase activity) were independent contributing factors in the development of early stage CKD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36147554,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Using a genetic algorithm to solve a non-linear location allocation problem for specialised children's ambulances in England and Wales.\nSince 1997, special paediatric intensive care retrieval teams (PICRTs) based in 11 locations across England and Wales have been used to transport sick children from district general hospitals to one of 24 paediatric intensive care units. We develop a location allocation optimisation framework to help inform decisions on the optimal number of locations for each PICRT, where those locations should be, which local hospital each location serves and how many teams should station each location. Our framework allows for stochastic journey times, differential weights for each journey leg and incorporates queuing theory by considering the time spent waiting for a PICRT to become available. We examine the average waiting time and the average time to bedside under different number of operational PICRT stations, different number of teams per station and different levels of demand. We show that consolidating the teams into fewer stations for higher availability leads to better performance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22542751,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Is protein methylation in the human lens a result of non-enzymatic methylation by S-adenosylmethionine?\nSince crystallins in the human lens do not turnover, they are susceptible to modification by reactive molecules over time. Methylation is a major post-translational lens modification, however the source of the methyl group is not known and the extent of modification across all crystallins has yet to be determined. Sites of methylation in human lens proteins were determined using HPLC\/mass spectrometry following digestion with trypsin. The overall extent of protein methylation increased with age, and there was little difference in the extent of modification between soluble and insoluble crystallins. Several different cysteine and histidine residues in crystallins from adult lenses were found to be methylated with one cysteine (Cys 110 in \u03b3D crystallin) at a level approaching 70%, however, methylation of crystallins was not detected in fetal or newborn lenses. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) was quantified at significant (10-50 \u03bcM) levels in lenses, and in model experiments SAM reacted readily with N-\u03b1-tBoc-cysteine and N-\u03b1-tBoc-histidine, as well as \u03b2A3-crystallin. The pattern of lens protein methylation seen in the human lens was consistent with non-enzymatic alkylation. The in vitro data shows that SAM can act directly to methylate lens proteins and SAM was present in significant concentrations in human lens. Thus, non-enzymatic methylation of crystallins by SAM offers a possible explanation for this major human lens modification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":631895,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Immunoglobulins and secretory component in the external secretions of foals with combined immunodeficiency.\nNasal washings and tears were collected from seven Arabian foals with combined immunodeficiency and nine normal foals. The major immunoglobulin in the external secretions of normal foals over 2 months of age was secretory immunoglobulin A, whereas foals with combined immunodeficiency lacked this immunoglobulin. The external secretions of both normal and immunodeficient foals contained free secretory component at birth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11832621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Morgagni hernia with Down syndrome: a rare association -- case report and review of literature.\nMorgagni hernia is a rare diaphragmatic hernia accounting for only 2% of the congenital diaphragmatic defects. A case of Morgagni hernia was diagnosed radiologically in a 12-months-old male with Down syndrome, with recurrent respiratory distress and chest deformity. The 2-dimensional echocardiography was normal. The diagnosis of Morgagni hernia was confirmed by barium studies. The patient underwent a corrective surgery at 18 months of age following which his symptoms subsided. Literature review revealed only 18 cases of Morgagni hernia with Down syndrome reported till date, with age of presentation varying from neonatal age group to 12 years of age. The mode of presentations varied from asymptomatic detection to severe respiratory distress. The possible mechanism of association and its clinical implication has been discussed. The case emphasises a need for diaphragmatic hernia to be looked for as a possible cause of respiratory distress in Down syndrome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17205628,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"UV Index on tilted surfaces.\nSolar ultraviolet erythemal irradiance (UVER) has been studied on inclined planes with different orientations in Valencia, Spain. To do this a platform was designed that could turn through 90 degrees on its own axis. The radiometers were inclined at an angle close to the latitude of Valencia (39.5 degrees N). Using two timers the platform could be turned through 90 degrees every 5 min. On clear or partially cloudy days, including those with different turbidity values, it was observed that the UVER showed a maximum at 1200 h GMT, very close to solar noon, in the north and south positions, while the maximum for east and west orientations was found at approximately one hour before and one hour after midday respectively. It was also observed how the irradiance for the south orientation was greater and for the north was less than for the horizontal plane, as well as the opposite performances of the east and west orientations, for four days close to the summer and winter solstices and each equinox. Some experimental results were also compared with the results from the SMARTS2.9 model for the same conditions. It was found that the model frequently overestimated the experimental data. With respect to the maximum calculated UV Index in the different planes this was always higher for the south orientation than for the north, while it was similar for east and west orientations throughout the year. Finally the accumulated erythemal dosage for the considered period was obtained as a function of phototype and orientation, confirming that the accumulated erythemal dosage decreased by around 37% in the north orientation compared to the horizontal value, while in the south position it was only 6% less and some 20% and 15% less in the east and west positions, respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Antagonistic Interactions Between Strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae.\nABSTRACT The ability of some phytopathogenic bacterial strains to inhibit the growth of others in mixed infections has been well documented. Here we report that such antagonistic interactions occur between several wild-type strains of the rice bacterial blight pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae. In mixed inoculations, a wild-type Philippine strain was found to inhibit the growth of a wild-type Korean strain. Furthermore, a nonpathogenic mutant of the Philippine strain maintained these antagonistic properties. Growth curve analysis indicated that both the wild-type Philippine strain and its nonpathogenic mutant inhibited the growth of the Korean strain 2 days after infection and prior to the onset of disease symptoms. When mixed with the nonpathogenic mutant, 10 out of 18 diverse wild-type X. oryzae pv. oryzae strains did not cause disease. Conversely, three of the strains that were not affected by the nonpathogenic mutant were found to inhibit the growth of both the wild-type and mutant Philippine strains, indicating that antagonism is widespread and strain specific. The observed growth inhibition occurred only in planta and did not correlate with bacteriocin activity in vitro. Antagonistic interactions also were found to affect resistance (R) gene-mediated resistance. The R gene Xa21 was capable of protecting rice plants coinoculated with nonantagonistic virulent and avirulent strains; however, when avirulent strains were coinoculated with virulent antagonistic strains, disease ensued. Taken together, these results indicate that X. oryzae pv. oryzae has evolved strategies to compete with rival strains in a fashion that allows virulent strains to evade R gene-mediated protection even when avirulent strains are present in the inoculum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38117274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prevalence of Blastocystis sp. in Morocco: Comparative assessment of three diagnostic methods and characterization of parasite forms in Jones' culture medium.\nBlastocystosis is an infection caused by Blastocystis sp., which colonizes the digestive tract of various hosts, including humans, although its pathogenicity is debated. It is crucial to detect and distinguish the different forms of Blastocystis to understand better its impact on human health and its epidemiological evolution. This study evaluated three diagnostic methods on 105 stool samples: direct examination, culture in Jones' medium, and conventional PCR. PCR is considered the gold standard and revealed a high prevalence of Blastocystis (67.62%) compared to direct examination (20.95%) and culture in Jones' medium (51.43%). Although the sensitivity of direct examination and culture was 31% and 76.1%, respectively, their specificity was 100%. No significant risk factors were identified. A statistically significant association was observed between Blastocystis infection and abdominal pain. Microscopic analysis revealed various morphological forms. Molecular diagnosis is an essential tool to determine the true prevalence of Blastocystis, and studying the different forms of this microorganism will contribute to a better understanding of its biological cycle and, therefore, the impact of this emerging infection on human health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20445450,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Long-term outcomes and quality of life after intestine transplantation.\nOver the past decade intestine transplantation has been accepted as standard therapy for patients with life-threatening complications of parenteral nutrition. For patients without life-threatening complications, continued therapy with parenteral nutrition has been standard despite seemingly similar patient survival in the short term. It is important to define the long-term patient and graft survival as well as complications encountered late after transplantation in order to understand the role for expansion of the indications for intestinal transplantation. Divergent immunosuppression strategies have been proposed by single centers, largely with similar improvements in patient survival over time. Current patient survival in the short term (1 year) and long term (5-10 years) have reached 78-85% and 56-61% in single-center series. Distinguishing the cause of diarrhea after the closure of the ostomy is problematic and justifies the ongoing efforts to identify a biomarker that might be used in place of allograft biopsy. Late rejection episodes are largely related to viral infections or noncompliance and the risk for malignancy appears confined primarily to adult recipients. Nutritional and growth parameters of children more than 2 years after intestinal transplantation demonstrate the majority have excellent bowel function\/absorption (albeit frequent eating disorders) and normal growth velocity. Finally, preliminary reports from several new studies of quality of life after intestinal transplantation have been able to correlate the decreases in quality of life described to complications of the transplant or ongoing need for invasive devices or nutritional support. For patients who undergo intestinal transplantation patient survival appears similar to remaining on parenteral nutrition. The inclination is therefore to move toward earlier transplantation and avoid the need for concomitant liver transplantation. The long-term outcomes, however, are not thoroughly described and at this time it appears premature to electively offer intestinal transplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26047215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Machine Learning for Discriminating Quantum Measurement Trajectories and Improving Readout.\nCurrent methods for classifying measurement trajectories in superconducting qubit systems produce fidelities systematically lower than those predicted by experimental parameters. Here, we place current classification methods within the framework of machine learning (ML) algorithms and improve on them by investigating more sophisticated ML approaches. We find that nonlinear algorithms and clustering methods produce significantly higher assignment fidelities that help close the gap to the fidelity possible under ideal noise conditions. Clustering methods group trajectories into natural subsets within the data, which allows for the diagnosis of systematic errors. We find large clusters in the data associated with T1 processes and show these are the main source of discrepancy between our experimental and ideal fidelities. These error diagnosis techniques help provide a path forward to improve qubit measurements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31970375,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nucleoside-modified AdoMet analogues for differential methyltransferase targeting.\nMethyltransferases (MTases) modify a wide range of biomolecules using S-adenosyl-l-methionine (AdoMet) as the cosubstrate. Synthetic AdoMet analogues are powerful tools to site-specifically introduce a variety of functional groups and exhibit potential to be converted only by distinct MTases. Extending the size of the substituent at the sulfur\/selenium atom provides selectivity among MTases but is insufficient to discriminate between promiscuous MTases. We present a panel of AdoMet analogues differing in the nucleoside moiety (NM-AdoMets). These NM-AdoMets were efficiently produced by a previously uncharacterized methionine adenosyltransferase (MAT) from methionine and ATP analogues, such as ITP and N6-propargyl-ATP. The N6-modification changed the relative activity of three representative MTases up to 13-fold resulting in discrimination of substrates for the methyl transfer and could also be combined with transfer of allyl and propargyl groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":637647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Considerations in diagnosing brain abscess with computerized axial tomography.\nFour studies with computerized axial tomography (CT scan) were performed in a 20-year-old man in whom multiple brain abscesses developed while hospitalized for complications of regional enteritis. A large frontal lobe abscess appeared as a nonspecific region of decreased density on the initial CT scans. When iodine was used to enhance the diagnostic sensitivity of the CT scan, this areas was identifiable as an abscess. However, a 1-cm lesion in the right parietal area that extended into the choroid plexus was not delineated. Radionuclide scans detected both lesions, but did not allow pathological identification. We conclude that CT scans should be performed with iodine enhancement whenever brain abscesses are suspected, and that some abscesses that are undetected by CT scans even with iodine enhancment may be delineated but not identified by sodium pertechnetate Tc 99m imaging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16970233,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Impact of prenatal magnetic resonance imaging on postnatal neurosurgical treatment.\nThe goal of this study was to determine the importance magnetic resonance (MR) imaging holds as a complementary fetal imaging modality to ultrasonography in deciding postnatal neurosurgical management. Between 1999 and 2003, 320 fetal MR imaging studies were performed at a single institution. Twenty-four fetuses were found to have central nervous system abnormalities that could potentially require a neurosurgical intervention. The diagnoses included spinal anomalies (scoliosis, myelomeningocele, and closed spinal dysraphism) and brain anomalies (ventriculomegaly with or without hemorrhage, intracranial cyst, craniosynostosis, and encephalocele). Fourteen of the 24 fetuses underwent surgery based on findings of prenatal MR imaging. In seven cases the pregnancy was terminated, and in three cases conservative follow up continues. In a variety of brain and spine disorders, prenatal MR imaging can delineate and characterize the abnormality, and thus assist in the diagnosis and in the planning of postnatal surgery and management. This modality provides important multiplanar images and may obviate the need for early postnatal computed tomography or MR imaging. Postnatal management can often be guided by prenatal MR imaging findings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34804236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Commodity risk assessment of Malus domestica plants from Ukraine.\nThe European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018\/2019 as 'High risk plants, plant products and other objects'). This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by 1- to 3-year-old dormant grafted plants and rootstocks of Malus domestica imported from Ukraine, taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by Ukraine. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this opinion. Two quarantine pests (Lopholeucaspis japonica and Tobacco ringspot virus), one protected zone quarantine pest (Erwinia amylovora) and one non-regulated pest (Eotetranychus prunicola) that fulfilled all relevant criteria were selected for further evaluation. For Erwinia amylovora, for which special requirements are specified in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019\/2072, Annex X, item 9, the fulfilment of these requirements was evaluated. Based on the information provided in the dossier, the specific requirements for Erwinia amylovora were not met. For the three remaining selected pests, the risk mitigation measures proposed in the technical dossier from Ukraine were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. For the selected pests, an expert judgement is given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The degree of pest freedom varies among the pests evaluated, with Eotetranychus prunicola being the pest most frequently expected on the imported plants. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation indicated with 95% certainty that between 9,912 and 10,000 bundles (consisting of 50 plants each) per 10,000 would be free from Eotetranychus prunicola.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36855440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen on Pulpal Anaesthesia Immediately after Pulpectomy of Primary Maxillary Molars.\nThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of acetaminophen and ibuprofen on pulpal anaesthesia immediately after pulpectomy of primary maxillary molars. In this placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial, 60 children (aged 5 to 9) were referred to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Yazd Dental School; for primary maxillary molar pulpectomy. Local anaesthesia and analgesic drugs were used for the pre-operative stage. A five-face scale was considered to evaluate pain reaction during the pulp therapy. Pain scores were determined when the dental procedure was complete. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were finally used at the confidence level of 95%. Use of analgesics before pulpectomy in children can reduce pain score compared to placebo group (P<0.001) and increase the effectiveness of pulpal anesthesia. Additionally, ibuprofen exhibited lower pain scores compared to acetaminophen although the difference was not statistically significant. Pre-operative use of ibuprofen and acetaminophen might be a useful way to achieve analgesia during pulpectomy of primary maxillary molars in children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31212945,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The New Era for Reno-Cardiovascular Treatment in Type 2 Diabetes.\nDiabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease in the developed world. Until 2016, the only treatment that was clearly demonstrated to delay the DKD was the renin-angiotensin system blockade, either by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. However, this strategy only partially covered the DKD progression. Thus, new strategies for reno-cardiovascular protection in type 2 diabetic patients are urgently needed. In the last few years, hypoglycaemic drugs, such as sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, demonstrated a cardioprotective effect, mainly in terms of decreasing hospitalization for heart failure and cardiovascular death in type 2 diabetic patients. In addition, these drugs also demonstrated a clear renoprotective effect by delaying DKD progression and decreasing albuminuria. Another hypoglycaemic drug class, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, has been approved for its use in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, avoiding, in part, the need for insulinization in this group of DKD patients. Studies in diabetic and non-diabetic experimental models suggest that these drugs may exert their reno-cardiovascular protective effect by glucose and non-glucose dependent mechanisms. This review focuses on newly demonstrated strategies that have shown reno-cardiovascular benefits in type 2 diabetes and that may change diabetes management algorithms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26482770,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The mental health of US Black women: the roles of social context and severe intimate partner violence.\nBlack women continue to have rates of mental health conditions that can be negative for their well-being. This study examined the contribution of social and contextual factors and severe physical intimate partner violence on the mental health of US Black women (African-American and Caribbean Black). Data were largely collected via in-person community interviews at participants' homes. We studied 3277 African-American and Black Caribbean women from the 2001-2003 National Survey of American Life (NSAL), the largest and most complete sample of Blacks residing in the USA. Key outcomes included an array of psychiatric disorders based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Bivariate results revealed noticeably high rates of any anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, any substance disorder, alcohol abuse disorder, suicide ideation and attempts, and any overall mental disorder among African-American women relative to Caribbean Black women. Multiple social and contextual factors were associated with various mental disorders among both sets of Black women in multivariate models, with the most consistent associations found for severe physical intimate partner violence. Everyday discrimination was associated with anxiety disorders (95% AOR=2.08 CI 1.23 to 3.51), eating disorders (95% AOR=2.69 CI 1.38 to 5.22), and any disorder (95% AOR=2.18 CI 1.40 to 3.40), while neighbourhood drug problems contributed to mood (95% AOR=1.19 CI 1.04 to 1.36), substance disorders (95% AOR=1.37 CI 1.11 to 1.69) and any disorder (95% AOR=1.18 CI 1.03 to 1.34). Severe physical intimate partner violence, discrimination, and to a lesser extent, neighbourhood problems are important predictors of Black women's health, findings that inform intervention and clinical services tailored to meet the needs of Black women from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20464671,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"From the Cochrane library: Ginkgo biloba for intermittent claudication.\nPatients with intermittent claudication suffer from pain in the muscles of the legs during exercise that is relieved by a short rest. Ginkgo biloba extract is a vasoactive agent used for symptomatic relief in intermittent claudication. In this article a meta-analysis is discussed that assessed the effect of Ginkgo biloba on walking capacity in patients with intermittent claudication. The Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group searched their Trials Register and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials in The Cochrane Library. Furthermore MEDLINE\/PUBMED (until May 2008) and EMBASE (until May 2008) were searched and manufacturers of Ginkgo biloba extract were contacted. Randomized controlled trials of Ginkgo biloba extract versus placebo in people with intermittent claudication were included. Two authors independently assessed trials for selection, assessed study quality and extracted data. To standardize walking distance or time, caloric expenditures were used to correct for the different treadmill protocols. Eleven trials involving 477 participants compared Ginkgo biloba with placebo and assessed the absolute claudication distance (maximal walking distance). At the end of the study the absolute claudication distance increased with an overall effect size of 3.57 kilocalories ( p = 0.06), for treatment with Ginkgo biloba, compared to placebo. This translates to an increase of 64.5 meters (confidence interval -1.8 to 130.7) on a flat treadmill with an average speed of 3.2 km\/h. There is no evidence that Ginkgo biloba has a clinically significant benefit for patients with intermittent claudication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15718784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The physiology and pharmacology of growing old, as shown in body simulation.\nGeriatric medicine is becoming increasingly important, due to the aging of our population. Healthcare givers need methods that can teach efficiently and painlessly the complexities involved with aging. One important tool in this area comprises modeling and simulation. Accordingly, we present a detailed model and simulation of the aging process. To implement the aging process, we changed over 50 existing parameters that are part of a physiologic, pharmacologic multiple transport model of the human body. To evaluate the new patients, we imposed three stresses: anesthesia induction, hemorrhage and apnea. Five patients were used: a young healthy patient and four healthy, but elderly, patients, aged 65, 75, 85 and 95 years. We observed an age-related response to the stresses. The elderly patients fared worse with anesthetic induction and with hemorrhage, but better with apnea. Some independent data support our results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3765502,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Dynamics of the accumulation of nonesterified fatty acids in the rabbit myocardium in total ischemia].\nIsolated rabbit hearts were perfused within 30 min under conditions of adequate oxygenation in presence and absence (control perfusion) of monoiodacetate prior to total ischemia. Content of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) in rabbit hearts was determined under conditions of adequate oxygenation and total ischemia. The total NEFA content in control myocardium was 174 +\/- 25 nanomoles per gram of wet weight. Ischemia within 30 min significantly enhanced concentration of NEFA, especially of stearic and arachidonic acids. Prolongation up to 120 min of ischemia caused nonspecific progressive increase in content of NEFA in myocardium. Monoiodacetate increased the concentration of NEFA both in ischemic and in oxygenated myocardium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34088961,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A vital sign-based prediction algorithm for differentiating COVID-19 versus seasonal influenza in hospitalized patients.\nPatients with influenza and SARS-CoV2\/Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections have a different clinical course and outcomes. We developed and validated a supervised machine learning pipeline to distinguish the two viral infections using the available vital signs and demographic dataset from the first hospital\/emergency room encounters of 3883 patients who had confirmed diagnoses of influenza A\/B, COVID-19 or negative laboratory test results. The models were able to achieve an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC) of at least 97% using our multiclass classifier. The predictive models were externally validated on 15,697 encounters in 3125 patients available on TrinetX database that contains patient-level data from different healthcare organizations. The influenza vs COVID-19-positive model had an AUC of 98.8%, and 92.8% on the internal and external test sets, respectively. Our study illustrates the potentials of machine-learning models for accurately distinguishing the two viral infections. The code is made available at https:\/\/github.com\/ynaveena\/COVID-19-vs-Influenza and may have utility as a frontline diagnostic tool to aid healthcare workers in triaging patients once the two viral infections start cocirculating in the communities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23113527,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of heart murmurs in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera): 59 cases (1996-2009).\nTo determine the prevalence of heart murmurs in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) and determine whether heart murmurs were associated with cardiac disease. Retrospective multi-institutional case series. 260 chinchillas. Medical records of all chinchilla patients evaluated at the Tufts University Foster Hospital for Small Animals between 2001 and 2009, the University of California-Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital between 1996 and 2009, and the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital between 1998 and 2009 were reviewed. Prevalence of heart murmurs was 23% (59\/260). Of 15 chinchillas with heart murmurs that underwent echocardiography, 8 had echocardiographic abnormalities, including dynamic right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, mitral regurgitation, hypertrophy of the left ventricle, tricuspid regurgitation, and hypovolemia. Echocardiographic abnormalities were approximately 29 times as likely (OR, 28.7) to be present in chinchillas with a murmur of grade 3 or higher than in chinchillas without a murmur. Results suggested that heart murmurs are common in chinchillas and that chinchillas with heart murmurs often have echocardiographic abnormalities, with valvular disease being the most common. On the basis of these results, we believe that echocardiography should be recommended for chinchillas with heart murmurs, especially older chinchillas with murmurs of grade 3 or higher. Further prospective studies are needed to accurately evaluate the prevalence of cardiac disease in chinchillas with heart murmurs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27235416,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antagonistic control of the turnover pathway for the global regulatory sRNA CsrB by the CsrA and CsrD proteins.\nThe widely conserved protein CsrA (carbon storage regulator A) globally regulates bacterial gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In many species, CsrA activity is governed by untranslated sRNAs, CsrB and CsrC in Escherichia coli, which bind to multiple CsrA dimers, sequestering them from lower affinity mRNA targets. Both the synthesis and turnover of CsrB\/C are regulated. Their turnover requires the housekeeping endonuclease RNase E and is activated by the presence of a preferred carbon source via the binding of EIIA(Glc) of the glucose transport system to the GGDEF-EAL domain protein CsrD. We demonstrate that the CsrB 3' segment contains the features necessary for CsrD-mediated decay. RNase E cleavage in an unstructured segment located immediately upstream from the intrinsic terminator is necessary for subsequent degradation to occur. CsrA stabilizes CsrB against RNase E cleavage by binding to two canonical sites adjacent to the necessary cleavage site, while CsrD acts by overcoming CsrA-mediated protection. Our genetic, biochemical and structural studies establish a molecular framework for sRNA turnover by the CsrD-RNase E pathway. We propose that CsrD evolution was driven by the selective advantage of decoupling Csr sRNA decay from CsrA binding, connecting it instead to the availability of a preferred carbon source.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34806935,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Faecal haemoglobin concentrations in women and men diagnosed with colorectal cancer in a national screening programme.\nThere is evidence that colorectal cancer screening using faecal haemoglobin is less effective in women than men. The faecal haemoglobin concentrations were therefore examined in women and men with screen-detected colorectal cancer. Scottish Bowel Screening Programme, following the introduction of a faecal immunochemical test from November 2017, to March 2020. Data were collated on faecal haemoglobin concentrations, pathological stage and anatomical site of the main lesion in participants who had colorectal cancer detected. The data in women and men were compared. For the faecal haemoglobin concentrations studied (>80 \u00b5g Hb\/g faeces), the distributions indicated lower concentrations in women. Marked differences were found between women and men diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The median faecal haemoglobin concentration for women (n = 720) was 408 \u00b5g Hb\/g faeces compared to 473 \u00b5g Hb\/g faeces for men (n = 959) (p = 0.004) and 50.6% of the results were >400 \u00b5g Hb\/g faeces in women; in men, this was 57.8%. The difference in faecal haemoglobin concentrations in women and men became less statistically significant as stage advanced from stages I-IV. For right-sided, left-sided and rectal colorectal cancer, a similar gender difference persisted in all sites. Differences in faecal haemoglobin between the genders were significant for left-sided cancers and stage I and approached significance for rectal cancers and stage II, but all sites and stages showed lower median faecal haemoglobin concentrations for women. To minimise gender inequalities, faecal immunochemical test-based colorectal cancer screening programmes should evaluate a strategy of using different faecal haemoglobin concentration thresholds in women and men.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21898548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"T cell-mediated increased osteoclast formation from peripheral blood as a mechanism for Crohn's disease-associated bone loss.\nThe pathophysiology of osteoporosis in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is still not completely elucidated. In this study, we evaluated osteoclastogenesis from peripheral blood cells of CD patients and studied the role of lymphocytes and inflammatory cytokines in this process. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from seven patients with quiescent CD and matched healthy controls were isolated, and separated into T cells, B cells, and a T- and B-cell depleted fraction. In various culture combinations, osteoclast formation in the absence of the osteoclastogenic factors RANKL and M-CSF was assessed by scoring the number of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) positive multinucleated cells (MNCs). Cytokine levels in culture supernatants were measured. Formation of heterogeneous cell clusters in culture was noticed; a process that was inhibited by anti-LFA-1. In CD cultures, mean cluster area was up to threefold higher than in control cultures, and shown to be induced by T cells. Over tenfold higher numbers of TRACP(+) MNCs were found in CD cultures, but exclusively in cultures containing T cells. Formation of cell clusters correlated strongly with formation of TRACP(+) MNCs. Both cell cluster formation and osteoclast formation were related to IL-17 levels in vitro. In conclusion, osteoclastogenesis, preceded by cell cluster formation, is T cell-mediated and increased in patients with quiescent CD. Our findings suggest heterotypic interactions between osteoclast precursors and T cells to be a triggering step in osteoclast formation in CD. Furthermore, our results propose a possible role for IL-17 in osteoclastogenesis in CD patients, and as such in CD-associated bone loss.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26148465,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Enhanced inflammatory and T-helper-1 type responses but suppressed lymphocyte proliferation in patients with seasonal affective disorder and treated by light therapy.\nAnimals show seasonal changes in the endocrine and immune system in response to winter stressors. Even though increased inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression, whether immune disorder is a key mediator in seasonal affective depression (SAD) is unknown. Here, we hypothesized that short photoperiods in winter may induce inflammatory response, which contributes to SAD, and that light treatments should normalize immune function and improve depressive symptoms. Twenty patients with a diagnosis of SAD, and a score on the HAM-29 of 20 or higher were recruited for this study. Twenty-one healthy subjects with no personal and family history of psychiatric disorder were matched to patients according to age and sex. Patients and controls were sampled during winter between November and January, inclusive. A subset of SAD patients (N=13) was re-sampled after 4 weeks of light therapy. Blood samples were assayed for macrophage activity, lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine release. SAD patients showed significantly higher macrophage activity and lower lymphocyte proliferation in winter compared to healthy subjects. The concentrations of macrophage-produced proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1\u03b2 and tumour necrosis factor-\u03b1, and T-helper (Th)-1 produced cytokine, interferon-\u03b3 were all significantly increased. In contrast, no significant changes in Th2-produced cytokines were observed. Light therapy significantly improved depressive scores, which was associated with attenuation of decreased lymphocyte functions, increased macrophage activity and level of proinflammatory cytokines. SAD patients have increased macrophage and Th1 type responses in winter, and light therapy normalized immune functions and depressive symptoms. These results support an inflammatory hypothesis for SAD and an immunomodulatory role of light therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18646012,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The nervous system and gastrointestinal function.\nThe enteric nervous system is an integrative brain with collection of neurons in the gastrointestinal tract which is capable of functioning independently of the central nervous system (CNS). The enteric nervous system modulates motility, secretions, microcirculation, immune and inflammatory responses of the gastrointestinal tract. Dysphagia, feeding intolerance, gastroesophageal reflux, abdominal pain, and constipation are few of the medical problems frequently encountered in children with developmental disabilities. Alteration in bowel motility have been described in most of these disorders and can results from a primary defect in the enteric neurons or central modulation. The development and physiology of the enteric nervous system is discussed along with the basic mechanisms involved in controlling various functions of the gastrointestinal tract. The intestinal motility, neurogastric reflexes, and brain perception of visceral hyperalgesia are also discussed. This will help better understand the pathophysiology of these disorders in children with developmental disabilities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23610433,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Long tethers provide high-force coupling of the Dam1 ring to shortening microtubules.\nMicrotubule kinetochore attachments are essential for accurate mitosis, but how these force-generating connections move chromosomes remains poorly understood. Processive motion at shortening microtubule ends can be reconstituted in vitro using microbeads conjugated to the budding yeast kinetochore protein Dam1, which forms microtubule-encircling rings. Here, we report that, when Dam1 is linked to a bead cargo by elongated protein tethers, the maximum force transmitted from a disassembling microtubule increases sixfold compared with a short tether. We interpret this significant improvement with a theory that considers the geometry and mechanics of the microtubule-ring-bead system. Our results show the importance of fibrillar links in tethering microtubule ends to cargo: fibrils enable the cargo to align coaxially with the microtubule, thereby increasing the stability of attachment and the mechanical work that it can do. The force-transducing characteristics of fibril-tethered Dam1 are similar to the analogous properties of purified yeast kinetochores, suggesting that a tethered Dam1 ring comprises the main force-bearing unit of the native attachment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12153716,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A role of methionine 100 in facilitating PYP(M)-decay process in the photocycle of photoactive yellow protein.\nPYP (photoactive yellow protein) is a photoreceptor protein, which is activated upon photo-isomerization of the p-coumaric acid chromophore and is inactivated as the chromophore is thermally back-isomerized within a second (in PYP(M)-to-PYP(dark) conversion). Here we have examined the mechanism of the rapid thermal isomerization by analyzing mutant PYPs of Met100, which was previously shown to play a major role in facilitating the reaction [Devanathan, S. et al. (1998) Biochemistry 37, 11563-11568]. The mutation to Lys, Leu, Ala, or Glu decelerated the dark state recovery by one to three orders of magnitude. By evaluating temperature-dependence of the kinetics, it was found that the retardation resulted unequivocally from elevations of activation enthalpy (DeltaH( double dagger )) but not the other parameters such as activation entropy or heat capacity changes. Another effect exerted by the mutations was an up-shift of the apparent pK(a) of the chromophore [the pK(a) of a titratable group (X) that controls the pK(a) of the chromophore] in the PYP(M)-decay process. The pK(a) up-shift and the DeltaH( double dagger ) elevation show an approximately linear correlation. We, therefore, postulate that the role of Met100 is to reduce the energy barrier of the PYP(M)-decay process by an indirect interaction through X and that the process is thereby facilitated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18990677,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Childhood asthma and increased airway responsiveness: a relationship that begins in infancy.\nAsthma is associated with increased airway responsiveness (AR), but the age when this relationship becomes established is not clear. The present study tested the hypothesis that the association between increased AR and asthma is established after 1 month of age. To relate AR in infancy to asthma in childhood. As part of a birth cohort study, AR was determined at 1 (early infancy), 6 (mid-infancy), and 12 months of age (late infancy). At 11 years of age (childhood), AR and the presence of asthma symptoms were determined. Of the 253 study subjects enrolled, AR was determined in 202 in early infancy, 174 in mid-infancy, 147 in late infancy, and 176 in childhood. Increased AR in late infancy, but not in early or mid-infancy, was associated with increased wheeze at 11 years of age (P = 0.016). Increased AR in infancy persisted into childhood in association with male gender, early respiratory illness, and maternal smoking and asthma. Among the 116 subjects assessed in late infancy and childhood, recent wheeze was present in 35% of children with increased AR at both ages, 13% with increased AR in childhood only, 12% for those with increased AR in late infancy only, and 0% for those who did not have increased AR at either age (P = 0.023); the proportions of children with diagnosed asthma in the corresponding groups were 27, 20, 12, and 0% (P = 0.038). The association between increased infantile AR and childhood asthma emerges at the end of the first year of life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29367552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Role of Cerl2 in the Establishment of Left-Right Asymmetries during Axis Formation and Heart Development.\nThe formation of the asymmetric left-right (LR) body axis is one of the fundamental aspects of vertebrate embryonic development, and one still raising passionate discussions among scientists. Although the conserved role of nodal is unquestionable in this process, several of the details around this signaling cascade are still unanswered. To further understand this mechanism, we have been studying Cerberus-like 2 (Cerl2), an inhibitor of Nodal, and its role in the generation of asymmetries in the early vertebrate embryo. The absence of Cerl2 results in a wide spectrum of malformations commonly known as heterotaxia, which comprises defects in either global organ position (e.g., situs inversus totalis), reversed orientation of at least one organ (e.g., situs ambiguus), and mirror images of usually asymmetric paired organs (e.g., left or right isomerisms of the lungs). Moreover, these laterality defects are frequently associated with congenital heart diseases (e.g., transposition of the great arteries, or atrioventricular septal defects). Here, reviewing the knowledge on the establishment of LR asymmetry in mouse embryos, the emerging conclusion is that as necessary as is the activation of the Nodal signaling cascade, the tight control that Cerl2-mediates on Nodal signaling is equally important, and that generates a further regionalized LR genetic program in the proper time and space.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26162220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"On Being Rejected: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental Research on Rejection.\nThis article presents the first meta-analysis of experimental research on rejection, sampling 88 studies. The results are consistent with a needs account, which states that rejection frustrates basic psychological needs, but not with a numbness account, which states that rejection causes physical and emotional numbness. Rejection moderately lowers mood (d = -0.50) and self-esteem (d = -0.70), but does not decrease arousal or flatten affect. Both belonging (d = 0.69) and control (d = 1.16) are frustrated by rejection. Aggressive responses to rejection, considered paradoxical by some, appear to be due to attempts to gain control; measures that contrast belonging and control (d = -1.17) cause antisocial responding, whereas measures that do not allow for control to be restored cause prosocial responding (d = 1.21). These findings suggest that rejection makes individuals feel bad-ready to act to restore control or belonging-and that they will prioritize restoring control even if it requires being antisocial.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11415363,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hiding bits in bell states.\nWe present a scheme for hiding bits in Bell states that is secure even when the sharers, Alice and Bob, are allowed to carry out local quantum operations and classical communication. We prove that the information that Alice and Bob can gain about a hidden bit is exponentially small in n, the number of qubits in each share, and can be made arbitrarily small for hiding multiple bits. We indicate an alternative efficient low-entanglement method for preparing the shared quantum states. We discuss how our scheme can be implemented using present-day quantum optics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29801726,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Factors Associated With Sleep Quality in HIV.\nThe purpose of our research was to (a) identify sleep quality complications experienced by patients living with HIV infection and treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART), and (b) explore factors associated with sleep quality complications. From March to August in 2013, a cross-sectional study was conducted at HIV-designated hospitals in Harbin of Heilongjiang Province, China. Participants completed a questionnaire using the Spiegel scale to assess sleep quality; 32.1% of patients were negatively affected by sleep disturbances. Nighttime dreams and waking up were the most serious complications. We found that anxiety was the most prominent factor contributing to poor sleep quality, followed by ART medication types and family and social support. Patients with HIV infection and receiving ART experienced many different types of sleep complications. More attention should be given to the development of treatment guidelines for proper management of sleep disturbances experienced by patients with HIV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32842107,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Closed Metacarpal Neck Fractures: A Review of Resource Use in Operative and Nonoperative Management.\nClosed metacarpal neck fractures are extremely common. The authors investigated resource use among those managed operatively versus nonoperatively. They hypothesized that considerable use of services and costs are incurred with nonoperative management. The authors used the 2009 to 2017 Truven Marketscan Research Database to identify patients with closed metacarpal neck fractures and divided them into operative and nonoperative groups. They examined resource use, including imaging, clinic visits, surgery, and occupational therapy sessions, and performed a chi-square analysis of patient demographic data and resources used. Of 125,610 patients identified, 46,845 met inclusion criteria: nonoperative, n = 45,067 (96.2 percent); and operative, n = 1778 (3.8 percent). The operative group comprised percutaneous fixation (62 percent) and open reduction and internal fixation (38 percent) patients. Nonoperative patients had the greatest mean number of clinic visits, with 1.7 per patient, compared to 1.2 for both percutaneous fixation and open reduction and internal fixation patients (p < 0.001). For nonoperative patients, one to two radiographs (beyond the index radiograph) were obtained, and they had 2.9 occupational therapy sessions; in the operative group, two to three radiographs were obtained, and they had three to four occupational therapy sessions (p < 0.001). Mean total costs were $2406 per patient for percutaneous fixation, $3092 per patient for open reduction and internal fixation, $546 per patient for closed reduction, and $261 per patient for no intervention. Nonoperative management of closed metacarpal neck fracture has lower costs without the associated operating room, surgeon, and service fees; however, patient care remains resource intensive with the use of imaging, clinic visits, and occupational therapy. Shifts in the authors' treatment paradigm, including judicious use of services, will result in significant health care savings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31232239,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The effect of body mass index on the risk of surgical site infection.\nObesity is considered a risk factor for surgical site infection (SSI). We quantified impact of body mass index (BMI) on the risk of SSI for a variety of surgical procedures. We included 2012-2017 data from the Dutch national surveillance network PREZIES on a selection of frequently performed surgical procedures across different specialties. Patients were stratified into 5 categories: underweight (BMI, <18.5 kg\/m2), normal weight (BMI, 18.5-25), overweight (BMI, 25-30), obese (BMI, 30-40) and morbidly obese (BMI, \u226540). Multilevel log binomial regression analyses were performed to assess the effect of BMI category on the risk of superficial, deep (including organ-space) and total SSI. Of the 387,919 included patients (ranging from 2,616 for laparoscopic appendectomy to 119,834 for total hip prosthesis), 3,676 (1%) were underweight, 116,778 (30%) had normal weight, 154,339 (40%) were overweight, 104,288 (27%) had obesity, and 8,838 (2%) were morbidly obese. A trend of increasing risk of SSI when BMI increased from normal to morbidly obese was observed for almost all surgery types. The increase was most profound in surgeries with clean wounds, with relative risks for morbidly obese patients ranging up to 7.8 (95% CI, 6.0-10.2) for deep SSI in total hip prosthesis. In chest and abdominal surgeries, the impact was larger for superficial SSI than for deep SSI. The results of our research provide evidence for the need of preventive programs targeting SSI in overweight and obese patients, as well as for the prevention of obesity in the general population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27877295,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"3D heterostructures and systems for novel MEMS\/NEMS.\nIn this review, we consider the application of solid micro- and nanostructures of various shapes as building blocks for micro-electro-mechanical or nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS\/NEMS). We provide examples of practical applications of structures created by MEMS\/NEMS fabrication. Novel devices are briefly described, such as a high-power electrostatic nanoactuator, a fast-response tubular anemometer for measuring gas and liquid flows, a nanoprinter, a nanosyringe and optical MEMS\/NEMS. The prospects are described for achieving NEMS with tunable quantum properties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24524242,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Impact of stereospecific intramolecular hydrogen bonding on cell permeability and physicochemical properties.\nProfiling of eight stereoisomeric T. cruzi growth inhibitors revealed vastly different in vitro properties such as solubility, lipophilicity, pKa, and cell permeability for two sets of four stereoisomers. Using computational chemistry and NMR spectroscopy, we identified the formation of an intramolecular NH\u2192NR3 hydrogen bond in the set of stereoisomers displaying lower solubility, higher lipophilicity, and higher cell permeability. The intramolecular hydrogen bond resulted in a significant pKa difference that accounts for the other structure-property relationships. Application of this knowledge could be of particular value to maintain the delicate balance of size, solubility, and lipophilicity required for cell penetration and oral administration for chemical probes or therapeutics with properties at, or beyond, Lipinski's rule of 5.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8053615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Cholestyramine therapy for dyslipidemia in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. A short-term, double-blind, crossover trial.\nTo assess clinical efficacy and tolerability of cholestyramine therapy in patients with dyslipidemia and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). A randomized, double-blind, crossover study of cholestyramine (8 g twice daily) compared with placebo for a period of 6 weeks each. Metabolic Unit and the Lipid and Diabetes Clinics at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. 21 patients with NIDDM that was well controlled using either glyburide or insulin therapy and with low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels more than 3.36 mmol\/L (130 mg\/dL) and fasting plasma triglyceride levels less than 3.4 mmol\/L (300 mg\/dL). During the last week of each period, for 5 consecutive days fasting plasma lipids and lipoproteins were measured, and plasma glucose levels were determined at 3, 7, and 11 a.m. and at 4 and 8 p.m. Daily urinary glucose excretion was measured for 3 days and glycosylated hemoglobin concentrations were determined on days 28 and 38 of the study periods. In this short-term study, when compared with placebo, cholestyramine reduced total cholesterol by 18% (95% CI, 14% to 22%) and LDL cholesterol by 28% (CI, 21% to 35%). Although cholestyramine therapy increased plasma triglyceride levels by 13.5% (CI, 1% to 26%), very-low density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels remained unchanged. Cholestyramine therapy improved glycemic control; mean plasma glucose values were lower by 13% (CI, 5% to 21%), a median reduction in urinary glucose excretion of 0.22 g\/d was observed (P < 0.001), and a tendency to lower glycosylated hemoglobin concentration was noted. The doses of glyburide and insulin did not change during the study, and body weight remained stable. Constipation was the main side effect, and two patients dropped out of the study because of cholestyramine intolerance. In carefully selected male patients with NIDDM and high LDL cholesterol and normal triglyceride levels, cholestyramine therapy effectively reduces LDL levels and also may improve glycemic control. The long-term efficacy of cholestyramine therapy in patients with NIDDM needs further evaluation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6272697,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Changes in cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP concentrations during the action of 5-hydroxytryptamine on an insect salivary gland.\nSalivary glands from adult blowflies (Calliphora erythrocephala Meigen) were studied in vitro. The time course of changes in cyclic AMP content of the glands was followed at different concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine. There was an immediate biphasic rise and fall in cyclic AMP content, following by a slower rise and subsequent gradual decline. The initial rise preceded the onset of fluid secretion by the glands. Rises in cyclic AMP content were inhibited by compound RMI 12330 A (an adenylate cyclase inhibitor) and were halted after about 15-20s if the glands were deprived of Ca2+. Theophylline (a phosphodiesterase inhibitor) abolished the decline phase of the fast response, Losses of cyclic AMP from the glands either to the bathing medium or to the saliva were small and could not account for the rapid fall found. Evidence is presented that cyclic GMP is not involved in the process of initiating secretion in the blowfly salivary gland.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20345323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Varicella-zoster virus-induced apoptosis in MeWo cells is accompanied by down-regulation of Bcl-2 expression.\nVaricella-zoster virus infects multiple human and monkey cells in culture. The mode of cell death appears to be autophagy or apoptosis. Analysis of VZV-infected human melanoma (MeWo) cells revealed that Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels were decreased significantly 64 and 72 hpi (hours post infection), accompanied by the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria into the cytoplasm. Western blot analysis of virus-infected cells revealed activation of caspase-8, a marker for the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis, and caspase-9, a marker for the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis at 64 and 72 hpi. Significant increases in the levels of cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly (ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) were also seen at the height of cytopathic effect. Thus VZV induces apoptosis in MeWo cells in which Bcl-2 is down-regulated. Future studies will determine differences in the cascade of apoptotic events in non-neuronal cells compared to neurons that allow VZV to become latent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24135179,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Distribution, seasonal variation & dengue transmission prediction in Sisaket, Thailand.\nEnvironmental factors including weather variables may play a significant role in the transmission of dengue. This study investigated the effect of seasonal variation on the abundance of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae and explored the impact of weather variability on dengue transmission in Sisaket, Thailand. The monthly mosquito larval surveys were carried out in urban and rural areas in Sisaket, Thailand from January to December 2010. Data on monthly-reported cases of dengue fever over the period 2004-2010 were obtained from the Ministry of Public Health. Weather data over the same period were obtained from the Thai Meteorological Department. Chi-square test was used to find the differences relating to seasonal variability, areas of study, and mosquito species factors using entomological survey data. Time series Poisson regression analysis was performed using data on monthly weather variables and dengue cases. There were more Ae. aegypti larvae per household than Ae. albopictus larvae in the winter and rainy seasons. More Aedes larvae per household were found in the rainy season than in the winter and summer seasons. Relative humidity at a lag of one month and rainy days in the current month were significant predictors of dengue incidence in Sisaket. Increased rain during the current month and less humidity during the previous month might trigger a higher incidence of dengue epidemic in Sisaket. The present findings suggest that the dengue incidence corresponds with the number of Aedes larvae. The seasonal patterns of dengue outbreaks coincide with the rainy season.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29375331,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bidirectional Control of Reversal in a Dual Action Task by Direct and Indirect Pathway Activation in the Dorsolateral Striatum in Mice.\nThe striatum is a key brain structure involved in the processing of cognitive flexibility, which results from the balance between the flexibility demanded for novel learning of motor actions and the inflexibility required to preserve previously learned actions. In particular, the dorsolateral portion of the striatum (DLS) is engaged in the learning of action sequence. This process is temporally driven by fine adjustments in the function of the two main neuronal populations of the striatum, known as the direct pathway medium spiny neurons (dMSNs) and indirect pathway medium spiny neurons (iMSNs). Here, using optogenetics, behavioral, and electrophysiological tools, we addressed the relative role of both neuronal populations in the acquisition of a reversal dual action sequence in the DLS. While the channelrhodopsin-induced activation of dMSNs and iMSNs of the DLS did not induce changes in the learning rate of the sequence, the specific activation of the dMSNs of the DLS facilitated the acquisition of a reversal dual action sequence; the activation of iMSNs induced a significant deficit in the acquisition of the same task. Taken together our results indicate an antagonistic relationship between dMSNs and iMSNs on the acquisition of a reversal dual action sequence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7575404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Angiotensin II induces tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 and its association with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in rat heart.\nWe have investigated whether angiotensin II (AII) is able to induce insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) phosphorylation and its association with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) in the rat heart in vivo. The phosphorylation state of IRS-1 following infusion of insulin or AII via the vena cava was assessed after immunoprecipitation with an anti-peptide antibody to IRS-1 followed by immunoblotting with an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and an anti-PI 3-kinase antibody. Densitometry indicated a 5.6 +\/- 1.3-fold increase in IRS-1 phosphorylation after stimulation with AII and a 12.8 +\/- 3.1-fold increase after insulin. The effect was maximal at an AII concentration of 10(-8) M and occurred 1 min after infusion. There was also a 6.1 +\/- 1.2-fold increase in IRS-1-associated PI 3-kinase in response to AII. In the isolated perfused heart the result was similar, showing a direct effect of AII on this pathway. When the animals were pretreated for 1 h with DuP 753, a non-peptide AII-receptor 1 (AT1 receptor) antagonist, there was a marked reduction in the AII-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1, suggesting that phosphorylation is initially mediated by the AT1 receptor. We conclude that AII stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and its association with PI 3-kinase. This pathway thus represents an additional signalling mechanism stimulated by AII in the rat heart in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36165765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sleep duration and eating behaviours among adolescents: a scoping review.\nIn the past decade, investigations of the relationship between sleep duration and eating behaviours have been emerging; however, a formal synthesis of the literature focussed on adolescent populations has not yet been conducted. We conducted a scoping review of the literature examining the relationship between sleep duration and eating behaviours in adolescents. Gaps in the research and directions for future research were identified based on the findings. A systematic search was employed on four research databases: PubMed, PsycInfo, CINAHL and Scopus; relevant grey literature was also reviewed. Studies that reported on the relationship between sleep duration and eating behaviours among high school-aged adolescents were included in the review. Data were extracted, charted and synthesized into a narrative. Consistent with the purpose of a scoping review, the methodological quality of the studies was not appraised. Stakeholders were consulted to validate the findings and provide insight into the interpretation and identification of pressing gaps in the research that remain to be addressed. In total, 61 studies published between 2006 and 2021 met the criteria for review. Existing research focussed heavily on examining sleep duration in relation to intake of food from certain food groups, beverages and processed foods, and relied on a population study design, cross-sectional analyses and self-report measures. Future research is needed to understand the link between sleep duration and eating-related cognition, eating contexts and disordered eating behaviours in order to better understand how ensuring sufficient sleep among adolescents can be leveraged to support healthier eating practices and reduce diet-related risks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12175462,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Pretreatment with methylphenidate sensitizes rats to the reinforcing effects of cocaine.\nRepeated administration of cocaine produces sensitization to its locomotor-activating effects and increases the rate at which cocaine self-administration behavior is acquired. Methylphenidate is administered clinically on a daily basis, predominantly to children and adolescents, for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It has been demonstrated previously that pretreatment with methylphenidate administered to periadolescent rats decreased the latency to acquisition of cocaine self-administration. Since methylphenidate is often also administered to adults with ADHD, the present study was conducted to determine the effects of prior administration of methylphenidate (5 or 20 mg\/kg\/day for 9 days) to adult rats on the rate of acquisition for cocaine self-administration (0.25 mg\/kg\/infusion). The higher dose of methylphenidate significantly decreased the latency for acquisition of this behavior, suggesting that the rats were sensitized to the reinforcing effects of cocaine after treatment with methylphenidate. These findings add to the growing body of evidence suggesting cross-sensitization between the behavioral effects of psychostimulants. Further, insofar as self-administration is a reliable measure of abuse liability, these data suggest that a short-duration pretreatment with a high dose of methylphenidate to adults increases vulnerability to cocaine abuse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23611419,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A MALDI-TOF MS procedure for clinical dermatophyte species identification in the routine laboratory.\nThe conventional identification of dermatophytes requires a long turnaround time and highly skilled mycologists. We have recently developed a tandardized matrix-assisted laser desorption\/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) assay to routinely identify molds of potential clinical significance. This study objective was to determine if this same assay could also be employed to identify clinical dermatophytes in the routine laboratory setting. The effects of the inclusion of cycloheximide in the culture medium and incubation time were tested after building a reference spectra library that included 48 well-characterized isolates of 17 dermatophyte species. Then these same isolates were prospectively identified using this library. MALDI-TOF MS-based identification was effective regardless of the presence of cycloheximide or incubation time as 130\/133 (97.8%) of the clinical isolates were appropriately identified. Two Microsporum canis isolates yielded uninformative spectra and one M. audouinii isolate was misidentified. Since one only requires a small colony for MALDI-TOF MS analysis, accurate identifications were obtained in 3-6 days and, specifically, before the appearance of their characteristic morphological features. Consequently, identification turnaround time was dramatically reduced as compared to that needed for conventional morphological identification. In conclusion, this standardized MALDI-TOF MS-based identification procedure for filamentous fungi effectively identifies clinical dermatophyte isolates and drastically reduces the response times in the routine clinical laboratory.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33806339,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Chordoma-Current Understanding and Modern Treatment Paradigms.\nChordoma is a low-grade notochordal tumor of the skull base, mobile spine and sacrum which behaves malignantly and confers a poor prognosis despite indolent growth patterns. These tumors often present late in the disease course, tend to encapsulate adjacent neurovascular anatomy, seed resection cavities, recur locally and respond poorly to radiotherapy and conventional chemotherapy, all of which make chordomas challenging to treat. Extent of surgical resection and adequacy of surgical margins are the most important prognostic factors and thus patients with chordoma should be cared for by a highly experienced, multi-disciplinary surgical team in a quaternary center. Ongoing research into the molecular pathophysiology of chordoma has led to the discovery of several pathways that may serve as potential targets for molecular therapy, including a multitude of receptor tyrosine kinases (e.g., platelet-derived growth factor receptor [PDGFR], epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR]), downstream cascades (e.g., phosphoinositide 3-kinase [PI3K]\/protein kinase B [Akt]\/mechanistic target of rapamycin [mTOR]), brachyury-a transcription factor expressed ubiquitously in chordoma but not in other tissues-and the fibroblast growth factor [FGF]\/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase [MEK]\/extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK] pathway. In this review article, the pathophysiology, diagnosis and modern treatment paradigms of chordoma will be discussed with an emphasis on the ongoing research and advances in the field that may lead to improved outcomes for patients with this challenging disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26161315,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Benson Relaxation Technique in Reducing Pain Intensity in Women After Cesarean Section.\nPost-cesarean section women experience pain due to operative trauma. Pain sensation can be reduced by pain management. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments can be used. The Benson Relaxation Technique is a non-pharmacological way suitable to reduce pain, but there are limited studies on its post-cesarean section use. This study aimed to determine the effect of Benson Relaxation Technique in reducing pain intensity in women after cesarean section. This was a quasi-experiment study with pre and post-test design. A prospective, not blind, randomized assign, two groups parallel study was conducted in Cibabat hospital Cimahi as intervention group (IG) and Sartika Asih hospital as control group (CG). Post cesarean section women with quota sampling who met the inclusion criteria were consecutively assigned to either experimental (n = 30) or control group (n = 30). Women in the experimental group received the Benson relaxation technique and those in the control group received regular care from the health workers. The outcome pain severity was measured by visual analogue scale. Those instruments were applied before and after intervention. The mean of pain score before intervention at CG was 4.43 cm. It was decreased to 4.40 cm (1 min), 4.27 cm (12 h), 4.10 cm (24 h), 4.00 cm (36 h), 3.93 cm (48 h), 3.83 cm (60 h), 3.67 cm (72 h) and 3.51 cm (84 h). Meanwhile, the IG was 4.97 cm. It was decreased to 4.90 cm (1 min), 4.23 cm (12 h), 3.57 cm (24 h), 3.03 cm (36 h), 2.77 cm (48 h), 2.73 cm (60 h), 2.67 cm (72 h) and 2.63 cm (84 h). The study found a significant difference comparing pain intensity before and after the intervention in CG and IG (P = 0.001), but pain reduced in IG more than CG. The Benson relaxation could reduce pain intensity in women after cesarean section.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1194407,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Relationship of indole production and antibiotic susceptibility in the Klebsiella bacillus.\nOf 2,442 Klebsiella strains isolated from clinical specimens at the University of Minnesota hospitals, 18.3% were found to be indole positive. A randomly selected equal number of indole-positive and indole-negative control isolates, characterized by 27 biochemical tests and by serotyping against 72 antisera, were tested against 14 antibiotics. The results indicated a greater incidence of multiple drug resistance among the indole-negative strains among those that produced indole. The organisms in the former group, in comparison to their indole-positive counterparts, were significantly more resistant to nitrofurantoin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, neomycin, streptomycin, nalidixic acid, and kanamycin. Both groups of organisms were similar in their degree of resistance to ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, sulfisoxazole, colistimethate, polymyxin B, and gentamicin. The biochemical properties of the two indole groups were essentially identical. Correlation between serotype and multidrug resistance was inapparent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31678080,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparison of Time to Next Treatment, Health Care Resource Utilization, and Costs in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Initiated on Front-line Ibrutinib or Chemoimmunotherapy.\nStudies assessing ibrutinib's economic burden versus chemoimmunotherapy (CIT) focused on pharmacy costs but not medical costs. This study compared time to next treatment (TTNT), health care resource utilization (HRU), and total direct costs among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) initiating front-line ibrutinib single agent (Ibr) or CIT. Optum Clinformatics Extended DataMart De-Identified Databases were used to identify adults with \u2265 2 claims with a CLL diagnosis initiating front-line Ibr or CIT from February 12, 2014 to June 30, 2017. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to control for potential differences in baseline characteristics between the Ibr and CIT cohorts. Two periods were considered: entire front-line therapy (until initiation of second-line therapy) and first 6 months of front-line therapy. Comparisons with a subgroup of CIT patients initiating bendamustine\/rituximab (BR) were also conducted. TTNT was significantly longer for Ibr (N = 322) relative to CIT (N = 839; hazard ratio, 0.54; P = .0163; Kaplan-Meier rates [24 months]: Ibr = 88.6%, CIT = 75.9%) and the subset of CIT patients treated with BR (N = 455; hazard ratio, 0.54; P = .0208; Kaplan-Meier rates [24 months]: Ibr = 89.0%, BR = 79.0%). During the entire front-line therapy, Ibr patients had significantly fewer monthly days with outpatient visits (rate ratio = 0.75; P = .0200). Ibrutinib's higher pharmacy costs (mean monthly cost difference [MMCD] = $6,849; P < .0001) were offset by lower medical costs (MMCD = -$10,615; P < .0001), yielding net savings (MMCD = -$3,766; P < .0001) versus CIT. Ibr was associated with net savings (MMCD = -$5,569; P < .0001) versus BR. Cost savings and reductions in HRU were more pronounced during the first 6 months of front-line therapy. During front-line CLL treatment, Ibr was associated with longer TTNT, fewer monthly days with outpatient visits, and net monthly total cost reduction versus CIT and BR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33667278,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Swimming direction of the glass catfish is responsive to magnetic stimulation.\nSeveral marine species have developed a magnetic perception that is essential for navigation and detection of prey and predators. One of these species is the transparent glass catfish that contains an ampullary organ dedicated to sense magnetic fields. Here we examine the behavior of the glass catfish in response to static magnetic fields which will provide valuable insight on function of this magnetic response. By utilizing state of the art animal tracking software and artificial intelligence approaches, we quantified the effects of magnetic fields on the swimming direction of glass catfish. The results demonstrate that glass catfish placed in a radial arm maze, consistently swim away from magnetic fields over 20 \u03bcT and show adaptability to changing magnetic field direction and location.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8468287,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the Myxococcus xanthus lon gene: indispensability of lon for vegetative growth.\nThe lon gene of Escherichia coli is known to encode protease La, an ATP-dependent protease associated with cellular protein degradation. A lon gene homolog from Myxococcus xanthus, a soil bacterium which differentiates to form fruiting bodies upon nutrient starvation, was cloned and characterized by use of the lon gene of E. coli as a probe. The nucleotide sequence of the M. xanthus lon gene was determined. It contains an open reading frame that encodes a 92-kDa protein consisting of 817 amino acid residues. The deduced amino acid sequence of the M. xanthus lon gene product showed 60 and 56% identity with those of the E. coli and Bacillus brevis lon gene products, respectively. Analysis of an M. xanthus strain carrying a lon-lacZ operon fusion suggested that the lon gene is similarly expressed during vegetative growth and development in M. xanthus. In contrast to that of E. coli, the M. xanthus lon gene was shown to be essential for cell growth, since a null mutant could not be isolated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17099011,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Autonomic cardiac modulation in obstructive sleep apnea: effect of an oral jaw-positioning appliance.\nPatients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are characterized by deranged cardiovascular variability, a well-established marker of cardiovascular risk. While long-term treatment with continuous positive airway pressure leads to a significant improvement of cardiovascular variability, little is known of the possibility of achieving the same results with other therapeutic approaches. The aim of our study was to investigate the responses of autonomic indexes of neural cardiac control to another type of OSA treatment based on an oral jaw-positioning appliance. In 10 otherwise healthy subjects with OSA (OSA+) and in 10 subjects without OSA (OSA-) we measured heart rate, BP, and indices of autonomic cardiac regulation derived from time-domain and spectral analysis of R-R interval (RRI), before and after 3 months of treatment with the oral device. High-frequency (HF) power of RRI was taken as an index of parasympathetic cardiac modulation, and the ratio between low-frequency (LF) and HF RRI powers as an indirect marker of the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac modulation. At baseline, in comparison with OSA- subjects, OSA+ subjects displayed a significantly lower RRI variance (p < 0.02) and reduced HF RRI powers (p < 0.001). After 3 months of treatment with the oral device, the OSA+ group showed a marked reduction in apnea-hypopnea index (p < 0.001), a lengthening in RRI and a significant increase in its variance (p < 0,02), an increased HF RRI power (from 134 +\/- 26 to 502 +\/- 48 ms2, p < 0.001), and a reduction in LF\/HF RRI power ratio (from 3.11 +\/- 0.8 to 1.5 +\/- 0.5). As a result of these changes, after the 3-month treatment there were no more significant differences between the two groups in these parameters. In both OSA+ and OSA- groups, body weight, heart rate, and BP did not change over time. Three months of treatment with a specific oral jaw-positioning appliance improves cardiac autonomic modulation in otherwise healthy patients with OSA of mild degree.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12296125,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Fertility and economic development: theoretical considerations and cross-country evidence.\nThe paper presents a theoretical background for the analysis of the relationship between fertility and a number of socioeconomic factors associated with the process of economic development and analyses empirically this relationship within a cross-country framework. Fertility is found to be negatively related with female education, urbanization, and family planning and positively related with the levels of infant mortality and economic development, whereas no significant relationship between fertility and female labor force participation is established. Sensitivity analysis is performed and the policy implications of the empirical findings are briefly discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35119071,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phylogenetic analysis of adaptation in comparative physiology and biomechanics: overview and a case study of thermal physiology in treefrogs.\nComparative phylogenetic studies of adaptation are uncommon in biomechanics and physiology. Such studies require data collection from many species, a challenge when this is experimentally intensive. Moreover, researchers struggle to employ the most biologically appropriate phylogenetic tools for identifying adaptive evolution. Here, we detail an established but greatly underutilized phylogenetic comparative framework - the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process - that explicitly models long-term adaptation. We discuss challenges in implementing and interpreting the model, and we outline potential solutions. We demonstrate use of the model through studying the evolution of thermal physiology in treefrogs. Frogs of the family Hylidae have twice colonized the temperate zone from the tropics, and such colonization likely involved a fundamental change in physiology due to colder and more seasonal temperatures. However, which traits changed to allow colonization is unclear. We measured cold tolerance and characterized thermal performance curves in jumping for 12 species of treefrogs distributed from the Neotropics to temperate North America. We then conducted phylogenetic comparative analyses to examine how tolerances and performance curves evolved and to test whether that evolution was adaptive. We found that tolerance to low temperatures increased with the transition to the temperate zone. In contrast, jumping well at colder temperatures was unrelated to biogeography and thus did not adapt during dispersal. Overall, our study shows how comparative phylogenetic methods can be leveraged in biomechanics and physiology to test the evolutionary drivers of variation among species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21220878,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Topical corticosteroid-induced rosacea-like dermatitis: a clinical study of 110 cases.\nProlonged and continuous use of topical steroids leads to rosacea-like dermatitis with variable clinical presentations. To study the various clinical presentations of patients with topical corticosteroid-induced rosacea-like dermatitis (TCIRD), who had a history of prolonged and repeated use of topical steroids for reasons other than the known disease entities. A total of 110 patients were enrolled for the study over a period of 2 years, excluding all those with the known disease entity in which topical steroids were commonly used. Detailed history which also included the source and the type of topical steroid use was taken along with clinical examination. There were 12 males and 98 females with their age ranging from 18 to 54 years. The duration of topical steroid use ranged from 4 months to 20 years. The most common clinical presentation was diffuse erythema of the face. Most of the patients had rebound phenomenon on discontinuation of the steroid. The most common topical steroid used was Betamethasone valerate, which could be due to its easy availability and low cost. Varied clinical presentations are seen with prolonged and continuous use of topical steroids. The treatment of this dermatitis is difficult, requiring complete cessation of the offending steroid, usually done in a tapering fashion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19007417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Novel archaeal plasmid pAH1 and its interactions with the lipothrixvirus AFV1.\nAt present very little is known about interactions between extrachromosomal genetic elements in Archaea. Here we describe an Acidianus strain which carries naturally a novel 28 kb conjugative plasmid-like element, pAH1, and also serves as a laboratory host for lipothrixvirus AFV1. In an attempt to establish a system for studying plasmid-virus interactions we characterized the genome of pAH1 which closely resembles those of the Sulfolobus conjugative plasmids pARN3 and pARN4. pAH1 integrates site specifically into, and excises from, the host chromosome indicating a dynamic interaction with the latter. Although nucleotide sequence comparisons revealed extensive intergenomic exchange during the evolution of archaeal conjugative plasmids, pAH1 was shown to be stably maintained suggesting that the host system is suitable for studying plasmid-virus interactions. AFV1 infection and propagation leads to a loss of the circular form of pAH1 and this effect correlates positively with the increase in the intracellular quantity of AFV1 DNA. We infer that the virus inhibits plasmid replication since no pAH1 degradation was observed. This mechanism of archaeal viral inhibition of plasmid propagation is not observed in bacteria where relevant bacteriophages either are dependent on a conjugative plasmid for successful infection or are excluded by a resident plasmid.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26536226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Characteristics of Misclassified CT Perfusion Ischemic Core in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.\nCT perfusion (CTP) is used to estimate the extent of ischemic core and penumbra in patients with acute ischemic stroke. CTP reliability, however, is limited. This study aims to identify regions misclassified as ischemic core on CTP, using infarct on follow-up noncontrast CT. We aim to assess differences in volumetric and perfusion characteristics in these regions compared to areas that ended up as infarct on follow-up. This study included 35 patients with >100 mm brain coverage CTP. CTP processing was performed using Philips software (IntelliSpace 7.0). Final infarct was automatically segmented on follow-up noncontrast CT and used as reference. CTP and follow-up noncontrast CT image data were registered. This allowed classification of ischemic lesion agreement (core on CTP: rMTT\u2265145%, aCBV<2.0 ml\/100g and infarct on follow-up noncontrast CT) and misclassified ischemic core (core on CTP, not identified on follow-up noncontrast CT) regions. False discovery ratio (FDR), defined as misclassified ischemic core volume divided by total CTP ischemic core volume, was calculated. Absolute and relative CTP parameters (CBV, CBF, and MTT) were calculated for both misclassified CTP ischemic core and ischemic lesion agreement regions and compared using paired rank-sum tests. Median total CTP ischemic core volume was 49.7ml (IQR:29.9ml-132ml); median misclassified ischemic core volume was 30.4ml (IQR:20.9ml-77.0ml). Median FDR between patients was 62% (IQR:49%-80%). Median relative mean transit time was 243% (IQR:198%-289%) and 342% (IQR:249%-432%) for misclassified and ischemic lesion agreement regions, respectively. Median absolute cerebral blood volume was 1.59 (IQR:1.43-1.79) ml\/100g (P<0.01) and 1.38 (IQR:1.15-1.49) ml\/100g (P<0.01) for misclassified ischemic core and ischemic lesion agreement, respectively. All CTP parameter values differed significantly. For all patients a considerable region of the CTP ischemic core is misclassified. CTP parameters significantly differed between ischemic lesion agreement and misclassified CTP ischemic core, suggesting that CTP analysis may benefit from revisions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21441772,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Rapid response team interventions for severe hyperkalemia: evaluation of a patient safety initiative.\nThis study evaluates outcomes and process measures associated with a rapid response team (RRT) intervention for patients with severe hyperkalemia. Inpatients on medical-surgical floors (excluding dialysis or comfort care patients) at a 1000-bed tertiary hospital from 2005 to 2009 with severe hyperkalemia (defined as potassium [K(+)] \u2265 6.3 mEq\/L). Retrospective administrative data and medical record review. Hyperkalemia incidence (based both on coding data and laboratory test results) was assessed, as was the association between hyperkalemia and mortality. Independent physician reviewers adjudicated selected cases for death directly attributable to hyperkalemia and potential for preventability with the RRT intervention. All 115 Baylor University Medical Center (Dallas, TX) cases receiving the RRT hyperkalemia intervention over a 12-month period (December 2006-December 2007) underwent in-depth process assessment. Hyperkalemia occurred as a codable diagnosis in approximately 3.2% of all hospital discharges annually (5-year average of 42 000 discharges), and K(+) values \u2265 6.3 mEq\/L were observed in 0.8% to 0.9% of all K(+) assays run by the laboratory in the months sampled. Deaths determined to be directly related to hyperkalemia and potentially preventable were rare, with a total of only 4 events during the study period (3 of these were in the pre-implementation phase), precluding statistical analysis on mortality related to the intervention. The RRT averaged 6 to 10 interventions for hyperkalemia monthly (representing 10% of all inpatient K(+) values \u2265 6.3 mEq\/L). Mean initial K(+) level triggering the RRT cascade was 6.7 \u00b1 0.3 mEq\/L; average time from floor notification of critical K(+) level to bedside RRT arrival was 14.6 \u00b1 12.1 minutes. Over 24 to 36 hours, K(+) declined 1.7 \u00b1 1.1 mEq\/L between patients' initial and final K(+) values (P < 0.001). Hyperkalemia occurs frequently in inpatient settings. Rapid response team intervention for this condition facilitates timely correction of critical laboratory test results and consistent treatment through use of a standardized protocol. Benefit of the intervention on mortality could not be reliably demonstrated in this study due to event rarity and challenges with case ascertainment. Further research with a prospective, multi-site cluster design using electronic medical records and larger sample sizes could demonstrate which RRT hyperkalemia intervention components warrant widespread adoption.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28545905,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Resveratrol alleviates oxidative damage in enteric neurons and associated gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by chemotherapeutic agent oxaliplatin.\nOxaliplatin is a first-line chemotherapeutic agent used for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Its use is associated with severe gastrointestinal (GI) side-effects, associated with oxidative damage and neurotoxicity to the enteric neurons. Resveratrol is a potent anti-oxidant that has been shown to protect against oxidative damage and neurotoxicity in other neurons and could therefore prevent oxaliplatin-induced damage to enteric neurons. We determined whether co-administration of resveratrol with oxaliplatin alleviates enteric neuron toxicity and GI dysfunction in mice. Colons were collected for immunohistochemical analysis of myenteric neurons and assessment of motor activity in organ-bath experiments. Morphological damage to the colonic mucosa and muscles was analysed. Oxaliplatin treatment induced translocation of nitrated proteins into the nuclei of myenteric neurons and significant damage to the mucosal lining, vacuolisation and a decrease in muscle thickness. This damage is linked to motor dysfunction due to inhibition of the amplitude of colonic contractions, leading to chronic constipation. Co-treatment with resveratrol prevented oxaliplatin-induced neurotoxicity, alleviated damage to GI mucosa, crypts and muscle layer, resulting in improved contractility and a decrease in constipation. Resveratrol could be integrated as part of a therapeutic regimen to help alleviate oxaliplatin-induced GI dysfunction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9816026,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (Fenretinide) in combination with retinoic acid enhances differentiation and retinoylation of proteins.\nThe synthetic retinoid, N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4-HPR; Fenretinide), is a cancer chemopreventive and antiproliferative agent whose mechanism of action is unknown. 4-HPR alone is a poor inducer of differentiation of HL-60 cells compared to all-trans-retinoic acid (RA). Here, we found that combinations of 4-HPR and RA synergistically induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. In addition, 4-HPR increased the level of retinoylation, the covalent binding of RA to proteins. Retinoylation occurs in many eukaryotic cell lines and may be involved in RA-induced differentiation. These results suggest that 4-HPR may be a member of a class of retinoids that are active because they displace RA from extracellular and intracellular sites or because they inhibit RA catabolism. On the basis of these proposed mechanisms, retinoids that do not cause differentiation as sole agents may have utility in the clinic in combination with RA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12518667,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The final hurdle: preparation for the PhD viva examination.\nThe viva examination is the culmination of the PhD process. However, it is important to prepare carefully for this final and important hurdle. In this paper, Barbara Jack looks at the different stages of the viva examination, which include undertaking a careful and systematic preparation. This preparation involves gaining a comprehensive awareness of the university procedure for the viva, researching examiners, and considering the value of having a mock viva. The paper explores the actual viva and makes suggestions to deal effectively with questioning from the examiners. Finally, the results of the viva and steps needed to address corrections are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16476670,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Task and content modulate amygdala-hippocampal connectivity in emotional retrieval.\nThe ability to remember emotional events is crucial for adapting to biologically and socially significant situations. Little is known, however, about the nature of the neural interactions supporting the integration of mnemonic and emotional information. Using fMRI and dynamic models of effective connectivity, we examined regional neural activity and specific interactions between brain regions during a contextual memory retrieval task. We independently manipulated emotional context and relevance of retrieved emotional information to task demands. We show that retrieval of emotionally valenced contextual information is associated with enhanced connectivity from hippocampus to amygdala, structures crucially involved with encoding of emotional events. When retrieval of emotional information is relevant to current behavior, amygdala-hippocampal connectivity increases bidirectionally, under modulatory influences from orbitofrontal cortex, a region implicated in representation of affective value and behavioral guidance. Our findings demonstrate that both memory content and behavioral context impact upon large scale neuronal dynamics underlying emotional retrieval.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31845876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Autophagy and spermatozoa].\nSpermiogenesis, the ultimate stage of spermatogenesis, is a process involving autophagy. At this stage, the acrosome is generated by vesicular fusion and most of the cytoplasm disappears. Autophagy, literally \"eating oneself\", allowing the elimination and replacement of proteins and nonfunctional organelles, ensures the recycling of cellular constituents and is a highly conserved cellular mechanism within eukaryotic cells. The machinery of autophagy is present in the spermatozoon, regulating the vitality and mobility of the cells. The environmental and behavioral impact on autophagy and the consequences on spermatogenesis are beginning to be studied. The purpose of this review is to synthesize current knowledge about autophagy in the mature male gamete.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30717128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Microfluidic Single-Cell Manipulation and Analysis: Methods and Applications.\nIn a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. Similarly, no two cells in a genetically identical group are the same. This heterogeneity at the single-cell level has been recognized to be vital for the correct interpretation of diagnostic and therapeutic results of diseases, but has been masked for a long time by studying average responses from a population. To comprehensively understand cell heterogeneity, diverse manipulation and comprehensive analysis of cells at the single-cell level are demanded. However, using traditional biological tools, such as petri-dishes and well-plates, is technically challengeable for manipulating and analyzing single-cells with small size and low concentration of target biomolecules. With the development of microfluidics, which is a technology of manipulating and controlling fluids in the range of micro- to pico-liters in networks of channels with dimensions from tens to hundreds of microns, single-cell study has been blooming for almost two decades. Comparing to conventional petri-dish or well-plate experiments, microfluidic single-cell analysis offers advantages of higher throughput, smaller sample volume, automatic sample processing, and lower contamination risk, etc., which made microfluidics an ideal technology for conducting statically meaningful single-cell research. In this review, we will summarize the advances of microfluidics for single-cell manipulation and analysis from the aspects of methods and applications. First, various methods, such as hydrodynamic and electrical approaches, for microfluidic single-cell manipulation will be summarized. Second, single-cell analysis ranging from cellular to genetic level by using microfluidic technology is summarized. Last, we will also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various microfluidic methods for single-cell manipulation, and then outlook the trend of microfluidic single-cell analysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17486214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Health and foreign policy in question: the case of humanitarian action.\nHealth has gained recognition as a foreign policy concern in recent years. Political leaders increasingly address global health problems within their international relations agendas. The confluence of health and foreign policy has opened these issues to analysis that helps clarify the tenets and determinants of this linkage, offering a new framework for international health policy. Yet as health remains profoundly bound to altruistic values, caution is required before generalizing about the positive outcomes of merging international health and foreign policy principles. In particular, the possible side-effects of this framework deserve further consideration. This paper examines the interaction of health and foreign policy in humanitarian action, where public health and foreign policy are often in direct conflict. Using a case-based approach, this analysis shows that health and foreign policy need not be at odds in this context, although there are situations where altruistic and interest-based values compete. The hierarchy of foreign policy functions must be challenged to avoid misuse of national authority where health interventions do not coincide with national security and domestic interests.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26477542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Low Quality of Life and Depressive Symptoms as an Independent Risk Factor for Erectile Dysfunction in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.\nAccumulating evidence indicates that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED), but the factors that predict the risk of ED in OSA patients have yet to be defined clearly. The aims of the present study were to investigate the clinical characteristics of OSA patients with ED and to identify plausible predictors of ED. The present cross-sectional analysis included 713 male patients who visited Seoul National University Hospital for snoring and\/or daytime sleepiness from 2006 to 2014. An in-laboratory polysomnography procedure was conducted to obtain objective recordings of OSA and other sleep parameters. The demographic data of all patients were obtained, and each patient completed all requirements of the following questionnaires: the Calgary Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index (SAQLI), the Korean version of the International Index of Erectile Function (KIIEF-5), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). ED and OSA were defined as a KIIEF-5 < 21 and a respiratory disturbance index (RDI) \u2265 5, respectively. Depressive symptoms were defined as a BDI \u2265 10. The frequency of ED did not differ significantly according to OSA severity. In Spearman's correlation analysis, the BDI and the ESS were inversely correlated with the KIIEF-5, whereas the SAQLI was positively correlated with the KIIEF-5. The RDI and the lowest oxygen saturation (SaO2 ) did not exhibit significant correlations with the KIIEF-5. A multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for possible confounding factors showed that ED was independently associated with the SAQLI and depressive symptoms, but there was no significant association of ED with either the RDI or the lowest SaO2 . The present study demonstrated that depressive symptoms and a low quality of life specific to sleep apnea are independent risk factors for ED in OSA patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7778671,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit and myogenin mRNAs in thymus and thymomas.\nMyasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder characterized in most cases by serological antibody against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Evidence for intrathymic localization of AChR suggests that the thymus has an important role in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Using reverse transcription followed by the polymerase chain reaction, we have demonstrated AChR alpha-subunit mRNA in thymuses and thymomas from patients with and without myasthenia gravis. We have also studied the expression of myogenin which is known to be involved in the regulation of AChR expression. By using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, we found myogenin mRNAs in all of the thymuses and thymomas. Thus, both AChR alpha-subunit and myogenin mRNA are present in all of these specimens. By immunohistochemistry myoid cells (desmin and myoglobin positive) were present in all (four of four) thymuses studied and in two of five thymomas. Thus, in thymomas, nonmyoid cells might express both AChR and myogenin. These results indicate that cells within the thymus and thymoma express AChR and its regulatory protein myogenin and that such cells, under certain conditions, might play a role in the triggering of myasthenia gravis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16855171,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with TNF-alpha blockers.\nTwenty consecutive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (mean age 50.4 +\/- 10.5 years; 17 females; mean disease duration 5.78 +\/- 3.75 years) enrolled for tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) blockers therapy (10 infliximab and 10 etanercept) were selected. Before starting therapy, 3 and 6 months thereafter all patients were evaluated for disease activity score (DAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nerve growth factor (NGF), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). After 3 and 6 months a significant reduction in DAS, ESR, CRP, and IL-6 was observed, whereas no significant differences of NGF and BDNF serum levels were found. These preliminary results confirm that TNF-alpha blockers significantly improve disease activity and inflammation in RA; nevertheless further studies are needed to explain the mechanisms regulating NGF and BDNF release in RA patients treated with TNF-alpha blockers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28421836,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Analytical confirmation of synthetic cannabinoids in a cohort of 179 presentations with acute recreational drug toxicity to an Emergency Department in London, UK in the first half of 2015.\nSynthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists are the largest group of new psychoactive substances reported in the last decade; in this study we investigated how commonly these drugs are found in patients presenting to the Emergency Department with acute recreational drug toxicity. We conducted an observational cohort study enrolling consecutive adult patients presenting to an Emergency Department (ED) in London (UK) January-July 2015 (6 months) with acute recreational drug toxicity. Residual serum obtained from a serum sample taken as part of routine clinical care was analyzed using high-resolution accurate mass-spectrometry with liquid-chromatography (HRAM-LCMSMS). Minimum clinical data were obtained from ED medical records. 18 (10%) of the 179 patient samples were positive for synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. The most common was 5F AKB-48 (13 samples, concentration 50-7600 pg\/ml), followed by 5F PB-22 (7, 30-400 pg\/mL), MDMB-CHMICA (7, 80-8000 pg\/mL), AB-CHMINACA (3, 50-1800 pg\/mL), Cumyl 5F-PINACA (1, 800 pg\/mL) and BB-22 (1, 60 pg\/mL). Only 9\/18 (50%) in whom synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists were detected self-reported synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist use. The most common clinical features were seizures and agitation, both recorded in four (22%) individuals. Fourteen patients (78%) were discharged from the ED, one of the four admitted to hospital was admitted to critical care. Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists were found in 10% of this cohort with acute recreational drug toxicity but self-reported in only half of these. This suggests that presentations to the ED with acute synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist toxicity may be more common than reported.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":473997,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Trophic influence of the nervous system on the heat resistance of skeletal muscles in rats].\nChronic denervation of m. extensor digitorum longus in rats significantly increase the heat resistance of muscle fibers. This effect does not result from muscle disuse, since tenotomy does not affect the level of heat resistance of muscle fibers. After bilateral adrenalectomy, the thermostability of muscles remains unaffected. The data obtained are discussed in relation to the problem of coupled changes in thermostability and electrogenesis of muscles fibers in animal evolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19020392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Replacement therapy with growth hormone and pituitary tumor recurrence: the relevance of the problem.\nMost cases of adult GH deficiency (AGHD) result from hypothalamic-pituitary tumors or their treatment. Some experimental and clinical observations suggest that GH may possess a mitogenic potential, thus raising the question of whether it is a safe treatment in patients with a previous pituitary tumor. Few study results have been reported on this topic. All of them have inevitable methodological flaws that limit their conclusions. However, all studies report that replacement therapy with GH does not seem to increase the risk of tumor progression or recurrence, when compared to historical or matched controls. Considering the slow-growing nature of most of these benign tumors and the absence of conclusive evidence from the available studies, a continuous imaging surveillance and longer follow-up periods are nevertheless mandatory for a definite statement on the safety of GH treatment in patients with previous pituitary tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25394018,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"CD4 cell count and the risk of infective and non-infective serious non-AIDS events in HIV-positive persons seen for care in Italy.\nSerious non-AIDS events (SNAE) are frequent in HIV patients receiving cART. Current CD4 count was shown to be more strongly associated with infective compared to not-infective SNAE and unable to predict cardiovascular events. We investigated the relationship between baseline and current CD4 count and the risk of both infective and non-infective SNAE in HIV-positive patients according to current ART use. We included all HIV-positive persons enrolled in the ICONA Foundation Study cohort who had at least one follow-up visit. SNAE were grouped in infective (pneumonia, sepsis, endocarditis and meningitis) and non-infective (malignancies, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events, hepatic events and pancreatitis) aetiology. Incidence of these event groups were calculated overall and according to baseline and current CD4 count (grouped as 0-200, 201-350, 351-500, 501-750, and >750 cells\/mm(3)). Participants' follow-up accrued from the date of enrolment (baseline) to a diagnosis of SNAE or their last visit. An event was defined the first time one of the considered SNAE occurred so that each person contributed a single event. A Poisson regression model for each of the two endpoints was used. A total of 10,822 patients were included (25.3% females, 38.2% heterosexuals) and 26.6% had hepatitis co-infections. Median age was 36 (IQR 31-42) years. Overall, 423 not-infective and 385 infective SNAE were included. The most frequent non-infective SNAE were malignancies (n=202) and the most frequent infective SNAE were pneumonia (n=289). Crude rates of non-infective SNAE were 0.78, 1.08 and 0.80\/100 PYFU, and those of infective SNAE were 1.00, 0.51 and 0.66\/100 PYFU in ART naive, currently off and currently on ART patients, respectively. Higher current CD4 count was associated with reduced risk of both infective and non-infective SNAE in naives and in patients on ART (Table 1). The association was less strong in the group which suspended ART (for non-infective SNAE the p value for interaction between current log-CD4 and ART-status, p=0.004). Conversely, we found no association between baseline CD4 count and risk of non-infective SNAE in people treated with ART (p value for interaction = 0.0001). When CVD were considered separately, there was no association with CD4 count (not shown). Our findings show that, differently from ART naive, in ART-treated patients, non-infective SNAE are predicted by current but not by baseline CD4, suggesting that immune restoration is crucial to prevent these events.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33778105,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Appetitive Motivation in Depressive Anhedonia: Effects of Piece-Rate Cash Rewards on Cardiac and Behavioral Outcomes.\nDeficits in self-regulation and motivation are central to depression. Using motivational intensity theory (Brehm & Self, 1989), the present research examined how depressive anhedonia influences effort during a piece-rate appetitive task. In piece-rate tasks, people can work at their own pace and are rewarded for each correct response, so they can gain rewards more quickly by expending more effort. A sample of community adults (n = 78) was evaluated for depressive anhedonia using a structured clinical interview, yielding depressive anhedonia and control groups. Participants completed a self-paced cognitive task, and each correct response yielded a cash reward (3 cents or 15 cents, manipulated within-person). Using impedance cardiography, effort-related physiological activity was assessed via the cardiac pre-ejection period (PEP). The results indicated lower reward responsiveness in the anhedonia group. Compared to the control group, the depressive anhedonia group showed significantly less baseline-to-task change in PEP, and they performed marginally worse on the task. The experiment supports the predictions made by applying motivational intensity theory to depression and offers a useful paradigm for evaluating anhedonic effects on effort while people are striving for appealing rewards.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26005648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparative analysis of fluorescent angiography, computed tomographic angiography and magnetic resonance angiography for planning autologous breast reconstruction.\nThe high incidence of breast cancer and growing number of breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy has led to breast reconstruction becoming an important part of holistic treatment for these patients. In planning autologous reconstructions, preoperative assessment of donor site microvascular anatomy with advanced imaging modalities has assisted in the appropriate selection of flap donor site, individual perforators, and lead to an overall improvement in flap outcomes. In this review, we compare the accuracy of fluorescent angiography, computed tomographic angiography (CTA), and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and their impact on clinical outcomes. A review of the published English literature dating from 1950 to 2015 using databases, such as PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and EMBASE was undertaken. Fluorescent angiography is technically limited by its inability to evaluate deep-lying perforators and hence, it has a minimal role in the preoperative setting. However, it may be useful intraoperatively in evaluating microvascular anastomotic patency and the mastectomy skin perfusion. CTA is currently widely considered the standard, due to its high accuracy and reliability. Multiple studies have demonstrated its ability to improve clinical outcomes, such as operative length and flap complications. However, concerns surrounding exposure to radiation and nephrotoxic contrast agents exist. MRA has been explored, however despite recent advances, the image quality of MRA is considered inferior to CTA. Preoperative imaging is an essential component in planning autologous breast reconstruction. Fluorescent angiography presents minimal role as a preoperative imaging modality, but may be a useful intraoperative adjunct to assess the anastomosis and the mastectomy skin perfusion. Currently, CTA is the gold standard preoperatively. MRA has a role, particularly for women of younger age, iodine allergy, and renal impairment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16482812,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Congenital Chagas disease: experience in the Hospital de Ni\u00f1os, Ricardo Guti\u00e9rrez, Buenos Aires, Argentina].\nEpidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic data from children who were born to mothers infected with T. cruzi who came to our hospital are presented. In addition, we exhibit the preliminary results of a technique that detects the anti F2\/3 antibodies: these would be able to confirm the cure earlier than conventional serology. We also show the results of PCR diagnosis. Most of the mothers (76,1%) resided in Argentina, the rest were from Bolivia and Paraguay The median average age at diagnosis of the patients was 8,5 months (range 15 days-10 years). Out of 168 children, 64,98% were asymptomatic at diagnosis. The diagnosis criteria were: T. cruzi observation by microhematocrit technique in patients less than 7 month old. Two reactive serological tests in patients older than 8 months. A nifurtimox dose used in these patients was 10-13 mg\/kg\/d during 60 days. Although 31% presented side effects, none of them had to be dropped from the treatment. Cure criteria was conventional serology negativization. Of the patient population, we cured 87,2% of them, 98% of those under 3 years, and 100% of those who received treatment before age 8 months. We compared the time of negativization between conventional serology and anti F2\/3 in 21 children. The latter were very useful to demonstrate (p>0,001) the success of the treatment, in those that started treatment after 8 months of age. PCR testing of a group of all patients, showed a diagnostic sensibility of 80,3% and a specificity of 97,8%.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23127247,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Bradykinin type 2 receptor -9\/-9 genotype is associated with triceps brachii muscle hypertrophy following strength training in young healthy men.\nBradykinin type 2 receptor (B2BRK) genotype was reported to be associated with changes in the left-ventricular mass as a response to aerobic training, as well as in the regulation of the skeletal muscle performance in both athletes and non-athletes. However, there are no reports on the effect of B2BRK 9-bp polymorphism on the response of the skeletal muscle to strength training, and our aim was to determine the relationship between the B2BRK SNP and triceps brachii functional and morphological adaptation to programmed physical activity in young adults. In this 6-week pretest-posttest exercise intervention study, twenty nine healthy young men (21.5 \u00b1 2.7 y, BMI 24.2 \u00b1 3.5 kg\/m(2)) were put on a 6-week exercise protocol using an isoacceleration dynamometer (5 times a week, 5 daily sets with 10 maximal elbow extensions, 1 minute rest between sets). Triceps brachii muscle volumes were assessed by using magnetic resonance imaging before and after the strength training. Bradykinin type 2 receptor 9 base pair polymorphism was determined for all participants. Following the elbow extensors training, an average increase in the volume of both triceps brachii was 5.4 \u00b1 3.4% (from 929.5 \u00b1 146.8 cm(3) pre-training to 977.6 \u00b1 140.9 cm(3) after training, p<0.001). Triceps brachii volume increase was significantly larger in individuals homozygous for -9 allele compared to individuals with one or two +9 alleles (-9\/-9, 8.5 \u00b1 3.8%; vs. -9\/+9 and +9\/+9 combined, 4.7 \u00b1 4.5%, p < 0.05). Mean increases in endurance strength in response to training were 48.4 \u00b1 20.2%, but the increases were not dependent on B2BRK genotype (-9\/-9, 50.2 \u00b1 19.2%; vs. -9\/+9 and +9\/+9 combined, 46.8 \u00b1 20.7%, p > 0.05). We found that muscle morphological response to targeted training - hypertrophy - is related to polymorphisms of B2BRK. However, no significant influence of different B2BRK genotypes on functional muscle properties after strength training in young healthy non athletes was found. This finding could be relevant, not only in predicting individual muscle adaptation capacity to training or sarcopenia related to aging and inactivity, but also in determining new therapeutic strategies targeting genetic control of muscle function, especially for neuromuscular disorders that are characterized by progressive adverse changes in muscle quality, mass, strength and force production (e.g., muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31691747,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Drama students with and without vocal complaint: vocal health and hygiene data, symptoms and voice handicap.\nTo gather information about vocal health and hygiene, voice symptoms, and voice handicap from drama students with and without vocal complaints. A total of 57 drama students participated of this study. They were divided into two groups: no vocal complaints group (NCG), with 39 students; and with vocal complaints group (WCG), with 18 students. The participants answered to three self-assessment protocols: 1. Vocal Health and Hygiene Questionnaire (VHHQ), 2. Voice Symptom Scale (VoiSS); and 3. Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10). No difference was observed between groups related to the knowledge of vocal health and hygiene. The drama students from the WCG presented higher scores, more voice symptoms in all subscales of the VoiSS, and more voice handicap, e.g,higher VHI-10 scores than the NCG. The more knowledge on vocal health and hygiene (VHHQ total score) was followed by less voice symptoms, which represents lower scores in the VoiSS total score and, in emotional domain, and it was only perceived voice handicap (VHI-10 total score) in the NCG. There was no difference in knowledge of vocal health and hygiene among drama students with and without vocal complaints. However, drama students with vocal complaints presented more voice symptoms and reported greater perception of voice handicap, which was negatively correlated with knowledge of vocal health and hygiene.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24625129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Born too soon: the global epidemiology of 15 million preterm births.\nThis second paper in the Born Too Soon supplement presents a review of the epidemiology of preterm birth, and its burden globally, including priorities for action to improve the data. Worldwide an estimated 11.1% of all livebirths in 2010 were born preterm (14.9 million babies born before 37 weeks of gestation), with preterm birth rates increasing in most countries with reliable trend data. Direct complications of preterm birth account for one million deaths each year, and preterm birth is a risk factor in over 50% of all neonatal deaths. In addition, preterm birth can result in a range of long-term complications in survivors, with the frequency and severity of adverse outcomes rising with decreasing gestational age and decreasing quality of care. The economic costs of preterm birth are large in terms of immediate neonatal intensive care, ongoing long-term complex health needs, as well as lost economic productivity. Preterm birth is a syndrome with a variety of causes and underlying factors usually divided into spontaneous and provider-initiated preterm births. Consistent recording of all pregnancy outcomes, including stillbirths, and standard application of preterm definitions is important in all settings to advance both the understanding and the monitoring of trends. Context specific innovative solutions to prevent preterm birth and hence reduce preterm birth rates all around the world are urgently needed. Strengthened data systems are required to adequately track trends in preterm birth rates and program effectiveness. These efforts must be coupled with action now to implement improved antenatal, obstetric and newborn care to increase survival and reduce disability amongst those born too soon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7580406,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Comparative study of genomes of present-day influenza A and B viruses].\nThe electrophoretic mobility of RNA fragments was used to study epidemic influenza viruses A and B as compared with the reference strains and virological findings. Among those tested, there was a further drift involving both the genes coding glycosylated proteins and internal and non-structural proteins. The analysis of atypical isolates showed their reassortant nature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30814043,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Kynurenine pathway in bipolar disorder].\nBipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic psychiatric illness which, among other things, is characterized by cerebral dysfunctions, cognitive disorders and sleep disturbances. The neurobiological basis of these processes remains unclear. In recent years, studies have focused on the role of immune-inflammatory mechanisms induced by the tryptophan metabolism pathway (TRP) and the kynurenine pathway (KYN). Emerging data correlates TRP and KYN metabolites with BD's pathophysiology and course. The purpose of this review is to search the available data on the involvement of KYN's pathway in the pathophysiology, the clinical presentation and the course of BD. A systematic literature review was conducted using web-based search engines provided by PubMed (for Medline database) and Google Scholar. The search languages were English and Greek and the entries Key phrases used for the research were: bipolar disorder, depression, mania, tryptophan, kynurenine pathway, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disorder, neuroimmunology, neuroinflammation manuscripts written or published in English and Greek language. The KYN pathway is actively involved in the pathophysiology of BD. The increase in neurotoxic weight of the neuroprotective derivatives of the pathway is associated with cognitive impairment that accompany the clinical presentation of the disease. In addition, some of these metabolites are also suspected of sleep disorders in BD. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms involved. The KYN pathway is a highly interesting field of encounter and interaction of the immune inflammatory system with the CNS, both involved in the pathophysiology of BD in a variety of ways. Future research can focus on clarifying the role of the metabolites of this pathway, potentially highlighting new therapeutic goals. Additionally, consideration could be given to approaching the metabolites of the KYN pathway as biomarkers for early detection, staging and monitoring of BD patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18989756,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":3,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Quality of life and self-esteem of persons with paraplegia living in S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil.\nTo evaluate the quality of life (QoL) and self-esteem of paraplegic persons. The sample consisted of 60 outpatients with traumatic paraplegia living in S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil, from whom clinical and demographic data were obtained. QoL was assessed by the 36-item Short-Form (SF-36) health survey questionnaire, and self-esteem was measured by Rosenberg's Self-Esteem (RSE) scale. Statistical analysis was performed using Student's t-test, analysis of variance and Fisher's least significant difference (LSD) test at a significance level of 5%. Participants were predominately men (86.7%) with a mean age of 32.9 (standard deviation [SD] = 9.47) years, low education level and low income. The SF-36 dimensions that received the lowest scores were physical functioning, role physical and role emotional. Cronbach's alpha for the SF-36 questionnaire was 0.80. A significant statistical difference was found between the presence of pressure ulcers and low scores on mental health (P = 0.001), as determined by Student's t-test. The mean self-esteem score was 8.35 and there was a significant statistical difference between low self-esteem scores and occupation (P = 0.008). Participants reported low QoL and self-esteem. The results provide background information that may be useful in the development of strategies to reduce the impact of spinal cord injury (SCI) on the life and health of persons with SCI, improving their QoL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38130252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Clinical factors influencing olfactory performance in patients with persistent COVID-19 smell loss longer than 1 year.\nFactors affecting persistence of COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction (OD) remain partially unknown. We aim to evaluate the clinical factors which could influence olfactory performance in patients with persistent COVID-19-related smell loss. A retrospective analysis of 100 patients with persistent COVID-19-related OD was performed between October 2020 and December 2022 at a single-center long-COVID smell clinic. All subjects underwent smell assessment using Sniffin' Sticks (S'S) extended test, nasal endoscopy, nasal airflow evaluation (peak nasal inspiratory flow [PNIF]), allergy test (skin prick test [SPT]) for common aeroallergens, MRI of the head and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs-VAS, SF-36, Short QOD-NS, SNOT-22). Based on S'S score, subjects were divided into normosmics (TDI \u2265 30.75) and dysosmics (TDI < 30.75). The median age was 42 years and the median length of patient-reported OD was 1.4 years. 20 patients (20.0%) were normosmic at the time of S'S assessment. Dysosmic patients were found to have significantly lower scores at the SF-36 health domains for energy\/fatigue (p = .0004) and emotional wellbeing (p = .04) when compared to normosmics. A moderate correlation (r = .45-.59) between S'S scores and some PROMs was also demonstrated. At the multivariate analysis higher PNIF scores positively influenced odor threshold (p = .001) while positivity to SPT negatively influenced odor identification (p = .04). Impairment of nasal airflow and sensitivity to aeroallergens can negatively affect olfactory performance in COVID-19-related OD. Long-COVID smell loss deeply affects QoL although recovery of olfaction can bring it back to a normal range. IV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12148735,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Underdosage of the upper-airway mucosa for small fields as used in intensity-modulated radiation therapy: a comparison between radiochromic film measurements, Monte Carlo simulations, and collapsed cone convolution calculations.\nHead-and-neck tumors are often situated at an air-tissue interface what may result in an underdosage of part of the tumor in radiotherapy treatments using megavoltage photons, especially for small fields. In addition to effects of transient electronic disequilibrium, for these small fields, an increased lateral electron range in air will result in an important extra reduction of the central axis dose beyond the cavity. Therefore dose calculation algorithms need to model electron transport accurately. We simulated the trachea by a 2 cm diameter cylindrical air cavity with the rim situated 2 cm beneath the phantom surface. A 6 MV photon beam from an Elekta SLiplus linear accelerator, equipped with the standard multileaf collimator (MLC), was assessed. A 10 x 2 cm2 and a 10 x 1 cm2 field, both widthwise collimated by the MLC, were applied with their long side parallel to the cylinder axis. Central axis dose rebuild-up was studied. Radiochromic film measurements were performed in an in-house manufactured polystyrene phantom with the films oriented either along or perpendicular to the beam axis. Monte Carlo simulations were performed with BEAM and EGSnrc. Calculations were also performed using the pencil beam (PB) algorithm and the collapsed cone convolution (CCC) algorithm of Helax-TMS (MDS Nordion, Kanata, Cahada) version 6.0.2 and using the CCC algorithm of Pinnacle (ADAC Laboratories, Milpitas, CA, USA) version 4.2. A very good agreement between the film measurements and the Monte Carlo simulations was found. The CCC algorithms were not able to predict the interface dose accurately when lateral electronic disequilibrium occurs, but were shown to be a considerable improvement compared to the PB algorithm. The CCC algorithms overestimate the dose in the rebuild-up region. The interface dose was overestimated by a maximum of 31% or 54%, depending on the implementation of the CCC algorithm. At a depth of 1 mm, the maximum dose overestimation was 14% or 24%.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30737234,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Upregulation of PD-L1 via HMGB1-Activated IRF3 and NF-\u03baB Contributes to UV Radiation-Induced Immune Suppression.\nSolar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) suppresses skin immunity, which facilitates initiation of skin lesions and establishment of tumors by promoting immune evasion. It is unclear whether immune checkpoints are involved in the modulation of skin immunity by UVR. Here, we report that UVR exposure significantly increased expression of immune checkpoint molecule PD-L1 in melanoma cells. The damage-associated molecular patterns molecule HMGB1 was secreted by melanocytes and keratinocytes upon UVR, which subsequently activated the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE) receptor to promote NF-\u03baB- and IRF3-dependent transcription of PD-L1 in melanocytes. UVR exposure significantly reduced the susceptibility of melanoma cells to CD8+ T-cell-dependent cytotoxicity, which was mitigated by inhibiting the HMGB1\/TBK1\/IRF3\/NF-\u03baB cascade or by blocking the PD-1\/PD-L1 checkpoint. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that UVR-induced upregulation of PD-L1 contributes to immune suppression in the skin microenvironment, which may promote immune evasion of oncogenic cells and drive melanoma initiation and progression. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings identify PD-L1 as a critical component of UV-induced immune suppression in the skin, which facilitates immunoevasion of oncogenic melanocytes and development of melanoma.See related commentary by Sahu, p. 2805.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24498579,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Symptom Cluster Research in Women with Breast Cancer: A Comparison of Three Subgrouping Techniques.\nTo examine how symptom cluster subgroups defined by extreme discordant composite scores, cut-off scores, or a median split influence statistical associations with peripheral cytokine levels in women with breast cancer. Systemic cytokine dysregulation has been posited as a potential biological mechanism underlying symptom clusters in women with breast cancer. Symptom characteristics may play an important role in identifying cytokines of significant etiological importance, however, there is no consensus regarding the ideal subgrouping technique to use. A secondary analysis of data collected from a cross-sectional descriptive study of women with stage I-II breast cancer was used to examine and compare the relationships between peripheral cytokine levels and symptom subgroups defined by extreme discordant composite scores, cut-off scores, or a median split. Participant symptom scores were transformed into a composite score to account for variability in symptom intensity, frequency and interference. Cytokine levels in subgroups defined by composite scores within the highest and lowest 20% were contrasted with those composed from cut-off scores and a median split. Subgroups defined by the composite score or cut-off scores resulted in similar statistical relationships with cytokine levels in contrast to the median split technique. The use of a median split for evaluating relationships between symptoms clusters and cytokine levels may increase the risk of a type I error. Composite and cut-off scores represent best techniques for defining symptom cluster subgroups in women with breast cancer. Using a consistent approach to defining symptom clusters across studies may assist in identifying relevant biological mechanisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25012155,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Carboplatin and paclitaxel treatment is effective in advanced anal cancer.\nThe development of distant metastases of squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal (SCCA) is rare but has a poor prognosis. A combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel is commonly used for treating squamous cell cancer in different organs, but its efficacy in advanced SCCA is unclear. The objective of this study is to determine the tolerability and outcome of patients with advanced SCCA on carboplatin plus paclitaxel treatment at the Moffitt Cancer Center. Retrospective analysis was conducted by looking at records from the Moffitt Cancer Center Tumor Registry from January 2007 to January 2012. Eligible patients had to have a diagnosis of SCCA and have received carboplatin plus paclitaxel every 3 weeks as part of the treatment plan. Eighteen patients fulfilled the criteria; 14 were initially diagnosed with early-stage disease and received concurrent chemoradiation, but then relapsed. Median age was 56 years. Upon diagnosis of metastatic disease, 12 patients received carboplatin plus paclitaxel as a first-line treatment. Five patients had received prior systemic chemotherapy regimens and 1 had received prior local regional therapy. The response rate was high at 53% including 3 patients who achieved a complete response. Median overall survival was 12.19 months. Carboplatin and paclitaxel treatment shows encouraging activity in advanced SCCA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22561704,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Regulation of cell cycle and stress responses under nitrosative stress in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.\nNitric oxide (NO) acts as a signaling molecule in numerous physiological processes but excess production generates nitrosative stress in cells. The exact protective mechanism used by cells to combat nitrosative stress is unclear. In this study, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been used as a model system to explore cell cycle regulation and stress responses under nitrosative stress. Exposure to an NO donor results in mitotic delay in cells through G2\/M checkpoint activation and initiates rereplication. Western blot analysis of phosphorylated Cdc2 revealed that the G2\/M block in the cell cycle was due to retention of its inactive phosphorylated form. Interestingly, nitrosative stress results in inactivation of Cdc25 through S-nitrosylation that actually leads to cell cycle delay. From differential display analysis, we identified plo1, spn4, and rga5, three cell cycle-related genes found to be differentially expressed under nitrosative stress. Exposure to nitrosative stress also results in abnormal septation and cytokinesis in S. pombe. In summary we propose a novel molecular mechanism of cell cycle control under nitrosative stress based on our experimental results and bioinformatics analysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15342284,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Effect of enalapril and losartan on cytokines in patients with stable angina pectoris awaiting coronary artery bypass grafting and their interaction with polymorphisms in the interleukin-6 gene.\nAngiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers may have anti-inflammatory actions, an effect that could explain some of their beneficial effects on cardiovascular events in clinical trials. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is associated with a systemic inflammatory response and provides a convenient model to examine the effects of such agents. Genetic polymorphisms may be important in influencing the expression of cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6). We randomized men awaiting CABG to treatment with enalapril, losartan, or control for 2 months before surgery. Systemic IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-1 receptor agonists were measured before and after surgery, and genotypes for the -174 G\/C and -572 G\/C IL-6 gene polymorphisms were determined. Total release of the IL-1 receptor agonist was decreased 29% by enalapril and 31% by losartan (adjusted p = 0.041). IL-6 was decreased 17% by enalapril and 20% by losartan. Subjects possessing the -174 GG genotype produced 20% more IL-6 (adjusted p = 0.029). In these high producers of IL-6, release of IL-6 was decreased 51% by enalapril (adjusted p = 0.001) and 32% by losartan (adjusted p = 0.068). Release of IL-10 was nonsignificantly decreased 26% by enalapril and 21% by losartan, whereas IL-8 was not detected. In conclusion, enalapril and losartan significantly decreased release of the IL-1 receptor agonist after CABG. Enalapril produced a highly significant decrease of 51% in the release of IL-6 in patients identified as high producers of IL-6 by the -174 G\/C polymorphism, whereas losartan has a similar but less marked effect. The production of IL-6 in this setting is influenced by the -174 G\/C polymorphism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33797404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An Australian perspective on treating perinatal depression and anxiety: a brief review of efficacy and evidence-based practice in screening, psychosocial assessment and management.\nAustralia is at the forefront of developing screening practices, interventions and national public health policy for perinatal women with depression and anxiety. For the last two decades Australian mental health experts and public health administrators have conducted population-wide feasibility studies on screening and incorporated these in national guidelines. This chapter outlines the wider evidence base supporting current Australian practice. Key recommendations include use of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale or the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 early in pregnancy and at 6-12 weeks postpartum, followed by psychosocial assessment. Positive depression screens need to be followed by diagnostic assessment, and clear treatment pathways must be available. Milgrom and colleagues' cognitive behavioural treatment is the only Australian program with a solid evidence base demonstrating its effectiveness for depression and associated anxiety. The face-to-face treatment has been further developed into an online program, MumMoodBooster, funded by the Federal government and available to Australian women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17475785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Monocyte subpopulations and their differentiation patterns during infection.\nThe term \"monocyte\" implies a single, homogenous population of cells with uniform physiology. Recent evidence from a number of laboratories indicates that it is likely that blood monocytes may consist of several subpopulations of cells, which differ in size, nuclear morphology, granularity, and functionality. The aim of this review is to give a summary of the new findings in the emerging field of monocyte heterogeneity. We provide a short description of the differentiation patterns of blood monocyte subpopulations, with an emphasis on how these subpopulations can be influenced by infection. We provide a comparison among the main monocyte subpopulations in humans, mice, and rats and illustrate some of the common features of these cells and some of the important interspecies distinctions. We will also discuss the bone marrow precursors of these cells and the differentiation patterns of these subsets in different tissues in response to infection. Most of the data about monocyte trafficking during infection are necessarily derived from murine models, and comparisons between mouse and man must be made with caution. However, these models may provide interesting springboards to permit us to speculate about the topic of monocyte heterogeneity in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15121923,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Implementing community-based systems of services for children and youths with special health care needs: how well are we doing?\nTo provide a baseline measure of the proportion of US children who meet the Maternal and Child Health Bureau's core outcomes for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Those core outcomes include the following: 1) families of CSHCN will partner in decision making and will be satisfied with the services that they receive; 2) CSHCN will receive coordinated, ongoing comprehensive care within a medical home; 3) families of CSHCN will have adequate private and\/or public insurance to pay for the services that they need; 4) children will be screened early and continuously for special health care needs; 5) community-based service systems will be organized so that families can use them easily; and 6) youths with special health care needs will receive the services necessary to make transitions to adult life, including adult health care, work, and independence. A national household survey was conducted using telephone interviews. We analyzed data on 38,866 CSHCN included in the 2001 National Survey of CSHCN and 13,579 children included in the 2001 National Health Interview Survey. We assessed the proportion of US children who met each of the 6 core outcomes for CSHCN using data from 2 surveys. Success rates ranged from 6% (the core outcome on successful transition to adulthood) to 74% (the core outcome on organization of the service system). For 5 of the 6 core outcomes, success rates exceeded 50%. Our results indicate that, for the most part, the United States is well positioned to meet the 6 core outcomes. However, much more work lies ahead before success can be claimed. This is especially true for the core outcome on transition to adulthood, for which only 6% of children in the target population are now meeting this goal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9644810,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The striatum in the system of the central mechanisms of biorhythm control].\nStriatum as a primary oscillatory brain structure participates in organization of the short-period pharmacogenous rhythms (amphetamine-induced stereotypy and haloperidol catalepsy) and time course of forced swimming. This form of activity can be controlled by the functional connections of the striatum with suprachiasmatic hypothalamic nuclei and pineal gland.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30714008,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"3-dimensional printing for anterior cervical surgery: a review.\nAge-related degenerative changes and non-spondylotic pathologies of the cervical spine such as trauma and tumor can lead to compression of neurological structures and result in substantial alteration of the structural anatomy. The end-goal of surgical intervention is to decompress the neural structures which can be achieved via an anterior or a posterior approach, and stabilization of segments to restore stability and alignment. Three-dimensional printing (3DP or Additive Manufacturing) has been applied to the field of medicine, in particular orthopedics and neurosurgery. Coupled with advances of medical imaging such as computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), accurate 3D models of patient anatomy can be produced, and patient-specific implants (PSIs) for complex anatomical reconstruction have all been applied with positive outcomes. 3D printed implants have been applied in particular to the cervical spine predominantly due to the complex and relatively small osteological anatomy and the proximity of important neurovascular structures to the surgical sites. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the current application of 3DP for cervical spinal implants. This includes a review on the available literature on 3D printed PSIs and current available 3D printed \"off-the-shelf\" (OTS) implants (3D-OTS). Suitable materials for 3DP of spinal implants and the future prospect of cervical implants will be discussed. The review will be concluded with a suggested guide for carrying future studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 3DP for cervical spinal implants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27190896,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Effect of Combined Antenatal and Postnatal Counselling on Postpartum Modern Contraceptive Use: Prospective Case-Control Study in Kocaeli, Turkey.\nThe integration of family planning education into obstetric care has been suggested to increase postpartum contraception use. However, ideal time and type of counseling is controversial. There is no prospective study about combining prenatal and postnatal education on the postpartum modern contraceptive use (PPMC). This study was aimed to explore the effects of the addition of postpartum contraceptive counselling to antenatal education on PPMC. Family planning counselling was given to all participating patients throughout antenatal care (ANC) via brief communications. After delivery, the women were categorised into two age-matched groups with a 1:1 allocation ratio in the order of the birth date. No further intervention was performed for Group I (n: 98). Women in Group II (n: 102) received further contraceptive education at six weeks after hospital discharge. Six months after delivery, PPMC was compared between the two groups. PPMC was similar between Group I and II (p>0.05). Previous contraceptive experiences, obstetric care service intensity and partner's support were the factors related to postnatal contraceptive use. Logistic regression analysis showed that PPMC was independent of confounding factors in each group. The addition of postnatal counseling to antenatal one did not further increase PPMC. The results of this study suggested that family planning counseling should be provided antenatally.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1412119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of corticosteroids on bronchodilator action in chronic obstructive lung disease.\nShort term treatment with corticosteroids does not usually reduce airflow limitation and airway responsiveness in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. We investigated whether corticosteroids modulate the effects of inhaled salbutamol and ipratropium bromide. Ten non-allergic subjects with stable disease were investigated; eight completed the randomised, double blind, three period cross over study. Treatment regimens consisted of 1.6 mg inhaled budesonide a day for three weeks, 40 mg oral prednisone a day for eight days, and placebo. After each period cumulative doubling doses of salbutamol, ipratropium, a combination of salbutamol and ipratropium, and placebo were administered on separate days until a plateau in FEV1 was reached. A histamine challenge was then performed. At the end of placebo treatment mean FEV1 was 55.5% predicted after inhaled placebo, 67.9% predicted after salbutamol and 64.0% predicted after ipratropium. Compared with the results after the placebo period the FEV1 with salbutamol increased by 0.7% predicted after treatment with budesonide and by 0.7% predicted after treatment with prednisone; the FEV1 with ipratropium increased by 0.7% predicted after budesonide and by 4.8% predicted after prednisone; none of these changes was significant. After placebo treatment the geometric mean PC20 was 0.55 mg\/ml after placebo, 1.71 mg\/ml after salbutamol and 0.97 mg\/ml after ipratropium. Compared with the placebo period the PC20 with salbutamol was increased by 0.86 doubling concentrations after treatment with budesonide, and by 0.67 doubling concentrations after prednisone; the PC20 with ipratropium increased by 0.03 and 0.34 doubling concentrations after budesonide and after prednisone respectively compared with placebo; none of these changes was significant. In non-allergic subjects with chronic obstructive lung disease short term treatment with high doses of inhaled or oral corticosteroids does not modify the bronchodilator response to salbutamol or ipratropium or the protection provided by either drug against histamine. Salbutamol produces greater protection from histamine induced bronchoconstriction than ipratropium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3429319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Immunocytochemical evidence for transferrin-dependent proliferation during renal tubulogenesis.\nThe role of the transferrin receptor and of cell proliferation during human renal embryogenesis has been studied by using immunocytochemical techniques. Tissue sections of human fetal kidneys have been stained using monoclonal antibodies to the cell surface transferrin receptor (HB21) and the nuclear proliferation antigen (Ki67). Both antigens appear during nephron induction, are strongly expressed during the early stages of renal tubulogenesis, but are lost with progressive maturation. Simultaneous changes in the intermediate filament phenotype at this developmental stage have also been demonstrated by the use of monoclonal antibodies to vimentin and low molecular weight cytokeratin. This study provides immunocytochemical evidence that in the human kidney, as in in vitro development of the mouse kidney, one of the early events in tubule induction involves transferrin-dependent proliferation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36824739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cancer immunity marker RNA expression levels across gynecologic cancers: Implications for immunotherapy.\nBackground: Our objective was to characterize cancer immunity marker expression in gynecologic cancers and compare immune landscapes between gynecologic tumor subtypes and with non-gynecologic solid tumors. Methods: RNA expression levels of 51 cancer-immunity markers were analyzed in patients with gynecologic cancers vs. non-gynecologic cancers, and normalized to a reference population of 735 control cancers, ranked from 0-100, and categorized as low (0-24), moderate (25-74), or high (75-100) percentile rank. Results: Of the 72 patients studied, 43 (60%) had ovarian, 24 (33%) uterine, and 5 (7%) cervical cancer. No two immune profiles were identical according to expression rank (0-100) or rank level (low, moderate, or high). Patients with cervical cancer had significantly higher expression level ranks of immune activating, pro-inflammatory, tumor infiltrating lymphocyte markers and checkpoints than patients with uterine or ovarian cancer (p<0.001 for all comparisons). However, there were no significant differences in immune marker expression between uterine and ovarian cancers. Tumors with PD-L1 TPS =>1% versus 0% had significantly higher expression levels of pro-inflammatory markers (58 vs. 49%, p=0.0004). Compared to patients with non-gynecologic cancers, more patients with gynecologic cancers express high levels of IDO-1 (44 vs. 13%, p<0.001), LAG3 (35 vs. 21%, p=0.008) and IL10 (31 vs. 15%, p=0.002.) Conclusions: Patients with gynecologic cancers have complex and heterogeneous immune landscapes that are distinct from patient to patient and from other solid tumors. High levels of IDO1 and LAG3 suggest that clinical trials with IDO1 inhibitors or LAG3 inhibitors, respectively, may be warranted in gynecologic cancers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24284984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Plasma long-chain free fatty acids predict mammalian longevity.\nMembrane lipid composition is an important correlate of the rate of aging of animals and, therefore, the determination of their longevity. In the present work, the use of high-throughput technologies allowed us to determine the plasma lipidomic profile of 11 mammalian species ranging in maximum longevity from 3.5 to 120 years. The non-targeted approach revealed a specie-specific lipidomic profile that accurately predicts the animal longevity. The regression analysis between lipid species and longevity demonstrated that the longer the longevity of a species, the lower is its plasma long-chain free fatty acid (LC-FFA) concentrations, peroxidizability index, and lipid peroxidation-derived products content. The inverse association between longevity and LC-FFA persisted after correction for body mass and phylogenetic interdependence. These results indicate that the lipidomic signature is an optimized feature associated with animal longevity, emerging LC-FFA as a potential biomarker of longevity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25035403,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"DELLAs function as coactivators of GAI-ASSOCIATED FACTOR1 in regulation of gibberellin homeostasis and signaling in Arabidopsis.\nGibberellins (GAs) are essential regulators of plant development, and DELLAs are negative regulators of GA signaling. The mechanism of GA-dependent transcription has been explained by DELLA-mediated titration of transcriptional activators and their release through the degradation of DELLAs in response to GA. However, the effect of GA on genome-wide expression is predominantly repression, suggesting the existence of unknown mechanisms of GA function. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis thaliana DELLA binding transcription factor, GAI-ASSOCIATED FACTOR1 (GAF1). GAF1 shows high homology to INDETERMINATE DOMAIN1 (IDD1)\/ENHYDROUS. GA responsiveness was decreased in the double mutant gaf1 idd1, whereas it was enhanced in a GAF1 overexpressor. GAF1 binds to genes that are subject to GA feedback regulation. Furthermore, we found that GAF1 interacts with the corepressor TOPLESS RELATED (TPR) and that DELLAs and TPR act as coactivators and a corepressor of GAF1, respectively. GA converts the GAF1 complex from transcriptional activator to repressor via the degradation of DELLAs. These results indicate that DELLAs turn on or off two sets of GA-regulated genes via dual functions, namely titration and coactivation, providing a mechanism for the integrative regulation of plant growth and GA homeostasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35123027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SARS-CoV-2 transmission in opposition-controlled Northwest Syria: modeling pandemic responses during political conflict.\nTen years of conflict has displaced more than half of Northwest Syria's (NWS) population and decimated the health system, water and sanitation, and public health infrastructure vital for infectious disease control. The first NWS COVID-19 case was declared on July 9, 2020, but impact estimations in this region are minimal. With the rollout of vaccination and emergence of the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant, we aimed to estimate the COVID-19 trajectory in NWS and the potential effects of vaccine coverage and hospital occupancy. We conducted a mixed-method study, primarily including modeling projections of COVID-19 transmission scenarios with vaccination strategies using an age-structured, compartmental susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model, supported by data from 20 semi-structured interviews with frontline health workers to help contextualize interpretation of modeling results. Modeling suggested that existing low stringency non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) minimally affected COVID-19 transmission. Maintaining existing NPIs after the Delta variant introduction is predicted to result in a second COVID-19 wave, overwhelming hospital capacity and resulting in a fourfold increased death toll. Simulations with up to 60% vaccination coverage by June 2022 predict that a second wave is not preventable with current NPIs. However, 60% vaccination coverage by June 2022 combined with 50% coverage of mask-wearing and handwashing should reduce the number of hospital beds and ventilators needed below current capacity levels. In the worst-case scenario of a more transmissible and lethal variant emerging by January 2022, the third wave is predicted. Total COVID-19 attributable deaths are expected to remain relatively low owing largely to a young population. Given the negative socioeconomic consequences of restrictive NPIs, such as border or school closures for an already deeply challenged population and their relative ineffectiveness in this context, policymakers and international partners should instead focus on increasing COVID-19 vaccination coverage as rapidly as possible and encouraging mask-wearing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34795077,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pilot Study of an e-Cohort to Monitor Adverse Event for Patient with Hip Prostheses from Clinical Data Warehouse.\nHip arthroplasty represents a large proportion of orthopaedic activity, constantly increasing. Automating monitoring from clinical data warehouses is an opportunity to dynamically monitor devices and patient outcomes allowing improve clinical practices. Our objective was to assess quantitative and qualitative concordance between claim data and device supply data in order to create an e-cohort of patients undergoing a hip replacement. We performed a single-centre cohort pilot study, from one clinical data warehouse of a French University Hospital, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019. We included all adult patients undergoing a hip arthroplasty, and with at least one hip medical device provided. Patients younger than 18 years or opposed to the reuse of their data were excluded from the analysis. Our primary outcome was the percentage of hospital stays with both hip arthroplasty and hip device provided. The patient and stay characteristics assessed in this study were: age, sex, length of stay, surgery procedure (replacement, repositioning, change, or reconstruction), medical motif for surgery (osteoarthritis, fracture, cancer, infection, or other) and device provided (head, stem, shell, or other). We found 3,380 stays and 2,934 patients, 96.4% of them had both a hip surgery procedure and a hip device provided. These data from different sources are close enough to be integrated in a common clinical data warehouse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27574616,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Biofilm delays wound healing: A review of the evidence.\nBiofilm is the predominant mode of life for bacteria and today it is implicated in numerous human diseases. A growing body of scientific and clinical evidence now exists regarding the presence of biofilm in wounds. This review summarizes the clinical experiences and in vivo evidence that implicate biofilm in delayed wound healing. The various mechanisms by which biofilm may impede healing are highlighted, including impaired epithelialization and granulation tissue formation, and reduced susceptibilities to antimicrobial agents and host defenses. Strategies to manage biofilm and encourage progression to wound healing are discussed; these include debridement and appropriate antimicrobial therapies which may be improved upon in the future with the emergence of anti-biofilm technologies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21203550,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Benefits for plants in ant-plant protective mutualisms: a meta-analysis.\nCosts and benefits for partners in mutualistic interactions can vary greatly, but surprisingly little is known about the factors that drive this variation across systems. We conducted a meta-analysis of ant-plant protective mutualisms to quantify the effects of ant defenders on plant reproductive output, to evaluate if reproductive effects were predicted from reductions in herbivory and to identify characteristics of the plants, ants and environment that explained variation in ant protection. We also compared our approach with two other recent meta-analyses on ant-plant mutualisms, emphasizing differences in our methodology (using a weighted linear mixed effects model) and our focus on plant reproduction rather than herbivore damage. Based on 59 ant and plant species pairs, ant presence increased plant reproductive output by 49% and reduced herbivory by 62%. The effects on herbivory and reproduction within systems were positively correlated, but the slope of this relationship (0.75) indicated that tolerance to foliar herbivory may be a common plant response to absence of ant guards. Furthermore, the relationship between foliar damage and reproduction varied substantially among systems, suggesting that herbivore damage is not a reliable surrogate for fitness consequences of ant protection. Studies that experimentally excluded ants reported a smaller effect of ant protection on plant reproduction than studies that relied upon natural variation in ant presence, suggesting that study methods can affect results in these systems. Of the ecological variables included in our analysis, only plant life history (i.e., annual or perennial) explained variation in the protective benefit of mutualistic ants: presence of ants benefitted reproduction of perennials significantly more than that of annuals. These results contrast with other quantitative reviews of these relationships that did not include plant life history as an explanatory factor and raise several questions to guide future research on ant-plant protection mutualisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30969392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical outcomes of non-surgical multiple-visit root canal retreatment: a retrospective cohort study.\nThis study aimed to investigate the effects of several clinical factors on the success and survival rates of multiple-visit non-surgical root canal (NSRC) retreatment. Failed endodontically treated 236 teeth in 161 patients (18-72 years, 48% males; and 52% females) were retreated between March 2014 and December 2015 and were enrolled in this study. Two calibrated examiners evaluated the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes using the periapical index (PAI) scores. The teeth were classified as healed (healthy apical tissues, PAI \u2264 2, no signs or symptoms), healing (no signs and symptoms, PAI > 2 but reduced from the initial PAI score), and not-healed (presence of apical periodontitis, signs and\/or symptoms, PAI > 2). The teeth scored as healed and healing was considered to be successful, while the not-healed ones were considered as failures. Of the 236 teeth, 135 (57.3%) in 103 patients (63.9%) were lost to follow-up, yielding to follow-up of 101 teeth (42.7%) in 58 patients (36%). Three teeth were extracted yielding to an overall success rate of 85.1%, at a mean observation time of 33.8 months. The teeth with periapical lesions < 5 mm had an 88.6% success rate, while those \u2265 5 mm had an 80% success rate (P > 0.05). While, age, gender, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors did not significantly affect the outcomes (P > 0.05), tooth type significantly affected the success rate (P < 0.05). The most frequently failed teeth were the mandibular first molars (P < 0.05). Based on these results, the multiple-visit NSRC retreatment exhibited a favorable success rate and could be offered for the endodontically failed teeth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38166618,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Characteristics and correlation of body fat distribution and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity in adults aged 20-59 years: a cross-sectional study.\nFat distribution is closely related to vascular stiffness. This study aimed to investigate age and sex differences in fat distribution and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and the association between fat parameters and baPWV. A total of 10,811 participants aged 20-59 years were recruited. Measures included waist and hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), percentage body fat (PBF), subcutaneous fat area (SFA), visceral fat area (VFA), and baPWV. The results confirm that fat accumulates with age and that men tend to carry more abdominal fat than women in the same age group. The findings also indicate that baPWV increases with age and is significantly higher in men than in women in the same age group. In addition, WHR, VFA, and baPWV were more strongly correlated than baPWV and BMI, SFA, and PBF. Finally, the effects of age, PBF, WHR, and VFA on baPWV were greater for the higher quantiles. There are age and sex differences in fat distribution and baPWV. Abdominal obesity is more closely linked to arterial stiffness than overall obesity, and people with higher baPWV are more affected by obesity parameters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10860052,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The apically repositioned flap in tooth exposure.\nMethods of exposing impacted teeth in order to bring them into the line of the arch include gingivectomy, the apically repositioned flap and closed eruption techniques. These procedures aim to facilitate the eruption of the impacted tooth with a minimum of disruption or damage to the tooth itself or adjacent structures. The aim of this paper is to discuss the various surgical methods of exposing impacted teeth and to help to identify where the use of the apically repositioned flap is indicated. Clinical examples are presented and a surgical method for carrying out this procedure recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7305899,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The mechanism of ammonia production and the effect of mechanical work load on proteolysis and amino acid catabolism in isolated perfused rat heart.\nThe effect of mechanical work load on net proteolysis, amino acid catabolism and ammonia production was studied in isolated perfused beating or K+-arrested hearts. Net proteolysis was about 16 mumol\/g dry wt. during 1h and was not affected by the mechanical work. The combined catabolic rate of the major amino acids was 7.1 mumol\/g dry wt. in the beating heart and 2.1 mumol\/g dry wt. in the arrested heart during the 1 h experimental period. The main differences lay in the deamination of aspartate plus glutamate, which was inhibited by 60% during low energy consumption, and in net alanine synthesis, which was increased by 94%. The ammonia production plus its conversion into amide nitrogen was 9.2 and 3.4 mumol\/g dry wt. in the beating and arrested heart respectively during 1 h. The decrease in the total adenine nucleotide pool during the 1 h perfusion was very low, 1.0 and 0.5 mumol\/g dry wt. in the beating and arrested hearts respectively, and did not contribute significantly to ammonia production. Thus ammonia production is dependent on the cellular energy state, whereas net proteolysis is not. The maximal capacities of the purine nucleotide cycle and the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction towards deamination were much higher than the observed ammonia-production rates. The anaplerotic role of amino acid catabolism in the myocardium is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20333317,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A Novel Technique of Quantifying Flexural Stiffness of Rod-Like Structures.\nIn cellular and molecular biomechanics, extensional stiffness of rod-like structures such as leukocyte microvilli can be easily measured with many techniques, but not many techniques are available for measuring their flexural stiffness. In this paper, we report a novel technique of measuring the flexural stiffness of rod-like structures. This technique is based on image deconvolution and, as an example, it was used for determining the flexural stiffness of neutrophil microvilli. The probes we used were 40-nm-diameter fluorescent beads, which were bound to the tips of neutrophil microvilli by anti-L-selectin antibody. The fluorescent images of the bead, which was positioned at the center of the cell bottom, were acquired with high magnification and long exposure time (3 s). Using a Gaussian function as the point spread function of our imaging system, we established a convolution equation based on Boltzmann's law, which yields an analytical expression that relates the bead image profile to the flexural stiffness of the microvillus. The flexural stiffness was then obtained by the least squares regression. On average, the flexural stiffness was determined to be 7 pN\/mum for single neutrophil microvilli. With the resolution of our imaging system, this technique can be used for measuring any flexural stiffness smaller than 34 pN\/mum and it has great potential in single molecule biomechanics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18052979,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Influence of macrophages and lymphocytes on the survival and axon regeneration of injured retinal ganglion cells in rats from different autoimmune backgrounds.\nThe immune response after neural injury influences the survival and regenerative capacity of neurons. In the primary visual pathway, previous studies have described beneficial effects of macrophages and T-cells in promoting neural survival and axonal regeneration in some rat strains. However, the contributions of specific cell populations to these responses have been unclear. In adult Fischer (F344) rats, we confirm prior reports that intravitreal macrophage activation promotes the survival of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and greatly enhances axonal regeneration through a peripheral nerve graft. Neonatal thymectomy that results in elimination of T-cell production enhanced RGC survival after axotomy, but diminished the effect of intravitreal macrophage activation on axon regeneration. Thus, in F344 rats, lymphocytes appear to suppress RGC survival but augment the pro-regenerative effects of macrophages. The cytotoxic effect of lymphocytes on RGCs was confirmed in in vitro studies; coculture of retinal explants with lymphocytes led to a 60% reduction in viable RGCs. Similar in vivo results were obtained in Sprague Dawley rats. By comparison, in adult Lewis rats, neither RGC survival nor axonal regeneration was increased after intravitreal macrophage activation. Neonatal thymectomy had only a small beneficial effect on RGC survival, and although Lewis lymphocytes reduced RGC viability in culture, they did so to a lesser extent. Thus, in addition to a complex role of lymphocytes, particularly T-cells, after central nervous system injury, the present results demonstrate that the impact of macrophages is also influenced by genetic background.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32384875,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Burden of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: an intersectional analysis of gender, poverty, stigma, and public policy.\nCaregivers of children with cerebral palsy suffer from a substantial psychosocial burden. However, there is a scarcity of documentation of the various sources of burden in low- and middle-income settings. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews among mothers of children with cerebral palsy attending a physiotherapy facility. We purposively sampled mothers from rural and peri-urban areas in Tamil Nadu, India, till the point of data saturation. We analysed the transcripts using the socio-ecological model to identify the major dimensions of psychosocial burden among these mothers. At the individual level the mothers perceived aches and pains due to the heavy physical activity of caregiving. They also suffered from a feeling of guilt about the child's condition. Due to the difficulty in balancing family and work, they had significant financial burdens. They also perceived a lack of knowledge and awareness about possible options for the treatment of their child. At the interpersonal level, the mothers lacked support from their husband and family in the process of caregiving. They also had to suffer the ill effects of alcoholism and domestic violence from their husbands. They had to compromise on the care they provided to the other family members and their children without cerebral palsy. At the community level, the mothers had no support from the community members and felt isolated from others. The mothers also reported discrimination and lack of participation in social events. Environmental stressors like lack of inclusive public spaces, lack of options for public transport and unfriendly work timings and environment were major sources of burden. The mothers felt that the disability welfare support offered by the government was grossly insufficient and there was no platform for interactions with other peers and mothers suffering from a similar burden. Caregivers of children with cerebral palsy have unique burdens in a typical low- and middle-income setting including an intersection of gender norms, poverty, stigmatization and non-inclusive public policy, which need to be addressed to improve the quality of life of caregivers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24055157,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"CK1 is required for a mitotic checkpoint that delays cytokinesis.\nFailure to accurately partition genetic material during cell division causes aneuploidy and drives tumorigenesis. Cell-cycle checkpoints safeguard cells from such catastrophes by impeding cell-cycle progression when mistakes arise. FHA-RING E3 ligases, including human RNF8 and CHFR and fission yeast Dma1, relay checkpoint signals by binding phosphorylated proteins via their FHA domains and promoting ubiquitination of downstream targets. Upon mitotic checkpoint activation, S. pombe Dma1 concentrates at spindle pole bodies (SPBs) in an FHA-dependent manner and ubiquitinates Sid4, a scaffold of Polo kinase, to suspend cytokinesis. However, the kinase or kinases that phosphoprime Sid4 for Dma1-mediated ubiquitination are unknown. Here, we report that the highly conserved protein kinase CK1 transmits the signal necessary to stall cytokinesis by phosphopriming Sid4 for Dma1-mediated ubiquitination. Like Dma1, CK1 accumulates at SPBs during a mitotic arrest and associates stably with SPB components, including Sid4. Our results establish CK1 as an integral component of a mitotic, ubiquitin-mediated checkpoint pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7566208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Improving staff nurse conflict resolution skills.\nAs health care organizations restructure their organizations based on a team-managed philosophy, staff nurses will need new skills to function successfully in this type of environment. Specifically, staff nurses will need improved conflict resolution skills. Training and nurse managers' modeling of effective resolution techniques are key elements in developing improved conflict resolution skills among staff nurses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30754609,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Phytophthora taxon niederhauserii, a New Root and Crown Rot Pathogen of Banksia spp. in Italy.\nIn the last 10 years, various species of Banksia (family Proteaceae) endemic to Australia have been introduced into Italy where cultivation as flower plants is expanding. In the spring of 2003, a decline associated with root and basal stem rot of 2- to 3-year-old plants of Banksia speciosa R. Br., B. baxteri R. Br., and B. prionotes Lindl. grown in the ground was observed in a commercial nursery in Liguria (northern Italy). Aboveground symptoms included leaf chlorosis and wilt. Plants collapsed within 1 to 2 weeks after the appearance of leaf symptoms. A Phytophthora species was consistently isolated from roots and basal stem on BNPRAH selective medium (3). On V8 juice agar (V8A), axenic cultures obtained by single hyphal transfers formed stellate to radiate colonies with aerial mycelium; on potato dextrose agar (PDA). the colonies showed stoloniform mycelium. Minimum and maximum growth temperatures on PDA and V8A were between 5 and 10\u00b0C and 38 and 40\u00b0C, respectively, with the optimum at 30\u00b0C on PDA (mean radial growth rate of 10 isolates ranged between 9.3 and 10.2 mm per day) and 25 to 30\u00b0C on V8A (14 mm per day). In saline solution and soil extract, all isolates produced catenulate hyphal swellings and ellipsoid, nonpapillate, persistent sporangia. Sporangia in saline solution varied from 47 to 70 \u00d7 30 to 44 \u03bcm (mean l\/b ratio of 1.5). All isolates were A1 mating type and produced oogonia with amphyginous antheridia when paired with A2 mating type of P. drechsleri Tucker on V8A plus \u03b2-sytosterol (3). The electrophoretic patterns of total mycelial proteins and two isozymes (esterase and malate dehydrogenase) (2) of all isolates from Banksia plants were identical, but distinct from the patterns of isolates of other Phytophthora species, including P. drechsleri, P. megasperma sensu stricto, and P. sojae. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA were amplified with primers ITS4\/ITS6 and sequences of two isolates, IMI 393960 from B. speciosa and 466\/03 from B. baxteri (GenBank Nos. FJ648808 and FJ648809), were 100% identical to sequences of isolates identified as Phytophthora taxon niederhauserii Z. G. Abad and J. A. Abad (GenBank Nos. AY550916, AM942765, and EU244850). Pathogenicity tests were performed on 1-year-old potted plants of B. speciosa with isolates IMI 393960 and 466\/03. Twenty plants per each isolate were transplanted into 12-cm-diameter pots containing infested soil prepared by mixing steam-sterilized sandy loam soil with 1% of inoculum produced on autoclaved wheat kernels. Twenty control plants were grown in autoclaved soil mix. Plants were kept in the greenhouse with natural light at 25 \u00b1 2\u00b0C and watered to field capacity weekly. All Banksia plants transplanted in infested soil showed symptoms of wilt, leaf chlorosis, and basal stem rot within 2 to 3 weeks. Noninoculated plants remained healthy. P. taxon niederhauserii was reisolated solely from inoculated plants. P. taxon niederhauserii has been reported recently from Banksia spp. in Australia (1), but to our knowledge this is the first report from Italy. P. taxon niederhauserii may represent a threat to the cultivation of many ornamentals including Cystus spp., English ivy, and laurel (4). References: (1) T. I. Burgess et al. Plant Dis. 93:215, 2009. (2) S. O. Cacciola et al. EPPO Bull. 20:47, 1990. (3) D. C. Erwin and O. K. Ribeiro. Phytophthora Diseases Worldwide. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, 1996. (4) E. Moralejo et al. Plant Pathol, 58:100, 2009.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8077950,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Quantitative analysis of herpes simplex virus DNA and transcriptional activity in ganglia of mice latently infected with wild-type and thymidine kinase-deficient viral strains.\nThe relationship between herpes simplex virus (HSV) DNA replication and establishment of latent infection was examined using an experimental model that makes use of the segmental sensory innervation of mouse flanks (T7 to T12). Ganglia from consecutive thoracic segments of C57BL\/10 mice latently infected with a virulent strain of HSV-1 (SC16) were compared with respect to (i) HSV DNA levels, (ii) latency-associated transcripts (LATs) and (iii) numbers of LAT+ neurons. In concordance with previous results, two patterns of virus persistence were detected distinguished by either a low (10 to 23) or high (approx. 200) number of viral genomes\/LAT+ neuron. The high copy pattern was associated, anatomically, with ganglia directly innervating inoculated skin (T7\/8). Paradoxically, the highest number of LAT+ neurons and the highest concentrations of LATs were detected in spinal segments (e.g. T10) containing the lowest number of viral genomes, implying that most of the latent SC16 DNA detected at T7 and T8 was transcriptionally repressed. When neuronal amplification of HSV DNA during the establishment phase was prevented by infecting mice with a viral thymidine kinase deletion mutant (TKDM21), the high copy pattern was eliminated and each LAT+ neuron contained, on average, 22 TKDM21 genomes. We conclude that input (i.e. unamplified) and progeny (i.e. amplified) DNA sequences persist in the peripheral nervous systems of mice infected with SC16. Structurally, latent TKDM21 DNA lacked free genomic termini, consistent with persistence of input DNA in an integrated or circular episomal configuration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17793756,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Magnetochemistry of Ions in the 4A2 Electronic State.\nEach of the following ions with spin S = 3\/2, octahedral chromium(III), five-coordinate iron(III), and tetrahedral cobalt(II), possesses a (4)A(2) ground state. The theory describing their paramagnetic properties is therefore the same, though some of the parameters change appreciably from ion to ion. This theory is described along with examples of experimental data. The implications of the paramagnetic properties for the magnetic ordering phenomena exhibited by complexes of these ions are also described.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23255000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Fluorescent peptide indicator displacement assay for monitoring interactions between RNA and RNA binding proteins.\nThis paper describes a sensitive, non-destructive displacement assay, using a fluorescent peptide indicator, for real-time monitoring of the interactions between RNA and RNA binding proteins (RBPs). The developed fluorescent peptide indicators, each containing a mid-sequence fluorophore unit, allowed sensing of target RNA and RNA-RBP interactions through changes in fluorescence intensity. We anticipate that this assay will open up new possibilities for meaningful studies of RNA-RBP interactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12508871,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Investigation of the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Bartonella based on comparative sequence analysis of the rnpB gene, 16S rDNA and 23S rDNA.\nA variety of genes and analytical methods have been applied to the study of phylogenetic relationships within the genus Bartonella, but so far the results have been inconsistent. While previous studies analysed single protein-encoding genes, we have analysed an alignment containing the sequences of three important phylogenetic markers, RNase P RNA, 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA, merged by catenation, to determine the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Bartonella. The dataset described here comprises 13 different Bartonella strains, including the seven strains that are known to be human pathogens. A variety of algorithms have been used to construct phylogenetic trees based on the combined alignment and, for comparison purposes, each individual gene. Trees generated from the catenated alignment are more consistent (independent of algorithm) and robust (higher bootstrap support). It is suggested that a phylogenetic analysis incorporating the RNase P RNA, 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA be used to study the phylogenetic relationships within the genus Bartonella.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21212541,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Development of atom-economical catalytic asymmetric reactions under proton transfer conditions: construction of tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers and their application to therapeutics.\nThe development of atom-economical catalytic asymmetric reactions based on two distinct sets of catalyst, a rare earth metal\/amide-based ligand catalyst and a soft Lewis acid\/hard Br\u00f8nsted base catalyst, is reviewed. These catalytic systems exhibit high catalytic activity and stereoselectivity by harnessing a cooperative catalysis through hydrogen bond\/metal coordination and soft-soft interactions\/hard-hard interactions, respectively. The effectiveness of these cooperative catalysts is clearly delineated by the high stereoselectivity in reactions with highly coordinative substrates, and the specific activation of otherwise low-reactive pronucleophiles under proton transfer conditions. The rare earth metal\/amide-based ligand catalyst was successfully applied to catalytic asymmetric aminations, nitroaldol (Henry) reactions, Mannich-type reactions, and conjugate addition reactions, generating stereogenic tetrasubstituted centers. Catalytic asymmetric amination and anti-selective catalytic asymmetric nitroaldol reactions were successfully applied to the efficient enantioselective synthesis of therapeutic candidates, such as AS-3201 and the \u03b2(3)-adrenoreceptor agonist, showcasing the practical utility of the present protocols. The soft Lewis acid\/hard Br\u00f8nsted base cooperative catalyst was specifically developed for the chemoselective activation of soft Lewis basic allylic cyanides and thioamides, which are otherwise low-reactive pronucleophiles. The cooperative action of the catalyst allowed for efficient catalytic generation of active carbon nucleophiles in situ, which were integrated into subsequent enantioselective additions to carbonyl-type electrophiles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943949,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Role of iron in rhizobacteria-mediated induced systemic resistance of cucumber.\nABSTRACT Seed treatment with the rhizosphere bacterium Serratia marcescens strain 90-166 suppressed anthracnose of cucumber, caused by Colleto-trichum orbiculare, through induced systemic resistance (ISR). When the iron concentration of a planting mix was decreased by addition of an iron chelator, suppression of cucumber anthracnose by strain 90-166 was significantly improved. Strain 90-166 produced 465 +\/- 70 mg\/liter of catechol siderophore, as determined by the Rioux assay in deferrated King's medium B. The hypothesis that a catechol siderophore produced by strain 90-166 may be responsible for induction of systemic resistance by this strain was tested by evaluating disease suppression by a mini-Tn5-phoA mutant deficient in siderophore production. Sequence analysis of genomic DNA flanking the mini-Tn5-phoA insertion identified the target gene as entA, which encodes an enzyme in the catechol siderophore biosynthetic pathways of several bacteria. Severity of anthracnose of cucumbers treated with the entA mutant was not significantly different (P = 0.05) from the control, whereas plants treated with wild-type 90-166 had significantly less disease (P = 0.05) than the control. Total (internal and external) population sizes of 90-166 and the entA mutant on roots did not differ significantly (P = 0.05) at any sample time, whereas internal population sizes of the entA mutant were significantly lower (P = 0.05) than those of the wild-type strain at two sampling times. These data suggest that catechol siderophore biosynthesis genes in Serratia marcescens 90-166 are associated with ISR but that this role may be indirect via a reduction in internal root populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31995025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AME) and Italian AACE Chapter Position Statement for Clinical Practice: Acromegaly - Part 2: Therapeutic Issues.\nAny newly diagnosed patient should be referred to a multidisciplinary team experienced in the treatment of pituitary adenomas. The therapeutic management of acromegaly always requires a personalized strategy. Normal age-matched IGF-I values are the treatment goal. Transsphenoidal surgery by an expert neurosurgeon is the primary treatment modality for most patients, especially if there are neurological complications. In patients with poor clinical conditions or who refuse surgery, primary medical treatment should be offered, firstly with somatostatin analogs (SSAs). In patients who do not reach hormonal targets with first-generation depot SSAs, a second pharmacological option with pasireotide LAR or pegvisomant (alone or combined with SSA) should be offered. Irradiation could be proposed to patients with surgical remnants who would like to be free from long-term medical therapies or those with persistent disease activity or tumor growth despite surgery or medical therapy. Since the therapeutic tools available enable therapeutic targets to be achieved in most cases, the challenge is to focus more on the quality of life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1605296,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Application of the Allen Cognitive Level Test in assessing cognitive level functioning of emotionally disturbed boys.\nThe purpose of this study was to ascertain the applicability of the Allen Cognitive Level Test (ACL) (Allen, 1982, 1985), developed for use with adult psychiatric patients, to emotionally disturbed children aged 8 to 15 years. The subjects' performance on the ACL was compared with their performance on two other instruments that measure features of cognition: the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) (Beery & Buktenica, 1982) and the Perceptual Memory Task (McCarron, 1984). Pearson product-moment correlations were computed to study the relationships of the ACL, the Perceptual Memory Task full-scale and subscale scores, and the VMI raw and age-equivalent scores. The Perceptual Memory Task scores showed little or no correlation with the ACL scores. Correlations of the ACL with the VMI scores revealed moderate but significant coefficients. A relationship between age and ACL score was found. Preliminary data would indicate that the ability of emotionally disturbed children to function in the school environment depends on their mastery of task demands and that occupational therapy intervention cannot be based solely on age or level of intelligence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34968187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characteristics of and comparisons between US fourth-year veterinary students graduating with and without educational debt from 2001 through 2020.\nTo characterize and compare fourth-year students of US veterinary schools graduating with and without related educational debt (ie, DVM debt) from 2001 through 2020. 45,756 fourth-year veterinary students who participated in the annual AVMA Senior Survey from 2001 through 2020. Survey data were summarized for variables hypothesized to be associated with DVM debt. Multivariable modeling was used to investigate associations between these variables and the likelihood of graduating with DVM debt. Mean DVM debt increased fairly steadily from $56,824 in 2001 (n = 1,587) to $157,146 in 2020 (2,859). Of 45,756 students, 6,129 (13.4%) had no DVM debt. Attending Tuskegee University and having children (both men and women) were associated with an increased likelihood of DVM debt. Attending certain other veterinary schools and more recent survey year were associated with a decreased likelihood. For 2020, the likelihood of DVM debt decreased with increasing percentage of tuition paid by family and increased with increasing percentage of tuition paid by educational loans, being a woman with children, and increasing total cost of attendance. No association was found with state cost of living index or per capita income. Results suggested a growing rift between US veterinary students who cannot afford tuition and fees without accumulating financially concerning levels of debt and those who have the financial ability or family situation to fully fund veterinary school. Efforts should be undertaken to recruit across socioeconomic statuses and provide meaningful scholarships to students with greatest financial needs to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in veterinary medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19858921,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The role of information technology usage in physician practice satisfaction.\nDespite the growing use of information technology (IT) in medical practices, little is known about the relationship between IT and physician satisfaction. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between physician IT adoption (of various applications) and overall practice satisfaction, as well as satisfaction with the level of computerization at the practice. Data from a Florida survey examining physicians' use of IT and satisfaction were analyzed. Odds ratios (ORs), adjusted for physician demographics and practice characteristics, were computed utilizing logistic regressions to study the independent relationship of electronic health record (EHR) usage, PDA usage, use of e-mail with patients, and the use of disease management software with satisfaction. In addition, we examined the relationship between satisfaction with IT and overall satisfaction with the current medical practice. In multivariate analysis, EHR users were 5 times more likely to be satisfied with the level of computerization in their practice (OR = 4.93, 95% CI = 3.68-6.61) and 1.8 times more likely to be satisfied with their overall medical practice (OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.35-2.32). PDA use was also associated with an increase in satisfaction with the level of computerization (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.02-1.47) and with the overall medical practice (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.07-1.57). E-mail use with patients was negatively related to satisfaction with the level of computerization in the practice (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.54-0.90). Last, physicians who were satisfied with IT were 4 times more likely to be satisfied with the current state of their medical practice (OR = 3.97, 95% CI = 3.29-4.81). Physician users of IT applications, especially EHRs, are generally satisfied with these technologies. Potential adopters and\/or policy makers interested in influencing IT adoption should consider the positive impact that computer automation can have on medical practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30863367,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Serum Anti-M\u00fcllerian Hormone Is Significantly Altered by Downregulation With Daily Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist: A Prospective Cohort Study.\nResearch Question: What is the effect of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-agonist treatment on serum anti-M\u00fcllerian hormone (AMH)? Design: This prospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary university hospital comprised patients (n = 52) who self-administered daily triptorelin (0.1 mg\/0.1 mL) subcutaneously for 14 days from menstrual cycle day 21 \u00b1 3, between July 2015 and March 2016. Enrolled women were 18-43 years old, considered normal ovarian responders, with a planned GnRH agonist controlled ovarian stimulation protocol. The primary endpoint was to evaluate the effect of GnRH agonist on serum AMH levels after 7 and 14 days of treatment. Results: Under GnRH agonist treatment, serum AMH was significantly decreased vs. baseline on day 7 (mean change from baseline: -0.265 ng\/mL; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.395 to -0.135 ng\/mL; p < 0.001). On day 14, serum AMH was significantly increased (mean change from baseline: 0.289 ng\/mL; 95% CI, 0.140-0.439 ng\/mL; p < 0.001). Although the median change in AMH from baseline was only -14.9% on day 7 and +17.4% on day 14, from day 7 to 14 AMH significantly increased by 0.55 ng\/mL (43.8%; p < 0.001), which is of paramount clinical importance. A linear, mixed-effect model demonstrated that GnRH agonist treatment for 7 and 14 days had a highly significant effect on serum AMH concentration after adjustment for confounding factors (age, body mass index, baseline antral follicle count, and visit). AMH assay precision was excellent (four aliquots\/sample); coefficient of variation was 1.2-1.4%. Conclusions: GnRH agonist treatment had a clinically significant effect on serum AMH, dependent on treatment duration. The clear V-shaped response of AMH level to daily GnRH agonist treatment has important clinical implications for assessing ovarian reserve and predicting ovarian response, thus AMH measurements under GnRH agonist downregulation should be interpreted with great caution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9407966,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Adenovirus-mediated manganese superoxide dismutase gene transfer to hamster cheek pouch carcinoma cells.\nAs a first step in evaluating the tumor suppressor activity of the manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene on established tumors in vivo, we used adenovirus-mediated gene transfer as a means of delivering the MnSOD cDNA to hamster cheek pouch carcinoma (HCPC-1) cells in vitro. HCPC-1 cells were transduced with the adenovirus-MnSOD construct (AdMnSOD) at multiplicities of infectivity (MOI) of 0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 150, and 200 MOI or with the adenovirus-LacZ reporter gene construct (AdLacZ) at 100 MOI. Dose-dependent increases in MnSOD immunoreactivity were seen on Western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence microscopy with increasing AdMnSOD titers. Maximal immunoreactivity was observed at 100 MOI AdMnSOD with both techniques. Moreover, we observed a concomitant 6-7-fold increase in MnSOD activity compared with parental cell levels that also peaked at 100 MOI AdMnSOD. To determine the effect of transgene-expressed MnSOD on tumor cell behavior, we examined cell growth, plating efficiency, and anchorage-dependent growth in soft agar. Cell number measured on day 13 decreased approximately 50% with 100 MOI AdMnSOD (P < 0.05) compared with parental cells. Moreover, cell doubling time increased from 38 to 44 h with 100 MOI AdMnSOD. Plating efficiency and cell growth in soft agar decreased approximately two-thirds with 100 MOI AdMnSOD (P < 0.001). These assays of the transformed phenotype in vitro all appeared to show maximal effect with 100 MOI AdMnSOD. As tumor growth in vivo is most predictable by a combination of these in vitro data, our results suggest that if MnSOD can be effectively delivered to a tumor in vivo using the adenovirus paradigm, effective tumor growth suppression can be observed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9392299,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Characterization of pigs transgenic for human decay-accelerating factor.\nTo prevent the central role played by complement activation in the hyperacute rejection of pig organs transplanted into primates, pigs transgenic for human decay-accelerating factor (HDAF) have recently been produced. The data presented here extend previous immunohistochemical findings by documenting the immunological characterization and the levels of expression of HDAF in these transgenic pigs. Animals from 30 independently derived lines were included in this study. HDAF expression was characterized by immunoprecipitation and epitope mapping. Quantitative analysis was performed by radiometric assays followed by Scatchard analysis and by double-determinant radioimmunoassay. Deposition of iC3b on porcine aortic endothelial cells was determined by radioimmunoassay. DNA slot-blot analysis and densitometric scanning were used to evaluate HDAF transgene copy number. The integrity of HDAF expressed by these transgenic pigs could be demonstrated. HDAF was present in 72% of the organs analyzed, although considerable variation in expression occurred, both between animals and within the same pig. High levels of HDAF on porcine aortic endothelial cells resulted in iC3b deposition at levels as low as that detected on human endothelial cells. Twenty-six organs expressed levels of HDAF greater than those observed in the equivalent human tissue. HDAF expression did not correlate with the number of copies of the transgene incorporated into the porcine genome. Transgenic pigs, which express levels of functional HDAF even greater than those observed in humans, have successfully been produced. Pigs transgenic for human complement inhibiting molecules could represent a source of organs for future clinical xenotransplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8945545,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Characterization of a novel lipoprotein expressed by Haemophilus ducreyi.\nPooled sera from patients with chancroid contain antibodies to a Haemophilus ducreyi antigen with an approximate molecular weight of 28,000 (28K). Rabbit polyclonal serum that reacts to a 28K protein can be used to detect H. ducreyi in clinical samples. A monoclonal antibody, designated 5C9, bound to a 28K outer membrane protein and to 35 of 35 H. ducreyi isolates with diverse geographic origins and did not bind to many species of the families Pasteurellaceae, Neisseriaceae, and Enterobacteriaceae or to Corynebacterium and Candida species strains. A 5C9-reactive phage was recovered from a genomic library, and the gene encoding the 28K protein was localized to a 626-bp open reading frame, designated hlp, for H. ducreyi lipoprotein. Translation of hlp predicted a 23K polypeptide that contained a lipoprotein processing site. Escherichia coli transformed with a plasmid containing hlp expressed a novel, membrane-associated protein that could be labeled with [3H]palmitic acid. In H. ducreyi, processing of Hlp was inhibited by globomycin. Database searches found no homologies to hlp or to the predicted Hlp amino acid sequence. Restriction enzyme analysis indicated that hlp was conserved among H. ducreyi isolates. Serum samples from patients with chancroid and other genital ulcer diseases and from normal subjects contained antibodies that bound to purified, recombinant Hlp. Although monoclonal antibody 5C9 recognizes a species-specific epitope of a unique H. ducreyi lipoprotein, the presence of serum antibodies to Hlp may not indicate previous infection with H. ducreyi.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16950443,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"The nonsaphenous vein of the popliteal fossa: prevalence, patterns of reflux, hemodynamic quantification, and clinical significance.\nA large tortuous vein coursing over the posterior aspect of the knee and the upper calf may give rise to a constellation of varicose veins unrelated to the great (GSV) or small (SSV) saphenous veins. Designated the popliteal fossa vein (PFV), it perforates the deep popliteal fascia and empties into the deep system. We examined the prevalence, anatomic reflux patterns, hemodynamic role, and clinical significance of the PFV. We examined 543 patients (818 limbs) with venous disease, aged 14 to 94 years (median, 55 years). The study consisted of group A, comprising limbs with a PFV, and group B, formed by the remaining limbs. The history, clinical examination, and venous duplex scan findings were analyzed retrospectively. Venous clinical severity and venous segmental disease scores of group A were compared with those of an equal number of CEAP-, sex-, and age-matched control limbs. In situ venous hemodynamics of the PFV obtained with duplex scan are reported. A PFV was found in 24 (2.93%) of 818 limbs (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8%-4.1%); 24 (4.4%) of 543 subjects (95% CI, 2.7%-6.2%), 12 men and 12 women aged 23 to 82 years (median, 54 years) had a PFV. CEAP clinical classes in limbs with a PFV were as follows: C2, 15 limbs; C3, 5 limbs; C4, 2 limbs; C5, 1 limb; and C6, 1 limb. Proximal and distal (92%), superficial (100%), perforator (87.5%), and complex-pattern (41.7%) reflux occurred more often in group A (P < .01). Incompetence in the GSV (75%), posterior arch, and posteromedial and saphenous tributaries was also more frequent in group A (P < .05). SSV reflux in group A (29%) matched that in group B. The PFV terminated at the deep system (96% in the popliteal vein) above the SSV (median distance, 1.5 cm; 95% CI, 0.5-2 cm). The odds ratio for a PFV in limbs with prior SSV disconnection was 5.68. Deep reflux was evenly distributed in group A (41.7%) and group B (27%). The prevalence of incompetent perforators was 283% (95% CI, 194%-373%) in group A and 96% (95% CI, 95%-98%) in group B (P < .001). PFV tributaries were distributed at the popliteal area (100%); the posterior (87.5%), medial (62.5%), and lateral (37.5%) upper calf; and the posterior distal thigh (17%), often projecting to the posterior GSV arch (50%). The (median) peak velocity of reflux in the PFV was 82.6 cm\/s, the mean velocity was 17.7 cm\/s, the duration was 2.4 seconds, the volume flow was 231.5 mL\/min, and the expelled volume was 9.3 mL. The median diameter of the PFV at the crossing of the fascia was 0.527 cm. Venous clinical severity (range, 2-17; median, 5.5) and venous segmental disease (range, 0.5-8; median, 2.75) scores in limbs with a PFV exceeded (P 0.97). Measured MRF values in myocardial tissue (mean \u00b1 SD) were 1133 \u00b1 33 ms, 38.8 \u00b1 3.5 ms, and 52.0 \u00b1 4.0 ms for T1 , T2 and T1\u2374 , respectively, against 1053 \u00b1 47 ms, 50.4 \u00b1 3.9 ms, and 55.9 \u00b1 3.3 ms for T1 modified Look-Locker inversion imaging, T2 gradient and spin echo, and T1\u2374 turbo field echo, respectively. A cardiac MRF approach for simultaneous quantification of myocardial T1 , T2 , and T1\u03c1 in a single breath-hold MR scan of about 16 seconds has been proposed. The approach has been investigated in phantoms and healthy subjects showing good agreement with reference spin echo measurements and conventional clinical maps.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2578478,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antigenic analysis of Campylobacter flagellar protein and other proteins.\nOuter membrane proteins of Campylobacter jejuni and other campylobacter species were analyzed for their antigenic potentials by immunoblotting. Polypeptides were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, transferred electrophoretically, and reacted with rabbit antisera to C. jejuni. Each Campylobacter species analyzed demonstrated a unique outer membrane protein antigenic profile; interspecies antigen sharing was observed to be compatible with the degree of DNA relatedness between the species. The most highly conserved outer membrane protein antigen was the flagellum (molecular weight, 62,000). An aflagellate mutant was found to be untypable with the heat-labile system, in contrast to its parental isolate. The immunogenic potentials of C. jejuni proteins were examined by immunoblot analysis of sera from infected humans. Sera of convalescent patients, reacted with their homologous C. jejuni isolates, recognized a variety of campylobacter proteins. The most consistent immunogen in human infection was the flagellar protein. Patient sera assayed by the immunoblot technique were easily distinguished from control sera, which did not recognize specific campylobacter antigens. These findings suggest that the campylobacter flagellar protein is an essential determinant of the heat-labile antigen typing scheme and is the dominant immunogen recognized during C. jejuni infections in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19017059,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Alpha- and beta-tubulin phylogenies support a close relationship between the microsporidia Brachiola algerae and Antonospora locustae.\nMicrosporidia are a large and diverse group of intracellular parasites related to fungi. Much of our understanding of the relationships between microsporidia comes from phylogenies based on a single gene, the small subunit (SSU) rRNA, because only this gene has been sampled from diverse microsporidia. However, SSUrRNA trees are limited in their ability to resolve basal branches and some microsporidian affiliations are inconsistent between different analyses. Protein phylogenies have provided insight into relationships within specific groups of microsporidia, but have rarely been applied to the group as a whole. We have sequenced alpha- and beta-tubulins from microsporidia from three different subgroups, including representatives from what have previously been inferred to be the basal branches, allowing the broadest sampled protein-based phylogenetic analysis to date. Although some relationships remain unresolved, many nodes uniting subgroups are strongly supported and consistent in both individual trees as well as a concatenate of both tubulins. One such relationship that was previously unclear is between Brachiola algerae and Antonospora locustae, and their close association with Encephalitozoon and Nosema. Also, an uncultivated microsporidian that infects cyclopoid copepods is shown to be related to Edhazardia aedis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8527314,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Surgery of ectopic ureterocele in children: strategy based on prenatal function].\nFrom 1981 to 1993, we have treated 31 pediatric patients with ectopic ureterocele (associated to duplex system, intra and extravesicals). Diagnostic work-up included abdominal ultrasound, intravenous urography (IVU), sequence mictional cystouretrography (SM-CU) and diuresis renography (DTPA-DMSA o MAG-3). Patients were divided in two groups: 1. Good renal function in the affected system (5 cases) with 2 endoscopic incision of the ureterocele and 3 without surgical treatment (all intravesical). 2. Almost non-existent ipsilateral renal function (26 cases), treated by heminephrectomy and ureterocelic aspiration, and in the remaining a nephrectomy was done for ipsilateral non-existent renal function. 2 cases treated by endoscopic incision presented vesicoureteral reflux, and 4 cases treated by nephrectomy had a low grade reflux. There is no a definite treatment established. The choice should by made based on renal function. Endoscopic incision is a good choice in obstructed cases with good renal function. In those with no function at all, heminephrectomy with aspiration of the ureterocele will be the best treatment if we consider that almost 50 percent of the patients will need a second surgical procedure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17220353,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The alpha1b-adrenoceptor exists as a higher-order oligomer: effective oligomerization is required for receptor maturation, surface delivery, and function.\nApproaches to identify G protein-coupled receptor oligomers rather than dimers have been lacking. Using concatamers of fluorescent proteins, we established conditions to monitor sequential three-color fluorescence resonance energy transfer (3-FRET) and used these to detect oligomeric complexes of the alpha(1b)-adrenoceptor in single living cells. Mutation of putative key hydrophobic residues in transmembrane domains I and IV resulted in substantial reduction of sequential 3-FRET and was associated with lack of protein maturation, prevention of plasma membrane delivery, and elimination of signaling function. Although these mutations prevented cell surface delivery, bimolecular fluorescence complementation studies indicated that they did not ablate protein-protein interactions and confirmed endoplasmic reticulum\/Golgi retention of the transmembrane domain I plus transmembrane domain IV mutated receptor. The transmembrane domain I plus transmembrane domain IV mutated receptor was a \"dominant-negative\" in blocking cell surface delivery of the wild-type receptor. Mutations only in transmembrane domain I did not result in a reduction in 3-FRET, whereas restricting mutation to transmembrane domain IV did result in reduced 3-FRET. Mutations in either transmembrane domain I or transmembrane domain IV, however, were sufficient to eliminate cell surface delivery. Terminal N-glycosylation is insufficient to determine cell surface delivery because both transmembrane domain I and transmembrane domain IV mutants matured as effectively as the wild-type receptor. These data indicate that the alpha(1b)-adrenoceptor is able to form oligomeric rather than only simple dimeric complexes and that disruption of effective oligomerization by introducing mutations into transmembrane domain IV has profound consequences for cell surface delivery and function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3218513,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Schmorl's nodes. Correlation of X-ray and histological findings in postmortem specimens.\nHistological examinations were conducted on specimens of 368 intervertebral discs (T11\/12-L5\/S1), using X-ray photography and discography. Specimens were obtained from 61 individuals (36 males and 25 females) whose ages ranged from 25 to 85 years. Fifty-four Schmorl's nodes were found in 28 of the patients (19 males and 9 females), and in 43 discs. In the peripheral regions of Schmorl's nodes, where the vertebral bodies were in contact with the node, growth of cartilaginous cells was seen in many cases. Thickened bone trabeculae were also seen in three nodes accompanied by syncytia. These three nodes were detectable by X-ray photography of all discs containing Schmorl's nodes, and 35 were subjected to discography. Among these discs, 10 showed a limited form of shadow and 25 showed a diffuse form, and Schmorl's nodes were detected in 11 that showed a diffuse form of shadow. It was possible to detect Schmorl's nodes when they were contiguous with a degenerated annulus fibrosus adjoining the nuclear cavity. Pathogenetically, the presence of Schmorl's nodes in patients of middle and advanced age is interpreted to be one of the symptoms of age-related changes in the cartilaginous plate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27198503,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Life and death of not so \"bare\" bubbles.\nIn this paper, we investigate how the drainage and rupture of surfactant-stabilised bubbles floating at the surface of a liquid pool depend on the concentration of surface-active molecules in water. Drainage measurements at the apex of bubbles indicate that the flow profile is increasingly plug-like as the surfactant concentration is decreased from several times the critical micellar concentration (cmc) to just below the cmc. High-speed observations of bubble bursting reveal that the position at which a hole nucleates in the bubble cap also depends on the surfactant concentration. On average, the rupture is initiated close to the bubble foot for low concentrations (or=20 episodes per hour were randomized to receive CPAP treatment for 3 months (n=14) or no such treatment (n=19). The BRS index measured from the overshoot phase (phase IV) of the Valsalva maneuver and plasma NO concentration were significantly lower, whereas the AHI, oxygen desaturation time, arousal index, percentage of sleep stage 1, and systolic blood pressure were significantly greater, in patients with an AHI of >or=20\/h than in those with an AHI of <20\/h or in controls. The 24-h urinary excretion of norepinephrine was significantly reduced and the plasma NO concentration was significantly increased after one night of CPAP. The BRS index for phase IV and the Valsalva ratio were significantly increased in the CPAP group after the 3-month treatment period but remained unchanged in the non-CPAP group of OSAS patients. The daytime BRS index and NO production were thus inversely related to the severity of OSAS, and successful CPAP treatment improved these parameters in patients with moderate to severe OSAS. CPAP may therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications due to endothelial dysfunction or increased sympathetic activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22227765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Trends in use of second-generation antipsychotics for treatment of bipolar disorder in the United States, 1998-2009.\nThe authors examined trends in the use of second-generation antipsychotics for treatment of bipolar disorder before and after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval in 2000 of olanzapine for use in treating acute manic episodes of bipolar disorder. The IMS Health National Disease and Therapeutic Index was used to derive monthly patient treatment visits between January 1998 and December 2009 by individuals 18 and older with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder who were treated with one or more pharmacotherapies. The percentage of treatment visits in which a second-generation antipsychotic was prescribed increased from 18% in 1998 to 49% in 2009. Use of mood stabilizers and first-generation antipsychotics declined substantially. In the 12 months after approval of olanzapine for bipolar disorder, its use increased by 92%, and use of other second-generation antipsychotics increased by 42%. Second-generation antipsychotics are increasingly used for bipolar disorder, and their effectiveness compared with therapeutic alternatives merits further research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22558376,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Magnitude and correlates of intimate partner violence against women and its outcome in Southwest Ethiopia.\nIntimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major public health problem with serious consequences. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude of IPV in Southwest Ethiopia in predominantly rural community. This community based cross-sectional study was conducted in May, 2009 in Southwest Ethiopia using the World Health Organization core questionnaire to measure violence against women. Trained data collectors interviewed 851 ever-married women. Stata version 10.1 software and SPSS version 12.0.1 for windows were used for data analysis. In this study the life time prevalence of sexual or physical partner violence, or both was 64.7% (95%CI: 61.4%-67.9%). The lifetime sexual violence [50.1% (95% CI: 46.7%-53.4%)] was considerably more prevalent than physical violence [41.1% (95%:37.8-44.5)]. A sizable proportion [41.5%(95%CI: 38.2%-44.8%)] of women reported physical or sexual violence, or both, in the past year. Men who were controlling were more likely to be violent against their partner. Physical and sexual violence is common among ever-married women in Southwest Ethiopia. Interventions targeting controlling men might help in reducing IPV. Further prospective longitudinal studies among ever-married women are important to identify predictors and to study the dynamics of violence over time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29795618,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Eye position affects flight altitude in visual approach to landing independent of level of expertise of pilot.\nThe present study addresses the effect of the eye position in the cockpit on the flight altitude during the final approach to landing. Three groups of participants with different levels of expertise (novices, trainees, and certified pilots) were given a laptop with a flight simulator and they were asked to maintain a 3.71\u00b0 glide slope while landing. Each participant performed 40 approaches to the runway. During 8 of the approaches, the point of view that the flight simulator used to compute the visual scene was slowly raised or lowered with 4 cm with respect to the cockpit, hence moving the projection of the visible part of the cockpit down or up in the visible scene in a hardly noticeable manner. The increases and decreases in the simulated eye height led to increases and decreases in the altitude of the approach trajectories, for all three groups of participants. On the basis of these results, it is argued that the eye position of pilots during visual approaches is a factor that contributes to the risk of black hole accidents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27438399,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"[Atrio-oesophageal fistula after thoracoscopic treatment of atrial fibrillation].\nAn atrio-oesophageal fistula (AOF) is a rare but severe complication of radiofrequency ablation during video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary vein isolation (VATS-PVI). A 68-year-old man presented to the emergency department with reduced general well-being and a fever. Eight weeks prior he had undergone a VATS-PVI. Blood results revealed elevated inflammatory parameters, and blood cultures were positive for Streptococcus anginosus. A CT-scan demonstrated an air configuration in the left atrium. Shortly after this he developed a left-sided hemiparesis. As a cerebral air embolus due to an AOF was suspected, we decided to operate. The defects in the atrium and the oesophagus were closed primarily during open-heart surgery. An AOF is a rare complication following a VATS-PVI. Patients often present with non-specific symptoms like a fever. It is important to be alert of this complication after a VATS-PVI and to perform early diagnostic imaging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":742611,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The clinical course of subacute hepatic necrosis.\nThe clinical course is reported in 17 patients in whom the histological picture of subacute hepatic necrosis (\"bridging hepatitis\") was found on needle liver biopsy or at autopsy. The patients' ages ranged from 10-71 years, 12 patients being less than 40 years old. Ten patients were males. Jaundice lasted 2-4 months in nine cases and over six months in two, one of the latter having developed cirrhosis. In five patients a relapse of jaundice occurred within three months. Hepatitis B antigen was found in one of 13 patients tested. Two patients died in fulminant hepatic failure, one developed cirrhosis. These three patients and an additional two received prednisone therapy. Twelve of the remaining patients were followed for periods of 8-81 months; an additional two patients' follow-up was incomplete. None developed clinical evidence of chronic liver disease, and laboratory data at the last examination were normal except for slight elevation of alkaline phosphatase in six cases. Repeat biopsies showed persistent hepatitis in one case, slight portal fibrosis in one, cirrhosis in one and at autopsy in a patient who died of unrelated causes two years after hepatitis no evidence of chronic liver disease was found. This relatively good outome of subacute hepatic necrosis is probably due to the young average age of the patients, and the low incidence of B hepatitis in this series.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12764341,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intravenous sodium valproate versus prochlorperazine for the emergency department treatment of acute migraine headaches: a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial.\nWe compare the efficacy of intravenous sodium valproate versus prochlorperazine for the emergency department treatment of acute migraine headache. We performed a randomized, prospective, double-blind trial performed at a tertiary care military ED. Forty patients, aged 18 to 65 years, presenting with typical migraine symptoms were enrolled. Patients were randomized to receive either 10 mg of prochlorperazine or 500 mg of valproate intravenously over 2 minutes. Pain, nausea, and sedation were assessed by using a standard visual analog scale (VAS). Changes in VAS scores were compared between groups from baseline to end point by using a rank sum test, over time by using 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance, and by requirement for rescue at 60 minutes by using the Fisher exact test. Comparison of the change in median VAS scores over 60 minutes revealed that sodium valproate was significantly less effective than prochlorperazine in reducing pain or nausea (P <.001). Median improvements in VAS pain scores (binomial confidence intervals) were as follows: 64.5 mm (48.1 to 75.6 mm) for prochlorperazine versus 9 mm (-3 to 39.6 mm) for sodium valproate. Median improvements in VAS nausea scores were as follows: 35.5 mm (13.2 to 47.9 mm) for prochlorperazine versus 2 mm (-1.3 to 11 mm) for sodium valproate. There was no significant difference (P =.603) detected in the median changes in VAS scores for sedation: -4 mm (-29.9 to 8.6 mm) for prochlorperazine versus 0 mm (-6.6 to 6 mm) for sodium valproate. Comparison of the mean VAS time curves for pain and nausea also demonstrated a significant difference (both P <.001) but not for sedation (P =.232). In post hoc analysis, valproate failed to elicit significant improvement in pain or nausea scores over time, whereas prochlorperazine improved pain by 30 minutes (P <.001) and nausea by 15 minutes (P =.002). At the conclusion of the study, 15 (79%) of 19 patients receiving valproate required rescue treatment compared with 5 (25%) of 20 patients receiving prochlorperazine (P <.001). Prochlorperazine was statistically and clinically superior to sodium valproate for the treatment of the pain and nausea associated with acute migraine headaches.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":633470,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Experience with the radioimmunoassay for parathyroid hormone in the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism.\nOur results with radioimmunoassay studies for parathyroid hormone performed during the last 6 years are compared retrospectively to results of the laboratory tests customarily secured when hyperparathyroidism is suspected. The results obtained in patients with known primary hyperparathyroidism and in patients with unconfirmed but presumptive hyperparathyroidism are compared to the results obtained from a group of normal controls. Despite the fact that certain discrepant results were noted in the earlier assay techniques the over-all results and, in particular, those of more recent years have been highly sensitive and reproducible corroboratives of the existence of primary hyperparathyroidism. About two-thirds of the patients with primary hyperparathyroidism will present to the urologist. All patients with calcium-containing stones should have at least 3 determinations of the serum calcium in screening for primary hyperparathyroidism. The radioimmunoassay for parathyroid hormone provides the most reliable confirmation. The patient with calculous disease, elevation of the immunoreactive parathyroid hormone level and hypercalcemia is virtually certain to have primary hyperparathyroidism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17942897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Autophagy is activated in colorectal cancer cells and contributes to the tolerance to nutrient deprivation.\nSeveral types of cancer cells, including colorectal cancer-derived cell lines, show austerity, the resistance to nutrient starvation, but exactly how cancer cells obtain energy sources under conditions in which their external nutrient supply is extremely limited remains to be clarified. Because autophagy is a catabolic process by which cells supply amino acids from self-digested organelles, cancer cells are likely to use autophagy to obtain amino acids as alternative energy sources. Amino acid deprivation-induced autophagy was assessed in DLD-1 and other colorectal cancer-derived cell lines. The autophagosome-incorporated LC3-II protein level increased after treatment with a combination of autolysosome inhibitors, which interferes with the consumption of autophagosomes. Autophagosome formation was also morphologically confirmed using ectopically expressed green fluorescent protein-LC3 fusion proteins in DLD-1 and SW480 cells. These data suggest that autophagosomes were actively produced and promptly consumed in colorectal cancer cells under nutrient starvation. Autolysosome inhibitors and 3-methyl adenine, which suppresses autophagosome formation, remarkably enhanced apoptosis under amino acid-deprived and glucose-deprived condition. Similar results were obtained in the cells with decreased ATG7 level by the RNA interference. These data suggest that autophagy is pivotal for the survival of colorectal cancer cells that have acquired austerity. Furthermore, autophagosome formation was seen only in the tumor cells but not in the adjacent noncancerous epithelial cells of colorectal cancer specimens. Taken together, autophagy is activated in colorectal cancers in vitro and in vivo, and autophagy may contribute to the survival of the cancer cells in their microenvironment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31636603,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Luteal Lipids Regulate Progesterone Production and May Modulate Immune Cell Function During the Estrous Cycle and Pregnancy.\nAlthough the corpus luteum (CL) contains high concentrations of lipid in the form of steroid hormone precursors and prostaglandins, little is known about the abundance or function of other luteal lipid mediators. To address this, 79 lipid mediators were measured in bovine CL, using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. CL from estrous cycle days 4, 11, and 18 were compared and, separately, CL from days 18 of the estrous cycle and pregnancy were compared. Twenty-three lipids increased as the estrous cycle progressed (P < 0.05), with nine increasing between days 4 and 11 and fourteen increasing between days 4 and 18. Overall, this indicated a general upregulation of lipid mediator synthesis as the estrous cycle progressed, including increases in oxylipins and endocannabinoids. Only 15-KETE was less abundant in the CL of early pregnancy (P < 0.05), with a tendency (P < 0.10) for four others to be less abundant. Notably, 15-KETE also increased between estrous cycle days 4 and 18. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA, Qiagen) indicated that functions associated with differentially abundant lipids during the estrous cycle included leukocyte activation, cell migration, and cell proliferation. To investigate changes in CL during maternal recognition of pregnancy, this lipid dataset was integrated with a published dataset from mRNA profiling during maternal recognition of pregnancy. This analysis indicated that lipids and mRNA that changed during maternal recognition of pregnancy may regulate some of the same functions, including immune cell chemotaxis and cell-cell communication. To assess effects of these lipid mediators, luteal cells were cultured with 5-KETE or 15-KETE. One ng\/mL 5-KETE reduced luteal progesterone on day 1 of culture, only in the absence of luteinizing hormone (LH), while 1 ng\/mL 15-KETE induced progesterone only in the presence of LH (10 ng\/mL). On day 7 of culture, 0.1 ng\/mL 15-KETE reduced prostaglandin (PG)F2A-induced inhibition of LH-stimulated progesterone production, while 1 ng\/mL 15-KETE did not have this effect. Overall, these data suggest a role for lipid mediators during luteal development and early pregnancy, as regulators of steroidogenesis, immune cell activation and function, intracellular signaling, and cell survival and death.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24886646,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Barriers and facilitators to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) eligibility screening and ongoing HIV testing among target populations in Bondo and Rarieda, Kenya: results of a consultation with community stakeholders.\nAs pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) moves closer to availability in developing countries, practical considerations for implementation become important. We conducted a consultation with district-level community stakeholders experienced in HIV-prevention interventions with at-risk populations in Bondo and Rarieda, Kenya to generate locally grounded approaches to the future rollout of oral PrEP to four populations: fishermen, widows, female sex workers, and serodiscordant couples. The 20 consultation participants represented the Ministry of Health, faith- and community-based organizations, health facilities, community groups, and nongovernmental organizations. Participants divided into breakout groups and followed a structured discussion guide asking them to identify barriers to implementing HIV-prevention interventions (including PrEP) with each population. Questions also solicited solutions for addressing these barriers, as well as other facilitators for PrEP implementation. In particular, questions focused on how to encourage people to screen for PrEP eligibility by having HIV and other blood tests and how to encourage compliance with ongoing HIV testing. The barriers and facilitators\/solutions discussants provided were frequently population-specific, but there were also broad-level similarities across populations. Service delivery barriers to HIV-prevention interventions concerned the need for staff trained to address the needs of particular populations. Service delivery facilitators to provision of ongoing HIV testing consisted of offering testing options besides facility-based testing. Stigma was the main community-level barrier for all groups, whereas barriers at the level of target populations included mobility; lifestyle and life circumstances, especially cultural norms among fishermen and widows; and fears, lack of awareness, and misinformation. Proposed facilitators and strategies for addressing community- and population-level barriers included topic-specific education within the populations and community, involvement of partners and family members, mass HIV testing, and peer educators. Barriers to PrEP uptake included non-adherence to pill taking and missing clinic visits. For drug adherence, facilitators were counselling and involving family members. Discussants suggested that client reminders, e.g., home visits, were needed to encourage clients to keep their clinic appointments. Strategies for encouraging eligibility screening and ongoing HIV testing will have local and population-specific aspects. Our results nonetheless apply to similar populations throughout sub-Saharan Africa and reach beyond oral PrEP to other ARV-based PrEP formulations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30145055,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Integrated primary and geriatric care for frail older adults in the community: Implementation of a complex intervention into real life.\nFrailty is highly prevalent in older persons and associated with negative health-related events and costs. Despite successful clinical trials, translation of evidence into implementation of dedicated programs has been scarce. This is probably due to funding limitations and lack of generalizability of rigid schemes adopted in controlled studies. We propose a guidance to implement complex interventions against frailty in the community, and describe the design and early findings of the +AGIL Barcelona program. A guidance \"decalogue\" resulted from an experts' panel prioritization of recommendations by international independent bodies. On this basis, we reorganized existing primary care, geriatrics and community-based resources to implement our program, which includes a screening, a multi-component intervention modulated on the comprehensive geriatric assessment and integrated follow-up plus continuity through community-based resources. The pre-post impact of the program on physical function, as well as on clinical endpoints, person-center outcomes and costs will be assessed. Integrated care, multi-component, person-centered strategies to empower the final users in a flexible and adaptable way should be promoted after raising awareness and potentially convey long term investments. In 22 months, 185 participants (mean age \u00b1 SD = 81.6 \u00b1 5.7 years, 72% women) joined the program. Although independent in the activities of daily living, participants showed clear indicators of frailty (Short Physical Performance Battery = 7.1 \u00b1 2.5; gait speed = 0.69 \u00b1 0.2 m\/s). +AGIL Barcelona may represent a unique model to manage frailty in older community-dwellers, translating evidence into pragmatic clinical practice. Further research will clarify the effects of this intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23710929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Differences in oxygen-dependent nitric oxide metabolism by cytoglobin and myoglobin account for their differing functional roles.\nThe endogenous vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) is metabolized in tissues in an oxygen-dependent manner. In skeletal and cardiac muscle, high concentrations of myoglobin (Mb) function as a potent NO scavenger. However, the Mb concentration is very low in vascular smooth muscle, where low concentrations of cytoglobin (Cygb) may play a major role in metabolizing NO. Questions remain regarding how low concentrations of Cygb and Mb differ in terms of NO metabolism, and the basis for their different cellular roles and functions. In this study, electrode techniques were used to perform comparative measurements of the kinetics of NO consumption by Mb and Cygb. UV\/Vis spectroscopic methods and computer simulations were performed to study the reaction of Mb and Cygb with ascorbate (Asc) and the underlying mechanism. It was observed that the initial rate of Cygb(3+) reduction by Asc was 415-fold greater than that of Mb(3+). In the low [O2] range (0-50 \u03bcM), the Cygb-mediated NO consumption rate is ~ 500 times more sensitive to changes in O2 concentration than that of Mb. The reduction of Cygb(3+) by Asc follows a reversible kinetic model, but that of Mb(3+) is irreversible. A reaction mechanism for Cygb(3+) reduction by Asc is proposed, and the reaction equilibrium constants are determined. Our results suggest that the rapid reduction of Cygb by cellular reductants enables Cygb to efficiently regulate NO metabolism in the vascular wall in an oxygen-dependent manner, but the slow rate of Mb reduction does not show this oxygen dependence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36149932,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prediction models for the prediction of unplanned hospital admissions in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review.\nIdentification of community-dwelling older adults at risk of unplanned hospitalizations is of importance to facilitate preventive interventions. Our objective was to review and appraise the methodological quality and predictive performance of prediction models for predicting unplanned hospitalizations in community-dwelling older adults. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL from August 2013 to January 2021. Additionally, we checked references of the identified articles for the inclusion of relevant publications and added studies from two previous reviews that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. We included prospective and retrospective studies with any follow-up period that recruited adults aged 65 and over and developed a prediction model predicting unplanned hospitalizations. We included models with at least one (internal or external) validation cohort. The models had to be intended to be used in a primary care setting. Two authors independently assessed studies for inclusion and undertook data extraction following recommendations of the CHARMS checklist, while quality assessment was performed using the PROBAST tool. A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. Prediction horizon ranged from 4.5 months to 4 years. Most frequently included variables were specific medical diagnoses (n = 11), previous hospital admission (n = 11), age (n = 11), and sex or gender (n = 8). Predictive performance in terms of area under the curve ranged from 0.61 to 0.78. Models developed to predict potentially preventable hospitalizations tended to have better predictive performance than models predicting hospitalizations in general. Overall, risk of bias was high, predominantly in the analysis domain. Models developed to predict preventable hospitalizations tended to have better predictive performance than models to predict all-cause hospitalizations. There is however substantial room for improvement on the reporting and analysis of studies. We recommend better adherence to the TRIPOD guidelines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30731783,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Identification and Characterization of Botryosphaeria spp. Causing Gummosis of Peach Trees in Hubei Province, Central China.\nPeach (Prunus persica) is one of the most important and widely grown fruit trees in China; however, perennial gummosis on trunks and branches is a major problem in peach orchards of Hubei Province, one of the most important peach production areas of China. In order to identify the gummosis-causing agents, diseased trunks and branches were collected from 11 peach orchards in Hubei Province. Fungal isolates were obtained from these samples, yielding three species: Botryosphaeria dothidea (anamorph Fusicoccum aesculi), B. rhodina (anamorph Lasiodiplodia theobromae), and B. obtusa (anamorph Diplodia seriata). They were identified based on conidial morphology and cultural characteristics, as well as analyses of nucleotide sequences of three genomic regions: the internal transcribed spacer region, a partial sequence of the \u03b2-tubulin gene, and the translation elongation factor 1-\u03b1 gene. Fusicoccum aesculi was found in all 11 orchards but L. theobromae was found only in Shayang County in the Jingmen region and D. seriata only in Gong'an County in the Jingzhou region. Via artificial inoculation using mycelia on wounded twigs or branches, these three species were all found to be pathogenic, causing dark lesions on the twigs and branches and, sometimes, gum exudation from diseased parts. Isolates of L. theobromae were the most virulent and caused the largest lesions and most copious gummosis, and D. seriata had less gum than the other two species. This report represents the first description of L. theobromae and D. seriata as causal agents of gummosis on peach in China.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15728848,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule is necessary for selective targeting of regenerating motor neurons.\nIt is well established that peripheral nerves regenerate after injury. Therefore, incomplete functional recovery usually results from misguided axons rather than a lack of regeneration per se. Despite this knowledge very little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating axon guidance during regeneration. In the developing neuromuscular system the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and its polysialic acid (PSA) moiety are essential for proper motor axon guidance. In this study we used a well established model of nerve transection and repair to examine whether NCAM and\/or PSA promotes selective regeneration of femoral motor nerves in wild-type and NCAM (-\/-) mice. We found that regenerating axons innervating the muscle pathway and, to a lesser extent, cutaneous axons in the sensory pathway reexpress high levels of PSA during the time when the cut axons are crossing the lesion site. Second, we found that motor neurons in wild-type mice preferentially reinnervated muscle pathways, whereas motor neurons in NCAM (-\/-) mice reinnervated muscle and cutaneous pathways with equal preference. Preferential regeneration was not observed in wild-type mice when PSA was removed enzymatically from the regenerating nerve, indicating that this form of selective motor axon targeting requires PSA. Finally, transgenic mice were used to show that the number of collateral sprouts, their field of arborization, and the withdrawal of misprojected axons were all attenuated significantly in mice lacking PSA. These results indicate that regenerating motor axons must express polysialylated NCAM, which reduces axon-axon adhesion and enables motor neurons to reinnervate their appropriate muscle targets selectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24287209,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of chronic plantar fasciopathy in adults: a case series.\nPlantar fasciopathy (PF) is a common source of pain and disability that is often refractory to conservative management. There are no uniformly effective standard-of-care treatments for chronic recalcitrant PF. Corticosteroid injection is considered a viable treatment option when traditional therapies fail, but is limited by suboptimal long-term efficacy and potential adverse effects. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an emerging injection-based treatment for various chronic degenerative soft-tissue diseases. It is postulated to promote native tissue regeneration; however, consistent scientific evidence remains lacking. A prospective case series, including 24 consecutive PF cases, was conducted to report patient-rated pain and disability following PRP injection. Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) scores were the primary clinical outcome measure. Foot-Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (Foot-SANE) scores, Short Form-12 Health Survey version 2 (SF-12v2) questionnaires, and PRP treatment satisfaction surveys were secondary outcome measures. Statistical analysis compared baseline and 32 weeks post-injection time points. Patients receiving PRP injection reported clinically and statistically significant improvement in all outcome measures during this interval. There were no serious adverse events associated with treatment. PRP is considered a safe therapeutic option with the ability to decrease heel pain in patients with chronic PF refractory to appropriate conservative management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24136140,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Whole-Field Sequential Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy for Local-Regional Advanced Head-and-Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.\nThere is little published data on the technique and results of whole-field (WF) sequential intensity-modulated radiotherapy (S-IMRT) for patients with head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We report the treatment outcomes, adverse events (AEs), and dosimetric parameters in local-regional advanced (LRA) HNSCC patients treated with the WF S-IMRT technique. The IRB approved this retrospective study. Patients received WF S-IMRT with or without concomitant chemotherapy. Three separate IMRT plans corresponding to 3 planning target volumes were generated. This study reports patient and tumor characteristics, treatment-induced acute AEs based on CTCAE version 3.0, chronic AEs according to RTOG scale and treatment outcomes, local-regional control (LRC), distant metastases (DM), relapse-free survival (RFS), and overall survival (OS). Between January 2003 and December 2010, 103 patients with LRA HNSCC were treated either definitively or postoperatively with WF S-IMRT, with (99 patients) or without (4 patients) concurrent chemotherapy. The median age was 55 years (range, 30 to 89 y). The median cumulative target dose was 70 Gy (range, 60 to 75 Gy). At a median follow-up of 40 months (range, 4 to 95 mo), the 2- and 5-year rates of OS were 94% and 77%, RFS were 90% and 84%, LRC were 97% and 93%, and DM were 9% and 11%, respectively. Grade 3 acute AEs included mucositis (68%), dysphagia (35%), weight loss (19.6%), and xerostomia (7.8%). Chronic worst grade 3 AEs included xerostomia (21.9%), weight loss (12.8%), and dysphagia (12.5%). Chronic grade 3 AEs at last follow-up included weight loss (6.25%), dysphagia (6.2%), and xerostomia (6.2%). No patient had an acute or chronic grade 4 AE, brachial plexopathy, or spinal cord injury. WF S-IMRT results in excellent tumor control and an acceptable toxicity profile in LRA HNSCC patients treated with this technique.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10867047,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Carbohydrate supplementation of horses during endurance exercise: comparison of fructose and glucose.\nTo delay the onset of fatigue, endurance horses are often fed at rest stops during races. The resulting increase in blood insulin may adversely inhibit lipolysis. In humans, ingestion of fructose produces a smaller insulin rise than glucose. This study compared glucose and fructose as carbohydrate supplements for endurance horses. Three Arabian geldings were given 300 g of fructose (F), glucose (G) or 50% glucose: 50% fructose (GF), in 1.5 L water, by stomach tube. In the Resting Test, carbohydrate was administered at rest. Following treatment, blood samples were taken every 30 min for 8 h, and feces were collected for 24 h. Treatment did not affect fecal weight or water content. Plasma glucose and insulin responses did not differ among treatments. Post-treatment (60 min), plasma L-lactate tended to be higher (P = 0.06) after the F and GF treatments than after the G treatment. In the Exercise Test, two treadmill exercise bouts at 0 degrees incline (Bout 1: 90 min; Bout 2: 120 min) were separated by a 1-h rest period. A total distance of 36.84 km was covered at a mean speed of 2.9 m\/s. Carbohydrate was administered 45 min before Bout 2. Plasma glucose and insulin at the start of Bout 2 were higher (P = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively) with the GF treatment than with the F treatment. However, during exercise, plasma glucose concentrations did not differ among treatments. We conclude that fructose is well-absorbed by horses and rapidly converted to glucose.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30881016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The accumulation of metabolic syndrome components is associated with higher risk of positive surgical margin among patients with localized prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.\nTo evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the accumulation of its components with prostate cancer (PCa). Patients undergoing radical prostatectomy were retrospectively included. Patients were grouped by low risk and intermediate-high risk according to International Society of Urological Pathology grade. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox hazard regression model were utilized to assess the association of MetS with overall survival, biochemical recurrence, upgrading, upstaging, and positive surgical margin (PSM) after prostatectomy. Besides, trend test was also performed to evaluate the impact of the accumulation of MetS components on postoperative pathological feature. A total of 1,083 patients were eventually enrolled. With a median follow-up of 40.45 months, 197 patients were diagnosed with MetS. No significant association between MetS and survival outcomes and pathological features was found. However, we did notice that the accumulation of the MetS components could lead to an elevated gradient of the PSM risk in the entire cohort (one component: OR=1.46; two components: OR=1.89; \u22653 components: OR=2.07; P for trend=0.0194) and intermediate-high risk group (one component: OR=1.4; two components: OR=1.85; \u22653 components: OR=2.05; P for trend=0.0127). The accumulation of MetS components could lead to increasing risk of PSM on the entire PCa cohort and patients with intermediate-high risk PCa after prostatectomy, but not for the low-risk patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10954253,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prevention and therapy for BRCA1\/2 mutation carriers and women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer.\nThe hereditary breast (BC) and ovarian (OC) cancer syndrome (HBOC) includes genetic alterations of various susceptibility genes such as TP53, ATM, PTEN or MSH2, MLH1, PMS1, PMS2, MSH3 and MSH6, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Germline mutations of the cancer-susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 seem to be the major aetiology of the HBOC. Genetic counselling and identification of high-risk families may be essential (1) to provide the best method for genetic testing by explaining the sensitivity and specificity of the methods, (2) to offer the opportunity to participate in specific early cancer detection programmes (breast (self) palpation, ultrasound, mammography and magnetic resonance tomography for breast cancer; vaginal exploration and ultrasound for ovarian cancer), (3) to inform them about prophylactic medication (oral contraceptive pill (OCP), chemoprevention (tamoxifen, raloxifen, aromatase inhibitors)) or surgery (bilateral prophylactic mastectomy or oophorectomy) and (4) to provide individualized psychological support. To fulfil these broad demands, an inter-disciplinary counselling approach (gynaecological oncology, human genetics, molecular biology, psychotherapy) in the setting of a cancer genetic clinic seems the most appropriate. There, participation in predictive genetic testing or the use of preventive or therapeutic options may be discussed extensively with the subjects. In particular, preventive options are emotionally disturbing for the subjects, and in cases of previous cancer. BC chemoprevention for high-risk women does not seem to be as effective as expected. However, OCP reduces the risk for OC. For prophylactic surgery, various points have to be considered, including: (1) individual risk assessment and gain in life expectancy, (2) value of screening and early detection methods or medical prevention, (3) disease characteristics and prognosis, and (4) anxiety and quality of life. Decisions regarding these options have to be individualized and psychological support must be offered during the period of decision and follow-up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27340421,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Study on Yang-Xu Using Body Constitution Questionnaire and Blood Variables in Healthy Volunteers.\nTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formulates treatment according to body constitution (BC) differentiation. Different constitutions have specific metabolic characteristics and different susceptibility to certain diseases. This study aimed to assess the Yang-Xu constitution using a body constitution questionnaire (BCQ) and clinical blood variables. A BCQ was employed to assess the clinical manifestation of Yang-Xu. The logistic regression model was conducted to explore the relationship between BC scores and biomarkers. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) and K-fold cross-validation were performed to evaluate the accuracy of a predictive model in practice. Decision trees (DTs) were conducted to determine the possible relationships between blood biomarkers and BC scores. According to the BCQ analysis, 49% participants without any BC were classified as healthy subjects. Among them, 130 samples were selected for further analysis and divided into two groups. One group comprised healthy subjects without any BC (68%), while subjects of the other group, named as the sub-healthy group, had three BCs (32%). Six biomarkers, CRE, TSH, HB, MONO, RBC, and LH, were found to have the greatest impact on BCQ outcomes in Yang-Xu subjects. This study indicated significant biochemical differences in Yang-Xu subjects, which may provide a connection between blood variables and the Yang-Xu BC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19603103,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Severe burn-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and hepatic damage in mice.\nSevere burn injury results in liver dysfunction and damage, with subsequent metabolic derangements contributing to patient morbidity and mortality. On a cellular level, significant postburn hepatocyte apoptosis occurs and likely contributes to liver dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms of hepatocyte apoptosis are poorly understood. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response\/unfolded protein response (UPR) pathway can lead to hepatocyte apoptosis under conditions of liver dysfunction. Thus, we hypothesized that ER stress\/UPR may mediate hepatic dysfunction in response to burn injury. We investigated the temporal activation of hepatic ER stress in mice after a severe burn injury. Mice received a scald burn over 35% of their body surface and were killed at 1, 7, 14, and 21 d postburn. We found that severe burn induces hepatocyte apoptosis as indicated by increased caspase-3 activity (P < 0.05). Serum albumin levels decreased postburn and remained lowered for up to 21 d, indicating that constitutive secretory protein synthesis was reduced. Significantly, upregulation of the ER stress markers glucose-related protein 78 (GRP78)\/BIP, protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), p-protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (p-PERK), and inositol-requiring enzyme 1alpha (IRE-1alpha) were found beginning 1 d postburn (P < 0.05) and persisted up to 21 d postburn (P < 0.05). Hepatic ER stress induced by burn injury was associated with compensatory upregulation of the calcium chaperone\/storage proteins calnexin and calreticulin (P < 0.05), suggesting that ER calcium store depletion was the primary trigger for induction of the ER stress response. In summary, thermal injury in mice causes long-term adaptive and deleterious hepatic function alterations characterized by significant upregulation of the ER stress response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36157207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Gene Expression Trajectories from Normal Nonsmokers to COPD Smokers and Disease Progression Discriminant Modeling in Response to Cigarette Smoking.\nCigarette smoking (CS) is considered to the predominant risk factor contributing to the etiopathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); meanwhile, genetic predisposition likely plays a role in determining disease susceptibility. We aimed to investigate gene expression trajectories from normal nonsmokers to COPD smokers and disease progression discriminant modeling in response to cigarette smoking. Small airway epithelial samples of human with different smoking status using fiberoptic bronchoscopy and corresponding rat lung tissues following 0, 3, and 6 months of CS exposure were obtained. The expression of the significant overlapping genes between human and rats was confirmed in 16HBE cells, rat lung tissues, and human peripheral PBMC using qRT-PCR. Binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to establish discrimination models. The integrated bioinformatic analysis of 8 human GEO datasets (293 individuals) and 9 rat transcriptome databases revealed 13 overlapping genes between humans and rats in response to smoking exposure during COPD progression. Of these, 5 genes (AKR1C3\/Akr1c3, ERP27\/Erp27, AHRR\/Ahrr, KCNMB2\/Kcnmb2, and MRC1\/Mrc1) were consistently identified in both the human and rat and validated by qRT-PCR. Among them, ERP27\/Erp27, KCNMB2\/Kcnmb2, and MRC1\/Mrc1 were newly identified. On the basis of the overlapping gene panel, discriminant models were established with the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.98 (AKR1C3\/Akr1c3 + ERP27\/Erp27) and 0.99 (AHRR\/Ahrr + KCNMB2\/Kcnmb2) in differentiating progressive COPD from normal nonsmokers. In addition, we also found that DEG obtained from each expression profile dataset was better than combined analysis as more genes could be identified. This study identified 5 DEG candidates of COPD progression in response to smoking and developed effective and convenient discriminant models that can accurately predict the disease progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26154690,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Associations with Meibomian Gland Atrophy in Daily Contact Lens Wearers.\nTo determine associations for contact lenses (CLs) and meibomian gland atrophy in a matched-pair study. Contact lens wearers (case) and age- and sex-matched non-contact lens (NCL) wearers with no history of CL use (control) were recruited for a multicenter study. All subjects were administered the Ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire and a comprehensive battery of clinical tests (e.g., tear breakup time, bulbar and limbal redness, meibography, etc.) were performed. Upper and lower eyelid meibomian gland atrophy were graded with both digital meibography (percent gland atrophy) and visual meiboscore methods. Conditional logistic regression analyses were then used to determine relationships among CL use, meibomian gland atrophy, and ocular surface signs and symptoms. A total of 70 matched pairs were analyzed. The mean (\u00b1 SD) age of the CL group was 30.6 (\u00b1 12.4) years, and that of the NCL group was 30.1 (\u00b1 12.2) years. The subjects were 63% female. The association between CL wear and meiboscore was not significant univariately, but the best-fitting multivariate regression model showed that higher meiboscores were associated with being a CL wearer (odds ratio [OR], 2.45) in a model that included eyelid margin erythema (OR, 0.25) and lissamine green staining (OR, 1.25). Percent gland atrophy was not associated with CL wear in regression analysis (p = 0.31). This study determined inconclusive associations with CLs and meibomian gland atrophy. This study also provided a comprehensive assessment of differences between CL and NCL wearers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22549037,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Depression telephone helpline: help seeking during the financial crisis].\nMental health telephone help-lines usually play a significant role in mental health services system. Their importance is substantiated during periods of financial crisis, where the mental health of the population is gravely inflicted. Media reports have documented a large increase in calls made to mental health telephone help-lines around the world as a corollary to the global economic crisis; however, a systematic investigation of this observation is still lacking. In this context, the present study endeavours to fill this gap in the literature, while it adds strength to the handful of studies which have empirically supported the impact of the financial crisis on mental health in Greece. Data were extracted from information gleaned during the calls made to the Depression Telephone Helpline of the Greek University Mental Health Research Institute. The information entailed the reason for calling, the socio-demographic and clinical profile of the person with mental health problems, his\/her previous and current contacts with mental health professionals and the treatment he\/she might be receiving. The results showed a steep increase in calls with direct or indirect reference to the economic crisis during the first half of 2010 and onwards. The callers who referred to the economic crisis manifested depressive symptomatology of clinical significance to a greater degree than callers who made no such reference. The latter exhibited increased levels of distress and agitation as well as drug\/alcohol misuse. Concomitantly, a higher frequency of depressive symptomatology was discerned among the unemployed, whereas employed people were found to experience anxiety symptoms to a higher degree. The impact of the financial crisis on the mental health of the Greek population has been considerable, underscoring in this way the importance of mental health help-lines as emotional buffers and as guides for timely and appropriate service use in response to the emerging mental health problems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944715,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Increasing complexity of resistance in host populations through intermating to manage rust of pearl millet.\nABSTRACT Pearl millet inbreds Tift 23DB, Tift 85DB, PS748BC, and Tift 89D(2) were used to develop three categories of host mixtures (physical mixtures, random-mated populations, and mixtures of two-way and three-way crosses) representing different levels of complexity of resistance through increased heterogeneity within populations and through stacking of resistance genes within the heterogeneous populations. The potential of these mixtures to reduce rust epidemics was evaluated in the field. Area under the disease progress curves (AUDPCs) of all physical mixtures were less than the mean of the components in 1995 and were less than the mean of the components for five of the six mixtures in 1997. In 1996, AUDPCs of the physical mixtures were consistently greater than the mean of their components. AUDPCs of the random-mated mixtures and the mixtures of crosses were consistently less than the mean of the components in 1996 and 1997, with reductions ranging from 12 to 71%. Dry matter yield (DMY) of physical mixtures relative to the mean DMY of the components was inconsistent, ranging from 18% less to 50% more than the mean of the components. The random-mated populations and the mixtures of crosses yielded 18 to 40% more DMY than the mean yield of the pure stands of their components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26530076,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Sequence Mutation and Structural Alteration Transform a Noncatalytic DNA Sequence into an Efficient RNA-Cleaving DNAzyme.\nWe have previously shown that through test-tube molecular evolution, an arbitrarily chosen noncatalytic DNA sequence can be evolved into a catalytic DNA (DNAzyme) with significant RNA-cleaving activity. In this study, we aim to address the question of whether the catalytic activity of such a DNAzyme can be further optimized using in vitro selection. Several cycles of selective enrichment starting with a partially randomized DNA library have resulted in the isolation of many sequence variations that show notably improved catalytic activity. Bioinformatic analysis and activity examination of several DNAzyme-substrate constructs have led to two interesting findings about sequence mutations and the secondary structure of this DNAzyme: (1) three crucial mutations have transformed the DNAzyme into 8-17, a DNAzyme that has been discovered in multiple previous in vitro selection experiments, and (2) other mutations have allowed this special 8-17 variant to make structural fine-tuning in order to cleave an arbitrarily chosen RNA-containing substrate with a defined sequence. Our study not only showcases the combined power of directed molecular evolution and in vitro selection techniques in turning a noncatalytic nucleic acid sequence into an efficient enzyme, but it also raises the question of whether mother nature has used a similar approach to evolve natural enzymes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23708871,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Does vitamin E protect salivary glands from I-131 radiation damage in patients with thyroid cancer?\nSalivary gland impairment after high-dose radioiodine (\u00b9\u00b3\u00b9I) treatment is well recognized. The aim of this study was to determine the protective effect of vitamin E on radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction in patients undergoing \u00b9\u00b3\u00b9I treatment for differentiated thyroid cancer. Thirty-six patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma were enrolled in this study. They were randomly divided into two groups before postsurgical ablation therapy with 3700-5550 MBq \u00b9\u00b3\u00b9I: the control group, comprising 17 patients, and the vitamin E group, comprising 19 patients. All 19 patients in the experimental group received vitamin E at a dose of 800 IU\/day for a duration of 1 week before to 4 weeks after I therapy and the 17 patients in the control group received a placebo for the same duration. Salivary gland function was assessed using salivary gland scintigraphy with intravenous injection of 370 MBq Tc-pertechnetate in two phases, one immediately before and the other 6 months after \u00b9\u00b3\u00b9I ablative therapy. First-minute uptake ratio, maximum uptake ratio, maximum secretion percentage, and excretion fraction (EF) of each salivary gland were measured and compared between the study phases for the two groups. There was no significant difference between preablative and postablative salivary scintigraphic indices in the experimental vitamin E group, whereas maximum secretion percentage and EF of the right submandibular gland and EF of the left parotid gland were significantly decreased in the control group. There was also a higher significant decrease in the EF of the left parotid gland in the control group compared with the vitamin E group. Vitamin E consumption may be associated with a significant protective effect against radiation-induced dysfunction in salivary glands following single-dose \u00b9\u00b3\u00b9I therapy in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24057328,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Acid-catalyzed reactions of 3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles with electron-rich substrates: synthesis of 2-oxindoles with all-carbon quaternary center.\nA Lewis acid catalyzed reaction of in situ generated 2H-indol-2-one () with various 2\u03c0 and other electron-rich substrates has been developed. A variety of electron-rich substrates such as allyl\/methallyltrimethylsilane, phenylacetylene, styrenes, acetophenone, and indoles have been used. The methodology provides a straightforward approach for the synthesis of 2-oxindoles with an all-carbon quaternary center at the pseudobenzylic position.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9360667,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity in patients on CAPD.\nContinuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is an important mode of therapy for patients with end-stage renal disease. Although techniques and patient survival rates have improved, the psychosocial rehabilitation of Asian CAPD patients has not been studied. The aim of this study is to measure the extent of psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity in a sample of Asian CAPD patients. Patients from the outpatient CAPD facility affiliated with a tertiary care hospital were randomly selected and enrolled in the study. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Psychosocial and psychiatric assessments using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and coping style questionnaires were performed by a trained psychiatrist. The patients' most bother-some symptoms and specific worries were noted. Thirty of 105 stable CAPD patients (mean age 54.2 +\/- 14.1 years, M:F 1:2, mean duration on CAPD 22.3 +\/- 8.3 months) were studied. Twenty-one patients were married. Twenty-two patients were uneducated, 19 were unemployed, and 9 were homemakers. Based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scales, 50% of the patients were identified as cases of anxiety and 13% as depression. Although 93% of the patients accepted their illness, 46% of the patients were in a state of despair and hopelessness. Pruritus was the most frequent complaint (40%), followed by dietary restrictions (23%). The main worries were financial in 83% of patients, sexual dysfunction in 73%, and unemployment in 67%. In conclusion, Asian CAPD patients have a high degree of undetected psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity. These issues need to be addressed to provide adequate psychosocial rehabilitation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30134296,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Aging and the evolution of comorbidities among HIV-positive individuals in a European cohort.\nTo describe changes in the prevalence of comorbidities and risk factors among HIV-positive individuals in the EuroSIDA study. Comparison of two cross-sectional cohorts of HIV-positive adults under active follow-up in 2006 and 2014. Baseline demographics and prevalence of comorbidities were described. Factors associated with the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were assessed by logistic regression modelling using generalized estimating equations. Nine thousand, seven hundred and ninety-eight individuals were under active follow-up in EuroSIDA during 2006 and 12 882 during 2014. Compared with study participants in 2006, those in 2014 were older [median age 48.6 years (IQR 40.3-55.1) vs. 43.1 years (37.2-50.0) in 2006] and had higher prevalence of hypertension (59.6 vs. 47% in 2006), diabetes (6.3 vs. 5.4%), CKD (6.9 vs. 4.1%) and CVD (5.0 vs. 3.7%). Individuals in the 2014 cohort had higher odds for CKD (unadjusted OR 2.62, 95% CI 2.30-2.99, P < 0.0001) and CVD (OR 1.88, CI 1.68-2.10, P < 0.0001), but after multivariable adjustment for age group, comorbidities and other factors, year of cohort was no longer significantly associated with the odds of CKD [adjusted OR (aOR) 0.97, CI 0.52-1.82, P = 0.92) or of CVD (aOR 0.94, CI 0.54-1.63, P = 0.82). Between 2006 and 2014, the population aged and experienced an overall higher prevalence of non-AIDS comorbidities, including CKD and CVD. The increase in CVD could be explained by the aging population, and the increase in CKD by aging and changes in other factors. Treatment strategies balancing HIV outcomes with long-term management of comorbidities remain a priority.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18942975,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Ultrastructural and cytochemical aspects of silicon-mediated rice blast resistance.\nABSTRACT Although exogenous application of silicon (Si) confers efficient control of rice blast, the probable hypothesis underlying this phenomenon has been confined to that of a mechanical barrier resulting from Si polymerization in planta. However, in this study, we provide the first cytological evidence that Si-mediated resistance to Magnaporthe grisea in rice correlates with specific leaf cell reaction that interfered with the development of the fungus. Accumulation of an amorphous material that stained densely with toluidine blue and reacted positively to osmium tetroxide was a typical feature of cell reaction to infection by M. grisea in samples from Si+ plants. As a result, the extent of fungal colonization was markedly reduced in samples from Si+ plants. In samples from Si- plants, M. grisea grew actively and colonized all leaf tissues. Cytochemi-cal labeling of chitin revealed no difference in the pattern of chitin localization over fungal cell walls of either Si+ or Si- plants at 96 h after inoculation, indicating limited production of chitinases by the rice plant as a mechanism of defense response. On the other hand, the occurrence of empty fungal hyphae, surrounded or trapped in amorphous material, in samples from Si+ plants suggests that phenolic-like compounds or phytoalexins played a primary role in rice defense response against infection by M. grisea. This finding brings new insights into the complex role played by Si in the nature of rice blast resistance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37756631,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adult age differences in evoked emotional responses to dynamic facial expressions.\nFacial expressions are powerful social signals that motivate feelings and action in the observer. Research on face processing has overwhelmingly used static facial images, which have limited ecological validity. Previous research on the age-related positivity effect and age differences in social motivation suggest that older adults might experience different evoked emotional responses to facial expressions than younger adults. Here we introduce a new method to explore age-related differences in evoked responses to dynamic facial expressions across adulthood. We used dynamic facial expressions which varied by expression type (happy, sad, angry) and expression magnitude (low, medium, full) to gather participant ratings on their evoked emotional response to these stimuli along the dimensions of valence (positive vs. negative) and arousal. As predicted, older adults rated the emotions evoked by positive facial expressions (happy) more positively than younger adults. Further, older adults rated the emotion evoked by negative facial expressions (angry and sad) more negatively than younger adults. Contrary to our predictions, older adults did not differ significantly in arousal to negative expressions compared to younger adults. Across all ages, individuals rated positive expressions as more arousing than negative expressions. The findings provide some evidence that older adults may be more sensitive to variations in dynamic facial expressions than younger adults, particularly in terms of their estimates of valence. These dynamic facial stimuli that vary in magnitude are promising for future studies of more naturalistic affect elicitation, studies of social incentive processing, and use in incentive-driven choice tasks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35970535,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Determinants of Cervical Cancer Screening Patterns Among Women With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.\nWomen with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are vulnerable to cervical dysplasia due to the persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The objective of this cross-sectional retrospective study was to investigate the prevalence of cervical cancer screening according to the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP) SLE-specific cervical cancer screening guidelines. We also aimed to identify SLE-specific determinants associated with ASCCP adherence. Women aged 21 to 64 years enrolled in our institutional SLE registry were included in the study. The electronic medical record was manually reviewed to determine whether the patient was up to date on screening and which organizational guideline was used, in addition to other clinical variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for ASCCP-congruent screening for each baseline characteristic. This study included 118 women with SLE; 38% were up to date per ASCCP guidelines, 16% were up to date per non-ASCCP guidelines, and 46% were overdue for screening. Having a gynecologist and being actively treated with immunosuppressant therapies were both associated with an increased odds of being up to date per the ASCCP guidelines, while Hispanic ethnicity was associated with reduced odds. Only half of the women with SLE in our study had guideline-congruent cervical cancer screening. Current immunosuppression exposure, rather than SLE disease activity, was associated with an increased odds of being up to date according to ASCCP guidelines. This study suggests the need for increased awareness and consensus among interdisciplinary providers regarding SLE-specific cervical cancer screening.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12244062,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Genetic code ambiguity. Cell viability related to the severity of editing defects in mutant tRNA synthetases.\nThe rules of the genetic code are established in reactions that aminoacylate tRNAs with specific amino acids. Ambiguity in the code is prevented by editing activities whereby incorrect aminoacylations are cleared by specialized hydrolytic reactions of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases. Whereas editing reactions have long been known, their significance for cell viability is still poorly understood. Here we investigated in vitro and in vivo four different mutations in the center for editing that diminish the proofreading activity of valyl-tRNA synthetase (ValRS). The four mutant enzymes were shown to differ quantitatively in the severity of the defect in their ability to clear mischarged tRNA in vitro. Strikingly, in the presence of excess concentrations of alpha-aminobutyrate, one of the amino acids that is misactivated by ValRS, growth of bacterial strains bearing these mutant alleles is arrested. The concentration of misactivated amino acid required for growth arrest correlates inversely in a rank order with the degree of the editing defect seen in vitro. Thus, cell viability depends directly on the suppression of genetic code ambiguity by these specific editing reactions and is finely tuned to any perturbation of these reactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30145096,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Blockade of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Attenuates Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Rats.\nWhile increased toll-like receptor (TLR)4 activity may contribute to the pathophysiology of vascular diseases, the molecular mechanisms disrupted by this receptor in the vasculature are still poorly understood. Additionally, it is unknown if TLR4 mediates erectile dysfunction (ED) during diabetes. To investigate whether pharmacological blockade of TLR4 affects erectile function in a murine model of diabetes. Sprague Dawley rats (Charles River Laboratory, Wilmington, MA, USA) received a single streptozotocin injection (65 mg\/kg, 28 days) and were treated with an anti-TLR4 antibody (1 \u03bcg\/d, intraperitoneally) for the last 14 days of the treatment. Additionally, cavernosal strips were acutely incubated for 30 minutes with CLI-095 (10-5 mol\/L), a TLR4 inhibitor. Functional studies, Western blotting, erectile function, immunohistochemistry, and biochemical analyses were performed. Oxidative stress, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels, and functional studies were evaluated in treated and nontreated cavernosal strips from control and diabetic animals. Additionally, in vivo erectile function was assessed. Enhanced TLR4 expression was observed in corpus cavernosum from diabetic rats compared with control animals. Long-term blockade of TLR4 slightly improved diabetes-induced ED in rats due to attenuation of oxidative stress and increased cGMP levels in penile tissue, which ameliorated cavernosal relaxation. Functional experiments revealed that acute or chronic inhibition of TLR4 decreased hypercontractility in response to phenylephrine and improved nitrergic relaxation in corpus cavernosum from diabetic rats. TLR4 blockade may be a novel therapeutic strategy to assist in ED management. The strength of this article stems from the fact that we showed that TLR4 blockade partly improves erectile function in vivo in diabetic rats. Its limitations mainly include that messenger RNA analysis for the nitric oxide\/cGMP pathway were not performed. In summary, TLR4 participates in the mechanisms of diabetes-associated ED and blockade of this receptor positively affects penile vascular function. Nunes KP, de Oliveira AA, Szasz T, et al. Blockade of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Attenuates Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Rats. J Sex Med 2018;15:1235-1245.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33560169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"LFchimera: a synthetic mimic of the two antimicrobial domains of bovine lactoferrin.\nSaliva is essential for the maintenance of oral health. When salivary flow is impaired, the risk of various oral diseases such as caries and candidiasis increases drastically. Under healthy conditions, saliva provides effective protection against microbial colonization by the collaborative action of numerous host-defense molecules. This review describes how saliva has been the guideline for the design and characterization of a heterodimeric antimicrobial construct called LFchimera. This construct mimics the helical parts of two antimicrobial domains in the crystal structure of bovine lactoferrin. It shows high antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and parasites including biowarfare agents such as Bacillus anthracis, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and Yersinia pestis. Further, sublethal concentrations of LFchimera inhibited biofilm formation, the invasiveness of HeLa cells by Yersinia spp., and prevented haemolysis of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, demonstrating the versatility of these peptides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23315189,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Description of fecal shedding of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in experimentally challenged dairy calves.\nThe objective was to describe the probability of Cryptosporidium parvum fecal oocyst shedding at different magnitudes of exposure, the pattern of fecal shedding over time, and factors affecting fecal shedding in dairy calves. Within the first 24 h of life, 36 calves were experimentally challenged with C. parvum oocysts at one of four possible magnitudes of oral exposure (1 \u00d7 10(3), 1 \u00d7 10(4), 1 \u00d7 10(5), and 1 \u00d7 10(6) oocysts), and 7 control calves were sham dosed. Fecal shedding occurred in 33 (91.7 %) experimentally challenged calves and in none of the control calves. There was a difference in the log-total number of oocysts counted per gram of feces dry weight among the four exposure groups; calves with the lowest magnitude of exposure (1 \u00d7 10(3) oocysts) shed less than the other three groups. At higher magnitudes of exposure, there was more variability in the range of fecal oocyst shedding. There was an inverse relationship between the log-total amount of oocysts counted per gram of feces dry weight and the number of days to the onset of fecal shedding per calf, i.e., the more time that elapsed to the onset of fecal shedding, the fewer oocysts that were shed. The pattern of fecal shedding over time for all calves shedding oocysts was curvilinear; the number of oocysts increased with time, reached a peak, and declined. Therefore, the dynamics of oocyst shedding can be influenced in part by limiting exposure among calves and delaying the onset of fecal oocyst shedding.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27198731,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Ageing and inflammation in patients with HIV infection.\nNowadays, HIV+ patients have an expected lifespan that is only slightly shorter than healthy individuals. For this reason, along with the fact that infection can be acquired at a relatively advanced age, the effects of ageing on HIV+ people have begun to be evident. Successful anti-viral treatment is, on one hand, responsible for the development of side effects related to drug toxicity; on the other hand, it is not able to inhibit the onset of several complications caused by persistent immune activation and chronic inflammation. Therefore, patients with a relatively advanced age, i.e. aged more than 50 years, can experience pathologies that affect much older citizens. HIV+ individuals with non-AIDS-related complications can thus come to the attention of clinicians because of the presence of neurocognitive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, bone abnormalities and non-HIV-associated cancers. Chronic inflammation and immune activation, observed typically in elderly people and defined as 'inflammaging', can be present in HIV+ patients who experience a type of premature ageing, which affects the quality of life significantly. This relatively new condition is extremely complex, and important factors have been identified as well as the traditional behavioural risk factors, e.g. the toxicity of anti-retroviral treatments and the above-mentioned chronic inflammation leading to a functional decline and a vulnerability to injury or pathologies. Here, we discuss the role of inflammation and immune activation on the most important non-AIDS-related complications of chronic HIV infection, and the contribution of aging per se to this scenario.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14974169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Surgical extraction of a fractured, non-vital deciduous tooth in a tiger.\nA 10-month-old, female\/intact tiger (Panthra tigris) was presented for a fractured deciduous mandibular right canine tooth, mandibular swelling, and a cutaneous draining tract ventral to the apex of the fractured tooth. The tooth had chronic pulpal exposure and was considered non-vital with periapical osteomyelitis. This case report describes treatment to optimize normal development and eruption of the permanent mandibular right canine tooth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35969374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mass spectrometry detection of monkeypox virus: Comprehensive coverage for ranking the most responsive peptide markers.\nThe recent and sudden outbreak of monkeypox in numerous non-endemic countries requires expanding its surveillance immediately and understanding its origin and spread. As learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, appropriate detection techniques are crucial to achieving such a goal. Mass spectrometry has the advantages of a rapid response, low analytical interferences, better precision, and easier multiplexing to detect various pathogens and their variants. In this proteomic dataset, we report experimental data on the proteome of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) recorded by state-of-the-art shotgun proteomics, including data-dependent and data-independent acquisition for comprehensive coverage. We highlighted 152 viral proteins, corresponding to an overall proteome coverage of 79.5 %. Among the 1371 viral peptides detected, 35 peptides with the most intense signals in mass spectrometry were selected, representing a subset of 13 viral proteins. Their relevance as potential candidate markers for virus detection by targeted mass spectrometry is discussed. This report should assist the rapid development of mass spectrometry-based tests to detect a pathogen of increasing concern.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27242856,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"On the Developmental and Environmental Regulation of Secondary Metabolism in Vaccinium spp. Berries.\nSecondary metabolites have important defense and signaling roles, and they contribute to the overall quality of developing and ripening fruits. Blueberries, bilberries, cranberries, and other Vaccinium berries are fleshy berry fruits recognized for the high levels of bioactive compounds, especially anthocyanin pigments. Besides anthocyanins and other products of the phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways, these berries also contain other metabolites of interest, such as carotenoid derivatives, vitamins and flavor compounds. Recently, new information has been achieved on the mechanisms related with developmental, environmental, and genetic factors involved in the regulation of secondary metabolism in Vaccinium fruits. Especially light conditions and temperature are demonstrated to have a prominent role on the composition of phenolic compounds. The present review focuses on the studies on mechanisms associated with the regulation of key secondary metabolites, mainly phenolic compounds, in Vaccinium berries. The advances in the research concerning biosynthesis of phenolic compounds in Vaccinium species, including specific studies with mutant genotypes in addition to controlled and field experiments on the genotype \u00d7 environment (G\u00d7E) interaction, are discussed. The recently published Vaccinium transcriptome and genome databases provide new tools for the studies on the metabolic routes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31548975,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cortex-wide multiparametric photoacoustic microscopy based on real-time contour scanning.\nLarge-scale, high-resolution imaging of cerebral hemodynamics is essential for brain research. Uniquely capable of comprehensive quantification of cerebral hemodynamics and oxygen metabolism in rodents based on the endogenous hemoglobin contrast, multiparametric photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) is ideally suited for this purpose. However, the out-of-focus issue due to the uneven surface of the rodent brain results in inaccurate PAM measurements and presents a significant challenge to cortex-wide multiparametric recording. We report a large-scale, high-resolution, multiparametric PAM system based on real-time surface contour extraction and scanning, which avoids the prescan and offline calculation of the contour map required by previously reported contour-scanning strategies. The performance of this system has been demonstrated in both phantoms and the live mouse brain through a thinned-skull window. Side-by-side comparison shows that the real-time contour scanning not only improves the quality of structural images by addressing the out-of-focus issue but also ensures accurate measurements of the concentration of hemoglobin ( C Hb ), oxygen saturation of hemoglobin ( sO 2 ), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) over the entire mouse cortex. Furthermore, quantitative analysis reveals how the out-of-focus issue impairs the measurements of C Hb , sO 2 , and CBF.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8993850,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Angiotensin II and the adrenal.\n1. Angiotensin II (AngII) evokes a variety of physiological responses in the adrenal gland. It is the major regulator of aldosterone secretion, in the medulla it enhances catecholamine release and it exerts trophic effects in the adrenal and stimulates growth factor secretion. 2. Angiotensin II acts via binding to specific receptors, located on the plasma membrane. Two pharmacologically distinct AngII receptor subtypes, type 1 (AT1) and type 2 (AT2) receptors, have been identified using the non-peptide antagonists Dup753 and PD 123177, respectively, and cDNA encoding each type have been identified. 3. In the adrenal, the AT1 receptor modulates all the known biological effects of AngII. The expression of the AT1 receptor is modulated at the mRNA and protein levels by many factors: conditions that increase levels of AngII (low sodium diet, renovascular hypertension, AngII infusion) up-regulate AT1 receptor mRNA levels and binding and increase aldosterone secretion. 4. A tissue renin-angiotensin system has been found in the adrenal, suggesting an important paracrine role for AngII in aldosterone regulation. 5. The possible involvement of AT1 receptors in human disease has been investigated by examining the role of AngII receptors in adrenal tumours. Binding and gene expression studies have shown that AngII receptors are abundantly expressed in aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA). 6. Densitometric analysis of AT1 expression in APA showed no significant differences compared with normal and non-tumorous adrenal. In addition, no mutations in the coding sequence of the AT1 receptor have been found to date in adrenal tumours.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15932738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Clinical characteristics of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: analysis of 82 cases].\nTo analyze the clinical characteristics of Chinese patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and provide clinical and laboratory evidence for the study of its etiology and treatment. 82 patients with CFS diagnosed based on the CDC criteria 1994 were recruited. History was collected, and physical examination was made. SCL-90 and memory test were used, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale was used to those showing depression and\/or anxiety. Laboratory examination, including examination of electrolytes, blood sugar, creatinine, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine trasaminase, etc, was conducted. Western blotting was used to detect the protein-24 of Borna disease virus (BDV) in the plasma of 61 patients and 73 healthy controls. High-pressure chromatography was conducted to detect n-6 fatty acids on the membrane of erythrocytes of 42 patients and 37 healthy controls. Plasma L-carnitine in 61 patients and 73 healthy controls was detected by zymological analysis. In different examinations sex and age-matched controls were used. Most of the patients were 21 approximately 50 years old (74\/82, 90.24%). No gender difference was found. The patients usually had 4 approximately 6 symptoms besides distinctive fatigue. Descent of remembrance and\/or attention was the most conspicuous accompanying symptoms (69\/82, 84.15%). Abnormalities in SCL-90 scores were present in 57 patients (69.51%), e.g, somatization existed most commonly (32\/82, 39.02%), and anxiety and depression were 20.73% (17\/82) and 18.29% (15\/82) respectively. The prevalence of anti-BDV-p24 antibody was 20.73% (17\/82), significantly higher than that of the controls (0%, chi(2) = 6.673, P = 0.010). The arachidonic acid level was significantly lower in the CFS group than in the controls (P > 0.05) and there were no differences in linoleic acid and ETA (both P > 0.05). The level of L-carnitine was 6.4336 +\/- 3.4225, significantly lower than that of the control group (7.6666 +\/- 3.5819, t = 2.025, P = 0.045) and the L-carnitine level was increased 2 weeks after supplementary treatment, together with improvement of symptoms. Most of the CFS patients are young and middle-aged. Descent of reorganization is common in these patients. Psychological abnormalities exist in most patients. Some patients are infected with BDV, some with deficiency of nutrition and\/or abnormality of energy metabolism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29371490,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[The effects of anti-bone-resorptive drugs analyzed by intravital bone imaging.]\nIn clinical, various kinds of anti-bone-resorptive drugs have been used for the treatment of bone disorders such as osteoporosis. However, it remains elusive how they affect the osteoclast dynamics in living bone tissues. We recently succeeded in visualizing cellular dynamics of bone-resorbing osteoclasts and their precursors with intravital bone imaging techniques. We found that active vitamin D analogs could regulate the migratory behavior of circulating osteoclast precursors, whereas bisphosphonates could affect mature osteoclasts and inhibit bone resorption within a short period. Here we show the latest data of in vivo effects of anti-bone resorptive drugs currently developed in the world.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19589222,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Raman microscopic applications in the biopharmaceutical industry: in situ identification of foreign particulates inside glass containers with aqueous formulated solutions.\nParticle identification is an important analytical procedure for quality control and assurance in the biopharmaceutical industry. Rapid and reliable identification of micro-particles helps in evaluating the nature of particle contamination and its consequences on the product quality regulated by internal and external standards. Raman microscopy is one of the microspectroscopic techniques that can be used to identify micro-particles with the advantage of in situ detection. In this paper we demonstrate that a visible laser Raman microscope was particularly useful to identify micro-particles that were inside glass containers such as glass syringes, vials, and test tubes, which are commonly used as containers for aqueous formulated drugs. The examples include the identifications of a droplet-like particle inside a pre-filled glass syringe, a fibrous particle inside a glass test tube, and a white particle inside a glass vial; all of these examples usually demand challenging or time-consuming sample manipulation for other techniques. The Raman microscopic technique was shown to be able to solve these challenging micro-particle identifications due to its ability to carry out detection in situ. Particularly in the example of micro-droplet identification, the Raman microscopic technique was the only choice for a fast and successful particle detection. For all three identifications, Raman in situ detection has significantly accelerated particle analysis and avoided potential sample secondary contamination or losses owing to none or minimal sample manipulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12548505,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Sirolimus monotherapy in nephrotoxicity due to calcineurin inhibitors in liver transplant recipients.\nSirolimus, being nonnephrotoxic, is a viable alternative in patients who develop renal insufficiency caused by calcineurin inhibitors (CIs). The aim of this study is to determine whether there is improvement in renal function in liver transplant recipients after switching to sirolimus-based immunosuppression. In this retrospective review, patients who were more than 3 years posttransplantation were selected. Patients who had proteinuria (protein > 300 mg\/24 hr), those administered any other nephrotoxic agents, and those with a creatinine clearance (CCr) less than 20 mL\/min were excluded. Renal insufficiency was defined as mild (CCr > 70 mL\/min), moderate (CCr, 40 to 70 mL\/min), or severe (CCr, 20 to 40 mL\/min). In the 16 patients studied; there was significant improvement in serum blood urea nitrogen (36 mg\/dL; range, 19 to 53 mg\/dL; to 25 mg\/dL; range, 10 to 37 mg\/dL; P =.002) and serum creatinine levels (median, 1.95 mg\/dL; range, 1.3 to 2.8 mg\/dL; to 1.5 mg\/dL; range, 1.0 to 2.4 mg\/dL; P =.001) 6 months after switching to sirolimus therapy. There also was a trend in improvement in CCr from 43 mL min (range, 24 to 68 mL\/min) to 49 mL\/min (range, 22 to 152 mL\/min). Among 9 patients with moderate renal insufficiency, 2 patients improved to mild renal insufficiency, 4 patients remained unchanged, and 3 patients deteriorated to severe renal insufficiency. Among 7 patients with severe renal insufficiency, 1 patient improved to mild renal insufficiency, 4 patients improved to moderate renal insufficiency, and 2 patients remained unchanged. No patient developed cellular rejection or other graft-related complications. In liver transplant recipients with chronic renal insufficiency, conversion to sirolimus-based immunosuppression allows complete withdrawal of CIs, leading to some improvement in renal function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14617647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Analysis of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae DtxR regulon: identification of a putative siderophore synthesis and transport system that is similar to the Yersinia high-pathogenicity island-encoded yersiniabactin synthesis and uptake system.\nThe diphtheria toxin repressor, DtxR, is a global iron-dependent regulatory protein in Corynebacterium diphtheriae that controls gene expression by binding to 19-bp operator sequences. To further define the DtxR regulon in C. diphtheriae, a DtxR repressor titration assay (DRTA) was developed and used to identify 10 previously unknown DtxR binding sites. Open reading frames downstream from seven of the newly identified DtxR binding sites are predicted to encode proteins associated with iron or heme transport. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that DtxR was able to bind to DNA fragments carrying the 19-bp operator regions, and transcriptional analysis of putative promoter elements adjacent to the binding site sequences revealed that most of these regions displayed iron- and DtxR-regulated activity. A putative siderophore biosynthesis and transport operon located downstream from one of the DtxR binding sites, designated sid, is similar to the yersiniabactin synthesis and uptake genes encoded on the Yersinia pestis high pathogenicity island. The siderophore biosynthetic genes in the sid operon contained a large deletion in the C. diphtheriae C7 strain, but the sid genes were unaffected in four clinical isolates that are representative of the dominant strains from the recent diphtheria epidemic in the former Soviet Union. Mutations in the siderophore biosynthetic genes in a clinical strain had no effect on siderophore synthesis or growth in low-iron conditions; however, a mutation in one of the putative transport proteins, cdtP, resulted in reduced growth in iron-depleted media, which suggests that this system may have a role in iron uptake. The findings from this study indicate that C. diphtheriae contains at least 18 DtxR binding sites and that DtxR may affect the expression of as many as 40 genes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20208248,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"CBPR as community health intervention: institutionalizing CBPR within community based organizations.\nA community-academy partnership was created with a commitment to developing a program for institutionalizing community-based participatory research (CBPR) capacity within community-based organizations (CBOs), with the intention to enhance CBOs' existing capabilities to understand and improve community health. This article presents the design and conceptual foundations for a year-long CBPR education and training program in which CBO teams learn research design, discuss the principles of CBPR, design and implement a community health-related research project tailored to their program and community, conduct analyses, and initiate integration of the results into the organization and community. One objective is to integrate a commitment to and the practice of CBPR within CBOs' program and policies. An initial partnership was created between the Center for Border Health, El Paso, and Texas A&M University School of Rural Public Health, College Station. Three additional CBOs then joined the partnership and participated in the CBPR education and training program consisting of four stages: (1)3 intensive months devoted to learning about and creating a research design; (2) 6 months for implementation of the design; (3) 2 months for analyses, interpretation, and consolidation of results into one or more final products; and (4) 1 month for development of protocols for integrating research results into community health development. In the first iteration, an interactive process evaluation was conducted during each program stage, plus a final year-end exit interview with each participating CBO. Evaluation demonstrated strong positive results and specific lessons learned. A proposal incorporating the lessons learned was presented to the funding source. A second iteration has been funded, with monies included to develop a formal outcome evaluation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26787841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"MicroRNA 211 Functions as a Metabolic Switch in Human Melanoma Cells.\nMicroRNA 211 (miR-211) negatively regulates genes that drive invasion of metastatic melanoma. Compared to normal human melanocytes, miR-211 expression is significantly reduced or absent in nonpigmented melanoma cells and lost during human melanoma progression. To investigate the molecular mechanism of its tumor suppressor function, miR-211 was ectopically expressed in nonpigmented melanoma cells. Ectopic expression of miR-211 reduced hypoxia-inducible factor 1\u03b1 (HIF-1\u03b1) protein levels and decreased cell growth during hypoxia. HIF-1\u03b1 protein loss was correlated with the downregulation of a miR-211 target gene, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4). We present evidence that resumption of miR-211-mediated downregulation of PDK4 in melanoma cells causes inhibition of invasion by nonpigmented melanomas via HIF-1\u03b1 protein destabilization. Thus, the tumor suppressor miR-211 acts as a metabolic switch, and its loss is expected to promote cancer hallmarks in human melanomas. Melanoma, one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer, kills nearly 10,000 people in the United States per year. We had previously shown that a small noncoding RNA, termed miR-211, suppresses invasion and the growth of aggressive melanoma cells. The results presented here support the hypothesis that miR-211 loss in melanoma cells causes abnormal regulation of energy metabolism, which in turn allows cancer cells to survive under low oxygen concentrations-a condition that generally kills normal cells. These findings highlight a novel mechanism of melanoma formation: miR-211 is a molecular switch that is turned off in melanoma cells, raising the hope that in the future we might be able to turn the switch back on, thus providing a better treatment option for melanoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3472524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Human liver phenol sulfotransferase: assay conditions, biochemical properties and partial purification of isozymes of the thermostable form.\nPhenol sulfotransferase (PST) catalyzes the sulfate conjugation of phenolic and catechol drugs and neurotransmitters. Human platelets and brain contain at least two forms of PST. One form is relatively thermolabile (TL) and catalyzes the sulfate conjugation of monoamines such as dopamine. The other is thermostable (TS) and catalyzes the sulfation of \"simple\" phenols such as phenol and p-nitrophenol. We found that homogenates of human liver also contain two forms of PST that are similar to brain and platelet TL and TS PST with regard to substrate specificities, thermal stabilities and sensitivities to inhibitors. Optimal conditions were determined for the assay of these two activities in human liver homogenates. The apparent Km of liver homogenate TL PST for dopamine was 27 microM. The apparent Km of the TS form of the enzyme for p-nitrophenol was 0.94 microM. Human liver TS PST also catalyzed the sulfate conjugation of dopamine, but with an apparent Km of 5 mM, over two orders of magnitude higher than that of TL PST. Two different peaks of TS PST activity were separated from the TL activity by ion exchange chromatography of human liver preparations. Both peaks of TS PST activity were partially purified and characterized. Both had similar substrate specificities and inhibitor sensitivities. Km values of TS PST peak I for p-nitrophenol and for 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate were 0.91 and 0.86 microM, respectively, while the Km values of TS PST peak II for these two cosubstrates for the reaction were 0.43 and 0.64 microM, respectively. However, the TS PST activity in peak II was significantly more thermolabile than was the activity in peak I. These results are compatible with the conclusion that human liver homogenates contain at least two forms of PST, forms with properties similar to those of TS and TL PST in homogenates of human cerebral cortex and platelets. In addition, human liver contains two isozymes of TS PST.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28062405,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Presence of multiple spondyloarthritis (SpA) features is important but not sufficient for a diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis: data from the SPondyloArthritis Caught Early (SPACE) cohort.\nConcerns have been raised about overdiagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA). We investigated whether patients with chronic back pain (CBP) of short duration and multiple SpA features are always diagnosed with axSpA by the rheumatologist, and to what extent fulfilment of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) axSpA criteria is associated with an axSpA diagnosis. Baseline data from 500 patients from the SPondyloArthritis Caught Early cohort which includes patients with CBP (\u22653 months, \u22642 years, onset <45 years) were analysed. All patients underwent full diagnostic workup including MRI of the sacroiliac joints (MRI-SI) and radiograph of sacroiliac joints (X-SI). For each patient, the total number of SpA features excluding sacroiliac imaging and human leucocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) status was calculated. Before sacroiliac imaging and HLA-B27 testing, 32% of patients had \u22641 SpA feature, 29% had 2 SpA features, 16% had 3 SpA features and 24% had \u22654 SpA features. A diagnosis of axSpA was made in 250 (50%) of the patients: 24% with \u22641 SpA feature, 43% with 2 SpA features, 62% with 3 SpA features and 85% with \u22654 SpA features. Of the 230 patients with a positive ASAS classification 40 (17.4%) did not have a diagnosis of axSpA. HLA-B27 positivity (OR 5.6; 95% CI 3.7 to 8.3) and any (MRI-SI and\/or X-SI) positive imaging (OR 34.3; 95% CI 17.3 to 67.7) were strong determinants of an axSpA diagnosis. In this cohort of patients with CBP, neither the presence of numerous SpA features nor fulfilment of the ASAS classification criteria did automatically lead to a diagnosis axSpA. Positive imaging was considered particularly important in making a diagnosis of axSpA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12523217,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Body mass index. Reference values for 0-45-year-old Danes].\nOur aim was to establish body mass index (weight\/height2 [kg\/m2], BMI) reference values for 0- to 45-year-old Danes. A national sample that was used to generate the current Danish height and weight reference (29,106 measurements in 1965-1977; age 0-21 years; sample I). Four samples from Copenhagen (3391 measurements in 1981-1985; age 7-45 years; samples II and III and 2608 measurements in 1991-1994; age 6-45 years; samples IV and V). With the LMS method for smoothing the curves, Danish BMI reference values by age and sex were constructed from samples I and II. BMI values from two recently examined, but smaller, Danish cohorts (samples IV and V) were compared with the reference values to assess the secular trend in BMI. The Danish BMI reference values are presented graphically. Graphs can be downloaded from http:\/\/www.paediatri.dk. In the more recently examined samples, the mean BMI was significantly increased in children and adolescents (SD score 0.19, P = 0.0007), but unchanged in young adults (SD score 0.01, P = 0.49). For clinical purposes, we recommend comparison of the BMI of Danish children and adolescents with the present Danish reference values and new internationally based cut-off values. The BMI of Danish adults should be compared with the WHO cut-off values. Cut-off values or national or internationally used BMI reference values can be used for research, depending on the purpose.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31548413,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The NMDA receptor activation by d-serine and glycine is controlled by an astrocytic Phgdh-dependent serine shuttle.\nAstrocytes express the 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (Phgdh) enzyme required for the synthesis of l-serine from glucose. Astrocytic l-serine was proposed to regulate NMDAR activity by shuttling to neurons to sustain d-serine production, but this hypothesis remains untested. We now report that inhibition of astrocytic Phgdh suppressed the de novo synthesis of l-and d-serine and reduced the NMDAR synaptic potentials and long-term potentiation (LTP) at the Schaffer collaterals-CA1 synapse. Likewise, enzymatic removal of extracellular l-serine impaired LTP, supporting an l-serine shuttle mechanism between glia and neurons in generating the NMDAR coagonist d-serine. Moreover, deletion of serine racemase (SR) in glutamatergic neurons abrogated d-serine synthesis to the same extent as Phgdh inhibition, suggesting that neurons are the predominant source of the newly synthesized d-serine. We also found that the synaptic NMDAR activation in adult SR-knockout (KO) mice requires Phgdh-derived glycine, despite the sharp decline in the postnatal glycine levels as a result of the emergence of the glycine cleavage system. Unexpectedly, we also discovered that glycine regulates d-serine metabolism by a dual mechanism. The first consists of tonic inhibition of SR by intracellular glycine observed in vitro, primary cultures, and in vivo microdialysis. The second involves a transient glycine-induce d-serine release through the Asc-1 transporter, an effect abolished in Asc-1 KO mice and diminished by deleting SR in glutamatergic neurons. Our observations suggest that glycine is a multifaceted regulator of d-serine metabolism and implicate both d-serine and glycine in mediating NMDAR synaptic activation at the mature hippocampus through a Phgdh-dependent shuttle mechanism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33554913,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A Systems Biology Approach for Hypothesizing the Effect of Genetic Variants on Neuroimaging Features in Alzheimer's Disease.\nNeuroimaging markers provide quantitative insight into brain structure and function in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, where we lack mechanistic insights to explain pathophysiology. These mechanisms are often mediated by genes and genetic variations and are often studied through the lens of genome-wide association studies. Linking these two disparate layers (i.e., imaging and genetic variation) through causal relationships between biological entities involved in the disease's etiology would pave the way to large-scale mechanistic reasoning and interpretation. We explore how genetic variants may lead to functional alterations of intermediate molecular traits, which can further impact neuroimaging hallmarks over a series of biological processes across multiple scales. We present an approach in which knowledge pertaining to single nucleotide polymorphisms and imaging readouts is extracted from the literature, encoded in Biological Expression Language, and used in a novel workflow to assist in the functional interpretation of SNPs in a clinical context. We demonstrate our approach in a case scenario which proposes KANSL1 as a candidate gene that accounts for the clinically reported correlation between the incidence of the genetic variants and hippocampal atrophy. We find that the workflow prioritizes multiple mechanisms reported in the literature through which KANSL1 may have an impact on hippocampal atrophy such as through the dysregulation of cell proliferation, synaptic plasticity, and metabolic processes. We have presented an approach that enables pinpointing relevant genetic variants as well as investigating their functional role in biological processes spanning across several, diverse biological scales.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31977579,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Image of Electroconvulsive Therapy in YouTube Videos.\nImage of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in TV shows and movies have been studied before. However, there is no study about image of ECT on YouTube as one of the most commonly used social media platforms for disseminating health information. Our study aims to study the image of ECT in YouTube videos. Key word \"Electroconvulsive therapy and ECT\" were used to search on Youtube.com and only videos over 50,000 view counts and in English were selected. Above videos were reviewed by an ECT physician and were classified into neutral, negative, and positive groups based on the image of ECT. There were 41 YouTube videos selected based on the criteria as stated above, among which 14 were unrelated with ECT treatment, 8 were neutral, 9 were positive, and 10 were reflecting negative image about ECT. There was no significant difference among view counts of the positive, negative and neutral videos (\u03c7 = 2.746, P = 0.253). Furthermore, the most viewed 3 videos showed negative image of ECT. Additionally, only 6 videos showed the modified ECT and one showed both modified and nonmodified ECT. This is the first study conducted on image of ECT in YouTube videos. We found the stigma against ECT may persist in digital video platforms, such as YouTube.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30169978,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical translation of immunoliposomes for cancer therapy: recent perspectives.\nLiposomes have been extensively investigated as drug delivery vehicles. Immunoliposomes (ILs) are antibody-conjugated liposomes designed to selectively target antigen-expressing cells. ILs can be used to deliver drugs to tumor cells for improving efficacy and reducing toxicity. In addition, ILs can be used in immunoassays, immunotherapy, and imaging. Although there has been extensive coverage on ILs in the literature, only a limited number of clinical trials have been reported and no IL drug has been approved by the FDA. Factors to consider in developing ILs are discussed, including the choice of antibody or antibody fragment, the formulation of liposomes, and the conjugation chemistry. In addition, challenges and opportunities in clinical development of ILs are discussed. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview on the state of the art of ILs and to discuss potential future developments. IL research has had a lengthy history and numerous preclinical studies have yielded encouraging results. However, there are a number of obstacles to clinical translation of ILs. Given the unique capabilities of ILs, its potential for clinical application is underexplored. There is great potential for expanded role for ILs in the clinic and further efforts to this end are warranted. Ab: antibody; ADCs: antibody-drug conjugates; API: active pharmaceutical ingredient; ADCC: antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity; CR: complete remission; cGMP: current good manufacturing practice; DSPE: distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine; EGF: epidermal growth factor; EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor; EPR: enhanced permeability and retention; Fc: fragment crystalline; Tf: transferrin; HACA: human-anti-chimeric antibody; HAHA: human-anti-human antibody; HAMA: human-anti-mouse antibody; HER2: human epidermal growth factor 2; IL: immunoliposome; LNPs: lipid nanoparticles; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; MTD: maximum tolerated dose; PEG: polyethylene glycol; PET: positron emission tomography; PR: partial response; PSMA: prostate-specific membrane antigen; scFv: single-chain variable fragment; SPECT: single photon emission computed tomography; TTR: transthyretin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11696027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Non motor off in Parkinson's disease.\nBesides the classic motor swings, many non motor fluctuations may occur in Parkinson's disease, but the clinical spectrum and the frequency of these symptoms are not well recognized. A total of 47 parkinsonian outpatients were questioned about any symptoms associated with off state. Nine patients had no fluctuations, 16 referred only to motor fluctuations and 22 to motor fluctuations associated with non motor symptoms. Overall, these patients referred to 54 symptoms (average 2.3\/patients, range 1-6). These symptoms were classified as: autonomic (3 difficulty in swallowing, 7 hot, 11 sweat, 2 cold, 1 pallor, 1 abdominal bloating, 1 abdominal pain, 1 abdominal and genital pain, 5 bladder dysfunction, 2 feet oedema); sensory (7 sensory dyspnoea, 1 pain in lower limbs, 1 internal tremor); cognitive (3 depression, 4 anxiety, 2 panic, 1 drowsiness, 1 confusion). In patients without off periods, the length, severity and the average dosages of levodopa were fewer than in patients with fluctuations. No significant differences were found between patients with motor off and patients with associated non motor off regarding age (71.2+\/-9.6 years vs 71.6+\/-10.7 years), length of the disease (83.2+\/-38.5 months vs 95.9+\/-58.1 months), the Hoehn-Yahr (3.06+\/-0.96 vs 3.02+\/-0.96) and Webster (15.5+\/-6.99 vs 15.1+\/-5.9) scale, the dosages of levodopa (680.9+\/-238.9 mg\/die vs 679.7+\/-289.6 mg\/die), the number (2.3+\/-1.7 vs 2.8+\/-1.5) and length (6.8+\/-5.2 h vs 7.2+\/-7.1 h) of motor off. The non motor fluctuations were recognized in about 60% of patients with motor fluctuations: usually they were mild and less important than motor off, but sometimes these problems were disabling and led to unnecessary tests and therapies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24133514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"CHADS2 versus CHA2DS2-VASc score in assessing the stroke and thromboembolism risk stratification in patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nTo perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the predictive abilities of CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc in stroke and thromboembolism risk stratification of atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. We searched PubMed and EMBASE for English-language literature on comparisons of the diagnostic performance between CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc in predicting stroke, or systemic embolism, in AF. We then assessed the quality of the included studies and pooled the C-statistics and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Eight studies were included. It was unsuitable to perform a direct meta-analysis because of high heterogeneity. When analyzed as a continuous variable, the C-statistic ranged from 0.60 to 0.80 (median 0.683) for CHADS2 and 0.64-0.79 (median 0.673) for CHA2DS2-VASc. When analyzed as a continuous variable in anticoagulation patients, the subgroup analysis showed that the pooled C-statistic (95% CI) was 0.660 (0.655-0.665) for CHADS2 and 0.667 (0.651-0.683) for CHA2DS2-VASc (no significant difference). For non-anticoagulation patients, the pooled C-statistic (95% CI) was 0.685 (0.666-0.705) for CHADS2 and 0.675 (0.656-0.694) for CHA2DS2-VASc (no significant difference). The average ratio of endpoint events in the low-risk group of CHA2DS2-VASc was less than CHADS2 (0.41% vs. 0.94%, P < 0.05). The average proportion of the moderate-risk group of CHA2DS2-VASc was lower than CHADS2 (11.12% vs. 30.75%, P < 0.05). The C-statistic suggests a similar clinical utility of the CHADS2 and CHA2DS2-VASc scores in predicting stroke and thromboembolism, but CHA2DS2- VASc has the important advantage of identifying extremely low-risk patients with atrial fibrillation, as well as classifying a lower proportion of patients as moderate risk.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26042213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The effect of using different competence frameworks to audit the content of a masters program in public health.\n(1) To quantify the effect of using different public health competence frameworks to audit the curriculum of an online distance learning MPH program, and (2) to measure variation in the outcomes of the audit depending on which competence framework is used. Retrospective audit. We compared the teaching content of an online distance learning MPH program against each competence listed in different public health competence frameworks relevant to an MPH. We then compared the number of competences covered in each module in the program's teaching curriculum and in the program overall, for each of the competence frameworks used in this audit. A comprehensive search of the literature identified two competence frameworks specific to MPH programs and two for public health professional\/specialty training. The number of individual competences in each framework were 32 for the taught aspects of the UK Faculty of Public Health Specialist Training Program, 117 for the American Association of Public Health, 282 for the exam curriculum of the UK Faculty of Public Health Part A exam, and 393 for the European Core Competencies for MPH Education. This gave a total of 824 competences included in the audit. Overall, the online MPH program covered 88-96% of the competences depending on the specific framework used. This fell when the audit focused on just the three mandatory modules in the program, and the variation between the different competence frameworks was much larger. Using different competence frameworks to audit the curriculum of an MPH program can give different indications of its quality, especially as it fails to capture teaching considered to be relevant, yet not included in an existing competence framework. The strengths and weaknesses of using competence frameworks to audit the content of an MPH program have largely been ignored. These debates are vital given that external organizations responsible for accreditation specify a particular competence framework to be used. Our study found that each of four different competence frameworks suggested different levels of quality in our teaching program, at least in terms of the competences included in the curriculum. Relying on just one established framework missed some aspects of the curriculum included in other frameworks used in this study. Conversely, each framework included items not covered by the others. Thus, levels of agreement with the content of our MPH and established areas of competence were, in part, dependent on the competence framework used to compare its' content. While not entirely a surprising finding, this study makes an important point and makes explicit the challenges of selecting an appropriate competence framework to inform MPH programs, and especially one which recruits students from around the world.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15128169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Participatory approaches to improving safety and health under trade union initiative--experiences of POSITIVE training program in Asia.\nThe participatory, action-oriented training program in occupational safety and health named POSITIVE (Participation-Oriented Safety Improvements by Trade Union InitiatiVE) was established in Pakistan and extended to other countries in Asia. The steps taken in the development of the POSITIVE program included collecting local good examples in safety and health, developing an action-checklist, testing a participatory training program, and conducting follow-up activities to examine local achievements. Training manuals were compiled to provide workers with the practical, easy-to-understand information on safety and health improvements and on the positive roles of trade unions. Trade union trainers trained in the methodology conducted serial POSITIVE training workshops in Pakistan and then in Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal, the Philippines and Thailand and recently in China. These workshops resulted in many low-cost improvements at the workplace level. These improvements were carried out in the technical areas of materials handling, workstations, machine safety, physical environment, and welfare facilities. The trade union networks have been vital in reaching an increasing number of grass-root workplaces and in expanding the program to other countries. This included the visits to Mongolia and Thailand of Pakistani trade union trainers to demonstrate the POSITIVE training. The participatory training tools used in the POSITIVE program such as the action checklist and group discussion methods were commonly applied in different local situations. Participatory approaches adopted in the POSITIVE program have proven useful for providing practical problem-solving measures based on the local trade union initiative.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27893775,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Extinction Debt and Colonizer Credit on a Habitat Perturbed Fishing Bank.\nTemporal changes in occupancy of the Georges Bank (NE USA) fish and invertebrate community were examined and interpreted in the context of systems ecological theory of extinction debt (EDT). EDT posits that in a closed system with a mix of competitor and colonizer species and experiencing habitat fragmentation and loss, the competitor species will show a gradual decline in fitness (occupancy) eventually leading to their extinction (extirpation) over multiple generations. A corollary of this is a colonizer credit, where colonizer species occupancy may increase with fragmentation because the disturbance gives that life history a transient relative competitive advantage. We found that competitor species occupancy decreased in time concomitant with an increase in occupancy of colonizer species and this may be related to habitat fragmentation or loss owing to industrialized bottom trawl fishing. Mean species richness increased over time which suggests less specialization (decreased dominance) of the assemblage that may result from habitat homogenization. These analyses also showed that when abundance of species was decreased by fishing but eventually returned to previous levels, on average it had a lower occupancy than earlier in the series which could increase their vulnerability to depletion by fishing. Changing occupancy and diversity patterns of the community over time is consistent with EDT which can be exacerbated by direct impacts of fishery removals as well as climate change impacts on the fish community assemblage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24829289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ontogeny of human hepatic and intestinal transporter gene expression during childhood: age matters.\nMany drugs prescribed to children are drug transporter substrates. Drug transporters are membrane-bound proteins that mediate the cellular uptake or efflux of drugs and are important to drug absorption and elimination. Very limited data are available on the effect of age on transporter expression. Our study assessed age-related gene expression of hepatic and intestinal drug transporters. Multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2), organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1), and OATP1B3 expression was determined in postmortem liver samples (fetal n = 6, neonatal n = 19, infant n = 7, child n = 2, adult n = 11) and multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) expression in 61 pediatric liver samples. Intestinal expression of MDR1, MRP2, and OATP2B1 was determined in surgical small bowel samples (neonates n = 15, infants n = 3, adults n = 14). Using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, we measured fetal and pediatric gene expression relative to 18S rRNA (liver) and villin (intestines), and we compared it with adults using the 2(-\u2206\u2206Ct) method. Hepatic expression of MRP2, OATP1B1, and OATP1B3 in all pediatric age groups was significantly lower than in adults. Hepatic MDR1 mRNA expression in fetuses, neonates, and infants was significantly lower than in adults. Neonatal intestinal expressions of MDR1 and MRP2 were comparable to those in adults. Intestinal OATP2B1 expression in neonates was significantly higher than in adults. We provide new data that show organ- and transporter-dependent differences in hepatic and intestinal drug transporter expression in an age-dependent fashion. This suggests that substrate drug absorption mediated by these transporters may be subject to age-related variation in a transporter dependent pattern.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14325269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":5}}},"text":"ABUNDANT MICROORGANISM IN SOIL.\nThe presence in soil of large numbers of a catalase-negative, microaerophilic, coccoid microorganism was demonstrated. Use of media of high nutrient value, without incorporation of inhibitors, and growth in the absence of antagonistic microorganisms were utilized to isolate this organism from soil dilutions greater than those providing growth by other means. The organism described does not grow on soil extract agars and is missed by conventional counting techniques for soil organisms. On the basis of morphological and growth characteristics, this organism appears to have at least some taxonomic relationships to the families Actinomycetaceae and Mycobacteriaceae. It is proposed that this organism makes up much of the coccoid microflora of soil as observed by light and ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16596380,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Penetration of beta-naphthylamine and o-toluidine through human skin in vitro.\nSeveral aromatic amines (AAs) are known to be carcinogens for humans. AAs are considered to be substantially absorbed through the skin. However, the database for dermal absorption of AAs in general is limited and no specific studies on dermal absorption of beta-naphthylamine (BNA) and o-toluidine (OT) have been published. In the present study using diffusion cells, we investigated dermal penetration of BNA and OT through human skin. We have demonstrated that both AAs penetrate through human skin fast (lag time: approximately 1.2 vs. 0.8 h) and in high percentages (54 vs. 50%, respectively, of the applied dose within 24 h). A skin notation is therefore justified for these substances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30758368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Stretchable and transparent nanofiber-networked electrodes based on nanocomposites of polyurethane\/reduced graphene oxide\/silver nanoparticles with high dispersion and fused junctions.\nCreating stretchable and transparent conductive electrodes for stretchable and transparent electronics is very challenging due to difficulties in obtaining adequate optical and mechanical properties simultaneously. Here, we designed a stretchable and transparent nanofiber-networked electrode (STNNE) based on a networked structure of electrospun stretchable nanofibers made from a mixture of polyurethane (PU)\/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)\/silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The STNNE showed a sheet resistance as small as 210 \u03a9 sq-1 at an optical transparency of \u223c83%. In addition, the STNNE has up to 40% mechanical stretchability and relatively high electrical stability (i.e., a resistance change of 83% at 40% stretching). The good electrical conductance, mechanical stretchability, and electrical stability under static\/dynamic stretching or after cyclic stretching are attributed to the high dispersion of AgNPs in the nanofibers, which creates more electrically conductive pathways and forms fused junctions at the intersections between nanofibers during electrospinning. As a demonstration, an STNNE with a simple selective-patterning process was employed to fabricate a stretchable capacitive touch sensor with a stretchable and transparent dielectric (PU) on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The signal output of the touch sensor upon touching under stretched conditions was nearly unchanged. This STNNE has great potential in stretchable and transparent electronics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17892630,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Emergence of increasing linezolid-resistance in enterococci in a post-outbreak situation with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.\nDuring 2004 and at the start of 2005 a university hospital in Southwest Germany was affected by an extensive outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). Although the outbreak was contained, linezolid-resistant enterococci emerged during and after the outbreak as the usage of linezolid became more common. Linezolid resistance was no longer limited to VRE. Nosocomial spread of linezolid-resistant but vancomycin-susceptible E. faecium was detected and these strains also emerged in patients without prior drug exposure. Linezolid should therefore be used with caution and the susceptibility of isolates monitored over time. Isolation precautions and screening of contacts should be considered to avoid spread of resistant isolates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26552263,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Population dynamics of a northern-adapted mammal: disentangling the influence of predation and climate change.\nCommunity structure and interspecific interactions are particularly vulnerable to rapidly changing climatic regimes. Recent changes in both climate and vertebrate community assemblages have created a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of two dynamic forces on population regulation. We examined the effects of warming winter conditions and the reestablishment of a previously extirpated predator, the fisher (Martes pennanti), on regulatory mechanisms in a northern-adapted mammal, the porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), along their southern range boundary. Using a long-term (17-year) capture-recapture data set, we (1) quantified the impacts of climate change and increased fisher predation on the survival of adult porcupines at their regional southern terminus, (2) assessed recruitment (via both adult fecundity and juvenile survival) of porcupines, and (3) modeled the relative importance of predation and winter conditions on the demography and population growth rate (\u03bb). Severe winters and abundant predators interacted synergistically to reduce adult survivorship by as much as 44%, while expanding predator populations led to near reproductive failure among porcupines. Increasing predatory pressure, disruptions in this community module, and more frequent extreme winter weather events led to predicted extirpation within 50 years, whereas in the absence of predators, the population was viable. Our results provide a mechanistic understanding behind distributional shifts resulting from climate change and may be broadly relevant for predicting future distributional shifts in other northern-adapted mammalian species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17607152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Congenital cholesteatoma of the mastoid temporal bone.\nCongenital mastoid cholesteatomas are rare lesions of the temporal bone. The clinical presentation of these lesions is variable, making them difficult to identify preoperatively. We evaluated our series of mastoid congenital cholesteatomas (CCs) in an effort to better define the clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, and surgical challenges specific to this lesion. Retrospective chart and radiologic study review. The medical records of patients with the diagnosis of mastoid CC on radiologic imaging over a 15-year period were reviewed. All had surgical and pathologic confirmation. Eight patients underwent preoperative computed tomography (CT). Six also underwent magnetic resonance (MR) scanning. Demographic information, clinical presentation, imaging results, and operative findings were recorded. Nine patients with the diagnosis of mastoid CC satisfying the inclusion criteria were found. Clinical findings were variable, with the most common presentation being an incidental finding. Imaging findings were more uniform. All CT scans demonstrated an expansile, well-circumscribed mass centered within the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. All MR scans showed a well-circumscribed mass with high intensity on T2-weighted images with precontrasted T1 sequences showing the lesion to be isointense or slightly hyperintense to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Operative findings included lateral mastoid cortex erosion, sigmoid sinus exposure, ossicular destruction, facial nerve exposure, and associated postauricular abscess. Management of these lesions is reviewed. Congenital mastoid cholesteatomas have a variable and nonspecific clinical presentation. Surgical challenges arise from the indolent nature of this clinical entity, which belies the extent of otologic involvement. Imaging with CT and magnetic resonance imaging are diagnostic, defines the extent of these lesions, and facilitates preoperative surgical planning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17911980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Neuroimaging and APOE genotype: a systematic qualitative review.\nApolipoprotein E (APOE) is the major genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has also been implicated in cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and cognitive changes in healthy ageing. The aim of this paper is to systematically review and critically assess the association between the APOE genotype and structural\/functional cerebral changes as evidenced by brain imaging studies. A second aim is to determine whether these observed associations between APOE and the brain reflect changes which are consistent with the progression of AD neurodegenerative changes described in Braak stages. A search of Pubmed, Psycinfo, and Web of Science databases identified 64 articles available for qualitative review. The review found that presence of the APOE epsilon4 allele is associated with (1) hippocampal, amygdalar and entorhinal cortex atrophy, (2) increased brain atrophy, (3) increased white matter hyperintensity volumes and (4) altered cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism patterns. It is possible that there are critical age ranges when these effects are evident and that the APOE epsilon2 genotype might present a risk. We conclude that structural brain change is associated with the APOE genotype and that it is more salient in younger ageing individuals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21440039,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"High levels of histidine decarboxylase in the striatum of mice and rats.\nThe neurotransmitter histamine is produced in the tuberomamillary nucleus of the posterior hypothalamus; these neurons project broadly throughout central nervous system. Histidine decarboxylase (HDC) synthesizes histamine from histidine; in the brain, its mRNA is expressed exclusively in the posterior hypothalamus. Histamine receptors are expressed throughout the forebrain, including in cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia, suggesting functional innervation of these structures. We investigated the distribution of HDC protein in dissected tissue from mouse and rat, anticipating that it would reflect the density of hypothalamic histaminergic axonal projections and thus qualitatively parallel the known distribution of histamine receptors. HDC protein was found at high levels in hypothalamus, as anticipated. Surprisingly, it was found at comparably high levels in mouse striatum. HDC protein was 10-fold lower in cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Specificity of HDC detection by Western blot was confirmed using HDC knockout mice. Similar high levels of HDC protein were found in dissected striatum from rat. Striatum does not, however, contain comparably elevated of histamine, relative to other forebrain structures; we confirmed this fact using HPLC. This discrepancy between HDC protein and histamine levels in the striatum suggests that histamine metabolism and neurotransmission in basal ganglia may have unique characteristics, the details of which remain to be elucidated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23217626,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Cryo-electron tomography of bacterial viruses.\nBacteriophage particles contain both simple and complex macromolecular assemblages and machines that enable them to regulate the infection process under diverse environmental conditions with a broad range of bacterial hosts. Recent developments in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) make it possible to observe the interactions of bacteriophages with their host cells under native-state conditions at unprecedented resolution and in three-dimensions. This review describes the application of cryo-ET to studies of bacteriophage attachment, genome ejection, assembly and egress. Current topics of investigation and future directions in the field are also discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10870710,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Precision estimation and imaging of normal and shear components of the 3D strain tensor in elastography.\nIn elastography we have previously developed a tracking and correction method that estimates the axial and lateral strain components along and perpendicular to the compressor\/scanning axis following an externally applied compression. However, the resulting motion is a three-dimensional problem. Therefore, in order to fully describe this motion we need to consider a 3D model and estimate all three principal strain components, i.e. axial, lateral and elevational (out-of-plane), for a full 3D tensor description. Since motion is coupled in all three dimensions, the three motion components have to be decoupled prior to their estimation. In this paper, we describe a method that estimates and corrects motion in three dimensions, which is an extension of the 2D motion tracking and correction method discussed before. In a similar way as in the 2D motion estimation, and by assuming that ultrasonic frames are available in more than one parallel elevational plane, we used methods of interpolation and cross-correlation between elevationally displaced RF echo segments to estimate the elevational displacement and strain. In addition, the axial, lateral and elevational displacements were used to estimate all three shear strain components that, together with the normal strain estimates, fully describe the full 3D normal strain tensor resulting from the uniform compression. Results of this method from three-dimensional finite-element simulations are shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28058247,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Microbiological contamination in Three Large-Scale Pig Slaughterhouses in Northern Italy.\nThe aim of this survey was to obtain data on microbiological contamination of pig carcasses and environments in three large-scale Italian slaughterhouses (identified as A-B-C) located in Northern Italy. Each slaughterhouse was visited six times. Five carcasses and three different sites of the slaughterhouse (before and during slaughter) were sampled on each sampling day. A single pooled caecal sample was taken on each sampling day. A total of 90 carcasses, 108 environmental samples and 18 caecal samples were collected. Samples from pig carcasses and slaughterhouse environment were analyzed for total viable count (TVC), Enterobacteriaceae count (EBC) and Salmonella. The caecal contents were examined for Salmonella. Carcasses from slaughterhouse A presented the greatest TVC and EBC mean log value, whereas environmental samples collected during slaughter activities from slaughterhouse C showed the greatest TVC and EBC mean log value. As far as the environmental samples collected before slaughter activities are concerned, an average up to 6 log10 colony forming unit (CFU)\/cm2 TVC in two slaughter plants (A and C) and 5 log10 CFU\/cm2 TVC in one slaughter plant (B) was detected. Salmonella was recovered in two slaughterhouses (A and B). Four different Salmonella serotypes were detected in the positive samples (11). Within serotype S. Rissen and S. Typhimurium monophasic-variant isolates, two pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns were identified. The findings in this survey suggest that carcass contamination is influenced by the slaughterhouse plant and this could be a result of differences in line speed. The results of environmental sampling have not shown an association with the slaughterhouse plant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25030780,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Differences in survival associated with processed and with nonprocessed red meat consumption.\nHigh red meat consumption is associated with an increased mortality risk. This association is partly explained by the negative effect of processed meat consumption, which is widely established. The role of nonprocessed meat is unclear. The objective was to examine the combined association of processed and nonprocessed meat consumption with survival in a Swedish large prospective cohort. In a population-based cohort of 74,645 Swedish men (40,089) and women (34,556), red meat consumption was assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. We estimated differences in survival [15th percentile differences (PDs), differences in the time by which the first 15% of the cohort died] according to levels of total red meat and combined levels of processed and nonprocessed red meat consumption. During 15 y of follow-up (January 1998 to December 2012), we documented 16,683 deaths (6948 women; 9735 men). Compared with no consumption, consumption of red meat >100 g\/d was progressively associated with shorter survival--up to 2 y for participants consuming an average of 300 g\/d (15th PD: -21 mo; 95% CI: -31, -10). Compared with no consumption, high consumption of processed red meat (100 g\/d) was associated with shorter survival (15th PD: -9 mo; 95% CI: -16, -2). High and moderate intakes of nonprocessed red meat were associated with shorter survival only when accompanied by a high intake of processed red meat. We found that high total red meat consumption was associated with progressively shorter survival, largely because of the consumption of processed red meat. Consumption of nonprocessed red meat alone was not associated with shorter survival.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22566733,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Jervell and Lange-Nielson Syndrome masquerading as intractable epilepsy.\nThe long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cause of syncope and sudden death. Jervell and Lange-Nielson syndrome (JLNS) is an uncommon form of LQTS, having autosomal recessive transmission, and is associated with congenital deafness. We report a case of JLNS in a child who presented to us with refractory epilepsy. The cardiac cause of seizures was suspected as the child was hypotensive and pulseless during the episode of seizures. The child was diagnosed as JLNS based on Schwartz diagnostic criteria for LQTS and congenital sensorineural deafness. The child responded well to \u03b2-blocker therapy. Antiepileptic drugs were stopped. The screening of family members with ECG revealed a QT interval more than required for diagnosis of LQTS but they were asymptomatic. All asymptomatic family members were also put on metoprolol. All of them showed great improvement with the reduction of the QT interval on ECG. The patient was doing well on immediate follow-up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27246228,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Effect of Lipoaspirates on Human Keratinocytes.\nOne increasingly important trend in plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery is the use of fat grafts to improve cutaneous wound healing. In clinical practice, lipoaspirates (adipose tissue harvested by liposuction) are re-injected in a procedure called lipofilling. Previous studies, however, mainly evaluated the regenerative effect of isolated adipocytes, adipose-derived stem cells, and excised en bloc adipose tissue on keratinocytes, whereas no study to date has examined the effect of lipoaspirates. The authors aimed to investigate differences in the regenerative property of en bloc adipose tissue and lipoaspirates on keratinocytes. Human keratinocytes, lipoaspirates, and en bloc adipose tissue from 36 healthy donors were isolated. In vitro proliferation, differentiation, migration, stratification, and wound healing of keratinocyte monolayers were measured. Furthermore, secreted levels of VEGF, bFGF, IGF-1, MMP-9, and MIF were detected by ELISA. Migration, proliferation, and wound healing of keratinocytes were increased by lipoaspirates. Interestingly, the effect of lipoaspirates on keratinocyte proliferation was significantly higher than by en bloc adipose tissue after 5 days. The differentiation of keratinocytes was equally attenuated by lipoaspirates and en bloc adipose tissue. Stratification of keratinocyte layers was enhanced by lipoaspirates and en bloc fat when compared to controls. Lipoaspirates secrete higher levels of bFGF, whereas higher levels of VEGF and IGF-1 are released by en bloc adipose tissue. We show that lipoaspirates and en bloc adipose tissue have a regenerative effect on keratinocytes. One reason for the higher effect of lipoaspirates on keratinocyte proliferation may be the secretion of different cytokines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1709374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characterization of the binding domains on platelet glycoproteins Ib-IX and IIb\/IIIa complexes for the quinine\/quinidine-dependent antibodies.\nSera of 12 patients with quinine\/quinidine-induced thrombocytopenia showed drug-dependent antibody binding to glycoprotein (GP) Ib-IX complex. The reaction with GPIb-IX complex of 11 of these 12 sera was strongly inhibited by the complex-specific monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) AK1 and SZ1. The exception was a quinine-induced serum designated BU. The reaction of the six quinidine-induced sera was also partially blocked by an anti-GPIX MoAb, FMC25. Only 3 of the 12 patient sera showed drug-dependent antibody binding to GPIIb\/IIIa, which was strongly inhibited by the anti-GPIIIa MoAb 22C4, and the anti-GPIIb alpha MoAb SZ22. With detergent-solubilized Serratia metalloprotease-treated platelets, quinine\/quinidine-induced sera, except BU, immunoprecipitated a membrane-bound proteolytic fragment of GPIb-IX complex. In contrast, BU immunoprecipitated glycocalicin and a 40-Kd peptide tail fragment of GPIb alpha from the cell supernatant. Using purified GPIb-IX complex or its components as the target antigen, all the quinine-induced sera, except BU, immunoprecipitated GPIb-IX complex but failed to immunoprecipitate GPIb, GPIX, or the complex reformed from GPIb and GPIX. The quinidine-induced sera strongly immunoprecipitated purified GPIb-IX complex, weakly immunoprecipitated purified GPIX and the recombined complex, but did not immunoprecipitate purified GPIb. The combined data suggest that one quinine-dependent antibody (BU) recognizes an epitope in the peptide tail region of GPIb alpha and the other five quinine-dependent antibodies react with a complex-specific epitope on the membrane-associated region of GPIb-IX complex, whereas each of the six quinidine-induced sera contain two drug-dependent antibodies, one reactive with the GPIb-IX complex-specific epitope and the other reactive with GPIX. The binding domain(s) on GPIIb\/IIIa for the quinine\/quinidine-dependent antibodies appear to be sterically close to the epitopes for 22C4 and SZ22.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17603910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Integrated olfactory receptor and microarray gene expression databases.\nGene expression patterns of olfactory receptors (ORs) are an important component of the signal encoding mechanism in the olfactory system since they determine the interactions between odorant ligands and sensory neurons. We have developed the Olfactory Receptor Microarray Database (ORMD) to house OR gene expression data. ORMD is integrated with the Olfactory Receptor Database (ORDB), which is a key repository of OR gene information. Both databases aim to aid experimental research related to olfaction. ORMD is a Web-accessible database that provides a secure data repository for OR microarray experiments. It contains both publicly available and private data; accessing the latter requires authenticated login. The ORMD is designed to allow users to not only deposit gene expression data but also manage their projects\/experiments. For example, contributors can choose whether to make their datasets public. For each experiment, users can download the raw data files and view and export the gene expression data. For each OR gene being probed in a microarray experiment, a hyperlink to that gene in ORDB provides access to genomic and proteomic information related to the corresponding olfactory receptor. Individual ORs archived in ORDB are also linked to ORMD, allowing users access to the related microarray gene expression data. ORMD serves as a data repository and project management system. It facilitates the study of microarray experiments of gene expression in the olfactory system. In conjunction with ORDB, ORMD integrates gene expression data with the genomic and functional data of ORs, and is thus a useful resource for both olfactory researchers and the public.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30072537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Quantification of drought during the collapse of the classic Maya civilization.\nThe demise of Lowland Classic Maya civilization during the Terminal Classic Period (~800 to 1000 CE) is a well-cited example of how past climate may have affected ancient societies. Attempts to estimate the magnitude of hydrologic change, however, have met with equivocal success because of the qualitative and indirect nature of available climate proxy data. We reconstructed the past isotopic composition (\u03b418O, \u03b4D, 17O-excess, and d-excess) of water in Lake Chichancanab, Mexico, using a technique that involves isotopic analysis of the structurally bound water in sedimentary gypsum, which was deposited under drought conditions. The triple oxygen and hydrogen isotope data provide a direct measure of past changes in lake hydrology. We modeled the data and conclude that annual precipitation decreased between 41 and 54% (with intervals of up to 70% rainfall reduction during peak drought conditions) and that relative humidity declined by 2 to 7% compared to present-day conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19803122,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Characteristics of silk fiber with and without sericin component: a comparison between Bombyx mori and Philosamia ricini silks.\nThe study aimed to investigate and compare some characteristics of Bombyx mori and Eri (Philosamia ricini) silks in different forms; with and without sericin. The protein contents were measured and find out the composition of the silk fibroin and sericin proteins by Lowry method. The secondary structure and thermal behavior of all kind of silk were determined by FT-IR and TA instrument, respectively. The B. mori composed of more amount of sericin content than that of Eri silk. FT-IR spectra indicated that the Eri silk was similar profile of silk with and without sericin, whereas B. mori silk showed dramatically differed. With sericin, B. mori composed of higher ratio random coil and alpha-helix structures than beta-structure. With thermogravimetric analysis, both B. mori and Eri silk fibers without sericin showed higher stability than that silk fiber with sericin. This is due to the crystalline region of hydrophobic amino acid composed in the fibroin core protein. The differential scanning calorimetry thermogram of B. mori was differed from Eri silk fiber. It is a promising that characteristics of the silk were influenced by both silk components and silk varieties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19909406,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2017-13":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Systematic review on the effect of rinsing with povidone-iodine during nonsurgical periodontal therapy.\nThe existing literature is inconsistent regarding whether there is any additional effect of povidone-iodine (PVP-iodine) as an adjunctive to scaling and root planing, and, if there is an effect, what its size is. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the additional effect of PVP-iodine as an adjunct to scaling and root planing compared with water, saline or no rinse in the treatment of chronic periodontitis. An electronic literature search of the databases PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Library, and a handsearch, were performed (up to November 2008). Two reviewers independently identified and selected screened abstracts for possible inclusion, and assessed randomized, controlled clinical trials comparing the additional benefit of PVP-iodine with water, saline rinsing or no rinsing in the nonsurgical periodontal therapy of patients with chronic periodontitis. A fixed-effects meta-analysis was conducted in the absence of statistically significant heterogeneity. A small, but statistically significant additional beneficial effect of the adjunctive use of PVP-iodine with enhanced probing pocket depth reductions of 0.28 mm (95% confidence interval: 0.08 to 0.48, p = 0.007) was found. There was no significant heterogeneity between studies (I(2) = 0%). However, most of the studies included in the meta-analysis were of low quality, and the treatment modalities showed various differences such as the use of PVP-iodine at different concentrations and application modalities. Nevertheless, single-rooted teeth, in particular, showed an additional benefit after scaling and root planing with PVP-iodine, particularly when the treatment was repeated during the healing stage. The adjunctive use of PVP-iodine during scaling and root planing may increase the clinical pocket depth reduction, although the clinical significance is small to moderate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8926879,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Poisoning by organophosphate insecticides. A case related to carbamate].\nPoisonings due to organophosphate insecticides are a common accident with serious consequences in Vietnam. In this report we describe a case due to ingestion of carbamate by a 4 years old boy. Muscarinic and nicotinic manifestations appeared within 90 minutes after ingestion. In addition to evacuation of the stomach and oxygenotherapy, treatment consisted of high dose atropine: 1,396 capsules in 18 days (349 mg). The authors review the mechanisms of poisoning which leads to accumulation of acetylcholine in nerve endings and emphasize the need for preventive measures in developing countries where use of this type of insecticide is widespread.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8105550,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[\"Double porphyrias\" (a review of the literature and case report)].\nThe authors review literature data on porphyrias with combining enzymopathies in heme biosynthesis system, report a case of porphyria cutanea tarda and porphyria variegata registered simultaneously in a male patient clinically and confirmed biochemically. The patient's mother had elevated levels of fecal protoporphyrin suggesting latent porphyria variegata. Biochemical criteria of double porphyrias are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":638553,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Assessment of patients with suspected viral haemorrhagic fever.\nWe reviewed our two-year (1967-7) experience of patients who might have had an African-derived haemorrhagic fever: only two out of 46 suspects had such infections, and these were successfully contained. Malaria was the most frequent diagnosis in these patients recently returned from Africa, especially if malarial prophylaxis had been inadequate. Altogether 26% of patients had become ill before travelling to Britain. It is impossible to ensure absolute safety even with draconian measures, but the degree of isolation recommended (based on epidemiological factors that included return from Africa within the previous three weeks, visiting country districts, exposure to possible cases, or infected material and illness despite adequate malarial prophylaxis) has proved effective and acceptable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35401384,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"How Classy Servant Leader at Workplace? Linking Servant Leadership and Task Performance During the COVID-19 Crisis: A Moderation and Mediation Approach.\nThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused a record global crisis, particularly and extremely, for the service sectors. Due to extensive security measures, many service sector employees have to work remotely to maintain services. Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory, this research investigates the impact of servant leadership on the task performance of employees in virtual working environments during the COVID-19 crisis. Our theoretical model was tested using data collected from 335 individual employees in the education sector of Pakistan. SPSS version 26.0 was applied to find the hypothesized relationship between the study variables. To find the indirect mediating effect, we applied Model 4; for moderation, we applied Model 1; and for the moderation and mediation effect, we applied Model 7 of the Process Macro model of Hayes. The results of the study revealed that servant leadership is positively related to task performance in a virtual environment during crises. Furthermore, psychological empowerment partially mediates the relationship between servant leadership and task performance. Perceived supervisor support positively moderates the relationship between servant leadership and task performance. Moreover, the indirect effect of servant leadership on task performance via psychological empowerment is moderated by perceived supervisor support. The results provided guidance to the educational sector on how to lead effectively in times of crisis when service sector employees work predominantly in virtual environments. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31829241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Introduction of primary screening using high-risk HPV DNA detection in the Dutch cervical cancer screening programme: a population-based cohort study.\nIn January 2017, the Dutch cervical cancer screening programme transitioned from cytomorphological to primary high-risk HPV (hrHPV) DNA screening, including the introduction of self-sampling, for women aged between 30 and 60 years. The Netherlands was the first country to switch to hrHPV screening at the national level. We investigated the health impact of this transition by comparing performance indicators from the new hrHPV-based programme with the previous cytology-based programme. We obtained data from the Dutch nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology (PALGA) for 454,573 women eligible for screening in 2017 who participated in the hrHPV-based programme between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2018 (maximum follow-up of almost 21 months) and for 483,146 women eligible for screening in 2015 who participated in the cytology-based programme between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2016 (maximum follow-up of 40 months). We compared indicators of participation (participation rate), referral (screen positivity; referral rate) and detection (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) detection; number of referrals per detected CIN lesion). Participation in the hrHPV-based programme was significantly lower than that in the cytology-based programme (61% vs 64%). Screen positivity and direct referral rates were significantly higher in the hrHPV-based programme (positivity rate: 5% vs 9%; referral rate: 1% vs 3%). CIN2+ detection increased from 11 to 14 per 1000 women screened. Overall, approximately 2.2 times more clinical irrelevant findings (i.e. \u2264CIN1) were found in the hrHPV-based programme, compared with approximately 1\u00b73 times more clinically relevant findings (i.e. CIN2+); this difference was mostly due to a national policy change recommending colposcopy, rather than observation, of hrHPV-positive, ASC-US\/LSIL results in the hrHPV-based programme. This is the first time that comprehensive results of nationwide implementation of hrHPV-based screening have been reported using high-quality data with a long follow-up. We have shown that both benefits and potential harms are higher in one screening round of a well-implemented hrHPV-based screening programme than in an established cytology-based programme. Lower participation in the new hrHPV programme may be due to factors such as invitation policy changes and the phased roll-out of the new programme. Our findings add further to evidence from trials and modelling studies on the effectiveness of hrHPV-based screening.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23254635,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Low-abundant cerebrospinal fluid proteome alterations in dementia with Lewy bodies.\nDementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and shares multiple clinical and neuropathological parallels with Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). A variety of clinical signs are suggestive for the diagnosis, and imaging (\u03b2CIT SPECT) contributes substantially to the diagnosis. The study reported here was performed in search for a biomarker in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of these patients. We applied 2D fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry to analyze the CSF proteome pattern of DLB patients after depleting twelve high-abundant proteins. The densitometric analysis of 2D gels showed the up- or down-regulation of 44 protein spots. Subsequently, 23 different proteins were identified. The majority is involved in acute phase and immune response. Many of these proteins were previously reported before as being associated with AD or PD, which strongly suggests a molecular cross-talk and may explain clinical and pathological overlap of these disease entities. Among the identified proteins are two highly upregulated proteins-inter alpha trypsin inhibitor heavy chain (ITIH4) and calsyntenin 1-that may have the potential to serve as molecular biomarkers specific for DLB. The identification of DLB-associated proteome changes will help to further understand pathological processes occurring in DLB and may provide future prospects to diagnostic and therapeutic options.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15104488,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"New beta-caryophyllene-derived terpenoids from the soft coral Sinularia nanolobata.\nTwo new norsesquiterpenoids, nanonorcaryophyllenes A (1) and B (2), two new diterpenoids, nanolobatins A (3) and B (4), and a novel norditerpenoid, nanolobatin C (5), were isolated from the n-hexane extract of the Taiwanese soft coral Sinularia nanolobata. Also, two new furanone derivatives, 6 and 7, were isolated for the first time from natural sources. The structures of 1-5 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses and by comparison of the spectral data with those of the related metabolites. Nanonorcaryophyllenes A (1) and B (2) were characterized as 13-norcaryophyllenes that lack a methyl group at C-11, while nanolobatin C (5) represents the first example of a xeniaphyllane-based 17-norditerpenoid. The cytotoxicity of 1-6 against the growth of a limited panel of cancer cell lines is also described.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8089984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Endoscopy and radiocontrast methods in the diagnosis of jaundice].\nThe authors studied the diagnostic possibilities of gastroduodenoscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCPG), fibrocholangioscopy, and operative cholangiography in 235 patients with obstructive jaundice of various genesis. Most frequently the first method to be applied was gastroduodenoscopy, which made it possible to identify the cause of the obstruction in 36 (15.9%) patients. ERCPG revealed the cause of obstructive jaundice in most cases (96.7%), but its results coincided with the operative findings completely only in 72.2% of cases. Operative fibrocholangioscopy was conducted in 164 patients wand showed that in 56 (34.1%) the stones had not been removed; in 22 patients the stones were in the intrahepatic bile ducts and were revealed only by cholangioscopy, in 34 patients stones were found in the terminal part of the choledochus in 6 of these cases previous probing did not reveal impaired passage into the duodenum. Analysis of the results of the study provide evidence that preoperative methods of examination are very sensitive in identification of the causes of jaundice, but intraoperative methods of examination are decisive in the choice of the operative management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22211362,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Ovarian response to oestrous synchronization protocol based on use of reduced doses of cloprostenol in cyclic goats.\nThe objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of two reduced doses vs a high\/luteolytic dose of cloprostenol on luteolytic activity and synchronization of oestrus in cyclic goats. Experiment 1, included 24 goats randomly allocated to three groups: control group (group H) received a single high dose of cloprostenol (87.5 \u03bcg; 1.0 ml; i.m.) and M and L groups, which received half (43.75 \u03bcg; 0.5 ml) and a third (26.25 \u03bcg; 0.3 ml) of the highest dose, respectively. Experiment 2, included 24 goats randomly assigned to the same experimental groups. Each group was treated using two injections of cloprostenol administered 10 days apart to synchronize oestrus. Transrectal ultrasonographic scanning (US) was performed to detect the presence, size and development of corpora lutea and ovarian follicles. Furthermore, detection of oestrus was performed every 12 h between 24 and 72 h after the second injection of cloprostenol, and the luteolytic effect was verified by US. In Experiment 1, all goats that had corpora lutea at timing of treatment regressed their corpora lutea. In Experiment 2, the occurrence of oestrus and the interval between treatment to onset of oestrus were: 100%, 49.5 \u00b1 3.0 h; 100%, 51.0 \u00b1 3.0 h; and 75%, 56.0 \u00b1 3.5 h for H, M and L groups, respectively. The development of preovulatory follicles and occurrence of subsequent corpora lutea were similar among groups. In summary, the use of 26.25 \u03bcg of cloprostenol is effective for the synchronization of oestrus in cyclic goats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26219552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Pain medication use after spine surgery: is it assessed in the literature? A systematic review, January 2000-December 2009.\nSpine surgery is one of the most difficult areas in which to achieve a good clinical outcome and pain medication is often used for a long period of time after surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether pain medication use after spine surgery has been assessed previously with respect to clinical outcome. A systematic review of PubMed\/MEDLINE databases was conducted from Jan 1st 2000 to Dec 31st 2009 using the search key words, \"spine surgery\" and \"clinical outcome.\" All publications reporting clinical outcomes were examined and analyzed for outcome measures and data with respect to pain medication use after spine surgery. In total 990 articles met the inclusion criteria. Among them, 56 articles (5.7%) described definitive pain medication use after spine surgery; 98 articles (9.9%) used clinical outcome measures that incorporate pain medication assessment, although only one such study included a definitive description of pain medication use. Pain medication use after spine surgery was assessed in 15.5% of articles published during the last decade. The use of pain medication following spine surgery can affect clinical outcome and, therefore, needs to be taken into consideration for clinical assessment. In future studies, a detailed description of pain medication use and\/or clinical outcome measures that incorporate pain medication assessment are advocated when reporting clinical outcomes after spine surgery so that it can be better assessed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22052998,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In vitro and in vivo molecular imaging of estrogen receptor \u03b1 and \u03b2 homo- and heterodimerization: exploration of new modes of receptor regulation.\nEstrogen receptor (ER) biology reflects the actions of estrogens through the two receptors, ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2, although little is known regarding the preference for formation of ER homo- vs. heterodimers, and how this is affected by the level of ligand occupancy and preferential ligand affinity for one of the ER subtypes. In this report, we use a split optical reporter-protein complementation system to demonstrate the physical interaction between ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2 in response to different ER ligands in cells and, for the first time, by in vivo imaging in living animals. The genetically encoded reporter vectors constructed with the ligand-binding domains of ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2, fused to split firefly or Renilla luciferase (Fluc or hRluc) fragments, were used for this study. This molecular proteomic technique was used to detect ER\u03b1\/ER\u03b1 or ER\u03b2\/ER\u03b2 homodimerization, or ER\u03b1\/ER\u03b2 heterodimerization induced by ER subtype-selective and nonselective ligands, and selective ER modulators (SERM), as well as in dimers in which one mutant monomer was unable to bind estradiol. The SERM-bound ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2 form the strongest dimers, and subtype-preferential homodimerization was seen with ER\u03b1-selective ligands (methyl piperidino pyrazole\/propyl pyrazole triol) and the ER\u03b2-selective ligands (diarylpropionitrile\/tetrahydrochrysene\/genistein). We also demonstrated that a single ligand-bound monomer can form homo- or heterodimers with an apo-monomer. Xenografts of human embryonic kidney 293T cells imaged in living mice by bioluminescence showed real-time ligand induction of ER\u03b1\/ER\u03b2 heterodimerization and reversal of dimerization upon ligand withdrawal. The results from this study demonstrate the value of the split luciferase-based complementation system for studying ER-subtype interactions in cells and for evaluating them in living animals by noninvasive imaging. They also probe what combinations of ER\u03b1 and ER\u03b2 dimers might be the mediators of the effects of different types of ER ligands given at different doses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17467902,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Disuse and physical deconditioning in the first year after the onset of back pain.\nFor years, physical deconditioning has been thought to be both a cause and a result of back pain. As a consequence physical reconditioning has been proposed as treatment-goal in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP). However, it is still unclear whether a patient's physical fitness level really decreases after pain-onset. The objectives of the present study were, firstly, to test the assumption that long-term non-specific LBP leads to a decrease of the level of physical activity (disuse), secondly, to evaluate any development of physical deconditioning as a result of disuse in CLBP, and thirdly, to evaluate predictors for disuse in CLBP. A longitudinal cohort study over one year including 124 patients with sub-acute LBP (i.e., 4-7 weeks after pain onset) was performed. Main outcome measures were change in physical activity level (PAL) and physical fitness (measured by changes in body weight, body fat and muscle strength) over one year. Hypothesized predictors for disuse were: pain catastrophizing; fear of movement; depression; physical activity decline; the perceived level of disability and PAL prior to pain. Results showed that only in a subgroup of patients a PAL-decrease had occurred after the onset of pain, whereas no signs of physical deconditioning were found. Negative affect and the patients' perceived physical activity decline in the subacute phase predicted a decreased level of PAL over one year. Based on these results, we conclude that as to the assumption that patients with CLBP suffer from disuse and physical deconditioning empirical evidence is still lacking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26542765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Endoscopic sphincterotomy and cholecystectomy in acute biliary pancreatitis.\nThis review discusses current insights with regard to biliary tract management during and after acute biliary pancreatitis. A MEDLINE and EMBASE search was done and studies were selected based on methodological quality and publication date. The recommendations of recent guidelines are incorporated in this review. In absence of consensus in the literature, expert opinion is expressed. There is no role for early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in patients with (predicted) mild biliary pancreatitis to improve outcome. In case of persisting choledocholithiasis, ERCP with stone extraction is scheduled electively when the acute event has subsided. Whether early ERCP with sphincterotomy is beneficial in patients with predicted severe pancreatitis remains subject to debate. Regardless of disease severity, in case of concomitant cholangitis urgent endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) is recommended. As a definitive treatment to reduce the risk of recurrent biliary events in the long term, ES is inferior to cholecystectomy and should be reserved for patients considered unfit for surgery. After severe biliary pancreatitis, cholecystectomy should be postponed until all signs of inflammation have subsided. In patients with mild pancreatitis, cholecystectomy during the primary admission reduces the risk of recurrent biliary complications. Recent research has provided valuable data to guide biliary tract management in the setting of acute biliary pancreatitis with great value and benefit for patients and clinicians. Some important clinical dilemmas remain, but it is anticipated that on-going clinical trials will deliver some important insights and additional guidance soon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34819882,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Longitudinal Study of Parent-Child Interactions and Language Outcomes in Fragile X Syndrome and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders.\nDifficulties with pragmatic language (i.e., language in social contexts, such as conversational ability) are a noted characteristic of the language profiles of both fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), conditions which show significant phenotypic overlap. Understanding the origins and developmental course of pragmatic language problems in FXS and other developmental conditions associated with language impairment is a critical step for the development of targeted interventions to promote communicative competence across the lifespan. This study examined pragmatic language in the context of parent-child interactions in school-age children with FXS (who did and did not meet ASD criteria on the ADOS; n = 85), idiopathic ASD (n = 32), Down syndrome (DS; n = 38), and typical development (TD; n = 39), and their parents. Parent-child communicative interactions were examined across multiple contexts, across groups, and in relationship to pragmatic language outcomes assessed 2 years later. Results showed both overlapping and divergent patterns across the FXS-ASD and idiopathic ASD child and parent groups, and also highlighted key differences in pragmatic profiles based on situational context, with more pragmatic language difficulties occurring for both ASD groups in less structured interactions. Differences in parental language styles during parent-child interactions were associated with child language outcomes, likely reflecting the complex interplay of discourse style inherent to a parent, with the inevitable influence of child characteristics on parent language as well. Together, findings help delineate the dynamic and multifactorial nature of impaired pragmatic skills among children with FXS and other neurodevelopmental disorders associated with language impairment, with potential implications for the development of targeted interventions for pragmatic communication skills.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9016765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"4-Hydroxynonenal interaction with rhodopsin.\n4-Hydroxynonenal binds easily to rhodopsin and this was accompanied by a decrease in measurable sulfhydryl groups. Analysis of tryptic digests of the rhodopsin-HNE adduct by high performance liquid chromatography revealed that several peptides present in the digests of rhodopsin disappeared, whereas HNE modified peptides not originally present were found in digests of the rhodopsin-HNE adduct. Matrix assisted laser desorption time of flight mass spectrometry showed that up to ten molecules of HNE bound to rhodopsin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19751176,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of ISCOMs for immunization against hepatitis B.\nImmune stimulating complexes (ISCOMs) incorporating recombinant hepatitis B surface antigen (rHBsAg) were prepared for induction of humoral and cellular immunity by subcutaneous administration. Prepared ISCOMs were characterized for their size, shape, incorporation efficiency, zeta potential, antigen integrity, antigen conformation and immunogenicity by biophysical and immunological techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), SDS-PAGE, fluorescence spectroscopy, in vitro potency test and in vivo humoral and cellular immune stimulatory efficacy in Balb\/c mice. Prepared ISCOM particles show characteristic cage like morphology with average size of 44 approximately nm, polydispersity index 0.1, negative zeta potential (-21.7 mV) and antigen association efficiency approximately 39%. Tryptophan emission fluorescence and in vitro potency assay data suggest that association of rHBsAg with ISCOMs results in local electrostatic interactions, motional restriction of tryptophan residues of the protein resulting in reduction of anti-rHBsAg monoclonal antibodies binding affinity. Immunization with rHBsAg ISCOMs resulted in upregulation of specific cellular (IFN-gamma and IL-2) as well as IgG response (IgG2a isotype biased) humoral response in Balb\/c mice. Immune responses were significantly higher than those produced by of alum-adsorbed antigen (alum-rHBsAg) after (one booster) (p < 0.001). These data demonstrate that although the conformation of rHBsAg after incorporation into ISCOMs was moderately altered but due to strong adjuvant ability, rHBsAg ISCOMs were highly immunogenic as compared to marketed rHBsAg formulations by subcutaneous route of administration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24486807,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"How do we code the letters of a word when we have to write it? Investigating double letter representation in French.\nHow do we code the letters of a word when we have to write it? We examined whether the orthographic representations that the writing system activates have a specific coding for letters when these are doubled in a word. French participants wrote words on a digitizer. The word pairs shared the initial letters and differed on the presence of a double letter (e.g., LISSER\/LISTER). The results on latencies, letter and inter-letter interval durations revealed that L and I are slower to write when followed by a doublet (SS) than when not (ST). Doublet processing constitutes a supplementary cognitive load that delays word production. This suggests that word representations code letter identity and quantity separately. The data also revealed that the central processes that are involved in spelling representation cascade into the peripheral processes that regulate movement execution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":605707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Clinical peculiarities in a female patient with the Mayer-Rokitansky-K\u00fcster-Hauser syndrome].\nDescribed is a case with the Mayer-Rokitansky-K\u00fcster-Hauser syndrome with normal pubescent female development, moderate hair virilismus, double rudimentary uterus, incomplete development of the vagina, ovarian dystrophy and abnormalities in the sex chromatin and the gonosomal complement. Discussion on the clinical variety and the ethiopathogenesis of the disease is performed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24990524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Three-dimensional study of the facial canal using microcomputed tomography for improved anatomical comprehension.\nThe aims of this study were to determine the various dimensions of the normal facial canal and to identify the spatial relationships between the facial canal and its adjacent structures using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) imaging and three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction. The petrous parts of 54 temporal bones were scanned using micro-CT with a slice thickness of 35 \u03bcm. The serial micro-CT images were used to reconstruct 3D volumes of the facial canal and the bony labyrinth with the aid of computer software. These volumes were used to measure 31 dimensions of the facial canal and its spatial relationships with adjacent structures. The length of the meatal segment, the tympanic segment, and the mastoid segment were significantly larger in males than in females (p < 0.05). The narrowest portions of the facial canal were immediately lateral to the meatal foramen in the labyrinthine segment and the midpoint of the tympanic segment. The distance between the origin of the canal for the chorda tympani nerve and midpoint of the stylomastoid foramen was 35.3% of the length of the mastoid segment, and the angle between the tympanic segment and the lateral semicircular canal was 16.3\u00b0. The angle between the mastoid segment and the canal for the chorda tympani nerve could be classified into two groups: <180\u00b0 and >180\u00b0. These findings represent supplemental data for improving the detailed understanding of the facial canal anatomy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30158151,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Glycoconjugate vaccines: Principles and mechanisms.\nBacterial conjugate vaccines are used in infants, adolescents, and the elderly, and they are among the safest and most successful vaccines developed during the last 40 years. Conjugation of polysaccharides to proteins provides T cell epitopes that are necessary in the germinal centers for the affinity maturation of polysaccharide-specific B cells. Collective analysis of data from animal experiments and clinical trials, reviewed with current knowledge of immunology, revealed possible mechanistic explanations that may improve our understanding of conjugate vaccines. Key conclusions are that na\u00efve infants respond differently from adolescents and adults and that most of recommended schedules generate only 10 to 35% of the maximal antibody titer that the vaccine can induce, indicating that the full potential of glycoconjugate vaccines has not yet been reached.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15136064,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Inflammation, infection, and aortic valve sclerosis; Insights from the Olmsted County (Minnesota) population.\nAtherosclerosis-related mechanisms, including inflammation and possibly infection, are likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of calcific aortic valve disease. The purpose of this study was to examine whether systemic inflammatory markers and Chlamydia pneumoniae seropositivity are associated with aortic valve sclerosis (AVS) in a sample of the general population. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed in 381 subjects (median age: 67 years, range: 51-101; 52% men), a sample of the adult population in Olmsted County, Minnesota. The associations between systemic inflammatory markers (blood counts, including white blood cells differential counts, fibrinogen, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hs-CRP]), C. pneumoniae immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers, and AVS were examined. AVS was present in 140 subjects (37% of the population). After adjustment for age, sex, and smoking status: (1). hs-CRP was associated with AVS (odds ratio: 1.20 per two-fold increase in hs-CRP; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.43; P = 0.04) but this association was not significant after adjustment for additional risk factors for AVS, including body mass index (P = 0.52). (2). Blood counts and fibrinogen were not associated with AVS (P-values >0.30). (3). C. pneumoniae IgG antibody titers (low [1:16-1:32], intermediate [1:64-1:128], or high [>or=1:256] titers, compared with titers <1:16) were not associated with AVS (P = 0.21). In conclusion, hs-CRP is weakly associated with AVS, an association that is not independent of other AVS risk factors. Blood counts, fibrinogen, and C. pneumoniae seropositivity are not associated with AVS. These findings suggest that other non-inflammatory non-infectious mechanisms are likely to have a role in the pathogenesis of calcific aortic valve disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11474610,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Results of surgical treatment of postoperative abdominal hernia].\nThere were examined 525 patients with postoperative abdominal hernia, in 47.3% of them big, vast and giant hernia was revealed. There were operated 436 patients using local tissues with duplicature formation--according to Mayo, Sapezhko, Napalkov and Yanov method.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2209740,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Faecal contamination of water and fingertip-rinses as a method for evaluating the effect of low-cost water supply and sanitation activities on faeco-oral disease transmission. I. A case study in rural north-east Thailand.\nMost villagers in north-east Thailand carry water to their homes and store it in separate containers depending on its subsequent use. In one village, information on water use was collated with the bacteriological quality of stored water, water sources and fingertip-rinses. Stored water quality was a function of water-related activities rather than quality at source (P less than 0.0001). Specifically water used for toilet, washing dishes and cooking-related activities was much more contaminated with faecal bacteria than that used for drinking and cooking. Salmonella spp. was significantly more common in water used for washing dishes than drinking (P less than 0.05). Escherichia coli contamination of fingertip-rinses was strongly associated with the individual's activity prior to testing (P less than 0.0001); child care, food and water-related activities produced much higher levels of fingertip contamination than others. Dirty utensils used for cooking and eating were usually left to soak and faecal bacterial growth occurred in this grossly contaminated soak-water. Cross-contamination via water handling was the main mechanism of stored water pollution. These results were used to develop a hygiene intervention study presented in a companion paper.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12554815,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cardiovascular reactivity and development of preclinical and clinical disease states.\nThe objective of this review is to evaluate the evidence for the hypothesis that cardiovascular reactivity can predict the development of preclinical (elevated blood pressure, ventricular remodeling, carotid atherosclerosis) and\/or clinical cardiovascular disease states. A review of the literature was conducted examining prospective studies. Three large epidemiological studies with long-term follow-up periods (20 years or more) have found blood pressure responses to the cold pressor task to be predictive of subsequent essential hypertension in initially normotensive samples. Studies showing less consistent results have tended to use shorter-term follow-up periods. A larger body of literature demonstrates consistent associations between stress-related cardiovascular reactivity and blood pressure elevations in youth over the course of 1 to 6 years; such relationships have not been consistently shown among adult samples. Moderately consistent evidence points to a positive relationship between reactivity and other measures of subclinical disease (increased left ventricular mass and carotid atherosclerosis) among the few prospective studies that have examined these issues to date. A number of additional factors, however, such as baseline levels of disease risk and exposure to psychosocial stress, seem to moderate these relationships. Health status at baseline also seems to moderate the association between reactivity and clinical coronary heart disease in recent reports: two of three existing studies in initially healthy samples show no evidence of a relationship between reactivity and clinical outcomes, whereas three of four studies in samples with preexisting coronary heart disease or essential hypertension show a positive relationship between reactivity and subsequent disease states. There is reasonable evidence to suggest that cardiovascular reactivity can predict the development of some preclinical states (eg, increased left ventricular mass and blood pressure) states and perhaps even new clinical events in some patients with essential hypertension or coronary heart disease. However, much more information is needed concerning moderating and potentially confounding variables before the robustness of the positive relationships can become clinically useful.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26779440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Aurora-A Kinase as a Promising Therapeutic Target in Cancer.\nMammalian Aurora family of serine\/threonine kinases are master regulators of mitotic progression and are frequently overexpressed in human cancers. Among the three members of the Aurora kinase family (Aurora-A, -B, and -C), Aurora-A and Aurora-B are expressed at detectable levels in somatic cells undergoing mitotic cell division. Aberrant Aurora-A kinase activity has been implicated in oncogenic transformation through the development of chromosomal instability and tumor cell heterogeneity. Recent studies also reveal a novel non-mitotic role of Aurora-A activity in promoting tumor progression through activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition reprograming resulting in the genesis of tumor-initiating cells. Therefore, Aurora-A kinase represents an attractive target for cancer therapeutics, and the development of small molecule inhibitors of Aurora-A oncogenic activity may improve the clinical outcomes of cancer patients. In the present review, we will discuss mitotic and non-mitotic functions of Aurora-A activity in oncogenic transformation and tumor progression. We will also review the current clinical studies, evaluating small molecule inhibitors of Aurora-A activity and their efficacy in the management of cancer patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16851762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Automatic method for identifying reaction coordinates in complex systems.\nTo interpret simulations of a complex system to determine the physical mechanism of a dynamical process, it is necessary to identify the small number of coordinates that distinguish the stable states from the transition states. We develop an automatic method for identifying these degrees of freedom from a database of candidate physical variables. In the method neural networks are used to determine the functional dependence of the probability of committing to a stable state (committor) on a set of coordinates, and a genetic algorithm selects the combination of inputs that yields the best fit. The method enables us to obtain the first set of coordinates that is demonstrably sufficient to specify the transition state of the C(7eq)--> alpha(R) isomerization of the alanine dipeptide in the presence of explicit water molecules. It is revealed that the solute-solvent coupling can be described by a solvent-derived electrostatic torque around one of the main-chain bonds, and the collective, long-ranged nature of this interaction accounts for previous failures to characterize this reaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31847598,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Insufficient mixing of thawed serum samples leading to erroneous results - experience from a field study and use of a correction procedure.\nIncorrect analysis results that are close to expected might not be recognized in scientific studies or routine patient care. In two field studies we obtained unexpected results in a large number of samples. The present study aimed to identify the source of error in the samples from these studies and to validate a method to obtain correct results. Pre-analytical procedures were scrutinized, giving no indications of inappropriate pre-analytical sample handling in the field or during transport in a tropical climate. Using a new set of samples from volunteers in simulation experiments, we observed the known concentration gradient of analytes sampled in gel as well as plain tubes after freezer storage and thawing. Experiments demonstrated that mixing of samples by vortexing alone was not sufficient to disrupt the gradient formed by freezing and thawing, which appeared to cause the problem encountered when we in field studies analyzed and biobanked large sample sets by robot pipetting. A correction procedure was introduced, in which the obtained value of an analyte was multiplied by a correction factor calculated for each sample using the expected sodium level (140 mmol\/L) divided by the measured sodium value. When it was validated on results from the simulation experiments, we repeatedly found that the correction lead to results very close to true values for analytes of different size and charge. Usefulness of the procedure was demonstrated when applied to a large set of field study results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1432185,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A new clinical educator role: bridging the education-practice gap.\nA new clinical educator role implemented at Georgetown University Hospital is described in this article. Nurses in this role assume dual responsibilities for nursing staff development and clinical supervision of baccalaureate nursing students. These clinical educators have joint appointments in the Department of Nursing and the School of Nursing. This role helps to bridge the education-practice gap and encourages a more efficient use of nursing resources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26514656,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Roles of Maternal Depression, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Treatment, and Concomitant Benzodiazepine Use on Infant Neurobehavioral Functioning Over the First Postnatal Month.\nThe purpose of this article was to systematically compare the developmental trajectory of neurobehavior over the first postnatal month for infants with prenatal exposure to pharmacologically untreated maternal depression, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (collectively: SSRIs), SSRIs with concomitant benzodiazepines (SSRI plus benzodiazepine), and no maternal depression or drug treatment (no exposure). Women (N=184) were assessed at two prenatal time points to determine psychiatric diagnoses, symptom severity, and prenatal medication usage. Infants were examined with a structured neurobehavioral assessment (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale) at multiple time points across the first postnatal month. SSRI exposure was confirmed in a subset of participants with plasma SSRI levels. General linear-mixed models were used to examine group differences in neurobehavioral scores over time with adjustment for demographic variables and depression severity. Infants in the SSRI and SSRI plus benzodiazepine groups had lower motor scores and more CNS stress signs across the first postnatal month, as well as lower self-regulation and higher arousal at day 14. Infants in the depression group had low arousal throughout the newborn period. Infants in all three clinical groups had a widening gap in scores from the no-exposure group at day 30 in their response to visual and auditory stimuli while asleep and awake. Infants in the SSRI plus benzodiazepine group had the least favorable scores on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale. Neonatal adaptation syndrome was not limited to the first 2 weeks postbirth. The profile of neurobehavioral development was different for SSRI exposure than depression alone. Concomitant benzodiazepine use may exacerbate adverse behavioral effects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7363461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hemoglobin determined in 15 microL of whole blood by \"front-face\" fluorometry.\nWe describe the rapid, inexpensive fluorometry of hemoglobin in undiluted whole blood. The procedure consists only of adding a standard quantity of a fluorescent dye to a measured volume (approximately 15 microL) of blood, together with some solubilizing detergent. The assay is based on the attenuation of the dye's fluorescence (excited within the region 400--440 nm) that results from the competitive absorption of exciting light by the hemoglobin present--the \"inner filter effect.\" The wavelength that one can use is optional and will determine which dyes can be used. Measurements are made with the hematofluorometer, a \"front-face\" filter fluorometer (Blumberg et al., J. Lab. Clin. Med. 89: 712--723, 1977). We demonstrate the validity of the method for two dyes, rhodamine B and fluorescein dibutyrate, which we used with hematofluorometers that were designed to determine blood zinc protoporphyrin and bilirubin, respectively. Our method exhibited a standard error of about 4 g of hemoglobin per liter vs the comparison method (Coulter Counter method, for which the CV is 1.2%). The CV is about 3%. The method seems appropriate for \"field\" use (i.e., use outside the laboratory) in anemia-screening programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31209514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Interobserver reproducibility of tumor uptake quantification with 89Zr-immuno-PET: a multicenter analysis.\nIn-vivo quantification of tumor uptake of 89-zirconium (89Zr)-labelled monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with PET provides a potential tool in strategies to optimize tumor targeting and therapeutic efficacy. A specific challenge for 89Zr-immuno-PET is low tumor contrast. This is expected to result in interobserver variation in tumor delineation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine interobserver reproducibility of tumor uptake measures by tumor delineation on 89Zr-immuno-PET scans. Data were obtained from previously published clinical studies performed with 89Zr-rituximab, 89Zr-cetuximab and 89Zr-trastuzumab. Tumor lesions on 89Zr-immuno-PET were identified as focal uptake exceeding local background by a nuclear medicine physician. Three observers independently manually delineated volumes of interest (VOI). Maximum, peak and mean standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVpeak and SUVmean) were used to quantify tumor uptake. Interobserver variability was expressed as the coefficient of variation (CoV). The performance of semi-automatic VOI delineation using 50% of background-corrected ACpeak was described. In total, 103 VOI were delineated (3-6 days post injection (D3-D6)). Tumor uptake (median, interquartile range) was 9.2 (5.2-12.6), 6.9 (4.0-9.6) and 5.5 (3.3-7.8) for SUVmax, SUVpeak and SUVmean. Interobserver variability was 0% (0-12), 0% (0-2) and 7% (5-14), respectively (n = 103). The success rate of the semi-automatic method was 45%. Inclusion of background was the main reason for failure of semi-automatic VOI. This study shows that interobserver reproducibility of tumor uptake quantification on 89Zr-immuno-PET was excellent for SUVmax and SUVpeak using a standardized manual procedure for tumor segmentation. Semi-automatic delineation was not robust due to limited tumor contrast.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10632025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Nitric oxide synthase and interferon-gamma receptor immunoreactivities in relation to ascending spinal pathways to thalamus, hypothalamus, and the periaqueductal grey in the rat.\nThe retrograde tracer fluoro-gold was injected into the periaqueductal grey, thalamus or hypothalamus, and spinal cord sections were processed for neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) immunohistochemistry to investigate the relationships of nNOS immunoreactive, and spinomesencephalic, spinothalamic and spinohypothalamic projection neurones. In addition, in the lateral spinal nucleus the relationship between spinomesencephalic, -thalamic and -hypothalamic projection neurones, and nNOS and interferon-gamma receptor immunoreactive structures was investigated at the lumbar level. No single retrogradely labelled spinomesencephalic, -thalamic or -hypothalamic neurone showed nNOS immunoreactivity. In the lateral spinal nucleus, however, many fluoro-gold-labelled neurones were closely apposed by both nNOS and interferon-gamma receptor immunoreactive structures, especially prominent in the hypothalamic injection cases. This study gave no evidence for nNOS immunoreactivity in spinal neurones projecting to the periaqueductal grey, thalamus or hypothalamus, but suggests that in the lateral spinal nucleus such neurones are contacted by both nNOS- and interferon-gamma receptor-containing axon terminals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20438177,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2014-10":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A latent growth examination of fear development in infancy: contributions of maternal depression and the risk for toddler anxiety.\nGrowth modeling was used to examine the developmental trajectory of infant temperamental fear with maternal fear and depressive symptoms as predictors of infant fearfulness and change in infant fear predicting toddler anxiety symptoms. In Study 1, a sample of 158 mothers reported their own depressive symptoms and fear when their children were 4 months of age and infant fearfulness at 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months. Maternal symptoms of depression predicted steeper increases in infant fearfulness over time (z = 2.06, p < .05), with high initial infant fear and steeper increases in fear (intercept, z = 2.32, p < .05, and slope, z = 1.88, p < .05) predicting more severe toddler anxiety symptoms. In Study 2, an independent sample of 134 mothers completed measures of maternal depression and fear when the infants were 4 months old, and standardized laboratory observations of infant fear were made at 8, 10, and 12 months. Consistent with Study 1, maternal depression accounted for change in fearfulness (z = 2.30, p < .05), with more frequent and more severe maternal symptoms leading to greater increases in infant fear and increases in fearfulness z = 2.08, p < .05) leading to more problematic toddler anxiety. The implications and contributions of these findings are discussed in terms of methodology, fear development, and developmental psychopathology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31966155,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A review of the Spider Genus Atmetochilus of Sumatra, Indonesia, with First Analysis of Male Characters and Description of Three New Species (Araneae, Nemesiidae).\nSergei L. Zonstein and Yuri M. Marusik (2016) The first Sumatran representatives of Atmetochilus Simon, 1887, the genus formerly known only from two species from Myanmar and one species from India, are currently revealed and reviewed. Three new species (listed below) are described and the current concept of Atmetochilus is redefined following study of the male characters previously almost completely unknown. Most of these characters are studied, illustrated and discussed for the first time. The studied genus is found to be represented in Sumatra by three new species described here: A. koponeni sp. n. (\u2642\u2640), A. lehtineni sp. n. (\u2642\u2640) and A. sumatranus sp. n. (\u2642).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26486530,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[The reputation of Spanish hospitals. Basis for developing a reputation index of hospitals].\nThe reputation of the health centers is associated with: greater user preference in obtaining their services, better clinical outcomes and higher care quality and potential for attracting talented professionals. Reputation was evaluated using indexes and scales. The aim of this study is to analyze the attributes that should be gathered in a reputation index for Spanish hospitals. Study based on qualitative techniques of consensus (nominal group technique + Delphi technique). Four dimensions were identified that form the reputation index: care quality, ethical behavior, credibility\/confidence and biomedical innovation and research, which in turn are subdivided into 12 components in total. In building a reputation index consideration must be given to the combination of objective data (e.g. quality and safety outcomes) with other data that are subjective in nature (e.g., patient satisfaction). Future studies should go online to validate the reference standards in building a reputation index for hospitals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24524346,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Discrimination of radiation quality through second harmonic out-of-phase cw-ESR detection.\nThe ability to discriminate the quality of ionizing radiation is important because the biological effects produced in tissue strongly depends on both absorbed dose and linear energy transfer (LET) of ionizing particles. Here we present an experimental electron spin resonance (ESR) analysis aimed at discriminating the effective LETs of various radiation beams (e.g., 19.3 MeV protons, (60)Co photons and thermal neutrons). The measurement of the intensities of the continuous wave spectrometer signal channel first harmonic in-phase and the second harmonic out-of-phase components are used to distinguish the radiation quality. A computational analysis, was carried out to evaluate the dependence of the first harmonic in-phase and second harmonic out-of-phase components on microwave power, modulation amplitude and relaxation times, and highlights that these components could be used to point out differences in the relaxation times. On the basis of this numerical analysis the experimental results are discussed. The methodology described in this study has the potential to provide information on radiation quality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10387804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Primary care trusts. States of flux.\nPrimary care trusts are similar to US health maintenance organisations in that they act as both commissioners and providers of services. There are already innovative primary care organisations in the NHS and the private sector that can be classed as embryonic PCTs. Experience of these organisations, assessed in relation to HMOs, can inform the development of PCTs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19017877,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Protein microarray analysis in patients with asthma: elevation of the chemokine PARC\/CCL18 in sputum.\nMicroarray technology offers a new opportunity to gain insight into global gene and protein expression profiles in asthma. To identify novel factors produced in the asthmatic airway, we analyzed sputum samples by using a membrane-based human cytokine microarray technology in patients with bronchial asthma (BA). Induced sputum was obtained from 28 BA subjects, 20 nonasthmatic atopic control (AC) subjects, and 38 nonasthmatic nonatopic normal control (NC) subjects. The microarray samples of subjects were randomly selected from nine BA subjects, three AC subjects, and six NC subjects. Sputum supernatants were analyzed using a custom human cytokine array (RayBio Custom Human Cytokine Array; RayBiotech; Norcross, GA) designed to analyze 79 specific cytokines simultaneously. The levels of growth-regulated oncogene (GRO)-alpha, eotaxin-2, and pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine (PARC)\/CCL18 were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) was measured by radioimmunoassay. By microarray, the signal intensities for GRO-alpha, eotaxin-2, and PARC were significantly higher in BA subjects than in AC and NC subjects (p = 0.036, p = 0.042, and p = 0.033, respectively). By ELISA, the sputum PARC protein levels were significantly higher in BA subjects than in AC and NC subjects (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, PARC levels correlated significantly with sputum eosinophil percentages (r = 0.570, p < 0.0001) and the levels of EDN (r = 0.633, p < 0.0001), the regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted cytokine (r = 0.440, p < 0.001), interleukin-4 (r = 0.415, p < 0.01), and interferon-gamma (r = 0.491, p < 0.001). By a nonbiased screening approach, a chemokine, PARC, is elevated in sputum specimens from patients with asthma. PARC may play important roles in development of airway eosinophilic inflammation in asthma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16594743,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Gene expression profiling data in lymphoma and leukemia: review of the literature and extrapolation of pertinent clinical applications.\nGene expression (GE) analyses using microarrays have become an important part of biomedical and clinical research in hematolymphoid malignancies. However, the methods are time-consuming and costly for routine clinical practice. To review the literature regarding GE data that may provide important information regarding pathogenesis and that may be extrapolated for use in diagnosing and prognosticating lymphomas and leukemias; to present GE findings in Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, acute leukemias, and chronic myeloid leukemia in detail; and to summarize the practical clinical applications in tables that are referenced throughout the text. PubMed was searched for pertinent literature from 1993 to 2005. Gene expression profiling of lymphomas and leukemias aids in the diagnosis and prognostication of these diseases. The extrapolation of these findings to more timely, efficient, and cost-effective methods, such as flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, results in better diagnostic tools to manage the diseases. Flow cytometric and immunohistochemical applications of the information gained from GE profiling assist in the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, other low-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas and leukemias, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, and classic Hodgkin lymphoma. For practical clinical use, GE profiling of precursor B acute lymphoblastic leukemia, precursor T acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia has supported most of the information that has been obtained by cytogenetic and molecular studies (except for the identification of FLT3 mutations for molecular analysis), but extrapolation of the analyses leaves much to be gained based on the GE profiling data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28394856,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Brief Report: Prevalence of Posttreatment Controller Phenotype Is Rare in HIV-Infected Persons After Stopping Antiretroviral Therapy.\nPosttreatment control of HIV infection is a rare phenomenon primarily described among those initiating treatment with antiretroviral therapy (ART) during early\/acute HIV infection. We examined a large, well-characterized cohort of HIV-infected Department of Defense beneficiaries for the presence of posttreatment controllers (PTCs) whom we defined as individuals with sustained viral suppression for \u22656 months after discontinuation of ART. We defined those who became viremic within 6 months of discontinuing ART as rapid viremics (RVs) and compared demographic and clinical characteristics, CD4 counts, and viral loads prior, during, and after ART discontinuation between the 2 groups. From a cohort of 6070 patients, we identified 95 who had been treated with ART for 2 years or more who subsequently discontinued ART and had viral load assessments available after discontinuation. Four (4.2%) of these 95 met our definition of PTC. The duration of viral suppression off of ART ranged from 267 to 1058 days with 1 of the 4 restarting ART without having redeveloped a significant viremia. All 4 patients initiated ART during chronic HIV infection. Demographic and clinical characteristics of PTCs were similar to RVs. While posttreatment control has predominantly been described among individuals who initiated ART in early\/acute HIV infection, we identified 4 PTCs who started ART during chronic infection suggesting that posttreatment control also occurs among such patients. The rarity of PTCs identified in our cohort is consistent with reports from previous studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16874888,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evaluation, management, and long-term follow up of vein of Galen malformations.\nVein of Galen malformations (VGMs) are extremely rare intracranial lesions. Clinical presentation and management strategies vary significantly in different areas of the world. The authors report their experience in evaluation, management, and long-term follow up of these lesions in India. Between October 1983 and June 2003, 25 patients with VGMs were referred to the authors' institution for evaluation and management. Ten children younger than 2 years of age presented with rapidly increasing head size as the chief complaint. Among 11 children 2 years of age or older, the most common presenting symptom was chronic headache. Four patients who presented during adulthood had chronic headache for many years before presentation. Angiographic evaluation of the lesion was performed in 21 patients. Fifteen patients were treated using endovascular techniques. Injection of the embolic material was performed after induction of systemic hypotension when the flow in the fistula was high. Complete occlusion of the arteriovenous shunt could be achieved in two patients with vein of Galen aneurysmal dilation (100% of patients with this type of malformation) and in five of the six patients with the mural type of malformation (83%). Among patients with the choroidal type of malformation, complete obliteration of the shunt could be achieved in three patients. In three patients with high-flow choroidal malformations, embolization carried out in a single sitting resulted in shunt reduction of nearly 90%. These patients received clinical follow up. The authors' experience in evaluation and management of VGMs reveals that in areas of the world where access to dedicated specialist care is limited, the clinical presentation of VGMs can differ appreciably from the classic descriptions in the literature. Endovascular management of these lesions results in excellent angiographic and clinical results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28953355,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Room Temperature Gas Sensing of Two-Dimensional Titanium Carbide (MXene).\nWearable gas sensors have received lots of attention for diagnostic and monitoring applications, and two-dimensional (2D) materials can provide a promising platform for fabricating gas sensors that can operate at room temperature. In the present study, the room temperature gas-sensing performance of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets was investigated. 2D Ti3C2Tx (MXene) sheets were synthesized by removal of Al atoms from Ti3AlC2 (MAX phases) and were integrated on flexible polyimide platforms with a simple solution casting method. The Ti3C2Tx sensors successfully measured ethanol, methanol, acetone, and ammonia gas at room temperature and showed a p-type sensing behavior. The fabricated sensors showed their highest and lowest response toward ammonia and acetone gas, respectively. The limit of detection of acetone gas was theoretically calculated to be about 9.27 ppm, presenting better performance compared to other 2D material-based sensors. The sensing mechanism was proposed in terms of the interactions between the majority charge carriers of Ti3C2Tx and gas species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19584383,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ordering off the menu: assessing compliance with a nonformulary medication policy.\nUse of nonformulary medications (NFMs) may create added costs and potential safety issues. Institutional policies can support compliance with formulary systems and address these issues. However, periodic review is needed to assess the effectiveness of NFM policies. To evaluate NFM use at a large university medical center and assess for compliance with the established policy as well as for prescribing errors, procurement procedures, and delivery times. All new medication orders entered as NFM in the computerized order entry system during a 6-week period were evaluated and followed until administration of the first NFM dose. Orders were categorized as NFMs, formulary medications (FMs), or the patient's own medications. Each order was evaluated to determine the prescriber, service and location of the patient, and any prescribing errors. Additional information, such as the indication, location where the medication was obtained, and the delivery time, was obtained through patient chart review and the pharmacist intervention database. A total of 237 orders were entered as nonformulary; 72 (30%) were FMs and 165 (70%) were NFMs. Of the 165 NFM orders, 71 (43%) were orders for the patient's own medication. Of the remaining 94 NFMs, only 39% met the institution's established policy criteria. Overall, 28% of all orders entered as nonformulary had a prescribing error. Of these, 49% were incorrect dosages and 33% were misspelled orders. Seventy percent of NFMs were obtained from the institution's standard locations. The institution's nonformulary turnaround time was achieved with 96% of NFMs. The majority of NFM orders did not meet the institution's established criteria and these orders frequently contained prescribing errors. Routine assessment of NFM use and policy compliance can present opportunities for improvement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24284458,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Clinical reasoning in cognitive rehabilitation therapy.\nMany who provide cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT) are unaware of the theoretical rationale that underlies their decisions concerning therapeutic intervention. Can the survivor form goals for treatment? When should treatment end? When should the therapist retrain skills, provide remedial cognitive treatments, or simply adapt surroundings because a survivor is too handicapped to be treated at all? This paper combines theory with the author's experience to provide therapists with a structure for clinical reasoning in their daily practice. The discussion begins with a description of different models of recovery after brain injury. It goes on to discuss similarities, commonalities, and general principles that can be derived from all of them. It ends with suggestions for treatment that serve as useful guidelines for therapists in their practices. Combining the clinician's clinical intuition with knowledge of the theory of CRT can greatly improve the quality of treatment the therapist provides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7777916,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ultrastructural observations on cercaria of Schistosoma japonicum.\nThe present paper describes the ultrastructure of the surface topography, head organ, tegument, musculature, glandular system, primary alimentary tract and flame cells of the Chinese mainland strain of Schistosoma japonicum cercaria, as visualized with both scanning and transmission electron microscopes. The results not only illustrate the morphological features of the cercarial surface and its internal structure reflecting an adaptation to the aqueous habitat but also reveal the correlation between the morphological structure and physiological function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38106442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Health risk behaviour and persistent and incident depression among middle-aged and older adults in South Africa.\nThe aim of this study was to assess the association between five health risk behaviours and persistent and incident depressive symptoms in a longitudinal study in South Africa. The sample included 5059 men and women (\u226540 years) in 2014\/2015, and 4176 in 2018\/2019 of the 'Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa'. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the associations between five health risk behaviours and persistent and incident depressive symptoms. Results indicate that 5.0% of participants had depressive symptoms at both wave 1 and 2 (persistent depressive symptoms), and 27.9% had incident depressive symptoms in wave 2. Higher education and moderate baseline physical activity were negatively associated and those with cardiovascular disease were positively associated with persistent depressive symptoms. Middle wealth index was negative, and being HIV positive and baseline tobacco use were positively associated with incident depressive symptoms. In conclusion, of five health risk behaviours assessed (inadequate fruit\/vegetable intake, alcohol dependence, tobacco use, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour), only moderate physical activity was protective against persistent depressive symptoms, and tobacco use was associated with incident depressive symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26213032,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"The impact of red cabbage fermentation on bioavailability of anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity of human plasma.\nThe effect of red cabbage fermentation on anthocyanin bioavailability and plasma antioxidant capacity in humans was studied. In a randomized crossover study, 13 volunteers consumed fresh and fermented red cabbage. Blood and urine samples were collected before and after consumption. Analyses of anthocyanins by HPLC-MS\/MS and plasma antioxidant capacity by photochemiluminescence assay were conducted. Red cabbage products contained 20 different nonacylated and acylated anthocyanins with the main structure of cyanidin triglucosides. The anthocyanins ingested were present in physiological fluids in form of 18 native anthocyanins and 12 metabolites (methylated, glucuronided, sulfated). Among cyanidin metabolites identified, methylated forms were predominant. Bioavailability of anthocyanin from fresh red cabbage was over 10% higher than from fermented red cabbage. Upon fresh cabbage consumption, volunteers plasma showed higher antioxidant capacity than after fermented cabbage intake. The study has shown that fermentation process affects red cabbage anthocyanins bioavailability and human plasma antioxidant capacity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20216531,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Cognitive-behavioral therapy for children with functional abdominal pain and their parents decreases pain and other symptoms.\nUnexplained abdominal pain in children has been shown to be related to parental responses to symptoms. This randomized controlled trial tested the efficacy of an intervention designed to improve outcomes in idiopathic childhood abdominal pain by altering parental responses to pain and children's ways of coping and thinking about their symptoms. Two hundred children with persistent functional abdominal pain and their parents were randomly assigned to one of two conditions-a three-session intervention of cognitive-behavioral treatment targeting parents' responses to their children's pain complaints and children's coping responses, or a three-session educational intervention that controlled for time and attention. Parents and children were assessed at pretreatment, and 1 week, 3 months, and 6 months post-treatment. Outcome measures were child and parent reports of child pain levels, function, and adjustment. Process measures included parental protective responses to children's symptom reports and child coping methods. Children in the cognitive-behavioral condition showed greater baseline to follow-up decreases in pain and gastrointestinal symptom severity (as reported by parents) than children in the comparison condition (time x treatment interaction, P<0.01). Also, parents in the cognitive-behavioral condition reported greater decreases in solicitous responses to their child's symptoms compared with parents in the comparison condition (time x treatment interaction, P<0.0001). An intervention aimed at reducing protective parental responses and increasing child coping skills is effective in reducing children's pain and symptom levels compared with an educational control condition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8945956,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficient oligonucleotide delivery using the HVJ-liposome method in the central nervous system.\nWe examined the efficiency and intracellular fate of oligodeoxy-nucleotides (ODN) in the central nervous system (CNS) after delivery with a hemagglutinating virus of Japan (HVJ)-liposome vector in vivo and in vitro. In primary cultured granular cells of the rat cerebellum, application of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled ODN complexed with HVJ-liposomes in vitro resulted in strong fluorescence localized in nuclei that persisted for > or = 2 wk, in contrast to 3 days with ODN alone. In vivo ODN transfer was attempted by different approaches: infusions into the paraventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus and the lateral cerebroventricle. Injection of FITC-labeled ODN into the hypothalamus by the HVJ-liposome method produced a higher concentration and more persistent fluorescence than did injection of ODN alone. Administration of ODN into the lateral cerebroventricle with HVJ-liposomes yielded more conspicuous and prolonged fluorescence in the periventricular layer, predominantly in cell nuclei. Furthermore, the distribution of fluorescent cells was broader with the HVJ-liposome method. These results indicate that the HVJ-liposome method prolongs the half-life of ODN and concentrates them in cell nuclei. Thus it is an efficient method for ODN transfer and holds promise as a gene delivery method in the CNS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3443852,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Plasmid transformation of Azotobacter vinelandii OP.\nAzotobacter vinelandii OP which had been naturally induced to competence by growth in iron- and molybdenum-limited medium was transformed with the broad-host-range cloning vector pKT210. However, the transformation frequency at nearly saturating levels of DNA was 1000-fold lower for pKT210 than for a single chromosomal DNA marker (nif+). Plasmid- and chromosomal-DNA-mediated transformation events were competitive, magnesium-dependent, 42 degrees C-sensitive processes specific to double-stranded DNA, suggesting a common mechanism of DNA binding and uptake. The low frequency of plasmid transformation was not related to restriction of transforming DNA or to the growth period allowed for phenotypic expression. Covalently-closed-circular and open-circular forms of pKT210 transformed cells equally well whereas EcoRI- or HindIII-linearized pKT210 transformed cells with two to three times greater efficiency. Genetic transformation was enhanced 10- to 50-fold when pKT210 contained an insert fragment of A. vinelandii nif DNA, indicating that A. vinelandii possessed a homology-facilitated transformation system. However, all transformants failed to maintain the plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance determinants, and extrachromosomal plasmid DNA was not recovered from these cells. Flush-ended pKT210 was not active in transformation; however, competent cells were transformed to Nif+ by HincII-digested plasmid DNA containing the cloned A. vinelandii nif-10 marker.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36263578,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Assessment of palpitation complaints in patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.\nThe detection of cardiac arrhythmias during vertigo attacks along with the resolution of vertigo by treating the arrhythmias is defined as cardiac vertigo. The cause of palpitations that develop following attacks of non-cardiac vertigo is unknown. We aimed to investigate the effect of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) on the cardiac conduction system and evaluate patients' palpitation complaints using 24-hour ambulatory ECG (Holter) monitoring. Sixty-five patients with BPPV and forty-eight healthy controls were included in the study. ECG was performed on all participants, and ECG parameters were measured. Holter monitoring was performed, and the recordings were analyzed. Evaluation of the time-domain heart rate variability (HRV) results was done. The average age of the vertigo group was 49.1 \u00b1 7.8 years. In terms of demographic or laboratory data, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (p>0.05). The study group's ECG parameters, including Pd, TpTe, and TpTec, were longer, and the TpTe\/QT and TpTe\/QTc ratios were higher (p<0.05). Holter monitoring detected abnormal rhythms in 41 (63%) of the study group patients and three (6.2%) of the control group patients. The SDNN, LF, and LF\/HF values, which are known as HRV markers, were significantly different in the vertigo group compared to the control group (p<0.001). This study revealed that the risk of arrhythmias increased following attacks of BPPV in patients without a known history of cardiac vertigo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30612314,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"National assessment of cultural ecosystem services: Participatory mapping in Switzerland.\nPrevious studies assessed cultural ecosystem services (CES) at the local scale but often ignored them in national assessments. This paper explores CES relationships in Switzerland using web-based participatory mapping. We identified the spatial relationships between CES, the drivers of negative change and solutions to mitigate it. Results indicated that CES tend to have positive spatial relationships, although not always significant. A proxy-based approach supported the findings that the provision of heritage and inspiration services decreased along the urban-rural gradient while others increased. Participants located more CES close to their residence, but acknowledged their presence in distant alpine regions. They reported that better planning and stricter implementation of policies were necessary to refrain CES loss. According to respondents, there might be a density threshold to ensure sustainable supply of CES. Although mitigation measures were specific enough at the national scale, they remained too broad to be applicable at the local scale.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12361302,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Lateral gene transfers and the evolution of eukaryotes: theories and data.\nVertical transmission of heritable material, a cornerstone of the Darwinian theory of evolution, is inadequate to describe the evolution of eukaryotes, particularly microbial eukaryotes. This is because eukaryotic cells and eukaryotic genomes are chimeric, having evolved through a combination of vertical (parent to offspring) and lateral (trans-species) transmission. Observations on widespread chimerism in eukaryotes have led to new and revised hypothesis for the origin and diversification of eukaryotes that provide specific predictions on the tempo (early vs continuous transfers) and mode (nature of donor and recipient lineages) of lateral gene transfers (LGTs). Analyses of available data indicate that LGTs in eukaryotes largely fall into two categories: (1) LGTs from organelles to the nucleus, only a few of which appear to have occurred at the time of the origin of eukaryotes, and (2) anomalous LGTs involving diverse donor and recipient lineages. Further testing of hypotheses on the origin and diversification of eukaryotes will require complete genome sequences from a number of diverse eukaryotes and prokaryotes combined with sequences of targeted genes from a broad phylogenetic sample.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15931973,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"An approach to predict risks to wildlife populations from mercury and other stressors.\nEcological risk assessments for mercury (Hg) require measured and modeled information on exposure and effects. While most of this special issue focuses on the former, i.e., distribution and fate of Hg within aquatic food webs, this paper describes an approach to predict the effects of dietary methylmercury (CH3Hg) on populations of piscivorous birds. To demonstrate this approach, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (U.S. EPA NHEERL) is working cooperatively with environmental and conservation organizations to develop models to predict CH3Hg effects on populations of the common loon, Gavia immer. Specifically, a biologically-based toxicokinetic model is being used to extrapolate CH3Hg effects on the reproduction of a tested bird species, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius), to the loon. Population models are being used to incorporate stressor effects on survival and reproduction into projections of loon population effects. Finally, habitat and spatially-explicit population models are being used to project results spatially, assess the relative importance of CH3Hg and non-chemical stressors, and produce testable predictions of the effects of biologically-available Hg on loon populations. This stepwise process provides an integrated approach to estimate the impact on wildlife populations of regulations that limit atmospherically-distributed Hg, and to develop risk-based population-level regulatory criteria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22576474,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Variant 1 of KIAA0101, overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma, prevents doxorubicin-induced apoptosis by inhibiting p53 activation.\nKIAA0101 overexpression was detected in numerous malignant solid tumors and involved in tumor progression; however, the correlation between KIAA0101 expression level and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was controversial. Our data revealed abnormal expression of the KIAA0101 transcript variant 1 (KIAA0101 tv1) at both messenger RNA and protein levels in HCC tissues and cell lines assessed by semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), virtual northern blot, western blot, and immunohistochemical analysis, especially in stage 3-4 HCCs. NIH3T3 cells transfected with KIAA0101 tv1 induced colony formation in vitro and tumor xenorafts in vivo, implying the oncogenic potential of KIAA0101 tv1. Semiquantitative RT-PCR, real-time quantitative RT-PCR, and western blot analysis demonstrated that doxorubicin (Adriamycin, ADR) treatment down-regulated expression of the KIAA0101 tv1, whereas it increased the acetylation of the p53 protein. Additionally, KIAA0101 tv1 prevented cells from apoptosis caused by ADR through suppressing the acetylation of p53 at Lys382. Immunoprecipitation analysis and mammalian two-hybrid assay indicated that KIAA0101 tv1 bound to the transactivation region (1-42 amino acids) of p53 and strongly inhibits its transcriptional activity. Taken together, our data suggest that KIAA0101 tv1 played an important role in the late stage of metastatic HCC and prevented apoptosis after chemotherapeutic drug treatment through inhibiting the transcriptional activity of the p53 gene. KIAA0101 tv1 may function as a regulator, promoting cell survival in HCC through regulating the function of p53. Suppression of the KIAA0101 tv1 function is likely to be a promising strategy to develop novel cancer therapeutic drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8573861,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Long-term left ventricular assist device use before transplantation.\nBetween September 1992 and April 1995, 19 patients at the authors' institution received pneumatic, pulsatile left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) for bridging to cardiac transplantation. The mean (+\/- SD) age of the patients was 51 +\/- 14 years (range, 19-64 years). Nine (47%) patients had end-stage idiopathic cardiomyopathy, five (26%) had ischemic cardiomyopathy, and five (26%) other recipients were in cardiogenic shock caused by acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Fifteen (79%) patients were supported with an intraaortic balloon pump or centrifugal LVAD at the time of LVAD insertion (duration, 5.5 +\/- 4.1 days). Aprotinin was given to limit bleeding; heparin, followed by warfarin sodium, was used for anticoagulation. A vigorous exercise and nutrition protocol was followed. Cardiac index averaged 2.94 +\/- 0.87 L\/min\/m2 immediately after the implantation procedure. No patient required placement of a right VAD. Average duration of LVAD support was 45 +\/- 39 days (range, 3-153 days). Major complications included bleeding requiring reoperation (three patients); cerebrovascular accident (three patients); and severe dysrhythmias requiring direct current cardioversion (four patients). Fourteen (74%) patients underwent transplantation, with one patient still being mechanically supported. All of the patients receiving transplants were discharged from the hospital. Of the individuals who died while supported with the LVAD, 75% were patients with AMI. Timely application of LVADs as part of the interdisciplinary management of end-stage heart disease has generated excellent results for transplant candidates. Right ventricular dysfunction has not necessitated right VAD placement in the authors' experience. Patients with AMI have a higher risk of death while being supported with the device than do more chronically ill recipients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31547306,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Damaging Behaviour and Associated Lesions in Relation to Types of Enrichment for Finisher Pigs on Commercial Farms.\nEU legislation states that all pigs must have access to material that allows them to perform investigation and manipulation activities, thereby reducing the risk of pigs performing damaging behaviours (e.g., tail, ear and flank biting). We aimed to determine associations between damaging behaviours performed by finisher pigs, the related lesions and the use of different types of enrichment. Six randomly selected pens of finisher pigs were observed for 10 min each on 31 commercial pig farms in Ireland. All pigs were counted and the number of pigs affected by tail, ear and flank lesions was recorded. During the last 5 min, all occurrences of damaging behaviour (tail-, ear- and flank-directed behaviour) were recorded. The type (chain, plastic or wood) and number of accessible enrichment objects\/pen was recorded. Chains were the most common (41.4% of farms), followed by plastic (37.9%) and wood (20.7%). Damaging behaviour was more frequent on farms that provided chains compared to plastic or wood. Farms with chains were associated with a higher frequency of flank-directed behaviour and tended to be associated with a higher frequency of tail-directed behaviour compared to farms that provided plastic devices. The prevalence of lesions tended to be higher on farms where chains were provided compared to wooden enrichment devices, mostly driven by a difference in the prevalence of mild tail lesions. Results support expert opinions that despite being commonly used, chains did not fulfill a role in reducing damaging behaviours and associated lesions in finisher pigs compared to other forms of enrichment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34955660,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hospital Pharmacy Preparedness and Pharmacist Role During Disaster in Saudi Arabia.\nIn case of emergencies, the number and severity of mass casualties may exceed medical services resources. Saudi Arabia is prone to different disasters, and all medical resources should be ready and prepared to serve during disasters. Pharmacists are essential during disasters; however, their roles have not been well studied during disasters in Saudi Arabia. An observational cross-sectional study targeted tertiary hospitals in Jeddah. An electronic survey, consisting of 34 questions, was developed and distributed to pharmacy directors or their representatives to investigate the hospital pharmacies' preparedness and pharmacist roles during disasters in the city of Jeddah. Six hospitals participated in the survey, with a 100% response rate. All respondents confirmed the presence of disaster plans involving pharmacy departments. Hospital committee consensuses determined which medication to stock in five hospitals (83.3%). All six respondents (100%) agreed that the following medication supplies were adequate in the event of disasters: analgesics, rapid sequence intubation medications (ie, sedatives and paralytics), respiratory medications, antimicrobials, and maintenance intravenous (IV) fluids. There was disagreement on the adequacy of wound infection prophylaxis, vasopressors\/inotropes, antiemetic medications, ophthalmic medications, and antidotes for chemical weapons. There were discrepancies on pharmacist roles during disaster, but hospitals agreed on the following roles: maintain effective distribution and control, collaborate on medication management, and develop and maintain first-aid skills. All included facilities have emergency preparedness plans for the hospitals and the pharmacy departments. However, the type and quantities of stocked medications, as well as pharmacist roles, are not well recognized. The results highlight the need for national guidance to enhance and support the preparedness of healthcare facilities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30988033,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Pseudomonas aeruginosa Requires the DNA-Specific Endonuclease EndA To Degrade Extracellular Genomic DNA To Disperse from the Biofilm.\nThe dispersion of biofilms is an active process resulting in the release of planktonic cells from the biofilm structure. While much is known about the process of dispersion cue perception and the subsequent modulation of the c-di-GMP pool, little is known about subsequent events resulting in the release of cells from the biofilm. Given that dispersion coincides with void formation and an overall erosion of the biofilm structure, we asked whether dispersion involves degradation of the biofilm matrix. Here, we focused on extracellular genomic DNA (eDNA) due to its almost universal presence in the matrix of biofilm-forming species. We identified two probable nucleases, endA and eddB, and eddA encoding a phosphatase that were significantly increased in transcript abundance in dispersed cells. However, only inactivation of endA but not eddA or eddB impaired dispersion by Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms in response to glutamate and nitric oxide (NO). Heterologously produced EndA was found to be secreted and active in degrading genomic DNA. While endA inactivation had little effect on biofilm formation and the presence of eDNA in biofilms, eDNA degradation upon induction of dispersion was impaired. In contrast, induction of endA expression coincided with eDNA degradation and resulted in biofilm dispersion. Thus, released cells demonstrated a hyperattaching phenotype but remained as resistant to tobramycin as biofilm cells from which they egress, indicating EndA-dispersed cells adopted some but not all of the phenotypes associated with dispersed cells. Our findings indicate for the first time a role of DNase EndA in dispersion and suggest weakening of the biofilm matrix is a requisite for biofilm dispersion.IMPORTANCE The finding that exposure to DNase I impairs biofilm formation or leads to the dispersal of early stage biofilms has led to the realization of extracellular genomic DNA (eDNA) as a structural component of the biofilm matrix. However, little is known about the contribution of intrinsic DNases to the weakening of the biofilm matrix and dispersion of established biofilms. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that nucleases are induced in dispersed Pseudomonas aeruginosa cells and are essential to the dispersion response and that degradation of matrix eDNA by endogenously produced\/secreted EndA is required for P. aeruginosa biofilm dispersion. Our findings suggest that dispersing cells mediate their active release from the biofilm matrix via the induction of nucleases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35174385,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Reducing Patient Length of Stay After Surgical Correction for Neuromuscular Scoliosis.\nSurgical correction remains the most effective treatment of patients with severe neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS). However, postoperative inpatient clinical care after spinal surgery for NMS patients is highly complex and variable, depending on the provider and\/or institution. Our project used a quality improvement methodology to implement a standardized clinical care pathway for NMS patients during their primary spinal surgery, with the global aim of decreasing postoperative hospitalized length of stay (LOS). A multidisciplinary team developed a postoperative pathway for nonambulatory patients with NMS after their primary, nonstaged corrective spinal surgery. The outcome measure was mean LOS, and the process measure was percentage compliance with the newly implemented NMS pathway. The team used statistical process control charts and measures were evaluated over 3 phases to assess the impact of the interventions over time: pretesting, testing, and sustain. The mean LOS decreased from 8.0 to 5.3 days; a statistically significant change based on statistical process control chart rules. Percentage compliance with the NMS pathway improved during the testing and sustain phases, compared with the pretesting phase. LOS variability decreased from pretesting to the combined testing and sustain phases. Using quality improvement methodology, we successfully standardized major components of clinical care for patients with NMS after spinal corrective surgery. Through enhanced care consistency, the mean postoperative LOS decreased by nearly 3 days and decreased LOS variability. Robust multidisciplinary involvement with key stakeholders ensured sustainability of these improvements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23204107,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"CXC-chemokine receptor 4 antagonist AMD3100 promotes cardiac functional recovery after ischemia\/reperfusion injury via endothelial nitric oxide synthase-dependent mechanism.\nCXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) regulates the retention of stem\/progenitor cells in the bone marrow (BM), and the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 improves recovery from coronary ligation injury by mobilizing stem\/progenitor cells from the BM to the peripheral blood. Thus, we investigated whether AMD3100 also improves recovery from ischemia\/reperfusion injury, which more closely mimics myocardial infarction in patients, because blood flow is only temporarily obstructed. Mice were treated with single subcutaneous injections of AMD3100 (5 mg\/kg) or saline after ischemia\/reperfusion injury. Three days later, histological measurements of the ratio of infarct area to area at risk were smaller in AMD3100-treated mice than in mice administered saline, and echocardiographic measurements of left ventricular function were greater in the AMD3100-treated mice at week 4. CXCR4(+) cells were mobilized for just 1 day in both groups, but the mobilization of sca1(+)\/flk1(+) cells endured for 7 days in AMD3100-treated mice compared with just 1 day in the saline-treated mice. AMD3100 upregulated BM levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and 2 targets of eNOS signaling, matrix metalloproteinase-9 and soluble Kit ligand. Furthermore, the loss of BM eNOS expression abolished the benefit of AMD3100 on sca1(+)\/flk1(+) cell mobilization without altering the mobilization of CXCR4(+) cells, and the cardioprotective effects of AMD3100 were retained in eNOS-knockout mice that had been transplanted with BM from wild-type mice but not in wild-type mice with eNOS-knockout BM. AMD3100 prolongs BM progenitor mobilization and improves recovery from ischemia\/reperfusion injury, and these benefits appear to occur through a previously unidentified link between AMD3100 and BM eNOS expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30734188,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The \"Waze\" of Inequity Reduction Frameworks for Organizations: a Scoping Review.\nDifferent conceptual frameworks guide how an organization can change its policies and practices to make care and outcomes more equitable for patients, and how the organization itself can become more equitable. Nonetheless, healthcare organizations often struggle with implementing these frameworks. To assess what guidance frameworks for health equity provide for organizations implementing interventions to make care and outcomes more equitable. Fourteen inequity frameworks from scoping literature review 2000-2017 that provided models for improving disparities in quality of care or outcomes were assessed. We analyzed how frameworks addressed key implementation factors: (1) outer and inner organizational contexts; (2) process of translating and implementing equity interventions throughout organizations; (3) organizational and patient outcomes; and (4) sustainability of change over time. We conducted member check interviews with framework authors to verify our assessments. Frameworks stressed assessing the organization's outer context, such as population served, for tailoring change strategies. Inner context, such as existing organizational culture or readiness for change, was often not addressed. Most frameworks did not provide guidance on translation of equity across multiple organizational departments and levels. Recommended evaluation metrics focused mainly on patient outcomes, leaving organizational measures unassessed. Sustainability was not addressed by most frameworks. Existing equity intervention frameworks often lack specific guidance for implementing organizational change. Future frameworks should assess inner organizational context to guide translation of programs across different organizational departments and levels and provide specific guidelines on institutionalization and sustainability of interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22212358,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Patenting and the gender gap: should women be encouraged to patent more?\nThe commercialization of academic science has come to be understood as economically desirable for institutions, individual researchers, and the public. Not surprisingly, commercial activity, particularly that which results from patenting, appears to be producing changes in the standards used to evaluate scientists' performance and contributions. In this context, concerns about a gender gap in patenting activity have arisen and some have argued for the need to encourage women to seek more patents. They believe that because academic advancement is mainly dependent on productivity (Stuart and Ding in American Journal of Sociology 112:97-144, 2006; Azoulay et al. in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 63:599-623, 2007), differences in research output have the power to negatively impact women's careers. Moreover, in the case of patenting activity, they claim that the gender gap also has the potential to negatively affect society. This is so because scientific and technological advancement and innovation play a crucial role in contemporary societies. Thus, women's more limited involvement in the commercialization of science and technology can also be detrimental to innovation itself. Nevertheless, calls to encourage women to patent on grounds that such activity is likely to play a significant role in the betterment of both women's careers and society seem to be based on two problematic assumptions: (1) that the methods to determine women's productivity in patenting activities are an appropriate way to measure their research efforts and the impact of their work, and (2) that patenting, particularly in academia, benefits society. The purpose of this paper is to call into question these two assumptions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15375271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Zooming in on a quantitative trait for tomato yield using interspecific introgressions.\nTo explore natural biodiversity we developed and examined introgression lines (ILs) containing chromosome segments of wild species (Solanum pennellii) in the background of the cultivated tomato (S. lycopersicum). We identified Brix9-2-5, which is a S. pennellii quantitative trait locus (QTL) that increases sugar yield of tomatoes and was mapped within a flower- and fruit-specific invertase (LIN5). QTL analysis representing five different tomato species delimited the functional polymorphism of Brix9-2-5 to an amino acid near the catalytic site of the invertase crystal, affecting enzyme kinetics and fruit sink strength. These results underline the power of diverse ILs for high-resolution perspectives on complex phenotypes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23185002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Carbon source-dependent expansion of the genetic code in bacteria.\nDespite the fact that the genetic code is known to vary between organisms in rare cases, it is believed that in the lifetime of a single cell the code is stable. We found Acetohalobium arabaticum cells grown on pyruvate genetically encode 20 amino acids, but in the presence of trimethylamine (TMA), A. arabaticum dynamically expands its genetic code to 21 amino acids including pyrrolysine (Pyl). A. arabaticum is the only known organism that modulates the size of its genetic code in response to its environment and energy source. The gene cassette pylTSBCD, required to biosynthesize and genetically encode UAG codons as Pyl, is present in the genomes of 24 anaerobic archaea and bacteria. Unlike archaeal Pyl-decoding organisms that constitutively encode Pyl, we observed that A. arabaticum controls Pyl encoding by down-regulating transcription of the entire Pyl operon under growth conditions lacking TMA, to the point where no detectable Pyl-tRNA(Pyl) is made in vivo. Pyl-decoding archaea adapted to an expanded genetic code by minimizing TAG codon frequency to typically ~5% of ORFs, whereas Pyl-decoding bacteria (~20% of ORFs contain in-frame TAGs) regulate Pyl-tRNA(Pyl) formation and translation of UAG by transcriptional deactivation of genes in the Pyl operon. We further demonstrate that Pyl encoding occurs in a bacterium that naturally encodes the Pyl operon, and identified Pyl residues by mass spectrometry in A. arabaticum proteins including two methylamine methyltransferases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8044937,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Increased secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma by mononuclear leukocytes in patients with ischemic heart disease. Relevance in superoxide anion generation.\nThere is growing evidence for a pathogenic role for cytokines in atherogenesis. The presence of certain cytokines has been documented in human atherosclerotic vessels. This study was designed to investigate cytokine production by mononuclear leukocytes from patients with ischemic heart disease. We measured kinetics of secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by mononuclear leukocytes from 8 control subjects, 10 patients with stable angina pectoris, and 10 patients with unstable angina pectoris. Mononuclear leukocytes were isolated and incubated with or without the plant lectin mitogen concanavalin A for 48 hours. TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma secretion were measured by ELISA. The effect of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma on superoxide radical generation by neutrophils was also examined. Secretion of both TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma by mononuclear leukocytes increased progressively over 48 hours, and it was consistently higher (P < .02) in patients compared with control subjects. A similar increase in cytokine secretion was observed in patients with stable or unstable angina pectoris. In addition, there was no relation between the severity of coronary artery disease by angiography and cytokine secretion. Basal neutrophil superoxide radical generation was increased in patients with ischemic heart disease, and incubation with cytokines failed to further stimulate superoxide generation in these patients. Similar increases in cytokine secretion by mononuclear leukocytes in stable or unstable angina pectoris indicate that the increased cytokine release is not a nonspecific inflammatory response in acute myocardial ischemia. Increased cytokine secretion in ischemic heart disease may play a role in superoxide radical generation, endothelial injury, deposition and activation of cellular elements on the vessel wall, and possibly in the progression of atherosclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26005753,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Rainwater harvesting systems for low demanding applications.\nA rainwater harvesting system (RHS) was designed for a waste treatment facility located near the town of Mirandela (northern Portugal), to be used in the washing of vehicles and other equipment, the cleaning of outside concrete or asphalt floors, and the watering of green areas. Water tank volumes representing 100% efficiency (Vr) were calculated by the Ripple method with different results depending on two consumption scenarios adopted for irrigation. The RHS design was based on a precipitation record spanning a rather long period (3 decades). The calculated storage capacities fulfilled the water demand even when prolonged droughts occurred during that timeframe. However, because the drought events have been rather scarce the Vr values were considered oversized and replaced by optimal volumes. Notwithstanding the new volumes were solely half of the original Vr values, the projected RHS efficiency remained very high (around 90%) while the probability of system failure (efficiency<100%) stayed very low (in the order of 5%). In both scenarios, the economic savings related to the optimization of Vr were noteworthy, while the investment's return periods decreased substantially from the original to the optimized solutions. A high efficiency with a low storage capacity is typical of low demanding applications of rainwater harvesting, where water availability (Vw) largely exceeds water demand (Cw), that is to say where demand fractions (Cw\/Vw) are very low. Based on the results of a literature review covering an ample geographic distribution and describing a very large number of demand fraction scenarios, a Cw\/Vw=0.8 was defined as the threshold to generally distinguish the low from the high demanding RHS applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27881448,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prion-Like Polymerization in Immunity and Inflammation.\nThe innate immune system relies on receptors that sense common signs of infection to trigger a robust host-defense response. Receptors such as RIG-I and NLRP3 activate downstream adaptors mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), respectively, to propagate immune and inflammatory signaling. Recent studies have indicated that both MAVS and ASC form functional prion-like polymers to propagate immune signaling. Here, we summarize the biochemical, genetic, and structural studies that characterize the prion-like behavior of MAVS and ASC in their respective signaling pathways. We then discuss prion-like polymerization as an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of signal transduction in innate immunity in light of the similarity between the NLRP3-ASC, the NLRP3-ASC pathway in mammals, and the NWD2-HET-s pathway in fungi. We conclude by outlining the unique advantages to signaling through functional prions and potential future directions in the field.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26225773,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"SIRT1 is involved in oncogenic signaling mediated by GPER in breast cancer.\nA number of tumors exhibit an altered expression of sirtuins, including NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) that may act as a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter mainly depending on the tumor types. For instance, in breast cancer cells SIRT1 was shown to exert an essential role toward the oncogenic signaling mediated by the estrogen receptor-\u03b1 (ER\u03b1). In accordance with these findings, the suppression of SIRT1 led to the inhibition of the transduction pathway triggered by ER\u03b1. As the regulation of SIRT1 has not been investigated in cancer cells lacking ER, in the present study we ascertained the expression and function of SIRT1 by estrogens in ER-negative breast cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts obtained from breast cancer patients. Our results show that 17\u03b2-estradiol (E2) and the selective ligand of GPER, namely G-1, induce the expression of SIRT1 through GPER and the subsequent activation of the EGFR\/ERK\/c-fos\/AP-1 transduction pathway. Moreover, we demonstrate that SIRT1 is involved in the pro-survival effects elicited by E2 through GPER, like the prevention of cell cycle arrest and cell death induced by the DNA damaging agent etoposide. Interestingly, the aforementioned actions of estrogens were abolished silencing GPER or SIRT1, as well as using the SIRT1 inhibitor Sirtinol. In addition, we provide evidence regarding the involvement of SIRT1 in tumor growth stimulated by GPER ligands in breast cancer cells and xenograft models. Altogether, our data suggest that SIRT1 may be included in the transduction network activated by estrogens through GPER toward the breast cancer progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30169441,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Strategically Applying New Criteria for Use Improves Management of Peripheral Intravenous Catheters.\nPeripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) are common devices used across many healthcare settings. This quality improvement project aims to proactively remove PIVCs as soon as possible by empowering nurses and providers to clinically evaluate the necessity of every PIVC on a daily basis on a general hospital medical unit. Specific criteria were established to assess PIVC necessity. Cases of PIVCs not meeting established criteria are escalated to providers for a decision point. The PIVC removal times documented within the electronic medical record were analyzed to compare precriteria PIVC dwell times to postcriteria dwell times. The time between removal of a patient's last PIVC and patient discharge was analyzed to determine if more PIVCs are being removed sooner after becoming clinically unnecessary. Significantly fewer PIVCs (decrease of 14.4%) are being removed on the day of discharge in the postintervention time frame, whereas more PIVCs are being removed one (increase of 5.5%) or two (increase of 4.0%) days before the day of discharge. A strategic project to critically evaluate PIVCs on a daily basis and remove PIVCs not meeting criteria for use was successful in proactively removing PIVCs. Hospitals should evaluate PIVC practice, monitor daily usage, and strategically intervene to remove unneeded PIVCs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22554988,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2017-13":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Web-based calibration of observers using MRI of the temporomandibular joint.\nResearch diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders (RDC\/TMDs) were proposed in 1992 with the aim of standardizing and testing methods for diagnosing TMDs. RDC\/TMDs have so far been lacking standardized methods for imaging and criteria for imaging diagnosis of disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Criteria for disorders of the TMJ have recently been proposed for MRI. The aim of this study was to publish MR images of the TMJ on the web and to test the agreement of five observers using the criteria. 20 cases of MRI of the TMJ were published on the web together with the criteria. The MR images were taken in closed and open mouth positions, and sagittal and coronal views. Five observers diagnosed disc position, disc shape, joint effusion and loose calcified bodies in the TMJ. In all cases except one, three or more observers agreed upon the diagnosis. All agreed on whether a loose calcified body was present or not. The second best agreement was obtained for disc position in the sagittal view, where all observers agreed in 16 of the 20 cases. For disc position in the coronal view and the evaluation of the disc shape, observer agreement was lower. Criteria were useful in order to standardize and simplify evaluation and thereby probably increase the diagnostic outcome among different observers for MRI of the TMJ. We recommend that the criteria be used internationally to facilitate comparisons between different studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24336696,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Mutations in rpoB and fusA cause resistance to rifampicin and fusidic acid in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from a tertiary hospital in Malaysia.\nThe prevalence of resistance to rifampicin and fusidic acid among Malaysian strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is increasing. This study aimed to determine the mechanisms of rifampicin and fusidic acid resistance and the genetic diversity of MRSA strains from a Malaysian tertiary hospital. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for 21 MRSA strains were determined by agar dilution test and Etest. The resistance genes, staphylococcal chromosome cassette mec (SCCmec) types, multilocus-sequence typing (MLST) types and spa types, were determined by PCR and DNA sequencing. MIC for rifampicin and fusidic acid resistance ranged from <1 to 8 \u00b5g\/ml and from <1 to 256 \u00b5g\/ml, respectively. A double mutation (484Arg\/His and 517Glu\/Gln) in rpoB causes high rifampicin resistance while a mutational change (461Leu\/Lys) in fusA was observed in seven strains highly resistant to fusidic acid. Five of the seven were also resistant to rifampicin (MIC 8 \u00b5g\/ml) and carried a mutated rpoB gene (484Arg\/His). No other acquired fusidic acid resistance gene (fusB, fusC or fusD) was detected. Most (14\/21) of the strains belonged to clone ST239-III-t037. Three belonged to ST22-IV-t1378 and the remaining four to ST239-III-t2029, ST239-III-t421, ST1178-IV-t1107 and ST241-III-t363, respectively. The study showed that both rifampicin and fusidic acid resistance was associated with mutational change in rpoB and fusA, respectively. All rifampicin-resistant strains were from the same clone ST239-III-t037 whereas strains resistant to fusidic acid were genetically more diverse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25389373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Type I interferon signaling contributes to the bias that Toll-like receptor 4 exhibits for signaling mediated by the adaptor protein TRIF.\nSignaling by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is mediated by either of two adaptor proteins: myeloid differentiation marker 88 (MyD88) or Toll-interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor (TIR) domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-\u03b2 (TRIF). Whereas MyD88-mediated signaling leads to proinflammatory responses, TRIF-mediated signaling leads to less toxic immunostimulatory responses that are beneficial in boosting vaccine responses. The hypothesis that monophosphorylated lipid A structures act as TRIF-biased agonists of TLR4 offered a potential mechanism to explain their clinical value as vaccine adjuvants, but studies of TRIF-biased agonists have been contradictory. In experiments with mouse dendritic cells, we found that irrespective of the agonist used, TLR4 functioned as a TRIF-biased signaling system through a mechanism that depended on the autocrine and paracrine effects of type I interferons. The TLR4 agonist synthetic lipid A induced expression of TRIF-dependent genes at lower concentrations than were necessary to induce the expression of genes that depend on MyD88-mediated signaling. Blockade of type I interferon signaling selectively decreased the potency of lipid A (increased the concentration required) in inducing the expression of TRIF-dependent genes, thereby eliminating adaptor bias. These data may explain how high-potency TLR4 agonists can act as clinically useful vaccine adjuvants by selectively activating TRIF-dependent signaling events required for immunostimulation, without or only weakly activating potentially harmful MyD88-dependent inflammatory responses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2269997,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Organic dust toxic syndrome: an acute febrile reaction to organic dust exposure distinct from hypersensitivity pneumonitis.\nOrganic dust toxic syndrome is a term recently coined to describe a noninfectious, febrile illness associated with chills, malaise, myalgia, a dry cough, dyspnea, headache and nausea which occurs after heavy organic dust exposure. Organic dust toxic syndrome shares many clinical features with acute farmer's lung and other forms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, including the presence of increased numbers of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar lavage. However, organic dust toxic syndrome differs from acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis in several respects: the chest X-ray does not show infiltrates, severe hypoxemia does not occur, prior sensitization to antigens in the organic dust is not required and there are no known sequelae of physiological significance, such as the recurrent attacks and the pulmonary fibrosis which may be seen with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Organic dust toxic syndrome is thought to be much more common than farmer's lung. It is important for clinical and investigational purposes that organic dust toxic syndrome be distinguished from acute farmer's lung.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30920574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nonlinear microscopy of common histological stains reveals third harmonic generation harmonophores.\nSince its invention over a hundred years ago, histological analysis using coloured dye staining remains the gold standard for histopathology. While these stains provide critical information for a variety of diagnostic purposes, they offer limited two-dimensional histological information. Extending classical histological analysis to three dimensions requires novel imaging approaches such as multiphoton microscopy. Multiphoton microscopy enables multimodal, three-dimensional imaging of histologically stained samples. Specifically, third harmonic generation (THG), a nonlinear optical process in which three incident photons are combined into one by the sample, allows high contrast imaging of tissues stained with absorbing dyes, which in turn act as harmonophores. While this technique has previously been applied to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) tissue sections, we extend this approach to other commonly used histological stains to demonstrate further potential applications of the technique. We demonstrate THG imaging of both human skin and liver tissue stained with H&E, Verhoeff-Van Gieson (VVG) and Picrosirius Red stains. We find that these stains provide excellent contrast as THG harmonophores, enabling high resolution imaging of histological samples. THG imaging of the Verhoeff stain enables easy detection of elastic fibers while Picrosirius Red acts as an effective harmonophore for imaging collagen fibers of all sizes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18212128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A regular pattern of Ig super-motifs defines segmental flexibility as the elastic mechanism of the titin chain.\nMyofibril elasticity, critical to muscle function, is dictated by the intrasarcomeric filament titin, which acts as a molecular spring. To date, the molecular events underlying the mechanics of the folded titin chain remain largely unknown. We have elucidated the crystal structure of the 6-Ig fragment I65-I70 from the elastic I-band fraction of titin and validated its conformation in solution using small angle x-ray scattering. The long-range properties of the chain have been visualized by electron microscopy on a 19-Ig fragment and modeled for the full skeletal tandem. Results show that conserved Ig-Ig transition motifs generate high-order in the structure of the filament, where conformationally stiff segments interspersed with pliant hinges form a regular pattern of dynamic super-motifs leading to segmental flexibility in the chain. Pliant hinges support molecular shape rearrangements that dominate chain behavior at moderate stretch, whereas stiffer segments predictably oppose high stretch forces upon full chain extension. There, librational entropy can be expected to act as an energy barrier to prevent Ig unfolding while, instead, triggering the unraveling of flanking springs formed by proline, glutamate, valine, and lysine (PEVK) sequences. We propose a mechanistic model based on freely jointed rigid segments that rationalizes the response to stretch of titin Ig-tandems according to molecular features.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36279509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Rehabilitation of Airway Protection in Individuals With Movement Disorders: A Telehealth Feasibility Study.\nAirway protective deficits (swallowing and cough) greatly reduce health and quality of life and are a pervasive consequence of neurodegenerative movement disorders. Expiratory muscle strength training (EMST) and cough skill training (CST) are two treatment approaches to improve airway protection; however, many patients are unable to access these treatments. Telehealth may improve access to care, but it remains unknown whether these treatments are feasible and efficacious via telehealth. This study aimed to determine the practical feasibility and preliminary treatment effect of EMST and CST via telehealth. Twenty participants with movement disorders completed 4 weeks of EMST and 2 weeks of CST, including two clinician-directed treatment sessions via telehealth and 3 days of home practice per week. Feasibility was calculated for each treatment. Practical feasibility was defined as completing treatment (EMST or CST) and obtaining the relevant outcome measures-a proxy of maximum expiratory pressure (pMEP) for EMST and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) for CST-within a 30-min session\/period. Session factors that may have influenced feasibility were examined. Preliminary treatment effect was defined as changes in pMEP and PEFR. Time taken to obtain pMEP and complete EMST was 17.48 min, and time taken to obtain PEFR and complete CST was 17.69 min. pMEP, single voluntary cough PEFR, and sequential voluntary cough PEFR increased from pre- to posttreatment. Findings suggest that the delivery of EMST and CST is feasible via telehealth and yield improvements to pMEP and PEFR. This has important implications for expanding service delivery of airway protective interventions and reducing health care disparities in people with neurodegenerative movement disorders. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.23641\/asha.21357669.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27889526,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Strain shielding in trabecular bone at the tibial cement-bone interface.\nAseptic loosening of the tibial component remains the leading cause for revision surgery in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Understanding the mechanisms leading to loss of fixation can offer insight into preventative measures to ensure a longer survival rate. In cemented TKA, loosening occurs at the cement-trabecular interface probably due to a stress-shielding effect of the stiffer implant material in comparison with bone. Using finite element models of lab-prepared tibial cement-trabeculae interface specimens (n=4) based on micro-CT images, this study aims to investigate the micromechanics of the interlock between cement and trabecular bone. Finite element micromotion between cement and trabeculae and bone strain were compared in the interdigitated trabeculae as well as strain in the bone distal to the interface. Lab-prepared specimens and their FE models were assumed to represent the immediate post-operative situation. The cement layer was removed in the FE models while retaining the loading conditions, which resulted in FE models that represented the pre-operative situation. Results showed that micromotion and bone strain decrease when interdigitation depth increases. Bone-cement micromotion and bone strain at the distal interdigitated region showed a dependence on bone volume fraction. Comparing the immediate post-operative and pre-operative situations, trabeculae embedded deep within the cement generally showed the highest level of strain-shielding. Strain shielding of interdigitated bone, in terms of reduction in compressive strains, was found to be between 35 and 61 % for the four specimens. Strain adaptive remodeling could thus be a plausible mechanism responsible for loss of interdigitated bone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34086946,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"High Prevalence of Borrelia mayonii (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) in Field-Caught Tamias striatus (Rodentia: Sciuridae) From Northern Wisconsin.\nBorrelia mayonii is a recently discovered bacterial spirochete that causes Lyme disease and is transmitted by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say (Acari: Ixodidae). To date, B. mayonii has been isolated from two vertebrate host species in Minnesota: field-caught white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque; Rodentia: Cricetidae) and American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben). Here, we describe the first detection of B. mayonii in field-caught eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus L. (Rodentia: Cricetidae)) from northern Wisconsin. During our study, we captured 530 unique small mammals and found an infection prevalence of 23.50% in field-caught eastern chipmunks (4\/17) and 1.19% in Peromyscus spp. (5\/420). Mean larval and nymphal burdens were determined for captured Blarina brevicauda (0, 0), Glaucomys volans (0.29, 0.14), Myodes gapperi (0.27, 0), Napaeozapus insignis (0, 0.25), Peromyscus spp. (1.88, 0.11), T. striatus (1.06, 0.65), and Sorex cinereus (0.09, 0). The high B. mayonii infection prevalence in eastern chipmunks suggests that the species may be an important reservoir for B. mayonii in the Upper Midwest.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2530079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Single-photon emission-computed tomography in the differential diagnosis of dementia].\nTo assess the value of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in the differential diagnosis of dementia SPECT and conventional computed tomography were performed in 77 patients (50 men, 27 women, mean age 59 [28-90] years) with dementia diagnosed by a battery of psychometric tests. In 13 out of 15 patients with dementia of Alzheimer type SPECT showed a typical Alzheimer pattern (bilateral parietotemporal perfusion defects). Both patients with dementia of Pick type had definite decreases in frontal perfusion. All 21 patients with dementia due to Huntington's chorea showed a typical pattern with absent perfusion of the head of the caudate nucleus, although in three of them conventional computed tomography didn't demonstrate complete atrophy of this structure. Out of 23 patients with multi-infarct dementia there were 17 with focal uptake deficits at various sites, while six displayed an Alzheimer pattern. In Korsakoff's syndrome (n = 11), Down's syndrome (n = 1), Fahr's syndrome (n = 2), senile chorea (n = 1) and HIV encephalopathy (n = 1) no typical distribution patterns were noted. Single photon emission computed tomography can make a contribution to the diagnosis and classification of primary degenerative dementias and can be used to differentiate them from other forms of dementia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11479260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Physiological transport forces govern drug distribution for stent-based delivery.\nThe first compounds considered for stent-based delivery, such as heparin, were chosen on the basis of promising tissue culture and animal experiments, and yet they have failed to stop restenosis clinically. More recent compounds, such as paclitaxel, are of a different sort, being hydrophobic in nature, and their effects after local release seem far more profound. This dichotomy raises the question of whether drugs that have an effect when released from a stent do so because of differences in biology or differences in physicochemical properties and targeting. We applied continuum pharmacokinetics to examine the effects of transport forces and device geometry on the distribution of stent-delivered hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. We found that stent-based delivery invariably leads to large concentration gradients, with drug concentrations ranging from nil to several times the mean tissue concentration over a few micrometers. Concentration variations were a function of the Peclet number (Pe), the ratio of convective to diffusive forces. Although hydrophobic drugs exhibited greater variability than hydrophilic drugs, they achieved higher mean concentrations and remained closer to the intima. Inhomogeneous strut placement influenced hydrophilic drugs more negatively than hydrophobic drugs, dramatically affecting local concentrations without changing mean concentrations. Because local concentrations and gradients are inextricably linked to biological effect, our results provide a potential explanation for the variable success of stent-based delivery. We conclude that mere proximity of delivery devices to tissues does not ensure adequate targeting, because physiological transport forces cause local concentrations to deviate significantly from mean concentrations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10606510,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"New insights into inhibitor design from the crystal structure and NMR studies of Escherichia coli GAR transformylase in complex with beta-GAR and 10-formyl-5,8,10-trideazafolic acid.\nThe crystal structure of Escherichia coli GAR Tfase at 2.1 A resolution in complex with 10-formyl-5,8,10-trideazafolic acid (10-formyl-TDAF, K(i) = 260 nM), an inhibitor designed to form an enzyme-assembled multisubstrate adduct with the substrate, beta-GAR, was studied to determine the exact nature of its inhibitory properties. Rather than forming the expected covalent adduct, the folate inhibitor binds as the hydrated aldehyde (gem-diol) in the enzyme active site, in a manner that mimics the tetrahedral intermediate of the formyl transfer reaction. In this hydrated form, the inhibitor not only provides unexpected insights into the catalytic mechanism but also explains the 10-fold difference in inhibitor potency between 10-formyl-TDAF and the corresponding alcohol, and a further 10-fold difference for inhibitors that lack the alcohol. The presence of the hydrated aldehyde was confirmed in solution by (13)C-(1)H NMR spectroscopy of the ternary GAR Tfase-beta-GAR-10-formyl-TDAF complex using the (13)C-labeled 10-formyl-TDAF. This insight into the behavior of the inhibitor, which is analogous to protease or transaminase inhibitors, provides a novel and previously unrecognized basis for the design of more potent inhibitors of the folate-dependent formyl transfer enzymes of the purine biosynthetic pathway and development of anti-neoplastic agents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29472368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Signaling through plant lectins: modulation of plant immunity and beyond.\nLectins constitute an abundant group of proteins that are present throughout the plant kingdom. Only recently, genome-wide screenings have unraveled the multitude of different lectin sequences within one plant species. It appears that plants employ a plurality of lectins, though relatively few lectins have already been studied and functionally characterized. Therefore, it is very likely that the full potential of lectin genes in plants is underrated. This review summarizes the knowledge of plasma membrane-bound lectins in different biological processes (such as recognition of pathogen-derived molecules and symbiosis) and illustrates the significance of soluble intracellular lectins and how they can contribute to plant signaling. Altogether, the family of plant lectins is highly complex with an enormous diversity in biochemical properties and activities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22218079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Male depression: Discrete differences between the two sexes.\nRecent research indicates that subtle differences may exist in the symptom profile of male and female depression. The aim of this review is to examine male\/female differences in depressive psychopathology in light of the latest research findings and discuss whether these differences might suggest the need for gender specific treatments. Multiple searches using Medline (1985-2008) were carried out. Additional searches were made using the reference lists of published papers and chapters from books. Differences exist in the clinical profile and comorbidity of male and female individuals with depression. Subtle genetic differences, the role of hormones, the role of preexisting anxiety, and personality differences are some of the factors responsible for these findings. These differences imply that different treatment options should be available for males and females suffering from depression. The available data suggest that clinically relevant differences in depressive symptom profile and the underlying pathophysiology between genders in depression do exist. The identification of distinct endophenotypes for major depression, will not only improve our understanding of the disease, but will also contribute to more specific treatment strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33058835,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Exogenous testosterone decreases men's sensitivity to vocal cues of male dominance.\nAssessing dominance is important for effective social interactions, and prior research suggests that testosterone is associated with men's dominance perceptions. The present study tested for a causal effect of exogenous testosterone on men's sensitivity to vocal cues of other men's dominance, an important parameter in male-male competition across species. One hundred and thirty-nine Chinese men received a single dose (150 mg) of testosterone or placebo gel in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-participant design. Participants reported their own dominance and judged other men's dominance from voices. Men's dominance sensitivity was significantly weaker in the testosterone group compared to those in the placebo group. Moreover, men's dominance sensitivity was negatively associated with their self-reported dominance in our Chinese sample, consistent with findings from Western populations. These results indicate that exogenous testosterone has a causal effect in decreasing men's dominance sensitivity, consistent with the Challenge Hypothesis, suggesting that the fluctuation of testosterone concentration mediates individuals' behaviors. Additionally, the present study could motivate further work on vocal assessment in the context of competition in humans and other species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27199309,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Methodology of method comparison studies evaluating the validity of cardiac output monitors: a stepwise approach and checklist.\nThe validity of each new cardiac output (CO) monitor should be established before implementation in clinical practice. For this purpose, method comparison studies investigate the accuracy and precision against a reference technique. With the emergence of continuous CO monitors, the ability to detect changes in CO, in addition to its absolute value, has gained interest. Therefore, method comparison studies increasingly include assessment of trending ability in the data analysis. A number of methodological challenges arise in method comparison research with respect to the application of Bland-Altman and trending analysis. Failure to face these methodological challenges will lead to misinterpretation and erroneous conclusions. We therefore review the basic principles and pitfalls of Bland-Altman analysis in method comparison studies concerning new CO monitors. In addition, the concept of clinical concordance is introduced to evaluate trending ability from a clinical perspective. The primary scope of this review is to provide a complete overview of the pitfalls in CO method comparison research, whereas other publications focused on a single aspect of the study design or data analysis. This leads to a stepwise approach and checklist for a complete data analysis and data representation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34957039,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"From Burnout to Occupational Depression: Recent Developments in Research on Job-Related Distress and Occupational Health.\nJob-related distress has been a focal concern in occupational health science. Job-related distress has a well-documented health-damaging and life-threatening character, not to mention its economic cost. In this article, we review recent developments in research on job-related distress and examine ongoing changes in how job-related distress is conceptualized and assessed. By adopting an approach that is theoretically, empirically, and clinically informed, we demonstrate how the construct of burnout and its measures, long favored in research on job-related distress, have proved to be problematic. We underline a new recommendation for addressing job-related distress within the long-established framework of depression research. In so doing, we present the Occupational Depression Inventory, a recently developed instrument devised to assess depressive symptoms that individuals specifically attribute to their work. We close our paper by laying out the advantages of a paradigm shift from burnout to occupational depression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32326039,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"GoPrime: Development of an In Silico Framework to Predict the Performance of Real-Time PCR Primers and Probes Using Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus as a Model.\nReal-time PCR (rPCR) is a widely accepted diagnostic tool for the detection and quantification of nucleic acid targets. In order for these assays to achieve high sensitivity and specificity, primer and probe-template complementarity is essential; however, mismatches are often unavoidable and can result in false-negative results and errors in quantifying target sequences. Primer and probe sequences therefore require continual evaluation to ensure they remain fit for purpose. This paper describes the development of a linear model and associated computational tool (GoPrime) designed to predict the performance of rPCR primers and probes across multiple sequence data. Empirical data were generated using DNA oligonucleotides (n = 90) that systematically introduced variation in the primer and probe target regions of a diagnostic assay routinely used to detect foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV); an animal virus that exhibits a high degree of sequence variability. These assays revealed consistent impacts of patterns of substitutions in primer and probe-sites on rPCR cycle threshold (CT) and limit of detection (LOD). These data were used to populate GoPrime, which was subsequently used to predict rPCR results for DNA templates (n = 7) representing the natural sequence variability within FMDV. GoPrime was also applicable to other areas of the FMDV genome, with predictions for the likely targets of a FMDV-typing assay consistent with published experimental data. Although further work is required to improve these tools, including assessing the impact of primer-template mismatches in the reverse transcription step and the broader impact of mismatches for other assays, these data support the use of mathematical models for rapidly predicting the performance of rPCR primers and probes in silico.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30089988,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Transrectal ultrasound-guided aspiration versus transurethral deroofing of prostatic abscess: A prospective randomized study.\nThe aim of this study is to compare between transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided aspiration and transurethral (TU) deroofing in the treatment of prostatic abscess regarding safety and efficacy. This prospective randomized study was done during the period between April 2009 and March 2015 and included 32 patients with prostatic abscess. All patients were enrolled in the study after obtaining a written informed consent and approval of the local ethical committee. The patients were randomly allocated into two groups; Group A treated by TRUS-guided aspiration, saline wash, and local injection of antibiotics and Group B treated by TU deroofing of the abscess. All patients received broad-spectrum antibiotics during the period of treatment, and the follow-up was done on the 5th day by TRUS to ensure complete resolution of the abscess. Statistical analysis was done using online social science statistical calculators http:\/\/www.socscistatistics.com\/Default.aspx using t-test for two independent means, Chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney U-test with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. The mean age was 59 \u00b1 11.46 and 60 \u00b1 13.65 years for Groups A and B, respectively. Diabetes mellitus was detected in 9 (56.25%) and 6 (37.5%) patients in Groups A and B, respectively, hypertension in 7 (43.75%) and 6 (37.5%) patients in Groups A and B, respectively, and two patients (12.5%) with liver cirrhosis in each group. The mean size of the abscess was 3.36 \u00b1 0.86 and 3.04 \u00b1 0.86 cm in Groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.29). The abscess recurred in five patients (31.25%) and one patient (6.25%) in Groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.08). TRUS-guided aspiration was done for all recurrent cases except for two patients (12.5%) in Group A required trans urethral deroofing of the recurrent abscess. The mean hospital stay was 12.9 \u00b1 4.05 and 7.25 \u00b1 2.40 days for Groups A and B, respectively (P = 0.000). In Group A, one patient (6.25%) was complicated by urethrorectal fistula, whereas in Group B, one patient (6.25%) was complicated by septic shock, three patients (13.75%) with epididymo-orchitis and two patients (12.5%) with urethral stricture. Patients with prostatic abscess treated with TRUS-guided aspiration show less morbidity, higher recurrence rate, and longer hospital stay than those treated with TU deroofing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24281546,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Antagonistic selection factors induce a continuous population divergence in a polymorphism.\nUnderstanding the relative importance of selection and stochastic factors in population divergence of adaptive traits is a classical topic in evolutionary biology. However, it is difficult to separate these factors and detect the effects of selection when two or more contrasting selective factors are simultaneously acting on a single locus. In the damselfly Ischnura senegalensis, females exhibit color dimorphism and morph frequencies change geographically. We here evaluated the role of selection and stochastic factors in population divergence of morph frequencies by comparing the divergences in color locus and neutral loci. Comparisons between population pairwise FST for neutral loci and for the color locus did not detect any stochastic factors affecting color locus. Although comparison between population divergence in color and neutral loci using all populations detected only divergent selection, we detected two antagonistic selective factors acting on the color locus, that is, balancing and divergent selection, when considering geographical distance between populations. Our results suggest that a combination of two antagonistic selective factors, rather than stochastic factors, establishes the geographic cline in morph frequency in this system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11432341,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[The clinical significance of detecting small numbers of carcinoma].\nThe clinical significance of detecting small numbers of carcinoma cells has been emphasized. The techniques for detecting micrometastasis in the bone marrow, lymph node, and peripheral blood have progressed remarkably in recent years with the advance of molecular biology. We use molecular biological techniques, such as reverse transcribed-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene, and magnetic-activated cell separation system (Miltenyi Biotec Inc., CA) plus modified MASA targeting for K-ras mutation in practical clinical diagnosis and treatment. We herein, we describe how to obtain samples, such as bone marrow, lymph node, and peripheral blood, and how to prepare these samples. We then discuss the pros and cons of tumor specificity and detectability in several methodologies. Thereafter, we describe our strategies with regard to RT-PCR for CEA mRNA and MACS plus MASA method for K-ras mutations. At present, however, we have no consensus for anyone method, and therefore, stress the need to establish an appropriate methodology through a cooperative study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7294006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Fatal echovirus type 11 infections.\nTwo infants with fatal echovirus type 11 infections are described. Disseminated intravascular coagulation developed in both patients, and at postmortem examination, diffuse hemorrhagic necrosis of multiple organ systems was evident, most strikingly in the liver. A 3-month-old child is described, in whom lethargy, vomiting, pitting edema of the occipital scalp and neck, and subsequent diffuse echovirus disease developed. The clinical manifestation in this infant of focal myositis with histologic documentation at postmortem examination is unique to echovirus 11 disease. To our knowledge, this child represents the first described patient with nonparalytic, fatal echovirus type 11 infection occurring beyond the immediate neonatal period.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3232334,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Determining the \"critical\" level of body mass index in dietary preventive programs].\nThe screening of 709 subjects of both sexes, aged from 16 to 64 years, representing samples from unorganized population was conducted to determine the critical level of body mass index as a criterion for current preventive dietary measures. Anthropometric studies were made, standard questionnaire was used to detect chest pains, ECG at rest was recorded in 12 standard leads using the Minnesota Code. Glucose level in the capillary blood was estimated with the use of \"Glucoscot\", the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol in the blood serum was assayed in AA-2 (\"Technicon\"). The results of the investigations have shown that 71.4% of males and 64.4% of females under 40 years have normal body mass. Body mass index of the most of males over 40 years comprises 25-29.9 units, and that of females 30.0-39.7 units. Body mass index 25-29.9 units corresponds to the I degree of obesity in males, and to the I-II degrees of obesity in females, while index 30-39.9 units corresponds to the II degree of obesity in males, and to the II-III degrees of obesity in females. The authors have recommended body mass index 25 units as the reference criterion for preventive measures to control the main chronic diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34229038,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Global Survey of Physicians Knowledge About Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.\nDespite rapidly increasing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) prevalence, providers' knowledge may be limited. We assessed NAFLD knowledge and associated factors among physicians of different specialties globally. NAFLD knowledge surveys containing 54 and 59 questions covering 3 domains (epidemiology\/pathogenesis, diagnostics, and treatment) were completed electronically by hepatologists, gastroenterologists (GEs), endocrinologists (ENDOs), and primary care physicians (PCPs) from 40 countries comprising 5 Global Burden of Disease super-regions. Over 24 months, 2202 surveys were completed (488 hepatologists, 758 GEs, 148 ENDOs, and 808 PCPs; 50% high-income Global Burden of Disease super-region, 27% from North Africa and Middle East, 12% Southeast Asia, and 5% South Asian and Latin America). Hepatologists saw the greatest number of NAFLD patients annually: median 150 (interquartile range, 60-300) vs 100 (interquartile range, 35-200) for GEs, 100 (interquartile range, 30-200) for ENDOs, and 10 (interquartile range, 4-50) for PCPs (all P < .0001). The primary sources of NAFLD knowledge acquisition for hepatologists were international conferences (33% vs 8%-26%) and practice guidelines for others (39%-44%). The Internet was the second most common source of NAFLD knowledge for PCPs (28%). NAFLD knowledge scores were higher for hepatologists than GEs: epidemiology, 62% vs 53%; diagnostics, 80% vs 73%; and treatment, 61% vs 58% (P < .0001), and ENDOs scores were higher than PCPs: epidemiology, 70% vs 60%; diagnostics, 71% vs 64%; and treatment, 79% vs 68% (P < .0001). Being a hepatologist or ENDO was associated with higher knowledge scores than a GE or PCP, respectively (P < .05). Higher NAFLD knowledge scores were associated independently with a greater number of NAFLD patients seen (P < .05). Despite the growing burden of NAFLD, a significant knowledge gap remains for the identification, diagnosis, and management of NAFLD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15929608,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid (500-730 kda) inhibit stromelysin-1 synthesis in human osteoarthritic chondrocytes.\nChondroitin sulfate (CS) and 500-730 kDa hyaluronic acid (HA) are symptomatic slow-acting drugs for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). In addition, a growing body of evidence suggests a role for CS and this specific HA as modifiers of the course of OA. The therapeutic efficacy of CS and HA lies in their different mechanisms of action. Stromelysin-1 (metalloprotease-3 [MMP-3]) is a cartilage proteolytic enzyme, which induces cartilage destruction and acts as a mediator of the inflammatory response. However, there are few studies evaluating the in vitro effect of CS and HA on MMP-3 synthesis in human chondrocyte cultures from OA patients. Thus, the aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of CS and HA (500-730 kDa) on MMP-3 synthesis induced by interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in chondrocytes from patients with hip OA. Chondrocyte cultures were incubated for 48 h with IL-1beta (2.5 ng\/ml) in the absence or presence of different HA 500-730 kDa (Hyalgan, Bioib\u00e9rica Farma, Barcelona, Spain) concentrations, or alternatively, CS (Condro.san, Bioib\u00e9rica Farma) at concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 1,000 microg\/ml. The results revealed that both CS and HA (500-730 kDa) inhibited MMP-3 synthesis induced by IL-1beta in human OA chondrocytes. Specifically, CS and HA (500-730 kDa) reduced MMP-3 expression levels at all tested concentrations. Therefore, our study provides new data on the mechanism of action of these drugs, which could help to explain their clinical efficacy in OA patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":588328,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Anticonvulsant induced increase in 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3-1alpha-hydroxylase.\nOsteomalacia has been shown to be associated with long-term anticonvulsant therapy. Anticonvulsants modify the hepatic metabolism of vitamin D3 and decrease serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 (25-OH-D3) levels. We have confirmed this and have shown that diphenylhydantoin (DPH) and phenobarbitone (PB) enhance the activity of kidney 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3-1alpha-hydroxylase (1-hydroxylase) in the chicken. Thus, anticonvulsant osteomalacia may not be due to a lack of the active metabolite of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25 (OH) 2D3).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17469040,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Treating insulin resistance: future prospects.\nInsulin resistance typically reflects multiple defects of insulin receptor and post-receptor signalling that impair a diverse range of metabolic and vascular actions. Many potential intervention targets and compounds with therapeutic activity have been described. Proof of principle for a non-peptide insulin mimetic has been demonstrated by specific activation of the intracellular B-subunit of the insulin receptor. Potentiation of insulin action has been achieved with agents that enhance phosphorylation and prolong the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor and its protein substrates after activation by insulin. These include inhibitors of phosphatases and serine kinases that normally prevent or terminate tyrosine kinase signalling. Additional approaches involve increasing the activity of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and other downstream components of the insulin signalling pathways. Experimental interventions to remove signalling defects caused by cytokines, certain adipocyte hormones, excess fatty acids, glucotoxicity and negative feedback by distal signalling steps have also indicated therapeutic possibilities. Several hormones, metabolic enzymes, minerals, co-factors and transcription co-activators have shown insulin-sensitising potential. Since insulin resistance affects many metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, it provides an opportunity for simultaneous therapeutic attack on a broad front.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30984760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Is There a Preferred Mode of Exercise for Cognition Enhancement in Older Age?-A Narrative Review.\nThe aim of this review is to examine the moderating effect of the mode of exercise on the exercise-cognition relationship. Is one mode of exercise more efficient in enhancing cognition than the other? For example, is aerobic exercise preferable over balance training? Based on official guidelines for old age, exercise modes include aerobic activity, strength (resistance) training, flexibility, balance, and coordination. In relation to cognition, these exercise modes are further divided into two categories: physical training-aerobic and strength, and motor training-balance, coordination, and flexibility. The physical training activities are repetitive and automatic in nature, and require high metabolic energy and relatively low neuromuscular effort. The motor activities involve high neuromuscular demands and relatively low metabolic demands. In addition, there are specific movement skills that require more neuromuscular effort (e.g., Tai Chi), and sometimes also greater metabolic demands (e.g., tennis). Selected studies examining the effect of various modes of exercise on cognition contend that both training categories affect neuroplasticity, and consequently cognitive functioning. However, there are two main differences between them: (1) Physical training affects cognition via improvement in cardiovascular fitness, whereas motor training affects cognition directly; (2) Physical training affects neuroplasticity and cognition in a global manner, while motor training is task-specific in increasing brain neuroplasticity and in affecting cognition. Examining the underpinnings of these pathways reveals that there is a difference in the underlying forces behind the two training categories. In the physical training category, it is the intensity of training that enhances neuroplasticity and consequently improves cognition, while in the motor activities it is the task complexity that increases neuroplasticity, which improves cognition. Dual-task training, which includes cognitive demands in addition to physical or motor activity, has proven more effective in improving cognitive functioning than a single task. The implications are that if all training components traditionally recommended by official bodies-physical as well as motor training-are efficient in enhancing cognition, then we merely have to emphasize the inclusion of all exercise modes in our routine exercise regimen for physical as well as cognitive health in advanced age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31211851,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effects of cannabidiol on brivaracetam plasma levels.\nThe use of cannabidiol (CBD) for treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsies is increasing. CBD is metabolized via UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) and cytochrome 450 (CYP) enzymes, but information on interactions with common anticonvulsive drugs is incomplete. We report a case series of five patients receiving adjunctive treatment with CBD who showed increases in brivaracetam (BRV) levels by 95% to 280%. Only two patients reported mild adverse events, leading to a reduction of BRV in one patient. One possible mechanism contributing at least partially to increasing BRV level is the inhibition of CYP2C19 by cannabidiol. Further pharmacokinetic studies are required to understand other possible mechanisms of brivaracetam-cannabidiol interaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21957687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Thoraco-amniotic shunting for fetal pleural effusion--a case series.\nFetal pleural effusion is a rare occurrence, with an incidence of 1 per 10-15,000 pregnancies. The prognosis is related to the underlying cause and is often poor. There is increasing evidence that in utero therapy with thoraco-amniotic shunting improves prognosis by allowing lung expansion thereby preventing hydrops and pulmonary hypoplasia. This is a review of all cases of fetal pleural effusion managed over an eight year period the National Maternity Hospital Dublin. Over the nine year period there were 21 cases of fetal pleural effusion giving an overall incidence of 1 per 9281 deliveries. Of these, 15 underwent thoraco-amniotic shunting. There were associated anomalies diagnosed in 5 (33%) of cases. The overall survival in our cohort was 53%. The presence of hydrops was a poor prognostic factor, with survival in cases with hydrops of 33% (3\/9) compared to 83% (5\/6) in those cases without associated hydrops.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12231494,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Outcome of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis admitted to the intensive care unit.\nThis retrospective study describes the clinical course of 38 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). There were 25 males and 13 females who were the mean age of 68.3 +\/- 11.5 years. Twenty patients were on corticosteroids at the time of admission to the hospital, and 24 had been on home oxygen therapy. The most common reason for ICU admission was respiratory failure. The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III-predicted ICU and hospital mortality rates were 12% and 26%, whereas the actual ICU and hospital mortality rates were 45% and 61%, respectively. We did not find significant differences in pulmonary function or echocardiogram findings between survivors and nonsurvivors. Mechanical ventilation was used in 19 patients (50%). Sepsis developed in nine patients. Multiple organ failure developed in 14% of the survivors and in 43% of the nonsurvivors (p = 0.14). Ninety-two percent of the hospital survivors died at a median of 2 months after discharge. These findings suggest that patients with IPF admitted to the ICU have poor short- and long-term prognosis. Patients with IPF and their families should be informed about the overall outlook when they make decisions about life support and ICU care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31848427,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparison of intra subject repeatability of quantitative fluoroscopy and static radiography in the measurement of lumbar intervertebral flexion translation.\nLow back pain patients are sometimes offered fusion surgery if intervertebral translation, measured from static, end of range radiographs exceeds 3 mm. However, it is essential to know the measurement error of such methods, if selection for back surgery is going to be informed by them. Fifty-five healthy male (34) and female (21) pain free participants aged 21-80 years received quantitative fluoroscopic (QF) imaging both actively during standing and passively in the lateral decubitus position. The following five imaging protocols were extracted from 2 motion examinations, which were repeated 6 weeks apart: 1. Static during upright free bending. 2. Maximum during controlled upright bending, 3. At the end of controlled upright bending, 4. Maximum during controlled recumbent bending, 5. At the end of controlled recumbent bending. Intervertebral flexion translations from L2-S1 were determined for each protocol and their measurement errors (intra subject repeatability) calculated. Estimations using static, free bending radiographic images gave measurement errors of up to 4 mm, which was approximately twice that of the QF protocols. Significantly higher ranges at L4-5 and L5-S1 were obtained from the static protocol compared with the QF protocols. Weight bearing ranges at these levels were also significantly higher in males regardless of the protocol. Clinical decisions based on sagittal translations of less than 4 mm would therefore require QF imaging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2207212,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Vitamin A and microsomal membranes: the effect of retinol deficiency on lipid microviscosity and phospholipid turnover in rat liver microsomes].\nStudies with the use of the fluorescent probe pyrene revealed that vitamin A deficiency in maturing male rats results in the increased microviscosity of liver lipids. This effect seems to be due to changes in the lipid composition of microsomal membranes (increased cholesterol\/phospholipid ratio and lowered polyunsaturated fatty acid content) as well as to the low level of retinol. Analysis of microsomal phospholipids labeled with [3H]palmitate and [14C]glycerol revealed that vitamin A deficiency accelerates the turnover of the glycerol skeleton but sharply decelerates that of fatty acid residues. It is concluded that the observed effect of retinol on the structural and functional properties of biological membranes is due to its ability to control the microviscosity and turnover of membrane lipids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27200511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The role of interventional sialendoscopy and intraductal steroid therapy in patients with recurrent sine causa sialadenitis: a prospective cross-sectional study.\nTo verify the role of interventional sialendoscopy and steroidal ductal irrigation in patients with recurrent sialadenitis. A prospective, cross-sectional pilot study. University of Milan. Fifty-four patients with sine causa recurrent sialadenitis who underwent interventional sialendoscopy (group A, 36 patients) or interventional sialendoscopy followed by a intraductal steroidal irrigations (group B, 18 patients). The number of episodes of sialadenitis three and 6 months before and after sialendoscopy, and their severity assessed by means of a 0-10 pain visual analogue scale. In the population as a whole, a significant post-treatment reduction in the number of episodes of 30.7 \u00b1 5.5 after 3 months and 34.6 \u00b1 10.2 after 6 months (P < 0.001) and a significant reduction in pain visual analogue scale values of 4.7 \u00b1 0.4 after 6 months (P < 0.001) occurred. There was a statistically significant reduction in both parameters at the same time points in both treatment groups (P \u2265 0.001), with no significant between-group difference in pain visual analogue scale values, an albeit non-significant trend in favour of group B in terms of the number of episodes 3 months after therapy that became significant after 6 months (11.0 \u00b1 9.9 versus 20.5 \u00b1 9.5; P = 0.05). Interventional sialendoscopy is effective for the treatment of recurrent sialadenitis; the addition of intraductal steroidal irrigations seems to increase its value in the medium term. Further studies of larger case series with longer follow-up are needed to establish the possibly primary role of steroid therapy in blocking inflammation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12756899,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Diagnosis and localization of hyperparathyroidism by nuclear medicine procedures].\nPrimary hyperparathryoidism is a PTH hypersecretion caused by the parathyroid glands. In most cases (85%), the origin is to be due to the existence of a parathyroid adenoma, despite the intrinsic difficulty in being localized under certain circumstances. From some time now, we can count with the invaluable help of a nuclear medicine technique, namely the parathyroid scintigraphy with Technetium 99m-sestamibi (Tc99m-MIBI), a technique which is easy to perform, cheap and with excellent results, and which additionally can provide us with the above mentioned necessary information regarding location. We present here the case of a patient suffering from primary hyperparatyiroidism, in whom both the disease and the precise location of the hyperfunctioning tissue were identified by means of the parathyroid scintigraphy. Another nuclear medicine procedure, the one known as bone scintigraphy, also contributed meaningfully to the correct diagnosis in the same patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7795230,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Th1 and Th2 T-helper cells exert opposite regulatory effects on procoagulant activity and tissue factor production by human monocytes.\nThe role of T-cell subsets in the induction of tissue factor (TF) production by human monocytes in vitro was investigated. Mitogen stimulation enabled both unfractionated T cells and their CD4+ or CD8+ subsets to promote procoagulant activity (PCA). After mitogen or antigen activation, all seven T-cell clones with Th1 cytokine profile, but none of seven Th2 clones, induced TF production and PCA. T-cell blasts from four Th1 activated clones were fixed with paraformaldehyde and added to monocytes in the presence of medium alone or their supernatants. Addition of either fixed Th1 cells or their supernatants induced low TF production (0.2 to 0.6 ng\/mL), whereas addition of both resulted in much higher TF synthesis (1.8 to 3.4 ng\/mL). Among Th1-type cytokines, only interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induced minimal TF production (0.1 to 0.4 ng\/mL). No TF synthesis was induced by activated and fixed Th2 cells and\/or their supernatants, whereas combined addition of fixed Th2 cells and Th1 supernatants or IFN-gamma induced noticeable TF production. The addition of either anti-IFN-gamma antibody or Th2 supernatants to monocytes stimulated with activated and fixed Th1 cells plus their supernatant resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of TF synthesis, which was partially restored by neutralization of interleukin-4 (IL-4) or IL-10. Addition of recombinant IL-4, IL-13, or IL-10, but not IL-5, inhibited the Th1-induced TF production by monocytes. Data indicate that both CD8+ and CD4+ Th1, but not Th2, T cells can help TF production and PCA. Both cell-to-cell contact with activated T cells and Th1-type cytokines, in particular IFN-gamma, are required for optimal TF synthesis, whereas Th2-derived cytokines (IL-4, IL-13, and IL-10) are inhibitory. This may be of potential interest for future therapeutic strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35105607,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Navigating Critical Challenges Associated with Immunopeptidomics-Based Detection of Proteasomal Spliced Peptide Candidates.\nWithin the tumor immunology community, the topic of proteasomal spliced peptides (PSP) has generated a great deal of controversy. In the earliest reports, careful biological validation led to the conclusion that proteasome-catalyzed peptide splicing was a rare event. To date, six PSPs have been validated biologically. However, the advent of algorithms to identify candidate PSPs in mass spectrometry data challenged this notion, with several studies concluding that the frequency of spliced peptides binding to MHC class I was quite high. Since this time, much debate has centered around the methodologies used in these studies. Several reanalyses of data from these studies have led to questions about the validity of the conclusions. Furthermore, the biological and technical validation that should be necessary for verifying PSP assignments was often lacking. It has been suggested therefore that the research community should unite around a common set of standards for validating candidate PSPs. In this review, we propose and highlight the necessary steps for validation of proteasomal splicing at both the mass spectrometry and biological levels. We hope that these guidelines will serve as a foundation for critical assessment of results from proteasomal splicing studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30155546,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Largely enhanced energy storage capability of a polymer nanocomposite utilizing a core-satellite strategy.\nThe development of new generation dielectric materials toward capacitive energy storage has been driven by the rise of high-power applications such as electric vehicles, aircraft, and pulsed power systems. Here we demonstrate remarkable improvements in the energy density and charge-discharge efficiency of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) upon the incorporation of core-satellite structures, namely NaNbO3(NN)@polydopamine (PDA)@Ag nanowires. As compared to the NN NWs\/PVDF and NN@PDA NWs\/PVDF nanocomposites, the NN@PDA@Ag NWs\/PVDF nanocomposites exhibit greatly enhanced energy density and significantly suppressed energy loss. As a result, the NN@PDA@Ag NWs\/PVDF nanocomposite films with optimized filler content exhibit an excellent discharge energy density of 16.04 J cm-3 at 485 MV m-1, and maintain a high discharge efficiency of 62.8%. Moreover, the corresponding nanocomposite films exhibit a superior power density of 2.1 MW cm-3 and ultra-fast discharge speed of 153 ns. Ultimately, the excellent dielectric and capacitive properties of the polymer nanocomposites could pave the way for widespread applications in modern electronics and power modules.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34234593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Extrapyramidal Side Effects in a Patient with Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms: A Reflection of Quality of the Mental Health Care System.\nThe burden of substance use disorders is increasing in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Individuals with substance use disorders (eg, alcohol use disorder) are at high risk of manifesting extrapyramidal side effects or extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) during treatment of alcohol-induced mental illness symptoms especially psychosis. EPS management poses a challenge since some of the drugs used for treating EPS have addictive properties. The knowledge about EPS diagnosis and treatment is not well distributed across the health system, with health workers at lower health facilities having least awareness. The present case gives details of a patient who developed EPS during the management of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Following cessation of alcohol use, a 54-year-old man with alcohol use disorder presented with a one-week history of visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations, illusions, insomnia, extreme fear and irritability. He was managed with several daily doses of intramuscular chlorpromazine 100 mg, whenever he woke up aggressive from sedation from a peripheral health facility. Four days after his admission, he became mute, stiff, immobile, triple-flexed, tremulous and was drooling saliva. He was referred to a secondary facility for further management while on antipsychotic medication. Finally, he was referred to a tertiary facility, managed with tablets of benzhexol 5 mg twice daily and intravenous diazepam 20 mg per day. Daily follow-up was done using the extrapyramidal symptom rating scale (ESRS) for EPS. EPS symptoms resolved ten days after initiation of treatment. EPS among individuals with addictive disorders poses a challenge in its management, especially in countries where the mental health care system is not well developed at lower-level health facilities. The mental health system has to prepare sustainable interventions to properly manage EPS among the growing population of individuals with addictive disorders through strengthening the mental health policy by training and equipping all health providers with knowledge and skills in managing EPS, increasing finances allocated for mental health and controlling the production and use of addictive substances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38165885,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Market segmentation and consumer motivations in protected natural parks: A study from Spain.\nThere has been an increase in the interest of tourists in the environment and enjoying it in recent years. This research aims to: a) Identify the motivational dimensions in the protected natural parks and b) Analyze the different segments in the protected natural parks. The research was conducted in the Posets-Maladeta protected area in Spain. The sample comprises 422 surveys got in situ. Data analysis involved the execution of factor analysis and non-hierarchical K-means segmentation. The findings suggest the presence of nine motivational dimensions in the protected natural park studied: self-development, interpersonal relationships, security measures, establishing personal bonds, escape, ego-defensive function, nature, entertainment, and rewards. In addition, within this protected natural park is confirmed the presence of two distinct segments: one focused on nature and the other encompassing multiple motives. The results contribute management guidelines for natural park managers for the benefit of communities and visitors. Additionally, this work can serve as a valuable addition to the academic literature concerning ecotourism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20645330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Nanoparticles as semi-heterogeneous catalyst supports.\nNanoparticles can serve as semi-heterogeneous supports since they readily disperse in common solvents and combine high surface area with excellent accessibility. Reversible agglomeration through solvent changes and magnetic separation provide technically attractive alternatives to classical catalyst filtration. This account places emphasis on recent developments in this emerging area.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20299706,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A general methodology for the determination of 2D bodies elastic deformation invariants: application to the automatic identification of parasites.\nA novel methodology is introduced here that exploits 2D images of arbitrary elastic body deformation instances so as to quantify mechanoelastic characteristics that are deformation invariant. Determination of such characteristics allows for developing methods offering an image of the undeformed body. General assumptions about the mechanoelastic properties of the bodies are stated which lead to two different approaches for obtaining bodies' deformation invariants. One was developed to spot a deformed body's neutral line and its cross sections, while the other solves deformation PDEs by performing a set of equivalent image operations on the deformed body images. Both of these processes may furnish a body-undeformed version from its deformed image. This was confirmed by obtaining the undeformed shape of deformed parasites, cells (protozoa), fibers, and human lips. In addition, the method has been applied to the important problem of parasite automatic classification from their microscopic images. To achieve this, we first apply the previous method to straighten the highly deformed parasites, and then, apply a dedicated curve classification method to the straightened parasite contours. It is demonstrated that essentially different deformations of the same parasite give rise to practically the same undeformed shape, thus confirming the consistency of the introduced methodology. Finally, the developed pattern recognition method classifies the unwrapped parasites into six families, with an accuracy rate of 97.6 percent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27469518,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Low-grade inflammation may moderate the effect of behavioral treatment for chronic pain in adults.\nThe purpose of the present pilot study was to explore the moderating role of basal inflammation on the effects of behavioral pain treatment in 41 patients with long-standing pain. Baseline pro-inflammatory status moderated behavioral treatment outcomes: higher pre-treatment levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-\u03b1 and Interleukin (IL)-6 were related to less improvement in pain intensity, psychological inflexibility and in mental health-related quality of life. The treatment outcomes improved in the subgroup that had low levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines at baseline, while the subjects with higher pro-inflammatory status did not. Altogether, results indicate that low-grade inflammation may influence the behavioral treatment outcomes and provide a possible explanation of the heterogeneity in treatment response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26495710,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[DYNAMICS OF NITROGEN OXIDE METABOLITES IN THE PLASMA AND ASCITES DURING ZAJDEL HEPATOMA GROWTH IN VIVO].\nThe dynamics of extracellular nitrogen oxide metabolites localized in the plasma and ascites during Zajdel ascites hepatoma growth in the abdominal cavity has been investigated. An increase in peroxynitrite concentration was found by the levels of nitrotyrosine (up to 10-11 nM) in blood plasma at the initial stage of tumor cell development. In the course of further tumor development, an oxidative stress developed, which might cause oxidation of protein components including tyrosine. All these processes may cause a decrease in the accessible amount of tyrosine for nitration and lead to a fall in nitrotyrosine level (to 3-6 nM) at the final stages of tumor growth. Nitrotyrosine dynamics in the region of tumor growth is essentially analogous to that in the plasma because proteins during tumor growth cames from the blood plasma of tumor bearer. In studying the dynamics of nitrosylation of sulfur-bearing protein groups, an increase in the concentration of S-nitrosothyols was found to occur in the blood plasma for up to 6 days of the experiment, subsequently their concentration decreased. In the ascites, where protein R-SNO arrives, the mean concentration of nitrosothyols upon tumor growth is lower compared to that of the plasma. In studying the dynamics of final stable nitrogen oxide decay products--nitrites\/nitrates, it has been found that during tumor development the concentration of these metabolites in the plasma varies only moderately within some range and sharply increases at the final stage of the experiment. In the area of tumor growth, an analogous trend in the behavior of nitrites\/nitriaes has been registered (noted, marked), but with a higher background level, which might be due to both the functioning of immunocompetent cells, microphages in particular, and a decreased rate of utilization of substances from the ascites. Based on the aforesaid, it has been concluded that the nitrosylating stress in the organism of the bearer of a tumor is being developed along with the oxidative stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30088069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Muscle mass estimation on breast magnetic resonance imaging in breast cancer patients: comparison between psoas muscle area on computer tomography and pectoralis muscle area on MRI.\nTo evaluate the correlation between psoas muscle area (TPA) on CT images and pectoralis muscle area (PMA) on MRI in breast cancer patients. This retrospective study was institutional review board approved and women involved gave written informed consent. Twenty six patients with both body CT and breast MRI available were evaluated. Two radiologists calculated TPA on 1.25-mm and 5-mm body CT images. Two radiologists measured PMA on axial T1-weighted images. Statistical analysis included inter- and intra-reader agreement and correlation between TPA on CT and PMA on MRI. The Pearson r correlation coefficient was 0.70 (95% CI 0.41-0.81) and the coefficient of determination was 0.49. The inter-reader agreement was k = 0.85 and k = 0.79 for axial 1.25-mm and 5-mm CT images, respectively. The intra-reader agreement of reader 1 was k = 0.98 and k = 0.94 for 1.25-mm and 5-mm CT images, respectively. The intra-reader agreement of reader 2 was k = 0.95 and k = 0.94 for 1.25-mm and 5-mm CT images, respectively. On axial T1-weighted images, the inter-reader agreement for radiologists evaluating the PMA was k = 0.61. Intra-observer agreement of reader 1 and reader 2 for PMA estimation was good (0.62 and 0.64), respectively. The correlation between TPA on CT images and PMA on MRI was very good. Pectoralis muscle area on breast MRI could be useful to estimate muscle mass in women with breast cancer. \u2022 Pectoralis muscle area can be estimated on breast MRI \u2022 Total psoas area on CT and pectoralis muscle area on MRI are strongly correlated \u2022 Pectoralis muscle area on breast MRI could estimate the skeletal muscle mass.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26141394,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Integrated Transcriptional and Proteomic Analysis of Growth Hormone Suppression Mediated by Trichothecene T-2 Toxin in Rat GH3 Cells.\nChronic exposure to trichothecenes is known to disturb insulin-like growth factor 1 and signaling of insulin and leptin hormones and causes considerable growth retardation in animals. However, limited information was available on mechanisms underlying trichothecene-induced growth retardation. In this study, we employed an integrated transcriptomics, proteomics, and RNA interference (RNAi) approach to study the molecular mechanisms underlying trichothecene cytotoxicity in rat pituitary adenoma GH3 cells. Our results showed that trichothecenes suppressed the synthesis of growth hormone 1 (Gh1) and inhibited the eukaryotic transcription and translation initiation by suppressing aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases transcription, inducing eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha kinase 2 (EIF2AK2) and reducing eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5 a. The sulfhydryl oxidases , protein disulfide isomerase,and heat shock protein 90 (were greatly reduced, which resulted in adverse regulation of protein processing and folding. Differential genes and proteins associated with a decline in energy metabolism and cell cycle arrest were also found in our study. However, use of RNAi to interfere with hemopoietic cell kinase (Hck) and EIF2AK2 transcriptions or use of chemical inhibitors of MAPK, p38, Ras, and JNK partially reversed the reduction of Gh1 levels induced by trichothecenes. It indicated that the activation of MAPKs, Hck, and EIF2AK2 were important for trichothecene-induced growth hormone suppression. Considering the potential hazards of exposure to trichothecenes, our findings could help to improve our understanding regarding human and animal health implications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26004286,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chitosan-Decorated Doxorubicin-Encapsulated Nanoparticle Targets and Eliminates Tumor Reinitiating Cancer Stem-like Cells.\nTumor reinitiating cancer stem-like cells are responsible for cancer recurrence associated with conventional chemotherapy. We developed a doxorubicin-encapsulated polymeric nanoparticle surface-decorated with chitosan that can specifically target the CD44 receptors of these cells. This nanoparticle system was engineered to release the doxorubicin in acidic environments, which occurs when the nanoparticles are localized in the acidic tumor microenvironment and when they are internalized and localized in the cellular endosomes\/lysosomes. This nanoparticle design strategy increases the cytotoxicity of the doxorubicin by six times in comparison to the use of free doxorubicin for eliminating CD44(+) cancer stem-like cells residing in 3D mammary tumor spheroids (i.e., mammospheres). We further show these nanoparticles reduced the size of tumors in an orthotopic xenograft tumor model with no evident systemic toxicity. The development of nanoparticle system to target cancer stem-like cells with low systemic toxicity provides a new treatment arsenal for improving the survival of cancer patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23623740,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"MDQ positive people's searching for effective and ineffective treatments for bipolar disorders: a screening study in France.\nThe objective was to estimate the rate of subjects who tested positive at a screening for bipolar disorders among the people insured by a French Health Company, and subsequently to measure treatment patterns. Cross-sectional postal survey on the \"Mutuelle G\u00e9n\u00e9rale de l'Education Nationale\" (MGEN) policyholders. A self-rated questionnaire was sent by mail to 20,099 individuals randomly selected among MGEN policyholders. Tools: questionnaire on socio-demographic variables and health-care use; Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ); Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form Self-Administered (CIDI-SA). Responders were 10,288 (53%). The prevalence of MDQ positivity (MDQ(+)) was 3.6%. The respondents older than 65 showed the lowest frequencies. High frequencies were recorded by the people who had left work because of long term sickness and by people with invalidity. Subjects having a diagnosis of ICD-10 major depression were found to be at risk. Positive subjects had no more contacts with general practitioners than negative subjects; on the contrary they had more contacts with psychiatrists, alternative medicine professionals, psychologists, psychoanalysts, spiritual guides or welfare workers. MDQ+ subjects had a higher risk to use all kinds of psychodrugs, including antidepressants (27.7%, OR=2.7, CI95% 1.9-3.9). The prevalence of MDQ(+) was similar to the surveys in the USA and Italy. The use of ADs in people with MDQ(+) and MDD diagnosis needs to be taken into account when managing the public health-care system. A large rate of positive subjects reported to have used ineffective treatments for bipolar disorders. Relative low response rate and observational design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24727828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"High-frequency jet ventilation shortened the duration of gas embolization during laparoscopic liver resection in a porcine model.\nPositive pressure mechanical ventilation causes rhythmic changes in thoracic pressure and central blood flow. If entrainment occurs, it could be easier for carbon dioxide to enter through a wounded vein during laparoscopic liver lobe resection (LLR). High-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) is a ventilating method that does not cause pronounced pressure or blood flow changes. This study aimed to investigate whether HFJV could influence the frequency, severity, or duration of gas embolism (GE) during LLR. Twenty-four anaesthetized piglets underwent lobe resection and were randomly assigned to either normal frequency ventilation (NFV) or HFJV (n=12 per group). During resection, a standardized injury to the left hepatic vein was created to increase the risk of GE. Haemodynamic and respiratory variables were monitored. Online blood gas monitoring and transoesophageal echocardiography were used. GE occurrence and severity were graded as 0 (none), 1 (minor), or 2 (major), depending on the echocardiography results. GE duration was shorter in the HFJV group (P=0.008). However, no differences were found between the two groups in the frequency or severity of embolism. Incidence of Grade 2 embolism was less than that found in previous studies and physiological responses to embolism were variable. HFJV shortened the mean duration of GE during LLR and was a feasible ventilation method during the procedure. Individual physiological responses to GE were unpredictable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32326407,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Biofilm Eradication by Symmetrical Selenoesters for Food-Borne Pathogens.\nInfections caused by Salmonella species and Staphylococcus aureus represent major health and food industry problems. Bacteria have developed many strategies to resist the antibacterial activity of antibiotics, leading to multidrug resistance (MDR). The over-expression of drug efflux pumps and the formation of biofilms based on quorum sensing (QS) can contribute the emergence of MDR. For this reason, the development of novel effective compounds to overcome resistance is urgently needed. This study focused on the antibacterial activity of nine symmetrical selenoesters (Se-esters) containing additional functional groups including oxygen esters, ketones, and nitriles against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Firstly, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of the compounds were determined. Secondly, the interaction of compounds with reference antibiotics was examined. The efflux pump (EP) inhibitory properties of the compounds were assessed using real-time fluorimetry. Finally, the anti-biofilm and quorum sensing inhibiting effects of selenocompounds were determined. The methylketone and methyloxycarbonyl selenoesters were the more effective antibacterials compared to cyano selenoesters. The methyloxycarbonyl selenoesters (Se-E2 and Se-E3) showed significant biofilm and efflux pump inhibition, and a methyloxycarbonyl selenoester (Se-E1) exerted strong QS inhibiting effect. Based on results selenoesters could be promising compounds to overcome bacterial MDR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8103687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cyclosporin in psoriasis: pathophysiology and experimental data.\nCyclosporin has been used efficaciously in recent years for the management of severe psoriasis. The remarkable efficacy of this drug and its known immunosuppressive properties have indicated even more strongly the involvement of the immune system in the induction and maintenance of psoriasis. The present review summarizes the role of cellular immunity in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and possible mechanisms of action of cyclosporin in psoriasis, and describes the laboratory studies performed in our Department under two headings, changes in lesional immune infiltrate (evaluated immunohistologically) and changes in neutrophil chemotaxis during cyclosporin treatment. Our immunohistological study showed that the psoriatic plaques contained an infiltrate composed mainly of activated CD4+ T cells. Cyclosporin treatment significantly decreased T cells and normalized the distribution and antigen expression of intraepidermal Langerhans cells, increasing the number of CD1+ dendritic cells. Our studies on neutrophil chemotaxis showed that cyclosporin reduced the chemotactic activity of neutrophilic polymorphonuclear leukocytes (in vivo but not in vitro), seemingly as a consequence of blocking the production of chemoattracting cytokines by psoriatic monocytes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35609994,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Lossless indexing with counting de Bruijn graphs.\nSequencing data are rapidly accumulating in public repositories. Making this resource accessible for interactive analysis at scale requires efficient approaches for its storage and indexing. There have recently been remarkable advances in building compressed representations of annotated (or colored) de Bruijn graphs for efficiently indexing k-mer sets. However, approaches for representing quantitative attributes such as gene expression or genome positions in a general manner have remained underexplored. In this work, we propose counting de Bruijn graphs, a notion generalizing annotated de Bruijn graphs by supplementing each node-label relation with one or many attributes (e.g., a k-mer count or its positions). Counting de Bruijn graphs index k-mer abundances from 2652 human RNA-seq samples in over eightfold smaller representations compared with state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools and is faster to construct and query. Furthermore, counting de Bruijn graphs with positional annotations losslessly represent entire reads in indexes on average 27% smaller than the input compressed with gzip for human Illumina RNA-seq and 57% smaller for Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) HiFi sequencing of viral samples. A complete searchable index of all viral PacBio SMRT reads from NCBI's Sequence Read Archive (SRA) (152,884 samples, 875 Gbp) comprises only 178 GB. Finally, on the full RefSeq collection, we generate a lossless and fully queryable index that is 4.6-fold smaller than the MegaBLAST index. The techniques proposed in this work naturally complement existing methods and tools using de Bruijn graphs, and significantly broaden their applicability: from indexing k-mer counts and genome positions to implementing novel sequence alignment algorithms on top of highly compressed graph-based sequence indexes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":91477,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Alpha-1-fetoprotein in tumour tissue (author's transl)].\nUsing the indirect immunoperoxidase method, alpha 1-fetoprotein (AFP) can be demonstrated in paraffin sections of tumours by light-microscopy. Among 160 tumour preparations it was demonstrated in five of six endodermal sinus tumors, 19 of 40 teratomas, the three hepatoblastomas and 9 of 16 primary liver-cell carcinomas. Among 15 rhabdomyosarcomas, 15 Wilms tumours, 15 neuroblastomas and 15 other malignant tumours only one rhabdomyosarcoma contained AFP. No AFP was demonstrated in 35 various benign tumours and various other human tissue samples. Distribution of AFP-producing cells in tumour tissue is generally focal samples. In malignant teratomas AFP was found only in areas which corresponded to an endodermal sinus tumour or an embryonic carcinoma. The practical significance of the results consists of (1) demonstration and localisation of AFP in tumour tissue; (2) aiding the differential diagnosis and classification of tumours and their metastases; and (3) recognition of pathogenetic connection between embryonic carcinoma and endodermal sinus tumour.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25421093,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"An autotransporter display platform for the development of multivalent recombinant bacterial vector vaccines.\nThe Autotransporter pathway, ubiquitous in Gram-negative bacteria, allows the efficient secretion of large passenger proteins via a relatively simple mechanism. Capitalizing on its crystal structure, we have engineered the Escherichia coli autotransporter Hemoglobin protease (Hbp) into a versatile platform for secretion and surface display of multiple heterologous proteins in one carrier molecule. As proof-of-concept, we demonstrate efficient secretion and high-density display of the sizeable Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens ESAT6, Ag85B and Rv2660c in E. coli simultaneously. Furthermore, we show stable multivalent display of these antigens in an attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium strain upon chromosomal integration. To emphasize the versatility of the Hbp platform, we also demonstrate efficient expression of multiple sizeable antigenic fragments from Chlamydia trachomatis and the influenza A virus at the Salmonella cell surface. The successful efficient cell surface display of multiple antigens from various pathogenic organisms highlights the potential of Hbp as a universal platform for the development of multivalent recombinant bacterial vector vaccines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11148595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The uptake, location and fluorescence of hypericin in bovine intact lens.\nTo determine the uptake, location and fluorescence of hypericin, the active ingredient in St. John's Wort, in situ in the isolated intact calf lens. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of hypericin 10(-5 ) M were measured in DMSO\/phosphate buffer, pH 7.4) [PBS] (1\/10 in volume) in the presence of alpha-crystallin (0.5 and 1.1 mg\/ml). Bovine lenses were incubated in the dark for 24 hours in 10(-4) M hypericin in a DMSO\/PBS (1\/10 in volume) mixture. Diffused hypericin fluorescence emission was detected with a fluorescence stereomicroscope from the PBS washed lens surface. A lens-holder specially built for front-surface excitation-detection was used to measure fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of intact lenses incubated with hypericin solutions. As increasing concentrations of alpha-crystallin were added, the absorption and fluorescence spectra of hypericin in DMSO\/PBS (1\/10 in volume) changed, indicating a binding between the chromophore and the lens protein. Fluorescence emission spectra detected from the lens surface (lambda( em) = 601 and 651 nm; lambda(exc) = 550 nm) confirmed that hypericin does bind to the ocular tissues. The results we obtained in simplified model systems can provide clues to investigate the effects of hypericin on lens properties in physiological conditions. Hypericin could in fact bind to lens protein thus increasing the retention time of hypericin in the eye and possibly altering a-crystallin properties as a chaperone. Should therefore hypericin be taken up by the lens, this can be detected, non-invasively by its fluorescence. Therefore, ophthalmologists may use a slit-lamp or scanning fluorometry to monitor the uptake of hypericin in the eyes of patients using St. John's Wort or receiving high doses of hypericin while undergoing photodynamic therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8106730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Serologic testing for sexually transmitted diseases.\nThis article addresses current issues regarding serologic testing for selected STDs, particularly those for which serologic testing has been useful for diagnosis, monitoring therapy, or seroepidemiology. For each selected pathogen, the authors discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the serologic tests as diagnostic assays, as measures of disease incidence and relevance, and as prospective markers identifying risk alterations in a given population. Also, for some conditions such as syphilis, the usefulness of serology as a measure of therapy or success of disease intervention is briefly outlined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27766464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Calorie Intake and Gambling: Is Fat and Sugar Consumption 'Impulsive'?\nExcessive calorie intake constitutes a global public health concern, due to its associated range of untoward outcomes. Gambling is commonplace and gambling disorder is now considered a behavioral addiction in DSM-5. The relationships between calorie intake, gambling, and other types of putatively addictive and impulsive behaviors have received virtually no research attention. Two-hundred twenty-five young adults who gamble were recruited from two Mid-Western university communities in the United States using media advertisements. Dietary intake over the preceding year was quantified using the Dietary Fat and Free Sugar Short questionnaire (DFS). Clinician rating scales, questionnaires, and cognitive tests germane to impulsivity were completed. Relationships between dietary fat\/sugar intake and gambling behaviors, as well as other measures of psychopathology and cognition germane to addiction, were evaluated using correlational analyses controlling for multiple comparisons. Greater dietary fat and sugar intake were associated with lower educational levels and with male gender. Controlling for these variables, higher dietary fat and sugar intake were correlated significantly with worse gambling pathology and anxiety scores. Dietary sugar intake was also significantly associated with higher depressive scores, more alcohol intake, lower self-esteem, and with greater risk of having one or more mental disorders in general. Dietary intake did not correlate significantly with ADHD symptoms, presence of one or more impulse control disorders, Barratt impulsiveness, or cognitive functioning. These data suggest a particularly strong relationship between fat\/sugar intake and symptoms of gambling pathology, but not most other forms of impulsivity and behavioral addiction (excepting alcohol intake). Providing education about healthy diet may be especially valuable in gamblers and in community settings where gambling advertisements feature prominently. Future work should explore the mediating mechanisms between calorie intake and gambling symptoms, such as whether this could be driven by environmental factors (e.g. advertising) or common dysfunction of brain reward pathways.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30986436,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Lipid nanoparticles for delivery of messenger RNA to the back of the eye.\nRetinal gene therapy has had unprecedented success in generating treatments that can halt vision loss. However, immunogenic response and long-term toxicity with the use of viral vectors remain a concern. Non-viral vectors are relatively non-immunogenic, scalable platforms that have had limited success with DNA delivery to the eye. Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics has expanded the ability to achieve high gene expression while eliminating unintended genomic integration or the need to cross the restrictive nuclear barrier. Lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) remain at the forefront of potent delivery vectors for nucleic acids. Herein, we tested eleven different LNP variants for their ability to deliver mRNA to the back of the eye. LNPs that contained ionizable lipids with low pKa and unsaturated hydrocarbon chains showed the highest amount of reporter gene transfection in the retina. The kinetics of gene expression showed a rapid onset (within 4 h) that persisted for 96 h. The gene delivery was cell-type specific with majority of the expression in the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and limited expression in the M\u00fcller glia. LNP-delivered mRNA can be used to treat monogenic retinal degenerative disorders of the RPE. The transient nature of mRNA-based therapeutics makes it desirable for applications that are directed towards retinal reprogramming or genome editing. Overall, non-viral delivery of RNA therapeutics to diverse cell types within the retina can provide transformative new approaches to prevent blindness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31840841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Biocorrosion inhibition of Cu70:Ni30 by Bacillus subtilis strain S1X and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ZK biofilms.\nMicrobiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) or biocrorrosion is a cause of huge economic set back for industries around the globe. The present work deals with the study of corrosion of copper alloy (Cu-Ni 70:30) in the presence of bacterial biofilms produced by Bacillus subtilis strain S1X and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain ZK. MIC was investigated using electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and through analytical techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The Cu-Ni coupons were exposed to bacteria in minimal salt medium supplemented with NaCl for a period of 15 days. AFM and FTIR analysis revealed formation of a thick biofilm on the surface of the Cu alloy in bacterial inoculated systems. The electrochemical results demonstrated a decreased current density and corrosion rate for the systems with bacterial biofilms. These findings were supported by the results of SEM and weight loss studies. The results showed the inhibition of corrosion for Cu-Ni in biotic conditions (with biofilms) as compared with abiotic conditions (without biofilms).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28703936,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Randomized clinical trial of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation versus sham electrical stimulation in patients with faecal incontinence.\nThe aim was to assess the effects of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) in the treatment of faecal incontinence (FI) by means of an RCT. Patients aged over 18 years with FI were included in a multicentre, single-blinded RCT. The primary endpoint was reduction in the median or mean number of FI episodes per week. Secondary endpoints were changes in measures of FI severity, and disease-specific and generic quality of life. Outcomes were compared between PTNS and sham stimulation after 9 weeks of treatment. A higher proportion of patients in the PTNS (13 of 29) than in the sham (6 of 30) group showed a reduction of at least 50 per cent in the median number of FI episodes\/week (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 2\u00b740, 95 per cent c.i. 1\u00b710 to 5\u00b724; P = 0\u00b7028), but not in the mean number of episodes\/week (10 of 29 versus 8 of 30; IRR 1\u00b742, 0\u00b769 to 2\u00b792; P = 0\u00b7347). The absolute median number of FI episodes per week decreased in the PTNS but not in the sham group (IRR 0\u00b766, 0\u00b744 to 0\u00b798; P = 0\u00b7041), as did the mean number (IRR 0\u00b765 (0\u00b745 to 0\u00b797); P = 0\u00b7034). Scores on the Cleveland Clinic Florida faecal incontinence scale decreased significantly in both groups, but more steeply in the PTNS group (mean difference -1\u00b73, 95 per cent c.i. -2\u00b76 to 0\u00b70; P = 0\u00b7049). The aggregated mental component score of Short Form 36 improved in the PTNS but not in the sham group (mean difference 5\u00b71, 0\u00b75 to 9\u00b76; P = 0\u00b7028). PTNS may offer a small advantage in the clinical management of FI that is insufficiently responsive to conservative treatment. The key challenge will be to identify patients who may benefit most from this minimally invasive surgical procedure. Registration number: NCT00974909 (http:\/\/www.clinicaltrials.gov).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34170475,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Biomolecular solid-state NMR spectroscopy at 1200 MHz: the gain in resolution.\nProgress in NMR in general and in biomolecular applications in particular is driven by increasing magnetic-field strengths leading to improved resolution and sensitivity of the NMR spectra. Recently, persistent superconducting magnets at a magnetic field strength (magnetic induction) of 28.2 T corresponding to 1200 MHz proton resonance frequency became commercially available. We present here a collection of high-field NMR spectra of a variety of proteins, including molecular machines, membrane proteins, viral capsids, fibrils and large molecular assemblies. We show this large panel in order to provide an overview over a range of representative systems under study, rather than a single best performing model system. We discuss both carbon-13 and proton-detected experiments, and show that in 13C spectra substantially higher numbers of peaks can be resolved compared to 850 MHz while for 1H spectra the most impressive increase in resolution is observed for aliphatic side-chain resonances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31409760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The combination of lonafarnib and sorafenib induces cyclin D1 degradation via ATG3-mediated autophagic flux in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.\nCombination treatment is a promising strategy to improve prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Sorafenib is a traditional first-line agent approved for the treatment of advanced HCC, though with limited efficacy. Previously, we reported that lonafarnib, an orally bioavailable non-peptide inhibitor targeting farnesyltransferase, synergizes with sorafenib against the growth of HCC cells. In the present study, we aim to clarify the underlying mechanism of this combination strategy. Initially, using in vitro HCC cell model, we confirmed that synergistic treatment of lonafarnib and sorafenib suppressed cell viability and colony formation, and induced cell death. We then found conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II via combination the treatment and observed formation of autophagosomes by electron microscopy. Knockdown of ATG3 inhibited the autophagic flux induced by the combination treatment. Furthermore, we demonstrated that drug-eliciting autophagy selectively promoted the degradation of cyclin D1 in a lysosome-dependent manner and subsequently inhibited DNA synthesis through downregulating the phosphorylation of Rb protein. In conclusion, our results provide a deeper insight into the mechanism for the combination treatment of lonafarnib and sorafenib in HCC therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17585260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A new dynamic foot abduction orthosis for clubfoot treatment.\nRecurrent clubfoot deformity after successful initial correction with the use of the Ponseti method continues to be a common problem and is often caused by noncompliance with wear of the traditional foot abduction brace. The purpose of this study was to assess the results of a newly designed dynamic foot abduction orthosis in terms of (1) parental compliance and (2) effectiveness in preventing recurrent clubfoot deformities. Twenty-eight patients (49 clubfeet) who were treated with a dynamic foot abduction orthosis in accordance with the Ponseti method were included in this study. Of the 28 patients, 18 had idiopathic clubfeet (31 clubfeet), 2 had complex idiopathic clubfeet (4 clubfeet), 5 had myelodysplasia (8 clubfeet), and 3 were syndromic (6 clubfeet). The mean duration of follow-up was 29 months (range, 24-36 months). Noncompliance was reported in only 2 (7.1%) of the 28 patients in the new orthosis compared with the authors' previously reported 41% (21\/51) noncompliance rate in patients treated with the use of the traditional foot abduction brace. The two patients in this study, in which parents were noncompliant with orthosis wear, developed recurrent deformities. There were 2 patients (7%) who experienced skin blistering in the new orthosis compared with 12 (23.5%) of 51 patients who experienced blistering with the use of traditional abduction brace in the authors' previously reported study. Logistic regression modeling compliance and recurrence revealed that noncompliance with the foot abduction orthosis was most predictive of recurrence of deformity (odds ratio, 27; 95% confidence interval, 2.2-326; P = 0.01). The articulating foot abduction orthosis is well tolerated by patients and parents and results in a higher compliance rate and a lower complication rate than what were observed with the traditional foot abduction orthosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16489114,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Differentiation of human airway epithelia is dependent on erbB2.\nA clinical case documented a reversible change in airway epithelial differentiation that coincided with the initiation and discontinuation of trastuzumab, an anti-erbB2 antibody. This prompted the investigation into whether blocking the erbB2 receptor alters differentiation of the airway epithelium. To test this hypothesis, we treated an in vitro model of well-differentiated human airway epithelia with trastuzumab or heregulin-alpha, an erbB ligand. In addition, coculturing with human lung fibroblasts tested whether in vivo subepithelial fibroblasts function as an endogenous source of ligands able to activate erbB receptors expressed by the overlying epithelial cells. Epithelia were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and used for morphometric analysis. Trastuzumab treatment decreased the ciliated cell number by 49% and increased the metaplastic, flat cell number by 640%. Heregulin-alpha treatment increased epithelial height and decreased the number of metaplastic and nonciliated columnar cells, whereas it increased the goblet cell number. We found that normal human lung fibroblasts express transforming growth factor-alpha, heparin-binding epidermal-like growth factor, epiregulin, heregulin-alpha, and amphiregulin, all of which are erbB ligands. Cocultures of airway epithelia with primary fibroblasts increased epithelial height comparable to that achieved following heregulin-alpha treatment. These data show that erbB2 stimulation is required for maintaining epithelial differentiation. Furthermore, the mesenchyme underlying the airway epithelium secretes a variety of erbB ligands that may direct various pathways of epithelial differentiation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20421503,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Structural study of TcaR and its complexes with multiple antibiotics from Staphylococcus epidermidis.\nTcaR and IcaR are a weak and a strong negative regulator of transcription of the ica locus, respectively, and their presence prevents the poly-N-acetylglucosamine production and biofilm formation in Staphylococcus epidermidis. Although TcaR was shown to interact with the ica promoter, the precise binding region and the mechanism of interaction remained unclear. Here we present the 3D structure of TcaR in its apo form and in complex with salicylate as well as several aminoglycoside and beta-lactam antibiotics. A comparison of the native and complex TcaR structures indicates that the mechanism of regulation involves a large conformational change in the DNA-binding lobe. Here, we deduced the consensus binding sequence of two [ approximately TTNNAA] hexamers embedded in a 16 bp sequence for a TcaR dimer. Six TcaR dimers bind specifically to three approximately 33 bp segments close to the IcaR binding region with varying affinities, and their repressor activity is directly interfered by salicylate and different classes of natural antimicrobial compounds. We also found in this study that the antimicrobial compounds we tested were shown not only to inhibit TcaR-DNA interaction but also to further induce biofilm formation in S. epidermidis in our in vivo assay. The results support a general mechanism for antibiotics in regulating TcaR-DNA interaction and thereby help understand the effect of antibiotic exposure on bacterial antibiotic resistance through biofilm formation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1430754,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Health care rationing in the United States: are we there yet?\nGiven the skyrocketing costs of health care in the United States, some experts propose official health care rationing as a solution to the crisis. Others maintain the position that health care is already being rationed because of cost, and always has been. This paper presents evidence supporting both viewpoints and, by exploring two definitions of \"rationing,\" shows that they are not mutually exclusive. Practical applications to optometry as a health profession are mentioned.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24600447,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Immunoglobulin and T Cell Receptor Genes: IMGT(\u00ae) and the Birth and Rise of Immunoinformatics.\nIMGT(\u00ae), the international ImMunoGeneTics information system(\u00ae) (1), (CNRS and Universit\u00e9 Montpellier 2) is the global reference in immunogenetics and immunoinformatics. By its creation in 1989, IMGT(\u00ae) marked the advent of immunoinformatics, which emerged at the interface between immunogenetics and bioinformatics. IMGT(\u00ae) is specialized in the immunoglobulins (IG) or antibodies, T cell receptors (TR), major histocompatibility (MH), and proteins of the IgSF and MhSF superfamilies. IMGT(\u00ae) has been built on the IMGT-ONTOLOGY axioms and concepts, which bridged the gap between genes, sequences, and three-dimensional (3D) structures. The concepts include the IMGT(\u00ae) standardized keywords (concepts of identification), IMGT(\u00ae) standardized labels (concepts of description), IMGT(\u00ae) standardized nomenclature (concepts of classification), IMGT unique numbering, and IMGT Colliers de Perles (concepts of numerotation). IMGT(\u00ae) comprises seven databases, 15,000 pages of web resources, and 17 tools, and provides a high-quality and integrated system for the analysis of the genomic and expressed IG and TR repertoire of the adaptive immune responses. Tools and databases are used in basic, veterinary, and medical research, in clinical applications (mutation analysis in leukemia and lymphoma) and in antibody engineering and humanization. They include, for example IMGT\/V-QUEST and IMGT\/JunctionAnalysis for nucleotide sequence analysis and their high-throughput version IMGT\/HighV-QUEST for next-generation sequencing (500,000 sequences per batch), IMGT\/DomainGapAlign for amino acid sequence analysis of IG and TR variable and constant domains and of MH groove domains, IMGT\/3Dstructure-DB for 3D structures, contact analysis and paratope\/epitope interactions of IG\/antigen and TR\/peptide-MH complexes and IMGT\/mAb-DB interface for therapeutic antibodies and fusion proteins for immune applications (FPIA).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24476388,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for fast and accurate identification of Pseudallescheria\/Scedosporium species.\nAn increasing number of infections due to Pseudallescheria\/Scedosporium species has been reported during the past decades, both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Additionally, these fungi are now recognized worldwide as common agents of fungal colonization of the airways in cystic fibrosis patients, which represents a risk factor for disseminated infections after lung transplantation. Currently six species are described within the Pseudallescheria\/Scedosporium genus, including Scedosporium prolificans and species of the Pseudallescheria\/Scedosporium apiospermum complex (i.e. S. apiospermum sensu stricto, Pseudallescheria boydii, Scedosporium aurantiacum, Pseudallescheria minutispora and Scedosporium dehoogii). Precise identification of clinical isolates at the species level is required because these species differ in their antifungal drug susceptibility patterns. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI)-time of flight (TOF)\/mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful tool to rapidly identify moulds at the species level. We investigated the potential of this technology to discriminate Pseudallescheria\/Scedosporium species. Forty-seven reference strains were used to build a reference database library. Profiles from 3-, 5- and 7-day-old cultures of each reference strain were analysed to identify species-specific discriminating profiles. The database was tested for accuracy using a set of 64 clinical or environmental isolates previously identified by multilocus sequencing. All isolates were unequivocally identified at the species level by MALDI-TOF\/MS. Our results, obtained using a simple protocol, without prior protein extraction or standardization of the culture, demonstrate that MALDI-TOF\/MS is a powerful tool for rapid identification of Pseudallescheria\/Scedosporium species that cannot be currently identified by morphological examination in the clinical setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7587954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Xenobiotic-enhanced expression of cytochrome P450 2E1 and 2B1\/2B2 in primary cultured rat hepatocytes.\nInvestigation of the posttranscriptional mechanisms involved in the xenobiotic-mediated enhancement of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) expression has been limited by a lack of a functional primary hepatocyte cell culture system. We examined the effects of ciprofibrate (CIPRO) and pyridine (PYR) treatment on the expression of CYP2E1, P450 4A (CYP4A), and P450 2B (CYP2B) in primary rat hepatocytes cultured on Vitrogen or Matrigel substratum and in the presence of Chee's medium. Cells were cultured for 72 hr or longer before initiation of treatment. Northern blot analyses indicated that 24-hr CIPRO treatment enhanced the expression of CYP4A, and CYP2B mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner, with maximal induction of CYP2E1 mRNA (2- to 3-fold) and CYP4A1 mRNA (up to approximately 15-fold) monitored at 30-300 microM CIPRO. Maximal CYP2B mRNA levels (7- to 8-fold) were monitored at 300-1000 microM CIPRO. Treatment of hepatocytes for 24, 48, and 72 hr with 30 microM CIPRO showed progressive increases in CYP2B and CYP4A mRNA levels, with approximately 13- and 60-fold elevations in the respective mRNAs occurring at 72 hr posttreatment. In contrast, CYP2E1 mRNA levels were maximally elevated between 2- and 3-fold at both 24 and 48 hr and were returning to basal levels by 72 hr. Western blot analyses revealed that 24-hr PYR (25 mM) treatment of CIPRO-treated cells, in the absence of any further increase in CYP2E1 mRNA levels, increased CYP2E1 protein levels approximately 6- to 8-fold. PYR treatment also increased CYP2B mRNA and CYP2B1\/2B2 protein levels approximately 16-fold relative to cells treated only with CIPRO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11138838,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Structure, function and pharmacology of voltage-gated sodium channels.\nVoltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are responsible for the initial inwards current during the depolarisation phase of action potential in excitable cells. Therefore, VGSCs are crucial for cardiac and nerve function, since the action potential of nerves and muscle cannot occur without them. Their importance in generation and transmission of signals has been known for more than 40 years but the more recent introduction of new electrophysiological methods and application of molecular biology techniques has led to an explosion of research on many different ion channels, including VGSCs. Their extraordinary biological importance makes them logical and obvious targets for toxins produced by animals and plants for attack or defence. The action of these and similar substances modulating the function of the VGSCs is interesting with respect to their possible use in medicine or use as tools in the study of these molecules. This review summarises recent progress in this research field and, in particular, considers what is known about the relationship of the structure to function, including a current understanding of the pharmacological modulation of VGSCs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8986659,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Non-union of the scaphoid. Treatment with cannulated screws compared with treatment with Herbert screws.\nWe retrospectively reviewed the results for thirty-four patients in whom a non-union of the scaphoid had been treated with bone-grafting and internal fixation with use of one of two types of screws as well as the temporary placement of Kirschner wires parallel to the screw to prevent rotation. The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 contained sixteen patients who had been managed with a Herbert screw from 1986 through 1989 and Group 2, eighteen patients who had been managed with a 3.5-millimeter cannulated AO\/ASIF screw from 1990 through 1992. There were no clinical or radiographic differences between the two groups. The time to union, confirmed with tomography, was 7.6 +\/- 3.6 months for Group 1 and 3.6 +\/- 1.2 months for Group 2. This difference was significant (p < 0.01). Both screws significantly improved the alignment of the scaphoid and decreased carpal collapse (p < 0.05). Regardless of the type of screw used, the time to union was significantly shorter when the screw had been placed in the central one-third of the scaphoid (p < 0.05). Seventeen of the eighteen cannulated screws had been placed centrally, compared with seven of the sixteen Herbert screws (p < 0.01).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2397578,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Age-related decrease of calcitonin gene-related peptide-containing vasodilator innervation in the mesenteric resistance vessel of the spontaneously hypertensive rat.\nWe previously demonstrated that the mesenteric resistance blood vessels have nonadrenergic, noncholinergic vasodilator innervation in which calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a possible neurotransmitter. The role of CGRP-containing vasodilator nerves in hypertension was investigated in perfused mesenteric vascular beds isolated from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The adrenergic vasoconstrictor responses to perivascular nerve stimulation in both SHR (8-, 15-, and 30-week-old) and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat preparations increased with aging, but the response was greater in SHR than in WKY rats at all ages. The preparation isolated from SHR and WKY rats was precontracted by continuous perfusion of Krebs' solution containing 7 x 10(-6) M methoxamine plus 5 x 10(-6) M guanethidine. In both SHR and WKY rats, perivascular nerve stimulation (1-8 Hz) produced frequency-dependent vasodilation, which was blocked by 1 x 10(-7) M tetrodotoxin, pretreatment with 5 x 10(-7) M capsaicin, and denervation by cold storage (4 degrees C for 72 hours). The vasodilation induced by perivascular nerve stimulation in SHR greatly decreased with age, whereas a slight decrease in the response with age was found in WKY rats. The neurogenic vasodilation in the young SHR preparation was similar in magnitude to the vasodilation in age-matched WKY rats, whereas the vasodilation in 15- and 30-week-old SHR was significantly smaller than that in age-matched WKY rats. In both SHR and WKY rats, perfusion of rat CGRP (1 x 10(-10) to 3 x 10(-8) M) produced marked vasodilation in a concentration-dependent manner. The CGRP-induced vasodilation in SHR increased with age, whereas an age-related decrease in vasodilation was found in WKY rats. Perivascular nerve stimulation (4 and 8 Hz) of the perfused mesenteric vascular bed evoked an increased release of CGRP-like immunoreactive substance in the perfusate, which was significantly less in 15-week-old SHR than in age-matched WKY rats. Immunohistochemical studies showed an age-related decrease in CGRP-like immunoreactive fibers in SHR but not in WKY rats. These results suggest that CGRP-containing vasodilator innervation is greatly decreased when SHR develop and maintain hypertension. It is also suggested that the decreased vasodilator mechanism by CGRP-containing nerves contributes to the development and maintenance of hypertension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19456112,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"First-principles investigation of the early 3d transition metal diatomic chlorides and their ions, ScCl(0,+\/-), TiCl(0,+\/-), VCl(0,+\/-), and CrCl(0,+\/-).\nThe titled molecular species have been studied by ab initio multireference and coupled-cluster methods in conjunction with large correlation consistent basis sets. A total of 71 MCl, 13 MCl(+), and 9 MCl(-) states, M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, have been examined. We report total energies, dissocation energies, spectroscopic parameters, and full potential energy curves. Most of our results are presented for the first time in the literature, whereas the general agreement with available experimental data can be considered as quite good.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10051662,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Bilirubin, formed by activation of heme oxygenase-2, protects neurons against oxidative stress injury.\nHeme oxygenase (HO) catalyzes the conversion of heme to carbon monoxide, iron, and biliverdin, which is immediately reduced to bilirubin (BR). Two HO active isozymes exist: HO1, an inducible heat shock protein, and HO2, which is constitutive and highly concentrated in neurons. We demonstrate a neuroprotective role for BR formed from HO2. Neurotoxicity elicited by hydrogen peroxide in hippocampal and cortical neuronal cultures is prevented by the phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) via stimulation of protein kinase C. We observe phosphorylation of HO2 through the protein kinase C pathway with enhancement of HO2 catalytic activity and accumulation of BR in neuronal cultures. The neuroprotective effects of PMA are prevented by the HO inhibitor tin protoporphyrin IX and in cultures from mice with deletion of HO2 gene. Moreover, BR, an antioxidant, is neuroprotective at nanomolar concentrations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19802393,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An intermittent live cell imaging screen for siRNA enhancers and suppressors of a kinesin-5 inhibitor.\nKinesin-5 (also known as Eg5, KSP and Kif11) is required for assembly of a bipolar mitotic spindle. Small molecule inhibitors of Kinesin-5, developed as potential anti-cancer drugs, arrest cell in mitosis and promote apoptosis of cancer cells. We performed a genome-wide siRNA screen for enhancers and suppressors of a Kinesin-5 inhibitor in human cells to elucidate cellular responses, and thus identify factors that might predict drug sensitivity in cancers. Because the drug's actions play out over several days, we developed an intermittent imaging screen. Live HeLa cells expressing GFP-tagged histone H2B were imaged at 0, 24 and 48 hours after drug addition, and images were analyzed using open-source software that incorporates machine learning. This screen effectively identified siRNAs that caused increased mitotic arrest at low drug concentrations (enhancers), and vice versa (suppressors), and we report siRNAs that caused both effects. We then classified the effect of siRNAs for 15 genes where 3 or 4 out of 4 siRNA oligos tested were suppressors as assessed by time lapse imaging, and by testing for suppression of mitotic arrest in taxol and nocodazole. This identified 4 phenotypic classes of drug suppressors, which included known and novel genes. Our methodology should be applicable to other screens, and the suppressor and enhancer genes we identified may open new lines of research into mitosis and checkpoint biology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38114494,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Generalization of beneficial exposure effects to untreated stimuli from another fear category.\nPrevious research has shown that fear associated with one stimulus often spreads to other stimuli with similar perceptual features as well as across different stimulus categories. Exposure is considered as the most effective intervention to attenuate exaggerated fear. The extent to which exposure treatment effects can generalize to fears not targeted during treatment remains elusive. Previous studies on possible generalization of beneficial effects of exposure used stimuli sharing the same stimulus category and\/or stimuli having high perceptual similarity. The current study examined whether exposure treatment generalization can be achieved for untreated stimuli which do not share any perceptual resemblance and belong to a different fear category. An analogue sample of fifty participants with fear of spiders (animal-related fears) and heights (natural environment-related fears) was tested. Participants have been randomly assigned to either an exposure treatment (n = 24) or a control condition (n = 26). Exposure treatment was designed to only target participants' fear of spiders, leaving their fear of heights untreated. Results demonstrated that the effects of exposure treatment generalized to fear of heights, as indicated by a reduction in behavioral avoidance, as well as self-reported acrophobia symptoms. The present study confutes the assumption that generalization of exposure effects to untreated fears is based on perceptual similarity. Clearly, further research is required to determine the decisive factors, in order to expand the generalization effect permanently to any given type of fear.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28040895,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Biosynthesis of Branched Alkoxy Groups: Iterative Methyl Group Alkylation by a Cobalamin-Dependent Radical SAM Enzyme.\nThe biosynthesis of branched alkoxy groups, such as the unique t-butyl group found in a variety of natural products, is still poorly understood. Recently, cystobactamids were isolated and identified from Cystobacter sp as novel antibacterials. These metabolites contain an isopropyl group proposed to be formed using CysS, a cobalamin-dependent radical S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) methyltransferase. Here, we reconstitute the CysS-catalyzed reaction, on p-aminobenzoate thioester substrates, and demonstrate that it not only catalyzes sequential methylations of a methyl group to form ethyl and isopropyl groups but remarkably also sec-butyl and t-butyl groups. To our knowledge, this is the first in vitro reconstitution of a cobalamin-dependent radical SAM enzyme catalyzing the conversion of a methyl group to a t-butyl group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31679147,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Osteosarcopenia among postmenopausal women and handgrip strength as a practical method for predicting the risk.\nOsteosarcopenia is a recently described geriatric syndrome. Studies concerning its role on physical function are relatively few. To evaluate the prevalence of osteosarcopenia and to analyze its relationship with physical function among postmenopausal women. Demographic and clinical data, fracture risk, and osteosarcopenia risk factors of 140 postmenopausal women were evaluated between April 2018 and September 2018. Body composition and bone mineral density were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorbtiometry. Handgrip strength and physical performance test results were recorded. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, whereas osteopenia\/osteoporosis was diagnosed according to the World Health Organisation criteria. The mean age of the patients was 64.1 \u00b1 8.9 years. Among the patients, 64.3% (n = 90) were found to be osteosarcopenic. Insufficient protein and calcium intake and low physical activity level were found to be the most frequent risk factors. When further analysis was done according to the osteosarcopenia, sarcopenia-only, and osteoporosis-only groups, osteosarcopenia group revealed the lowest body mass index, skeletal mass index, handgrip strength values, and physical performance test results. The handgrip strength was found to be a determinant of osteosarcopenia and each 1-unit decrease in handgrip strength increased the risk of osteosarcopenia by 1.162 times (95% CI 1.086-1.25). The prevalence of osteosarcopenia is high among postmenopausal women. It is recommended to be aware of osteosarcopenia while managing osteoporotic patients, to use handgrip strength as a simple screening method, and to consider sarcopenia treatment as an important component of osteoporosis prevention and treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27725670,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Imaging and controlling plasmonic interference fields at buried interfaces.\nCapturing and controlling plasmons at buried interfaces with nanometre and femtosecond resolution has yet to be achieved and is critical for next generation plasmonic devices. Here we use light to excite plasmonic interference patterns at a buried metal-dielectric interface in a nanostructured thin film. Plasmons are launched from a photoexcited array of nanocavities and their propagation is followed via photon-induced near-field electron microscopy (PINEM). The resulting movie directly captures the plasmon dynamics, allowing quantification of their group velocity at \u223c0.3 times the speed of light, consistent with our theoretical predictions. Furthermore, we show that the light polarization and nanocavity design can be tailored to shape transient plasmonic gratings at the nanoscale. This work, demonstrating dynamical imaging with PINEM, paves the way for the femtosecond and nanometre visualization and control of plasmonic fields in advanced heterostructures based on novel two-dimensional materials such as graphene, MoS2, and ultrathin metal films.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22215180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Breaks in sedentary time during childhood and adolescence: Iowa bone development study.\nThe frequency of interruptions in sedentary time (sedentary breaks) is an aspect of sedentary behaviors that may be associated with metabolic health outcomes. The aim of this study was to describe the change in the frequency of sedentary breaks during a 10-yr period from ages 5 to 15 yr. The longitudinal Iowa Bone Development Study has collected accelerometry data at approximately 5, 8, 11, 13, and 15 yr. Data from participants who wore an accelerometer at least 10 h\u00b7d(-1) and 3 d per data collection episode were used (423 children at age 5 yr, 550 children at age 8 yr, 520 children at age 11 yr, 454 children at age 13 yr, and 344 children at age 15 yr). The frequency of sedentary breaks was determined based on accelerometry data and compared by weekday\/weekend, period during the day, gender, and data collection episode. The frequency of sedentary breaks decreased by >200 times per day during a 10-yr period from ages 5 to 15 yr. Linear regression models estimated a 1.84-times-per-hour decrease per year for boys and a 2.04-times-per-hour decrease per year for girls (P values < 0.0001). Both boys and girls showed significantly fewer breaks on weekdays from morning to 3:00 p.m. than on weekends from morning to 3:00 p.m. (P values < 0.0001). The frequency of sedentary breaks was slightly higher among boys than among girls (gender difference \u2264 2 times per hour; P values < 0.01 at ages 11, 13, and 15 yr). Breaks in sedentary time notably decrease during childhood and adolescence. During school hours, boys and girls have fewer breaks in sedentary time than during any other period of weekday or weekend day.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16862137,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A comprehensive library of fluorescent transcriptional reporters for Escherichia coli.\nE. coli is widely used for systems biology research; there exists a need, however, for tools that can be used to accurately and comprehensively measure expression dynamics in individual living cells. To address this we present a library of transcriptional fusions of gfp to each of about 2,000 different promoters in E. coli K12, covering the great majority of the promoters in the organism. Each promoter fusion is expressed from a low-copy plasmid. We demonstrate that this library can be used to obtain highly accurate dynamic measurements of promoter activity on a genomic scale, in a glucose-lactose diauxic shift experiment. The library allowed detection of about 80 previously uncharacterized transcription units in E. coli, including putative internal promoters within previously known operons, such as the lac operon. This library can serve as a tool for accurate, high-resolution analysis of transcription networks in living E. coli cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33810573,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Multiscale Free Energy Analysis of Human Ecosystem Engineering.\nUnlike ecosystem engineering by other living things, which brings a relatively limited range of sensations that are connected to a few enduring survival preferences, human ecosystem engineering brings an increasing variety and frequency of novel sensations. Many of these novel sensations can quickly become preferences as they indicate that human life will be less strenuous and more stimulating. Furthermore, they can soon become addictive. By contrast, unwanted surprise from these novel sensations may become apparent decades later. This recognition can come after the survival of millions of humans and other species has been undermined. In this paper, it is explained that, while multiscale free energy provides a useful hypothesis for framing human ecosystem engineering, disconnects between preferences and survival from human ecosystem engineering limit the application of current assumptions that underlie continuous state-space and discrete state-space modelling of active inference.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19458344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Medicaid nursing home pay for performance: where do we stand?\nNursing home pay-for-performance (P4P) programs are intended to maximize the value obtained from public and private expenditures by measuring and rewarding better nursing home performance. We surveyed the 6 states with operational P4P systems in 2007. We describe key features of six Medicaid nursing home P4P systems and make recommendations for further development of nursing home P4P. We surveyed the six states with operational P4P systems in 2007. The range of performance measures employed by the states is quite broad: staffing level and satisfaction, findings from the regulatory system, clinical quality indicators, resident quality of life or satisfaction with care, family satisfaction, access to care for special populations, and efficiency. The main data sources for the measures are the Minimum Data Set (MDS), nursing home inspections, special surveys of nursing home residents, consumers or employees, and facility cost reports or other administrative systems. The most common financial incentive for better performance is a percentage bonus or an add-on to a facility's per diem rate. The bonus is generally proportional to a facility performance score, which consists of simple or weighted sums of scores on individual measures. States undertaking nursing home P4P programs should involve key stakeholders at all stages of P4P system design and implementation. Performance measures should be comprehensive, valid and reliable, risk adjusted where appropriate, and communicated clearly to providers and consumers. The P4P system should encourage provider investment in better care yet recognize state fiscal restraints. Consumer report cards, quality improvement initiatives, and the regulatory process should complement and reinforce P4P. Finally, the P4P system should be transparent and continuously evaluated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36633624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"2024-18":3}}},"text":"Non-pyrogenic highly pure magnetosomes for efficient hyperthermia treatment of prostate cancer.\nWe report the fabrication of highly pure magnetosomes that are synthesized by magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) using pharmaceutically compatible growth media, i.e., without compounds of animal origin (yeast extracts), carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic for reproduction (CMR) products, and other heavy metals than iron. To enable magnetosome medical applications, these growth media are reduced and amended compared with media commonly used to grow these bacteria. Furthermore, magnetosomes are made non-pyrogenic by being extracted from these micro-organisms and heated above 400 \u00b0C to remove and denature bacterial organic material and produce inorganic magnetosome minerals. To be stabilized, these minerals are further coated with citric acid to yield M-CA, leading to fully reconstructed chains of magnetosomes. The heating properties and anti-tumor activity of highly pure M-CA are then studied by bringing M-CA into contact with PC3-Luc tumor cells and by exposing such assembly to an alternating magnetic field (AMF) of 42 mT and 195 kHz during 30 min. While in the absence of AMF, M-CA are observed to be non-cytotoxic, they result in a 35% decrease in cell viability following AMF application. The treatment efficacy can be associated with a specific absorption rate (SAR) value of M-CA, which is relatively high in cellular environment, i.e., SARcell = 253 \u00b1 11 W\/gFe, while being lower than the M-CA SAR value measured in water, i.e., SARwater = 1025 \u00b1 194 W\/gFe, highlighting that a reduction in the Brownian contribution to the SAR value in cellular environment does not prevent efficient tumor cell destruction with these nanoparticles. KEY POINTS : \u2022 Highly pure magnetosomes were produced in pharmaceutically compatible growth media \u2022 Non-pyrogenic and stable magnetosomes were prepared for human injection \u2022 Magnetosomes efficiently destroyed prostate tumor cells in magnetic hyperthermia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19803040,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Gangrene of the limb complicating Salmonella typhi septicaemia in a Nigerian child.\nWe report an unusual case of lower limb gangrene in a pubertal boy following a typical clinical presentation of septicaemia due to Salmonella typhi. After an initial response to presumed appropriate antibiotic and supportive therapy, the patient developed tissue ischaemia in both feet. There were no clinical or laboratory evidence suggestive of DIC or coagulopathy. Following conservative management which included oral administration of vitamin C, there was gradual regression of ischaemic changes, progressive healing and recovery of function of the left foot while the condition of the right foot deteriorated with extensive tissue necrosis and dry gangrene that extended to the distal one third of the foot. This necessitated surgical disarticulation of the metatarsophalangeal joints two months after admission. This report is to alert clinicians about this rare complication of a common curable disease with a view to anticipating the possibility of it occurring as well as considering appropriate preventive measures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30747761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Emergency Department Observation Unit Utilization Among Older Patients With Chest Pain.\nAlthough some emergency department observation units (EDOUs) may exclude patients over 65 years old, our EDOU accepts patients up to 79 years old. We assessed the utilization of our EDOU by older patients (those 65-79 years old). We prospectively enrolled emergency department (ED) patients with chest pain. We gathered baseline data at the time of ED presentation and tracked outcomes related to the ED stay, EDOU, and\/or inpatient admission. Our primary outcome included EDOU placement among older patients. Our secondary outcome was the rate of major adverse cardiac events [MACE: myocardial infarction, stent, coronary artery bypass graft, and death]. Over the 5-year study period, we evaluated 2242 ED patients with chest pain, of whom 19.4% (95% confidence interval, 17.8%-21.1%) were 65-79 years old. Older patients were more likely to be placed in the EDOU after the ED visit (45.8% vs. 36.6%; P = 0.001) and more likely to be admitted to an inpatient unit from the ED (31.8% vs. 17.9%;P < 0.001) than those under 65 years old. The overall MACE rate was similar between admitted older patients and those in the EDOU: 5.9% versus 4.3% (P = 0.57). Of the admitted older patients, 30.4% (95% confidence interval, 22.3%-39.9%) were low risk and there were no cases of MACE in this group. In an EDOU that allows older patients, we noted substantial utilization by these patients for the evaluation of chest pain. The characteristics of admitted older patients suggest the potential for even greater EDOU utilization in this group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10962986,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Computed tomographic appearance of pulmonary mucormycosis].\nAnalysis of the morphological characteristics of pulmonary mucormycosis using computed tomography (CT). Prospective analysis of CT studies in 9 patients out of 19 patients with proven pulmonary mucormycosis. Pulmonary mucormycosis was most frequently found in the upper lobe bilaterally (51% of all nodules). In 22% of the manifestations, the morphological criterion of a \"bird's nest\" could be verified in CT, in 37% central necrotic areas were detected. In 37% an open bronchus was diagnosed, in 6% we observed bronchiectases. 43% of all nodules presented with a halo sign. In three patients we found pleural effusions, enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes were diagnosed in one patient. Computed tomography allows an improved diagnosis and therapeutic follow-up in patients suffering from pulmonary mucormycosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23255289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Peripheral hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channels contribute to inflammation-induced hypersensitivity of the rat temporomandibular joint.\nHyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels conduct an inward cation current (Ih ) that contributes to the maintenance of neuronal membrane potential and have been implicated in a number of animal models of neuropathic and inflammatory pain. In the current study, we investigated HCN channel involvement in inflammatory pain of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). The contribution of HCN channels to inflammation (complete Freund's adjuvant; CFA)-induced mechanical hypersensitivity of the rat TMJ was tested with injections of the HCN channel blocker ZD7288. Retrograde labelling and immunohistochemistry was used to explore HCN channel expression in sensory neurons that innervate the TMJ. Injection of CFA into the TMJ (n = 7) resulted in a significantly increased mechanical sensitivity relative to vehicle injection (n = 7) (p < 0.05). The mechanical hypersensitivity generated by CFA injection was blocked by co-injection of ZD7288 with the CFA (n = 7). Retrograde labelling and immunohistochemistry experiments revealed expression predominantly of HCN1 and HCN2 channel subunits in trigeminal ganglion neurons that innervate the TMJ (n = 3). No change in the proportion or intensity of HCN channel expression was found in inflamed (n = 6) versus control (n = 5) animals at the time point tested. Our findings suggest a role for peripheral HCN channels in inflammation-induced pain of the TMJ. Peripheral application of a HCN channel blocker could provide therapeutic benefit for inflammatory TMJ pain and avoid side effects associated with activation of HCN channels in the central nervous system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12228345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Is ATP Required for K+ Channel Activation in Vicia Guard Cells?\nIn vivo, K+ entry into guard cells via inward-rectifying K+ channels is indirectly driven by ATP via an H+-ATPase that hyperpolarizes the membrane potential. However, whether activation of the K+ channels of guard cells requires ATP remains unknown. In the present study, both whole-cell and single-channel patch-clamp techniques were used to address this question. Exogenous ATP, ADP, and adenosine-5[prime]-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) applied to the cytoplasm had no effect on whole-cell K+ currents of Vicia faba L. guard cells. Azide, an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation, also had no effect. However, an ATP-scavenging system, glucose plus hexokinase, inhibited whole-cell inward K+ currents by 30 to 40%. Single-channel results acquired from cytoplasm-free inside-out membrane patches showed definite activation of inward K+ channels by ATP. Other nucleotides, such as ADP, adenosine-5[prime]-O(3-thiotriphosphate), and GTP, did not increase channel activity in the membrane patches. Inward K+ channel activity in membrane patches preactivated by exogenous ATP was inhibited by glucose plus hexokinase. These results suggest that a low concentration of ATP is required for activation of the inward K+ channels of the guard-cell plasma membrane. The issue of how ATP as a signal regulates these K+ channels is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32325994,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chemerin Treatment Inhibits the Growth and Bone Invasion of Breast Cancer Cells.\nChemerin is secreted as prochemerin from various cell types and then cleaved into the bioactive isoform by specific proteases. In various cancer types, chemerin exhibits pro- or antitumor effects. In the present study, chemerin treatment significantly inhibited the viability and invasion of breast cancer cells in the absence or presence of transforming growth factor (TGF)-\u03b2 and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1. The expression levels of E-cadherin and vimentin were reduced in chemerin-treated breast cancer cells. However, chemerin treatment recovered the reduced E-cadherin expression level in breast cancer cells treated with TGF-\u03b2 or IGF-1. Chemerin treatment inhibited nuclear \u03b2-catenin levels in breast cancer cells stimulated with or without TGF-\u03b2 or IGF-1. In addition, chemerin treatment blocked the increase in the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-\u0392 ligand (RANKL)\/osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratio in osteoblastic cells exposed to metastatic breast cancer cell-derived conditioned medium. Chemerin treatment inhibited RANKL-induced osteoclast formation and bone resorption by reducing the secretion of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, and cathepsin K. Intraperitoneal administration of chemerin inhibited tumor growth in MCF-7 breast cancer cell-injected mice and reduced the development of osteolytic lesions resulting from intratibial inoculation of MDA-MB-231 cells. Taken together, chemerin inhibits the growth and invasion of breast cancer cells and prevents bone loss resulting from breast cancer cells by inhibiting finally osteoclast formation and activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34154615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hyperactivation of monocytes and macrophages in MCI patients contributes to the progression of Alzheimer's disease.\nAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease ultimately manifesting as clinical dementia. Despite considerable effort and ample experimental data, the role of neuroinflammation related to systemic inflammation is still unsettled. While the implication of microglia is well recognized, the exact contribution of peripheral monocytes\/macrophages is still largely unknown, especially concerning their role in the various stages of AD. AD develops over decades and its clinical manifestation is preceded by subjective memory complaints (SMC) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI); thus, the question arises how the peripheral innate immune response changes with the progression of the disease. Therefore, to further investigate the roles of monocytes\/macrophages in the progression of AD we assessed their phenotypes and functions in patients at SMC, MCI and AD stages and compared them with cognitively healthy controls. We also conceptualised an idealised mathematical model to explain the functionality of monocytes\/macrophages along the progression of the disease. We show that there are distinct phenotypic and functional changes in monocyte and macrophage populations as the disease progresses. Higher free radical production upon stimulation could already be observed for the monocytes of SMC patients. The most striking results show that activation of peripheral monocytes (hyperactivation) is the strongest in the MCI group, at the prodromal stage of the disease. Monocytes exhibit significantly increased chemotaxis, free radical production, and cytokine production in response to TLR2 and TLR4 stimulation. Our data suggest that the peripheral innate immune system is activated during the progression from SMC through MCI to AD, with the highest levels of activation being in MCI subjects and the lowest in AD patients. Some of these parameters may be used as biomarkers, but more holistic immune studies are needed to find the best period of the disease for clinical intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36807915,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Association of parental divorce, discord, and polygenic risk with children's alcohol initiation and lifetime risk for alcohol use disorder.\nParental divorce and discord are associated with poorer alcohol-related outcomes for offspring. However, not all children exposed to these stressors develop alcohol problems. Our objective was to test gene-by-environment interaction effects whereby children's genetic risk for alcohol problems modifies the effects of parental divorce and discord to predict alcohol outcomes. The sample included European (EA; N = 5608, 47% male, Mage ~ 36 years) and African (AA; N = 1714, 46% female, Mage ~ 33 years) ancestry participants from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism. Outcomes included age at initiation of regular drinking and lifetime DSM-5 alcohol use disorder (AUD). Predictors included parental divorce, parental relationship discord, and offspring alcohol problems polygenic risk scores (PRSALC ). Mixed effects Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine alcohol initiation and generalized linear mixed effects models were used to examine lifetime AUD. Tests of PRS moderation of the effects of parental divorce\/relationship discord on alcohol outcomes were examined on multiplicative and additive scales. Among EA participants, parental divorce, parental discord, and higher PRSALC were associated with earlier alcohol initiation and greater lifetime AUD risk. Among AA participants, parental divorce was associated with earlier alcohol initiation and discord was associated with earlier initiation and AUD. PRSALC was not associated with either. Parental divorce\/discord and PRSALC interacted on an additive scale in the EA sample, but no interactions were found in AA participants. Children's genetic risk for alcohol problems modifies the impact of parental divorce\/discord, consistent with an additive model of diathesis-stress interaction, with some differences across ancestry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15727029,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Neuroprotective activity of antiepileptic drugs].\nClinical and experimental data indicate that epilepsy may lead to neuronal death and lesions placed in diverse brain regions. Also, the anticonvulsant activity of some antiepileptic drugs can be impaired in case of neurodegeneration in the brain. The main aim of this review is making a reader familiar with a patomechanism of neurodegeneration as well as the current data concerning the neuro-protective potential of antiepileptic drugs. It is noteworthy that a great number of papers devoted to this problem concern animal models of neurodegeneration produced by either seizure activity or ischemia. Interestingly, there are apparent differences in the direct central effects of antiepileptic drugs in adult and young animals. Majority of antiepileptics at anticonvulsant doses produce massive apoptosis in brains of young rodents, this effect being not present in adult animals. Only topiramate required higher than anticonvulsant doses to induce apoptotic response. Neuroprotective activity in models of ischemia and epilepsy was evident for benzodiazepines (diazepam), lamotrigine, tiagabine, topiramate, and vigabatrin. Recently, topiramate has been documented to exert potent neuroprotective action in human oligodendrocytes exposed to hypoxic-ischemic damage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33794646,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Role of Adenylate Cyclase 9 in the Pharmacogenomic Response to Dalcetrapib: Clinical Paradigm and Molecular Mechanisms in Precision Cardiovascular Medicine.\nFollowing the neutral results of the dal-OUTCOMES trial, a genome-wide study identified the rs1967309 variant in the adenylate cyclase type 9 (ADCY9) gene on chromosome 16 as being associated with the risk of future cardiovascular events only in subjects taking dalcetrapib, a CETP (cholesterol ester transfer protein) modulator. Homozygotes for the minor A allele (AA) were protected from recurrent cardiovascular events when treated with dalcetrapib, while homozygotes for the major G allele (GG) had increased risk. Here, we present the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of rs1967309 in ADCY9 on clinical observations and biomarkers in dalcetrapib trials and the effects of mouse ADCY9 gene inactivation on cardiovascular physiology. Finally, we present our current model of the interaction between dalcetrapib and ADCY9 gene variants in the arterial wall macrophage, based on the intracellular role of CETP in the transfer of complex lipids from endoplasmic reticulum membranes to lipid droplets. Briefly, the concept is that dalcetrapib would inhibit CETP-mediated transfer of cholesteryl esters, resulting in a progressive inhibition of cholesteryl ester synthesis and free cholesterol accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum. Reduced ADCY9 activity, by paradoxically leading to higher cyclic AMP levels and in turn increased cellular cholesterol efflux, could impart cardiovascular protection in rs1967309 AA patients. The ongoing dal-GenE trial recruited 6145 patients with the protective AA genotype and will provide a definitive answer to whether dalcetrapib will be protective in this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31232006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Separation and identification of differential protein in rat's bone with fluorosis and calcium supplementation intervention].\nIn order to explore the mechanisms underlying the calcium alleviating fluorosis at protein level, we made an attempt to establish fluorosis and calcium supplementation rat models to isolate and identify bone differential proteins. The bone proteins of different groups were compared by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and analyzed by gene ontology annotation, pathway enrichment and interaction networks. The 17 proteins were identified in the fluorosis group (F) and the fluorosis calcium supplement group (F+Ca), including type I collagen (Col1a1), actin (Actb), protein glutamine transferase 2 (Tgm2), compared with the control group (C). These differential proteins are enriched in 38 bone metabolic pathways such as focal adhesion, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and AMPK signaling pathway. And the functions of these proteins are mainly related to cytoskeleton, energy metabolism, substance transport, ion channel, and apoptosis. Therefore, it is speculated that calcium may alleviate the fluoride-induced bone damage by regulating the focal adhesion, PI3K-Akt, AMPK and other signaling pathway, but the specific mechanism needs further research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35683996,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Role of Diet and Nutrients in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Incidence on Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Status and Viral Production.\nCoronavirus illness (COVID-19) is an infectious pathology generated by intense severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This infectious disease has emerged in 2019. The COVID-19-associated pandemic has considerably affected the way of life and the economy in the world. It is consequently crucial to find solutions allowing remedying or alleviating the effects of this infectious disease. Natural products have been in perpetual application from immemorial time given that they are attested to be efficient towards several illnesses without major side effects. Various studies have shown that plant extracts or purified molecules have a promising inhibiting impact towards coronavirus. In addition, it is substantial to understand the characteristics, susceptibility and impact of diet on patients infected with COVID-19. In this review, we recapitulate the influence of extracts or pure molecules from medicinal plants on COVID-19. We approach the possibilities of plant treatment\/co-treatment and feeding applied to COVID-19. We also show coronavirus susceptibility and complications associated with nutrient deficiencies and then discuss the major food groups efficient on COVID-19 pathogenesis. Then, we covered emerging technologies using plant-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. We conclude by giving nutrient and plants curative therapy recommendations which are of potential interest in the COVID-19 infection and could pave the way for pharmacological treatments or co-treatments of COVID-19.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17913728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Unexpected basis for impaired Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-dolichol biosynthesis by elevated expression of GlcNAc-1-P transferase.\nGlcNAc-1-P transferase (GPT) transfers GlcNAc-1-P from UDP-GlcNAc to dolichol-P (Dol-P), forming GlcNAc-P-PDol to initiate synthesis of the lipid-linked oligosaccharide Glc3Man9GlcNAc2-P-P-dolichol (G3M9Gn2-P-P-Dol). Elevated expression of GPT in CHO-K1 cells is known to cause accumulation of the intermediate M5Gn2-P-P-Dol, presumably by excessively consuming Dol-P and thereby hindering Dol-P-dependent synthesis of Man-P-Dol (MPD) and Glc-P-Dol (GPD), which provide the residues for extending M5Gn2-P-P-Dol to G3M9Gn2-P-P-Dol. If so, elevated GPT expression should increase oligosaccharide-P-P-Dol quantities and reduce monosaccharide-P-Dol quantities, while requiring GPT enzymatic activity. Here we report that elevated GPT expression failed to appreciably alter the quantities of the two classes of dolichol-linked saccharide, and that neither a GPT inhibitor nor introduction of an inactivating mutation into GPT prevented M5Gn2-P-P-Dol accumulation,arguing against excessive Dol-P consumption. Unexpectedly,we noticed similarities between the phenotypes of GPT overexpressers and of CHO-K1 cells lacking Lec35p (encoded by MPDU1, the congenital disorder of glycosylation(CDG)-If locus), which is required for utilization of MPD and GPD. By compensatory overexpression of Lec35p, G3M9Gn2-P-P-Dol synthesis in GPT overexpressers could be restored. However, GPT overexpression did not affect the levels of Lec35 mRNA or protein. These results suggest that GPT may impair Lec35p function, and imply that upper as well as lower limits on GPT expression exist in normal cells. Since the mammalian GPT gene can undergo spontaneous amplification, the data also indicate a potential basis for forms of pseudo-CDG-If.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12559552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A case of successful six consecutive deliveries in a 41-year-old woman with Uhl's anomaly.\nUhl's anomaly, or parchment right ventricle is a myocardial disorder of unknown cause that mainly involves the right ventricle. Uhl's anomaly may represent a cause of right heart dilatation, failure, and premature sudden death due to ventricular arrhythmias. Although most of the cases of Uhl's anomaly end fatally in infancy or childhood, a limited number of cases have been reported in advanced ages. Also, in pregnant women, this situation increases the risk to both mother and baby and requires special management. This is the first report of six successful consecutive gestations and vaginal deliveries without special managements in a patient with Uhl's anomaly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21107193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Shunting for the treatment of arachnoid cysts in children.\nThe optimal treatment of symptomatic arachnoid cysts remains controversial. We present a single-institution experience on surgical treatment of arachnoid cysts. Between January 1983 and January 2008, 92 patients with symptomatic arachnoid cysts underwent surgery at our institute. All patients were evaluated with CT and\/or MRI and were operated upon and had regular follow-up examinations. There were 60 males and 32 females. The mean age was 3.6 years (range, 2 days to 14 years). Forty-eight cysts (52%) were within the sylvian fissure, 16 (17%) were in the cerebral convexity, 15 (16%) were infratentorial, 10 (11%) were in the interhemispheric fissure, and 3 (4%) were parasellar. Cystoperitoneal shunt was placed in 67 (73%) patients; ventricular drainage alone was performed in 14 (15%) patients; and combined drainage of the ventricular system and cyst, using a 3-way connector, was performed in 8 (9%) patients. Craniotomy and fenestration of the cyst was performed in 2 (2%) patients, whereas total excision of the cyst was performed in 1 patient. Shunt revision for various reasons was performed in 34 patients (39%), whereas 13 (14%) patients required more than one revision. Complete alleviation of symptoms was achieved in all patients after treatment, regardless of cyst reduction. After a mean follow-up of 8.5 years no further enlargement of the arachnoid cysts was noted. Shunt placement is a safe and effective surgical treatment of symptomatic arachnoid cysts in children. Cyst reduction is greater in children younger than 2 years of age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26061004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Necroptosis Interfaces with MOMP and the MPTP in Mediating Cell Death.\nDuring apoptosis the pro-death Bcl-2 family members Bax and Bak induce mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) to mediate cell death. Recently, it was shown that Bax and Bak are also required for mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP)-dependent necrosis, where, in their non-oligomeric state, they enhance permeability characteristics of the outer mitochondrial membrane. Necroptosis is another form of regulated necrosis involving the death receptors and receptor interacting protein kinases (RIP proteins, by Ripk genes). Here, we show cells or mice deficient for Bax\/Bak or cyclophilin D, a protein that regulates MPTP opening, are resistant to cell death induced by necroptotic mediators. We show that Bax\/Bak oligomerization is required for necroptotic cell death and that this oligomerization reinforces MPTP opening. Mechanistically, we observe mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) protein and cofilin-1 translocation to the mitochondria following necroptosis induction, while expression of the mitochondrial matrix isoform of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member, myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), is significantly reduced. Some of these effects are lost with necroptosis inhibition in Bax\/Bak1 double null, Ppif-\/-, or Ripk3-\/- fibroblasts. Hence, downstream mechanisms of cell death induced by necroptotic stimuli utilize both Bax\/Bak to generate apoptotic pores in the outer mitochondrial membrane as well as MPTP opening in association with known mitochondrial death modifying proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25377339,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cause of death during 2009-2012, using a probabilistic model (InterVA-4): an experience from Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System in India.\nThe present study aimed to estimate the age and cause-specific mortality in Ballabgarh Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) site for the years 2009 to 2012, using a probabilistic model (InterVA-4). All Deaths in Ballabgarh HDSS from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2012, were included in the study. InterVA-4 model (version 4.02) was used for assigning cause of death (COD). Data from the verbal autopsy (VA) tool were extracted and processed with the InterVA-4 model. Cause-specific mortality rate (CSMR) per 1,000 person-years was calculated. A total of 2,459 deaths occurred in the HDSS during the year 2009 to 2012. Among them, 2,174 (88.4%) valid VA interviews were conducted. Crude death rate ranged from 7.1 (2009) to 6.4 (2012) per 1,000 population. The CSMR per 1,000 person-years over the years (2009-2012) for non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases, trauma, neoplasm, and maternal and neonatal diseases were 1.78, 1.68, 0.68, 0.49, and 0.48, respectively. The most common causes of death among children, adults, and the elderly were infectious diseases, trauma, and non-communicable diseases, respectively. Overall, non-communicable diseases constituted the largest proportion of mortality, whereas trauma was the most common COD among adults at Ballabgarh HDSS. Policy-makers ought to focus on prevention of premature CODs, especially prevention of infectious diseases in children, and intentional self-harm and road traffic accidents in the adult population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18652292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Characterization and analysis of mitochondrial protein frataxin in Nosema bombycis].\nFrataxin protein is a component of Fe-S clusters and closely related to metabolism of mitochondria. We identified an integrity mitochondrial protein frataxin gene (Nbfra), analyzed its phylogenetic relationship, and confirmed the transcriptase activity of Nbfra in N. bombycis. We analyzed the sequence of the second structure, gene location in genome and construction of NJ phylogenetic tree through various bioinformatics software. We constructed recombinant vector pGEX-4T-1-Nbfra, expressed the 36.5kDa recombinant protein in E. coli BL21 (DE3), and then used the protein as antigen to produce its polyantibody in mice. Nbfra was lack of targeting signal into mitochondria and part of alpha helices in functional domain, and had a synteny character between N. bombycis and E. cuniculi. Phylogenetic trees of Nbfra suggested that the evolutionary position of microsporidia was closely related to that of higher eukaryote, rather than that of other protozoa. The result of western blot suggested the expression and transcription of Nbfra gene in N. bombycis. Our results offered the new evidence to analysis the conservation of Nbfra and evolutionary position of N. bombycis, and would support the hypothesis of mitosome in microsporidia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23312906,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"HDAC1-mSin3a-NCOR1, Dnmt3b-HDAC1-Egr1 and Dnmt1-PCNA-UHRF1-G9a regulate the NY-ESO1 gene expression.\nThe NY-ESO1 gene is a cancer\/testis antigen considered to be suitable target for the immunotherapy of human malignancies. Despite the identification of the epigenetical silencing of the NY-ESO1 gene in a large variety of tumors, the molecular mechanism involved in this phenomenon is not fully elucidated. In two non epithelial cancers (glioma and mesothelioma), we found that the epigenetic regulation of the NY-ESO1 gene requires the sequential recruitment of the HDAC1-mSin3a-NCOR, Dnmt3b-HDAC1-Egr1 and Dnmt1-PCNA-UHRF1-G9a complexes. Thus, our data illustrate the orchestration of a sequential epigenetic mechanism including the histone deacetylation and methylation, and the DNA methylation processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20196492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis during pregnancy].\nA 19-year-old female in her 2nd trimester (17 weeks) of pregnancy became irritable a few days before admission. She became unable to open her mouth and could not talk. She was admitted to the psychiatric hospital due to a rapid change in behavior and a consciousness disturbance. She was diagnosed as having schizophrenia by a psychiatrist. Her EEG showed diffuse high voltage and slow waves. Acute encephalitis was then suspected. Her past and family histories were not suggestive of viral infection. On physical examination, she had a low grade fever. She had hyperhidrosis, autophagia, and repeated oral dyskinesia. Her consciousness level fluctuated from somnolence to stupor. Although her blood CRP level was mildly elevated and she had mild pleocytosis, HSV-PCR was negative in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Abdominal ultrasound examination and MRI showed no ovarian teratoma. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed no brain abnormalities. Before analysis for specific nervous system antibodies, the initial diagnosis was non-herpetic limbic encephalitis. She was twice treated with a 6-day course of methylprednisolone (500 mg\/day) infusion. She was also given phenobarbital since she had a tonic-clonic seizure about 1 month after admission. Finally, she had a normal delivery at 37 weeks. The baby was healthy, and the patient was discharged without sequelae. We concluded that her diagnosis was anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis based on the presence of anti-NMDAR antibody in the CSF. This report is the first description of a patient with anti-NMDAR antibody encephalitis. The precise mechanism of this encephalitis is not clear, although there have been several reports of autoimmune encephalitis during pregnancy. The patient's CSF anti-NMDAR antibody titer during treatment was measured. Before treatment, the CSF anti-NMDAR antibody titer was strongly positive, but it decreased during treatment and then disappeared after delivery. We hypothesized that the presence of the embryo or placenta may have triggered an antigenic signal and\/or antibody through inappropriate immunological modulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8943244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cloning, expression, and chaperone-like activity of human alphaA-crystallin.\nOne of the major protein components of the ocular lens, alpha-crystallin, is composed of alphaA and alphaB chain subunits that have structural homology to the family of mammalian small heat shock proteins. Like other small heat shock proteins, alpha-crystallin subunits associate to form large oligomeric aggregates that express chaperone-like activity, as defined by the ability to suppress nonspecific aggregation of proteins destabilized by treatment with a variety of denaturants including heat, UV irradiation, and chemical modification. It has been proposed that age-related loss of sequences at the C terminus of the alphaA chain subunit may be a factor in the pathogenesis of cataract due to diminished capacity of the truncated crystallin to protect against nonspecific aggregation of lens proteins. To evaluate the functional consequences of alpha-crystallin modification, two mutant forms of alphaA subunits were prepared by site-directed mutagenesis. Like wild type (WT), aggregates of approximately 540 kDa were formed from a tryptophan-free alphaA mutant (W9F). When added in stoichiometric amounts, both WT and W9F subunits completely suppressed the heat-induced aggregation of aldose reductase. In contrast, subunits encoded by a truncation mutant in which the C-terminal 17 residues were deleted (R157STOP), despite having spectroscopic properties similar to WT, formed much larger aggregates with a marked reduction in chaperone-like activity. Similar results were observed when the chaperone-like activity was assessed through inhibition of gamma-crystallin aggregation induced by singlet oxygen. These results demonstrate that the structurally conservative substitution of Phe for Trp-9 has a negligible effect on the functional interaction of alphaA subunits, and that deletion of C-terminal sequences from the alphaA subunit results in substantial loss of chaperone-like activity, despite overall preservation of secondary structure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38151506,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Temporal changes of 137Cs concentrations in the Far Eastern Seas: partitioning of 137Cs between overlying waters and sediments.\nDeep-ocean sediments, similarly to seawater, are important reservoirs of 137Cs, an anthropogenic radionuclide with a relatively long half-live found in the Earth system. To better understand the geochemical behaviour of 137Cs in the ocean, we examined the temporal changes of 137Cs activity concentrations in the overlying waters and in sediments from the Far Eastern Seas (Sea of Japan, SOJ, and Okhotsk Sea, OS) during the period of 1998-2021. The 137Cs activity levels showed exponential changes during the observed period. The decay-corrected change rates of 137Cs in deep waters of SOJ exhibited a slow increase, while 137Cs levels in seawater and sediment in OS decreased gradually. This reflects a topographical difference, as SOJ is a semi-closed sea, whereas OS receives continuously inflow of subarctic waters. It was confirmed that 137Cs released after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was rapidly transported into the deep waters of the SOJ. To elucidate the transfer processes of 137Cs from seawater to sediment, we discussed the temporal changes of the partition coefficients (Kd) of 137Cs between the overlying water and the surface sediment. In shallow areas (< 1500 m water depth), Kd values were almost constant within the sampling periods, although the temporal changes in the Kd values occurred in deeper waters (> 2500 m depth). The Kd values increased with increasing depth, which may reflect a pressure effect as a possible mechanism. These findings suggest that chemical processes may be important factors controlling the transport of 137Cs between seawater and sediment, although more complicated phenomena occurred in deep waters and sediments of the SOJ (> 3000 m depth).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29462149,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The INO80 chromatin remodeler sustains metabolic stability by promoting TOR signaling and regulating histone acetylation.\nChromatin remodeling complexes are essential for gene expression programs that coordinate cell function with metabolic status. However, how these remodelers are integrated in metabolic stability pathways is not well known. Here, we report an expansive genetic screen with chromatin remodelers and metabolic regulators in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that, unlike the SWR1 remodeler, the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex is composed of multiple distinct functional subunit modules. We identified a strikingly divergent genetic signature for the Ies6 subunit module that links the INO80 complex to metabolic homeostasis. In particular, mitochondrial maintenance is disrupted in ies6 mutants. INO80 is also needed to communicate TORC1-mediated signaling to chromatin, as ino80 mutants exhibit defective transcriptional profiles and altered histone acetylation of TORC1-responsive genes. Furthermore, comparative analysis reveals subunits of INO80 and mTORC1 have high co-occurrence of alterations in human cancers. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the INO80 complex is a central component of metabolic homeostasis that influences histone acetylation and may contribute to disease when disrupted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11159184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The characterization of mice with a targeted combined deficiency of protein c and factor XI.\nActivated protein C functions directly as an anticoagulant and indirectly as a profibrinolytic enzyme. To determine whether the fibrin deposition previously observed in PC(-\/-) murine embryos and neonates was mediated through the FXI pathway, PC(+\/-)\/FXI(-\/-) mice were generated and crossbred to produce double-deficient progeny (PC(-\/-)\/FXI(-\/-)). PC(-\/-)\/FXI(-\/-) mice survived the early lethality observed in the PC(-\/-)\/FXI(+\/+) neonates, with the oldest PC(-\/-)\/FXI(-\/-) animal living to 3 months of age. However, the majority of these animals was sedentary and significantly growth-retarded. On sacrifice or natural death, all of these PC(-\/-)\/FXI(-\/-) mice demonstrated massive systemic fibrin deposition with concomitant hemorrhage and fibrosis, as confirmed through histological analyses. Several of these animals also presented with enlarged lymph nodes and extensive lymphatic fluid in the thoracic cavity. Thus, although a number of the PC(-\/-)\/FXI(-\/-) mice survived the lethal perinatal coagulopathy seen in the PC(-\/-) neonates, they nonetheless succumbed to overwhelming thrombotic disease in later life. This combined deficiency state provided the first clear indication that the course of a severe thrombotic disorder could be manipulated by blocking the intrinsic pathway and provided the first opportunity to study a total protein C deficiency in an adult animal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21454553,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (vorinostat) up-regulates progranulin transcription: rational therapeutic approach to frontotemporal dementia.\nProgranulin (GRN) haploinsufficiency is a frequent cause of familial frontotemporal dementia, a currently untreatable progressive neurodegenerative disease. By chemical library screening, we identified suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a Food and Drug Administration-approved histone deacetylase inhibitor, as an enhancer of GRN expression. SAHA dose-dependently increased GRN mRNA and protein levels in cultured cells and restored near-normal GRN expression in haploinsufficient cells from human subjects. Although elevation of secreted progranulin levels through a post-transcriptional mechanism has recently been reported, this is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of a small molecule enhancer of progranulin transcription. SAHA has demonstrated therapeutic potential in other neurodegenerative diseases and thus holds promise as a first generation drug for the prevention and treatment of frontotemporal dementia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26784129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Direct Evidence of Acetaminophen Interference with Subcutaneous Glucose Sensing in Humans: A Pilot Study.\nRecent advances in accuracy and reliability of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices have focused renewed interest on the use of such technology for therapeutic dosing of insulin without the need for independent confirmatory blood glucose meter measurements. An important issue that remains is the susceptibility of CGM devices to erroneous readings in the presence of common pharmacologic interferences. We report on a new method of assessing CGM sensor error to pharmacologic interferences using the example of oral administration of acetaminophen. We examined the responses of several different Food and Drug Administration-approved and commercially available CGM systems (Dexcom [San Diego, CA] Seven(\u00ae) Plus\u2122, Medtronic Diabetes [Northridge, CA] Guardian(\u00ae), and Dexcom G4(\u00ae) Platinum) to oral acetaminophen in 10 healthy volunteers without diabetes. Microdialysis catheters were placed in the abdominal subcutaneous tissue. Blood and microdialysate samples were collected periodically and analyzed for glucose and acetaminophen concentrations before and after oral ingestion of 1 g of acetaminophen. We compared the response of CGM sensors with the measured acetaminophen concentrations in the blood and interstitial fluid. Although plasma glucose concentrations remained constant at approximately 90 mg\/dL (approximately 5 mM) throughout the study, CGM glucose measurements varied between approximately 85 to 400 mg\/dL (from approximately 5 to 22 mM) due to interference from the acetaminophen. The temporal profile of CGM interference followed acetaminophen concentrations measured in interstitial fluid (ISF). This is the first direct measurement of ISF concentrations of putative CGM interferences with simultaneous measurements of CGM performance in the presence of the interferences. The observed interference with glucose measurements in the tested CGM devices coincided temporally with appearance of acetaminophen in the ISF. The method applied here can be used to determine the susceptibility of current and future CGM systems to interference from acetaminophen or other exogenous pharmacologic agents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7782271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The impact of health care reform on social phobia.\nAccording to the National Comorbidity Survey, social phobia is the third most frequent psychiatric disorder in the United States. Its lifetime prevalence rate of 13.3% ranks behind only major depressive episode (17.1%) and alcohol dependence (14.1%). As was the case with depression 15 years ago, social phobia has often been trivialized and stigmatized. For example, some with social phobia may be dismissed as having mere \"stage fright\" or excessive shyness, while, in fact, social phobia is a serious mental illness associated with substantial psychosocial distress, comorbidity, and morbidity. Typical onset of social phobia is in the midteens and often continues throughout an individual's lifetime, leading to severe social and occupational impairment. Several excellent, efficacious treatments are available. Access to these treatments for social phobia may be more difficult in the future due to managed care initiatives and health care reform. Various proposals are now being considered as a part of health care reform that may have significant impact on the diagnosis and treatment of social phobia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31967382,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Referencing BRCA in hereditary cancer risk discussions: In search of an anchor in a sea of uncertainty.\nAs panel testing and exome sequencing are increasingly incorporated into clinical care, clinicians must grapple with how to communicate the risks and treatment decisions surrounding breast cancer genes beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2. In this paper, we examine clinicians' practice of employing BRCA1 and BRCA2 to help contextualize less certain genetic information regarding cancer risk and the possible implications of this practice for patients within the context of an exome sequencing study, NCGENES. We audio-recorded return of results appointments for 14 women who participated in NCGENES, previously had breast cancer, and were suspected of having a hereditary cancer predisposition. These patients were also interviewed four weeks later regarding their understanding of their results. We found that BRCA1 and BRCA2 were held as the gold standard, where clinicians compared what is known about BRCA to the limited understanding of other breast cancer-related genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 were used as anchors to shape patients' understandings of genetic knowledge, risk, and management, illustrating how the information clinicians provide to patients may work as an external anchor. Yet, presenting BRCA1 and BRCA2 as a means of scientific reassurance can run the risk of patients conflating knowledge about certainty of risk with degree of risk after receiving a result for a moderate penetrance gene. This can be further complicated by misperceptions of the precision of cancer predictability attributed to these or other described 'cancer genes' in public media.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29099166,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Highly Uniform Atomic Layer-Deposited MoS2@3D-Ni-Foam: A Novel Approach To Prepare an Electrode for Supercapacitors.\nThis article takes an effort to establish the potential of atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique toward the field of supercapacitors by preparing molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as its electrode. While molybdenum hexacarbonyl [Mo(CO)6] serves as a novel precursor toward the low-temperature synthesis of ALD-grown MoS2, H2S plasma helps to deposit its polycrystalline phase at 200 \u00b0C. Several ex situ characterizations such as X-ray diffractometry (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and so forth are performed in detail to study the as-grown MoS2 film on a Si\/SiO2 substrate. While stoichiometric MoS2 with very negligible amount of C and O impurities was evident from XPS, the XRD and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses confirmed the (002)-oriented polycrystalline h-MoS2 phase of the as-grown film. A comparative study of ALD-grown MoS2 as a supercapacitor electrode on 2-dimensional stainless steel and on 3-dimensional (3D) Ni-foam substrates clearly reflects the advantage and the potential of ALD for growing a uniform and conformal electrode material on a 3D-scaffold layer. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed both double-layer capacitance and capacitance contributed by the faradic reaction at the MoS2 electrode surface. The optimum number of ALD cycles was also found out for achieving maximum capacitance for such a MoS2@3D-Ni-foam electrode. A record high areal capacitance of 3400 mF\/cm2 was achieved for MoS2@3D-Ni-foam grown by 400 ALD cycles at a current density of 3 mA\/cm2. Moreover, the ALD-grown MoS2@3D-Ni-foam composite also retains high areal capacitance, even up to a high current density of 50 mA\/cm2. Finally, this directly grown MoS2 electrode on 3D-Ni-foam by ALD shows high cyclic stability (>80%) over 4500 charge-discharge cycles which must invoke the research community to further explore the potential of ALD for such applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33826417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effectiveness of a Weight Loss Program Using Digital Health in Adolescents and Preadolescents.\nObjective: To identify an efficacious intervention on treating adolescents with overweight and obesity, this might result in health benefits. Methods: Adolescents with overweight or obesity aged 10-17 years with BMI percentile \u226585th were included in this historical observational analysis. Subjects used an entirely remote weight loss program combining mobile applications, frequent self-weighing, and calorie restriction with meal replacement. Body weight changes were evaluated at 42, 60, 90, and 120 days using different metrics including absolute body weight, BMI, and BMI z-score. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests (categorical variables) and Student's t-test (continuous variables) were used to compare subjects. Results: In total, 2,825 participants, mean age 14.4 \u00b1 2.2 years, (54.8% girls), were included from October 27, 2016, to December 31, 2017, in mainland China; 1355 (48.0%) had a baseline BMI percentile \u226597th. Mean BMI and BMI z-score were 29.20 \u00b1 4.44 kg\/m2 and 1.89 \u00b1 0.42, respectively. At day 120, mean reduction in body weight, BMI, and BMI z-score was 8.6 \u00b1 0.63 kg, 3.13 \u00b1 0.21 kg\/m2, and 0.42 \u00b1 0.03; 71.4% had lost \u22655% body weight, 69.4% of boys and 73.2% of girls, respectively. Compared with boys, girls achieved greater reduction on BMI z-score at all intervals (p < 0.004 for all comparisons). Higher BMI percentile at baseline and increased frequency of use of the mobile application were directly associated with more significant weight loss. Conclusions: An entirely remote digital weight loss program is effective in facilitating weight loss in adolescents with overweight or obesity in the short term and mid term.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30131777,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dietary L-Tryptophan Modulates the Structural and Functional Composition of the Intestinal Microbiome in Weaned Piglets.\nBackground: Intestinal microbiota plays an important role in regulating metabolism, physiology, and immune response of the host. L-Tryptophan (Trp) are metabolized by several genera of bacteria. It remains largely unknown whether Trp can regulate the composition and diversity of the intestinal microbiota and contribute to intestinal homeostasis. Methods: A total of 126 weaning piglets were fed a corn- and soybean meal-based diet supplemented with 0, 0.2, or 0.4% Trp for 4 weeks. The intestinal microbiota was measured by using bacterial 16S rRNA gene-based high-throughput sequencing methods. Metabolites of Trp and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the hindgut were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography, respectively. The mRNA levels for aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), tumor necrotic factor-\u03b1 (TNF-\u03b1), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and protein abundances of tight junction proteins were determined. Results: Compared with the control group, Trp supplementation enhanced piglet growth performance and markedly altered the intestinal microbial composition as evidenced by enhanced alpha and beta diversity in the microbiome (P < 0.05). The abundances of Prevotella, Roseburia, and Succinivibrio genera were enriched, but those of Clostridium sensu stricto and Clostridium XI, opportunistic pathogens, were decreased with dietary Trp supplementation. Analysis of metabolic pathways indicated enhanced indole alkaloid biosynthesis and Trp metabolism, which was validated by elevated concentrations of 3-indoleacetic acid and indole in the intestinal contents of Trp-supplemented piglets (P < 0.05). These changes in Trp metabolites were correlated with activation of AhR and cytochrome p4501 A1 (CYP1A1) in cecum and colonic tissues, and with a decrease in the intestinal mucosal IL-8 mRNA level. Moreover, the protein abundances for zonula occluden (ZO)-1 and occludin were upregulated by Trp supplementation in colonic tissues. Conclusion: Dietary Trp supplementation altered intestinal microbial composition and diversity, improved intestinal mucosal barrier function, activated AhR signaling, and downregulated expression of inflammatory cytokines in the large intestine of weaned piglets. These results indicate a crosstalk between dietary Trp and intestine in nutrition, microbial metabolism, and mucosal immunity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16956068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antiviral Chemistry & Chemotherapy's current antiviral agents FactFile 2006 (1st edition).\nThe number of useful antiviral compounds is rapidly expanding. The current antiviral agents FactFile is a convenient key to the vital statistics of antiviral compounds to be used as an aide m\u00e9moire when reading or writing antiviral literature. A mini-portrait is provided for each of the antiviral compounds. The minimum criteria for inclusion of new compounds in the FactFile is the granting of an investigational new drug application with the realistic potential for medical or veterinary application. Several compounds that were subsequently withdrawn from further development are also included because of their historical importance or particular interest. The compounds are listed alphabetically according to their generic names together with systematic chemical names, common names and chemical structures. The compounds are grouped by virus targets; thus, the list is sub-divided into inhibitors of DNA viruses, RNA viruses, and retroviruses. The authors welcome comments and suggestions to be incorporated in future editions of the FactFile.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24288418,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"An Empirical Analysis of the Impact of Recruitment Patterns on RDS Estimates among a Socially Ordered Population of Female Sex Workers in China.\nRespondent-driven sampling (RDS) is a method for recruiting \"hidden\" populations through a network-based, chain and peer referral process. RDS recruits hidden populations more effectively than other sampling methods and promises to generate unbiased estimates of their characteristics. RDS's faithful representation of hidden populations relies on the validity of core assumptions regarding the unobserved referral process. With empirical recruitment data from an RDS study of female sex workers (FSWs) in Shanghai, we assess the RDS assumption that participants recruit nonpreferentially from among their network alters. We also present a bootstrap method for constructing the confidence intervals around RDS estimates. This approach uniquely incorporates real-world features of the population under study (e.g., the sample's observed branching structure). We then extend this approach to approximate the distribution of RDS estimates under various peer recruitment scenarios consistent with the data as a means to quantify the impact of recruitment bias and of rejection bias on the RDS estimates. We find that the hierarchical social organization of FSWs leads to recruitment biases by constraining RDS recruitment across social classes and introducing bias in the RDS estimates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12220200,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The relationship between type of degree and professional status in clinical music therapists.\nThe purpose of this descriptive study was to: (a) examine the relationship between the construct, Type of Music Therapy Degree, and 5 other constructs: Job Satisfaction, Job Longevity, Level of Promotion, Job Responsibilities, and Geographical Location; and (b) explore the interrelationships among the 5 constructs other than Type of Music Therapy Degree. Questionnaires were mailed to 616 clinical music therapists. The response rate was 35% (N = 218). Ten variables defining the 6 constructs were examined for statistically significant and meaningful relationships: highest music therapy degree achieved, average job satisfaction rating, length of time as a music therapist, length of time in present job, average length of time in jobs, total number of jobs, total number of promotions across jobs, number of present duties, number of hours presently working, and region in which work. Results indicated that a significant relationship existed between highest music therapy degree achieved and 3 variables: length of time as a music therapist, total number of jobs, and region in which work. Follow-up comparisons revealed that those respondents with a Doctoral Degree had been employed at significantly more jobs than those with a Bachelor's degree. Also, those with a Master's degree in music therapy had stayed significantly longer in the field than those with a Bachelor's degree in music therapy. A follow-up analysis with the third variable, region in which work, indicated that the highest proportion of respondents in each region had obtained a Bachelor's degree in music therapy. Of the 8 significant relationships obtained among the other 9 variables, 4 variables defining the construct Job Longevity appeared to play a central role in the relationships among the variables.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15717825,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characterization of depolarizing optical media by means of the entropy factor: application to biological tissues.\nPolarized light imaging is a potential tool to obtain an adequate description of the properties of depolarizing media such as biological tissues. In many biomedical applications, for instance, dermatology, ophthalmology, or urology, imaging polarimetry provides a noninvasive diagnosis of a wide range of disease states, and, likewise, it could be applied to the study of internal tissues though the use of endoscopes that use optical fibers. We introduce an algebraic method, based on the Mueller-coherence matrix, for a clearer analysis of the polarization characteristics of depolarizing media via the entropy factor. First-order errors introduced by the measurement system are corrected. Entropy defines three kinds of media according to their depolarizing behavior, and several examples corresponding to each region are shown. The calculation of this factor provides clearer information than that provided by the traditional Mueller matrix in the analysis of biological tissue properties by polarization measurement techniques.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37774210,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Role of Distal Mean Nocturnal Baseline Impedance in Differentiating GERD Phenotypes.\nGastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most frequent digestive pathologies. The current diagnosis of GERD either by trial of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), endoscopy or by multichannel impedance pH study (MII\/pH) has limitations. Our study aims to show if mean nocturnal baseline impedance (MNBI) can differentiate between the GERD phenotypes. We recruited 62 patients who underwent upper digestive endoscopy and MII\/pH, with some patients undergoing esophageal manometry to exclude motility disorders. Patients were separated into 4 GERD phenotypes: erosive reflux disease (ERD), non-erosive reflux disease (NERD), reflux hypersensitivity (RH) and functional heartburn (FH). Proximal MNBI was calculated as the mean value of the proximal 2 channels (Z1 and Z2), and distal MNBI was calculated as the mean value of the distal 4 channels (Z3, Z4, Z5, Z6). Distal MNBI can help distinguish the abnormal acid exposure time (AET) phenotypes (ERD, NERD) from normal AET phenotypes (RH, FH) with a decent performance (AUROC 0.857). Distal MNBI has good accuracy in separating ERD from other phenotypes (AUROC 0.872). Furthermore, distal MNBI can differentiate FH from ERD, NERD, RH with good accuracy (AUROC 0.879), and on top of that is able to separate FH from RH (AUROC 0.817). Our study showed that distal MNBI is a good method of differentiating GERD phenotypes and should be taken into consideration in future studies to assess its validity in helping physicians make the correct diagnosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8119583,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Comparison of the population of the Krasnodar region with other Russian populations regarding genetic and demographic parameters].\nThe estimates of some genetical and demographical parameters important for populational structure of the population of West part of Krasnodar province are presented. The differences in forming of population structure of districts was revealed. In general, the decrescent type of reproduction, active family planning (average family value is 2.10 +\/- 0.07 when average pregnancy quantity is 6.31 +\/- 0.32), significant migration activity approached rural populations of Krasnodar district to those of urban type. The migration processes was the main factor of structure population forming. When effort of natural selection was studied the decrease of index Crow was discovered in comparison with rural Russian populations Kirov and Kostroma regions. Population of Krasnodar district approaches to pan-mixture one by genetic and demographic parameters. It can be considered as a gene sample from all regions when Russian live.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30592140,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Targeting nucleolin to obstruct vasculature feeding with an intelligent DNA nanorobot.\nA prototype of DNA nanorobot with the ability to transport molecular payloads was designed to target cancer cells in tissue culture. Moreover, a further step was taken to succeed in the first in vivo application of the DNA nanorobot for cancer therapy. The robot was constructed using aptamer and DNA origami to fold a 90-nm tubular device to carry the blood coagulation protease thrombin inside, shielded from circulating platelets and plasma fibrinogen. The recognition and binding of the aptamer to its tumour-specific target molecule triggered the robot unfolding to expose thrombin to the blood, which in turn activated coagulation at the local tumour site, resulting in tumour necrosis and inhibition of tumour growth. Since all solid-tumour feeding vessels are virtually the same, this strategy could be effective against many types of malignant diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18193944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dissecting the genetic components of adaptation of Escherichia coli to the mouse gut.\nWhile pleiotropic adaptive mutations are thought to be central for evolution, little is known on the downstream molecular effects allowing adaptation to complex ecologically relevant environments. Here we show that Escherichia coli MG1655 adapts rapidly to the intestine of germ-free mice by single point mutations in EnvZ\/OmpR two-component signal transduction system, which controls more than 100 genes. The selective advantage conferred by the mutations that modulate EnvZ\/OmpR activities was the result of their independent and additive effects on flagellin expression and permeability. These results obtained in vivo thus suggest that global regulators may have evolved to coordinate activities that need to be fine-tuned simultaneously during adaptation to complex environments and that mutations in such regulators permit adjustment of the boundaries of physiological adaptation when switching between two very distinct environments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29795792,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Family Relationships and Well-Being.\nFamily relationships are enduring and consequential for well-being across the life course. We discuss several types of family relationships-marital, intergenerational, and sibling ties-that have an important influence on well-being. We highlight the quality of family relationships as well as diversity of family relationships in explaining their impact on well-being across the adult life course. We discuss directions for future research, such as better understanding the complexities of these relationships with greater attention to diverse family structures, unexpected benefits of relationship strain, and unique intersections of social statuses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12532705,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage: patients' examination after aneurysm-negative initial angiograms].\nTo find out, which patients in case of subarachnoid hemorrhage and negative initial angiograms need a repeated investigation, when it should be repeated and what kind of angiographic investigation should be performed. Fifty seventh patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and negative initial angiograms were investigated in Department of Neurosurgery of Kaunas University of Medicine Hospital from January 2001 to August 2002. They underwent a repeated angiography (digital subtraction or computed tomography angiography) generally in the period of 10 days. Repeated cerebral angiography revealed saccular aneurysms of various locations in 23 patients. Perimesencephalic hemorrhage was present in 24 cases and no aneurysms were detected in these cases. Aneurysm was suspected in initial angiography in 14 cases and 10 of them were confirmed after second angiography. In all cases of application computed tomography angiography provided equal or more information for neurosurgeon compared to digital subtraction angiography. Nearly half of the detected aneurysms (n = 11) were small (< 5 mm). Repeated angiography is not recommended in case of perimesencephalic pattern of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage. In case of suspicion of aneurysm in initial angiography, computed tomography angiography could be a method of choice performed immediately.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11842291,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Histone deacetylation inhibits IL4 gene expression in T cells.\nDysregulated expression of IL-4 has been linked with allergic diseases. IL-4 expression is controlled at the level of gene transcription by the coordinated action of multiple factors that bind regulatory promoter elements. In addition, alterations in chromatin structure are thought to play a role in regulating the expression of cytokines in the T(H)2 gene cluster, although the biochemical basis for these alterations in human T cells is not well understood. We sought to define the role of histone acetylation in the regulation of IL4 gene expression in human T cells. IL-4 protein production was measured by means of ELISA. IL-4 promoter activity was measured with luciferase-based reporter constructs transiently transfected into Jurkat T cells. The acetylation status of histones associated with the IL4 gene was analyzed with chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. IL-4 production from activated peripheral blood T cells was enhanced by the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A. Overexpression of the type 1 histone deacetylases 1, 2, and 3 inhibited transcription driven by the IL-4 promoter in Jurkat T cells, whereas cotransfection of the histone acetyltransferase CREB-binding protein potentiated IL-4 promoter activity. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we show that nucleosomes in the proximal IL-4 promoter are acetylated on T-cell activation. Our results demonstrate that the acetylation state of histones associated with the IL-4 promoter is a key regulator of IL4 gene expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11143583,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Homocysteine, vitamins, and coronary artery disease. Comprehensive review of the literature.\nTo summarize results of clinical trials investigating the role of homocysteine (tHcy) as a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD) and the role of vitamin therapy (folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12) in primary and secondary prevention of CAD. MEDLINE was searched from January 1976 to January 1999 to locate cross-sectional, retrospective and prospective cohort studies and meta-analyses on CAD using the MeSH words homocysteine, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, and coronary artery or heart disease. Elevated tHcy levels are prevalent; most retrospective and cross-sectional studies show an association with increased risk of CAD. Results from recent prospective studies are less consistent. Folic acid, alone or with vitamins B6 and B12, reduces tHcy concentrations in the blood. Results from ongoing randomized controlled trials could determine the effect of vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid supplementation on CAD-related morbidity and mortality and could indicate whether routine supplementation with these vitamins should be advocated. Before mass screening for tHcy can be done, the tHcy assay must be standardized. The role of homocysteine and vitamins B6 and B12 in managing CAD is unclear. Routine screening is not recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20644245,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improved multi-unit decoding at the brain-machine interface using population temporal linear filtering.\nCurrent efforts to decode control signals from multi-unit (MU) recordings rely on the use of spike sorting to differentiate neurons and the use of firing rates estimated over tens of milliseconds to reconstruct sensorimotor signals. The computational bottleneck associated with the need to identify and sort individual neuron responses poses challenges for the development of portable, real-time, neural decoding systems that can be incorporated into assistive and prosthetic devices for the disabled. Here, we investigate the ability of spike-based linear filtering to reduce computational overhead and improve the accuracy of decoding neuronal signals for populations of spiking neurons. Using a population temporal (PT) decoding framework, the speed and accuracy of spike-based MU decoding were compared with firing rate-based approaches using simulated populations of motor neurons tuned for the velocity of intended movement. For the two linear filtering approaches, the accuracy of decoded movements was examined as a function of the number of recorded neurons, amount of noise, with and without spike sorting, and for training and test motions whose statistics were either similar or dissimilar. Our results suggest that the use of a PT decoding framework can offset the loss in accuracy associated with decoding unsorted MU neural signals. Coupled with up to a 20-fold reduction in the number of decoding weights and the ability to implement the filtering in hardware, this approach could reduce the computational requirements and thus increase the portability of next generation brain-machine interfaces.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31819877,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prevalence and climatic influence on hemoparasites of cattle and sheep in Mosul, Iraq.\nHemoparasitism is a condition commonly found in animals and it exerts negatively on the health, production, reproduction, and performance of the affected animals. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence of different hemoparasites affecting cattle and sheep in Mosul, Iraq, and to deduce the effect of climatic factors on the occurrence of these hemoparasites. Blood samples from cattle and sheep that were submitted to the Parasitology Laboratory of the Veterinary Hospital of Ninavah between 2008 and 2018 were examined for the presence of blood parasites using the thin blood smear preparation. Data were analyzed using percentages (%), tabulations, and graphs. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength of association between the occurrence of hemoparasites of cattle\/sheep and each climatic variable. Anaplasma spp. Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. were the hemoparasites detected among cattle and sheep in the study, with Theileria spp. been the most prevalent among cattle, while Anaplasma spp. was the most prevalent among sheep. There was no distinct pattern in the yearly and monthly prevalence of these hemoparasites among cattle and sheep. Rainfall and relative humidity negatively influenced the occurrence of hemoparasites infections, while temperature favored their occurrences. This study appears to be the first to evaluate the correlation between climatic variables and the prevalence of hemoparasites of cattle and sheep in Mosul, Iraq. Climatic variables influenced the abundance of hemoparasites of cattle and sheep in the study area. The outcome of this study will add to the existing knowledge on the effect of climatic factors on the occurrence of parasitic diseases of ruminants in Middle East.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36112816,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In silico studies of natural product-like caffeine derivatives as potential MAO-B inhibitors\/AA2AR antagonists for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.\nParkinson's disease is considered the second most frequent neurodegenerative disease. It is described by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the mid-brain. For many decades, L-DOPA has been considered as the gold standard for treating Parkinson's disease motor symptoms, however, due to the decrease of efficacy, in the long run, there is an urgent need for novel antiparkinsonian drugs. Caffeine derivatives have been reported several times for their neuroprotective properties and dual blockade of monoamine oxidase (MAO) and adenosine A2A receptors (AA2AR). Natural products are currently attracting more focus due to structural diversity and safety in contrast to synthetic drugs. In the present work, computational studies were conducted on natural product-like caffeine derivatives to search for novel potent candidates acting as dual MAO-B inhibitors\/AA2AR antagonists for Parkinson's disease. Our findings revealed two natural products among the top hits: CNP0202316 and CNP0365210 fulfill the requirements of drugs acting on the brain. The selected lead compounds were further studied using molecular dynamics simulation to assess their stability with MAO-B. Current findings might shift the interest towards natural-based compounds and could be exploited to further optimize caffeine derivatives into a successful dual-target-directed drug for managing and halting the neuronal damage in Parkinson's disease patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10037289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"High-frequency hearing influences lower-frequency distortion-product otoacoustic emissions.\nThe primary goal of this study was to test the ability of 2f1-f2 distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) to detect reduced cochlear function in the presence of normal behavioral sensitivity. A prospective study was performed in normal-hearing young adults using simple and complex regression analyses to clarify the relationship between ultra-high frequency (UHF) hearing and DPOAE levels at lower frequencies, as well as the influence of hearing levels for frequencies within the conventional test range and subject age on this association. Average DPOAE levels between 4 to 8 kHz, which were elicited by equilevel primary tones of low to moderate levels, were measured as level-frequency functions, or distortion-product (DP) grams, and related to the mean UHF hearing levels from 11.2 to 20 kHz. The median hearing level for the UHF hearing was used to separate subjects into good and poor UHF hearers. This distinction was then used to compare DPOAE levels from 4 to 8 kHz for the 2 groups to determine if UHF hearing status influenced DPOAE levels at lower frequencies. Simple regression analysis revealed that the 4-to 8-kHz DPOAE levels were significantly correlated with the pure-tone average (PTA) from 11.2 to 20 kHz. However, the PTA for 4 and 8 kHz was also significantly correlated with the PTA for UHF hearing. Further multiple regression analyses revealed that UHF hearing significantly and uniquely accounted for approximately 14% of the variance in DPOAE levels from 4 to 8 kHz for most of the primary-tone level combinations. In contrast, neither the PTA for the conventional hearing range nor subject age contributed significantly to the DPOAE variance. The findings suggest that UHF hearing influences DPOAEs at significantly lower frequencies because emissions are sensitive to subtle changes in outer hair cells not yet detected by pure-tone thresholds in this region or because alterations in the basal cochlea affect the generation of lower-frequency DPOAEs originating from more apical cochlear regions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36495569,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ambient temperature during pregnancy and fetal growth in Eastern Massachusetts, USA.\nLeft unabated, rising temperatures pose an escalating threat to human health. The potential effects of hot temperatures on fetal health have been under-explored. Here, we examined the association between prenatal ambient temperature exposure and fetal growth measures in a Massachusetts-based pregnancy cohort. We used ultrasound measurements of biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), femur length and abdominal circumference (AC), in addition to birthweight (BW), from 9446 births at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center from 2011 to 2016. Ultrasound scans were classified into three distinct gestational periods: 16-23 weeks, 24-31 weeks, 32+ weeks; and z-scores were created for each fetal growth measure using the INTERGROWTH-21st standards. We fitted distributed lag models to estimate the time-varying association between weekly temperature and fetal growth, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, seasonal and long-term trends, humidity and particulate matter (PM2.5). Higher ambient temperature was associated with smaller fetal growth measures. The critical window of exposure appeared to be Weeks 1-20 for ultrasound parameters, and high temperatures throughout pregnancy were important for BW. Associations were strongest for head parameters (BPD and HC) in early to mid-pregnancy, AC late in pregnancy and BW. For example, a 5\u00baC higher cumulative temperature exposure was associated with a lower mean AC z-score of -0.26 (95% CI: -0.48, -0.04) among 24-31-Week scans, and a lower mean BW z-score of -0.32 (95% CI: -0.51, -0.12). Higher temperatures were associated with impaired fetal growth. This has major health implications given that extreme temperatures are more common and escalating.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8075016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Children's task and ego goal profiles in sport.\nThe purpose of this study was to examine the combined effects of task and ego goal orientations on children's sport motivation. Participants were 115 boys and 116 girls (mean age = 11.12 yrs). Unlike previous research, where the correlates of the two orientations have been examined separately, this study examined the motivational consequences of different task and ego combinations. Four groups were created based on mean splits on the task and ego scales of the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire. These were low task\/low ego, low task\/high ego, high task\/low ego, and high task\/high ego. The hi\/hi group emerged as the most motivated and the lo\/lo group least motivated in measures of sport enjoyment and perceived sport competence. The lo\/lo group, made up primarily of girls, appear to be at high risk for non-participation in sport. Children dominated by a task orientation were more motivated than those dominated by an ego orientation. A similar pattern emerged whether children were in the lower or upper third of the perceived sport competence distribution. A high task orientation appears to provide the vital element for sport motivation. The addition of ego involvement to task involvement may enhance sport enjoyment and does not appear to be motivationally detrimental. Task and ego profile analysis seems to offer important insight into the achievement motivation of children of this age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16862382,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Incisional, epigastric and umbilical hernia repair using the Prolene Hernia System: describing a novel technique.\nThe Prolene Hernia System (PHS) is already widely in use in the United Kingdom for inguinal hernias. We describe the novel technique of using the three-in-one design of the PHS (Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Bracknell, UK) for repairing incisional, epigastric and umbilical herniae. This is a three-dimensional device and consists of an onlay patch, a tubular connector and an underlay patch. We recommend a four 'corner' suturing of the underlay patch under vision (and then) through the full thickness of abdominal wall layers to ensure a flat underlay mesh. These four sutures flatten out the underlay patch and can be tied or removed with equal effect. The sutures are placed at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o'clock, which simplifies the procedure and ensures that the underlay lays correctly and is corrugation-free and tension-free, thereby providing a two-layer repair for those herniae with a high rate of recurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33866545,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Severe congenital cutis laxa: Identification of novel homozygous LOX gene variants in two families.\nWe report three babies from two families with a severe lethal form of congenital cutis laxa. All three had redundant and doughy-textured skin and two siblings from one family had facial dysmorphism. Echocardiograms showed thickened and poorly contractile hearts, arterial dilatation and tortuosity. Post-mortem examination in two of the babies further revealed widespread ectasia and tortuosity of medium and large sized arteries, myocardial hypertrophy, rib and skull fractures. The presence of fractures initially suggested a diagnosis of osteogenesis imperfecta. Under light microscopy bony matrices were abnormal and arterial wall architecture was grossly abnormal showing fragmented elastic fibres. Molecular analysis of known cutis laxa genes did not yield any pathogenic defects. Whole exome sequencing of DNA following informed consent identified two separate homozygous variants in the LOX (Lysyl Oxidase) gene. LOX belongs to the 5-lysyl oxidase gene family involved in initiation of cross-linking of elastin and collagen. A mouse model of a different variant in this gene recapitulates the phenotype seen in the three babies. Our findings suggest that the LOX gene is a novel cause of severe congenital cutis laxa with arterial tortuosity, bone fragility and respiratory failure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9817159,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Management and control of asthma as assessed by actual\/best function and corticosteroid use 1980-1993\/4.\nThis study aimed to determine whether the changes in practice in the management of asthma since the early 1980s have improved standards (as assessed by higher actual\/best function) and reduced the need for oral corticosteroids. All asthmatic outpatients were reviewed in 1980, 1983, 1988\/89 and 1993\/94. Therapeutic step, defined by suppressive medication alone, actual and best peak expiratory flow (PEF) were recorded. Cohorts from 1980, 1983 and 1988\/89 were identified in whom best function was established on all subsequent occasions. Changes in practice demonstrated by cross-sectional review of all subjects were interpreted with the aid of longitudinal analysis of the cohorts. Attendance increased from 463 in 1980 to 772 in 1993\/94. Between 1983 and 1993\/94, the proportion maintained on inhaled corticosteroids increased from 49 to 84% with increased use of higher doses. Mean actual\/best PEF rose from 80 to 87%, improving at each therapeutic step. The proportion needing rescue oral corticosteroids fell from 47 to 35% and maintenance oral corticosteroids from 20 to 9%. In the cohorts, there was a similar reduction in use of rescue corticosteroids, but not of maintenance oral corticosteroids. The study confirmed an increase in the use and dose of inhaled corticosteroids, and a better outcome at all treatment steps. The fall in the proportion of subjects dependent on oral corticosteroids was due to attrition, rather than weaning in later years.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12963753,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Axonal swellings predict the degeneration of epidermal nerve fibers in painful neuropathies.\nTo correlate the density of swellings in intraepidermal nerve fibers (IENF) with the longitudinal measurement of the epidermal innervation density in patients with painful neuropathy and to assess the predictive value of IENF swelling to progression of neuropathy. Fifteen patients with persistent pain in the feet underwent neurologic examination, nerve conduction studies, quantitative sensory examination, and skin biopsies at proximal thigh and distal leg. In all patients and in 15 healthy subjects, IENF density and swelling ratio (no. swellings\/no. IENF) were quantified at distal leg. Follow-up study, including IENF density and swelling ratio quantification, was performed a mean of 19.2 months later. Double staining confocal microscope studies using anti-human protein-gene-product 9.5, anti-tubule, anti-neurofilament, and anti-synaptophysin antibodies were performed to assess specific accumulation within swellings. Ultrastructural investigation of IENF was also carried out. Patients with neuropathy had lower density of IENF and higher swelling ratio than healthy subjects (p < 0.01) at distal leg. At follow-up, patients showed a parallel decrease in both IENF density (p = 0.02) and swelling ratio (p = 0.002). However, swelling ratio remained higher (p = 0.03) than in controls. Progression of neuropathy was confirmed by the decay in sural nerve sensory nerve action potential amplitude. Double immunostaining studies suggest accumulation of tubules and ubiquitin-associated proteins within swellings. Swollen and vacuolated IENF were identified in patients with neuropathy by conventional and immuno-electron microscopy. Increased swelling ratio predicted the decrease in IENF density in patients with painful neuropathy. Its quantification could support earlier diagnosis of sensory axonopathy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33837598,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An ultrafast and flexible liquid chromatography\/tandem mass spectrometry system paves the way for machine learning driven in vivo sample processing in early drug discovery.\nThe low speed and low flexibility of most liquid chromatography\/tandem mass spectrometry (LC\/MS\/MS) approaches in early drug discovery delay sample analysis from routine in vivo studies within the same day. A high-throughput platform for the rapid quantification of drug compounds in various in vivo assays was developed and established in routine bioanalysis. Automated selection of an efficient and adequate LC method was realized by autonomous sample qualification for ultrafast batch gradients (9 s\/sample) or for fast linear gradients (45 s\/sample) if samples required chromatography. The hardware and software components of our Rapid and Integrated Analysis System (RIAS) were streamlined for increased analytical throughput via state-of-the-art automation while maintaining high analytical quality. Online decision-making was based on a quick assay suitability test (AST), based on a small and dedicated sample set evaluated by two different strategies. 84% of the acquired data points were within \u00b130% accuracy and 93% of the deviations between the lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) values were \u22642-fold compared with standard LC\/MS\/MS systems. Speed, flexibility and overall automation significantly improved. The developed platform provided an analysis time of only 10 min (batch-mode) and 47 min (gradient-mode) per standard pharmacokinetic (PK) study (62 injections). Automation, data evaluation and results handling were optimized to pave the way for machine learning based on decision-making regarding the evaluation strategy of the AST.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28554505,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Long term stability of Oligo (dT) 25 magnetic beads for the expression analysis of Euglena gracilis for long term space projects.\nThe unicellular freshwater flagellate Euglena gracilis has a highly developed sensory system. The cells use different stimuli such as light and gravity to orient themselves in the surrounding medium to find areas for optimal growth. Due to the ability to produce oxygen and consume carbon dioxide, Euglena is a suitable candidate for life support systems. Participation in a long-term space experiment would allow for the analysis of changes and adaptations to the new environment, and this could bring new insights into the mechanism of perception of gravity and the associated signal transduction chain. For a molecular analysis of transcription patterns, an automated system is necessary, capable of performing all steps from taking a sample, processing it and generating data. One of the developmental steps is to find long-term stable reagents and materials and test them for stability at higher-than-recommended temperature conditions during extended storage time. We investigated the usability of magnetic beads in an Euglena specific lysis buffer after addition of the RNA stabilizer Dithiothreitol over 360 days and the lysis buffer with the stabilizer alone over 455 days at the expected storage temperature of 19 \u00b0C. We can claim that the stability is not impaired at all after an incubation period of over one year. This might be an interesting result for researchers who have to work under non-standard lab conditions, as in biological or medicinal fieldwork.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18211806,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Nuclear targeting by fragmentation of the potato spindle tuber viroid genome.\nTransient expression of engineered reporter RNAs encoding an intron-containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) from a Potato virus X-based expression vector previously demonstrated the nuclear targeting capability of the 359 nucleotide Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) RNA genome. To further delimit the putative nuclear-targeting signal, PSTVd subgenomic fragments were embedded within the intron, and recombinant reporter RNAs were inoculated onto Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Appearance of green fluorescence in leaf tissue inoculated with PSTVd-fragment-containing constructs indicated shuttling of the RNA into the nucleus by fragments as short as 80 nucleotides in length. Plant-to-plant variation in the timing of intron removal and subsequent GFP fluorescence was observed; however, earliest and most abundant GFP expression was obtained with constructs containing the conserved hairpin I palindrome structure and embedded upper central conserved region. Our results suggest that this conserved sequence and\/or the stem-loop structure it forms is sufficient for import of PSTVd into the nucleus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15341658,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Characterization of the microheterogeneity of transthyretin in plasma and urine using SELDI-TOF-MS immunoassay.\nBACKGROUND: It has been shown that transthyretin (TTR) exists in different molecular variants. Besides point mutations associated with different diseases such as amyloidosis, other posttranslational modifications occur that might be of diagnostic interest. RESULTS: TTR levels as determined by ELISA in plasma and urine of healthy individuals were 489 +\/- 155 microg\/ml plasma and 46 +\/- 24 ng\/g creatinine, respectively. Average levels in urine of pregnant women were 45 +\/- 65 microg\/g creatinine. The molecular heterogeneity of TTR was analyzed using a high-throughput mass spectrometric immunoassay system. TTR was extracted from plasma or urine onto an antibody-coated (via protein A) affinity chip surface (PS20) using the surface-enhanced laser desorption\/ionization (SELDI) technique. Subsequently samples were subjected to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS). In healthy individuals, TTR in plasma occurred rather consistently in two variants of 13732 +\/- 12 and 13851 +\/- 9 Da for the native and S-cysteinylated forms and at a smaller signal of 14043 +\/- 17 Da for the S-glutathionylated form. In urine of pregnant women, various signals were observed with a dominant signal at 13736 +\/- 10 Da and a varying number of smaller immunoreactive fragments. These fragments are possibly the consequence of metabolism in plasma or kidney. CONCLUSION: This chip-based approach represents a rapid and accurate method to characterize the molecular variants of TTR including protein or peptide fragments which are either related to TTR or have resulted from its catabolism. These molecular variants may be of diagnostic importance as alternative or novel biomarkers due to their predominant relation to the TTR metabolism both in healthy and diseased individuals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Immobilization of aspergillus oryzae aminopeptidase on organic and inorganic carriers].\nThe process of Asp. oryzae aminopeptidase immobilization on organic (AE-cellulose, sepharose 4B, Sephadex G-200) and inorganic (SCh-2, SCh-3 sylochromes and KCK N 1 silicagel) carriers was studied. Aminopeptidase immobilized on Sephadex G-200 contains the largest amount of protein (80 mg per 1 g of carrier) and is the most active of all other preparations. The immobilized preparations retain the temperature optimum, like the soluble form, at 60 degrees C, except the preparation immobilized on AE-cellulose (50 degrees C). At temperatures of 70, 80 degrees C the obtained preparations are more thermostable than the initial enzyme. The pH-stability zone for the preparations immobilized by means of sylochrome-3 and Sephadex G-200 is wider to some extent as compared to the soluble enzyme. When studying the substrate specificity it is established that leucyl-glycyl-glycine is the best substrate for both the soluble form and the immobilized preparations. Multiple application of the immobilized aminopeptidase is shown to be possible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35171511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A dual-supervised deformation estimation model (DDEM) for constructing ultra-quality 4D-MRI based on a commercial low-quality 4D-MRI for liver cancer radiation therapy.\nMost available four-dimensional (4D)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are limited by insufficient image quality and long acquisition times or require specially designed sequences or hardware that are not available in the clinic. These limitations have greatly hindered the clinical implementation of 4D-MRI. This study aims to develop a fast ultra-quality (UQ) 4D-MRI reconstruction method using a commercially available 4D-MRI sequence and dual-supervised deformation estimation model (DDEM). Thirty-nine patients receiving radiotherapy for liver tumors were included. Each patient was scanned using a time-resolved imaging with interleaved stochastic trajectories (TWIST)-lumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) MRI sequence to acquire 4D-magnetic resonance (MR) images. They also received 3D T1-\/T2-weighted MRI scans as prior images, and UQ 4D-MRI at any instant was considered a deformation of them. A DDEM was developed to obtain a 4D deformable vector field (DVF) from 4D-MRI data, and the prior images were deformed using this 4D-DVF to generate UQ 4D-MR images. The registration accuracies of the DDEM, VoxelMorph (normalized cross-correlation [NCC] supervised), VoxelMorph (end-to-end point error [EPE] supervised), and the parametric total variation (pTV) algorithm were compared. Tumor motion on UQ 4D-MRI was evaluated quantitatively using region of interest (ROI) tracking errors, while image quality was evaluated using the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), lung-liver edge sharpness, and perceptual blur metric (PBM). The registration accuracy of the DDEM was significantly better than those of VoxelMorph (NCC supervised), VoxelMorph (EPE supervised), and the pTV algorithm (all, p < 0.001), with an inference time of 69.3 \u00b1 5.9 ms. UQ 4D-MRI yielded ROI tracking errors of 0.79 \u00b1 0.65, 0.50 \u00b1 0.55, and 0.51 \u00b1 0.58 mm in the superior-inferior, anterior-posterior, and mid-lateral directions, respectively. From the original 4D-MRI to UQ 4D-MRI, the CNR increased from 7.25 \u00b1 4.89 to 18.86 \u00b1 15.81; the lung-liver edge full-width-at-half-maximum decreased from 8.22 \u00b1 3.17 to 3.65 \u00b1 1.66 mm in the in-plane direction and from 8.79 \u00b1 2.78 to 5.04 \u00b1 1.67 mm in the cross-plane direction, and the PBM decreased from 0.68 \u00b1 0.07 to 0.38 \u00b1 0.01. This novel DDEM method successfully generated UQ 4D-MR images based on a commercial 4D-MRI sequence. It shows great promise for improving liver tumor motion management during radiation therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32618067,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hemodialysis efficiency management from the viewpoint of blood removal pressure.\nDegradation of dialysis efficiency during hemodialysis, caused by incompatible indwelling needle size or increase in hematocrit, is a serious problem that can threaten a patient's life. This study aims to derive a quantitative index for determining the indwelling needle diameter that can maintain an appropriate blood flow rate, and presents an effective method to prevent a decrease in the actual blood flow rate. The relationships between the set flow rate and various parameters such as indwelling needle diameter, blood viscosity, and arterial line pressure are analyzed. A simple and reliable method for estimating the actual blood flow rate is derived from these relationships. A correlation between viscosity and actual blood flow rate is estimated adequately by regression analysis using a least-squares method. The relationship between Reynolds number and the flow rate reduction ratio is also evaluated. A new parameter (simple estimation method for actual blood flow) is derived by measuring the blood removal pressure. A pump control approach that uses blood removal pressure is suggested, which can be a future research direction in the field of hemodialysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16429193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Clinical, radiographic, biochemical and histological findings of florid cemento-osseous dysplasia and report of a case.\nFlorid cemento-osseous dysplasia has been described as a condition that characteristically affects the jaws of middle-aged black women. It usually manifests as multiple radiopaque cementum-like masses distributed throughout the jaws. This condition has also been classified as gigantiform cementoma, chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis, sclerosing osteitis, multiple estenosis and sclerotic cemental masses. The authors present a case of an uncomplicated florid cemento-osseous dysplasia in a 48-year-old black woman. Multiple sclerotic masses with radiolucent border in the mandible were identified radiographically. Histopathologic findings revealed formation of calcified dense sclerotic masses similar to cementum. All clinical, radiographic, biochemical and histological features were suggestive of the diagnosis of florid cemento-osseous dysplasia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17479711,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cardiovascular risk factors: hemorheologic and hemostatic components.\nThe original objectives of the Framingham Project are presented along with the concept of cardiovascular risk factors. The traditional risk factors (dyslipidemia, hypertension, smoking, diabetes\/glucose intolerance, age, male gender, family history, and obesity) are discussed together with other predisposing factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (circulating in the blood, physical, morphologic and genomic). Of these, certain hemorheologic and hemostatic factors are highlighted as predictors and\/or markers of atherosclerosis and subsequent cardiovascular events. The difficulties encountered in defining cardiovascular risks are the result of different abnormalities being given the same name, different methodologies being used for the same problem, and the different effects that a given condition may have on different vascular sectors. Additionally, some risk factors or biomarkers represent single problems, whereas others identify aggregations of indicators, pathophysiologic pathways or etiologies. In the future, genomic and\/or proteomic identification of cardiovascular disease mechanisms may help to clarify the situation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22577746,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Long-term behavioral, electrophysiological, and neurochemical monitoring of the safety of an experimental antiepileptic implant, the muscimol-delivering Subdural Pharmacotherapy Device in monkeys.\nThe authors evaluated the extent to which the Subdural Pharmacotherapy Device (SPD), chronically implanted over the frontal cortex to perform periodic, localized muscimol-delivery\/CSF removal cycles, affects overall behavior, motor performance, electroencephalography (EEG) activity, and blood and CSF neurochemistry in macaque monkeys. Two monkeys were used to adjust methodology and 4 monkeys were subjected to comprehensive testing. Prior to surgery, the animals' behavior in a large test chamber was monitored, and the motor skills required to remove food pellets from food ports located on the walls of the chamber were determined. The monkeys underwent implantation of the subdural and extracranial SPD units. The subdural unit, a silicone strip integrating EEG electrodes and fluid-exchange ports, was positioned over the right frontal cortex. The control unit included a battery-powered, microprocessor-regulated dual minipump and radiofrequency module secured to the cranium. After implantation, the SPD automatically performed periodic saline or muscimol (1.0 mM) deliveries at 12-hour intervals, alternating with local CSF removals at 6-hour intervals. The antiepileptic efficacy of this muscimol concentration was verified by demonstrating its ability to prevent focal acetylcholine-induced seizures. During SPD treatment, the monkeys' behavior and motor performance were again monitored, and the power spectrum of their radiofrequency-transmitted EEG recordings was analyzed. Serum and CSF muscimol levels were measured with high-performance liquid chromatography electrochemical detection, and CSF protein levels were measured with turbidimetry. The SPD was well tolerated in all monkeys for up to 11 months. The behavioral study revealed that during both saline and muscimol SPD treatment, the monkeys could achieve the maximum motor performance of 40 food-pellet removals per session, as before surgery. The EEG study showed that local EEG power spectra were not affected by muscimol treatment with SPD. The neurochemical study demonstrated that the administration of 1.0 mM muscimol into the neocortical subarachnoid space led to no detectable levels of this compound in the blood and cisternal CSF, as measured 1-125 minutes after delivery. Total protein levels were within the normal range in the cisternal CSF, but protein levels in the cortical-site CSF were significantly higher than normal: 361 \u00b1 81.6 mg\/dl. Abrupt discontinuation of 3-month, periodic, subdural muscimol treatments induced withdrawal seizures, which could be completely prevented by gradually tapering off the subdural muscimol concentration from 1.0 mM to 0.12-0.03 mM over a period of 2 weeks. The monkeys' general health and weight were maintained. Infection occurred only in one monkey 9 months after surgery. Long-term, periodic, transmeningeal muscimol delivery with the SPD is essentially a safe procedure. If further improved and successfully adapted for use in humans, the SPD can be used for the treatment of intractable focal neocortical epilepsy affecting approximately 150,000 patients in the US.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8550051,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"In vivo infusion of growth factors enhances the mitogenic response of rat hepatic ductal (oval) cells after administration of 2-acetylaminofluorene.\nExpression of several growth factors is elevated in rat liver, after induction of oval cell proliferation by chemical carcinogens. However, the exact roles played by individual factors are not defined. We infused and examined the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on the proliferation of ductal and periductal cells after their activation with 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF). Furthermore, we included studies on urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), because Northern blot analysis showed a strong coincidence of uPA expression with oval cell proliferation. Low doses of 2-AAF were used to activate ductal and periductal cells, whereafter growth factors were infused. Infusion of EGF, HGF, uPA, or any combination thereof for up to 7 days resulted in increased numbers of [3H]thymidine-labeled ductal and periductal cells expanding into the liver acinus. Although the growth factors all increased the number of labeled cells, they preferentially acted on different cell populations. Although exposure to 2-AAF alone or combined with infusion of HGF resulted in proliferation of almost equal numbers of ductal and Ito cells, infusion of EGF and any combination hereof resulted in 75% to 80% of labeled cells having a ductal phenotype. Also, infusion of EGF and HGF resulted in decreased numbers of cells undergoing apoptosis in response to 2-AAF. Our results demonstrate that, although 2-AAF acts as a mitogenic stimulus for ductal and periductal cells, growth factors are necessary for survival, motility, and expansion of these cells into the liver acini.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3971976,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Sequence of the 5'-end quarter of the human-thyroglobulin messenger ribonucleic acid and of its deduced amino-acid sequence.\nThyroglobulin, the dimeric glycoprotein (19 S, 2 X 330 kDa), specific to the thyroid gland, is the support for thyroid hormone synthesis. Elucidation of the mechanism for thyroid hormone synthesis requires the knowledge of the primary sequence of the protein. In this paper the sequence of the first coding 2190 nucleotides from the 5' end of the human mRNA is presented. This was obtained by sequencing two previously described overlapping clones and by construction and sequencing of a single-stranded cDNA corresponding to the 5' end of the mRNA. The nucleotide sequence represents a quarter of the human thyroglobulin mRNA, from which a polypeptide sequence of 730 amino acids at the NH2-terminal end of the monomer has been deduced. This sequence shows a repetition of five highly conserved motifs each of approximately 50 amino acids, the analysis of which allowed us to establish a consensus sequence. We have also demonstrated (a) the hormonogenic tyrosine residue recently described in the mature protein, which is located four amino acids after the NH2-terminal Asn; (b) a prepeptide signal of thyroglobulin secretion comprising 19 amino acids preceding the Asn residue, the NH2-terminal residue of the mature protein and (c) a six-signal tripeptide (Asn-Xaa-Thr or Ser) of N-glycosylation of the chain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9418047,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Transgenic potato tubers accumulate high levels of 1-kestose and nystose: functional identification of a sucrose sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase of artichoke (Cynara scolymus) blossom discs.\nBy screening a cDNA library of artichoke (Cynara scolymus) blossom discs for fructosyltransferases, we isolated a clone designated Cy21. The deduced amino acid sequence shows homology to acid beta-fructosyl hydrolases and to the sucrose-fructan 6-fructosyltransferase (6-SFT) of barley. Transiently expressed in Nicotiana tabacum protoplasts, the Cy21 gene-product synthesized 1-kestose, indicating that Cy21 codes for a sucrose sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase (1-SST). The enzyme worked at physiologically relevant sucrose concentrations (25 mM sucrose). In the protoplast system, 1-kestose seemed to be the only fructan product of the 1-SST. The enzyme activity was not affected by pyridoxal-HCl, an inhibitor of both the beta-fructosyl hydrolase and the fructosyltransferase activity of invertases. The fructosyltransferase activity of the Cy21 gene-product, however, could be inhibited by Zn2+, Ag+ and Cu2+ ions. In artichoke plants the Cy21 transcript was highly abundant in primary roots and blossom discs. Transgenic potato tubers expressing Cy21 contain high levels of 1-kestose along with nystose and traces of fructosyl-nystose, supporting the conclusion that the Cy21 clone encodes a sucrose sucrose 1-fructosyltransferase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17092931,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Deregulation of the SecYEG translocation channel upon removal of the plug domain.\nPrevious studies have shown that the SecY plug is displaced from the center of the SecYEG channel during polypeptide translocation. The structural and functional consequences of the deletion of the plug are now examined. Both in vivo and in vitro observations indicate that the plug domain is not essential to the function of the translocon. In fact, deletion of the plug confers to the cell and to the membranes a Prl-like phenotype: reduced proton-motive force dependence of translocation, increased membrane insertion of SecA, diminished requirement for functional leader peptide, and weakened SecYEG subunit association. Although the plug domain does not seem essential, locking the plug in the center of the channel inactivates the translocon. Thus, the SecY plug is important to regulate the activity of the channel and to confer specificity to the translocation reaction. We propose that the plug contributes to the gating mechanism of the channel by maintaining the structure of the SecYEG complex in a compact closed state.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17595153,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Incremental exercise test design and analysis: implications for performance diagnostics in endurance athletes.\nPhysiological variables, such as maximum work rate or maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), together with other submaximal metabolic inflection points (e.g. the lactate threshold [LT], the onset of blood lactate accumulation and the pulmonary ventilation threshold [VT]), are regularly quantified by sports scientists during an incremental exercise test to exhaustion. These variables have been shown to correlate with endurance performance, have been used to prescribe exercise training loads and are useful to monitor adaptation to training. However, an incremental exercise test can be modified in terms of starting and subsequent work rates, increments and duration of each stage. At the same time, the analysis of the blood lactate\/ventilatory response to incremental exercise may vary due to the medium of blood analysed and the treatment (or mathematical modelling) of data following the test to model the metabolic inflection points. Modification of the stage duration during an incremental exercise test may influence the submaximal and maximal physiological variables. In particular, the peak power output is reduced in incremental exercise tests that have stages of longer duration. Furthermore, the VT or LT may also occur at higher absolute exercise work rate in incremental tests comprising shorter stages. These effects may influence the relationship of the variables to endurance performance or potentially influence the sensitivity of these results to endurance training. A difference in maximum work rate with modification of incremental exercise test design may change the validity of using these results for predicting performance, and prescribing or monitoring training. Sports scientists and coaches should consider these factors when conducting incremental exercise testing for the purposes of performance diagnostics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28555467,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Estimating small area health-related characteristics of populations: a methodological review.\nEstimation of health-related characteristics at a fine local geographic level is vital for effective health promotion programmes, provision of better health services and population-specific health planning and management. Lack of a micro-dataset readily available for attributes of individuals at small areas negatively impacts the ability of local and national agencies to manage serious health issues and related risks in the community. A solution to this challenge would be to develop a method that simulates reliable small-area statistics. This paper provides a significant appraisal of the methodologies for estimating health-related characteristics of populations at geographical limited areas. Findings reveal that a range of methodologies are in use, which can be classified as three distinct set of approaches: i) indirect standardisation and individual level modelling; ii) multilevel statistical modelling; and iii) micro-simulation modelling. Although each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses, it appears that microsimulation- based spatial models have significant robustness over the other methods and also represent a more precise means of estimating health-related population characteristics over small areas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9360374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The structure and function of the HE protein of influenza C virus].\nThe hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein is an integral membrane protein and the major surface antigen of influenza C virion. It displays three biological activities: receptor-binding activity for N-acetyl-9-O-acetylneuraminic acid, fusion with the host cell membrane, and receptor-destroying activity which is a neuraminate-O-acetylesterase. This protein undergoes four kinds of posttranslational processing: proteolytic cleavage, N-glycosylation, fatty acid acylation, and phosphorylation. We summarize here the data concerning the sites on the HE molecule responsible for the biological activities including antigenic epitopes as well as those concerning the role of posttranslational modifications in virus replication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8376235,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of dietary protein concentration (corn:soybean meal ratio) and body weight on nitrogen balance of growing boars, barrows, and gilts: mathematical descriptions.\nThe effects of dietary CP level (actually corn:soybean meal ratio) and BW on N intake, N digestibility, the efficiency of utilization of N (apparent biological value), and N retention were measured in 36 pigs: 12 boars (five collection periods), 12 barrows (four collection periods), and 12 gilts (nine collection periods). Initial and final BW of the boars, barrows, and gilts were 19, 24, and 27 kg and 80, 69, and 110 kg, respectively. Diets were based on corn and soybean meal and contained 11 to 23% CP. Averaged over all collection periods, N retention was 24.2, 20.0, and 19.8 g\/d for boars, barrows, and gilts, respectively. The response of N retention to CP levels was quadratic (P < .15) and cubic (P < .01) for boars, linear (P < .01) and quadratic (P < .05) for barrows, and linear (P < .15) for gilts. Rates of N retention responded quadratically (P < .001) for all sexes as pigs gained weight, reaching a maximum when pigs weighed 55 to 65 kg. Multiple-regression analyses were conducted and equations were developed that described the effects of CP level (or lysine intake) and BW on N retention for each sex. The results indicated that N balance was a function of both CP level (or lysine intake) and BW and that the nature of the response differed for each sex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11427161,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Characterization of the active site of monkey sperm hyaluronidase.\nThe mammalian sperm hyaluronidase, PH-20, is active in macaque spermatozoa at neutral and acid pH. Antibodies were produced to synthesized peptides representing regions of PH-20 that may be involved in hyaluronidase activity and designated peptide 1 (amino acid sequence 142-172) and peptide 3 (amino acid sequence 277-297). Western blotting of proteins extracted from the surface of acrosome-intact spermatozoa showed that the two peptide-specific, affinity-purified IgGs label a 64 kDa band corresponding to the PH-20 molecule. Western blots of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa showed that, under reducing conditions, the two anti-peptide IgGs label the 44 kDa band only, which represents the N-terminal fragment of PH-20. Anti-peptide 3 IgG also labels the 53 kDa form of PH-20 in extracts of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa. Peptide-specific, affinity-purified Fab fragments from both IgGs were shown by fluorescence microscopy and transmission electron microscopy to label the sperm plasma membrane, fused acrosomal vesicles, acrosomal matrix and inner acrosomal membrane. Fab fragments of anti-peptide 1 IgG, but not anti-peptide 3 IgG, inhibited hyaluronidase activity of PH-20 from the sperm surface and from extracts of acrosome-reacted spermatozoa at pH 7.0. Fab fragments of both anti-peptide IgGs inhibited sperm hyaluronidase activity at pH 5.0. It is concluded that the region of PH-20 encompassed by the amino acid sequence 142-172 is essential for hyaluronidase activity at neutral pH, whereas the region of amino acid sequence 277-297 may be more important at a lower pH. It is likely that these two regions are the acid\/base catalyst site and the nucleophilic site, respectively, of PH-20 hyaluronidases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11725729,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Women's decision-making determinants in choosing uterine artery embolization for symptomatic fibroids.\nTo determine what symptoms of leiomyomata uteri prompted women to seek uterine artery embolization (UAE) and what factors were most frequently cited in the decision making leading to choosing UAE over other treatments. Eighty-four consecutive women with symptomatic leiomyoma presenting for UAE completed a questionnaire that inquired about their pelvic symptoms and the issues that were important in their decision to request UAE. All subjects previously had been told that they were surgical candidates. Pelvic symptoms that the 84 women most frequently noted were bleeding (n = 61), anemia (41), pelvic pain (29), frequent urination (24) and pelvic pressure (21). The majority of women (78) reported significant worry about their health from the fibroids, and (72) reported that the symptoms caused daily discomfort. Although the majority of women wanted a treatment that would give permanent relief of symptoms and thought UAE would do this, other factors frequently cited in the decision making included quality-of-life reasons, such as the desire to avoid adverse effects of other treatments (76), anticipated prolonged postoperative recovery from surgery (70) and avoiding surgery (66). Many women considered the uterus an important female organ, believed that the uterus was a source of femininity (33), stated that the uterus was necessary to maintain self-image (49) and reported that the uterus was necessary to maintain sexual image (49). In this cohort of women with symptomatic leiomyomas, treatment preferences did not interfere with the current lifestyle. In addition, the uterus was considered a source of femininity and sexuality. It is not clear whether women requesting UAE differ from women requesting surgical intervention in terms of how they assess the importance of the uterus, but these data suggest that many women still consider the uterus an important aspect of their femininity and that those seeking nonsurgical options should be thoroughly counseled about uterine function and how it relates to sexuality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1707911,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Analysis of the mechanisms of T cell-dependent polyclonal activation of human B cells. Induction of human B cell responses by fixed activated T cells.\nCoculture of resting human B cells with T cells stimulated with immobilized mAb to the CD3 molecular complex induces polyclonal activation and the production of Ig of all isotypes. The current experiments were carried out to determine the nature of the signals provided to B cells by the anti-CD3-activated T cells. For these experiments, fresh T cells or T cell clones were activated with immobilized mAb to CD3 and then fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde. Upon coculture, the fixed activated T cells or T cell clones induced B cell RNA synthesis and IL-2R expression, but only minimal DNA synthesis and no Ig production. Induction of B cell RNA synthesis by fixed activated T cells was not inhibited by mAb to the alpha-chain of the IL-2R, and was not enhanced by supplementing cultures with IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, or supernatants of mitogen-activated T cells. Upon the addition of IL-2, but not IL-4 or IL-6, to cultures of B cells and fixed activated T cells, sustained proliferation was noted along with the production of Ig. Control fixed T cells or T cell clones did not induce any of these responses. The presence of cycloheximide or cyclosporin A during the activation with anti-CD3 prevented T cells from developing the capacity to provide help for B cells. The use of mAb to a variety of cell surface molecules indicated that several T cell surface molecules including CD11a\/CD18, CD44, CD54, and class I MHC molecules are involved in the induction of B cell responses. Among the mAb that inhibited B cell DNA synthesis and\/or Ig production, only mAb to CD11a, CD18, or CD54 inhibited initial B cell activation as assessed by RNA synthesis. Even though mAB to CD11a\/CD18 inhibited the capacity of fixed activated T cells to induce B cell responses, the finding that fixed activated CD18 deficit clones provided help for B cells indicated that expression of the beta 2 family of integrins by T cells was not necessary. These results indicate that activated T cells acquire the capacity to stimulate B cells polyclonally and induce cytokine responsiveness, proliferation, and Ig production by utilization of a variety of surface molecules. Moreover, these results indicate that the initial activation of the B cell is independent of the metabolic activity of the T cell and the production of cytokines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26512549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Detection of Strabismus by Non-Health Care Professionals in an Ethnically Diverse Set of Images.\nUnderstanding the criteria for when strabismus becomes detectable by non-health care professionals could influence the goals for determining the success of surgical intervention and how patients with such misalignments are counseled. To examine the magnitude at which strabismus is detectable by lay observers in an ethnically diverse set of images. Photographs of 12 ethnically diverse models (black, white, and Asian) were simulated to have strabismus from esotropia of 21 prism diopters (\u2206) to exotropia of 21\u2206. From July 1, 2007, to October, 1, 2008, images were presented to 120 non-health care professionals aged 21 years or older from the general community in Boston, Massachusetts, who were asked whether strabismus was present. Analysis was conducted from November 1, 2008, to March 31, 2009. The threshold angle for detecting strabismus to enable 70% of lay observers to make a positive determination whether strabismus is present. In white and black models, the threshold allowing a 70% positive detection rate was higher for esotropia than for exotropia (P < .001 for both). For white models, the threshold was 23.2\u2206 (95% CI, 21.0\u2206 to 26.5\u2206) for esotropia and 13.5\u2206 (95% CI, 12.5\u2206 to 14.6\u2206) for exotropia. For black models, the threshold was 20.8\u2206 (95% CI, 19.2\u2206 to 22.2\u2206) for esotropia and 16.3\u2206 (95% CI, 15.5\u2206 to 17.2\u2206) for exotropia. Asian models showed an opposite trend, with the threshold allowing a 70% positive detection rate for esotropia (14.3\u2206; 95% CI, 13.2\u2206 to 15.7\u2206) being lower than that for exotropia (20.9\u2206; 95% CI, 18.0\u2206 to 24.6\u2206) (P < .001). Esotropia was easier for lay observers to detect than exotropia in Asian models, and exotropia was easier to detect than esotropia in white and black models. This information should be considered when managing patients who have concerns about the social significance of their strabismus. Future studies should include diverse individuals and make an effort to account for individual factors that may alter the perception of strabismus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9654004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Creating mosaics in Drosophila.\nThe ability to create mosaic animals allows the phenotypic analysis of patches of groups of genetically different cells that develop in a wild type environment. In Drosophila, a variety of techniques have been developed over the years to generate mosaics, and in this chapter, I review the techniques that our laboratory has developed. These include the \"Dominant Female Sterile\" technique which allows the analysis of gene functions to oogenesis and embryogenesis; the \"Gal4-UAS\" technique which allows the control of where and when specific genes are expressed; and, the \"Positive Marked Mutant Lineages\" technique which allows clones of cells to express a specific reporter gene.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24516498,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A significant response to sunitinib in a patient with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.\nAnaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare disease with an incidence of less than three cases per million of habitants in western countries. ATC accounts for 1-10% of all tumors derived from the thyroid gland. Classic chemotherapy approach based on platinum and anthracyclines regimens have been considered standard for the last decades. Novel multitarget agents have shown promising responses; however, no positive randomized clinical trials are available up to now. To our knowledge, the case we are presenting here is the first reported case showing clinical and visual activity using sunitinib as a salvage treatment in an ATC patient who was not fit to receive systemic chemotherapy treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30845686,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Miso (Fermented Soybean Paste) Suppresses Visceral Fat Accumulation in Mice, Especially in Combination with Exercise.\nWe investigated whether the difference in miso consumption between the Japanese diets of 1975 and 2010 has influenced the observed increase in diet-induced obesity. To recreate the 2010 and 1975 Japanese high-fat diets with the corresponding proportions of miso, freeze-dried miso was added to high-fat mouse feed at 1.6% and 2.6%, respectively. When 5-week-old male Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were provided each of these diets ad libitum for 8 weeks, it was found that the white adipose tissue weight and adipocyte area were lower in mice receiving the 1975 diet than in those receiving the 2010 diet. Therefore, high miso consumption is one reason why the 1975 Japanese diet tended to not lead to obesity. Next, the combined effects of treadmill exercise and miso consumption were investigated. The mice were divided into three groups, which were provided either a high-fat diet (group C), a high-fat diet with exercise (group C + E), or a miso-supplemented high-fat diet with exercise (group M + E) for 8 weeks. In this experiment, the white adipose tissue weight and adipocyte area in group M + E were lower than in group C. When the mRNA expression of lipid metabolism-associated genes in adipose tissue was measured, we found that expression of Hsl (lipase, hormone sensitive), which is involved in lipolysis, and Ppar\u03b3 (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma), which regulates adipocyte differentiation upstream of Hsl, was increased in group M + E. These results clearly demonstrated that lipid accumulation in the adipose tissues is suppressed by miso consumption in combination with exercise.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28333645,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Improving Crowdsourced Label Quality Using Noise Correction.\nCrowdsourcing systems provide a cost effective and convenient way to collect labels, but they often fail to guarantee the quality of the labels. This paper proposes a novel framework that introduces noise correction techniques to further improve the quality of integrated labels that are inferred from the multiple noisy labels of objects. In the proposed general framework, information about the qualities of labelers estimated by a front-end ground truth inference algorithm is utilized to supervise subsequent label noise filtering and correction. The framework uses a novel algorithm termed adaptive voting noise correction (AVNC) to precisely identify and correct the potential noisy labels. After filtering out the instances with noisy labels, the remaining cleansed data set is used to create multiple weak classifiers, based on which a powerful ensemble classifier is induced to correct these noises. Experimental results on eight simulated data sets with different kinds of features and two real-world crowdsourcing data sets in different domains consistently show that: 1) the proposed framework can improve label quality regardless of inference algorithms, especially under the circumstance that each instance has a few repeated labels and 2) since the proposed AVNC algorithm considers both the number of and the probability of potential label noises, it outperforms the state-of-the-art noise correction algorithms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1763300,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Thrombocyte-vascular wall interaction and coronary heart disease].\nThe interaction of platelets with the vessel wall plays an important pathophysiological role in coronary artery disease. While in healthy blood vessels platelets remain inactivated and do not adhere or aggregate, an augmented interaction occurs in coronary artery disease. Due to their strategic anatomical position between the circulating blood and the media of the vascular wall, endothelial cells play an important regulatory role. Indeed, after endothelial denudation, massive platelet adhesion and aggregation at the vessel wall occurs. Platelet-derived substances lead to vasoconstriction and in the long run also to proliferative changes of the vascular wall. Besides other substances, endothelial cells release vasoactive mediators such as endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO), prostacyclin and endothelin. In healthy human arteries, aggregating platelets cause endothelium-dependent relaxations in spite of the liberation of serotonin and thromboxane A2 and through the luminally released NO also induce a feedback inhibition of the platelets. In contrast, in arteries without endothelium, a marked vasoconstriction (due to thromboxane A2 and serotonin) is noted. Endothelin may also play a role in platelet-vessel wall interaction, since thrombin and transforming growth factor beta (a platelet-derived product) stimulate the production of this potent vasoconstrictor. Oxidized low-density lipoproteins inhibit the relase of NO and thereby activate the platelet-vessel wall interaction. In atherosclerosis even more pronounced dysfunctions of the endothelium occur, which lead to vasoconstriction, ischemia and thrombus formation in patients with coronary artery disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11138399,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The prevalence of female genital operations in the Houston metropolitan area.\nThis study explored the prevalence of female genital operations (FGOs), also known as female circumcision, among women in the Houston metropolitan area. The medical ramifications of the procedure and the specific type of procedure undergone were examined as well as the nationality and religious background of these women and their views regarding their experience. To gather these data, we sent a questionnaire to practicing obstetrician-gynecologists in Harris County. This survey yielded a response rate greater than 36%, of which approximately 30% of physicians reported treating patients with FGOs at some time in their practice. The results of this study demonstrate that a notable proportion of women in Houston, particularly those of African background, have experienced an FGO of some type and, accordingly, our obstetrician-gynecologists and primary care physicians clearly need to be aware of this cultural practice among their patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30964722,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Diagnostic Performance of Different Methods in Detecting Incipient Non-Cavitated Occlusal Caries Lesions in Permanent Teeth.\nAim: This in vitro study was aimed to investigate the performance of the new caries detection tools on the incipient occlusal caries. Study design: In our study, 100 permanent molar teeth, which were considered to have incipient, enamel caries (D1 and D2 threshold values) according to ICDAS II score. After the visual examination, caries measurements have been applied to all teeth by using DIAGNOdent pen (DP), CarieScan PRO (CP) and SoproLife camera (SC). In addition, in vitro examinations were repeated 2 weeks later. After sectioning and evaluation in stereomicroscope, the lesion depth was determined with histological criteria that are accepted for the gold standard for this research. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under the ROC curve were calculated at D1 and D2 thresholds. The intra-examiners' reproducibility were analysed using Cohen's kappa statistics and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: Intra-examiner repeatability values varied from 0.94 to 0.99 and kappa values ranged from 0.90 to 0.99. While the highest sensitivity and specificity value showed for SC at D1 and D2 thresholds, CP presented the lowest values. The area under ROC curves (Az) varied from 0.70 to 0.99. ICDAS II showed the highest area under ROC curves (Az). Conclusions: ICDAS II, visual diagnostic method by itself is considered to sufficient in order to diagnose incipient occlusal caries. SC may be used as an alternative method for the ICDAS II, since its advantages by displaying caries lesion on the computer monitor, follow-up and motivation of the patients provided.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15933556,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Effectiveness of a parental educational intervention in reducing antibiotic use in children: a randomized controlled trial.\nTo determine whether an educational intervention aimed at parents leads to fewer antibiotic prescriptions for their children. Placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial. Offices of primary care pediatricians who are members of a regional practice-based research network. Healthy children younger than 24 months old enrolled at the time of an office visit. Parents of study children were randomized to receive either a pamphlet and videotape (featuring one of their child's pediatricians) promoting the judicious use of antibiotics (intervention group) or brochures about injury prevention (control group). A total of 499 eligible children were enrolled, and data on outpatient visits during a 12-month observation period were collected. We compared the number of visits for upper respiratory tract infections (URIs), number of diagnoses and antibiotic prescriptions for otitis media and\/or sinusitis and total number of antibiotics per patient among children in the intervention and control groups using Poisson regression analysis, adjusted for clustering into different practices. : Data on 4924 visits were reviewed; 28.8% of these visits were because of URI symptoms. The mean number of visits per study patient for URI symptoms was 2.8. Including all visits, the mean number of diagnoses of otitis media in study children was 2.1, mean number of diagnoses of otitis media and\/or sinusitis was 2.3 and mean number of antibiotic prescriptions was 2.4; there were no significant differences between children in the intervention and control groups for any of these outcomes. Overall physicians prescribed 1 or more antibiotics during 45.9% of visits for a chief complaint of URI symptoms; 92% of antibiotic usage in children presenting with URI symptoms was for a diagnosis of otitis media and\/or sinusitis. An educational intervention aimed at parents did not result in a decrease in the number of antibiotic prescriptions in their children. The use of antibiotics among children with URI symptoms was common; other interventions promoting the judicious use of these medications are needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8043870,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Identification of new mutations in two phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) variants expressing different clinical syndromes: PGK Cr\u00e9teil and PGK Amiens.\nPhosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) deficiency is generally associated with chronic hemolytic anemia, although it can be accompanied by either mental retardation or muscular disease. Genomic DNAs of two PGK-deficient patients previously described in France were sequenced directly after polymerase chain reaction amplification. The PGK Cr\u00e9teil variant arises from a G-->A nucleotide interchange at position 1022 in cDNA (exon 9), resulting in amino acid substitution 314 Asp-->Asn in the C-terminal domain, which contains the nucleotide binding site. It is associated with rhabdomyolysis crises but not with hemolysis or mental retardation. In the other case, which is associated with chronic hemolytic anemia and mental retardation (PGK Amiens), an A-->T nucleotide interchange was found at position 571 in cDNA (exon 5); this leads to amino acid substitution 163 Asp-->Val in the N-terminal domain, which contains the catalytic site for phosphoglycerate binding. These results corroborate the kinetic data observed. In the two cases, the mutations are distinct from others previously reported and no significant relationship could be observed between the location of the amino acid substitution and its clinical consequences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15113727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Relation between intake of vitamins C and E and risk of diabetic retinopathy in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.\nThe potential protective effect of vitamins C and E against the development of diabetic retinopathy has not been thoroughly evaluated in epidemiologic studies. The objective was to study the association between prevalent diabetic retinopathy and intake of vitamins C and E in participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. A total of 1353 subjects with type 2 diabetes diagnosed between 1993 and 1995 or before were included. Nutrient intake was assessed with a food-frequency and supplement questionnaire administered between 1987-1989 and 1993-1995. Prevalent retinopathy (n = 224) was determined in 1993-1995 from graded fundus photographs. No association of retinopathy with intake of vitamin C or E from food alone or from food and supplements combined was observed. The odds ratios and 95% CIs for retinopathy for quartile 4 compared with quartile 1 of vitamins C and E intakes from food and supplements combined were 1.1 (0.7, 1.9) and 1.3 (0.8, 2.2), respectively, after adjustment for diabetes treatment and serum glucose. There was a significant interaction of the observed relations with serum glucose concentration (P < 0.05). Additionally, a decreased odds of retinopathy was found among users (reported use > or =3 y before 1993-1995) of vitamin C or E supplements or multisupplements compared with reported use of no supplements: 0.5 (0.3, 0.8), 0.5 (0.2, 0.8), and 0.4 (0.2, 0.9), respectively. No significant overall associations were observed between risk of retinopathy and intake of major dietary antioxidants. The observed association between risk of retinopathy and supplement use may reflect nondietary factors or a possible benefit of supplementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23125340,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"More than a feeling: incidental learning of array geometry by blindfolded adult humans revealed through touch.\nView-based matching theories of orientation suggest that mobile organisms encode a visual memory consisting of a visual panorama from a target location and maneuver to reduce discrepancy between current visual perception and this stored visual memory to return to a location. Recent success of such theories to explain the orientation behavior of insects and birds raises questions regarding the extent to which such an explanation generalizes to other species. In the present study, we attempted to determine the extent to which such view-based matching theories may explain the orientation behavior of a mammalian species (in this case adult humans). We modified a traditional enclosure orientation task so that it involved only the use of the haptic sense. The use of a haptic orientation task to investigate the extent to which view-based matching theories may explain the orientation behavior of adult humans appeared ideal because it provided an opportunity for us to explicitly prohibit the use of vision. Specifically, we trained disoriented and blindfolded human participants to search by touch for a target object hidden in one of four locations marked by distinctive textural cues located on top of four discrete landmarks arranged in a rectangular array. Following training, we removed the distinctive textural cues and probed the extent to which participants learned the geometry of the landmark array. In the absence of vision and the trained textural cues, participants showed evidence that they learned the geometry of the landmark array. Such evidence cannot be explained by an appeal to view-based matching strategies and is consistent with explanations of spatial orientation related to the incidental learning of environmental geometry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27379419,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"In Vivo Characteristics of Nondegenerated Adjacent Segment Intervertebral Foramina in Patients With Degenerative Disc Disease During Flexion-Extension.\nIn vivo patient biomechanical study. To investigate the dimensions of lumbar intervertebral foramen (LIVF) of patients with degenerative disc disease (DDD) during a flexion-extension motion of the body. LIVF narrowing may result in nerve root compression. The area changes of degenerated and adjacent nondegenerated LIVFs in DDD patients under physiologic loading conditions are unknown. Nine symptomatic low back pain patients with radiological evidence of L4-S1 DDD were recruited. Each subject was magnetic resonance imaging scanned for construction of three-dimensional lumbar vertebral models, and fluoroscopically imaged when the body extended from 45 flexion to full extension for reconstruction of LIVF dimensions. The data of the adjacent segment L3\/4 and diseased segments L4\/5 and L5\/S1 were compared with a normal control group at 45 flexion, upright, and full extension of the body. The mean LIVF areas of DDD segments were significantly smaller than those of the normal subjects in all positions (P <0.05). In upright position, the LIVF areas of the DDD patients were 32.8% and 33.6% smaller than the normal subjects for L4\/5 and L5\/S1, respectively. For the adjacent L3\/4, the LIVF area of the DDD patients was 32.3% smaller than that of the normal controls (P <0.05). The total change of L3\/4 LIVF area in DDD patients from flexion to extension was significantly smaller than that of the normal subjects, but the changes in L4\/5 and L5\/S1 LIVF areas were similar between the two groups (P >0.05). Similar reductions of the LIVF dimensions were observed at the adjacent and the involved levels of the DDD patients, implying that biomechanical changes might have already occurred at the adjacent segment despite the lack of radiographic evidence of degeneration. Subsequent research should focus on the effects of surgical fusion on the biomechanical features of the adjacent segment. N\/A.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23715144,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Recanalization of nasolacrimal duct with radio frequency: preliminary study].\nTo evaluate the nasolacrimal duct reconstitution with radio frequency for restoration of lacrimal flow in cases of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. The procedure was carried out in 16 eyes of 16 patients (13 women and 3 men) by the same surgeon, with monopolar high-frequency device at 450 kHz and 150 W, with local anesthesia under sedation. Inclusion criteria were lower lacrimal system obstruction (confirmed by dacryocystogram) and age over 18 years old. Exclusion criteria were previous trauma, acute dacryocystitis, cutaneous fistula, mucocele, previous lacrimal surgery and cardiac pacemaker. Patients were followed for at least 120 days, patients were clinically evaluated at outpatient clinics for the presence of secretion, epiphora, reflux at compression of the lacrimal sac, placement of silicone tube and Milder test. At the 90-day postoperative visit, 13 patients had positive irrigation (81.25%) with clearance of lacrimal duct and 3 cases (18.75%) presented irrigation failure. Nasolacrimal duct reconstitution with radio frequency was effective in treating nasolacrimal duct obstruction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18213965,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A model for energetics and bioaccumulation in marine mammals with applications to the right whale.\nWe present a dynamic energy budget (DEB) model for marine mammals, coupled with a pharmacokinetic model of a lipophilic persistent toxicant. Inputs to the model are energy availability and lipid-normalized toxicant concentration in the environment. The model predicts individual growth, reproduction, bioaccumulation, and transfer of energy and toxicant from mothers to their young. We estimated all model parameters for the right whale; with these parameters, reduction in energy availability increases the age at first parturition, increases intervals between reproductive events, reduces the organisms' ability to buffer seasonal fluctuations, and increases its susceptibility to temporal shifts in the seasonal peak of energy availability. Reduction in energy intake increases bioaccumulation and the amount of toxicant transferred from mother to each offspring. With high energy availability, the toxicant load of offspring decreases with birth order. Contrary to expectations, this ordering may be reversed with lower energy availability. Although demonstrated with parameters for the right whale, these relationships between energy intake and energetics and pharmacokinetics of organisms are likely to be much more general. Results specific to right whales include energy assimilation estimates for the North Atlantic and southern right whale, influences of history of energy availability on reproduction, and a relationship between ages at first parturition and calving intervals. Our model provides a platform for further analyses of both individual and population responses of marine mammals to pollution, and to changes in energy availability, including those likely to arise through climate change.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9719531,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Synthesis of zwitterionic acrylic acid buffers for isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients.\nA range of zwitterionic acrylic acid derivatives, buffering in the neutral and basic pH ranges, have been synthesized by the Mannich reaction of malonic acid, formaldehyde and a secondary amine. These compounds include 2-(4-morpholinomethyl)propenoic acid pK2 7.59 +\/- 0.03 (23 degrees C), 2-[bis(2-hydroxyethyl)aminomethyl]propenoic acid pK2 approximately 8.6 (20 degrees C), 2-[bis(2-hydroxypropyl) aminomethyl]propenoic acid PK2 approximately 8.7 (20 degrees C), 2-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methylaminomethyl]propenoic acid pK2 9.22+\/-0.08 (22 degrees C), 2-[N-ethyl-N-(2hydroxyethyl)aminomethyl]-propenoic acid pK2 approximately 9.6 (20 degrees C), and 2-[4-(2-carboxyprop-2-enyl)piperazinylmethyl]propenoic acid, which has a sigmoidal buffering profile over the pH range 3-10. These zwitterionic acrylic acid buffers were successfully copolymerized with acrylamide to prepare immobilized pH gradients (IPGs) in the neutral to alkaline portion of the pH range. Bovine erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase isozymes were resolved on a pH 5-8 IPG prepared using 2-[4-(2-carboxyprop-2-enyl)piperazinylmethyl]propenoic acid as the immobilized buffer, and horse heart myoglobin was focused on pH 7.1-8.1 and pH 7.5-7.7 IPGs, using 2-(4-morpholinomethyl)propenoic acid as the immobilized buffer. In both cases the pK 9.3 Immobiline compound was used as the strongly basic titrant. These new compounds, besides possessing more hydrophilic residues than the corresponding commercial basic acrylamido buffers (Immobilines), resist hydrolysis at alkaline pH values.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18931663,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"IAPs contain an evolutionarily conserved ubiquitin-binding domain that regulates NF-kappaB as well as cell survival and oncogenesis.\nThe covalent attachment of ubiquitin to target proteins influences various cellular processes, including DNA repair, NF-kappaB signalling and cell survival. The most common mode of regulation by ubiquitin-conjugation involves specialized ubiquitin-binding proteins that bind to ubiquitylated proteins and link them to downstream biochemical processes. Unravelling how the ubiquitin-message is recognized is essential because aberrant ubiquitin-mediated signalling contributes to tumour formation. Recent evidence indicates that inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins are frequently overexpressed in cancer and their expression level is implicated in contributing to tumorigenesis, chemoresistance, disease progression and poor patient-survival. Here, we have identified an evolutionarily conserved ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain in IAPs, which enables them to bind to Lys 63-linked polyubiquitin. We found that the UBA domain is essential for the oncogenic potential of cIAP1, to maintain endothelial cell survival and to protect cells from TNF-alpha-induced apoptosis. Moreover, the UBA domain is required for XIAP and cIAP2-MALT1 to activate NF-kappaB. Our data suggest that the UBA domain of cIAP2-MALT1 stimulates NF-kappaB signalling by binding to polyubiquitylated NEMO. Significantly, 98% of all cIAP2-MALT1 fusion proteins retain the UBA domain, suggesting that ubiquitin-binding contributes to the oncogenic potential of cIAP2-MALT1 in MALT lymphoma. Our data identify IAPs as ubiquitin-binding proteins that contribute to ubiquitin-mediated cell survival, NF-kappaB signalling and oncogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20217183,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Rediscovering nature in everyday settings: or how to create healthy environments and healthy people.\nIt is estimated that half of the world's population now live in urban environments. Urban living necessitates a removal from nature, yet evidence indicates that contact with nature is beneficial for human health. In fact, everyday urban places, such as where people live, study, and work, provide opportunities to bring nature back into cities to contribute to positive, healthy environments for people and to foster the human-nature connection. The inclusion of more nature in cities could have additional environmental benefits, such as habitat provision and improving the environmental performance of built environments. In the context of climate change, outcomes such as these assume further importance. This article explores how common urban places can foster links between people and nature, and generate positive health and well-being outcomes. We achieve this by exploring nature in the everyday settings of schools and residential housing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29474510,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Nudging and social marketing techniques encourage employees to make healthier food choices: a randomized controlled trial in 30 worksite cafeterias in The Netherlands.\nCurrently, many studies focus on how the environment can be changed to encourage healthier eating behavior, referred to as choice architecture or \"nudging.\" However, to date, these strategies are not often investigated in real-life settings, such as worksite cafeterias, or are only done so on a short-term basis. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of a healthy worksite cafeteria [\"worksite cafeteria 2.0\" (WC 2.0)] intervention on Dutch employees' purchase behavior over a 12-wk period. We conducted a randomized controlled trial in 30 worksite cafeterias. Worksite cafeterias were randomized to either the intervention or control group. The intervention aimed to encourage employees to make healthier food choices during their daily worksite cafeteria visits. The intervention consisted of 14 simultaneously executed strategies based on nudging and social marketing theories, involving product, price, placement, and promotion. Adjusted multilevel models showed significant positive effects of the intervention on purchases for 3 of the 7 studied product groups: healthier sandwiches, healthier cheese as a sandwich filling, and the inclusion of fruit. The increased sales of these healthier meal options were constant throughout the 12-wk intervention period. This study shows that the way worksite cafeterias offer products affects purchase behavior. Situated nudging and social marketing-based strategies are effective in promoting healthier choices and aim to remain effective over time. Some product groups only indicated an upward trend in purchases. Such an intervention could ultimately help prevent and reduce obesity in the Dutch working population. This trial was registered at the Dutch Trial Register (http:\/\/www.trialregister.nl\/trialreg\/admin\/rctview.asp?TC=5372) as NTR5372.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21428681,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Real-time knee adduction moment feedback for gait retraining through visual and tactile displays.\nThe external knee adduction moment (KAM) measured during gait is an indicator of tibiofemoral joint osteoarthritis progression and various strategies have been proposed to lower it. Gait retraining has been shown to be an effective, noninvasive approach for lowering the KAM. We present a new gait retraining approach in which the KAM is fed back to subjects in real-time during ambulation. A study was conducted in which 16 healthy subjects learned to alter gait patterns to lower the KAM through visual or tactile (vibration) feedback. Participants converged on a comfortable gait in just a few minutes by using the feedback to iterate on various kinematic modifications. All subjects adopted altered gait patterns with lower KAM compared with normal ambulation (average reduction of 20.7%). Tactile and visual feedbacks were equally effective for real-time training, although subjects using tactile feedback took longer to converge on an acceptable gait. This study shows that real-time feedback of the KAM can greatly increase the effectiveness and efficiency of subject-specific gait retraining compared with conventional methods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18065181,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[What kind of clinical, epidemiological, and biological data is essential for the diagnosis of Lyme borreliosis? Dermatological and ophtalmological courses of Lyme borreliosis].\nLyme borreliosis (BL) is a multisystem infectious tick-transmitted disease. The diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi is the reason for a wide spectrum of dermatological and ophthalmologic presentations between patients from Europe and from other countries. In Europe, the main manifestations are dermatological. During the early stage, the diagnosis is clinical: finding erythema migrans (EM) a few days after a tick bite is sufficient; several EM mean an early-disseminated disease. Borrelial lymphocytoma (only in Europe) is a solitary nodule or plaque (earlobe, nipple, scrotum), which appears during the second stage. The diagnosis relies on clinical and histological findings (B-cell infiltration) and a positive serological test. It is sometimes difficult to make the difference between BL and B-cell lymphoma and pseudo lymphoma; an empirical antibiotic trial period will be helpful for the diagnosis in this case. During the late stage, the clinical evolution of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans is progressive: inflammatory then atrophic lesions appear, often on the hands, limbs, or feet. The diagnosis is made on histological findings (T-cell infiltration) and a positive serological test. The relationship between BL and morphea or lichen sclerosus was not demonstrated according to the latest reports. Ocular manifestations are rare events occurring during every stage of the disease. A wide spectrum of presentations is possible (uveitis and optic neuritis). BL is responsible for ocular infection or inflammation. A neurological presentation is often associated with the ocular manifestation. Proving the diagnosis is often difficult because of these polymorphous manifestations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33830043,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Impact of coronary revascularization on outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation.\nAlthough the effect of coronary revascularization on clinical outcomes before and after transcatheter valve implantation (TAVI) is debatable, there is currently insufficient data to determine the most appropriate revascularization strategy. In this study, we present our single-center experience of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and its effect on clinical outcomes and mortality in patients undergoing TAVI. We performed a retrospective analysis of 526 consecutive patients at our center, and 127 patients with obstructive coronary artery disease were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: the revascularization group (group 1) and the non-revascularization group (group 2). Procedural complications and long-term all-cause mortality rates were compared between the two groups. Of the 526 patients, group 1 comprised 65 patients (12.3%) who underwent PCI, and group 2 comprised 62 patients (11.7%) who did not undergo revascularization. According to Valve Academic Research Consortium 2 criteria, post-procedural complications, including pericardial effusion, stroke, major vascular complications, major bleeding, and emerging arrhythmias, were similar between the groups. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed no significant difference between the revascularization and non-revascularization groups (Overall: 40.0\u00b12.8 month; 95% CI 34.4-45.6 month, p=0.959). After adjustment for basal SYNTAX score, chronic kidney disease stage, previous myocardial infarction, and baseline troponin levels, the long-term survival of group 1 was significantly longer when compared with group 2 (p=0.036). In 75.4% of cases, PCI was performed within 11.0\u00b114.7 days before or after TAVI as a staged procedure. In 13.8% of cases, PCI was performed simultaneously with TAVI. While there was no significant difference in in-hospital, 6-month, and 1-year mortality rates between the simultaneous and staged PCI groups, there was a significant difference in 30-day mortality (11.1% vs. 0%, respectively; p=0.016). Peri-procedural and long-term safety outcomes and mortality rates are not significantly different between revascularized and non-revascularized patients, and neither staged nor simultaneous PCI have adverse outcomes in patients undergoing TAVI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22543864,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Identification of the human PMR1 mRNA endonuclease as an alternatively processed product of the gene for peroxidasin-like protein.\nThe PMR1 endonuclease was discovered in Xenopus liver and identified as a member of the large and diverse peroxidase gene family. The peroxidase genes arose from multiple duplication and rearrangement events, and their high degree of sequence similarity confounded attempts to identify human PMR1. The functioning of PMR1 in mRNA decay depends on the phosphorylation of a tyrosine in the C-terminal polysome targeting domain by c-Src. The sequences of regions that are required for c-Src binding and phosphorylation of Xenopus PMR1 were used to inform a bioinformatics search that identified two related genes as potential candidates for human PMR1: peroxidasin homolog (PXDN) and peroxidasin homolog-like (PXDNL) protein. Although each of these genes is predicted to encode a large, multidomain membrane-bound peroxidase, alternative splicing of PXDNL pre-mRNA yields a transcript whose predicted product is a 57-kDa protein with 42% sequence identity to Xenopus PMR1. Results presented here confirm the existence of the predicted 57-kDa protein, show this is the only form of PXDNL detected in any of the human cell lines examined, and confirm its identity as human PMR1. Like the Xenopus protein, human PMR1 binds to c-Src, is tyrosine phosphorylated, sediments on polysomes, and catalyzes the selective decay of a PMR1 substrate mRNA. Importantly, the expression of human PMR1 stimulates cell motility in a manner similar to that of the Xenopus PMR1 expressed in human cells, thus providing definitive evidence linking endonuclease decay to the regulation of cell motility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25040223,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Unlocking the secondary gene-pool of barley with next-generation sequencing.\nCrop wild relatives (CWR) provide an important source of allelic diversity for any given crop plant species for counteracting the erosion of genetic diversity caused by domestication and elite breeding bottlenecks. Hordeum bulbosum L. is representing the secondary gene pool of the genus Hordeum. It has been used as a source of genetic introgressions for improving elite barley germplasm (Hordeum vulgare L.). However, genetic introgressions from H. bulbosum have yet not been broadly applied, due to a lack of suitable molecular tools for locating, characterizing, and decreasing by recombination and marker-assisted backcrossing the size of introgressed segments. We applied next-generation sequencing (NGS) based strategies for unlocking genetic diversity of three diploid introgression lines of cultivated barley containing chromosomal segments of its close relative H. bulbosum. Firstly, exome capture-based (re)-sequencing revealed large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) enabling the precise allocation of H. bulbosum introgressions. This SNP resource was further exploited by designing a custom multiplex SNP genotyping assay. Secondly, two-enzyme-based genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) was employed to allocate the introgressed H. bulbosum segments and to genotype a mapping population. Both methods provided fast and reliable detection and mapping of the introgressed segments and enabled the identification of recombinant plants. Thus, the utilization of H. bulbosum as a resource of natural genetic diversity in barley crop improvement will be greatly facilitated by these tools in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31221783,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Microhomology-mediated end joining drives complex rearrangements and overexpression of MYC and PVT1 in multiple myeloma.\nMYC is a widely acting transcription factor and its deregulation is a crucial event in many human cancers. MYC is important biologically and clinically in multiple myeloma, but the mechanisms underlying its dysregulation are poorly understood. We show that MYC rearrangements are present in 36.0% of newly diagnosed myeloma patients, as detected in the largest set of next generation sequencing data to date (n=1,267). Rearrangements were complex and associated with increased expression of MYC and PVT1, but not other genes at 8q24. The highest effect on gene expression was detected in cases where the MYC locus is juxtaposed next to super-enhancers associated with genes such as IGH, IGK, IGL, TXNDC5\/BMP6, FAM46C and FOXO3 We identified three hotspots of recombination at 8q24, one of which is enriched for IGH-MYC translocations. Breakpoint analysis indicates primary myeloma rearrangements involving the IGH locus occur through non-homologous end joining, whereas secondary MYC rearrangements occur through microhomology-mediated end joining. This mechanism is different to lymphomas, where non-homologous end joining generates MYC rearrangements. Rearrangements resulted in overexpression of key genes and chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing identified that HK2, a member of the glucose metabolism pathway, is directly over-expressed through binding of MYC at its promoter.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20658760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Donor-specific antibody levels and three generations of crossmatches to predict antibody-mediated rejection in kidney transplantation.\nThis study evaluated the prognostic impact of pretransplant donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies (DSA) detected by single-antigen beads and compared the three generations of crossmatch (XM) tests in kidney transplantation. Thirty-seven T-cell complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch (CXM) negative living donor kidney recipients with a retrospectively positive antihuman leukocyte antigen antibody screening assay were included. A single-antigen bead test, a flow cytometry XM, and a Luminex XM (LXM) were retrospectively performed, and the results were correlated with the occurrence of antibody-mediated rejections (AMRs) and graft function. We found that (1) pretransplant DSA against class I (DSA-I), but not against class II, are predictive for AMR, resulting in a sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 90% at a level of 900 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI); (2) with increasing strength of DSA-I, the sensitivity for AMR is decreasing to 50% and the specificity is increasing to 100% at 5200 MFI; (3) the LXM for class I, but not for class II, provides a higher accuracy than the flow cytometry XM and the B-cell CXM. The specificity of all XMs is increased greatly in combination with DSA-I values more than or equal to 900 MFI. In sensitized recipients, the best prediction of AMR and consecutively reduced graft function is delivered by DSA-I alone at high strength or by DSA-I at low strength in combination with the LXM or CXM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intraventricular carbachol mimics the effects of light on the circadian rhythm in the rat pineal gland.\nEnvironmental lighting regulates numerous circadian rhythms, including the cycle in pineal serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity. Brief exposure of rats to light can shift the phase of this enzyme's circadian rhythm. Light also rapidly reduces nocturnal enzyme activity. Intraventricular injections of carbachol, a cholinergic agonist, can mimic both of these effects. Light and carbachol presumably act on the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. These experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using a neuropharmacologic approach to the mechanisms underlying mammalian circadian rhythms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20206929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Is infertility a risk factor for female sexual dysfunction? A case-control study.\nTo determine the impact of infertility on female sexual function. A case-control study. Academic infertility and gynecology practices. One hundred nineteen women with infertility and 99 healthy female controls without infertility between the ages of 18 and 45 years were included in this study. Anonymous survey and Female Sexual Function Index. Female Sexual Function Index scores, frequency of sexual intercourse and masturbation, and sex-life satisfaction. Twenty-five percent of our control group had Female Sexual Function Index scores that put them at risk for sexual dysfunction (<26.55), whereas 40% of our patients with infertility met this criterion. Compared with the control group, the patients with infertility had significantly lower scores in the desire and arousal domains and lower frequency of intercourse and masturbation. The patients with infertility retrospectively reported a sex-life satisfaction score that was similar to that of the controls before their diagnosis, whereas their current sex-life satisfaction scores were significantly lower than those of the controls. Women with a diagnosis of infertility were found to be at higher risk for sexual dysfunction on the basis of their Female Sexual Function Index scores compared with women without infertility. The interaction of sexual function and infertility is complex and deserves further study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30595890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Squamous Esophageal Carcinoma Synchronous to Pericolic Malignant Conjunctive Tumor.\nEsophageal carcinoma represents a great diagnostic and therapeutic challenge due to the anatomical situation and physiopathology of the disease. The medical challenge can be even greater since esophageal carcinoma can evolve concomitant to another malignant tumor with different localization. This paper's aim is to present a case of squamous esophageal cancer associated to another primitive malignant tumor-malignant pericolic conjunctive tumor, this kind of association being singular in medical literature from our knowledge. Upon emergency presentation the patient was sketching a sub-occlusive syndrome with mild anemia and inflammatory syndrome, somehow suggesting a possible right colon cancer. However, discreet upper digestive pole symptomatology that, on first sight, seemed secondary, made the consultant to perform a superior digestive endoscopy that raised a strong suspicion of early stage esophageal carcinoma. Further exploration was not completed because occlusive complication occurred and the patient needed emergency surgery. On laparotomy a stenotic right colic angle tumor was discovered that later proved to be extra-mucosal, with conjunctive origin. Our paper focuses on highlighting the crucial importance of the imagistic explorations in the primary diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma, in the correct staging (lymphatic extension, loco-regional or distant metastases) and also for malignant tumors with another localization that can radically modify the therapeutic strategy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":756869,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hearing impairment in children of low birthweight.\nAudiometer evaluations were carried out on a population of 204 low birth weight (LBW) children and 123 controls. In the LBW group, 6 children (3.3%) had a bilateral loss and 5 (2.5%) had a unilateral sensorineural high-frequency hearing loss. No case of sensorineural hearing loss was found among the controls. There were 13 (6.4%) cases of conductive loss among the LBW sample, compared with 3 (2.4%) among the controls. Correlation coefficients showed a relationship between sensorineural impairment and: bilirubin level, incubator time, antibiotic history, and neurological status. Subsequent multiple classification analyses showed that, while incubator time and bilirubin level are each significant predictors of sensorineural loss, this is not the case with antibiotics or neurological status. Neurological status was closely associated with the syndrome of LBW, high bilirubin level, extended incubator time and sensorineural loss. However, no significant relationship could be found between neurological impairment and these predictors nor can it be regarded as useful in predicting hearing loss in this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10233664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The molecular genetics of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.\nThe identification and investigation of many inherited disorders has an importance out of proportion to their frequency because of the insights they provide into physiological, pathological and molecular mechanisms. This is true of the heritable disorders of connective tissue which are a diverse group of conditions involving cutaneous, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, ocular, gastrointestinal and pulmonary systems. The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which shows great clinical variability and genetic heterogeneity, is one example which has particular relevance to the dermatologist and is the focus of this review.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14977408,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Oral rehydration therapy: new explanations for an old remedy.\nDiarrheal diseases are among the most devastating illnesses globally, but the introduction of oral rehydration therapy has reduced mortality due to diarrhea from >5 million children, under the age of 5, in 1978 to 1.3 million in 2002. Variations of this simple therapy of salts and sugars are prevalent in traditional remedies in cultures world-wide, but only in the past four decades have the scientific bases for these remedies begun to be elucidated. This review aims to provide a broad understanding of the cellular basis of oral rehydration therapy. The features integral to the success of oral rehydration therapy are active glucose transport in the small intestine, commensal bacteria, and short-chain fatty acid transport in the colon. The review examines these processes and their regulation and considers new approaches that might supplement oral rehydration therapy in controlling diarrheal diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31690373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Stinging insect allergy and venom immunotherapy.\nThe Hymenoptera order is divided into three families: Apidae, Vespidae, and Formicidae. Apidae include the honeybee, bumblebee, and sweat bee, which are all docile and tend to sting mostly on provocation. The Africanized killer bee, a product of interbreeding between the domestic and African honeybee, is very aggressive and is mostly found in Mexico, Central America, Arizona, and California. The yellow jacket, yellow hornet, white (bald) faced hornet, and paper wasp all belong to the Vespidae family. The Formicidae family includes the harvester ant and the fire ant. When a \"bee\" sting results in a large local reaction, defined as >10 cm induration and lasting > 24 hours, the likelihood of anaphylaxis from a future sting is approximately 5%. For comparison, when there is a history of anaphylaxis from a previous Hymenoptera sting and the patient has positive skin test results to venom, at least 60% of adults and 20-32% of children will develop anaphylaxis with a future sting. Both patient groups should be instructed about avoidance measures and about carrying and knowing when to self-inject epinephrine, but immunotherapy with Hymenoptera venom is indicated for those patients with a history of anaphylaxis from the index sting and not for patients who have experienced a large local reaction. Immunotherapy is highly effective in that, by 4 years of injections, the incidence of subsequent sting-induced reactions is 3%. This incidence may increase modestly after discontinuation of injections but has not been reported to be > 10% in follow up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27570516,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Children's Learning from Touch Screens: A Dual Representation Perspective.\nParents and educators often expect that children will learn from touch screen devices, such as during joint e-book reading. Therefore an essential question is whether young children understand that the touch screen can be a symbolic medium - that entities represented on the touch screen can refer to entities in the real world. Research on symbolic development suggests that symbolic understanding requires that children develop dual representational abilities, meaning children need to appreciate that a symbol is an object in itself (i.e., picture of a dog) while also being a representation of something else (i.e., the real dog). Drawing on classic research on symbols and new research on children's learning from touch screens, we offer the perspective that children's ability to learn from the touch screen as a symbolic medium depends on the effect of interactivity on children's developing dual representational abilities. Although previous research on dual representation suggests the interactive nature of the touch screen might make it difficult for young children to use as a symbolic medium, the unique interactive affordances may help alleviate this difficulty. More research needs to investigate how the interactivity of the touch screen affects children's ability to connect the symbols on the screen to the real world. Given the interactive nature of the touch screen, researchers and educators should consider both the affordances of the touch screen as well as young children's cognitive abilities when assessing whether young children can learn from it as a symbolic medium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19457889,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-06":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Food-supplementing parents reduces their sons' song repertoire size.\nFood-supplemented parents typically produce more offspring, as numerous experiments on vertebrate populations have shown. 'Propagule' (egg or neonate) size and parental care may also be affected, with implications concerning the adult quality of offspring, although few experiments have addressed whether food-supplementing one generation affects adult quality in the next. We conducted a food supplementation experiment on song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and tested whether song repertoire size, a demonstrated indicator of male quality, differed between the adult sons of fed (food-supplemented) and unfed (non-food-supplemented) parents. Counterintuitively, fed parents produced sons with smaller adult song repertoires, who may thus be expected to contribute fewer offspring, and fewer grand-offspring, to the population. Fed and unfed parents invested equally in the total biomass of their clutches and broods, and average nestling condition was comparable, but because fed parents produced more offspring, average egg and nestling sizes were reduced. Fed and unfed parents apportioned care differently within their broods, and we suggest compensatory growth of offspring emerging from light eggs, or egg size itself, may have affected adult repertoire size. Conceivably, the conservation benefits of food-supplementing populations could attenuate over time if fed parents produce offspring of poorer quality than themselves.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35115759,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lacrimal Gland Lesions Biopsied in a Tertiary Eye Center in Saudi Arabia: A Clinical, Radiological, Surgical, and Histological Review.\nTo study the demographics and clinical presentation of biopsied lacrimal gland lesions in a tertiary eye center and determine the accuracy of radiological imaging and blood investigations in reaching the diagnosis. We also studied the histopathological outcome of different lacrimal gland biopsy approaches. A retrospective review of patients' charts from 2014 to 2021 who underwent lacrimal gland biopsy. The data collected included demographics, clinical presentations, surgical approaches used, blood workup done, and histopathological and radiological diagnoses. The accuracy of radiological imaging in diagnosing lacrimal gland pathologies was evaluated by comparing radiological interpretation to the final pathological report. In a total of 48 cases, the most common lacrimal gland lesion was nonspecific inflammation of the lacrimal gland (34%, n=17) followed by lymphoproliferative lesions (25%, n=12). Females (62.5%, n=30) were more affected than males (37.5%, n=18). Other lesions included pleomorphic adenoma, angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia, and IgG4 disease. Complete blood investigations were performed in 45.8% of patients and a systemic disease was found in only 18.2%. The initial assumptive diagnosis based on MRI and CT scan images was congruous with the histopathological diagnosis in 42% and 12%, respectively. Three surgical approaches were used for incisional biopsy in this study, including sub-periosteal, trans-septal, and palpebral lobe biopsy. Lateral orbitotomy was done in all excisional biopsy cases. We found no statistical difference in the histopathological outcome between the different surgical approaches used. Nonspecific inflammation and lymphoproliferative disorders are the most common causes of lacrimal gland lesions. Blood work-up should not be used to waive off the need for lacrimal gland biopsy, and the diagnosis should preferably be based on histopathology results. The MRI is a useful tool to diagnose lacrimal gland lesions; however, histopathology remains the gold standard method.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11843316,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nasal peak inspiratory flow at altitude.\nThe present study investigated whether there are changes in nasal peak inspiratory flow (NPIF) during hypobaric hypoxia under controlled environmental conditions. During operation Everest III (COMEX '97), eight subjects ascended to a simulated altitude of 8,848 m in a hypobaric chamber. NPIF was recorded at simulated altitudes of 0 m, 5,000 m and 8,000 m. Oral peak inspiratory and expiratory flow (OPIF, OPEF) were also measured. Ambient air temperature and humidity were controlled. NPIF increased by a mean +\/- SD of 16 +\/- 12% from sea level to 8,000 m, whereas OPIF increased by 47 +\/- 14%. NPIF rose by 0.085 +\/- 0.03 L x s(-1) per kilometre of ascent (p<0.05), significantly less than the rise in OPIF and OPEF of 0.35 +\/- 0.10 and 0.33 +\/- 0.04 L x s(-1) per kilometre (p<0.0005). Nasal peak inspiratory flow rises with ascent to altitude. The rise in nasal peak inspiratory flow with altitude was far less than oral peak inspiratory flow and less than the predicted rise according to changes in air density. This suggests flow limitation at the nose, and occurs under controlled environmental conditions, refuting the hypothesis that nasal blockage at altitude is due to the inhalation of cold, dry air. Further work is needed to determine if nasal blockage limits activity at altitude.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26378940,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Redefining the Breast Cancer Exosome Proteome by Tandem Mass Tag Quantitative Proteomics and Multivariate Cluster Analysis.\nExosomes are microvesicles of endocytic origin constitutively released by multiple cell types into the extracellular environment. With evidence that exosomes can be detected in the blood of patients with various malignancies, the development of a platform that uses exosomes as a diagnostic tool has been proposed. However, it has been difficult to truly define the exosome proteome due to the challenge of discerning contaminant proteins that may be identified via mass spectrometry using various exosome enrichment strategies. To better define the exosome proteome in breast cancer, we incorporated a combination of Tandem-Mass-Tag (TMT) quantitative proteomics approach and Support Vector Machine (SVM) cluster analysis of three conditioned media derived fractions corresponding to a 10 000g cellular debris pellet, a 100 000g crude exosome pellet, and an Optiprep enriched exosome pellet. The quantitative analysis identified 2 179 proteins in all three fractions, with known exosomal cargo proteins displaying at least a 2-fold enrichment in the exosome fraction based on the TMT protein ratios. Employing SVM cluster analysis allowed for the classification 251 proteins as \"true\" exosomal cargo proteins. This study provides a robust and vigorous framework for the future development of using exosomes as a potential multiprotein marker phenotyping tool that could be useful in breast cancer diagnosis and monitoring disease progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33228627,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Composition, uniqueness and connectivity across tropical coastal lagoon habitats in the Red Sea.\nTropical habitats and their associated environmental characteristics play a critical role in shaping macroinvertebrate communities. Assessing patterns of diversity over space and time and investigating the factors that control and generate those patterns is critical for conservation efforts. However, these factors are still poorly understood in sub-tropical and tropical regions. The present study applied a combination of uni- and multivariate techniques to test whether patterns of biodiversity, composition, and structure of macrobenthic assemblages change across different lagoon habitats (two mangrove sites; two seagrass meadows with varying levels of vegetation cover; and an unvegetated subtidal area) and between seasons and years. In total, 4771 invertebrates were identified belonging to 272 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). We observed that macrobenthic lagoon assemblages are diverse, heterogeneous and that the most evident biological pattern was spatial rather than temporal. To investigate whether macrofaunal patterns within the lagoon habitats (mangrove, seagrass, unvegetated area) changed through the time, we analysed each habitat separately. The results showed high seasonal and inter-annual variability in the macrofaunal patterns. However, the seagrass beds that are characterized by variable vegetation cover, through time, showed comparatively higher stability (with the lowest values of inter-annual variability and a high number of resident taxa). These results support the theory that seagrass habitat complexity promotes diversity and density of macrobenthic assemblages. Despite the structural and functional importance of seagrass beds documented in this study, the results also highlighted the small-scale heterogeneity of tropical habitats that may serve as biodiversity repositories. Comprehensive approaches at the \"seascape\" level are required for improved ecosystem management and to maintain connectivity patterns amongst habitats. This is particularly true along the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea, which is currently experiencing rapid coastal development. Also, considering the high temporal variability (seasonal and inter-annual) of tropical shallow-water habitats, monitoring and management plans must include temporal scales.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17100182,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Apraxia disorders in elderly patients with non-stroke chronic brain ischemia].\nThe study aimed at providing qualitative and quantitative evaluation of apractic disorders in 60 elderly patients (mean age of 75.0 +\/- 0.78 years) with non-stroke chronic vascular brain disease (NS CVBD). Apractic disorders were obligatory syndromes in patients with stage 2-3 NS CVBD. Kinetic and regulator apraxia were most prominent forms according to Luria's neuropsychological analyze. Apraxia is associated with the severity of the disease. Kinetic and regulator apraxia were components of frontal lobe syndrome presented by specific mental and speech disturbances and frontal lobe gait disorders. The results may be used in differential diagnosis between NS CVBD in elderly and another type dementias, especially dementia occurred in patients with Alzheimer's disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9417911,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genomic organization of the mouse reelin gene.\nReelin is the protein defective in reeler mice, an extensively studied model of brain development. The reelin gene (symbol Reln) codes for a protein of the extracellular matrix that contains eight successive repeats of 350 to 390 amino acids. In this work, we describe the genomic structure of the mouse reelin gene and the 5'-flanking genomic DNA sequences. The reelin gene is composed of 65 exons spread over approximately 450 kb of genomic DNA. We identified different reelin transcripts, formed by alternative splicing of a microexon as well as by use of two different polyadenylation sites. All splice sites conform to the GT-AG rule, except for the splice donor site of intron 30, which is GC instead of GT. A processed pseudogene is present in intron 42. Its nucleotide sequence is 86% identical to the sequence of the rat RDJ1 cDNA, which codes for a DnaJ-like protein of the Hsp40 family. Comparison of 8 intron positions in mouse and human reelin genes reveals a highly conserved genomic structure, suggesting a similar structure of the whole gene in both species. We identified two transcription start sites embedded within a CpG. The promoter region contains putative recognition sites for the transcription factors Sp1 and AP2 but lacks TATA and CAAT boxes. The presence of tandemly repeated regions in the Reelin protein suggests that gene duplication events occurred during evolution. By comparison of the amino acid sequences of the eight repeats and the positions of introns, we suggest a model for the evolution of the repeat coding portion of the reelin gene from a putative ancestral minigene.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16595848,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Exploring consensus in practice with youth who are sexually abusive: findings from a Delphi study of practitioner views in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.\nThis article presents the findings of a study exploring current levels of consensus among practitioners in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) about good practice in relation to youth who are sexually abusive. A three-stage Delphi procedure was used to survey the views of 78 practitioners, experienced in this field, on a range of matters relating to preferred responses to this population. The exercise indicated high levels of agreement that youth who are sexually abusive should be seen as a group clinically distinct from adult sex offenders and that all of their developmental needs, and their problematic behavior, should be targeted in intervention. A strong level of consensus was found among respondents about the goals and content of ideal practice with this user group, although there was less consensus about the theoretical models that should underpin practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12541469,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Trouble shooting of splitter apparatus of Shimadzu GC-14A gas chromatograph].\nThis paper describes the abnormal phenomena caused by almost complete block of connective tube of SPL-14 split\/splitless sample injector of Shimadzu GC-14A gas chromatograph. It has been pointed out that if oil compounds with high boiling point are analyzed, periodical clean-up should be done to remove blocking materials for experimental repeatability and accuracy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27708891,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Bilateral coxitis in scleroderma-polymyositis overlap syndrome.\nJoint manifestations in scleroderma (Scl) and polymyositis (PM) are dominated by inflammatory arthralgia. Arthritis is less common and preferentially affects the hands, wrists, knees, and ankles. Involvement of the hip has been rarely reported in the literature. We report a case of coxitis diagnosed in a patient suffering from scleroderma-polymyositis overlap syndrome successfully treated by ultrasound-guided infiltration of triamcinolone hexacetonide.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19756696,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Comparing working conditions and physical and psychological health complaints in four occupational groups working in female-dominated workplaces.\nDominant theories of working conditions and their effects on poor employee health have been criticized for failing to consider how psychosocial factors interact and how such relationships may differ across occupational groups. This paper examines the associations between psychosocial factors and physical and psychological health complaints while at the same time taking into account differences between occupational groups in female-dominated professions. Four female-dominated occupational groups were included: nurses, health care assistants, cleaners, and dairy industry workers. The relationships between influence, emotional and quantitative demands, social support, back pain, and behavioural stress were examined using structural equation modelling. Results supported a group-specific model: the overall pattern remained the same across groups while psychosocial factors had different impacts on poor health and interacted differently across groups. The results also indicated links between psychosocial factors and poor physical health. The study confirmed the importance of differentiating between female-dominated occupations rather than talking about women's working conditions as such. The study also emphasized the importance of considering psychosocial risk factors when examining physical health, in this case back pain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31673081,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Serum milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (MFG-E8) as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.\nCurrent serum hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biomarkers are insufficient for early diagnosis. We aimed to clarify whether serum MFG-E8 can serve as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker of HCC. Serum MFG-E8 levels of 282 HCC patients, who underwent primary hepatectomy, were examined by ELISA. We also quantified serum MFG-E8 levels in patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), liver cirrhosis (LC), as well as in healthy volunteers (HVs). Serum MFG-E8 levels were significantly lower in HCC patients than in HVs regardless of the etiology of liver disease (3.6 \u00b1 0.1 vs 5.8 \u00b1 0.2 ng\/mL, p < 0.0001), and recovered after treatment of HCC. Serum MFG-E8 levels in CH and LC patients were comparable to those in HVs. Serum MFG-E8 could detect HCCs, even \u03b1-fetoprotein (AFP)-negative or des-\u03b3-carboxy prothrombin (DCP)-negative HCCs, in CH and LC patients. Our new HCC prediction model using MFG-E8 and DCP (Logit(p) = 2.619 - 0.809 \u00d7 serum MFG-E8 + 0.0226 \u00d7 serum DCP) distinguished HCC patients from CH and LC patients with an area under the curve of 0.923, a sensitivity of 81.1%, and a specificity of 89.8%. Futhermore, low preoperative serum MFG-E8 was an independent predictor of poor overall survival. Thus, serum MFG-E8 could serve as a feasible diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for HCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20299464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Alterations in skeletal muscle fatty acid handling predisposes middle-aged mice to diet-induced insulin resistance.\nAlthough advanced age is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, a clear understanding of the changes that occur during middle age that contribute to the development of skeletal muscle insulin resistance is currently lacking. Therefore, we sought to investigate how middle age impacts skeletal muscle fatty acid handling and to determine how this contributes to the development of diet-induced insulin resistance. Whole-body and skeletal muscle insulin resistance were studied in young and middle-aged wild-type and CD36 knockout (KO) mice fed either a standard or a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Molecular signaling pathways, intramuscular triglycerides accumulation, and targeted metabolomics of in vivo mitochondrial substrate flux were also analyzed in the skeletal muscle of mice of all ages. Middle-aged mice fed a standard diet demonstrated an increase in intramuscular triglycerides without a concomitant increase in insulin resistance. However, middle-aged mice fed a high-fat diet were more susceptible to the development of insulin resistance-a condition that could be prevented by limiting skeletal muscle fatty acid transport and excessive lipid accumulation in middle-aged CD36 KO mice. Our data provide insight into the mechanisms by which aging becomes a risk factor for the development of insulin resistance. Our data also demonstrate that limiting skeletal muscle fatty acid transport is an effective approach for delaying the development of age-associated insulin resistance and metabolic disease during exposure to a high-fat diet.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12558303,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cardiocirculatory bio-assist: is it time to reconsider demand dynamic cardiomyoplasty? Review and future perspectives.\nIn the last 15 years, dynamic cardiomyoplasty has remained an experimental procedure even after the enthusiastic short- and mid-term results, mainly because of the disappointing long-term outcome caused by muscular degeneration secondary to chronic continuous electrical stimulation of the latissimus dorsi. In Italy, a group of muscular pathologists, cardiologists, and cardiac surgeons conducted an experiment of an activity-rest stimulation protocol in humans that should avoid complete transformation of the skeletal muscle, maintaining its properties overtime. This \"demand\" stimulation protocol gave good results, improving New York Heart Association class, ejection fraction value, and survival. Even though dynamic cardiomyoplasty was excluded from the recent international guidelines for the management of heart failure, the discussion on the ability of this unique kind of cardiocirculatory bio-assistance is due to be reopened, thanks to the results of the new stimulation protocol. Heart transplantation, circulatory supporting devices, multisite stimulation therapy, and the total artificial heart are not always and in all countries the best solutions: the great economic cost, the numerous contraindications, the need for immunosuppression and antithrombotic therapy, and the troublesome follow up constitute important drawbacks. For patients in whom transplant surgery cannot be performed, as well as in developing countries, the nonprohibitively expensive demand dynamic cardiomyoplasty may still play a role.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24837532,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Laboratory simulated gambling: risk varies across participant-stake procedure.\nThis study investigated whether risk taking on a laboratory gambling task differed depending on whether participants gambled with earned or experimenter-provided game credits. Participants made repeated choices between two options, one to wager game credits on a game that produced probabilistic gains and losses, and one to gain game credits with certainty. Choice was investigated across stake and no-stake conditions and condition order was counterbalanced across conditions. Risk taking was higher under stake than no-stake conditions, but only when stake conditions were experienced first. There was no effect on risk taking of the amount of the certain gain. Results are consistent with previous research showing that participant-stake procedures promote greater risk taking than procedures that allow participants to gamble with their own earnings, and also show that experience gambling with earned credits has an enduring effect on risk taking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9009374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Why traumatized borderline patients relapse.\nTo be freed of longstanding painful symptoms or to become capable of functioning effectively has unconscious and sometimes conscious negative connotations for patients severely traumatized by childhood sexual abuse. These include rising expectations felt as coming both from within and without; disappointment that life can never make up for what has happened; loss of a justification for receiving care; fear that getting well invalidates the original trauma. Giving up illness may mean renouncing revenge and denying the seriousness of the childhood misery. To the extent that the torment of flashbacks and nightmares represents a continuation of the only family relationships the patient has known, losing these symptoms can feel as if being left entirely alone. The destructive impact of embittered and paranoid reactions unleashed by the experience of change for the better can be mitigated by the therapist's recognition of, and the focus upon, the negative meanings of progress toward health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23623136,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Recognition of epoxy with phage displayed peptides.\nThe development of a general approach for non-destructive chemical and biological functionalization of epoxy could expand opportunities for both fundamental studies and creating various device platforms. Epoxy shows unique electrical, mechanical, chemical and biological compatibility and has been widely used for fabricating a variety of devices. Phage display has emerged as a powerful method for selecting peptides that possess enhanced selectivity and binding affinity toward a variety of targets. In this letter, we demonstrate for the first time a powerful yet benign approach for identifying binding motifs to epoxy via comprehensively screened phage displayed peptides. Our results show that the epoxy can be selectively recognized with peptide-displaying phages. Further, along with the development of epoxy-based microstructures; recognition of the epoxy with phage displayed peptides can be specifically localized in these microstructures. We anticipate that these results could open up exciting opportunities in the use of peptide-recognized epoxy in fundamental biochemical recognition studies, as well as in applications ranging from analytical devices, hybrid materials, surface and interface, to cell biology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30809218,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Sperm Microbiota and Its Impact on Semen Parameters.\nCompared to its female counterpart, the microbiota of the male genital tract has not been studied extensively. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the bacterial composition of seminal fluid and its impact on sperm parameters. We hypothesized that a dysbiotic microbiota composition may have an influence on sperm quality. Semen samples of 26 men with normal spermiogram and 68 men with at least one abnormal spermiogram parameter were included in the study. Samples were stratified based on total sperm count, spermatozoa concentration, progressive motility, total motility and spermatozoa morphology. Microbiota profiling was performed using 16S rRNA gene amplicons sequencing and total bacterial load was determined using a panbacterial quantitative PCR. Semen samples broadly clustered into three microbiota profiles: Prevotella-enriched, Lactobacillus-enriched, and polymicrobial. Prevotella-enriched samples had the highest bacterial load (p < 0.05). Network analysis identified three main co-occurrence modules, among which two contained bacteria commonly found in the vaginal flora. Genera from the same module displayed similar oxygen requirements, arguing for the presence of different ecological niches for bacteria that colonize semen through the passage. Contrary to our hypothesis, shifts in overall microbiota composition (beta-diversity) did not correlate with spermiogram parameters. Similarly, we did not find any difference in microbial richness or diversity (alpha-diversity). Differential abundance testing, however, revealed three specific genera that were significantly enriched or depleted in some of the sperm quality groups (p < 0.05). Prevotella relative abundance was increased in samples with defective sperm motility while Staphylococcus was increased in the corresponding control group. In addition, we observed an increased relative abundance of Lactobacillus in samples with normal sperm morphology. Our study indicates that overall bacterial content of sperm might not play a major role in male infertility. Although no major shifts in microbiota composition or diversity were found, the differential abundance of specific bacterial genera in the sperm suggests that a small subset of microbes might impact the spermatozoal physiology during sperm transition, more specifically motility and morphology. Further studies are required to challenge this finding and develop potential strategies to induce the formation of a healthy seminal microbiota.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32329760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fluorescent supramolecular hierarchical self-assemblies from glycosylated 4-amino- and 4-bromo-1,8-naphthalimides.\nAn investigation into the self-assembly of two 4-amino- and a 4-bromo-1,8-naphthalimide (Nap) based structures (1-3) possessing an appended glycan unit, from protic polar media, is presented. The results demonstrate the formation of complex hierarchical luminescent aggregates, wherein the morphologies, sizes and spherical structures were highly dependent on both the media and the Nap structure. Upon cleaving the native glycosidic bond, using an enzyme, the structure\/morphology of the self-assembly of 3 in buffered solution was significantly transformed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12770019,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Pheromonostasis is not directly associated with post-mating sperm dynamics in Choristoneura fumiferana and C. rosaceana females.\nIn Lepidoptera, a number of humoral and neural cues are involved in post-mating pheromonostasis, including the presence of sperm in the spermatheca. However, as there are two types of sperm, apyrene and eupyrene, they may play different roles in pheromonostasis, an aspect not considered in previous studies. As a first step to examine this possibility, we determined the quantity of sperm transferred by the male at the time of mating and the temporal migration of both sperm types from the bursa copulatrix to the spermatheca in the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana, and the obliquebanded leafroller, C. rosaceana. While the mass of the ejaculate was positively correlated to male body mass, there was no relation between ejaculate mass and sperm numbers. In both species, the migration of the two sperm types was asynchronous, with the apyrene sperm migrating before the eupyrene type. There were, however, some interspecific temporal differences in the migration of both sperm types. Eupyrene sperm would not serve as a direct signal for pheromonostasis in either species as it does not reach the spermatheca for at least 7 h while the neural message for pheromonostasis in both tortricids occurs within 3 h of mating. Given the time apyrene sperm arrives in the spermatheca (between 3 and 5 h post-mating), it could serve as a direct cue for pheromonostasis in C. fumiferana but not in C. rosaceana. However, considering that these two Choristoneura species have similar pheromone physiologies, it seems somewhat unlikely that apyrene sperm would be involved in one species and not the other.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25390934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Whole-genome sequencing of the world's oldest people.\nSupercentenarians (110 years or older) are the world's oldest people. Seventy four are alive worldwide, with twenty two in the United States. We performed whole-genome sequencing on 17 supercentenarians to explore the genetic basis underlying extreme human longevity. We found no significant evidence of enrichment for a single rare protein-altering variant or for a gene harboring different rare protein altering variants in supercentenarian compared to control genomes. We followed up on the gene most enriched for rare protein-altering variants in our cohort of supercentenarians, TSHZ3, by sequencing it in a second cohort of 99 long-lived individuals but did not find a significant enrichment. The genome of one supercentenarian had a pathogenic mutation in DSC2, known to predispose to arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which is recommended to be reported to this individual as an incidental finding according to a recent position statement by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Even with this pathogenic mutation, the proband lived to over 110 years. The entire list of rare protein-altering variants and DNA sequence of all 17 supercentenarian genomes is available as a resource to assist the discovery of the genetic basis of extreme longevity in future studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26569298,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Association of Dietary Vitamin A and \u03b2-Carotene Intake with the Risk of Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of 19 Publications.\nWhether dietary \u03b2-carotene and vitamin A intake protect against lung cancer risk is not clear. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to investigate the association between them. The related articles were searched using the databases PubMed and the Web of Knowledge up to May 2015. We used the random-effect model to estimate the relative risk (RR) and their 95% CI. Small-study effect was assessed using Egger's test. In total, 19 studies comprising 10,261 lung cancer cases met the inclusion criteria. The pooled RR and their 95% CI was 0.855 (0.739-0.989) for higher category of dietary vitamin A intake and lung cancer risk, especially among Asian populations and in the cohort studies. Evidence from 18 studies suggested that higher category of dietary \u03b2-carotene intake could reduce lung cancer risk (0.768 (0.675-0.874)).The associations were also significant in American and Asian populations. In conclusions, higher category of dietary \u03b2-carotene and vitamin A intakes could reduce the risk of lung cancer. However, the dose-response analysis was not performed due to the limited data in each individual study. Due to this limitation, further studies with detailed dose, cases and person-years for \u03b2-carotene and vitamin A of each category are wanted to assess this dose-response association.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20219391,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Influence of amino acid side chains on apparent selective opening of cyclic b5 ions.\nIn this study, the possible influence of acidic, basic, and amide side chains on the opening of a putative macrocyclic b ion (b(5)(+)) intermediate was investigated. Collision induced dissociation (CID) of b(5) ions was studied using a group of hexapeptides in which amino acids with the side chains of interest occupied internal sequence positions. Further experiments were performed with permuted isomers of glutamine (Q) containing peptides to probe for sequence scrambling and whether the specific sequence site of the residues influences opening of the macrocycle. Overall, the trend for (apparent) preferential\/selective opening of the cyclic b(5)(+), presumably due to the side chain, followed by the loss of the amino acid with active side group is: Q > K > D > N approximately E.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23704933,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Reduced selenium-binding protein 1 in breast cancer correlates with poor survival and resistance to the anti-proliferative effects of selenium.\nSupplemental dietary selenium is associated with reduced incidence of many cancers. The antitumor function of selenium is thought to be mediated through selenium-binding protein 1 (SELENBP1). However, the significance of SELENBP1 expression in breast cancer is still largely unknown. A total of 95 normal and tumor tissues assay and 12 breast cancer cell lines were used in this study. We found that SELENBP1 expression in breast cancer tissues is reduced compared to normal control. Low SELENBP1 expression in ER(+) breast cancer patients was significantly associated with poor survival (p<0.01), and SELENBP1 levels progressively decreased with advancing clinical stages of breast cancer. 17-\u03b2 estradiol (E2) treatment of high SELENBP1-expressing ER(+) cell lines led to a down-regulation of SELENBP1, a result that did not occur in ER(-) cell lines. However, after ectopic expression of ER in an originally ER(-) cell line, down-regulation of SELENBP1 upon E2 treatment was observed. In addition, selenium treatment resulted in reduced cell proliferation in endogenous SELENBP1 high cells; however, after knocking-down SELENBP1, we observed no significant reduction in cell proliferation. Similarly, selenium has no effect on inhibition of cell proliferation in low endogenous SELENBP1 cells, but the inhibitory effect is regained following ectopic SELENBP1 expression. Furthermore, E2 treatment of an ER silenced high endogenous SELENBP1 expressing cell line showed no abolishment of cell proliferation inhibition upon selenium treatment. These data indicate that SELENBP1 expression is regulated via estrogen and that the cell proliferation inhibition effect of selenium treatment is dependent on the high level of SELENBP1 expression. Therefore, the expression level of SELENBP1 could be an important marker for predicting survival and effectiveness of selenium supplementation in breast cancer. This is the first study to reveal the importance of monitoring SELENBP1 expression as a potential biomarker in contributing to breast cancer prevention and treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20651226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Integrin alpha 7 interacts with high temperature requirement A2 (HtrA2) to induce prostate cancer cell death.\nIntegrins are a family of receptors for extracellular matrix proteins that have critical roles in human tissue development. Previous studies identified down-regulation and\/or mutations of integrin alpha7 (ITGA7) in prostate cancer, liver cancer, soft tissue leiomyosarcoma, and glioblastoma multiforme. Here we report that expression of ITGA7 induced apoptosis in the human prostate cancer cell lines PC3 and DU145. Yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed that the C-terminus of ITGA7 interacts with high temperature requirement A2 (HtrA2), a serine protease with a critical role in apoptosis. Expression of ITGA7 increases the protease activity of HtrA2 both in vitro and in vivo. Deletion of the HtrA2 interaction domain abrogates the cell death activity of ITGA7, whereas down-regulation of HtrA2 dramatically reduced cell death mediated by ITGA7. In addition, site-directed protease-null mutant HtrA2S306A expression blocked apoptosis induced by ITGA7. Interestingly, interaction between ITGA7 and its ligand laminin 2 appears to protect against cell death, since depleting laminin beta2 with a small-interfering RNA significantly exacerbated apoptosis induced by ITGA7 expression. This report provides a novel insight into the mechanism by which ITGA7 acts as a tumor suppressor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30753927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Improved state change estimation in dynamic functional connectivity using hidden semi-Markov models.\nThe study of functional brain networks has grown rapidly over the past decade. While most functional connectivity (FC) analyses estimate one static network structure for the entire length of the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series, recently there has been increased interest in studying time-varying changes in FC. Hidden Markov models (HMMs) have proven to be a useful modeling approach for discovering repeating graphs of interacting brain regions (brain states). However, a limitation lies in HMMs assuming that the sojourn time, the number of consecutive time points in a state, is geometrically distributed. This may encourage inaccurate estimation of the time spent in a state before switching to another state. We propose a hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) approach for inferring time-varying brain networks from fMRI data, which explicitly models the sojourn distribution. Specifically, we propose using HSMMs to find each subject's most probable series of network states and the graphs associated with each state, while properly estimating and modeling the sojourn distribution for each state. We perform a simulation study, as well as an analysis on both task-based fMRI data from an anxiety-inducing experiment and resting-state fMRI data from the Human Connectome Project. Our results demonstrate the importance of model choice when estimating sojourn times and reveal their potential for understanding healthy and diseased brain mechanisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33269330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Improving Access to Cancer Care in the HIV Population: Qualitative Research to Identify Barriers to Care.\nPurpose: People living with HIV are less likely to receive cancer treatment and have worse cancer-specific survival, yet underlying drivers of this disparity have minimally been explored. We investigated cancer care barriers from the perspective of patients living with HIV and cancer (PLWHC) to inform future interventions, reduce disparities, and improve outcomes. Methods: We conducted in-depth semistructured interviews with 27 PLWHC. The interview guide explored perceptions of the cancer care experience, treatment decision making, and barriers to cancer treatment. Interview data were analyzed using the constant comparative method of qualitative analysis. Results: Study participants were predominantly men (n=22, 81%) with a median age of 56 years and median annual income of $24,000. Among those who experienced challenges with cancer treatment adherence, barriers included debilitating side effects of cancer treatment, stigma surrounding HIV, issues with coping and mental health, the financial burden of cancer care, and challenges with care accessibility. Despite these challenges, participants indicated that their past experiences of coping with HIV had prepared them to accept and address their cancer diagnosis. Resiliency and social support were key facilitators for cancer treatment adherence. Conclusion: This qualitative study of PLWHC in the United States found that a cancer diagnosis created a substantial added stress to an already challenging situation. Health- and stigma-related stressors impacted patients' ability to fully complete cancer treatment as prescribed. There is a need for improved provider communication and mental health support for PLWHC to ensure equitable access to and completion of cancer treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33070730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evolutionary insight from a humble fly: sperm competition and the yellow dungfly.\nStudies of the yellow dungfly in the 1960s provided one of the first quantitative demonstrations of the costs and benefits associated with male and female reproductive behaviour. These studies advanced appreciation of sexual selection as a significant evolutionary mechanism and contributed to the 1970s paradigm shift toward individual selectionist thinking. Three behaviours in particular led to the realization that sexual selection can continue during and after mating: (i) female receptivity to remating, (ii) sperm displacement and (iii) post-copulatory mate guarding. These behaviours either generate, or are adaptations to sperm competition, cryptic female choice and sexual conflict. Here we review this body of work, and its contribution to the development of post-copulatory sexual selection theory. This article is part of the theme issue 'Fifty years of sperm competition'.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26035398,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"COMPARISON OF HALVING THE IRRADIATION TIME OR THE VERTEPORFIN DOSE IN PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY FOR CHRONIC CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY.\nTo compare the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy using reduced irradiation time or reduced verteporfin dose for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Between April 2011 and December 2013, 45 eyes with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (43 consecutive patients) were treated with photodynamic therapy, using either half the irradiation time (18 eyes) or half the verteporfin dose (27 eyes). Outcome measures at follow-up, over at least 3 months, were complete resolution of serous retinal detachment, best-corrected visual acuity, and central retinal thickness. After 3 months, serous retinal detachment had completely resolved in 88.8% of eyes in both treatment groups, which were therefore not significantly different. The logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (Snellen equivalent) improved from 0.245 (20\/35) to 0.130 (20\/27) (P < 0.05, paired t-test) in the reduced time group and from 0.283 (20\/38) to 0.138 (20\/27) (P < 0.05) in the reduced verteporfin group. Final best-corrected visual acuities in the 2 groups were not significantly different. Central retinal thicknesses dropped from 337.0 \u03bcm to 146.6 \u03bcm (P < 0.05) in the reduced time group and from 343.5 \u03bcm to 166.9 \u03bcm (P < 0.05) in the reduced verteporfin group. No ocular or systemic side effects were observed. Reduced irradiation time and reduced verteporfin dose were equally effective and safe in photodynamic therapy for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20457801,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Intercontinental hearing assessment - a study in tele-audiology.\nWe evaluated the validity of remote pure tone audiometric testing conducted from North America on subjects in South Africa. Desktop-sharing computer software was used to control an audiometer in Pretoria from Dallas, and PC-based videoconferencing was employed for clinician and subject communication. Thirty adult subjects were assessed, and the pure tone audiometric thresholds (125-8000 Hz) obtained through conventional face-to-face and remote testing were compared. Face-to-face and remote audiometry thresholds differed by 10 dB in only 4% of cases overall. The limits of agreement between the two techniques were -8 and 7 dB with a 90% confidence interval of -5 to 5 dB. The average reaction times to stimulus presentations were similar, within -108 and 121 ms. The average test duration was 21% longer for remote testing (10.4 vs. 8.2 min). There were no clinically significant differences between the results obtained by remote intercontinental audiometric testing and conventional face-to-face audiometry. It may therefore be possible to expand the reach of audiological services into remote underserved regions of the world.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11432649,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Phantom limb pain and residual limb pain following lower limb amputation: a descriptive analysis.\nThis research aimed to develop a clearer picture of the experience of residual limb pain and phantom limb pain following a lower limb amputation and to gain a greater understanding of their relationships with physical and psychosocial variables. One hundred and four participants completed the Trinity Amputation and Prosthesis Experience Scales (TAPES), which includes a section on each of, psychosocial issues, activity restriction, satisfaction with a prosthesis and pain (incidence, duration, level and extent of interference). The results showed that 48.1% of the sample experienced residual limb pain and 69.2% experienced phantom limb pain. While fewer people experienced residual limb pain, those who did, experienced it for longer periods, at a greater level of intensity and with a greater amount of interference in their daily lifestyle, than people who were experiencing phantom limb pain. The experience of residual limb pain was associated with other medical problems and low levels of Adjustment to Limitation. Phantom limb pain was associated with older age, being female, above knee amputation, causes other than congenital causes, not receiving support prior to the amputation, the experience of other medical problems, low scores on Adjustment to Limitation and high scores on Aesthetic Satisfaction with the prosthesis. These findings provide a greater understanding of the issues to be taken into consideration in the rehabilitation of people with a lower limb amputation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18215224,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dynamics of the yeast transcriptome during wine fermentation reveals a novel fermentation stress response.\nIn this study, genome-wide expression analyses were used to study the response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to stress throughout a 15-day wine fermentation. Forty per cent of the yeast genome significantly changed expression levels to mediate long-term adaptation to fermenting grape must. Among the genes that changed expression levels, a group of 223 genes was identified, which was designated as fermentation stress response (FSR) genes that were dramatically induced at various points during fermentation. FSR genes sustain high levels of induction up to the final time point and exhibited changes in expression levels ranging from four- to 80-fold. The FSR is novel; 62% of the genes involved have not been implicated in global stress responses and 28% of the FSR genes have no functional annotation. Genes involved in respiratory metabolism and gluconeogenesis were expressed during fermentation despite the presence of high concentrations of glucose. Ethanol, rather than nutrient depletion, seems to be responsible for entry of yeast cells into the stationary phase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23708836,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The phosphate transporter NaPi-IIa determines the rapid renal adaptation to dietary phosphate intake in mouse irrespective of persistently high FGF23 levels.\nRenal reabsorption of inorganic phosphate (Pi) is mediated by the phosphate transporters NaPi-IIa, NaPi-IIc, and Pit-2 in the proximal tubule brush border membrane (BBM). Dietary Pi intake regulates these transporters; however, the contribution of the specific isoforms to the rapid and slow phase is not fully clarified. Moreover, the regulation of PTH and FGF23, two major phosphaturic hormones, during the adaptive phase has not been correlated. C57\/BL6 and NaPi-IIa(-\/-) mice received 5 days either 1.2 % (HPD) or 0.1 % (LPD) Pi-containing diets. Thereafter, some mice were acutely switched to LPD or HPD. Plasma Pi concentrations were similar under chronic diets, but lower when mice were acutely switched to LPD. Urinary Pi excretion was similar in C57\/BL6 and NaPi-IIa(-\/-) mice under HPD. During chronic LPD, NaPi-IIa(-\/-) mice lost phosphate in urine compensated by higher intestinal Pi absorption. During the acute HPD-to-LPD switch, NaPi-IIa(-\/-) mice exhibited a delayed decrease in urinary Pi excretion. PTH was acutely regulated by low dietary Pi intake. FGF23 did not respond to low Pi intake within 8 h whereas the phospho-adaptator protein FRS2\u03b1 necessary for FGF-receptor cell signaling was downregulated. BBM Pi transport activity and NaPi-IIa but not NaPi-IIc and Pit-2 abundance acutely adapted to diets in C57\/BL6 mice. In NaPi-IIa(-\/-), Pi transport activity was low and did not adapt. Thus, NaPi-IIa mediates the fast adaptation to Pi intake and is upregulated during the adaptation to low Pi despite persistently high FGF23 levels. The sensitivity to FGF23 may be regulated by adapting FRS2\u03b1 abundance and phosphorylation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28059209,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Enhanced visualization of peripheral retinal vasculature with wavefront sensorless adaptive optics optical coherence tomography angiography in diabetic patients.\nOptical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a promising technique for non-invasive visualization of vessel networks in the human eye. We debut a system capable of acquiring wide field-of-view (>70\u00b0) OCT angiograms without mosaicking. Additionally, we report on enhancing the visualization of peripheral microvasculature using wavefront sensorless adaptive optics (WSAO). We employed a fast WSAO algorithm that enabled wavefront correction in <2 s by iterating the mirror shape at the speed of OCT B-scans rather than volumes. Also, we contrasted \u223c7\u00b0 field-of-view OCTA angiograms acquired in the periphery with and without WSAO correction. On average, WSAO improved the sharpness of microvasculature by 65% in healthy eyes and 38% in diseased eyes. Preliminary observations demonstrated that the location of 7\u00b0 images could be identified directly from the wide field-of-view angiogram. A pilot study on a normal subject and patients with diabetic retinopathy showed the impact of utilizing WSAO for OCTA when visualizing peripheral vasculature pathologies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23249293,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Hydration of terminal alkynes catalyzed by water-soluble cobalt porphyrin complexes.\nWater-soluble cobalt(III) porphyrin complexes were found to promote the hydration of terminal alkynes to give methyl ketones. The alkyne hydration proceeded in good to excellent yield with 0.1 to 2 mol % cobalt catalyst 1 and was compatible with the presence of acid\/base- or redox-sensitive functional groups such as alkyl silyl ethers; allyl ethers; trityl ethers; benzyl ethers; carboxylic esters; boronic esters; carboxamides; nitriles; and nitro, iodo, and acetal groups. Some of the alkyne substrates tested here are otherwise difficult to hydrate. The alkyne hydration can be performed on a gram scale, and the catalyst can be recovered by aqueous workup.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37353262,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Association between maternal benzodiazepine or Z-hypnotic use in early pregnancy and the risk of stillbirth, preterm birth, and small for gestational age: a nationwide, population-based cohort study in Taiwan.\nBenzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics are commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia during pregnancy, but the evidence regarding potential adverse neonatal outcomes is insufficient because of poor control for confounding factors in previous studies. We therefore aimed to evaluate the association between the use of benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics during early pregnancy and adverse neonatal outcomes (stillbirth, preterm birth, and small for gestational age). We did a nationwide, population-based cohort study in Taiwan using three data sources: Taiwan's National Birth Certificate Application database, the National Health Insurance database, and the Maternal and Child Health Database. The study cohort included all singleton pregnancies of females aged 15-50 years who gave birth between Jan 1, 2004, and Dec 31, 2018. Pregnancies without valid information were excluded. Benzodiazepine and Z-hypnotic use was defined as at least one benzodiazepine or Z-hypnotic prescription during early pregnancy (the first 20 weeks of pregnancy). The primary outcomes were stillbirth (fetal death at or after 20 weeks' gestation), preterm birth (<37 weeks' gestation), and small for gestational age (birthweight below the 10th percentile for gestational age by sex). Logistic regression models with propensity score fine stratification weighting were used to control for potential confounders and examine the association between benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics use during early pregnancy and the risk of adverse neonatal outcomes. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were reported. We used confounding by indication control analyses, a sibling control study, and a paternal negative control design to account for unmeasured confounders. The risk associated with exposure during late pregnancy was also assessed. Between Oct 7, 2021, and June 10, 2022, we analysed the study data. The cohort included 2 882 292 singleton pregnancies; of which, 75 655 (2\u00b76%) of the mothers were dispensed one or more benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics during early pregnancy. Women exposed during pregnancy were older (mean age at delivery was 31\u00b70 years [SD 5\u00b73] for exposed women vs 30\u00b76 years [4\u00b79] for unexposed women), had a higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders, and were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle behaviours than unexposed women. Information about ethnicity was not available. Early pregnancy exposure was associated with adverse neonatal outcomes compared with non-exposure. The propensity score-weighted OR was 1\u00b719 (95% CI 1\u00b710-1\u00b728) for stillbirth, 1\u00b719 (1\u00b716-1\u00b723) for preterm birth, and 1\u00b716 (1\u00b713-1\u00b719) for small for gestational age. After controlling for confounding by indication, there was no significant association between drug exposure and stillbirth risk; however, this attenuation was not observed for preterm birth and small for gestational age. In models with sibling controls that accounted for familial confounding and genetic factors, early exposure to benzodiazepines or Z-hypnotics was not associated with an increased risk of stillbirth and preterm birth, but it remained significantly associated with small for gestational age. The paternal negative control analyses with point estimates close to the null indicated no strong evidence of unmeasured confounding shared by the mother and the father. Substantially increased risks of stillbirth and preterm birth were observed for late pregnancy exposure. Benzodiazepine or Z-hypnotic use in early pregnancy is not associated with a substantial increase in the risk of stillbirth and preterm birth after accounting for unmeasured confounding factors. Clinicians should be aware of the increased risk of small for gestational age and caution should be taken when prescribing these medications during late pregnancy. National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan. For the Taiwanese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19023154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Vagal effects on the occurrence of focal atrial fibrillation originating from the pulmonary veins.\nThere is evidence that the autonomic nervous system may be involved in the mechanism of focal atrial fibrillation (AF), so the present study investigated the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system on the occurrence of focal AF originating from the pulmonary veins (PVs). In 10 mongrel dogs, programmed stimulation and local burst stimulation (12.5 Hz, impulse duration 0.5 ms) were performed at each of the PVs. Pacing thresholds at different sites were determined and shown as a terraced distribution. The closer to the ostium of the PV, the lower was the pacing threshold (P<0.05-0.001). The local effective refractory period (ERP), AF induction and AF threshold were measured at baseline and during bilateral vagal nerve stimulation (VNS). VNS led to local ERP shortening at each of the PV sites (P<0.05-0.001), increased the inducibility of AF at all sites in the 4 PVs (P<0.05-0.001), and decreased the AF threshold at most sites, especially in the distal portions of the 4 PVs (P<0.05-0.01). VNS changes the electrophysiological characteristics of the PVs and facilitates the induction of AF. Interaction between the autonomic nervous system and local cardiac autonomic nerve system may be a potential mechanism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34076574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Modelling tool to support decision-making in the NHS Health Check programme: workshops, systematic review and co-production with users.\nLocal authorities in England commission the NHS Health Check programme to invite everyone aged 40-74 years without pre-existing conditions for risk assessment and eventual intervention, if needed. However, the programme's effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and equity impact remain uncertain. To develop a validated open-access flexible web-based model that enables local commissioners to quantify the cost-effectiveness and potential for equitable population health gain of the NHS Health Check programme. The objectives were as follows: (1) co-produce with stakeholders the desirable features of the user-friendly model; (2) update the evidence base to support model and scenario development; (3) further develop our computational model to allow for developments and changes to the NHS Health Check programme and the diseases it addresses; (4) assess the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and equity of alternative strategies for implementation to illustrate the use of the tool; and (5) propose a sustainability and implementation plan to deploy our user-friendly computational model at the local level. Co-production workshops surveying the best-performing local authorities and a systematic literature review of strategies to increase uptake of screening programmes informed model use and development. We then co-produced the workHORSE (working Health Outcomes Research Simulation Environment) model to estimate the health, economic and equity impact of different NHS Health Check programme implementations, using illustrative-use cases. Local authorities in England. Stakeholders from local authorities, Public Health England, the NHS, the British Heart Foundation, academia and other organisations participated in the workshops. For the local authorities survey, we invited 16 of the best-performing local authorities in England. The user interface allows users to vary key parameters that represent programme activities (i.e. invitation, uptake, prescriptions and referrals). Scenarios can be compared with each other. Disease cases and case-years prevented or postponed, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios, net monetary benefit and change in slope index of inequality. The survey of best-performing local authorities revealed a diversity of effective approaches to maximise the coverage and uptake of NHS Health Check programme, with no distinct 'best buy'. The umbrella literature review identified a range of effective single interventions. However, these generally need to be combined to maximally improve uptake and health gains. A validated dynamic, stochastic microsimulation model, built on robust epidemiology, enabled service options analysis. Analyses of three contrasting illustrative cases estimated the health, economic and equity impact of optimising the Health Checks, and the added value of obtaining detailed local data. Optimising the programme in Liverpool can become cost-effective and equitable, but simply changing the invitation method will require other programme changes to improve its performance. Detailed data inputs can benefit local analysis. Although the approach is extremely flexible, it is complex and requires substantial amounts of data, alongside expertise to both maintain and run. Our project showed that the workHORSE model could be used to estimate the health, economic and equity impact comprehensively at local authority level. It has the potential for further development as a commissioning tool and to stimulate broader discussions on the role of these tools in real-world decision-making. Future work should focus on improving user interactions with the model, modelling simulation standards, and adapting workHORSE for evaluation, design and implementation support. This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019132087. This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 25, No. 35. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23622323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Aseptic meningitis.\nThis chapter describes the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with both aseptic meningitis and encephalitis. It also addresses the major causes of aseptic meningitis. Although bacterial meningitis is quite rare in an era of widespread conjugate vaccines, diagnosis often depends on the results of bacterial cultures which may take several days. Aseptic meningitis, on the other hand, is typically a benign childhood infection requiring supportive care alone. It also reviews available clinical decision rules that may assist the clinician in distinguishing which children with aseptic meningitis are at very low risk of bacterial meningitis using predictors available at the time of clinical presentation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22219180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"GATA4 expression is primarily regulated via a miR-26b-dependent post-transcriptional mechanism during cardiac hypertrophy.\nGATA4 is a transcription factor that is up-regulated during cardiac hypertrophy and plays a fundamental role in myocyte growth and survival. In this study, we investigate the transcriptional vs. post-transcriptional mechanisms that are involved in regulating GATA4 in the heart during neonatal and pressure overload-induced hypertrophic growth. GATA4 protein is significantly higher during pressure overload-induced (2.9 \u00b1 0.4-fold) and neonatal (6.8 \u00b1 1-fold) hypertrophic growth vs. the normal adult mouse heart. Using RNA polymerase II immunoprecipitation combined with deep sequencing, we confirmed that active transcription of the Gata4 gene remained unchanged during hypertrophy, whereas it was two-fold higher in the neonatal vs. adult heart, commensurate with the mRNA levels. These results suggested a post-transcriptional mode of regulation of its expression, which prompted the identification of a conserved sequence in its 3'-untranslated region that was responsible for reduced translation via miR-26b. Overexpression of miR-26b reduced GATA4-dependent transcription, endothelin-induced hypertrophy, and sensitized the cells to apoptotic insults. Additionally, miR-26b targeted phospholipase C-\u03b21, which, in turn, inhibited miR-26b expression, creating a double-negative feedback loop. Accordingly, overexpression of miR-26b in the heart inhibited up-regulation of its targets and the development of hypertrophy. However, knockdown of miR-26b is not sufficient for inducing hypertrophy. Down-regulation of miR-26b in the heart is required for the up-regulation of GATA4 and the induction of pressure-induced cardiac hypertrophy. The results also underscore the functional relevance of miRNAs in regulating gene expression during cardiac hypertrophy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26038158,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Modeling Causal Relationship Between Brain Regions Within the Drug-Cue Processing Network in Chronic Cocaine Smokers.\nThe cues associated with drugs of abuse have an essential role in perpetuating problematic use, yet effective connectivity or the causal interaction between brain regions mediating the processing of drug cues has not been defined. The aim of this fMRI study was to model the causal interaction between brain regions within the drug-cue processing network in chronic cocaine smokers and matched control participants during a cocaine-cue exposure task. Specifically, cocaine-smoking (15M; 5F) and healthy control (13M; 4F) participants viewed cocaine and neutral cues while in the scanner (a Siemens 3 T magnet). We examined whole brain activation, including activation related to drug-cue processing. Time series data extracted from ROIs determined through our General Linear Model (GLM) analysis and prior publications were used as input to IMaGES, a computationally powerful Bayesian search algorithm. During cocaine-cue exposure, cocaine users showed a particular feed-forward effective connectivity pattern between the ROIs of the drug-cue processing network (amygdala \u2192 hippocampus \u2192 dorsal striatum \u2192 insula \u2192 medial frontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex) that was not present when the controls viewed the cocaine cues. Cocaine craving ratings positively correlated with the strength of the causal influence of the insula on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in cocaine users. This study is the first demonstration of a causal interaction between ROIs within the drug-cue processing network in cocaine users. This study provides insight into the mechanism underlying continued substance use and has implications for monitoring treatment response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10617237,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Low-dose dopamine after kidney transplantation: assessment by Doppler ultrasound.\nLow-dose dopamine (LDD) is commonly used after kidney transplantation as a renoprotective agent, although the benefits of dopamine (DA) in this setting are controversial. LDD increases renal blood flow, decreases resistive index (RI) and causes diuresis in normal kidneys. We hypothesised that the vasculature of a denervated renal transplant may not respond to DA in the same way as healthy native kidneys. In a prospective, controlled study, renal blood flow velocity and vascular resistance were measured by Doppler ultrasound in recent kidney transplants (n = 20) over a range of DA doses (0-5 microg\/kg\/min). Main renal artery velocity was lower in kidneys with acute renal dysfunction than in those with normal function (0.60 +\/- 0.31 vs. 0.81 +\/- 0.24, respectively, p < 0.05). There was no demonstrable haemodynamic effect of LDD on either RI or main renal artery velocity as measured by Doppler ultrasound. Interestingly, the only significant correlation with mean RI was trough cyclosporin A level (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). Technical or timing factors cannot be used to explain the absence of DA effect, with equivalent doses capable of producing vasodilatation and reduced RI in studies of normal kidneys. In summary, these findings contrast the DA response of healthy native kidneys and may explain studies showing no clinical benefit of LDD in the early post-transplant period. These data suggest an insensitivity of recently implanted kidneys to the vasodilatory effects of LDD, that other factors such as cyclosporin A vasoconstriction may also be important, and question the rationale for routine LDD after kidney transplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36714299,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An Experimental Evaluation of Two Approaches for Improving Response to Household Screening Efforts in National Mail\/Web Surveys.\nSurvey researchers have carefully modified their data collection operations for various reasons, including the rising costs of data collection and the ongoing Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, both of which have made in-person interviewing difficult. For large national surveys that require household (HH) screening to determine survey eligibility, cost-efficient screening methods that do not include in-person visits need additional evaluation and testing. A new study, known as the American Family Health Study (AFHS), recently initiated data collection with a national probability sample, using a sequential mixed-mode mail\/web protocol for push-to-web US HH screening (targeting persons aged 18-49 years). To better understand optimal approaches for this type of national screening effort, we embedded two randomized experiments in the AFHS data collection. The first tested the use of bilingual respondent materials where mailed invitations to the screener were sent in both English and Spanish to 50 percent of addresses with a high predicted likelihood of having a Spanish speaker and 10 percent of all other addresses. We found that the bilingual approach did not increase the response rate of high-likelihood Spanish-speaking addresses, but consistent with prior work, it increased the proportion of eligible Hispanic respondents identified among completed screeners, especially among addresses predicted to have a high likelihood of having Spanish speakers. The second tested a form of nonresponse follow-up, where a subsample of active sampled HHs that had not yet responded to the screening invitations was sent a priority mailing with a $5 incentive, adding to the $2 incentive provided for all sampled HHs in the initial screening invitation. We found this approach to be quite valuable for increasing the screening survey response rate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18044386,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Identification badges: a potential fomite?\nStaff identification badges are mandatory in all hospitals. The purpose of this study was to assess microbial contamination of identification badges at a Canadian tertiary centre. Risk factors for badge contamination were also investigated. Badges were cultured from 118 subjects including secretaries, physicians, nurses, and allied health workers. Subjects also completed a demographic questionnaire. Badge contamination was analyzed according to profession, workplace, duration of badge use, presence of a plastic cover, how the badge was worn, and cleaning frequency. 13.6% of the badges were contaminated with significant pathogens. S. aureus was isolated in 6.8% of the badges, gram-negative bacilli in 5.9%. Contamination was highest in nurses (21.4% versus 9.4-14.3% in other professions) and in the ICU (22.6% versus 8.3%-14.3% at other locations). Neither association was statistically significant. Covered and non-covered badges had similar contamination rates (12% and 17.1%) as did badges worn around the neck compared with those worn clipped to clothing (13.0% versus 14.6%). Contamination of recently cleaned badges was not statistically different from those that had not. Identification badges do not appear to be a major reservoir for pathogenic organisms. Badges can, however, harbour disease-causing organisms and should be cleaned regularly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16045586,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Synchronous spontaneous perforation of the esophagus and a duodenal ulcer.\nAlthough 41% of patients with spontaneous rupture of the esophagus also suffer from gastro duodenal ulcer disease, cases of synchronous spontaneous esophageal and duodenal ulcer perforation have thus far not been reported in the literature. We report on the case of a 61-year-old man who presented with a 72-hour history of esophageal rupture and duodenal ulcer perforation. Following appropriate circulatory resuscitation we performed double resection; involving the esophagus, cardia and the distal part of the stomach, followed by substitution by means of gastro-jejunal transposition as a one-stage procedure. With reference to this case with a favorable outcome, we are presenting an analysis of indications for resectional surgery in advanced spontaneous esophageal perforation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17615369,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Increased protein nitration burden in the atherosclerotic lesions and plasma of apolipoprotein A-I deficient mice.\nApolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein constituent within high-density lipoprotein (HDL), has been associated with antiatherogenic protection by mechanisms that include reverse cholesterol transport and antiinflammatory functions. To evaluate the proposed protective function of apoA-I, proteins modified by nitrating oxidants were evaluated in the aortic tissue and plasma of mice lacking the low-density lipoprotein receptor and apobec (LA) and LA mice with genetic deletion of apoA-I (LA-apoA-I(-\/-)). The levels of nitrated proteins in aortic tissue quantified by liquid chromatography with online electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC\/ESI\/MS\/MS) were 6-fold higher in the LA-apoA-I(-\/-) as compared with the LA mice. The quantitative analyses were corroborated by immunohistochemical and high-resolution immunoelectron microscopic evaluation of the lesions, which revealed abundant staining for nitrated proteins in the aortic root lesions of LA-apoA-I(-\/-) as compared with the LA mice. Proteomic approaches based on affinity enrichment and site-specific adduct mapping identified unique specific protein targets for nitration in the plasma of LA-apoA-I(-\/-) that were not present in the plasma of LA mice. In particular the nitration of fibrinogen was shown to accelerate fibrin clot formation. Another consequence of the augmented levels of nitrated proteins was the induction of humoral responses documented by the increased circulating immunoglobulins that recognize nitrotyrosine in LA-apoA-I(-\/-) as compared with the LA mice. These data collectively support a protective function of apoA-I diminishing the burden of nitrative oxidants in these mice models of atherosclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":755818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Self-masking effects from live and recorded vowels.\nAs a means of determining the masking characteristics of spoken (live) vowels, as compared to recorded vowels, 16 normal Ss were trained to track pure-tone swept-frequency thresholds in the presence of vowels used as masking noise. While tracking thresholds, Ss either phonated the vowels \/a\/, \/i\/, or \/u\/ continuously or listened to a taped playback of their own voices. The resulting continuous-frequency audiograms generally resembles the configurations of the vowel spectra. Overall masking effect was significantly greater for the recorded vowels (air-conducted feedback only) than for the live vowels (both air- and bone-conducted feedback) at equal loudness. Recorded vowels tended to have greater masking effect in the higher frequencies, while live vowels tended to have greater effect in the lower frequencies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23264502,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Azospirillum humicireducens sp. nov., a nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from a microbial fuel cell.\nA Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, motile, spiral, straight-to-slightly curved rod-shaped and nitrogen-fixing strain, designated SgZ-5(T), was isolated from a microbial fuel cell (MFC) and was characterized by means of a polyphasic approach. Growth occurred with 0-1 % (w\/v) NaCl (optimum 1 %) and at pH 5.5-8.5 (optimum pH 7.2) and at 25-37 \u00b0C (optimum 30 \u00b0C) in nutrient broth (NB). The strain had the ability to grow under anaerobic conditions via the oxidation of various organic compounds coupled to the reduction of anthraquione-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS). Chemotaxonomic characteristics (main ubiquinone Q-10, major fatty acid C18 : 1\u03c97c\/C18 : 1\u03c96c and DNA G+C content 67.7 mol%) were similar to those of members of the genus Azospirillum. According to the results of phylogenetic analyses, strain SgZ-5(T) belonged to the genus Azospirillum within the family Rhodospirillaceae of the class Alphaproteobacteria, and was related most closely to the type strains of Azospirillum lipoferum, Azospirillum thiophilum and Azospirillum oryzae (98.0, 97.6 and 97.1 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, respectively). DNA-DNA pairing studies showed that the unidentified organism displayed reassociation values of 36.7 \u00b1 3.7, 24.1 \u00b1 2.2 and 22.3 \u00b1 2.4 % to the type strains of A. lipoferum, A. thiophilum and A. oryzae, respectively. Similarities between nifH gene sequences of strain SgZ-5(T) and members of the genus Azospirillum ranged from 94.0 to 97.0 %. A combination of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genotypic data clearly indicated that strain SgZ-5(T) represents a novel species, for which the name Azospirillum humicireducens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SgZ-5(T) ( = CCTCC AB 2012021(T) = KACC 16605(T)).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15715215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A comparison of the intestinal helminth communities of Equidae in Southern Africa.\nThe intestinal helminth communities of 8 horses, 12 donkeys, 21 Hartmann's mountain zebras, and 44 Burchell's zebras were compared using the original data from 6 studies in South Africa and Namibia. Necropsy and worm recovery techniques were comparable between the studies. Sixty helminth species (58 nematode, 1 cestode, and 1 trematode species) were recorded. There were significant differences in the helminth community structures of the 4 Equus species. The helminth communities of the 2 closely related zebra subspecies were most similar, and they jointly shared 7 helminth species with donkeys and only 1 with horses. Geographic variation and host-mixing contributed to the helminth species composition. Multiple confamilial species infections were the norm in the donkeys and zebra subspecies, and no single-species infection was recorded for the Strongylidae. Congeneric species were commonly recorded in 3 genera (Cyathostomum, Cylicocyclus, and Cylicostephanus). The shape of the occupancy frequency distributions for the donkeys and zebra subspecies was multimodal, with no clear satellite or core modes. Despite the presence of environmental variability and comparatively low parasite-host specificity, the phylogenetic signal within Equus helminth communities remains strong.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8061364,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hyperlipidemia in long-term survivors of pediatric renal transplantation.\nThe prevalence of hyperlipidemia in adolescents and young adults who are long-term survivors of pediatric renal transplantation with stable graft function has not previously been examined. We studied 33 renal transplant recipients aged 5 to 23 years, who were an average of 7.4 years (range 3 to 11 years) post-transplant. We found hypercholesterolemia in 17 (total cholesterol (TC) > 5.18 mmol\/l). Both low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were increased, such that the mean TC\/HDL-C and apolipoprotein B\/apolipoprotein A1 (Apo B\/Apo A1) ratios were below levels associated with increased coronary artery disease risk. Subjects with hypercholesterolemia did not differ from those with normal cholesterol values in current age or age at transplant, serum creatinine, serum albumin, serum triglycerides, HDL-C, TC\/HDL-C ratio, Apo B\/Apo A1 ratio, prednisone dose, body mass index, gender, use of thiazides or beta blockers, or family history of premature atherosclerosis. Coronary risk factors appear to cluster in these patients, with hypertension in 53% of those with hypercholesterolemia. Lipid profiles were not different in patients treated with prednisone-azathioprine vs. prednisone-azathioprine-cyclosporine A immunosuppression. A significant correlation was found between prednisone dose (mg\/m2) and TC, LDL-C and TC\/HDL-C. According to National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines, 32% of these long-term survivors of pediatric renal transplantation warrant at least dietary intervention and 10% are candidates for treatment with lipid-lowering drugs. This proportion is likely to increase as the safety of lipid-lowering agents is established in younger children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":623290,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Erythritol and mannitol clearances with taurocholate and secretin-induced cholereses.\nThe biliary clearances of [14C]erythritol (Cery) and [3H]mannitol (Cmann) were measured simultaneously in dogs during cholereses induced by sodium taurocholate and by secretin. Cery increased equally with the increase in bile flow induced by taurocholate, whereas mannitol entry into bile was partially restricted; deltaCery\/deltabile flow averaged 0.96; deltaCmann\/deltaCery averaged 0.81. Values for erythritol clearance exceeded bile flow by a constant volume over a wide range of bile flows, a result that suggests distal reabsorption of a fixed amount of fluid, independent of canalicular bile production. During secretin-induced choleresis both Cery and Cmann accompanied 30-40% of the increase in bile flow, and the ratio of Cmann\/Cery was 1.02. Thus the secretin-responsive region is permeable to both erythritol and mannitol. This affects the extent to which measured erythritol clearance accurately reflects canalicular bile formation; Cery may underestimate or overestimate canalicular bile flow. The electrolyte composition of bile remained relatively constant over a broad range of bile flows although the characteristics of taurocholate- and secretin-induced biles differed from each other. Taurocholate-stimulated bile was virtually isotonic. Secretin-induced bile had a high total concentration of electrolyte (mean concentration 367 meq\/liter) rich in chloride and bicarbonate and was hypertonic.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33067522,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Development of a prognostic model for mortality in COVID-19 infection using machine learning.\nCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel disease resulting from infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which has quickly risen since the beginning of 2020 to become a global pandemic. As a result of the rapid growth of COVID-19, hospitals are tasked with managing an increasing volume of these cases with neither a known effective therapy, an existing vaccine, nor well-established guidelines for clinical management. The need for actionable knowledge amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is dire and yet, given the urgency of this illness and the speed with which the healthcare workforce must devise useful policies for its management, there is insufficient time to await the conclusions of detailed, controlled, prospective clinical research. Thus, we present a retrospective study evaluating laboratory data and mortality from patients with positive RT-PCR assay results for SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this study is to identify prognostic serum biomarkers in patients at greatest risk of mortality. To this end, we develop a machine learning model using five serum chemistry laboratory parameters (c-reactive protein, blood urea nitrogen, serum calcium, serum albumin, and lactic acid) from 398 patients (43 expired and 355 non-expired) for the prediction of death up to 48 h prior to patient expiration. The resulting support vector machine model achieved 91% sensitivity and 91% specificity (AUC 0.93) for predicting patient expiration status on held-out testing data. Finally, we examine the impact of each feature and feature combination in light of different model predictions, highlighting important patterns of laboratory values that impact outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17789483,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Wing movements of calling katydids: fiddling finesse.\nStridulating Uhler's katydids produce the most complex song known for insects. Series of four types of sounds are made in stereotyped sequence. Sound-synchronized high-speed photography reveals that each type of sound is produced by a distinctively different wing-movement cycle. The most complex of these cycles includes a two-step closure and a nearly silent close-open movement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35117052,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Skeletal muscle metastasis from squamous cell lung cancer was first found by ultrasound: a case report.\nSkeletal muscle metastasis (SMM) is rare and very difficult to diagnosis using routine ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially in patients without a definitive tumor history. In this report, we describe a 64-year-old man who came to hospital because of pain from a touchable mass at his left thigh. Ultrasonography showed a substantive hypoechoic mass within the left adductor longus muscle with an anechoic area, which was ill-defined and rich in blood supply on color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI). The mass was biopsied under ultrasound guidance. The pathological findings displayed an infiltration of moderately differentiated squamous cell lung cancer (SCLC) and nests of atypical cells. Thoracic plain CT images displayed thickening of the bronchus wall of the right inferior lobe, with obstructive pneumonia and atelectasis at the distal bronchus. The final main diagnosis for this patient was central bronchogenic carcinoma, with intramuscular metastasis of the left adductor longus muscle, and the TNM classification was T2N0M1. Although the incidence of IM originating from SCLC is very rare, patients with an occasional found mass in soft tissue should be examined to exclude SMM, and ultrasound-guided percutaneous biopsy can provide vital information regarding indeterminate soft tissue masses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26055182,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Aging of Stem and Progenitor Cells: Mechanisms, Impact on Therapeutic Potential, and Rejuvenation.\nIt was once suggested that adult or tissue-specific stem cells may be immortal; however, several recently published data suggest that their efficacy is limited by natural aging in common with most other somatic cell types. Decreased activity of stem cells in old age raises questions as to whether the age of the donor should be considered during stem cell transplantation and at what age the donor stem cells should be harvested to ensure the largest possible number of viable, functional, and non-altered stem cells. Although stem cells remain active into old age, changes in stem cells and their microenvironments inhibit their regenerative potential. The impact of aging on stem cell populations differs between tissues and depends on a number intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including systemic changes associated with immune system alterations. In this review, we describe key mechanisms of stem and progenitor cell aging and techniques that are currently used to identify signs of stem cells aging. Furthermore, we focus on the impact of aging on the capacity for proliferation, differentiation, and clinical use of stem cells. Finally, we detail the aging of embryonic, mesenchymal, and induced pluripotent stem cells, with particular emphasis on aging mechanisms and rejuvenation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16853592,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dynamics within the exciton fine structure of colloidal CdSe quantum dots.\nEvidence for an interaction between the quantum dot exciton fine structure states F = +\/-1 is obtained by measuring the dynamics of transitions among those states, exciton spin relaxation or flipping. An ultrafast transient grating experiment based on a crossed-linear polarization grating is reported. By using the quantum dot selection rules for absorption of circularly polarized light, it is demonstrated that it is possible to detect transitions between nominally degenerate fine structure states, even in a rotationally isotropic system. The results for colloidal CdSe quantum dots reveal a strong size dependence for the exciton spin relaxation rate from one bright exciton state (F = +\/-1) to the other in CdSe colloidal quantum dots at 293 K, on a time scale ranging from femtoseconds to picoseconds, depending on the quantum dot size. The results are consistent with an interaction between those states attributed to a long-range contribution to the electron-hole exchange interaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28692072,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Psychotherapy and psychological time: a case study.\nThe present study is a comparative case study as part of research on the psychotherapeutic process. This research describes the perception of subjective time in two psychotherapeutic processes, one successful and one unsuccessful. We studied two psychotherapeutic processes of cognitive orientation, which were video recorded and fully transcribed in each session. First a qualitative analysis was applied for quality coding (Top-down) was performed to identify category types of subjective time, depending on psychological well-being. These were categorized as past, present, and future; each one in positive and negative forms. Secondly, two quantitative statistical analyses were applied: one of content analysis, which allowed us to observe the frequencies for the six categories, and another, a cumulative frequency analysis, which allowed us to identify a differential pattern in the analyzed cases. These data showed different temporal profiles for both cases, differentiated by categories. This finding that would allow us to track the process of subjectivity in terms of specific components associated with psychotherapy success. We present a mixed method, a qualitative for initial coding of patient speaking turns and a quantitative methodology such as the cumulative frequency analysis in time in a therapeutic context. Those changes are progressive and must be observed as a continuous and dynamic evolution to allow for an interpretation in a naturalistic context.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7580273,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Medical management of Graves' ophthalmopathy.\nIn most patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism the eye signs are self-limiting and mostly subclinical. However, about one-third of the patients have clinically relevant ophthalmopathy, which can be disabling and disfiguring. The mechanical causes of the symptoms and signs of the eye disease are largely understood, but the best way to manage the ophthalmopathy is still a matter of much debate. Adequate treatment of hyperthyroidism can aleviate the eye symptoms to some extent, but it is less clear which kind of antithyroid treatment is to be preferred in patients with ophthalmopathy. There is particular controversy about the possibly deleterious effect of radioiodine therapy on the ophthalmopathy; in view of the present evidence it seems prudent to refrain from using 131I and to prefer antithyroid drugs in patients with clinical ophthalmopathy. Further medical management can include immunosuppressive treatment (such as corticosteroids) that results in improvement in roughly two-thirds of the patients. Orbital irradiation appears to be the first choice for treatment in moderately severe ophthalmopathy because it is equally effective and much better tolerated than classical corticosteroid treatment. However, to really improve the efficacy of such interventions we should be able to select those patients that are likely to respond to immunomodulatory therapy. Disease activity is probably the prime determinant of response and it is a challenge for the future to develop reliable parameters of disease activity on the basis of which patients can be selected for further medical treatment, or can be subjected to rehabilitative surgery without prior immunosuppression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28401525,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"New World Tryptamine Hallucinogens and the Neuroscience of Ayahuasca.\nNew World indigenous peoples are noted for their sophisticated use of psychedelic plants in shamanic and ethnomedical practices. The use of psychedelic plant preparations among New World tribes is far more prevalent than in the Old World. Yet, although these preparations are botanically diverse, almost all are chemically similar in that their active principles are tryptamine derivatives, either DMT or related constituents. Part 1 of this paper provides an ethnopharmacological overview of the major tryptamine-containing New World hallucinogens. Part 2 focuses on ayahuasca and its effects on the human brain. Using complementary neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques, we have identified brain areas involved in the cognitive effects induced by this complex botanical preparation. Initial SPECT data showed that ayahuasca modulated activity in higher order association areas of the brain. Increased blood perfusion was observed mainly in anterior brain regions encompassing the frontomedial and anterior cingulate cortices of the frontal lobes, and in the medial regions of the temporal lobes. On the other hand, applying spectral analysis and source location techniques to cortical electrical signals, we found changes in neuronal activity that predominated in more posterior sensory-selective areas of the brain. Now, using functional connectivity analysis of brain oscillations we have been able to reconcile these seemingly contradictory findings. By measuring transfer entropy, a metric based on information theory, we have shown that ayahuasca temporarily modifies the ordinary flow of information within the brain. We propose a model in which ayahuasca reduces top-down constraints and facilitates bottom-up information transfer. By simultaneously enhancing endogenous cortical excitability and reducing higher-order cognitive control, ayahuasca temporarily disrupts neural hierarchies allowing inner exploration and a new outlook on reality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":589260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Reticulocytopenia and \"absence\" of red cell autoantibodies in immune haemolytic anaemia.\nA raised reticulocyte count is common in patients with immune or autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, and the result of the direct antiglobulin test (DAGT) is usually positive because of IgG or IgG and complement components on the red cells. We report on three patients who had low reticulocyte counts when they were most anaemic, and in whom no red cell autoantibodies could be detected by the DAGT. We postulate that reticulocytes may be selectively destroyed if antibodies are directed against antigenic sites on these young red cells, thus giving rise to a population of cells whose antigenic sites are poorly expressed. This theory might explain the low reticulocyte counts and the \"absence\" of antibodies (as tested by the DAGT) in such patients. Radioisotopic studies with 51Cr and 59Fe may provide useful information on the rate and sites of red cell destruction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31544128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Status of geriatric education and meeting the standards of facilities in dental schools.\nInformation, specific tendencies, and skills are needed to provide oral care for the elderly population, and these skills should be learned in dental schools. The aim of the study was to assess the status of geriatric dentistry education and meeting the standards of facilities in dental schools in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, sampling was done by census method, and all the 18 dental schools with a history of \u22656 years of establishment were selected. A checklist was prepared in two sections, including geriatric dentistry education (existence of specific education module, considered time, specific department, specific faculty members, continuing courses for dentists, relationship with geriatric nursing houses, referral system, and specific clinics) and facilities and was distributed among dental schools. The collected data were input into SPSS (Version 20.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) and analyzed descriptively. After a regular follow-up, 11 dental schools returned the completed checklists. Eight (72%) of them had specific geriatric dentistry education module. Only one (9%) had specific faculty member, continuing educational course, mobile clinic, and regular connection with geriatric nursing houses. None of the dental schools had specific department, specific clinic for delivering care, and a referral system from hospitals to the schools. There were no dental schools with a special transportation system for the elderly and the staff to accompany the patients without attendants. The status of geriatric dental education in Iran seems not adequate. Furthermore, dental schools are not equipped with necessary facilities for delivering care to the elderly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17950554,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic diseases: Follow-up and complications with multi-detector computed tomography angiography.\nEndovascular procedures with placement of stent-graft has become an accepted alternative to traditional open surgery for treatment of descending thoracic aortic aneurysms, ulcers, post-traumatic rupture, or complications of type-B dissection, due to significant reduction in perioperative mortality, rate of complications and length of hospitalization. Moreover, increasing operator experience and continuous advances in stent-graft technology are making treatment of a wider range of cases possible with redefinition of guidelines for endovascular stent-graft. The feasibility of endovascular stent-graft is mainly dependent on anatomic factors which represent the important predictors of the success of this procedure as well as on strictly follow-up in order to obtain early detection and treatment of eventual complications. Multi-detector CT-angiography is a fast, safe, and minimally invasive imaging technique that represents the standard of reference in the follow-up of patients who have undergone endovascular stent-graft, as it is effective and specific in the detection of procedure-correlated complications. The purpose of this article is to give a brief review of those techniques most commonly used for endovascular treatment of thoracic aortic diseases together with a more detailed description of post-procedural complications and their appearance on multi-detector CT-angiography.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10388452,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hal Harrison Ramsey: pioneer Texas dentist of the Big Country.\nSmaller cities and rural communities often have limited information regarding their early health care practioneers. This is even more evident for dentists, especially those on the frontier. The obstacles those dentists overcame while practicing their profession are interesting by today's standards and their historical contributions to the profession and their local communities are worth preserving. Hal Harrison Ramsey was a circuit riding dentist during the settlement days of the West Central region of Texas often referred to as the Big Country by its present day residents. His story begins in the 1880s and covers the evolution of dentistry practiced by preceptor trained individuals to a profession of graduates from accredited dental institutions of the early 20th century. A legacy of dentists and physicians have continued through each generation of the Ramsey family and will do so into the 21st century. Dr. Ramsey's dentistry exemplifies the profession as practiced on the frontier of the late 19th century, and the heritage of contributions to the Big Country by his family are noteworthy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26544771,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Microfluidics for rapid detection of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutation for intraoperative application.\nOBJECT Conventional methods for isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) detection, such as DNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry, are time- and labor-consuming and cannot be applied for intraoperative analysis. To develop a new approach for rapid analysis of IDH1 mutation from tiny tumor samples, this study used microfluidics as a method for IDH1 mutation detection. METHODS Forty-seven glioma tumor samples were used; IDH1 mutation status was investigated by immunohistochemistry and DNA sequencing. The microfluidic device was fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane following standard soft lithography. The immunoanalysis was conducted in the microfluidic chip. Fluorescence images of the on-chip microcolumn taken by the charge-coupled device camera were collected as the analytical results readout. Fluorescence signals were analyzed by NIS-Elements software to gather detailed information about the IDH1 concentration in the tissue samples. RESULTS DNA sequencing identified IDH1 R132H mutation in 33 of 47 tumor samples. The fluorescence signal for IDH1-mutant samples was 5.49 \u00b1 1.87 compared with 3.90 \u00b1 1.33 for wild type (p = 0.005). Thus, microfluidics was capable of distinguishing IDH1-mutant tumor samples from wild-type samples. When the cutoff value was 4.11, the sensitivity of microfluidics was 87.9% and the specificity was 64.3%. CONCLUSIONS This new approach was capable of analyzing IDH1 mutation status of tiny tissue samples within 30 minutes using intraoperative microsampling. This approach might also be applied for rapid pathological diagnosis of diffuse gliomas, thus guiding personalized resection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31835659,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An Approach to Segment and Track-Based Pedestrian Detection from Four-Layer Laser Scanner Data.\nPedestrian detection is a critical perception task for autonomous driving and intelligent vehicle, and it is challenging due to the potential variation of appearance and pose of human beings as well as the partial occlusion. In this paper, we present a novel pedestrian detection method via four-layer laser scanner. The proposed approach deals with the occlusion problem by fusing the segment classification results with past knowledge integration from tracking process. First, raw point cloud is segmented into the clusters of independent objects. Then, three types of features are proposed to capture the comprehensive cues, and 18 effective features are extracted with the combination of the univariate feature selection algorithm and feature correlation analysis process. Next, based on the segment classification at individual frame, the track classification is conducted further for consecutive frames using particle filter and probability data association filter. Experimental results demonstrate that both back-propagation neural network and Adaboost classifiers based on 18 selected features have their own advantages at the segment classification stage in terms of pedestrian detection performance and computation time, and the track classification procedure can improve the detection performance particularly for partially occluded pedestrians in comparison with the single segment classification procedure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22059169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"'Short' double-balloon enteroscope endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in patients with a surgically altered upper gastrointestinal tract.\nEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) remains a challenge for endoscopists in patients with surgically altered anatomy of the upper gastrointestinal tract. Double-balloon enteroscopes (DBEs) have revolutionized the ability to access the small bowel. The indication for its therapeutic use is expanding to include ERCP for patients who have undergone small bowel reconstruction. Most of the published experiences in DBE-assisted ERCP have used conventional double-balloon enteroscopes that are 200 cm in length, which do not permit use of the standard ERCP accessories. The authors report their experience with DBE-assisted ERCP using a 'short' DBE in patients with surgically altered anatomy. A retrospective review of patients with previous small bowel reconstruction who underwent ERCP with a 'short' DBE at the Centre for Therapeutic Endoscopy and Endoscopic Oncology (Toronto, Ontario) between February 2007 and November 2008 was performed. A total of 20 patients (10 men) with a mean age of 57.9 years (range 26 to 85 years) underwent 29 sessions of ERCP with a DBE. Six patients underwent Billroth II gastroenterostomy, seven patients Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy, five patients Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy, one patient Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy and one patient a Whipple's operation with choledochojejunostomy. Some patients (n=12 [60%]) underwent previous attempts at ERCP in which the papilla of Vater or bilioenteric anastomosis could not be reached with either a duodenoscope or pediatric colonoscope. All procedures were performed with a commercially available DBE (working length 152 cm, distal end diameter 9.4 mm, channel diameter 2.8 mm). The procedures were performed under conscious sedation with intravenous midazolam, fentanyl and diazepam, except in one patient in whom general anesthesia was administered. Either the papilla of Vater or bilioenteric anastomosis was reached in 25 of 29 cases (86.2%) in a mean duration of 20.8 min (range 5 min to 82 min). Bile duct cannulation was successful in 24 of 25 cases in which the papilla or bilioenteric anastomosis was reached. Therapeutic interventions were successful in 15 patients (24 procedures) including sphincterotomy (n=7), stone extraction (n=9), biliary dilation (n=8), stent placement (n=9) and stent removal (n=8). The mean total duration of the procedures was 70.7 min (range 30 min to 117 min). There were no procedure-related complications. DBEs enable successful diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP in patients with a surgically altered anatomy of the upper gastrointestinal tract. It is a safe, feasible and less invasive therapeutic option in this group of patients. Standard 'long' DBEs have limitations of long working length and the need for modified ERCP accessories. 'Short' DBEs are equally as effective in reaching the target limb as standard 'long' DBEs, and overcomes some limitations of long DBEs to result in high success rates for endoscopic therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2322155,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Development of keratoconus after contact lens wear. Patient characteristics.\nA retrospective review of 398 eyes of 199 patients with keratoconus revealed 106 eyes of 53 patients with an association between contact lens wear and the development of keratoconus. The absence of keratoconus at the time of contact lens fitting was confirmed by slit-lamp examination, keratometry readings, and manifest refraction. Keratoconus was diagnosed after a mean of 12.2 years of contact lens wear. This group was compared with patients with sporadic keratoconus with either no history of contact lens wear or a history of contact lens wear after the diagnosis. They were older at the time of diagnosis, had central vs decentered cones, and had a tendency toward flatter corneal curvatures. We believe that these patients suggest that long-term contact lens wear is a factor that can lead to keratoconus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36482693,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Improvement in Heart Failure Self-Care and Patient Readmissions with Caregiver Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial.\nCaregivers support heart failure (HF) self-care with little HF education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a caregiver-only educational intervention aimed at improving caregiver self-efficacy, perceived control, and HF knowledge, as well as patient self-care and 30-day cardiac readmission. In total, 37 patients and their caregivers were randomly assigned to a control condition or a caregiver-only educational intervention with telephone follow-up. Outcomes included patient 30-day cardiac readmission, patient self-care, caregiver self-efficacy, caregiver perceived control, and caregiver HF knowledge. Linear mixed model, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression analyses were used to determine the effects of the intervention on outcomes. Self-care maintenance (p = 0.002), self-care management (p = 0.005), 30-day cardiac readmission (p = 0.003), and caregiver perceived control (p < 0.001) were significantly better in the intervention group. The results suggest that interventions targeting caregiver HF education could be effective in improving HF patients' 30-day cardiac readmissions, patient self-care, and caregiver perceived control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19593958,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Paroxysmal bidirectional ventricular tachycardia with tachycardiomyopathy in a pregnant woman.\nPalpitations in pregnancy are not an uncommon complaint. We present a case of palpitations in the third trimester related to bidirectional ventricular tachycardia with evidence, of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The case was successfully managed with flecainide therapy and urgent elective caesarean section. The rhythm stabilised to sinus rhythm and left ventricular systolic function normalised. We discuss the possible underlying diagnosis of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia with resultant tachycardiomyopathy. A literature review of bidirectional ventricular tachycardia is presented. This is the first reported case of bidirectional VT producing LV systolic dysfunction, which normalised following stabilisation of rhythm. The complex issues of management of this case in particular with regard to the pregnancy are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25415323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Association of residual plasma viremia and intima-media thickness in antiretroviral-treated patients with controlled human immunodeficiency virus infection.\nWhile residual plasma viremia is commonly observed in HIV-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral treatment (ART), little is known about its subclinical consequences. This cross-sectional study included 47 male, never-smoking, non-diabetic patients with \u22654 years of ART and controlled HIV-replication (HIV-viral load, VL <20 copies\/mL for \u22651 year). Residual HIV-VL was measured using an ultrasensitive assay (quantification limit: 1 copy\/ml). Patients were categorized as having detectable (D; 1-20 copies\/mL, n = 14) or undetectable (UD; <1 copies\/mL, n = 33) HIV-VL. Linear regression was used to model the difference in total carotid intima-media thickness [c-IMT, measures averaged across common carotid artery (cca), bifurcation, and internal carotid artery] and cca-IMT alone across detection groups. Multivariable models were constructed for each endpoint in a forward-stepwise approach. No significant differences were observed between viremia groups with respect to median ART-duration (9.6 years, IQR = 6.8-10.9), nadir CD4+T-cell (208\/mm3, IQR = 143-378), and CD4+T-cell count (555\/mm3, IQR = 458-707). Median adjusted inflammatory markers tended to be higher in patients with D- than UD-viremia, with differences in IL-10 being significant (p = 0.03). After adjustment on age, systolic blood pressure, and insulin resistance, mean cca-IMT was significantly lower in patients with undetectable (0.668 mm\u00b10.010) versus detectable viremia (0.727 mm\u00b10.015, p = 0.002). Cca-IMT was also independently associated with age and insulin resistance. Mean adjusted total c-IMT was no different between viremia groups (p = 0.2), however there was large variability in bifurcation c-IMT measurements. Higher cca-IMT was observed in patients with detectable, compared to undetectable, HIV-VL in never-smoking ART-controlled patients, suggesting that residual HIV viremia may be linked to atherosclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30079285,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion Complicated by Fungal Osteomyelitis: Case Report and Quick Review of the Literature.\nThe authors describe a 67-year-old man with a prior history of alcohol abuse who presented with a complaint of worsening low back pain. Four months prior to his presentation, the patient had undergone extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) of his lumbar 3-4 segment for the treatment of his chronic low back and legs pain. Imaging revealed a loosening of his interbody fusion implant on top of his prior lumbar spine instrumentation. In surgery, the removal of his loose implant was followed by decompression, the stabilization of the collapsed segment, and the implant of antibiotic-impregnated polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) spacer and beads. At a later stage, the patient underwent an interbody fusion of the affected segment as well as a segmental fusion from T10 to his pelvis. Whereas all aerobes and anaerobes stains were negative for organisms, multiple fungal smears from the failed segment were positive for yeast, and the patient was placed on oral fluconazole. Infections complicating the surgical site of interbody fusions performed by minimally invasive techniques are rare. To the best of our knowledge and after reviewing the literature, this is the first report of an extreme lateral interbody fusion implant complicated by fungal osteomyelitis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24478206,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Photorhabdus heterorhabditis sp. nov., a symbiont of the entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis zealandica.\nThe bacterial symbionts SF41T and SF783 were isolated from populations of the insect pathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis zealandica collected in South Africa. Both strains were closely related to strain Q614 isolated from a population of Heterorhabditis sp. collected from soil in Australia in the 1980s. Sequence analysis based on a multigene approach, DNA-DNA hybridization data and phenotypic traits showed that strains SF41T, SF783 and Q614 belong to the same species of the genus Photorhabdus with Photorhabdus temperata subsp. cinerea as the most closely related taxon (DNA-DNA hybridization value of 68%). Moreover, the phylogenetic position of Photorhabdus temperata subsp. cinerea DSM 19724T initially determined using the gyrB sequences, was reconsidered in the light of the data obtained by our multigene approach and DNA-DNA hybridization experiments. Strains SF41T, SF783 and Q614 represent a novel species of the genus Photorhabdus, for which the name Photorhabdus heterorhabditis sp. nov. is proposed (type strain SF41T=ATCC BAA-2479T=DSM 25263T).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7750665,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Glucagon-like peptide-1 and glucose-dependent insulin-releasing polypeptide plasma levels in response to nutrients.\nThe nutrient-dependent glucagon-like peptide-1 (7-36) amide (GLP-1) release was studied in comparison to the glucose-dependent insulin-releasing polypeptide (GIP) response in 10 healthy volunteers each undergoing various protocols. Plasma samples were saved up to 120 min after challenges by oral, intravenous or intraduodenal administration of nutrients. Basal plasma-GLP-1 concentrations ranged between 0.4 and 1.4 pM, maximal postprandial GLP-1 levels peaked between 10 and 12 pM. Intravenous glucose (25 g i.v.) did not change basal GLP-1 levels. Oral administration of glucose (50 g) induced a biphasic GLP-1 release peaking at 30-60 min and a biphasic GIP release peaking at 5 and 45 min. This increase paralleled the secretion of insulin. Oral galactose (100 g) and amino acids (25 g) also induced a rapid plasma GLP-1 response. After fat (67 g corn oil) a strong and long-lasting (> 120 min) increase of GLP-1 plasma levels occurred. When a mixed liquid meal was given (6 g soybean oil, 5 g casein, 13 g glucose) immunoreactive (IR)-GLP-1 rapidly increased and peaked after 5 min with declining levels after 30 min. In response to an intraduodenal infusion of a small glucose load (5.34 g within 120 min) a rapid, short-lasting GLP-1 response occurred whereas plasma GIP and insulin levels remained unaltered. Luminal perfusion of an isolated vascularly perfused rat ileum with a polydiet induced a rapid rise of portally released IR-GLP-1 which was followed by a sustained release. Glucose evoked sodium-dependently a sharp increase of IR-GLP-1 levels followed by a plateau release. The intraluminal infusion of a mixture of amino acids or fat was without any effect on IR-GLP-1. We hypothesize that in contrast to GIP the GLP-1 release from L cells is triggered by nervous reflexes, by putative humoral factor(s) being released from the upper small intestine in addition to nutrient stimuli acting at the luminal surface of the gut.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7775841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Women's health. Part II: Individual, environmental and economic factors affecting adherence to recommended screening practices for breast cancer.\nIn order for cancer mortality rates to be sufficiently reduced to meet the goals set by the National Cancer Institute, it is imperative that we broaden our understanding of the factors which affect participation in preventive health practices. Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer are associated with participation in mammography, breast self-examination, and seeking medical care. A stratified random sample of women residing in Orleans Parish (40 to 65 years of age; annual family incomes < $40,000) were surveyed by telephone. Results of the survey were examined to determine the impact of individual, environmental, and economic factors on adherence to recommended screening practices for breast cancer. Results indicate a significant proportion of women are not adhering to recommended practices. Preventive health practices were positively related to physician recommendation of a mammogram and how the physician communicated with the patient; patient's income; belief in Powerful Others Locus of Control; and beliefs about the efficacy of early diagnosis and treatment. Fear of breast cancer was negatively related to preventive health practices. Findings highlight the utility of an ecological perspective in the development of secondary prevention strategies for breast cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9659260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma associated with gynaecomastia.\nTo evaluate the prevalence of pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma in gynaecomastia and its immunohistochemical profile in this setting. Eighty eight cases of gynaecomastia recovered from the files of the department of pathology, Botucatu School of Medicine from 1976 to 1996 were studied. In the cases associated with pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma, immunoreactivity for cytokeratins (CAM 5.2), vimentin, CD34, factor VIII related antigen, and the oestrogen and progesterone receptors were studied. Pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma was found in 21 of 88 cases of gynaecomastia (23.8%). In all cases, the cells lining the spaces were positive for vimentin, whereas CAM 5.2 and factor VIII related antigen were consistently negative. Nineteen of the 21 cases showed immunoreactivity for CD34. Ductal epithelial cells were positive for both the oestrogen receptor and the progesterone receptor, whereas stromal cells were negative. Pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma was present in approximately one quarter of the cases of gynaecomastia. This immunohistochemical study confirms the mesenchymal origin of the stromal cells that line the pseudovascular spaces, as has been found in female cases of pseudoangiomatous hyperplasia of mammary stroma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19871002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"THE ACTION OF RENIN ON RABBITS WITH RENAL HYPERTENSION.\nOur results lead us to believe that renin in the form in which it is extracted from the kidney cannot be the agent causing chronic renal hypertension. The reasons against accepting renin as the pressor substance responsible for the hypertension of renal ischemia may be summed up as follows:- 1. The high blood pressure levels of renal ischemia cannot be approximated by any constant injection of renin that will maintain a sustained increase in normal animals. 2. The ratio of size of response to size of dose becomes progressively less as the amount of the dose is increased. If the hypertension of renal ischemia were due to a large elaboration of renin in the body, a small dose injected would be expected to have much less effect than in a normal individual. This is not the case; the response of the hypertensive animal to a given dose of renin is the same. Also animals with increased blood pressure due to a constant infusion of renin respond differently qualitatively and quantitatively to renin than do animals hypertensive from renal ischemia. 3. Since renin exhibits the phenomenon of tachyphylaxis one cannot explain the sustained hypertension of renal ischemia as due to a substance toward which the body becomes refractory as more and more of it is given. If tolerance results from the presence in the renin preparation of an antagonistic contaminant which persists longer in the body than the pressor agent, renal hypertension is definitely not caused by renin. This follows from our observations that rabbits hypertensive from renal ischemia, and in which tolerance is produced, maintain the blood pressure they had before injection of any renin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7785207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Differential diagnosis of benign spinal neoplasms].\nThe authors analyze problems arising in differential diagnosis of benign spinal tumors not adequately described in available literature. The most characteristic x-ray symptoms of rare spinal tumors are presented. Methods of radiologic investigation such as polipositional roentgenography, tomography, roentgenography with direct image amplification are described in detail. A total of 102 observations of benign spinal tumors are analyzed: osteoblaclastomas responsible for 14.7% of osteoblastoclastomas, angiomas responsible for 66.7% of cases, osteochondroma occurring in 6.7% of cases, chordomas and osteoid ostema occurring in 10.7 and 1.0% of cases, respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28957890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Comparison of Airway Measurements for Tracheobronchial Stenosis Between Stereoscopic Bronchoscope and MD-CT.\nStereoscopic bronchoscopy is a new diagnostic tool to measure the diameter and cross-sectional area of the airway. The stereoscopic bronchoscope, which operates the same as a standard bronchoscope, utilizes 2 lenses to measure the airway using the principles of triangulation. Furthermore, the stereoscopic bronchoscope has the capability to measure the size of the airway during intervention in real-time, including variable stenosis. To prospectively compare preoperative stereoscopic and multidetector computed tomography (MD-CT) images to select the appropriate stent size for airway stenosis. Stereoscopic and MD-CT images were then measured to confirm the correct placement of the stent. Airway stenting was performed on 21 consecutive patients of whom, 15 were diagnosed with malignant and 6 with benign diseases. In total, 165 measurements were taken (134 healthy; 31 affected). For the diameter, Bland-Altman plots were used to measure data from 165 matched stereoscopic and MD-CT measurement sites (bias, 0.40\u00b12.86 mm SD; percentage error, 33%), 134 healthy sites (bias, 0.554\u00b12.83 mm SD; percentage error, 34%), and 31 affected sites (bias, 1.20\u00b12.67 mm SD; percentage error, 52%). For the cross-sectional area, matched stereoscopic and MD-CT measurements were analyzed for 65 sites (bias, -10.53\u00b192.85 mm SD; percentage error, 89%), 49 healthy sites (bias, -9.88\u00b139.00 mm SD; percentage error, 32%), and 16 affected sites (bias, -13.12\u00b148.81 mm SD; percentage error, 92%). Stereoscopic bronchoscopy was able to accurately measure the size of the airway during intervention, to assist in selecting the appropriate size of the stent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31834337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Synthesis of ternary metal oxides as positive electrodes for Mg-Li hybrid ion batteries.\nRechargeable magnesium-ion batteries (MIBs) have emerged as promising energy storage systems owing to their highly stable magnesiation and de-magnesiation processes and high theoretical energy density. However, MIB technology is restricted by sluggish Mg2+ ion transportation inside the host cathode due to large impedance. Herein, a rechargeable Mg-Li hybrid ion battery (MLIB) is presented to achieve fast Mg2+ ion stripping\/plating at a magnesium anode and Li+ ion intercalation\/de-intercalation in a ternary transition metal oxide cathode. The (NiMnCo)3O4 multi-shelled hollow spheres prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method followed by thermal treatment were employed as a positive electrode in a Mg-Li hybrid ion battery, with a magnesium metal anode and all-phenyl-complex based dual ion electrolytes. The resulting prototype MLIB delivered a reversible capacity of 550 mA h g-1 at a current density of 50 mA g-1, which is significantly higher compared with reported MLIBs. Furthermore, the prototype MLIB exhibited an affordable specific energy (368 W h kg-1) and cycle life (a capacity of 277 mA h g-1 was retained even after 100 cycles at 100 mA g-1). The significant improvement in the electrochemical performance of the MLIB is achieved via rational design of the (NiMnCo)3O4 cathode with a reduced Li+ ion diffusion length and stable deposition\/dissolution of Mg at the anode without the occurrence of side reactions. Furthermore, ex situ XRD, SEM, ICP and EIS techniques were used to understand the reaction kinetics of guest ions inside the (NiMnCo)3O4 hollow sphere cathode.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18664949,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Financing the response to AIDS: some fiscal and macroeconomic considerations.\nThis article examines the international response to AIDS from a fiscal perspective: first the financing of the international response to AIDS, especially the role of external financing, and second, a more comprehensive perspective on the costs of the national response to AIDS relevant for fiscal policy. The second half of the article focuses on the effectiveness of the response to AIDS. We find that there is little basis for concerns about macroeconomic constraints to scaling up, in light of the moderate scale of AIDS-related aid flows relative to overall aid. Regarding sectoral constraints, the picture is more differentiated. Many countries with high prevalence rates have also achieved high rates of access to treatment, but most of these are middle-income countries. Our econometric analysis credits external aid as a key factor that has enabled higher-prevalence countries to cope with the additional demands for health services. At the same time, gross domestic product per capita and health sector capacities are important determinants of access to treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8555342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intestinal mucosal injury during porcine faecal peritonitis.\nTo assess the incidence of intestinal mucosal injury during faecal peritonitis in pigs, the relation of such lesions to haemodynamic variables, intramucosal pH (pHi), and endothelial adherence of polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs). Experimental laboratory study. University department of surgery, Sweden. 57 Juvenile pigs. Pigs had faecal peritonitis induced (n = 39) or a sham procedure (n = 18). In addition, 15 animals were pretreated with the monoclonal CD18 receptor antibody IB4 before induction of peritonitis with the aim of preventing tissue accumulation of PMNs. Development of mucosal lesions and correlation with haemodynamic variables. 17\/18 (94%) of control animals had normal mucosa. The incidence of mucosal lesions in animals with faecal peritonitis was 56%. Animals with severe mucosal injury (grade 4-5) had significantly lower mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, and pHi during the last hour of the experiment compared with animals without mucosal lesions. Pretreatment with IB4 did not prevent the development of intestinal mucosal injuries. Intramucosal pH decreased during sepsis and was not affected by IB4. Severe intestinal mucosal injury is associated with arterial hypotension, low cardiac index, and low pH. Neither the mucosal injury nor the reduction in pHi seen during porcine faecal peritonitis seemed to be leucocyte-related phenomena.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12520555,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-06":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Non-inferiority trials: design concepts and issues - the encounters of academic consultants in statistics.\nPlacebo-controlled trials are the ideal for evaluating medical treatment efficacy. They allow for control of the placebo effect and are most efficient, requiring the smallest numbers of patients to detect a treatment effect. A placebo control is ethically justified if no standard treatment exists, if the standard treatment has not been proven efficacious, there are no risks associated with delaying treatment or escape clauses are included in the protocol. Where possible and justified, they should be the first choice for medical treatment evaluation. Given the large number of proven effective treatments, placebo-controlled trials are often unethical. In these situations active-controlled trials are generally appropriate. The non-inferiority trial is appropriate for evaluation of the efficacy of an experimental treatment versus an active control when it is hypothesized that the experimental treatment may not be superior to a proven effective treatment, but is clinically and statistically not inferior in effectiveness. These trials are not easy to design. An active control must be selected. Good historical placebo-controlled trials documenting the efficacy of the active control must exist. From these historical trials statistical analysis must be performed and clinical judgement applied in order to determine the non-inferiority margin M and to assess assay sensitivity. The latter refers to establishing that the active drug would be superior to the placebo in the setting of the present non-inferiority trial (that is, the constancy assumption). Further, a putative placebo analysis of the new treatment versus the placebo using data from the non-inferiority trial and the historical active versus placebo-controlled trials is needed. Useable placebo-controlled historical trials for the active control are often not available, and determination of assay sensitivity and an appropriate M is difficult and debatable. Serious consideration to expansions of and alternatives to non-inferiority trials are needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23701192,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) as a promising new imaging target: potential clinical applications.\nUrokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) has been shown to be of special importance during cancer invasion and metastasis. However, currently, tissue samples are needed for measurement of uPAR expression limiting the potential as a clinical routine. Therefore, non-invasive methods are needed. In line with this, uPAR has recently been identified as a very promising imaging target candidate. uPAR consists of three domains attached to the cell membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor and binds it natural ligand uPA with high affinity to localize plasminogen activation at the cell surface. Due to the importance of uPAR in cancer invasion and metastasis, a number of high-affinity ligands have been identified during the last decades. These ligands have recently been used as starting point for the development of a number of ligands for imaging of uPAR using various imaging modalities such as optical imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) and positron emission topography (PET). In this review, we will discuss recent advances in the development of uPAR-targeted imaging ligands according to imaging modality. In addition, we will discuss the potential future clinical application for uPAR imaging as a new imaging biomarker.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31217692,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"New Mechanisms of DNA Repair Defects in Fused in Sarcoma-Associated Neurodegeneration: Stage Set for DNA Repair-Based Therapeutics?\nGenome damage and defective DNA repair are etiologically linked to several neurodegenerative disorders, including fused in sarcoma (FUS)-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the underlying mechanisms remain enigmatic, which is a roadblock for exploiting genome repair-targeted therapies. Our recent studies identified defects in DNA nick ligation and oxidative damage repair caused by mutations in the RNA\/DNA-binding protein FUS in familial ALS patients. In healthy neurons, FUS protects the genome by facilitating PARP1-dependent recruitment of XRCC1\/DNA Ligase III\u03b1 (LigIII) to oxidized genome sites and activating LigIII via direct interaction. This is a critical step in the repair of oxidative genome damage, a foremost challenge for postmitotic neurons due to their high oxygen consumption. We discovered that mutant FUS significantly inhibited the recruitment of XRCC1\/LigIII to DNA strand breaks, causing defects in DNA ligation during the repair of oxidative DNA damage, which contributed to neurodegeneration. While the FUS loss of function was responsible for the repair defects, increased oxidative genome damage due to mutant FUS aggregation could exacerbate the phenomenon. We highlight how these new molecular insights into previously undescribed DNA repair defect linked to FUS-associated neurodegeneration could provide an important opportunity for exploring DNA repair-based therapeutic avenues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34065312,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Granular Data Access Control with a Patient-Centric Policy Update for Healthcare.\nHealthcare is a multi-actor environment that requires independent actors to have a different view of the same data, hence leading to different access rights. Ciphertext Policy-Attribute-based Encryption (CP-ABE) provides a one-to-many access control mechanism by defining an attribute's policy over ciphertext. Although, all users satisfying the policy are given access to the same data, this limits its usage in the provision of hierarchical access control and in situations where different users\/actors need to have granular access of the data. Moreover, most of the existing CP-ABE schemes either provide static access control or in certain cases the policy update is computationally intensive involving all non-revoked users to actively participate. Aiming to tackle both the challenges, this paper proposes a patient-centric multi message CP-ABE scheme with efficient policy update. Firstly, a general overview of the system architecture implementing the proposed access control mechanism is presented. Thereafter, for enforcing access control a concrete cryptographic construction is proposed and implemented\/tested over the physiological data gathered from a healthcare sensor: shimmer sensor. The experiment results reveal that the proposed construction has constant computational cost in both encryption and decryption operations and generates constant size ciphertext for both the original policy and its update parameters. Moreover, the scheme is proven to be selectively secure in the random oracle model under the q-Bilinear Diffie Hellman Exponent (q-BDHE) assumption. Performance analysis of the scheme depicts promising results for practical real-world healthcare applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19472674,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Spanish version of the Child and Adolescent Self-Care Performance Questionnaire: psychometric testing.\nThis methodological study sought to determine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Child and Adolescent Self-Care Performance Questionnaire originally developed by Moore (1995). In this study, the questionnaire, written originally in English, was translated into Spanish, and some items were adapted for the Latin American culture. The instrument was administered to 536 children of moderate socioeconomic status, ages 10 to 15 years, living in Chile. Evidence for reliability and validity involved examining Coefficient Alpha for the total scale and each of the subscales, item analysis, and factor analysis with varimax rotation. Coefficient alpha for the total scale (35 items) was 0.82, similar to the reliability reported by Moore (1995) for the original instrument. Factor analysis supported eight factors. Use of the instrument in Central and South America may assist in determining self-care practices of Latin American children and the effect of interventions to improve such practices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24496243,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Integrated optical auto-correlator based on third-harmonic generation in a silicon photonic crystal waveguide.\nThe ability to use coherent light for material science and applications is linked to our ability to measure short optical pulses. While free-space optical methods are well established, achieving this on a chip would offer the greatest benefit in footprint, performance and cost, and allow the integration with complementary signal-processing devices. A key goal is to achieve operation at sub-watt peak power levels and on sub-picosecond timescales. Previous integrated demonstrations require either a temporally synchronized reference pulse, an off-chip spectrometer or long tunable delay lines. Here we report a device capable of achieving single-shot time-domain measurements of near-infrared picosecond pulses based on an ultra-compact integrated CMOS-compatible device, which could operate without any external instrumentation. It relies on optical third-harmonic generation in a slow-light silicon waveguide. Our method can also serve as an in situ diagnostic tool to map, at visible wavelengths, the propagation dynamics of near-infrared pulses in photonic crystals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26565687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Human Papillomavirus Genotyping to Predict the Risk of Cervical Precancerous Lesions or Cancer in Women with Minor Abnormal Cytology in China.\nTo evaluate the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping in predicting the risk of cervical precancerous lesions or cancer in women with minor abnormal cytology. This study was conducted on 329 women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US) and 77 women with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL) out of a total of 4,215 participants in a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Liquid-based cytology and the Hybrid Capture 2 test (HC2) were used to screen eligible women, and a Linear Array HPV genotyping test was performed on women with positive HC2 results. The sensitivity and specificity for detecting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) based on HPV 16\/18 were 82% [95% confidence interval (CI): 52-95%] and 91% (95% CI: 87-94%) in women with ASC-US and 67% (95% CI: 35-88%) and 84% (95% CI: 73-91%) in women with LSIL. The women infected with HPV 16\/18 had a significantly higher risk of developing CIN2+ than those infected with other high-risk HPV types in both the ASC-US (OR 9.93, 95% CI: 2.02-48.88) and LSIL (OR 7.45, 95% CI: 1.60-34.68) arms. Genotyping for HPV 16\/18 greatly improves specificity, but at the expense of potential sensitivity in the triage of minor cytology abnormalities. The role of genotyping for HPV 16\/18 in order to triage women with minor abnormal cytology should be further evaluated in future studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30717469,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Risk Factors for Same Pathogen Sepsis Readmission Following Hospitalization for Septic Shock.\n(1) Background: Septic shock survivors frequently readmit because of subsequent infection. This study aimed to determine the rate and risk factors for same pathogen sepsis readmissions following hospitalization for septic shock. (2) Methods: We performed this retrospective study using data from a prospective septic shock registry at a single urban tertiary center. All the patients were treated with a protocol-driven resuscitation bundle therapy between 2011 and 2016. We collected data from adult (older than 18 years) patients readmitted with sepsis within 90 days of discharge following hospitalization for septic shock. (3) Results: Among 2062 septic shock patients, 690 were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. After excluding scheduled and non-sepsis admissions, we analyzed the data from 274 (13.3%) patients readmitted for sepsis. Most of the readmissions following septic shock were new infections rather than relapses of the initial infection. The culture-negative rate was 51.4% (141\/274), while the same pathogen was isolated in 25% of cases (69\/274). Multivariate analysis revealed that previous gram-negative bacteremia (OR, 9.902; 95% CI, 2.843\u207b34.489), urinary tract infection (OR, 4.331; 95% CI, 1.723\u207b10.882) and same site infection (OR, 6.894; 95% CI, 2.390\u207b19.886) were significantly associated with readmission for sepsis caused by the same pathogen. (4) Conclusions: The sepsis readmission rate following the previous hospitalization for septic shock was 13.3% and one-quarter of those patients had the same pathogen isolated. Previous gram-negative bacteremia, and\/or same site infection are predisposing factors for recurrent same-pathogen sepsis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36150890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dissociation between Attention-Dependent and Spatially Specific Illusory Shape Responses within the Topographic Areas of the Posterior Parietal Cortex.\nThe human visual system consists of multiple topographic maps that extend from the early visual cortex (EVC) along the dorsal and ventral processing streams. Responses to illusory shapes within these maps have been demonstrated in the ventral stream areas, in particular the lateral occipital complex (LOC). Recently, the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) of the dorsal stream has been linked to the processing of illusory shapes defined by motion. It remains unclear whether the topographically organized parietal areas also respond to stationary illusory shapes, which would suggest their generic role in representing illusory content. In the current study we measured brain responses using fMRI while 30 human participants (12 male) observed flickering inducers around the fixation task. The inducers either formed an illusory diamond in the center, a triangle in the left or right hemifield, or were inverted such that no illusory figure was formed. We compared responses of parietal regions IPS0-IPS5 and SPL1 to each illusory figure with the nonillusory condition. To determine the role of attentional modulation on illusory shape responses we manipulated the difficulty of the fixation task. Our results show that all IPS areas responded to illusory shapes. The more posterior areas IPS0-IPS3 additionally displayed a preference toward contralateral shapes, while the more anterior areas IPS4 and IPS5 showed response attenuation with increased task difficulty. We suggest that the IPS can represent illusory content generated not only by moving, but also by stationary stimuli, and that there is a functional dissociation between attention-dependent anterior and spatially specific posterior topographic maps.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The traditional view of the ventral visual pathway being solely responsible for representation of objects has recently been challenged by demonstrating illusory shape representation within the dorsal visual pathway with moving bistable stimuli. Our results provide evidence for the dorsal stream contribution to representing not only moving, but also stationary illusory shapes. Our results also show a functional subdivision along the topographic maps, with spatially specific shape responses in the more posterior, and attention-dependent responses in the more anterior areas. These findings have implications for our understanding of the relationship between attention and grouping in healthy individuals and neuropsychological patients. Furthermore, IPS areas should be considered in theoretical accounts and models of how subjective content is generated in the brain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1788892,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Treatment of acute diffuse otitis externa by low-frequency magnetic field].\nPatients with acute diffuse external otitis were treated using an alternating and pulsatile low-frequency magnetic field synchronized with the pulse wave propagation across the pathological focus. It was shown that the magnetic exposure should be 30-40 min longer because the beneficial effect of the magnetic field develops as a function of time and because there should be a feedback between the acting magnetic field and hydrostatic pressure in focal capillaries which varies during inflammation. This therapeutic method was applied to 27 patients. The mean time on this method was 4 days shorter when compared to that on UHF and SHF therapy or 3 days shorter when compared to that on continuous magnetic field therapy, the difference being statistically significant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9721836,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Residual 60Co activity in steel samples exposed to the Hiroshima atomic-bomb neutrons.\nResidual 60Co radioactivity produced by the neutrons from the Hiroshima atomic bomb has been measured by means of gamma-ray spectrometry for seven steel samples located up to 1,800 m slant range and one control sample obtained at 4.5 km from the hypocenter. After removing the main constituent of iron ions from the steel sample by the solvent extraction method, nickel and cobalt were chemically separated by the ion exchange process. Gamma-ray measurements were performed with a low background well-type germanium detector. Derived specific activities 60Co:Co were compared with previous measurements and with the calculation based on the neutron fluence of current dosimetry system DS86. It has been shown that a systematic discrepancy exists between the measured and calculated activity. The calculated-to-measured ratios for 60Co are consistent with those of 152Eu and 36Cl activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23217202,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-06":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Protein Nano-Object Integrator (ProNOI) for generating atomic style objects for molecular modeling.\nWith the progress of nanotechnology, one frequently has to model biological macromolecules simultaneously with nano-objects. However, the atomic structures of the nano objects are typically not available or they are solid state entities. Because of that, the researchers have to investigate such nano systems by generating models of the nano objects in a manner that the existing software be able to carry the simulations. In addition, it should allow generating composite objects with complex shape by combining basic geometrical figures and embedding biological macromolecules within the system. Here we report the Protein Nano-Object Integrator (ProNOI) which allows for generating atomic-style geometrical objects with user desired shape and dimensions. Unlimited number of objects can be created and combined with biological macromolecules in Protein Data Bank (PDB) format file. Once the objects are generated, the users can use sliders to manipulate their shape, dimension and absolute position. In addition, the software offers the option to charge the objects with either specified surface or volumetric charge density and to model them with user-desired dielectric constants. According to the user preference, the biological macromolecule atoms can be assigned charges and radii according to four different force fields: Amber, Charmm, OPLS and PARSE. The biological macromolecules and the atomic-style objects are exported as a position, charge and radius (PQR) file, or if a default dielectric constant distribution is not selected, it is exported as a position, charge, radius and epsilon (PQRE) file. As illustration of the capabilities of the ProNOI, we created a composite object in a shape of a robot, aptly named the Clemson Robot, whose parts are charged with various volumetric charge densities and holds the barnase-barstar protein complex in its hand. The Protein Nano-Object Integrator (ProNOI) is a convenient tool for generating atomic-style nano shapes in conjunction with biological macromolecule(s). Charges and radii on the macromolecule atoms and the atoms in the shapes are assigned according to the user's preferences allowing various scenarios of modeling. The default output file is in PQR (PQRE) format which is readable by almost any software available in biophysical field. It can be downloaded from: http:\/\/compbio.clemson.edu\/downloadDir\/ProNO_integrator.tar.gz.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36107027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Thiotemplated Biosynthesis of Bacterial Polyyne Fatty Acids by a Designated Desaturase Triad.\nVarious bacterial species are capable of producing highly modified fatty acid derivatives with conjugated triple bonds, which play important ecological roles as antifungals and toxins in mutualistic and pathogenic interactions. Furthermore, the terminal polyyne moiety is of interest as pharmacophore and as tag in bioorthogonal chemistry and live imaging. To gain insight into the assembly of these highly reactive natural products, we investigated tetrayne (caryoynencin and protegencin) biosynthesis genes (cay and pgn) from Trinickia caryophylli and Pseudomonas protegens. Pathway dissection and reconstitution in the heterologous host Burkholderia graminis revealed the genes minimally required for polyyne formation. Mutational analyses and biochemical assays demonstrated that polyyne biosynthesis is thiotemplated, involving a fatty acyl-AMP ligase, a designated acyl carrier protein, and a thioesterase. Heterologous expression of point-mutated desaturase genes showed that three desaturases work synergistically to introduce four triple bonds. These findings point to an intricate desaturase complex and provide important information for future bioengineering experiments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16205374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"RSA 2004: combined basic research satellite symposium-mechanisms of alcohol-mediated organ and tissue damage: inflammation and immunity and alcohol and mitochondrial metabolism: at the crossroads of life and death session one: alcohol, cellular and organ damage.\nThis article summarizes content proceedings of a satellite meeting held at the 2004 Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Scientific Meeting in Vancouver, Canada. The aim of the satellite conference was to facilitate the interaction of scientists investigating the mechanisms of alcohol-mediated organ or tissue damage, and enable the discussion and sharing of new ideas and concepts that may be common in each of the organs or tissues affected by chronic ethanol consumption. The original planned program on immunity was expanded to incorporate a session on a closely related topic \"Alcohol and Mitochondrial Metabolism: At the Crossroads of Life and Death\" organized by Dr. Jan Hoek and Dr. Sam Zakhari. The conference was arranged into four sessions: 1) Alcohol, Cellular and Organ Damage 2) Toll-like receptors and Organ Damage 3) Alcohol and Mitochondrial Metabolism: At the Crossroads of Life and Death and 4) Hepatitis virus and alcohol interactions in Immunity and Liver Disease. The keynote address was given by Dr. Bruce Beutler from the Scripps Institute on \"TLRs in Inflammation and Immunity.\"The Combined Basic Research Satellite Symposium entitled, \"Mechanisms of Alcohol-Mediated Organ and Tissue Damage: Inflammation and Immunity and Alcohol and Mitochondrial Metabolism: At the Crossroads of Life and Death\" was convened at the 2004 Research Society on Alcoholism meeting in Vancouver, BC. Session One featured five speakers who discussed various aspects of the role of the immune system in initiating or exacerbating cellular and organ damage following alcohol consumption. The presentations were (1) Innate Immune responses of Alcohol-exposed mice and macrophage-like cells following infections with Listeria monocytogenes by Robert T. Cook 2) Alcohol, cytokines and host defense by Kyle Happel 3) Decreased antigen presentation and anergy induced by alcohol in myeloid dendritic cells by Pranoti Mandrekar 4) Transcriptional regulation of TNF-alpha in human monocytes by chronic ethanol: role of the cellular redox state by Jay Kolls 5) Estrogen and gender differences in inflammatory responses after alcohol and burn injury by Elizabeth Kovacs. This session highlighted the growing information on the role of pattern recognition molecules in alcohol-mediated tissue damage or dysfunction. The new techniques and ideas presented will be helpful in future studies in this area of research, and should result in some exciting avenues of study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22562071,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Observational cadaveric study of emergency bystander cricothyroidotomy with a ballpoint pen by untrained junior doctors and medical students.\nApart from case reports and anecdotes, there are no published studies on the feasibility of using non-medical devices for emergency bystander cricothyroidotomy. This study evaluated the ability of non-trained junior doctors and medical students to place an emergency cricothyroidotomy on an embalmed cadaver using only a blade and a ballpoint pen. Participants were junior doctors with no prior experience of surgical airways and second year medical students at the end of their head and neck anatomy course. Nine participants were asked to place an emergency cricothyroidotomy in an undissected embalmed cadaver using only a No 26 scalpel and a dismantled ballpoint pen (Papermate Flexigrip Ultra, external diameter 8.9 mm; internal diameter 7.0 mm). Times were recorded and direct visualisation by dissection was used to assess placement and complications. Nine participants performed a total of 14 separate cricothyroidtomies on separate cadavers. Landmarks were palpable by researchers in 10 of the 14 cadavers. Eight of 14 (57%) procedures were deemed successful. No major vascular injury occurred. Injuries to the thyroid and cricoid cartilages were common; four of 14 (29%) of these injuries were fractures. In embalmed cadavers, inexperienced junior doctors and medical students with no prior training were able to place a successful cricothyroidotomy slightly more than half the time. It suggests that surgical cricothyroidotomy with a ballpoint pen and blade is a feasible option in extremis. It is unknown whether junior doctors from other specialties, such as emergency medicine, would perform better.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6344866,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Relationships between protein phosphorylation and electron transport in the reconstituted chloroplast system.\nPhosphorylation of the light-harvesting chlorophyll protein (LHCP) by the thylakoid protein kinase has been examined in the reconstituted chloroplast system. The level of phosphorylation by [32P]Pi was maximal at high light intensity and in the absence of 3-phosphoglycerate; dephosphorylation resulted from a subsequent decrease in light intensity or from the addition of 3-phosphoglycerate. Addition of ribose 5-phosphate, which acts as an ATP 'sink', also caused dephosphorylation. It is concluded that the degree of phosphorylation is dependent on the redox state and energy state of the system, thereby providing a mechanism for adapting light harvesting to the demands of carbon assimilation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16977494,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A comparative study of mortality among Puerto Rican injection drug users in East Harlem, New York, and Bayamon, Puerto Rico.\nDrug users have been found to be at high risk of mortality but the mortality experience of Hispanic drug users remains understudied. This study assessed mortality among Puerto Rican injection drug users (IDUs) in New York City (NY), and in Puerto Rico (PR). Study subjects were 637 IDUs from NY and 319 IDUs from PR. Mortality was ascertained using data from the National Death Index. Annual mortality rate of the NY cohort was 1.3 per 100 person years compared to the PR cohort with a rate of 4.8. Compared to the Hispanic population of New York City, the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of the NY cohort was 4.4. Compared to the population of Puerto Rico, the SMR of the PR cohort was 16.2. The four principal causes of death were: NY-HIV\/AIDS (50.0%), drug overdoses (13.3%), cardiovascular conditions (13.3%), and pulmonary conditions (10.0%); PR-HIV\/AIDS (37.0%), drug overdoses (24.1%), sepsis (13.0%), and homicide (11.1%). Modeling time to death using Cox proportional hazards regression, the relative risk of mortality of the PR cohort as compared to the NY cohort was 9.2. The other covariates found to be significantly associated with time to death were age, gender, education, social isolation, intoxication with alcohol, and HIV seropositivity. The large disparity in mortality rates found in this study suggests that health disparities research should be expanded to identify intra-group disparities. Furthermore, these results point to an urgent need to reduce excess mortality among IDUs in Puerto Rico.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25028381,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of remission definition on healthcare cost savings estimates for patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with biologic therapies.\nSustained remission in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) results in healthcare utilization cost savings. We evaluated the variation in estimates of savings when different definitions of remission [2011 American College of Rheumatology\/European League Against Rheumatism Boolean Definition, Simplified Disease Activity Index (SDAI) \u2264 3.3, Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) \u2264 2.8, and Disease Activity Score-28 (DAS28) \u2264 2.6] are applied. The annual mean healthcare service utilization costs were estimated from provincial physician billing claims, outpatient visits, and hospitalizations, with linkage to clinical data from the Alberta Biologics Pharmacosurveillance Program (ABioPharm). Cost savings in patients who had a 1-year continuous period of remission were compared to those who did not, using 4 definitions of remission. In 1086 patients, sustained remission rates were 16.1% for DAS28, 8.8% for Boolean, 5.5% for CDAI, and 4.2% for SDAI. The estimated mean annual healthcare cost savings per patient achieving remission (relative to not) were SDAI $1928 (95% CI 592, 3264), DAS28 $1676 (95% CI 987, 2365), and Boolean $1259 (95% CI 417, 2100). The annual savings by CDAI remission per patient were not significant at $423 (95% CI -1757, 2602). For patients in DAS28, Boolean, and SDAI remission, savings were seen both in costs directly related to RA and its comorbidities, and in costs for non-RA-related conditions. The magnitude of the healthcare cost savings varies according to the remission definition used in classifying patient disease status. The highest point estimate for cost savings was observed in patients attaining SDAI remission and the least with the CDAI; confidence intervals for these estimates do overlap. Future pharmacoeconomic analyses should employ all response definitions in assessing the influence of treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18209019,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Supertasting and PROP bitterness depends on more than the TAS2R38 gene.\nPolymorphisms in the TAS2R38 gene provide insight to phenotypes long associated 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and phenylthiocarbamide bitterness. We tested relationships between TAS2R38 genotype, taste phenotype, and fungiform papillae (FP) number in 139 females and 59 males (age range 21-60 years), primarily of European ancestry. DNA was analyzed for 3 polymorphic sites, identifying common (alanine-valine-isoleucine [AVI\/AVI], heterozygotes, proline-alanine-valine [PAV\/PAV]) and rare (proline-valine-isoleucine, alanine-alanine-valine, AAI) forms. Individuals with PROP threshold >0.15 mM were almost exclusively AVI\/AVI; those with threshold <0.1 mM could have any genotype. PAV\/PAVs were more difficult to identify with PROP taste measures, although perceived bitterness of moderate PROP concentrations (0.32, 1 mM) had better correspondence with genotype than did threshold. For AVI\/AVIs, increases in bitterness from 1 to 3.2 mM PROP nearly paralleled those of TAS2R38 heterozygotes and PAV\/PAVs. Some bitterness gains were related to FP number sampled from a standard area on the tongue tip, yet the PROP bitterness-FP relationship differed across genotype. Among homozygotes, FP was a significant determinant of PROP bitterness; heterozygotes showed a flat relationship. Those tasting concentrated PROP as more bitter also tasted concentrated sucrose, citric acid, sodium chloride, and quinine as more intense, even after statistically controlling for TAS2R38 genotype, FP, and intensity of tones (nonoral standard). To summarize, although PROP threshold generally exhibited single-gene complete dominance, PROP bitterness may involve additional bitter receptors as evidenced by misclassification of some nontaster homozygotes and the bitterness functions for concentrated PROP. Variability in receptor expression may explain attenuated bitterness-FP relationships. PROP bitterness does associate with heightened taste sensations (i.e., supertasting), but this is not due to TAS2R38 polymorphisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2589928,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Schizophrenia as an anomaly of development of cerebral asymmetry. A postmortem study and a proposal concerning the genetic basis of the disease.\nSchizophrenia is associated with structural changes (eg, a mild degree of ventricular enlargement) in the brain, although whether these precede onset of illness or progress with episodes is not established. In a postmortem study, we find that ventricular enlargement affects the posterior and particularly the temporal horn of the lateral cerebral ventricle. By comparison with controls and with patients suffering from Alzheimer-type dementia (in which there is also temporal horn enlargement), the change is highly significantly selective to the left hemisphere. This deviation was not accompanied by an increase in glial cell number (examined chemically by assay of diazepam-binding inhibitor immunoreactivity and microscopically by density of staining with the Holzer technique). The findings are consistent with the view that schizophrenia is a disorder of the genetic mechanisms that control the development of cerebral asymmetry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35602184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adherence and sustainability of interventions informing optimal control against the COVID-19 pandemic.\nAfter one year of stop-and-go COVID-19 mitigation, in the spring of 2021 European countries still experienced sustained viral circulation due to the Alpha variant. As the prospect of entering a new pandemic phase through vaccination was drawing closer, a key challenge remained on how to balance the efficacy of long-lasting interventions and their impact on the quality of life. Focusing on the third wave in France during spring 2021, we simulate intervention scenarios of varying intensity and duration, with potential waning of adherence over time, based on past mobility data and modeling estimates. We identify optimal strategies by balancing efficacy of interventions with a data-driven \"distress\" index, integrating intensity and duration of social distancing. We show that moderate interventions would require a much longer time to achieve the same result as high intensity lockdowns, with the additional risk of deteriorating control as adherence wanes. Shorter strict lockdowns are largely more effective than longer moderate lockdowns, for similar intermediate distress and infringement on individual freedom. Our study shows that favoring milder interventions over more stringent short approaches on the basis of perceived acceptability could be detrimental in the long term, especially with waning adherence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37683918,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Improving the Reachability of Contact Aspiration for Acute Ischemic Stroke Using a New Delivery Assist Catheter.\nThis study aimed to improve the reachability of large lumen catheter for contact aspiration during acute ischemic stroke by a new delivery assist catheter. This study included 58 patients with large-vessel stroke treated using endovascular procedures at our institution and affiliated hospitals between July 2021 and January 2023. Contact aspiration, especially contact aspiration using nonpenetrating of thrombus (CANP) technique, was adopted as first-line thrombectomy for localized internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery proximal (M1 segment), and basilar artery without tandem occlusion in acute stroke. The new delivery assist catheter (AXS Offset catheter, Stryker, Fremont, CA, USA) was standardized after its release. Results of this improved contact aspiration technique using the new delivery assist catheter, including reachability, procedure time, and first-pass effect, were compared with conventional catheters. Of the 58 patients, 43 underwent only thrombectomy for acute embolic stroke. CANP technique was attempted on 25 patients (25\/43, 58.1%). Of these, a normal inner catheter (inner diameter: 0.021 or 0.027 inches) and the new delivery assist catheter were used on 10 (10\/25, 40%) and 15 (15\/25, 60%) patients, respectively. An aspiration catheter reached the thrombus for 5 patients (5\/10, 50%) and 14 patients (14\/15 93.3%) in the normal and new delivery assist catheter groups, respectively (P = 0.023). There was no significant difference in the results of contact aspiration due to the delivery catheter. The new delivery assist catheter improved the reachability of the aspiration catheter to the thrombus and is an effective device for performing CANP technique.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26018511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Galectins: Double-edged Swords in the Cross-roads of Pregnancy Complications and Female Reproductive Tract Inflammation and Neoplasia.\nGalectins are an evolutionarily ancient and widely expressed family of lectins that have unique glycan-binding characteristics. They are pleiotropic regulators of key biological processes, such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, signal transduction, and pre-mRNA splicing, as well as homo- and heterotypic cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Galectins are also pivotal in immune responses since they regulate host-pathogen interactions, innate and adaptive immune responses, acute and chronic inflammation, and immune tolerance. Some galectins are also central to the regulation of angiogenesis, cell migration and invasion. Expression and functional data provide convincing evidence that, due to these functions, galectins play key roles in shared and unique pathways of normal embryonic and placental development as well as oncodevelopmental processes in tumorigenesis. Therefore, galectins may sometimes act as double-edged swords since they have beneficial but also harmful effects for the organism. Recent advances facilitate the use of galectins as biomarkers in obstetrical syndromes and in various malignancies, and their therapeutic applications are also under investigation. This review provides a general overview of galectins and a focused review of this lectin subfamily in the context of inflammation, infection and tumors of the female reproductive tract as well as in normal pregnancies and those complicated by the great obstetrical syndromes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26378319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genetics-based interactions among plants, pathogens, and herbivores define arthropod community structure.\nPlant resistance to pathogens or insect herbivores is common, but its potential for indirectly influencing plant-associated communities is poorly known. Here, we test whether pathogens' indirect effects on arthropod communities and herbivory depend on plant resistance to pathogens and\/or herbivores, and address the overarching interacting foundation species hypothesis that genetics-based interactions among a few highly interactive species can structure a much larger community. In a manipulative field experiment using replicated genotypes of two Populus species and their interspecific hybrids, we found that genetic variation in plant resistance to both pathogens and insect herbivores modulated the strength of pathogens' indirect effects on arthropod communities and insect herbivory. First, due in part to the pathogens' differential impacts on leaf biomass among the two Populus species and the hybrids, the pathogen most strongly impacted arthropod community composition, richness, and abundance on the pathogen-susceptible tree species. Second, we found similar patterns comparing pathogen-susceptible and pathogen-resistant genotypes within species. Third, within a plant species, pathogens caused a fivefold greater reduction in herbivory on insect-herbivore-susceptible plant genotypes than on herbivore-resistant genotypes, demonstrating that the pathogen-herbivore interaction is genotype dependent. We conclude that interactions among plants, pathogens, and herbivores can structure multitrophic communities, supporting the interacting foundation species hypothesis. Because these interactions are genetically based, evolutionary changes in genetic resistance could result in ecological changes in associated communities, which may in turn feed back to affect plant fitness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12324463,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Synthesis of the L-alanyl-L-alanine cross-bridge of Enterococcus faecalis peptidoglycan.\nThe enzymatic synthesis of the complete l-alanyl(1)-l-alanine(2) side chain of the peptidoglycan precursors of Enterococcus faecalis was obtained in vitro using purified enzymes. The pathway involved alanyl-tRNA synthetase and two ligases, BppA1 and BppA2, that specifically transfer alanine from Ala-tRNA to the first and second positions of the side chain, respectively. The structure of the UDP-N-acetylmuramoyl-l-Ala-gamma-d-Glu-l-Lys(N(epsilon)-l-Ala(1)-l-Ala(2))-d-Ala-d-Ala product of BppA1 and BppA2 was confirmed by mass spectrometry (MS) and MS\/MS analyses. The peptidoglycan structure of the wild-type E. faecalis strain JH2-2 was determined by tandem reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography-MS revealing that most muropeptides contained two l-alanyl residues in the cross-bridges and in the free N-terminal ends. Deletion of the bppA2 gene was associated with production of muropeptides containing a single alanyl residue at these positions. The relative abundance of monomers, dimers, trimers, and tetramers in the peptidoglycan of the bppA2 mutant indicated that precursors containing an incomplete side chain were efficiently used by the dd-transpeptidases in the cross-linking reaction. However, the bppA2 deletion impaired expression of intrinsic beta-lactam resistance suggesting that the low affinity penicillin-binding protein 5 did not function optimally with precursors substituted by a single alanine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32346080,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Motor cortex stimulation in chronic neuropathic orofacial pain syndromes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nInvasive motor Cortex Stimulation (iMCS) was introduced in the 1990's for the treatment of chronic neuropathic orofacial pain (CNOP), although its effectiveness remains doubtful. However, CNOP is known to be a heterogeneous group of orofacial pain disorders, which can lead to different responses to iMCS. Therefore, this paper investigated (1) whether the effectiveness of iMCS is significantly different among different CNOP disorders and (2) whether other confounding factors can be impacting iMCS results in CNOP. A systematic review and meta-analysis using a linear mixed-model was performed. Twenty-three papers were included, totaling 140 CNOP patients. Heterogeneity of the studies showed to be 55.8%. A visual analogue scale (VAS) measured median pain relief of 66.5% (ranging from 0-100%) was found. Linear mixed-model analysis showed that patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia responded significantly more favorable to iMCS than patients suffering from dysfunctional pain syndromes (p = 0.030). Also, patients suffering from CNOP caused by (supra)nuclear lesions responded marginally significantly better to iMCS than patients suffering from CNOP due to trigeminal nerve lesions (p = 0.049). No other confounding factors were elucidated. This meta-analysis showed that patients suffering from trigeminal neuralgia and patients suffering from (supra)nuclear lesions causing CNOP responded significantly more favorable than others on iMCS. No other confounding factors were found relevant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33868328,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Point Mutations as Main Resistance Mechanism Together With P450-Based Metabolism Confer Broad Resistance to Different ALS-Inhibiting Herbicides in Glebionis coronaria From Tunisia.\nResistance to acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicides has recently been reported in Glebionis coronaria from wheat fields in northern Tunisia, where the weed is widespread. However, potential resistance mechanisms conferring resistance in these populations are unknown. The aim of this research was to study target-site resistance (TSR) and non-target-site resistance (NTSR) mechanisms present in two putative resistant (R) populations. Dose-response experiments, ALS enzyme activity assays, ALS gene sequencing, absorption and translocation experiments with radiolabeled herbicides, and metabolism experiments were carried out for this purpose. Whole plant trials confirmed high resistance levels to tribenuron and cross-resistance to florasulam and imazamox. ALS enzyme activity further confirmed cross-resistance to these three herbicides and also to bispyribac, but not to flucarbazone. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of amino acid substitutions in positions 197, 376, and 574 of the target enzyme. Among the NTSR mechanisms investigated, absorption or translocation did not contribute to resistance, while evidences of the presence of enhanced metabolism were provided. A pretreatment with the cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450) inhibitor malathion partially synergized with imazamox in post-emergence but not with tribenuron in dose-response experiments. Additionally, an imazamox hydroxyl metabolite was detected in both R populations in metabolism experiments, which disappeared with the pretreatment with malathion. This study confirms the evolution of cross-resistance to ALS inhibiting herbicides in G. coronaria from Tunisia through TSR and NTSR mechanisms. The presence of enhanced metabolism involving P450 is threatening the chemical management of this weed in Tunisian wheat fields, since it might confer cross-resistance to other sites of action.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19468625,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of intravenous lidocaine on the pharmacodynamics of rocuronium.\nRocuronium is an intermediate nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker (NMB) with faster onset and indicated in situations requiring rapid tracheal intubation. Intravenous lidocaine is often used to decrease hemodynamic responses to tracheal intubation. The association of NMB to local anesthetics results in potentiation of NMB effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of lidocaine on rocuronium's pharmacodynamics determined by acceleromyography. Forty-six ASA I-II patients, aged 18 to 65 years, were randomly distributed in two groups (CG: control and LG: lidocaine). Rocuronium was given to all patients for neuromuscular block. LG received lidocaine (1.5 mg.kg(-1)) 3 minutes before rocuronium. Neuromuscular function was evaluated by adductor pollicis muscle response to TOF. After NMB injection, times for first TOF response (T(1)) to reach 10 and 0% of baseline value and recover 25%, 75% and 95% of contraction height (Dur(25%), Dur(75%), Dur(95%)) were recorded. Recovery time of T(4)\/T(1) = 0.8 and intervals Dur(75%)-Dur(25%) (IR(25-75)) and T(4)\/T(1) = 0.8 - Dur(25%) were also recorded. This study has not shown statistically significant differences between groups when T(1)= 10%, T(1) = 0, RI(25-75), T(4)\/T(1) = 0.8 - Dur(25)% were compared. Times for Dur(25%), Dur(75%), Dur(95%) in LG were significantly higher as compared to CG. Lidocaine associated to rocuronium has prolonged early blockade recovery stage without interfering with onset or late recovery stage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31680343,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Analysis of interferon-\u03b3 receptor IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 expression and regulation at the maternal-conceptus interface and the role of interferon-\u03b3 on endometrial expression of interferon signaling molecules during early pregnancy in pigs.\nIt has long been known that pig conceptuses produce interferon-\u03b3 (IFNG) at the time of implantation, but the role of IFNG and its mechanism of action at the maternal-conceptus interface are not fully understood. Accordingly, we analyzed the expression and regulation of IFNG receptors IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 in the endometrium during the estrous cycle and pregnancy in pigs. Levels of IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression changed in the endometrium, with the highest levels during mid pregnancy for IFNGR1 and on Day 12 of pregnancy for IFNGR2. The expression of IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 mRNAs was also detected in conceptuses during early pregnancy and chorioallantoic tissues during mid to late pregnancy. IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 mRNAs were localized to endometrial epithelial and stromal cells and to the chorionic membrane during pregnancy. IFNGR2 protein was also localized to endometrial epithelial and stromal cells, and increased epithelial expression of IFNGR2 mRNA and protein was detectable during early pregnancy than the estrous cycle. Explant culture studies showed that estrogen increased levels of IFNGR2, but not IFNGR1, mRNAs, while interleukin-1\u03b2 did not affect levels of IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 mRNAs. Furthermore, IFNG increased levels of IRF1, IRF2, STAT1, and STAT2 mRNAs in the endometrial explants. These results in pigs indicate that IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 are expressed in a stage of pregnancy- and cell-type specific manner in the endometrium and that sequential cooperative action of conceptus signals estrogen and IFNG may be critical for endometrial responsiveness to IFNs for the establishment of pregnancy in pigs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17616711,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The inhibitory effect of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate on activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor is associated with altered lipid order in HT29 colon cancer cells.\n(-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a major biologically active constituent of green tea, inhibits activation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) and downstream signaling pathways in several types of human cancer cells, but the precise mechanism is not known. Because several plasma membrane-associated receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) including EGFR are localized in detergent-insoluble ordered membrane domains, so-called \"lipid rafts,\" we examined whether the inhibitory effect of EGCG on activation of the EGFR is associated with changes in membrane lipid order in HT29 colon cancer cells. First, we did cold Triton X-100 solubility assays. Phosphorylated (activated) EGFR was found only in the Triton X-100-insoluble (lipid raft) fraction, whereas total cellular EGFR was present in the Triton X-100-soluble fraction. Pretreatment with EGCG inhibited the binding of Alexa Fluor 488-labeled EGF to the cells and also inhibited EGF-induced dimerization of the EGFR. To examine possible effects of EGCG on membrane lipid organization, we labeled the cells with the fluorescent lipid analogue 1, 1'-dihexadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate, which preferentially incorporates into ordered membrane domains in cells and found that subsequent treatment with EGCG caused a marked reduction in the Triton X-100-resistant membrane fraction. Polyphenon E, a mixture of green tea catechins, had a similar effect but (-)-epicatechin (EC), the biologically inactive compound, did not significantly alter the Triton X-100 solubility properties of the membrane. Furthermore, we found that EGCG but not EC caused dramatic changes in the function of bilayer-incorporated gramicidin channels. Taken together, these findings suggest that EGCG inhibits the binding of EGF to the EGFR and the subsequent dimerization and activation of the EGFR by altering membrane organization. These effects may also explain the ability of EGCG to inhibit activation of other membrane-associated RTKs, and they may play a critical role in the anticancer effects of this and related compounds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10389167,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Genetic variations of noradrenaline synthesis and reception in the mouse brain and the animal behavior in the new environment].\nC57BL mice were found to have the highest locomotion and the lowest emotionality under novel environment out of three strains of mice. Their brain stem TH activity was increased whereas the density of alpha2-ARs and beta-ARs were decreased in their cortex and hypothalamus. The BALB mice were twice as virulent as the CBA mice whereas the emotionality was the same in both strains. In general, low emotionality and high locomotion in novel environment were found in mice with increased activity of norepinephrine synthesis and decreased amount of adrenergic receptors in the brain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20652530,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Molecular marker survey and expression analyses of the rice submergence-tolerance gene SUB1A.\nThe major rice quantitative-trait locus Submergence 1 (Sub1) confers tolerance of submergence for about 2 weeks. To identify novel sources of tolerance, we have conducted a germplasm survey with allele-specific markers targeting SUB1A and SUB1C, two of the three transcription-factor genes within the Sub1 locus. The objective was to identify tolerant genotypes without the SUB1A gene or with the intolerant SUB1A-2 allele. The survey revealed that all tolerant genotypes possessed the tolerant Sub1 haplotype (SUB1A-1\/SUB1C-1), whereas all accessions without the SUB1A gene were intolerant. Only the variety James Wee with the SUB1A-2 allele was moderately tolerant. However, some intolerant genotypes with the SUB1A-1 allele were identified and RT-PCR analyses were conducted to compare gene expression in tolerant and intolerant accessions. Initial analyses of leaf samples failed to reveal a clear association of SUB1A transcript abundance and tolerance. Temporal and spatial gene expression analyses subsequently showed that SUB1A expression in nodes and internodes associated best with tolerance across representative genotypes. In James Wee, transcript abundance was high in all tissues, suggesting that some level of tolerance might be conferred by high expression of the SUB1A-2 allele. To further assess tissue-specific expression, we have expressed the GUS reporter gene under the control of the SUB1A-1 promoter. The data revealed highly specific GUS expression at the base of the leaf sheath and in the leaf collar region. Specific expression in the growing part of rice leaves is well in agreement with the role of SUB1A in suppressing leaf elongation under submergence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12553258,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Pulsatile microdialysis method with glucose sensor system].\nTo develop a miniature subcutaneous glucose sensor system, to simplify calibration procedure before or after glucose monitor, and to improve its temperature characteristics, a pulsatile micropump and the microdialysis technique were used. The experiments of glucose recovery in 5.5 mM and 10 mM G.S. and the temperature experiment from 20 degrees C to 40 degrees C were conducted. The results showed that glucose recovery was (97 +\/- 2)%, the current values of glucose sensor varied with temperature, but the temperature parameter was only 3.4%. These indicate that the glucose sensor system is miniature and the calibration procedure is simple. Because of its modified temperature characterisic, it is useful to monitor the blood glucose of feverish diabetics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31993051,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fc\u03b3 Receptor IIB Controls Skin Inflammation in an Active Model of Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita.\nEpidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is an autoimmune skin blistering disease characterized by IgG autoantibodies (aAb) against type VII collagen (COL7). The mechanisms controlling the formation of such aAbs and their effector functions in the skin tissue are incompletely understood. Here, we assessed whether the inhibitory IgG Fc receptor, Fc\u03b3RIIB, controls the development of autoimmune skin blistering disease in an active model of EBA. For this purpose, we immunized congenic EBA-susceptible B6.SJL-H2s (B6.s) and B6.s-Fcgr2b-\/- mice with the immunodominant vWFA2 region of COL7. B6.s-Fcgr2b-\/- mice developed a strong clinical phenotype with 15 \u00b1 3.3% of affected body surface area at week 4. In contrast, the body surface area in B6.s mice was affected to a maximum of 5% at week 6 with almost no disease signs at week 4. Surprisingly, we already found strong but similar COL7-specific serum IgG1 and IgG2b aAb production at week 2. Further, aAb and C3b deposition in the skin of B6.s and B6.s-Fcgr2b-\/- mice increased between weeks 2 and 6 after vWFA2 immunization. Importantly, neutrophil skin infiltration and activation was much stronger in B6s-Fcgr2b-\/- than in B6.s mice and already present at week 2. Also, the early aAb response in B6.s-Fcgr2b-\/- mice was more diverse than in wt B6.s mice. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) release from infiltrating neutrophils play a crucial role as mediator of skin inflammation in EBA. In line, sera from B6.s and B6.s-Fcgr2b-\/- mice induced strong ROS release from bone marrow-neutrophils in vitro. In contrast to the antibody-transfer-induced EBA model, individual targeting of Fc\u03b3RIII or Fc\u03b3RIV decreased ROS release to 50%. Combined Fc\u03b3R blocking abrogated ROS release from BM neutrophils. Also, ROS release induced by COL7-specific serum IgG aAbs was significantly higher using BM neutrophils from B6.s-Fcgr2b-\/- than from B6.s mice. Together, our findings identified Fc\u03b3RIIB as a suppressor of skin inflammation in the active EBA model through inhibition of early epitope spreading, protection from strong early neutrophil infiltration to and activation of neutrophils in the skin and suppression of Fc\u03b3RIII activation by IgG1 aAbs which drive strong ROS release from neutrophils leading to tissue destruction at the dermal-epidermal junction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3226103,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Effect of weightlessness on the functions of perception and the reproduction of gravitational vertical in response to optokinetic stimulation].\nIn weightlessness spatial orientation largely depends on coordinated interaction of sensory systems involved in static orientation. The purpose of the present study was to quantify perception of spatial coordinates in response to optokinetic stimulation. Effects of weightlessness were simulated by dry water immersion hypokinesia. A custom-made optokinetic stimulator equipped with a device to measure perception of the gravitational vertical in response to optokinetic stimulation was used. A special platform with rubber bungee cords was employed to determine the role of the proprioceptive afferent input. It was demonstrated that during immersion day 1 the angle of erroneous perception of the vertical line consistently increased. By immersion day 3 the angle diminished suggesting adaptive developments. Additional proprioceptive inflow during immersion reduced significantly the error of perception. These findings indicate that the proprioceptive afferent input plays an important role in the mechanisms of spatial orientation at an early stage of exposure to weightlessness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19753462,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A century of research: what have we learned about the interaction of Trypanosoma cruzi with host cells?\nSince the discovery of Trypanosoma cruzi and the brilliant description of the then-referred to 'new tripanosomiasis' by Carlos Chagas 100 years ago, a great deal of scientific effort and curiosity has been devoted to understanding how this parasite invades and colonises mammalian host cells. This is a key step in the survival of the parasite within the vertebrate host, and although much has been learned over this century, differences in strains or isolates used by different laboratories may have led to conclusions that are not as universal as originally interpreted. Molecular genotyping of the CL-Brener clone confirmed a genetic heterogeneity in the parasite that had been detected previously by other techniques, including zymodeme or schizodeme (kDNA) analysis. T. cruzi can be grouped into at least two major phylogenetic lineages: T. cruzi I, mostly associated with the sylvatic cycle and T. cruzi II, linked to human disease; however, a third lineage, T. cruziIII, has also been proposed. Hybrid isolates, such as the CL-Brener clone, which was chosen for sequencing the genome of the parasite (Elias et al. 2005, El Sayed et al. 2005a), have also been identified. The parasite must be able to invade cells in the mammalian host, and many studies have implicated the flagellated trypomastigotes as the main actor in this process. Several surface components of parasites and some of the host cell receptors with which they interact have been described. Herein, we have attempted to identify milestones in the history of understanding T. cruzi- host cell interactions. Different infective forms of T. cruzi have displayed unexpected requirements for the parasite to attach to the host cell, enter it, and translocate between the parasitophorous vacuole to its final cytoplasmic destination. It is noteworthy that some of the mechanisms originally proposed to be broad in function turned out not to be universal, and multiple interactions involving different repertoires of molecules seem to act in concert to give rise to a rather complex interplay of signalling cascades involving both parasite and cellular components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28225818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Heat-induced-radiolabeling and click chemistry: A powerful combination for generating multifunctional nanomaterials.\nA key advantage of nanomaterials for biomedical applications is their ability to feature multiple small reporter groups (multimodality), or combinations of reporter groups and therapeutic agents (multifunctionality), while being targeted to cell surface receptors. Here a facile combination of techniques for the syntheses of multimodal, targeted nanoparticles (NPs) is presented, whereby heat-induced-radiolabeling (HIR) labels NPs with radiometals and so-called click chemistry is used to attach bioactive groups to the NP surface. Click-reactive alkyne or azide groups were first attached to the nonradioactive clinical Feraheme (FH) NPs. Resulting \"Alkyne-FH\" and \"Azide-FH\" intermediates, like the parent NP, tolerated 89Zr labeling by the HIR method previously described. Subsequently, biomolecules were quickly conjugated to the radioactive NPs by either copper-catalyzed or copper-free click reactions with high efficiency. Synthesis of the Alkyne-FH or Azide-FH intermediates, followed by HIR and then by click reactions for biomolecule attachment, provides a simple and potentially general path for the synthesis of multimodal, multifunctional, and targeted NPs for biomedical applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18666824,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Minority HIV-1 drug resistance mutations are present in antiretroviral treatment-na\u00efve populations and associate with reduced treatment efficacy.\nTransmitted HIV-1 drug resistance can compromise initial antiretroviral therapy (ART); therefore, its detection is important for patient management. The absence of drug-associated selection pressure in treatment-na\u00efve persons can cause drug-resistant viruses to decline to levels undetectable by conventional bulk sequencing (minority drug-resistant variants). We used sensitive and simple tests to investigate evidence of transmitted drug resistance in antiretroviral drug-na\u00efve persons and assess the clinical implications of minority drug-resistant variants. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance and a case-control study of the impact of minority drug resistance on treatment response. For the cross-sectional analysis, we examined viral RNA from newly diagnosed ART-na\u00efve persons in the US and Canada who had no detectable (wild type, n = 205) or one or more resistance-related mutations (n = 303) by conventional sequencing. Eight validated real-time PCR-based assays were used to test for minority drug resistance mutations (protease L90M and reverse transcriptase M41L, K70R, K103N, Y181C, M184V, and T215F\/Y) above naturally occurring frequencies. The sensitive real-time PCR testing identified one to three minority drug resistance mutation(s) in 34\/205 (17%) newly diagnosed persons who had wild-type virus by conventional genotyping; four (2%) individuals had mutations associated with resistance to two drug classes. Among 30\/303 (10%) samples with bulk genotype resistance mutations we found at least one minority variant with a different drug resistance mutation. For the case-control study, we assessed the impact of three treatment-relevant drug resistance mutations at baseline from a separate group of 316 previously ART-na\u00efve persons with no evidence of drug resistance on bulk genotype testing who were placed on efavirenz-based regimens. We found that 7\/95 (7%) persons who experienced virologic failure had minority drug resistance mutations at baseline; however, minority resistance was found in only 2\/221 (0.9%) treatment successes (Fisher exact test, p = 0.0038). These data suggest that a considerable proportion of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistance is undetected by conventional genotyping and that minority mutations can have clinical consequences. With no treatment history to help guide therapies for drug-na\u00efve persons, the findings suggest an important role for sensitive baseline drug resistance testing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35115280,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Multidisciplinary virtual management of pulmonary nodules.\nMultidisciplinary nodule clinics provide high-quality care and favor adherence to guidelines. Virtual care has shown savings benefits along with patient satisfaction. Our aim is to describe the first year of operation of a multidisciplinary virtual lung nodule clinic, the population evaluated and issued decisions. Secondarily, among discharged patients, we aimed to analyze their follow-up prior to the existence of our consultation, evaluating its adherence to guidelines. Observational study including all patients evaluated at the Virtual Lung Nodule Clinic (VLNC) (March 2018- March 2019). Clinical and radiological data were recorded. Recommendations, based on 2017 Fleischner Society guidelines, were categorized into follow-up, discharge or referral to lung cancer consultation. Discharged patients were classified according to adherence to guidelines of their previous management, into adequate, prolonged and non-indicated follow-up. A total of 365 patients (58.9% men; median age 64.0 years) were included. Sixty-four percent had smoking history and 23% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Most nodules were solid (87.4%) and multiple (57.5%). The median diameter was 6.00 mm. 43.8% of patients were discharged following first VLNC evaluation. Among them, 27.5% had received appropriate follow-up, but 66.9% had received poor management. Patients with prolonged follow-up (33.1%) were older (67.0 vs 60.5 years) and had larger nodules (6.00 mm vs 5.00). Non-indicated follow-up patients (33.8%) were more non-smokers (77.8% vs 31.8%) and presented smaller nodules (4.00 vs 5.00 mm). During its first year of operation, the VLNC has evaluated a population with a relevant risk profile for lung cancer development, management of which should be cautious and adhere to guidelines. After the first VLNC assessment, approximately one-half of this population was discharged. It was noticeable that previous follow-up of discharged patients was found poorly adherent to guidelines, with a marked tendency to overmanagement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16970019,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cirrhosis and chronic liver failure: part I. Diagnosis and evaluation.\nCirrhosis and chronic liver failure are leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States, with the majority of preventable cases attributed to excessive alcohol consumption, viral hepatitis, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Cirrhosis often is an indolent disease; most patients remain asymptomatic until the occurrence of decompensation, characterized by ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, or variceal bleeding from portal hypertension. Physical examination of patients with cirrhosis may reveal a variety of findings that necessitate a hepatic- or gastrointestinal-based work-up to determine the etiology. Some patients already may have had laboratory or radiographic tests that incidentally uncovered signs of cirrhosis and its comorbidities. No serologic or radiographic test can accurately diagnose cirrhosis. A significant correlation has been demonstrated between persistently elevated liver function tests and biopsy-proven underlying hepatic disease; thus, a more targeted serologic work-up is indicated in patients whose liver function test results are persistently abnormal. Unnecessary medications and surgical procedures should be avoided in patients with cirrhosis. Referral for liver biopsy should be considered only after a thorough, non-invasive serologic and radiographic evaluation has failed to confirm a diagnosis of cirrhosis; the benefit of biopsy outweighs the risk; and it is postulated that biopsy will have a favorable impact on the treatment of chronic liver disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36125964,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Global chromatin mobility induced by a DSB is dictated by chromosomal conformation and defines the HR outcome.\nRepair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is crucial for genome integrity. A conserved response to DSBs is an increase in chromatin mobility that can be local, at the site of the DSB, or global, at undamaged regions of the genome. Here, we address the function of global chromatin mobility during homologous recombination (HR) of a single, targeted, controlled DSB. We set up a system that tracks HR in vivo over time and show that two types of DSB-induced global chromatin mobility are involved in HR, depending on the position of the DSB. Close to the centromere, a DSB induces global mobility that depends solely on H2A(X) phosphorylation and accelerates repair kinetics, but is not essential. In contrast, the global mobility induced by a DSB away from the centromere becomes essential for HR repair and is triggered by homology search through a mechanism that depends on H2A(X) phosphorylation, checkpoint progression, and Rad51. Our data demonstrate that global mobility is governed by chromosomal conformation and differentially coordinates repair by HR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19901271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The impact of tissue fixatives on morphology and antibody-based protein profiling in tissues and cells.\nPathology archives harbor large amounts of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples, used mainly in clinical diagnostics but also for research purposes. Introduction of heat-induced antigen retrieval has enabled the use of tissue samples for extensive immunohistochemical analysis, despite the fact that antigen retrieval may not recover all epitopes, owing to alterations of the native protein structure induced by formalin. The aim of this study was to investigate how different fixatives influence protein recognition by immunodetection methods in tissues, cell preparations, and protein lysates, as compared with formalin. Seventy-two affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies were used to evaluate seven different fixatives. The aldehyde-based fixative Glyo-fixx proved to be excellent for preservation of proteins in tissue detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), similar to formalin. A non-aldehyde-based fixative, NEO-FIX was superior for fixation of cultured cells, in regard to morphology, and thereby also advantageous for IHC. Large variability in the amount of protein extracted from the differently fixed tissues was observed, and the HOPE fixative provided the overall highest yield of protein. In conclusion, morphological resolution and immunoreactivity were superior in tissues fixed with aldehyde-based fixatives, whereas the use of non-aldehyde-based fixatives can be advantageous in obtaining high protein yield for Western blot analysis. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http:\/\/www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26522183,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Bullying and school transition: Context or development?\nThe relative impact of school transition versus development on peer victimization and bullying perpetration were examined in a natural experiment involving 698 students where half transitioned into middle school from Grade 5 to Grade 6 and the other half remained in their elementary school over the same period. Results indicated that, on average, peer victimization decreased over the transition period while bullying perpetration remained stable for the whole sample. Multilevel modeling was used to investigate the effects of school transition and sex on changes in victimization and perpetration. Results indicated that the effect of transition status on changes in peer victimization was moderated by sex. Middle school transition status predicted decreases in peer victimization for girls, but not for boys, who transitioned. However, school transition status and participants' sex (and their interaction) did not predict changes in perpetration over time. Our findings indicate that changes in student involvement with peer victimization are better understood as a contextual rather than a typical developmental process, whereas bullying perpetration may be better understood as developmental.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30727025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Mortality due to cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer in adults with cerebral palsy.\nTo compare mortality rates for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease between adults with cerebral palsy (CP) and the general population. A cohort study was conducted using data from adults with CP in England, identified through a primary care data set (the Clinical Practice Research Datalink), with linked data on death registrations from the Office for National Statistics. Cause of death was categorized according to International Classification of Diseases codes. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) were calculated to compare mortality rates between adults with CP and the general population, adjusted for age, sex, and calendar year. Nine hundred and fifty-eight adults with CP were identified (52.5% males, 47.5% females; median age at start of follow-up 31y [interquartile range 22-43y]) and followed for a total of 7693 person-years. One hundred and forty-two patients (15%) died during follow-up. Adults with CP had an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease (SMR: 3.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.20-4.62) and respiratory disease (SMR: 13.59, 95% CI 9.89-18.67), but not from malignant neoplasms (SMR: 1.42, 95% CI 0.83-2.45). We found that adults with CP in England have increased risk of death due to diseases of the circulatory and respiratory systems, supporting findings from two studies that compared cause-specific mortality rates between adults with CP in the USA and the general population. Further research is required into primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular and respiratory disease in people with CP worldwide. Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) in England have 14-fold increased risk of mortality due to diseases of the respiratory system. They have a 3-fold increased risk of mortality due to diseases of the circulatory system. Adults with CP had an increased risk of death due to cerebrovascular disease and ischaemic heart disease. The elevated risk of ischaemic heart disease, however, did not reach statistical significance at the 5% per cent level.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16468571,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Some properties of the weighted OWA operator.\nBased on the researches on ordered weighted average (OWA) operator, the weighted OWA operator (WOWA) and especially the quantifier guided aggregation method, with the generating function representation of regular increasing monotone (RIM) quantifier technique, we discuss the properties of WOWA operator with RIM quantifier in the respect of orness. With the continuous OWA and WOWA ideas recently proposed by Yager, an improvement on the continuous OWA and WOWA operator is proposed. The properties of WOWA are also extended from discrete to the continuous case. Based on these properties, two families of parameterized RIM quantifiers for WOWA operator are proposed, which have exponential generating function and piecewise linear generating function respectively. One interesting property of these two kinds of RIM quantifiers is that for any aggregated set (or variable) under any weighted (distribution) function, the aggregation values are always consistent with the orness (optimistic) levels, so they can be used to represent the decision maker's preference, and we can get the preference value of fuzzy sets or random variables with the orness level of RIM quantifier as their control parameter.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26031000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Industrial effluent induced chromosomal aberration in catfish from Ogun River, Lagos, Nigeria.\nThe aim of the study is to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of effluents at inducing chromosomal aberrations, using this as a biomarker tool in wild Clarias pachynema for assessing and monitoring pollution of the aquatic environment. A total of 60 live fish (30 each downstream and upstream) were obtained and subjected to chromosomal analysis. Chromosomal aberration in the fish samples from the downstream sector was recorded at a rate of 30%, while there were no aberrations in the samples collected upstream the effluent discharge point. Water sample analysis revealed a high concentration of Ammonia and Nitrates above permissible standards of Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) guidelines. Heavy metal analysis also revealed the presence of Cr (0.05), Cu (0.01), Pb (0.05), Zn (5.0) and Fe (0.3) above permissible standards from the downstream section of the river. This study shows clearly that the ever increasing discharge of effluents from the industry could increase chromosomal damage in the aquatic components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17222493,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Selective hair analysis of nicotine by molecular imprinted solid-phase extraction: an application for evaluating tobacco smoke exposure.\nA method using a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) as the selective sorbent for solid-phase extraction (SPE) has been developed. Its application to the assay of hairy nicotine level among smokers and non-smokers with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and evaluation of exposures to the environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were validated. The MIP was synthesized using nicotine as the template molecule and methacrylic acid (MAA) as the functional monomer. This MIP-SPE method provided inherent selectivity and a sensitive response to nicotine with a detection limit of 0.2 ng\/ml hair at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1 and the limit of quantification was 0.5 ng\/ml. The linearity was assessed in the range of 0.5-80 ng\/ml hair, with a coefficient (r(2)) greater than 0.987. The amounts of nicotine determined in smokers and non-smokers hair were in the range of 5.1-69.5 ng\/mg hair and 0.50-9.3 ng\/mg hair, respectively. The reported measures of ETS exposure were significantly associated with hairy nicotine levels. This assay of nicotine in hair using MISPE provided a very selective and reliable method for the evaluation of the exposure to tobacco smoke.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21944736,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":2,"2013-48":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Surgical results in patients with pulmonary atresia-major aortopulmonary collaterals in association with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection.\nPulmonary atresia and major aortopulmonary collaterals (PA\/MAPCAs) is a complex form of congenital heart disease. One to two percent of patients with PA\/MAPCAs will also have total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC). This study summarizes our surgical experience with this rare combination of life-threatening congenital heart defects. A retrospective review was performed to identify patients who had surgery for PA\/MAPCAs in association with TAPVC. From November 2001 to March 2011, 9 patients presented with this combination of defects. Eight of the 9 patients had heterotaxy with an unbalanced atrioventricular canal and functional single ventricle. The ninth patient had double outlet right ventricle (two ventricles). Timing of surgical intervention was typically predicated on the degree of pulmonary venous obstruction. The median age at surgery was 14 days. All nine patients had surgical correction of TAPVC, unifocalization of MAPCA's into a central confluence, and placement of a shunt. There was one early mortality (< 30 days) and two late mortalities. For the 6 survivors, 5 have subsequently undergone a bidirectional Glenn procedure, and 3 had completion of their Fontan. Two patients are currently at the bidirectional Glenn stage; one is a good candidate for Fontan completion while the other is not suitable. The sixth patient is awaiting further assessment. The PA\/MAPCAs, in association with TAPVC, is a challenging combination of defects. The data suggest that the combination of PA\/MAPCAs and TAPVC can be undertaken with a reasonable midterm prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30072158,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The sensitive prosecutor: Emotional experiences of prosecutors in managing criminal proceedings.\nFor over three decades, therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) has produced rich scholarship highlighting the inseparable connection between law and personal wellbeing. Only recently, however, have TJ scholars begun to explore the influence that the law has on those practicing it. The current research aims to contribute to this developing area of study. It explores the \"emotional map\" of public prosecutors in relation to defendants and crime victims, their awareness to these emotions and the impact that these emotions have on their professional decisions. The research involves in-depth interviews with 14 public prosecutors handling criminal cases in Israeli courts. The qualitative, phenomenological analysis of the documented interviews revealed three exposure levels in which interviewees discussed the emotional aspects of their work. The tension between resisting emotions and accepting them was lurking upon each one of the subjects. Their descriptions of specific raw emotions emerged at the deepest level of exposure, and at that level, anger was the most prominent emotion. Our findings raise some skepticism regarding the prosecutor image as a completely rational and provide the insight that prosecutors' emotional world is boiling underneath the surface. Moreover, the exposure of the continuous tension between acceptance and rejection of emotions provides an explanation for the prosecutors' difficulty in acknowledging their emotions in full. This tension negatively impacts the prosecutors' personal and professional lives in ways that resemble psychological symptoms of secondary trauma. The findings may contribute to the development of a \"knowledge base\" of emotional experiences of prosecutors that could enable the creation of models for regulating and managing emotions of legal agents, for the benefit of litigants, legal agents, and the legal process more broadly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35704552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Long-term Meditation Training Is Associated with Enhanced Subjective Attention and Stronger Posterior Cingulate-Rostrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Resting Connectivity.\nMindfulness meditation has been shown to increase resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), which is thought to reflect improvements in shifting attention to the present moment. However, prior research in long-term meditation practitioners lacked quantitative measures of attention that would provide a more direct behavioral correlate and interpretational anchor for PCC-DLPFC connectivity and was inherently limited by small sample sizes. Moreover, whether mindfulness meditation primarily impacts brain function locally, or impacts the dynamics of large-scale brain networks, remained unclear. Here, we sought to replicate and extend prior findings of increased PCC-DLPFC rsFC in a sample of 40 long-term meditators (average practice = 3759 hr) who also completed a behavioral assay of attention. In addition, we tested a network-based framework of changes in interregional connectivity by examining network-level connectivity. We found that meditators had stronger PCC-rostrolateral prefrontal cortex (RLPFC) rsFC, lower connector hub strength across the default mode network, and better subjective attention, compared with 124 meditation-naive controls. Orienting attention positively correlated with PCC-RLPFC connectivity and negatively correlated with default mode network connector hub strength. These findings provide novel evidence that PCC-RLPFC rsFC may support attention orienting, consistent with a role for RLPFC in the attention shifting component of metacognitive awareness that is a core component of mindfulness meditation training. Our results further demonstrate that long-term mindfulness meditation may improve attention and strengthen the underlying brain networks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24061020,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Access to first-person experience in research into mental health].\nThis article presents and discusses the epistemological and methodological challenges related to the empirical study of first-person experience in mental health research. Considering the field of qualitative research, the methodological principles of phenomenology and medical anthropology are examined from a historical and conceptual perspective. The main operational concepts of the phenomenological method applied to empirical research, as well as their two main lines of approach, namely descriptive and psychological\/transcendental phenomenology and hermeneutical or interpretative phenomenology, are described. The contributions of medical anthropology are studied especially with respect to the experience of illness and its forms of narrative. Lastly, considering the distinction between experience and narrative based on the theoretical benchmarks of phenomenology and medical anthropology, a more in-depth debate on access to first-person experience is conducted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6273634,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Spontaneous lymphomas in SJL\/J-(v+) mice: ecotropic and dualtropic virus expression in normal and lymphomatous tissues.\nApproximately 60% of inbred SJL\/J-(v+) adult mice having high levels of ecotropic endogenous XC+ virus showed virus activation within the first month of life, while the others produced virus at comparable levels later on, in an attempt to correlate the time of virus activation with the incidence and latency of lymphomas, the tails of 57 1- and 2-month-old mice were tested for virus presence, and the mice were then observed for lymphoma appearance. While all 2-month-old mice expressed ecotropic virus, only 63% of the 1-month-old mice were virus-positive. However no relationship existed between early virus production (within 1 month) or late virus production and lymphoma latency, total lymphoma incidence, and histopathology. In contrast with high titers of XC+ virus in tail tissues of diseased mice, a markedly low virus content was found in lymphomatous organs. This difference was not due to selective growth of poor virus-producer cells or to inhibitory factors possibly released by the inflammatory cell component. Viral protein content and XC+ virus titer were not closely correlated in the neoplastic organs. Search for XC- viruses revealed that only 1 of 6 aged normal and 16 of 19 lymphomatous mice produced viruses that grew on mink lung cells. By use of a standard limiting dilution cloning procedure, four isolates were obtained that showed tropism for both murine and heterologous cells. Three of these isolates induced cytopathic changes similar to those induced by MCF viruses on mink lung cells but not on mouse cells. Interference and neutralization assays performed to better characterize the virus envelope properties further indicated that SJL\/J isolates had features typical of MCF dualtropic viruses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3346745,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The effect of energy window on cardiac ejection fraction.\nECG gated gamma-ray energy spectra from the left ventricle were created each 50 msec during the cardiac cycle. Nine of ten subjects were studied with a nonimaging Nal probe, and the tenth with a high-resolution Germanium detector. Placing multiple energy windows over the energy spectra, EF was found to vary with the energy window selected. Moving a 20% window across the photopeak produced a roughly linear increase in EF with energy (2.3 EF units per 10 keV increase in energy) in eight of the ten subjects. Dividing the photopeak into a low (126-140 keV) and high-energy (140-154 keV) portion gave significantly different EFs (high energy exceeding low energy by 17%). Increasing the width of a narrow window centered about the photopeak produced negligible change in EF. Examining the energy spectra showed that the small-angle scattered radiation (126-139 keV) was proportionately greater at end systole than at end diastole, after normalizing the spectra to the same photopeak area.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12280194,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The demographic transition.\nDemographic transition is a set of changes in reproductive behavior that are experienced as a society is transformed from a traditional pre-industrial state to a highly developed, modernized structure. The transformation is the substitution of slow growth achieved with low fertility and mortality for slow growth maintained with relatively high fertility and mortality rates. Contrary to early descriptions of the transition, fertility in pre-modern societies was well below the maximum that might be attained. However, it was kept at moderate levels by customs (such as late marriage or prolonged breastfeeding) not related to the number of children already born. Fertility has been reduced during the demographic transition by the adoption of contraception as a deliberate means of avoiding additional births. An extensive study of the transition in Europe shows the absence of a simple link of fertility with education, proportion urban, infant mortality and other aspects of development. It also suggests the importance of such cultural factors as common customs associated with a common language, and the strength of religious traditions. Sufficient modernization nevertheless seems always to bring the transition to low fertility and mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31822006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Utility of Genomic Testing after Renal Biopsy.\nRenal biopsy is the mainstay of renal pathological diagnosis. Despite sophisticated diagnostic techniques, it is not always possible to make a precise pathological diagnosis. Our aim was to identify a genetic cause of disease in patients who had undergone renal biopsy and determine if genetic testing altered diagnosis or treatment. Patients with suspected familial kidney disease underwent a variety of next-generation sequencing (NGS) strategies. The subset of these patients who had also undergone native kidney biopsy was identified. Histological specimens were reviewed by a consultant pathologist, and genetic and pathological diagnoses were compared. Seventy-five patients in 47 families underwent genetic sequencing and renal biopsy. Patients were grouped into 5 diagnostic categories based on pathological diagnosis: tubulointerstitial kidney disease (TIKD; n = 18); glomerulonephritis (GN; n = 15); focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and Alport Syndrome (n = 11); thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA; n = 17); and nonspecific pathological changes (n = 14). Thirty-nine patients (52%) in 21 families (45%) received a genetic diagnosis; 13 cases (72%) with TIKD, 4 (27%) with GN, 6 (55%) with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis\/Alport syndrome, and 10 (59%) with TMA and 6 cases (43%) with nonspecific features. Genetic testing resulted in changes in understanding of disease mechanism in 21 individuals (54%) in 12 families (57%). Treatment would have been altered in at least 26% of cases (10\/39). An accurate genetic diagnosis can result in changes in clinical diagnosis, understanding of pathological mechanism, and treatment. NGS should be considered as a complementary diagnostic technique to kidney biopsy in the evaluation of patients with kidney disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26568059,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 genotypes and haplotypes in the susceptibility to and clinical course of Chlamydia trachomatis infections in Dutch women.\nChlamydia trachomatis infections demonstrate remarkable differences in clinical course that are approximately 40% based on host genetic variation. Here, we study the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and their haplotypes in TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 (TLR2 +2477G>A; TLR2 -16934T>A; TLR4+896A>G; TLR9 -1237T>C and TLR9 +2848G>A) in relation to the susceptibility to, and severity of C. trachomatis infections. We analysed the five SNPs in a cohort of 770 Dutch Caucasian women either attending a sexually transmitted diseases outpatient clinic (n = 731) or having complaints of subfertility (n = 39). Haplotype analyses showed a trend for TLR2 haplotype I (-16934T\/+2477G) to protect against the development of symptoms and tubal pathology (Ptrend = 0.03) after Chlamydia infection. In the susceptibility cohort, TLR9 haplotype III (-1237C\/+2848A) showed a significant decreasing trend in the development of symptoms after C. trachomatis infection (P = 0.02, OR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.33-0.91). Logistic regression of the TLR2 haplotypes, TLR4+896A>G, and TLR9 haplotypes showed that the TLR2 haplotype combinations AG-TA and AG-TG confer risk (OR 3.4 (P = 0.01) and 1.6 (P = 0.03)), while the TLR9 haplotype combination TG-TA protects against C. trachomatis infections (OR: 0.4, P = 0.004). Our study shows that both TLR2 and TLR9 genes and SNP combinations do influence the clinical course of Chlamydia infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31668386,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Fibroblast growth factor 21 is required for the therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG against fructose-induced fatty liver in mice.\nHigh fructose feeding changes fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) regulation. Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) supplementation reduces fructose-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The aim of this study was to determine the role of FGF21 and underlying mechanisms in the protective effects of LGG. FGF21 knockout (KO) mice and C57BL\/6 wild type (WT) mice were fed 30% fructose for 12 weeks. LGG was administered to the mice in the last 4 weeks during fructose feeding. FGF21-adiponectin (ADPN)-mediated hepatic lipogenesis and inflammation were investigated. FGF21 expression was robustly increased after 5-weeks of feeding and significantly decreased after 12-weeks of feeding in fructose-induced NAFLD mice. LGG administration reversed the depressed FGF21 expression, increased adipose production of ADPN, and reduced hepatic fat accumulation and inflammation in the WT mice but not in the KO mice. Hepatic nuclear carbohydrate responsive-element binding protein (ChREBP) was increased by fructose and reduced by LGG, resulting in a reduction in the expression of lipogenic genes. The methylated form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) C, which dephosphorylates and activates ChREBP, was upregulated by fructose and normalized by LGG. Leucine carboxyl methyltransferase-1, which methylates PP2AC, was also increased by fructose and decreased by LGG. However, those beneficial effects of LGG were blunted in the KO mice. Hepatic dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate, which inhibits PP2A, was markedly increased by LGG in the WT mice but attenuated in the KO mice. LGG decreased adipose hypertrophy and increased serum levels of ADPN, which regulates sphingosine metabolism. This beneficial effect was decreased in the KO mice. LGG administration increases hepatic FGF21 expression and serum ADPN concentration, resulting in a reduced ChREBP activation through dihydrosphingosine-1-phosphate-mediated PP2A deactivation, and subsequently reversed fructose-induced NAFLD. Thus, our data suggest that FGF21 is required for the beneficial effects of LGG in reversal of fructose-induced NAFLD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16971441,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Translation of the flavivirus kunjin NS3 gene in cis but not its RNA sequence or secondary structure is essential for efficient RNA packaging.\nOur previous studies using trans-complementation analysis of Kunjin virus (KUN) full-length cDNA clones harboring in-frame deletions in the NS3 gene demonstrated the inability of these defective complemented RNAs to be packaged into virus particles (W. J. Liu, P. L. Sedlak, N. Kondratieva, and A. A. Khromykh, J. Virol. 76:10766-10775). In this study we aimed to establish whether this requirement for NS3 in RNA packaging is determined by the secondary RNA structure of the NS3 gene or by the essential role of the translated NS3 gene product. Multiple silent mutations of three computer-predicted stable RNA structures in the NS3 coding region of KUN replicon RNA aimed at disrupting RNA secondary structure without affecting amino acid sequence did not affect RNA replication and packaging into virus-like particles in the packaging cell line, thus demonstrating that the predicted conserved RNA structures in the NS3 gene do not play a role in RNA replication and\/or packaging. In contrast, double frameshift mutations in the NS3 coding region of full-length KUN RNA, producing scrambled NS3 protein but retaining secondary RNA structure, resulted in the loss of ability of these defective RNAs to be packaged into virus particles in complementation experiments in KUN replicon-expressing cells. Furthermore, the more robust complementation-packaging system based on established stable cell lines producing large amounts of complemented replicating NS3-deficient replicon RNAs and infection with KUN virus to provide structural proteins also failed to detect any secreted virus-like particles containing packaged NS3-deficient replicon RNAs. These results have now firmly established the requirement of KUN NS3 protein translated in cis for genome packaging into virus particles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1782595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Action potentials in gastrointestinal smooth muscle.\nRecent investigation of the ultrastructure and electrophysiology of gastrointestinal smooth muscle layers has revealed a fascinating heterogeneity in cell type, cell structure, intercellular communication, and generated electrical activities. Networks of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) have been identified in many muscle layers and evidence is accumulating for a role of these networks in gut pacemaking activity. Synchronized motility in the organs of the gut result from interaction between ICC, neural-tissue, and smooth muscle cells. Regulation of cell to cell communication between the different cell types will be an important area for further research. Progress has been made in the elucidation of the ionic basis of the slow wave type action potentials and the spike-like action potentials. The mechanism underlying smooth muscle autorhythmicity seems different from that encountered in cardiac tissue, and evidence exists for metabolic regulation of the frequency of slow wave type action potentials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28546812,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Sinonasal Characteristics in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Compared to Healthy Controls.\nBackground. The difference in nasal obstruction between OSA patients and healthy individuals is not adequately documented. Our aim was to describe the sinonasal quality of life and nasal function in OSA patients and healthy controls using the sinonasal outcome test-20 (SNOT-20), nasal obstruction visual analog scale (NO-VAS), and peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF). Methodology and Principal. Ninety-three OSA patients and 92 controls were included in a case-control study from 2010 to 2015. Results. Mean SNOT-20 score in the OSA group was 1.69 (SD 0.84) compared to 0.55 (SD 0.69) in controls (p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.9, 1.4]). The mean NO-VAS score was 41.3 (SD 12.8) and 14.7 (SD 14.4) in the OSA group and controls, respectively, (p < 0.001, 95% CI [22.7, 30.6]). PNIF measured 105 litres\/minute in the OSA group and 117 litres\/minute in controls (p < 0.01, 95% CI [-21.8, -3.71]). There was a positive correlation between subjective nasal obstruction and change in PNIF after decongestion in the control group alone. Conclusions. OSA patients have a reduced sinonasal QoL and lower peak nasal inspiratory flow compared to controls. Treatment of nasal obstruction in OSA patients should be made a priority along with treatment of the ailment itself.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11145249,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Colloid (mucinous noncystic) carcinoma of the pancreas.\nIn the past, colloid (mucinous noncystic) carcinoma (CC) of the pancreas had been included under the category of ordinary ductal adenocarcinoma, a tumor with a dismal prognosis, or was frequently misdiagnosed as mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. The clinicopathologic features of CC have not yet been well characterized, because most cases on record have been parts of studies on either mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN) or intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN), with which colloid carcinomas are frequently associated. To determine the clinicopathologic characteristics of CC, 17 pancreatic tumors composed predominantly (>80%) of CC (defined as nodular extracellular mucin lakes with scanty malignant epithelial cells) and in which the invasive carcinoma measured larger than 1 cm were studied. Ten of these were originally classified as mucinous ductal adenocarcinoma and four as mucinous cystadenocarcinoma. The mean age of the patients was 61 years; 9 were men and 8 were women. The mean size of the CC was 5.3 cm (range, 1.2-16 cm). In more than half of the patients, CC represented the invasive component of an IPMN (in nine cases) or MCN (in one case). The tumors were composed of well-defined pools of mucin with sparse malignant cells in various patterns of distribution. Signet-ring cells floating in the mucin (but not as individual cells infiltrating stroma, a characteristic finding of signet-ring cell adenocarcinomas) were commonly identified and were prominent in five cases. Perineurial invasion was noted in six cases and regional lymph node metastases in eight. Mutation in codon 12 of the k-ras gene was detected in only 4 of 12 cases studied and p53 mutation in 2 of 9. Immunohistochemical and histochemical mucin stains suggested luminalization of the basal aspects of the cells. Five-year survival was 57%. At an overall mean follow up of 57 months, 10 patients were alive with no evidence of disease (median, 79 mos), including four with lymph node metastasis, three others with perineurial invasion, and another with vascular invasion. Four patients died of disease (18, 18, 25, and 26 mos), and three died of thromboembolism (with persistent disease) at 2, 5, 10 months. All seven patients who died with or of tumor had undergone incisional biopsy of the tumor either before the operation or intraoperatively, whereas none of the patients who were alive had incisional biopsy. When compared with 82 cases of resectable ordinary ductal adenocarcinoma on whom follow-up and staging information was complete, it was found that the patients with CC present with larger tumors (p = 0.03) but lower stage (p = 0.01). The prognosis of CC is significantly better: 2-year and 5-year survival are 70% versus 28% and 57% versus 12%, respectively (p = 0.001). In conclusion, pancreatic CC may occur with or without an identifiable IPMN and MCN component, and should be distinguished from mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, ordinary ductal adenocarcinoma, and signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma. CC of the pancreas is associated with a significantly better prognosis than ordinary ductal adenocarcinoma. In addition to its distinctive morphologic and clinical characteristics, CC of the pancreas also appears to have a low incidence of mutation in codon 12 of the k-ras gene. In cases with a clinical suspicion of colloid carcinoma, the possibility that an incisional biopsy may contribute to thromboembolic complications or even dissemination of the tumor may need to be considered. The luminalization of the basal aspects of the tumor cells may be the cause of stromal mucin accumulation that characterizes colloid carcinoma and may act as a containing factor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10972004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Outpatient procedures for cervical dysplasia: a 3 year review of laser vaporisation and LEEP.\nA 3 year retrospective review (1995 to 1997) of 127 patients with cervical dysplasia who underwent Laser Vaporisation of the cervix and LEEP at the Gynaecological Cancer Centre, KK Women's & Children's Hospital, Singapore, was undertaken. Amongst the patients in the Laser Vaporisation group, the mean age was 37.7 years (SD 8.8), the mean operating time was 14.8 minutes (SD 8.5), 63.6% were given prophylactic antibiotics and the mean follow up period was 15.3 months (SD 12.0), whilst in the LEEP group, mean age was 40.3 years (SD 8.4), mean operating time, 11.8 minutes (SD 4.9), prophylactic antibiotic rate, 53.8% and mean follow up period was 19.1 months (SD 9.3). Mild and moderate haemorrhage post procedure were the only complications encountered, 10.2% (5\/49) in the Laser group and 3.8% (3\/78) in the LEEP group. 98% (48\/49) and 97.4% (76\/78) of the Laser and LEEP groups, respectively, were free of disease on follow up. None of the 3 patients with persistent or recurrent disease were diagnosed as having invasive cancer. Overall, there were no significant differences in the patient characteristics, histopathology, operating times, follow up period, the use of prophylactic antibiotics, and complications in the 2 groups. The low complication rate, high disease-free rate and the relatively short operating time of Laser Vaporisation and LEEP in our study suggests that, indeed, both the procedures can be done safely and efficiently in the outpatient setting. However the discrepancy between the histology of colposcopically directed biopsy and that of LEEP specimens suggests that colposcopically directed biopsy may not be as accurate as one might believe, and further studies analysing the concordance between colposcopically directed biopsy and LEEP biopsy histologies are needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20660529,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Factors influencing primary care physicians to prescribe antibiotics in Delhi India.\nit is necessary to understand physician's prescribing behaviour in order to develop interventions that will effectively improve the use of antibiotics. to explore the factors that influence primary care physicians to prescribe antibiotics and to investigate possible interventions. focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to explore the perspectives of primary care physicians in the public and private sectors from five municipal wards (residential localities) of Delhi from where data on antibiotic use and resistance were collected. FGDs (n = 3 with 36 prescribers) were analysed through grounded theory. three broad themes identified were as follows: behavioural characteristics of doctors and patients; laxity in regulation of prescribing and dispensing antibiotics and intervention strategies to decrease misuse of, and resistance to, antibiotics. Important factors identified for antibiotic prescriptions by doctors were diagnostic uncertainty, perceived demand and expectation from the patients, practice sustainability and financial considerations, influence from medical representatives and inadequate knowledge. For public sector doctors, besides the above, overstocked and near-expiry drugs and lack of time were the factors that promoted antibiotic overuse. Doctors also identified certain patient behaviour characteristics and laxity in regulation for prescribing and dispensing of antibiotics as aggravating the problem of antibiotic misuse. Interventions like Continuing Medical Educations for doctors, awareness raising of patients, shared decision making and stricter rules and regulations were suggested to promote rational use of antibiotics in the community. exploration of doctors' antibiotic use practices and possible interventions will be helpful in carrying out interventions to promote appropriate use of antibiotics in the community.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18194488,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Immunotherapeutic agents in type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.\nAlthough recent trial results of anti-CD3 therapy are promising, there have been conflicting results of various immunotherapeutic agents used in patients with type 1 diabetes. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy of nonantigen-based immunotherapeutic approaches for preservation of beta-cell function in patients with type 1 diabetes. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, reference lists, and content expert files up to September 2006. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of antiproliferative agents (methotrexate, azathioprine), monoclonal antibodies (CD3, CD4), T-cell inhibitors (cyclosporin) and other immunotherapeutic agents (photopheresis, linomide, fusidin, buffy coat, intravenous immunoglobulin, BCG, nicotinamide) in patients with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes followed for > or = 6 months. Pairs of reviewers working independently and with adequate reliability assessed the trials' methodological quality, collected data, and conducted random-effects meta-analyses on measures of preservation of beta-cell function (e.g. C-peptide secretion, insulin independence). Of the 299 potentially relevant articles identified after an initial search, 20 trials met selection criteria. Meta-analysis of 20 trials (n = 1187 patients) found a small to moderate improvement in beta-cell function with immunotherapy [vs. placebo, effect size 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.14-0.6] but there was moderate inconsistency in results across trials (I(2) 65%, 95% CI 39-77%). Subgroup analysis suggested a greater effect of cyclosporin and antiproliferative agents on beta-cell function when used for > or = 6 months (pooled effect size 0.77 vs. -0.11, respectively; P(interaction) = 0.002). Long-term immunotherapy may preserve beta-cell function in newly diagnosed patients with type 1 diabetes. Patients and clinicians must await the conduct of rigorous trials reporting on diabetes resolution, adverse events, and other patient-important outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21206387,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Which is the better prognostic factor for resected non-small cell lung cancer: the number of metastatic lymph nodes or the currently used nodal stage classification?\nThis retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic significance of the number of metastatic lymph nodes (nN) in resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in comparison with the currently used pathologic nodal (pN) category in the staging system. A total of 1659 patients who underwent potentially curative resection for NSCLC from 2000 to 2006 were included in this study. The association between the nN and survival was explored, and the results were compared with those using the location-based pN stage classification. The patients were divided into four categories according to the number of metastatic nodes: nN0, absence of metastatic nodes; nN1, metastasis in one to two nodes; nN2, metastasis in three to six nodes; and nN3, metastasis in seven or more nodes. The 5-year overall survival for nN0, nN1, nN2, and nN3 was 89.2%, 65.1%, 42.1%, and 22.4%, respectively (p < 0.001). The nN category could be used to subdivide pN1 and pN2 patients into two (nN1 and nN2) and three (nN1, nN2, and nN3) prognostically distinct subgroups, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed the nN category was an independent prognostic factor for resected NSCLC. The difference in overall survival between pN1 and pN2 was not significant (55.4% versus 47.8%, p = 0.245). Patients in each nN category could not be subdivided into different prognostic subgroups according to the pN classification. The nN category in this study was shown to be a better prognostic determinant than the location-based pN stage classification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10171745,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act and workers' compensation: a call for discussion.\nThe Americans with Disabilities Act may have a great impact on state workers' compensation systems if it serves as a catalyst that encourages them to expand their focus and become more actively involved in helping injured workers return to the workforce.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11829644,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Characterization of char from the pyrolysis of tobacco.\nPyrolysis of tobacco was studied in oxidative and nonoxidative (inert) environments at atmospheric pressure and temperatures ranging from 150 to 750 degrees C. The objective was to study the effect of pyrolysis conditions on the characteristics of the solid residue, i.e., char. The char was characterized using cross-polarization (13)C nuclear magnetic resonance (CPMAS NMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, and the elemental composition. The char yield from pyrolysis (i.e., nonoxidative) decreased sharply with an increase in temperature to ca. 22% (dry, ash-free basis) at high temperatures. In oxidative pyrolysis, i.e., in 5% oxygen, the char was completely oxidized above 600 degrees C. The gaseous product from pyrolysis at high temperatures contained a significant concentration of hydrogen. The surface area of the char was low, with a maximum of 8 m(2)\/g at 400 degrees C. SEM analysis indicated that pyrolysis of the tobacco led to a gradual accumulation of inorganic crystals on the exposed surfaces, and some constituents also melted, resulting in the formation of vesicles by evolving gas. NMR analysis showed significant changes in pectin and sugar constituents of the tobacco and breaking of glycosidic bonds of cellulose at 300-500 degrees C before the char became predominantly aromatic at high temperatures. FTIR results showed a continuous decrease in the intensity of the OH stretch with temperature and the aromatic character to be at maximum at 550-650 degrees C. The H\/C ratio of the char decreased continuously with temperature, while the O\/C ratio became constant above 300 degrees C due to the presence of oxides and carbonates in the char. The results are consistent with the analysis of the evolved gases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24130751,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"GCN2 in the brain programs PPAR\u03b32 and triglyceride storage in the liver during perinatal development in response to maternal dietary fat.\nThe liver plays a central role in regulating lipid metabolism and facilitates efficient lipid utilization and storage. We discovered that a modest increase in maternal dietary fat in mice programs triglyceride storage in the liver of their developing offspring. The activation of this programming is not apparent, however, until several months later at the adult stage. We found that the perinatal programming of adult hepatic triglyceride storage was controlled by the eIF2\u03b1 kinase GCN2 (EIF2AK4) in the brain of the offspring, which stimulates epigenetic modification of the Ppar\u03b32 gene in the neonatal liver. Genetic ablation of Gcn2 in the offspring exhibited reduced hepatic triglyceride storage and repressed expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (Ppar\u03b32) and two lipid droplet protein genes, Fsp27 and Cidea. Brain-specific, but not liver-specific, Gcn2 KO mice exhibit these same defects demonstrating that GCN2 in the developing brain programs hepatic triglyceride storage. GCN2 and nutrition-dependent programming of Ppar\u03b32 is correlated with trimethylation of lysine 4 of histone 3 (H3K4me3) in the Ppar\u03b32 promoter region during neonatal development. In addition to regulating hepatic triglyceride in response to modest changes in dietary fat, Gcn2 deficiency profoundly impacts the severity of the obese-diabetic phenotype of the leptin receptor mutant (db\/db) mouse, by reducing hepatic steatosis and obesity but exacerbating the diabetic phenotype. We suggest that GCN2-dependent perinatal programming of hepatic triglyceride storage is an adaptation to couple early nutrition to anticipated needs for hepatic triglyceride storage in adults. However, increasing the hepatic triglyceride set point during perinatal development may predispose individuals to hepatosteatosis, while reducing circulating fatty acid levels that promote insulin resistance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":593030,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The medicolegal investigation: evaluation of cases with potential medical litigation.\nA medicolegal autopsy protocol must serve as something more than an esoteric scientific document. It will be read by all persons interested in knowing how and of what the person died, and these readers might include family members, insurance representatives, police officials, attorneys, judges, and juries.... The writing of a medicolegal autopsy protocol is a difficult task since it must not only enable the author to recapture the details of the event at a later date if he is called to testify, but it must also provide necessary and understandable information to a variety of other individuals with varying backgrounds whose understanding of the findings is essential to a final disposition of the case.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17464154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Renal replacement therapy in neonates with congenital heart disease.\nThe acute renal failure (ARF) incidence in pediatric cardiac surgery intensive care unit (ICU) ranges from 5 to 20% of patients. In particular, clinical features of neonatal ARF are mostly represented by fluid retention, anasarca and only slight creatinine increase; this is the reason why medical strategies to prevent and manage ARF have limited efficacy and early optimization of renal replacement therapy (RRT) plays a key role in the outcome of cardiopathic patients. Data on neonates admitted to our ICU were prospectively collected over a 6-month period and analysis of patients with ARF analyzed. Indications for RRT were oligoanuria (urine output less than 0.5 ml\/kg\/h for more than 4 h) and\/or a need for additional ultrafiltration in edematous patients despite aggressive diuretic therapy. Incidence of ARF and need for RRT were equivalent and occurred in 10% of admitted neonates. Eleven patients of 12 were treated by peritoneal dialysis (PD) as only RRT strategy. PD allowed ultrafiltration to range between 5 and 20 ml\/h with a negative balance of up to 200 ml over 24 h. Creatinine clearance achieved by PD ranged from 2 to 10 ml\/min\/1.73 m2. We reported a 16% mortality in RRT patients. PD is a safe and adequate strategy to support ARF in neonates with congenital heart disease. Fluid balance control is easily optimized by this therapy whereas solute control reaches acceptable levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31991616,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Exposures Associated with Non-Typhoidal Salmonella Infections Caused by Newport, Javiana, and Mississippi Serotypes in Tennessee, 2013-2015: A Case-Case Analysis.\nNon-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infection (salmonellosis) is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal diseases throughout the world. Human infections caused by Salmonella Newport, Javiana, and Mississippi serotypes have been observed to occur at higher rates on an annual basis in western Tennessee. The reason for the increased rate of NTS infection by these three serotypes in this region is not known. We conducted a case-case analysis to identify potential risk factors associated with the three Salmonella serotypes using FoodNet data, obtained from the Tennessee Department of Health, consisting of 1578 culture-confirmed salmonellosis cases in Tennessee from 2013 through 2015. Among all the exposure variables tested (254 in total), we found contact with pet treats or chews in the seven days prior to illness was the factor that was significantly associated with these serotypes compared to other serotypes (odds ratio adjusted = 3.0 (95% confidence intervals 1.6, 5.5), P < 0.0005). This study highlights the need for further investigation of potential exposures (other than pet treats or chews), including several possible environmental sources of NTS infection in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28058517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Variation in Response to Evidence-Based Group Preventive Intervention for Disruptive Behavior Problems: A View from 938 Coping Power Sessions.\nPrior research suggests that under some conditions, interventions that aggregate high-risk youth may be less effective, or at worse, iatrogenic. However, group formats have considerable practical utility for delivery of preventive interventions, and thus it is crucial to understand child and therapist factors that predict which aggressive children can profit from group intervention and which do not. To address these questions we video-recorded group Coping Power intervention sessions (938 sessions), coded both leader and participant behavior, and analyzed both leader and children's behaviors in the sessions that predicted changes in teacher and parent, reports of problem behavior at 1-year follow up. The sample included 180 high-risk children (69% male) who received intervention in 30 separate Coping Power intervention groups (six children assigned per group). The evidence-based Coping Power prevention program consists of 32 sessions delivered during the 4th and 5th grade years; only the child component was used in this study. The behavioral coding system used in the analyses included two clusters of behaviors for children (positive; negative) and two for the primary group leaders (group management; clinical skills). Growth spline models suggest that high levels of children's negative behaviors predicted increases in teacher and parent rated aggressive and conduct problem behaviors during the follow-up period in the three of the four models. Therapist use of clinical skills (e.g., warmth, nonreactive) predicted less increase in children's teacher-rated conduct problems. These findings suggest the importance of clinical training in the effective delivery of evidence-based practices, particularly when working with high-risk youth in groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17942772,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mechanism of increased mortality risk with erythropoietin treatment to higher hemoglobin targets.\nRecent randomized, controlled trials indicate that there is a strong trend for increased risk for death or adverse composite outcomes with erythropoiesis-stimulating agent treatment in kidney disease to hemoglobin targets higher than those currently recommended. The failure of these trials to find a benefit of higher hemoglobin is in stark contrast to findings from large, observational, population-based studies that continue to demonstrate the association of low hemoglobin with adverse outcomes. The mechanisms for the adverse effect of higher hemoglobin targets that are seen in the randomized, controlled trials are poorly understood. This review explores hypotheses involving (1) the effect of achieved hemoglobin itself, (2) the role of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent treatment, (3) the use of iron supplementation, (4) increased blood pressure, and (5) erythropoiesis-stimulating agent hyporesponsiveness. Because the causal pathway has yet to be determined, further research is strongly encouraged. Clinical practice, however, should avoid erythropoiesis-stimulating agent treatment to higher hemoglobin targets, particularly in those with significant cardiovascular morbidity and those who require disproportionately high dosages of erythropoietin-stimulating agents to achieve recommended hemoglobin levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37747190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Identifying physiological tissue niches that support the HIV reservoir in T cells.\nSuccessful antiretroviral therapy (ART) can efficiently suppress Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) replication to undetectable levels, but rare populations of infected memory CD4+ T cells continue to persist, complicating viral eradication efforts. Memory T cells utilize distinct homing and adhesion molecules to enter, exit, or establish residence at diverse tissue sites, integrating cellular and environmental cues that maintain homeostasis and life-long protection against pathogens. Critical roles for T cell receptor and cytokine signals driving clonal expansion and memory generation during immunity generation are well established, but whether HIV-infected T cells can utilize similar mechanisms for their own long-term survival is unclear. How infected, but transcriptionally silent T cells maintain their recirculation potential through blood and peripheral tissues, or whether they acquire new capabilities to establish unique peripheral tissue niches, is also not well understood. In this review, we will discuss the cellular and molecular cues that are important for memory T cell homeostasis and highlight opportunities for HIV to hijack normal immunological processes to establish long-term viral persistence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7794904,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Continuous fluorescence assay of phytochrome assembly in vitro.\nIncubation of recombinant apophytochrome with the phycobiliprotein chromophore precursor phycoerythrobilin produces a covalent adduct that exhibits a fluorescence excitation maximum at 576 nm and an emission maximum at 586 nm. Using these fluorescence parameters, we have developed a kinetic assay for quantitative analysis of the assembly of the plant photoreceptor phytochrome in real time. Kinetic measurements performed with different phycoerythrobilin concentrations confirm that bilin attachment to apophytochrome involves two steps, an initial formation of a reversible non-covalent complex followed by thioether bond formation. The kinetic constants for both steps of phycoerythrobilin attachment to apophytochrome were estimated with this assay. Methodology for determining the kinetic constants for the assembly of both the natural phytochrome chromophore precursor, phytochromobilin, and the analog phycocyanobilin is also described. Since the latter two bilins yield covalent, nonfluorescent adducts with apophytochrome, their co-incubation with phycoerythrobilin reduces the rate of formation of the fluorescent phycoerythrobilin adduct in an irreversible, competitive manner. Competition experiments were also performed with biliverdin, a structurally related bilin which does not form a covalent adduct with apophytochrome. Such measurements show that biliverdin reversibly binds to apophytochrome with a submicromolar binding constant, an affinity which is very similar to that of phytochromobilin. The utility of this fluorescence assay for identification of novel inhibitors of phytochrome assembly and for characterization of the structural features of both bilin and apophytochrome necessary for photoreceptor assembly is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30971422,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Socioeconomic disparities in life expectancy gains among retired German men, 1997-2016.\nAlthough estimates of socioeconomic mortality disparities in Germany exist, the trends in these disparities since the 1990s are still unknown. This study examines mortality trends across socioeconomic groups since the late 1990s among retired German men aged 65 and above. Large administrative data sets were used to estimate mortality among retired German men, grouped according to their working-life biographies. The data covered the years 1997-2016 and included more than 84.1 million person-years and 4.3 million deaths. Individual pension entitlements served as a measure of lifetime income. Changes in total life expectancy at age 65 over time were decomposed into effects of group-specific mortality improvements and effects of compositional change. Over the two decades studied, male mortality declined in all income groups in both German regions. As mortality improved more rapidly among higher status groups, the social gradient in mortality widened. Since 1997, the distribution of pension entitlements of retired East German men has shifted substantially downwards. As a result, the impact of the most disadvantaged group on total mortality has increased and has partly attenuated the overall improvement. Our results demonstrate that socioeconomic deprivation has substantial effects on levels of mortality in postreunification Germany. While East German retirees initially profited from the transition to the West German pension system, subsequent cohorts had to face challenges associated with the transition to the market economy. The results suggest that postreunification unemployment and status decline had delayed effects on old-age mortality in East Germany.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27703199,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"l-Ornithine affects peripheral clock gene expression in mice.\nThe peripheral circadian clock is entrained by factors in the external environment such as scheduled feeding, exercise, and mental and physical stresses. In addition, recent studies in mice demonstrated that some food components have the potential to control the peripheral circadian clock during scheduled feeding, although information about these components remains limited. l-Ornithine is a type of non-protein amino acid that is present in foods and has been reported to have various physiological functions. In human trials, for example, l-ornithine intake improved a subjective index of sleep quality. Here we demonstrate, using an in vivo monitoring system, that repeated oral administration of l-ornithine at an early inactive period in mice induced a phase advance in the rhythm of PER2 expression. By contrast, l-ornithine administration to mouse embryonic fibroblasts did not affect the expression of PER2, indicating that l-ornithine indirectly alters the phase of PER2. l-Ornithine also increased plasma levels of insulin, glucose and glucagon-like peptide-1 alongside mPer2 expression, suggesting that it exerts its effects probably via insulin secretion. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that l-ornithine affects peripheral clock gene expression and may expand the possibilities of L-ornithine as a health food.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8393353,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Association of the subtype 2 of the Epstein-Barr virus with T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the midline granuloma type.\nLethal midline granuloma (LMG) is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The latter has at least two subtypes with different biological properties. The subtypes can be identified by their genomic configuration. Using EBV-RNA (EBER) in situ hybridization and EBV polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we have looked for the presence of EBV in six LMGs and six non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) located in the nasopharyngeal region, and determined the subtype of EBV. Six of six LMGs were positive by PCR and EBER in situ hybridization, whereas NHLs were either negative or, in three of six cases, showed few EBER-positive cells considered to be nonneoplastic lymphocytes. The subtype 2 was found in LMG lesions of three of six patients; the remaining three of six patients with LMG had the generally occurring subtype 1. The results indicate that the association of EBV with NHL may depend more on tumor type than on its localization. The occurrence of the rare subtype 2 in LMG may relate to a covert immune defect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30200456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Health and Nutrition Studies Related to Cereal Biodiversity: A Participatory Multi-Actor Literature Review Approach.\nRecently, a large and growing body of literature has investigated the health potential of different wheat species. In particular, a considerable number of studies dealing with nutritional aspects has grown up around the theme of the recovery of ancient wheat varieties (species that have remained unchanged over the last hundred years). According to several studies, indeed, ancient varieties present a healthier nutritional profile than modern ones. In the framework of the European project \"CERERE, CEreal REnaissance in Rural Europe: embedding diversity in organic and low-input food systems\", this paper aimed to review recent research on the issue of health and nutritional cereal systems by adopting an innovative and participatory multi-actor approach which involved practitioners along with researchers. The participatory approach is the main innovation and peculiarity of this literature review. Nevertheless, the review highlights the many positive effects derived from eating whole and ancient grains such as a significant reduction in the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and also a more favorable long-term weight management and increase in satiety. This review may be considered as a fruitful starting point that integrates research results to foster current and future healthier and sustainable practices in cereal systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14627099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Injection of corticosteroids, hyaluronate, and amikacin into the navicular bursa in horses with signs of navicular area pain unresponsive to other treatments: 25 cases (1999-2002).\nTo determine history, clinical and radiographic abnormalities, and outcome in horses with signs of navicular area pain unresponsive to corrective shoeing and systemic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration that were treated with an injection of corticosteroids, sodium hyaluronate, and amikacin into the navicular bursa. Retrospective study. 25 horses. Data collected from the medical records included signalment, history, horse use, severity and duration of lameness, shoeing regimen, results of diagnostic anesthesia, radiographic abnormalities, and outcome. 17 horses had bilateral forelimb lameness, 7 had unilateral forelimb lameness, and 1 had unilateral hind limb lameness. Mean duration of lameness was 9.2 months. All horses had been treated with corrective shoeing and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for at least 6 months; 18 had previously been treated by injection of corticosteroids and sodium hyaluronate into the distal interphalangeal joint. Fourteen horses had mismatched front feet, and 21 horses had signs of pain in response to application of pressure over the central aspect of the frog. Palmar digital nerve anesthesia resulted in substantial improvement in or resolution of the lameness in all horses. Twenty horses (80%) were sound and returned to intended activities 2 weeks after navicular bursa treatment; mean duration of soundness was 4.6 months. Two horses that received numerous navicular bursa injections had a rupture of the deep digital flexor tendon at the level of the pastern region. Results suggest that navicular bursa treatment may provide temporary improvement in horses with signs of chronic navicular area pain that fail to respond to other treatments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27208178,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Nuclear localizations of phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinases \u03b1 and \u03b2 are dynamic and independently regulated during starvation-induced stress.\nThe chicken B-cell line DT40 has two isoforms of phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinase (PI5P4K), \u03b1 and \u03b2, which are likely to exist as a mixture of obligate homo- and hetero-dimers. Previous work has led us to speculate that an important role of the \u03b2 isoform may be to target the more active PI5P4K\u03b1 isoform to the nucleus. In the present study we expand upon that work by genomically tagging the PI5P4Ks with fluorochromes in the presence or absence of stable or acute depletions of PI5P4K\u03b2. Consistent with our original hypothesis we find that PI5P4K\u03b1 is predominantly (possible entirely) cytoplasmic when PI5P4K\u03b2 is stably deleted from cells. In contrast, when PI5P4K\u03b2 is inducibly removed within 1 h PI5P4K\u03b1 retains its wild-type distribution of approximately 50:50 between cytoplasm and nucleus even through a number of cell divisions. This leads us to speculate that PI5P4K\u03b1 is chromatin-associated. We also find that when cells are in the exponential phase of growth PI5P4K\u03b2 is primarily cytoplasmic but translocates to the nucleus upon growth into the stationary phase or upon serum starvation. Once again this is not accompanied by a change in PI5P4K\u03b1 localization and we show, using an in vitro model, that this is possible because the dimerization between the two isoforms is dynamic. Given this shift in PI5P4K\u03b2 upon nutrient deprivation we explore the phenotype of PI5P4K B-null cells exposed to this stress and find that they can sustain a greater degree of nutrient deprivation than their wild-type counterparts possibly as a result of up-regulation of autophagy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36717777,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Are rugby league players involved in more tackles than normal, prior to an injury sustained during a tackle event?\nRugby league has a relatively high injury risk, with the tackle having the greatest injury propensity. The number of tackles players engage in, prior to injurious tackles may influence injury risk, which has yet to be investigated. Therefore, this study investigated if rugby league players are involved in more tackles (as either tackler or ball carrier) (i) in the 10 minutes, or (ii) 1-min periods prior to an injurious tackle-event, (iii) differences for ball carriers vs. tacklers, and (iv) forwards vs. backs. Video analysis was utilised to quantify the number and rate of tackles in the 10-min periods prior to 61 tackle-related injuries. One thousand two hundred and eighty 10-min periods where players were not injured, were used as matched-controls. Generalized mixed linear models were used to analyse mean total and rate for tackles. Injured players were involved in significantly fewer tackles during the 10-min period, yet significantly more tackles during the final minute prior to the injurious tackle-event, compared to non-injured players. There were no differences between ball carriers vs. tacklers during the 10-min period. Both injured position groups were involved in significantly more tackles in the final minute. Additional match data sources are needed to further inform injury preventive strategies of tackle events.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24050803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Effect of the Mediterranean diet on blood pressure in the PREDIMED trial: results from a randomized controlled trial.\nHypertension can be prevented by adopting healthy dietary patterns. Our aim was to assess the 4-year effect on blood pressure (BP) control of a randomized feeding trial promoting the traditional Mediterranean dietary pattern. The PREDIMED primary prevention trial is a randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial conducted in Spanish primary healthcare centers. We recruited 7,447 men (aged 55 to 80 years) and women (aged 60 to 80 years) who had high risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants were assigned to a control group or to one of two Mediterranean diets. The control group received education on following a low-fat diet, while the groups on Mediterranean diets received nutritional education and also free foods; either extra virgin olive oil, or nuts. Trained personnel measured participants' BP at baseline and once yearly during a 4-year follow-up. We used generalized estimating equations to assess the differences between groups during the follow-up. The percentage of participants with controlled BP increased in all three intervention groups (P-value for within-group changes: P<0.001). Participants allocated to either of the two Mediterranean diet groups had significantly lower diastolic BP than the participants in the control group (-1.53 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI) -2.01 to -1.04) for the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra virgin olive oil, and -0.65 mmHg (95% CI -1.15 to -0.15) mmHg for the Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts). No between-group differences in changes of systolic BP were seen. Both the traditional Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet exerted beneficial effects on BP and could be part of advice to patients for controlling BP. However, we found lower values of diastolic BP in the two groups promoting the Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil or with nuts than in the control group. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN35739639.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24508179,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Impact of diabetic retinopathy on late cardiac events after percutaneous coronary intervention.\nDiabetic retinopathy has been identified as a predictor of cardiovascular events and heart failure in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aimed to assess the impact of diabetic retinopathy on the incidence of late cardiac events following percutaneous coronary intervention. We enrolled 88 consecutive DM patients who underwent elective percutaneous coronary intervention and whose ophthalmologic records were available. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with diabetic retinopathy (DR+ group; n=47), and those without diabetic retinopathy (DR- group; n=41). We examined the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and acute heart failure requiring emergency admission over a period of up to 5 years. Patients in the DR+ group were likely to have a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the event-free survival rates for all MACE, myocardial infarction, and heart failure were significantly lower in the DR+ group than in the DR- group (p=0.002, p=0.025, and p=0.022, respectively). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that the presence of DR was a significant predictor of MACE (hazard ratio: 8.7; 95% CI: 1.1-69.8, p=0.042). The presence of DR might be a useful predictor of late cardiac events following percutaneous coronary intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15103176,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Is PA-PWRmax truly a preload-independent index of myocardial contractility in anesthetized humans?\nThis study tested the hypothesis that the preload-adjusted maximal power index (PA-PWRmax) is a load-independent index of human myocardial contractility. Based on the ventricular pressure-volume relationship and derived from stroke work, the index is the product of instantaneous ventricular pressure and volume changes, divided by a correction term of end-diastolic volume (EDV2) or end-diastolic area (EDA3\/2) to adjust for preload effects. Echocardiographic measures of instantaneous ventricular area change may be used to obtain PA-PWRmax noninvasively. We prospectively evaluated 28 human subjects undergoing cardiac evacuation before cardiopulmonary bypass procedures. Continuous peripheral arterial pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure, and echocardiographic views of the left ventricle in the transgastric short-axis view were recorded. Simultaneously gated instantaneous fractional shortening (FS) and PA-PWRmax indices were calculated, with FS = (EDA - ESA)\/EDA and PA-PWRmax = [MAP (EDA - ESA)]\/ EDA3\/2, where ESA = end-systolic area and MAP = instantaneous mean arterial pressure. FS decreased uniformly with cardiac evacuation and decreasing pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (t = -5.4; 95% confidence interval, -10 to -0.046; p < 0.001), as did PA-PWRmax (t = -5.8; 95% confidence interval, -2.25 to -1.08; p < 0.001). FS and PA-PWRmax showed a strong downward correlation (r = 0.81). Unlike previous studies of autonomically denervated animals, our study did not find PA-PWRmax to be preload independent, perhaps because of the instantaneous homeostatic mechanisms of the human autonomic nervous system linking contractility to loading conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30134598,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"rs495139 in the TYMS-ENOSF1 Region and Risk of Ovarian Carcinoma of Mucinous Histology.\nThymidylate synthase (TYMS) is a crucial enzyme for DNA synthesis. TYMS expression is regulated by its antisense mRNA, ENOSF1. Disrupted regulation may promote uncontrolled DNA synthesis and tumor growth. We sought to replicate our previously reported association between rs495139 in the TYMS-ENOSF1 3' gene region and increased risk of mucinous ovarian carcinoma (MOC) in an independent sample. Genotypes from 24,351 controls to 15,000 women with invasive OC, including 665 MOC, were available. We estimated per-allele odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using unconditional logistic regression, and meta-analysis when combining these data with our previous report. The association between rs495139 and MOC was not significant in the independent sample (OR = 1.09; 95% CI = 0.97\u207b1.22; p = 0.15; N = 665 cases). Meta-analysis suggested a weak association (OR = 1.13; 95% CI = 1.03\u207b1.24; p = 0.01; N = 1019 cases). No significant association with risk of other OC histologic types was observed (p = 0.05 for tumor heterogeneity). In expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analysis, the rs495139 allele was positively associated with ENOSF1 mRNA expression in normal tissues of the gastrointestinal system, particularly esophageal mucosa (r = 0.51, p = 1.7 \u00d7 10-28), and nonsignificantly in five MOC tumors. The association results, along with inconclusive tumor eQTL findings, suggest that a true effect of rs495139 might be small.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29381720,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The impact of Typhoon Haiyan on admissions in two hospitals in Eastern Visayas, Philippines.\nWe investigated the short-term impact of Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest typhoons ever to make landfall, on the pattern of admissions in two hospitals in Eastern Visayas, the Philippines. This study took place at Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban, and Ormoc District Hospital (ODH) in Ormoc. We determined whether there were differences in the pattern of admissions between the week before and the three weeks after Haiyan by using information on sex, age, diagnosis, ward and outcome at discharge from patient records. There was a drop in admissions in both hospitals after Haiyan as compared to before. Admissions climbed back to the baseline after ten days in EVRMC and after two weeks in ODH. When comparing the period after Haiyan to the period before, there was a relative increase in male versus female admissions in ODH (OR 2.8, 95%CI 1.7-4.3), but not in EVRMC. Patients aged \u226550 years and 0-14 years had the highest relative increase in admissions. There was a relative decrease in admissions for the ICD10 group 'Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium' (OR 0.4, 95%CI 0.3-0.6), and an increase in 'Certain infectious and parasitic diseases' (OR 2.1, 95%CI 1.2-3.5), mainly gastroenteritis, and 'Diseases of the respiratory system' (OR 1.8, 95%CI 1.0-3.0), mainly pneumonia, compared to all other diagnosis groups in ODH. Out of all reasons for admission within the study period, 66% belong to these three ICD-10 groups. Data on reasons for admission were not available for EVRMC. The observed reduction in patients after the Typhoon calls for ensuring that hospital accessibility should be protected and reinforced, especially for pregnant women, by trying to remove debris in the direct hospital vicinity. Hospitals in areas prone to tropical cyclones should be prepared to treat large numbers of patients with gastroenteritis and pneumonia, as part of their disaster plans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21099301,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The thyroid hormone T3 improves function and survival of rat pancreatic islets during in vitro culture.\nEx vivo islet cell culture in the presence of stimulating factors prior to transplantation is considered a good strategy in contrast to the short conclusion of islets transplantation. Previously, we demonstrated how T3 can increase b-cell function via specific activation of Akt; therefore we hypothesized that thyroid hormone T3 can be considered a promising candidate for the in vitro expansion of islet cell mass. Rat pancreatic islets have been isolated by the collagenase digestion and cultured in the presence or not of the thyroid hormone T3 10\u207b\u2077 M. Islets viability has been evaluated by the use of two different dyes, one cell-permeable green fluorescent dye and propidium iodide, and by the analysis of core cell damage upcoming. Moreover, islets function has been evaluated by insulin secretion. The ability of b-cells to counteract apoptosis induced by streptozotocin has been analyzed by TUNEL assay. We demonstrated that treatment of primary cultures of rat pancreatic islets with T3 results in augmented \u03b2-cell vitality with an increase of their functional properties. In addition, a sensible reduction of the core cell damage has been observed in the T3 treated islets, suggesting the preservation of the \u03b2-cells integrity during the culture period. Nonetheless, the insulin secretion is sensibly augmented after T3 stimulation. The strong increment shown in Akt activation suggests the involvement of this pathway in the observed phenomena. In conclusion we indicate T3 as a good factor to improve ex vivo islets cell culture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29364679,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Self-Assembled PCBM Nanosheets: A Facile Route to Electronic Layer-on-Layer Heterostructures.\nWe report on the self-assembly of semicrystalline [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) nanosheets at the interface between a hydrophobic solvent and water, and utilize this opportunity for the realization of electronically active organic\/organic molecular heterostructures. The self-assembled PCBM nanosheets can feature a lateral size of >1 cm2 and be transferred from the water surface to both hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces using facile transfer techniques. We employ a transferred single PCBM nanosheet as the active material in a field-effect transistor (FET) and verify semiconductor function by a measured electron mobility of 1.2 \u00d7 10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1 and an on-off ratio of \u223c1 \u00d7 104. We further fabricate a planar organic\/organic heterostructure with the p-type organic semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) as the bottom layer and the n-type PCBM nanosheet as the top layer and demonstrate ambipolar FET operation with an electron mobility of 8.7 \u00d7 10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1 and a hole mobility of 3.1 \u00d7 10-4 cm2 V-1 s-1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26060207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Shifts in myocardial fatty acid and glucose metabolism in pulmonary arterial hypertension: a potential mechanism for a maladaptive right ventricular response.\nWe investigated the role of metabolic alterations in the development of a maladaptive right ventricular (RV) response in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which has not previously been undertaken. This study evaluated relationships between glucose and fatty acid metabolism obtained using PET with invasive pulmonary haemodynamics, RV measurements, and RV function to gain insight into the mechanism of RV maladaptation. Seventeen consecutive PAH patients (mean age 56 \u00b1 15) who underwent right heart catheterization [mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) 43 \u00b1 12 mmHg] had cardiac 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) and (18)F-fluoro-6-thioheptadecanoic acid (FTHA) PET imaging. RV and left ventricular (LV) FDG and FTHA uptake standard uptake values (SUVs) were measured. The SUV was corrected for the partial volume effect (SUVPVE) based on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was determined by CMR. There was a significant positive correlation between mPAP and RV\/LV FDG SUVPVE (r = 0.68, P = 0.003), and the ratio of RV\/LV FDG SUV : RV\/LV FTHA SUV (r = 0.60, P = 0.02). RVEF was negatively correlated with RV\/LV FDG SUVPVE uptake (r = -0.56, P = 0.02) and RV\/LV FTHA SUVPVE (r = -0.62, P = 0.019). Increased pulmonary arterial pressures are associated with increases in the ratio of FDG\/FTHA uptake in the RV. Inverse correlation between the uptake of the metabolic tracers and RV function may reflect a shift towards increased fatty acid oxidation and glycolysis associated with RV failure in maladaptive remodelling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17617818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Modelling advection and diffusion of water isotopologues in leaves.\nWe described advection and diffusion of water isotopologues in leaves in the non-steady state, applied specifically to amphistomatous leaves. This explains the isotopic enrichment of leaf water from the xylem to the mesophyll, and we showed how it relates to earlier models of leaf water enrichment in non-steady state. The effective length or tortuosity factor of isotopologue movement in leaves is unknown and, therefore, is a fitted parameter in the model. We compared the advection-diffusion model to previously published data sets for Lupinus angustifolius and Eucalyptus globulus. Night-time stomatal conductance was not measured in either data set and is therefore another fitted parameter. The model compared very well with the observations of bulk mesophyll water during the whole diel cycle. It compared well with the enrichment at the evaporative sites during the day but showed some deviations at night for E. globulus. It became clear from our analysis that night-time stomatal conductance should be measured in the future and that the temperature dependence of the tracer diffusivities should be accounted for. However, varying mesophyll water volume did not seem critical for obtaining a good prediction of leaf water enrichment, at least in our data sets. In addition, observations of single diurnal cycles do not seem to constrain the effective length that relates to the tortuosity of the water path in the mesophyll. Finally, we showed when simpler models of leaf water enrichment were suitable for applications of leaf water isotopes once weighted with the appropriate gas exchange flux. We showed that taking an unsuitable leaf water enrichment model could lead to large biases when cumulated over only 1 day.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17881576,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Drivers of reforestation in human-dominated forests.\nTropical forest habitat continues to decline globally, with serious negative consequences for environmental sustainability. The small mountain country of Nepal provides an excellent context in which to examine trajectories of forest-cover change. Despite having experienced large-scale forest clearing in the past, significant reforestation has taken place in recent years. The range of biophysical and ecological environments and diversity of tenure arrangements provide us with a context with sufficient variation to be able to derive insight into the impact of a range of hypothesized drivers of forest change. This article draws on a dataset of 55 forests from the middle hills and Terai plains of Nepal to examine the factors associated with forest clearing or regeneration. Results affirm the central importance of tenure regimes and local monitoring for forest regrowth. In addition, user group size per unit of forest area is an important, independent explanator of forest change. These variables also can be associated with specific practices that further influence forest change such as the management of social conflict, adoption of new technologies to reduce pressure on the forest, and involvement of users in forest maintenance activities. Such large-N, comparative studies are essential if we are to derive more complex, nuanced, yet actionable frameworks that help us to plan better policies for the management of natural resources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33859246,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Transport of pseudothermal photons through an anharmonic cavity.\nUnder nonequilibrium conditions, quantum optical systems reveal unusual properties that might be distinct from those in condensed matter. The fundamental reason is that photonic eigenstates can have arbitrary occupation numbers, whereas in electronic systems these are limited by the Pauli principle. Here, we address the steady-state transport of pseudothermal photons between two waveguides connected through a cavity with Bose-Hubbard interaction between photons. One of the waveguides is subjected to a broadband incoherent pumping. We predict a continuous transition between the regimes of Lorentzian and Gaussian chaotic light emitted by the cavity. The rich variety of nonequilibrium transport regimes is revealed by the zero-frequency noise. There are three limiting cases, in which the noise-current relation is characterized by a power-law, [Formula: see text]. The Lorentzian light corresponds to Breit-Wigner-like transmission and [Formula: see text]. The Gaussian regime corresponds to many-body transport with the shot noise ([Formula: see text]) at large currents; at low currents, however, we find an unconventional exponent [Formula: see text] indicating a nontrivial interplay between multi-photon transitions and incoherent pumping. The nonperturbative solution for photon dephasing is obtained in the framework of the Keldysh field theory and Caldeira-Leggett effective action. These findings might be relevant for experiments on photon blockade in superconducting qubits, thermal states transfer, and photon statistics probing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30856315,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Evaluation of a Volumetric Dried Blood Spot Card Using a Gravimetric Method and a Bioanalytical Method with Capillary Blood from 44 Volunteers.\nDried blood spot (DBS) sampling is a promising method for collection of microliter blood samples. However, hematocrit-related bias in combination with subpunch analysis can result in inaccurate quantification of analytes in DBS samples. In this study we use a microfluidic DBS card, designed to automatically collect fixed volume DBS samples irrespective of the blood hematocrit, to measure caffeine concentration in normal finger prick samples obtained from 44 human individuals. Caffeine levels originating from blood drops of unknown volume collected on the volumetric microfluidic DBS card were compared to volume-controlled pipetted DBS samples from the same finger prick. Hematocrit independence and volumetric sampling performances were also verified on caffeine-spiked blood samples in vitro, using both LC-MS\/MS and gravimetric methods, on hematocrits from 26 to 62%. The gravimetric measurements show an excellent metering performance of the microfluidic DBS card, with a mean blood sample volume of 14.25 \u03bcL \u00b1 3.0% ( n = 51). A measured mean bias below 2.9% compared to normal hematocrit (47%) demonstrates that there is no significant hematocrit-induced bias. LC-MS\/MS measurements confirm low CV and hematocrit independence of the sampling system and exhibit no substantial mean bias compared to pipetted DBS. Tests with 44 individuals demonstrated applicability of the microfluidic DBS card for direct finger prick blood sampling, and measured caffeine concentrations show a good agreement with measurements of pipetted DBS. The presented concept demonstrates a good volumetric performance which can help to improve the accuracy of DBS analysis by analyzing a whole spot, equivalent to a defined volume of liquid blood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37489107,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Self-Reported Anxiety and Perception of Safety Following School Lockdown Drills among Adolescent Youth.\nLockdown drills are mandated within many educational settings in the US; they may contribute to adverse mental health and there is little to suggest their effectiveness. We describe factors associated with post-drill anxiety and perceived effectiveness of drills. We surveyed youth-caregiver dyads presenting to the pediatric emergency department. Nonparametric tests compared factors across groups of child anxiety and caregiver perceived effectiveness of drills. Kappa statistics (\u03ba) measured child-caregiver agreement on post-drill anxiety and depression symptoms. 108 child-caregiver dyads were included. Post-lockdown drill anxiety was reported by 27% of children; those reporting anxiety were more likely to have histories of bullying or skipping school for safety (p = 0.0004). Of caregivers, 47% believed drills effectively prevent firearm injury. There was a significant disparity between child and caregiver report of post-drill mental health symptomatology (\u03ba anxiety = 0.19; \u03ba depression = 0.30). Implications for School Health, Policy, Practice, and Equity: Understanding factors contributing to anxiety surrounding lockdown drills and perception of drill effectiveness may aid policy decisions and resource allocation. Lockdown drills may increase mental health symptoms in children, while caregivers may not recognize this occurrence. Studies to identify risk factors of acute and chronic post-lockdown drill anxiety will help determine how to better serve youth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18652722,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Caring for victims of intimate partner violence: a survey of Canadian emergency departments.\nWe sought to determine the proportion of Canadian emergency departments (EDs) that have intimate partner violence (IPV) universal screening programs and intervention policies and procedures. Of the EDs with programs, we determined what proportion had made changes in their practices during the past 10 years and since the 2003 Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care recommendations. Using the same sampling methods as a 1994 study, we mailed questionnaires to nurse managers of a stratified, random sample of 250 out of 638 (39%) Canadian EDs and followed up with a series of telephone calls. Of the 250 EDs initially contacted, 6 were excluded before the surveys were mailed. The response rate was 78.3% (191\/244). Sixty-one (31.9%) of the studied EDs reported the existence of IPV policies and procedures. In this group, 26 (42.6%) applied universal screening and 13 (21.3%) implemented their screening policies after the 2003 national recommendations were published. When these results were compared with those of the 1994 study, there was no difference in the proportion of EDs with IPV policies and procedures or in the proportion of EDs that applied universal screening. Despite increased research into IPV there was no significant change between 1994 and 2004 in the existence of IPV polices or universal screening in Canadian EDs. Policies and procedures that address appropriate responses to patients exposed to IPV should be a priority, with most emphasis directed toward developing effective interventions to which women can be referred.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31944099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Multisite-Occupancy-Driven Intense Narrow-Band Blue Emission from Sr5SiO4Cl6:Eu2+ Phosphor with Excellent Stability and Color Performance.\nThe development of an efficient blue phosphor with remarkable thermal stability required for high-quality white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) remains an exigent task and mainly concerned BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BAM:Eu). Despite the outstanding performance of BAM:Eu, the reduction in luminescence efficiency under long-term operation results in numerous researches on new hosts having lattice rigidity with symmetrical coordination environment. Therefore, we have synthesized a competent blue-emitting Eu2+-activated Sr5SiO4Cl6 (SSC) phosphors. The admirable rigidity of these phosphors with three Sr polyhedra Sr(I)O9, Sr(II)O7, and Sr(III)O8 assessed from Rietveld refinement indicate the dense connectivity in the crystal structure, and the ab initio calculations further support the firm electronic band structure. The broad excitation from 250 to 450 nm suitably matches the absorption band of a near-UV (n-UV) LED chip. The phosphor exhibited bright blue emission with internal quantum yield and color purity > 90% which contribute to the slender fwhm of 33 nm. The first-principle calculation indicates the most stable site for Eu2+ substitution as Sr(III)O8, and the experimental results agreed with this fact as well. The synthesized phosphor displayed an excellent thermal stability which is superior to that of the commercial BAM:Eu phosphor. The excellent thermal stability may be owed to the highly symmetric coordination environment of Eu2+ in the SSC host that are revealed from the distortion and charge density distribution calculation by density functional theory. The blue phosphor was further utilized for WLEDs and displayed white light with a high color-rendering index and suitable correlated color temperature, which is ideal for practical applications in warm WLEDs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30621561,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Inhibition of Sumoylation Alleviates Oxidative Stress-induced Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Senescence and Represses Proinflammatory Gene Expression.\nAdvanced age is the largest risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Sumoylation is a reversible post-translational modification that conjugates small peptide, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO), to a target protein. Dysregulation of sumoylation is recently found to be critically involved in several age-related disorders. However, the effects of sumoylation during retina senescence and aging remains elusive. This study is aimed to investigate the function and regulation of sumoylation pathway in the aging retina and premature senescent retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. 1.5- and 10-month C57\/B6 mice were used for comparative aging study. Both ARPE primary cultures and ARPE-19 cells were used for assay systems. The qRT-PCR was used for analysis of mRNA expression. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to analyze the protein expression. Cell flow cytometry was used for cell cycle progression analysis. RPE barrier function and senescent-associated \u03b2-galactosidase (SA \u03b2-gal) activity were analyzed to measure cellular senescence. We show that the expression of SUMO enzymes and global protein sumoylation were downregulated in the aging mouse retina, and in the oxidative stress (OS) -induced premature senescent RPE cells. Dramatical altered distribution of SUMO E1, E2 and E3 enzymes were observed during RPE senescence. Inhibition of sumoylation alleviated OS-induced cell senescence in RPE cells, as indicated by decreased p21 and p53 expression and decreased percentage of cell cycle arrest at G0\/G1 phase. Intriguingly, inhibition of SUMO E1 repressed the expression of proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine in the premature senescent RPE cells. However, inhibition of sumoylation did not prevent DNA damage during the OS-induced RPE senescence process. Our data indicate sumoylation critically regulates retina and RPE aging and that targeting sumoylation process may provide potential therapeutic strategy for AMD treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16401631,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Receiving a summary of the results of a trial: qualitative study of participants' views.\nTo explore trial participants' responses to receiving a summary of the results of a trial in pregnancy. Qualitative study with semistructured interviews. 20 women who had when pregnant participated in the ORACLE trial of antibiotics for preterm labour and preterm rupture of the membranes and requested a copy of the trial results. Less than a fifth of women who participated in the ORACLE trial indicated that they wished to receive the trial results. Reactions to the leaflet summarising the trial results were generally positive or neutral, although some women had difficulty in understanding the leaflet, and there was evidence of possible negative implications for women who had adverse outcomes. Women requested the results because they were interested in being able to complete their own personal narrative. They wished to know to which arm of the trial they had been allocated and the implications for their own pregnancy, and they were disappointed with receiving a generic summary. Women's accounts indicated some confusion about the trial findings. Recommendations that research participants be routinely provided with the results of studies have been made without the benefit of research to show the consequences of doing this or how it should best be managed. Caution is needed, as is more evaluation of how feedback of results should be handled, and assessment of the risks, benefits, and costs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18050421,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The cadherin superfamily.\nThe cadherins are a major class of membrane proteins with prominent roles in cell adhesion, and the regulation of tissue organisation and morphogenesis. The C. elegans genome encodes 13 cadherins, including representatives of the major cadherin sub-types that are conserved between insects and vertebrates: the so-called classic, Fat-like, Flamingo and calsyntenin classes. The function of most of these in C. elegans is still unknown, or poorly understood, mainly because clear loss-of-function mutations have been isolated for only a few. As is true for the cadherin families of other organisms, most is known about classic cadherin function. C. elegans has a single classic cadherin gene, which encodes two isoforms: one predominantly expressed in the nervous system, and the other more broadly expressed in all epithelial cells. The epithelial cadherin-catenin complex appears to be functionally equivalent to that found in Drosophila and vertebrates, and is critically required for embryonic morphogenesis. Mutant phenotypes have also been described for cdh-3 and fmi-1, which encode a Fat-like cadherin, and the C. elegans Flamingo homologue, respectively. cdh-3 mutants display incompletely penetrant defects in the morphogenesis of hyp10, the cell which forms the tip of the tail, and the excretory duct cell; though the mechanistic role of CDH-3 in these processes is not known. FMI-1 is required during neuronal development consistent with the known role of the Drosophila homologue in controlling tissue polarity. Five of the cadherins have no obvious homologues beyond the nematodes, and thus may be phyla-specific.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20469187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"General practice in northern norway.\nA study was made of general practice in northern Norway where conditions are similar to parts of rural Canada. The Norwegian general practitioner has developed expertise in the preventive and psychosocial aspects of practice and the team concept is highly developed. Since the general practitioner is separated from the hospital, his facilities for procedures and diagnostic workups are primitive. Involvement of general practitioners in medical education is not yet well developed although all new graduates spend a compulsory period in rural practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34806377,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Molecular Composition of Oxygenated Organic Molecules and Their Contributions to Organic Aerosol in Beijing.\nThe understanding at a molecular level of ambient secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation is hampered by poorly constrained formation mechanisms and insufficient analytical methods. Especially in developing countries, SOA related haze is a great concern due to its significant effects on climate and human health. We present simultaneous measurements of gas-phase volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxygenated organic molecules (OOMs), and particle-phase SOA in Beijing. We show that condensation of the measured OOMs explains 26-39% of the organic aerosol mass growth, with the contribution of OOMs to SOA enhanced during severe haze episodes. Our novel results provide a quantitative molecular connection from anthropogenic emissions to condensable organic oxidation product vapors, their concentration in particle-phase SOA, and ultimately to haze formation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17798590,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"THE EFFECT OF PROPAMIDINE ON BACTERIAL METABOLISM.\nM\/80,000 propamidine inhibits the oxidation of the nitrogeneous constituents of the medium in which the bacteria grow. A certain latent period occurs before the inhibition reaches a maximum and the drug is more effective at pH 7.8 than at pH 6.7. As is shown in the accompanying article by Dr. Kohn, this concentration is in the minimal effective range for the inhibition of growth. A latent period and a similar pH effect also are present when growth is inhibited. It is thus possible to conclude that propamidine, unlike sulfanilamide and its derivatives, directly affects the oxidative metabolism of these bacteria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14977588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Molecular analysis of \"de novo\" purine biosynthesis in solanaceous species and in Arabidopsis thaliana.\nPurine nucleotides are essential components to sustain plant growth and development. In plants they are either synthesized \"de novo\" during the process of purine biosynthesis or are recycled from purine bases and purine nucleosides throughout the salvage pathway. Comparison between animals, microorganisms and Arabidopsis, the first plant species with a completely sequenced genome, shows that plants principally use the same biochemical steps to synthesize purine nucleotides and possess all the essential genes and enzymes. Here we report on the cloning and molecular analysis of the complete purine biosynthesis pathway in plants, and the in planta functional analysis of PRPP (5-phosphoribosyl-1-pyrophoshate) amidotransferase (ATase), catalyzing the first committed step of the \"de novo\" purine biosynthesis. The cloning of the genes involved in the purine biosynthesis pathway was attained by a screening strategy with heterologous cDNA probes and by using S. cerevisiae mutants for complementation. Southern hybridization showed a complex genomic organization for these genes in solanaceous species and their organ- and developmental specific expression was analyzed by Northern hybridization. The specific role of ATase for plant growth and development was analyzed in transgenic tobacco plants exhibiting a reduced ATase activity and in an Arabidopsis T-DNA mutant (atd2) deficient for ATase2. The transgenic tobacco plants as well as the Arabidopsis mutant exhibit a specific and comparable phenotype, which is characterized by strong growth retardation and severe chlorosis in leaves. The formation of white leaves, but green cotyledons is a characteristic trait of the Arabidopsis atd2 mutant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11384817,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Wilson's disease in pregnancy: five successful consecutive pregnancies of the same woman.\nWilson's disease is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism characterized mainly by liver cirrhosis and neurological disorders. Appropriate treatment with chelating agents allows normal fertility function. We report five consecutive successful pregnancies of the same woman, treated in the high-risk unit at our medical center. The management dilemmas and treatment options are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6349335,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Path analysis in genetic epidemiology: a critique.\nPath analysis, a form of general linear structural equation models, is used in studies of human genetics data to discern genetic, environmental, and cultural factors contributing to familial resemblance. It postulates a set of linear and additive parametric relationships between phenotypes and genetic and cultural variables and then essentially uses the assumption of multivariate normality to estimate and perform tests of hypothesis on parameters. Such an approach has been advocated for the analysis of genetic epidemiological data by D. C. Rao, N. Morton, C. R. Cloninger, L. J. Eaves, and W. E. Nance, among others. This paper reviews and evaluates the formulations, assumptions, methodological procedures, interpretations, and applications of path analysis. To give perspective, we begin with a discussion of path analysis as it occurs in the form of general linear causal models in several disciplines of the social sciences. Several specific path analysis models applied to lipoprotein concentrations, IQ, and twin data are then reviewed to keep the presentation self-contained. The bulk of the critical discussion that follows is directed toward the following four facets of path analysis: (1) coherence of model specification and applicability to data; (2) plausibility of modeling assumptions; (3) interpretability and utility of the model; and (4) validity of statistical and computational procedures. In the concluding section, a brief discussion of the problem of appropriate model selection is presented, followed by a number of suggestions of essentially model-free alternative methods of use in the treatment of complex structured data such as occurs in genetic epidemiology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23113423,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Experience with Y-shaped anastomosis in surgical treatment of acute colonic occlusion ileus of tumor genesis].\nThe results of the Y-shaped anastomosis during resection of the colon left half with a resectable tumor on a background of acute colonic occlusion ileus in 35 patients were analyzed. Postoperative complications occurred in 16 patients. The Y-shaped anastomosis formation is an operation of choice during the resection treatment of colon cancer complicated by occlusion ileus. Carrying out such interventions poses a number of benefits when the second (recovery) stage of colon cancer surgical treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17080826,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A trajectory-preserving synchronization method for collaborative visualization.\nIn the past decade, a lot of research work has been conducted to support collaborative visualization among remote users over the networks, allowing them to visualize and manipulate shared data for problem solving. There are many applications of collaborative visualization, such as oceanography, meteorology and medical science. To facilitate user interaction, a critical system requirement for collaborative visualization is to ensure that remote users will perceive a synchronized view of the shared data. Failing this requirement, the user's ability in performing the desirable collaborative tasks will be affected. In this paper, we propose a synchronization method to support collaborative visualization. It considers how interaction with dynamic objects is perceived by application participants under the existence of network latency, and remedies the motion trajectory of the dynamic objects. It also handles the false positive and false negative collision detection problems. The new method is particularly well designed for handling content changes due to unpredictable user interventions or object collisions. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method through a number of experiments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30971142,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pedestrian crashes at priority-controlled junctions, roundabouts, and signalized junctions: The UK case study.\nObjectives: Over half of pedestrians killed and seriously injured in Great Britain in 2015 were involved in crashes at junctions. This study investigates the nature of these crashes. Methods: A study was conducted into pedestrian casualty crashes at priority controlled junctions, roundabouts and signalised junctions in England between 2005 and 2015 using information from the UK STATS19 accident database, the UK National Travel Survey and the UK National Census. Consideration was given to coding frequencies of contributory factors, exposure (in terms of miles walked or driven) as well as age, gender and the resident deprivation index of the road users involved. Results and Conclusions: In terms of indicative blame, the coding frequencies of subjectively determined pedestrian actions and behaviour factors which might have contributed to pedestrian casualty crashes were found to be between 1.6 and 2.8 times the frequencies of driver actions and behavioural factors. Substantial social gradients were found in pedestrian casualty rates per miles walked and in the driver involvement rates per mile driven with those from the most deprived quintile having higher rates. In addition, it was found that female pedestrians, aged 60 years and over, had higher pedestrian casualty rates, per billion miles walked, for all three junction types, when compared with males and females under the age of 60 years, apart from male pedestrians aged 16 years and younger at priority controlled junctions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17469205,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Linking animal models to human congenital diaphragmatic hernia.\nCongenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a major life-threatening malformation, occurring in approximately 1 in 3,000 live births. Over the years, different animal models have been used to gain insight into the etiology of this complex congenital anomaly and to develop treatment strategies. However, to date the pathogenic mechanism is still not understood, and treatment remains difficult because of the associated pulmonary hypoplasia and pulmonary hypertension. In this review, data available from several animal models will be discussed. The retinoic acid signaling pathway (RA pathway, retinoid pathway) will be addressed as a developmental pathway that is potentially disrupted in the pathogenesis of CDH. Furthermore, genetic factors involved in diaphragm and lung development will be discussed. With this review article, we aim to provide a concise overview of the current most important experimental genetic data available in the field of CDH.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33876505,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Universal access to genetic counseling for women with epithelial ovarian cancer in Nova Scotia: Evaluating a new collaborative care model.\nWomen with pathogenic variants in BRCA1\/2 have a significantly increased lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancers. The availability of genetic testing to identify BRCA1\/2 carriers is imperative to disease prevention and treatment. We evaluated the effectiveness of a new collaborative care model in Nova Scotia, involving the integration of genetic counselors into tumor board rounds, reduction in time allotted for initial genetic counseling appointments from 60 to 45 min, and a standardized dictation template, to increase referral rate for genetic counseling. We also assessed the study cohorts' preferences on timing for genetic testing. A retrospective chart review was performed on all women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) from 2012 to 2017 (N = 386). Pertinent clinical outcomes were categorized and wait times to different nodes of the clinical pathway assessed. A questionnaire was sent to this same cohort of women to identify preference for the timing of genetic testing (n = 103). The chi-square and Wilcoxon's rank-sum tests were used to compare demographic and clinical variables pre- and post-care model implementation. We identified a 48.2% (95% CI: 39.4-56.7, p < .001) increase in referral for genetic counseling following implementation of the new care model. Median time from diagnosis to referral decreased by 74.0 days (p < .001) and median time from referral to first appointment by 54.0 days (p < .001). 56.3% of women desired referral at the time of diagnosis. This care model for women newly diagnosed with EOC in Nova Scotia was successful in increasing referral rates for genetic counseling. Majority of women pursued genetic testing following and favored that referral for genetic counseling be made at the time of diagnosis, highlighting the importance for timely access.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6776537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Successive switching of antibody isotypes expressed within the lines of a B-cell clone.\nAn antigen-stimulated B cell can differentiate to form a clone of cells that secrete antibodies with the IgM, IgG1, and IgA isotypes. We have examined the sequence of isotype expression by proliferating cell lines within a clone by directly staining for immunoglobulin in the cytoplasm of clonal daughter cells. All of the cones selected for analysis originally secreted IgM as well as other isotypes, as determined by radioimmunoassay of culture fluids. Cell staining showed that (i) at least 25% of the cells contained more than one isotype, indicating that cells can switch expression of isotypes during clonal expansion; (ii) some cells contained both IgM and IgA without detectable IgG1, and some cells contained both IgM and IgG1 without detectable IgA, suggesting that cells can switch from IgM directly to IgG1 or IgA; and (iii) some cells contained both IgG1 and IgA, indicating that cell lines can undergo two successive switches from IgM to the IgG1 and IgA isotypes. Using serological markers for allotypic determinants on the constant region of heavy chains, we have also shown that heterozygous B cells specific for phosphorylcholine generated clones of cells that secreted IgG1 and IgA antibodies that were derived from the expression of genes on only one parental chromosome. Assuming that the gene coding for the IgA isotype is the last gene in the gene cluster coding for heavy chain isotypes, we have proposed a model of successive, but not necessarily stepwise, switching of isotypes within B-cell lines, leading to the eventual accumulation of cells expressing IgA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21958200,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Life cycle assessment of potential biojet fuel production in the United States.\nThe objective of this paper is to reveal to what degree biobased jet fuels (biojet) can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the U.S. aviation sector. A model of the supply and demand chain of biojet involving farmers, biorefineries, airlines, and policymakers is developed by considering factors that drive the decisions of actors (i.e., decision-makers and stakeholders) in the life cycle stages. Two kinds of feedstock are considered: oil-producing feedstock (i.e., camelina and algae) and lignocellulosic biomass (i.e., corn stover, switchgrass, and short rotation woody crops). By factoring in farmer\/feedstock producer and biorefinery profitability requirements and risk attitudes, land availability and suitability, as well as a time delay and technological learning factor, a more realistic estimate of the level of biojet supply and emissions reduction can be developed under different oil price assumptions. Factors that drive biojet GHG emissions and unit production costs from each feedstock are identified and quantified. Overall, this study finds that at likely adoption rates biojet alone would not be sufficient to achieve the aviation emissions reduction target. In 2050, under high oil price scenario assumption, GHG emissions can be reduced to a level ranging from 55 to 92%, with a median value of 74%, compared to the 2005 baseline level.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17797221,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Vertical aluminophosphate molecular sieve crystals grown at inorganic-organic interfaces.\nTubular aluminophosphate molecular sieve crystals were grown at an organic interface with their channels (7 angstroms in cross section) vertical to the substrate. To induce surface nucleation and oriented growth of AIPO(4)-5 crystals, organophosphonate layers cross-linked with Zr(IV) were assembled on a gold substrate and the modified substrate was immersed in a hydrothermal bath containing reagents for the synthesis of the molecular sieve. Reflection-absorption infrared studies demonstrated the stability of the phosphonate layers under these conditions. Drastic changes in the morphology of the surface-grown crystals from spherical agglomerates to vertical needles to thin tilted needles could be achieved by adjusting the water content of the synthesis bath. Nitrogen sorption in these structures on a piezoelectric device confirmed the presence of zeolitic microporosity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38168913,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Low dose cadmium exposure regulates miR-381-ANO1 interaction in airway epithelial cells.\nChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the 3rd leading cause of death worldwide. Cigarette smoke which has approximately 2-3 \u00b5g of Cadmium (Cd) per cigarette contributes to the environmental exposure and development and severity of COPD. With the lack of a cadmium elimination mechanism in humans, the contribution of cadmium induced stress to lung epithelial cells remains unclear. Studies on cadmium responsive miRNAs suggest regulation of target genes with an emphasis on the critical role of miRNA-mRNA interaction for cellular homeostasis. Mir-381, the target miRNA in this study is negatively regulated by cadmium in airway epithelial cells. miR-381 is reported to also regulate ANO1 (Anoctamin 1) expression negatively and in this study low dose cadmium exposure to airway epithelial cells was observed to upregulate ANO1 mRNA expression via mir-381 inhibition. ANO1 which is a Ca2+-activated chloride channel has multiple effects on cellular functions such as proliferation, mucus hypersecretion and fibroblast differentiation in inflamed airways in chronic respiratory diseases. In vitro studies with cadmium at a high concentration range of 100-500 \u00b5M is reported to activate chloride channel, ANO1. The secretory epithelial cells are regulated by chloride channels like CFTR, ANO1 and SLC26A9. We examined \"ever\" smokers with COPD (n = 13) lung tissue sections compared to \"never\" smoker without COPD (n = 9). We found that \"ever\" smokers with COPD had higher ANO1 expression. Using mir-381 mimic to inhibit ANO1, we demonstrate here that ANO1 expression is significantly (p < 0.001) downregulated in COPD derived airway epithelial cells exposed to cadmium. Exposure to environmental cadmium contributes significantly to ANO1 expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27214552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Fukushima nuclear disaster is ongoing.\nThe 5th anniversary of the Fukushima disaster and the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, the two most catastrophic nuclear accidents in history, both occurred recently. Images of Chernobyl are replete with the international sign of radioactive contamination (a circle with three broad spokes radiating outward in a yellow sign). In contrast, ongoing decontamination efforts at Fukushima lack international warnings about radioactivity. Decontamination workers at Fukushima appear to be poorly protected against radiation. It is almost as if the effort is to make the Fukushima problem disappear. A more useful response would be to openly acknowledge the monumental problems inherent in managing a nuclear plant disaster. Lessons from Chernobyl are the best predictors of what the Fukushima region of Japan is coping with in terms of health and environmental problems following a nuclear catastrophe.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27194991,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Serum Cortisol-to-Cortisone Ratio and Blood Pressure in Severe Obesity before and after Weight Loss.\nThe pathogenesis of obesity-associated hypertension is poorly understood. Serum cortisol-to-cortisone ratio (F\/E ratio) is a marker of cortisol metabolism. Our objective was to determine whether the serum F\/E ratio is associated with blood pressure (BP) in patients after significant weight loss (\u226515% from baseline weight). Sera from 43 nondiabetic, severely obese males participating in a weight management program were assayed for F and E by mass spectrometry. We assessed whether changes in the F\/E ratio accompanying weight loss correlate with changes in the systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP). Linear regression was used to evaluate change in the F\/E ratio as a predictor of change in BP. The body mass index decreased from 40.8 \u00b1 5.6 to 33.7 \u00b1 4.8 (p < 0.001); also, SBP (133.2 \u00b1 13.8 vs. 124.1 \u00b1 14.3 mm Hg; p < 0.001) and DBP (69.8 \u00b1 8.0 vs. 66.6 \u00b1 9.4 mm Hg; p = 0.026) decreased during the study. The baseline F\/E ratio tended to associate with baseline DBP (Spearman's r = -0.29, p = 0.06), and change in the serum F\/E ratio correlated with change in DBP (Spearman's r = -0.32, p = 0.036). Change in the F\/E ratio also tended to associate with change in SBP (Spearman's r = -0.27, p = 0.08). A multiple linear regression model adjusted for change in the F\/E ratio and age explained 22% of the variance in SBP change (R(2) = 0.22, p = 0.007). Change in the F\/E ratio independently predicted change in SBP (p = 0.036). In our sample of nondiabetic, severely obese males, change in the serum F\/E ratio was associated with change in BP after weight loss.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20656943,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Loci identified by genome-wide association studies influence different disease-related phenotypes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.\nGenome-wide association studies have shown significant associations between variants near hedgehog interacting protein HHIP, FAM13A, and cholinergic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor CHRNA3\/5 with increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in smokers; however, the disease mechanisms behind these associations are not well understood. To identify the association between replicated loci and COPD-related phenotypes in well-characterized patient populations. The relationship between these three loci and COPD-related phenotypes was assessed in the Evaluation of COPD Longitudinally to Identify Predictive Surrogate End-point (ECLIPSE) cohort. The results were validated in the family-based International COPD Genetics Network (ICGN). The CHRNA3\/5 locus was significantly associated with pack-years of smoking (P = 0.002 and 3 \u00d7 10\u207b\u2074), emphysema assessed by a radiologist using high-resolution computed tomography (P = 2 \u00d7 10\u207b\u2074 and 4.8 \u00d7 10\u207b\u2075), and airflow obstruction (P = 0.004 and 1.8 \u00d7 10\u207b\u2075) in the ECLIPSE and ICGN populations, respectively. However, variants in the IREB2 gene were only significantly associated with FEV\u2081. The HHIP locus was not associated with smoking intensity but was associated with FEV\u2081\/FVC (P = 1.9 \u00d7 10\u207b\u2074 and 0.004 in the ECLIPSE and ICGN populations). The HHIP locus was also associated with fat-free body mass (P = 0.007) and with both retrospectively (P = 0.015) and prospectively (P = 0.024) collected COPD exacerbations in the ECLIPSE cohort. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the FAM13A locus were associated with lung function. The CHRNA3\/5 locus was associated with increased smoking intensity and emphysema in individuals with COPD, whereas the HHIP and FAM13A loci were not associated with smoking intensity. The HHIP locus was associated with the systemic components of COPD and with the frequency of COPD exacerbations. FAM13A locus was associated with lung function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37755471,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Analysis of factors conditioning inappropriate visits in a paediatric emergency department.\nRecent studies estimated that about 20-30% of visits in a paediatric emergency department (PED) are inappropriate. Nonurgent visits have been negatively associated with crowding and costs, causing longer waiting and dissatisfaction among both parents and health workers. We aimed to analyze possible factors conditioning inappropriate visits and misuse in a PED. We performed a cross-sectional study enrolling children accessing an Italian PED from June 2022 to September 2022 who received a nonurgent code. The appropriateness of visits, as measured by the \"Mattoni SSN\" Project, comprises combination of the assigned triage code, the adopted diagnostic resources, and outcomes. A validated questionnaire was also administered to parents\/caregivers of included children to correlate their perceptions with the risk of inappropriate visit. Data were analyzed using independent-samples t-tests, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, chi-square tests, and Fisher's exact tests. The factors that were found to be associated with inappropriate visits to the PED were further evaluated by univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Almost half (44.8%) of nonurgent visits resulted inappropriate. Main reasons for parents\/caregivers to take their children to PED were (1) the perceived need to receive immediate care (31.5%), (2) the chance to immediately perform exams (26.7%), and (3) the reported difficulty in contacting family paediatrician (26.3%). Inappropriateness was directly related to child's age, male gender, acute illness occurred in the previous month, and skin rash or abdominal pain as complaining symptoms. Conclusion: This study highlights the urgent need to finalize initiatives to reduce misuse in accessing PED. Empowering parents' awareness and education in the management of the most frequent health problems in paediatric age may help to achieve this goal. What is Known: \u2022 About 20-30% of pediatric urgent visits are estimated as inappropriate. \u2022 Several factors may be associated with this improper use of the emergency department, such as the misperception of parents who tend to overrate their children's health conditions or dissatisfaction with primary care services. What is New: \u2022 This study evaluated almost half of pediatric emergency department visits as inappropriate adopting objective criteria. \u2022 Inappropriateness was directly related to the child's age, male gender, acute illness that occurred in the previous month, and skin rash or abdominal pain as complaining symptoms. Educational interventions for parents aimed at improving healthcare resource utilization should be prioritized.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20200480,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Reticulocyte mitophagy: monitoring mitochondrial clearance in a mammalian model.\nMitochondria are the primary site of energy production in animal cells. In mitochondria, the flow of electrons through the electron transport chain creates a potential difference across the inner membrane, which is utilized for ATP production. However, due to inherent inefficiencies in electron transport, reactive oxygen species are also produced, which damage mitochondrial proteins and nucleic acids, and impair mitochondrial function. Decreased mitochondrial function causes increased reactive oxygen species generation, a decline in cellular function, and potentially cell death. Therefore, to maintain cellular homeostasis, mechanisms have evolved to selectively eliminate defective mitochondria. Mitochondria are constantly undergoing cycles of fission and fusion, and this process appears to have a role in mitochondrial quality control. Following fission, daughter mitochondria are produced, which can differ in their membrane polarization. Depolarized mitochondria are less likely to undergo subsequent fusion, and more likely to undergo autophagic clearance. As would be predicted, given the potential for cytochrome c release, depolarization is a powerful stimulus for mitochondrial clearance. Depolarization causes recruitment of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin to mitochondria, which is required for their subsequent engulfment by autophagosomes. Macroautophagy pathways also appear to have a role, as hepatocytes deficient for the E1-like enzyme Atg7 accumulate abnormal mitochondria. Finally, recent studies in a developmental model have yielded insight into this process. Newly formed erythrocytes, also known as reticulocytes, eliminate their entire cohort of mitochondria during development. This process depends on the mitochondrial protein NIX, is partially dependent on autophagy, and is independent of mitochondrial depolarization. Here we describe the use of reticulocytes to study mitochondrial clearance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25415283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"PD-1\/PD-L1 blockade together with vaccine therapy facilitates effector T-cell infiltration into pancreatic tumors.\nPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) has a poor prognosis due to late detection and resistance to conventional therapies. Published studies show that the PDA tumor microenvironment is predominantly infiltrated with immune suppressive cells and signals that if altered, would allow effective immunotherapy. However, single-agent checkpoint inhibitors including agents that alter immune suppressive signals in other human cancers such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death 1 (PD-1), and its ligand PD-L1, have failed to demonstrate objective responses when given as single agents to PDA patients. We recently reported that inhibition of the CTLA-4 pathway when given together with a T cell inducing vaccine gives objective responses in metastatic PDA patients. In this study, we evaluated blockade of the PD-1\/PD-L1 pathway. We found that PD-L1 is weakly expressed at a low frequency in untreated human and murine PDAs but treatment with a granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor secreting PDA vaccine (GVAX) significantly upregulates PD-L1 membranous expression after treatment of tumor-bearing mice. In addition, combination therapy with vaccine and PD-1 antibody blockade improved murine survival compared with PD-1 antibody monotherapy or GVAX therapy alone. Furthermore, PD-1 blockade increased effector CD8 T lymphocytes and tumor-specific interferon-\u03b3 production of CD8 T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Immunosuppressive pathways, including regulatory T cells and CTLA-4 expression on T cells were overcome by the addition of vaccine and low-dose cyclophosphamide to PD-1 blockade. Collectively, our study supports combining PD-1 or PD-L1 antibody therapy with a T cell inducing agent for PDA treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30154648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"MEK inhibitors for the treatment of NRAS mutant melanoma.\nMelanoma is increasing rapidly in incidence and prevalence, especially in younger females and older males. Treatment options have expanded beyond high-dose interleukin 2 and adoptive T-cell therapy to include inhibitors of immune checkpoints programmed death 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and small molecular inhibitors of pathways activated in melanoma, in particular the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. PD-1\/CTLA-4 inhibitors and inhibitors of MAPK such as BRAF\/MEK inhibitors have significantly improved survival in both the metastatic and, more recently, adjuvant settings. In this review, we discuss the preclinical data, clinical development, and potential use of novel MEK inhibitor binemetinib, particularly in the setting of NRAS mutant melanoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16484345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Ion channels in mesenchymal stem cells from rat bone marrow.\nMesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from bone marrow are believed to be an ideal cell source for cardiomyoplasty; however, cellular electrophysiology is not understood. The present study was designed to investigate ion channels in undifferentiated rat MSCs. It was found that three types of outward currents were present in rat MSCs, including a small portion of Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channel (I(KCa)) sensitive to inhibition by iberiotoxin and\/or clotromazole, a delayed rectifier K(+) current (IK(DR)), and a transient outward K(+) current (I(to)). In addition, tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive sodium current (I(Na.TTX)) and nifedipine-sensitive L-type Ca(2+) current (I(Ca.L)) were found in a small population of rat MSCs. Moreover, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed the molecular evidence of mRNA for the functional ionic currents, including Slo and KCNN4 for I(KCa); Kv1.4 for I(to); Kv1.2 and Kv2.1 for IK(DR); SCN2a1 for I(Na.TTX); and CCHL2a for I(Ca.L). These results demonstrate for the first time that multiple functional ion channel currents (i.e., I(KCa), I(to), IK(DR), I(Na.TTX), and I(Ca.L)) are present in rat MSCs from bone marrow; however, physiological roles of these ion channels remain to be studied.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30071318,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Changes in the urinary extracellular vesicle proteome are associated with nephronophthisis-related ciliopathies.\nNephronophthisis is one of the leading genetic causes of end-stage renal disease in childhood. Early diagnostics and prognostics for nephronophthisis are currently limited. We aimed to identify non-invasive protein biomarkers for nephronophthisis in urinary extracellular vesicles. Extracellular vesicles were isolated from urine of 12 patients with a nephronophthisis-related ciliopathy and 12 age- and gender-matched controls, followed by in-depth label-free LC-MS\/MS proteomics analysis of gel fractionated extracellular vesicle proteins. Supervised cluster analysis of proteomic profiles separated patients from controls. We identified 156 differentially expressed proteins with fold change \u22654 in patients compared to controls (P < .05). Importantly, expression levels of discriminating proteins were correlated with chronic kidney disease stage, suggesting possible applications for urinary extracellular vesicle biomarkers in prognostics for nephronophthisis. Enrichment analysis of gene ontology terms revealed GO terms including signaling, actin cytoskeleton and endocytosis among the downregulated proteins in patients, whereas terms related to response to wounding and extracellular matrix organization were enriched among upregulated proteins. Our findings represent the first step towards a non-invasive diagnostic test for nephronophthisis. Further research is needed to determine specificity of the candidate biomarkers. In conclusion, proteomic profiles of urinary extracellular vesicles differentiate nephronophthisis-related ciliopathy patients from healthy controls. SIGNIFICANCE: Nephronophthisis is an important cause of end-stage renal disease in children and is associated with an average diagnostic delay of 3.5 years. This is the first study investigating candidate biomarkers for nephronophthisis using global proteomics analysis of urinary extracellular vesicles in patients with nephronophthisis compared to control individuals. We show that measuring protein markers in urinary extracellular vesicles is a promising approach for non-invasive early diagnostics of nephronophthisis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30891668,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Genotypic and Phenotypic Analyses of Two \"Isogenic\" Strains of the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans var. neoformans.\nThe Cryptococcus neoformans species complex is a model organism for fungal studies. Many studies have used two strains, JEC20 and JEC21, and their derivatives. These two strains were obtained through 10 rounds of backcrosses and have been assumed near identical except at the mating-type locus. Here we obtained and compared the JEC20 genome sequence with the published \"JEC21\" genome. Our comparison revealed 5322 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with the majority (N = 3816, 71.7%) located in three genomic regions, including the previously noted mating-type region. The remaining 1506 SNPs (28.3%) were distributed throughout all 14 chromosomes, predominantly at chromosomal ends. To study the potential effects of these three SNP-rich regions on phenotypes, 24 progenies from the JEC20 \u00d7 JEC21 cross representing eight recombinant genotypes were analyzed for their mating ability, melanin production, capsule formation, and growths at 30 \u00b0C and 40 \u00b0C. Significant phenotypic variations were found among the progeny. However, the observed phenotypic variations could not be explained by the three SNP-rich regions. Further genome sequencing of our JEC21 and the 24 progenies revealed only six segregating SNPs outside of the three SNP-rich regions between JEC20 and JEC21, a result indicating that the 1500 SNPs identified in the published \"JEC21\" genome might be caused by sequencing errors and\/or strain mixing. However, the six SNPs and the three SNP-rich regions could not explain the observed phenotypic variations. Our analyses suggest that spontaneous mutations accumulated under laboratory conditions could have significant effects on phenotypes and on our interpretations of experimental results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30967808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The Binge Eating Scale: Structural Equation Competitive Models, Invariance Measurement Between Sexes, and Relationships With Food Addiction, Impulsivity, Binge Drinking, and Body Mass Index.\nIntroduction: The Binge Eating Scale (BES) is a widely used self-report questionnaire to identify compulsive eaters. However, research on the dimensions and psychometric properties of the BES is limited. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the properties of the Spanish version of the BES. Methods: Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) were carried out to verify the BES factor structure in a sample of Spanish college students (N = 428, 75.7% women; age range = 18-30). An invariance measurement routine was carried out across sexes, the latent means were compared, and estimates of reliability and convergent and discriminant validity were presented. Results: A one-factor model fit the data best and was also equivalent between sexes. The scalar invariance model showed statistically significant differences across sexes, with a higher prevalence in women. Regarding reliability, the results were excellent. Finally, high statistically significant correlations were obtained with other measures of binge eating (BE), food addiction, impulsivity, binge drinking, and body mass index (BMI). Conclusion: The Spanish 16-item BES is a valid and reliable scale to evaluate BE in the youth population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18201652,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Small full-thickness tears do well ten to thirteen years after arthroscopic subacromial decompression.\nA consecutive series of 181 patients with clinical signs of subacromial impingement underwent arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD). All patients had the same surgical procedure, and all pathological findings at the arthroscopy were recorded. Ten to 13 years (mean, 11.2) after the procedure, 162 patients (91%) were available for follow-up consisting of clinical examination and the Constant-Murley and DASH scores. The overall mean value of the age correlated Constant score was 77 points. Men had significantly better Constant score than women. The state of the rotator cuff at the index procedure was found to affect the outcome significantly. Patients with isolated full-thickness supraspinatus tears had the best results, followed by those with partial tears, intact cuffs, or large tears involving more than 1 tendon. ASD in the treatment of subacromial impingement yields good long-term results. Small full-thickness supraspinatus tears had the best results, indicating that the ASD might prevent further cuff deterioration and that repair of these lesions may be unnecessary.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26017255,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Dependence in a national sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander daily smokers.\nTo examine indicators of nicotine dependence in a national sample of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander daily smokers and their association with sustaining a quit attempt for at least 1 month, and to make comparisons with a national sample of Australian daily smokers. The Talking About The Smokes project used a quota sampling design to recruit 1392 daily smokers from communities served by 34 Aboriginal community-controlled health services and one community in the Torres Strait from April 2012 to October 2013. These were compared with 1010 daily smokers from the general Australian population surveyed by the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project from September 2011 to February 2012. Cigarettes per day (CPD), time to first cigarette, Heaviness of Smoking Index (HSI), other indicators of dependence, and whether smokers had ever sustained a quit attempt for at least 1 month. There was little difference in the mean HSI scores for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other Australian daily smokers. A higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander daily smokers smoked \u2264 10 CPD (40% v 33.4%), but more also smoked their first cigarette within 30 minutes of waking (75% v 64.6%). Lower proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers reported having strong urges to smoke at least several times a day (51% v 60.7%) or that it would be very hard to quit (39% v 47.9%). Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers reported experiencing difficulties during their most recent quit attempt. All indicators of dependence, except CPD and strong urges, were positively associated with not having made a sustained quit attempt. Reported difficulties during the most recent quit attempt were more strongly associated with being unable to sustain quit attempts than were traditional measures of dependence. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander smokers' experiences of past attempts to quit may be more useful than conventional indicators of nicotine dependence in understanding their dependence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15734345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Listening to talking faces: motor cortical activation during speech perception.\nNeurophysiological research suggests that understanding the actions of others harnesses neural circuits that would be used to produce those actions directly. We used fMRI to examine brain areas active during language comprehension in which the speaker was seen and heard while talking (audiovisual) or heard but not seen (audio-alone) or when the speaker was seen talking with the audio track removed (video-alone). We found that audiovisual speech perception activated a network of brain regions that included cortical motor areas involved in planning and executing speech production and areas subserving proprioception related to speech production. These regions included the posterior part of the superior temporal gyrus and sulcus, the pars opercularis, premotor cortex, adjacent primary motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and the cerebellum. Activity in premotor cortex and posterior superior temporal gyrus and sulcus was modulated by the amount of visually distinguishable phonemes in the stories. None of these regions was activated to the same extent in the audio- or video-alone conditions. These results suggest that integrating observed facial movements into the speech perception process involves a network of multimodal brain regions associated with speech production and that these areas contribute less to speech perception when only auditory signals are present. This distributed network could participate in recognition processing by interpreting visual information about mouth movements as phonetic information based on motor commands that could have generated those movements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31980720,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Clonally selected primitive endothelial cells promote occlusive pulmonary arteriopathy and severe pulmonary hypertension in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia.\nOne current concept suggests that unchecked proliferation of clonally selected precursors of endothelial cells (ECs) contribute to severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We hypothesized that clonally selected ECs expressing the progenitor marker CD117 promote severe occlusive pulmonary hypertension (PH). The remodelled pulmonary arteries of PAH patients harboured CD117+ ECs. Rat lung CD117+ ECs underwent four generations of clonal expansion to enrich hyperproliferative ECs. The resulting clonally enriched ECs behaved like ECs, as measured by in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assays. The same primitive ECs showed a limited ability for mesenchymal lineage differentiation. Endothelial differentiation and function were enhanced by blocking TGF-\u03b2 signalling, promoting bone morphogenic protein (BMP) signalling. The transplantation of the EC clones caused arterio-occlusive PH in rats exposed to chronic hypoxia. These EC clones engrafted in the pulmonary arteries. Yet cessation of chronic hypoxia promoted lung cell apoptosis and resolution of vascular lesions. In conclusion, this is to the best of our knowledge, the first report that clonally enriched primitive ECs promote occlusive pulmonary arteriopathy and severe PH. These primitive EC clones further give rise to cells of endothelial and mesenchymal lineage as directed by BMP and TGF-\u03b2 signaling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8538105,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[CABG using Y arterial graft which consists of internal thoracic artery Y branched with inferior epigastric artery].\nFrom December 1994 to April 1995, nine patients were submitted to myocardial revascularization using Y arterial graft, which consists of internal thoracic artery (ITA) Y branched with inferior epigastric artery (IEA). The age ranged 50 to 76 (mean age, 67.2 years); seven patients were male. Five patients had three vessel CABG and four patients had four vessel CABG. There was no operative mortality and no mechanical supports with IABP. Aortic clamping and operative time was not longer in this series. Early postoperative angiographic evaluation of Y arterial grafts showed that nine ITA grafts were patent (100%) and seven IEA grafts were patent (77.8%). Because of the low patency rate of IEA graft, Y graft using IEA appears to be an interesting alternative only in patients who have no other available conduits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24112944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Long-term outcomes in patients with retinal vein occlusion treated with ranibizumab: the RETAIN study.\nTo determine long-term outcomes of patients with ranibizumab-treated retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Prospective follow-up of a subset of patients from 2 phase 3 trials. Thirty-four patients with branch RVO (BRVO) and 32 with central RVO (CRVO) who completed the Genentech-sponsored ranibizumab study RVO trials. Patients seen every month in year 1 and at least every 3 months in year 2 were treated with ranibizumab for intraretinal fluid. Patients requiring injections on consecutive visits were treated with ranibizumab plus scatter photocoagulation. Mean improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and percentage of patients with edema resolution. With a mean follow-up of 49.0 months, 17 of 34 BRVO patients (50%) had edema resolution defined as no intraretinal fluid for 6 months or more after the last injection. The last injection was given within 2 years of treatment initiation in 76%. The mean number of injections required in unresolved patients in year 4 was 3.2. In patients with resolved edema mean improvement in BCVA was 25.9 letters versus 17.1 letters (P = 0.09) in unresolved patients, and in both groups, approximately 80% had a final BCVA of 20\/40 or better. With a mean follow-up of 49.7 months, 14 of 32 CRVO patients (44%) had edema resolution, with 71% receiving their last injection within 2 years of treatment initiation. The mean number of injections in unresolved patients in year 4 was 5.9. Compared with patients with unresolved CRVO, patients with resolved disease had greater improvement in BCVA (25.2 vs. 4.3 letters; P = 0.002), and a greater percentage had a final BCVA of 20\/40 or better (64.3% vs. 27.8%; P = 0.04). Nine patients with BRVO and 9 with CRVO received scatter photocoagulation, and with mean follow-up of 9 months (BRVO) and 11 months (CRVO) after last laser, only 1 in each group had resolution of edema. Long-term outcomes in BRVO patients treated with ranibizumab were excellent, and although half still required occasional injections after 4 years, they maintained good visual potential. A substantial minority (44%) of patients with ranibizumab-treated CRVO had edema resolution and a good outcome within 4 years, but most (56%) still required frequent injections, had reduced visual potential, and have a guarded prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20667884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-06":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The dynamics of biogeographic ranges in the deep sea.\nAnthropogenic disturbances such as fishing, mining, oil drilling, bioprospecting, warming, and acidification in the deep sea are increasing, yet generalities about deep-sea biogeography remain elusive. Owing to the lack of perceived environmental variability and geographical barriers, ranges of deep-sea species were traditionally assumed to be exceedingly large. In contrast, seamount and chemosynthetic habitats with reported high endemicity challenge the broad applicability of a single biogeographic paradigm for the deep sea. New research benefiting from higher resolution sampling, molecular methods and public databases can now more rigorously examine dispersal distances and species ranges on the vast ocean floor. Here, we explore the major outstanding questions in deep-sea biogeography. Based on current evidence, many taxa appear broadly distributed across the deep sea, a pattern replicated in both the abyssal plains and specialized environments such as hydrothermal vents. Cold waters may slow larval metabolism and development augmenting the great intrinsic ability for dispersal among many deep-sea species. Currents, environmental shifts, and topography can prove to be dispersal barriers but are often semipermeable. Evidence of historical events such as points of faunal origin and climatic fluctuations are also evident in contemporary biogeographic ranges. Continued synthetic analysis, database construction, theoretical advancement and field sampling will be required to further refine hypotheses regarding deep-sea biogeography.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15729462,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Genetics of autism].\nAutism is a neuropsychiatric disorder with profound family and social consequences. An extraordinary number of genetical-clinical, cytogenetics and molecular studies were done in recent years. A multiloci epistatic model involved in the causation of autism have emerged from these studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18657000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Endothelial dysfunction in insulin-resistant rats is associated with oxidative stress and COX pathway dysregulation.\nBecause insulin resistance is inevitably associated with cardiovascular complications, there is a need to further investigate the potential involvement of oxidative stress and the cyclo-oxygenase (COX) pathway in the vascular modifications associated to this pathological context. Endothelial function was evaluated in control and fructose-fed rats (FFR) by i) in vitro study of endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxations of aortic rings, and ii) in vivo telemetric evaluation of pressor response to norepinephrine. After 9 weeks of diet, FFR displayed hypertriglyceridemia, hyperinsulinemia and exaggerated response to glucose overload. Aortic rings from control rats and FFR exhibited comparable endothelium-dependent relaxations to Ach. In the presence of indomethacin, relaxations were significantly reduced. FFR showed exaggerated pressor responses to norepinephrine that were abolished with indomethacin. Urinary nitrites\/nitrates, 8-isoprostanes and thromboxane B2 excretion levels were markedly enhanced in FFR, whereas the plasma levels of 6-keto prostaglandin F1alpha were unchanged. In conclusion, fructose overload in rats induced hypertriglyceridemia and insulin resistance associated with an enhanced oxidative stress. This was associated with COX pathway dysregulation which could be one of the contributors to subsequent vascular dysfunction. Consequently, reduction of oxidative stress and regulation of the COX pathway could represent new potential therapeutic strategies to limit vascular dysfunction and subsequent cardiovascular complications associated with insulin resistance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38151356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Study of senescence protein p66Shc on myocardial tissue repair in adult mice].\nOur previous study has shown that p66Shc plays an important role in the process of myocardial regeneration in newborn mice, and p66Shc deficiency leads to weakened myocardial regeneration in newborn mice. This study aims to explore the role of p66Shc protein in myocardial injury repair after myocardial infarction in adult mice, in order to provide a new target for the treatment of myocardial injury after myocardial infarction. Mouse myocardial infarction models of adult wild-type (WT) and p66Shc knockout (KO) were constructed by anterior descending branch ligation. The survival rate and heart-to-body weight ratio of two models were compared and analyzed. Masson's staining was used to identify scar area of injured myocardial tissue, and myocyte area was determined by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining. TUNEL staining was used to detect the cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The protein expression of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a common marker of myocardial hypertrophy, was detected by Western blotting. The results showed that there was no significant difference in survival rate, myocardial scar area, myocyte apoptosis, and heart weight to body weight ratio between the WT and p66ShcKO mice after myocardial infarction surgery. Whereas the protein expression level of BNP in the p66ShcKO mice was significantly down-regulated compared with that in the WT mice. These results suggest that, unlike in neonatal mice, the deletion of p66Shc has no significant effect on myocardial injury repair after myocardial infarction in adult mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12214600,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Case-cohort study of styrene exposure and ischemic heart disease.\nRecent epidemiologic studies have consistently reported increased daily mortalities and hospital admissions associated with exposure to particulate air pollution. Ischemic heart disease (IHD*, International Classification of Diseases, Eighth Revision [ICD-8], codes 410-414) is among those diseases that contribute in large measure to this excess mortality. Some occupational studies have suggested elevated risk of IHD among workers exposed for short periods to styrene, which can be emitted from fossil fuel combustion, aircraft exhausts, and motor vehicle exhausts. Styrene is found in ambient air at average concentrations of a few micrograms per cubic meter or less but may reach very high concentrations at particular locations and times. Unmeasured aerosols of styrene may also increase population exposures. This case-cohort study explored a possible association and dose-response relation between styrene exposure and risk of acute IHD in an occupational setting. The population under study was 6587 male workers employed between 1943 and 1982 in two US plants manufacturing styrene-butadiene polymers used in synthetic rubber. The study assessed all 498 subjects who died from IHD along with a subcohort of twice that size, 997 subjects, selected as a 15% random sample of the full target cohort. IHD deaths during the study led to some overlap between cases and the subcohort, leaving 1424 unique subjects. Job histories were collected for all subjects. Industrial hygienists and engineers from the industry estimated relative exposures for all jobs. Exposure data were collected for many of the jobs from different sources. For any job with no available exposure measurements, z scores were used to estimate job exposure in each plant from the relative exposure level for that job in similar plants and the measurement distribution parameters of the study plant. Standardized mortality ratio (SMR) analyses were used to examine the overall risk of dying from IHD among study subjects compared with the US general population. A significantly elevated SMR of 1.47 with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 1.17 to 1.77 for chronic IHD was found among black workers who had left the plants. A modification of the Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to control for confounders and examine dose-response relations between styrene exposure and the risk of IHD. Employment time-weighted average (TWA) styrene concentration intensity for the most recent 2 years was found significantly associated with death from acute IHD among active workers with a relative hazard of 3.26 to 6.60, depending on duration of employment. In this analysis, the highest relative hazard of 6.60 (95% CI, 1.78-24.54) was among active workers who had been employed for at least 5 years. The results suggest that the exposure intensity was more important than duration of exposure. On the basis of the dose-response relation established in this study, we estimate that for each 10 microg\/m3 increase in ambient styrene, acute IHD mortality might increase 0.4%. At normal ambient styrene levels, the relative risk would be increased, at most, 0.1% compared with no exposure. At certain locations and times, however, ambient styrene could reach levels that would result in a relative hazard for acute IHD mortality as high as 3.386-fold the risk at no exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37769642,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Explaining Variation in Individual Aging, Its Sources, and Consequences: A Comprehensive Conceptual Model of Human Aging.\nWe define aging as a characteristic deterioration in one (or more) observable attributes of an organism that typically occurs during later life. With this narrow functional definition, we gain the freedom to separate aging from other processes of age-related change (e.g., maturation, growth, illness, terminal decline). We introduce a structural model that distinguishes between (1) the phenomenon of aging, (2) the subjective experience of aging, (3) sources of aging, and (4) consequences of aging. A core focus of the model is on the role of buffering mechanisms of biological repair and personal adaptation that regulate the relations between sources of aging, aging proper, and its consequences. The quality and level of functioning of these buffering mechanisms also varies across the life span, which directly affects the sources of aging, resulting in either resilience against or accelerated aging, and thus can be considered to be a major source of the variation in aging processes among different individuals. External factors comprising attributes of the physical environment and sociocultural characteristics are considered as contexts in which aging occurs. These contextual factors are assumed to feed into the various components of the model. Our model provides an interdisciplinary account of human aging, its sources and consequences, and also its subjective experience, by integrating biological, psychological, lifestyle, and sociocultural factors, and by specifying their interrelations and interactions. The model provides a comprehensive understanding of individual human aging, its underlying processes, and modulating factors. It allows for the derivation of empirically testable hypotheses, and it helps practitioners to identify elements that lend themselves to targeted intervention efforts aimed at increasing the resilience of individuals against aging and buffering its negative consequences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33828901,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Threading-Induced Dynamical Transition in Tadpole-Shaped Polymers.\nThe relationship between polymer topology and bulk rheology remains a key question in soft matter physics. Architecture-specific constraints (or threadings) are thought to control the dynamics of ring polymers in ring-linear blends, which thus affects the viscosity to range between that of the pure rings and a value larger, but still comparable to, that of the pure linear melt. Here we consider qualitatively different systems of linear and ring polymers, fused together in \"chimeric\" architectures. The simplest example of this family is a \"tadpole\"-shaped polymer, a single ring fused to the end of a single linear chain. We show that polymers with this architecture display a threading-induced dynamical transition that substantially slows chain relaxation. Our findings shed light on how threadings control dynamics and may inform design principles for chimeric polymers with topologically tunable bulk rheological properties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30859209,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Targeting Intracellular Calcium Stores Alleviates Neurological Morbidities in a DFP-Based Rat Model of Gulf War Illness.\nGulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic multi-symptom disorder afflicting the veterans of the First Gulf War, and includes neurological symptoms characterized by depression and memory deficits. Chronic exposure to organophosphates (OPs) is considered a leading cause for GWI, yet its pathobiology is not fully understood. We recently observed chronic elevations in neuronal Ca2+ levels ([Ca2+]i) in an OP-diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP)-based rat model for GWI. This study was aimed at identifying mechanisms underlying elevated [Ca2+]i in this DFP model and investigating whether their therapeutic targeting could improve GWI-like neurological morbidities. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (9 weeks) were exposed to DFP (0.5 mg\/kg, s.c., 1\u00d7-daily for 5 days) and at 3 months postDFP exposure, behavior was assessed and rats were euthanized for protein estimations and ratiometric Fura-2 [Ca2+]i estimations in acutely dissociated hippocampal neurons. In DFP rats, a sustained elevation in intracellular Ca2+ levels occurred, and pharmacological blockade of Ca2+-induced Ca2+-release mechanisms significantly lowered elevated [Ca2+]i in DFP neurons. Significant reductions in the protein levels of the ryanodine receptor (RyR) stabilizing protein Calstabin2 were also noted. Such a posttranslational modification would render RyR \"leaky\" resulting in sustained DFP [Ca2+]i elevations. Antagonism of RyR with levetiracetam significantly lower elevated [Ca2+]i in DFP neurons and improved GWI-like behavioral symptoms. Since Ca2+ is a major second messenger molecule, such chronic increases in its levels could underlie pathological synaptic plasticity that expresses itself as GWI morbidities. Our studies show that treatment with drugs targeted at blocking intracellular Ca2+ release could be effective therapies for GWI neurological morbidities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2483208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Factors influencing the determination of myoglobin in human blood serum using an immunoenzyme method].\nSome factors influencing the preservation of myoglobin titre in human blood serum, measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA), were under study. The optimal storage conditions were selected: +4 degrees C in the presence of 0.005 M ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, 0.001 M phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, and 0.01% merthiolate. The authors suppose that myoglobin titre reduces over the course of serum storage because of myoglobin molecule proteolytic degradation and conformation changes in aggregate transition. Serum dilution made to choose the optimal signal\/background ratio is another essential factor in EIA measurement of myoglobin concentrations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10152598,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Do or die. Presents an initiative for improving the quality of patient care.\nOver the recent past, a number of different approaches to quality improvement have been introduced to the field of health-care delivery. Presents an overview of the approach developed at Brighton Health Care Trust. Outlines the strategic approach incorporating: the recognition of the need for staff education to enable them to participate fully in improving the quality of patient care; the identification of seven core components; the development of an educational package; and the development of a structure to support the implementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28057192,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Average vs item response theory scores: an illustration using neighbourhood measures in relation to physical activity in adults with arthritis.\nOur study had two main objectives: 1) to determine whether perceived neighbourhood physical features are associated with physical activity levels in adults with arthritis; and 2) to determine whether the conclusions are more precise when item response theory (IRT) scores are used instead of average scores for the perceived neighbourhood physical features scales. Information on health outcomes, neighbourhood characteristics, and physical activity levels were collected using a telephone survey of 937 participants with self-reported arthritis. Neighbourhood walkability and aesthetic features and physical activity levels were measured by self-report. Adjusted proportional odds models were constructed separately for each neighbourhood physical features scale. We found that among adults with arthritis, poorer perceived neighbourhood physical features (both walkability and aesthetics) are associated with decreased physical activity level compared to better perceived neighbourhood features. This association was only observed in our adjusted models when IRT scoring was employed with the neighbourhood physical feature scales (walkability scale: odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02, 1.41; aesthetics scale: OR 1.32, 95% CI 1.09, 1.62), not when average scoring was used (walkability scale: OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.00, 1.30; aesthetics scale: OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00, 1.36). In adults with arthritis, those reporting poorer walking and aesthetics features were found to have decreased physical activity levels compared to those reporting better features when IRT scores were used, but not when using average scores. This study may inform public health physical environmental interventions implemented to increase physical activity, especially since arthritis prevalence is expected to be close to 20% of the population in 2020. Based on NIH initiatives, future health research will utilize IRT scores. The differences found in this study may be a precursor for research on how past and future treatment effects may vary between these two types of measurement scores.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36827617,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Identifying Eukaryotes and Factors Influencing Their Biogeography in Drinking Water Metagenomes.\nThe biogeography of eukaryotes in drinking water systems is poorly understood relative to that of prokaryotes or viruses, limiting the understanding of their role and management. A challenge with studying complex eukaryotic communities is that metagenomic analysis workflows are currently not as mature as those that focus on prokaryotes or viruses. In this study, we benchmarked different strategies to recover eukaryotic sequences and genomes from metagenomic data and applied the best-performing workflow to explore the factors affecting the relative abundance and diversity of eukaryotic communities in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs). We developed an ensemble approach exploiting k-mer- and reference-based strategies to improve eukaryotic sequence identification and identified MetaBAT2 as the best-performing binning approach for their clustering. Applying this workflow to the DWDS metagenomes showed that eukaryotic sequences typically constituted small proportions (i.e., <1%) of the overall metagenomic data with higher relative abundances in surface water-fed or chlorinated systems with high residuals. The \u03b1 and \u03b2 diversities of eukaryotes were correlated with those of prokaryotic and viral communities, highlighting the common role of environmental\/management factors. Finally, a co-occurrence analysis highlighted clusters of eukaryotes whose members' presence and abundance in DWDSs were affected by disinfection strategies, climate conditions, and source water types.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25022580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Musculoskeletal safety outcomes of patients receiving daptomycin with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.\nDaptomycin, a cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) are commonly administered in the inpatient setting and are associated with creatine phosphokinase (CPK) elevations, myalgias, and muscle weakness. Safety data for coadministration of daptomycin with statins are limited. To determine the safety of coadministration of daptomycin with statin therapy, a multicenter, retrospective, observational study was performed at 13 institutions in the Southeastern United States. Forty-nine adult patients receiving statins concurrently with daptomycin were compared with 171 patients receiving daptomycin without statin therapy. Detailed information, including treatment indication and duration, infecting pathogen, baseline and subsequent CPK levels, and presence of myalgias or muscle complaints, was collected. Myalgias were noted in 3\/49 (6.1%) patients receiving combination therapy compared with 5\/171 (2.9%) of patients receiving daptomycin alone (P = 0.38). CPK elevations of >1,000 U\/liter occurred in 5\/49 (10.2%) patients receiving combination therapy compared to 9\/171 (5.3%) patients receiving daptomycin alone (P = 0.32). Two of five patients experiencing CPK elevations of >1,000 U\/liter in the combination group had symptoms of myopathy. Three patients (6.1%) discontinued therapy due to CPK elevations with concurrent myalgias in the combination group versus 6 patients (3.5%) in the daptomycin-alone group (P = 0.42). CPK levels and myalgias reversed upon discontinuation of daptomycin therapy. Overall musculoskeletal toxicity was numerically higher in the combination group but this result was not statistically significant. Further prospective study is warranted in a larger population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24065673,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Genetic diversity of Palestine landraces of faba bean (Vicia faba) based on RAPD markers.\nUntil now, neither phenotypic nor molecular approaches have been used to characterize the landraces of Palestine faba beans (Vicia faba). We used PCR-based RAPD markers to determine the genetic diversity and relatedness among 26 Palestinian faba bean landraces (traditional farmers' varieties) from 8 localities in the West Bank, Palestine. In tests with 37 primers, 14 generated no polymorphic bands, 12 exhibited weak and unclear products, and 11 primers produced good amplification products with high intensity and pattern stability. Ninety-four DNA fragments (loci) were detected, with an average of 8.54 loci per primer and size ranging from 160 to 1370 bp. A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 14 DNA fragments were obtained using (OPA-05 and OPA-09) and (BC-261) primers, respectively. The maximum percentage of polymorphic markers was 71.4 (BC-298) and the minimum was 50.0 (OPA-05, -09, -16). The 11 primers exhibited relatively high collective resolving power (Rp) values of 26.316, and varied from 0.154 for the OPA-09 primer to 5.236 for the BC-261, with an overall mean of 2.392. The primers BC-261, -322, and -298 were found to be the most useful RAPD primers to assess the genetic diversity of Palestinian faba beans, as they revealed relatively high Rp rates (5.236, 3.618, and 3.150, respectively). Based on the Jaccard coefficient, the genetic distance ranged from 0.358 to 0.069, with a mean of 0.213. We conclude that the RAPD technique is useful for determining genetic diversity and for developing suitable fingerprints for faba bean landraces grown in Palestine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23128749,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"17-\u03b2 estradiol and testosterone mineralization and incorporation into organic matter in broiler litter-amended soils.\nThe presence of the hormones estradiol and testosterone in the environment is of concern because they adversely affect vertebrate sexual characteristics. Land spreading broiler litter introduces these hormones into the environment. We conducted two studies. The first study determined the mineralization of C-labeled estradiol and testosterone at three water potentials and three temperatures in four broiler litter-amended soils. With a few exceptions, the mineralization of each hormone either stayed the same or increased with increasing water content (both hormones) and increasing (estradiol) or decreasing (testosterone) temperature. Mineralization was dependent on soil type. The second study determined the incorporation of C-labeled estradiol and testosterone into (i) three soil organic matter (SOM) fractions (fulvic acid, humic acid, and humin) at two water potentials, two temperatures, and one sampling time, and (ii) at one water potential, one temperature, and seven sampling times. As time increased, higher temperature and water potential decreased percentages of C estradiol and testosterone in water- and acetone-soluble fractions and increased percentages in SOM fractions. However, the distribution of the two hormones in SOM fractions differed. For estradiol, higher temperature and water potential increased the percentage in all three SOM fractions. For testosterone, higher temperature and water potential increased the percentage of hormone in fulvic acid and humin. Although the mineralization studies suggest the potential for these hormones to still have environmental effects, the incorporation of the two hormones into SOM suggest that land spreading these hormones may actually be less of an environmental concern.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23253133,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of cancer.\nWith over 20 antibody-drug conjugates in clinical trials as well as a recently FDA-approved drug, it is clear that this is becoming an important and viable approach for selectively delivering highly cytotoxic agents to tumor cells while sparing normal tissue. This review discusses the critical aspects for this approach with an emphasis on the properties of the linker between the antibody and the cytotoxic payload that are required for an effective antibody-drug conjugate. Different linkers are illustrated with attention focused on (i) the specifics of attachment to the antibody, (ii) the polarity of the linker, (iii) the trigger on the linker that initiates cleavage from the drug, and (iv) the self-immolative spacer that liberates the active payload. Future directions in the field are proposed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26515676,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Data for action: collection and use of local data to end tuberculosis.\nAccelerating progress in the fight against tuberculosis will require a drastic shift from a strategy focused on control to one focused on elimination. Successful disease elimination campaigns are characterised by locally tailored responses that are informed by appropriate data. To develop such a response to tuberculosis, we suggest a three-step process that includes improved collection and use of existing programmatic data, collection of additional data (eg, geographic information, drug resistance, and risk factors) to inform tailored responses, and targeted collection of novel data (eg, sequencing data, targeted surveys, and contact investigations) to improve understanding of tuberculosis transmission dynamics. Development of a locally targeted response for tuberculosis will require substantial investment to reconfigure existing systems, coupled with additional empirical data to evaluate the effectiveness of specific approaches. Without adoption of an elimination strategy that uses local data to target hotspots of transmission, ambitious targets to end tuberculosis will almost certainly remain unmet.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10028242,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Classification of thermophilic streptomycetes, including the description of Streptomyces thermoalcalitolerans sp. nov.\nA polyphasic taxonomic study was undertaken to clarify relationships within and between representative thermophilic alkalitolerant streptomycetes isolated from soil and appropriate marker strains. The resultant data, notably those from DNA-DNA relatedness studies, support the taxonomic integrity of the validly described species Streptomyces thermodiastaticus, Streptomyces thermoviolaceus and Streptomyces thermovulgaris. However, the genotypic and phenotypic data clearly show that Streptomyces thermonitrificans Desai and Dhala 1967 and S. thermovulgaris (Henssen 1957) Goodfellow et al. 1987 represent a single species. On the basis of priority, S. thermonitrificans is a later subjective synonym of S. thermovulgaris. Similarly, 10 out of the 11 representative thermophilic alkalitolerant isolates had a combination of properties consistent with their classification as S. thermovulgaris. The remaining thermophilic alkalitolerant isolate, Streptomyces strain TA56, merited species status. The name Streptomyces thermoalcalitolerans sp. nov. is proposed for this strain. A neutrophilic thermophilic isolate, Streptomyces strain NAR85, was identified as S. thermodiastaticus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25380521,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"MicroRNAs associated with the efficacy of photodynamic therapy in biliary tract cancer cell lines.\nPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a palliative treatment option for unresectable hilar biliary tract cancer (BTC) showing a considerable benefit for survival and quality of life with few side effects. Currently, factors determining the cellular response of BTC cells towards PDT are unknown. Due to their multifaceted nature, microRNAs (miRs) are a promising analyte to investigate the cellular mechanisms following PDT. For two photosensitizers, Photofrin\u00ae and Foscan\u00ae, the phototoxicity was investigated in eight BTC cell lines. Each cell line (untreated) was profiled for expression of n=754 miRs using TaqMan\u00ae Array Human MicroRNA Cards. Statistical analysis and bioinformatic tools were used to identify miRs associated with PDT efficiency and their putative targets, respectively. Twenty miRs correlated significantly with either high or low PDT efficiency. PDT was particularly effective in cells with high levels of clustered miRs 25-93*-106b and (in case of miR-106b) a phenotype characterized by high expression of the mesenchymal marker vimentin and high proliferation (cyclinD1 and Ki67 expression). Insensitivity towards PDT was associated with high miR-200 family expression and (for miR-cluster 200a\/b-429) expression of differentiation markers Ck19 and Ck8\/18. Predicted and validated downstream targets indicate plausible involvement of miRs 20a*, 25, 93*, 130a, 141, 200a, 200c and 203 in response mechanisms to PDT, suggesting that targeting these miRs could improve susceptibility to PDT in insensitive cell lines. Taken together, the miRNome pattern may provide a novel tool for predicting the efficiency of PDT and-following appropriate functional verification-may subsequently allow for optimization of the PDT protocol.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17885266,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Diffuse lung disease in young children: application of a novel classification scheme.\nConsiderable confusion exists regarding nomenclature, classification, and management of pediatric diffuse lung diseases due to the relative rarity and differences in the spectrum of disease between adults and young children. A multidisciplinary working group was formed to: (1) apply consensus terminology and diagnostic criteria for disorders presenting with diffuse lung disease in infancy; and (2) describe the distribution of disease entities, clinical features, and outcome in young children who currently undergo lung biopsy in North America. Eleven centers provided pathologic material, clinical data, and imaging from all children less than 2 years of age who underwent lung biopsy for diffuse lung disease from 1999 to 2004. Multidisciplinary review categorized 88% of 187 cases. Disorders more prevalent in infancy, including primary developmental and lung growth abnormalities, neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy, and surfactant-dysfunction disorders, constituted the majority of cases (60%). Lung growth disorders were often unsuspected clinically and under-recognized histologically. Cases with known surfactant mutations had characteristic pathologic features. Age at biopsy and clinical presentation varied among categories. Pulmonary hypertension, presence of a primary developmental abnormality, or ABCA3 mutation was associated with high mortality, while no deaths occurred in cases of pulmonary interstitial glycogenosis, or neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia of infancy. This retrospective cohort study identifies a diverse spectrum of lung disorders, largely unique to young children. Application of a classification scheme grouped clinically distinct patients with variable age of biopsy and mortality. Standardized terminology and classification will enhance accurate description and diagnosis of these disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10862730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The development of fatigue quality in high- and low-stressed tendons of sheep (Ovis aries).\nThe time taken to rupture in cyclic fatigue tests, to a stress of 45 MPa, was used to compare the fatigue quality of tendons from sheep of varying ages. Muscle and tendon cross-sectional areas were used to calculate the stress-in-life of each tendon. For any given age, high-stressed plantaris tendons were of a higher fatigue quality than low-stressed extensor tendons. Both fatigue quality and stress-in-life increased with age for each tendon type. High-stressed tendons are subjected to large increases in stress-in-life during growth, and fatigue quality increased significantly with this stress. This relationship was not seen, however, in low-stressed tendons, which are not subjected to a comparable range of stresses over time. It is possible that cells modify tendon fatigue quality in response to tendon loading history. Whilst Young's modulus was seen to increase with age, no difference was detected between high- and low-stressed tendons.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19454825,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration using helical computerized tomography for TN staging and vascular injury in operable pancreatic carcinoma.\nEUS-FNA is increasingly being used in operable pancreatic carcinoma cases identified by CT. Determine the safety, accuracy and clinical utility of EUS-FNA for T, N and TN staging and vascular injury assessment in proven ductal pancreatic carcinoma. Fifty-two consecutive patients (29 women and 23 men) with histologically ductal pancreatic carcinoma, with an excellent possibility of mass resection assessed by helical computerized tomography, were studied. Mean age was 62.4 years (range: 27-82 years). Tumor locations were in the head (43 cases), body (5 cases) and tail (4 cases) of the pancreas. Mean tumor size from EUS was 3.7 cm (range: 0.8-6.2 cm). We reviewed medical records and abdominal ultrasound, CT, EUS-FNA and the results were compared to surgical and histological findings. Ultrasound identified pancreatic abnormalities in 38 out of 52 patients (73.1%): pancreatic mass (25 cases), pancreatic head enlargement (8 cases), dilation of main pancreatic duct (3 cases), pancreatic cyst (1 case) and pancreatic calcification (1 case). CT showed a pancreatic mass (30 cases), pancreatic enlargement (17 cases), pancreatic cystic lesion (2 cases) and pancreatic calcification (1 case) in 50 out of 52 patients (96.2%). EUS-FNA found a clear pancreatic tumor image in all patients (100%). The accuracy of EUS for evaluating portal blood vessels, superior mesenteric artery, T alone, N alone and combined TN staging was 86.5%, 94.2%, 84.7%, 67.3% and 55.8%, respectively. In addition to cytological material from 50 patients, microfragments from 43 patients were sent for histological analysis. Two patients (3.8%) showed minor complications: self-limited bleeding and acute pancreatitis. EUS-FNA is safe, and can help gastroenterologists and surgeons make surgical decisions regarding pancreatic carcinoma patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24609343,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Underrepresented minority students' experiences at Baylor College of Dentistry: perceptions of cultural climate and reasons for choosing to attend.\nA study was conducted at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry (TAMBCD) in fall 2011 to identify the reasons underrepresented minority (URM) students chose to attend TAMBCD, the factors that supported their success as enrolled students, and their perceptions of the institution's cultural climate. A survey distributed online to all URM students received a 79 percent response rate (129\/164). The respondents were primarily Hispanic (62 percent Mexican American and other Hispanic) and African American (33 percent) and had attended a college pipeline program (53 percent). The top reasons these students chose TAMBCD were reputation, location, and automatic acceptance or familiarity from being in a predental program. Alumni had most influenced them to attend. Regarding support services, the largest percentage reported not using any (44 percent); personal advising and tutoring were reported to be the most commonly used. In terms of climate, discrimination was reported by 22 percent (n=29), mostly from classmates and clinical faculty. The majority (87 percent) reported their cultural competence program was \"effective\" and agreed that faculty (83 percent), staff (85 percent), and students (75 percent) were culturally competent. Overall, the students were \"satisfied\" with how they were treated (88 percent), their education (91 percent), and the services\/resources (92 percent). This information is being used to continue to improve the school's cultural climate and to conduct a broader assessment of all students.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11557885,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Experimental realization of noiseless subsystems for quantum information processing.\nWe demonstrate the protection of one bit of quantum information against all collective noise in three nuclear spins. Because no subspace of states offers this protection, the quantum bit was encoded in a proper noiseless subsystem. We therefore realize a general and efficient method for protecting quantum information. Robustness was verified for a full set of noise operators that do not distinguish the spins. Verification relied on the most complete exploration of engineered decoherence to date. The achieved fidelities show improved information storage for a large, noncommutative set of errors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10864327,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Alpha-haemolysin of uropathogenic E. coli induces Ca2+ oscillations in renal epithelial cells.\nPyelonephritis is one of the most common febrile diseases in children. If not treated appropriately, it causes irreversible renal damage and accounts for a large proportion of end stage renal failures. Renal scarring can occur in the absence of inflammatory cells, indicating that bacteria may have a direct signalling effect on renal cells. Intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) oscillations can protect cells from the cytotoxic effects of prolonged increases in intracellular calcium. However, no pathophysiologically relevant protein that induces such oscillations has been identified. Here we show that infection by uropathogenic Escherichia coli induces a constant, low-frequency oscillatory [Ca2+]i response in target primary rat renal epithelial cells induced by the secreted RTX (repeats-in-toxin) toxin alpha-haemolysin. The response depends on calcium influx through L-type calcium channels as well as from internal stores gated by inositol triphosphate. Internal calcium oscillations induced by alpha-haemolysin in a renal epithelial cell line stimulated production of cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Our findings indicate a novel role for alpha-haemolysin in pyelonephritis: as an inducer of an oscillating second messenger response in target cells, which fine-tunes gene expression during the inflammatory response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21899122,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Clinical study of forty-two patients who underwent resection for pulmonary adenosquamous carcinoma].\nPulmonary adenosquamous carcinoma is a rare malignant tumor as defined by the Japan Lung Cancer Society Classification. At our institution, of the 1,023 patients who underwent resection for primary lung cancer, 42 (4.0%) had adenosquamous carcinoma. Here, we present the clinical features of this malignant tumor. The male : female ratio was low. Many tumors were located peripherally, and the positive rate for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was 54.8%; these clinical findings were similar to those of adenocarcinoma. On the other hand, many tumors had relatively large diameter, and most of the patients were heavy smokers; these findings were consistent with those of squamous cell carcinoma. Hence, the cases of adenosquamous carcinoma had the characteristics of both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The prognosis of patients with adenosquamous carcinoma was poorer than those of patients with adenocarcinoma and those with squamous cell carcinoma, irrespective of whether it was stages I or II. Adenosquamous carcinoma is characterized by a highly aggressive biological behavior and a high rate of early metastasis. Therefore, even if the diagnosis is made at an early phase, an aggressive approach, including adjuvant chemotherapy, might be necessary for adenosquamous carcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11714799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The impact of H2-DM on humoral immune responses.\nH2-DM (DM, previously H2-M) facilitates the exchange of peptides bound to MHC class II molecules. In this study, we have used H2-DM-deficient (DM(-\/-)) mice to analyze the influence of DM in the priming of B cell responses in vivo and for Ag presentation by B cells in vitro. After immunization, IgG Abs could be raised to a T-dependent Ag, 4-hydroxy-5-nitrophenylacetyl-OVA, in DM(-\/-) mice, but closer analysis revealed the IgG response to be slower, diminished in titer, and composed of low-affinity Abs. The Ab response correlated with a vast reduction in the number of germinal centers in the spleen. The presentation of multiple epitopes by H2-A(b) from distinct Ags was found to be almost exclusively DM-dependent whether B cells internalized Ags via fluid phase uptake or using membrane Ig receptors. The poor B cell response in vivo could be largely, but not completely restored by expression of a H2-Ea(d) transgene, despite the fact that Ag presentation by H2-E(d\/b) molecules was found to be highly DM dependent. Hence, while substantial Ab responses can be raised in the absence of DM, this molecule is a crucial factor both for Ag processing and for the normal maturation of T-dependent humoral immune responses in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20220683,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Conducting qualitative research with palliative care patients: applying Hammick's research ethics wheel.\nThis paper discusses the particular ethical issues that are present when attempting to undertake research involving patients accessing palliative care for cancer. It focuses on the use of Hammick's research ethics wheel (REW) in relation to a research study undertaken by the authors. Applying the REW enabled the authors to identify and incorporate the ethical issues and dilemmas inherent within such a study at a practical level. Ethical reasons for undertaking research with such vulnerable participants are explained and justified with reference to the REW. Ethical considerations are crucial to any research study involving human participants, but particularly so when dealing with participants who are as vulnerable as those in a palliative care setting. The use of the REW enabled the authors to feel confident that all such concerns had been identified before data collection began.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21810156,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Accurate quantification of diffusion and binding kinetics of non-integral membrane proteins by FRAP.\nNon-integral membrane proteins frequently act as transduction hubs in vital signaling pathways initiated at the plasma membrane (PM). Their biological activity depends on dynamic interactions with the PM, which are governed by their lateral and cytoplasmic diffusion and membrane binding\/unbinding kinetics. Accurate quantification of the multiple kinetic parameters characterizing their membrane interaction dynamics has been challenging. Despite a fair number of approximate fitting functions for analyzing fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) data, no approach was able to cope with the full diffusion-exchange problem. Here, we present an exact solution and matlab fitting programs for FRAP with a stationary Gaussian laser beam, allowing simultaneous determination of the membrane (un)binding rates and the diffusion coefficients. To reduce the number of fitting parameters, the cytoplasmic diffusion coefficient is determined separately. Notably, our equations include the dependence of the exchange kinetics on the distribution of the measured protein between the PM and the cytoplasm, enabling the derivation of both k(on) and k(off) without prior assumptions. After validating the fitting function by computer simulations, we confirm the applicability of our approach to live-cell data by monitoring the dynamics of GFP-N-Ras mutants under conditions with different contributions of lateral diffusion and exchange to the FRAP kinetics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31240317,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Corticosteroids and Regional Variations in Thickness of the Human Cerebral Cortex across the Lifespan.\nExposures to life stressors accumulate across the lifespan, with possible impact on brain health. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms mediating age-related changes in brain structure. We use a lifespan sample of participants (n = 21 251; 4-97 years) to investigate the relationship between the thickness of cerebral cortex and the expression of the glucocorticoid- and the mineralocorticoid-receptor genes (NR3C1 and NR3C2, respectively), obtained from the Allen Human Brain Atlas. In all participants, cortical thickness correlated negatively with the expression of both NR3C1 and NR3C2 across 34 cortical regions. The magnitude of this correlation varied across the lifespan. From childhood through early adulthood, the profile similarity (between NR3C1\/NR3C2 expression and thickness) increased with age. Conversely, both profile similarities decreased with age in late life. These variations do not reflect age-related changes in NR3C1 and NR3C2 expression, as observed in 5 databases of gene expression in the human cerebral cortex (502 donors). Based on the co-expression of NR3C1 (and NR3C2) with genes specific to neural cell types, we determine the potential involvement of microglia, astrocytes, and CA1 pyramidal cells in mediating the relationship between corticosteroid exposure and cortical thickness. Therefore, corticosteroids may influence brain structure to a variable degree throughout life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24819726,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"How we developed the GIM clinician-educator mentoring and scholarship program to assist faculty with promotion and scholarly work.\nClinician Educators' (CEs) focus on patient care and teaching, yet many academic institutions require dissemination of scholarly work for advancement. This can be difficult for CEs. Our division developed the Clinician-Educator Mentoring and Scholarship Program (CEMSP) in an effort to assist CEs with scholarship, national reputation, recognition, promotion and job satisfaction. The key components are salary-supported director and co-director who coordinate the program and serve as overall mentors and link CEs and senior faculty, and a full-time Senior Research Coordinator to assist with all aspects of scholarship, a close relationship with the General Internal Medicine (GIM) Methods Core provides advanced statistical support. Funding for the program comes from GIM divisional resources. Perceived value was evaluated by assessing the number of manuscripts published, survey of faculty regarding usage and opinion of CEMSP, and a review of faculty promotions. Although impossible to attribute the contributions of an individual component, a program specifically aimed at helping GIM CE faculty publish scholarly projects, increase participation in national organizations and focus on career progression can have a positive impact.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11143330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Surgical implantation of a peripheral nerve neuroma in lesioned spinal cord and brain--axonal sprouting regeneration and synaptogenesis.\nThirty-six mature female dogs weighing fifteen to twenty-five pounds, then spinal cord transected at T6 or T8. An intercostal nerve neuroma with cellular origin proximal to the transection site was dissected free to near the intervertebral foramen and the distal nerve stump was implanted in the spinal cord distal but near to the transection site and anchored with a plasma clot suture. These dogs were studied, treated and rehabilitated over a period of six months to two years or until they could stand, step and show reflex walking locomotion. Peripheral nerve distal stump neuroma, for example, intercostal nerve and cranial nerve XI are transected and surgically implanted in the lesions of the spinal cord or brain. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8. The implantation of the unfrozen XI cranial nerve neuromas in each case showed extensive invasion and neuroma axon in growth in to the temporal lobe of the brain. In some cases there was axon in growth in to the hippocampus and amygdala was noted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11439854,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Polio eradication--a success in sight.\nIndia took a giant step closer to eradicating polio through the strategy of National Immunization Days-PPI. In order to validate the reported coverage for 1999-2000, UNICEF had undertaken the CES for PPI on the request from GOI. The paper is a presentation of findings from 15 states, carrying the data as of Aug. 31, 2000. The modified cluster sampling has been used in this study. Data reveals that out of 15, 10 states have more than 95% coverage for at least 3 doses, MP and Gujarat at the top with 99% coverage. Despite this high coverage level, huge number of children is still unreached. Nearly 5 lakh children are left out in UP alone. Ironically, higher proportion of urban clusters have zero dose children. Apart from lack of awareness about date and need of additional doses, lack of positive attitude among parents are major cause of not getting any of the doses. Qualitative research pinpointed some more reasons for non-compliance--apprehension about side effect, knowledge and traditional barriers. According to the service providers and influencers, lack of proper training and monetary compensation are major demotivating factors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32325920,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antihypertensive Effects of Polyphenolic Extract from Korean Red Pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) Bark in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.\nKorean red pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc.) bark is a by-product of the wood industry and contains a high level of antioxidative phenolics including flavonoids, which have a variety of beneficial health effects. This study aimed to investigate the antihypertensive effects of P. densiflora bark extract (Korean red pine bark extract; KRPBE) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). A group of Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKRs) as a normotensive group was orally fed tap water. Four groups of SHRs were orally fed tap water, captopril (a positive control), 50 mg\/kg\/day of KRPBE, and 150 mg\/kg\/day of KRPBE, respectively. Blood pressure of rats was measured once every week for seven weeks of oral administration. After seven weeks, the lungs, kidneys, and serum were collected from rats, then angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity, angiotensin II content, and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were determined. Blood pressure of the captopril- and KRPBE-treated groups was significantly lower than that of the SHR control group. The ACE activity, angiotensin II content, and MDA content significantly decreased in the captopril- and KRPBE-treated groups than those in the SHR control group. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed six phenolics in KRPBE: protocatechuic acid, procyanidin B1, catechin, caffeic acid, vanillin, and taxifolin. KRPBE, which contains plenty of antioxidative phenolics, has antihypertensive effects partly due to reduction of ACE activity and angiotensin II content, and its antioxidative effect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25024171,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Immunosignature system for diagnosis of cancer.\nAlthough the search for disease biomarkers continues, the clinical return has thus far been disappointing. The complexity of the body's response to disease makes it difficult to represent this response with only a few biomarkers, particularly when many are present at low levels. An alternative to the typical reductionist biomarker paradigm is an assay we call an \"immunosignature.\" This approach leverages the response of antibodies to disease-related changes, as well as the inherent signal amplification associated with antigen-stimulated B-cell proliferation. To perform an immunosignature assay, the antibodies in diluted blood are incubated with a microarray of thousands of random sequence peptides. The pattern of binding to these peptides is the immunosignature. Because the peptide sequences are completely random, the assay is effectively disease-agnostic, potentially providing a comprehensive diagnostic on multiple diseases simultaneously. To explore the ability of an immunosignature to detect and identify multiple diseases simultaneously, 20 samples from each of five cancer cohorts collected from multiple sites and 20 noncancer samples (120 total) were used as a training set to develop a reference immunosignature. A blinded evaluation of 120 blinded samples covering the same diseases gave 95% classification accuracy. To investigate the breadth of the approach and test sensitivity to biological diversity further, immunosignatures of >1,500 historical samples comprising 14 different diseases were examined by training with 75% of the samples and testing the remaining 25%. The average accuracy was >98%. These results demonstrate the potential power of the immunosignature approach in the accurate, simultaneous classification of disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26156016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Noninvasive Imaging of Atherosclerotic Plaque Progression: Status of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography.\nThe process of coronary artery disease progression is infrequently visualized. Intravascular ultrasound has been used to gain important insights but is invasive and therefore limited to high-risk patients. For low-to-moderate risk patients, noninvasive methods may be useful to quantitatively monitor plaque progression or regression and to understand and personalize atherosclerosis therapy. This review discusses the potential for coronary computed tomography angiography to evaluate the extent and subtypes of coronary plaque. Computed tomographic technology is evolving and image quality of the method approaches the level required for plaque progression monitoring. Methods to quantify plaque on computed tomography angiography are reviewed as well as a discussion of their use in clinical trials. Limitations of coronary computed tomography angiography compared with competing modalities include limited evaluation of plaque subcomponents and incomplete knowledge of the value of the method especially in patients with low-to-moderate cardiovascular risk.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7582408,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Urgent full blood count in children over 3 months of age with bacterial meningitis.\nChildren with bacterial meningitis often have a full blood count (FBC) measured urgently on admission. We investigated whether urgent FBC gave results that aided immediate management or predicted outcome in children with meningitis. FBCs were measured on admission during 190 episodes of bacterial meningitis in children admitted between 1984 and 1991. Significant anaemia was found in seven children, but immediate transfusion was only necessary in the three subjects who were in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). A white blood count of less than 5 x 10(9) L-1 was significantly associated with death (P < 0.02), but a Glasgow Coma Score of less than 8 predicted death more accurately (positive predictive value of 40%). FBC yielded immediately useful information only in the 15% of children who were admitted to PICU. Conscious level was a better predictor of outcome than FBC. We recommend that urgent FBC should be performed in children with meningitis admitted to a PICU; in other children with meningitis FBC can be analysed during normal laboratory hours.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24825068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Phenolic compounds from the flowers of Nepalese medicinal plant Aconogonon molle and their DPPH free radical-scavenging activities.\nEleven phenolic compounds, quercetin (1), quercetin 3-O-\u03b2-d-galactopyranoside (2), quercetin 3-O-(6\u2033-O-galloyl)-\u03b2-d-galactopyranoside (3), quercetin 3-O-(6\u2033-O-caffeoyl)-\u03b2-d-galactopyranoside (4), quercetin 3-O-\u03b2-d-glucopyranoside (5), rutin (6) quercetin 3-O-\u03b1-l-arabinopyranoside (7), quercetin 3-O-\u03b1-l-arabinofuranoside (8), protocatechulic acid (9), gallic acid (10) and chlorogenic acid (11), were isolated from the flowers of Aconogonon molle, a Nepalese medicinal plant. Structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic methods. All these compounds were isolated for the first time from flowers, and five compounds (4, 5, 8, 9 and 11) were isolated for the first time from A. molle. All of these isolated compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antioxidant activity by using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging method. Quercetin (1), quercetin glycosides (2-8) and gallic acid (10) exhibited potent antioxidant activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32520182,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Brief review about the life and contribution of the peruvian parasitologist Cesar Gabriel Naquira Velarde].\nScientific institutions and their achievements are built on people and their stories. In this case, Dr. C\u00e9sar N\u00e1quira Velarde constitutes a prominent figure in Peru's public health, to which he contributed until days before his departure at 85 years of age. Dr. N\u00e1quira actively participated in the founding of the Daniel A. Carri\u00f3n Institute of Tropical Medicine of the National University of San Marcos from where - through re search and teaching - he has trained doctors and specialists in the field of parasitology and tropical medici ne. However, his greatest contribution was in the study of Chagas disease. He also served as a public official and decision maker, as he was head of the National Institute of Health of Peru and permanent technical advisor of the Ministry of Health of Peru, in the areas of his specialty. We highlight his role as a teacher for many generations of doctors and his authority as an expert in the field of medical parasitology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34063586,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improvement of the Machining Performance of the TW-ECDM Process Using Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) on Quartz Material.\nMany microslits are typically manufactured on quartz substrates and are used to improve their industrial performance. The fabrication of microslits on quartz is difficult and expensive to achieve using recent traditional machining processes due to its hardness, electrically insulating nature, and brittleness. The key objective of the current study was to demonstrate the fabrication of microslits on quartz material through a magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)-assisted traveling wire-electrochemical discharge micromachining process. Hydrogen gas bubbles were concentrated around the entire wire surface during electrolysis. This led to a less active dynamic region of the wire electrode, which decreased the adequacy of the electrolysis process and the machining effectiveness. The test results affirmed that the MHD convection approach evacuated the gas bubbles more rapidly and improved the void fraction in the gas bubble scattering layer. Furthermore, the improvements in the material removal rate and length of the cut were 85.28% and 48.86%, respectively, and the surface roughness was reduced by 30.39% using the MHD approach. A crossover methodology with a Taguchi design and ANOVA was utilized to study the machining performance. This exploratory investigation gives an unused strategy that shows a few advantages over the traditional TW-ECDM process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7329465,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Electrical responses of the eye and optic nerve of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis].\nThe electrophysiological method was used to obtain the electrical responses to light stimulation of the eye-optic nerve preparations in the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. The responses were recorded from the optic nerve with paired platinum wire electrodes. Typical eye response consisted of two waves - first (I) and second (II) components, sinusoidal oscillations and impulse activity with on-effect. There are no off-responses in visual system of Lymnaea stagnalis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35167405,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Enhanced Recovery After Cleft Lip Repair: Protocol Development and Implementation in Outreach Settings.\nClefts of the lip are of the most common congenital craniofacial anomalies. The development and implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol among patients undergoing cleft lip repair may decrease postoperative complications, accelerate recovery, and result in earlier postoperative discharge. A modified ERAS program was developed and applied through Global Smile Foundation outreach craniofacial programs. The main components of this protocol include: (1) preoperative patient education, (2) nutrition screening, (3) smoking cessation when applicable, (4) use of topical anesthetic adjuncts, (5) facial nerve blocks, (6) postoperative analgesia, (7) preferential use of short-acting narcotics, (8) antibiotic administration, (9) use of elbow restraints, (10) early postoperative oral feeding and hydration, and (11) discharge planning. Between April 2019 and March 2020, GSF operated on 126 patients with cleft lip from different age groups and 58.8% of them were less than 1 year of age. Three patients (2.4%) had delayed wound healing and one (0.8%) had postoperative bleeding. There were no cases of mortality, length of hospital stay did not exceed 1 postoperative day, and patients were able to tolerate fluids intake at discharge. The implementation of an ERAS protocol among patients undergoing cleft lip repair has shown to be highly effective in minimizing postoperative discomfort while reducing opioids use, decreasing the length of stay in hospital, and leading to early oral feeding resumption. The ERAS principles described carry increased relevance in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and opioid crisis and can be safely applied in resource-constrained settings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28061006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Confirmation of ProMisE: A simple, genomics-based clinical classifier for endometrial cancer.\nClassification of endometrial carcinomas (ECs) by morphologic features is irreproducible and imperfectly reflects tumor biology. The authors developed the Proactive Molecular Risk Classifier for Endometrial Cancer (ProMisE), a molecular classification system based on The Cancer Genome Atlas genomic subgroups, and sought to confirm both feasibility and prognostic ability in a new, large cohort of ECs. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the presence or absence of mismatch repair (MMR) proteins (to identify MMR deficiency [MMR-D]), sequencing for polymerase-\u025b (POLE) exonuclease domain mutations (POLE EDMs), and IHC for tumor protein 53 (p53) (wild type vs null\/missense mutations; p53 wt and p53 abn, respectively) were performed on 319 new EC samples. Subgroups were characterized and assessed relative to outcomes. The prognostic ability of ProMisE was compared with that of current risk-stratification systems (European Society of Medical Oncology [ESMO]). ProMisE decision-tree classification achieved categorization of all cases and identified 4 prognostic subgroups with distinct overall, disease-specific, and progression-free survival (P < .001). Tumors with POLE EDMs had the most favorable prognosis, and those with p53 abn the worst prognosis, and separation of the 2 middle survival curves (p53 wt and MMR-D) was observed. There were no significant differences in survival between the ESMO low-risk and intermediate-risk groups. ProMisE improved the ability to discriminate outcomes compared with ESMO risk stratification. There was substantial overlap (89%) between the p53 abn and high-risk ESMO subgroups; but, otherwise, there were no predictable associations between molecular and ESMO risk groups. Molecular classification of ECs can be achieved using clinically applicable methods and provides independent prognostic information beyond established clinicopathologic risk factors available at diagnosis. Consistent, biologically relevant categorization enables stratification for clinical trials and\/or targeted therapy, identification of women who are at increased risk of having Lynch syndrome, and may guide clinical management. Cancer 2017;123:802-13. \u00a9 2016 American Cancer Society.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24618552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Role of asymmetric methylarginine and connexin 43 in the regulation of pulmonary endothelial function.\nAbstract Circulating levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, are increased in patients with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension (IPAH). We hypothesized that ADMA abrogates gap junctional communication, required for the coordinated regulation of endothelial barrier function and angiogenesis, and so contributes to pulmonary endothelial dysfunction. The effects of ADMA on expression and function of gap junctional proteins were studied in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells; pulmonary endothelial microvascular cells from mice deficient in an enzyme metabolizing ADMA, dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase I (DDAHI); and blood-derived endothelial-like cells from patients with IPAH. Exogenous and endogenous ADMA inhibited protein expression and membrane localization of connexin 43 (Cx43) in a nitric oxide\/soluble guanosine monophosphate\/c-jun-dependent manner in pulmonary endothelial cells, resulting in the inhibition of gap junctional communication, increased permeability, and decreased angiogenesis. The effects of ADMA were prevented by overexpression of DDAHI or Cx43 and by treatment with rotigaptide. Blood-derived endothelial-like cells from IPAH patients displayed a distinct disease-related phenotype compared to cells from healthy controls, characterized by reduced DDAHI expression, increased ADMA production, and abnormal angiogenesis. In summary, we show that ADMA induces pulmonary endothelial dysfunction via changes in expression and activity of Cx43. Cells from IPAH patients exhibit abnormal DDAHI\/Cx43 signaling as well as differences in gap junctional communication, barrier function, and angiogenesis. Strategies that promote DDAHI\/Cx43 signaling may have an endothelium-protective effect and be beneficial in pulmonary vascular disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26215950,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Paclitaxel Given Once Per Week With or Without Bevacizumab in Patients With Advanced Angiosarcoma: A Randomized Phase II Trial.\nThe aim of this randomized, phase II trial was to explore the activity and safety of adding bevacizumab to paclitaxel once per week in treatment of angiosarcomas (AS). Patients were treated with paclitaxel alone (90 mg\/m(2) per week for six cycles of 28 days each; arm A) or with paclitaxel combined with bevacizumab (10 mg\/kg once every 2 weeks; arm B). In the combination treatment arm, bevacizumab was administered after the six cycles of chemotherapy as maintenance therapy (15 mg\/kg once every 3 weeks) until intolerance or progression occurred. Stratification factors were superficial versus visceral AS and de novo versus radiation-induced AS. The primary end point was the 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) rate, which was based on RECIST, version 1.1. Statistical assumptions were P0 = 20%, P1 = 40%, a = 10%, and b = 20%. P0 was the PFS rate at 6 months defining inactive drug, and P1 was the PFS rate at 6 months defining promising drug. A total of 52 patients were enrolled, and 50 were randomly assigned in 14 centers. The most common primary sites were the breast (49%) and skin (12%). There were 17 (34%) visceral and 24 (49%) radiation-induced AS. The performance status was 0 in 24 patients (49%) and 1 in the remaining 25 patients (51%). The median follow-up time was 14.5 months. Both treatment regimens were considered active, with 6-month PFS rates of 54% (14 of 26) in arm A and 57% (14 of 24) in arm B. The median overall survival rates were 19.5 months in arm A and 15.9 months in arm B. Toxicity was higher with the combination arm and included one fatal drug-related toxicity (intestinal occlusion). The primary objective was met in both treatment arms. However, the present data do not support additional clinical investigation of combined paclitaxel\/bevacizumab for the treatment of advanced AS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18052738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":3,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Desmosomal gene evaluation in Boxers with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.\nTo sequence the exonic and splice site regions of the 4 desmosomal genes associated with the human form of familial arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in Boxers with ARVC and identify a causative mutation. 10 unrelated Boxers with ARVC and 2 unaffected Labrador Retrievers (control dogs). Exonic and splice site regions of the 4 genes encoding the desmosomal proteins plakophilin-2, plakoglobin, desmoplakin, and desmoglein-2 were sequenced. Sequences were compared for nucleotide sequence changes between affected dogs and the published sequences for clinically normal dogs and between affected dogs and the control dogs. Base-pair changes were considered to be causative for ARVC if they were detected in an affected dog but not in unaffected dogs, and if they involved a conserved amino acid and changed that amino acid to one of a different polarity, acid-base status, or structure. A causative mutation for ARVC in Boxers was not identified, although single nucleotide polymorphisms were detected in some affected dogs within exon 3 of the plakophilin-2 gene; exon 3 of the plakoglobin gene; exons 3 and 7 of the desmoglein-2 gene; and exons 6, 14, 15, and 24 of the desmoplakin gene. None of these changed the amino acid of the respective protein. Mutations within the desmosomal genes associated with the development of ARVC in humans do not appear to be causative for ARVC in Boxers. Genomewide scanning for genetic loci of interest in dogs should be pursued.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10204153,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Therapy for early-stage colorectal cancer.\nSurgery is the only curative option for patients with colorectal cancer. The goal of other modalities, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy, is to prolong survival and reduce the risk of recurrence. Adjuvant treatment is mandatory for patients with stage III colon cancer. At present, 6 months of fluorouracil (5-FU) plus leucovorin (folinic acid) can be considered standard therapy. The data on stage II colon cancer are less convincing, and perhaps only subgroups benefit from adjuvant therapy. Patients with stage II disease should be encouraged to participate in randomized trials. Outside of such trials, one can consider prognostic factors in the decision to offer adjuvant therapy. Patients with T3 or N1-3 M0 rectal cancer should receive combined-modality therapy, i.e., 5-FU-based chemotherapy and irradiation. Until ongoing trials answer the question of whether a patient should be irradiated preoperatively or postoperatively, the type of surgery determines the timing of irradiation. If the tumor is amenable to a sphincter-preserving operation, surgery can be followed by radiation therapy. In patients with fixed tumors and those in whom resectability is an issue, prolonged preoperative radiotherapy is more appropriate. Ongoing trials should optimize existing adjuvant therapy (by achieving an ideal balance between toxicity and effectiveness) and integrate the advantages of recently approved drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":639214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An ultrasound system for combined cardiac imaging and Doppler blood flow measurement in man.\nAn ultrasound instrument has been developed that combines a real-time cross-sectional imaging system and a spectrum analyzer-based Doppler velocimeter. This combination allows the Doppler sample volume to be superimposed on the cross-sectional image of the heart so that the sample volume can be located accurately. The same 2.2 MHz transducer utilized for cross-sectional imaging is stopped mechanically and quickly switched to transmit and receive the Doppler ultrasound signal. Preliminary experience in 20 young and adult normal subjects indicates that it is possible to place the Doppler sample volume in the proximal main pulmonary artery at a point where the sound beam and blood flow stream are parallel. Measurement of the distance from transducer to the sample volume and the peak blood flow velocities in the main pulmonary artery of normal subjects indicates that these quantities are within the measurement capabilities of the system. The ultimate goal of this device is to make measurements of volume blood flow in man noninvasively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25403608,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Estrogen inhibits mast cell chymase release to prevent pressure overload-induced adverse cardiac remodeling.\nEstrogen regulation of myocardial chymase and chymase effects on cardiac remodeling are unknown. To test the hypothesis that estrogen prevents pressure overload-induced adverse cardiac remodeling by inhibiting mast cell (MC) chymase release, transverse aortic constriction or sham surgery was performed in 7-week-old intact and ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Three days before creating the constriction, additional groups of OVX rats began receiving 17\u03b2-estradiol, a chymase inhibitor, or a MC stabilizer. Left ventricular function, cardiomyocyte size, collagen volume fraction, MC density and degranulation, and myocardial and plasma chymase levels were assessed 18 days postsurgery. Aortic constriction resulted in ventricular hypertrophy in intact and OVX groups, whereas collagen volume fraction was increased only in OVX rats. Chymase protein content was increased by aortic constriction in the intact and OVX groups, with the magnitude of the increase being greater in OVX rats. MC density and degranulation, plasma chymase levels, and myocardial active transforming growth factor-\u03b21 levels were increased by aortic constriction only in OVX rats. Estrogen replacement markedly attenuated the constriction-increased myocardial chymase, MC density and degranulation, plasma chymase, and myocardial active transforming growth factor-\u03b21, as well as prevented ventricular hypertrophy and increased collagen volume fraction. Chymostatin attenuated the aortic constriction-induced ventricular hypertrophy and collagen volume fraction in the OVX rats similar to that achieved by estrogen replacement. Nedocromil yielded similar effects, except for the reduction of chymase content. We conclude that the estrogen-inhibited release of MC chymase is responsible for the cardioprotection against transverse aortic constriction-induced adverse cardiac remodeling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30845805,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Switchable Wettability Surface with Chemical Stability and Antifouling Properties for Controllable Oil-Water Separation.\nMembrane materials with special wettability for separating oil-water mixtures have gradually become one of the research hotspots. However, oily wastewater usually has very strong corrosiveness, which puts forward high requirements for the chemical stability of the separation membrane. In addition, oil droplets may block the pores, resulting in the decrease of separation efficiency or even separation failure. Herein, biomimetic TiO2-titanium meshes (BTTMs) with switchable wettability were successfully fabricated by one-step dip coating of poly(vinylidene difluoride) and modified TiO2 suspension on the titanium meshes. The simple and efficient preparation method will facilitate the promotion of this smart material. Due to the controlled wettability, the BTTM can separate water or oil from an oil-water mixture as required. When the BTTM was immersed in strong corrosive solution or liquid nitrogen, the wettability did not change much, showing the good stability of the BTTM. Furthermore, the BTTM also has self-healing ability, self-recovery anti-oil-fouling properties, and self-cleaning behavior, which help it resist oil pollution and improve its recyclability. This study provides a simple and efficient strategy for fabricating a stable smart surface for on-demand controllable treatment of corrosive oily wastewater.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36644028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparing Electronic Health Record Domains' Utility to Identify Transgender Patients.\nEarlier literature has reported on the utility of diagnostic codes and demographic information for identifying transgender patients. We aim to assess which method identifies the most transgender patients utilizing readily available tools from within the electronic health record (EHR). A de-identified patient database from a single EHR that allows for searching any discrete data point in the EHR was used to query International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10) diagnostic codes and demographic data specific to transgender patients from January 2011 to April 2019. Demographic data and ICD-10 codes yielded 1494 individual EHRs with transgender-specific data domains. ICD-10 diagnostic codes alone identified 942 (63.05%) unique EHRs. Demographics alone identified 218 (14.59%) unique EHRs. A total of 334 (22.36%) unique EHRs had both ICD-10 and demographic identifiers. Of those identified by transgender-specific demographic data (552), 294 (53.26%) were trans masculine, 215 (38.95%) were trans feminine, and 43 (7.79%) were nonbinary. Of the 552 demographic-identified transgender patients, 141 (25.86%) were identified by a two-part gender identity demographic question. ICD-10 diagnostic codes, not demographic data, identified the most transgender patient records, but neither diagnostic codes alone nor demographic data captured the full population. Only 26.36% of the charts identified as transgender patients had both ICD-10 codes and demographic data. We recommend that when identifying transgender populations through EHR domains, a combination of diagnostic codes and demographic data be used. Furthermore, research is needed to optimize disclosure and collection of demographic information for gender minority populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30208508,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Immunoglobulin A anti-phospholipid antibodies in Swedish cases of systemic lupus erythematosus: associations with disease phenotypes, vascular events and damage accrual.\nImmunoglobulin (Ig) G- and IgM-class anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL) and lupus anti-coagulant (LA) are included in the 1997 update of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR-97) systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) criteria. Despite limited evidence, IgA-aCL and IgA anti-\u03b22 -glycoprotein-I (anti-\u03b22 GPI) were included in the 2012 Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics criteria. The present study aimed to evaluate IgG-\/IgA-\/IgM-aCL and anti-\u03b22 GPI occurrence in relation to disease phenotype, smoking habits, pharmacotherapy, anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) and organ damage among 526 Swedish SLE patients meeting ACR-97. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 100), primary Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome (n = 50) and blood donors (n = 507) served as controls. Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) were analysed by fluoroenzyme-immunoassays detecting aCL\/anti-\u03b22 GPI. Seventy-six (14%) SLE cases fulfilled the Sydney APS-criteria, and \u2265 1 aCL\/anti-\u03b22 GPI isotype (IgG\/IgA\/IgM) occurred in 138 SLE patients (26%). Forty-five (9%) of the SLE cases had IgA-aCL, 20 of whom (4%) lacked IgG-\/IgM-aCL. Seventy-four (14%) tested positive for IgA anti-\u03b22 GPI, 34 (6%) being seronegative regarding IgG\/IgM anti-\u03b22 GPI. Six (1%) had APS manifestations but were seropositive regarding IgA-aCL and\/or IgA anti-\u03b22 GPI in the absence of IgG\/IgM-aPL and LA. Positive LA and IgG-aPL tests were associated with most APS-related events and organ damage. Exclusive IgA anti-\u03b22 GPI occurrence associated inversely with Caucasian ethnicity [odds ratio (OR) = 0\u00b721, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0\u00b706-0\u00b772) and photosensitivity (OR = 0\u00b719, 95% CI = 0\u00b705-0\u00b772). Nephritis, smoking, LA-positivity and statin\/corticosteroid-medication associated strongly with organ damage, whereas hydroxychloroquine-medication was protective. In conclusion, IgA-aPL is not rare in SLE (16%) and IgA-aPL analysis may have additional value among SLE cases with suspected APS testing negative for other isotypes of aPL and LA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30815394,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"HCC Immune Surveillance and Antiviral Therapy of Hepatitis C Virus Infection.\nHCV clearance by current antiviral therapies improves clinical outcomes but falls short in eliminating the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) emergence. As the HCC immune surveillance establishment is vital for the control of neoplastic development and growth, we investigated its correlation with on-\/post-treatment HCC emergence, and further analyzed the influence of viral eradication on this setup in patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis. PBMC isolated at baseline and longitudinally during therapy were analyzed for tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-specific CD8+ T cell responses against glypican-3 overlapping peptides in vitro using high-definition flow cytometry. Multianalyte profiling of fifty soluble inflammatory mediators (SIM) in the plasma was also performed using Luminex-based multiplex technology. Cirrhosis patients were characterized by an altered profile of distinct SIMs at baseline. At this time point, immune-surveilling T cells targeting specific HCC-associated antigens were readily detectable in HCV-free cirrhosis patients whilst being rather weak in such patients who further developed HCC upon virus eradication. Therapy-induced cure of HCV infection analogously reduced the strength of the prevailing HCC immune surveillance machinery, particularly by CD8+ T cells in cirrhosis patients. These results were further validated by T cell reactivities to six immuno-dominant HCC-associated HLA-A2-restricted epi-topes. Further, we demonstrated that this phenomenon was likely orchestrated by alterations in SIMs - with evidence of IL-12 being a major culprit. Given the relationship between the baseline HCC-specific immune surveilling T cell responses and therapy-associated HCC emergence, and the impact of HCV clearance on its strength and magnitude, we recommend a continued HCC screening in cirrhotic HCV patients despite HCV resolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33205543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Malignant transformation of oral submucous fibrosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.\nThis systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the proportion of patients who develop oral carcinomas following a diagnosis of oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) in reported longitudinal studies. We also aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinicopathological factors contributing to the progression of OSF to cancer. Individual search strategies were applied for the following bibliographic databases: MEDLINE by PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Grey literature databases until August 30, 2020. Methodological assessment of the risk of bias of the included studies was undertaken using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects (DerSimonian and Liard) method to calculate the pooled proportion of the malignant transformation (MT) in OSF patients. Out of 585 records screened, a total of 9 observational studies were included with a total number of 6,337 patients; of these, 292 OSF cases developed carcinomas. The pooled proportion of the MT was 4.2% (95% CI: 2.7%-5.6%) with an annual transformation rate of 0.73%. Subgroup analysis revealed that the pooled MT proportion was significantly higher among population-based studies in comparison with hospital-based ones (p < .005). Most of the studies showed a high risk of bias. In several studies, there was a lack of information about the demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of OSF patients and associated risk indicators; this insufficiency in details hindered the ability to conduct further subgroup analyses. Despite the poorly reported and the limited number of studies, our analysis confirms that close to 4% of patients diagnosed with OSF may develop oral cancer. Cases with oral epithelial dysplasia had a higher potential for malignant transformation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24493163,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Diclofenac versus fluorometholone after strabismus surgery in children.\nTo compare the effects of topical diclofenac sodium with those of fluorometholone on intraocular pressure (IOP) and conjunctival inflammation after strabismus surgery. We retrospectively analysed 60 Korean children who underwent strabismus surgery for intermittent exotropia in an institutional referral centre. Patients received topical diclofenac 0.1% or fluorometholone 0.1% after surgery for up to 4 weeks. IOP, patient discomfort, conjunctival inflammation and conjunctival injection were evaluated at 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after surgery. In the fluorometholone group, 23% showed an increase of \u226510 mm Hg compared to the baseline IOP within 4 weeks of surgery. The fluorometholone group showed a significant change in IOP compared to baseline (p<0.001) at all follow-up time points, whereas the diclofenac group showed no significant increase in IOP. An increased risk of IOP elevation of \u226510 mm Hg was observed after fluorometholone use in patients under 7 years of age. There was no significant difference in patient discomfort, conjunctival inflammation or conjunctival injection between the two groups. Conjunctival injection was more pronounced with muscle resection than with recession at 1 month after surgery. Postoperative topical diclofenac is an excellent substitute for steroids, particularly in young children under 7 years of age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9394322,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Individualized anticoagulation with dermatan sulphate for haemodialysis in chronic renal failure.\nDermatan sulphate (DS) is a selective thrombin inhibitor with antithrombotic properties and low bleeding potential. In preliminary studies it was reported to be effective for preventing clot formation in the haemodialysis circuit. Ten patients on maintenance haemodialysis for chronic renal failure underwent three consecutive investigation phases. In phase 1 (individual dose titration), repeated dialyses were performed with increasing doses of DS until successful dialysis was obtained in two sessions at the same dose. In phase 2, individualized DS doses were validated by a randomized crossover comparison with the individual heparin dose of each patient. In phase 3, each patient underwent 24 consecutive dialyses with DS over 8 weeks. Successful dialysis was defined as completion of the procedure without visible clot formation in the bubble traps and lines or a greater than 20% decrease in dialyser capacity. Dialysis efficiency (decrease in serum urea and creatinine, Kt\/V), APTT prolongation, bleeding time, and DS plasma concentrations were also assessed. Phase 1: successful dialysis was achieved in nine patients with 4 mg\/kg DS as a predialysis intravenous bolus followed by continuous infusion of 0.65 mg\/kg\/h. One patient required 5 mg\/kg plus 1.3 mg\/kg\/h. Phase 2: no statistically significant differences were found between DS and heparin in any of the investigated variables. Residual dialyser capacity and dialysis efficiency indexes indicated equivalent efficacy. Phase 3: residual dialyser capacity and dialysis efficiency did not change with time. There was no accumulation of DS in plasma. No bleeding or thrombocytopenia were observed. The dose of DS can be individually titrated to suppress clot formation during haemodialysis as efficiently as with individualized heparin. Such an individualized DS regimen maintains its anticoagulant efficacy and is safe in prolonged use.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12962511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The intact human acetylcholinesterase C-terminal oligomerization domain is alpha-helical in situ and in isolation, but a shorter fragment forms beta-sheet-rich amyloid fibrils and protofibrillar oligomers.\nA 14-residue fragment of the C-terminal oligomerization domain, or T-peptide, of human acetylcholinesterase (AChE) shares sequence homology with the amyloid-beta peptide implicated in Alzheimer's disease and can spontaneously self-assemble into classical amyloid fibrils under physiological conditions [Greenfield, S. A., and Vaux, D. J. (2002) Neuroscience 113, 485-492; Cottingham, M. G., Hollinshead, M. S., and Vaux, D. J. (2002) Biochemistry 41, 13539-13547]. Here we demonstrate that the conformation of this AChE(586-599) peptide, both before and after fibril formation, is different from that of a longer peptide, T(40), corresponding to the entire 40-amino acid T-peptide (residues 575-614 of AChE). This peptide is prone to homomeric hydrophobic interactions, consistent with its role in AChE subunit assembly, and possesses an alpha-helical structure which protects against the development of the beta-sheet-rich amyloidogenic conformation favored by the shorter constituent AChE(586-599) fragment. Using a conformation-sensitive monoclonal antibody raised against the alpha-helical T(40) peptide, we demonstrate that the conformation of the T-peptide domain within intact AChE is antigenically indistinguishable from that of the synthetic T(40) peptide. A second monoclonal antibody raised against the fibrillogenic AChE(586-599) fragment recognizes not only beta-sheet amyloid aggregates but also SDS-resistant protofibrillar oligomers. A single-antibody sandwich ELISA confirms that such oligomers exist at micromolar peptide concentrations, well below that required for formation of classical amyloid fibrils. Epitope mapping with this monoclonal antibody identifies a region near the N-terminus of the peptide that remains accessible in oligomer and fibril alike, suggesting a model for the arrangement of subunits within AChE(586-599) protofibrils and fibrils.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22042717,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Does previous reconstructive surgery influence functional improvement and deformity correction after periacetabular osteotomy?\nThe Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) is commonly used to surgically treat residual acetabular dysplasia. However, the degree to which function and radiographic deformity are corrected in patients with more severe deformities that have undergone previous reconstructive pelvic or femoral osteotomies is unclear. We evaluated hip pain and function, radiographic deformity correction, complications, reoperations, and early failures (conversion to THA) associated with PAO in hips treated with previous reconstructive hip surgery. We retrospectively reviewed 63 patients who had undergone 67 PAOs after a previous reconstructive hip procedure. We compared preoperative hip scores and radiographic parameters with postoperative values at most recent followup. We recorded complications, need for nonarthroplasty revision surgery, and failures. Minimum followup was 2 years. Five of the 67 hips (8%) were converted to THA between 24 and 118 months. The average followup for the remaining 62 hips was 60 months (range, 24-147 months). The average Harris hip score improved 11 points, and postoperatively, 83% of the hips had pain component scores of greater than 30 (none, slight, or mild pain). Radiographically, there were improvements in lateral center-edge angle (25\u00b0), anterior center-edge angle (23\u00b0), T\u00f6nnis angle (17\u00b0), and medialization of the hip center (8 mm). Complications occurred in 13 hips (19%). Seven hips (10%) underwent a subsequent surgical procedure to address residual pain or deformity. PAO performed after previous reconstructive hip surgery improves hip function and corrects residual dysplasia deformities. These procedures are inherently more complex than primary PAO and are associated with a considerable risk of perioperative complications, reoperations, and early treatment failures. Level IV, therapeutic study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23691448,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Photodynamic therapy for gynecological diseases and breast cancer.\nPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive and promising new method in cancer treatment. Cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated by the tissue-localized non-toxic sensitizer upon illumination and in the presence of oxygen. Thus, selective destruction of a targeted tumor may be achieved. Compared with traditional cancer treatment, PDI has advantages including higher selectivity and lower rate of toxicity. The high degree of selectivity of the proposed method was applied to cancer diagnosis using fluorescence. This article reviews previous studies done on PDT treatment and photodetection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia, ovarian and breast cancer, and PDT application in treating non-cancer lesions. The article also highlights the clinical responses to PDT, and discusses the possibility of enhancing treatment efficacy by combination with immunotherapy and targeted therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31642780,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Alzheimer's Disease and Retinal Degeneration: A Glimpse at Essential Trace Metals in Ocular Fluids and Tissues.\nLife expectancy is increasing all over the world, although neurodegenerative disorders might drastically affect the individual activity of aged people. Of those, Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is one of the most social-cost age-linked diseases of industrialized countries. To date, retinal diseases seem to be more common in the developing world and characterize principally aged people. Agerelated Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a late-onset, neurodegenerative retinal disease that shares several clinical and pathological features with AD, including stress stimuli such as oxidative stress, inflammation and amyloid formations. In both diseases, the detrimental intra\/extra-cellular deposits have many similarities. Aging, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, arteriosclerosis and smoking are risk factors to develop both diseases. Cellular aging routes have similar organelle and signaling patterns in retina and brain. The possibility to find out new research strategies represent a step forward to disclose potential treatment for both of them. Essential trace metals play critical roles in both physiological and pathological condition of retina, optic nerve and brain, by influencing metabolic processes chiefly upon complex multifactorial pathogenesis. Hence, this review addresses current knowledge about some up-to-date investigated essential trace metals associated with AD and AMD. Changes in the levels of systemic and ocular fluid essential metals might reflect the early stages of AMD, possibly disclosing neurodegeneration pathways shared with AD, which might open to potential early detection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27190128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Choroidal structure in eyes with drusen and reticular pseudodrusen determined by binarisation of optical coherence tomographic images.\nTo compare luminal and stromal area of the choroid in eyes with drusen and reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) and to investigate their changes over 24 months. In eyes with drusen and RPD and control subjects, total choroidal, luminal and stromal area were measured on optical coherence tomography B-scans converted to binary images, at baseline and after 24 months. Eighteen eyes of 18 subjects for each group were included. In drusen and RPD, we found reduction of mean total choroidal (p=0.0005 and p<0.0001, respectively), luminal (p=0.003 and p<0.0001, respectively) and stromal area (p=0.007 and p=0.0002, respectively) from baseline to month 24; no change of ratio between luminal-stromal and the choroidal area was recorded. Mean luminal, stromal and total choroidal areas were reduced in RPD, as compared with drusen and controls at both baseline and month 24 (p<0.05 for all). In RPD, the stromal area was more represented, as we found lower mean ratio of luminal and total choroidal area compared with drusen and control at both baseline and month 24 (p<0.05 for all). Mean total choroidal, luminal and stromal area decreased over 24 months similarly in eyes with drusen and RPD. Mean total choroidal, luminal and stromal area were more reduced in eyes with RPD, as compared with eyes with drusen and controls; however, stromal area was more represented in eyes with RPD suggesting a possible role of choroidal vascular depletion and fibrotic replacement in the pathogenesis and disease progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20462427,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A simple, high throughput method to locate single copy sequences from Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) libraries using High Resolution Melt analysis.\nThe high-throughput anchoring of genetic markers into contigs is required for many ongoing physical mapping projects. Multidimentional BAC pooling strategies for PCR-based screening of large insert libraries is a widely used alternative to high density filter hybridisation of bacterial colonies. To date, concerns over reliability have led most if not all groups engaged in high throughput physical mapping projects to favour BAC DNA isolation prior to amplification by conventional PCR. Here, we report the first combined use of Multiplex Tandem PCR (MT-PCR) and High Resolution Melt (HRM) analysis on bacterial stocks of BAC library superpools as a means of rapidly anchoring markers to BAC colonies and thereby to integrate genetic and physical maps. We exemplify the approach using a BAC library of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Super pools of twenty five 384-well plates and two-dimension matrix pools of the BAC library were prepared for marker screening. The entire procedure only requires around 3 h to anchor one marker. A pre-amplification step during MT-PCR allows high multiplexing and increases the sensitivity and reliability of subsequent HRM discrimination. This simple gel-free protocol is more reliable, faster and far less costly than conventional PCR screening. The option to screen in parallel 3 genetic markers in one MT-PCR-HRM reaction using templates from directly pooled bacterial stocks of BAC-containing bacteria further reduces time for anchoring markers in physical maps of species with large genomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26561638,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Activation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor mediates suppression of hypoxia-inducible factor-dependent erythropoietin expression by indoxyl sulfate.\nIndoxyl sulfate (IS) is a representative uremic toxin that accumulates in the blood of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In addition to the involvement in the progression of CKD, a recent report indicates that IS suppresses hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-dependent erythropoietin (EPO) production, suggesting that IS may also contribute to the progression of renal anemia. In this report, we provide evidence that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates IS-induced suppression of HIF activation and subsequent EPO production. In HepG2 cells, IS at concentrations similar to the blood levels in CKD patients suppressed hypoxia- or cobalt chloride-induced EPO mRNA expression and transcriptional activation of HIF. IS also induced AhR activation, and AhR blockade resulted in abolishment of IS-induced suppression of HIF activation. The HIF transcription factor is a heterodimeric complex composed of HIF-\u03b1 subunits (HIF-1\u03b1 and HIF-2\u03b1) and AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT). IS suppressed nuclear accumulation of the HIF-\u03b1-ARNT complex accompanied by an increase of the AhR-ARNT complex in the nucleus, implying the involvement of interactions among AhR, HIF-\u03b1, and ARNT in the suppression mechanism. In rats, oral administration of indole, a metabolic precursor of IS, inhibited bleeding-induced elevation of renal EPO mRNA expression and plasma EPO concentration and strongly induced AhR activation in the liver and renal cortex tissues. Collectively, this study is the first to elucidate the detailed mechanism by which AhR plays an indispensable role in the suppression of HIF activation by IS. Hence, IS-induced activation of AhR may be a potential therapeutic target for treating renal anemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27189497,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Connection of functional quality of partial removable dentures and the degree of patients' phonetic adaptation.\nPhonetic adaptation is a complex biological phenomenon with a highly individual course, depending on the patient's motivation to use prosthesis, on the functional quality of removable dentures. The aim of the study was to estimate phonetic adaptation in patients with partial dentures, connecting it to alteration in speech quality and dentures functional value. We examined some peculiarities of phonetic adaptation in 50 patients with removable dentures (50 patients with natural dentition were invited for the control group). The standardized evaluation protocols (12 speech quality determining parameters) were developed separately for Latvian and Russian native speakers. 500 speech video samples were recorded and analysed according to pre-established guidelines. The connection of speech quality and the functional quality of the dentures was assessed. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. P values equal to or less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. In patients with appropriate functional quality of removable dentures distorted speech production was detected in 25% (pk=0.008) cases and in patients with inappropriate functional quality of the prosthesis - in 40% (pk<0.001). Patients with appropriate dentures functional value were satisfied with their speech performance in 96% (pk=0.674), in the group with inappropriate dentures functional value only 59% (p<0.001) rated their speech quality positively. Phonetic adaptation to removable dentures depends on the patient's individual adaptation capacity, prosthetic design and functional value. Thus statistically significant correlation between removable partial dentures functional value, duration of usage and the degree of patients' phonetic adaptation (p<0.001) may be considered to be confirmed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15932771,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Chemical tracers as indicator of human fecal coliforms at storm water outfalls.\nIndicators to distinguish between fecal coliforms of human and animal origin were investigated in water from storm sewer outfalls to a coastal lake during wet and dry weather. The ratio of fecal coliform relative to fecal streptococci count was used as the microbiological indicator. Concentrations of human-activities originated caffeine, anionic surfactant, fluoride, and fluorescence whitening agent (FWA) were used as chemical indicators. The ratio of fecal coliform to fecal streptococci ranged from 0.2 to 3.0, during wet weather making it difficult to interpret the origin of fecal pollution. However, concentrations of caffeine, anionic surfactant, fluoride, and FWA in storm water outflow during wet weather were much higher than those in the lake water during dry weather, indicating the presence of human waste at storm water outfall. Strong correlation between fecal coliform counts and chemical parameter values further indicated the human contribution to the fecal coliform count. In addition, a strong correlation among the chemical parameters suggested that only one of them is needed as chemical tracer to detect the presence of human input.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":753033,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Comparative study of the muramidase (lysozyme) activity in the blood cells of laboratory and agricultural animals].\nComparative studies have been carried out on the blood of certain laboratory and farm animals and birds, whereby the activity of muramidase (lysozyme) is established in neutrophilic cells of mice, guinea pigs, rats, rabbits, dogs, hens, turkeys and geese and in the monocytes of rabbits and dogs. The percentage of cells with muramidase activity manifests species features. No cells with a presence of muramidase activity have been found in the perypheral blood of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses and bullalos. Certain questions of a general biological aspect about the origin of muramidase in the blood serum are examined on the basis of the results obtained and recent data from analyses of human blood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28219664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of Pioglitazone on Cardiometabolic Risk in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.\nPrevalence of insulin resistance is increased in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Because insulin resistance is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), this study was initiated to see if pioglitazone administration would improve insulin sensitivity and thereby decrease risk of CVD in overweight\/obese, nondiabetic, insulin-resistant patients with untreated OSA. Patients (n = 30) were administered pioglitazone (45 mg\/day) for 8 weeks, and measurements were made before and after intervention of insulin action (insulin-mediated glucose uptake by the insulin suppression test), C-reactive protein, lipid\/lipoprotein profile, and gene expression profile of periumbilical subcutaneous fat tissue. Insulin sensitivity increased 31% (p <0.001) among pioglitazone-treated subjects, associated with a decrease in C-reactive protein concentration (p \u22640.001), a decrease in plasma triglyceride, and increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (p \u22640.001), accompanied by significant changes in apolipoprotein A1 and B concentrations and lipoprotein subclasses known to decrease CVD risk. In addition, subcutaneous adipose tissue gene expression profile showed a 1.6-fold (p <0.01) increase in GLUT4 expression and decreased expression in 5 of 9 inflammatory genes (p <0.05). In conclusion, enhanced insulin sensitivity can significantly decrease multiple cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with untreated OSA, consistent with the view that coexisting insulin resistance plays an important role in the association between OSA and increased risk of CVD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31998555,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A revised Holocene coral sea-level database from the Florida reef tract, USA.\nThe coral reefs and mangrove habitats of the south Florida region have long been used in sea-level studies for the western Atlantic because of their broad geographic extent and composition of sea-level tracking biota. The data from this region have been used to support several very different Holocene sea-level reconstructions (SLRs) over the years. However, many of these SLRs did not incorporate all available coral-based data, in part because detailed characterizations necessary for inclusion into sea-level databases were lacking. Here, we present an updated database comprised of 303 coral samples from published sources that we extensively characterized for the first time. The data were carefully screened by evaluating and ranking the visual taphonomic characteristics of every dated sample within the database, which resulted in the identification of 134 high-quality coral samples for consideration as suitable sea-level indicators. We show that our database largely agrees with the most recent SLR for south Florida over the last \u223c7,000 years; however, the early Holocene remains poorly characterized because there are few high-quality data spanning this period. Suggestions to refine future Holocene SLRs in the region are provided including filling spatial and temporal data gaps of coral samples, particularly from the early Holocene, as well as constructing a more robust peat database to better constrain sea-level variability during the middle to late Holocene. Our database and taphonomic-ranking protocol provide a framework for researchers to evaluate data-selection criteria depending on the robustness of their sea-level models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33216264,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Impact of Capicua on Pancreatic Cancer Progression.\nThe transcription factor capicua (CIC) regulates mammalian development and homeostasis. Growing evidence shows that CIC suppresses various human cancers by directly repressing the downstream cancer-related target genes. This study investigated the clinical and biologic significance of CIC expression in pancreatic cancer (PC). The study reviewed 132 patients with PC who underwent curative resection. The patients were divided into two groups according to CIC immunoreactivity score by immunohistochemistry, and the associations between CIC expression, clinicopathologic characteristics, and postoperative prognosis were investigated. Moreover, the influence of CIC expression on the malignant potential of PC cells was assessed with cell proliferation, motility assays, and use of quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot on the downstream target genes of CIC in knockdown experiments. The low-CIC expression group showed a higher proportion of lymphatic invasion (72.9% vs. 53.1%; p = 0.024), intrapancreatic neural invasion (94.1% vs. 81.3%; p = 0.021), and extrapancreatic plexus invasion (30.9% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.0006) than the high-CIC expression group as well as significantly worse overall survival (p = 0.0002) and recurrence-free survival (p = 0.0041) rates. Low CIC expression was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis (p = 0.038). Pancreatic cancer cells with knockdown CIC significantly enhanced cell motilities and cell cycle progression, promoted expression levels of ETV4 and MMP-9, and induced EMT. The study elucidated the association of low CIC expression with a poor prognosis for patients with PC and suggested that the CIC-ETV4-MMP-9 axis might control PC progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27241748,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"RNA Imaging with Multiplexed Error-Robust Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (MERFISH).\nQuantitative measurements of both the copy number and spatial distribution of large fractions of the transcriptome in single cells could revolutionize our understanding of a variety of cellular and tissue behaviors in both healthy and diseased states. Single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (smFISH)-an approach where individual RNAs are labeled with fluorescent probes and imaged in their native cellular and tissue context-provides both the copy number and spatial context of RNAs but has been limited in the number of RNA species that can be measured simultaneously. Here, we describe multiplexed error-robust fluorescence in situ hybridization (MERFISH), a massively parallelized form of smFISH that can image and identify hundreds to thousands of different RNA species simultaneously with high accuracy in individual cells in their native spatial context. We provide detailed protocols on all aspects of MERFISH, including probe design, data collection, and data analysis to allow interested laboratories to perform MERFISH measurements themselves.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36106471,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparative Effectiveness of Dexamethasone Versus Prednisone in Children Hospitalized With Acute Croup.\nTo compare the effectiveness of dexamethasone versus prednisone or prednisolone on hospital resource utilization for children hospitalized with acute croup. This is a retrospective cohort study of the Pediatric Health Information System database on children aged 6 months to <6 years who were hospitalized with acute croup between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019. Children with a chronic complex condition, transferred from outside hospital, and\/or received direction admission to ICU were excluded. Propensity score matching was used to compare length of stay (in hours), escalation of care to ICU, and the need for bronchoscopy with exposure to dexamethasone versus prednisone or prednisolone. We also compared rates of 7 day return to the emergency department and readmissions. A total of 11 740 hospitalizations met inclusion criteria; dexamethasone was used in 95.9%; prednisone or prednisolone was used in 4.1%. In the matched cohort (n = 960), the length of stay was not significantly different between the dexamethasone and prednisone or prednisolone groups (21.3 vs 18.5 hours, P = .35). Although the rates bronchoscopy did not differ between the 2 groups, the dexamethasone cohort was more likely to require ICU transfer (P = .007). The rates of 7-day emergency department returns (2.3% vs 1.3%, P = .24) and readmissions (3.1% vs. 2.1%, P = .37) were low and not statistically different. Hospital resource utilization did not differ significantly for children receiving dexamethasone or prednisone or prednisolone for acute croup. Both corticosteroids may be considered reasonable choices for the treatment of children hospitalized with acute croup.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19752676,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Symptom clusters in fibromyalgia: potential utility in patient assessment and treatment evaluation.\nRecent evidence points to the likelihood of heterogeneity in the presentation and, perhaps, etiology of fibromyalgia (FM). A clearer understanding of the symptomatology and consideration of potential FM subtypes could add insights regarding this condition. The aim of this study was to determine whether clusters could be identified among 20 symptoms that participants in a prior online study identified and to elucidate the underlying structure of resultant clusters. Factor analysis was used on data from a study sponsored by the National Fibromyalgia Association in which 2,569 persons with FM responded to an online survey during a 3-day period in 2005. In this well-educated, primarily Caucasian sample, morning stiffness, fatigue, and not feeling rested in the morning were the symptoms with the highest severity scores. A series of exploratory factor analyses and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis with Cronbach's alpha testing led to a five-factor model with the following domains containing 17 symptoms: Somatic, Distress, Fibromyalgia Core, Dyscognition, and Sleep Problems. The findings support the heterogeneity of the FM experience and the presence of symptom clusters within the greater spectrum of symptoms comprising the FM syndrome. These observations suggest the possibility of tailoring interventions based upon individual patient symptomatology. Further work is needed to develop symptom inventories that can be used in clinical trials as outcome metrics and by healthcare providers to describe clinical burden and effect of treatments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32324706,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"E-health and multiple sclerosis.\nTo outline recent applications of e-health data and digital tools for improving the care and management of healthcare for people with multiple sclerosis. The digitization of most clinical data, along with developments in communication technologies, miniaturization of sensors and computational advances are enabling aggregation and clinically meaningful analyses of real-world data from patient registries, digital patient-reported outcomes and electronic health records (EHR). These data are allowing more confident descriptions of prognoses for multiple sclerosis patients and the long-term relative benefits and safety of disease-modifying treatments (DMT). Registries allow detailed, multiple sclerosis-specific data to be shared between clinicians more easily, provide data needed to improve the impact of DMT and, with EHR, characterize clinically relevant interactions between multiple sclerosis and other diseases. Wearable sensors provide continuous, long-term measures of performance dynamics in relevant ecological settings. In conjunction with telemedicine and online apps, they promise a major expansion of the scope for patients to manage aspects of their own care. Advances in disease understanding, decision support and self-management using these Big Data are being accelerated by machine learning and artificial intelligence. Both health professionals and patients can employ e-health approaches and tools for development of a more patient-centred learning health system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20461011,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Large motor unit territories by scanning electromyography in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.\nJuvenile myoclonic epilepsy is a genetically inherited disorder characterized by myoclonic jerks and generalized seizures. It has been proposed that patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy have larger motor units (MUs) than normals by MU number estimation and macro electromyography techniques. In this study, an experimental setup for scanning electromyography was built to investigate electrophysiologic cross-sections of the MU territories in 9 patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, 3 patients with spinal muscular atrophy, and 10 healthy volunteers. Scanning electromyography was performed on the biceps brachii muscle. For each MU, three-dimensional maps of the MU territories were plotted. The length of MU cross-section and the maximum amplitude of each MU were measured from these maps and compared among the three groups of subjects. Like spinal muscular atrophy patients, patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy had significantly larger MU territories than normal controls.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24485687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Strategy for the simulation and analysis of longitudinal phenotypic and genomic data in the context of a temperature \u00d7 humidity-dependent covariate.\nA simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of genomic random regression models for the continuous environmental descriptor temperature-humidity index (THI). Statistically innovative aspects of the study included the combined simulation of both longitudinal phenotypic data representing the same trait in the course of THI and genomic data. The longitudinal trait was simulated (phenotypically expressed) at 5 different values of THI. For a moderate heritability trait, heritabilities were 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, 0.40, and 0.35 for THI of 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75, respectively. In a consecutive run, low heritabilities of 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.15, and 0.10 were simulated, respectively. On the genomic level, simulation combined high and low linkage disequilibrium with 5,000-, 15,000-, and 50,000-SNP chip applications to simulate different scenarios of genomic architecture. With regard to data analyses, 2 strategies were applied to evaluate the accuracy of genomic predictions across THI, with special focus on the extreme ends of the environmental scale. In the first strategy, 100, 80, 50, or 20% of phenotypes at THI 75 were deleted randomly and the remaining data set was used to predict the breeding value at THI 75 for non-phenotyped, but genotyped cows. In the second strategy, 1,600 cows had complete information (genotypes and phenotypes) and 400 cows were genotyped, but with missing phenotypes for all THI. For the first strategy and without phenotypic observations at THI 75, accuracies of genomic predictions were lower than 0.34. When only 20% of cows had phenotypic records at THI 75, accuracies increased (~0.60). Such a small proportion of phenotyped cows was sufficient to predict reliable genomic breeding values for cows without phenotypes for extreme THI. For the second strategy, also for low linkage disequilibrium combined with a low density 5,000-SNP chip, the average accuracy of genomic predictions was 0.52, which is substantially higher than accuracies based on pedigree relationships. From a practical perspective, genomic random regression models can be used to predict genomic breeding values for scarce phenotypes (e.g., novel traits) traits measured in extreme environments, or traits measured late in life, such as longevity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28693456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Impact of large-scale distribution and subsequent use of free nicotine patches on primary care physician interaction.\nLarge-scale distribution efforts of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) have been documented to be cost-effective interventions for increasing smoking quit rates. However, despite nearly a dozen studies evaluating their effectiveness, none have examined whether free NRT provision promotes further primary care help-seeking and the impact that it may have on cessation efforts. In the context of a randomized controlled trial, a secondary analysis was conducted on 1000 adult regular smokers randomized to be mailed a 5-week supply of nicotine patches or to a no intervention control group. Recipients and users of free nicotine patches at an 8 week follow-up were successfully case matched to controls based on age, gender, baseline level of nicotine dependence and intent to quit (n = 201 per group). Differences in physician interaction between the two groups were evaluated at both 8 week and 6 month follow-ups. The impact of physician interaction on self-reported smoking abstinence at each follow-up was also examined. Although no differences in physician interaction were noted between groups at the 8 week follow-up, at the 6 month follow-up, nicotine patch users reported greater frequency of discussing smoking with their physician (43.9%), as compared to the control group (30.3%) (p = 0.011). Across both groups, over 90% of those that discussed smoking with a physician were encouraged to quit and approximately 70% were provided with additional support. Separate ANOVAs revealed no significant impact of physician interaction on cessation (p > 0.05), regardless of group or follow-up period, however, at the 6 month follow-up, nicotine patch users who discussed cessation with a physician had made serious quit attempts at significantly greater rates (72.6%), compared to controls (49.1%) (p = 0.007). Irrespective of group, the majority of smokers in the present study did not discuss cessation with their physician. Recipients and users of nicotine patches however, were more likely to discuss smoking with their physician, suggesting that the provision of free NRT particularly to those who are likely to use it may facilitate opportunities for benefits beyond the direct pharmacological effects of the medication. clinicaltrials.gov , NCT01429129 . Registered: 2 September 2011.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":736799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Comparative study of the lymphoid organs of rats aboard a space flight under weightless and artificial gravity conditions].\nA comparative histological investigation of the thymus, spleen and inguinal lymph nodes has been performed in the rats flown for 18.5 days on board the biosatellite \"Cosmos-936\" under the conditions of weightlessness and artificial gravitation (acceleration 1 g) imitating terrestrial magnetism. It has been stated that in the animals that were under the conditions of weightless ness during the flight and were sacrificed 4.5--13 h after they have landed the Earth, accidental involution of lymphoid organs is noted with morphological signs in them of an acute stress in the form of massive degeneration of the thymus lymphocytes and neutrophilic infiltration of the spleen. In rats that during the flight were subjected to the effect of artificial gravitation there was noted neither involution of the lymphoid organs nor morphological signs of acute stress in them. One of the main cause of acute stress in the rats subjected to weightlessness during the space flight is supposed to be transition to the terrestrial gravitation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30720842,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Laron syndrome related to homozygous growth hormone receptor c.784>C mutation in a patient with hypoplastic pulmonary arteries.\nLaron syndrome, also known as growth hormone insensitivity, is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by short stature due to mutations or deletions in the growth hormone receptor (GHR), leading to congenital insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) deficiency. Cardiac abnormalities, such as patent ductus arteriosus or peripheral vascular disease are rare in patients with Laron syndrome, but cardiac hypertrophy has been observed after IGF1 therapy. In this report, we present a 10-year-and-5-month-old girl with severe peripheral-type pulmonary artery hypoplasia and Laron syndrome related to homozygous GHR c.784>C mutation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33868411,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Levels of Lead, Copper, and Zinc in Cabbage (Brassica oleracea sp.) and Lettuce (Lactuca sativa sp.) Grown on Soil Amended with Sewage Sludge.\nThe study focused on levels of selected heavy metals (Pb, Zn, and Cu) in sewage sludge, soil, and in lettuce and cabbage grown on sewage sludge amended soil. Also, the effect of sewage sludge on soil properties (pH, soil organic matter, and soil conductivity) was studied. Three treatments were used based on nitrogen application rates of the sewage sludge: 100, 150, and 200 kg N\/ha for lettuce while 160, 210, and 260 kg N\/ha for cabbage. A pot experiment was conducted with pots arranged in a completely randomized design and under local climatic conditions. The study revealed that soil organic matter content and conductivity increased significantly with increasing nitrogen application rates. Levels of heavy metals in the soil increased significantly with increasing application rates. The controls for both plants recorded the lowest heavy metal uptake. Cabbage had an uptake of 0.48 \u00b1 0.13, 1.36 \u00b1 0.23, and 2.60 \u00b1 0.29 mg\/kg for Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively, while lettuce had 0.34 \u00b1 0.19, 1.35 \u00b1 0.31, and 2.30 \u00b1 0.14 mg\/kg uptake for Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively. Highest metal uptake was recorded at the highest application rate in both plants (0.66 \u00b1 0.17, 2.66 \u00b1 0.09, and 4.33 \u00b1 0.14 mg\/kg for Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively, for cabbage and 0.54 \u00b1 0.01, 2.24 \u00b1 0.17, and 3.88 \u00b1 0.19 mg\/kg of Pb, Zn, and Cu, respectively, for lettuce). The uptake of Zn and Cu was significant, while Pb uptake was insignificant for both plants. Yields increased significantly with increasing application rates. The study provides information on yield enhancement resulting from cultivating plants on soil amended with sewage sludge and the associated health risk implication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21129007,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The dimensions of nursing surveillance: a concept analysis.\nThis paper is a report of an analysis of the concept of nursing surveillance. Nursing surveillance, a primary function of acute care nurses, is critical to patient safety and outcomes. Although it has been associated with patient outcomes and organizational context of care, little knowledge has been generated about the conceptual and operational process of surveillance. A search using the CINAHL, Medline and PubMed databases was used to compile an international data set of 18 papers and 4 book chapters published from 1985 to 2009. Rodger's evolutionary concept analysis techniques were used to analyse surveillance in a systems framework. This method focused the search to nursing surveillance (as opposed to other medical uses of the term) and used a theoretical framework to guide the analysis. The examination of the literature clarifies the multifaceted nature of nursing surveillance in the acute care setting. Surveillance involves purposeful and ongoing acquisition, interpretation and synthesis of patient data for clinical decision-making. Behavioural activities and multiple cognitive processes are used in surveillance in order for the nurse to make decisions for patient safety and health maintenance. A systems approach to the analysis also demonstrates how organizational characteristics and contextual factors influence the process in the acute care environment. This conceptual analysis describes the nature of the surveillance process and clarifies the concept for effective communication and future use in health services research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38111044,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"SPP1 is associated with adverse prognosis and predicts immunotherapy efficacy in penile cancer.\nThe effect of SPP1 in squamous cell carcinoma of the penis (PSCC) remained unknown. We attempted to clarify the function of the SPP1 gene in PSCC. Eight paired penile cancer specimens (including penile cancer tissue, paracancerous tissue, and positive lymph node tissue) subjected to whole transcriptome sequencing were analysed to identify differentially expressed genes. We used immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of SPP1 protein and immune cell related proteins in penile cancer tissue. Then, we performed weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify the genes related to SPP1 in penile cancer tissue and positive lymph node tissue. Based on the GSE57955 dataset, the CIBERSORT and ssGSEA algorithms were carried out to investigate the immune environment of PSCC. GSVA analysis was conducted to identify the signaling pathways related to SPP1 subgroups. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was adopted to detect SPP1 level in the serum of 60 patients with penile cancer. Differential analysis indicated that SPP1 was the most differentially upregulated gene in both penile cancer tissues and positive lymph node tissues. Survival analysis suggested that the prognosis of the low-SPP1 group was significantly poorer than that of the high-SPP1 group. Subsequently, immune-related bioinformatics showed that SPP1 was significantly associated with B cells, CD8 + T cells, CD4 + T cells, macrophages, helper T cells, neutrophils and dendritic cells. The immunohistochemical results showed that the high-SPP1 group was characterized by relatively high expression of CD16 and relatively low expression of CD4. GSVA analysis indicated that high-SPP1 group was significantly associated with immune-related pathways such as PD-L1 expression and the PD-1 checkpoint pathway in cancer and the TNF signaling pathway. ELISA demonstrated that the serum level of SPP1 in patients with positive lymph node metastasis of penile cancer was significantly higher than that in patients with negative lymph node metastasis of penile cancer. Our study shows that the SPP1 gene might be an effective biomarker for predicting the prognosis and the efficacy of immunotherapy in PSCC patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16493509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cardiac re-synchronization therapy: effects on myocardial perfusion at rest, after vasodilation and oxygen consumption.\nCardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been shown to improve haemodynamics and clinical symptoms in heart failure patients. The present study evaluated the effects of a 4-month CRT on myocardial blood flow (MBF) at rest, after vasodilation and on myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO(2)). We studied 16 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy prior to and during CRT performed as biventricular pacing. Resting MBF and MVO(2) were determined from an (11)C-acetate PET study and vasodilator MBF from a (13)N-ammonia study. MBF at rest (0.55 +\/- 0.10 ml\/min\/g), after vasodilation (1.20 +\/- 0.45 ml\/min\/g), and MVO2 (0.082 +\/- 0.014\/min) did not change by mid-term CRT at a global level (0.57 +\/- 0.11 ml\/min\/g; 1.32 +\/- 0.49 ml\/min\/g; 0.085 +\/- 0.018\/min), whereas the rate pressure product (RPP) normalised MVO(2) decreased from 0.104 +\/- 0.024 to 0.086 +\/- 0.018\/min (p = 0.02). At baseline, the regional analysis revealed significantly higher values for all parameters in the lateral wall than for those in the other walls. Under CRT the regional differences between the resting parameters equalized and all parameters showed significant lower coefficients of variation. Effects of mid-term CRT on resting MBF, vasodilator MBF and MVO(2) occur at a regional level. The resynchronization is associated with a more homogenous distribution pattern of these parameters among the myocardial walls. Substantial alterations to global MBF at rest, after vasodilation or to MVO(2) are not detectable. Regarding the RPP normalised MVO(2), there is evidence of improved ventricular efficiency through CRT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31471528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Valosin-containing protein mediates the ERAD of squalene monooxygenase and its cholesterol-responsive degron.\nSqualene monooxygenase (SM) is an essential rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis. SM degradation is accelerated by excess cholesterol, and this requires the first 100 amino acids of SM (SM N100). This process is part of a protein quality control pathway called endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD). In ERAD, SM is ubiquitinated by MARCH6, an E3 ubiquitin ligase located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, several details of the ERAD process for SM remain elusive, such as the extraction mechanism from the ER membrane. Here, we used SM N100 fused to GFP (SM N100-GFP) as a model degron to investigate the extraction process of SM in ERAD. We showed that valosin-containing protein (VCP) is important for the cholesterol-accelerated degradation of SM N100-GFP and SM. In addition, we revealed that VCP acts following ubiquitination of SM N100-GFP by MARCH6. We demonstrated that the amphipathic helix (Gln62-Leu73) of SM N100-GFP is critical for regulation by VCP and MARCH6. Replacing this amphipathic helix with hydrophobic re-entrant loops promoted degradation in a VCP-dependent manner. Finally, we showed that inhibiting VCP increases cellular squalene and cholesterol levels, indicating a functional consequence for VCP in regulating the cholesterol synthesis pathway. Collectively, we established VCP plays a key role in ERAD that contributes to the cholesterol-mediated regulation of SM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30171026,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Targeted RNA-sequencing for the quantification of measurable residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia.\nGreat effort is spent on developing therapies to improve the dire outcomes of those diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The methods for quantifying response to therapeutic intervention have however lacked sensitivity. Patients achieving a complete remission as defined by conventional cytomorphological methods therefore remain at risk of subsequent relapse due to disease persistence. Improved risk stratification is possible based on tests designed to detect this residual leukemic burden (measurable residual disease). However, acute myeloid leukemia is a genetically diverse set of diseases, which has made it difficult to develop a single, highly reproducible, and sensitive assay for measurable residual disease. Here we present the development of a digital targeted RNA-sequencing-based approach designed to overcome these limitations by detecting all newly approved European LeukemiaNet molecular targets for measurable residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia in a single standardized assay. Iterative modifications and novel bioinformatics approaches resulted in a greater than 100-fold increase in performance compared with commercially available targeted RNA-sequencing approaches and a limit of detection as low as one leukemic cell in 100,000 cells measured, which is comparable to quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, the current gold standard for the detection of measurable residual disease. This assay, which can be customized and expanded, is the first demonstrated use of high-sensitivity RNA-sequencing for measurable residual disease detection in acute myeloid leukemia and could serve as a broadly applicable standardized tool.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11486630,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Epidemiology and chrono-epidemiology of distal radius fractures].\nThe frequency of distal radius fractures of patients treated in the outpatient clinic of the Herz-Jesu-Krankenhaus between Jan. 1997 and Dec. 1999 were evaluated retrospectively. Records of 366 patients (m: 132, f: 234) were assessed. The frequency of distal radius fractures was fitted to a cosine model using non-linear regression in order to detect a circadian or circannual rhythm. The goodness of fit was assessed by means of the F statistics and the coefficient of determination r2. Moreover, spectral analysis was performed. In 1997 135, in 1998 119, and in 1999 112 distal radius fractures were treated. The mean age of the patients was 40.3 ys. (women: 48.8; men: 25.3). The extended wrist was the most common position during Trauma, Accidents at home (41%), during spare time activities (23.8%), and during physical activities (21.6%) were more frequent than accidents during working hours (12.5%) or traffic accidents (1.1%). The latency for definite surgical treatment in our clinic was 8.5 hours (minimum: 15 min; maximum: 7 days and 14 hours). A significant cosine model could be fitted for a period of 24 hours (r2 = 0.82) with a maximum at 15.00 hours. Spectral analysis revealed an ultradian rhythm of approximately 12 hours in addition to the circadian periodicity. No significant circannual model could be fitted (r2 = 0.2), although a slight increase of frequency was found during May and June. In conclusion, the frequency of distal radius fractures shows a clear circadian but no circannual periodicity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18992864,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine as a regulator of murine ovarian cancer growth and chemosensitivity.\nSecreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) influences the growth of several solid tumors. Our objectives were to determine the effect of SPARC on the growth and response to cisplatin therapy of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. SPARC expression was determined in 4 platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines. The effect of increasing SPARC on cell proliferation was determined in vitro. The effect of host-derived SPARC on tumor growth and response to therapy was determined in vivo using the murine ovarian cancer cell line, OSEID8, which was injected into the peritoneum of wild-type (WT) and SPARC-null (SP-\/-) mice. Forced expression of SPARC decreased growth of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro. In vivo, tumor growth was more aggressive in the absence of host-derived SPARC resulting in decreased survival compared with WT mice (P = .005). Cisplatin did not improve survival of WT mice. In contrast, cisplatin therapy resulted in a significant survival advantage (P = .0048) and decreased tumor volume (P = .02) in SP-\/- animals. We conclude that SPARC is an important extracellular matrix protein that regulates the growth and chemosensitivity of ovarian cancer. In general, SPARC appears to control tumor cell growth but also impede the efficacy of cisplatin therapy. Therefore, selective inhibition of SPARC may provide an attractive strategy for increasing the efficacy of therapy in platinum-resistant ovarian tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25380247,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"A motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: regulatory focus affects recognition of emotions in faces.\nTwo studies examined an unexplored motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: observer regulatory focus. It was predicted that a promotion focus would enhance facial emotion recognition relative to a prevention focus because the attentional strategies associated with promotion focus enhance performance on well-learned or innate tasks - such as facial emotion recognition. In Study 1, a promotion or a prevention focus was experimentally induced and better facial emotion recognition was observed in a promotion focus compared to a prevention focus. In Study 2, individual differences in chronic regulatory focus were assessed and attention allocation was measured using eye tracking during the facial emotion recognition task. Results indicated that the positive relation between a promotion focus and facial emotion recognition is mediated by shorter fixation duration on the face which reflects a pattern of attention allocation matched to the eager strategy in a promotion focus (i.e., striving to make hits). A prevention focus did not have an impact neither on perceptual processing nor on facial emotion recognition. Taken together, these findings demonstrate important mechanisms and consequences of observer motivational orientation for facial emotion recognition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33852337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Protocol Optimization Considerations for Implementing Deep Learning CT Reconstruction.\nOBJECTIVE. Previous advances over filtered back projection (FBP) have incorporated model-based iterative reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to characterize the latest advance in image reconstruction, that is, deep learning. The focus was on applying characterization results of a deep learning approach to decisions about clinical CT protocols. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A proprietary deep learning image reconstruction (DLIR) method was characterized against an existing advanced adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction method (ASIR-V) and FBP from the same vendor. The metrics used were contrast-to-noise ratio, spatial resolution as a function of contrast level, noise texture (i.e., noise power spectra [NPS]), noise scaling as a function of slice thickness, and CT number consistency. The American College of Radiology accreditation phantom and a uniform water phantom were used at a range of doses and slice thicknesses for both axial and helical acquisition modes. RESULTS. ASIR-V and DLIR were associated with improved contrast-to-noise ratio over FBP for all doses and slice thicknesses. No dose or contrast dependencies of spatial resolution were observed for ASIR-V or DLIR. NPS results showed DLIR maintained an FBP-like noise texture whereas ASIR-V shifted the NPS to lower frequencies. Noise changed with dose and slice thickness in the same manner for ASIR-V and FBP. DLIR slice thickness noise scaling differed from FBP, exhibiting less noise penalty with decreasing slice thickness. No clinically significant changes were observed in CT numbers for any measurement condition. CONCLUSION. In a phantom model, DLIR does not suffer from the concerns over reduction in spatial resolution and introduction of poor noise texture associated with previous methods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16944930,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Transgenomic metabolic interactions in a mouse disease model: interactions of Trichinella spiralis infection with dietary Lactobacillus paracasei supplementation.\nIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common multifactorial intestinal disorder for which the aetiology remains largely undefined. Here, we have used a Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis)-induced model of post-infective IBS, and the effects of probiotic bacteria on gut dysfunction have been investigated using a metabonomic strategy. A total of 44 mice were divided into four groups: an uninfected control group and three T. spiralis-infected groups, one as infected control and the two other groups subsequently treated with either Lactobacillus paracasei (L. paracasei) NCC2461 in spent culture medium (SCM) or with L. paracasei-free SCM. Plasma, jejunal wall and longitudinal myenteric muscle samples were collected at day 21 post-infection. An NMR-based metabonomic approach characterized that the plasma metabolic profile of T. spiralis-infected mice showed an increased energy metabolism (lactate, citrate, alanine), fat mobilization (acetoacetate, 3-D-hydroxybutyrate, lipoproteins) and a disruption of amino acid metabolism due to increased protein breakdown, which were related to the intestinal hypercontractility. Increased levels of taurine, creatine and glycerophosphorylcholine in the jejunal muscles were associated with the muscular hypertrophy and disrupted jejunal functions. L. paracasei treatment normalized the muscular activity and the disturbed energy metabolism as evidenced by decreased glycogenesis and elevated lipid breakdown in comparison with untreated T. spiralis-infected mice. Changes in the levels of plasma metabolites (glutamine, lysine, methionine) that might relate to a modulation of immunological responses were also observed in the presence of the probiotic treatment. The work presented here suggests that probiotics may be beneficial in patients with IBS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18989520,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Analysis of the venous thromboembolic risk associated with severe postpartum haemorrhage in the NOHA First cohort.\nSevere postpartum haemorrhages (PPH) are responsible for maternal morbidity\/mortality. Their complex management sometimes requires haemostatic supplementation, and therapeutic trials on fibrinogen or activated factor VII, which may add to the thrombotic risk, are currently being considered. Furthermore, there is a risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) during the postpartum period, hence we studied the relationship between severe PPH and VTE in women during their first pregnancy. Among the 32,463 women enrolled between January 1, 1999 and February 1, 2004 in the NOHA First cohort, 317 developed severe PPH, 11 postpartum VTE and 60 had postpartum superficial vein thrombosis (SVT). In the women with severe PPH, whilst there were no episodes of VTE, there were three episodes of SVT, which occurred 6 weeks postpartum. All of the women with severe PPH received packed red blood cell (RBC) units, 29 (9.1%) platelets units, 51 (16.1%) fresh frozen plasma and 29 (9.1%) fibrinogen concentrates. Three patients with both severe PPH and SVT received only packed RBC. Severe PPH or packed RBC unit transfusion were associated with postpartum SVT (adjusted relative risk: 5.3 (1.6-17) and 4.7 (1.5-15) respectively), independent of caesarean section delivery and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) use in the postpartum, but were not independent indicators of one another. This the VTE and SVT risks associated with severe PPH are low (<1% and <2%, respectively). Severe PPH increases the risk of postpartum SVT, but transfusion with platelet units and plasma supplementation using fresh frozen plasma or fibrinogen concentrates do not markedly modulate the risk of venous thrombosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27208728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Association of bisphenol A exposure with dietary quality indices in Spanish schoolchildren.\nYoung children, whose growth and development are highly dependent on the endocrine system, are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruptor exposure. The main objectives of this study were to measure BPA migration levels from cans, fruit juice bottles\/packs, and microwave containers used for food\/drinks consumed by a sample of 6- to 8-year old schoolchildren in Spain and to estimate the relationship between their resulting BPA exposure and diet quality index scores (Mediterranean Diet Score and Breakfast Quality Index). The mean BPA concentration was 11.8 ng\/mL for vegetable cans, 22.1 ng\/mL for pulse cans, 3.6 ng\/mL for juice bottles\/packs, and 1.2 ng\/mL for microwave containers. Results revealed a significant association between the Mediterranean Diet Score and low BPA exposure of the children. BPA exposure below the median level was significantly associated with a higher score in both the first-grade (P = 0.030) and second-grade (p = 0.0001) groups. However, no association was found between BPA exposure and the Breakfast Quality Index. In conclusion, children with a stronger adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet appear to be less exposed to BPA migrating from food packaging and microwave containers. Further research is warranted on the inadvertent exposure of children to endocrinedisrupting chemicals from these sources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26515271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Lessons from the History of Ivermectin and Other Antiparasitic Agents.\nThe twentieth century's arsenal of chemical anthelmintics brought manifold improvement in human health and, more abundantly, in animal health. The benefits were not only in health per se but also in agricultural economics, livestock management, and the overall production of food and fiber to support expanding human populations. Nevertheless, there remains (due in large part to drug resistance and paucity of available vaccines) a great need for new means of controlling disease caused by parasitic worms. Prudence should persuade us to look to our past for lessons that might help in our quest for new drugs. The lessons suggested here derive from the history of ivermectin and other anthelmintics. They deal with the means of finding substances with useful antiparasitic activity and with alternative approaches to drug discovery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27763528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Up-Regulation of Claudin-6 in the Distal Lung Impacts Secondhand Smoke-Induced Inflammation.\nIt has long been understood that increased epithelial permeability contributes to inflammation observed in many respiratory diseases. Recently, evidence has revealed that environmental exposure to noxious material such as cigarette smoke reduces tight junction barrier integrity, thus enhancing inflammatory conditions. Claudin-6 (Cldn6) is a tetraspanin transmembrane protein found within the tight junctional complex and is implicated in maintaining lung epithelial barriers. To test the hypothesis that increased Cldn6 ameliorates inflammation at the respiratory barrier, we utilized the Tet-On inducible transgenic system to conditionally over-express Clnd6 in the distal lung. Cldn6 transgenic (TG) and control mice were continuously provided doxycycline from postnatal day (PN) 30 until euthanasia date at PN90. A subset of Cldn6 TG and control mice were also subjected to daily secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) via a nose only inhalation system from PN30-90 and compared to room air (RA) controls. Animals were euthanized on PN90 and lungs were harvested for histological and molecular characterization. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was procured for the assessment of inflammatory cells and molecules. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting revealed increased Cldn6 expression in TG vs. control animals and SHS decreased Cldn6 expression regardless of genetic up-regulation. Histological evaluations revealed no adverse pulmonary remodeling via Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining or any qualitative alterations in the abundance of type II pneumocytes or proximal non-ciliated epithelial cells via staining for cell specific propeptide of Surfactant Protein-C (proSP-C) or Club Cell Secretory Protein (CCSP), respectively. Immunoblotting and qRT-PCR confirmed the differential expression of Cldn6 and the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-\u03b1 and IL-1\u03b2. As a general theme, inflammation induced by SHS exposure was influenced by the availability of Cldn6. These data reveal captivating information suggesting a role for Cldn6 in lungs exposed to tobacco smoke. Further research is critically necessary in order to fully explain roles for tight junctional components such as Cldn6 and other related molecules in lungs coping with exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30081930,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Study protocol: a cluster-randomized trial implementing Sustained Patient-centered Alcohol-related Care (SPARC trial).\nExperts recommend that alcohol-related care be integrated into primary care (PC) to improve prevention and treatment of unhealthy alcohol use. However, few healthcare systems offer such integrated care. To address this gap, implementation researchers and clinical leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington (KPWA) partnered to design a high-quality program of evidence-based care for unhealthy alcohol use: the Sustained Patient-centered Alcohol-related Care (SPARC) program. SPARC implements systems of clinical care designed to increase both prevention and treatment of unhealthy alcohol use. This clinical care for unhealthy alcohol use was implemented using three strategies: electronic health record (EHR) decision support, performance monitoring and feedback, and front-line support from external practice coaches with expertise in alcohol-related care (\"SPARC implementation intervention\" hereafter). The purpose of this report is to describe the protocol of the SPARC trial, a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, stepped-wedge implementation trial to evaluate whether the SPARC implementation intervention increased alcohol screening and brief alcohol counseling (so-called brief interventions), and diagnosis and treatment of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in 22 KPWA PC clinics. The SPARC trial sample includes all adult patients who had a visit to any of the 22 primary care sites in the trial during the study period (January 1, 2015-July 31, 2018). The 22 sites were randomized to implement the SPARC program on different dates (in seven waves, approximately every 4 months). Primary outcomes are the proportion of patients with PC visits who (1) screen positive for unhealthy alcohol use and have documented brief interventions and (2) have a newly recognized AUD and subsequently initiate and engage in alcohol-related care. Main analyses compare the rates of these primary outcomes in the pre- and post-implementation periods, following recommended approaches for analyzing stepped-wedge trials. Qualitative analyses assess barriers and facilitators to implementation and required adaptations of implementation strategies. The SPARC trial is the first study to our knowledge to use an experimental design to test whether practice coaches with expertise in alcohol-related care, along with EHR clinical decision support and performance monitoring and feedback to sites, increase both preventive care-alcohol screening and brief intervention-as well as diagnosis and treatment of AUDs. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.Gov: NCT02675777. Registered February 5, 2016, https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/ct2\/show\/NCT02675777 .","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20644726,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effectiveness of biodiversity surrogates for conservation planning: different measures of effectiveness generate a kaleidoscope of variation.\nConservation planners represent many aspects of biodiversity by using surrogates with spatial distributions readily observed or quantified, but tests of their effectiveness have produced varied and conflicting results. We identified four factors likely to have a strong influence on the apparent effectiveness of surrogates: (1) the choice of surrogate; (2) differences among study regions, which might be large and unquantified (3) the test method, that is, how effectiveness is quantified, and (4) the test features that the surrogates are intended to represent. Analysis of an unusually rich dataset enabled us, for the first time, to disentangle these factors and to compare their individual and interacting influences. Using two data-rich regions, we estimated effectiveness using five alternative methods: two forms of incidental representation, two forms of species accumulation index and irreplaceability correlation, to assess the performance of 'forest ecosystems' and 'environmental units' as surrogates for six groups of threatened species-the test features-mammals, birds, reptiles, frogs, plants and all of these combined. Four methods tested the effectiveness of the surrogates by selecting areas for conservation of the surrogates then estimating how effective those areas were at representing test features. One method measured the spatial match between conservation priorities for surrogates and test features. For methods that selected conservation areas, we measured effectiveness using two analytical approaches: (1) when representation targets for the surrogates were achieved (incidental representation), or (2) progressively as areas were selected (species accumulation index). We estimated the spatial correlation of conservation priorities using an index known as summed irreplaceability. In general, the effectiveness of surrogates for our taxa (mostly threatened species) was low, although environmental units tended to be more effective than forest ecosystems. The surrogates were most effective for plants and mammals and least effective for frogs and reptiles. The five testing methods differed in their rankings of effectiveness of the two surrogates in relation to different groups of test features. There were differences between study areas in terms of the effectiveness of surrogates for different test feature groups. Overall, the effectiveness of the surrogates was sensitive to all four factors. This indicates the need for caution in generalizing surrogacy tests.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34622283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Housing Cost Burden and Health Decline Among Low- and Moderate-Income Older Renters.\nTo examine the association between housing cost burden (HCB) and health decline among low- and moderate-income older renters in the United States. Baseline data include low- and moderate-income community-dwelling older renters (N = 1,064) from the nationally representative 2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study. HCB was defined as the percentage of monthly income spent on rent, categorized as \"no HCB\" (<30%), \"moderate HCB\" (30%-49%), and \"severe HCB\" (\u226550%). We used weighted logistic regression models to estimate whether HCB status in 2015 and change in HCB between 2015 and 2017 were associated with self-rated health decline and developing a new limitation related to activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) between 2015 and 2017. Older renters with severe HCB in 2015 were the most likely to develop a new ADL\/IADL limitation (63.4%) over time (p < .05). The association between HCB status in 2015 and self-rated health decline was not statistically significant, but older renters with persistent HCB had 1.64 times greater odds of self-rated health decline (p < .05) and 2.01 times greater odds of developing a new ADL\/IADL limitation (p < .01), compared to older renters with no HCB at baseline and follow-up. Even in the short term, HCB contributes to health decline in later life. Efforts to promote equity and healthy aging in the community must consider how to best address housing affordability among the growing population of older renters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27374011,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Hip Strength Deficits in People With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.\nStudy Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Background A complete understanding of impairments associated with knee osteoarthritis would optimize exercise interventions for people with knee osteoarthritis. Our current understanding of hip strength deficits in this population is based on studies with conflicting findings and small samples. There is a need to systematically review and pool current evidence. Objectives To determine whether hip strength deficits exist in people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Methods Electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) were searched through February 2016. Studies comparing hip strength in people diagnosed with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to healthy control participants were included in the review. A meta-analysis with random effects was applied to relevant data from included studies and a modified Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was used to evaluate the quality of evidence for each pooled analysis. Results Five studies were included in the review. Meta-analysis revealed moderate-quality evidence of weaker isometric and isokinetic hip abduction strength in people with knee osteoarthritis (moderate difference: 7% to 24% weaker) and very low-quality evidence of no difference in isometric hip adduction strength. There was very low- to moderate-quality evidence of weaker isokinetic hip strength in the remaining planes of motion (moderate to large differences: 14% to 55% weaker). Conclusion Significant hip strength deficits exist in people with knee osteoarthritis. Hip strength assessment should be considered in clinical practice and may assist with directing targeted management strategies. Level of Evidence Symptom prevalence, level 1a-. J Orthop Sports PhysTher 2016;46(8):629-639. Epub3 Jul 2016. doi:10.2519\/jospt.2016.6618.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33674319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Real-time GW-BSE investigations on spin-valley exciton dynamics in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide.\nWe develop an ab initio nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) method based on GW plus real-time Bethe-Salpeter equation (GW + rtBSE-NAMD) for the spin-resolved exciton dynamics. From investigations on MoS2, we provide a comprehensive picture of spin-valley exciton dynamics where the electron-phonon (e-ph) scattering, spin-orbit interaction (SOI), and electron-hole (e-h) interactions come into play collectively. In particular, we provide a direct evidence that e-h exchange interaction plays a dominant role in the fast valley depolarization within a few picoseconds, which is in excellent agreement with experiments. Moreover, there are bright-to-dark exciton transitions induced by e-ph scattering and SOI. Our study proves that e-h many-body effects are essential to understand the spin-valley exciton dynamics in transition metal dichalcogenides and the newly developed GW + rtBSE-NAMD method provides a powerful tool for exciton dynamics in extended systems with time, space, momentum, energy, and spin resolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12763200,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Posture and mental task performance when viewing a moving visual field.\nWe investigated the characteristics of standing posture and performance of concurrent cognitive tasks in subjects confronted by whole field visual motion. Movements of the head and centre of pressure (COP) were recorded in 12 subjects who performed modified Brooks spatial and verbal tasks when in quiet stance viewing a chequerboard pattern, planar, visual field, moving with uniform velocity (25 degrees \/s, 50 degrees \/s and 76 degrees \/s). Eight subjects were also tested seated to control for the effect of stance. Task load was monitored by heart rate and eye movements were recorded to ensure viewing compliance. Subjects rated their quotidian susceptibility to visual disorientation on a validated scale. In both lateral and antero-posterior directions there were small amplitude but significant increases in COP sway path length and standard deviations of both COP and head sway during exposure to visual motion in proportion to visual flow speed. Performing cognitive tasks during visual motion attenuated sway S.D. The effects on sway of task and visual flow were independent. Visual motion induced a slight tilt and turn of the head and body in the direction of flow together with slight neck flexion. Errors on both verbal and spatial tasks increased >250% during visual motion both when standing and when seated. Ratings of subjects' susceptibility to disorientation were un-related to either verbal or spatial task error rates. A current hypothesis is that the enhancement of sway by visual motion is destabilisation. We propose an alternative explanation that sway enhancement could be exploratory 'testing of the ground' movements to check for self motion. Hence decrease in sway magnitude during a cognitive task could be caused by a reduction in exploratory movement because attention is diverted from postural control to a secondary task. Mere passive viewing of a moving visual field may interfere with cognitive tasks possibly because the threat of disorientation by whole field motion diverts attentional resources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29106558,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Anthropometric and cardiometabolic risk factors in parents and child obesity in Segamat, Malaysia.\nThere is little evidence regarding risk factors for child obesity in Asian populations, including the role of parental anthropometric and cardiometabolic risk factors. We examined the relation between parental risk factors and child obesity in a Malaysian population. We used data from health and demographic surveillance conducted by the South East Asia Community Observatory in Segamat, Malaysia. Analyses included 9207 individuals (4806 children, 2570 mothers and 1831 fathers). Child obesity was defined based on the World Health Organization 2007 reference. We assessed the relation between parental anthropometric (overweight, obesity and central obesity) and cardiometabolic (systolic hypertension, diastolic hypertension and hyperglycaemia) risk factors and child obesity, using mixed effects Poisson regression models with robust standard errors. We found a high burden of overweight and obesity among children in this population (30% overweight or obese). Children of one or more obese parents had a 2-fold greater risk of being obese compared with children of non-obese parents. Sequential adjustment for parental and child characteristics did not materially affect estimates (fully adjusted relative risk for obesity in both parents: 2.39, 95% confidence interval: 1.82, 3.10, P < 0.001; P for trend < 0.001). These associations were not modified by parental or child sex. We found no consistent evidence for associations between parental cardiometabolic risk factors and child obesity. Parental obesity was strongly associated with child obesity in this population. Further exploration of the behavioural and environmental drivers of these associations may help inform strategies addressing child obesity in Asia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26567980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Revascularization Options: Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.\nCoronary artery bypass grafting (CAGB) is superior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in reducing mortality in certain patients and improving the composite end points of angina, recurrent myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization procedures. However, CABG is associated with a higher perioperative stroke risk. For patients with less complex disease or left main coronary disease, PCI is an acceptable alternative to CABG. Lesion complexity is an essential consideration for stenting, whereas patient comorbidity is an essential consideration for CABG. All patients with complex multivessel coronary artery disease should be reviewed by a heart team including a cardiac surgeon and interventional cardiologist.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23594689,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Clinicopathological relevance of BRAF mutations in human cancer.\nBRAF represents one of the most frequently mutated protein kinase genes in human tumours. The mutation is commonly tested in pathology practice. BRAF mutation is seen in melanoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma (including papillary thyroid carcinoma arising from ovarian teratoma), ovarian serous tumours, colorectal carcinoma, gliomas, hepatobiliary carcinomas and hairy cell leukaemia. In these cancers, various genetic aberrations of the BRAF proto-oncogene, such as different point mutations and chromosomal rearrangements, have been reported. The most common mutation, BRAF V600E, can be detected by DNA sequencing and immunohistochemistry on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded tumour tissue. Detection of BRAF V600E mutation has the potential for clinical use as a diagnostic and prognostic marker. In addition, a great deal of research effort has been spent in strategies inhibiting its activity. Indeed, recent clinical trials involving BRAF selective inhibitors exhibited promising response rates in metastatic melanoma patients. Clinical trials are underway for other cancers. However, cutaneous side effects of treatment have been reported and therapeutic response to cancer is short-lived due to the emergence of several resistance mechanisms. In this review, we give an update on the clinical pathological relevance of BRAF mutation in cancer. It is hoped that the review will enhance the direction of future research and assist in more effective use of the knowledge of BRAF mutation in clinical practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34069471,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Stigma and Discrimination towards People Living with HIV in the Context of Families, Communities, and Healthcare Settings: A Qualitative Study in Indonesia.\nHIV stigma and discrimination are a major challenge facing people living with HIV (PLHIV) globally. As part of a larger qualitative study with PLHIV in Yogyakarta and Belu, Indonesia, this paper describes the participants' perceptions about drivers of HIV stigma and discrimination towards them within families, communities and healthcare settings, and highlights issues of HIV stigma as a social process. Participants were recruited using a snowball sampling technique. Data analysis was guided by the framework analysis for qualitative data, and conceptualization and discussion of the study findings were guided by the HIV stigma framework. The findings showed that participants experienced stigma and discrimination across settings, including in families and communities by family and community members, and in healthcare settings by healthcare professionals. The lack of knowledge about HIV, fear of contracting HIV, social and moral perceptions about HIV and PLHIV were perceived facilitators or drivers of stigma and discrimination towards PLHIV. HIV stigma and discrimination were also identified as a process linked to the whole groups of people within families or communities, which occurred within social context in Yogyakarta and Belu. The findings indicate the need for HIV education for family and community members, and healthcare providers to enhance their knowledge of HIV and improve acceptance of PLHIV within families, communities and healthcare settings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30135390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Primary Care Provider Counseling Practices about Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions in Croatia.\nPrescribing medications is one of the most common medical decisions that is made by primary care providers (PCPs). In the Republic of Croatia, PCPs hold a key position in prescribing and evaluating the medications that are provided for patients. Accordingly, providing advice for patients regarding the potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is frequently the responsibility of the PCPs. The aim of the current study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and counseling practices of PCPs regarding drug interactions and adverse effects. After enrolling 195 PCPs that were selected at random, a survey was conducted while using an anonymous questionnaire that was created based on previously published studies, adjusted in a way that includes the most commonly prescribed medications in Croatia. Of the 10 questions on knowledge about DDIs and ADRs, the median number of correct responses by PCPs was 5 (interquartile range 4 to 7). More than half of respondents (56%) agreed with the claim that knowledge of drug side effects facilitated their work in family medicine. Almost all of the respondents (92.8%) explained side effects and drug interactions to special groups of patients (pregnant women, elderly patients etc.). The results show a need for additional education in the field of drug prescribing. However, PCPs were aware of the importance of counseling practices about adverse drug reactions and interactions and counseling practices among special patients populations are satisfactory.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12345300,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The epidemiological transition and causes of death in the USSR.\n\"Within the context of the theory of epidemiological transition, an analysis is made of life expectancy and its structure as related to the causes of death in the USSR and the union republics, and also their lag behind the life expectancy level achieved by developed countries.\"","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34959543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-18":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Treatment of Pregnant Women with Ivermectin during Mass Drug Distribution: Time to Investigate Its Safety and Potential Benefits.\nTo date, pregnant women are excluded from programmes delivering community-directed treatment of ivermectin (CDTI) for onchocerciasis and preventive chemotherapy of other helminthiases because of concerns over ivermectin safety during pregnancy. This systematic exclusion sustains an infection reservoir at the community level and deprives a vulnerable population from known benefits-there are indications that treating O. volvulus infected women may improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce the risk that their children develop onchocerciasis-associated morbidities. Furthermore, teratogenic effects are seen in non-clinical experiments at doses that far exceed those used in CDTI. Lastly, early, undetected and undeclared pregnancies are being systematically exposed to ivermectin in practice. Treatment of this population requires appropriate supporting evidence, for which we propose a three-pronged approach. First, to develop a roadmap defining the key steps needed to obtain regulatory clearance for the safe and effective use of ivermectin in all pregnant women who need it. Second, to conduct a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial to evaluate the safety and benefits of ivermectin treatment in O. volvulus infected pregnant women. Such a trial should evaluate the possible effects of ivermectin in reducing adverse pregnancy outcomes and neonatal mortality, as well as in reducing the incidence of onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy. Third, to establish a pregnancy registry for women who inadvertently received ivermectin during pregnancy. This situation is not unique to ivermectin. Access to valuable therapies is often limited, delayed, or denied to pregnant women due to a lack of evidence. Concerns over protecting vulnerable people may result in harming them. We need to find acceptable ways to build robust evidence towards providing essential interventions during pregnancy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":4571187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Use of sequential Bayesian model in diagnosis of jaundice by computer.\nA sequential Bayesian model has been developed for a computer and used to diagnose jaundiced patients admitted to hospital. Up to 102 items of information from the history, physical examination, and special investigations available within 48 hours of admission were collected on 309 patients. The results from these patients were used to calculate the probabilities of 11 possible diseases in 65 new patients and also to place patients into groups for medical or surgical treatment.The overall accuracy of the model in diagnosing patients as having one of 11 diseases was 69%, and where the final probability reached > 0.96, it was 89%. The overall accuracy in making a medical or surgical decision was 89%, and where the final probability reached > 0.96 it was 94%.Improvement in accuracy should result as the number of cases seen with rare conditions increases, and probably a similar model could be developed and used to make most use of those indicants with the highest cost-effectiveness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19594882,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-06":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Comprehensive splicing graph analysis of alternative splicing patterns in chicken, compared to human and mouse.\nAlternative transcript diversity manifests itself as a prime cause of complexity in higher eukaryotes. Recently, transcript diversity studies have suggested that 60-80% of human genes are alternatively spliced. We have used a splicing pattern approach for the bioinformatics analysis of Alternative Splicing (AS) in chicken, human and mouse. Exons involved in splicing are subdivided into distinct and variant exons, based on the prevalence of the exons across the transcripts. Four possible permutations of these two different groups of exons were categorised as class I (distinct-variant), class II (distinct-variant), class III (variant-distinct) and class IV (variant-variant). This classification quantifies the variation in transcript diversity in the three species. In all, 3901 chicken AS genes have been compared with 16,715 human and 16,491 mouse AS genes, with 23% of chicken genes being alternatively spliced, compared to 68% in humans and 57% in mice. To minimize any gene structure bias in the input data, comparative genome analysis has been carried out on the orthologous subset of AS genes for the three species. Gene-level analysis suggested that chicken genes show fewer AS events compared to human and mouse. An event-level analysis showed that the percentage of AS events in chicken is similar to that of human, which implies that a smaller number of chicken genes show greater transcript diversity. Overall, chicken genes were found to have fewer transcripts per gene and shorter introns than human and mouse genes. In chicken, the majority of genes generate only two or three isoforms, compared to almost eight in human and six in mouse. We observed that intron definition is expressed strongly when compared to exon definition for chicken genome, based on 3% intron retention in chicken, compared to 2% in human and mouse. Splicing patterns with variant exons account for 33% of AS chicken orthologous genes compared to 24% in human and 27% in mouse, providing a novel measure to describe the species-wise complexity due to alternative transcript diversity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32846005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography is limited at implant sites with a thin buccal bone: A laboratory study.\nTo evaluate whether buccal bone thickness (BBT), implant diameter, and abutment\/crown material influence the accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to determine the buccal bone level at titanium implants. Two implant beds (i.e., narrow and standard diameter) were prepared in each of 36 porcine bone blocks. The implant beds were positioned at a variable distance from the buccal bone surface; thus, resulting in three BBT groups (i.e., >0.5 to 1.0; >1.0 to 1.5; >1.5 to 2.0 mm). In half of the blocks, a buccal bone dehiscence of random extent (\"depth\") was created and implants were mounted with different abutment\/crown material (i.e., titanium abutments with a metal-ceramic crown and zirconia abutments with an all-ceramic zirconia crown). The distance from the implant shoulder to the buccal bone crest was measured on cross-sectional CBCT images and compared with the direct measurements at the bone blocks. While abutment\/crown material and implant diameter had no effect on the detection accuracy of the buccal bone level at dental implants in CBCT scans, BBT had a significant effect. Specifically, when BBT was \u22641.0 mm, a dehiscence was often diagnosed although not present, that is, the sensitivity was high (95.8%), but the specificity (12.5%) and the detection accuracy (54.2%) were low. Further, the average measurement error of the distance from the implant shoulder to the buccal bone crest was 1.6 mm. Based on the present laboratory study, BBT has a major impact on the correct diagnosis of the buccal bone level at dental titanium implants in CBCT images; in cases where the buccal bone is \u22641 mm thick, detection of the buccal bone level is largely inaccurate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12594053,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dual sensory innervation of pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies.\nThe characteristics of the different populations of sensory nerve terminals that selectively contact pulmonary neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs) in rat lungs were investigated after chemical denervation with capsaicin and compared with control lungs. Vagal calbindin D28k and P2X(3) purinoceptor immunoreactive (IR) afferent nerve terminals contacting NEBs appeared to have their origin in the nodose ganglion. Thick CB\/P2X(3)-IR nerve fibers were seen to be myelinated and to lose their myelin sheaths just before branching and protruding intraepithelially between the NEB cells. This vagal sensory component of the innervation of NEBs was not affected by capsaicin nor expressed capsaicin receptors (vanilloid receptor subtype 1). A second sensory nerve fiber population that selectively innervates pulmonary NEBs in the rat lung consists of thin unmyelinated nonvagal substance P\/calcitonin gene-related peptide IR nerve fibers, contacting mainly the basal pole of pulmonary NEBs, and having their origin in dorsal root ganglia. In concordance with vanilloid receptor 1 expression on these nerve terminals, the spinal sensory substance P\/calcitionin gene-related peptide-IR component of the innervation of NEBs was depleted by systemic capsaicin treatment. The complex sensory innervation pattern of pulmonary NEBs characterized in the present study strongly suggests that, physiologically, pulmonary NEBs represent a group of intraepithelial receptors that may be able to accommodate various local and central reflex actions, in relation to both chemo- and mechanosensory stimuli.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30144156,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Interleukin-10 negatively modulates extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 in aorta from hypertensive mouse induced by angiotensin II infusion.\nThe activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK 1\/2) pathway promotes increased vascular contractility in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertensive mice. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an immune-regulatory cytokine with the ability to prevent vascular hypercontractility during hypertension. We hypothesized that IL-10 would downregulate vascular ERK 1\/2 activation during Ang II-induced hypertension. Wild-type (WT) or IL-10 knockout (IL-10-\/- ) mice received Ang II infusion (90 \u03b7g.min) or vehicle (saline), via osmotic mini-pumps (0.25 \u03bcL\/h for 14 days), whereas another WT group were infused with exogenous IL-10 (0.5 \u03b7g\/min, 14 days) simultaneously, or not, with Ang II. Aortic rings were mounted in a myograph, and concentration-response curves to phenylephrine were evaluated, in the presence or absence of ERK 1\/2 inhibitor (PD98059, 10 \u03bcm, 40 min). Protein expression of vascular ERK 1\/2 was determined by Western blot. Ang II infusion increased the maximal contractile response in both WT and IL-10-\/- mice. Concomitant infusion of IL-10 and Ang II prevented hypercontractility in the vasculature. Exogenous IL-10 infusion prevented ERK 1\/2 activation and hypercontractility, induced by Ang II. These findings suggest that IL-10 negatively modulates ERK 1\/2 activation and prevents hypercontractility during Ang II-induced hypertension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24727183,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Antiparasitic activities of novel ruthenium\/lapachol complexes.\nThe present study describes the synthesis, characterization, antileishmanial and antiplasmodial activities of novel diimine\/(2,2'-bipyridine (bipy), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen), 4,4'-methylbipyridine (Me-bipy) and 4,4'-methoxybipyridine (MeO-bipy)\/phosphine\/ruthenium(II) complexes containing lapachol (Lap, 2-hydroxy-3-(3-33 methyl-2-buthenyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone) as bidentate ligand. The [Ru(Lap)(PPh3)2(bipy)]PF6 (1), [Ru(Lap)(PPh3)2(Me-bipy)]PF6 (2), [Ru(Lap)(PPh3)2(MeO-bipy)]PF6(3) and[Ru(Lap)(PPh3)2(phen)]PF6 (4) complexes, PPh3=triphenylphospine, were synthesized from the reactions of cis-[RuCl2(PPh3)2(X-bipy)] or cis-[RuCl2(PPh3)2(phen)], with lapachol. The [RuCl2(Lap)(dppb)] (5) [dppb=1,4-bis(diphenylphosphine)butane] was synthesized from the mer-[RuCl3(dppb)(H2O)] complex. The complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, molar conductivity, infrared and UV-vis spectroscopy, (31)P{(1)H} and (1)H NMR, and cyclic voltammetry. The Ru(III) complex, [RuCl2(Lap)(dppb)], was also characterized by the EPR technique. The structure of the complexes [Ru(Lap)(PPh3)2(bipy)]PF6 and [RuCl2(Lap)(dppb)] was elucidated by X-ray diffraction. The evaluation of the antiparasitic activities of the complexes against Leishmania amazonensis and Plasmodium falciparum demonstrated that lapachol-ruthenium complexes are more potent than the free lapachol. The [RuCl2(Lap)(dppb)] complex is the most potent and selective antiparasitic compound among the five new ruthenium complexes studied in this work, exhibiting an activity comparable to the reference drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26027808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Structural MRI Predictors of Late-Life Cognition Differ Across African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites.\nStructural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides key biomarkers to predict onset and track progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, most published reports of relationships between MRI variables and cognition in older adults include racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically homogenous samples. Racial\/ethnic differences in MRI variables and cognitive performance, as well as health, socioeconomic status and psychological factors, raise the possibility that brain-behavior relationships may be stronger or weaker in different groups. The current study tested whether MRI predictors of cognition differ in African Americans and Hispanics, compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Participants were 638 non-demented older adults (29% non-Hispanic White, 36% African American, 35% Hispanic) in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project. Composite scores of memory, language, speed\/executive functioning, and visuospatial function were derived from a neuropsychological battery. Hippocampal volume, regional cortical thickness, infarcts, and white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volumes were quantified with FreeSurfer and in-house developed procedures. Multiple-group regression analysis, in which each cognitive composite score was regressed onto MRI variables, demographics, and cardiovascular health, tested which paths differed across groups. Larger WMH volume was associated with worse language and speed\/executive functioning among African Americans, but not among non-Hispanic Whites. Larger hippocampal volume was more strongly associated with better memory among non-Hispanic Whites compared with Hispanics. Cortical thickness and infarcts were similarly associated with cognition across groups. The main finding of this study was that certain MRI predictors of cognition differed across racial\/ethnic groups. These results highlight the critical need for more diverse samples in the study of cognitive aging, as the type and relation of neurobiological substrates of cognitive functioning may be different for different groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8943756,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Role of non-transferrin bound iron in iron overload and liver dysfunction in long term survivors of acute leukaemia and bone marrow transplantation.\nTo determine whether nontransferrin bound iron is present in the serum of long term survivors of acute leukaemia and bone marrow transplantation who have liver dysfunction as indicated by consistently raised serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities. Thirty eight patients, who were at least three years from the end of treatment, were studied. Serum samples were analysed for hepatitis C, hepatitis B, AST, ferritin, and non-transferrin bound iron. A bleomycin based assay was used to detect non-transferrin bound iron. Patient and blood bank records were examined to determine the number of units of transfused blood received by each patient. Ten patients had consistently raised serum AST activities. Of these, two had evidence of hepatitis C infection, one had chronic hepatitis B infection and one had chronic graft versus host disease affecting the liver. None of these four patients had detectable non-transferrin bound iron. The remaining six patients had no obvious reason for raised AST activities, but four had non-transferrin bound iron detectable in their serum as compared with only two out of 28 patients with normal AST activities. Patients with abnormal AST activities had higher serum ferritin concentrations than those with normal AST, though serum ferritin was raised in 21 of 28 patients without liver dysfunction. Non-transferrin bound iron may be found in this group of patients, suggesting that iron overload is the cause of the observed liver dysfunction. Non-transferrin bound iron may also be a more specific indicator of iron overload than the serum ferritin concentrations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9662128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Caspases (interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme family proteases) are involved in the regulation of the survival of osteoclasts.\nOsteoclast-like multinucleated cells (OCLs) were prepared on collagen gels in a coculture system of mouse bone marrow cells and osteoblasts, and purified by collagenase and a subsequent pronase treatment. More than 80% of the purified OCLs were found to undergo apoptotic cell death by 48 h during the culture in a culture medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Withdrawal of FBS from the culture medium accelerated the cell death, which induced more than 80% of OCLs to undergo apoptotic cell death by as early as 18 h. Two peptide inhibitors of caspases (interleukin-1beta-converting enzyme family proteases), benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp (OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone (Z-VAD-FMK) and benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp (OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone (Z-DEVD-FMK), extended the survival time of OCLs in the presence and absence of 10% FBS, but the effect was rather limited in the absence of FBS. Because interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) and the macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) are known to promote the survival of osteoclasts, we examined the effect of the peptide inhibitors and these cytokines. Combinations of the peptide inhibitors and IL-1alpha, or the peptide inhibitors and M-CSF, were more effective than the inhibitors alone. When endogenous caspase activities of OCLs were analyzed using fluorescence peptide substrates, the activities, in particular, caspase-3 (CPP32)-like activity, were markedly increased in OCLs by the withdrawal of FBS from the culture medium. IL-1alpha and M-CSF suppressed the activation of the caspases. In addition, western blot analysis revealed that the expression of Bcl-2, which inhibits the activation of caspases, was very weak or even negligible in OCLs. Taken together, these results suggest that the caspases are involved in the regulation of survival and apoptotic cell death of osteoclasts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30745733,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Comparative Study of Cell Block versus Biopsy for Detection of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutations and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Rearrangement in Adenocarcinoma Lung.\nLung cancer is a leading cause of deaths attributed to cancer worldwide. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement are commonly found in patients of adenocarcinoma lung against, which targeted therapy is available. In this era of personalized medicine, it is a rationale to detect these molecular alterations in cases of lung carcinomas. The objectives were to compare the diagnostic efficacy of cytological samples for the detection of EGFR and ALK protein expression using immunocytochemistry in nonsmall cell lung carcinoma. We compared 22 cell blocks and biopsies for the detection of EGFR and ALK protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). EGFR IHC was performed using EGFR Receptor (E746-A750 del Specific) (6B6) monoclonal antibody and ALK IHC was done using Ventana anti-ALK (D5F3) monoclonal primary antibody. Two cases were found to be positive; 20 cases were negative for EGFR IHC both in biopsies and cell blocks. ALK IHC was positive in one case; negative in 21 cases. The results of IHC were also concordant for biopsies and cell blocks. The sensitivity and specificity were 100% for immunocytochemical detection of ALK and EGFR in cell blocks with respect to biopsies. We conclude that cell blocks can serve as a potential substitute for biopsies for detection of EGFR and ALK protein by immunocytochemistry, whenever patient presents with effusion and biopsy cannot be done or when tissue is not adequate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30896390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[Antibiotic Prescribing in Ambulatory Care of Pediatric Patients with Respiratory Infections].\nRespiratory tract infections represent the most frequent conditions in pediatric clinical practice that motivate antibiotic prescribing. The objective was to identify the frequency and pattern of antibacterial prescribing in respiratory diseases. Over a period of two years (divided by the presentation of the clinical guideline standards) data was collected from clinical records of children with respiratory disease. Chi-square tests or Fisher's exact test were used to test associations between variables, statistical significance p < 0.05. There were 547 visits (mean age 6 years \u00b1 5.3, 55% male gender). Analysis for Group A Streptococcus of the oropharynx was most frequently requested by pediatric residents (p = 0.005). Chest x-rays were more frequently requested by the Family Physician (p = 0.033). An antibiotic was prescribed in 87% of pneumonias, 84% acute otitis media, 68% acute tonsillitis, 25% laryngitis, 17% upper respiratory infections, 16% acute bronchiolitis. The Family Physician prescribed antibiotics more often than the Pediatrics resident in acute tonsillitis (p = 0.003) and in acute otitis media (p = 0.013). The most frequently prescribed antibiotic was amoxicillin (61%). There were no significant differences between the two periods studied regarding the number of prescriptions and antibiotic choice of the conditions studied. Antibiotic prescribing in pediatric acute respiratory infections was high and the choice of antibiotic therapy could be adjusted. We found no difference in antibiotic prescribing after the presentation of the clinical guideline standards. An improvement in the antibiotic prescription in children and adolescents in the outpatient clinic is considered necessary.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8398837,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis: clinical and laboratory studies.\nHeparin-induced thrombocytopenia is one of the most common and important immunological complications of drug therapy. Most patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia have isolated thrombocytopenia, which by itself seldom causes serious morbidity. However, a small proportion of patients also develop an acute arterial thrombotic episode which can be fatal. It remains uncertain why some patients have only isolated thrombocytopenia, whereas others have thrombotic complications. In this report we describe 53 patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in whom the diagnosis was confirmed using the platelet 14C-serotonin release assay. The intent of the study was to look for laboratory or clinical characteristics that could be used to predict which patients will have the less serious thrombocytopenia and which patients will have thrombocytopenia plus thrombotic complications. The laboratory markers included AT-III, protein C, protein S and heparin cofactor II. No serological result identified whether a patient was at risk of having isolated thrombocytopenia or an acute thrombotic event. However, during the acute thrombocytopenic episode, there was evidence of global activation of the coagulation cascade as evidenced by reductions in the level of protein C, heparin cofactor II and antithrombin III. Following resolution of the thrombocytopenia, these inhibitory factors returned to normal indicating that the thrombotic complications were not caused by a familial deficiency. We did observe a highly significant association (P < 0.001) between concomitant cardiovascular complications and the occurrence of an arterial thrombosis in patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Recent surgery of any type was strongly associated with venous thrombi (P < 0.001). Our data suggest that heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is a procoagulant disorder with thrombosis tending to occur at sites of pre-existing pathology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27877692,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mechanical response of melt-spun amorphous filaments.\nHigh-speed melt spinning of a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) and a copolyamide (CoPA) have been performed. Differential scanning calorimetry curves of the resulting monofilaments show that they remain in an amorphous state even after hot drawing. Wide angle x-ray diffraction patterns of undrawn and drawn COP filaments show that although the material remains in an amorphous state, a degree of orientation is induced in the polymer after drawing. The amorphous filaments show an enhanced bending recovery with respect to different semi-crystalline monofilaments commercially available. However, single fiber axial compressive testing indicates that the amorphous filaments exhibit a compressive modulus value which is 50% lower than what is observed for a reference semi-crystalline PET filament. Analysis of the compressive strains applied by the bending recovery test indicates that while the maximum applied strains remain well within the region of elastic deformation of the amorphous materials, the threshold between elastic and plastic deformation is reached for the semi-crystalline materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30960919,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Intumescent Polymer Metal Laminates for Fire Protection.\nIntumescent paints are applied on materials to protect them against fire, but the development of novel chemistries has reached some limits. Recently, the concept of \"Polymer Metal Laminates,\" consisting of alternating thin aluminum foils and thin epoxy resin layers has been proven efficient against fire, due to the delamination between layers during burning. In this paper, both concepts were considered to design \"Intumescent Polymer Metal Laminates\" (IPML), i.e., successive thin layers of aluminum foils and intumescent coatings. Three different intumescent coatings were selected to prepare ten-plies IPML glued onto steel substrates. The IPMLs were characterized using optical microscopy, and their efficiency towards fire was evaluated using a burn-through test. Thermal profiles obtained were compared to those obtained for a monolayer of intumescent paint. For two of three coatings, the use of IPML revealed a clear improvement at the beginning of the test, with the slopes of the curves being dramatically decreased. Characterizations (expansion measurements, microscopic analyses, in situ temperature, and thermal measurements) were carried out on the different samples. It is suggested that the polymer metal laminates (PML) design, delays the carbonization of the residue. This work highlighted that design is as important as the chemistry of the formulation, to obtain an effective fire barrier.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25381920,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The importance of paediatric nutrition.\nThis articles looks at infant nutrition, from birth and through the first year of life. Good quality foods in infancy and childhood do not only promote optimum growth and development during that time, but also play a role in helping to prevent obesity and some diseases of adulthood, particularly non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Ensuring a good nutritional start for the paediatric population will help reduce morbidity and mortality later in life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16955396,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The supramolecular chemistry of organic-inorganic hybrid materials.\nThe combination of nanomaterials as solid supports and supramolecular concepts has led to the development of hybrid materials with improved functionalities. These \"hetero-supramolecular\" ideas provide a means of bridging the gap between molecular chemistry, materials sciences, and nanotechnology. In recent years, relevant examples have been reported on functional aspects, such as enhanced recognition and sensing by using molecules on preorganized surfaces, the reversible building of nanometer-sized networks and 3D architectures, as well as biomimetic and gated chemistry in hybrid nanomaterials for the development of advanced functional protocols in three-dimensional frameworks. This approach allows the fine-tuning of the properties of nanomaterials and offers new perspectives for the application of supramolecular concepts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30617624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Impact of Older Age on the Exposure of Paclitaxel: a Population Pharmacokinetic Study.\nLimited available data suggest that older patients are more prone to develop paclitaxel-induced toxicity than their younger peers. It remains unclear whether this is related to age-dependent pharmacokinetics (PK) of paclitaxel. Primary objective of this study was to determine the influence of older age on the PK of paclitaxel. PK data of patients aged \u226570 years who received paclitaxel intravenously at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) and the Radboud University Medical Center between September 2012 and May 2017 were collected. These prospectively collected data were pooled with previously published databases from multiple clinical trials conducted at the NKI and Erasmus MC Cancer Institute. A previously developed 3-compartment population PK model with saturable distribution and elimination was used to describe paclitaxel plasma concentration-time data. Hereafter, influence of age on paclitaxel PK was assessed in a previously established full covariate model. In total, paclitaxel PK data from 684 patients were available, consisting of 166 patients \u226570 years (24%). Median age of the cohort was 61 years (range 18 to 84 years). The impact of age, either treated as a continuous or dichotomous covariate (<70 versus \u226570 years), on the elimination of paclitaxel was only marginal but statistically significant (both p < 0.001 with no clinically relevant decrease in interindividual variability). For a typical patient, maximal elimination capacity decreased by only 5% for a 10-year increment of age. In this extensive multi-center dataset, which included a considerable number of older patients, older age had no clinically relevant impact on paclitaxel PK.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3207375,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Survey of the long term incidence of osteonecrosis of the hip and adverse medical events in rheumatoid arthritis after high dose intravenous methylprednisolone.\nA prospective, randomised, double blind, matched cohort survey using retrospective data was undertaken to assess the long term incidence of osteonecrosis of the hip and adverse medical effects occurring after intravenous pulsed methylprednisolone used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis over the period 1977-86. One hundred and forty three patients were matched for age, sex, duration and severity of the disease, erosive and serological status. Information was obtained by direct questioning and from hip x rays, the latter being read independently by two 'blind' radiologists. Two definite cases of osteonecrosis were identified, one in both the treated and control groups and three possible cases (radiological disagreement) in the treated group. Adverse medical events, when analysed by systems, were similar in both groups. This study did not provide evidence of increased osteonecrosis of the hip or adverse medical events in the treated group compared with the control group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2314330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Predictive diagnosis for polycystic kidney disease using DNA markers.\nTwo families in which the gene for the common, autosomal dominant form of polycystic kidney disease (PKD1) was present were examined using flanking DNA markers. The 5'HVR probe detects a linked DNA marker 8 map units distal to the PKD1 gene in males and 1 unit distal to the PKD1 gene in females. The 24-1 probe detects another linked DNA marker 4 map units proximal to the PKD1 gene in males and 0.5 map units proximal to the PKD1 gene in females. When each marker is informative they can be used as a pair flanking the disease gene to follow accurately its transmission through families for presymptomatic or prenatal prediction. For an asymptomatic individual tested in one family, DNA studies reduced the 50% prior risk of carrying the disease gene to 0.006%. An affected woman in a second family was shown to be fully informative for the flanking markers. In a future pregnancy, it will be possible to modify the 50% prior fetal risk to either 0.008% or 99.99% depending on which maternal chromosome 16 is transmitted, and provided that no cross-over occurs between the flanking markers (probability, 1.5%).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17469732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Extended-spectrum beta lactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria: clinical profile and outcome in a neonatal intensive care unit.\nMultidrug-resistant extended-spectrum 3 lactamase-producing bacteria (ESBL) have emerged as a common problem globally. However, data regarding clinical profile and outcome in neonates infected with ESBL-producing gram-negative bacteria are sparse. A retrospective study was undertaken of all neonates admitted between April 2002 and May 2003 to the neonatal intensive care unit, Safdarjang Hospital, New Delhi who had blood cultures positive for gram-negative bacteria. The clinical profile and outcome in each patient was obtained from the case notes. The mortality and morbidity of the ESBL (cases) and non-ESBL groups were compared. Data were analysed using the chi(2) and Student's t-tests. There were 75 cases of gram-negative septicaemia, 46 newborns (61.3%) were infected with ESBL-producing strains and 63 case records were available. ESBL production was associated with prematurity (24\/38 vs 9\/25, p=0.03), prolonged rupture of membranes (14\/38 vs 2\/25, p=0.01) and previous antibiotic administration to the infant (15\/38 vs 1\/25, p=0.002). Fifty per cent of infants with early-onset sepsis and 82.1% with late-onset sepsis were infected with ESBL strains. Newborns with ESBL sepsis were more likely to manifest persistent thermal instability (13\/38 vs 3\/25, p=0.04) and pre-feed gastric aspirates (18\/38 vs 3\/25, p=0.004). More than 90% of ESBL isolates were susceptible to carbapenems, cefperazone-sulbactam and piperacillin-tazobactam. The mean length of nursery stay (15.8 vs 10.7, p=0.02) and mortality (23.6 vs 4.0%, p= 0.07) were higher in the ESBL group and onset of feeds was delayed (7.6 vs 3.9 days, p=0.007) in this group. Isolation of ESBL in cases of early-onset sepsis indicates that ESBL producers might have percolated into the community. Early suspicion of ESBL-producing isolates in cases of neonatal sepsis can facilitate prompt institution of appropriate empirical therapy and lead to an improved outcome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33032321,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Addressing Quality of Life of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability.\nDespite the advances on the assessment of quality of life, this concept is barely studied and is riddled with important limitations for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This article is aimed at validating a questionnaire to assess quality of life of children with ASD and intellectual disability (ID). Based on the KidsLife Scale, geared toward people with ID, the most reliable items for those with ASD were selected. Study participants were 420 persons, from 4 to 21 years old. Results indicated that the KidsLife-ASD Scale measured eight intercorrelated domains, had good reliability, and exhibited adequate evidences of validity. KidsLife-ASD emerges as a helpful tool to guide person-centered planning addressed at improving quality of life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31949032,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nutritional rickets under 16 years: UK surveillance results.\nThe UK national incidence of nutritional rickets is unknown. We aimed to describe the incidence, presentation and clinical management of children under 16 years with nutritional rickets in the UK presenting to secondary care. Prospective data were collected monthly between March 2015 and March 2017 from 3500 consultant paediatricians using British Paediatric Surveillance Unit methodology. Clinicians completed online clinical questionnaires for cases fitting the surveillance case definition. 125 cases met the case definition, an annual incidence of 0.48 (95% CI 0.37 to 0.62) per 100 000 children under 16 years. 116 children were under 5 years (annual incidence of 1.39 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.81) per 100 000. Boys (70%) were significantly more affected than girls (30%) (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.78). The majority were of Black (43%) or South Asian (38%) ethnicity. 77.6% of children were not taking vitamin D supplements despite being eligible. Complications included delayed gross motor development (26.4%), fractures (9.6%), hypocalcaemic seizures (8%) and dilated cardiomyopathy (3%). Two children died (1.6%). In eight cases, rickets was confirmed radiologically and biochemically [raised serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels ] but were excluded from the incidence analysis for not meeting the case definition of 25-hydroxyvitamin D of <25 nmol\/L. The incidence of nutritional rickets in the UK is lower than expected. Serious complications and unexpected deaths, particularly in Black and South Asian children under 5 years, occurred. Both vitamin D deficiency and dietary calcium deficiency are role players in pathogenesis. Uptake of vitamin D supplementation remains low.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23620814,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Allergic airway disease in mice alters T and B cell responses during an acute respiratory poxvirus infection.\nPulmonary viral infections can exacerbate or trigger the development of allergic airway diseases via multiple mechanisms depending upon the infectious agent. Respiratory vaccinia virus transmission is well established, yet the effects of allergic airway disease on the host response to intra-pulmonary vaccinia virus infection remain poorly defined. As shown here BALB\/c mice with preexisting airway disease infected with vaccinia virus developed more severe pulmonary inflammation, higher lung virus titers and greater weight loss compared with mice inoculated with virus alone. This enhanced viremia was observed despite increased pulmonary recruitment of CD8(+) T effectors, greater IFN\u03b3 production in the lung, and high serum levels of anti-viral antibodies. Notably, flow cytometric analyses of lung CD8(+) T cells revealed a shift in the hierarchy of immunodominant viral epitopes in virus inoculated mice with allergic airway disease compared to mice treated with virus only. Pulmonary IL-10 production by T cells and antigen presenting cells was detected following virus inoculation of animals and increased dramatically in allergic mice exposed to virus. IL-10 modulation of host responses to this respiratory virus infection was greatly influenced by the localized pulmonary microenvironment. Thus, blocking IL-10 signaling in virus-infected mice with allergic airway disease enhanced pulmonary CD4(+) T cell production of IFN\u03b3 and increased serum anti-viral IgG1 levels. In contrast, pulmonary IFN\u03b3 and virus-specific IgG1 levels were reduced in vaccinia virus-treated mice with IL-10 receptor blockade. These observations demonstrate that pre-existing allergic lung disease alters the quality and magnitude of immune responses to respiratory poxviruses through an IL-10-dependent mechanism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23614543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"From descriptors to predicted properties: experimental design by using applicability domain estimation.\nThe importance of reliable methods for representative sub-sampling in terms of experimental design and risk assessment within the European Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) system is crucial. We developed experimental design approaches, by utilising predicted properties and the 'distance to model' parameter, to estimate the benefits of certain compounds to the quality of a resulting model. A statistical evaluation of four regression data sets and one classification data set showed that the adaptive concept of iteratively refining the representation of the chemical space contributes to a more efficient and more reliable selection in comparison to traditional approaches. The evaluation of compounds with regard to the uncertainty and the correlation of prediction is beneficial, and in particular, for regression data sets of sufficient size, whereas the use of predicted properties to define the chemical space is beneficial for classification models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24833703,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Modeling and simulation to probe the pharmacokinetic disposition of pomalidomide R- and S-enantiomers.\nPomalidomide, a potent novel immunomodulatory agent, has been developed as a racemic mixture of its R- and S-isomers. Pharmacokinetic (PK) analyses were conducted to determine the PK disposition of the isomers from their PK profiles in humans and monkeys. Modeling and simulation were performed to describe the observed PK profiles and explore potential differences in isomer disposition and exposure. PK profiles of S- and R-isomers were measured in a human absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion study after oral administration of racemate. PK profiles of S- and R-isomers were measured in monkeys after intravenous and oral administration of S- or R-isomers and pomalidomide racemate. Modeling and simulation were performed using NONMEM 7.2 (Globomax, Ellicott City, MD) to describe the observed PK profiles of S- and R-isomers in humans and monkeys. The results showed that in humans, the in vivo elimination rate of pomalidomide isomers was lower than the R-\/S-interconversion rate, resulting in no clinically relevant difference in overall exposure to the two isomers. However, in monkeys, the in vivo elimination rate was higher than the R-\/S-interconversion rate, resulting in 1.72- and 1.55-fold differences in R- versus S-isomer exposures. Monte Carlo simulation indicated that exposure to R- and S-enantiomers in humans should be comparable even if single isomers are administered. Thus, in humans, rapid isomeric interconversion of pomalidomide isomers results in comparable exposure to R- and S-enantiomers regardless of whether pomalidomide is administered as a single enantiomer or as a racemate, therefore justifying the clinical development of pomalidomide as a racemate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24283289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"High-throughput deep sequencing shows that microRNAs play important roles in switchgrass responses to drought and salinity stress.\nMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important class of small regulatory RNAs. The goal of this study was to analyse stress-responsive miRNAs in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), the emerging biofuel crop, to facilitate choosing gene targets for improving biomass and biofuel yield. After sequencing three small RNA libraries constructed from control, salt- and drought-treated switchgrass using Illumina sequencing technology, we identified 670 known miRNA families from a total of more than 50 million short reads. A total of 273 miRNAs were identified with precursors: 126 conserved miRNAs and 147 novel miRNAs. Of them, 265 miRNAs were found to have their opposite sequences (miRNA*) with 2-nt overhang on the 3' end. Of them, 194 were detected in switchgrass transcriptome sequences generated from 31 high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data sets in NCBI. Many miRNAs were differentially or uniquely expressed during salinity or drought stress treatment. We also discovered 11 miRNA clusters containing 29 miRNAs. These identified miRNAs potentially targeted 28549 genes with a various function, including transcription factors, stress-response proteins and cellulose biosynthesis-related proteins. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that the identified miRNAs and their targets were classified to 3779 GO terms including 1534 molecular functions, 1851 biological processes and 394 cellular components and were enriched to 147 KEGG pathways. Interestingly, 195 miRNA families and 450 targets were involved in the biosynthesis pathways of carbon, glucose, starch, fatty acid and lignin and in xylem formation, which could aid in designing next-generation switchgrass for biomass and biofuel.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24508486,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Playing 'Tetris' reduces the strength, frequency and vividness of naturally occurring cravings.\nElaborated Intrusion Theory (EI) postulates that imagery is central to craving, therefore a visually based task should decrease craving and craving imagery. This study provides the first laboratory test of this hypothesis in naturally occurring, rather than artificially induced, cravings. Participants reported if they were experiencing a craving and rated the strength, vividness and intrusiveness of their craving. They then either played 'Tetris' or they waited for a computer program to load (they were told it would load, but it was designed not to). Before task completion, craving scores between conditions did not differ; after, however, participants who had played 'Tetris' had significantly lower craving and less vivid craving imagery. The findings support EI theory, showing that a visuospatial working memory load reduces naturally occurring cravings, and that Tetris might be a useful task for tackling cravings outside the laboratory. Methodologically, the findings show that craving can be studied in the laboratory without using craving induction procedures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":625664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"First year impact of SSI on economic status of 1973 adult assistance populations.\nDuring 1973, interviews were conducted with more than 11,000 adult assistance recipients in the Survey of the Low-Income Aged and Disabled. The sample members were reinterviewed during the last 3 months of 1974, approximately 1 year after the implementation of SSI. This article analyzes the impact of SSI on the economic status of the 1973 adult assistance populations. The analysis considers the United States sample as well as samples for five individual States. Most of the 1973 adult assistance recipients were automatically transferred to SSI on January 1, 1974. The majority realized an improved economic situation during 1974, at least in part because of their transferral to SSI. There was significant improvement for the residents of each of the separate States considered because of increased assistance payments, but SSI generally proved most beneficial to the poorest persons transferred from the State public assistance programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26543620,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Ultrasound techniques in the evaluation of the mediastinum, part I: endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) and transcutaneous mediastinal ultrasound (TMUS), introduction into ultrasound techniques.\nUltrasound imaging has gained importance in pulmonary medicine over the last decades including conventional transcutaneous ultrasound (TUS), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), and endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS). Mediastinal lymph node staging affects the management of patients with both operable and inoperable lung cancer (e.g., surgery vs. combined chemoradiation therapy). Tissue sampling is often indicated for accurate nodal staging. Recent international lung cancer staging guidelines clearly state that endosonography (EUS and EBUS) should be the initial tissue sampling test over surgical staging. Mediastinal nodes can be sampled from the airways [EBUS combined with transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)] or the esophagus [EUS fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA)]. EBUS and EUS have a complementary diagnostic yield and in combination virtually all mediastinal lymph nodes can be biopsied. Additionally endosonography has an excellent yield in assessing granulomas in patients suspected of sarcoidosis. The aim of this review, in two integrative parts, is to discuss the current role and future perspectives of all ultrasound techniques available for the evaluation of mediastinal lymphadenopathy and mediastinal staging of lung cancer. A specific emphasis will be on learning mediastinal endosonography. Part I is dealing with an introduction into ultrasound techniques, mediastinal lymph node anatomy and diagnostic reach of ultrasound techniques and part II with the clinical work up of neoplastic and inflammatory mediastinal lymphadenopathy using ultrasound techniques and how to learn mediastinal endosonography.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12547671,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Epigenetics: a challenge for genetics, evolution, and development?\nIn this paper, it is argued that differences in how one relates the genome to its surrounding contexts leads to diverse interpretations of the term epigenetics. Three different approaches are considered, ranging from gene-centrism, over gene-regulation, to dynamic systems approaches. Although epigenetics receives its widest interpretation in a systems approach, a paradigmatic shift has taken place in biology from the abandonment of a gene-centric position on to the present. The epistemological and ontological consequences of this shift are made explicit.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15350190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Functional characterization of HUVEC-CS: Ca2+ signaling, ERK 1\/2 activation, mitogenesis and vasodilator production.\nWhile many endothelial cell lines exist, few are of human origin with characteristics close to the parent endothelial cell. We derived a subline (HUVEC-CS) of immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC-C) that proliferate in standard growth media and exhibit positive acetylated low-density lipoprotein (AcLDL) uptake, express eNOS, CD31 and ve-cadherin, and spontaneously form capillary-like structures when grown on Matrigel. HUVEC-CS also maintain endothelial cell characteristics at the level of mitogenesis, kinase activation and vasodilator production. Like primary HUVEC cells, HUVEC-CS express many of the key proteins necessary for vasodilator production, including epithelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), HSP 90, cav-1 and -2, cPLA2, and COX-1 and -2. Prostaglandin I synthase (PGIS) was not detectable by Western blot analysis, consistent with primary HUVEC in which PGI2 production is minimal. Receptors were detected for angiotensin II (AII), bradykinin, ATP and growth factors. ATP induced a dose- and time-dependent rise in the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i). Initially, ATP stimulates P2Y receptors rather than P2X receptors, as demonstrated by the inability of ATP to initiate a Ca2+ response subsequent to emptying of the internal Ca2+ stores by thapsigargin. AII, bradykinin, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) also caused a rise in [Ca2+]i in a subset of the cells. ATP, basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF), EGF and VEGF induced mitogenesis and caused a rise in ERK 2 activation within 10 min. L-Arginine to L-citrulline conversion assays showed that ATP, EGF and VEGF induced a significant rise in eNOS activity, and this correlates with an ability to induce Ca2+ mobilization and ERK 2 activation. In conclusion, HUVEC-CS are indeed endothelial cells and appear to be functionally very similar to primary HUVEC. These cells will prove a valuable tool for future studies in both basic and therapeutic sciences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21445247,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Embryonic stem cell-derived L1 overexpressing neural aggregates enhance recovery after spinal cord injury in mice.\nAn obstacle to early stem cell transplantation into the acutely injured spinal cord is poor survival of transplanted cells. Transplantation of embryonic stem cells as substrate adherent embryonic stem cell-derived neural aggregates (SENAs) consisting mainly of neurons and radial glial cells has been shown to enhance survival of grafted cells in the injured mouse brain. In the attempt to promote the beneficial function of these SENAs, murine embryonic stem cells constitutively overexpressing the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 which favors axonal growth and survival of grafted and imperiled cells in the inhibitory environment of the adult mammalian central nervous system were differentiated into SENAs and transplanted into the spinal cord three days after compression lesion. Mice transplanted with L1 overexpressing SENAs showed improved locomotor function when compared to mice injected with wild-type SENAs. L1 overexpressing SENAs showed an increased number of surviving cells, enhanced neuronal differentiation and reduced glial differentiation after transplantation when compared to SENAs not engineered to overexpress L1. Furthermore, L1 overexpressing SENAs rescued imperiled host motoneurons and parvalbumin-positive interneurons and increased numbers of catecholaminergic nerve fibers distal to the lesion. In addition to encouraging the use of embryonic stem cells for early therapy after spinal cord injury L1 overexpression in the microenvironment of the lesioned spinal cord is a novel finding in its functions that would make it more attractive for pre-clinical studies in spinal cord regeneration and most likely other diseases of the nervous system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23251503,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hemodynamic characteristics of the vertebrobasilar system analyzed using MRI-based models.\nThe vertebrobasilar system (VBS) is unique in human anatomy in that two arteries merge into a single vessel, and it is especially important because it supplies the posterior circulation of the brain. Atherosclerosis develops in this region, and atherosclerotic plaques in the vertebrobasilar confluence can progress with catastrophic consequences, including artery occlusion. Quantitative assessments of the flow characteristics in the VBS could elucidate the factors that influence flow patterns in this confluence, and deviations from normal patterns might then be used to predict locations to monitor for potential pathological changes, to detect early signs of disease, and to evaluate treatment options and efficacy. In this study, high-field MRI was used in conjunction with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling to investigate the hemodynamics of subject-specific confluence models (n = 5) and to identify different geometrical classes of vertebrobasilar systems (n = 12) of healthy adult subjects. The curvature of the vessels and their mutual orientation significantly affected flow parameters in the VBS. The basilar artery geometry strongly influenced both skewing of the velocity profiles and the wall shear stress distributions in the VBS. All five subjects modeled possessed varying degrees of vertebral asymmetry, and helical flow was observed in four cases, suggesting that factors other than vertebral asymmetry influence mixing of the vertebral artery flow contributions. These preliminary studies verify that quantitative, MR imaging techniques in conjunction with subject-specific CFD models of healthy adult subjects may be used to characterize VBS hemodynamics and to predict flow features that have been related to the initiation and development of atherosclerosis in large arteries. This work represents an important first step towards applying this approach to study disease initiation and progression in the VBS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":4569248,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cannabis and alcohol: effects on stimulated car driving.\nThe effects of cannabis and alcohol on simulated car driving were studied. Cannabis resin containing 4 percent Delta(1)-tetrahydrocannabinol was administered orally in three doses equivalent to 8, 12, and 16 milligrams of that component. Alcohol was given orally in one standard dose of 70 grams. Both cannabis and alcohol increased the time required to brake and start, whereas alcohol increased while cannabis decreased the number of gear changes. An effect of dosage on response was observed with cannabis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30165236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Challenges adhering to a medication regimen following first-time percutaneous coronary intervention: A patient perspective.\nPercutaneous coronary intervention is the most common therapeutic intervention for patients with narrowed coronary arteries due to coronary artery disease. Although it is known that patients with coronary artery disease often do not adhere to their medication regimen, little is known about what patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions find challenging in adhering to their medication regimen after hospital discharge. To explore patients' experiences in adhering to medications following early post-discharge after first-time percutaneous coronary intervention. An abductive qualitative approach was used to conduct in-depth interviews of patients undergoing first-time percutaneous coronary intervention. Participants were recruited from a single tertiary university hospital, which services a large geographical area in western Norway. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were identified through the Norwegian Registry for Invasive Cardiology. Participants were patients aged 18 years or older who had their first percutaneous coronary intervention six to nine months earlier, were living at home at the time of study inclusion, and were prescribed dual antiplatelet therapy. Patients who were cognitively impaired, had previously undergone cardiac surgery, and\/or were prescribed anticoagulation therapy with warfarin or novel oral anticoagulants were excluded. Purposeful sampling was used to include patients of different gender, age, and geographic settings. Twenty-two patients (12 men) were interviewed between December 2016 and April 2017. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted, guided by a set of predetermined open-ended questions to gather patient experiences on factors relating to medication adherence or non-adherence. Transcribed interviews were analysed by qualitative content analysis. Patients failed to adhere to their medication regimen for several reasons; intentional and unintentional reasons, multifaceted side effects from heart medications, scepticism towards generic drugs, lack of information regarding seriousness of disease after percutaneous coronary intervention, psychological impact of living with coronary artery disease, and these interacted. There were patients who felt that the medication information they received from physicians and nurses was uninformative and inadequate. Side effects from heart medications were common, ranging from minor ones to more disabling side effects, such as severe muscle and joint pain and fatigue. Patients found well established medication taking routines and aids to be necessary, and these improved adherence. Patients undergoing first-time percutaneous coronary intervention face multiple, interacting challenges in trying to adhere to prescribed medications following discharge. This study highlights the need for a more structured follow-up care in order to improve medication adherence and to maximise their self-care abilities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31635173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Exposure to the RXR Agonist SR11237 in Early Life Causes Disturbed Skeletal Morphogenesis in a Rat Model.\nLongitudinal bone growth occurs through endochondral ossification (EO), controlled by various signaling molecules. Retinoid X Receptor (RXR) is a nuclear receptor with important roles in cell death, development, and metabolism. However, little is known about its role in EO. In this study, the agonist SR11237 was used to evaluate RXR activation in EO. Rats given SR11237 from post-natal day 5 to post-natal day 15 were harvested for micro-computed tomography (microCT) scanning and histology. In parallel, newborn CD1 mouse tibiae were cultured with increasing concentrations of SR11237 for histological and whole-mount evaluation. RXR agonist-treated rats had shorter long bones than the controls and developed dysmorphia of the growth plate. Cells invading the calcified and dysmorphic growth plate appeared pre-hypertrophic in size and shape, in correspondence with p57 immunostaining. Additionally, SOX9-positive cells were found surrounding the calcified tissue. The epiphysis of SR11237-treated bones showed increased TRAP staining and additional TUNEL staining at the osteo-chondral junction. MicroCT revealed morphological disorganization in the long bones of the treated animals. This study suggests that stimulation of RXR causes irregular ossification, premature closure of the growth plate, and disrupted long bone growth in rodent models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37673129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-18":4,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Orthonasal olfactory influences on consumer food behaviour.\nIt is often suggested in the popular press that food chains deliberately introduce enticing product aromas into (and in the immediate vicinity of) their premises in order to attract customers. However, despite the widespread use of odours in the field of sensory marketing, laboratory research suggests that their effectiveness in modulating people's food behaviours depends on a range of contextual factors. Given the evidence that has been published to date, only under a subset of conditions is there likely to be a measurable effect of the presence of ambient odours on people's food attitudes and choices. This narrative historical review summarizes the various ways in which food odours appear to bias people's food preferences (appetite) and food choices (food consumption and purchase). Emphasis is placed on those experimental studies that have been designed to investigate how the characteristics of the olfactory stimuli (e.g., the congruency between the olfactory cues and the foods, intensity and duration of exposure to odours, and taste properties of odours) modulate the effects of olfactory cues on food behaviour. The review also explores the moderating roles of individual differences, such as dietary restraint, Body Mass Index (BMI), genetic and cultural differences in odour sensitivity and perception. Ultimately, following a review of empirical studies on food-related olfaction, current approaches in scent marketing are discussed and a research agenda is proposed to help encourage further studies on the effective application of scents in promoting healthy foods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18665607,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Advanced calibration strategy for in situ quantitative monitoring of phase transition processes in suspensions using FT-Raman spectroscopy.\nThere is an increasing interest in using Raman spectroscopy to identify polymorphic forms and monitor phase changes in pharmaceutical products for quality control. Compared with other analytical techniques for the identification of polymorphs such as X-ray powder diffractometry and infrared spectroscopy, FT-Raman spectroscopy has the advantages of enabling fast, in situ, and nondestructive measurements of complex systems such as suspension samples. However, for suspension samples, Raman intensities depend on the analyte concentrations as well as the particle size, overall solid content, and homogeneity of the solid phase in the mixtures, which makes quantitative Raman analysis rather difficult. In this contribution, an advanced model has been derived to explicitly account for the confounding effects of a sample's physical properties on Raman intensities. On the basis of this model, a unique calibration strategy called multiplicative effects correction (MEC) was proposed to separate the Raman contributions due to changes in analyte concentration from those caused by the multiplicative confounding effects of the sample's physical properties. MEC has been applied to predict the anhydrate concentrations from in situ FT-Raman measurements made during the crystallization and phase transition processes of citric acid in water. The experimental results show that MEC can effectively correct for the confounding effects of the particle size and overall solid content of the solid phase on Raman intensities and, therefore, provide much more accurate in situ quantitative predictions of anhydrate concentration during crystallization and phase transition processes than traditional PLS calibration methods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24281528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Optical trapping of red blood cells in living animals with a water immersion objective.\nWe demonstrate optical trapping of red blood cells (RBCs) in living animals by using a water immersion objective. First, the cells within biological tissue are mimicked by the particles immersed in aqueous solutions of glycerol. The optical forces depending on trapping depth are investigated when a parallel laser beam enters the water immersion objective. The results show that the optical forces vary with trapping depth, and the optimal trapping depth in aqueous solutions of glycerol (n=1.39) is 50 \u03bcm. Second, the optimal trapping depth in aqueous solutions of glycerol can be changed by altering the actual tube length of the water immersion objective. Finally, we achieved optical trapping and manipulation of RBCs in living mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8539099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The eccentricity effect: target eccentricity affects performance on conjunction searches.\nThe serial pattern found for conjunction visual-search tasks has been attributed to covert attentional shifts, even though the possible contributions of target location have not been considered. To investigate the effect of target location on orientation x color conjunction searches, the target's duration and its position in the display were manipulated. The display was present either until observers responded (Experiment 1), for 104 msec (Experiment 2), or for 62 msec (Experiment 3). Target eccentricity critically affected performance: A pronounced eccentricity effect was very similar for all three experiments; as eccentricity increased, reaction times and errors increased gradually. Furthermore, the set-size effect became more pronounced as target eccentricity increased, and the extent of the eccentricity effect increased for larger set sizes. In addition, according to stepwise regressions, target eccentricity as well as its interaction with set size were good predictors of performance. We suggest that these findings could be explained by spatial-resolution and lateral-inhibition factors. The serial self-terminating hypothesis for orientation x color conjunction searches was evaluated and rejected. We compared the eccentricity effect as well as the extent of the orientation asymmetry in these three conjunction experiments with those found in feature experiments (Carrasco & Katz, 1992). The roles of eye movements, spatial resolution, and covert attention in the eccentricity effect, as well as their implications, are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35980832,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Employment Loss and Food Insecurity - Race and Sex Disparities in the Context of COVID-19.\nApplying an intersectional framework, we examined sex and racial inequality in COVID-19-related employment loss (ie, job furlough, layoff, and reduced pay) and food insecurity (ie, quality and quantity of food eaten, food worry, and receipt of free meals or groceries) among residents in Saint Louis County, Missouri. We used cross-sectional data from adults aged 18 or older (N = 2,146), surveyed by using landlines or cellular phones between August 12, 2020, and October 27, 2020. We calculated survey-weighted prevalence of employment loss and food insecurity for each group (Black female, Black male, White female, White male). Odds ratios for each group were estimated by using survey-weighted binary and multinomial logistic regression models. Black female residents had higher odds of being laid off, as compared with White male residents (OR = 2.61, 95% CI, 1.24-5.46). Both Black female residents (OR = 4.13, 95% CI, 2.29-7.45) and Black male residents (OR = 2.41, 95% CI, 1.15-5.07) were more likely to receive free groceries, compared with White male residents. Black female (OR = 4.25, 95% CI, 2.28-7.94) and White female residents (OR = 1.93, 95% CI, 1.04-3.60) had higher odds of sometimes worrying about food compared with White male residents. Black women also had higher odds of always or nearly always worrying about food, compared with White men (OR = 2.99, 95% CI, 1.52-5.87). Black women faced the highest odds of employment loss and food insecurity, highlighting the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 among people with intersectional disadvantages of being both Black and female. Interventions to reduce employment loss and food insecurity can help reduce the disproportionately negative social effects among Black women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1324404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 beta contains two transcriptional activation domains, one of which is novel and conserved with the Drosophila fork head protein.\nThe hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 (HNF-3) gene family is composed of three proteins (alpha, beta, and gamma) that are transcription factors involved in the coordinate expression of several liver genes. All three proteins share strong homology in their DNA binding domains (region I) and are able to recognize the same DNA sequence. They also possess two similar stretches of amino acids at the carboxyl terminus (regions II and III) and a fourth segment of homology at the amino terminus (region IV). Furthermore, the HNF-3 proteins demonstrate homology with the Drosophila homeotic gene fork head in regions I, II, and III, suggesting that HNF-3 may be its mammalian homolog. In order to define HNF-3 beta protein domains involved in transcriptional activation, we have used a reporter gene, whose transcription is dependent on HNF-3 binding, for hepatoma cell cotransfection assays with expression vectors that produced different truncated HNF-3 beta proteins. A position-independent activation domain which contained conserved regions II and III was identified at the carboxyl terminus of the HNF-3 beta protein (amino acids 361 to 458). Moreover, site-directed mutations that altered the sequences within regions II and III demonstrated their importance to transactivation. The region II-III domain does not possess amino acid sequences in common with other transcription factors and may define a novel activation motif. HNF-3 beta amino-terminal sequences defined by conserved region IV also contributed to transactivation, but region IV activity required the participation of the region II-III domain. Region IV is abundant in serine amino acids and contains two putative casein kinase I phosphorylation sites, a feature similar to protein motifs described for the transcription factors Pit-1\/GHF-1 and HNF-1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31689695,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Enhanced tES and tDCS computational models by meninges emulation.\nUnderstanding how current reaches the brain during transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) underpins efforts to rationalize outcomes and optimize interventions. To this end, computational models of current flow relate applied dose to brain electric field. Conventional tES modeling considers distinct tissues like scalp, skull, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), gray matter and white matter. The properties of highly conductive CSF are especially important. However, modeling the space between skull and brain as entirely CSF is not an accurate representation of anatomy. The space conventionally modeled as CSF is approximately half meninges (dura, arachnoid, and pia) with lower conductivity. However, the resolution required to describe individual meningeal layers is computationally restrictive in an MRI-derived head model. Emulating the effect of meninges through CSF conductivity modification could improve accuracy with minimal cost. Models with meningeal layers were developed in a concentric sphere head model. Then, in a model with only CSF between skull and brain, CSF conductivity was optimized to emulate the effect of meningeal layers on cortical electric field for multiple electrode positions. This emulated conductivity was applied to MRI-derived models. Compared to a model with conventional CSF conductivity (1.65 S m-1), emulated CSF conductivity (0.85 S m-1) produced voltage fields better correlated with intracranial recordings from epilepsy patients. Conventional tES models have been validated using intracranial recording. Residual errors may nonetheless impact model utility. Because CSF is so conductive to current flow, misrepresentation of the skull-brain interface as entirely CSF is not realistic for tES modeling. Updating the conventional model with a CSF conductivity emulating the effect of the meninges enhances modeling accuracy without increasing model complexity. This allows existing modeling pipelines to be leveraged with a simple conductivity change. Using 0.85 S m-1 emulated CSF conductivity is recommended as the new standard in non-invasive brain stimulation modeling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8388197,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Mutations in the gyrA gene of a highly fluoroquinolone-resistant clinical isolate of Escherichia coli.\nWe have determined the DNA sequence of the gyrA gene of the fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli isolate 205096 (MIC of ciprofloxacin, 128 micrograms\/ml), which was recently demonstrated to be a gyrA mutant (P. Heisig and B. Wiedemann, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 35:2031-2036, 1991). Compared with the gyrA+ gene of E. coli K-12, 55 nucleotide changes were found. Three of these resulted in amino acid exchanges: Ser-83-->Leu, Asp-87-->Gly, and Asp-678-->Glu. A 0.7-kb DNA fragment containing two of these mutations (Ser-83-->Leu and Asp-87-->Gly) was isolated and fused in frame to the residual 3' coding region of gyrA+ in a plasmid to yield a chimeric gyrA gene (gyrA#). After introduction into E. coli 205096, this gyrA# gene does not increase the fluoroquinolone susceptibility of the resulting heterodiploid strain in a dominance test, while the gyrA+ gene does. The ciprofloxacin concentration necessary to inhibit by 90% (IC90) the supercoiling activity of gyrase isolated from E. coli 205096 is above 2,000 micrograms\/ml. An identical result was found for gyrase reconstituted in vitro from the gyrB+ gene product and the chimeric gyrA# gene product. This is more than a 4,000-fold increase compared with the IC90 determined for gyrase from E. coli K-12 (gyrA+) (IC90, 0.5 microgram of ciprofloxacin per ml). No indications for the involvement of the gyrB gene or for alterations in quinolone permeation were found.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18065096,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"New benzomorphan derivatives of MPCB as MOP and KOP receptor ligands.\nThere is considerable interest in developing KOP Opioid receptor ligands as clinically useful analgesics. Moreover, compounds with mixed KOP receptor and mu-opioid peptide (MOP) receptor agonist\/antagonist properties could have a better therapeutic potential. The benzomorphan-based synthetic ligands MPCB and CCB have been shown to bind KOP receptors with high affinity and selectivity. We report here a series of compounds synthesized to perform structure-affinity relationship (SAR) studies on MPCB. The aim of this study was to optimise KOP receptor-ligand interaction and to modulate MOP receptor selectivity. In the benzylamide analogue of MPCB (compound 9) the presence of a third aromatic nucleus, at an appropriate distance and conformation with respect to aromatic pharmacophoric residues, increased KOP receptor affinity by about 6-fold compared to MPCB (Ki = 35 nM and Ki = 240 nM, respectively). Instead, compound 28 with a tertiary amino group in the nitrogen substituent displayed a comparable KOP receptor affinity (Ki = 179 nM) but also high MOP receptor affinity (Ki = 45 nM). Thus, the present study shows that in benzomorphan-based ligands the presence of different functional groups in the nitrogen substituent, ranging from a positive charged amine to an additional aromatic ring, is able to promote the correct aligment of aromatic pharmacophoric residues with MOP and KOP receptor types. Evaluation of docking simulations of compounds 9 and 28 into the KOP and MOP receptor displayed selective ligand interactions with the important amino acid residues Tyr320 (TMVII) and Trp318 (TMVII), respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34614273,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A vegetative storage protein improves drought tolerance in maize.\nVegetative storage proteins (VSPs) are known to serve as nitrogen reserves in many dicot plants but remain undiscovered in grasses, most widely grown group of crops globally. We identified and characterized a VSP in maize and demonstrated that its overexpression improved drought tolerance. Nitrogen supplementation selectively induced a mesophyll lipoxygenase (ZmLOX6), which was targeted to chloroplasts by a novel N-terminal transit peptide of 62 amino acids. When ectopically expressed under the control of various tissue-specific promoters, it accumulated to a fivefold higher level upon expression in the mesophyll cells than the wild-type plants. Constitutive expression or targeted expression specifically to the bundle sheath cells increased its accumulation by less than twofold. The overexpressed ZmLOX6 was remobilized from the leaves like other major proteins during grain development. Evaluated in the field over locations and years, transgenic hybrids overexpressing ZmLOX6 in the mesophyll cells significantly outyielded nontransgenic sibs under managed drought stress imposed at flowering. Additional storage of nitrogen as a VSP in maize leaves ameliorated the effect of drought on grain yield.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26378102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Grapevine and Arabidopsis Cation-Chloride Cotransporters Localize to the Golgi and Trans-Golgi Network and Indirectly Influence Long-Distance Ion Transport and Plant Salt Tolerance.\nPlant cation-chloride cotransporters (CCCs) have been implicated in conferring salt tolerance. They are predicted to improve shoot salt exclusion by directly catalyzing the retrieval of sodium (Na(+)) and chloride (Cl(-)) ions from the root xylem. We investigated whether grapevine (Vitis vinifera [Vvi]) CCC has a role in salt tolerance by cloning and functionally characterizing the gene from the cultivar Cabernet Sauvignon. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that VviCCC shares a high degree of similarity with other plant CCCs. A VviCCC-yellow fluorescent protein translational fusion protein localized to the Golgi and the trans-Golgi network and not the plasma membrane when expressed transiently in tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana) leaves and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mesophyll protoplasts. AtCCC-green fluorescent protein from Arabidopsis also localized to the Golgi and the trans-Golgi network. In Xenopus laevis oocytes, VviCCC targeted to the plasma membrane, where it catalyzed bumetanide-sensitive (36)Cl(-), (22)Na(+), and (86)Rb(+) uptake, suggesting that VviCCC (like AtCCC) belongs to the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) cotransporter class of CCCs. Expression of VviCCC in an Arabidopsis ccc knockout mutant abolished the mutant's stunted growth phenotypes and reduced shoot Cl(-) and Na(+) content to wild-type levels after growing plants in 50 mm NaCl. In grapevine roots, VviCCC transcript abundance was not regulated by Cl(-) treatment and was present at similar levels in both the root stele and cortex of three Vitis spp. genotypes that exhibit differential shoot salt exclusion. Our findings indicate that CCC function is conserved between grapevine and Arabidopsis, but neither protein is likely to directly mediate ion transfer with the xylem or have a direct role in salt tolerance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21902648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities in myelodysplastic syndrome.\nMyelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous group of clonal hematological disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis which causes peripheral cytopenias and a risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Although various forms of chromosomal abnormalities have been detected in approximately 50-60% of patients with de novo MDS and in up to 80% of patients with therapy-related MDS, their molecular significance for pathogenesis and disease progression is not yet fully understood. Recent technical advances in molecular biology have disclosed more accurately details of pathological chromosomal and molecular aberrations in MDS. Such details could not be identified with conventional cytogenetical techniques, including G-banding. In particular, with recent technical advances in comparative genome hybridization or single nucleotide polymorphism array technology, several candidate genes for the pathogenesis of MDS have been identified, which are located in minimally deleted or uniparental disomy segments. Moreover, epigenetic deregulation of gene expression is also likely to be involved in the pathogenesis of MDS. Accordingly, in addition to classical oncogenic abnormalities, such as p53 abnormalities, or NRAS mutation, various molecular abnormalities, such as TET2, RPS14, or c-CBL, have been identified and\/or proposed as the novel candidates for molecular basis of the development and progression of MDS. A better understanding of the causative molecular events underlying MDS pathogenesis is essential for the development and establishment of a more effective treatment resulting in a complete cure for MDS. We here review current knowledge regarding the molecular significance of chromosomal and genetic aberrations in MDS and the proposed molecular mechanisms of action of new agents for MDS, such as lenalidomide or azacitidine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3432346,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Influence of drying methods on granule and tablet properties.\nThree methods of drying pharmaceutical granules have been investigated using tray, fluidized-bed and intra-red dryers. A comparative study of the dryers' thermal efficiency and drying time and their effects on granule and tablet properties is presented. Fluidized-bed and intra-red dryers were found to have a 2- to 5-fold advantage in thermal efficiency over tray dryers in granule drying with the fluidized bed dryer being the most efficient. The granules dried by these two dryers also produced of better physical properties (quality) than those of tray dryer, in the formulation of tablets of both soluble and insoluble organic medicinal substances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31460076,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Reactivity of Bioinspired Magnesium-Organic Networks under CO2 and O2 Exposure.\nPhotosynthesis is the model system for energy conversion. It uses CO2 as a starting reactant to convert solar energy into chemical energy, i.e., organic molecules or biomass. The first and rate-determining step of this cycle is the immobilization and activation of CO2, catalyzed by RuBisCO enzyme, the most abundant protein on earth. Here, we propose a strategy to develop novel biomimetic two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures for CO2 adsorption at room temperature by reductionist mimicking of the Mg-carboxylate RuBisCO active site. We present a method to synthesize a 2D surface-supported system based on Mg2+ centers stabilized by a carboxylate environment and track their structural dynamics and reactivity under either CO2 or O2 exposure at room temperature. The CO2 molecules adsorb temporarily on the Mg2+ centers, producing a charge imbalance that catalyzes a phase transition into a different configuration, whereas O2 adsorbs on the Mg2+ center, giving rise to a distortion in the metal-organic bonds that eventually leads to the collapse of the structure. The combination of bioinspired synthesis and surface reactivity studies demonstrated here for Mg-based 2D ionic networks holds promise for the development of new catalysts that can work at room temperature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17909274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Pathogenesis and clinical and economic consequences of postoperative ileus.\nThe pathogenesis, etiology, clinical manifestations, and clinical and economic consequences of postoperative ileus (POI) in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery; the estimated prevalence of POI; the potential cost savings from efforts to shorten hospital length of stay (LOS); and the role of patient counseling in minimizing the consequences of POI are discussed. POI has neurogenic, inflammatory, hormonal, and pharmacologic components. It manifests as abdominal distention, pain, nausea, vomiting, and inability to pass stools or tolerate a solid diet that in half of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery persist for more than four days. Surgical stress and prolonged opioid analgesic use contribute to POI. Delayed surgical wound healing and ambulation, atelectasis, pneumonia, and deep vein thrombosis are among the possible complications of POI that can increase LOS, resource use, and health care costs. POI is common; its prevalence probably is underestimated. The potential cost savings from shortening LOS by one day are substantial. Providing advice about the proper preoperative and postoperative care regimen to patients undergoing major abdominal surgery can minimize the clinical and economic consequences of POI. POI is a common complication of major abdominal surgery that can have a substantial clinical and economic impact.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24337048,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Underestimated public health risks caused by overestimated VOC removal in wastewater treatment processes.\nThe uncontrolled release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and the adverse health effects on the public have been of increasing concern. In this study, a lab-scale bioreactor was prepared to analyze the mass distribution of three aromatic (benzene, toluene, and xylenes) and four chlorinated VOCs (chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, and tetrachloroethylene) among the air, water and sludge phases in wastewater treatment processes. The VOC distribution through a full-scale WWTP in northern China was further investigated with respect to the effects of seasonal temperature variations and treatment technologies, followed by the cancer risk assessment using a steady-state Gaussian plume model (Industrial Source Complex) to simulate the atmospheric behaviors of the VOCs emitted from the WWTP. It was found that three aromatic hydrocarbons, notably benzene, were more readily released from the wastewater into the atmosphere, whereas the chlorinated compounds except chloroform were mainly present in the water phase through the treatment processes. The primary clarifier was the technology releasing high levels of VOCs into the atmosphere from the wastewater. The extents of volatilization or biodegradation, two important mechanisms to remove VOCs from wastewater, appeared to be determined by the physicochemical characteristics of the compounds, as the influence of treatment technologies (e.g., aeration) and seasonal temperature variations was rather limited. More importantly, the people living in the areas even more than 4 km away from the WWTP were still potentially exposed to cancer risks exceeding the regulatory threshold limit. The findings described the complex nature of VOC emissions from WWTPs and quantitatively indicated that the associated health impacts on the public near the WWTPs could be severely underestimated, whereas their treatment efficiencies by wastewater treatment technologies were overestimated. Instead of fully controlling the VOC release from WWTPs, the identification and abatement of important VOC species with regard to the atmospheric emission and health concerns is one possible alternative approach to effectively minimize the environmental and public health impacts by VOCs released from this particular source.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30077202,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Incidence and Management of Hemopericardium: Impact of Changing Trends in Invasive Cardiology.\nAs invasive cardiovascular care has become increasingly complex, cardiac perforation leading to hemopericardium is a progressively prevalent complication. We sought to assess the frequency, etiology, and outcomes of hemorrhagic pericardial effusions managed through a nonsurgical echo-guided percutaneous strategy. Over a 10-year period (January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2016), 1097 unique patients required pericardiocentesis for clinically important pericardial effusions. Of these 411 had drainage of hemorrhagic effusions (defined as a pericardial hemoglobin level >50% of serum hemoglobin or frank blood in the setting of cardiac perforation). Clinical characteristics, echocardiographic data, details of the procedure, and outcomes were determined. Median patient age was 67 years (interquartile range, 56-76 years), and 60% were men. The procedure was emergent in 83% and elective in 17%. The site of pericardiocentesis was determined by echo-guidance in all: 68% from the left para-apical region, 18% from the left or right parasternal areas, and 14% were subxyphoid. Half (n=215 [52%]) occurred after cardiac perforation with percutaneous interventional procedure (ablation, n=94; device lead implantation, n=65; percutaneous coronary intervention, n=22; other, n=34), whereas 30% followed cardiac or thoracic surgery. Pericardial fluid volume drained was 546\u00b1440 mL. In 94% of cases, echo-guided pericardiocentesis was the only treatment of the effusion needed, whereas definitive surgery was required in 25 (6%) cases for persistent bleeding or acute management of the underlying etiology. There was no procedural mortality. Late mortality was better for hemorrhagic effusions compared with a contemporary cohort with nonhemorrhagic effusions. Echocardiographic guidance allows rapid successful pericardiocentesis in the setting of hemopericardium related to microperforation with interventional procedures, malignancy, or pericarditis, with most not requiring surgical intervention. Surgery should remain the first-line approach for aortic dissection or myocardial rupture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3134955,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Isolation of (ADP-ribose)polymerases from the calf testis and thymus and comparison of their basic physico-chemical properties].\nHighly purified preparations of (ADP-ribose) polymerase were obtained from calf testis and thymus by chromatography on DNA-cellulose, hydroxyapatite and gel filtration. It was shown that the enzymes isolated from both sources under identical conditions have similar values of Mr, Vmax and Km in the reactions of autoribosylation and poly(ADP-ribosylation) of histone H1 as well as similar pH-dependencies of the catalyzed reactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35499071,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cross-talk between HIF and PD-1\/PD-L1 pathways in carcinogenesis and therapy.\nTumor-associated hypoxia plays an important role in carcinogenesis and metastasis. The expression, activation, and stabilization of hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs) support malignant cell survival, proliferation, plasticity, and motility. Hypoxia also upregulates the expression of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in malignant and immune regulatory cells. Therefore, the combination of HIF inhibitors and checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) is promising for boosting antitumor immunity and diminishing malignant cell plasticity and therapy resistance. In this issue of the JCI, Salman et al. report the development of a specific agent that inhibited HIF-1\/2-mediated gene expression in tumor cells and suppressed tumor growth. Bailey, Liu, et al. in this issue demonstrate that targeting HIF-1\u03b1 abrogated PD-L1-mediated immune evasion by suppressing PD-L1 expression on malignant and myeloid regulatory cells, causing tumor rejection. These findings suggest that targeting the HIF\/PD-L1 axis with specific HIF inhibitors should improve the safety and efficacy of CPIs for cancer therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10857262,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Genomic organisation of the neural sex determination gene fruitless (fru) in the Hawaiian species Drosophila silvestris and the conservation of the fru BTB protein-protein-binding domain throughout evolution.\nWe report the cloning and sequencing of the fru gene from the Hawaiian picture-wing species Drosophila silvestris. The fru gene has seven exons spanning 15-kb encoding two transcripts with ORFs of 841 and 695 amino acids. The protein encoded by the fruA transcript is well conserved with the D. melanogaster type A protein, particularly the BTB protein-protein-binding domain, which is encoded by exons I and II and is 100% conserved. The peptide encoded by exon III has several sequence differences but these are confined mostly to regions of repetitive sequence and exons IV to VI are well conserved. The peptide encoded by exon VII is semi-conserved for the 5' end and 100% conserved for the Zinc finger domains; the rest of the peptide is virtually unconserved. The FRUA protein has a BTB domain and two zinc finger domains whereas the FRUC protein only has the BTB domain. The genomic DNA sequence encoding the BTB domain of the fru gene has been cloned from 21 species of Diptera. The protein-coding sequence is highly conserved and the amino acid sequence is identical except for two changes in the Tephritidae. The intron sequences are completely unconserved except between very closely related species such as the Hawaiian Drosophila. The phylogeny produced using the BTB exon sequences suggests that the most closely related mainland Drosophila species to the Hawaiian clade is D. moriwakii of the melanica species group. The phylogeny also shows that the Scaptomyza are closely related to the Hawaiian Drosophila so supporting a Hawaiian origin for the Scaptomyza. The genus Zaprionus is placed in the subgenus Drosophila closely related to D. immigrans along with the genera Samoaia and Liodrosophila.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37747147,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Towards Improved Identification of Vertebral Fractures in Routine Computed Tomography (CT) Scans: Development and External Validation of a Machine Learning Algorithm.\nVertebral fractures (VFs) are the hallmark of osteoporosis, being one of the most frequent types of fragility fracture and an early sign of the disease. They are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. VFs are incidentally found in one out of five imaging studies, however, more than half of the VFs are not identified nor reported in patient computed tomography (CT) scans. Our study aimed to develop a machine learning algorithm to identify VFs in abdominal\/chest CT scans and evaluate its performance. We acquired two independent data sets of routine abdominal\/chest CT scans of patients aged 50 years or older: a training set of 1011 scans from a non-interventional, prospective proof-of-concept study at the Universitair Ziekenhuis (UZ) Brussel and a validation set of 2000 subjects from an observational cohort study at the Hospital of Holbaek. Both data sets were externally reevaluated to identify reference standard VF readings using the Genant semiquantitative (SQ) grading. Four independent models have been trained in a cross-validation experiment using the training set and an ensemble of four models has been applied to the external validation set. The validation set contained 15.3% scans with one or more VF (SQ2-3), whereas 663 of 24,930 evaluable vertebrae (2.7%) were fractured (SQ2-3) as per reference standard readings. Comparison of the ensemble model with the reference standard readings in identifying subjects with one or more moderate or severe VF resulted in an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.85-0.90), accuracy of 0.92 (95% CI, 0.91-0.93), kappa of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.67-0.76), sensitivity of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.76-0.85), and specificity of 0.95 (95% CI, 0.93-0.96). We demonstrated that a machine learning algorithm trained for VF detection achieved strong performance on an external validation set. It has the potential to support healthcare professionals with the early identification of VFs and prevention of future fragility fractures. \u00a9 2023 UCB S.A. and The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23707955,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Prostasomes from four different species are able to produce extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP).\nProstasomes are extracellular vesicles. Intracellularly they are enclosed by another larger vesicle, a so called \"storage vesicle\" equivalent to a multivesicular body of late endosomal origin. Prostasomes in their extracellular context are thought to play a crucial role in fertilization. Prostasomes were purified according to a well worked-out schedule from seminal plasmas obtained from human, canine, equine and bovine species. The various prostasomes were subjected to SDS-PAGE separation and protein banding patterns were compared. To gain knowledge of the prostasomal protein systems pertaining to prostasomes of four different species proteins were analyzed using a proteomic approach. An in vitro assay was employed to demonstrate ATP formation by prostasomes of different species. The SDS-PAGE banding pattern of prostasomes from the four species revealed a richly faceted picture with most protein bands within the molecular weight range of 10-150kDa. Some protein bands seemed to be concordant among species although differently expressed and the number of protein bands of dog prostasomes seemed to be distinctly fewer. Special emphasis was put on proteins involved in energy metabolic turnover. Prostasomes from all four species were able to form extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP formation was balanced by ATPase activity linked to the four types of prostasomes. These potencies of a possession of functional ATP-forming enzymes by different prostasome types should be regarded against the knowledge of ATP having a profound effect on cell responses and now explicitly on the success of the sperm cell to fertilize the ovum. This study unravels energy metabolic relationships of prostasomes from four different species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29451524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Diet and gut microbiota: two sides of the same coin?]\nGut microbiota is a complex ecosystem, resident in the digestive tract, exerting multiple functions that can have a significant impact on the pathophysiology of the host organism. The composition and functions of this \"superorganism\" are influenced by many factors, and among them, the host's dietary habits seem to have a significant effect. Dietary changes in the evolution of human history and in the different stages of life of the human subjects are responsible for qualitative and functional modification of gut microbiota. At the same time, the different dietary models adopted in worldwide geographic areas take into account the inter-individual differences concerning composition and microbial function. This close relationship between diet, gut microbiota and host seems, in fact, to be responsible for the protection or predisposition to develop several metabolic, immunological, neoplastic and functional diseases. Thus, several studies have evaluated the impact of diet and lifestyle modification strategies on gut microbiota composition and functions which, in turn, seems to affect the effectiveness of such therapeutic measures. Gut microbiota manipulation strategies, as complementary to dietary modifications, represent a fascinating field of research, even if consolidated data are still lacking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33815531,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Campylobacter fetus Induced Proinflammatory Response in Bovine Endometrial Epithelial Cells.\nCampylobacter fetus subsp. fetus is the causal agent of sporadic abortion in bovines and infertility that produces economic losses in livestock. In many infectious diseases, the immune response has an important role in limiting the invasion and proliferation of bacterial pathogens. Innate immune sensing of microorganisms is mediated by pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) that identify pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and induces the secretion of several proinflammatory cytokines, like IL-1\u03b2, TNF-\u03b1, and IL-8. In this study, the expression of IL-1\u03b2, TNF-\u03b1, IL-8, and IFN-\u03b3 in bovine endometrial epithelial cells infected with C. fetus and Salmonella Typhimurium (a bacterial invasion control) was analyzed. The results showed that expression levels of IL-1\u03b2 and IL-8 were high at the beginning of the infection and decreased throughout the intracellular period. Unlike in this same assay, the expression levels of IFN-\u03b3 increased through time and reached the highest peak at 4 hours post infection. In cells infected with S. Typhimurium, the results showed that IL8 expression levels were highly induced by infection but not IFN-\u03b3. In cells infected with S. Typhimurium or C. fetus subsp. fetus, the results showed that TNF-\u03b1 expression did not show any change during infection. A cytoskeleton inhibition assay was performed to determine if cytokine expression was modified by C. fetus subsp. fetus intracellular invasion. IL-1\u03b2 and IL-8 expression were downregulated when an intracellular invasion was avoided. The results obtained in this study suggest that bovine endometrial epithelial cells could recognize C. fetus subsp. fetus resulting in early proinflammatory response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29087115,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Analysis of pediatric dermatology inpatient consultations in a pediatric teaching hospital.\nAlthough skin diseases are associated with low rate of hospitalization, dermatological manifestations are frequent in hospitalized patients. The aim of the study was to describe the inpatient dermatological consultations in a pediatric teaching hospital. Recorded data from inpatient pediatric dermatology consultation requests on a total of 539 consecutive inpatients (aged 0-18 years) from January 2004 to April 2010 were analyzed for consult diagnosis, dermatological disease group, primary diagnosis, requesting department, diagnostic pattern, treatment modality and referral to another department. Of the 539 inpatients, 310 (57.51%) were males and 229 (42.49%) were females. The most frequent requesting department was general pediatrics (37.5%) followed by oncology (15.6%) and pediatric surgery (11.1%). Most of the patients (32.1%) had been hospitalized for dermatological or related disease followed by acute lymphoblastic leukemia (4.1%), chronic renal failure (2.6%), bronchopneumonia (2.6%) and epilepsy (2.4%). Allergic skin diseases (47.1%) were the leading group of dermatoses, which were followed by infectious diseases (14.7%), and systemic diseases with cutaneous manifestations (10.2%). Atopic dermatitis (7.4%) and unclassified eczema (7.4%) were the most frequent dermatoses followed by papular urticaria (5.4%). Most of the patients (80.0%) had diagnosis on clinical basis, whereas skin biopsy was performed in 15.9% and laboratory investigation in 4.1% of the patients. Local treatment was applied to 50.8% of the patients, systemic treatment to 5.8%, local and systemic treatment together to 31.0% while no treatment was given to 11.1%. Only 1.9% of the patients were referred to another department. This study provided important data on the spectrum of skin disorders and their management in pediatric inpatients from the consultation perspective in a pediatric teaching hospital with multispecialty clinics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26005560,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Use of a 24 gauge intravenous cannula for minimally invasive trabeculectomy.\nWe describe an innovative technique for performing standardized low cost glaucoma filtration surgery using a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) intravenous cannula. The trocar of a 24 gauge (24G) PTFE intravenous cannula was used to create a trabeculectomy ostium and its tube was inserted under a partial thickness scleral flap in 2 patients with advanced glaucomatous optic neuropathy, in whom intraocular pressure (IOP) was not controlled on maximal tolerable hypotensive therapy. Postoperatively, IOP of the operated eyes at 3, 6 and 9 months' follow-up ranged from 12 to 15 mmHg with a well formed anterior chamber and a diffuse bleb.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7575318,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Greyout, blackout, and G-loss of consciousness in the Brazilian Air Force: a 1991-92 survey.\nA national survey has been performed with high and medium performance aircraft pilots on the incidence of symptoms due to +Gz acceleration, in order to make up a human centrifuge physiological training profile directed to the needs of the Brazilian Air Force pilots. Anonymous questionnaires were sent to Flight Squadrons of F-5, AMX, Mirage F-103, Xavante AT-26, and Tucano T-27. They consisted of inquiries about the occurrence of visual symptoms and\/or loss of consciousness during +Gz (G-LOC) maneuvers, and post-G-LOC symptoms. Some 193 pilots answered the questionnaire: 23 (11.92%) reported greyout and\/or loss of peripheral vision; 40 (20.72%) reported blackout; 20 (10.36%) reported G-LOC. Those who reported LOC also reported post-G-LOC symptoms (100%), 16 (80%) being gradual and 4 (20%) instantaneous. Incidence of G-LOC did not depend upon the type of aircraft flown (p > 0.05). Considering the pilots who reported G-LOC, 80% were preceded by blackout, which could allow them to relieve +Gz load before they would reach their endpoint for the occurrence of G-LOC. For these reasons we recommend intensive human centrifuge training periodically, similar to the hypoxia-recognition test in the hypobaric chamber, not only for high performance aircraft pilots but for any pilot who can perform aerobatics (thus exposing himself to the adverse effects of \"pulling G\"). This will allow each pilot to recognize his consciousness endpoint when undergoing +Gz maneuvers, in a controlled and safe environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11721226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Attitudes of alcoholics to addiction-related topics].\nIn Germany the attitudes towards alcohol consumption and smoking are rather heterogeneous. Although it is well accepted that both behaviours are harmful and often lead to addiction, thus far the attitudes of alcoholics to addiction-related topics have not been evaluated. In this investigation 228 alcoholics were asked to complete a questionnaire of addiction-related topics. The attitudes were rather realistic, concerning the harmful effects of alcohol. The beliefs were only slightly influenced by personal involvement (e.g. divorce). Different opinions were given as to the riskiness of illegal drugs. The attitude towards the reasons of alcoholism are most important for therapeutical decisions. Only a third of the patients believed that they themselves were responsible for their addictive behaviour while nearly half accused socioeconomical factors. The curability of their alcoholism as well as their own competence to overcome alcoholism was estimated rather realistically by the patients. The results could not be generalized since the sample mainly consisted of alcoholics who themselves sought an alcohol-specific treatment service. Furthermore the data analysis shows that about 90 % of them regarded themselves as alcoholics. Future studies have to show whether these attitudes differ from those of the general population and from alcoholics not seeking-help.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28240320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Analysis of Co-Associated Transcription Factors via Ordered Adjacency Differences on Motif Distribution.\nTranscription factors (TFs) binding to specific DNA sequences or motifs, are elementary to the regulation of transcription. The gene is regulated by a combination of TFs in close proximity. Analysis of co-TFs is an important problem in understanding the mechanism of transcriptional regulation. Recently, ChIP-seq in mapping TF provides a large amount of experimental data to analyze co-TFs. Several studies show that if two TFs are co-associated, the relative distance between TFs exhibits a peak-like distribution. In order to analyze co-TFs, we develop a novel method to evaluate the associated situation between TFs. We design an adjacency score based on ordered differences, which can illustrate co-TF binding affinities for motif analysis. For all candidate motifs, we calculate corresponding adjacency scores, and then list descending-order motifs. From these lists, we can find co-TFs for candidate motifs. On ChIP-seq datasets, our method obtains best AUC results on five datasets, 0.9432 for NMYC, 0.9109 for KLF4, 0.9006 for ZFX, 0.8892 for ESRRB, 0.8920 for E2F1. Our method has great stability on large sample datasets. AUC results of our method on all datasets are above 0.8.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31991592,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Genome-Wide Association Study for Serum Omega-3 and Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Exploratory Analysis of the Sex-Specific Effects and Dietary Modulation in Mediterranean Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome.\nMany early studies presented beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on cardiovascular risk factors and disease. However, results from recent meta-analyses indicate that this effect would be very low or nil. One of the factors that may contribute to the inconsistency of the results is that, in most studies, genetic factors have not been taken into consideration. It is known that fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene cluster in chromosome 11 is a very important determinant of plasma PUFA, and that the prevalence of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) varies greatly between populations and may constitute a bias in meta-analyses. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been carried out in other populations and none of them have investigated sex and Mediterranean dietary pattern interactions at the genome-wide level. Our aims were to undertake a GWAS to discover the genes most associated with serum PUFA concentrations (omega-3, omega-6, and some fatty acids) in a scarcely studied Mediterranean population with metabolic syndrome, and to explore sex and adherence to Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) interactions at the genome-wide level. Serum PUFA were determined by NMR spectroscopy. We found strong robust associations between various SNPs in the FADS cluster and omega-3 concentrations (top-ranked in the adjusted model: FADS1-rs174547, p = 3.34 \u00d7 10-14; FADS1-rs174550, p = 5.35 \u00d7 10-14; FADS2-rs1535, p = 5.85 \u00d7 10-14; FADS1-rs174546, p = 6.72 \u00d7 10-14; FADS2-rs174546, p = 9.75 \u00d7 10-14; FADS2- rs174576, p = 1.17 \u00d7 10-13; FADS2-rs174577, p = 1.12 \u00d7 10-12, among others). We also detected a genome-wide significant association with other genes in chromosome 11: MYRF (myelin regulatory factor)-rs174535, p = 1.49 \u00d7 10-12; TMEM258 (transmembrane protein 258)-rs102275, p = 2.43 \u00d7 10-12; FEN1 (flap structure-specific endonuclease 1)-rs174538, p = 1.96 \u00d7 10-11). Similar genome-wide statistically significant results were found for docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA). However, no such associations were detected for omega-6 PUFAs or linoleic acid (LA). For total PUFA, we observed a consistent gene*sex interaction with the DNTTIP2 (deoxynucleotidyl transferase terminal interacting protein 2)-rs3747965 p = 1.36 \u00d7 10-8. For adherence to MedDiet, we obtained a relevant interaction with the ME1 (malic enzyme 1) gene (a gene strongly regulated by fat) in determining serum omega-3. The top-ranked SNP for this interaction was ME1-rs3798890 (p = 2.15 \u00d7 10-7). In the regional-wide association study, specifically focused on the FADS1\/FASD2\/FADS3 and ELOVL (fatty acid elongase) 2\/ELOVL 5 regions, we detected several statistically significant associations at p < 0.05. In conclusion, our results confirm a robust role of the FADS cluster on serum PUFA in this population, but the associations vary depending on the PUFA. Moreover, the detection of some sex and diet interactions underlines the need for these associations\/interactions to be studied in all specific populations so as to better understand the complex metabolism of PUFA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19601719,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK).\nAllometric scaling is widely used to predict human pharmacokinetic parameters from preclinical species, and many different approaches have been proposed over the years to improve its predictive performance. Nevertheless, prediction errors are commonly observed in the practical application of simple allometry, for example, in cases where the hepatic metabolic clearance is mainly determined by enzyme activities, which do not scale allometrically across species. Therefore, if good correlation was noted for some drugs, poor correlation was observed for others, highlighting the need for other conceptual approaches. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models are now a well-established approach to conduct extrapolations across species and to generate simulations of pharmacokinetic profiles under various physiological conditions. While conventional pharmacokinetic models are defined by drug-related data themselves, PBPK models have richer information content and integrate information from various sources, including drug-dependent, physiological, and biological parameters as they vary in between species, subjects, or with age and disease state. Therefore, the biological and mechanistic bases of PBPK models allow the extrapolation of the kinetic behavior of drugs with regard to dose, route, and species. In addition, by providing a link between tissue concentrations and toxicological or pharmacological effects, PBPK modeling represents a framework for mechanistic pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12975679,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Family approaches to treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder.\nThis article reviews the family constellation of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the presence of OCD symptoms among family members, and familial aspects including parental attachment, expressed emotion (EE), and family accommodation. Some evidence supports a negative effect of hostility, emotional over-involvement, and criticism perceived by the patient on behavioral treatment outcome. However, actual criticism observed by the relative during an interview was associated with more benefit from therapy. Family accommodation predicted poorer family functioning and more severe OCD symptoms after behavioral treatment. A review of the limited treatment literature indicates no actual tests of the effects of psycho-educational and supportive treatments, although several reports suggest they are useful for families and patients. Including relatives in treatment has proved beneficial in some studies, especially with children, but not in others. Multiple family groups that focus on behavioral contracting for exposure and stopping rituals may be a promising intervention. Likewise, efforts to reduce family accommodation in the context of behavioral treatment have proved useful. Additional research on the content, process and effects of family interventions for OCD is much needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28692486,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Standard and Amputation-Adjusted Body Mass Index Measures: Comparison and Relevance to Functional Measures, Weight-Related Comorbidities, and Dieting.\nPeople with limb loss may misjudge weight-related health when not adjusting body mass index (BMI) for amputation level. This cross-sectional, community-based study compared BMI and amputation-adjusted BMI (A-BMI) and evaluated relationships among BMI categories, function, and dieting. Subjects provided self-reported demographic, functional, and medical\/prosthetic data including height and weight and completed performance-based balance and gait measures. A Web-based A-BMI calculator adjusted for amputation levels. Results for 294 subjects from 11 states (68.4% men; 76.5% white; average age, 55.6 [15.1] y) were reported, with vascular (49.7%) and unilateral transtibial (40.8%) amputations as the most common. Body mass index and A-BMI were closely correlated (Pearson r = 0.99), but a BMI of 28.6 (6.7) was less than an A-BMI of 30.3 (6.2) (t test, P < 0.001). Agreement among Centers for Disease Control BMI categories was moderate (\u03ba = 0.48); 39.7% of BMI categories were underestimated without adjusting for amputations. Functional measures did not differ among BMI\/A-BMI categories (P > 0.05). A larger than random proportion categorized as overweight by BMI dieted (\u03c7, P < 0.05), and people categorized as overweight by A-BMI did not (38.3% classified as normal BMI). Functional abilities did not differ among BMI categories (Kruskal-Wallis and analysis of variance, P > 0.05). People with limb loss using BMI may underestimate weight-related health; a Web-based A-BMI calculator may help monitor weight to make dieting decisions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17797643,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mitotic reactivation of the terminal bud and cambium of white ash.\nThe first appearance of mitotic figures in reactivatinig buds of 1-year-old ash seedlings is in leaf primordia. The occurrence of mitotic figures then progresses sequentially to the procambial cells and finally to the cambium at the base of the bud. Milotic reactivation of the cambium in progressively more proximal regions of the stem is slow, proceeding at a maximal rate of 6 centimeters per day.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12271085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Karyogamy after Electrofusion of Single Egg and Sperm Cell Protoplasts from Maize: Cytological Evidence and Time Course.\nIn maize, in vitro fusion of isolated male gametes with isolated egg cell protoplasts can be induced by electric pulses. Until now, karyogamy has not been demonstrated. In this study, we cytologically examined fusion products fixed at different times after electrofusion with phase contrast microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. We obtained a precise timetable from 23 samples studied during the first 3 hr. The sperm nucleus was integrated within the egg cell protoplast, migrated toward the egg cell nucleus, and fused with it within 1 hr, as demonstrated by ultrastructural observations, three-dimensional reconstructions of nuclei, and subsequent nuclear volume estimates. Fusion of nuclei occurred before zygotic mitosis, as is the case in vivo. These findings demonstrate karyogamy during in vitro fertilization of maize.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27450108,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic management of acute pulmonary embolism.\nPulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Recognizing PE and administering anticoagulants can significantly improve patient outcomes by reducing mortality rates and preventing recurrent events. For more than 50 years, standard therapy has involved parenteral anticoagulation followed by long-term therapy with the vitamin K antagonist warfarin. However, management of warfarin therapy is challenging due to its narrow therapeutic range and interactions with genetic and environmental factors. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been developed to simplify anticoagulation and avoid the concerns associated with warfarin. DOACs are administered at a fixed dosage without routine monitoring and have few drug interactions. In recent years, DOACs have received FDA approval for the treatment of acute deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and PE based on the results of well-conducted clinical trials. This review discusses approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of PE and the use of DOACs as an alternative to warfarin treatment for the management of the disease. While many of the indications for DOACs and concepts discussed apply to both DVT and PE, our focus will be acute PE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3214832,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Delusional double mourning: a complication of bereavement in dementia.\nWe describe two elderly patients with senile dementia who presented with the delusion that a parent had died within weeks of the actual death of a spouse. These fixed, systematized, and persistent beliefs do not correspond to the delusions of dementia or of the bereaved elderly that have been previously described. The phenomenology and implications of these \"delusions of double mourning\" are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27570707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Pesg PNH diagnosis, follow-up and treatment guidelines.\nPNH Education and Study Group (PESG) have been established in December 2013 as a non-profit, independent, medical organization www.pesg.org. Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a multi-systemic disease that should be treated with a multidisciplinary approach. Patients may apply to the clinics other than the hematology due to variability and diversity of clinical findings which lower the rate of diagnosis due to low awareness about PNH. PNH might be overlooked and diagnosis might be delayed. Regarding these, PESG was established with the collaboration of Immunology, Cardiology, Thorax Diseases (Pulmonology), Neurology, Gastroenterology, General Surgery and Urology specialists in addition to hematologists dealing with PNH. The PESG study group aims to increase the awareness about PNH, including training activities about PNH, strengthening the relations between clinics and planning of clinical studies as a goal. It is the first professional organization focusing on PNH, in Turkey.In this guideline, we want to facilitate the diagnosis attributes of physicians from all specializations that deal with PNH and its systemic complications. One can perceive this as a tailor made guideline of international guidelines but not a compilation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29367352,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Seeding of proteins into amyloid structures by metabolite assemblies may clarify certain unexplained epidemiological associations.\nThe accumulation of various metabolites appears to be associated with diverse human diseases. However, the aetiological link between metabolic alteration and the observed diseases is still elusive. This includes the correlation between the abnormally high levels of homocysteine and quinolinic acid in Alzheimer's disease, as well as the accumulation of oncometabolites in malignant processes. Here, we suggest and discuss a possible mechanistic insight into metabolite accumulation in conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. Our hypothesis is based on the demonstrated ability of metabolites to form amyloid-like structures in inborn error of metabolism disorders and the potential of such metabolite amyloids to promote protein aggregation. This notion can provide a new paradigm for neurodegeneration and cancer, as both conditions were linked to loss of function due to protein aggregation. Similar to the well-established observation of amyloid formation in many degenerative disorders, the formation of amyloids by tumour-suppressor proteins, including p53, was demonstrated in malignant states. Moreover, this new paradigm could fill the gap in understanding the high occurrence of specific types of cancer among genetic error of metabolism patients. This hypothesis offers a fresh view on the aetiology of some of the most abundant human maladies and may redirect the efforts towards new therapeutic developments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18673148,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Metformin protects the brain against the oxidative imbalance promoted by type 2 diabetes.\nWe aimed to investigate whether metformin protects the brain against the oxidative imbalance promoted by type 2 diabetes. This study analyzed the effect of metformin on oxidative stress markers (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonyl groups), hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) levels, non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses [reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione and vitamin E] and enzymatic antioxidant defenses [glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRed) and manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD)] in brain homogenates of diabetic GK rats, a model of type 2 diabetes. For this purpose we compared brain homogenates obtained from untreated GK rats versus GK rats treated with metformin during a period of 4 weeks. Brain homogenates obtained from Wistar rats were used as control. The MDA levels, GPx and GRed activities are significantly higher in untreated GK rats, while TBARS levels, carbonyl groups, glutathione content and vitamin E levels remain statistically unchanged when compared with control rats. In contrast, MnSOD activity and the levels of H(2)O(2) are significantly decreased in untreated GK rats when compared with control animals. However, metformin treatment normalized the majority of the parameters altered by diabetes. We observed that metformin, besides its antihyperglycemic action, induces a significant decrease in TBARS and MDA levels, GPx and GRed activities and a significant increase in GSH levels and MnSOD activity. These results indicate that metformin protects against diabetes-associated oxidative stress suggesting that metformin could be an effective neuroprotective agent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26507228,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A New Type of YumC-Like Ferredoxin (Flavodoxin) Reductase Is Involved in Ribonucleotide Reduction.\nThe trxB2 gene, which is annotated as a thioredoxin reductase, was found to be essential for growth of Lactococcus lactis in the presence of oxygen. The corresponding protein (TrxB2) showed a high similarity with Bacillus subtilis YumC (E value = 4.0E-88), and YumC was able to fully complement the \u0394trxB2 mutant phenotype. YumC represents a novel type of ferredoxin (flavodoxin) reductase (FdR) with hitherto-unknown biological function. We adaptively evolved the \u0394trxB2 mutant under aerobic conditions to find suppressor mutations that could help elucidate the involvement of TrxB2 in aerobic growth. Genome sequencing of two independent isolates, which were able to grow as well as the wild-type strain under aerated conditions, revealed the importance of mutations in nrdI, encoding a flavodoxin involved in aerobic ribonucleotide reduction. We suggest a role for TrxB2 in nucleotide metabolism, where the flavodoxin (NrdI) serves as its redox partner, and we support this hypothesis by showing the beneficial effect of deoxynucleosides on aerobic growth of the \u0394trxB2 mutant. Finally, we demonstrate, by heterologous expression, that the TrxB2 protein functionally can substitute for YumC in B. subtilis but that the addition of deoxynucleosides cannot compensate for the lethal phenotype displayed by the B. subtilis yumC knockout mutant. Ferredoxin (flavodoxin) reductase (FdR) is involved in many important reactions in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes, such as photosynthesis, nitrate reduction, etc. The recently identified bacterial YumC-type FdR belongs to a novel type, the biological function of which still remains elusive. We found that the YumC-like FdR (TrxB2) is essential for aerobic growth of Lactococcus lactis. We suggest that the YumC-type FdR is involved in the ribonucleotide reduction by the class Ib ribonucleotide reductase, which represents the workhorse for the bioconversion of nucleotides to deoxynucleotides in many prokaryotes and eukaryotic pathogens under aerobic conditions. As the partner of the flavodoxin (NrdI), the key FdR is missing in the current model describing the class Ib system in Escherichia coli. With this study, we have established a role for this novel type of FdR and in addition found the missing link needed to explain how ribonucleotide reduction is carried out under aerobic conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30871578,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Diagnostic sensitivity of 2-day cardiopulmonary exercise testing in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis\/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.\nThere are no known objective biomarkers to assist with the diagnosis of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis\/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME\/CFS). A small number of studies have shown that ME\/CFS patients exhibit an earlier onset of ventilatory threshold (VT) on the second of two cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) performed on consecutive days. However, cut-off values which could be used to differentiate between ME\/CFS patients have not been established. 16 ME\/CFS patients and 10 healthy controls underwent CPET on a cycle-ergometer on 2-consecutive days. Heart rate (HR), ventilation, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and work rate (WR) were assessed on both days. WR at VT decreased from day 1 to day 2 and by a greater magnitude in ME\/CFS patients (p < 0.01 group \u00d7 time interaction). No interaction effects were found for any other parameters. ROC curve analysis of the percentage change in WR at VT revealed decreases of - 6.3% to - 9.8% provided optimal sensitivity and specificity respectively for distinguishing between patients with ME\/CFS and controls. The decrease in WR at VT of 6.3-9.8% on the 2nd day of consecutive-day CPET may represent an objective biomarker that can be used to assist with the diagnosis of ME\/CFS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3493749,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Local cerebral glucose metabolic rates in obsessive-compulsive disorder. A comparison with rates in unipolar depression and in normal controls.\nWe studied 14 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by positron emission tomography and the fluorodeoxyglucose method, looking for abnormalities in local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose in brain structures that have been hypothesized to function abnormally in OCD. These patients were compared with 14 normal controls and 14 patients with unipolar depression. The patients with unipolar depression and OCD did not differ in levels of anxiety, tension, or depression. In OCD, metabolic rates were significantly increased in the left orbital gyrus and bilaterally in the caudate nuclei. This was apparent on all statistical comparisons with both controls and unipolar depression. The right orbital gyrus showed at least a trend to an increased metabolic rate in all comparisons. The metabolic rate in the left orbital gyrus, relative to that in the ipsilateral hemisphere (orbital gyrus\/hemisphere ratio), was significantly elevated compared to controls and subjects with unipolar depression, and stayed high even with successful drug treatment. Though it was in the normal range in the morbid state, with improvement in OCD symptoms after drug treatment, the caudate\/hemisphere metabolic ratio increased uniformly and significantly bilaterally. This ratio did not increase in patients who did not respond to treatment. Thus, OCD showed cerebral glucose metabolic patterns that differed from controls in both the symptomatic and recovered states.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8046260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Rate of relapse in multibacillary patients after cessation of long-course dapsone monotherapy supplemented by a final supervised single dose of 1500 mg of rifampin.\nWhen multidrug therapy was implemented in Senegal, 406 multibacillary (MB) patients who had been treated for more than 10 years by dapsone alone, and who had become clinically inactive and skin-smear negative, were released from treatment. Of these 406 patients, 298 were given a supervised single dose of 1500 mg of rifampin. Subsequently, 302 of them (229 who had been given rifampin and 73 who had not) were followed up by means of annual clinical and bacteriological examinations. Of the former 229 followed up for a mean period of 4.9 years, 34 patients relapsed (22 males and 12 females), giving a crude relapse rate of 15% and an overall risk of relapse of 3.1 per 100 patient-years. Of the latter 73 followed up for a mean period of 2.4 years, 5 relapsed (4 males and 1 female), giving a crude relapse rate of 6.8% and an overall risk of relapse of 2.9 per 100 patient-years. Such results, which are in agreement with those of a similar study conducted recently in Mali, indicate that the intake of a single dose of 1500 mg of rifampin by MB patients when they are released from long-course dapsone monotherapy does not result in a decrease of the relapse rate. Therefore, MB patients who have been treated with dapsone alone, even for long periods, should be put under multidrug therapy prior to their release from control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36628785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Why did AI get this one wrong? - Tree-based explanations of machine learning model predictions.\nIncreasingly complex learning methods such as boosting, bagging and deep learning have made ML models more accurate, but harder to interpret and explain, culminating in black-box machine learning models. Model developers and users alike are often presented with a trade-off between performance and intelligibility, especially in high-stakes applications like medicine. In the present article we propose a novel methodological approach for generating explanations for the predictions of a generic machine learning model, given a specific instance for which the prediction has been made. The method, named AraucanaXAI, is based on surrogate, locally-fitted classification and regression trees that are used to provide post-hoc explanations of the prediction of a generic machine learning model. Advantages of the proposed XAI approach include superior fidelity to the original model, ability to deal with non-linear decision boundaries, and native support to both classification and regression problems. We provide a packaged, open-source implementation of the AraucanaXAI method and evaluate its behaviour in a number of different settings that are commonly encountered in medical applications of AI. These include potential disagreement between the model prediction and physician's expert opinion and low reliability of the prediction due to data scarcity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17461012,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Northern Territory indigenous life expectancy improvements, 1967-2004.\nTo assess the extent of changes in life expectancy at birth for the Indigenous population of the Northern Territory (NT) over the period 1967-2004, and to determine which age-specific mortality rates were mostly responsible for such change. Life expectancy at birth figures were obtained via life table calculations using a high-quality and internally consistent dataset of NT Indigenous deaths and populations covering the period 1967-2004. A life expectancy at birth age decomposition technique was then applied. Indigenous life expectancy at birth has risen considerably in the NT, increasing from about 52 years for males and 54 years females in the late 1960s to about 60 years for males and 68 years for females in recent years. Significantly, for NT Indigenous females the gap with total Australian life expectancy has narrowed. In contrast to popular perception, Indigenous life expectancy in the Northern Territory has improved substantially from the late 1960s to the present. The widespread pessimism that surrounds Indigenous health and mortality is largely unfounded, at least for the NT. Although much remains to be done to reduce Indigenous mortality, the results in this paper demonstrate that improvements are occurring and that sustained and increased effort is worthwhile and will succeed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7319729,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Milk, cellular equilibrium and nutritional evolution.\nIn the diet of North American women, milk is by far the main source of Vitamin B2. The relationship of habitual dietary milk intake to riboflavin nutritional status in pregnancy is examined. The blood riboflavin values of 22 mothers, who by dietary history, took at least 1 glass of milk a day is compared with those of 12 with aversion. In the latter group, blood values of 8 mothers were suboptimum and 3 were deficient with angular stomatitis. In the former group, 2 were suboptimum and none were deficient. The blood riboflavin values of mothers and their prenates corresponded. Habitual diet poor in milk is a factor which may predispose North American women to Vitamin B2 deficiency in pregnancy. The concepts of cellular equilibrium and nutritional evolution are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18642944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Glycoproteomic analyses of ovarian cancer cell lines and sera from ovarian cancer patients show distinct glycosylation changes in individual proteins.\nOvarian cancer is difficult to diagnose in women because symptoms of the disease are often not noticed until the disease has progressed to an advanced untreatable stage. Although a serum test, CA125, is currently available to assist with monitoring treatment of ovarian cancer, this test lacks the necessary specificity and sensitivity for early detection. Therefore, better biomarkers of ovarian cancer are needed. A glycoprotein analysis approach was undertaken using high resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry to analyze glycosylated proteins present in the conditioned media of ovarian cancer cell lines and in sera obtained from ovarian cancer patients and normal controls. In this study, glycosylated proteins were separated by gel electrophoresis, and individual glycoproteins were selected for glycosylation analysis and protein identification. The attached glycans from each protein were released and profiled by mass spectrometry. Glycosylation of a mucin protein and a large glycosylated protein isolated from the ES2 ovarian cancer cell line was determined to consist of mostly O-linked glycans. Four prominent glycoproteins of approximate 517, 370, 250, 163 kDa from serum samples were identified as two forms of apolipoprotein B-100, fibronectin, and immunoglobulin A1, respectively. Mass spectrometric analysis of glycans isolated from apolipoprotein B-100 (517 kD) showed the presence of small, specific O-linked oligosaccharides. In contrast, analysis of fibronectin (250 kD) and immunoglobulin A1 (163 kD) produced N-linked glycan fragments in forms that were sufficiently different from the glycans obtained from the corresponding protein band present in the normal serum samples. This study shows that not only a single protein but several are aberrantly glycosylated, and those abnormal glycosylation changes can be detected and may ultimately serve as glycan biomarkers for ovarian cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31999420,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The effects of clofarabine in ALL inhibition through DNA methylation regulation.\nClofarabine (2-chloro-2'-fluoro-2'-deoxyarabinosyladenine, ClF), a second-generation 2'-deoxyadenosine analog, possesses manifold anti-cancer activities. Our previous reports and some of others demonstrate the potential capacity of ClF to regulate the epigenetic machinery. The study presented here is the first to investigate the influence of ClF on modulators of the DNA methylation machinery, including DNMT1 and CDKN1A, in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. ClF effects on promoter methylation and transcriptional activity of hypermethylated and silenced tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), including APC, CDKN2A, PTEN, and RARB, have been tested as well. Methylation level of the proximal promoter region of APC, CDKN2A, PTEN, and RARB, as well as expression of those TSGs, DNMT1 and CDKN1A, were estimated by using a methylation-sensitive restriction analysis and qPCR, respectively. The Nalm-6 cell line was used as an experimental in vitro model of ALL cells. We observed ClF-mediated inhibition of cellular viability and apoptosis induction of Nalm-6 cells with an increased percentage of cells positive for active Caspase-3. Interestingly, exposure of Nalm-6 cells to CIF at 20 nM concentration for three days has led to a significant DNMT1 downregulation, accompanied by robust CDKN1A upregulation. ClF caused hypomethylation of APC, CDKN2A, and PTEN, with a concomitant increase in their transcript levels. Taken together, our results demonstrate the ability of ClF to reactivate DNA methylation-silenced TSGs in ALL cells. This may implicate translational significance of our findings and support ClF application as a new epigenetic modulator in the anti-leukemia therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22202042,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Psychological stressors as interventions: good out of the evil.\nStress in general can be defined as a state of threatened balance, equilibrium or harmony that tends to disturb the homeostasis of the body. Stress can be of many kinds viz. psychological, physiological, social, emotional, and nutritional. Albeit the distinct kinds of stress stated in the aforementioned stress list, it is hard to bring out a clear distinction between them since each stress may precede or succeed the manifestation of any other. The studies discussed in the review elucidate effects of psychological stressors (PS) on diseases such as cancer, AIDS, epidermal abnormalities, obesity, and various inflammatory diseases like colonic inflammations, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), asthma. From these studies, further attempt was made to establish the basic mechanisms which come into play during a stressor stimulus and consequently modulate the physiology of the body. In this review we have highlighted effects of PS on diseases while simultaneously building on the modes of operation of PS to alter physiology and its further implications in developing potential psychotherapeutic methods for disease treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31978172,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Metabolic and lipidomic profiling of steatotic human livers during ex situ normothermic machine perfusion guides resuscitation strategies.\nThere continues to be a significant shortage of donor livers for transplantation. One impediment is the discard rate of fatty, or steatotic, livers because of their poor post-transplant function. Steatotic livers are prone to significant ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and data regarding how best to improve the quality of steatotic livers is lacking. Herein, we use normothermic (37\u00b0C) machine perfusion in combination with metabolic and lipidomic profiling to elucidate deficiencies in metabolic pathways in steatotic livers, and to inform strategies for improving their function. During perfusion, energy cofactors increased in steatotic livers to a similar extent as non-steatotic livers, but there were significant deficits in anti-oxidant capacity, efficient energy utilization, and lipid metabolism. Steatotic livers appeared to oxidize fatty acids at a higher rate but favored ketone body production rather than energy regeneration via the tricyclic acid cycle. As a result, lactate clearance was slower and transaminase levels were higher in steatotic livers. Lipidomic profiling revealed \u03c9-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increased in non-steatotic livers to a greater extent than in steatotic livers. The novel use of metabolic and lipidomic profiling during ex situ normothermic machine perfusion has the potential to guide the resuscitation and rehabilitation of steatotic livers for transplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35701372,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Decade of GigaScience: The Challenges of Gigapixel Pathology Images.\nIn the last decade, the field of computational pathology has advanced at a rapid pace because of the availability of deep neural networks, which achieved their first successes in computer vision tasks in 2012. An important driver for the progress of the field were public competitions, so called 'Grand Challenges', in which increasingly large data sets were offered to the public to solve clinically relevant tasks. Going from the first Pathology challenges, which had data obtained from 23 patients, to current challenges sharing data of thousands of patients, performance of developed deep learning solutions has reached (and sometimes surpassed) the level of experienced pathologists for specific tasks. We expect future challenges to broaden the horizon, for instance by combining data from radiology, pathology and tumor genetics, and to extract prognostic and predictive information independent of currently used grading schemes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17597417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Invasive species change detection using artificial neural networks and CASI hyperspectral imagery.\nFor monitoring and controlling the extent and intensity of an invasive species, a direct multi-date image classification method was applied in invasive species (salt cedar) change detection in the study area of Lovelock, Nevada. With multidate Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) hyperspectral data sets, two types of hyperspectral CASI input data and two classifiers have been examined and compared for mapping and monitoring the salt cedar change. The two types of input data are all two-date original CASI bands and 12 principal component images (PCs) derived from the two-date CASI images. The two classifiers are an artificial neural network (ANN) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The experimental results indicate that (1) the direct multitemporal image classification method applied in land cover change detection is feasible either with original CASI bands or PCs, but a better accuracy was obtained from the CASI PCA transformed data; (2) with the same inputs of 12 PCs, the ANN outperforms the LDA due to the ANN's non-linear property and ability of handling data without a prerequisite of a certain distribution of the analysis data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34961958,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Occupational therapy in oncology palliative care for adolescents and young adults: Perspectives of Australian occupational therapists.\nPalliative Care Australia suggests current needs (emotional wellbeing, understanding of cancers impact on relationships, everyday activities, and life milestones) for adolescent and young adults in palliative care are unmet due to a lack of age-specific palliative care facilities in Australia. This includes the provision of occupational therapy that can impact these unmet needs. Although the occupational therapy role in palliative care has been documented, little is known about existing occupational therapy services or occupational needs for young people with palliative care needs. The aims of this study were to obtain occupational therapists insights of working with this population in Australia regarding (1) gaps in palliative care services for this population; (2) facilitators and challenges to providing occupational therapy for this group; and (3) perceived occupational needs of young people living with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis. Using snowball sampling, an online survey was distributed to occupational therapists with experience working in palliative cancer care with adolescents and young adults. Available for 6 weeks, the survey included demographic, work history, and service delivery questions. Forced-choice questions were summarised descriptively, and content analysis was used to analyse free-text data. Eleven completed surveys were returned. Overall, therapists perceived current palliative care services for this population within Australia to be lacking. Two gaps emerged: age-appropriate facilities and gaps in provision of psycho-social and occupational therapy services. Funding, lack of knowledge of the occupational therapy role, and professional confidence were highlighted as challenges to practice. Main occupational needs related to maintenance of as \"normal\" a life as possible: maintaining occupational role engagement, continuing connection with others, and being heard regarding their occupational needs. Findings suggest a need for service changes, including custom-designed facilities, improved funding, training and mentoring, to support age-appropriate and occupation-focussed care for the young person in cancer-specific palliative care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25389266,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Transcription bypass of DNA lesions enhances cell survival but attenuates transcription coupled DNA repair.\nTranscription-coupled DNA repair (TCR) is a subpathway of nucleotide excision repair (NER) dedicated to rapid removal of DNA lesions in the transcribed strand of actively transcribed genes. The precise nature of the TCR signal and how the repair machinery gains access to lesions imbedded in stalled RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) complexes in eukaryotic cells are still enigmatic. RNAP II has an intrinsic capacity for transcription bypass of DNA lesions by incorporation or misincorporation of nucleotides across the lesions. It has been suggested that transcription bypass of lesions, which exposes the lesions, may be required for TCR. Here, we show that E1103G mutation of Rpb1, the largest subunit of RNAP II, which promotes transcription bypass of UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), increases survival of UV irradiated yeast cells but attenuates TCR. The increased cell survival is independent of any NER subpathways. In contrast, G730D mutation of Rpb1, which impairs transcription bypass of CPDs, enhances TCR. Our results suggest that transcription bypass of lesions attenuates TCR but enhances cell tolerance to DNA lesions. Efficient stalling of RNAP II is essential for efficient TCR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22201260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Formation mechanism of carbogenic nanoparticles with dual photoluminescence emission.\nWe present a systematic investigation of the formation mechanism of carbogenic nanoparticles (CNPs), otherwise referred to as C-dots, by following the pyrolysis of citric acid (CA)-ethanolamine (EA) precursor at different temperatures. Pyrolysis at 180 \u00b0C leads to a CNP molecular precursor with a strongly intense photoluminescence (PL) spectrum and high quantum yield formed by dehydration of CA-EA. At higher temperatures (230 \u00b0C) a carbogenic core starts forming and the PL is due to the presence of both molecular fluorophores and the carbogenic core. CNPs that exhibit mostly or exclusively PL arising from carbogenic cores are obtained at even higher temperatures (300 and 400 \u00b0C, respectively). Since the molecular fluorophores predominate at low pyrolysis temperatures while the carbogenic core starts forming at higher temperatures, the PL behavior of CNPs strongly depends on the conditions used for their synthesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36726342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A method for scoring 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced murine esophageal squamous neoplasia.\nA mouse model for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is induced by oral administration of the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO). There is not an objective method for determining histopathologic severity of disease in this model. We aim to create a clearly defined and easily applied scoring system that can quantify the severity of 4-NQO-induced murine ESCC. Fifteen wild-type C57BL\/6J mice were treated with 4-NQO for 8 (n = 8) or 16 (n = 7) weeks, while the rest (n = 9) were treated with vehicle, as 8 weeks of 4-NQO typically results in dysplasia and 16 weeks in carcinoma. We identified histologic abnormalities of the esophagus in this model and developed metrics to grade severity of dysplasia, papillomas, and invasion. Scores were then calculated using quantitative digitized image analysis for measuring depth and extent of each feature within the entire sample. Each feature was also assigned a weight based on its relation to cancer severity. Histology scores were significantly different in the three groups, suggesting that this method can discriminate dysplasia from carcinoma. This model can be applied to any mouse treated with 4-NQO.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16971974,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus.\nDiabetes UK held its Annual Professional Conference on March 29-31, 2006, in Birmingham, United Kingdom. This conference aimed to deliver the latest global developments in diabetes care using basic and clinical science as its cornerstone, and to inspire and support innovation in current practice. This report will examine the advances in different aspects of cardiovascular disease in diabetes mellitus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27481233,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Objective Identification of Prepubertal Female Singers and Non-singers by Singing Power Ratio Using Matlab.\nThe field of music is increasingly gaining scope and attracting researchers from varied fields in terms of improvising the art of voice modulation in singing. There has been a lot of competition, and young budding singers are emerging with more talent. This study is aimed to develop software to differentiate a prepubertal voice as that of a singer or a non-singer using an objective tool-singing power ratio (SPR)-as an objective measure to quantify the resonant voice quality. Recordings of singing and phonation were obtained from 30 singers and 30 non-singer girls (8-10 years). Three professional singers perceptually evaluated all samples using a rating scale and categorized them as singers or non-singers. Using Matlab, a program was developed to automatically calculate the SPR of a particular sample and classify it into either of two groups based on the normative values of SPR developed manually. Positive correlation for SPR of phonation or singing was found between perceptual and manual ratings, and objective values of SPR. Software could automatically give the SPR values for samples that are fed and could further differentiate them as singer or non-singer. Researchers need not depend on professional singers or musicians for the judgment of voice for research purposes. This software uses an objective tool, which serves as an instrument to judge singing talent using singing and phonation samples of children. Also, it can be used as a first line of judgment in any singing audition process, which could ease the work of professionals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12216815,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Temporal distribution of Chaetocnema pulicaria (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) populations in Iowa.\nIn 1999 and 2000, yellow sticky cards and sweep net samples were used to document the occurrence of an overwintering adult generation of Chaetocnema pulicaria Melsheimer, corn flea beetle, followed by two distinct populations peaks during the growing season in Iowa Emergence of the overwintering adult generation started in mid-April and continued until early June in both years, with populations as high as 45 +\/- 7.9 per 10 sweeps. Periods that ranged from 14 to 32 d were observed in 1999 and 2000 when C. pulicaria was not found following the overwintering generation. The first summer peak of C pulicaria was observed between the end of June into the middle of July, with the highest observed peak at 16.70 +\/- 1.42 C. pulicaria per 10 sweeps in cornfields. The second summer peak of C pulicaria was observed between the middle into early September, with populations as high as 27.80 +\/- 2.76 C. pulicaria per 10 sweeps. During the growing season, more C. pulicaria were caught on yellow sticky cards originating from soybean borders than from grass borders. There were significantly greater numbers of C. pulicaria on yellow sticky cards located in grass borders adjacent to cornfields at the end of the growing season, compared with yellow sticky cards located within cornfields, indicating the movement of C. pulicaria from the cornfield back into the grass borders at the end of the growing season. In 2000, from August to the end of the corn growing season, significantly more C. pulicaria were found in grass borders than in the cornfields. Based on this new quantitative information, planting time could be altered to avoid the emergence of the overwintering generation of C. pulicaria. In addition, knowledge concerning the seasonalities of the first and second population peaks of C pulicaria during the corn growing season could be used to recommend optimal timing for foliar-applied insecticide applications. This new knowledge concerning the seasonal dynamics of C pulicaria will help to improve management recommendations for Stewart's disease of corn, caused by the bacterium Pantoea stewartii, and that is vectored by C pulicaria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7568750,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The effect of variations in bonding procedure on fracture resistance of dentin-bonded all-ceramic crowns.\nThis in vitro study investigated the effect of dentinal bonding and ceramic etching procedures on the fracture resistance of all-ceramic crowns. These results were compared with the fracture resistance of similar crowns placed with a nonadhesive conventional cement. All results indicated that superior fracture resistance was obtained when dentinal bonding was incorporated into the luting procedure together with etching of the ceramic fitting surface and the use of resin-based luting material. The fracture resistance of specimens luted with such a procedure was significantly greater than that of specimens in which a conventional nonadhesive cement was used.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3335430,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The regional distribution of vitamins E and C in mature and premature human retinas.\nVitamin E is used to ameliorate retinopathy of prematurity, but little is known about baseline vitamin E levels in retinas of premature infants or the effect of vitamin E supplementation on these levels. Vitamin E and C levels were measured in mature retinas (1 month to 73 years) and in retinas of premature infants (22 to 33 weeks of gestation). The infants fell into two groups: (1) those who survived less than 12 hr and received no vitamin E, and (2) those who survived greater than 4 days and received vitamin E supplementation. Premature infants are born with 5 to 12 percent the vitamin E levels found in mature retinas. Vitamin E levels in vascular and avascular retina of premature infants increased with gestation. Infants born greater than 27 weeks gestation and surviving at least 4 days with vitamin E supplementation demonstrated markedly elevated vitamin E levels in vascular and avascular retina when compared to supplemented infants less than 27 weeks gestation. Premature infants possessed 35-50% higher levels of retinal vitamin C than those found in mature retinas. These data demonstrate that premature infants are born with relatively low levels of retinal vitamin E, particularly in the avascular region, but contain an abundance of retinal vitamin C. These data further suggest that vitamin E supplementation results in a rapid increase in retinal vitamin E levels, particularly in infants greater than 27 weeks gestational age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30527563,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Emergency Medicine Evaluation and Management of Small Bowel Obstruction: Evidence-Based Recommendations.\nSmall bowel obstruction (SBO) is a commonly diagnosed disease in the emergency department (ED). Recent literature has evaluated the ED investigation and management of SBO. This review evaluates the ED investigation and management of adult SBO based on the current literature. SBO is most commonly due to occlusion of the small intestine, resulting in fluid and gas accumulation. This may progress to mucosal ischemia, necrosis, and perforation. A variety of etiologies are present, but in adults, adhesions are the most common cause. Several classification systems are present. However, the most important distinction is complete vs. partial and complicated vs. simple obstruction, as complete complicated SBO more commonly requires surgical intervention. History and physical examination can vary, but the most reliable findings include prior abdominal surgery, history of constipation, abdominal distension, and abnormal bowel sounds. Signs of strangulation include fever, hypotension, diffuse abdominal pain, peritonitis, and several others. Diagnosis typically requires imaging, and though plain radiographs are often ordered, they cannot exclude the diagnosis. Computed tomography and ultrasound are reliable diagnostic methods. Management includes intravenous fluid resuscitation, analgesia, and determining need for operative vs. nonoperative therapy. Nasogastric tube is useful for patients with significant distension and vomiting by removing contents proximal to the site of obstruction. Surgery is needed for strangulation and those that fail nonoperative therapy. Surgical service evaluation and admission are recommended. SBO is a common reason for admission from the ED. Knowledge of recent literature can optimize diagnosis and management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18055267,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Patients' self-criticism is a stronger predictor of physician's evaluation of prognosis than pain diagnosis or severity in chronic pain patients.\nThe experience of pain is influenced by patients' personality, social and cultural background, and patient-doctor interaction. This study examines the role of self-reported pain, pain diagnosis, age, gender, depression, and the personality trait of self-criticism (defined as individuals' tendency to set unrealistically high self-standards and to adopt a punitive stance toward one's self), in determining physicians' view of expected prognosis in response to chronic pain management. Before the first visit to a tertiary chronic pain clinic, patients provided information regarding their perceived pain, depression, and self-criticism. Immediately subsequent to the visit, physicians' evaluated expected prognosis. Participating physicians were blinded to the patient's psychosocial variables collected. Sixty-four patients with chronic pain (34 women and 30 men) with various diagnoses were included. Patients' age, gender, pain diagnosis, self-reported pain, and depression did not significantly correlate with physician's estimation of expected prognosis. In contrast, patients' self-criticism emerged as an independent predictor of physicians' pessimism regarding outcome. Thus, in the chronic pain clinic setting, patients' personality, rather than self-reported pain experience, determines doctor's clinical judgment of expected prognosis. Chronic pain is a multimodal negative experience that is determined by physiological, cognitive, personological, and interpersonal factors. In line with this observation, we found patients' personality, specifically, their self-criticism, determines physicians' clinical judgment of expected prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11482989,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cholesterol screening among children and their parents.\nThe Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities (CARDIAC) project is designed to test the hypothesis that universal cholesterol screening of prepubertal schoolchildren is effective in identifying children and their parents at risk of developing premature coronary heart disease (CHD) in a high-risk rural population. Seven hundred nine fifth-grade schoolchildren from seven rural Appalachian counties participated in a school-based cholesterol screening program. Family history of premature CHD, anthropometric and blood pressure measurement, tobacco smoke exposure, dietary history, and physical activity levels were collected. One-fourth (174) of the children were \"presumptively\" dyslipidemic upon measurement of nonfasting finger-stick blood cholesterol (FSC). Subsequent fasting lipid profile obtained for 63 of these children and 79 of their parents confirmed the presence of dyslipidemia in 37 children (59%) and 52 parents (66%). Among confirmed dyslipidemic children, family history was not a good predictor of dyslipidemia (sensitivity 21.6%). FSC levels were significantly correlated with fasting total cholesterol of children and their parents. Universal nonfasting FSC screening of prepubertal schoolchildren is effective in identifying dyslipidemic children and their parents, whereas family history has low sensitivity in predicting children with elevated blood cholesterol concentrations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17615248,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Neuroanatomical correlates of fluid intelligence in healthy adults and persons with vascular risk factors.\nThe main objective of this study was to examine the effects of regional brain changes on cognitive decline and the modifying influence of vascular risk (VR) factors. We present latent difference score analyses of associations among 5-year changes in 12 regional brain volumes and age-sensitive cognitive functions in 87 adults (32 with identifiable VR factors). We found reliable individual differences in volume change for 11 of the 12 brain regions but not in the cognitive measures that showed average longitudinal decline. Thus, associations between rates of change in fluid intelligence and brain volumes could not be assessed. We observed, however, that lower levels of fluid intelligence were associated with smaller prefrontal and hippocampal volumes. Lower fluid intelligence scores were also linked to greater longitudinal shrinkage of the entorhinal cortex (EC). After accounting for the effects of age, sex, and VR factors, the orbitofrontal cortex and the prefrontal white matter (PFw) volumes as well as the 5-year change in the EC volume predicted fluid intelligence level. VR was independently associated with smaller prefrontal volumes and lower fluid intelligence. Thus, prefrontal and medial-temporal systems may play different roles in age-related differences and changes in cognitive performance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8069780,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of a chromated-copper-arsenate wood preservative on the bacterial degradation of pentachlorophenol.\nThe effect of a chromated-copper-arsenate wood preservative on the degradation of pentachlorophenol by Flavobacterium sp. strain ATCC 53874 was examined in liquid culture. Both a commercially available and a laboratory-prepared formulation were tested. Each increased the lag time required for measurable pentachlorophenol degradation and the time required for complete degradation to nondetectable levels. This response was noted at all pentachlorophenol concentrations examined (10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 micrograms.mL-1). The commercial formulation of chromated-copper-arsenate had the more significant impact on pentachlorophenol degradation. Inhibitory effects were evident at chromated-copper-arsenate component metal concentrations 0.1-0.5 mg.L-1. These levels are thousands of times below those used commercially.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33540773,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Bringing Onco-Innovation to Europe's Healthcare Systems: The Potential of Biomarker Testing, Real World Evidence, Tumour Agnostic Therapies to Empower Personalised Medicine.\nRapid and continuing advances in biomarker testing are not being matched by uptake in health systems, and this is hampering both patient care and innovation. It also risks costing health systems the opportunity to make their services more efficient and, over time, more economical. The potential that genomics has brought to biomarker testing in diagnosis, prediction and research is being realised, pre-eminently in many cancers, but also in an ever-wider range of conditions-notably BRCA1\/2 testing in ovarian, breast, pancreatic and prostate cancers. Nevertheless, the implementation of genetic testing in clinical routine setting is still challenging. Development is impeded by country-related heterogeneity, data deficiencies, and lack of policy alignment on standards, approval-and the role of real-world evidence in the process-and reimbursement. The acute nature of the problem is compellingly illustrated by the particular challenges facing the development and use of tumour agnostic therapies, where the gaps in preparedness for taking advantage of this innovative approach to cancer therapy are sharply exposed. Europe should already have in place a guarantee of universal access to a minimum suite of biomarker tests and should be planning for an optimum testing scenario with a wider range of biomarker tests integrated into a more sophisticated health system articulated around personalised medicine. Improving healthcare and winning advantages for Europe's industrial competitiveness and innovation require an appropriate policy framework-starting with an update to outdated recommendations. We show herein the main issues and proposals that emerged during the previous advisory boards organised by the European Alliance for Personalized Medicine which mainly focus on possible scenarios of harmonisation of both oncogenetic testing and management of cancer patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11717249,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Selected contribution: Association of gender-related LMP2 inactivation with autoimmune pathogenesis.\nRecent results in an animal model of autoimmune diabetes, the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse, suggest a hypothesis to explain the role of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in autoimmunity. The genome MHC region contains immune response genes that are important for T cell education and antigen presentation by MHC molecules. Two such genes encoding the LMP2 and LMP7 proteasome subunits are located in this high-risk MHC genomic region. Proteasome containing the LMP2 subunit is essential for T cell education and proteolytically activates transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB. Splenocytes of NOD mouse with marked female specificity for disease expression are defective in LMP2 expression. The spontaneous defective LMP2 expression in NOD mice, which is gender biased toward female cohorts, is restricted to select lymphoid and myeloid cells and is developmentally controlled with lowered LMP2 protein and heightened tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced apoptosis. These defects are apparent only after approximately 7 wk of age. These data suggest a proteasome role in autoimmune progression, and a gender developmental and lineage restriction of LMP2 expression may contribute to the diverse autoimmune characteristics preferentially observed in female NOD mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27377668,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Isolation of protein complexes from the model legume Medicago truncatula by tandem affinity purification in hairy root cultures.\nTandem affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry (TAP-MS) is one of the most powerful techniques to isolate protein complexes and elucidate protein interaction networks. Here, we describe the development of a TAP-MS strategy for the model legume Medicago truncatula, which is widely studied for its ability to produce valuable natural products and to engage in endosymbiotic interactions. As biological material, transgenic hairy roots, generated through Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of M. truncatula seedlings, were used. As proof of concept, proteins involved in the cell cycle, transcript processing and jasmonate signalling were chosen as bait proteins, resulting in a list of putative interactors, many of which confirm the interologue concept of protein interactions, and which can contribute to biological information about the functioning of these bait proteins in planta. Subsequently, binary protein-protein interactions among baits and preys, and among preys were confirmed by a systematic yeast two-hybrid screen. Together, by establishing a M. truncatula TAP-MS platform, we extended the molecular toolbox of this model species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20445082,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prefrontal cortex lesions and sex differences in fear extinction and perseveration.\nElectrolytic lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex (PFCX) were examined using fear conditioning to assess the recall of fear extinction and performance in the Y-maze, open field, and object location\/recognition in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were conditioned to seven tone\/footshocks, followed by extinction after 1-h and 24-h delays, revealing PFCX effects and sex differences during all phases of fear conditioning. In male rats, PFCX impaired 24-h recall of fear extinction to tone, which required the 1-h delay extinction and was not attributed to nonassociative factors. In contrast, sham and PFCX females increased freezing to tone following a 24-h delay, whether or not 1-h delay tone extinction was presented. Moreover, PFCX females failed to extinguish to tone, contrasting to the robust extinction to tone that was observed for sham females, PFCX, and sham males. Also, sex differences were found during acquisition, with sham females acquiring fear conditioning slower than PFCX females. By the last tone-shock presentation, sham and PFCX females showed a slight but significant reduction in freezing to tone relative to those of sham and PFCX males. Of the other behavioral measures, PFCX females maintained exploration of a novel object during object recognition when sham females habituated. PFCX did not influence other behaviors in the remaining tasks. These findings show important sex differences in PFC function, with the PFC influencing the recall of fear extinction in males and contributing to the acquisition and maintenance of fear extinction memory in females, perhaps through altering perseveration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21430150,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The importance of being variable.\nNew work suggests that blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal variability can be a much more powerful index of human age than mean activation, and that older brains are actually less variable than younger brains. However, little is known of how BOLD variability and task performance may relate. In the current study, we examined BOLD variability in relation to age, and reaction time speed and consistency in healthy younger (20-30 years) and older (56-85 years) adults on three cognitive tasks (perceptual matching, attentional cueing, and delayed match-to-sample). Results indicated that younger, faster, and more consistent performers exhibited significantly higher brain variability across tasks, and showed greater variability-based regional differentiation compared with older, poorer-performing adults. Also, when we compared brain variability- and typical mean-based effects, the respective spatial patterns were essentially orthogonal across brain measures, and any regions that did overlap were largely opposite in directionality of effect. These findings help establish the functional basis of BOLD variability, and further support the statistical and spatial differentiation between BOLD variability and BOLD mean. We thus argue that the precise nature of relations between aging, cognition, and brain function is underappreciated by using mean-based brain measures exclusively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31647077,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Exploring chemical space with alchemical derivatives: alchemical transformations of H through Ar and their ions as a proof of concept.\nAlchemical derivatives have been used in recent years to obtain essentially qualitative information about transformations in which the number of electrons is unchanged. Within the context of Conceptual DFT, we present a systematic approach for combining changes in both the number of electrons and the nuclear charge so that for example one can navigate from one neutral atom to another. A general formalism is presented for transformations involving changes both in or , where Parr's parabolic approach for the dependence is considered as one particular case and the ensemble description in the 0 K limit as the second case. The B3LYP functional in its CAMB3LYP version combined with the aug-cc-pCVQZ basis has been chosen to perform Coupled Perturbed Kohn Sham calculations of the alchemical derivatives. The monotonic behaviour of the alchemical potential is scrutinised. The order of magnitude analysis of the derivatives preludes convergence at third order. These results are injected in two strategies for obtaining transmutation energies from neutral atoms to a neighbouring neutral atom: one road moving along the diagonal, the other one walking along a pure alchemical road after ionisation or electron attachment. Roads involving the anion of the reference atom are much less successful than those involving its cation. The transmutation energy for the cationic pathway displays chemical accuracy when the procedure is carried at third order in . The difficulties inherent to an accurate description of the anion and its response functions are responsible for the shortcomings along the anionic paths. As a direct application Ionization Energies (IE) and Electron Affinities (EA) are evaluated showing an almost perfect agreement with the direct evaluation and a difference with experimental values less than 0.5 eV for the IE. For the first EA reasonable agreement is obtained with direct and experimental values whereas the second EAs for atoms with stable mono-anions show a remarkable agreement with literature data. Besides proof of concept that with the information content of an atom one can get accurate energetics of its neighbours, the results indicate that alchemical derivatives are capable to yield quantitative information when navigating through Chemical Compound Space.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16196550,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Elastic wave propagation in confined granular systems.\nWe present numerical simulations of acoustic wave propagation in confined granular systems consisting of particles interacting with the three-dimensional Hertz-Mindlin force law. The response to a short mechanical excitation on one side of the system is found to be a propagating coherent wave front followed by random oscillations made of multiply scattered waves. We find that the coherent wave front is insensitive to details of the packing: force chains do not play an important role in determining this wave front. The coherent wave propagates linearly in time, and its amplitude and width depend as a power law on distance, while its velocity is roughly compatible with the predictions of macroscopic elasticity. As there is at present no theory for the broadening and decay of the coherent wave, we numerically and analytically study pulse propagation in a one-dimensional chain of identical elastic balls. The results for the broadening and decay exponents of this system differ significantly from those of the random packings. In all our simulations, the speed of the coherent wave front scales with pressure as p1\/6; we compare this result with experimental data on various granular systems where deviations from the p1\/6 behavior are seen. We briefly discuss the eigenmodes of the system and effects of damping are investigated as well.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30735989,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Mapping Biological Current Densities With Ultrafast Acoustoelectric Imaging: Application to the Beating Rat Heart.\nUltrafast acoustoelectric imaging (UAI) is a novel method for the mapping of biological current densities, which may improve the diagnosis and monitoring of cardiac activation diseases such as arrhythmias. This paper evaluates the feasibility of performing UAI in beating rat hearts. A previously described system based on a 256-channel ultrasound research platform fitted with a 5-MHz linear array was used for simultaneous UAI, ultrafast B-mode, and electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings. In this paper, rat hearts (n = 4) were retroperfused within a Langendorff isolated heart system. A pair of Ag\/Cl electrodes were positioned on the epicardium to simultaneously record ECG and UAI signals for imaging frame rates of up to 1000 Hz and a mechanical index of 1.3. To account for the potential effect of motion on the UAI maps, acquisitions for n = 3 hearts were performed with and without suppression of the mechanical contraction using 2,3-butanedione monoxime. Current densities were detected for all four rats in the region of the atrio-ventricular node, with an average contrast-to-noise ratios of 12. The UAI signals' frequency matched the sinus rhythm, even without mechanical contraction, suggesting that the signals measured correspond to physiological electrical activation. UAI signals appeared at the apex and within the ventricular walls with a delay estimated at 29 ms. Finally, the signals from different electrode positions along the myocardium wall showed the possibility of mapping the electrical activation throughout the heart. These results show the potential of UAI for cardiac activation mapping in vivo and in real time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36158988,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Oral metronomic chemotherapy as a feasible preoperative therapy in advanced resectable oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas- a preliminary experience.\nSurgery is an important component of multimodality treatment in advanced oral cavity cancers. But in low-middle-income countries like India, with limited centres offering complex head and neck surgeries, prolonged waiting times for surgery is a major problem. An increase in waiting times for treatment has been shown to be a negative prognosticator in head and neck cancer and many patients can develop interim progression making them ineligible for radical treatment. We share our preliminary experience of using oral metronomic chemotherapy as a preoperative treatment in patients expecting delay in surgery. This was a retrospective analysis of case records of patients with resectable Stage III and Stage IV (IVA & IVB) oral cavity cancers who had received preoperative oral metronomic chemotherapy (POMT). The POMT schedule consisted of oral Methotrexate 15 mg\/m2 weekly, Celecoxib 200 mg twice daily and Erlotinib 100 mg daily. Clinico-radiological assessments were done prior to surgery using standard response assessment criteria. A total of 68 patients received POMT with a median age of 55 years (range: 34-73 years). Forty-eight (70%) were males, 29 (42%) had carcinoma tongue and majority (N = 52, 76%) had Stage IVA cancer. Mean duration of POMT administration was 30.45 days (standard deviation: 8.22). Thirty-seven (54%) patients had partial responses and another 23 (34%) had stable disease. Two (3%) had disease progression on POMT. Fifty-eight (85%) underwent surgery after POMT. Margin positive resection was seen in two patients. Half of the patients who received POMT did not experience any toxicity. Grade 3\/4 toxicities were seen in four (6%) patients. POMT is a feasible strategy worth considering in cases where there are prolonged waiting times to surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37773774,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Deletions within intronic T-DNA lead to reversion of T-DNA mutant phenotypes.\nAgrobacterium-mediated transformation enables random transfer-DNA (T-DNA) insertion into plant genomes. T-DNA insertion into a gene's exons, introns or untranscribed regions close to the start or stop codon can disrupt gene function. Such T-DNA mutants have been useful for reverse genetics analysis, especially in Arabidopsis thaliana. As T-DNAs are inserted into genomic DNA, they are generally believed to be stably inherited. Here, we report a phenomenon of reversion of intronic T-DNA mutant phenotypes. From a suppressor screen using intronic T-DNA pi4k\u03b21,2 double mutant, we recovered intragenic mutants of pi4k\u03b21, which suppressed the autoimmunity of the double mutant. These mutants carried deletions in the intronic T-DNAs, resulting in elevated transcription of normal PI4K\u03b21. Such reversion of T-DNA insertional mutant phenotype stresses the need for caution when using intronic T-DNA mutants and reiterates the importance of using irreversible null mutant alleles in genetic analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14617412,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Knotting Swan-Ganz catheter in right pulmonary artery].\nKnotting Swan-Ganz catheter is a rare complication of hemodynamic monitoring. This is the second case reported in Mexico in over 20 years. Identified risk factors that increase likelihood of loop formation knotting of the catheter are blind introduction and small diameter of catheter, incomplete balloon inflation before advancing it, several tries to wedge it, bending of the catheter by heat, and enlarged right heart chambers. More frequent sites of knotting are right atrium and ventricle, subclavian vein, and pulmonary artery and its branches. Diagnostic confirmation is made by chest radiography, fluoroscopy, and echocardiography. Therapeutic approach depends on knot characteristics, either non-surgical or surgical.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23614026,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Defining the genomic signature of totipotency and pluripotency during early human development.\nThe genetic mechanisms governing human pre-implantation embryo development and the in vitro counterparts, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), still remain incomplete. Previous global genome studies demonstrated that totipotent blastomeres from day-3 human embryos and pluripotent inner cell masses (ICMs) from blastocysts, display unique and differing transcriptomes. Nevertheless, comparative gene expression analysis has revealed that no significant differences exist between hESCs derived from blastomeres versus those obtained from ICMs, suggesting that pluripotent hESCs involve a new developmental progression. To understand early human stages evolution, we developed an undifferentiation network signature (UNS) and applied it to a differential gene expression profile between single blastomeres from day-3 embryos, ICMs and hESCs. This allowed us to establish a unique signature composed of highly interconnected genes characteristic of totipotency (61 genes), in vivo pluripotency (20 genes), and in vitro pluripotency (107 genes), and which are also proprietary according to functional analysis. This systems biology approach has led to an improved understanding of the molecular and signaling processes governing human pre-implantation embryo development, as well as enabling us to comprehend how hESCs might adapt to in vitro culture conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32388851,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[The underestimated value of science in psychiatry].\nPsychiatry is a special but complicated medical specialty as it focuses on the most elusive of all suffering in medicine: mental suffering. AIM: Description of the (desired) role of science in psychiatry. METHOD: Essay based on relevant literature. RESULTS: Science constitutes the basis of psychiatry and is essential for daily practice. A methodologically broad view on science can provide new knowledge and better care in psychiatry without falling prey to reductionism. The doubt and nuance inherent in science is also valuable to avoid unnecessary ideological debates in psychiatry and to give room to meaningful discussions. Nevertheless, investments in science within psychiatry are relatively limited, particularly in view of the suffering and costs related to psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSION: Psychiatry has greatly benefited from science. However, science should also lead to modesty and doubt about the current state of knowledge. This paradox should be an incentive to embrace science as the basis of psychiatry while avoiding reductionism. This essay discusses a number of ways how this could be realized.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24985584,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Heparin inhibits burn-induced spleen cell apoptosis by suppressing interleukin-1 expression.\nEpidermal burn injury may trigger significant apoptosis of the spleen cells, which might be caused by a burn-induced systemic inflammatory reaction. Heparin has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory properties. Interleukin 1 (IL-1) is centrally important among pro-inflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that heparin might inhibit burn-induced apoptosis in the spleen via suppression of the IL-1 pathway. Burn injury was performed on IL-1 R+\/+ ( IL-1 receptor wild-type mouse) and IL-1 R-\/- (IL-1 receptor knock-out mouse) mice, and they were then treated with heparin, saline or IL-1 receptor antagonist IL-Ra. Apoptosis, IL-1\u03b1 and IL-1\u03b2 expression were assessed in the spleens and serum. Survival curve analysis was further applied to elucidate the mechanism of heparin's protective properties. Burn induced significant apoptosis (sham: 3.6%\u00b1 2.1% vs. burn: 28.8%\u00b1 5.9%; P < 0.001) and remarkable expression o IL-1\u03b1 and IL-1\u03b2 in the mouse spleens and serum. Heparin reduced the burn-induced apoptosis in the spleens (heparin treated: 8.6%\u00b1 3.4%, P < 0.005), which could be blocked by IL-1Ra. Heparin markedly decreased both IL-1\u03b1 and IL-1\u03b2 expression in the spleens and serum of burned mice. IL-1 R-\/- mice demonstrated considerably less apoptosis in the spleens and had a higher survival rate after burns. Heparin did not significantly decrease apoptosis in the spleen and the mortality rate in IL-1 R-\/- mice after burns. Heparin inhibits burn-induced apoptosis of the spleen cells by suppressing IL-1 expression in mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30966191,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Catechol End-Functionalized Polylactide by Organocatalyzed Ring-Opening Polymerization.\nThere is a great interest in incorporating catechol moieties into polymers in a controlled manner due to their interesting properties, such as the promotion of adhesion, redox activity or bioactivity. One possibility is to incorporate the catechol as end-group in a polymer chain using a functional initiator by means of controlled polymerization strategies. Nevertheless, the instability of catechol moieties under oxygen and basic pH requires tedious protection and deprotection steps to perform the polymerization in a controlled fashion. In the present work, we explore the organocatalyzed synthesis of catechol end-functional, semi-telechelic polylactide (PLLA) using non-protected dopamine, catechol molecule containing a primary amine, as initiator. NMR and SEC-IR results showed that in the presence of a weak organic base such as triethylamine, the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide takes place in a controlled manner without need of protecting the cathechol units. To further confirm the end-group fidelity the catechol containing PLLA was characterized by Cyclic Voltammetry and MALDI-TOF confirming the absence of side reaction during the polymerization. In order to exploit the potential of catechol moieties, catechol end-group of PLLA was oxidized to quinone and further reacted with aliphatic amines. In addition, we also confirmed the ability of catechol functionalized PLLA to reduce metal ions to metal nanoparticles to obtain well distributed silver nanoparticles. It is expected that this new route of preparing catechol-PLLA polymers without protection will increase the accessibility of catechol containing biodegradable polymers by ROP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30963832,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The pursuit strategy of predatory bluefish ( Pomatomus saltatrix).\nA predator's ability to capture prey depends critically on how it coordinates its approach in response to a prey's motion. Flying insects, bats and raptors are capable of capturing prey with a strategy known as parallel navigation, which allows a predator to move directly towards the anticipated point of interception. It is unclear if predators using other modes of locomotion are employing this strategy when pursuing evasive prey. Using kinematic measurements and mathematical modelling, we tested whether bluefish ( Pomatomus saltatrix) pursue prey fish ( Fundulus heteroclitus) with parallel navigation. We found that the directional changes of bluefish were not consistent with this strategy, but rather were predicted by a strategy known as deviated pursuit. Although deviated pursuit requires few sensory cues and relatively modest motor coordination, a comparison of mathematical models suggested negligible differences in path length from parallel navigation, largely owing to the acceleration exhibited by bluefish near the end of a pursuit. Therefore, the strategy of bluefish is unlike flying predators, but offers comparable performance with potentially more robust control that may be well suited to the visual system and habitat of fishes. These findings offer a foundation for understanding the sensing and locomotor control of predatory fishes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2275273,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Nutrition and the problem of maternal and neonatal health].\nActual nutrition patterns of pregnant women, breast-feeding mothers, and young children were analysed together with the breast milk composition in different regions of this country. The influence of maternal nutrition on the breast milk composition and infant health status is demonstrated. Special attention is devoted to the development and use of new food products for feeding healthy and sick children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7773097,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The pharmacological activity of carnosine].\nThe properties of the histidine-containing dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-L-histidine) and its possible biological role are considered. The agent is discussed in terms of its antioxidative and immunomodulating effects on the body. A history of its discovery and investigations of the therapeutical benefits are outlined. The data given indicate that there are great perspectives in expensively using carnosine as a drug.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23255789,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Antioxidant treatment regulates the humoral immune response during acute viral infection.\nGeneration of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) following antigen receptor ligation is critical to promote cellular responses. However, the effect of antioxidant treatment on humoral immunity during a viral infection was unknown. Mice were infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and treated with Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid)porphyrin chloride (MnTBAP), a superoxide dismutase mimetic, from days 0 to 8 postinfection. On day 8, at the peak of the splenic response in vehicle-treated mice, virus-specific IgM and IgG antibody-secreting cells (ASC) were decreased 22- and 457-fold in MnTBAP-treated animals. By day 38, LCMV-specific IgG ASC were decreased 5-fold in the bone marrow of drug-treated mice, and virus-specific antibodies were of lower affinity. Interestingly, antioxidant treatment had no effect on the number of LCMV-specific IgG memory B cells. In addition to decreases in ASC, MnTBAP treatment decreased the number of functional virus-specific CD4(+) T cells. The decreased numbers of ASC observed on day 8 in drug-treated mice were due to a combination of Bim-mediated cell death and decreased proliferation. Together, these data demonstrate that ROI regulate antiviral ASC expansion and have important implications for understanding the effects of antioxidants on humoral immunity during infection and immunization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36260601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Large-bodied ornithomimosaurs inhabited Appalachia during the Late Cretaceous of North America.\nReconstructing the evolution, diversity, and paleobiogeography of North America's Late Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages require spatiotemporally contiguous data; however, there remains a spatial and temporal disparity in dinosaur data on the continent. The rarity of vertebrate-bearing sedimentary deposits representing Turonian-Santonian ecosystems, and the relatively sparse record of dinosaurs from the eastern portion of the continent, present persistent challenges for studies of North American dinosaur evolution. Here we describe an assemblage of ornithomimosaurian materials from the Santonian Eutaw Formation of Mississippi. Morphological data coupled with osteohistological growth markers suggest the presence of two taxa of different body sizes, including one of the largest ornithomimosaurians known worldwide. The regression predicts a femoral circumference and a body mass of the Eutaw individuals similar to or greater than that of large-bodied ornithomimosaurs, Beishanlong grandis, and Gallimimus bullatus. The paleoosteohistology of MMNS VP-6332 demonstrates that the individual was at least ten years of age (similar to B. grandis [~375 kg, 13-14 years old at death]). Additional pedal elements share some intriguing features with ornithomimosaurs, yet suggest a larger-body size closer to Deinocheirus mirificus. The presence of a large-bodied ornithomimosaur in this region during this time is consistent with the relatively recent discoveries of early-diverging, large-bodied ornithomimosaurs from mid-Cretaceous strata of Laurasia (Arkansaurus fridayi and B. grandis). The smaller Eutaw taxon is represented by a tibia preserving seven growth cycles, with osteohistological indicators of decreasing growth, yet belongs to an individual approaching somatic maturity, suggesting the co-existence of medium- and large-bodied ornithomimosaur taxa during the Late Cretaceous Santonian of North America. The Eutaw ornithomimosaur materials provide key information on the diversity and distribution of North American ornithomimosaurs and Appalachian dinosaurs and fit with broader evidence of multiple cohabiting species of ornithomimosaurian dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous ecosystems of Laurasia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31971424,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Temporary PTSD symptom increases among individuals receiving CPT in a hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial: Potential predictors and association with overall symptom change trajectory.\nConcern about symptom worsening with trauma-focused treatment may be one factor hindering the implementation of evidence-based treatments for PTSD, like cognitive processing therapy (CPT), despite evidence for their efficacy. Previous studies have examined the frequency and effect of symptom exacerbation, or temporary symptom increases, on outcomes, but primarily in randomized clinical trials. We examined this issue in a community sample of participants receiving CPT from front-line clinicians learning to deliver CPT in a randomized controlled implementation trial of training strategies. Patient participants (n = 183) completed self-report measures of PTSD symptoms at each session. Most participants (67.3%) experienced at least one temporary symptom increase during CPT (only 1.6% continued to have higher symptoms by the end of treatment). Demographic variables, comorbid conditions (i.e., depression, anxiety, substance use), and baseline PTSD symptom levels did not predict symptom increases. Importantly, symptom increases did not predict treatment noncompletion, posttreatment PTSD symptom levels, or loss of probable PTSD diagnosis. Moreover, growth curve modeling revealed that temporary symptom increases did not predict the trajectory of PTSD symptoms over the course of treatment. The rates of symptom increases, which were higher than in previous studies, may be attributed to a routine care sample or to the differences in session timing and measurement. These results add to a nascent literature documenting that symptom increases may be a normal, transient part of treatment that do not impact a patient's ability to have symptom improvement during a course of CPT. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30141522,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"First report of sexually transmitted multi-drug resistant Shigella sonnei infections in Switzerland, investigated by whole genome sequencing.\nShigella sonnei causes foodborne infections, but has recently also been described as a sexually transmitted infection (STI), with increased levels of antimicrobial resistance. We describe three cases of sexually acquired Shigella sonnei infection - the first report of this emerging infection in Switzerland. We used in-house whole genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate possible transmission routes and epidemiological correlations between the three cases. The genomic analysis demonstrated that two of three case isolates were very closely related, with only two single nucleotide polymorphism differences between them, despite being isolated from two unrelated patients at time-points six months apart, and the infections having been acquired at different geographic locations within Europe. All three isolates were found to fall within two of the clusters (1 and 7) defined within UK men who have sex with men (MSM) isolate populations, but with higher divergence, suggesting a more diverse pool circulating within Europe. Phenotypic testing confirmed the genotypic findings, with all three isolates azithromycin resistant, and two out of three resistant to quinolones. This report underlines the importance of the implementation of new sequencing technologies in the investigation of epidemiological aspects of this STI circulating in the population of MSM. In such cases, therapy should always be guided by antimicrobial susceptibility testing owing to increasing resistances. Greater awareness of this emerging sexually transmitted infection is needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18671867,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cutaneous nociception evoked by 15-delta PGJ2 via activation of ion channel TRPA1.\nA number of prostaglandins (PGs) sensitize dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons and contribute to inflammatory hyperalgesia by signaling through specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). One mechanism whereby PGs sensitize these neurons is through modulation of \"thermoTRPs,\" a subset of ion channels activated by temperature belonging to the Transient Receptor Potential ion channel superfamily. Acrid, electrophilic chemicals including cinnamaldehyde (CA) and allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), derivatives of cinnamon and mustard oil respectively, activate thermoTRP member TRPA1 via direct modification of channel cysteine residues. Our search for endogenous chemical activators utilizing a bioactive lipid library screen identified a cyclopentane PGD2 metabolite, 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), as a TRPA1 agonist. Similar to CA and AITC, this electrophilic molecule is known to modify cysteines of cellular target proteins. Electophysiological recordings verified that 15d-PGJ2 specifically activates TRPA1 and not TRPV1 or TRPM8 (thermoTRPs also enriched in DRG). Accordingly, we identified a population of mouse DRG neurons responsive to 15d-PGJ2 and AITC that is absent in cultures derived from TRPA1 knockout mice. The irritant molecules that activate TRPA1 evoke nociceptive responses. However, 15d-PGJ2 has not been correlated with painful sensations; rather, it is considered to mediate anti-inflammatory processes via binding to the nuclear peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma). Our in vivo studies revealed that 15d-PGJ2 induced acute nociceptive responses when administered cutaneously. Moreover, mice deficient in the TRPA1 channel failed to exhibit such behaviors. In conclusion, we show that 15d-PGJ2 induces acute nociception when administered cutaneously and does so via a TRPA1-specific mechanism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28553078,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of metformin extended release compared to immediate release formula on glycemic control and glycemic variability in patients with type 2 diabetes.\nThe purpose of this study is to evaluate, in a randomized clinical trial, the effects of metformin immediate release (IR) compared with metformin extended release (XR) on the gastrointestinal tolerability and glycemic control. We enrolled 253 Caucasian patients with type 2 diabetes not well controlled by diet (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] >7.0% and <8.5%). Patients were randomized to metformin IR or metformin XR for a period of 6 months at the maximum tolerated dose. The average dose of metformin IR used was 2,000\u00b11,000 mg\/day, while that of metformin XR was 1,000\u00b1500 mg\/day. We evaluated body weight, HbA1c, fasting and postprandial glucose, fasting plasma insulin (FPI) and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipid profile, and levels of some adipocytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1 (TNF-\u03b1), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), visfatin, and vaspin. Moreover, at the baseline and after 6 months, we administered patients some validated questionnaires to assess patients' satisfaction toward treatments. After 6 months, both formulations gave a similar reduction in body weight and body mass index (BMI); however, metformin XR gave a greater improvement in glycemic control, FPI, and HOMA-IR, compared with both baseline and metformin IR. A reduction in total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was observed with metformin XR compared with IR. Levels of TNF-\u03b1, hs-CRP, and vaspin were reduced by metformin XR but not by the IR formulation. Metformin XR also raised the levels of visfatin. Metformin XR formulation seems to be more effective than metformin IR in improving glyco-metabolic control, lipid profile, and levels of some adipocytokines in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20465596,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Shades of meaning: the pigment-type switching system as a tool for discovery.\nThe pigment-type switching system, which controls whether melanocytes produce black\/brown eumelanin or yellow\/red pheomelanin, is responsible for many familiar coat coloration patterns in both domestic and wild mammals. In conjunction with the accessory proteins attractin and mahogunin ring finger 1, endogenous agonists and antagonists modulate signaling by the melanocortin 1 receptor to determine pigment type. Mutations in pigment-type switching genes can cause a variety of pleiotropic phenotypes, and these are often similar between mutants at different loci because the proteins encoded by these genes act together as part of conserved molecular pathways that are deployed in multiple biological contexts. When this is the case, pigment-type switching provides a powerful model system for elucidating the shared molecular mechanisms underlying the pigmentary and non-pigmentary phenotypes. This review outlines the current understanding of the pigment-type switching pathway and discusses the opportunities that exist for exploring the molecular basis of pleiotropic phenotypes using this model system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33071718,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Gender-Specific Risk Factors and Comorbidities of Bothersome Tinnitus.\nThis study aims to identify gender-specific risk factors associated with the presence of bothersome tinnitus (compared with non-bothersome tinnitus), including sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, tinnitus-associated phenomena (hearing loss, traumatic experiences, sleep disturbances), and physical as well as mental comorbidities. We conducted a cross-sectional study using survey data from the Swedish LifeGene cohort containing information on self-reported tinnitus (N = 7615). We (1) analyzed risk factor and comorbidity frequencies, (2) computed multivariate logistic regression models to identify predictors of bothersome tinnitus within both genders, and (3) moderated logistic regression models to compare effects between genders. (1) The majority of factors that differed in frequencies between bothersome and non-bothersome tinnitus were equal for both genders. Women with bothersome tinnitus specifically reported higher rates of cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and burnout, and men with bothersome tinnitus reported higher rates of alcohol consumption, M\u00e9ni\u00e8re's disease, anxiety syndrome, and panic (compared with non-bothersome tinnitus, respectively). (2) Across both genders, multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed significant associations between bothersome tinnitus and age, reduced hearing ability, hearing-related difficulties in social situations, and reduced sleep quality. In women, bothersome tinnitus was specifically associated with cardiovascular disease and epilepsy; in men, with lower education levels and anxiety syndrome. (3) Moderated logistic regression analyses revealed that the effects of low education and anxiety syndrome were present in men, but not in women, whereas the effects of age, reduced hearing ability and related difficulties, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, and burnout were not gender specific. Irrespective of gender, bothersome tinnitus is associated with higher age, reduced hearing ability, hearing-related difficulties, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, and burnout. Gender-specific effects comprise low levels of education and the presence of anxiety syndrome for men. These findings need to be interpreted with caution, yet they suggest the presence of gender-specific biopsychosocial influences in the emergence or maintenance of bothersome tinnitus. Future studies ought to investigate the underlying mechanisms of the observed relationships.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":620373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Symposium on intensive care: 1. Monitoring of the critically ill surgical patient.\nThe skill and experience of the medical and nursing staff are the factors that have the greatest impact on the quality of monitoring and treatment of the critically ill surgical patient. Basic determinations at the bedside together with periodic evaluation of the whole patient by the medical staff may, in selected cases, be supplemented usefully by more invasive monitoring techniques. The specific complications and technical pitfalls of these techniques should be known, and caution should always be exercised that the values provided are not misinterpreted. A critical care area serving a major teritary referral hospital should be able to measure pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and cardiac output. Mixed venous oxygen content and arterial lactate concentration, as indices of oxygen delivery, are also useful measures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7565065,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Polyarteritis nodosa related to hepatitis B virus. A prospective study with long-term observation of 41 patients.\nHepatitis B virus (HBV)-related polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is a rare disease whose frequency has been decreasing over the past 10 years. We evaluated 41 patients with HBV-related PAN to determine the circumstances leading to infection, the clinical features of vasculitis, the prognostic factors, and the response to therapy. Most patients were first treated briefly with corticosteroids, and all were included in 2 nonrandomized prospective therapeutic trials of an antiviral agent (35 patients with vidarabine, 6 patients with interferon-alpha 2b) and plasma exchanges. The mean duration of follow-up was 69.6 +\/- 44.8 months. At the end of the study, 21 (51.2%) patients had seroconverted to anti-HBeAb and 10 (24.4%) also had seroconverted to anti-HBsAb. In all, 23 (56%) patients no longer expressed serologic evidence of HBV replication. All 33 (80.5%) patients still alive at the end of follow-up recovered from PAN. Nineteen also recovered from HBV infection and were considered to be cured; 13 patients had persistent HBV infection and were considered to be in clinical recovery; and 1 patient was in remission, maintained with steroid therapy. Eight patients died during the study period; 3 deaths were directly attributable to PAN. HBV-related PAN is an acute disease, occurring shortly after infection and sharing the characteristics of classic PAN. It is not an antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA)-mediated vasculitis. The outcome was good for patients treated with short-term steroid therapy, antiviral agents, and plasma exchanges. We propose this protocol as the first treatment for HBV-related PAN, because it surpasses the conventional treatment with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide, which facilitates viral replication and the development of chronic HBV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17468244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A single, specific thymine mutation in the ComK-binding site severely decreases binding and transcription activation by the competence transcription factor ComK of Bacillus subtilis.\nThe competence transcription factor ComK plays a central role in competence development in Bacillus subtilis by activating the transcription of the K regulon. ComK-activated genes are characterized by the presence of a specific sequence to which ComK binds, a K-box, in their upstream DNA region. Each K-box consists of two AT-boxes with the consensus sequence AAAA-(N)(5)-TTTT, which are separated by a flexible spacer resulting in either two, three, or four helical turns between the starting nucleotides of the repeating AT-box units. In this study, the effects of potential determinants of ComK regulation in K-boxes were investigated by testing ComK's transcription activation and DNA-binding affinity on altered K-boxes with mutations either in the spacer between the AT-boxes or in the consensus sequence of the AT-boxes. The most striking result demonstrates the importance of the second thymine base in the AT-boxes. Mutation of this T into a guanine resulted in a threefold reduction in transcription activation and DNA binding by ComK. Transcription activation, as well as DNA binding, was almost completely abolished when both AT-boxes contained a T(2)-to-G mutation. This result was corroborated by in silico analyses demonstrating that a combination of mutations at the T(2) positions of both AT-boxes is not found among any ComK-activated K-boxes, indicating that at least one consensus T(2) position is required to maintain a functional K-box. The results suggest an important structural role for T(2) in ComK binding, probably by its specific position in the minor groove of the DNA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2333775,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Phlebectasis of the external jugular vein].\nPhlebactasia of the external jugular vein is a rare nosological entity. Few reports appeared in the world literature. Clinically it presents as a cervical mass enlarging with a Valsalva maneuver. The Authors present one clinical case, emphasizing the possibilities of Computed Tomography (CT) in a precise diagnosis, etiological and topographical, without using other invasive modalities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25033576,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"What kind of milk can prevent infant's sideropenic anemia--comparative study.\nThe most common cause of sideropenic anemia in infants, during the period of their fast growth and development, is inadequate nutrition or insufficient intake of food rich in iron. The aim of this paper is to provide the insight into the problem of anemia and to emphasize nutrition as an important etiologic factor in the onset and prevention of anemia in infants. Two retrospective studies were conducted at the Institute for Child and Youth Healthcare of Vojvodina. Department for Infant and Small Children's Pathology. The first study covered the period of eight years (1988-1995), and it included a total of 507 children, aged 1-24 months. The second study covered the period of two years (2010-2011) and a total of 290 children aged 1-12 months were included. The diagnosis of anemia was made according to clinical examination or after taking routine laboratory tests. According to the criteria of the World Health Organization, all children were divided into those with severe, moderate or mild anemia. Out of 507 children examined in the first study, 333 (65.68%) were breastfed, while 174 (34.32%) had never been breastfed. In the second study, 206 (71.03%) out of 290 children were breastfed, while 56 (19.31%) had never been breastfed. In both studies the highest percentage of children breastfed for the longest period was among children with mild form of anemia, while the children who were breastfed for the shortest period had severe anemia. In addition, the highest percentage of anemic children was supplementary fed with cow's milk in both studies. Short natural diet, early introduction of supplementation and choice of milk could be determining factors in the development and manifestation of anemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35590593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dynamical landscape of transitional pipe flow.\nThe transition to turbulence in pipes is characterized by a coexistence of laminar and turbulent states. At the lower end of the transition, localized turbulent pulses, called puffs, can be excited. Puffs can decay when rare fluctuations drive them close to an edge state lying at the phase-space boundary with laminar flow. At higher Reynolds numbers, homogeneous turbulence can be sustained, and dominates over laminar flow. Here we complete this landscape of localized states, placing it within a unified bifurcation picture. We demonstrate our claims within the Barkley model, and motivate them generally. Specifically, we suggest the existence of an antipuff and a gap-edge-states which mirror the puff and related edge state. Previously observed laminar gaps forming within homogeneous turbulence are then naturally identified as antipuffs nucleating and decaying through the gap edge. We also discuss alternatives to the suggested bifurcation diagram, which could be relevant for wall-bounded flows other than straight pipes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23617794,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Using aggregated single patient (N-of-1) trials to determine the effectiveness of psychostimulants to reduce fatigue in advanced cancer patients: a rationale and protocol.\nIt is estimated that 29% of deaths in Australia are caused by malignant disease each year and can be expected to increase with population ageing. In advanced cancer, the prevalence of fatigue is high at 70-90%, and can be related to the disease and\/or the treatment. The negative impact of fatigue on function (physical, mental, social and spiritual) and quality of life is substantial for many palliative patients as well as their families\/carers. This paper describes the design of single patient trials (n-of-1 s or SPTs) of a psychostimulant, methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) (5 mg bd), compared to placebo as a treatment for fatigue, with a population estimate of the benefit by the aggregation of multiple SPTs. Forty patients who have advanced cancer will be enrolled through specialist palliative care services in Australia. Patients will complete up to 3 cycles of treatment. Each cycle is 6 days long and has 3 days treatment and 3 days placebo. The order of treatment and placebo is randomly allocated for each cycle. The primary outcome is a reduction in fatigue severity as measured by the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-fatigue subscale (FACIT-F). Secondary outcomes include adverse events, quality of life, additional fatigue assessments, depression and Australian Karnovsky Performance Scale. This study will provide high-level evidence using a novel methodological approach about the effectiveness of psychostimulants for cancer-related fatigue. If effective, the findings will guide clinical practice in reducing this prevalent condition to improve function and quality of life. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609000794202.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15727385,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Coping styles of mothers with disabled children at rural community rehabilitation centres in Muar, Malaysia.\nChronic disability in children imposes great strains on a family. The responsibility of mothering disabled children may be detrimental to the well-being of mothers. This study aims to assess the different types of coping styles of mothers with disabled children and its influencing factors. It is a cross-sectional study using Coping Inventory Stressful Situation (CISS) scale to determine the mothers' coping styles. A sample of 81 mothers with disabled children attending two rural Community Rehabilitation Centres, were included in the study. Overall, the mothers were using a mixture of coping strategies. However, they scored more in the task-oriented (mean T score = 52.88) and emotion-oriented (mean T score = 50.52) coping styles, while the other subscales of coping styles, namely avoidance, distraction and social diversion were below average (mean T score < 50). Divorced mothers (p=0.04) and those with low educational level (p=0.00) were more inclined to use emotion-oriented coping strategies while mothers with younger children (< 5 years old) used more avoidance coping strategies (p=0.01). There were no significant difference of coping styles in association with the mothers' age, ethnicity, duration of marriage, number of siblings, child's birth order or gender. By understanding the mothers' coping styles, health care workers would be able to educate the mothers with effective coping strategies and consequently reduce their psychological distress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33824321,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Photoactivated nanomotors via aggregation induced emission for enhanced phototherapy.\nAggregation-induced emission (AIE) has, since its discovery, become a valuable tool in the field of nanoscience. AIEgenic molecules, which display highly stable fluorescence in an assembled state, have applications in various biomedical fields-including photodynamic therapy. Engineering structure-inherent, AIEgenic nanomaterials with motile properties is, however, still an unexplored frontier in the evolution of this potent technology. Here, we present phototactic\/phototherapeutic nanomotors where biodegradable block copolymers decorated with AIE motifs can transduce radiant energy into motion and enhance thermophoretic motility driven by an asymmetric Au nanoshell. The hybrid nanomotors can harness two photon near-infrared radiation, triggering autonomous propulsion and simultaneous phototherapeutic generation of reactive oxygen species. The potential of these nanomotors to be applied in photodynamic therapy is demonstrated in vitro, where near-infrared light directed motion and reactive oxygen species induction synergistically enhance efficacy with a high level of spatial control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10954648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Alkaptonuria with lumbar disc herniation: a report of two cases.\nTwo cases of lumbar disc herniation with alkaptonuria are presented. To present a probable clinical course of lumbar disc herniation with alkaptonuria, a rare metabolic disease. Although lumbar disc disease is a common clinical occurrence in alkaptonuria, lumbar disc surgery is needed rarely in this disease. A patient with alkaptonuria without ochronotic signs is also rarely seen. The cause, clinical presentation, diagnostic techniques and treatment of alkaptonuria with lumbar disc disease are reviewed. The symptoms of the patients disappeared after surgery, and there were no symptoms on follow-up. Alkaptonuria frequently occurs in association with lumbar disc disease. In patients with no other signs of alkaptonuria or ochronosis, early detection of the disease is important to treat involvement of other systems (e.g., cardiovascular and urinary).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7293487,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cardiovascular risk reduction: an interdisciplinary approach to research training.\nThe major health problems confronting most countries require interdisciplinary approaches to the provision of service, teaching, and investigation. Past research indicates difficulty in role relations between various types of health professionals and the importance of the interaction of selection, educational processes and work experiences in affecting long-term professional behaviour in collaborative directions. This paper applies these concepts to the analysis of the first five years of experience in a pre- and post-doctoral research training programme at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions concerned with educational and behavioural approaches to cardiovascular risk reduction. Concepts or processes specifically incorporated into the programme to increase the likelihood of graduates conducting their subsequent career activities from an interdisciplinary approach are described and analyzed. These include appropriate recruitment and selection; early interdisciplinary learning experiences; reinforcing socialization and professionalization processes; active faculty role model team approaches; and reinforcing research experiences. To date the programme has provided training to 14 post-doctoral and 16 predoctoral fellows. Analysis of the effect of the programme on the cardiovascular fellows in regard to their performance, interdisciplinary approach, subsequent career patterns and performance, as well as on other students not supported by the programme, and upon faculty, recommends this format for research training in health education and behavioural sciences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12755606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Rational design, synthesis, evaluation, and crystal structure of a potent inhibitor of human GAR Tfase: 10-(trifluoroacetyl)-5,10-dideazaacyclic-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid.\nGlycinamide ribonucleotide transformylase (GAR Tfase) has been the target of anti-neoplastic intervention for almost two decades. Here, we use a structure-based approach to design a novel folate analogue, 10-(trifluoroacetyl)-5,10-dideazaacyclic-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolic acid (10-CF(3)CO-DDACTHF, 1), which specifically inhibits recombinant human GAR Tfase (K(i) = 15 nM), but is inactive (K(i) > 100 microM) against other folate-dependent enzymes that have been examined. Moreover, compound 1 is a potent inhibitor of tumor cell proliferation (IC(50) = 16 nM, CCRF-CEM), which represents a 10-fold improvement over Lometrexol, a GAR Tfase inhibitor that has been in clinical trials. Thus, this folate analogue 1 is among the most potent and selective inhibitors known toward GAR Tfase. Contributing to its efficacious activity, compound 1 is effectively transported into the cell by the reduced folate carrier and intracellularly sequestered by polyglutamation. The crystal structure of human GAR Tfase with folate analogue 1 at 1.98 A resolution represents the first structure of any GAR Tfase to be determined with a cofactor or cofactor analogue without the presence of substrate. The folate-binding loop of residues 141-146, which is highly flexible in both Escherichia coli and unliganded human GAR Tfase structures, becomes highly ordered upon binding 1 in the folate-binding site. Computational docking of the natural cofactor into this and other apo or complexed structures provides a rational basis for modeling how the natural cofactor 10-formyltetrahydrofolic acid interacts with GAR Tfase, and suggests that this folate analogue-bound conformation represents the best template to date for inhibitor design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22220215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Induction of cytoplasmic rods and rings structures by inhibition of the CTP and GTP synthetic pathway in mammalian cells.\nCytoplasmic filamentous rods and rings (RR) structures were identified using human autoantibodies as probes. In the present study, the formation of these conserved structures in mammalian cells and functions linked to these structures were examined. Distinct cytoplasmic rods (\u223c3-10 \u00b5m in length) and rings (\u223c2-5 \u00b5m in diameter) in HEp-2 cells were initially observed in immunofluorescence using human autoantibodies. Co-localization studies revealed that, although RR had filament-like features, they were not enriched in actin, tubulin, or vimentin, and not associated with centrosomes or other known cytoplasmic structures. Further independent studies revealed that two key enzymes in the nucleotide synthetic pathway cytidine triphosphate synthase 1 (CTPS1) and inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 2 (IMPDH2) were highly enriched in RR. CTPS1 enzyme inhibitors 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine and Acivicin as well as the IMPDH2 inhibitor Ribavirin exhibited dose-dependent induction of RR in >95% of cells in all cancer cell lines tested as well as mouse primary cells. RR formation by lower concentration of Ribavirin was enhanced in IMPDH2-knockdown HeLa cells whereas it was inhibited in GFP-IMPDH2 overexpressed HeLa cells. Interestingly, RR were detected readily in untreated mouse embryonic stem cells (>95%); upon retinoic acid differentiation, RR disassembled in these cells but reformed when treated with Acivicin. RR formation represented response to disturbances in the CTP or GTP synthetic pathways in cancer cell lines and mouse primary cells and RR are the convergence physical structures in these pathways. The availability of specific markers for these conserved structures and the ability to induce formation in vitro will allow further investigations in structure and function of RR in many biological systems in health and diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16945088,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genome-wide analysis of the structural genes regulating defense phenylpropanoid metabolism in Populus.\nSalicin-based phenolic glycosides, hydroxycinnamate derivatives and flavonoid-derived condensed tannins comprise up to one-third of Populus leaf dry mass. Genes regulating the abundance and chemical diversity of these substances have not been comprehensively analysed in tree species exhibiting this metabolically demanding level of phenolic metabolism. Here, shikimate-phenylpropanoid pathway genes thought to give rise to these phenolic products were annotated from the Populus genome, their expression assessed by semiquantitative or quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and metabolic evidence for function presented. Unlike Arabidopsis, Populus leaves accumulate an array of hydroxycinnamoyl-quinate esters, which is consistent with broadened function of the expanded hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA transferase gene family. Greater flavonoid pathway diversity is also represented, and flavonoid gene families are larger. Consistent with expanded pathway function, most of these genes were upregulated during wound-stimulated condensed tannin synthesis in leaves. The suite of Populus genes regulating phenylpropanoid product accumulation should have important application in managing phenolic carbon pools in relation to climate change and global carbon cycling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24501854,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison of continuing bonds reported by parents and siblings after a child's death from cancer.\nFew studies have distinguished similarities and differences between continuing bonds as they appear in various bereaved populations, particularly parent versus sibling cohorts following a child's death. This mixed-method study compared how parents and siblings experienced continuing bonds in 40 families who lost a child to cancer. Thirty-six mothers, 24 fathers, and 39 siblings were recruited 3-12 months post-loss (M = 10.7, SD = 3.5). Nearly all participants (97%) reported engaging in purposeful bonds with deceased children, while only 14% reported nonpurposeful connections. Over half of participants (58%) experienced comforting effects from reminders of the deceased child, whereas only 10% of family members experienced discomforting effects. Mothers communicated with the deceased, thought about the deceased, and did things that the deceased child would have liked more often than siblings. Mothers also reported significantly more comforting effects than siblings. Additional research is needed to further delineate continuing bonds for different types of loss and examine associations with positive and negative outcomes for bereaved individuals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12761136,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The rovA mutant of Yersinia enterocolitica displays differential degrees of virulence depending on the route of infection.\nYersinia enterocolitica is an invasive enteric pathogen that causes significant inflammatory disease. Recently, we identified and characterized a global regulator of virulence (rovA). When mice are infected orally with the rovA mutant they are attenuated by 50% lethal dose (LD(50)) analysis and have altered kinetics of infection. Most significantly, mice orally infected with the rovA mutant have greatly reduced inflammation in the Peyer's patches compared to those infected with wild-type Y. enterocolitica. However, we present data here indicating that when the rovA mutant bacteria are delivered intraperitoneally (i.p.), they are significantly more virulent than when delivered orally. The i.p. LD(50) for the rovA mutant is only 10-fold higher than that of the wild-type Y. enterocolitica, and there are significant inflammatory responses to the rovA mutant that are evident in the liver and spleen. Altogether, these data suggest that the RovA regulon may be required for the early events of the infection that occur in the Peyer's patches. Furthermore, these data suggest that the RovA regulon may be dispensable for Y. enterocolitica systemic disease and inflammatory responses if the Peyer's patches are bypassed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17229673,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cytokine-mediated regulation of urea transporters during experimental endotoxemia.\nAcute renal failure (ARF) is a frequent complication of sepsis and has a high mortality. Sepsis-induced ARF is known to be associated with significant impairment of tubular capacity. However, the pathogenesis of endotoxemic tubular dysfunction with failure of urine concentration is poorly understood. Urea plays an important role in the urinary concentrating mechanism and expression of the urea transporters UT-A1, UT-A2, UT-A3, UT-A4, and UT-B is essential for tubular urea reabsorption. The present study attempts to assess the regulation of renal urea transporters during severe inflammation in vivo. Lipopolysaccharide-(LPS)-injected mice presented with reduced glomerular filtration rate, fractional urea excretion, and inner medulla osmolality associated with a marked decrease in expression of all renal urea transporters. Similar alterations were observed after application of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, interferon (IFN)-gamma, or IL-6. LPS-induced downregulation of urea transporters was not affected in knockout mice with deficient TNF-alpha, IL-receptor-1, IFN-gamma, or IL-6. Glucocorticoid treatment inhibited LPS-induced increases of tissue TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IFN-gamma, or IL-6 concentration, diminished LPS-induced renal dysfunction, and attenuated the downregulation of renal urea transporters. Renal ischemia induced by renal artery clipping did not influence the expression of urea transporters. Our data demonstrate that renal urea transporters are downregulated by severe inflammation, which likely accounts for tubular dysfunction. Furthermore, they suggest that the downregulation of renal urea transporters during LPS-induced ARF is mediated by proinflammatory cytokines and is independent from renal ischemia because of sepsis-induced hypotension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8112068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The efficacy of a moisturizer (Locobase) among cleaners and kitchen assistants during everyday exposure to water and detergents.\nWorkers exposed to various irritants are widely advised to use moisturizers. To evaluate the efficacy of a moisturizer (Locobase), we studied 111 cleaners and kitchen workers during everyday exposure to water and detergents. All took part in a standardized interview. After randomization, 1\/2 the workers (n = 56) used Locobase during a period of 2 weeks (period L), followed by a period without any emollient (period C), or vice versa (n = 55). Clinical assessment and measurements of the skin surface temperature, electrical capacitance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were performed on the fingers, hands and arms on entry to the study, after 2 weeks and 4 weeks, or at drop out. The final evaluation showed that 70 (63%) were able to complete the study; 23 (21%) completed period L, but withdrew from period C after a mean of 6 days because of progressive dryness of the skin and eczema; and 12 (11%) were excluded because they used topical corticosteroids or emollients. The remaining 6 (5%) participants were lost to follow-up. Clinically, we observed a significant increase in dryness (p < 0.001) during periods of no treatment (period C), and normalization of the skin texture during use of Locobase. Clinical observations were confirmed by statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in the electrical capacitance (epidermal hydration), which decreased during period C and increased to pre-study values during period L. No significant differences were found in skin temperatures and TEWL rates.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35982672,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A yeast-based system to study SARS-CoV-2 M pro structure and to identify nirmatrelvir resistant mutations.\nThe SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M pro ) is a major therapeutic target. The M pro inhibitor, nirmatrelvir, is the antiviral component of Paxlovid, an orally available treatment for COVID-19. As M pro inhibitor use increases, drug resistant mutations will likely emerge. We have established a non-pathogenic system, in which yeast growth serves as a proxy for M pro activity, enabling rapid identification of mutants with altered enzymatic activity and drug sensitivity. The E166 residue is known to be a potential hot spot for drug resistance and yeast assays showed that an E166R substitution conferred strong nirmatrelvir resistance while an E166N mutation compromised activity. On the other hand, N142A and P132H mutations caused little to no change in drug response and activity. Standard enzymatic assays confirmed the yeast results. In turn, we solved the structures of M pro E166R, and M pro E166N, providing insights into how arginine may drive drug resistance while asparagine leads to reduced activity. The work presented here will help characterize novel resistant variants of M pro that may arise as M pro antivirals become more widely used.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23313976,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Management of operative complications related to occipitocervical instrumentation.\nThe continued evolution of instrumentation techniques for fusions at the craniovertebral junction has enabled surgical treatment of a wide range of developmental, neoplastic, traumatic, and degenerative conditions. There has been an increased recognition of the morbidity associated with the complications secondary to occipitocervical instrumentation. To present representative complications secondary to occipitocervical instrumentation in patients who presented to our institution and to emphasize underlying principles in diagnosis and management of craniovertebral disease conditions through illustrative examples of their presentation, management, and follow-up. Clinical records for patients referred to the senior author (A.H.M.) between 2005 and 2010 for evaluation and management of their symptoms arising as a consequence of surgical intervention by a different primary neurosurgeon were reviewed. Eight patients were identified with representative complications secondary to occipitocervical instrumentation. These complications included incorrect surgical technique, persistent instability, hardware misplacement with potential for vascular injury, associated neural injury, and secondary complications of wound healing resulting from methyl methacrylate use. Surgical revision was required in 2 patients. The remaining patients improved with removal of the offending hardware and acrylic cement. All patients reported symptom resolution, and dynamic imaging studies on follow-up indicated stable alignment and bony fusion. These cases serve as illustrative examples of the spectrum of neural, vascular, biomechanical, and instrument-related complications associated with occipitocervical arthrodesis. Basic principles of occipitocervical instrumentation that enable safe and successful treatment of craniovertebral junction disease conditions have been highlighted. Potential complications and management strategies are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33668256,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Ophthalmic Screening in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Prospective Cohort Study.\nPostmortem pathological examinations, animal studies, and anecdotal reports suggest that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could potentially affect intraocular tissue. However, published evidence is scarce and conflicting. In our study, we screened 100 eyes of 50 patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Relevant medical and ophthalmological history was assessed as well as symptoms, laboratory results, specific treatments, clinical course, and outcome. Ophthalmic exams including assessment of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), color perception, ocular motility, ophthalmoscopy as well as optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the macula and the optic disc was performed at hospital admission and 29 to 192 days later. Of the 50 patients included, 14 (28%) were female. Median age was 64.5 (range 29-90) years. COVID-19 severity was mild in 15 (30%), severe in 30 (60%), and critical in five cases (10%). At baseline, median BCVA was 0.1 (0-1.8) Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (LogMAR) and median IOP was 16 (8-22) mmHg. At follow-up, no relevant changes in BCVA and IOP were documented. No signs of active intraocular inflammation or optic nerve affection were found and OCT findings were widely stable during the observation period. Our findings suggest that COVID-19 does not regularly affect intraocular tissue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34079440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cannabinoid Signaling in Auditory Function and Development.\nPlants of the genus Cannabis have been used by humans for millennia for a variety of purposes. Perhaps most notable is the use of certain Cannabis strains for their psychoactive effects. More recently, several biologically active molecules within the plants of these Cannabis strains, called phytocannabinoids or simply cannabinoids, have been identified. Furthermore, within human cells, endogenous cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, as well as the receptors and secondary messengers that give rise to their neuromodulatory effects, have also been characterized. This endocannabinoid system (ECS) is composed of two primary ligands-anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glycerol; two primary receptors-cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2; and several enzymes involved in biosynthesis and degradation of endocannabinoid ligands including diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL). Here we briefly summarize cannabinoid signaling and review what has been discerned to date with regard to cannabinoid signaling in the auditory system and its roles in normal physiological function as well as pathological conditions. While much has been uncovered regarding cannabinoid signaling in the central nervous system, less attention has been paid to the auditory system specifically. Still, evidence is emerging to suggest that cannabinoid signaling is critical for the development, maturation, function, and survival of cochlear hair cells (HCs) and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Furthermore, cannabinoid signaling can have profound effects on synaptic connectivity in CNS structures related to auditory processing. While clinical cases demonstrate that endogenous and exogenous cannabinoids impact auditory function, this review highlights several areas, such as SGN development, where more research is warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38151567,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Obesity-induced PARIS (ZNF746) accumulation in adipose progenitor cells leads to attenuated mitochondrial biogenesis and impaired adipogenesis.\nWhite adipose tissue (WAT) is critical for whole-body energy metabolism, and its dysfunction leads to various metabolic disorders. In recent years, many studies have suggested that impaired mitochondria may contribute to obesity-related decline in adipose tissue function, but the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate these mechanisms, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of WAT from mice with diet-induced obesity. We discovered the transcription factor Parkin interactive substrate (PARIS or ZNF746), which suppresses the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor \u03b3 coactivator-1\u03b1 (PGC-1\u03b1), a key regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis, to be accumulated in adipose progenitor cells from obese mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that 3T3-L1 preadipocytes with overexpression of PARIS protein exhibited decreased mitochondrial biogenesis and impaired adipogenesis. Our results suggest that the accumulation of PARIS protein may be a novel component in the pathogenesis of obesity-related dysfunction in WAT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12970871,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"FT-IR spectroscopic analysis of normal and cancerous tissues of esophagus.\nTo investigate the special Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectra in normal and cancerous tissues of esophagus. Twenty-seven pairs of normal and cancerous tissues of esophagus were studied by using FT-IR and the special spectra characteristics were analyzed in different tissues. Different spectra were found in normal and cancerous tissues. The peak at 1 550\/cm was weak and wide in cancerous tissues but strong and high in normal tissues. The ratio of I 1 647\/I 1 550 was 2.0 in normal tissues and 2.36 in cancerous tissues (P<0.05). The ratio of I 1 550\/I 1 080 was 4.5 in normal tissues and 3.4 in cancerous tissues (P<0.01). The peak at 1453 \/cm was higher than at 1 402\/cm in normal tissue and lower than at 1 402\/cm in cancerous tissues. The results indicate that FTIR may be used in clinical diagnosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32944518,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of penile rehabilitation with low intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy on erectile function recovery following robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy.\nConsidering the natural course of cavernous nerve recovery after robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP), early intervention of low intensity extracorporeal shock wave therapy (LIESWT) would be more effective for enhancing overall recovery of sexual function (SF). Our objective of this study is to analyze longitudinally the alterations of SF in patients after RALP, with a focus on the effect of early and delayed intervention with LIESWT. A total of 5 and 11 patients underwent early and delayed intervention with LIESWT, respectively. SF was assessed with the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC). The same surgeon performed RALP on 178 patients, and these patients were assigned to the non-LIESWT group to establish a control group. The SF score of EPIC was investigated longitudinally before RALP and 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after RALP. Our results show that penile rehabilitation with LIESWT immediately before urethral catheter removal improved SF scores. In the baseline, the SF score was significantly higher in the early LIESWT group (P=0.0001). The SF score was significantly lower at postoperative 6 months (early 19.2, delayed 17.9, and non-LIESWT 8.1; P=0.0171), 9 months (20.9, 25.8, and 10.2; P=0.0188), and 12 months (28.0, 21.3, and 9.5; P=0.0051) in the non-LIESWT group. We regret that there was no significant difference in the recovery of SF between the early and delayed protocol with LIESWT at all points. In keeping with our results, LIESWT demonstrated the potential to be efficacious in treatment options for severe post-radical prostatectomy (RP) erectile dysfunction (ED) as it may indirectly support its promotion of nerve regeneration in severe ED due to RP. This is the first study in which LIESWT has been shown to deliver a clinical benefit on its early or delayed intervention to patients after RALP to penile rehabilitation in terms of restoring SF. Our preliminary results suggest that LIESWT could be used as a treatment option in penile rehabilitation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1319524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Treatment of eye tumors by accelerated proton beams. 7 years experience].\nThe therapeutic results of 1070 cases of intraocular tumors treated with an accelerated proton beam at the University Eye Clinic of Lausanne and at the Paul Scherrer Institute of Villigen are analysed. This total is composed of 981 cases of uveal melanomas treated by proton beam as first treatment modality, 42 cases of recurrent choroidal melanomas, 16 cases of conjunctival melanomas, 8 cases of choroidal hemangiomas, 18 cases of uveal metastases and of 5 other ocular tumors. The mortality rate at 5 years for tumors treated with an accelerated proton beam as first treatment modality was 13%, and the mortality rate of recurrent melanomas was 23%. The risk factor for life expectancy analysed with the Cox model pointed out that the largest tumor diameter, the width of the tumor, the presence of an extrocular extension and the age of the patient were the most significant parameters. The conclusions of this study are compared with those found in available literature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30984875,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Construction of a novel phagemid to produce custom DNA origami scaffolds.\nDNA origami, a method for constructing nanoscale objects, relies on a long single strand of DNA to act as the 'scaffold' to template assembly of numerous short DNA oligonucleotide 'staples'. The ability to generate custom scaffold sequences can greatly benefit DNA origami design processes. Custom scaffold sequences can provide better control of the overall size of the final object and better control of low-level structural details, such as locations of specific base pairs within an object. Filamentous bacteriophages and related phagemids can work well as sources of custom scaffold DNA. However, scaffolds derived from phages require inclusion of multi-kilobase DNA sequences in order to grow in host bacteria, and those sequences cannot be altered or removed. These fixed-sequence regions constrain the design possibilities of DNA origami. Here, we report the construction of a novel phagemid, pScaf, to produce scaffolds that have a custom sequence with a much smaller fixed region of 393 bases. We used pScaf to generate new scaffolds ranging in size from 1512 to 10 080 bases and demonstrated their use in various DNA origami shapes and assemblies. We anticipate our pScaf phagemid will enhance development of the DNA origami method and its future applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12223840,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"L-myo-lnositol 1-Phosphate Synthase from Plant Sources (Characteristics of the Chloroplastic and Cytosolic Enzymes).\nL-myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthase (EC 18.104.22.168) from cyanobacterial (Spirulina platensis), algal (Euglena gracilis), and higher plant (Oryza sativa, Vigna radiata) sources was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity, biochemically characterized, and compared. Both chloroplastic and cytosolic forms of the enzyme were detected in E. gracilis, O. sativa, and V. radiata, whereas only the cytosolic form was detected in streptomycin-bleached or chloroplastic mutants of E. gracilis and in S. platensis. Both the chloroplastic and cytosolic forms from different sources could be purified following the same three-step chromatographic protocol. L-myo-inositol 1-phosphate synthases purified from these different sources do not differ significantly with respect to biochemical and kinetic parameters except for the molecular mass of the chloroplastic and cytosolic native holoenzymes, which appear to be homotetrameric and homotrimeric associations of their constituent subunits, respectively. Monovalent and divalent cations, sugar alcohols, and sugar phosphates are inhibitory to the enzyme activity. N-ethylmaleimide inhibition of synthase activity could be protected by the combined presence of the substrate glucose-6-phosphate and cofactor NAD+. Antibody raised against the cytosolic enzyme from E. gracilis immunoprecipitates and cross-reacts with both chloroplastic and cytosolic forms from the other sources studied.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28689165,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Tear film and ocular surface assessment in psoriasis.\nPsoriasis is a skin disease with also systemic involvement: its impact on the eye is not well established and often clinically underestimated. Aim of this study was to investigate the presence of ocular discomfort symptoms and of ocular surface changes in a population of patients with psoriasis. For this cross-sectional, comparative study, 66 patients with psoriasis were subdivided according to the presence of arthritis and to the use of biological therapy. All patients underwent clinical evaluation with the following tests: Ocular Surface Disease Index Questionnaire, Tearscope examination, meibometry, tear film breakup time, corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining, Schirmer I test, corneal aesthesiometry, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) assessment and conjunctival impression cytology. 28 healthy subjects were also enrolled and treated with the same clinical tests. A statistical analysis of the results was performed. Patients with psoriasis showed a significant deterioration of the ocular surface tests, if compared with healthy subjects, demonstrated by tear film lipid layer alteration, tear film instability, corneal and conjunctival epithelial suffering and mild squamous metaplasia at impression cytology. No differences were found in ocular surface test results of the psoriatic group when patients were divided according to the presence of arthritis, whereas the anti-inflammatory treatment with biological drugs demonstrated a significant improvement of corneal stain and MGD. Our findings suggest that the ocular surface involvement in patients with psoriasis indicates the need of periodic ophthalmological examinations to diagnose the condition and allow a proper treatment, so contributing to the amelioration of patients' quality of life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17941738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Whole-sediment toxicity identification evaluation tools for pyrethroid insecticides: I. Piperonyl butoxide addition.\nPiperonyl butoxide (PBO) is a synergist used in some pyrethroid and pyrethrin pesticide products and has been used in toxicity identification evaluations (TIEs) of water samples to indicate organophosphate or pyrethroid-related toxicity. Methods were developed and validated for use of PBO as a TIE tool in whole-sediment testing to help establish if pyrethroids are the cause of toxicity observed in field-collected sediments. Pyrethroid toxicity was increased slightly more than twofold in 10-d sediment toxicity tests with Hyalella azteca exposed to 25 microg\/L of PBO in the overlying water. This concentration was found to be effective for sediment TIE use, but it is well below that used in previous water and pore-water TIEs with PBO. The effect of PBO on the toxicity of several nonpyrethroids also was tested. Toxicity of the organophosphate chlorpyrifos was reduced by PBO, and the compound had no effect on toxicity of cadmium, DDT, or fluoranthene. Mixtures of the pyrethroid bifenthrin and chlorpyrifos were tested to determine the ability of PBO addition to identify pyrethroid toxicity when organophosphates were present in a sample. The PBO-induced increase in pyrethroid toxicity was not seen when chlorpyrifos was present at or above equitoxic concentrations with the pyrethroid. In the vast majority of field samples, however, the presence of chlorpyrifos does not interfere with use of PBO to identify pyrethroid toxicity. Eleven field sediments or soils containing pyrethroids and\/or chlorpyrifos were used to validate the method. Characterization of the causative agent as determined by PBO addition was consistent with confirmation by chemical analysis and comparison to known toxicity thresholds in 10 of the 11 sediments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23624293,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Exercise and ghrelin. A narrative overview of research.\nSince its discovery in 1999, ghrelin has been implicated in a multiplicity of physiological activities. Most notably, ghrelin has an important influence on energy metabolism and after the identification of its potent appetite stimulating effects ghrelin has been termed the 'hunger hormone'. Exercise is a stimulus which has a significant impact on energy homeostasis and consequently a substantial body of research has investigated the interaction between exercise and ghrelin. This narrative review provides an overview of research relating to the acute and chronic effects of exercise on circulating ghrelin (acylated, unacylated and total). To enhance study comparability, the scope of this review is limited to research undertaken in adult humans and consequently studies involving children and animals are not discussed. Although there is significant ambiguity within much of the early research, our review suggests that acute exercise transiently interferes with the production of acylated ghrelin. Furthermore, the consensus of evidence indicates that exercise training does not influence circulating ghrelin independent of weight loss. Additional research is needed to verify and extend the available literature, particularly by uncovering the mechanisms governing acute exercise-related changes and characterising responses in other populations such as females, older adults, and the obese.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":485804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Osteolysis of the ribs in progressive systemic sclerosis.\nIn a patient with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS), osteolysis of the posterior portion of the rib cage developed in an insidious fashion, without symptoms or preceding trauma. Six previous examples of rib resorption in PSS are reviewed. The destructive mechanism is unknown but may be related to endarteritis and ischemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37369185,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Exploring the Associations and Molecular Impacts of miR-146a\/rs2910164 and miR-196a2\/rs185070757 with Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Pakistani Population.\nMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of molecules that participate in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and hence have been reported to have a crucial role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to investigate the association of miR-146a rs2910164 (G\/C) and miR-196a2 rs185070757 (T\/G) with RA susceptibility in Pakistani patients and to bioinformatically predict the molecular function of these miRNAs. A case-control study on 600 individuals was conducted, including 300 RA patients and 300 matching healthy controls. Genotyping was performed by tetra-primer amplification of refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction, and the association between variants and RA was statistically determined using different models. For the variant rs2910164 (G\/C) in miR-146a, no difference in genotype distribution was observed between RA cases and controls, as determined using co-dominant (\u03c72 = 4.33; p = 0.114), homozygous dominant (C\/C vs. G\/G + C\/G) (OR = 0.740 [0.531-1.032]; p = 0.091), homozygous recessive (G\/G vs. C\/C + G\/C) (odds ratio [OR] = 01.432 [0.930-2.206]; p = 0.126), heterozygous (G\/C vs. C\/C + G\/G) (OR = 1.084 [0.786-1.494]; p = 0.682), and additive (OR 0.778 [0.617-0.981]; p = 0.039) models. Similarly, the GT genotype in the rs185070757 (T\/G) miR-196a2 variant did not differ between cases and controls with any models (p > 0.05). For the first time, we report no association of miR-146a rs2910164 (G\/C) and miR-196a2 rs185070757 (T\/G) with RA in a Pakistani population. A subsequent bioinformatic analysis revealed that the CC genotype of miR-146a rs2910164 might have a protective role against RA pathogenesis, with no effect observed with the miR-196a2 rs185070757. Our findings suggest that these miRNAs might have little-to-no impact on the RA pathogenesis in the Pakistani population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36264679,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"RIbench: A Proposed Benchmark for the Standardized Evaluation of Indirect Methods for Reference Interval Estimation.\nIndirect methods leverage real-world data for the estimation of reference intervals. These constitute an active field of research, and several methods have been developed recently. So far, no standardized tool for evaluation and comparison of indirect methods exists. We provide RIbench, a benchmarking suite for quantitative evaluation of any existing or novel indirect method. The benchmark contains simulated test sets for 10 biomarkers mimicking routine measurements of a mixed distribution of non-pathological (reference) values and pathological values. The non-pathological distributions represent 4 common distribution types: normal, skewed, heavily skewed, and skewed-and-shifted. To identify strengths and weaknesses of indirect methods, test sets have varying sample sizes and pathological distributions differ in location, extent of overlap, and fraction. For performance evaluation, we use an overall benchmark score and sub-scores derived from absolute z-score deviations between estimated and true reference limits. We illustrate the application of RIbench by evaluating and comparing the Hoffmann method and 4 modern indirect methods -TML (Truncated-Maximum-Likelihood), kosmic, TMC (Truncated-Minimum-Chi-Square), and refineR- against one another and against a nonparametric direct method (n = 120). For the modern indirect methods, pathological fraction and sample size had a strong influence on the results: With a pathological fraction up to 20% and a minimum sample size of 5000, most methods achieved results comparable or superior to the direct method. We present RIbench, an open-source R-package, for the systematic evaluation of existing and novel indirect methods. RIbench can serve as a tool for enhancement of indirect methods, improving the estimation of reference intervals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11155981,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Extended method for discrimination of Aeromonas spp. by 16S rDNA RFLP analysis.\nA previously described molecular method, based on 16S rDNA RFLP analysis, for the identification of Aeromonas spp. was unable to separate the species Aeromonas salmonicida, Aeromonas bestiarum and the recently described Aeromonas popoffii. In this study, the method has been extended with endonucleases AIwNI and PstI for the identification of these species. A molecular frame for the identification of all known Aeromonas spp. is presented.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27454453,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Observing wandering-related boundary transgression in people with severe dementia.\nWandering-related boundary transgression (BT) in long term care (LTC) frequently manifests as intrusion into another resident's bedroom and is associated with adverse outcomes (loss of privacy, resident-to-resident altercations, and becoming lost). This observational study is the first to empirically describe the characteristics of wandering-related BT in LTC residents with severe dementia. Using real-time observation, seven independently ambulant residents with severe dementia and a positive history of wandering and BT were observed for a minimum of twelve 30 minute periods randomized over two non-consecutive days (n=92 observation periods). Frequency and duration of locomoting\/non-locomoting phases and BT (entry into out of bounds\/private space), patterns of ambulation (direct, random, pacing, and lapping), and activities observed during BT were measured during observation periods. Across 431 locomoting phases, 58 (13%) resulted in a BT and the bedroom of another resident was most frequently (86%) involved. BT was statistically associated with random ambulation and peak activity periods, and was observed more often in those with more frequent ambulation. Most BT events were unwitnessed by others and occurred when the participant was alone. Describing BT has increased understanding of when, where, and how BT occurs and provides background for future intervention research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28710371,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Lattice Thermal Conductivity of MgSiO3 Perovskite from First Principles.\nWe investigate lattice thermal conductivity \u03ba of MgSiO3 perovskite (pv) by ab initio lattice dynamics calculations combined with exact solution of linearized phonon Boltzmann equation. At room temperature, \u03ba of pristine MgSiO3 pv is found to be 10.7 W\/(m \u00b7 K) at 0 GPa. It increases linearly with pressure and reaches 59.2 W\/(m \u00b7 K) at 100 GPa. These values are close to multi-anvil press measurements whereas about twice as large as those from diamond anvil cell experiments. The increase of k with pressure is attributed to the squeeze of weighted phase-spaces phonons get emitted or absorbed. Moreover, we find \u03ba exhibits noticeable anisotropy, with \u03ba zz being the largest component and [Formula: see text] being about 25%. Such extent of anisotropy is comparable to those of upper mantle minerals such as olivine and enstatite. By analyzing phonon mean free paths and lifetimes, we further show that the weak temperature dependence of \u03ba observed in experiments should not be caused by phonons reaching 'minimum' mean free paths. These results clarify the microscopic mechanism of thermal transport in MgSiO3 pv, and provide reference data for understanding heat conduction in the Earth's deep interior.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24622213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Regional gray matter volume and anxiety-related traits interact to predict somatic complaints in a non-clinical sample.\nSomatic complaints can be important features of an individual's expression of anxiety. Anxiety-related traits are also risk factors for somatic symptoms. However, it is not known which neuroanatomical mechanisms may be responsible for this relationship. In this study, our first step was to use voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approaches to investigate the neuroanatomical basis underlying somatic complaints in a large sample of healthy subjects. We found a significant positive correlation between somatic complaints and parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) volume adjacent to the entorhinal cortex. Further analysis revealed that the interaction between PHG volume\/entorhinal cortex and neuroticism-anxiety (N-Anx) predicted somatic complaints. Specifically, somatic complaints were associated with higher N-Anx for individuals with increased PHG volume. These findings suggest that increased PHG volume and higher trait anxiety can predict vulnerability to somatic complaints in the general population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12347505,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Future trends in household composition: demography or behavior?].\n\"Changes in the number of households depend to a large extent on demographic developments. According to the Dutch household forecasts as much as 80% of the increase in the number of households between 1995 and 2010 will be caused by changes in the age structure and only 20% by changes in behaviour. The large impact of changes in the age structure on the number of households can be explained by the fact that the household situation of people is strongly correlated with their age.\" (SUMMARY IN ENG)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32335675,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"HIV-1 DNA decay dynamics in early treated individuals: practical considerations for clinical trial design.\nInitiation of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) soon after HIV-1 infection limits the establishment of viral reservoirs. Thus, early treated individuals are preferred candidates to evaluate novel viral remission strategies. However, their cART-dependent HIV-1 DNA decay dynamics are still poorly defined. This can hamper the design and interpretation of results from clinical trials intended to further reduce viral reservoirs. To clarify the duration of cART needed for the HIV-1 reservoir to be stabilized in early treated individuals. We characterized the longitudinal decline of total HIV-1 DNA levels by droplet digital PCR in 21 individuals initiating cART within 6 months after estimated HIV-1 acquisition. Measurements were taken at cART initiation, after 6 months and annually until Year 4. Correlations between virological and clinical parameters were statistically analysed. Statistical modelling was performed applying a mixed-effects model. Total HIV-1 DNA experienced a median overall decrease of 1.43 log10 units (IQR = 1.17-1.69) throughout the 4 years of follow-up. Baseline levels for total HIV-1 DNA, viral load, absolute CD4+ T cell count and CD4+\/CD8+ ratio correlate with final HIV-1 DNA measurements (R2 = 0.68, P < 0.001; R2 = 0.54, P = 0.012; R2 = -0.47, P = 0.031; and R2 = -0.59, P = 0.0046, respectively). Statistical modelling shows that after 2 years on cART the viral reservoir had reached a set point. A waiting period of 2 years on cART should be considered when designing interventions aiming to impact latent HIV-1 reservoir levels and viral rebound kinetics after cART discontinuation, in order to facilitate interpretation of results and enhance the chance of viral control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17492511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Urbanization and stroke prevalence in Taiwan: analysis of a nationwide survey.\nThis study aims to explore the prevalence of strokes among individuals and the association with urbanization levels. A total sample of 9,794 individuals was obtained from a nationwide survey on Taiwan for subsequent analysis in this study. After adjusting for gender, age, other risk factors for stroke and individual socioeconomic status, a multivariate logistic regression model was employed to investigate the relationships existing between the prevalence of strokes and the level of urbanization. This study finds that those living in areas at the highest level of urbanization (level 1) had the highest prevalence of strokes (2.49%). With decreasing urbanization level, there was a general decline in stroke prevalence. After adjusting for other factors, the multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that compared to participants living in the highest urbanization level, the respective odds ratios of suffering a stroke for those living in areas at the lowest levels of urbanization (levels 7 and 8), were 0.43 and 0.30. We conclude that after adjusting for other stroke risk factors, the level of urbanization is an important contributory factor to the overall prevalence of strokes in Taiwan.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28958695,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"High intake of dietary advanced glycation end-products is associated with increased arterial stiffness and inflammation in subjects with type 2 diabetes.\nModern diets are high in advanced glycation end-products (dAGEs), derived from processing methods, exerting a pivotal role in promoting atherosclerotic risk. In this cross-sectional study we investigate the relationship between dAGE intake, arterial stiffness, inflammatory profile and macronutrient composition, in subjects with type 2 diabetes without overt cardiovascular disease. Arterial stiffness, carboxy-methyl-lysine, endogenous secretory receptor for AGEs (esRAGE), high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP), S100A12 and macronutrient intake were evaluated in 85 subjects with type 2 diabetes. The subjects were stratified into two groups according to dAGE consumption: high and low dAGE intake (\u2265 or <15.000 kU\/day, respectively). Subjects with high dAGE intake (n = 45) showed a higher augmentation, augmentation index and pulse wave velocity (PWV) compared with those subjects with low dAGE intake (18 \u00b1 5.4 vs 12.2 \u00b1 6.3 mmHg, P < 0.05; 38.3 \u00b1 5.4 vs 29.3 \u00b1 10%; 9.2 \u00b1 1.4 m\/sec vs 7.9 \u00b1 1.7, P < 0.05, respectively). hs-CRP were higher in subjects with high dAGE intake [0.42 (0.18-0.54) vs 0.21 (0.14-0.52) mg\/dL, P < 0.05] whereas esRAGE plasma levels were lower [0.16 (0.23-0.81) vs 0.2 (0.14-0.54) ng\/dL, P < 0.05]. Simple regression analysis showed a correlation between dAGEs and fat intake. Multivariate analysis showed an independent association between augmentation, systolic blood pressure (BP) and dAGE consumption; BMI and esRAGE were the major determinants of PWV. Our data suggests that a chronic high dAGE diet could lead to a vascular dysfunction and inflammatory activation, contributing to the development of vascular complications in subjects with type 2 diabetes. Testing this hypothesis may represent a direction of future research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27185156,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Increased Melatonin Signaling Is a Risk Factor for Type 2 Diabetes.\nType 2 diabetes (T2D) is a global pandemic. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified >100 genetic variants associated with the disease, including a common variant in the melatonin receptor 1 b gene (MTNR1B). Here, we demonstrate increased MTNR1B expression in human islets from risk G-allele carriers, which likely leads to a reduction in insulin release, increasing T2D risk. Accordingly, in insulin-secreting cells, melatonin reduced cAMP levels, and MTNR1B overexpression exaggerated the inhibition of insulin release exerted by melatonin. Conversely, mice with a disruption of the receptor secreted more insulin. Melatonin treatment in a human recall-by-genotype study reduced insulin secretion and raised glucose levels more extensively in risk G-allele carriers. Thus, our data support a model where enhanced melatonin signaling in islets reduces insulin secretion, leading to hyperglycemia and greater future risk of T2D. The findings also imply that melatonin physiologically serves to inhibit nocturnal insulin release.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8111050,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A novel beta-globin mutation, beta Durham-NC [beta 114 Leu-->Pro], produces a dominant thalassemia-like phenotype.\nMutations within exon 3 of the beta-globin gene are relatively uncommon, and many of these mutations produce a dominant thalassemia-like phenotype. We describe a novel thalassemic hemoglobinopathy caused by a single nucleotide substitution (CTG-->CCG) at codon 114 resulting in a leucine to proline substitution and designate it beta Durham-NC [beta 114 Leu-->Pro]. The mutation producing this thalassemic hemoglobinopathy is located near to the beta Showa-Yakushiji mutation (beta 110 Leu-->Pro). Both of these hemoglobinopathies share similar phenotypic features with moderately severe microcytic anemia. Using computer imaging of the hemoglobin molecule, we examined several reported point mutations within exon 3 of the beta-globin gene. These point mutations cause a single amino acid substitution in the G helix, and result in a thalassemic and\/or hemolytic phenotype. Computer imaging of nine separate examples suggests that amino acid substitutions affecting side chains that project into the heme pocket may destabilize the heme moiety within the beta-globin chain, resulting in a thalassemic phenotype. Hemolytic phenotypes may be the result of decreased alpha 1 beta 1 interactions. The beta Durham-NC mutation further characterizes a novel group of thalassemias\/hemoglobinopathies that are clinically difficult to identify and require accessory laboratory testing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24851237,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Blockade of glutamate release by botulinum neurotoxin type A in humans: a dermal microdialysis study.\nThe analgesic action of botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNTA) has been linked to the blockade of peripheral release of neuropeptides and neurotransmitters in animal models; however, there is no direct evidence of this in humans. To investigate the effect of BoNTA on glutamate release in humans, using an experimental model of pain and sensitization provoked by capsaicin plus mild heat. Twelve healthy volunteers (six men, six women) were pretreated with BoNTA (10 U) on the volar forearm and with a saline control on the contralateral side. Dermal microdialysis was applied one week later to collect interstitial samples before and after the application of a capsaicin patch (8%) plus mild heat (40\u00b0C\u204460 min) to provoke glutamate release, pain and vasodilation. Samples were collected every hour for 3 h using linear microdialysis probes (10 mm, 100 kD). Dialysate was analyzed for glutamate concentration. Pain intensity and skin vasomotor reactions (temperature and blood flow changes) were also recorded. BoNTA significantly reduced glutamate release compared with saline (P<0.05). The provoked pain intensity was lower in the BoNTA-pretreated arm (P<0.01). The reduction in pain scores was not correlated with glutamate level. Cutaneous blood flow (P<0.05), but not cutaneous temperature (P\u22650.05), was significantly reduced by BoNTA. There was a correlation between glutamate level and skin blood flow (r=0.58\u2044P<0.05) but not skin temperature (P\u22650.05). No differences according to sex were observed in any response. The present study provided the first direct evidence supporting the inhibitory effect of BoNTA on glutamate release in human skin, which is potentially responsible for some of the analgesic action of BoNTA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16866543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SHARP-TACSY: triple-band tailored correlated spectroscopy for base-to-sugar transfer in nucleic acid residues with intermediate time scale motions.\nEstablished experiments to identify the sugar-to-base connectivity in isotopically labeled RNA require long transfer periods and are inefficient for residues undergoing intermediate time scale motions (microsecond to millisecond). Here, an alternative transfer experiment is introduced, whereby the C1'-N1\/9-C6\/8 spin system is selectively brought to the so-called Hartmann-Hahn condition using selectiveheteronuclear planar triple-band tailored correlated spectroscopy (SHARP-TACSY). Results are shown for the fully labeled 30-mer oligonucleotide TAR RNA with particular attention placed on residues from and close to the bulge and the loop. For these residues, the faster relaxation can be attributed to exchange contributions stemming from transient stacking and unstacking of the bases and\/or from the isomerization of the ribose sugar pucker. The new experiment shows improved signal-to-noise for residues exhibiting large microsecond-millisecond time scale motions with respect to established experiments, thus providing a valid alternative for resonance assignment in mobile RNA regions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26479241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The First Shared Online Curriculum Resources for Veterinary Undergraduate Learning and Teaching in Animal Welfare and Ethics in Australia and New Zealand.\nThe need for undergraduate teaching of Animal Welfare and Ethics (AWE) in Australian and New Zealand veterinary courses reflects increasing community concerns and expectations about AWE; global pressures regarding food security and sustainability; the demands of veterinary accreditation; and fears that, unless students encounter AWE as part of their formal education, as veterinarians they will be relatively unaware of the discipline of animal welfare science. To address this need we are developing online resources to ensure Australian and New Zealand veterinary graduates have the knowledge, and the research, communication and critical reasoning skills, to fulfill the AWE role demanded of them by contemporary society. To prioritize development of these resources we assembled leaders in the field of AWE education from the eight veterinary schools in Australia and New Zealand and used modified deliberative polling. This paper describes the role of the poll in developing the first shared online curriculum resource for veterinary undergraduate learning and teaching in AWE in Australia and New Zealand. The learning and teaching strategies that ranked highest in the exercise were: scenario-based learning; a quality of animal life assessment tool; the so-called 'Human Continuum' discussion platform; and a negotiated curriculum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14971323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Electrokinetic properties of cells in chronic duodenal diseases].\nThe electrokinetic properties of erythrocytes of the duodenal and buccal epitheliums were studied in patients with chronic duodenitis and with duodenal ulcer at exacerbation in the remote period after selective proximal vagotomy; the diagnostic value of the studied parameters was demonstrated, the presence of correlation bonds between them was shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27716794,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Case-Crossover Study of Heat Exposure and Injury Risk in Outdoor Agricultural Workers.\nRecent research suggests that heat exposure may increase the risk of traumatic injuries. Published heat-related epidemiological studies have relied upon exposure data from individual weather stations. To evaluate the association between heat exposure and traumatic injuries in outdoor agricultural workers exposed to ambient heat and internal heat generated by physical activity using modeled ambient exposure data. A case-crossover study using time-stratified referent selection among 12,213 outdoor agricultural workers with new Washington State Fund workers' compensation traumatic injury claims between 2000 and 2012 was conducted. Maximum daily Humidex exposures, derived from modeled meteorological data, were assigned to latitudes and longitudes of injury locations on injury and referent dates. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios of injury for a priori daily maximum Humidex categories. The mean of within-stratum (injury day and corresponding referent days) standard deviations of daily maximum Humidex was 4.8. The traumatic injury odds ratio was 1.14 (95% confidence interval 1.06, 1.22), 1.15 (95% confidence interval 1.06, 1.25), and 1.10 (95% confidence interval 1.01, 1.20) for daily maximum Humidex of 25-29, 30-33, and \u226534, respectively, compared to < 25, adjusted for self-reported duration of employment. Stronger associations were observed during cherry harvest duties in the June and July time period, compared to all duties over the entire study period. Agricultural workers laboring in warm conditions are at risk for heat-related traumatic injuries. Combined heat-related illness and injury prevention efforts should be considered in high-risk populations exposed to warm ambient conditions in the setting of physical exertion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38097324,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The use of Beauveria bassiana for the control of the larger grain borer, Prostephanus truncatus, in stored maize: Semi-field trials in Ghana.\nLaboratory research in Ghana demonstrated the effectiveness of an isolate of Beauveria bassiana (IMI 389521) from the United Kingdom against the larger grain borer Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae), a major pest of stored maize. The minimum effective concentration, following artificial infestation trials on maize, was between 109 and 1010 cfu\/kg maize. Before moving out to village-level control, a major requirement was to determine if the product could effect control in artificially infested maize held under real environmental conditions in several locations in Ghana. Therefore, this study investigated the efficacy of formulated conidia of B. bassiana, IMI 389521, at two concentrations (1 \u00d7 109 and 3.16 \u00d7 109 cfu\/kg maize) to control P. truncatus on stored maize kernels under semi-field conditions in Ghana. Maize ('Obatanpa' cultivar) kernels were treated with the formulated B. bassiana product and stored in polypropylene woven bags in cribs in Southern Ghana. After 24 h, one hundred adults of P. truncatus were placed into each bag containing the treated maize. Mortality and the percent of weight loss of kernels were assessed every two weeks for three months. The semi-field trials revealed the possibility of successfully controlling adult P. truncatus on maize kernels treated with B. bassiana at 3.16 \u00d7 109 cfu\/kg maize. However, due to the minimal protection of kernels after four weeks, re-treating maize kernels after this period is recommended to ensure maximum protection during prolonged storage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27226282,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Differences in iron and manganese concentration may confound the measurement of myelin from R1 and R2 relaxation rates in studies of dysmyelination.\nA model of dysmyelination, the Long Evans Shaker (les) rat, was used to study the contribution of myelin to MR tissue properties in white matter. A large region of white matter was identified in the deep cerebellum and was used for measurements of the MR relaxation rate constants, R1 = 1\/T1 and R2 = 1\/T2 , at 7 T. In this study, R1 of the les deep cerebellar white matter was found to be 0.55 \u00b1 0.08 s (-1) and R2 was found to be 15 \u00b1 1 s(-1) , revealing significantly lower R1 and R2 in les white matter relative to wild-type (wt: R1 = 0.69 \u00b1 0.05 s(-1) and R2 = 18 \u00b1 1 s(-1) ). These deviated from the expected \u0394R1 and \u0394R2 values, given a complete lack of myelin in the les white matter, derived from the literature using values of myelin relaxivity, and we suspect that metals could play a significant role. The absolute concentrations of the paramagnetic transition metals iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) were measured by a micro-synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence (\u03bcSRXRF) technique, with significantly greater Fe and Mn in les white matter than in wt (in units of \u03bcg [metal]\/g [wet weight tissue]: les: Fe concentration,19 \u00b1 1; Mn concentration, 0.71 \u00b1 0.04; wt: Fe concentration,10 \u00b1 1; Mn concentration, 0.47 \u00b1 0.04). These changes in Fe and Mn could explain the deviations in R1 and R2 from the expected values in white matter. Although it was found that the influence of myelin still dominates R1 and R2 in wt rats, there were non-negligible changes in the contribution of the metals to relaxation. Although there are already problems with the estimation of myelin from R1 and R2 changes in disease models with pathology that also affects the relaxation rate constants, this study points to a specific pitfall in the estimation of changes in myelin in diseases or models with disrupted concentrations of paramagnetic transition metals. Copyright \u00a9 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23718803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) in shock: a valuable echocardiographic parameter in intensive care patients.\nAssessing left ventricular (LV) dysfunction by echocardiography in ICU patients is common. The aim of this study was to investigate mitral annular plane systolic excursion (MAPSE) in critically ill patients with shock and its relation to LV systolic and diastolic function, myocardial injury and to outcome. In a prospective, observational, cohort study we enrolled 50 patients with SIRS and shock despite fluid resuscitation. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) measuring LV function was performed within 12 hours after admission and daily for a 7-day observation period. TTE and laboratory measurements were related to 28-day mortality. MAPSE on day 1 correlated significantly with LV ejection fraction (LVEF), tissue Doppler indices of LV diastolic function (\u00e9, E\/\u00e9) and high-sensitive troponin T (hsTNT) (p< 0.001, p= 0.039, p= 0.009, p= 0.003 respectively) whereas LVEF did not correlate significantly with any marker of LV diastolic function or myocardial injury. Compared to survivors, non-survivors had a significantly lower MAPSE (8 [IQR 7.5-11] versus 11 [IQR 8.9-13] mm; p= 0.028). Other univariate predictors were age (p=0.033), hsTNT (p=0.014) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores (p=0.007). By multivariate analysis MAPSE (OR 0.6 (95% CI 0.5- 0.9), p= 0.015) and SOFA score (OR 1.6 (95% CI 1.1- 2.3), p= 0.018) were identified as independent predictors of mortality. Daily measurements showed that MAPSE, as sole echocardiographic marker, was significantly lower in most days in non-survivors (p<0.05 at day 1-2, 4-6). MAPSE seemed to reflect LV systolic and diastolic function as well as myocardial injury in critically ill patients with shock. The combination of MAPSE and SOFA added to the predictive value for 28-day mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30221059,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intramuscular vaccination targeting mucosal tumor draining lymph node enhances integrins-mediated CD8+ T cell infiltration to control mucosal tumor growth.\nPurpose: Mucosal immunization is suggested to be crucial for controlling tumors in the mucosal region; however, therapeutic DNA vaccination with electroporation in various mucosal sites has yet to become clinically adaptable. Since tumor-draining lymph nodes (tdLNs) have been suggested as immune-educated sites that can be utilized to mount a potent antitumor immune response, we examined whether intramuscular DNA vaccination with electroporation at sites that target the mucosal tdLNs could elicit mucosal immune response to restrict tumor growth. Experimental Design: The efficacy and mechanism of intramuscular administration of a therapeutic DNA vaccine with electroporation at different sites was examined by lymphocyte analysis, tumor growth, mouse survival, as well as integrin expression, in mice bearing orthotopic HPV16 E6\/E7+ syngeneic TC-1 tumors in various mucosal areas. Results: While provoking comparable systemic CD8+ T cell responses, intramuscular hind leg vaccination generated stronger responses in cervicovaginal-draining LNs to control cervicovaginal tumors, whereas intramuscular front leg vaccination generated stronger responses in oral-draining LNs to control buccal tumors. Surgical removal of tdLNs abolished the antitumor effects of therapeutic vaccination. Mucosal-tdLN-targeted intramuscular vaccination induced the expression of mucosal-homing integrins LPAM-1 and CD49a by tumor-specific CD8+ T cells in the tdLNs. Inhibition of these integrins abolished the therapeutic effects of vaccination and the infiltration of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells into mucosal tumors. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that tumor draining lymph nodes targeted intramuscular immunization can effectively control mucosal tumors, which represents a readily adaptable strategy for treating mucosal cancers in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11844714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Outcome of corpus callosotomy and other pediatric epilepsy surgery: parental perceptions.\nParental perceptions regarding the outcome of epilepsy surgery in their children were assessed preoperatively via telephone survey. Twenty-seven parents - sixteen mothers (MO), eleven fathers (FA) - of sixteen children (nine boys, seven girls; ages 6 months-18 years) with intractable epilepsy (refractory to > or = 3 anticonvulsants) were interviewed. Twenty-four questions were posed during single, 20-minute sessions to both parents. A majority of parents (63% MO, 82% FA) would consider epilepsy surgery successful if it achieved > or = 75% seizure reduction. Incomplete seizure control would even be acceptable if the overall number of seizures were reduced (69% MO, 18% FA). In order to gain seizure remissions, behavioral deterioration would be accepted (57% MO, 50% FA). Less than total seizure control would be accepted if surgery produced behavioral improvement (57% MO, 51% FA, Kappa > 0.6). For seizure reduction, parents would accept: visual field deficits (82% MO, 67% FA), short-term memory deficits (33% MO, 75% FA), and speech problems (56% MO, 17% FA). Parents of children with medically-resistant seizures perceive adverse physical and behavioral consequences of epilepsy surgery to be acceptable if there is adequate seizure control. Their acceptance of postoperative deficits underscores the magnitude of the handicap produced by chronic childhood epilepsy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11826524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Monitoring of cytomegalovirus infection in patients with kidney transplantation: the first experience in Cuba].\nKidney transplantation is at present the most efficient therapeutic tool to treat end-stage chronic kidney failure. Graft rejection and infections are the most important barriers to the success of transplantation, whereas cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been the most reported causal agent of morbidity in this type of patients. The evolution of a group of 12 patients who underwent kidney transplantation at the Nephrology Institute was studied during 16 weeks aimed at monitoring the infection caused by CMV. 58.4% of these patients were positive and 28% showed clinical evidences of the disease. Most of the infected patients were observed between the 4th and the 12th week after transplantation. CMV infection was confirmed in 70% of the individuals undergoing a high immunosuppression. 50% of the total of patients developed graft rejection episodes some time during the evolution and 83.3% were diagnosed CMV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3494509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Induction of DNA strand breaks in chronic lymphocytic leukemia following treatment with 2'-deoxycoformycin in vivo and in vitro.\nFour patients with refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia were treated with the adenosine deaminase inhibitor, 2'-deoxycoformycin, and initially received 4 mg\/m2 i.v. weekly. Clinical responses to therapy varied: Patient A had a minimal response; whereas Patient D showed an 85% decrease in lymphocyte count at 2 wk; and Patients B and C had intermediate responses. The pretreatment mononuclear cell adenosine deaminase activities, which ranged from 1.6 to 44.6 nmol adenosine\/h\/10(6) cells, decreased to approximately 1 nmol adenosine \/h\/10(6) cells 24 h following 2'-deoxycoformycin, and increased to 15 to 50% of the pretreatment activity prior to the second drug treatment. The clinical response to 2'-deoxycoformycin was unrelated to the pre- or posttreatment adenosine deaminase activities or to the rate of return of enzyme activities following treatment. The plasma deoxyadenosine levels and the leukemic cell dATP concentrations rose slightly with therapy, but there was no correlation between the magnitude of increase and clinical response. No significant levels of DNA strand breaks were observed in the leukemic cells following treatment, although the NAD levels decreased slightly in two patients. When peripheral mononuclear cells from the patients and two controls were incubated in vitro for 24 h with 2'-deoxycoformycin and increasing concentrations of deoxyadenosine, a concentration-dependent increase in dATP and decrease in NAD were observed in both the patients and normals. The normal cells, and cells from two patients, developed a significant number of DNA strand breaks. However, there was no relationship between the formation of DNA breaks and the degree of accumulation of dATP or depletion of NAD, or between any of these changes and subsequent clinical responses to 2'-deoxycoformycin. Based on this study, it appears that the antitumor activity of 2'-deoxycoformycin in chronic lymphocytic leukemia is unrelated to the induction of DNA strand breaks or to changes in the levels of dATP or NAD in the leukemic cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14732361,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Superior mesenteric artery occlusion models shock-induced gut ischemia-reperfusion.\nSuperior mesenteric artery occlusion (SMAO) is a simple and reproducible model of shock-induced gut ischemia\/reperfusion, but some argue that it is not clinically relevant. The purpose of the current study was to compare SMAO to a standard model of controlled hemorrhage (CH) and uncontrolled hemorrhage (UH). Rats had femoral lines and a jejunal mucosal laser Doppler placed followed by SMAO (60 min of ischemia, no resuscitation), controlled hemorrhage (40 mm Hg for 60 min, 2:1 resuscitation shed blood and lactated Ringers), or uncontrolled hemorrhage (liver injury, 3:1 resuscitation with lactated Ringers). Base deficit, lactate, and jejunal mucosal flow (as a percentage of baseline) were recorded during ischemia and for 120 min after reperfusion. Jejunal tissue was harvested for morphological evaluation. Comparison among groups was by analysis of variance (ANOVA), and significance was set at P < 0.05. Mucosal blood flow was similar among groups at the onset of reperfusion (CH, 16.9 +\/- 5.0% versus UH, 10.9 +\/- 3.1% versus SMAO, 13.9 +\/- 6.2%) and during the initial period of reperfusion. By 120 min, however, flow in CH (75.4 +\/- 2.5%) was significantly higher that in either UH (36.4 +\/- 13.1%) or SMAO (31.7 +\/- 8.4%). Histological injury was less with CH, while base deficit was significantly higher in CH at the onset of reperfusion (-24 +\/- 2 versus UH, -10 +\/- 3 and SMAO, -6 +\/- 3 mM\/L) but comparable by the end (CH, -17 +\/- 4 versus UH, -16 +\/- 3 and SMAO, -17 +\/- 2 mM\/L). SMAO is a clinically relevant model of shock-induced gut ischemia\/reperfusion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17885252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Single-institution experience with matrix coils in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms: comparison with same-center outcomes with the use of platinum coils.\nThis study was undertaken to analyze the outcomes and treatment-related complications of the polyglycolic\/polylactic acid (PGLA)-coated Matrix platinum coils in the treatment of intracranial aneurysms and compare these results with those derived from the same single-institutional experience with use of uncoated, bare platinum coils. In this study, we compared 2 groups of patients in a retrospective fashion. The first group consisted of 70 consecutive patients who underwent 82 aneurysm treatments with Matrix coils during the 14-month period of study, from January 2003 to February 2004. We compared this cohort with 70 consecutive patients who underwent a total of 80 aneurysm treatments with bare platinum coils in the 12 months immediately preceding the use of PGLA-coated coils, from January through December 2002. We then recorded the treatment characteristics, angiographic outcomes, and any complications. There were similar baseline demographic characteristics between the 2 study groups except in age, anatomic location, and length of follow-up. The overall recurrence rate of aneurysms was 41% among the Matrix-treated group and 32% among the patients treated with bare platinum. Among the 42 patients treated with 100% Matrix, the rate of recurrence was 31%. Of the recurrences, 21% of the Matrix group, 19% of the 100% Matrix group, and 9% of the bare platinum group required retreatment. The overall rate of complications was 10% in the Matrix-treated group and 7% in the bare platinum group. There was not a statistically significant difference in the rate of recurrence of aneurysms or complications between the 2 groups. On the basis of our single-center experience, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of Matrix coils over bare platinum coils, given their disadvantages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16969740,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Postresuscitative intensive care: neuroprotective strategies after cardiac arrest.\nCardiac arrest is a common disease in the United States, and many patients will die as a result of the neurological damage suffered during the anoxic period, or will live in a neurologically debilitated state. When cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation results in the return of spontaneous circulation, intensive care is required to optimize neurological recovery. Such \"brain-oriented\" therapies include routine care, such as positioning and maintenance of volume status; optimization of cerebral perfusion, with the use of vasopressors if needed; management of increased intracranial pressure with agents such as hypertonic saline; assuring adequate oxygenation and avoiding hypercapnia; aggressive fever control; intensive glucose control, with the use of an insulin drip if needed; and management of seizures if they occur. To date, no neuroprotectant medications have been shown to improve neurological outcome. Induced moderate therapeutic hypothermia is utilized as a neuroprotective maneuver. Future treatment options and advanced monitoring techniques are also discussed. Further study to optimize neuroprotective strategies when treating patients who survive cardiac arrest is needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2466060,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Basal forebrain cholinergic and noncholinergic projections to the thalamus and brainstem in cats and monkeys.\nThe projections of basal forebrain neurons to the thalamus and the brainstem were investigated in cats and primates by using retrograde transport techniques and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunohistochemistry. In a first series of experiments, the lectin wheat germ-agglutinin conjugated with horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) was injected into all major sensory, motor, intralaminar, and reticular (RE) thalamic nuclei of cats and into the mediodorsal (MD) and pulvinar-lateroposterior thalamic nuclei of macaque monkeys. In cats numerous neurons of the vertical and horizontal limbs of the diagonal band nucleus and the substantia innominata (SI), including its rostromedial portion termed the ventral pallidum (VP), were retrogradely labeled after WGA-HRP injections in the rostral pole of the RE complex, the MD, and anteroventral\/anteromedial (AV\/AM) thalamic nuclei. Fewer retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the same areas after injections in the ventromedial (VM) thalamic nucleus, and none or very few after other thalamic injections. After RE, MD, and AV\/AM injections, 7-20% of all retrogradely labeled cells in the basal forebrain were also ChAT positive, while none of the retrogradely labeled neurons following VM injections displayed ChAT immunoreactivity. The basal forebrain projection to the MD nucleus was shown to arise principally from VP in both cats and macaque monkeys. In a second series of experiments performed in cats, injections of WGA-HRP in the brainstem peribrachial (PB) area comprising the pedunculopontine nucleus led to retrograde labeling of a moderate number of neurons in the lateral part of the VP, SI, and preoptic area (POA), only a few of which displayed ChAT immunoreactivity. In addition, a large number of retrogradely labeled cells were observed in the bed nuclei of the anterior commissure and stria terminalis after PB injections. In a third series of experiments, the use of the retrograde double-labeling method with fluorescent tracers in squirrel monkeys allowed us to identify a significant number of basal forebrain neurons sending axon collaterals to both the RE thalamic nucleus and PB brainstem area, while no double-labeled neurons were disclosed after injections confined to the ventral anterior\/ventral lateral (VA\/VL) thalamic nuclei and PB area or following injections in the cerebral cortex and PB area. Our findings reveal the existence of cholinergic and noncholinergic basal forebrain projections to the thalamus and the brainstem in both cats and macaque monkeys. We suggest that these projections may play a crucial role in the control of thalamic functions in mammals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27196057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Surgical Stress Abrogates Pre-Existing Protective T Cell Mediated Anti-Tumor Immunity Leading to Postoperative Cancer Recurrence.\nAnti-tumor CD8+ T cells are a key determinant for overall survival in patients following surgical resection for solid malignancies. Using a mouse model of cancer vaccination (adenovirus expressing melanoma tumor-associated antigen (TAA)-dopachrome tautomerase (AdDCT) and resection resulting in major surgical stress (abdominal nephrectomy), we demonstrate that surgical stress results in a reduction in the number of CD8+ T cell that produce cytokines (IFN\u03b3, TNF\u03b1, Granzyme B) in response to TAA. This effect is secondary to both reduced proliferation and impaired T cell function following antigen binding. In a prophylactic model, surgical stress completely abrogates tumor protection conferred by vaccination in the immediate postoperative period. In a clinically relevant surgical resection model, vaccinated mice undergoing a positive margin resection with surgical stress had decreased survival compared to mice with positive margin resection alone. Preoperative immunotherapy with IFN\u03b1 significantly extends survival in surgically stressed mice. Importantly, myeloid derived suppressor cell (MDSC) population numbers and functional impairment of TAA-specific CD8+ T cell were altered in surgically stressed mice. Our observations suggest that cancer progression may result from surgery-induced suppression of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. Preoperative immunotherapies aimed at targeting the prometastatic effects of cancer surgery will reduce recurrence and improve survival in cancer surgery patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33213137,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Chito-oligosaccharides with Alternating N-d-Acetylglucosamine and d-Glucosamine.\nChito-oligosaccharides (CHOS) are homo- or hetero-oligomers of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc, A) and d-glucosamine (GlcN, D). Production of well-defined CHOS-mixtures, or even pure CHOS, with specific lengths and sugar compositions, is of great interest since these oligosaccharides have interesting bioactivities. While direct chemical synthesis of CHOS is not straightforward, chemo-enzymatic approaches have shown some promise. We have used engineered glycoside hydrolases to catalyze oligomerization of activated DA building blocks through transglycosylation reactions. The building blocks were generated from readily available (GlcNAc)2-para-nitrophenol through deacetylation of the nonreducing end sugar with a recombinantly expressed deacetylase from Aspergillus niger (AnCDA9). This approach, using a previously described hyper-transglycosylating variant of ChiA from Serratia marcescens (SmChiA) and a newly generated transglycosylating variant of Chitinase D from Serratia proteamaculans (SpChiD), led to production of CHOS containing up to ten alternating D and A units [(DA)2, (DA)3, (DA)4, and (DA)5]. The most abundant compounds were purified and characterized. Finally, we demonstrate that (DA)3 generated in this study may serve as a specific inhibitor of the human chitotriosidase. Inhibition of this enzyme has been suggested as a therapeutic strategy against systemic sclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22571790,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The IC(50) concept revisited.\nA major strategy used in drug design is the inhibition of enzyme activity. The ability to accurately measure the concentration of the inhibitor which is required to inhibit a given biological or biochemical function by half is extremely important in ranking compounds. Since the concept of the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) is used extensively for studying reversible inhibition enzymatic reactions, it is important to clearly understand the experimental design and the mathematical modeling techniques used to generate IC(50) values. The most important part of the experimental design is to measure the rate of production of [P] during the linear phase of the time course of the reaction and to prove that the enzyme-catalyzed reaction is reversible. The most important part of the mathematical modeling is to select the correct model and to have a firm understanding on how to handle outliers in the data. These topics are discussed in greater detail along with a discussion on how much quantitative and mechanistic information can be reasonably deduced from an experiment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36280180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Maternal early life stress is associated with pro-inflammatory processes during pregnancy.\nEarly life stress (ELS) is common in the United States and worldwide, and contributes to the development of psychopathology in individuals with these experiences and their offspring. A growing body of research suggests that early life stress may contribute to adverse health partly through modulation of immune (and particularly inflammatory) responses. Therefore, increased maternal prenatal inflammation has been proposed as a mechanistic pathway by which the observed cross-generational effects of parental early life stress on child neuropsychiatric outcomes may be exerted. We examined associations between early life stress and molecular markers of inflammation (specifically pro-inflammatory gene expression and receptor-mediated transcription factor activity) and a commonly studied circulating marker of inflammation (C-Reactive Protein) in a diverse group of women in or near their third trimester of pregnancy, covarying for age, race\/ethnicity, BMI, concurrent infection, concurrent perceived stress, and per capita household income. Mothers who experienced higher levels of early life stress had significantly increased pro-inflammatory (NF-\u03baB) and decreased anti-viral (IRF) transcription factor activity. Transcripts that were up or down regulated in mothers with high ELS were preferentially derived from both CD16+ and CD16- monocytes. Early life stress was not associated with elevated CRP. Taken together, these findings provide preliminary evidence for an association between ELS and a pro-inflammatory transcriptional phenotype during pregnancy that may serve as a mechanistic pathway for cross-generational transmission of the effects of early life stress on mental and physical health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3324450,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Results of using autologous and demineralized allogeneic bone transplants in reconstructive operations on the mandible in children with the syndrome of the first and second branchial arches].\nA comparative clinico-roentgenological assessment of results of transplantation of auto- and allogenic demineralized transplants in reconstructive operations on the mandible was made in 58 children with the syndrome of the first and second branchial arches aged from 1 to 14 years. It was found that the substitution of the transplants by a new bone tissue was developing similarly. Allogenic bone transplants have a number of advantages over autotransplants: a simpler treatment and modelling the absence of an additional trauma to the child and a shorter duration of the operation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26495588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Les Observatoires astronomiques en Italie. An 1863 Report by Otto Wilhelm Struve.\nIn the autumn of 1863 Otto Wilhelm Struve, director of the Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in Russia, visited most of the observatories in Italy. The report that he wrote on this occasion provides an overview on the conditions of astronomical research in Italyjust after the unification of the country. Later Struve sent a French translation of his report to the Italian astronomer Giovan Battista Donati, who used it to promote the construction of the Arcetri Observatory in Florence, which was inaugurated in 1872. We present here a transcription of the French translation of Struve's report and the transcription of a letter written by him in support of Donati's project","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27765613,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The Use of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder: Current Practice Among Clinicians.\nGuidelines recommend neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) before radical cystectomy (RC) in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder in clinical stages T2-T4a, cN0M0. We examined the frequency and current practice of NAC and sought to identify predictors for the use of NAC in a prospective contemporary cohort. We analyzed prospective data from 679 patients in the PROMETRICS (PROspective MulticEnTer RadIcal Cystectomy Series 2011) database. All patients underwent RC in 2011. Uni- and multivariable regression analyses identified predictors of NAC application. Furthermore, a questionnaire was used to evaluate the practice patterns of NAC at the PROMETRICS centers. A total of 235 patients (35%) were included in the analysis. Only 15 patients (2.2%) received NAC before RC. Younger age (< 70 years; P = .035), lower case volume of the center (< 30 RC\/year; P < .001), and advanced tumor stage (\u2265 cT3; P = .038) were identified as predictors for NAC. Of the 200 urologists who replied to the questionnaire, 69% (n = 125) declared tumor stage cT3-4 a\/o N1M0 to be the best indication for NAC application, although 45% of the urologists stated that they would not perform NAC despite recommendations. The decision for NAC was made by the individual urologist in 69% of cases, and only 29% reported that all cases were discussed in an interdisciplinary tumor board. NAC was rarely applied in the present cohort. We observed a discrepancy between guideline recommendations and practice patterns, despite medical indication and pre-therapeutic interdisciplinary discussion. The potential benefit of NAC within a multimodal approach seems to be neglected by many urologists.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24990788,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Clinical and physiological rationale for use of clonidine with articaine and adrenaline for local anesthesia in pediatric dentistry].\nThe study evaluated the effect of local anesthesia with articaine in different combinations with epinephrine and clonidine (articaine (4%) + epinephrine (1:200 000), articaine (4%) + clonidine (1:100 000), articaine (4%) + epinephrine (1:200 000) + clonidine (1:100 000), articaine (4%) + epinephrine (1:400 000) + clonidine (1:100 000)), on a number of physiological parameters in pediatric dental practice that characterize cardiovascular system, patient's degree of adaptation to a stressful situation and efficacy of analgesia. It is shown that in terms of impact on the cardiovascular system and stress adaptation indicators anesthesia including combination of epinephrine (1: 200 000) and clonidine (1: 100 000) in the anesthetic solution is the safest. Furthermore, this method ensures the most appropriate analgesic effect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14628647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Antipneumococcal vaccination in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus].\nThe objective of the study was to evaluate antibody response, autoantibodies induction and disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients after polyvalent pneumococcal vaccination. SLE patients (n 37) were vaccinated with 23 valent pneumococcal vaccine. Systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) and specific IgG antibodies against pneumococcus were measured before and after vaccination. After inoculation 30 patients (85.7%) duplicated IgG anti pneumococcus baseline value, reaching protective levels of antibodies. We did not find significant differences in disease activity up to three months after vaccination. after vaccination of this lupus population an 85.0% antibody response was obtained, without temporal associated disease flare or any serious adverse event.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28418615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Co-expression of GR79 EPSPS and GAT yields herbicide-resistant cotton with low glyphosate residues.\nGlyphosate-resistant (GR) crops have been adopted on a massive scale by North and South American farmers. Currently, about 80% of the 120 million hectares of the global genetically modified (GM) crops are GR crop varieties. However, the adoption of GR plants in China has not occurred at the same pace, owing to several factors including, among other things, labour markets and the residual effects of glyphosate in transgenic plants. Here, we report the co-expression of codon-optimized forms of GR79 EPSPS and N-acetyltransferase (GAT) genes in cotton. We found five times more resistance to glyphosate with 10-fold reduction in glyphosate residues in two pGR79 EPSPS-pGAT co-expression cotton lines, GGCO2 and GGCO5. The GGCO2 line was used in a hybridization programme to develop new GR cottons. Field trials at five locations during three growing seasons showed that pGR79-pGAT transgenic cotton lines have the same agronomic performance as conventional varieties, but were USD 390-495 cheaper to produce per hectare because of the high cost of conventional weed management practices. Our strategy to pyramid these genes clearly worked and thus offers attractive promise for the engineering and breeding of highly resistant low-glyphosate-residue cotton varieties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27902213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Virgibacillus jeotgali sp. nov., isolated from Myeolchi-jeotgal, a traditional Korean high-salt-fermented anchovy.\nA Gram-staining-positive, motile, endospore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, designated NS3012T, was isolated from Myeolchi-jeotgal, a traditional Korean high-salt-fermented anchovy and was characterized using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. Comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain NS3012T belongs to the genus Virgibacillus in the family Bacillaceae of the phylum Firmicutes. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain NS3012T was closely related to Virgibacillus halotolerans WS-4627T (98.1 %), Virgibacillus oceani MY11T (96.6 %) and Virgibacillus byunsanensis ISL-24T (96.5 %). The chemotaxonomic properties of strain NS3012T were consistent with those of the genus Virgibacillus: the quinone system with MK-7 as the predominant menaquinone and anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso C17 : 0 as the major cellular fatty acids; the cell-wall peptidoglycan type was based on meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major polar lipid was diphosphatidylglycerol. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 36.8 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic inference, and chemotaxonomic and other phenotypic properties, strain NS3012T is clearly differentiated from closely related species of the genus Virgibacillus and represents a novel species in this genus, for which the name Virgibacillus jeotgali sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is NS3012T (=KEMB 9001-125T=JCM 16522T).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11552892,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The triple-phase CT image appearance of post-irradiated livers.\nTo evaluate the sequential CT appearance of the liver after hepatic irradiation and to investigate the correlation between CT findings and radiation-induced hepatic injury. The triple-phase CT images of 18 patients with hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) after hepatic irradiation were retrospectively reviewed (in total 41 CT studies). The high-dose region within the liver was defined as the area receiving more than 90% of the prescribed irradiation dose. The mean radiation dose was 55.5 Gy. Density changes and patterns of enhancement in the high-dose region were classified as three types: type I, constant low-density change in all phases; type II, low-density change in both pre-contrast and arterial phases, and iso-density change in the portal phase; type III, low- or iso-density change in the pre-contrast phase, low- or high-density change in the arterial phase, and persistent high-density change in the portal phase. The interval between completion of radiotherapy and the CT examinations ranged from 9 to 469 days, with a mean of 147 days. Nine of the 41 CT studies presented with type I, 9 with type II, and 16 with type III CT findings. The mean interval between completion of radiotherapy and the appearance of types I, II, and III CT findings were 74, 183, and 220 days, respectively. The interval was significantly shorter for type I findings than for type II and type III. The difference in interval was not significant between type II and type III. A type I finding with constant low-density change in the high-dose region of the liver was the most common pattern of CT findings within the first 3 months after hepatic irradiation. Either types II or III findings were frequently seen after 3 months. The sequential CT appearance and the density changes may indicate correlation with the pathogenesis of veno-occlusive disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30199784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Pulmonary embolism in Europe - Burden of illness in relationship to healthcare resource utilization and return to work.\nPulmonary embolism (PE) is associated with a substantial economic burden. However evidence from patients in Europe is scarce. The aim of this study was to report the impacts of PE on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and return to work using the PREFER in VTE registry. The PREFER in VTE registry was a prospective, observational, multicenter study in seven European countries, aiming to provide data concerning treatment patterns, HCRU, mortality, quality of life and work-loss. Patients with a first-time or recurrent PE were included and followed up at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Treatment patterns, re-hospitalization rates, length of hospital stays (LOS), and ambulatory\/office visits, as well as proportion of patients returning to work, were assessed. Subgroups by country and with\/without active cancer were examined separately. Zero-inflated negative binomial and Cox regression were applied to investigate the relationship between baseline characteristics and LOS and return to work, respectively. Amongst 1399 patients with PE, 53.2% were male and the average age was 62.3 \u00b1 17.1 years old. Overall, patients were treated with combinations of heparin, vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and the non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs) (50.0% treated with the combination of heparin with VKA). Patients with active cancer were primarily treated with heparin (84.9%). NOACs were used more frequently in DACH (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and France (55.2% and 32.6%) compared to Italy and Spain (4.5% and 6.1%). The VTE-related re-hospitalization rate within 12 months and the average LOS varied substantially between countries, from 26.2% in UK to 12.3% in France, and from 12.9 days in Italy to 3.9 days in France. PE patients were often co-managed by general practitioners in France and DACH (>84%), and less frequently in other countries (<47%). The regression results confirmed the country variation of HCRU. Of the employed patients (n = 385), 60% returned to work at 1 month but 27.8% had not after one year. PE patients with DVT were more likely to return to work. Active cancer was a significant predictor for not returning to work, as well as smoking history. Medical treatment of PE differed between patients with active cancer and patients without active cancer. VTE-related resource utilization differed markedly between countries. While the reported 'not return to work' was high for patients with PE, this may at least in part reflect the presence of co-morbidities such as cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26147514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Visualizing the relevance of bacterial blue- and red-light receptors during plant-pathogen interaction.\nThe foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst) leads to consistent losses in tomato crops, urging to multiply investigations on the physiological bases for its infectiveness. As other P. syringae pathovars, Pst is equipped with photoreceptors for blue and red light, mimicking the photosensing ability of host plants. In this work we have investigated Pst strains lacking the genes for a blue-light sensing protein (PstLOV), for a bacteriophytochrome (PstBph1) or for heme-oxygenase-1. When grown in culturing medium, all deletion mutants presented a larger growth than wild-type (WT) Pst under all other light conditions, with the exception of blue light which, under our experimental conditions (photon fluence rate = 40 \u03bcmol m(-2) s(-1)), completely suppressed the growth of the deletion mutants. Each of the knockout mutants shows stronger virulence towards Arabidopsis thaliana than PstWT, as evidenced by macroscopic damages in the host tissues of infected leaves. Mutated bacteria were also identified in districts distant from the infection site using scanning electron microscopy. These results underscore the importance of Pst photoreceptors in responding to environmental light inputs and the partial protective role that they exert towards host plants during infection, diminishing virulence and invasiveness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23142723,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Penetration of verapamil across blood brain barrier following cerebral ischemia depending on both paracellular pathway and P-glycoprotein transportation.\nBlood brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction is a common facet of cerebral ischemia, and the alteration of drug transporter, P-glycoprotein (P-gp), has been documented. This study explores influence of damaged BBB and elevated P-gp on cerebral verapamil penetration after ischemia both in vivo and in vitro. Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced ischemia\/reperfusion (I\/R) of rats, and Na(2)S(2)O(4) induced hypoxia\/reoxygenation (H\/R) damage of rat brain mirovessel endothelial cells (RBMECs) respectively, served as BBB breakdown model in vivo and in vitro. Evans-Blue (EB) extravagation and (125)I-albumin were used to quantify BBB dysfunction; UPLC-MS\/MS analytical method was performed to determine accurately the concentration of verapamil in brain tissue and cell. Flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and western blotting were applied to evaluate transport function and protein expression of P-gp. Overexpressed ICAM-1 and MMP-9 mediated BBB dysfunction after ischemia, which induced EB leakage and (125)I-albumin uptake increase. Enhanced accumulation of verapamil in brain tissue, but intracellular concentration reduced evidently after H\/R injury. Transcellular transportation of verapamil elevated when P-gp function or expression was inhibited after H\/R injury. These data indicated that BBB penetration of verapamil under ischemia condition was not only depending on BBB breakdown, but also regulated by P-gp.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10380986,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Association of the androgen receptor gene (AR) with ADHD and conduct disorder.\nThe male predominance of externalizing behaviors suggests that the X-linked androgen gene might be involved. Since the shorter alleles of the CAG and GGC polymorphisms of the AR gene are associated with increased gene expression we sought to determine whether they were also associated with externalizing behaviors. We examined 302 subjects consisting of Tourette syndrome probands and controls. ANOVA showed a significant association between the AR haplotypes and ADHD (p < 0.0001), conduct disorder (CD; p < 0.017), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD; p < 0.004) with the lowest scores in those with the longer alleles at both polymorphisms. These results suggest that genetic variation at the human AR gene plays a role in human externalizing disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33844811,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Current status of poliomyelitis in Latin America.\nOral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) has been instrumental in controlling the polio epidemic, and stands out for its safety, efficacy, ease of oral administration, and low cost. However, despite these advantages, as it is a live attenuated virus vaccine, there is the possibility of mutations that confer neurovirulence. Therefore, surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is important, whether associated with live vaccines (VAPP) or vaccine-derived viruses (VDPV). In this review we present important data from Latin America in recent years, where data on VDPV of community transmission, of ambiguous origin and associated with immunodeficiencies are reviewed. Due to the presence of VDPV, it is important to strengthen the epidemiological surveillance system for AFP, with data much lower than those recommended in recent years in the Americas. Additionally, it is essential to improve vaccination coverage to reduce the number of infants at risk of acquiring poliomyelitis. Consequently, we present the vaccination coverage rates with the inactivated vaccine against poliovirus (IPV) in the region and analyze the vaccination programs against poliomyelitis in accordance with the recommendations of the Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SLIPE; minimum 3 doses of IPV) and the WHO Strategic Advisory Expert Group (SAGE) on Immunization (minimum 2 doses of IPV). The study concludes with recommendations from the authors for the change from OPV to exclusive use of IPV, to increase vaccination coverage and to strengthen surveillance for AFP in the region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17485114,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Fc gamma receptor-like hepatitis C virus core protein binds differentially to IgG of discordant Fc (GM) genotypes.\nImmunoglobulin GM allotypes are associated with the outcome of several infections, including hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but the underlying mechanisms are not known. HCV employs sophisticated strategies to evade host immunosurveillance. One such strategy might involve the scavenging of the Fc gamma domain of the anti-HCV IgG antibodies by its Fc gamma receptor-like site formed by HCV core protein, potentially interfering with the Fc gamma-mediated host defense mechanisms. We tested the hypothesis that GM allotypes modulate this viral strategy through differential binding to the core protein. Here we show that the absorbance values for binding to the HCV core protein were significantly higher for IgG1 with GM 3 allotype than that for the allelic GM 1,2,17 determinants (p=0.0003). These results provide a mechanistic explanation for the involvement of GM allotypes in the outcome of HCV infection. These findings also shed light on the possible evolutionary selective mechanism that maintains GM polymorphism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26509827,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of muscle rupture with haematoma: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.\nThe goals of the treatment of muscle injuries are to shorten the time of healing and to avoid relapses. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the healing of muscle injuries. A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel, controlled clinical trial was conducted in 71 patients (81.8% males) aged 45.6 (SD=10.0) years with muscle tears in the legs and haematoma. The haematoma was evacuated in all patients. Thirty-three patients were randomised to a single dose of autologous PRP and 38 patients to simulation of PRP administration. The primary end-point was time to complete recovery of muscle injury. Secondary end-points were pain, relapses, ultrasound parameters, and adverse events. The total follow-up per patient was 12 months. Time to complete recovery after the treatment was 31.63 days (SD=15.38) in the PRP group, and 38.43 days (SD=18.58) in the control group (p=0.261). Pain decreased over time in both groups without statistical differences between them. Eight patients relapsed (seven in the control group, and one in the PRP group). There were no adverse effects related to the interventions. Autologous PRP did not significantly improve the time to healing compared to that in the control group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27251345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Non-Patient-Based Clinical Licensure Examination for Dentistry in Minnesota: Significance of Decision and Description of Process.\nIn recent years in the United States, there has been heightened interest in offering clinical licensure examination (CLE) alternatives to the live patient-based method in dentistry. Fueled by ethical concerns of faculty members at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, the state of Minnesota's Board of Dentistry approved a motion in 2009 to provide two CLE options to the school's future predoctoral graduates: a patient-based one, administered by the Central Regional Dental Testing Service, and a non-patient-based one administered by the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB). The validity of the NDEB written exam and objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) has been verified in a multi-year study. Via five-option, one-best-answer, multiple-choice questions in the written exam and extended match questions with up to 15 answer options in the station-based OSCE, competent candidates are distinguished from those who are incompetent in their didactic knowledge and clinical critical thinking and judgment across all dental disciplines. The action had the additional effects of furthering participation of Minnesota Board of Dentistry members in the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry's competency-based curriculum, of involving the school's faculty in NDEB item development workshops, and, beginning in 2018, of no longer permitting the patient-based CLE option on site. The aim of this article is to describe how this change came about and its effects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21941603,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Racial\/Ethnic differences in quality of life for people living with arthritis who see a primary care physician.\nPrevious research suggests that insufficient access to health care may contribute to health disparities in arthritis-related outcomes. The purpose of this article is to document whether racial disparities in health status, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and activity limitations exist for individuals living with arthritis who have access to a primary care physician. Cross-sectional survey data were collected in 2005 and 2008 from individuals seeking care at 11 family practice clinics in North Carolina. Participants self-reported their arthritis status, health status, physical and mental HRQOL, and activity limitations. Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there were differences in demographic and clinical characteristics of White (n= 405), Black (n = 244), and Latino (n = 100) participants who self-reported arthritis. Linear regressions determined whether race\/ethnicity was significantly associated with HRQOL and activity limitations; whereas, logistic regression determined whether the odds of poor health were higher for Black and Latino participants, controlling for age, gender, body mass index, marital status, and number of comorbid conditions. Over 50% of participants reported fair\/poor health status and more than 8 days of poor physical and mental health and 6 days of activity limitations during the past month. Latino participants were more likely to report fair\/poor health status and fewer activity limitations than Whites or Blacks, whereas Black participants reported fewer days of poor mental health. Despite access to a primary care physician, racial\/ethnic disparities exist. Future research should explore the underlying reasons for the persistence of these disparities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11437079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2015-11":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Liver-derived dendritic cells induce donor-specific hyporesponsiveness: use of sponge implant as a cell transplant model.\nSpontaneously accepted mouse liver allografts are capable of protecting subsequently transplanted donor organs from rejection; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Dendritic cells (DC) residing in liver grafts are likely important in tolerance induction. DC propagated from mouse liver with GM-CSF are phenotypically and functionally immature. They are poor allostimulators in MLR and prolong survival of pancreatic islet allografts. It has been problematic to perform mechanistic studies in an islet transplant model because of difficulties in obtaining sufficient graft infiltrating cells. In this study, we used a sponge allograft model [i.e.. a subcutaneously implanted sponge matrix loaded with B10 (H2b) spleen cells]. To investigate the influence of administration of donor (B10) liver-derived DC on alloimmune reactivity of C3H (H2k) hosts, sponge graft infiltrating cells (SGIC) and recipient spleen cells were isolated, and their immunophenotype and donor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity were examined. The results illustrate that donor-specific CTL activity of T cells are lower in recipients that had received systemic treatment with liver-derived immature DC, associated with a decrease in CD8+ cell population and an increase in Gr-1+ cells in SGIC, compared with recipients treated with mature bone marrow (BM)-derived DC. Interestingly, administration of liver DC directly into the sponge did not inhibit T cell responses. These data suggest that systemic administration of donor liver DC induces donor-specific hyporesponsiveness, probably not by direct inhibition of graft infiltrating T cells. The increased Gr-1+ cells may play immune regulatory roles in induction of host donor-specific hyporesponsiveness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17081484,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Psychiatric management of the hepatitis C patient.\nPatients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have a higher prevalence of psychiatric illness compared with the general US population, and the prevalence of HCV infection in patients with severe mental illness ranges between 8% and 19%, which is four to nine times that of the general US population (1.8%). Given the association between HCV infection and psychiatric illness, gastroenterologists are on the front line of identifying comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders and conducting a psychosocial pretreatment risk-benefit assessment for HCV infection. The use of interferon-alpha (IFN)-based therapies in combination with ribavirin (RBV) to eradicate HCV has been associated with frequent neuropsychiatric adverse effects (eg, affective, anxiety, cognitive, and psychotic symptoms) that compromise the management of both HCV patients with and those without a preexisting history of psychiatric illness. Consequently, gastroenterologists have been reluctant to engage patients with HCV and comorbid psychiatric illness in antiviral treatment due to concerns about exacerbating or precipitating neuropsychiatric symptoms. Despite the clinical challenge that HCV treatment of patients with comorbid HCV and psychiatric illness presents, recent research indicates that HCV treatments can be safely administered to patients with psychiatric illness provided that there is a comprehensive pretreatment assessment, a risk-benefit analysis, and ongoing follow-up of neuropsychiatric symptoms during antiviral therapy. The process of pretreatment assessment involves screening patients for psychiatric and substance use disorders, educating patients about the treatment process, and addressing available psychosocial support. Most psychotropic medications (antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and neuroleptics) are thought to be safe to use in the management of patients with HCV and psychiatric illness and for the management of IFN- and RBV-induced neuropsychiatric adverse effects. Nonetheless, the prophylactic use of psychotropic medications to prevent IFN- and RBV-induced neuropsychiatric adverse effects remains a controversial topic. The use of IFN and RBV in patients with HCV and severe mental illness can be done safely with expert psychiatric follow-up. In this review, we discuss the process of pretreatment assessment of patients with HCV and psychiatric illness and specifically address IFN- and RBV-induced depression in patients receiving HCV treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11478368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Fatty acid-binding proteins of nervous tissue.\nFatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are cytosolic 14-15 kDa proteins, which are supposed to be involved in fatty acid (FA) uptake, transport, and targeting. They may modulate FA concentration and in this way influence function of enzymes, membranes, ion channels and receptors, and gene expression and cellular growth and differentiation. Nine FABP types can be discerned with a specific tissue distribution. In spite of 30-70% amino acid sequence identity, they have a similar tertiary, beta-clam structure in which the FA is bound. Nervous tissue contains four FABP types with a distinct spatio-temporal distribution. Myelin (M)-FABP is only present in the peripheral nerves, brain (B)-FABP and epidermal (E)-FABP mainly in glial cells and neurons, respectively of pre- and perinatal brain, and heart (H)-FABP in adult brain. Possible functions of FABPs in the nervous system are discussed. Binding studies with a range of physiological FA showed no large differences between recombinant proteins of the four human FABP types in binding specificity and affinity, also not for polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). The transfer of FA from fixed liposomes to mitochondria was similarly promoted by the four types. A marked difference in conformational stability was observed with H-FABP > B-FABP > M-FABP > E-FABP. Surface epitopes of H-FABP showed reaction with anti-B-FABP antibodies, but no other cross-reactivity of FABP type and heterologous antibodies was observed. The functional significance of the distinct spatio-temporal pattern of the four FABP types remains to be elucidated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14622077,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Brain lesion volume and neuropsychological function predict efficacy of treatment for depression in multiple sclerosis.\nThis study examined the effects of brain lesions and neuropsychological impairment on the efficacy of treatment for depression in patients with comorbid diagnoses of multiple sclerosis (MS) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Thirty patients meeting criteria for MS and MDD received 1 of 3 16-week treatments for depression and were followed for 6 months following treatment cessation. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological evaluations were also obtained. End-of-treatment Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; A. T. Beck, C. H. Ward, M. Mendelson, J. Mock, & J. Erbaugh, 1961) results residualized for baseline BDI were related to right temporal periventricular lesion volume (R2=.32, p=.002) and left temporal grey-white junction lesion volume (R2=.19, p=.02) but were not statistically related to lesion volume in any other brain region or to neuropsychological function. BDI results at 6-month follow-up, residualized for end-of-treatment BDI, were predicted by total lesion volume (R2=.22, p=.005), lesion volume in many discrete areas, and neuropsychological functioning (R2=.29, p=.0009). The effect of total lesion volume on 6-month follow-up BDI results was fully mediated by neuropsychological function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22205437,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Uptake and outcome of combination antiretroviral therapy in men who have sex with men according to ethnic group: the UK CHIC Study.\nWe investigated differences in retention in HIV care and uptake of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and treatment outcomes between different ethnic men who have sex with men (MSM) groups. MSM subjects with known ethnicity and \u22651 day follow-up from 1996 to 2009 in the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort Study were included. Black and minority ethnic (BME) men were categorized as: black; Indian\/Pakistani\/Bangladeshi; other Asian\/Oriental; and other\/mixed. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with treatment initiation within the 6 months after each CD4 count. HIV viral load, CD4 counts, discontinuation\/switch of a drug in the initial cART regimen, and development of a new AIDS event\/death at 6 and 12 months were also analyzed. Of 16,406 MSM, 1818 (11.0%) were BME; 892 (49.1%) black, 139 (7.6%) Indian\/Pakistani\/Bangladeshi, 254 (13.9%) other Asian\/Oriental, 532 (29.2%) other\/mixed. The proportion of MSM with no follow-up after HIV diagnosis was higher among BME than white MSM (3.4% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.002). Permanent loss to follow-up was highest in the other\/mixed and lowest in Indian\/Pakistani\/Bangladeshi groups (P = 0.02). Six thousand three hundred thirty-eight MSM initiated first cART from January 1, 2000, to January 1, 2009. In multivariable analyses, BME MSM were 18% less likely to initiate cART than white MSM with similar CD4 counts [adjusted odds ratio 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.74 to 0.91), P = 0.0001]. However, once on cART, there were no differences in virological, immunological, and clinical outcomes. This study demonstrates that despite BME MSM being a \"minority within a minority\" for those HIV infected, there are few ethnic disparities in access to and treatment outcomes in our setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20456840,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in post-stroke depression.\nTo explore the main characteristics of syndromes in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in post-stroke depression (PSD) and to provide basis for treatments with TCM herbs. According to diagnostic criteria of PSD, stroke patients and depression patients from Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were assigned into cerebral stroke group (150 cases), depression group (151 cases) and PSD group (123 cases). Neuropsychological assessments and imaging and biochemical analyses were conducted. TCM syndrome differentiation for these diseases was performed. We also determined the characteristics of TCM syndromes of PSD, relative risk of the syndromes and their correlations with ages as well. Scores of qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver qi depression, and transformation of fire due to qi stagnation in PSD group were significant higher than those in cerebral stroke group (P<0.05, P<0.01). In cerebral stroke group, majority of the patients displayed one syndrome, while in PSD and depression groups, the patients had three or more syndromes. Of these syndromes, the incidence rate of syndrome of liver qi depression complicated with transformation of fire due to qi stagnation or flaring of fire due to yin deficiency was high. The syndrome of liver qi depression occurred much more frequently in PSD group and depression group than in cerebral stroke group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The logistic regression analysis showed that the syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis had high relative risk to PSD. The syndrome of deficiency of heart and spleen was positively correlated with age in cerebral stroke group. The main TCM syndromes of PSD and depression are qi stagnation and blood stasis, liver qi depression, and transformation of fire due to qi stagnation. The syndrome of deficiency of heart and spleen is closely related to age among the stroke patients. The syndrome of qi stagnation and blood stasis serves as an independent risk factor for PSD. The more complicated the syndromes are, the more serious depression becomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32932466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Training data generation and validation for a neural network-based equalizer.\nThe neural network (NN) has been widely used as a promising technique in fiber optical communication owing to its powerful learning capabilities. The NN-based equalizer is qualified to mitigate mixed linear and nonlinear impairments, providing better performance than conventional algorithms. Many demonstrations employ a traditional pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) as the training and test data. However, it has been revealed that the NN can learn the generation rules of the PRBS during training, degrading the equalization performance. In this work, to address this problem, we propose a combination strategy to construct a strong random sequence that will not be learned by the NN or other advanced algorithms. The simulation and experimental results based on data over an additive white Gaussian noise channel and a real intensity modulation and direct detection system validate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19794052,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison of a rapid molecular method, the BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay, to the most frequently used laboratory tests for detection of toxin-producing Clostridium difficile in diarrheal feces.\nSix hundred diarrheal stool specimens were collected from inpatients and outpatients at local university hospitals for the detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile using three parallel methods, the BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay, the tissue culture cytotoxicity assay, and a commercially available enzyme-linked fluorescence immunoassay (ELFA) (Vidas C. difficile toxin A and B assay; bioM\u00e9rieux). Toxigenic C. difficile culture was also performed to further clarify discordant results. During a 3-month study period, 58 (9.7%) of the 600 diarrheal samples examined were positive by the BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay, while the Vidas C. difficile toxin A and B assay and the cytotoxicity assay performed directly on stool samples gave 4.7% and 6.3% positivity rates, respectively. In the case of four samples, BD GeneOhm Cdiff assay results were not evaluable at first because of the presence of PCR inhibitors, but upon repeat testing from the frozen lysates, all of these samples proved to be negative. After resolution with toxigenic culture, the cytotoxicity assay proved to be positive in 55 samples (9.2%), while the ELFA was positive in 37 samples (6.2%). Results of culture and repeated cytotoxicity assays emphasized the importance of the culture method, because the use of ELFA or enzyme immunoassay without a culture method may lead to a substantial portion of toxigenic C. difficile strains being missed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1768939,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Heterogeneity of nucleolar distribution in prostatic cancer. Comparison with the cytological grade and DNA content].\nThirty seven prostatic carcinomas at a D2 metastatic stage were studied after transrectal fine-needle aspiration in a prospective multicentric study. The number and the distribution of nucleoli were compared, in each cytological grade, to the flow cytometric nuclear DNA content. In 9 grade I, 13 grade II and 15 grade III the proportion of bimodal DNA profiles was 11%, 30.7% and 66.7%. The total number of nucleoli per 100 nuclei was respectively 114.11 (SD = 8.12), 158.31 (SD = 47.97) and 194.40 (SD = 58.42). A statistically significant difference (t = 2.78; P = 0.009) was found between the total number of nucleoli of unimodal (22 cases) and bimodal DNA profiles (15 cases). However, no significant difference in nucleolar parameters was found between unimodal (14 cases) and bimodal DNA profiles (14 cases) in cytological grades II and III. These results suggest that the nucleolar parameters do not necessarily parallel the increase in the nuclear DNA content, and that the two factors are independent of one another.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17210741,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Oestrogen formation and connective tissue growth factor expression in rat granulosa cells.\nOvarian follicular development involves continual remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) forming the basement membrane and intercellular framework that support granulosa cell (GC) growth and differentiation. Insight into the molecular regulation of ovarian ECM remodelling is potentially translatable to tissue remodelling elsewhere in the body. We therefore studied the link between a gene marker of ECM remodelling (connective tissue growth factor (CTGF)) and oestrogen biosynthesis (cytochrome P450(aromatase) (P450(arom))) in rat granulosa cells. To determine if a cause-effect interaction exists, we used semi-quantitative in situ hybridisation to analyse patterns of CTGF and P450(arom) mRNA expression and immunohistochemistry to detect CTGF protein localisation throughout follicular development, and tested the actions of CTGF on oestrogen biosynthesis and oestradiol on CTGF mRNA expression in isolated GC in vitro. CTGF mRNA levels in GC rose gradually through small preantral (SP) and small antral (SA) stages of development to a maximum (fivefold higher) in large antral (LA) follicles. In preovulatory (PO) follicles, the CTGF mRNA level fell to 30% of that in SP follicles. P450(arom) mRNA also increased (threefold in LA relative to SP) throughout antral development follicles, but in contrast to CTGF continued to increase (12-fold) in PO follicles. In the cumulus oophorus of PO follicles, the residual GC CTGF mRNA expression increased with proximity to the oocyte, being inversely related to P450(arom). Elsewhere in the follicle wall, there was a mural-to-antral gradient of CTGF mRNA expression, again inversely related to P450(arom). Immunohistochemistry showed CTGF protein localisation broadly followed mRNA expression during follicular development, although the protein was also present in the theca interna and ovarian surface epithelium. Gradients in CTGF expression across the cumulus oophorus and follicle wall were similar to those observed for mRNA with CTGF protein expression being greatest in proximity to the oocyte. Treatment of isolated GC from preantral and SA follicles with recombinant human CTGF (1-100 ng\/ml) did not affect basal or FSH-stimulated GC aromatase activity. However, in the absence of FSH, oestradiol (10(-7)-10(-5) M) stimulated CTGF mRNA expression up to twofold. Conversely, FSH (10 ng\/ml) alone reduced CTGF mRNA expression by 40% and combined treatment with FSH and oestradiol further suppressed CTGF to 10% of the control value. The oestrogen receptor (ER) antagonist, ICI 182 780 blocked the stimulatory and inhibitory effects of oestradiol, suggesting a specific ER-mediated mode of action on CTGF. Therefore, CTGF gene expression in GC is under local control by oestrogen whose effect (positive or negative) is modulated by FSH. This helps explain why gene expression of CTGF and P450(arom) diverge in FSH-induced PO follicles and has implications for oestrogenic regulation of CTGF formation elsewhere in the body.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20453028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Designing small multiple-target artificial RNAs.\nMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are naturally occurring small RNAs that regulate the expression of several genes. MiRNAs' targeting rules are based on sequence complementarity between their mature products and targeted genes' mRNAs. Based on our present understanding of those rules, we developed an algorithm to design artificial miRNAs to target simultaneously a set of predetermined genes. To validate in silico our algorithm, we tested different sets of genes known to be targeted by a single miRNA. The algorithm finds the seed of the corresponding miRNA among the solutions, which also include the seeds of new artificial miRNA sequences potentially capable of targeting these genes as well. We also validated the functionality of some artificial miRNAs designed to target simultaneously members of the E2F family. These artificial miRNAs reproduced the effects of E2Fs inhibition in both normal human fibroblasts and prostate cancer cells where they inhibited cell proliferation and induced cellular senescence. We conclude that the current miRNA targeting rules based on the seed sequence work to design multiple-target artificial miRNAs. This approach may find applications in both research and therapeutics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33758551,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-Infection and Associated Factors at Debre Markos Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A Four-Year Retrospective Study.\nHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) are the principal global causes of death among patients with communicable diseases. Because of shared immune defense mechanisms, they are the primary cause of morbidity worldwide. However, little information was found regarding the magnitude of TB\/HIV co-infection in the study area, in Northwest Ethiopia. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of TB and HIV co-infection and associated factors among TB patients. All TB patients at Debre Markos Comprehensive Specialized Hospital were included from September 11, 2012 to September 10, 2016. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Logistic regression was used to determine the associations between independent and outcome variables. A total of 180 TB patients were enrolled. Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) accounted for 97\/180 (53.9%), followed by extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) in 83\/180 (46.1%). There were 164\/180 (91.1%) new TB cases and 16\/180 (8.9%) treatment failures, but no relapsing or defaulting cases were observed. Forty percent (72\/180) of patients were co-infected with TB and HIV. The likelihoods of having TB\/HIV co-infection were 3.2 and 2.1 times higher in PTB smear-positive and PTB smear-negative patients (AOR=3.2, 95% CI 1.4-8.1, p=0.006; and AOR=2.1, 95% CI 1.0-4.3, respectively, p=0.05), in comparison to EPTB. The rate of TB\/HIV co-infection was 28\/66 (42.4%) in 2013, 18\/38 (47.4%) in 2014, 13\/32 (40.6%) in 2015, and 13\/44 (29.5%) in 2016. TB\/HIV co-infection showed a decreasing trend in the past 2 years in the study area. TB\/HIV co-infection is one of the most serious community health concerns in the study area. Therefore, TB\/HIV collaborative activities should be implemented to reduce co-infection and its impact on the community.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38113098,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Predisposing Factors of Nosocomial Infections in Hospitalized Patients in the United Kingdom: Systematic Review.\nNosocomial infections are infections incubating or not present at the time of admission to a hospital and manifest 48 hours after hospital admission. The specific factors contributing to the risk of infection during hospitalization remain unclear, particularly for the hospitalized population of the United Kingdom. The aim of this systematic literature review was to explore the risk factors of nosocomial infections in hospitalized adult patients in the United Kingdom. A comprehensive keyword search was conducted through the PubMed, Medline, and EBSCO CINAHL Plus databases. The keywords included \"risk factors\" or \"contributing factors\" or \"predisposing factors\" or \"cause\" or \"vulnerability factors\" and \"nosocomial infections\" or \"hospital-acquired infections\" and \"hospitalized patients\" or \"inpatients\" or \"patients\" or \"hospitalized.\" Additional articles were obtained through reference harvesting of selected articles. The search was limited to the United Kingdom with papers written in English, without limiting for age and gender to minimize bias. The above process retrieved 377 articles, which were further screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The retained 9 studies were subjected to critical appraisal using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (cohort and case-control studies) and Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (cross-sectional studies) checklists. Finally, 6 eligible publications were identified and used to collect the study findings. A thematic analysis technique was used to analyze data extracted on risk factors of nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients in the United Kingdom. The risk factors for nosocomial infections that emerged from the reviewed studies included older age, intrahospital transfers, cross-infection, longer hospital stay, readmissions, prior colonization with opportunistic organisms, comorbidities, and prior intake of antibiotics and urinary catheters. Nosocomial infections were associated with more extended hospital stays, presenting with increased morbidity and mortality. Measures for controlling nosocomial infections included the use of single-patient rooms, well-equipped wards, prior screening of staff and patients, adequate sick leave for staff, improved swallowing techniques and nutritional intake for patients, improved oral hygiene, avoiding unnecessary indwelling plastics, use of suprapubic catheters, aseptic techniques during patient care, and prophylactic use. There is a need for further studies to aid in implementing nosocomial infection prevention and control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28702246,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Cardiovascular safety assessment of pramlintide in type 2 diabetes: results from a pooled analysis of five clinical trials.\nThis report evaluated the cardiovascular safety of the amylin analog pramlintide-an existing diabetes injectable treatment-by comparing relevant cardiovascular adverse events (AEs) reported in previous phase 3 and 4 clinical trials among patients receiving pramlintide and those receiving control treatments. Cardiovascular safety of pramlintide was assessed using accepted regulatory medical definitions of AEs reported in five randomized, controlled phase 3 and 4 trials of 16-52 weeks' duration in adults with type 2 diabetes. The original trials compared pramlintide (90-120 mcg twice daily or 30-150 mcg three times daily) with placebo (four studies) or a mealtime rapid-acting insulin analog (one study). Background therapies included insulin alone or in combination with oral glucose-lowering agents. AE data obtained from clinical study reports were combined into one database and analyzed for the intention-to-treat population of 2016 patients (pramlintide, n = 1434; pooled comparator, n = 582). The primary analysis compared reported major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) between pramlintide and control. The incidence of reported MACE was similar between pramlintide (4.7 %) and pooled comparators (4.5 %). Secondary analyses included MACE relative risk and hazard ratio point estimates, which ranged from 0.86 to 0.93 for pramlintide relative to comparator treatment; the upper limit of the two-sided 95 % confidence interval did not exceed the threshold of 1.8. Both the point estimate of the reported MACE frequency and estimated risk ratios showed that mealtime pramlintide as an adjunct to insulin conferred no increased risk of cardiovascular AEs in patients with type 2 diabetes using insulin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37235721,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Implementation of a Triage Protocol Outside the Hospital Setting for Timely Referral During the COVID-19 Second Wave in Chennai, India.\nIndia experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases during the second wave in the period of April-June 2021. A rapid rise in cases posed challenges to triaging patients in hospital settings. Chennai, the fourth largest metropolitan city in India with an 8 million population, reported 7564 COVID-19 cases on May 12, 2021, nearly 3 times higher than the number of cases in the peak of COVID-19 in 2020. A sudden surge of cases overwhelmed the health system. We had established standalone triage centers outside the hospitals in the first wave, which catered to up to 2500 patients per day. In addition, we implemented a home-based triage protocol from May 26, 2021, to evaluate patients with COVID-19 who were aged \u226445 years without comorbidities. Among the 27,816 reported cases between May 26 and June 24, 2021, a total of 16,022 (57.6%) were aged \u226445 years without comorbidities. The field teams triaged 15,334 (55.1%), and 10,917 (39.2%) patients were evaluated at triage centers. Among 27,816 cases, 19,219 (69.1%) were advised to self-isolate at home, 3290 (11.8%) were admitted to COVID-19 care centers, and 1714 (6.2%) were admitted to hospitals. Only 3513 (12.7%) patients opted for the facility of their choice. We implemented a scalable triage strategy covering nearly 90% of the patients in a large metropolitan city during the COVID-19 surge. The process enabled early referral of high-risk patients and ensured evidence-informed treatment. We believe that the out-of-hospital triage strategy can be rapidly implemented in low-resource settings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34635509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A Single-Center Description of Pediatric Transfusion Reactions and Preventable Patient Harm.\nIn previous studies, researchers highlight that children have higher rates of transfusion reactions than adults. However, little is known about the pediatric populations that experience reactions, and there are no reports that consider appropriateness of pediatric transfusions in relation to preventable harm. With this study, we aim to describe pediatric transfusion reactions occurring at an academic institution and to quantify transfusion reactions that resulted from inappropriate transfusion indications, thereby identifying an area of potentially preventable patient harm (PPH). This is a case series of acute transfusion reactions in pediatric patients at a single institution from January 2018 to December 2019. We reviewed patient data, clinical documentation, and transfusion reaction reports to determine the appropriateness of transfusions and calculate PPH. A total 155 acute transfusion reactions occurred in 106 pediatric patients, amounting to a total reaction rate of 544 of 100 000 transfusions. In 65% of reactions, the indication for transfusion was appropriate by institutional standards; 23% had questionable indication; and 12% were not indicated. The rate of potential PPH from inappropriate transfusions was 67 of 100 000 transfusions. Transfusion reactions that occur during inappropriately ordered blood transfusions represent PPH. Efforts should be made to develop transfusion guidelines, standardize practice, and educate physicians to prevent transfusion-related harm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9395345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Factors influencing the relapse of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.\nThe management of relapse of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains a clinical challenge and a relatively neglected area of current research. Many factors contribute to relapse, and the proper identification of the cause of each case may influence optimal management. Often, relapse is related to the failure of maintenance therapy. Mesalamine sensitivity is difficult to recognize and should be considered when increased doses are associated with the worsening of symptoms. An increase in eosinophil activity could explain seasonal relapses of IBD as a result of exposure to allergens, but other eosinophil activation pathways also will influence the course of IBD. Infection, either enteric or systemic, may trigger a relapse by activating the gastrointestinal mucosal immune system. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use is a well-recognized cause of exacerbation of disease. Smoking status is emerging as a complex factor in IBD, and a change in smoking status may influence the course of IBD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20653185,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Change, transformation, evolution].\n\"Change\", \"transformation\" and \"evolution\" are terms not at all interchangeable. They point at realities and deeply apply to mechanisms which partially intertwine each other without ever being overlapped or confused. We would like to distinguish and investigate their diffusion in former and current psychological approaches, especially when dealing with the analysis and follow-up of a moving process. We will present some illustrations, in the field of the phenomeno-structural method, which, after having dedicated an important part of its works to the enlightment of the organization of the mental structure, from 1920 to 1950, felt the need, from the 50's onwards, to follow its evolution through a set of psychological modifications pointing in a main direction: during normal and pathological development throughout childhood or at the critical moment of the adolescence period, in psychosurgery or psychobiological practices, then in cases of appearing and disappearing of delusional processes, in the follow-up of determining transformation phases during alcoholic detoxification, or, more recently, in the appreciation of the psychotherapeutic practices (directed daydream, relaxation). We will show how this perspective, standing apart and suspicious to the restrictive current tendency towards evaluation, takes part in a much wider theoretical and methodological frame with a constant concern to consider the sustainable effects and the limits of various events, circumstances or procedures on the structure of personality, through a vast and coherent understanding of the underlying psychological mechanisms which steer them by giving them sense.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19449954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The role of lipid composition for insertion and stabilization of amino acids in membranes.\nWhile most membrane protein helices are clearly hydrophobic, recent experiments have indicated that it is possible to insert marginally hydrophobic helices into bilayers and have suggested apparent in vivo free energies of insertion for charged residues that are low, e.g., a few kcals for arginine. In contrast, a number of biophysical simulation studies have predicted that the bilayer interior is close to a pure hydrophobic environment with large penalties for hydrophilic amino acids--and yet the experimental scales do significantly better at predicting actual membrane proteins from sequence. Here, we have systematically studied the dependence of the free energy profiles on lipid properties, including tail length, saturation, headgroup hydrogen bond strength, and charge, both to see to whether the in vivo insertion can be explained in whole or part from lipid composition of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes, and if the solvation properties can help interpret how protein function depends on the lipids. We find that lipid charge is important to stabilize charged amino acids inside the bilayer (with implications, e.g., for ion channels), that thicker bilayers have higher solvation costs for hydrophilic side chains, and that headgroup hydrogen bond strength determines how adaptive the lipids are as a hydrophobic\/hydrophilic solvent. None of the different free energy profiles are even close to the low apparent in vivo insertion cost, which suggests that regardless of the specific ER membrane composition the current experimental results cannot be explained by normal lipid-type variation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25027204,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Concentration gradient focusing and separation in a silica nanofluidic channel with a non-uniform electroosmotic flow.\nThe simultaneous concentration gradient focusing and separation of proteins in a silica nanofluidic channel of various geometries is investigated experimentally and theoretically. Previous modelling of a similar device [Inglis et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2011, 50, 7546] assumed a uniform velocity profile along the length of the nanochannel. Using detailed numerical analysis incorporating charge regulation and viscoelectric effects, we show that in reality the varying axial electric field and varying electric double layer thickness caused by the concentration gradient, induce a highly non-uniform velocity profile, fundamentally altering the protein trapping mechanism: the direction of the local electroosmotic flow reverses and two local vortices are formed near the centreline of the nanochannel at the low salt concentration end, enhancing trapping efficiency. Simulation results for yellow\/red fluorescent protein R-PE concentration enhancement, peak focusing position and peak focusing width are in good agreement with experimental measurements, validating the model. The predicted separation of yellow\/red (R-PE) from green (Dyl-Strep) fluorescent proteins mimics that from a previous experiment [Inglis et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2011, 50, 7546] conducted in a slightly different geometry. The results will inform the design of new class of matrix-free particle focusing and separation devices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18197344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Trapping and manipulating excited spin states of transition metal compounds.\nThis tutorial review describes how complexes of iron(II) (and, rarely, other metal ions) can be switched between their high- and low-spin states by different physical stimuli. At low temperatures, it is possible to trap a compound in a metastable excited spin-state which, in favourable cases, may be stable to thermal relaxation below temperatures as high as 130 K. The selective switching and trapping of individual spin centres in polynuclear compounds, and the interplay between spin centres as they relax back to their ground states, are also discussed. Similar phenomena, in which spin transitions are coupled to charge transfer phenomena, can also occur in inorganic and metal-organic cyanometallate compounds and in cobalt-semiquinonate complexes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8570330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Simple indicators of physical working capacity.\nTraditional methods used to estimate an individual's physical working capacity have at least one disadvantage in common, namely, the demand for expensive equipment such as cycle ergometers or treadmills. Consequently, the search for suitable tests performed in the field has been extensive. Most field tests do, however, require a maximal performance from the subject. The present investigation compared two special field tests, walking and running, both of a submaximal character, with (a) a treadmill run test and (b) a standardized cycle ergometer test. The comparisons were made to judge whether these field tests have the potential to replace or complement laboratory tests in certain situations, for example, when the purpose is to monitor training progress over time. Correlations were generally high and statistically significant within as well as between tests. Higher values were observed between field running and the laboratory tests than with field walking. This was true especially for the higher reference levels. Despite this, field walking may still be the best alternative for elderly persons or subjects recovering from injury, since the results indicate that walking, when performed intensely enough, gives a fairly good estimate of an individual's physical working capacity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36852730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Intrinsic Formamidinium Tin Iodide Nanocrystals by Suppressing the Sn(IV) Impurities.\nThe long search for nontoxic alternatives to lead halide perovskites (LHPs) has shown that some compelling properties of LHPs, such as low effective masses of carriers, can only be attained in their closest Sn(II) and Ge(II) analogues, despite their tendency toward oxidation. Judicious choice of chemistry allowed formamidinium tin iodide (FASnI3) to reach a power conversion efficiency of 14.81% in photovoltaic devices. This progress motivated us to develop a synthesis of colloidal FASnI3 NCs with a concentration of Sn(IV) reduced to an insignificant level and to probe their intrinsic structural and optical properties. Intrinsic FASnI3 NCs exhibit unusually low absorption coefficients of 4 \u00d7 103 cm-1 at the first excitonic transition, a 190 meV increase of the band gap as compared to the bulk material, and a lack of excitonic resonances. These features are attributed to a highly disordered lattice, distinct from the bulk FASnI3 as supported by structural characterizations and first-principles calculations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36482003,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Biology, Physics and Genetics of Intracranial Aneurysm Formation: A Review.\nIntracranial aneurysms (IAs) are persistent, localised dilatations of the arterial wall that are found in approximately 3% of the general population. The most severe complication of IAs is rupture, which results in devastating consequences such as subarachnoid haemorrhage and brain damage with serious neurological sequelae. Numerous studies have characterised the mechanisms underlying IA development and growth and identified a number of environmental modifiable (smoking, hypertension) and nonmodifiable risk factors (related to the histology of cerebral arteries and genetic factors) in its pathogenesis. Haemodynamic stress also likely plays a crucial role in the formation of IAs and is conditioned by the geometry and morphology of the vessel tree, but its role in the natural history of unruptured IAs remains poorly understood; it is believed that changes in blood flow might generate the haemodynamic forces that are responsible for damage to the vascular wall and vessel remodelling that lead to IA formation. This review summarises the most relevant data on the current theories on the formation of IAs, with particular emphasis on the roles of special conditions resulting from the microscopic anatomy of intracranial arteries, haemodynamic factors, bifurcation morphometry, inflammatory pathways, and the genetic factors involved in IA formation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6753194,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of fatty acid composition on the sensitivity of membrane functions to ethanol in Escherichia coli.\nThe effects of membrane composition on the sensitivity of membrane functions to ethanol in Escherichia coli have been investigated. The addition of ethanol (0.67M) in vitro did not cause appreciable inhibition of NADH oxidase, D-lactate oxidase or ATPase but caused an 11% to 30% inhibition of succinic dehydrogenase, glutamate uptake, proline uptake and 1ac permease. Although the sensitivities of some of these membrane functions to ethanol varied with membrane composition, none correlated with the changes in sensitivity to killing by ethanol. In contrast, leucine transport was resistant to ethanol (0.67M) in control cells and in cells enriched in vaccenic acid, but was inhibited by 25% in cells grown in palmitic acid. The release of nucleotides was examined as a comparative measure of cellular permeability. Ethanol increased nucleotide leakage. Leakage was reduced in cells grown in vaccenic acid and enhanced in cells enriched in palmitic acid. The addition of MgSO4 (10mM) reduced nucleotide leakage and enhanced survival. Based upon these results, metabolite leakage was proposed as the primary event associated with bacterial inactivation in buffered solutions of ethanol. The increase in acyl chain length is proposed as the beneficial aspect of vaccenic acid incorporation rather than the increase in membrane unsaturation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6162552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Inhibition of growth of B16 murine malignant melanoma by exogenous interferon.\nWe previously reported that polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, a potent interferon inducer, inhibits the growth of B16 malignant melanoma in the C57BL\/6 mouse. Two experiments were done to evaluate the effectiveness of interferon in tumor inhibition in vivo. In the first, mice were implanted with melanoma and divided into four groups, according to treatment: interferon preparation; interferon control preparation (\"breakthrough fraction\"); phosphate-buffered saline control; and murine serum albumin control. Daily, each mouse was given i.p. injections of 200,000 NIH reference units (hereafter called units) of interferon or of one of the control substances. The second experiment was similar to the first, except that bovine serum albumin was an additional control. In both experiments, the average tumor volume in interferon-treated mice was statistically significantly smaller than that of each control group. Mouse interferon preparations also inhibited the multiplication of B16 malignant melanoma cells in culture. This inhibition was statistically significant from interferon levels as low as 5 to as high as 5000 units\/ml. The degree of inhibition markedly increased from 5 up to 500 units, the inhibition reaching its maximum at this concentration. The inhibitory effect of interferon was abrogated by anti-murine interferon serum produced in a rabbit. These findings suggest that the in vivo inhibition of the growth of B16 melanoma demonstrated with polyinosinicpolycytidylic acid and with exogenous interferon probably results, at least in part, from a direct effect of interferon on the tumor cells themselves.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26568437,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Geometric-Structure Theory for Maximally Random Jammed Packings.\nMaximally random jammed (MRJ) particle packings can be viewed as prototypical glasses in that they are maximally disordered while simultaneously being mechanically rigid. The prediction of the MRJ packing density \u03d5MRJ, among other packing properties of frictionless particles, still poses many theoretical challenges, even for congruent spheres or disks. Using the geometric-structure approach, we derive for the first time a highly accurate formula for MRJ densities for a very wide class of two-dimensional frictionless packings, namely, binary convex superdisks, with shapes that continuously interpolate between circles and squares. By incorporating specific attributes of MRJ states and a novel organizing principle, our formula yields predictions of \u03d5MRJ that are in excellent agreement with corresponding computer-simulation estimates in almost the entire \u03b1-x plane with semi-axis ratio \u03b1 and small-particle relative number concentration x. Importantly, in the monodisperse circle limit, the predicted \u03d5MRJ = 0.834 agrees very well with the very recently numerically discovered MRJ density of 0.827, which distinguishes it from high-density \"random-close packing\" polycrystalline states and hence provides a stringent test on the theory. Similarly, for non-circular monodisperse superdisks, we predict MRJ states with densities that are appreciably smaller than is conventionally thought to be achievable by standard packing protocols.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31646808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Inhibition of endometrial carcinoma by Kaempferol is interceded through apoptosis induction, G2\/M phase cell cycle arrest, suppression of cell invasion and upregulation of m-TOR\/PI3K signalling pathway.\nThe main purpose of this study was to investigate the selective anticancer effects of Kaempferol against MFE-280 endometrial carcinoma cells along with evaluating its effects on apoptotic pathway, cell cycle phase distribution, cell invasion, cell migration and m-TOR\/PI3K\/Akt signalling pathway. Cell viability of MFE-280 endometrial carcinoma cells was assessed by MTS [(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium)] assay. Apoptosis was determined by acridine orange (AO)\/ ethidium bromide (EB) double staining. Cell cycle analysis was determined by flow cytometry, while Boyden chamber assay was performed to study the effects of Kaempferol on cell migration and cell invasion, respectively. The effects of Kaempferol on the protein expression of m-TOR\/PI3K\/Akt signalling pathway were analysed by Western blot assay. Kaempferol exerted considerable and selective anticancer effects on MFE-280 endometrial carcinoma cells with IC50 of 10 \u03bcM. The anticancer effects were found to be due to activation of mitochondrial-mediated apoptotic pathway and G2\/M phase cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, the results also revealed that Kaempferol significantly inhibited cell migration and cell invasion trend of these cancer cells. Our results also showed that, in comparison to the untreated cells, Kaempferol-treated cells exhibited a dose-dependent downregulation of p-mTOR, p-PI3K and p-AKT proteins. However, mTOR, PI3K and Akt expression levels remained more or less unaltered. In conclusion, the present study indicates that Kaempferol could exert anticancer effects in MFE-280 endometrial carcinoma cells selectively and that these effects were mediated via apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest and inhibition of m-TOR\/PI3K\/Akt signalling pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17803835,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of psychotherapy on regional cerebral blood flow during trauma imagery in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized clinical trial.\nFunctional brain-imaging studies in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have suggested functional alterations in temporal and prefrontal cortical regions. Effects of psychotherapy on these brain regions have not yet been examined. Twenty civilian PTSD out-patients and 15 traumatized control subjects were assessed at baseline using psychometric ratings. Cerebral blood flow was measured using trauma script-driven imagery during 99mtechnetium hexamethyl-propylene-amine-oxime single-photon emission computed tomography scanning. All 20 out-patients were randomly assigned to treatment or wait-list conditions. Treatment was brief eclectic psychotherapy (BEP) in 16 weekly individual sessions. At baseline, greater activation was found in the right insula and right superior\/middle frontal gyrus in the PTSD group than in the control group. PTSD patients treated with BEP significantly improved on all PTSD symptom clusters compared to those on the waiting list. After effective psychotherapy, lower activation was measured in the right middle frontal gyrus, compared to the PTSD patients on the waiting list. Treatment effects on PTSD symptoms correlated positively with activation in the left superior temporal gyrus, and superior\/middle frontal gyrus. BEP induced clinical recovery in PTSD patients, and appeared to modulate the functioning of specific PTSD-related sites in the prefrontal cortical regions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23243571,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A diffuse reflectance spectral imaging system for tumor margin assessment using custom annular photodiode arrays.\nDiffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a well-established method to quantitatively distinguish between benign and cancerous tissue for tumor margin assessment. Current multipixel DRS margin assessment tools are bulky fiber-based probes that have limited scalability. Reported herein is a new approach to multipixel DRS probe design, which utilizes direct detection of the DRS signal by using optimized custom photodetectors in direct contact with the tissue. This first fiberless DRS imaging system for tumor margin assessment consists of a 4 \u00d7 4 array of annular silicon photodetectors and a constrained free-space light delivery tube optimized to deliver light across a 256 mm(2) imaging area. This system has 4.5 mm spatial resolution. The signal-to-noise ratio measured for normal and malignant breast tissue-mimicking phantoms was 35 dB to 45 dB for \u03bb = 470 nm to 600 nm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22319739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mucinous cystadenoma of the liver with ovarian-like stroma: the need for complete resection.\nCystadenoma of the liver is a rare neoplasm. Although many cystadenomas are asymptomatic, symptoms can include abdominal pain, postprandial epigastric discomfort, and nausea. Dramatic changes in hepatic imaging techniques have been helpful for diagnosing cystic lesions of the liver, such as simple cyst, hydatid cyst, cystadenoma, cystadenocarcinoma, and metastatic neuroendocrine tumors. However, it remains difficult to differentiate cystadenoma from cystadenocarcinoma for multiseptated cystic hepatic lesions with papillary projection on computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Here we report the case of a 47-year-old woman with several months of postprandial discomfort and abdominal fullness. CT and MRI revealed multiseptated cystic lesions with papillary excrescences. A left hemihepatectomy was performed. Histology showed a benign mucinous cystic tumor with ovarian-like stroma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17608061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Auricular acupuncture reduces intraoperative fentanyl requirement during hip arthroplasty--a randomized double-blinded study.\nWe studied whether auricular acupuncture reduces analgesic requirement during total hip arthroplasty. Sixty-four patients were enrolled in this patient\/anesthesiologist-blinded study according to inclusion criteria. They were randomly assigned to receive acupuncture with indwelling fixed needles (points lung, shenmen, forehead and hip) or sham procedure (4 non-acupuncture points on the helix). Surgery was performed under standardized general anesthesia with volatile anesthetic isoflurane and opioid analgesic fentanyl, whereby isoflurane concentration was kept constant. Demographics, fentanyl requirement, duration of general anesthesia and success of patients' blinding were registered. Patients from the acupuncture group required 21% less fentanyl during surgery than those who received sham procedure. Other outcome measures were similar in both groups. Auricular acupuncture reduced fentanyl requirement compared to sham procedure during hip arthroplasty.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21438760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Escherichia coli O157:H7 of genotype lineage-specific polymorphism assay 211111 and clade 8 are common clinical isolates within Pennsylvania.\nMolecular subtyping methods have previously shown that there is a nonrandom distribution of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains among clinical and nonclinical isolates. Two examples include the lineage-specific polymorphism assay (LSPA) and clade typing assay. The clade typing method was previously used to identify a phylogenetic group of E. coli O157:H7 designated clade 8, which is believed to be more virulent than non-clade 8 isolates, and the LSPA previously indicated that clade 8 isolates are LSPA genotype 211111. Published screens have suggested that LSPA 211111 comprise anywhere from 3.9% to greater than 46% of clinical isolates. To determine the prevalence of such isolates within Pennsylvania, we applied LSPA and screened 52 clinical isolates. We found that 31% of isolates were LSPA 211111 and that 13\/16 of these could be classified as clade 8. A rapid polymerase chain reaction screen for clade 8 isolates was developed and shown to have a specificity and sensitivity of 0.92 and 1.0, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction screens indicated that all isolates carried hlyA and eaeA and that all but one of the isolates carried katP. The most common LSPA genotype seen within our collection was 111111, and 29 of 30 of these carried both stx1 and stx2. Clade 8 isolates were more diverse, with four different Shiga toxin profiles observed. We conclude that E. coli O157:H7 of LSPA 211111 and clade 8 are common to clinical isolates in Pennsylvania and suggest that further studies are needed to determine whether their prevalence is increasing as observed elsewhere.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19574920,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Refractive and topographic results of transepithelial cross-linking treatment in eyes with intacs.\nTo evaluate the efficacy of transepithelial cross-linking (CXL) in keratoconic eyes after Intacs implantation. Twenty-five eyes of 17 patients with bilateral keratoconus underwent Intacs implantation with subsequent cross-linking (CXL) treatment. Inclusion criteria were absence of corneal scarring, contact lens intolerance, corneal thickness higher than 400 mum, and endothelial cell density more than 3000 per square millimeter. Preoperative and 3-month-postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), manifest refractions, and mean and steepest keratometric (K) values were reviewed retrospectively. The results in Intacs group were compared with those obtained after CXL\/Intacs. There were 10 males and 5 females; mean age was 25.14 +\/- 7.11 (range 16-39) years old. Mean time between implantation of Intacs and CXL was 3.98 months. CXL after Intacs resulted in an additional improvement in UCVA, BCVA, sphere, cylinder, and keratometry. Intacs resulted in an improvement of 1.9 Snellen lines (P < 0.05) of UCVA and 1.7 Snellen lines (P < 0.05) of BCVA. CXL performed after Intacs treatment yielded an additional 1.2 Snellen lines (P < 0.05) of UCVA and 0.36 Snellen lines (P < 0.05) of BCVA. The decrease in spherical, cylindrical, mean K, and steepest K values was 2.08 diopters (D) (P < 0.05), 0.47 D (P > 0.05), 2.22 D (P < 0.05), and 1.27 D (P < 0.05), respectively, after Intacs treatment with an additional 0.5 D (P < 0.05), 0.15 D (P > 0.05), 0.35 D (P > 0.05), and 0.76 D (P < 0.05) of improvement gained after CXL in each respective parameter. Intacs implantation with transepithelial CXL is effective in eyes with keratoconus. Collagen cross-linking has an additive effect on Intacs implantation in these eyes and may be considered as an enhancement\/stabilizing procedure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30735118,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Identification of Pythium insidiosum complex by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.\nPythiosis is an infection of humans and other animals caused by the fungal-like pathogen Pythium insidiosum. This pathogen causes life-threatening infection in the infected hosts. Culture, histopathology, serology and molecular tools are used to diagnose its infections. Successful management of pythiosis is directly linked to an early diagnosis. Thus, a rapid identification of putative cultures developing submerged sparsely septate hyphae is of extreme importance. However, few laboratories are familiar with the culture identification of this unique pathogen and its differential diagnosis with similar filamentous fungi. We have evaluated the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) on 53 isolates of P. insidiosum collected from cases of human and animal pythiosis in the USA and around the world. To assess the specificity of the approach, 18 pathogenic and saprotrophic filamentous fungal and fungal-like microbes were also tested. MALDI-TOF in-house spectra correctly identified the 53 P. insidiosum isolates (score range 1.93-2.51). MALDI-TOF based identification within P. insidiosum isolates showed protein spectra variation between geographical diverse isolates. A mass spectrometry approach was able to discriminate P. insidiosum from the 18 filamentous fungal and fungal-like microbes in this study, including four Pythium spp. and Phytopythium litorale plant pathogenic species. The data showed MALDI-TOF could be used for the accurate and rapid culture identification of P. insidiosum in the clinical laboratory.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16048149,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dietary PUFA for preterm and term infants: review of clinical studies.\nHuman milk contains n-3 and n-6 LCPUFA (long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids), which are absent from many infant formulas. During neonatal life, there is a rapid accretion of AA (arachidonic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in infant brain, DHA in retina and of AA in the whole body. The DHA status of breast-fed infants is higher than that of formula-fed infants when formulas do not contain LCPUFA. Studies report that visual acuity of breast-fed infants is better than that of formula-fed infants, but other studies do not find a difference. Cognitive development of breast-fed infants is generally better, but many sociocultural confounding factors may also contribute to these differences. The effect of dietary LCPUFA on FA status, immune function, visual, cognitive, and motor functions has been evaluated in preterm and term infants. Plasma and RBC FA status of infants fed formulas supplemented with both n-3 and n-6 LCPUFA was closer to the status of breast-fed infants than to that of infants fed formulas containing no LCPUFA. Adding n-3 LCPUFA to preterm-infant formulas led to initial beneficial effects on visual acuity. Few data are available on cognitive function, but it seems that in preterm infants, feeding n-3 LCPUFA improved visual attention and cognitive development compared with infants receiving no LCPUFA. Term infants need an exogenous supply of AA and DHA to achieve similar accretion of fatty acid in plasma and RBC (red blood cell) in comparison to breast-fed infants. Fewer than half of all studies have found beneficial effects of LCPUFA on visual, mental, or psychomotor functions. Improved developmental scores at 18 mo of age have been reported for infants fed both AA and DHA. Growth, body weight, and anthropometrics of preterm and term infants fed formulas providing both n-3 and n-6 LCPUFA fatty acids is similar in most studies to that of infants fed formulas containing no LCPUFA. A larger double-blind multicenter randomized study has recently demonstrated improved growth and developmental scores in a long-term feeding study of preterm infants. Collectively, the body of literature suggests that LCPUFA is important to the growth and development of infants. Thus, for preterm infants we recommend LCPUFA intakes in the range provided by feeding of human milk typical of mothers in Western countries. This range can be achieved by a combination of AA and DHA, providing an AA to DHA ratio of approximately 1.5 and a DHA content of as much as 0.4%. Preterm infants may benefit from slightly higher levels of these fatty acids than term infants. In long-term studies, feeding more than 0.2% DHA and 0.3% AA improved the status of these fatty acids for many weeks after DHA; AA was no longer present in the formula, enabling a DHA and AA status more similar to that of infants fed human milk. The addition of LCPUFA in infant formulas for term infants, with appropriate regard for quantitative and qualitative qualities, is safe and will enable the formula-fed infant to achieve the same blood LCPUFA status as that of the breast-fed infant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19846512,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-48":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Differential specificity and immunogenicity of adenovirus type 5 neutralizing antibodies elicited by natural infection or immunization.\nA recent clinical trial of a T-cell-based AIDS vaccine delivered with recombinant adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) vectors showed no efficacy in lowering viral load and was associated with increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Preexisting immunity to Ad5 in humans could therefore affect both immunogenicity and vaccine efficacy. We hypothesized that vaccine-induced immunity is differentially affected, depending on whether subjects were exposed to Ad5 by natural infection or by vaccination. Serum samples from vaccine trial subjects receiving a DNA\/rAd5 AIDS vaccine with or without prior immunity to Ad5 were examined for the specificity of their Ad5 neutralizing antibodies and their effect on HIV-1 immune responses. Here, we report that rAd5 neutralizing antibodies were directed to different components of the virion, depending on whether they were elicited by natural infection or vaccination in HIV vaccine trial subjects. Neutralizing antibodies elicited by natural infection were directed largely to the Ad5 fiber, while exposure to rAd5 through vaccination elicited antibodies primarily to capsid proteins other than fiber. Notably, preexisting immunity to Ad5 fiber from natural infection significantly reduced the CD4 and CD8 cell responses to HIV Gag after DNA\/rAd5 vaccination. The specificity of Ad5 neutralizing antibodies therefore differs depending on the route of exposure, and natural Ad5 infection compromises Ad5 vaccine-induced immunity to weak immunogens, such as HIV-1 Gag. These results have implications for future AIDS vaccine trials and the design of next-generation gene-based vaccine vectors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1727375,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Intracellular acidification is associated with enhanced morphological transformation in Syrian hamster embryo cells.\nA series of studies has indicated that the frequency of morphological transformation induced by chemical carcinogens in early passage Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cells is significantly higher when these cells are cultured in medium of reduced bicarbonate concentration and pH (6.70) compared with cells cultured in medium of higher pH. It has also been shown that intercellular gap junctional communication is decreased in these cells when they are cultured at pH 6.70 compared with medium of higher pH. The purpose of the studies reported here was to characterize the effect of changing extracellular pH on intracellular pH in SHE cells. The frequency of morphological transformation induced by benzo(a)pyrene was established at various extracellular pHs and compared with intracellular pH values. Cells cultured in medium of pH ranging from 6.70 to 7.35 were loaded with the pH-sensitive fluorescent dye 2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5,6-carboxyfluorescein, and either the steady-state intracellular pH values or the kinetics of change in intracellular pH following refeeding of the cultures with medium of pH ranging from pH 6.70 to pH 7.35 was monitored via image analysis techniques. Results from these studies indicate that, at culture medium pH above 6.95, SHE cells were relatively insensitive to changes in extracellular pH, maintaining an intracellular pH of 7.30 to 7.35 in medium containing 0% serum or pH 7.05 to 7.10 in medium containing 20% fetal bovine serum. At extracellular pHs below 6.95, intracellular pH decreased and, in the presence of serum, equilibrated with extracellular pH. The decrease in intracellular pH was closely associated with an increase in benzo(a)pyrene-induced morphological transformation frequency observed in parallel studies. These results indicate that SHE cells have active intracellular pH regulatory activities and suggest that intracellular acidification plays a role in the increased frequency of transformation observed in SHE cells cultured under acidic conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24059948,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Expression of aquaporin-1 in myocardium of rats in the early stage after scald and its relationship with myocardial edema].\nTo investigate the changes in aquaporin-1 (AQP-1) expression in myocardium of scalded rats in early stage of a burn injury, and to analyze its relationship with myocardial edema. Thirty-six healthy Wistar rats were divided into normal control (n = 6, without scald) and scald (n = 30) groups according to the random number table. Rats in scald group were inflicted with 30%TBSA full-thickness scald on the back, and intraperitoneally injected with Ringer's solution for antishock treatment. Myocardium tissue from left ventricle and serum specimen in rats of scald group were collected at post scald hours (PSH) 2, 8, 12, 24, and 48 (with 6 rats at each time point). Myocardial water ratio was determined by dry-wet weight method. The distribution of AQP-1 protein in myocardium was observed with immunohistochemical staining. The expression of myocardial AQP-1 mRNA was assessed with quantitative real-time PCR. The serum content of cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) was determined with ELISA. The rats in normal control group were detected with above-mentioned method. Data were processed with one way analysis of variance and LSD test. Correlation analysis was performed between AQP-1 mRNA and myocardial water ratio, AQP-1 mRNA and the serum content of cTnI in scald group at each time point. Compared with that in normal control group, the myocardial water ratio in scald group was markedly increased during PSH 8-48 (P values all below 0.01), and it peaked at PSH 12 [(80.79 \u00b1 0.12)%]. In both groups, AQP-1 was mainly expressed in endothelial cells of capillaries and pericellular membrane of myocardial cells. The expression of AQP-1 in scald group was markedly increased from PSH 2 to PSH 48. The expression of myocardial AQP-1 mRNA in scald group was markedly higher from PSH 2 to PSH 48 than that in normal control group (P values all below 0.01), and it peaked at PSH 12 [(6.2 \u00b1 0.7)%]. The serum content of cTnI in scald group was obviously higher from PSH 2 to PSH 48 than that in normal control group (P values all below 0.01), and it peaked at PSH 12 [(5.83 \u00b1 0.51) \u00b5g\/L]. There were statistically positive correlations between AQP-1 mRNA expression and myocardial water ratio (r = 0.849, P < 0.01), AQP-1 mRNA expression and the serum content of cTnI (r = 0.973, P < 0.01) in scald group. AQP-1 may play a key role in the development of myocardial edema in rats with scald.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15112756,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The surgical treatment of nodular thyroid lesions: our experience. Analysis of 462 cases].\nNodular thyroid lesions are the most frequent endocrine diseases in the general population. The surgical procedure is indicated for nodular thyroid tissue degeneration, or when the suppressive pharmacologic therapy is less efficient, even if sometimes both factors are associated. In Authors' study 462 patients were observed who underwent surgical procedures for thyroid diseases between January 1997-April 2003. In the thyroid pathology, either uninodular or multinodular, the surgical therapy adopted is total thyroidectomy, according to other Authors. The aim of total thyroidectomy is to avoid recurrence and simplify long term pharmacologic treatment. Although the question about the surgical approach (total thyroidectomy vs lobectomy) is still open in the case of single monolateral lesions, on the basis of their experience the Authors believe that the first is the best procedure. For diffused or malignant nodular thyroid pathology, on the contrary, total thyroidectomy is widely adopted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17226904,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Antiproliferation and apoptosis induction of paeonol in HepG2 cells.\nTo investigate the antiproliferative effect of paeonol (Pae) used alone or in combination with chemotherapeutic agents [cisplatin (CDDP), doxorubicin (DOX) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)] on human hepatoma cell line HepG2 and the possible mechanisms. The cytotoxic effect of drugs on HepG2 cells was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Morphologic changes were observed by acridine orange (AO) fluorescence staining. Cell cycle and apoptosis rate were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Drug-drug interactions were analyzed by the coefficient of drug interaction (CDI). Pae (7.81-250 mg\/L) had an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner, with the IC50 value of (104.77 +\/- 7.28) mg\/L. AO fluorescence staining and FCM assays showed that Pae induced apoptosis and arrested cell cycle at S phase in HepG2 cells. Further, different extent synergisms were observed when Pae (15.63, 31.25, 62.5 mg\/L) was combined with CDDP (0.31-2.5 mg\/L), DOX (0.16-1.25 mg\/L), or 5-FU (12.5-100 mg\/L) at appropriate concentrations. The IC50 value of the three drugs decreased dramatically when combined with Pae (P < 0.01). Of the three different combinations, the sensitivity of cells to drugs was considerably different. Pae had a significant growth-inhibitory effect on the human hepatoma cell line HepG2, which may be related to apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. It also can enhance the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents on HepG2 cells, and the S phase arrest induced by Pae may be one of the mechanisms of these interactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32938615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Do socioeconomic and birth order gradients in child maltreatment differ by immigrant status?\nWhile literature has documented strong gradients in child maltreatment (CM) by socioeconomic status and family composition in the general population, how these patterns extend to immigrants remain inconclusive. Using population-based administrative data, we examined, for the first time, whether gradients in CM by neighbourhood income and childbirth order vary by immigrant status. We used linked hospitalisation, emergency department visits, small-area income, birth and death records with an official Canadian immigration database to create a retrospective cohort of all 1 240 874 children born from 2002 to 2012 in Ontario, Canada, followed from 0 to 5 years. We estimated rate ratios of CM among immigrants and non-immigrants using modified Poisson regression. CM rates were 1.6 per 100 children among non-immigrants and 1.0 among immigrants. CM was positively associated with neighbourhood deprivation. The adjusted rate ratio (ARR) of CM in the lowest neighbourhood income quintile versus the highest quintile was 1.57 (95% CI 1.49 to 1.66) for non-immigrants and 1.33 (95% CI 1.15 to 1.54) for immigrants. The socioeconomic gradient disappeared when restricted to children of immigrant mothers arrived at 25+ years and in analyses excluding emergency department visits. Compared to a first child, the ARR of CM for a fourth or higher-order child was 1.75 (95% CI 1.63 to 1.89) among non-immigrants and 0.57 (95% CI 0.44 to 0.74) among immigrants. Immigrants exhibited lower CM rates than non-immigrants across neighbourhood income quintiles and differences were greatest in more deprived neighbourhoods. The contrasting birth order gradients between immigrants and non-immigrants require further investigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8457003,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Independence of salt intake from the hormones regulating calcium homeostasis.\nRats deprived of dietary calcium increase voluntary intake of NaCl solutions. We investigated whether the major hormones controlling calcium homeostasis are responsible for this increase in salt intake. Removing endogenous sources of calcitonin and parathyroid hormone by thyroidectomy and\/or parathyroidectomy had no effect on NaCl intake. The surgically compromised rats and their intact controls drank similar amounts of NaCl in response to manipulations of diet calcium content. Despite normal NaCl intakes, rats with parathyroidectomy had low plasma calcium concentrations and a strong appetite for 50 mM CaCl2 solution. Chronic infusion of parathyroid hormone into rats with thyroparathyroidectomy decreased NaCl intake. Intact rats fed an American Institute of Nutrition (AIN)-76A-based vitamin D-deficient diet increased NaCl intake slightly and showed a strong appetite for CaCl2, but other rats maintained normocalcemic by the addition of calcium, phosphorus, and lactose to the vitamin D-deficient diet had normal NaCl and CaCl2 intakes. Chronic infusions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 into intact rats had no effect on NaCl intake. Taken together, these results indicate that the increase in NaCl intake produced by calcium deprivation is not mediated by changes in circulating levels of calcium, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, or 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Furthermore, the major calcium-regulating hormones are not involved in the control of \"spontaneous\" NaCl intake in the rat.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34620779,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Agreement and Repeatability of Corneal Thickness and Radius among Three Different Corneal Measurement Devices.\nCorneal refractive surgery screening, orthokeratology, and contact lens fitting require accurate estimation of the corneal thickness and curvature. We found that any of the imaging devices used in this study can be used to image a healthy myopic cornea, which is essential to screen for corneal ectasia. This study aimed to compare agreement and repeatability of corneal thickness and radius measurements obtained using Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam HR), swept-source optical coherence tomography (Casia SS-1000), and Placido-Scheimpflug tomography (Topographic Modeling System, version 5 [TMS-5]). Sixty eyes of 60 subjects with myopia were measured with Casia, TMS-5, and Pentacam for their central corneal thickness (CCT), thinnest corneal thickness, central corneal radius of the steep meridian (Ks), central corneal radius of the flat meridian (Kf), mean central corneal radius (Km), and anterior and posterior best-fit spheres. Two readings were obtained from each instrument. Central corneal thickness was also measured with ultrasound pachymetry. Intraclass correlation coefficient, repeatability coefficient, and coefficient of variation were calculated. Repeatability coefficient, coefficient of variation, and intraclass correlation coefficient of CCT among the instruments ranged between 2.48 and 12.79, 0.17 and 0.86, and 0.98 and 1.00, respectively. Mean CCT measurements were similar between Casia, TMS-5, Pentacam, and ultrasound pachymetry (P = .13). Intraclass range of correlation for agreement was 0.95 to 0.99 for CCT among instruments. The range of 95% limits of agreement (LoAs) for ultrasound CCT was narrowest with Casia (31.94 \u03bcm). Casia-TMS-5 displayed a narrow range of 95% LoA for CCT (12.14 to -12.44), thinnest corneal thickness (12.31 to -11.31), and Ks (0.56 to -0.53), whereas Casia-Pentacam showed a narrow range of 95% LoA for Kf (0.56 to -0.42), Km (0.41 to -0.27), and anterior best-fit sphere (0.03 to -0.07). A significant difference in posterior best-fit sphere measurements was noted among all instruments (P = .01). Casia, TMS-5, and Pentacam can be used interchangeably to measure corneal thickness and radius measurement in healthy eyes. Casia had the best agreement with ultrasound pachymeter CCT and exhibited the highest repeatability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9716492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Proteolytic processing of membrane-type-1 matrix metalloproteinase is associated with gelatinase A activation at the cell surface.\nHuman fibroblasts and HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells express membrane-type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), the cell surface activator of gelatinase A, in separate forms of 63 kDa, 60 kDa and in some cases 43 kDa. In the present work the interrelationships between MT1-MMP processing and gelatinase A activation were analysed using HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells as a model. It was found that MT1-MMP was synthesized as a 63 kDa protein, which was constitutively processed to a 60 kDa active enzyme with N-terminal Tyr112, as shown by immunoprecipitation, immunoblotting and sequence analyses. Co-immunoprecipitation results indicated that only the active 60 kDa form of MT1-MMP bound gelatinase A at the cell surface. Both the activation of pro-MT1-MMP and the membrane binding of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases type 2 (TIMP-2) and gelatinase A, and subsequent activation of gelatinase A, were inhibited by calcium ionophores. Although the active MT1-MMP was required for cell surface binding and activation of gelatinase A, it was inefficient in activating gelatinase A in fibroblasts or in control HT-1080 cells alone. Low expression levels of TIMP-2 and rapid synthesis of MT1-MMP were found to be critical for gelatinase A activation. In HT-1080 cells, MT1-MMP was further processed to an inactive, 43 kDa cell surface form when overexpressed, or when the cells were treated with PMA. Under these conditions, the activated gelatinase A was detected in the culture medium, in cell membrane extracts and in MT1-MMP-containing complexes. These results indicate that proteolytic processing (activation and degradation\/inactivation) of MT1-MMP and MT1-MMP\/TIMP-2 relationships at the cell surface are important regulatory levels in the control of gelatinolytic activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31827745,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Autism and family involvement in the right to education in the EU: policy mapping in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.\nIn recent years, the universal right to education has been emphasised by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In this paper, we mapped policies relevant to special education needs and parental involvement of children with autism at an international level and in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. A policy path analysis was performed using a scoping review as an underlying methodological framework. This allowed for a rapid gathering of available data from which a timeline of adopted policies was derived. Internationally, the universal right to education has been reinforced repeatedly and the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been reiterated with every reinforcement. Also, the additional support that a child with special education needs requires is acknowledged and measures are taken to facilitate access to any education for all children. There are slight cross-country differences between the countries under study, attributable to differences in national regulation of education. However, all countries have progressed to a state where the right to education for all children is integrated on a policy level and measures are taken to enable children with special needs to participate in education. Recently, an attempt to implement a form of inclusive education was made as a form of special needs provision. Nevertheless, nowhere has this been implemented successfully yet. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a critical juncture in international policy and created an environment where the universal right to education has been implemented for all children in the countries under study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27486338,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Smartphone applications to aid weight loss and management: current perspectives.\nThe development and dissemination of smart devices has cultivated a global environment of hyperconnectivity and increased our access to information. The paralleled launch and success of the Mobile Health industry has created a market of commercially available applications or \"apps\" along with tools or sensors, which allow the user to receive and collect personal health information. Apps and accompanying tools now allow an individual to \"self-digitize\" and, pertaining to weight management, monitor their body weight, caloric intake, physical activity, and more. These products possess the ability to improve the scalability of traditional in-person weight management services considering their near ubiquity, affordability, and capability to deliver information directly and personally to the user. However, similar to the dietary supplement market, the anecdotal value of these products has driven their popularity and acceptance by the general public without requirement of scientific validation or, in the area of weight management or diet\/exercise, validation of the safety and efficacy by the Food and Drug Administration prior to market launch. By conducting a literature and clinical trial search, we found remarkably few active, completed, or published studies testing the efficacy of smart device applications using randomized controlled trials. Research efforts must be focused on illuminating the efficacy of behavioral interventions and remote self-monitoring for weight loss\/maintenance treatment with true, randomized controlled trials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28713267,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acid Analog Decreases Renal Fibrosis by Reducing Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.\nRenal fibrosis, which is a critical pathophysiological event in chronic kidney diseases, is associated with renal epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) are Cyp epoxygenase arachidonic acid metabolites that demonstrate biological actions that result in kidney protection. Herein, we investigated the ability of 14,15-EET and its synthetic analog, EET-A, to reduce kidney fibrosis induced by unilateral ureter obstruction (UUO). C57\/BL6 male mice underwent sham or UUO surgical procedures and were treated with 14,15-EET or EET-A in osmotic pump (i.p.) for 10 days following UUO surgery. UUO mice demonstrated renal fibrosis with an 80% higher kidney-collagen positive area and 70% higher \u03b1-smooth muscle actin (SMA) positive renal areas compared to the sham group. As a measure of collagen content, kidney hydroxyproline content was also higher in UUO (6.4 \u00b1 0.5 \u03bcg\/10 mg) compared to sham group (2.5 \u00b1 0.1 \u03bcg\/10 mg). Along with marked renal fibrosis, UUO mice had reduced renal expression of EET producing Cyp epoxygenase enzymes. Endogenous 14,15-EET or EET-A demonstrated anti-fibrotic action in UUO by reducing kidney-collagen positive area (50-60%), hydroxyproline content (50%), and renal \u03b1-SMA positive area (85%). In UUO mice, renal expression of EMT inducers, Snail1 and ZEB1 were higher compared to sham group. Accordingly, renal epithelial marker E-cadherin expression was reduced and mesenchymal marker expression was elevated in the UUO compared to sham mice. Interestingly, EET-A reduced EMT in UUO mice by deceasing renal Snail1 and ZEB1 expression. EET-A treatment also opposed the decrease in renal E-cadherin expression and markedly reduced several prominent renal mesenchymal\/myofibroblast markers in UUO mice. Overall, our results demonstrate that EET-A is a novel anti-fibrotic agent that reduces renal fibrosis by decreasing renal EMT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27232868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Epidemiology of Traumatic Peripheral Nerve Injuries Evaluated with Electrodiagnostic Studies in a Tertiary Care Hospital Clinic.\nTo describe the etiologies and frequency of traumatic peripheral nerve injury (TPNI) seen in the electrodiagnostic laboratory of a tertiary care hospital in Puerto Rico. The charts of patients who underwent an electrodiagnostic study for a TPNI were revised. The main outcome measure was the frequency of each injury by anatomic location, specific nerve or nerves affected, injury mechanism, and injury severity. One hundred forty-six charts were included, and in them were listed a total of 163 nerve injuries; 109 (74.7%) cases were men and 37 (25.3%) were women. The mean age was 33.6 years. The facial nerve, the brachial plexus, and the ulnar nerve were more frequently injured than any other nerve or nerve bundle. The ulnar, sciatic, median, and radial nerves and the lumbosacral plexus were more commonly injured as a result of gunshot wounds than of any other mechanism of injury. The brachial plexus was most frequently injured in motor vehicle accidents and the facial nerve injuries most commonly had an iatrogenic cause. In terms of injury severity, 84.2% were incomplete and 15.8% were complete. TPNIs are common in young individuals and potentially can lead to significant disability. Further studies are needed to assess the socioeconomic impact of these injuries on our population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16879195,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Osteogenesis imperfecta: clinical, biochemical and molecular findings.\nMutations in COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes, encoding the alpha1 and alpha2 chain of type I collagen, respectively, are responsible for the vast majority of cases of osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) (95% of patients with a definite clinical diagnosis). We have investigated 22 OI patients, representing a heterogeneous phenotypic range, at the biochemical and molecular level. A causal mutation in either type I collagen gene was identified in 20 of them: no recurrent mutation was found in unrelated subjects; 15 out of 20 mutations had not been reported previously. In two patients, we could not find any causative mutation in either type I collagen gene, after extensive genomic DNA sequencing. Failure of COL1A1\/COL1A2 mutation screening may be due, in a few cases, to further clinical heterogeneity, i.e. additional non-collagenous disease loci are presumably involved in OI types beyond the traditional Sillence's classification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31206799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Effect of hyperhydration on the pharmacokinetics and detection of orally administered budesonide in doping control analysis.\nThe aim of the present study was to investigate if hyperhydration could influence the excretion and subsequent detection of budesonide (BDS) and its main metabolites (6\u03b2-hydroxy-budesonide and 16\u03b1-hydroxy-prednisolone) during doping control analysis by leading to concentrations below the WADA reporting level (30 ng\/mL). The influence of hyperhydration on the plasma and urinary pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles of BDS and metabolites was also examined. Seven healthy physically active non-smoking Caucasian males participated in a 15-day clinical study. BDS was administered orally at a single dose of 9 mg on Days 1, 7, and 13. Hyperhydration was applied in the morning on two consecutive days, that is, 0 and 24 hours after first fluid ingestion. Water and a commercial sports drink were used as hyperhydration agents (20 mL\/kg body weight). Results showed no significant difference (P > 0.05, 95% CI) on plasma or urinary PK parameters under hyperhydration conditions for all the analytes. However, significant differences (P < 0.05, 95% CI) due to hyperhydration were observed on the urinary concentrations of BDS and metabolites. To compensate the dilution effect due to hyperhydration, different adjustment methods were applied based on specific gravity, urinary flow rate, and creatinine. All the applied methods were able to adjust the concentration values close to the baseline ones for each analyte; however, specific gravity was the optimum method in terms of effectiveness and practicability. Furthermore, no masking of the detection sensitivity of BDS or its metabolites was observed due to hyperhydration either in plasma or urine samples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27195903,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Laboratory diagnosis of anemia: are the old and new red cell parameters useful in classification and treatment, how?\nAnemia is a global problem affecting the population in both developing and developed countries, and there is a debate on which hemoglobin level limit should be used to define anemia in general population and particularly in the elderly. We present herein a laboratory approach to diagnosing the possible causes of anemia based on traditional and new erythroid parameters. In this article, we provide practical diagnostic algorithms that address to differential diagnosis of anemia. Based on both morphological and kinetic classifications, three patterns were considered: microcytic, normocytic, and macrocytic. Main interest is on the clinical usefulness of old and new parameters such as mean cell volume (MCV), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), hypochromic and microcytic erythrocytes, immature reticulocyte fraction (IRF), and some reticulocyte indices such as reticulocyte hemoglobin content and mean reticulocyte volume. The pathophysiologic basis is reviewed in terms of bone marrow erythropoiesis, evaluated by reticulocyte count (increased or normal\/decreased) and IRF. The utility of reticulocyte indices in the diagnosis of iron-deficient erythropoiesis (absolute or functional) and in monitoring of response to treatment in nutritional anemia (iron and cobalamin) was also investigated. For each parameter, the availability, the possible clinical applications, and the limitations were evaluated. A discussion on intraindividual biological variation and its implication on the usefulness of conventional reference intervals and in longitudinal monitoring of the patients was also reported. Red cell parameters and reticulocyte indices play an essential role in differential diagnosis of anemia and in its treatment. More efforts are needed in harmonizing parameters whose results are still too different when produced by different analyzers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23131725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":2,"2013-20":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Monodispersed Ag3PO4 nanocrystals loaded on the surface of spherical Bi2MoO6 with enhanced photocatalytic performance.\nSpherical Bi(2)MoO(6) nanoarchitectures with scale of 500 nm-2 \u03bcm were prepared by a solvothermal reaction using bismuth nitrate and ammonium molybdate as precursors. Ag(3)PO(4) nanoparticles were then deposited onto the surface of Bi(2)MoO(6)via a facile deposition-precipitation technique. The photocatalytic tests display that the Ag(3)PO(4)\/Bi(2)MoO(6) nanocomposites possess a much higher rate for degradation of rhodamine B and methylene blue than the pure Ag(3)PO(4) nanoparticles and Bi(2)MoO(6) under visible light. The catalytic activity of the composite photocatalysts is greatly influenced by the loading level of Ag(3)PO(4). The 50 mol% Ag(3)PO(4)-loaded Bi(2)MoO(6) spheres exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity in both the decolorization of RhB and MB. The observed improvement in photocatalytic activity is associated with the extended absorption in the visible light region resulting from the Ag(3)PO(4) nanoparticles, and the effective separation of photogenerated carriers at the Ag(3)PO(4)\/Bi(2)MoO(6) interfaces. In addition, the composite can be easily reclaimed by sedimentation without any loss of its stability. Moreover, the tests of radical scavengers confirmed that h(+) and \u02d9OH were the main reactive species for the degradation of RhB.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29369603,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Circadian blood pressure profiles and ambulatory arterial stiffness index in children and adolescents with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency in relation to their genotypes.\nLifelong steroid therapy and exposure to adrenal androgen excess in 21-hydroxylase deficient (21-OHD) congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) children and adolescents may modify circadian blood pressure profile and result in vascular complications. The objective of the study was to evaluate vascular abnormalities in 21-OHD children and adolescents in relation to their genotypes. A cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary referral center. Seventy patients with 21-OHD CAH (27 boys), aged from 3 to 17.9 years: 9 with nonclassic CAH, 61 with classic CAH: 10 with simple virilising (SV) and 51 with salt wasting CAH (13-Del\/Del, 8-Del\/I2G, 7-I2G\/I2G and 23-other genotypes). The assessment of systolic and diastolic BP (SBP, DBP) loads, night dip% and arterial ambulatory stiffness index (AASI) in 21-OHD CAH patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33219129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"ABHD5 suppresses cancer cell anabolism through lipolysis-dependent activation of the AMPK\/mTORC1 pathway.\nABHD5 is an essential coactivator of ATGL, the rate-limiting triglyceride (TG) lipase in many cell types. Importantly, ABHD5 also functions as a tumor suppressor, and ABHD5 mRNA expression levels correlate with patient survival for several cancers. Nevertheless, the mechanisms involved in ABHD5-dependent tumor suppression are not known. We found that overexpression of ABHD5 induces cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and causes growth retardation in a panel of prostate cancer cells. Transcriptomic profiling and biochemical analysis revealed that genetic or pharmacological activation of lipolysis by ABHD5 potently inhibits mTORC1 signaling, leading to a significant downregulation of protein synthesis. Mechanistically, we found that ABHD5 elevates intracellular AMP content, which activates AMPK, leading to inhibition of mTORC1. Interestingly, ABHD5-dependent suppression of mTORC1 was abrogated by pharmacological inhibition of DGAT1 or DGAT2, isoenzymes that re-esterify fatty acids in a process that consumes ATP. Collectively, this study maps out a novel molecular pathway crucial for limiting cancer cell proliferation, in which ABHD5-mediated lipolysis creates an energy-consuming futile cycle between TG hydrolysis and resynthesis, leading to inhibition of mTORC1 and cancer cell growth arrest.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22534093,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Advective-diffusive mass transfer in fractured porous media with variable rock matrix block size.\nTraditional dual porosity models do not take into account the effect of matrix block size distribution on the mass transfer between matrix and fracture. In this study, we introduce the matrix block size distributions into an advective-diffusive solute transport model of a divergent radial system to evaluate the mass transfer shape factor, which is considered as a first-order exchange coefficient between the fracture and matrix. The results obtained lead to a better understanding of the advective-diffusive mass transport in fractured porous media by identifying two early and late time periods of mass transfer. Results show that fractured rock matrix block size distribution has a great impact on mass transfer during early time period. In addition, two dimensionless shape factors are obtained for the late time, which depend on the injection flow rate and the distance of the rock matrix from the injection point.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33808886,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Preterm Heart-Brain Axis in Young Adulthood: The Impact of Birth History and Modifiable Risk Factors.\nPeople born preterm are at risk of developing both cardiac and brain abnormalities. We aimed to investigate whether cardiovascular physiology may directly affect brain structure in young adulthood and whether cardiac changes are associated with modifiable biomarkers. Forty-eight people born preterm, followed since birth, underwent cardiac MRI at age 25.1 \u00b1 1.4 years and brain MRI at age 33.4 \u00b1 1.0 years. Term born controls were recruited at both time points for comparison. Cardiac left and right ventricular stroke volume, left and right ventricular end diastolic volume and right ventricular ejection fraction were significantly different between preterm and term born controls and associated with subcortical brain volumes and fractional anisotropy in the corpus callosum in the preterm group. This suggests that cardiovascular abnormalities in young adults born preterm are associated with potentially adverse future brain health. Associations between left ventricular stroke volume indexed to body surface area and right putamen volumes, as well as left ventricular end diastolic length and left thalamus volumes, remained significant when adjusting for early life factors related to prematurity. Although no significant associations were found between modifiable biomarkers and cardiac physiology, this highlights that cardiovascular health interventions may also be important for brain health in preterm born adults.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2515765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Comparative analysis of fertile and infertile cycles during stimulation of ovulation with pergonal in patients with hypo- gonadotropic amenorrhea].\nA comparative assessment of variations in sex hormone levels and echographic parameters of fertile and infertile cycles was carried out in patients with gonadotrophic deficiency during pergonal induction of the ovulation. It was demonstrated that 83% of the infertile cycles were the first stimulation cycles. Basic differences were identified in the variation of sex hormone levels and echographic parameters of target organs between the fertile and infertile cycles. It is concluded that the first ovulation-induction course should be regarded as a preventive or preparatory one, where an optimum drug dosage is adjusted while the gonads and target organs are getting ready for the ovulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31955425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"To mate, or not to mate: The evolution of reproductive diapause facilitates insect radiation into African savannahs in the Late Miocene.\nMany tropical environments experience cyclical seasonal changes, frequently with pronounced wet and dry seasons, leading to a highly uneven temporal distribution of resources. Short-lived animals inhabiting such environments often show season-specific adaptations to cope with alternating selection pressures. African Bicyclus butterflies show strong seasonal polyphenism in a suite of phenotypic and life-history traits, and their adults are thought to undergo reproductive diapause associated with the lack of available larval host plants during the dry season. Using 3 years of longitudinal field data for three species in Malawi, dissections demonstrated that one forest species reproduces continuously, whereas two savannah species undergo reproductive diapause in the dry season, either with or without pre-diapause mating. Using additional data from field-collected and museum samples, we then documented the same three mating strategies for a further 37 species. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the ancestral state was a non-diapausing forest species, and that habitat preference and mating strategy evolved in a correlated fashion. Bicyclus butterflies underwent rapid diversification during the Late Miocene, coinciding with expansions into more open savannah habitat. We conclude that the ability to undergo reproductive diapause was a key trait that facilitated colonization and eventual radiation into savannahs in the Late Miocene.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33208763,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Multilevel and spatial analyses of childhood malnutrition in Uganda: examining individual and contextual factors.\nIn this study, we examine the concepts of spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity in the effect of macro-level and micro-level factors on stunting among children aged under five in Uganda. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 3624 Ugandan children aged under five, using data from the 2016 Ugandan Demographic and Health Survey. Multilevel mixed-effect analysis, spatial regression methods and multi-scale geographically weight regression (MGWR) analysis were employed to examine the association between our predictors and stunting as well as to analyse spatial dependence and variability in the association. Approximately 28% of children were stunted. In the multilevel analysis, the effect of drought, diurnal temperature and livestock per km2 on stunting was modified by child, parent and household factors. Likewise, the contextual factors had a modifiable effect on the association between child's sex, mother's education and stunting. The results of the spatial regression models indicate a significant spatial error dependence in the residuals. The MGWR suggests rainfall and diurnal temperature had spatial varying associations with stunting. The spatial heterogeneity of rainfall and diurnal temperature as predictors of stunting suggest some areas in Uganda might be more sensitive to variability in these climatic conditions in relation to stunting than others.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23323071,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Protection of genetic heritage in the era of cloning.\nResearch on human beings has expanded greatly due to progress and the evolution of society as well as customs. Not only the unceasing development of research on human beings, but also interference in the beginning and end of life with homologous and heterogonous human reproduction, surrogate motherhood, cloning, gene therapies, eugenics, euthanasia, dysthanasia, orthothanasia, assisted suicide, genetic engineering, reassignment surgery in cases of transsexuality, the use of recombinant DNA technology and embryonic stem cells, transplantation of human organs and tissues, biotechnology and many other scientific advances. Scientific progress goes faster than the real needs of human beings, who are the final recipient of the entire evolutionary progress. Hence, there is the need to scrutinize whether new technologies are necessary, suitable and timely so that humanity can achieve its postulate of bene vivere. Human cloning, as an abrupt scientific fact, has presented itself to the world community as a procedure that can be performed with relative success and with little difficulty, since it achieved its objectives with the cloning of Dolly the sheep.This issue became the topic of discussion not only in the scientific community but in the lay population, and it received from both, global disapproval. The conclusion is that the human being is unique, with a life cycle defined by the rules of nature. Reversal will cause a violation of the genetic heritage and, above all, will confront the constitutional principle of human dignity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11476968,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Liver dysfunction elicited by gut ischemia-reperfusion.\nGut ischemia and reperfusion (I\/R) has been implicated as a prime mechanism in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure and in initiating remote organ failure. Although it has long been known that gut I\/R elicits liver dysfunction, only recently has the kinetics of leukocyte accumulation in the hepatic microcirculation and mechanisms of the liver injury after gut I\/R been investigated. These studies reveal that the magnitude of gut I\/R-induced liver injury depends on the duration of ischemic period and animal species. Gut I\/R-induced accumulation of leukocytes, both neutrophils and lymphocytes, in the liver results in an oxidative stress in proximity to non-perfused sinusoid that contributes to subsequent hepatocellular injury. The gut I\/R-induced leukosequestration in the liver is mediated by adhesion molecules that are induced by different cytokines, endotoxin, and oxidants. Kupffer cells also play an important role in the gut I\/R-induced leukosequestration and liver injury. Nitric oxide and anti-oxidants such as superoxide dismutase protect the liver against the deleterious effects of gut I\/R. Furthermore, agents such as ethanol can alter the hepatic responses to gut I\/R. The results of these studies provide novel information and potential therapeutic strategies for reducing the liver dysfunction and multiple organ failure induced by gut I\/R.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23717327,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Finite element reconstruction of a mandibular first molar.\nMandibular first molar is the most important tooth with complicated morphology. In finite element (FE) studies, investigators usually prefer to model anterior teeth with a simple and single straight root; it makes the results deviate from the actual case. The most complicated and time-consuming step in FE studies is modeling of the desired tooth, thus this study was performed to establish a finite element method (FEM) of reconstructing a mandibular first molar with the greatest precision. An extracted mandibular first molar was digitized, and then radiographed from different aspects to achieve its outer and inner morphology. The solid model of tooth and root canals were constructed according to this data as well as the anatomy of mandibular first molar described in the literature. A three-dimensional model of mandibular first molar was created, giving special consideration to shape and root canal system dimensions. This model may constitute a basis for investigating the effect of different clinical situations on mandibular first molars in vitro, especially on its root canal system. The method described here seems feasible and reasonably precise foundation for investigations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38114492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Single-cell transcriptome sequencing of plant leaf expressing anti-HER2 VHH-FcK cancer therapeutic protein.\nThe transgenic plant is a promising strategy for the production of highly valuable biotherapeutic proteins such as recombinant vaccines and antibodies. To achieve an efficient level of protein production, codon sequences and expression cassette elements need to be optimized. However, the systematical expression of recombinant proteins in plant biomass can generally be controlled for the production of therapeutic proteins after the generation of transgenic plants. Without understanding the transgene expression patterns in plant tissue, it is difficult to enhance further production levels. In this study, single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis of transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf, expressing an immunotherapeutic llama antibody against breast cancer, anti-HER2 VHH-Fc, was conducted to obtain data on the expression pattern of tissue-specific cells. These high-quality scRNA-seq data enabled the identification of gene expression patterns by cell types, which can be applied to select the best cell types or tissues for the high production of these recombinant antibodies. These data provide a foundation to elucidate the mechanisms that regulate the biosynthesis of recombinant proteins in N. tabacum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23613818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"General practitioner management of shoulder pain in comparison with rheumatologist expectation of care and best evidence: an Australian national survey.\nTo determine whether current care for common shoulder problems in Australian general practice is in keeping with rheumatologist expectations and the best available evidence. We performed a mailed survey of a random sample of 3500 Australian GPs and an online survey of all 270 rheumatologists in Australia in June 2009. Each survey included four vignettes (first presentation of shoulder pain due to rotator cuff tendinopathy, acute rotator cuff tear in a 45 year-old labourer and early and later presentation of adhesive capsulitis). For each vignette, GPs were asked to indicate their management, rheumatologists were asked to indicate appropriate primary care, and we determined best available evidence from relevant Cochrane and other systematic reviews and published guidelines. Data were available for at least one vignette for 614\/3500 (17.5%) GPs and 64 (23.8%) rheumatologists. For first presentation of rotator cuff tendinopathy, 69% and 82% of GPs and 50% and 56% rheumatologists would order a shoulder X-ray and ultrasound respectively (between group comparisons P = 0.004 and P<0001). Only 66% GPs and 60% rheumatologists would refer to an orthopaedic surgeon for the acute rotator cuff tear. For adhesive capsulitis, significantly more rheumatologists recommended treatments of known benefit (e.g. glucocorticoid injection (56% versus 14%, P<0.0001), short course of oral glucocorticoids (36% versus 6%, p<0.0001) and arthrographic distension of the glenohumeral joint (41% versus 19%, P<0.0001). There is a mismatch between the stated management of common shoulder problems encountered in primary care by GPs, rheumatologist expectations of GP care and the available evidence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36473102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Solidity Meets Surprise: Cerebral and Behavioral Effects of Learning from Episodic Prediction Errors.\nHow susceptible a memory is to later modification might depend on how stable the episode has been encoded. This stability was proposed to increase when retrieving information more (vs. less) often and in a spaced (vs. massed) practice. Using fMRI, we examined the effects of these different pre-fMRI retrieval protocols on the subsequent propensity to learn from episodic prediction errors. After encoding a set of different action stories, participants came back for two pre-fMRI retrieval sessions in which they encountered original episodes either 2 or 8 times in either a spaced or a massed retrieval protocol. One week later, we cued episodic retrieval during the fMRI session by using original or modified videos of encoded action stories. Recurrent experience of modified episodes was associated with increasing activity in the episodic memory network including hippocampal and cortical areas, when leading to false memories in a post-fMRI memory test. While this observation clearly demonstrated learning from episodic prediction errors, we found no evidence for a modulatory effect of the different retrieval protocols. As expected, the benefit of retrieving an episode more often was reflected in better memory for originally encoded episodes. In addition, frontal activity increased for episodic prediction errors when episodes had been less frequently retrieved pre-fMRI. A history of spaced versus massed retrieval was associated with increased activation throughout the episodic memory network, with no significant effect on behavioral performance. Our findings show that episodic prediction errors led to false memories. The history of different retrieval protocols was reflected in memory performance and brain responses to episodic prediction errors, but did not interact with the brain's episodic learning response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16851020,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Structure and deformations of Pd-Ni core-shell nanoparticles.\nHomogeneous collections of Pd-Ni core-shell nanoparticles have been prepared by decomposition of metal-organic compounds and studied by several electron microscopy techniques: transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-filtered microscopy (EFTEM), and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The physical and chemical properties of the Pd shell are supposed to depend on its electronic properties, which are influenced by the presence of the Ni core and by the deformation in the Pd lattice. Here, the interfacial structure of Pd\/Ni and the lattice deformations in the core and the shell are studied in detail. The catalytic properties of the pure metal and the bimetallic particles, toward CO oxidation, have been investigated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38174211,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Fluorometric determination of ornidazole by using BSA coated copper nanoclusters as a novel turn off sensor.\nA fluorescent probe based on bovine serum albumin stabilized copper nanoclusters (BSA-CuNCs) was developed for the selective and sensitive determination of ornidazole (ORN). The nanoclusters were synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal process in basic media. The synthesized and characterized BSA-CuNCs have less than 3 nm particle size and exhibited blue emission at 405 nm when excited at 325 nm. Synthesized and characterized nanoclusters were successfully applied as a turn-off fluorescent probe for the determination of ORN in pharmaceutical dosage forms. The quenching mechanism created an was inner filter effect (IFE). The method was linear in the concentration range of 0.52-13.56 \u03bcg mL-1 with a low limit of detection (LOD) 0.01 \u03bcg mL-1. High recovery values (98.5%-102.42%) with low RSD% values (0.25%-2.73%) were obtained. The synthesized nanoclusters can be used as a turn-off probe for ORN determination with their selective, simple, rapid, and inexpensive properties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16958898,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Antagonistic effects of seed dispersal and herbivory on plant migration.\nThe two factors that determine plant migration rates - seed dispersal and population growth - are generally treated independently, despite the fact that many animals simultaneously enhance plant migration rate via seed dispersal, and decrease it via negative effects of herbivory on population growth. Using extensive empirical data, we modelled the antagonistic effects of seed dispersal and herbivory by white-tailed deer on potential migration rates of Trillium grandiflorum, a forest herb in eastern North America. This novel antagonistic interaction is illustrated by maximum migration rates occurring at intermediate, but low herbivory (< 15%). Assuming herbivory < 20% and favourable conditions for population growth during post-glacial migration, seed dispersal by deer can explain rates of migration achieved in the past, in contrast to previous models of forest herb migration. However, relatively unfavourable conditions for population growth and increasingly intense herbivory by deer may compromise plant migration in the face of present and future climate change.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25396727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Diallyl disulfide suppresses SRC\/Ras\/ERK signaling-mediated proliferation and metastasis in human breast cancer by up-regulating miR-34a.\nDiallyl disulfide (DADS) is one of the major volatile components of garlic oil. DADS has various biological properties, including anticancer, antiangiogenic, and antioxidant effects. However, the anticancer mechanisms of DADS in human breast cancer have not been elucidated, particularly in vivo. In this study, we demonstrated that the expression of miR-34a was up-regulated in DADS-treated MDA-MB-231 cells. miR-34a not only inhibited breast cancer growth but also enhanced the antitumor effect of DADS, both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, Src was identified as a target of miR-34a, with miR-34a inhibiting SRC expression and consequently triggering the suppression of the SRC\/Ras\/ERK pathway. These results suggest that DADS could be a promising anticancer agent for breast cancer. miR-34a may also demonstrate a potential gene therapy agent that could enhance the antitumor effects of DADS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33277253,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Multiple sclerosis iPS-derived oligodendroglia conserve their properties to functionally interact with axons and glia in vivo.\nRemyelination failure in multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with a migration\/differentiation block of oligodendroglia. The reason for this block is highly debated. It could result from disease-related extrinsic or intrinsic regulators in oligodendroglial biology. To avoid confounding immune-mediated extrinsic effect, we used an immune-deficient mouse model to compare induced pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendroglia from MS and healthy donors following engraftment in the developing CNS. We show that the MS-progeny behaves and differentiates into oligodendrocytes to the same extent as controls. They generate equal amounts of myelin, with bona fide nodes of Ranvier, and promote equal restoration of their host slow conduction. MS-progeny expressed oligodendrocyte- and astrocyte-specific connexins and established functional connections with donor and host glia. Thus, MS oligodendroglia, regardless of major immune manipulators, are intrinsically capable of myelination and making functional axo-glia\/glia-glia connections, reinforcing the view that the MS oligodendrocyte differentiation block is not from major intrinsic oligodendroglial deficits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7342494,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The importance and regulation of hepatic glutathione.\nGlutathione plays a key role in the liver in detoxification reactions and in regulating the thiol-disulfide status of the cell. Glutathione synthesis is regulated mainly by the availability of precursor cysteine and the concentration of glutathione itself which feeds back to regulate its own synthesis. Degradation of hepatic glutathione is principally regulated by the efflux of reduced and oxidized glutathione into both sinusoidal plasma and bile. In addition, glutathione may be consumed in conjugation reactions. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the liver exports oxidized glutathione into bile in a concentrative fashion, whereas under basal conditions, mainly reduced glutathione is exported into bile and blood. The mechanism of export of reduced glutathione into bile and sinusoidal blood is poorly understood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15356630,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolia grassland.\nNumerous studies have suggested that biodiversity reduces variability in ecosystem productivity through compensatory effects; that is, a species increases in its abundance in response to the reduction of another in a fluctuating environment. But this view has been challenged on several grounds. Because most studies have been based on artificially constructed grasslands with short duration, long-term studies of natural ecosystems are needed. On the basis of a 24-year study of the Inner Mongolia grassland, here we present three key findings. First, that January-July precipitation is the primary climatic factor causing fluctuations in community biomass production; second, that ecosystem stability (conversely related to variability in community biomass production) increases progressively along the hierarchy of organizational levels (that is, from species to functional group to whole community); and finally, that the community-level stability seems to arise from compensatory interactions among major components at both species and functional group levels. From a hierarchical perspective, our results corroborate some previous findings of compensatory effects. Undisturbed mature steppe ecosystems seem to culminate with high biodiversity, productivity and ecosystem stability concurrently. Because these relationships are correlational, further studies are necessary to verify the causation among these factors. Our study provides new insights for better management and restoration of the rapidly degrading Inner Mongolia grassland.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16486377,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Coherent control and polarization readout of individual excitonic states.\nWe present measurements and simulations of coherent control and readout of the polarization in individual exciton states. The readout is accomplished by transient four-wave mixing detected by heterodyne spectral interferometry. We observe Rabi oscillations in the polarization, which show half the period of the Rabi oscillations in the population. A decrease of the oscillation amplitude with pulse area is observed, which is not accompanied by a change in the dephasing time. This suggests the transfer of the excitation to other states as the origin of the Rabi-oscillation damping. Detuning of the excitation enables the control of the polarization in phase and amplitude and is in qualitative agreement with simulations for a two-level system. Additionally, simultaneous Rabi flopping of several spatially and energetically close exciton states is demonstrated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35612242,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Decreased Memory Bias via a Mobile Application: A Symptom Tracker to Monitor Children's Periodic Fever.\nMemory bias, the tendency to rely on certain events over others, can become an issue in chronic illnesses, especially when symptoms are reported retrospectively. This paper examines a case where continuous symptom registration can be facilitated, memory supported, and memory bias reduced by introducing a mobile application. The aim of the paper is to report on the design of an app for collecting subjective data over an extended period to continuously follow children with periodic fever. The research approach is qualitative, building on interview data. The design method is co-design, a collaborative and participatory approach involving researchers, physicians and other key stakeholders, with focus on the views of the parents. We argue that collecting data continuously through an app moves the discussion from memory to the specific data points, which is illustrated through trends shown in the visualizations of the data. Moreover, we highlight the importance of systematically collecting data over an extended period through a data-driven approach to both forward clinical practice and research on complex, often chronic topics such as periodic fever, which is genuinely under-researched to date.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17466791,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Long-term outcomes of catheter directed thrombolysis for lower extremity deep venous thrombosis without prophylactic inferior vena cava filter placement.\nWhile the predominant treatment of lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) remains systemic anticoagulation, there is a growing consensus that more aggressive percutaneous catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) carries both short-term and long-term benefits. There remains controversy as to whether an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is always required during CDT. To define the short- and long-term outcomes of CDT with and without prophylactic IVC filter placement for lower extremity DVT. A database of patients treated by CDT from 1996 to 2006 was compiled. Results were standardized to current Society for Vascular Surgery criteria. Average follow-up was 2.1 years, range of 1-8 years. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses were performed to assess time-dependent outcomes. Factor analyses were performed using a Cox proportional hazard model for time dependent variables. Data are presented as mean +\/- SD where appropriate. Sixty-nine patients (39% male, average age 48 +\/- 17 years) underwent CDT: (27 received pharmacological thrombolysis, 12 received mechanical thrombolysis, and 30 received mechanical and pharmacological thrombolysis). Fourteen patients (20%) had IVC filter placement prior to or during CDT. Twenty-one had a hypercoagulable state. Technical success with grade III lysis of clot burden was achieved in 63%. Fifty-one patients required an adjuvant stent. Overall, 90-day all-cause mortality was 4% and peri-procedural morbidity was 4%. No patients developed a pulmonary embolus (PE) during therapy. By Kaplan-Meier analysis 83%, 83%, and 75% of patients were free of recurrent DVT at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Hypercoagulability was associated with DVT recurrence by Cox proportional hazards analysis. No analyzed factor was predictive of PE. Catheter directed thrombolysis without universal prophylactic IVC filter placement is safe and effective in treating acute DVT. Pulmonary embolization did not occur during CDT. Selective rather than routine IVC filter placement is a safe and appropriate approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2466083,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A panel of unique HLA-A2 mutant molecules define epitopes recognized by HLA-A2-specific antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocytes.\nHLA-A2.1 and HLA-A2.3, which differ from one another at residues 149, 152, and 156, can be distinguished by the mAb CR11-351 and many allogeneic and xenogeneic CTL. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to incorporate several different amino acid substitutions at each of these positions in HLA-A2.1 to evaluate their relative importance to serologic and CTL-defined epitopes. Recognition by mAb CR11-351 was completely lost when Thr but not Pro was substituted for Ala149. A model to explain this result based on the 3-dimensional structure of HLA-A2.1 is presented. In screening eight other mAb, only the substitutions of Pro for Val152 or Gly for Leu156 led to the loss of mAb binding. Because other non-conservative substitutions at these same positions had no effect, these results suggest that the loss of serologic epitopes is in many cases due to a more indirect effect on molecular conformation. Specificity analysis using 28 HLA-A2.1-specific alloreactive and xenoreactive CTL clones showed 19 distinct patterns of recognition. The epitopes recognized by alloreactive CTL clones demonstrated a pronounced effect by all substitutions at residue 152, including the very conservation substitution of Ala for Val. Overall, the most disruptive substitution at amino acid residue 152 was Pro, followed by Glu, Gln, and then Ala. In contrast, substitutions at 156 had little or no effect on allogeneic CTL recognition, and most clones tolerated either Gly, Ser, or Trp at this position. Similar results were seen using a panel of murine HLA-A2.1-specific CTL clones, except that substitutions at position 156 had a greater effect. The most disruptive substitution was Trp, followed by Ser and then Gly. In addition, when assessed on the entire panel of CTL, the effects of Glu and Gln substitutions at position 152 demonstrated that the introduction of a charge difference is no more disruptive than a comparable change in side chain structure that does not alter charge. Taken together, these results indicate that the effect of amino acid replacements at positions 152 and 156 on CTL-defined epitopes depends strongly on the nature of the substitution. Thus, considerable caution must be exercised in evaluating the significance of particular positions on the basis of single mutations. Nonetheless, the more extensive analysis conducted here indicates that there are differences among residues in the class I Ag \"binding pocket,\" with residue 152 playing a relatively more important role in formation of allogeneic CTL-defined epitopes than residue 156.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":581085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[A NH(+4)-selective-enzymatic flow-through system. A method for the continuous enzymatic, electrochemical determination of urea, II (author's transl)].\nA flow-through system for the measurement of urea concentrations is described, using soluble urease and consecutive determination of liberated ammonium ions by a selective disc-electrode. The active component of the electrode membrane was the carrier-antibiotic nonactin which was incorporated in a polyvinylchloride matrix.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16411944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pollinator limitation and inbreeding depression in orchid species with and without nectar rewards.\nMany orchids produce no nectar rewards. Foraging pollinators should visit more flowers per inflorescence in species with nectar, which could increase geitonogamous self-fertilization. If a history of selfing decreases genetic load, then nectar-producing orchids should harbour lower inbreeding depression than nectarless species. Here, I tested this hypothesis by quantifying inbreeding depression and pollinator limitation in populations of three closely related orchid species, one of which provides nectar. I also compared inbreeding depression for nectarless and nectar-producing species of orchids using published studies. All field populations expressed pollinator limitation, but the nectar-providing species was intermediate to the two nectarless species. All populations expressed inbreeding depression, and levels increased in later life-history stages. There was no tendency for nectarless species to express higher inbreeding depression either in experiments or published studies. Nectarless orchids may not express higher levels of inbreeding depression because pollinators fail to visit more flowers in nectar-bearing species, because such visitations do not result in greater selfing, and\/or because higher selfing may be ineffective in purging the mutations that cause load.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8559734,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ostrich slaughter and fabrication: 1. Slaughter yields of carcasses and effects of electrical stimulation on post-mortem pH.\nA commercial ostrich slaughter protocol was developed. Ostriches (n = 7 males and n = 7 females) averaged 95.54 kg live weight and yielded 55.91-kg carcasses. By-product yields were measured. The most significant by-products by weight were full viscera (8.29 kg), hide (6.71 kg), full gizzard and crop (5.80 kg), and abdominal fat (4.11 kg). Sex had no effect on slaughter yields. Post-mortem temperature declines were measured on five separate muscles and showed that chilling for 24 h was sufficient to adequately chill the deep muscle temperature to under 4 C. The effect of electrical stimulation on post-mortem pH decline also was investigated and had no effect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20639154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Theoretical and experimental investigation of traveling wave propagation on a several- millimeter-long cylindrical pipe driven by piezoelectric ceramic tubes.\nA novel method is presented for investigation of the traveling wave propagation generated on a thin film pipe with a short length of several millimeters. As a bridge to connect two piezoelectric ceramic (lead zirconate titanate, PZT) tubes, a thin-film metallic glass (TFMG) pipe is fabricated by a new technique of rotating magnetron sputtering. The vibrator combines the vibration of the axial mode of the PZT tube and the radial mode of the TFMG pipe. Theoretical analyses of the TFMG pipe and PZT tube, with a comparison of the finite element modeling, clarify the vibration characteristics so that the proper geometrical sizes, suitable boundary conditions, and driving voltage signals are designed. In the experiment, the designed vibrator was fabricated and the vibration characteristics were measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer system. The pure traveling wave propagation obtained theoretically and experimentally demonstrates the validity of this work. This study shows a new way to achieve a pure traveling wave on a short cylindrical pipe driven by PZT tubes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12552537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":2,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Relationship between neointimal regrowth and mechanism of acute lumen gain during the treatment of in-stent restenosis with or without supplementary intravascular radiation.\nWe investigated whether neointimal regrowth is related to the mechanism of acute lumen gain during the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) lesions both with and without adjunct intravascular brachytherapy. From the WRIST (Washington Radiation for In-Stent Restenosis Trial) cohort, 54 ISR patients ((192)Ir, 29; placebo, 25) were treated with nonrepeat stenting percutaneous interventions (excimer laser, rotational atherectomy, and\/or balloon angioplasty) prior to (192)Ir or placebo therapy. Using Simpson's method, serial volumetric intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) analyses (pre- and posttreatment and 6-month follow-up) were analyzed to obtain stent, lumen, and intimal hyperplasia (IH) volumes that were then adjusted for stent length to create stent, lumen, and IH volume indexes. In the placebo group, the acute reduction of neointima (1.6 +\/- 1.4 mm(3)\/mm) was counteracted by intimal regrowth (2.1 +\/- 1.7 mm(3)\/mm). The amount of intimal regrowth correlated directly with the intimal reduction due to the intervention (r = 0.76; P < 0.001), but not with the amount of additional stent expansion. In the (192)Ir-treated group, intimal regrowth was significantly less than in the placebo group (-0.3 +\/- 0.1 vs. 2.1 +\/- 1.7 mm(3)\/mm; P < 0.001) despite a similar initial intimal reduction (1.3 +\/- 0.9 vs. 1.6 +\/- 1.4 mm(3)\/mm; P = NS). No correlation was found between intimal reduction at the time of the procedure and intimal regrowth in the (192)Ir group. In this study, neointimal regrowth following treatment of ISR lesions correlates directly with the extent of acute intimal volume reduction, but not with the extent of additional stent expansion. This relation is not seen in ISR segments treated with radiation, where intimal regrowth is substantially inhibited.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24058414,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Knockdown of human TCF4 affects multiple signaling pathways involved in cell survival, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and neuronal differentiation.\nHaploinsufficiency of TCF4 causes Pitt-Hopkins syndrome (PTHS): a severe form of mental retardation with phenotypic similarities to Angelman, Mowat-Wilson and Rett syndromes. Genome-wide association studies have also found that common variants in TCF4 are associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia. Although TCF4 is transcription factor, little is known about TCF4-regulated processes in the brain. In this study we used genome-wide expression profiling to determine the effects of acute TCF4 knockdown on gene expression in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. We identified 1204 gene expression changes (494 upregulated, 710 downregulated) in TCF4 knockdown cells. Pathway and enrichment analysis on the differentially expressed genes in TCF4-knockdown cells identified an over-representation of genes involved in TGF-\u03b2 signaling, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and apoptosis. Among the most significantly differentially expressed genes were the EMT regulators, SNAI2 and DEC1 and the proneural genes, NEUROG2 and ASCL1. Altered expression of several mental retardation genes such as UBE3A (Angelman Syndrome), ZEB2 (Mowat-Wilson Syndrome) and MEF2C was also found in TCF4-depleted cells. These data suggest that TCF4 regulates a number of convergent signaling pathways involved in cell differentiation and survival in addition to a subset of clinically important mental retardation genes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24476070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Long-lasting control of Anopheles arabiensis by a single spray application of micro-encapsulated pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic\u00ae 300 CS).\nPyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes are an increasing threat to malaria vector control. The Global Plan for Insecticide Resistance Management (GPIRM) recommends rotation of non-pyrethroid insecticides for indoor residual spraying (IRS). The options from other classes are limited. The carbamate bendiocarb and the organophosphate pirimiphos-methyl (p-methyl) emulsifiable concentrate (EC) have a short residual duration of action, resulting in increased costs due to multiple spray cycles, and user fatigue. Encapsulation (CS) technology was used to extend the residual performance of p-methyl. Two novel p-methyl CS formulations were evaluated alongside the existing EC in laboratory bioassays and experimental hut trials in Tanzania between 2008-2010. Bioassays were carried out monthly on sprayed substrates of mud, concrete, plywood, and palm thatch to assess residual activity. Experimental huts were used to assess efficacy against wild free-flying Anopheles arabiensis, in terms of insecticide-induced mortality and blood-feeding inhibition. In laboratory bioassays of An. arabiensis and Culex quinquefasciatus both CS formulations produced high rates of mortality for significantly longer than the EC formulation on all substrates. On mud, the best performing CS killed >80% of An. arabiensis for five months and >50% for eight months, compared with one and two months, respectively, for the EC. In monthly bioassays of experimental hut walls the EC was ineffective shortly after spraying, while the best CS formulation killed more than 80% of An. arabiensis for five months on mud, and seven months on concrete. In experimental huts both CS and EC formulations killed high proportions of free-flying wild An. arabiensis for up to 12 months after spraying. There was no significant difference between treatments. All treatments provided considerable personal protection, with blood-feeding inhibition ranging from 9-49% over time. The long residual performance of p-methyl CS was consistent in bioassays and experimental huts. The CS outperformed the EC in laboratory and hut bioassays but the EC longevity in huts was unexpected. Long-lasting p-methyl CS formulations should be more effective than both p-methyl EC and bendiocarb considering a single spray could be sufficient for annual malaria control. IRS with p-methyl 300 CS is a timely addition to the limited portfolio of long-lasting residual insecticides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30984255,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Widespread Striatal Delivery of GDNF from Encapsulated Cells Prevents the Anatomical and Functional Consequences of Excitotoxicity.\nHuman ARPE-19 cells engineered to secrete high levels of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) were encapsulated into hollow fiber membranes. The devices were implanted into the rat striatum 1 week prior to striatal quinolinic acid injections. Animals were evaluated using a battery of validated motor tests, and histology was performed to determine the extent of GDNF diffusion and associated prevention of neuronal cell loss and behavioral deficits. Encapsulated cell-based delivery of GDNF produced widespread distribution of GDNF throughout the entire implanted striatum. Stereological estimates of striatal neuron number and volume of lesion size revealed that GDNF delivery resulted in near complete neuroprotection. Delivery of neurotrophic molecules such as GDNF using encapsulated cells has reached a technological point where clinical evaluation is justified. Because GDNF has been effective in animal models of Parkinson's disease, stroke, epilepsy, and Huntington's disease, among other debilitating neurodegenerative diseases, encapsulated cell-based delivery of GDNF might represent one innovative means of slowing the neural degeneration seen in a myriad of currently untreatable neurological diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26500932,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Post Surgical Giant Epidermal Inclusion Cyst of the Lid and Orbit- A Rare Case.\nEpidermoid cyst within the lid and orbit is extremely rare. Epidermoid tumours are inclusion of ectodermal elements in the site not normally containing these structures. It is of two types; primary type related to implantation of ectoderm at the time of closure of the neural groove and secondary type caused by post traumatic inclusion of the surface epithelium. A 45-year-old male had complaint of swelling on the right upper lid and orbital region. It first appeared two years back. It was painless progressively increased in size and shape. There was difficulty in opening of eye lid due to large swelling, feeling of heaviness in the right upper lid and occasional headache. There was history of right eye ocular infection following vegetative matter injury three years back. Evisceration of right eye was done for aforementioned reason. USG report shows cystic encapsulated mass with calcification foci in right upper lid-orbital region with fat component. MRI right orbit shows fairly large hyperintense cystic lesion seen involving right orbit with posterior extension up to optic canal. No intracranial extension. FNAC confirmed epidermal inclusion cyst. We did upper lid reconstruction with removal of mass. We have successfully removed the mass without any complication and with one year follow-up there is no recurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32837871,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"SARS-CoV-2 presented in the air of an intensive care unit (ICU).\nAs coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading worldwide, there have been arguments regarding the aerosol transmission of its causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Moreover, some re-detectable positive (RP) patients have been reported. However, little attention has been given to the follow-up of recovered patients, and there is no environmental evidence to determine whether these patients continue to shed the virus after they test negative. Therefore, with an objective to test the hypothesis of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, it is necessary to 1) determine whether SARS-CoV-2 particles are present in the indoor air and 2) determine whether recovered patients are still shedding virus, thus providing much-needed environmental evidence for the management of COVID-19 patients during the recovery period. In this study, surface and air samples were collected from an intensive care unit (ICU) containing one ready-for-discharge patient. All surface samples tested negative, but the air samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. This implies that SARS-CoV-2 particles may be shed in aerosol form for days after patients test negative. This finding may be one of the reasons for the observation of RP patients; therefore, there is a need for improved clinical and disease management guidelines for recovered COVID-19 patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30150788,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Fluoxetine induces lipid metabolism abnormalities by acting on the liver in patients and mice with depression.\nDepressive disorders are frequently managed with long-term use of antidepressant medication. Fluoxetine (FLX) is the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to be widely available for the treatment of depression. The present study focuses on the effects and mechanisms of the lipid metabolism abnormalities caused by FLX in patients and in a mouse model of depression. Depression severity was assessed by the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). Triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) serum levels were assessed in 28 patients with depression, aged 31.2\u00b13.3 years, treated with FLX (20 to 60 mg\/day) for 8 weeks. Meanwhile, the serum levels of other lipid metabolism-related parameters, such as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB), were also determined. The infiuence of FLX on the hepatic lipid profile and hepatic gene expression of both lipogenic and lipolytic enzymes was evaluated in a mouse model of depression treated with FLX (10 mg\u00b7kg-1\u00b7d-1, ip) for 4 weeks. We showed that the serum TG, TC and LDL levels were significantly increased in patients with depression after FLX treatment. The elevation in serum TG levels in the patients was not affected by gender or family history. FLX treatment did not significantly alter serum HDL, APOA1 or APOB levels in the patients. We further demonstrated in mice with depression that FLX treatment increased the hepatic TG level by increasing the expression of lipogenic enzymes and decreasing the expression of lipolytic enzymes in the liver. Antidepressive therapy with FLX is associated with lipid metabolism abnormalities, which are in part mediated by disturbances in hepatic lipid metabolism homeostasis. The findings contribute to the uncovering of metabolic adverse reactions in the pharmacological therapy of depression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8947371,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The resource utilization groups system of nursing home reimbursement policies: influences on occupational therapy practice.\nThis study explored the effects of federal and state reimbursement mechanisms on occupational therapy practice in the nursing home setting, specifically, the selection and scheduling of patients for treatment programs, the content of the therapy provided, and the documentation requirements. A questionnaire developed for the study was mailed to the chief occupational therapist in each of the 171 nursing homes located in New York city. Descriptive data on the research variables were collected from 83 respondents. Government regulation and reimbursement mechanisms specifically affected therapists' treatment decisions and patient programming and scheduling in the nursing home setting. Survey results described the clinical impact of the resource utilization groups (RUGs) data collection periods. Negative effects were seen in a substantial incidence of withholding therapies from patients and the decline in the use of some traditional occupational therapy treatments. Positive effects included an increase in staff and equipment and therapists' improved documentation skills. Occupational therapy practitioners in the nursing home setting need to find ways to live with the realities of government reimbursement without compromising professionalism or clinical judgment. Documentation is the key to assuring that patients receive the therapy they need. Therapists should be aware of the regulations, document accordingly, and review those cases that were denied reimbursement to learn of documentation errors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29378618,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"'Recruitment, recruitment, recruitment' - the need for more focus on retention: a qualitative study of five trials.\nLoss to follow-up (attrition) is a frequent problem in clinical trials and can introduce bias or reduce power. So, understanding retention issues and strategies to address these are important. As part of a multi-method project, this qualitative study aimed to explore retention strategies used by trial teams and factors which may influence strategy adoption. A purposive sample of active trials was selected from the UK NIHR HTA portfolio of ongoing trials in 2014\/2015. Semi-structured interviews with several trial team members from each trial and supplementary interviews with experienced trial managers explored strategies in collecting clinical outcome data and retaining participants. Interview data were analysed thematically using techniques of constant comparison. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews with trial team members including chief investigators, trial managers, nurses and research administrators revealed strategies used to enhance retention. Some were recognised methods and planned from trial outset whilst others were implemented more responsively. Interviewees placed great value on fostering positive relationships with trial participants to enhance retention. However, these strategies took time which was not always appreciated by the wider trial team or funding bodies. The national focus on recruitment targets in networks posed a challenge to staff and was deemed detrimental to retention. The 'moral compass' of individual researchers relied on their own beliefs and values and research experience and the factors affected their confidence to pursue participant data during follow-up. The role of trial staff and their underlying behaviours influence retention practices and, combined with emphasis on recruitment targets, can be detrimental to motivation and retention activities. There is a need to consider how to train and support trial staff involved in retention practices and recognition of retention from funding bodies and oversight organisations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36158122,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy for Hypertension Complicated by Refractory Heart Failure: An Analysis of Safety and Nursing Highlights.\nThis research is aimed at analyzing the safety profile and nursing highlights of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) for hypertension (HT) complicated by refractory heart failure (RHF). Sixty-six HT + RHF patients admitted between March 2018 and December 2021 were enrolled and assigned to two groups: a CRRT group with 33 cases treated with CRRT and a control group with 33 cases intervened by routine treatment. The therapeutic effect and alterations of cardiac function (CF) indexes were observed in both cohorts. Besides, statistics were made in terms of serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) concentrations, time of asthma relief, heart rate recovery (HRR), edema resolution, and hospitalization, as well as incidence of adverse reactions (ARs). Finally, pre- and posttreatment psychological quality and pain of both cohorts of subjects were assessed using the self-rating anxiety and depression scale (SAS and SDS) and visual analogue scale (VAS), respectively. CRRT group exhibited higher overall response rate and better CF than control group (P < 0.05), with lower BNP, CRP, and MAP levels, and shorter time of asthma relief, HRR, edema resolution, and hospitalization (P < 0.05); the incidence of ARs was similar (P > 0.05); for both groups, the scores of SAS, SDS, and VAS reduced statistically after treatment (P < 0.05). CRRT can effectively improve the therapeutic effect and CF of patients with HT complicated by RHF, to protect the health and safety of patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31545794,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Robust methods in Mendelian randomization via penalization of heterogeneous causal estimates.\nMethods have been developed for Mendelian randomization that can obtain consistent causal estimates under weaker assumptions than the standard instrumental variable assumptions. The median-based estimator and MR-Egger are examples of such methods. However, these methods can be sensitive to genetic variants with heterogeneous causal estimates. Such heterogeneity may arise from over-dispersion in the causal estimates, or specific variants with outlying causal estimates. In this paper, we develop three extensions to robust methods for Mendelian randomization with summarized data: 1) robust regression (MM-estimation); 2) penalized weights; and 3) Lasso penalization. Methods using these approaches are considered in two applied examples: one where there is evidence of over-dispersion in the causal estimates (the causal effect of body mass index on schizophrenia risk), and the other containing outliers (the causal effect of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol on Alzheimer's disease risk). Through an extensive simulation study, we demonstrate that robust regression applied to the inverse-variance weighted method with penalized weights is a worthwhile additional sensitivity analysis for Mendelian randomization to provide robustness to variants with outlying causal estimates. The results from the applied examples and simulation study highlight the importance of using methods that make different assumptions to assess the robustness of findings from Mendelian randomization investigations with multiple genetic variants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27374965,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Molecular Mechanisms of Taste Disorder in Oxaliplatin-administered Rats.\nTaste disorder is one of the adverse effects of cancer chemotherapy resulting in a loss of appetite, leading to malnutrition and a decrease in the quality of life of the patient. Oxaliplatin, a platinum anticancer drug, has a critical role in colon cancer chemotherapy and is known to induce taste disorder. Here, we evaluated the taste functions in oxaliplatin-administered rats. Among the taste receptors, expression levels of T1R2, one of the sweet receptor subunits, increased in the circumvallate papillae of the oxaliplatin-administered rats. In a brief-access test, i.e., behavioral analysis of the taste response, oxaliplatin-administered rats showed a decreased response to sweet taste. However, we did not detect any differences in the plasma levels of zinc, number of taste cells, or morphology of taste buds between control and oxaliplatin-administered rats. In conclusion, the decreased response to sweet taste by oxaliplatin administration may be due to the upregulation of T1R2 expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9394959,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Anterior tympanic artery: course, ramification and relationship with the temporomandibular joint.\nThe anterior tympanic artery, a branch of the maxillary artery, ascends through the retroarticular region dividing into anterior branches that spread through the posterior part of the temporomandibular joint, and posterior branches that contribute to the vascularization of the external acoustic meatus and the tympanic cavity. The arrangement of the anterior tympanic artery was studied bilaterally in 18 adult cadavers. In some cases, the anterior tympanic artery branches off from the superficial temporal artery. The relationships of the anterior tympanic artery with the posterior part of the temporomandibular joint were analyzed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20332872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Calculation of the elastic deformations of the revolution membranes.\nSeveral applications, both on the ground and in space, are envisaged for large, light parabolic reflectors which are compact when folded. In this paper the aim is to calculate by a differential method the deformed meridian line and the creased zone of an elastic inflatable revolution membrane. Conversely, one can calculate the original meridian line which, under a given pressure, transforms into a selected meridian line, in this case parabolic. The theory is confirmed by the deformation measurements of a cap in 36-microm thick polyester film cut out of a sphere 4 m in diameter.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35589292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Data linkage for crash outcome assessment: Linking police-reported crashes, emergency response data, and trauma registry records.\nTraffic crash reports lack detailed information about emergency medical service (EMS) responses, the injuries, and the associated treatments, limiting the ability of safety analysts to account for that information. Integrating data from other sources can enable a better understanding of characteristics of serious crashes and further explain variance in injury outcomes. In this research, an approach is proposed and implemented to link crash data to EMS run data, patient care reports, and trauma registry data. A heuristic framework is developed to match EMS run reports to crashes through time, location, and other indicators present in both datasets. Types of matches between EMS and crashes were classified. To investigate the fidelity of the match approach, a manual review of a sample of data was conducted. A comparative bias analysis was implemented on several key variables. 72.2% of EMS run reports matched to a crash record and 69.3% of trauma registry records matched with a crash record. Females, individuals between 11 and 20 years old, and individuals involved in single vehicle or head on crashes were more likely to be present in linked data sets. Using the linked data sets, relationships between EMS response time and reported injury in the crash report, and between police-reported injury and injury severity score were examined. Linking data from other sources can greatly enhance the information available to address road safety issues, data quality issues, and more. Linking data has the potential to result in biases that must be investigated as they relate to the use-case for the data. This research resulted in a transferable heuristic approach that can be used to link data sets that are commonly collected by agencies across the world. It also provides guidance on how to check the linked data for biases and errors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30845220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Vaccination differences among U.S. adults by their self-identified sexual orientation, National Health Interview Survey, 2013-2015.\nVery few studies have explored the associations between self-identified sexual orientation and comprehensive vaccination coverage. Most of the previous studies that reported health disparities among lesbian, gay and bisexual populations were not based on a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Starting in 2013, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) included questions to ascertain the adult's self-identified sexual orientation that allowed national level vaccination estimation by sexual orientation. This study examined associations of self-reported vaccination coverage for selected vaccines among U.S. adults by their sexual orientation. We analyzed combined data from 2013-2015 NHIS, a nationally representative probability-based health survey of the noninstitutionalized U.S. population \u226518 years. For vaccines other than influenza, weighted proportions were calculated. Influenza coverage was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier procedure. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to calculate adjusted prevalence differences for each vaccine overall and stratified by sexual orientation and to identify factors independently associated with vaccination. Significant differences were observed by sexual orientation for self-reported receipt of human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis A (HepA), hepatitis B (HepB), and influenza vaccination. Bisexual females (51.6%) had higher HPV coverage than heterosexual females (40.2%). Gay males (40.3% and 53.6%, respectively) had higher HepA and HepB coverage than heterosexual males (25.4% and 32.6%, respectively). Bisexual females (33.9% and 58.5%, respectively) had higher HepA and HepB coverage than heterosexual females (23.5% and 38.4%, respectively) and higher HepB coverage than lesbian females (45.4%). Bisexual adults (34.1%) had lower influenza coverage than gay\/lesbian (48.5%) and heterosexual adults (43.8%). Except for the association of having self-identified as gay\/lesbian orientation with greater likelihood of HepA, HepB, and influenza vaccination, sexual orientation was not associated with higher or lower likelihood of vaccination. Health status or other behavioral characteristics studied had no consistent relationship with vaccination among all populations. Differences were identified in vaccination coverage among the U.S. adult population by self-reported sexual orientation. This study is the first to assess associations of sexual orientation with a comprehensive list of vaccinations. Findings from this study can serve as a baseline for monitoring changes over time. All populations could benefit from improved vaccination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20470463,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Smoking in elderly in Brazilian homes for the aged].\nTo know the prevalence of elderly individuals (more than 60 years old), who are regular smokers, interned in Homes for the Aged in Distrito Federal. 13 Homes for the Aged were studied in Distrito Federal. The identification of the smokers was made through the information given by the local nursing staff, added to the researcher observation and the confirmation provided by the elderly individuals themselves. They were asked about the tobacco usage, the intention to quit smoking in the next 6 months and self-evaluation about the harmful aspects that smoking causes to their health. The prevalence was 17,3% (11,2% men and 6,1%women) (p < 0,05). The average age was of 68,6 (+ or - 8,6) years old, varing from 60 to 94 years old. The number of individuals with the intention to quit smoking: 63,6% - 46 (71,9%) men and 17(48,6%) women (p <0,05). Self-evaluation about the harmful aspects that smoking causes to health: 58,6% of the individuals do think that smoking is harmful to their health (p < 0,05). There is a great number of elderly smokers who are interned in Homes for the Aged, and so the implementation of measures to control the smoking is necessary at these places.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23706767,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Role and regulation of the forkhead transcription factors FOXO3a and FOXM1 in carcinogenesis and drug resistance.\nThe FOXO3a and FOXM1 forkhead transcription factors are key players in cancer initiation, progression, and drug resistance. Recent research shows that FOXM1 is a direct transcriptional target of FOXO3a, a vital downstream effector of the PI3K-AKT-FOXO signaling cascade. In addition, FOXM1 and FOXO3a also antagonize each other's activity by competitively binding to the same target genes, which are involved in chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity and resistance. Understanding the role and regulation of the FOXO-FOXM1 axis will provide insight into chemotherapeutic drug action and resistance in patients, and help to identify novel therapeutic approaches as well as diagnostic and predictive biomarkers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27561721,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The increase of the global donor inventory is of limited benefit to patients of non-Northwestern European descent.\nBetween 2001 and 2012, the number of unrelated donors registered worldwide increased from 7 to 21 million, and the number of public cord blood units increased to over 500,000. We addressed the question of whether this expansion resulted in higher percentages of patients reaching transplantation. Unrelated donor searches were evaluated for 3,124 eligible patients in the Netherlands in two cohorts (2001-2006, n=995; 2007-2012, n=2129), comparing results for patients of Northwestern European and non-Northwestern European origin. Endpoints were 'donor found' and 'transplantation reached'. The substantial growth of the donor inventory over the period studied did not increase the median number of potential unrelated donors (n=7) for non-Northwestern European patients, but almost doubled the number for Northwestern European patients from 42 to 71. Before and after 2007, an unrelated donor or cord blood was identified for 91% and 95%, respectively, of Northwestern European patients and for 65% and 82% of non-Northwestern European patients (P<0.0001). Non-Northwestern European patients more often needed a cord blood transplant. The degree of HLA matching was significantly lower for non-Northwestern European patients (P<0.0006). The time needed to identify a donor decreased for both populations. The percentage of Northwestern European patients reaching transplantation increased from 77% to 83% and for non-Northwestern European patients from 57% to 72% (P=0.0003). The increase of the global inventory resulted in more transplants for patients lacking a family donor, although the quality and quantity of (potential) haematopoietic cell grafts for patients of a non-Northwestern European descent remained inferior, indicating the need for adaptation of recruitment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38172839,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Biochemical and transcriptomic evaluation of a 3D lung organoid platform for pre-clinical testing of active substances targeting senescence.\nChronic lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cystic fibrosis are incurable. Epithelial senescence, a state of dysfunctional cell cycle arrest, contributes to the progression of such diseases. Therefore, lung epithelial cells are a valuable target for therapeutic intervention. Here, we present a 3D airway lung organoid platform for the preclinical testing of active substances with regard to senescence, toxicity, and inflammation under standardized conditions in a 96 well format. Senescence was induced with doxorubicin and measured by activity of senescence associated galactosidase. Pharmaceutical compounds such as quercetin antagonized doxorubicin-induced senescence without compromising organoid integrity. Using single cell sequencing, we identified a subset of cells expressing senescence markers which was decreased by quercetin. Doxorubicin induced the expression of detoxification factors specifically in goblet cells independent of quercetin. In conclusion, our platform enables for the analysis of senescence-related processes and will allow the pre-selection of a wide range of compounds (e.g. natural products) in preclinical studies, thus reducing the need for animal testing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2585077,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Traumatic carotid artery dissection: diagnosis and treatment.\nEarly diagnosis and successful management of traumatic carotid artery dissections require a high index of clinical suspicion. The diagnostic study of choice is cerebral arteriography. In this paper, 24 cases of traumatic carotid artery dissection are described. Presenting signs and symptoms include Horner's syndrome, dysphasia, hemiparesis, obtundation, and monoparesis. Patients detected early with mild neurological deficits fared well with treatment, while those with profound neurological deficits and delayed diagnoses had poor outcomes. Aggressive nonsurgical treatment is advocated including anticoagulation therapy for prevention of progressive thrombosis and arterial occlusion and\/or distal arterial embolization with resultant cerebral ischemia. Direct surgical thromboendarterectomy is considered to carry high morbidity and mortality rates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30139213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Postoperative delirium.\nDelirium can be defined as an 'acute brain dysfunction.' Compared to dementia, which is a disease that deteriorates the brain function chronically, delirium shows very similar symptoms but is mostly ameliorated when the causative factors are normalized. Due to the heterogeneity in etiologies and symptoms, people including health care workers often mistake delirium for dementia or other psychiatric disorders. Delirium has attracted global interest increasingly and a vast amount of research on its management has been conducted. Experts in the field have constantly suggested that systematic intervention should be implemented through a team-based multicomponent approach aimed to reduce the incidence and duration of delirium. Surgery involves many health care workers with different expertise who are not familiar with delirium. For a team-based approach on the management of delirium, it is vital that all medical personnel concerned have a common understanding of delirium and keep in constant communication. Postoperative delirium is a common complication and exerts an enormous burden on patients, their families, hospitals, and public resources. To alleviate this burden, this article aimed to review general features and the latest evidence-based knowledge of delirium with a focus on postoperative delirium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8945957,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Role of excitatory amino acid receptors in cardiorespiratory coupling in ventrolateral medulla.\nThe role of (+\/-)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)-kainate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) and caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) on the central respiratory drive (CRD)-related activity of splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) was examined in rats. SNA increased during inspiration (I peak) and postinspiration (PI peak). Bilateral microinjections of 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX; AMPA-kainate antagonist) or DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV; NMDA antagonist) into RVLM abolished the PI, but not the I, peak. Blockade of all excitatory amino acid receptors in RVLM with kynurenate, or mixtures of APV and CNQX, also failed to eliminate the I peak. Somatosympathetic responses were abolished by CNQX injection into RVLM, but were unaffected by APV. CNQX, but not APV, injection into CVLM increased the PI peak of SNA. Our findings suggest the following. 1) Both NMDA and AMPA-kainate receptors in RVLM are involved in the coupling between the sympathetic nervous system and CRD, which generates the PI peak seen in SNA. 2) The I peak of SNA is independent of excitatory amino acid transmission within RVLM. 3) There are different relative amounts of NMDA and AMPA-kainate receptors at synapses where respiratory and somatic inputs converge onto RVLM neurons. 4) Glutamatergic inputs to CVLM neurons modulate the coupling between SNA and CRD in RVLM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26382692,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lissajous Rocking Ratchet: Realization in a Semiconductor Quantum Dot.\nBreaking time-reversal symmetry (TRS) in the absence of a net bias can give rise to directed steady-state nonequilibrium transport phenomena such as ratchet effects. Here we present, theoretically and experimentally, the concept of a Lissajous rocking ratchet based on breaking TRS. Our system is a semiconductor quantum dot with periodically modulated dot-lead tunnel barriers. Broken TRS gives rise to single electron tunneling current. Its direction is fully controlled by exploring frequency and phase relations between the two barrier modulations. The concept of Lissajous ratchets can be realized in a large variety of different systems, including nanoelectrical, nanoelectromechanical, or superconducting circuits. It promises applications based on a detailed on-chip comparison of radio-frequency signals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18216380,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Persons with varicose veins have a high subsequent incidence of arterial disease: a population-based study in Tampere, Finland.\nThe aim of this population research was to find out the risk of arterial disease (defined as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, peripheral occlusive arterial disease, and cerebrovascular disease) and hypertension in persons with varicose veins. A 5-year follow-up study was conducted in Tampere, Finland. A validated questionnaire was used in 3 middle-aged cohorts (40, 50, and 60 year olds) in a general population of 6,874. In the follow-up study, 71% (n = 4,903) replied. The incidence of arterial disease and hypertension was studied in those with varicose veins and those without at the entry to the study. During the follow-up, new arterial disease occurred significantly more often in individuals with varicose veins. The incidence odds ratio was 2.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.7; n = 3,032), but the incidence odds ratio of new hypertension was 1.0 (95% confidence interval, 0.8-1.3; n = 2,915). Varicose veins are a risk indicator of arterial disease but not of hypertension. Varicose veins likely do not cause arterial disease, but they may have common causes that, however, are not related with hypertension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8460807,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dural taps revisited. A 20-year survey from Birmingham Maternity Hospital.\nThe records from 34,819 obstetric epidurals performed at Birmingham Maternity Hospital over the period 1969-1988 were examined. During that time there were 460 dural taps (overall incidence 1.3%). Of the methods used to detect the epidural space, loss of resistance to injection of saline was associated with the lowest incidence of dural tap (0.6%). The incidence of typical postdural puncture headache when managed conservatively was 86%. Provision of an epidural drip after delivery reduced the incidence of headache to 70%. Elective forceps delivery conferred no additional benefit, and tended to delay the onset of headache. Blood patches were performed on 135 patients and provided complete relief of headache in 93 (68%). A further 23 patients (16%) obtained partial relief.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17099348,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Nasal dermoids.\nMidline congenital nasal lesions are rare, occurring in one out of every 20,000-40,000 births. Of these midline lesions, nasal dermoids are the most common. This review centers on diagnosis of nasal dermoids, the role of imaging in diagnosis and surgical planning and the various approaches to surgical management of these lesions. Multiplanar, high-resolution thin section magnetic resonance imaging allows for excellent soft tissue detail, particularly when intracranial extension is expected. Open rhinoplasty is favored by many authors for excision of dermoids. Transnasal endoscopic excision of nasal dermoids has been reported but is not recommended for dermoids extending into or beyond the falx cerebri. Imaging of the midface and brain is essential for accurate diagnosis, assessment for any intracranial extension and appropriate surgical planning. Any surgical approach for removal of nasal dermoid cysts should permit adequate access, allow repair of the skull base and cerebrospinal fluid leak, facilitate nasal reconstruction and result in acceptable cosmesis. The head and neck surgeon should be able to consider various surgical approaches to manage these lesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12971615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Preliminary model of fluid and solute distribution and transport during hemorrhage.\nThe distribution and transport of fluid, ions, and other solutes (plasma proteins and glucose) are described in a mathematical model of unresuscitated hemorrhage. The model is based on balances of each material in both the circulation and its red blood cells, as well as in a whole-body tissue compartment along with its cells. Exchange between these four compartments occurs by a number of different mechanisms. The hemorrhage model has as its basis a validated model, due to Gyenge et al., of fluid and solute exchange in the whole body of a standard human. Hypothetical but physiologically based features such as glucose and small ion releases along with cell membrane changes are incorporated into the hemorrhage model to describe the system behavior, particularly during larger hemorrhages. Moderate (10%-30% blood volume loss) and large (> 30% blood loss) hemorrhage dynamics are simulated and compared with available data. The model predictions compare well with the available information for both types of hemorrhages and provide a reasonable description of the progression of a large hemorrhage from the compensatory phase through vascular collapse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26510867,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Anti-M\u00fcllerian Hormone Is Required for Chicken Embryonic Urogenital System Growth but Not Sexual Differentiation.\nIn mammals, the primary role of anti-M\u00fcllerian hormone (AMH) during development is the regression of M\u00fcllerian ducts in males. These structures otherwise develop into fallopian tubes, oviducts, and upper vagina, as in females. This highly conserved function is retained in birds and is supported by the high levels of AMH expression in developing testes. In mammals, AMH expression is controlled partly by the transcription factor, SOX9. However, in the chicken, AMH mRNA expression precedes that of SOX9 , leading to the view that AMH may lie upstream of SOX9 and play a more central role in avian testicular development. To help define the role of AMH in chicken gonad development, we suppressed AMH expression in chicken embryos using RNA interference. In males, AMH knockdown did not affect the expression of key testis pathway genes, and testis cords developed normally. However, a reduction in the size of the mesonephros and gonads was observed, a phenotype that was evident in both sexes. This growth defect occurred as a result of the reduced proliferative capacity of the cells of these tissues, and male gonads also had a significant reduction in germ cell numbers. These data suggest that although AMH does not directly contribute to testicular or ovarian differentiation, it is required in a sex-independent manner for proper cell proliferation and urogenital system growth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36103940,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Efficacy and Safety of Anticoagulants for COVID-19 Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.\nThis study aims to analyze the efficacy and safety of anticoagulants for COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit. A comprehensive search was conducted using databases such as MEDLINE, PubMed, EuropePMC, Science Direct, Google Scholar, Clinicaltrial.gov, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trial (CENTRAL, Cochrane Library) and several other published articles from the systematic review up to March 31, 2021. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for the studies' qualitative assessment. The primary outcome examined was mortality rate, while the secondary included the length of stay (LOS) in thei care unit; hospital length of stay (HOS), coagulation markers including D-dimer, Platelet count, aPTT, PT and fibrinogen; markers of inflammation specifically C-reactive protein; and other adverse events ranging from hemorrhage to thrombosis. Additionally, the quantitative synthesis was conducted using fixed and random effects model in \"The Revman 5.4\", while heterogeneity was tested using the I-squared (I2) measure. A total of 1,062 articles were found during the initial search step and eventually 12 were chosen to be analyzed quantitatively in a meta-analysis. Comparison of the results related to anticoagulant group with no anticoagulant or standard care treatment showed that anticoagulant group significantly reduced mortality rate with RR= 0.53; 95 % CI, 0.30-0.95; P= 0.03, with I2 = 88% and venous thromboembolism (VTE) RR = 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37-0.76; P = .0007 with I2 = 35%. Based on the results, anticoagulants can mitigate mortality rate and VTE in COVID-19 patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17230218,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Stem cells transform into a cardiac phenotype with remodeling of the nuclear transport machinery.\nNuclear transport of transcription factors is a critical step in stem cell commitment to a tissue-specific lineage. While it is recognized that nuclear pores are gatekeepers of nucleocytoplasmic exchange, it is unknown how the nuclear transport machinery becomes competent to support genetic reprogramming and cell differentiation. Here, we report the dynamics of nuclear transport factor expression and nuclear pore microanatomy during cardiac differentiation of embryonic stem cells. Cardiac progeny derived from pluripotent stem cells displayed a distinct proteomic profile characterized by the emergence of cardiac-specific proteins. This profile correlated with the nuclear translocation of cardiac transcription factors. The nuclear transport genes, including nucleoporins, importins, exportins, transportins, and Ran-related factors, were globally downregulated at the genomic level, streamlining the differentiation program underlying stem cell-derived cardiogenesis. Establishment of the cardiac molecular phenotype was associated with an increased density of nuclear pores spanning the nuclear envelope. At nanoscale resolution, individual nuclear pores exhibited conformational changes resulting in the expansion of the pore diameter and an augmented probability of conduit occupancy. Thus, embryonic stem cells undergo adaptive remodeling of the nuclear transport infrastructure associated with nuclear translocation of cardiac transcription factors and execution of the cardiogenic program, underscoring the plasticity of the nucleocytoplasmic trafficking machinery in accommodating differentiation requirements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17083304,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of an intervention aimed at reducing night waking and signaling in 6- to 12-month-old infants.\nThis quasi-experimental one-group pre- and posttest pilot study evaluated an intervention aimed at reducing night waking and signaling for infants between 6 and 12 months of age. Thirty-nine healthy infants and their parents were recruited. Thirty-five infants completed the intervention and data collection. Both parents participated in a group teaching session with telephone follow-up for 2 weeks. Actigraphy and sleep diary data were collected at baseline and 6 and 16 weeks postintervention. We hypothesized a decrease in length and number of infant waking and crying periods and an increase in longest night sleep and nap time. Following the intervention, infants had significantly reduced length of night crying and number of wakes and longer night sleep periods. The intervention warrants evaluation with a randomized controlled design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12763104,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Defining the problem: the epidemiology of preterm birth.\nPreterm birth is the major clinical problem associated with perinatal mortality, serious neonatal morbidity and moderate to severe childhood disability in prosperous countries. Its prevalence is affected by the way in which gestational age is assessed, by national differences in the registration of births, associated practices, such as burial costs, or maternity benefits, which encourage or discourage registration, and by the perceived viability of extremely preterm infants. Despite these uncertainties, there is reliable evidence that preterm births are increasing, especially births before 28 weeks gestation. Contributing factors include births following assisted reproductive therapy and ovulation induction, especially multiple births, and the increasing proportion of births among women >34 years. On the other hand, improvements in neonatal care have substantially increased the survival of preterm infants during the last 15 years. There is wider acceptance of the importance of infection as a factor in preterm birth, and increasing recognition that processes leading to preterm birth may be initiated in very early pregnancy (the initiation of pre-eclampsia, major birth defects, premature placental separation), or even prior to pregnancy (prior pregnancy losses). It is unclear whether the familiar clinical presentations of preterm labour and birth reflect different pathophysiological processes. The pathways which link those processes to the consistent pattern of social differences in the probability of preterm birth have prompted new research approaches but in 2002 'the stubborn challenge of preterm birth' remains just that.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36484454,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Structural diversity, biosynthesis, and biological functions of lipopeptides from Streptomyces.\nCovering: up to 2022Streptomyces are ubiquitous in terrestrial and marine environments, where they display a fascinating metabolic diversity. As a result, these bacteria are a prolific source of active natural products. One important class of these natural products is the nonribosomal lipopeptides, which have diverse biological activities and play important roles in the lifestyle of Streptomyces. The importance of this class is highlighted by the use of related antibiotics in the clinic, such as daptomycin (tradename Cubicin). By virtue of recent advances spanning chemistry and biology, significant progress has been made in biosynthetic studies on the lipopeptide antibiotics produced by Streptomyces. This review will serve as a comprehensive guide for researchers working in this multidisciplinary field, providing a summary of recent progress regarding the investigation of lipopeptides from Streptomyces. In particular, we highlight the structures, properties, biosynthetic mechanisms, chemical and chemoenzymatic synthesis, and biological functions of lipopeptides. In addition, the application of genome mining techniques to Streptomyces that have led to the discovery of many novel lipopeptides is discussed, further demonstrating the potential of lipopeptides from Streptomyces for future development in modern medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2307933,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Naive and memory T cells show distinct pathways of lymphocyte recirculation.\nIn this report, we have addressed two questions concerning immunological memory: the way in which naive and memory T cells recirculate through the body, and the intrinsic rate of division within the naive and memory populations. We identified naive and memory T cells in sheep by their cell surface phenotype and their ability to respond to recall antigen. Memory T cells were CD2hi, CD58hi, CD44hi, CD11ahi, and CD45R-, as pertains in man. T cells that crossed from blood to the tissues of the hind leg and accumulated in the popliteal afferent lymph were all of memory phenotype. Conversely, T cells in efferent lymph, 90% of which entered the lymph node (LN) via high endothelial venules (HEV), were mostly of the naive phenotype (CD2lo, CD58lo, CD44lo, CD11alo, and CD45R+). The marked enrichment of these two phenotypes in different recirculatory compartments indicated that memory T cells selectively traffic from blood to peripheral tissues to LN (via afferent lymph), whereas naive T cells selectively traffic from blood to LN (via HEV). We argue that the differential use of these two recirculation pathways probably optimizes lymphocyte interactions with antigen. The nonrandom distribution of T cell subsets in various recirculatory compartments may be related to the relative proportion of memory cells in each subset. In particular, gamma\/delta T cells in blood were almost exclusively of memory phenotype, and accumulated preferentially in afferent, but not in efferent, lymph. Finally, using the bromo-deoxyuridine labeling technique, we found that at least a sizeable proportion of memory T cells, whether in blood or afferent lymph, were a dividing population of cells, whereas naive T cells were a nondividing population. This result supports an alternative model of lymphocyte memory that assumes that maintenance of memory requires persistent antigenic stimulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34158213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"\"All circuits ended\": Family experiences of transitioning from pediatric to adult healthcare for young adults with medical complexity in Oregon.\nTransition to adult health care for young adults with medical complexity (YAMC) is challenging and much work needs to be done in this area. The Oregon Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs participates in a federally-funded Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (CoIIN) to improve the quality of care for children with medical complexity. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Oregon families of YAMC who had recently transitioned to adult health care providers, and obtain recommendations for transition from family members, to inform the development of the CoIIN quality improvement project. We recruited caregivers of YAMC, ages 18 through 22 years, using a purposive sampling approach and conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 parents and grandparents. We analyzed the interview data to generate themes and sub-themes. Families described having little to no notice about transitioning out of pediatric care and reported that their providers did not communicate with them about the steps needed to ensure a continuation of care into adulthood. Poor transition processes contributed to gaps in needed care, decline in health status of the young adults and psychological burden on the family. Families had to take on the responsibility of meeting the transition needs of YAMC and faced challenges in finding adult providers. The results of this study suggest that YAMC and their families cared for by Oregon health care settings are not adequately prepared for, or supported in, the transition from pediatric to adult health care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30922461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Differential alveolar bone modeling after orthodontic retraction.\nDistinct, irregular, and hard nodular protuberances similar to the morphologic features of exostoses can occasionally be noted on the labial surface of the alveolar bone after orthodontic retraction of anterior teeth in adults. These have long been believed to be exostoses developed in response to loading. However, specific characterization of this phenomenon has not been documented. Three cases of patients displaying multiple irregular labial bony protuberances after retraction of anterior teeth are reported. These protuberances appeared during retraction and became more prominent with additional retraction. Serial clinical photographs, lateral cephalograms, digital models, and cone-beam computed tomography scans were evaluated. On the basis of 3-dimensional superimpositions of digital models and cone-beam computed tomographic scans, the irregular protuberances appear to be the result of differential alveolar bone modeling, with more resorption of bone covering the tooth root than that of interdental bone, and not of true bone overgrowth or deposition (that is, exostoses). Orthodontic patients often seek treatment to improve occlusion as well as esthetics. Although this study shows that these protuberances are the result of differential modeling, they may still be perceived by patients as \"outgrowths,\" which may cause concerns related to esthetics or comfort. Clinicians should note that these protuberances are a possible outcome when large amounts of bodily retraction and root movement of anterior teeth are planned. Patients who experience psychosocial problems with this phenomenon may be candidates for alveoloplasty.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27447155,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Success and Survival Rates of Dental Implants Restored at an Undergraduate Dental Clinic: A 13-Year Retrospective Study with a Mean Follow-up of 5.8 Years.\nThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical, radiographic, and patient-based outcomes of dental implants placed at an undergraduate student dental clinic. A retrospective study was performed to determine the success and survival rates of dental implants placed at the undergraduate dental clinic at Dalhousie University between January 1999 and January 2012. Only patients with a minimum of 1-year follow-up were included. Clinical and radiographic assessments determined implant success and survival rates. Questionnaires recorded patients' satisfaction with esthetics, comfort, and ease of hygiene. Of the 352 patients (n = 591 implants) who received implants over 13 years, 165 patients completed the clinical and radiographic examinations. By the end of the study period, demographic information and implant characteristics were collected for 111 (n = 217 implants; 47.5% in the maxilla, 52.6% in the mandible) of these patients. Of those assessed clinically, 36.4% were males and 63.6% females, with a mean age of 56.1 \u00b1 14.15 years (range, 17 to 86 years) at the time of implant placement. The mean follow-up period was 5.8 years (range, 1 to 13 years). The overall implant success and survival rates were 88.0% and 97.2%, respectively. No observable bone loss was evident in 88.0% of the surviving implants. There were no implant fractures. Most patients (91.2%) were very satisfied with the implant restoration appearance, 88.0% were very comfortable with the implant, 92.6% were very satisfied with their ability to chew, and 84.8% reported easy hygiene maintenance at the implant sites. Implant success and survival in an undergraduate student clinic were comparable to those reported in the literature. It seems that inexperienced students were able to provide restorations that were very satisfying to the patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34974213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Benchmarking off-the-shelf statistical shape modeling tools in clinical applications.\nStatistical shape modeling (SSM) is widely used in biology and medicine as a new generation of morphometric approaches for the quantitative analysis of anatomical shapes. Technological advancements of in vivo imaging have led to the development of open-source computational tools that automate the modeling of anatomical shapes and their population-level variability. However, little work has been done on the evaluation and validation of such tools in clinical applications that rely on morphometric quantifications(e.g., implant design and lesion screening). Here, we systematically assess the outcome of widely used, state-of-the-art SSM tools, namely ShapeWorks, Deformetrica, and SPHARM-PDM. We use both quantitative and qualitative metrics to evaluate shape models from different tools. We propose validation frameworks for anatomical landmark\/measurement inference and lesion screening. We also present a lesion screening method to objectively characterize subtle abnormal shape changes with respect to learned population-level statistics of controls. Results demonstrate that SSM tools display different levels of consistencies, where ShapeWorks and Deformetrica models are more consistent compared to models from SPHARM-PDM due to the groupwise approach of estimating surface correspondences. Furthermore, ShapeWorks and Deformetrica shape models are found to capture clinically relevant population-level variability compared to SPHARM-PDM models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27381054,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Convergence in relationships between leaf traits, spectra and age across diverse canopy environments and two contrasting tropical forests.\nLeaf age structures the phenology and development of plants, as well as the evolution of leaf traits over life histories. However, a general method for efficiently estimating leaf age across forests and canopy environments is lacking. Here, we explored the potential for a statistical model, previously developed for Peruvian sunlit leaves, to consistently predict leaf ages from leaf reflectance spectra across two contrasting forests in Peru and Brazil and across diverse canopy environments. The model performed well for independent Brazilian sunlit and shade canopy leaves (R2 = 0.75-0.78), suggesting that canopy leaves (and their associated spectra) follow constrained developmental trajectories even in contrasting forests. The model did not perform as well for mid-canopy and understory leaves (R2 = 0.27-0.29), because leaves in different environments have distinct traits and trait developmental trajectories. When we accounted for distinct environment-trait linkages - either by explicitly including traits and environments in the model, or, even better, by re-parameterizing the spectra-only model to implicitly capture distinct trait-trajectories in different environments - we achieved a more general model that well-predicted leaf age across forests and environments (R2 = 0.79). Fundamental rules, linked to leaf environments, constrain the development of leaf traits and allow for general prediction of leaf age from spectra across species, sites and canopy environments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26364643,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Taxonomic Characterization and Secondary Metabolite Profiling of Aspergillus Section Aspergillus Contaminating Feeds and Feedstuffs.\nXerophilic fungal species of the genus Aspergillus are economically highly relevant due to their ability to grow on low water activity substrates causing spoilage of stored goods and animal feeds. These fungi can synthesize a variety of secondary metabolites, many of which show animal toxicity, creating a health risk for food production animals and to humans as final consumers, respectively. Animal feeds used for rabbit, chinchilla and rainbow trout production in Argentina were analysed for the presence of xerophilic Aspergillus section Aspergillus species. High isolation frequencies (>60%) were detected in all the studied rabbit and chinchilla feeds, while the rainbow trout feeds showed lower fungal charge (25%). These section Aspergillus contaminations comprised predominantly five taxa. Twenty isolates were subjected to taxonomic characterization using both ascospore SEM micromorphology and two independent DNA loci sequencing. The secondary metabolite profiles of the isolates were determined qualitatively by HPLC-MS. All the isolates produced neoechinulin A, 17 isolates were positive for cladosporin and echinulin, and 18 were positive for neoechinulin B. Physcion and preechinulin were detected in a minor proportion of the isolates. This is the first report describing the detailed species composition and the secondary metabolite profiles of Aspergillus section Aspergillus contaminating animal feeds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18205980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lithium preferentially inhibits adenylyl cyclase V and VII isoforms.\nLithium ions' inhibition of adenylyl cyclase (AC) has not been previously studied for the newly discovered AC isoforms. COS7 cells were transfected with each of the nine membrane-bound AC isoforms cDNAs with or without D1- or D2-dopamine receptor cDNA. AC activity was measured as [3H]cAMP accumulation in cells pre-incubated with [3H]adenine followed by incubation with phosphodiesterase inhibitors together with either the D1 agonist SKF-82958 alone, or forskolin, in the presence or absence of the D2 agonist quinpirole. At 1 mm or 2 mm lithium inhibited only AC-V activity when the enzyme was stimulated by forskolin, a direct activator of AC. Lithium inhibited AC-V (by 50%), AC-VII (by 40%) and AC-II (by 25%) when stimulated via the D1 receptors, but did not affect the Ca2+-activated isoforms when stimulated by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. Quinpirole inhibits AC via the Gi protein. Lithium did not affect quinpirole-inhibited FSK-activated AC-V activity nor did it affect superactivated AC-V or AC-I following the removal of quinpirole. The data suggest interference of lithium with transduction pathways mediated via AC-V or AC-VII; only the active conformation of these AC isoforms is inhibited by lithium; the inhibitory effect of lithium is abolished when the enzyme is superactivated. The marked inhibition of AC-V and AC-VII by lithium suggests that these two isoforms may be involved in mediating the mood-stabilizing effect of lithium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32318567,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":2,"2024-10":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Molecular Events Controlling Cessation of Trunk Neural Crest Migration and Onset of Differentiation.\nNeural crest cells (NCC) migrate extensively in vertebrate embryos to populate diverse derivatives including ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that lead migrating trunk NCC to settle at selected sites in the embryo, ceasing their migration and initiating differentiation programs. To identify candidate genes involved in these processes, we profiled genes up-regulated in purified post-migratory compared with migratory NCC using a staged, macroarrayed cDNA library. A secondary screen of in situ hybridization revealed that many genes are specifically enhanced in neural crest-derived ganglia, including macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a ligand for CXCR4 receptor. Through in vivo and in vitro assays, we found that MIF functions as a potent chemoattractant for NCC. These results provide a molecular profile of genes expressed concomitant with gangliogenesis, thus, offering new markers and potential regulatory candidates involved in cessation of migration and onset of differentiation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12176900,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Subset of DC-SIGN(+) dendritic cells in human blood transmits HIV-1 to T lymphocytes.\nThe dendritic cell (DC)-specific molecule DC-SIGN is a receptor for the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 and is essential for the dissemination of HIV-1. DC-SIGN is expressed by DCs, both monocyte-derived DCs and DCs in several tissues, including mucosa and lymph nodes. To identify a DC-SIGN(+) DC in blood that may be involved in HIV-1 infection through blood, we have analyzed the expression of DC-SIGN in human blood cells. Here we describe the characterization of a subset of DCs in human blood, isolated from T-\/NK-\/B-cell-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) on the basis of expression of DC-SIGN. This subset coexpresses CD14, CD16, and CD33 and is thus of myeloid origin. In contrast to CD14(+) monocytes, DC-SIGN(+) blood cells display a DC-like morphology and express markers of antigen-presenting cells, including CD1c, CD11b, CD11c, CD86, and high levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II molecules. This DC population differs from other described CD14(-) blood DC subsets. Functionally, DC-SIGN(+) blood DCs are able to stimulate proliferation of allogeneic T cells and can produce tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) upon activation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). When they encounter HIV-1, low amounts of these blood DC-SIGN(+) DCs enhance infection of T lymphocytes in trans, whereas blood monocytes and CD14(-) blood DCs are not capable of transmitting HIV-1. Therefore DC-SIGN(+) blood DCs can be the first target for HIV-1 upon transmission via blood; they can capture minute amounts of HIV-1 through DC-SIGN and transfer HIV-1 to infect target T cells in trans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18192375,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Laser stimulation of auditory neurons: effect of shorter pulse duration and penetration depth.\nWe have pioneered what we believe is a novel method of stimulating cochlear neurons, using pulsed infrared radiation, based on the hypothesis that optical radiation can provide more spatially selective stimulation of the cochlea than electric current. Very little of the available optical parameter space has been used for optical stimulation of neurons. Here, we use a pulsed diode laser (1.94 microm) to stimulate auditory neurons of the gerbil. Radiant exposures measured at CAP threshold are similar for pulse durations of 5, 10, 30, and 100 micros, but greater for 300-micros-long pulses. There is evidence that water absorption of optical radiation is a significant factor in optical stimulation. Heat-transfer-based analysis of the data indicates that potential structures involved in optical stimulation of cochlear neurons have a dimension on the order of approximately 10 microm. The implications of these data could direct further research and design of an optical cochlear implant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28219363,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"To change or not to change - translating and culturally adapting the paediatric version of the Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R).\nPaediatric cancer care poses ethically difficult situations that can lead to value conflicts about what is best for the child, possibly resulting in moral distress. Research on moral distress is lacking in paediatric cancer care in Sweden and most questionnaires are developed in English. The Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R) is a questionnaire that measures moral distress in specific situations; respondents are asked to indicate both the frequency and the level of disturbance when the situation arises. The aims of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the questionnaire to the context of Swedish paediatric cancer care. In doing so we endeavoured to keep the content in the Swedish version as equivalent to the original as possible but to introduce modifications that improve the functional level and increase respondent satisfaction. The procedure included linguistic translation and cultural adaptation of MDS-R's paediatric versions for Physicians, Nurses and Other Healthcare Providers to the context of Swedish paediatric cancer care. The process of adjustment included: preparation, translation procedure and respondent validation. The latter included focus group and cognitive interviews with healthcare professionals in paediatric cancer care. To achieve a Swedish version with a good functional level and high trustworthiness, some adjustments were made concerning design, language, cultural matters and content. Cognitive interviews revealed problems with stating the level of disturbance hypothetically and items with negations caused even more problems, after having stated that the situation never happens. Translation and cultural adaptation require the involvement of various types of specialist. It is difficult to combine the intention to keep the content as equivalent to the original as possible with the need for modifications that improve the functional level and increase respondent satisfaction. The translated and culturally adapted Swedish MDS-R seems to have equivalent content as well as improved functional level and respondent satisfaction. The adjustments were made to fit paediatric cancer care but it could be argued that the changes are relevant for most areas of paediatric care of seriously ill patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37170395,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Surrogacy and the Fiction of Medical Necessity.\nA number of countries and states prohibit surrogacy except in cases of \"medical necessity\" or for those with specific medical conditions. Healthcare providers in some countries have similar policies restricting the provision of clinical assistance in surrogacy. This paper argues that surrogacy is never medically necessary in any ordinary understanding of this term. The author aims to show first that surrogacy per se is a socio-legal intervention and not a medical one and, second, that the intervention in question does not treat, prevent, or mitigate any actual or potential harm to health. Legal regulations and healthcare-provider policies of this kind therefore codify a fiction-one which both obscures the socio-legal motivations for surrogacy and inhibits critical examination of those motivations while mobilizing normative connotations of appeals to medical need. The persisting distinction, in law and in moral discourse, between \"social\" and \"medical\" surrogacy, is unjustified.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25041904,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"LI-RADS (Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System): summary, discussion, and consensus of the LI-RADS Management Working Group and future directions.\nTo improve standardization and consensus regarding performance, interpreting, and reporting computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations of the liver in patients at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), LI-RADS (Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System) was launched in March 2011 and adopted by many clinical practices throughout the world. LI-RADS categorizes nodules recognized at CT or MRI, in patients at high risk of HCC, as definitively benign, probably benign, intermediate probability of being HCC, probably HCC, and definitively HCC (corresponding to LI-RADS categories 1-5). The LI-RADS Management Working Group, consisting of internationally recognized medical and surgical experts on HCC management, as well as radiologists involved in the development of LI-RADS, was convened to evaluate management implications related to radiological categorization of the estimated probability that a lesion will be ultimately diagnosed as HCC. In this commentary, we briefly review LI-RADS and the initial consensus of the LI-RADS Management Working Group reached during its deliberations in 2013. We then focus on initial discordance of LI-RADS with American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and Organ Procurement Transplant Network guidelines, the basis for these differences, and how they are being addressed going forward to optimize reporting of CT and MRI findings in patients at risk for HCC and to increase consensus throughout the international community of physicians involved in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16874889,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cellular immunity of patients with malignant glioma: prerequisites for dendritic cell vaccination immunotherapy.\nVaccination therapy that uses dendritic cells (DCs) is a promising immunotherapeutic approach. However, it relies on intact cellular immunity and efficient generation of mature DCs, both of which can be impaired in patients with glioma. Therefore, the immune status and ex vivo generation of DC in such patients were studied. The frequencies of white blood cell subsets and monocyte-derived, mature DCs in patients with high-grade gliomas and healthy control volunteers were analyzed using flow cytometry. In the patients, frequencies of lymphocytes, T cells, and B cells were reduced in comparison with the volunteers in the control group, whereas frequencies of neutrophils and monocytes were increased. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of white blood cell counts or the frequency of NK cells and the major T-cell subsets. The responsiveness of T cells to lectin stimulation was normal. For monocytes, lower frequencies of CD80+ and CD86+ cells but not of CD40+ and HLA-DR+ cells were observed in patients. Ex vivo DC generation in a two-step culture protocol in autologous plasma-supplemented medium or in serum-free medium showed only minor differences in CD80 and HLA-DR expression between the patient and control groups. Frequencies of CD83+, CD1a+, CD14-, CD40+, and CD86+ cells were comparable. Overall, the serum-free medium was superior to the plasma-supplemented medium and allowed efficient ex vivo generation of CD83+, CD1a+, and CD14- mature DCs. Only minor defects in the immune status of patients with glioma were observed, which probably would not hamper immunotherapy. Mature DCs can be generated successfully in normal numbers and with typical immunophenotypes from monocytes of patients with glioma, particularly under serum-free conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19587402,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"In-sewer sedimentation associated with active flow control.\nActive flow control using automated gates and weirs aims to utilise available dispersed storage within sewer systems to alleviate the severity and frequency of localised flooding incidents. Whilst a previous study has demonstrated its potential, a key operational concern before implementation was sedimentation. An experimental programme was designed to investigate the sediment deposition created when using a flow control device. Tests were also undertaken to examine the potential for rapid gate opening to flush away any resulting deposits. In catchments dominated by fine material in suspension, the use of an active flow control device can result in a uniformly thick deposit upstream of the gate. Rapid gate opening results in deposited material eroding in large sections starting at the gate and moving in an upstream direction. Granular sediment forms a series of discrete bedforms which are fairly uniform regardless of the flow conditions and a larger deposit further upstream. The potential for flushing granular deposits is limited and modification of the operation of the gate has shown little potential for increasing the effectiveness. Therefore, active flow control using a single downstream gate may only be suitable in systems with fine material moving in suspension during dry weather flow and not where there is significant granular sediment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26011723,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Outperforming whom? A multilevel study of performance-prove goal orientation, performance, and the moderating role of shared team identification.\nPerformance-prove goal orientation affects performance because it drives people to try to outperform others. A proper understanding of the performance-motivating potential of performance-prove goal orientation requires, however, that we consider the question of whom people desire to outperform. In a multilevel analysis of this issue, we propose that the shared team identification of a team plays an important moderating role here, directing the performance-motivating influence of performance-prove goal orientation to either the team level or the individual level of performance. A multilevel study of salespeople nested in teams supports this proposition, showing that performance-prove goal orientation motivates team performance more with higher shared team identification, whereas performance-prove goal orientation motivates individual performance more with lower shared team identification. Establishing the robustness of these findings, a second study replicates them with individual and team performance in an educational context.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37355914,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mercurial risk from dental amalgam use in a population of Moroccan dentists: A latent class regression approach.\nDentists using dental amalgam are chronically exposed to low doses of elemental mercury. The complex toxico-kinetics of this systemic toxicant results in polymorphic and variable clinical phenotypes. In this context, adapted statistical methods are required to highlight potential adverse effects of occupational mercury exposure on dentists' health. The present study aims to analyze the distribution of self-reported subjective symptoms, commonly associated with chronic mercury poisoning, according to occupational mercury exposure in a population of Moroccan liberal dentists. In order to achieve the defined objectives, a three-step latent class regression was fitted. First a latent class analysis was performed to cluster the studied population according to their declared symptoms. Dentists were then classified in the defined latent classes based on their posterior probabilities. Finally, a logistic regression is fitted to identify predictors associated with the latent classes' membership. The final obtained model showed acceptable calibration and discrimination. Its interpretation revealed that the increase of the frequency of amalgam use was associated with significant higher odds of belonging to the high risk latent class. The present study represents an initial step towards the development of diagnosis model that predict clinical profiles according to occupational mercury exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21124819,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Leptotene\/zygotene chromosome movement via the SUN\/KASH protein bridge in Caenorhabditis elegans.\nThe Caenorhabditis elegans inner nuclear envelope protein matefin\/SUN-1 plays a conserved, pivotal role in the process of genome haploidization. CHK-2-dependent phosphorylation of SUN-1 regulates homologous chromosome pairing and interhomolog recombination in Caenorhabditis elegans. Using time-lapse microscopy, we characterized the movement of matefin\/SUN-1::GFP aggregates (the equivalent of chromosomal attachment plaques) and showed that the dynamics of matefin\/SUN-1 aggregates remained unchanged throughout leptonene\/zygotene, despite the progression of pairing. Movement of SUN-1 aggregates correlated with chromatin polarization. We also analyzed the requirements for the formation of movement-competent matefin\/SUN-1 aggregates in the context of chromosome structure and found that chromosome axes were required to produce wild-type numbers of attachment plaques. Abrogation of synapsis led to a deceleration of SUN-1 aggregate movement. Analysis of matefin\/SUN-1 in a double-strand break deficient mutant revealed that repair intermediates influenced matefin\/SUN-1 aggregate dynamics. Investigation of movement in meiotic regulator mutants substantiated that proper orchestration of the meiotic program and effective repair of DNA double-strand breaks were necessary for the wild-type behavior of matefin\/SUN-1 aggregates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34818216,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Real-World Assessment: Clinical Effectiveness and Safety of Extended-Release Calcifediol.\nThe safety and efficacy of extended-release calcifediol (ERC) as a treatment for secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) in adults with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) has been demonstrated in prospective randomized clinical trials (RCTs). ERC (Rayaldee\u00ae) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2016 on the basis of these prospective RCTs. The current retrospective study assessed the postlaunch data available with respect to ERC's efficacy and safety in increasing serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25D) and reducing parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the indicated population. Medical records of 174 patients who met study criteria from 15 geographically representative United States nephrology clinics were reviewed for 1 year before and after initiation of ERC treatment. Enrolled subjects had ages \u226518 years, stage 3 or 4 CKD, and a history of SHPT and VDI. Key study variables included patient demographics, medication usage, and laboratory results, including serial 25D and PTH determinations. The enrolled subjects had a mean age of 69.0 years, gender and racial distributions representative of the indicated population, and were balanced for CKD stage. Most (98%) received 30 mcg of ERC\/day during the course of treatment (mean follow-up: 24 weeks). Baseline 25D and PTH levels averaged 20.3 \u00b1 0.7 (standard error) ng\/mL and 181 \u00b1 7.4 pg\/mL, respectively. ERC treatment raised 25D by 23.7 \u00b1 1.6 ng\/mL (p < 0.001) and decreased PTH by 34.1 \u00b1 6.6 pg\/mL (p < 0.001) with nominal changes of 0.1 mg\/dL (p > 0.05) in serum calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels. Analysis of postlaunch data confirmed ERC's effectiveness in increasing serum 25D and reducing PTH levels without statistically significant or notable impact on serum Ca and P levels. A significant percentage of these subjects achieved 25D levels \u226530 mg\/mL and PTH levels which decreased by at least 30% from baseline. Dose titration to 60 mcgs was rarely prescribed. Closer patient monitoring and appropriate dose titration may have led to a higher percentage of subjects achieving an increase in 25D levels to at least 50 ng\/mL and a reduction in PTH levels of at least 30%.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28045500,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Transport in a Single Self-Doped Nanocrystal.\nAddressing the optical properties of a single nanoparticle in the infrared is particularly challenging, thus alternative methods for characterizing the conductance spectrum of nanoparticles in this spectral range need to be developed. Here we describe an efficient method of fabricating single nanoparticle tunnel junctions on a chip circuit. We apply this method to narrow band gap nanoparticles of HgSe, which band structure combines the inverted character of the bulk semimetal with quantum confinement and self-doping. Upon tuning the gate bias, measurement reveals the presence of two energy gaps in the spectrum. The wider gap results from the interband gap, while the narrower gap results from intraband transitions. The observation of the latter near zero gate voltage confirms the doped character of the nanoparticle at the single particle level, which is in full agreement with the ensemble optical and transport measurements. Finally we probe the phototransport within a single quantum dot and demonstrate a large photogain mechanism resulting from photogating.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19000103,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Analysis of sex-specific injury patterns and risk factors in young high-level athletes.\nThis study analyzed sex-specific injury patterns and risk factors in young athletes (n=256) from 12 sport disciplines practicing at the national or the international level in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. Injury occurrence as a result of sport practice was analyzed retrospectively over the year 2006 using a standardized self-administered questionnaire. Overall incidence was not different between girls and boys (1.20 and 1.21 injuries\/1000 athlete-hours, respectively), but in the context of team sport competition girls tended to be at a greater risk (rate ratio 2.05, P=0.053). Girls had a higher proportion of injuries in the ankle\/foot region compared with boys (34.8% vs 16.8%). No sex-related differences were found regarding injury severity. Multivariate logistic regression (controlling for age and practice volume) revealed that girls' team sports were associated with a greater injury risk compared with individual sports [odds ratio (OR) of 4.76], while in boys this was observed for racket sports (OR=3.31). Furthermore, physical or emotional stress tended to be a specific risk factor in girls. There was a tendency for injury outside sports to be coupled to a higher injury risk in girls and boys. Consideration of sex-specific injury patterns and risk factors could be of importance for effective injury prevention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20204571,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Physicians' approaches to recommending colorectal cancer screening: a qualitative study.\nLittle is known about strategies that physicians use to encourage receipt of colorectal cancer screening (CRCS). This study conducted focus groups with physicians. Twenty-seven physicians participated in four focus groups. Physicians described four categories of approaches: (1) why screening is important, (2) providing test information, (3) motivational strategies, and (4) tailoring strategies. Participants reported tailoring based on their relationship with a patient, as well as to patient gender, education, and language. Tailoring to cultural background or ethnicity was not prominent. Most physicians reported a typical approach to CRCS and reported some tailoring based on gender, education, and language, but not on ethnicity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23242906,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Teaching and evaluation of ethics and professionalism: in Canadian family medicine residency programs.\nTo document the scope of the teaching and evaluation of ethics and professionalism in Canadian family medicine postgraduate training programs, and to identify barriers to the teaching and evaluation of ethics and professionalism. A survey was developed in collaboration with the Committee on Ethics of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The data are reported descriptively and in aggregate. Canadian postgraduate family medicine training programs. Between June and December of 2008, all 17 Canadian postgraduate family medicine training programs were invited to participate. The first part of the survey explored the structure, resources, methods, scheduled hours, and barriers to teaching ethics and professionalism. The second section focused on end-of-rotation evaluations, other evaluation strategies, and barriers related to the evaluation of ethics and professionalism. Eighty-eight percent of programs completed the survey. Most respondents (87%) had learning objectives specifically for ethics and professionalism, and 87% had family doctors with training or interest in the area leading their efforts. Two-thirds of responding programs had less than 10 hours of scheduled instruction per year, and the most common barriers to effective teaching were the need for faculty development, competing learning needs, and lack of resident interest. Ninety-three percent of respondents assessed ethics and professionalism on their end-of-rotation evaluations, with 86% assessing specific domains. The most common barriers to evaluation were a lack of suitable tools and a lack of faculty comfort and interest. By far most Canadian family medicine postgraduate training programs had learning objectives and designated faculty leads in ethics and professionalism, yet there was little curricular time dedicated to these areas and a perceived lack of resident interest and faculty expertise. Most programs evaluated ethics and professionalism as part of their end-of-rotation evaluations, but only a small number used novel means of evaluation, and most cited a lack of suitable assessment tools as an important barrier.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24113663,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide compared with bevacizumab for the treatment of patients with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion.\nTo compare 12-month outcomes achieved using intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injections with those achieved using intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injections for the treatment of patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Between 2007 and 2011, 17 patient eyes were administered IVTA (4 mg\/0.1 mL) and 30 patient eyes were administered IVB (1.25 mg\/0.05 mL) injections for the treatment of ME secondary to CRVO. Patients were retrospectively evaluated within and between treatment groups. Patients in both groups (IVTA and IVB) were similar in terms of demographic characteristics. Improvements in log of the minimum angle of resolution\u00afvisual acuity (logMAR-VA) at 3-month follow-up (P = 0.02), and in the logarithmic transformation of optical coherence tomography (OCT)-determined central subfoveal thickness (logOCT) at all visits, were significantly greater in the IVTA-treated group than in the group treated with IVB (P < 0.05). In patient eyes with nonischemic CRVO (n = 21), while no significant difference in improvement in logMAR-VA was seen between the groups, significantly greater improvements in logOCT were observed in the IVTA-treated group for all visits (P < 0.05). In patient eyes with ischemic CRVO (n = 26) treated with IVTA (n = 9), improvement in logMAR-VA was significantly greater at months 1 and 3 (P = 0.01), and was significantly greater for logOCT at months 6 and 12 (P < 0.05). A significantly higher percentage (29.4%) of eyes treated with IVTA had an intraocular pressure \u2265 30 mm Hg (P = 0.004), 2 eyes (11%) developed glaucoma, and 23.5% of eyes developed cataracts at the 12-month follow-up examination (P = 0.05). Treatment with IVTA injections seems to be more effective in improving best-corrected visual acuity during the early postinjection period in patients with ischemic CRVO, and in decreasing central subfoveal thickness in patients with nonischemic CRVO. However, higher intraocular pressure and development of glaucoma and cataracts must be considered seriously in patients with CRVO who receive IVTA injections. Change in logOCT may be used to monitor patient response to treatments for CRVO-related ME.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36278934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Capacity building among nursing and midwifery professional associations in East Africa.\nDespite improvements in educational opportunities, policy changes, and pay raises in the nursing and midwifery professions in East Africa, poor working conditions, few professional development opportunities, and a general lack of respect for these professions predominate. These issues contribute to a low quality of care among a population with a high burden of communicable diseases. Health professional associations may help to address these challenges by providing a voice for nurses and midwives. This study evaluated the impact of a 5-year programme focused on strengthening nurses' and midwives' professional associations in East Africa. This study used a mixed methods design. Quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive data were captured via surveys (n = 1,266) distributed to association members. In-depth interviews (n = 65) were used to obtain qualitative data and complement the survey responses. Quantitative and qualitative data collection occurred concurrently. The results were compared to assess the impact of the programme across Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. The programme successfully built capacity in four of five organisational capacity areas: resource mobilisation, financial management, strategy, and monitoring and evaluation. Marketing and communications, the fifth targeted area, did not show improvement. Capacity in both research and service delivery was also improved, despite the programme not providing training in these areas. In addition, collaboration among associations and their members was improved. These results support existing evidence on the impact of capacity building among professional nursing associations and coincide with the World Health Organization's objectives for nursing. Future capacity building programmes should consider replicating the successful activities from this programme and investigate ways to reach more rural branches and provide tailored content. This study contributes to a small but growing body of knowledge that supports capacity building among the African health workforce.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11429063,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"What is the value of ENT specialist outreach clinics?\nEar, nose and throat (ENT) specialist outreach clinics, in which hospital-based consultants hold clinics in general practice surgeries, have been popular with general practitioners (GPs) and patients. This prospective study recorded data on 1155 consecutive patients seen by one ENT surgeon in two GP surgeries. At each consultation, a record was kept of the requirement for further investigations that would normally be done at the same time as the consultation in a hospital department. The results showed that 76 per cent of patients needed an investigation, which would be readily available in a hospital but not in a GP surgery (audiometry, endoscopy, microscopy of the ear, a minor procedure or X-ray). This study indicates that despite the apparent convenience of outreach ENT clinics to patients and GPs, patients may need to spend more time being assessed than they would if they were investigated in one visit to a hospital department. Unless an outreach clinic is used frequently, it is difficult to justify the cost of equipping it to the same level as a hospital department. Limited resources would be better spent providing good access to well-equipped regularly-used hospital ENT outpatient departments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23607311,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Additional years of Australian Rural Clinical School undergraduate training is associated with rural practice.\nTo understand the influence of the number of years spent at an Australian rural clinical school (RCS) on graduate current, preferred current and intended location for rural workforce practice. Retrospective online survey of medical graduates who spent 1-3 years of their undergraduate training in the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Rural Clinical School. Associations with factors (gender, rural versus non-rural entry, conscription versus non-conscript and number of years of RCS attendance) influencing current, preferred current and intended locations were assessed using X2 test. Factors that were considered significant at P 0.1 were entered into a logistic regression model for further analysis. 214 graduates responded to the online survey. Graduates with three years of previous RCS training were more likely to indicate rural areas as their preferred current work location, than their colleagues who spent one year at an RCS campus (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.2-7.4, P = 0.015). Also RCS graduates that spent three years at an RCS were more likely to intend to take up rural medical practice after completion of training compared to the graduates with one year of rural placement (OR = 5.1, 95% CI = 1.8-14.2, P = 0.002). Non-rural medicine entry graduates who spent three years at rural campuses were more likely to take up rural practice compared to those who spent just one year at a rural campus (OR = 8.4, 95% CI = 2.1-33.5, P = 0.002). Increasing the length of time beyond a year at an Australian RCS campus for undergraduate medical students is associated with current work location, preferred current work location and intended work location in a rural area. Spending three years in a RCS significantly increases the likelihood of rural career intentions of non-rural students.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1324293,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Simultaneous quantitation of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in serum by GC\/MS using deuterated internal standards and its application to a smoking study and forensic cases.\nA new procedure for the simultaneous detection of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its major metabolite, 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH) in serum has been evaluated. The method combines rapid, efficient, solid-phase extraction and simple derivatization by methylation. Analysis and quantitation is performed by gas chromatography\/mass spectrometry (GC\/MS) using deuterated cannabinoids as internal standards (IS). Reproducibility and sensitivity of the method are good. The procedure is applied to serum specimens collected from a smoking study with 24 volunteers and 212 forensic cases. Results are interpreted based upon the current knowledge about THC metabolism and pharmacokinetics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16967577,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Sequence-based species delimitation for the DNA taxonomy of undescribed insects.\nCataloging the very large number of undescribed species of insects could be greatly accelerated by automated DNA based approaches, but procedures for large-scale species discovery from sequence data are currently lacking. Here, we use mitochondrial DNA variation to delimit species in a poorly known beetle radiation in the genus Rivacindela from arid Australia. Among 468 individuals sampled from 65 sites and multiple morphologically distinguishable types, sequence variation in three mtDNA genes (cytochrome oxidase subunit 1, cytochrome b, 16S ribosomal RNA) was strongly partitioned between 46 or 47 putative species identified with quantitative methods of species recognition based on fixed unique (\"diagnostic\") characters. The boundaries between groups were also recognizable from a striking increase in branching rate in clock-constrained calibrated trees. Models of stochastic lineage growth (Yule models) were combined with coalescence theory to develop a new likelihood method that determines the point of transition from species-level (speciation and extinction) to population-level (coalescence) evolutionary processes. Fitting the location of the switches from speciation to coalescent nodes on the ultrametric tree of Rivacindela produced a transition in branching rate occurring at 0.43 Mya, leading to an estimate of 48 putative species (confidence interval for the threshold ranging from 47 to 51 clusters within 2 logL units). Entities delimited in this way exhibited biological properties of traditionally defined species, showing coherence of geographic ranges, broad congruence with morphologically recognized species, and levels of sequence divergence typical for closely related species of insects. The finding of discontinuous evolutionary groupings that are readily apparent in patterns of sequence variation permits largely automated species delineation from DNA surveys of local communities as a scaffold for taxonomy in this poorly known insect group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28331722,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cavernous Hemangioma in the Breast.\nAlthough the observation of breast vascular tumors is rare, the most common tumor is hemang\u0131oma in the benign group, and these tumors are observed incidentally in lumpectomy or mastectomy specimens during histological examinations. They are classified into capillary, cavernous, and venous hemang\u0131omas. Cavernous hemang\u0131oma is the most common subtype. Cavernous hemang\u0131omas are benign vascular tumors, which malformat\u0131on from mature blood vessels. Hemang\u0131omas \u0131n the ben\u0131gn group may show a suspicion of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in mammographic analysis. Ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance \u0131mag\u0131ng (MRI) are the most useful imaging methods for analyzing the structure of breast vessels. In this case, a 54-year-old female who have any complaint. Scanning mammography (MG) detected the tumor, but phys\u0131cal exam\u0131nat\u0131on and US could not identify the mass. According to the MG analysis, the lesion was evaluated as BIRADS 4b, and the patient underwent excisional biopsy after wire localization. Pathological analysis revealed cavernous hemang\u0131oma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28062872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Hepatotoxicity by herbs: a practical review of a neglected disease.\nHerbs are commonly used worldwide for the treatment of various diseases, constituting a multi-billion dollar market. Unfortunately, hepatotoxicity induced by herbs is also common. The true incidence and prevalence are not known. There is need for more strict regulations andexperimental and pre-clinical studies regarding its efficacy and safety. There is no gold standard for the diagnosis of herbs-induced liver injury (HILI) and it constitutes a diagnostic challenge for the clinician, whereestablishing causality could be cumbersome. Clinical presentation varies from asymptomatic cases with mildly abnormal liver tests to fulminant liver failure requiring liver transplantation. In this review, we will discuss the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, challenges and diagnostic approach of HILI and will also present some exemplary cases from the University of Miami, Division of Hepatology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27334903,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Does where you live influence how your vestibular schwannoma is managed? Examining geographical differences in vestibular schwannoma treatment across the United States.\nThe management of small- to medium-sized vestibular schwannoma (VS) remains controversial. Despite a lack of compelling evidence supporting one treatment modality over others, many providers and institutions remain highly biased toward one particular therapy-microsurgery, radiation, or primary observation. The objective of the current study was to estimate the impact of geography on disease presentation and initial treatment of VS in the United States. An analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database identified 9761 patients with VS that were managed across the 16 SEER geographic registry areas. Univariate analyses demonstrated strong associations between geographic location and tumor size at diagnosis (P < 0.0001). When analyzing the 6115 subjects with tumors between 0 and 3 cm in size, multivariable models identified strong associations between place of residence and treatment modality (P < 0.0001). These multivariable models demonstrated that in many cases the impact of place of residence on treatment selection was greater than other established variables such as tumor size and age. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate geographic trends in VS patient demographics, tumor size and management in the United States. These data suggest that disease presentation and treatment modality are significantly influenced by regional referral patterns, provider or institutional treatment preferences, and regional availability of subspecialty expertise. Understanding geographic bias is important for patients, referring physicians, and treatment providers alike. Until there is clear evidence supporting one therapy over others, multidisciplinary consultation with a minimum of a neurotologist, neurosurgeon, and radiation oncologist or radiosurgeon should be offered in order to provide balanced counseling and accurate informed consent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15742884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Premature ventricular contraction classification by the Kth nearest-neighbours rule.\nAn analysis of electrocardiographic pattern recognition parameters for premature ventricular contraction (PVC) and normal (N) beat classification is presented. Twenty-six parameters were defined: 11 x 2 for the two electrocardiogram (ECG) leads, width of the complex and three parameters derived from a single-plane vectorcardiogram (VCG). Some of the parameters include amplitudes of maximal positive and maximal negative peaks, area of absolute values, area of positive values, area of negative values, number of samples with 70% higher amplitude than that of the highest peak, amplitude and angle of the QRS vector in a VCG plane. They were measured for all heartbeats annotated as N or PVC in all 48 ECG recordings of the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database. Two reference sets for the Kth nearest-neighbours rule were used-global and local. The classification indices obtained with the global reference set were 75.4% specificity and 80.9% sensitivity. Using the local reference set we increased the specificity to 96.7% and the sensitivity to 96.9%. The achieved specificity and sensitivity are comparable with, and greater than, the results reported in the literature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1727323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Liver transplantation in children: an update.\nLiver transplantation in children has progressed to the point where much of the initial skepticism surrounding the value of this extraordinary endeavor has been overcome, and the results clearly justify the widespread use of this procedure in children with limited life expectancy secondary to severe liver disease. Advances in the areas of organ preservation and reduced-size liver transplantation have increased organ availability for children and significantly decreased mortality on transplant waiting lists. Changes in the ways pediatricians and pediatric surgeons think about children with EHBA have led to an increasing level of sophistication in combining the traditional surgical and medical treatments of this disease with the developing field of transplantation to maximize the chances for a normal life for all children with this problem. Newer immunosuppressive agents and more rational use of available medications have led to fewer graft losses to rejection while minimizing the undesirable side effects of individual drugs. As our understanding of the delicate interaction between the immune system and the graft increases, newer methods of immunomodulation may yet lead to the eventual goal of donor-specific tolerance, in which all immunologic reactivity remains normal except with respect to donor antigens on the graft. More specific immunosuppressive agents and more effective antiviral strategies have led to a decreased mortality from viral infections and may lead to a decrease in the mortality from secondary malignant disease. As mere survival after liver transplantation becomes more commonplace, more effort can be directed into meeting the long-term psychological and social needs of children with liver transplants to ensure that children develop and grow in as normal a manner as possible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16874775,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"In vivo and in vitro characterization of skeletal muscle metabolism in patients with statin-induced adverse effects.\nStatins (3-hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor) are widely used to treat hypercholesterolemia. They are generally well tolerated, but myotoxic effects have been reported and the corresponding mechanisms are still a matter of debate. The aim of the present study was to determine whether impairment of calcium homeostasis and\/or mitochondrial impairment could account for the adverse effects of statins in skeletal muscle. Eleven patients with increased creatine kinase levels and myalgias after statin treatment were evaluated using in vitro contracture tests (IVCTs), histology, and 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS). IVCT results were abnormal in 7 of the 9 patients, indicating an impaired calcium homeostasis. The 31P-MRS investigation disclosed no anomaly at rest, and the aerobic function assessed during the postexercise recovery period was normal. On the contrary, the pH recovery kinetics was significantly slowed down as indicated by a reduced proton efflux, which could be ultimately linked to a failure of calcium homeostasis. Overall, our observations indicate a normal mitochondrial function and raise the possibility that statins may unmask a latent pathology involving an impairment of calcium homeostasis such as malignant hyperthermia (MH). In case of susceptibility to MH, statins treatment must be administered with caution, and signs of adverse effects should be checked.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19008654,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The establishment of SUMC (Severance Union Medical College) Psychiatry Department and the formation of humanistic tradition].\nPsychiatry is a branch of medicine which deals with the problem of mental health. Although psychiatric concept and treatment is not absent in traditional medicine in Korea, it was not regarded as an independent discipline of medicine. Modern psychiatry was introduced into Korea as modern Western medicine w as introduced in 19th century. The American medical missionary Dr. Allen and Dr. Heron gave the first classification of mental diseases of Korean patients in their first year report of Jejoongwon hospital. The statistics are characterized by relatively high rate of hysteria patients among the patients with mental disorders. It was Dr. Mclaren who took the charge of the Psychiatric Department of Severance hospital, the successor of Jejoongwon hospital. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Mclaren had a deep interest in human nature and mind. His thinking on the subjects was based on his Christian faith and philosophy. He claimed that Christian faith plays an important role in curing mental diseases. And several medical students decided to become a psychiatrist under his influence. Among them is Dr. Lee Chung Chul who took the charge of the Department of Psychiatry after Mclaren. After graduation in 1927, Dr. Lee studied in Peking Union Medical College, Australia, and Japan. His main research interests were focused on the biological aspects of mental disorders, and he published several important papers on the subject. But his unexpected early resignation and subsequent expulsion of Dr. Mclaren from Korea by Japanese colonial government hindered further development of psychiatry in Severance Union Medical College until the Liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945. But some of their students specialized in psychiatry during the hard period of early 1940s and they played an important role in the development of modem psychiatry in Korea after the Liberation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16963763,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mutation of the Rev-binding loop in the human immunodeficiency virus 1 leader causes a replication defect characterized by altered RNA trafficking and packaging.\nAn internal RNA loop, located within the packaging signal of human immunodeficiency virus 1, that resembles the Rev-responsive element (RRE) closely was identified previously. Subsequent in vitro studies confirmed that the loop, termed loop A, could bind Rev protein specifically. Its proximity to the major splice donor has suggested a role for Rev-loop A interaction supplementary to or preceding that of the Rev-RRE interaction. To investigate this further in a replication-competent provirus, loop A was mutated to decrease its affinity for Rev. Impairing the Rev-loop A interaction led to reduced nuclear export of viral genomic RNA. RNA packaging decreased by approximately 30%. Viral protein production and export of virus particles appeared normal; however, the virus was severely replication-deficient. The loop A sequence, which is 98% conserved amongst viral isolates, is implicated in several cis-acting functions critical to virus viability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25404129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"PoSSuM v.2.0: data update and a new function for investigating ligand analogs and target proteins of small-molecule drugs.\nPoSSuM (http:\/\/possum.cbrc.jp\/PoSSuM\/) is a database for detecting similar small-molecule binding sites on proteins. Since its initial release in 2011, PoSSuM has grown to provide information related to 49 million pairs of similar binding sites discovered among 5.5 million known and putative binding sites. This enlargement of the database is expected to enhance opportunities for biological and pharmaceutical applications, such as predictions of new functions and drug discovery. In this release, we have provided a new service named PoSSuM drug search (PoSSuMds) at http:\/\/possum.cbrc.jp\/PoSSuM\/drug_search\/, in which we selected 194 approved drug compounds retrieved from ChEMBL, and detected their known binding pockets and pockets that are similar to them. Users can access and download all of the search results via a new web interface, which is useful for finding ligand analogs as well as potential target proteins. Furthermore, PoSSuMds enables users to explore the binding pocket universe within PoSSuM. Additionally, we have improved the web interface with new functions, including sortable tables and a viewer for visualizing and downloading superimposed pockets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3459360,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Tissue reaction following application of extrusive and intrusive forces to teeth in adult monkeys.\nIntrusion has been regarded as a very controversial topic in the orthodontic literature. Although it seems a logical way to handle deep overbite in adult patients who have elongated teeth, reports on iatrogenic damage have led to the suggestion of alternative methods. Considering the disadvantages of these alternatives, it seems reasonable, however, to improve our knowledge of tissue reaction as related to intrusion. Three Macaca fascicularis monkeys were used for the experiment. By means of a segmented arch approach, the upper incisors and the four first premolars were submitted to forced eruption for 8 weeks followed by 12 weeks of intrusion. A split-mouth technique was used to study the influence of oral hygiene on the tissue reaction. On the right side of the mouth, the teeth were brushed with chlorhexidine three times per week. On the left side, no oral hygiene was performed. After intrusion of the teeth, a 1-to-14 day retention period with passive appliance preceded the killing of the monkeys. A buccolingual hematoxylin- and eosin-stained serial section was produced, and soft- and hard-tissue reactions described. It appeared that the hygiene program could limit but not prevent gingival inflammation. There was, however, a marked difference in the histologic picture of the marginal bone on the two sides. On the hygiene side, clear signs of bone deposited during forced eruption were still present. This was not the case on the nonhygiene side. The extension of bone resorption was also different on the two sides.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18198082,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Dural sinus thrombosis].\nDural sinus thrombosis is a rare condition and is often underdiagnosed. Because of its potentially lethal complications, it should always be considered in acute headache differential diagnosis. The authors present a report of two cases, both diagnosed on our department. They make an approach to clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of this disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22538138,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Glucose measurement of intensive care unit patient plasma samples using a fixed-wavelength mid-infrared spectroscopy system.\nGlycemic control is a rapidly developing field in intensive care medicine with the aim of reducing mortality, morbidity, and cost. Current intensive care unit (ICU) glucose measurement technologies are susceptible to interference from medications, volume expanders, and other substances present in critically ill patients. We hypothesized that a fixed-wavelength mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy system would be accurate for measuring glucose levels of ICU patients. This is a prospective investigation of plasma samples from two different institutions treating a heterogeneous population of ICU patients. The first 292 samples were collected from 86 patients admitted to Stamford Hospital, and the next 352 samples were collected from 75 patients from three ICUs at the University of Maryland. Plasma samples were measured on a Fourier-transform infrared or a proprietary spectrometer, with a glucose prediction algorithm to correct for spectral interference, which were compared with reference measurements taken using a YSI 2300 glucose analyzer. Glucose values ranged from 24 to 343 mg\/dl. Numerous medications and injury\/disease states were observed in the patient populations, with metoprolol, fentanyl, and multiple organ failure the most prevalent. Despite these interferents, there was a high correlation (r \u2265 0.94) and low standard error (\u226412.8 mg\/dl) between the predicted glucose values and those of the YSI 2300 STAT Plus reference instrument in the three studies. A total of 95.1% of the 644 values in the three studies met International Organization for Standardization 15197 criteria. These results suggest that a fixed-wavelength mid-IR spectrometer can measure glucose accurately in the plasma of ICU patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30855028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Epidemiology of stroke and cerebral protection in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement].\nThe introduction into clinical practice of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has led to a significant change in the therapeutic paradigm for patients with valvular aortic stenosis. However, in parallel with the benefits obtained in prognosis and quality of life, an inherent risk of major cerebral thromboembolic events has been observed. In different studies this risk has been estimated between 2% and 6%. In order to reduce the incidence of cerebrovascular accidents during TAVI, several brain protection systems have been developed but, to date, none has obtained sufficient clinical evidence to be implemented on a large scale, and they are therefore used only in selected cases. Furthermore, periprocedural drug therapy and follow-up are still the subject of extensive discussion in the scientific community. This paper reviews the topic of stroke prevention in patients undergoing TAVI for both the periprocedural and postprocedural aspects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30881541,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"End-tidal CO2 Monitoring is Available in Most Community Hospitals in a Rural State: A Health System Survey.\nProcedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) provides safe and effective relief for pain, anxiety and discomfort during procedures performed in the emergency department (ED). Our objective was to identify hospital-level factors associated with routine PSA capnography use in the ED. This study was a cross-sectional telephone survey of ED nurse managers and designees in a Midwestern state. Respondents identified information about hospital infrastructure, physician staffing, family practice (FP) physicians only, board-certified emergency physicians (EPs) only (or both), and critical intervention capabilities. Additional characteristics including ED volume and hospital designation (i.e., rural-urban classification) were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the state hospital association database, respectively. The primary outcome was reported use of PSA capnography. We conducted univariate analyses (relative risks, 95% confidence interval [CI]) to identify associations between hospital-level characteristics and PSA capnography use. We had an overall response rate of 98% (n=118 participating hospitals). The majority of EDs were in rural settings (78%), with a median of 5,057 visits per year (interquartile range 2,823-14,322). Nearly half of the EDs were staffed by FP physicians only, while 16% had board-certified EPs only. Nearly all hospitals (n=114, 97%), reported using continuous capnography for ventilated patients, and 74% reported use of capnography during PSA. Urban hospitals were more likely to use PSA capnography than critical access hospitals (relative risk 1.45; 95% CI, 1.22-1.73), and PSA capnography use increased with each ED volume quartile. Facilities with only EPs were 1.46 (95% CI, 1.15-1.87) times more likely to use PSA capnography than facilities with FP physicians only. Continuous capnography was available in nearly all EDs, independent of size, location or patient volume. The implementation of capnography during PSA was less penetrant. Smaller, rural departments were less likely than their larger, urban counterparts to implement these national guidelines. Rurality and hospital size may be potential institutional barriers to capnography implementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":749872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"[Pathohistological findings in infarcted parotid glands (necrotizing sialometaplasia) (author's transl)].\nIn 1973 Abrams et al. described a nonneoplastic lesion named \"necrotizing sialometaplasia\". Since this date additional cases have been reported. The lesion might be misdiagnosed either mucoid tumor or squamous carcinoma. The cases reported in the following years were localised on the hard palate, lower lip, nose and in the major salivary glands. By the \"Speicheldr\u00fcsenregister\" of the Institute of Pathology of the University of Hamburg five cases of infarcted parotid glands were registered during the years of 1965--1977. All infarcts are observed in patients with tumors in the parotid region. No infarct happened spontaneously. Histologically two forms of infarcts are distinguished: haemorrhagic and ischaemic. In both forms of infarcts there necrosis of acini and squamous metaplasia in intercalar and striated ducts. Degenerative changes are seen in the center of ducts with squamous metaplasia. The reaction of the interstices of the two forms of infarction are different: In the ischaemic there lipomatosis, and in the haemorrhagic there are fibrosis. Our findings are exactly as described for minor salivary glands in necrotizing sialometaplasia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11701849,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Rhizosphere Interactions and the Exploitation of Microbial Agents for the Biological Control of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes.\nA range of specialist and generalist microorganisms in the rhizosphere attacks plant-parasitic nematodes. Plants have a profound effect on the impact of this microflora on the regulation of nematode populations by influencing both the dynamics of the nematode host and the structure and dynamics of the community of antagonists and parasites in the rhizosphere. In general, those organisms that have a saprophytic phase in their life cycle are most affected by environmental conditions in the rhizosphere, but effects on obligate parasites have also been recorded. Although nematodes influence the colonization of roots by pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms, little is known of such interactions with the natural enemies of nematodes in the rhizosphere. As nematodes influence the quantity and quality of root exudates, they are likely to affect the physiology of those microorganisms in the rhizosphere; such changes may be used as signals for nematode antagonists and parasites. Successful biological control strategies will depend on a thorough understanding of these interactions at the population, organismal, and molecular scale.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27210891,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Generic selection criteria for safety and patient benefit [V]: Comparing the pharmaceutical properties and patient usability of original and generic nasal spray containing ketotifen fumarate.\nThe pH, osmotic pressure (cryoscopy), viscosity, squeeze force, spray angle, and spraying frequency of nasal spray containing ketotifen fumarate (1 brand-name product and 8 generic products) were measured. Based on the results of pH measurement, all products were weakly acidic (4.0 to 5.1). For all products, the osmotic pressure ratio to physiological saline was approximately 1. The viscosity of various products ranged from approximately 1.0 to 1.5 mPa\u00b7s. The spray angle of drug solution differed among the products: minimum, 46 degrees (Sawai and Fusachol); and maximum, 68.7 degrees (Sekiton). In particular, TOA, Sawai, Fusachol, and TYK showed significantly smaller angles compared to Zaditen (brand-name product). Container properties varied among the products: minimum squeeze force, 19.0 N (Sekiton); and maximum squeeze force, 43.1 N (Sawai). Based on these results, although all the above products are identical in dosage form and active ingredient, the differences in pharmaceutical properties, such as container operations and drug-solution spraying\/attachment, may markedly influence patients' subjective opinions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31846937,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Nanoscale electrical analyses of axial-junction GaAsP nanowires for solar cell applications.\nAxial p-n and p-i-n junctions in GaAs0.7P0.3 nanowires are demonstrated and analyzed using electron beam induced current microscopy. Organized self-catalyzed nanowire arrays are grown by molecular beam epitaxy on nanopatterned Si substrates. The nanowires are doped using Be and Si impurities to obtain p- and n-type conductivity, respectively. A method to determine the doping type by analyzing the induced current in the vicinity of a Schottky contact is proposed. It is demonstrated that for the applied growth conditions using Ga as a catalyst, Si doping induces an n-type conductivity contrary to the GaAs self-catalyzed nanowire case, where Si was reported to yield a p-type doping. Active axial nanowire p-n junctions having a homogeneous composition along the axis are synthesized and the carrier concentration and minority carrier diffusion lengths are measured. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of axial p-n junctions in self-catalyzed GaAsP nanowires.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10614619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dynamics of the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-inhibin B feedback loop and its role in regulating spermatogenesis in the adult male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) as revealed by unilateral orchidectomy.\nThe purpose of this study was to document the morphological changes in the seminiferous epithelium that underlie the compensatory testicular hypertrophy observed in response to unilateral orchidectomy (UO) in the adult rhesus monkey and to describe the concomitant response in the endocrine feedback loops controlling testicular function in this species. Adult male monkeys were implanted with indwelling venous catheters; seven animals were then subjected to UO (data are presented from six) and three to sham UO. Profiles of circulating concentrations of FSH, LH, testosterone (T), inhibin B, and pro-alpha-C were monitored in 12-h series of sequential blood samples collected before, on the day of UO (day 0), and on days 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 42 or 43 after UO. In the UO monkeys, the remaining testis was taken on day 44. Sertoli and germ cells in the removed and remaining testes were counted and expressed either as number per testis or, in the case of the differentiated spermatogonia (B1, B2, B3, and B4), as number per cross-section of the seminiferous tubule. UO was associated with a marked increase in the number of all germ cells more mature than undifferentiated spermatogonia (Ap) in the remaining testis. Sertoli cell number, on the other hand, did not change, and it is therefore reasonable to propose that the primary locus of the spermatogenic compensation was the differentiated spermatogonia. The additional finding that the relationship between the number of Sertoli cells and total germ cells in the remaining testis became robust (r = 0.92; P < 0.01 vs. r = 0.44; P > 0.05 for the removed testis) indicated that in the monkey, spermatogenesis does not normally operate at its ceiling. The increased drive to the seminiferous tubule of the remaining testis is hypothesized to be mediated by the sustained increase in FSH secretion that was observed after UO, although a role for increased testicular T production cannot be excluded. The stimulus for increased FSH secretion was presumably provided by the abrupt, 50% decline in circulating inhibin B levels. Interestingly, inhibin B secretion by the remaining testis was not dramatically affected by UO, and therefore, the deficit in circulating levels of this hormone and thus the error signal to FSH secretion were maintained for the duration of the experiment. In contrast, the changes in circulating LH and T concentrations were only transient, and within 48 h of UO, these hormonal parameters had returned to control values. The mechanisms by which the remaining testis rapidly acquires the capacity to double T production in the face of an unchanging LH drive remains to be determined. The foregoing body of evidence suggests that sperm output by the monkey testis is regulated by the circulating concentration of FSH and that in physiological situations, FSH secretion is insufficient to stimulate spermatogenesis to its ceiling. The results also indicate that FSH secretion is controlled by a feedback system in which the feedforward arm (FSH-inhibin B) is less robust than the feedback loop (inhibin B-FSH). Thus, a decrease in the inhibin B feedback signal results in a sustained increase in FSH secretion that drives the testes toward their spermatogenic ceiling, which is presumably set by Sertoli cell number.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28235015,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Discrimination in lexical decision.\nIn this study we present a novel set of discrimination-based indicators of language processing derived from Naive Discriminative Learning (ndl) theory. We compare the effectiveness of these new measures with classical lexical-distributional measures-in particular, frequency counts and form similarity measures-to predict lexical decision latencies when a complete morphological segmentation of masked primes is or is not possible. Data derive from a re-analysis of a large subset of decision latencies from the English Lexicon Project, as well as from the results of two new masked priming studies. Results demonstrate the superiority of discrimination-based predictors over lexical-distributional predictors alone, across both the simple and primed lexical decision tasks. Comparable priming after masked corner and cornea type primes, across two experiments, fails to support early obligatory segmentation into morphemes as predicted by the morpho-orthographic account of reading. Results fit well with ndl theory, which, in conformity with Word and Paradigm theory, rejects the morpheme as a relevant unit of analysis. Furthermore, results indicate that readers with greater spelling proficiency and larger vocabularies make better use of orthographic priors and handle lexical competition more efficiently.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6654687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prepubertal gynecomastia following topical inunction of estrogen containing ointment.\nA six and a half-year-old boy was investigated for prepubertal gynecomastia and hyperpigmentation of the skin. The biological, clinical and radiological work-up did not reveal any endocrinological or tumoral cause. It was incidentally noticed that the patient's sister presented with similar clinical signs which could be related to an estrogen containing ointment. Long-term follow-up of the boy showed complete but delayed regression of the gynecomastia and persistence of hyperpigmentation. His sister developed later on a normal puberty.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28232302,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epigenetic Alterations and Exposure to Air Pollutants: Protocol for a Birth Cohort Study to Evaluate the Association Between Adverse Birth Outcomes and Global DNA Methylation.\nPrenatal exposure to air pollutants can increase the risk of adverse birth outcomes and susceptibility to a number of complex disorders later in life. Despite this general understanding, the molecular and cellular responses to air pollution exposure during early life are not completely clear. The aims of this study are to test the association between air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes, and to determine whether the levels of maternal and cord blood and of placental DNA methylation during pregnancy predict adverse birth outcomes in polluted areas. This is a birth cohort study. We will enroll pregnant healthy women attending prenatal care clinics in Tehran, Iran, who are resident in selected polluted and unpolluted regions before the 14th week of pregnancy. We will calculate the regional background levels of fine particulate matter (particles with a diameter between 2.5 and 10 \u03bcm) and nitrogen dioxide for all regions of by using data from the Tehran Air Quality Control Company. Then, we will select 2 regions as the polluted and unpolluted areas of interest. Healthy mothers living in the selected polluted and non polluted regions will be enrolled in this study. A maternal health history questionnaire will be completed at each trimester. During the first and second trimester, we will draw mothers' blood for biochemical and DNA methylation analyses. At the time of delivery time, we will collect maternal and cord blood for biochemical, gene expression, and DNA methylation analyses. We will also record birth outcomes (the newborn's sex, birth date, birth weight and length, gestational age, Apgar score, and level of neonatal care required). The project was funded in March 2016 and enrollment will be completed in August 2017. Data analysis is under way, and the first results are expected to be submitted for publication in November 2017. We supposed that prenatal exposures to air pollutants can influence fetal reprogramming by epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation. This could explain the association between air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943359,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Consistent Quantitative Trait Loci in Pea for Partial Resistance to Aphanomyces euteiches Isolates from the United States and France.\nABSTRACT Development of pea cultivars resistant to Aphanomyces root rot, the most destructive root disease of pea worldwide, is a major disease management objective. In a previous study of a mapping population of 127 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross 'Puget' (susceptible) x '90-2079' (partially resistant), we identified seven genomic regions, including a major quantitative trait locus (QTL), Aph1, associated with partial resistance to Aphanomyces root rot in U.S. fields (21). The objective of the present study was to evaluate, in the same mapping population, the specificity versus consistency of Aphanomyces resistance QTL under two screening conditions (greenhouse and field, by comparison with the previous study) and with two isolates of Aphanomyces euteiches originating from the United States and France. The 127 RILs were evaluated in the greenhouse for resistance to pure culture isolates SP7 (United States) and Ae106 (France). Using the genetic map previously described, a total of 10 QTL were identified for resistance in greenhouse conditions to the two isolates. Among these were Aph1, Aph2, and Aph3, previously detected for partial field resistance in the United States. Aph1 and Aph3 were detected with both isolates and Aph2 with only the French isolate. Seven additional QTL were specifically detected with one of the two isolates and were not identified for partial field resistance in the United States. The consistency of the detected resistance QTL over two screening environments and isolates is discussed with regard to pathogen variability, and disease assessment and QTL detection methods. This study suggests the usefulness of three consistent QTL, Aph1, Aph2, and Aph3, for marker-assisted selection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27792460,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Condensin recruitment to chromatin is inhibited by Chk2 kinase in response to DNA damage.\nThe DNA damage checkpoint, when activated in response to genotoxic damage during S phase, arrests cells in G2 phase of the cell cycle. ATM, ATR, Chk1 and Chk2 kinases are the main effectors of this checkpoint pathway. The checkpoint kinases prevent the onset of mitosis by eliciting well characterized inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk1. Since Cdk1 is required for the recruitment of condensin, it is thought that upon DNA damage the checkpoint also indirectly blocks chromosome condensation via Cdk1 inhibition. Here we report that the G2 damage checkpoint prevents stable recruitment of the chromosome-packaging-machinery components condensin complex I and II onto the chromatin even in the presence of an active Cdk1. DNA damage-induced inhibition of condensin subunit recruitment is mediated specifically by the Chk2 kinase, implying that the condensin complexes are targeted by the checkpoint in response to DNA damage, independently of Cdk1 inactivation. Thus, the G2 checkpoint directly prevents stable recruitment of condensin complexes to actively prevent chromosome compaction during G2 arrest, presumably to ensure efficient repair of the genomic damage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35704476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SOURCE AND SEASONALITY OF EPIZOOTIC MYCOPLASMOSIS IN FREE-RANGING PRONGHORN (ANTILOCAPRA AMERICANA).\nMycoplasma bovis is an economically important bacterial pathogen of cattle (Bos taurus) and bison (Bison bison) that most commonly causes pneumonia, polyarthritis, and mastitis. It is prevalent in cattle and ranched bison; however, infections in other species are rare. In early 2019, we identified M. bovis in free-ranging pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in northeastern Wyoming. Here, we report on additional pronghorn mortalities caused by M. bovis, in the same approximately 120-km2 geographic region 1 yr later. Genetic analysis by multilocus sequence typing revealed that the mortalities were caused by the same M. bovis sequence type, which is unique among all sequence types documented thus far in North America. To explore whether pronghorn maintain chronic infections and begin assessing M. bovis status in other sympatric species, we used PCR testing of nasal swabs to opportunistically survey select free-ranging ungulates. We found no evidence of subclinical infections in 13 pronghorn sampled from the outbreak area (upper 95% binomial confidence limit [bCL], \u223c24.7%) or among 217 additional pronghorn (upper 95% bCL, \u223c1.7%) sampled from eight additional counties in Wyoming and 10 in Montana. All mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus; n=231; upper 95% bCL, \u223c1.6%) sampled from 11 counties in Wyoming also were PCR negative. To assess the potential for environmental transmission, we examined persistence of M. bovis in various substrates and conditions. Controlled experiments revealed that M. bovis can remain viable for 6 h in shaded water and 2 h in direct sunlight. Our results indicate that environmental transmission of M. bovis from livestock to pronghorn is possible and that seasonality of infection could be due to shared resources during late winter. Further investigations to better understand transmission dynamics, to assess population level impacts to pronghorn, and to determine disease risks among pronghorn and other ungulate taxa appear warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8285070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The bioavailability of transdermal therapeutic system of timolol].\nA matrix-type transdermal therapeutic system of timolol (TTS-timolol) was well prepared. The patch consisted of backing membrane layer, timolol reservoir layer, pressure sensitive adhesive layer and protective layer. A sensitive and reliable HPLC-UV method for the determination of plasma level of timolol in healthy volunteers was developed. Effective therapeutic plasma level of timolol (4 ng\/ml) was attained 4 h after application of the timolol patches and was maintained within 32 h while the patch was removed at 24 h. The pharmacokinetic behavior of this transdermal therapeutic system (TTS)-timolol in human showed zero order absorption and well fitted to a one compartment model. The pharmacokinetic parameters are: Tmax = 18.8 h; Cmax = 11.2 ng\/ml; AUC = 265.7 ng\/ml.h; Vss = 120.0 L; K = 0.084 h-1. In comparison with the results of oral administration of timolol tablets, TTS-timolol possesses some advantages: stable plasma level, long effective time and convenient administration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23115269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Involvement of bicarbonate-induced radical signaling in oxysterol formation and sterol depletion of capacitating mammalian sperm during in vitro fertilization.\nThis study demonstrates for the first time that porcine and mouse sperm incubated in capacitation media supplemented with bicarbonate produce oxysterols. The production is dependent on a reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling pathway that is activated by bicarbonate and can be inhibited or blocked by addition of vitamin E or vitamin A or induced in absence of bicarbonate with pro-oxidants. The oxysterol formation was required to initiate albumin dependent depletion of 30% of the total free sterol and >50% of the formed oxysterols. Incubation of bicarbonate treated sperm with oxysterol-binding proteins (ORP-1 or ORP-2) caused a reduction of >70% of the formed oxysterols in the sperm pellet but no free sterol depletion. Interestingly, both ORP and albumin treatments led to similar signs of sperm capacitation: hyperactivated motility, tyrosin phosphorylation, and aggregation of flotillin in the apical ridge area of the sperm head. However, only albumin incubations led to high in vitro fertilization rates of the oocytes, whereas the ORP-1 and ORP-2 incubations did not. A pretreatment of sperm with vitamin E or A caused reduced in vitro fertilization rates with 47% and 100%, respectively. Artificial depletion of sterols mediated by methyl-beta cyclodextrin bypasses the bicarbonate ROS oxysterol signaling pathway but resulted only in low in vitro fertilization rates and oocyte degeneration. Thus, bicarbonate-induced ROS formation causes at the sperm surface oxysterol formation and a simultaneous activation of reverse sterol transport from the sperm surface, which appears to be required for efficient oocyte fertilization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24060561,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Single-dose, randomized crossover comparisons of different-strength imatinib mesylate formulations in healthy Korean male subjects.\nImatinib mesylate is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors. The purpose of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics of 2 different strengths of the imatinib formulation containing 100 mg (reference) and 400 mg (test) to satisfy the regulatory requirement for marketing. A single-center, randomized, single-dose, open-label, 2-period, 2-sequence, comparative crossover study with a 14-day washout period was conducted in 30 healthy male volunteers. Plasma samples for the drug analysis were collected up to 72 hours after drug treatment. Participants received either the reference (4 tablets of 100-mg imatinib) or the test (1 tablet of 400-mg imatinib) formulation during the first period and the alternative formulation during the second period. The safety profiles and tolerability of the 2 formulations were also assessed based on physical examinations, laboratory tests, a 12-lead ECG, and vital signs. Thirty participants were initially enrolled; their mean (SD) age, height, weight, and body mass index were 24.9 (2.0) years (range, 23-30 years), 174 (5) cm (range, 164-185 cm), 69.9 (2.0) kg (range, 54.1-87.4 kg), and 23.0 (2.0) kg\/m(2) (range, 18.5-26.9 kg\/m(2)); 28 healthy participants completed both treatment periods. Two subjects did not complete the study because they withdrew consent for personal reasons. The observed mean (SD) Cmax, AUC0-last, and AUC0-\u221e values for the reference formulation were 1792 (357) ng\/mL, 28,485 (6274) ng \u00b7 h\/mL, and 29,079 (6371) ng \u00b7 h\/mL, respectively. Corresponding values for the test formulation were 1710 (312) ng\/mL, 27,222 (4624) ng \u00b7 h\/mL , and 27,872 (4751) ng \u00b7 h\/mL. The geometric mean ratios (90% CIs) between the 2 formulations at the 400-mg dose of imatinib were 0.9579 (0.9054-1.0136) for Cmax, 0.9652 (0.9174-1.0155) for AUC0-last, and 0.9679 (0.9203-1.0179) for AUC0-\u221e, respectively. During the study period, 6 adverse events (3 for the reference and 3 for the test formulation) were reported; all were transient, mild, and resolved completely during the treatment period. There were 4 cases of nausea and 1 case each of dizziness and oropharyngeal pain. Four adverse events were considered related to the study drugs. The results showed that despite the different strengths of the 2 imatinib formations, the test and reference formulations both met the regulatory criteria for pharmacokinetic equivalence at a dose of imatinib 400 mg in these healthy Korean male subjects. Both imatinib formulations seemed to be generally well tolerated. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01270984.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8396303,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Genetic hemochromatosis and mixed gonadal dysgenesis].\nWe report a case of association between genetic haemochromatosis and mixed gonadal dysgenesis. To our knowledge, this case is the first reported in the literature. We discuss the mechanisms of hypogonadism observed in this patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7774461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Experimental studies on the changes of immunocytochemistry of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic neurons in the lateral geniculate nuclei of amblyopic kittens].\n14 kittens at 2-4 weeks of age were randomly divided into normal (N) and monocular deprived (MD) groups. Before the MD amblyopic models were made, pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEPs) were elicited from the experimental eyes. After the closure of 7 unilateral eyes (right 3, left 4) with operation, the two kitten groups were fed for 12 weeks under a same visual environment. At the end of 12 weeks, PVEPs were re-examined and amblyopia was confirmed in the MD group. The gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) neurons in the layers A, A1 and C in the contralateral geniculate nucleus (CLGN) inputs from N and MD eyes were stained with antibiotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method. The changes in number and grey degree of GABA immunopositive neurons in the layers A, A1 and C in CLGN inputs from N and MD eyes were analysed by a computer image analysis system. The results show that GABA immunopositive neurons are reduced in number and their grey degree is decreased in the layer inputs from MD eyes in the comparisons between the layers of inputs from MD and N eyes. The experiment indicates that (1) GABAergic neurons in the kitten lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) are susceptible to visual deprivation during the postnatal critical period and their functions are dependent on the import of visual sense information and the retinal activity. (2) GABAergic neurons in the LGN act as regulators in dealing with and importing visual signal toward striate cortex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27230761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Preschool to School in Autism: Neuropsychiatric Problems 8 Years After Diagnosis at 3 Years of Age.\nThe study presents neuropsychiatric profiles of children aged 11 with autism spectrum disorder, assessed before 4.5 years, and after interventions. The original group comprised a community sample of 208 children with ASD. Parents of 128 participated-34 with average intellectual function, 36 with borderline intellectual function and 58 with intellectual disability. They were interviewed using the Autism-Tics, AD\/HD and other Comorbidities interview. Criteria for a clinical\/subclinical proxy of ASD were met by 71, 89 and 95 %, respectively. Criteria for at least one of ASD, AD\/HD, Learning disorder or Developmental Coordination Disorder were met by 82, 94 and 97 %. More than 90 % of children with a preschool diagnosis of ASD have remaining neuropsychiatric problems at 11, despite early intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1321740,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[The effects of indigestible dextrin on sugar tolerance: I. Studies on digestion-absorption and sugar tolerance].\nIt is widely acknowledged that high viscosity water-soluble dietary fibers such as pectin and guar gum affect a lowering of blood glucose levels and a reducing of insulin secretion following a sugar load. However, as dietary fibers vary in origin and in chemical properties, their physiological functions differ as well. In this study the effects of Indigestible Dextrin (PF-C), a low viscosity, water-soluble dietary fiber obtained through acid and heat-treatment of potato starch, on various aspects of sugar tolerance were examined. First, the influence of PF-C on sucrose hydrolysis was examined in rat intestinal mucosa cell homogenate confirming that PF-C did not inhibit sucrase activity. Then, in order to investigate the influence of PF-C on sugar digestion-absorption, an experiment was performed by using the everted intestinal sac of the rat in vitro. PF-C did not have an effect on glucose-transport into the serosal medium, whereas PF-C did inhibit the transport of hydrolyzed-glucose from sucrose, with no change in the hydrolysis of sucrose. Recently, Crane et al. reported that there is a specific route for hydrolyzed glucose from sucrose in glucose-absorption on the enteric surface (disaccharidase related transport system). The possibility exists that PF-C specifically affects this pathway. Further, total glucagon released into the serosal medium stimulated by both glucose and sucrose were reduced by PF-C. On the basis of these results, an oral sugar tolerance test was conducted in both rats and healthy human subjects. In male Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks old, 250-280g) concurrent administration of PF-C (0.6g\/kg body weight) reduced an increase in plasma insulin levels with no change in glucose levels following a glucose (1.5g\/kg body weight) load. Further noted were reductions in increases in both plasma glucose and insulin levels following a sucrose (1.5g\/kg body weight) plus PF-C (0.6g\/kg body weight) load to that of the sucrose (1.5g\/kg body weight) single load. These findings reflect the above mentioned in vitro results. Moreover, in healthy male subjects the increase in both plasma insulin and glucagon-like immunoreactivity (Gut GLI) levels following a Trelan-G75 load were significantly reduced by concurrent administration of PF-C. From these observations it would appear that the effectiveness of reducing insulin secretion by PF-C results due to the decrease in sugar absorption by inhibiting the disaccharidase-related transport system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20643658,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Estimating the risk of HIV transmission from homosexual men receiving treatment to their HIV-uninfected partners.\nTo determine how the risk of HIV transmission from homosexual men receiving antiretroviral treatment is related to patterns of patient monitoring and condom use. A stochastic mathematical simulation model was developed of cohorts of men in the Netherlands who have sex with men (MSM), defining the parameters of the model using observational cohort data. The model incorporates viral load trends during first-line treatment, patient monitoring and different scenarios for the way in which condom use may depend on recent viral load measurements. The model does not include the effect of sexually transmitted infections on HIV transmission. For MSM receiving treatment, the risk of transmitting HIV to their long-term partner is 22% (uncertainty interval: 9-37%) if condoms are never used. With incomplete use (in 30% of sex acts) the risk is reduced slightly, to 17% (7-29%). However, the risk is as low as 3% (0.2-8%) when men receiving treatment use condoms only 6 months beyond their last undetectable viral load measurement. The risk is further reduced when 3 months is the time period beyond which condoms are used. When condom use by HIV-infected men receiving combination treatment with antiretroviral agents is based on their last viral load measurement, the transmission risk is much lower than with incomplete condom use. The key message for patients is that although always using condoms during treatment is the best way to protect partners from the risk of HIV transmission, when such use cannot be achieved, the second best strategy is to use condoms whenever the last undetectable viral load was measured more than 3 months ago.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32522780,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Controlling the Growth of the Skin Commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis Using d-Alanine Auxotrophy.\nUsing live microbes as therapeutic candidates is a strategy that has gained traction across multiple therapeutic areas. In the skin, commensal microorganisms play a crucial role in maintaining skin barrier function, homeostasis, and cutaneous immunity. Alterations of the homeostatic skin microbiome are associated with a number of skin diseases. Here, we present the design of an engineered commensal organism, Staphylococcus epidermidis, for use as a live biotherapeutic product (LBP) candidate for skin diseases. The development of novel bacterial strains whose growth can be controlled without the use of antibiotics or genetic elements conferring antibiotic resistance enables modulation of therapeutic exposure and improves safety. We therefore constructed an auxotrophic strain of S. epidermidis that requires exogenously supplied d-alanine. The S. epidermidis NRRL B-4268 \u0394alr1 \u0394alr2 \u0394dat strain (SE\u0394\u0394\u0394) contains deletions of three biosynthetic genes: two alanine racemase genes, alr1 and alr2 (SE1674 and SE1079), and the d-alanine aminotransferase gene, dat (SE1423). These three deletions restricted growth in d-alanine-deficient medium, pooled human blood, and skin. In the presence of d-alanine, SE\u0394\u0394\u0394 colonized and increased expression of human \u03b2-defensin 2 in cultured human skin models in vitro. SE\u0394\u0394\u0394 showed a low propensity to revert to d-alanine prototrophy and did not form biofilms on plastic in vitro. These studies support the potential safety and utility of SE\u0394\u0394\u0394 as a live biotherapeutic strain whose growth can be controlled by d-alanine.IMPORTANCE The skin microbiome is rich in opportunities for novel therapeutics for skin diseases, and synthetic biology offers the advantage of providing novel functionality or therapeutic benefit to live biotherapeutic products. The development of novel bacterial strains whose growth can be controlled without the use of antibiotics or genetic elements conferring antibiotic resistance enables modulation of therapeutic exposure and improves safety. This study presents the design and in vitro evidence of a skin commensal whose growth can be controlled through d-alanine. The basis of this strain will support future clinical studies of this strain in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15722804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sex differences in delayed onset muscle pain.\nIn contrast to the research using typical experimental pain stimuli, there is no consensus that women are more sensitive to delayed onset muscle pain than men. The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in delayed onset muscle pain with use of a quantified stimulus intensity and multidimensional and valid pain measures. Ninety-five participants (49.5% women) completed eccentric exercise and then returned to the laboratory at 24 and 48 hours postexercise. The same relative intensity of the eccentric exercise was administered to women and men based on their eccentric strength. The occurrence of muscle pain was confirmed by increases in intensity, F2, 182 = 162.28, P<0.01, eta = 0.64, and unpleasantness, F2, 182 = 204.03, P < 0.01, eta = 0.69, and standardized pain ratings, F2, 180 = 67.44, P < 0.01, eta = 0.43. The affective ratios indicated that the muscle pain was more unpleasant than intense. No sex differences were detected except that men reported higher affective ratios than women, F1, 92 = 4.06, P < 0.05, eta = 0.04. The absence of higher muscle pain ratings in women than men in this investigation resembles a review of the delayed onset muscle soreness and pain literature. However, the findings contradict a few other acute muscle pain investigations, in which actual muscle tissue damage was not induced by eccentric contractions. Additional research is required to identify the parameters that influence the detection of sex differences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29470469,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Acceptability of electronic cigarettes as an option to replace tobacco smoking for alcoholics admitted to hospital for detoxification.\nA feasibility\/acceptability trial was undertaken at Ward 5, Kenepuru Hospital, Porirua, to ascertain whether electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were a useful option to replace or reduce smoking in the detoxification ward. Two groups of patients were studied. Tobacco use and dependency data were collected for each. The first group was surveyed on the usefulness of standard nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The second group were offered e-cigarettes with the option of standard NRT as well. All were asked to record their use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and NRT during their stay on the ward, and to comment on their experiences. Outcomes monitored were self-reported use of NRT and of tobacco. Informal impressions of the nursing staff were also collected, where offered. For the e-cigarette group, a blood sample was taken on day 3 or 4 of their stay in hospital for nicotine\/cotinine analysis, to confirm nicotine intake status. E-cigarettes were well tolerated as a form of nicotine replacement, eliciting positive comments, though they were not effective for all. The average reduction in median cigarettes per day was very similar between the group given standard NRT and the e-cigarette group, at 80% and 86% respectively. There were no adverse effects reported. The study showed that e-cigarettes were an acceptable form of nicotine replacement for these alcohol-dependent patients during their time in the ward. For heavily tobacco-dependent smokers, e-cigarettes may provide a useful aid to patient management within a hospital setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29381765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Differential miRNA expression in B cells is associated with inter-individual differences in humoral immune response to measles vaccination.\nMicroRNAs are important mediators of post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression through RNA degradation and translational repression, and are emerging biomarkers of immune system activation\/response after vaccination. We performed Next Generation Sequencing (mRNA-Seq) of intracellular miRNAs in measles virus-stimulated B and CD4+ T cells from high and low antibody responders to measles vaccine. Negative binomial generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were used for miRNA assessment and the DIANA tool was used for gene\/target prediction and pathway enrichment analysis. We identified a set of B cell-specific miRNAs (e.g., miR-151a-5p, miR-223, miR-29, miR-15a-5p, miR-199a-3p, miR-103a, and miR-15a\/16 cluster) and biological processes\/pathways, including regulation of adherens junction proteins, Fc-receptor signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol-mediated signaling pathway, growth factor signaling pathway\/pathways, transcriptional regulation, apoptosis and virus-related processes, significantly associated with neutralizing antibody titers after measles vaccination. No CD4+ T cell-specific miRNA expression differences between high and low antibody responders were found. Our study demonstrates that miRNA expression directly or indirectly influences humoral immunity to measles vaccination and suggests that B cell-specific miRNAs may serve as useful predictive biomarkers of vaccine humoral immune response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10854035,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Molecular analysis of trkC in the cat visual cortex.\ntrkC belongs to the trk family of neurotrophin receptors. Several isoforms of trkC have been cloned to date; a full-length catalytic form containing a tyrosine kinase (TK) domain, three full-length isoforms with amino-acid insertions (14, 25, and 39 amino acids) in the TK domain, and five noncatalytic truncated forms that completely lack the TK domain. These isoforms have been studied in several mammalian species, including the pig, rat, mouse, monkey, and human. In this article we report the cloning and sequencing of five trkC isoforms isolated from 30-d postnatal cat visual cortex. The first isoform corresponded to the previously reported full-length trkC transcript containing the 14 amino-acid insert. To search for the presence of other inserts, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed on 30-d postnatal cat visual cortex mRNA using primers that flank the insertion site in the TK domain. Both the isoform containing the 14 amino-acid insert and the isoform lacking any insertion were present in abundant amounts, whereas the other two insert containing isoforms (TK25 and TK39) were much less abundant. The fifth isoform discovered corresponds to the previously reported truncated transcript. Overall, there is a high degree of identity (89-98%) and homology (97-99%) between the cat trkC nucleotide and amino-acid sequences among all mammals. The extracellular juxtamembrane domain was found to be highly divergent among all mammals that have been studied to date. This divergent region also included a proline deletion in the cat trkC sequence. This is the first report of the cloning, sequencing, and RT-PCR analysis of trkC in cat visual cortex, a system extensively studied using anatomical and physiological approaches.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24291168,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Efficacy and safety of a patch vaccine containing heat-labile toxin from Escherichia coli against travellers' diarrhoea: a phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled field trial in travellers from Europe to Mexico and Guatemala.\nEnterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major cause of travellers' diarrhoea. We investigated the efficacy and safety of a skin-patch vaccine containing the pathogen's heat-labile toxin (LT) in a population of travellers to Mexico and Guatemala. In this phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled field trial, healthy adults (aged 18-64 years) travelling from Germany or the UK to Mexico or Guatemala were assigned in a 1:1 ratio by a dynamic electronic randomisation system to receive transcutaneous immunisation with a patch containing 37.5 \u03bcg of ETEC LT or a placebo patch. Participants, site staff, and the investigators who did the analyses were masked to group assignment. Participants were vaccinated before travel, with two patches given 14 days apart. In the destination country, participants tracked stool output in a diary and provided stool samples for pathogen identification if diarrhoea occurred. The primary endpoint was the proportion of participants with at least one episode of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (defined as four or more unformed stools in a 24 h period) in which either or both ETEC enterotoxins (LT and heat-stable toxin [ST]) were detected. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00993681. 2036 participants were recruited and randomly assigned between Oct 14, 2009, and Aug 13, 2010, with 1016 allocated to receive the LT patch and 1020 the placebo patch. 821 participants in the LT-patch group and 823 in the placebo group received both vaccinations and were analysed in the per-protocol population. 30 (3.7%, 95% CI 2.5-5.2) participants in the LT-patch group and 46 (5.6%, 4.1-7.4) in the placebo group had moderate or severe ETEC diarrhoea (vaccine efficacy 34.6%, -2.2 to 58.9; p=0.0621). 9333 local (ie, patch-site) adverse events (including erythema, rash, pruritus, hyperpigmentation, pain, hypopigmentation, and oedema) occurred in 943 (93%) of 1015 participants in the LT-patch group, compared with 1444 local adverse events in 574 (56%) of 1019 participants in the placebo group (p<0.0001). Serious adverse events occurred in 25 participants (14 in the LT-patch group and 11 in the placebo group), with all regarded as either unrelated or possibly related to treatment. Vaccine-induced hyperpigmentation persisted for at least 180 days after vaccination in 150 (18%) of the 849 participants who received both vaccinations and returned for final assessment in the LT-patch group, compared with none of the 842 participants in the placebo group. The vaccine was immunogenic, with a post-vaccination geometric mean titre of LT-specific serum immunoglobulin G of 3400.29, compared with 315.41 in the placebo group. Although the LT antigen was delivered effectively by the skin patch, the vaccine did not protect travellers against diarrhoea caused by ETEC or other organisms. Future vaccines against travellers' diarrhoea might need to include several antigens against various diarrhoeal pathogens, and might need to be able to generate mucosal and higher systemic immunity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26154416,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Poly (3-hydroxyalkanoates)-co-(6-hydroxyhexanoate) hydrogel promotes angiogenesis and collagen deposition during cutaneous wound healing in rats.\nWound management and healing in several physiological or pathological conditions, particularly when comorbidities are involved, usually proves to be difficult. This presents complications leading to socio-economic and public health burdens. The accelerative wound healing potential of biocompatible poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates)-co-(6-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHA-PCL) composite hydrogel is reported herein. The biosynthesized PHA-PCL macromer was cross-linked with PEGMA to give a hydrogel. Twenty-four rats weighing 200-250 g each were randomly assigned to four groups of six rats. Rats in group I (negative control) were dressed with sterilized gum acacia paste in 10% normal saline while PEGMA-alone hydrogel (PH) was used to dress group II (secondary control) rats. Group III rats were dressed with PHAs-PCL cross-linked PEGMA hydrogel (PPH). For the positive control (group IV), the rats were dressed with Intrasite(\u00ae) gel. Biochemical, histomorphometric and immunohistomorphometric analyses revealed a significant difference in area closure and re-epithelialization on days 7 and 14 in PPH or Intrasite(\u00ae) gel groups compared to gum acacia or PEGMA-alone groups. Furthermore, wounds dressed with PPH or Intrasite(\u00ae) gel showed evident collagen deposition, enhanced fibrosis and extensively organized angiogenesis on day 14 compared to the negative control group. While improvement in wound healing of the PH dressed group could be observed, there was no significant difference between the negative control group and the PH dressed group in any of the tests. The findings suggested that topical application of PPH accelerated the rats' wound healing process by improving angiogenesis attributed to the increased microvessel density (MVD) and expressions of VEGF-A in tissue samples. Thus, PPH has been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of cutaneous wounds in rats, and could be a potential novel agent in the management and acceleration of wound healing in humans and animals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20426810,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Identification and characterization of NAGNAG alternative splicing in the moss Physcomitrella patens.\nAlternative splicing (AS) involving tandem acceptors that are separated by three nucleotides (NAGNAG) is an evolutionarily widespread class of AS, which is well studied in Homo sapiens (human) and Mus musculus (mouse). It has also been shown to be common in the model seed plants Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa (rice). In one of the first studies involving sequence-based prediction of AS in plants, we performed a genome-wide identification and characterization of NAGNAG AS in the model plant Physcomitrella patens, a moss. Using Sanger data, we found 295 alternatively used NAGNAG acceptors in P. patens. Using 31 features and training and test datasets of constitutive and alternative NAGNAGs, we trained a classifier to predict the splicing outcome at NAGNAG tandem splice sites (alternative splicing, constitutive at the first acceptor, or constitutive at the second acceptor). Our classifier achieved a balanced specificity and sensitivity of >or= 89%. Subsequently, a classifier trained exclusively on data well supported by transcript evidence was used to make genome-wide predictions of NAGNAG splicing outcomes. By generation of more transcript evidence from a next-generation sequencing platform (Roche 454), we found additional evidence for NAGNAG AS, with altogether 664 alternative NAGNAGs being detected in P. patens using all currently available transcript evidence. The 454 data also enabled us to validate the predictions of the classifier, with 64% (80\/125) of the well-supported cases of AS being predicted correctly. NAGNAG AS is just as common in the moss P. patens as it is in the seed plants A. thaliana and O. sativa (but not conserved on the level of orthologous introns), and can be predicted with high accuracy. The most informative features are the nucleotides in the NAGNAG and in its immediate vicinity, along with the splice sites scores, as found earlier for NAGNAG AS in animals. Our results suggest that the mechanism behind NAGNAG AS in plants is similar to that in animals and is largely dependent on the splice site and its immediate neighborhood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12532740,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Pathogenetic basis for treatment of primary keratoconus by a combined method of excimer laser surgery (combination of photorefraction and phototherapeutic keratectomy)].\nBearing in mind that the pathological process in keratoconus starts with anterior corneal layers and is gradually progressing into inner corneal parts we put a question whether a pathological process can be stopped by affecting the anterior layers of the cornea. This paper presents the results of 5-year experience excimer laser surgery, a combination of photorefractive and phototherapeutic keratectomy (PRK + PTK) in the treatment of the initial keratoconus. The diagnosis of early keratoconus was based upon computed tomographic data, pachymetry in 5 points, and biomicroscopy of the cornea. The \"firework\" symptom a stromal ramification area that corresponds to the future apex of the keratoconus is described. PRK was performed with an ablation zone of 6 mm, and the transitional zone of 7 mm. The ablation zone in PhTk was dislocated towards the most ectasia--conical apex, topography and the apex site were predetermined of computed tomography. The PTK was performed with ablation zone of 8.00 mm and transitional zone of 9 mm. The described method allowed the authors to increase average uncorrected acuity of vision from 0.07 +\/- 0.003 to 0.76 +\/- 0.03. At the same time the acuity of vision was 1.0 in 69.2% of the eyes to enhance the mean corrected acuity of vision from 0.70 +\/- 0.03 to 0.83 +\/- 0.04. 2 by gradually progressing significantly to decline the degree of ametropia. The spherical component of refraction--myopia--decreased from 5.32 +\/- 0.62 to 1.55 +\/- 0.3 D. The cylindrical component of refraction myopic astigmatism reduced from 3.25 +\/- 0.53 to 1.75 +\/- 0.25 D. 3 to stop the progression of keratoconus in 91.3% of cases at a follow-up of 40.8 +\/- 1.5 months (3 years 4 months) and at the maximal follow-up of 5.5 years. Thus, PRK + PTK with pathogenetically based, effective method in the treatment of the patients with initial keratoconus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19868854,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"OBSERVATIONS ON SOME CAUSES OF GALL STONE FORMATION : III. THE RELATION OF THE REACTION OF THE BILE TO EXPERIMENTAL CHOLELITHIASIS.\nAs previous papers from our laboratory have shown, there exists a well defined tendency for calcium carbonate to come out of solution in the normal liver bile of the dog, and for it to be deposited on certain nuclei not infrequent in the secretion under pathological circumstances. Gall stones that had arisen in this fashion were a frequent occurrence in the intubated animals we studied. The present paper is concerned with the reasons for the absence of such stones from dogs with an intact biliary tract. The solubility of calcium carbonate is known to be markedly affected by the reaction of the fluid in which it is contained. The normal liver bile, out of which it tends to precipitate, is alkaline, with an average pH of 8.20 but in the gall bladder where conditions might otherwise seem especially favorable to precipitation, the secretion undergoes a change toward the acid side, becoming on long sojourn there, strongly acid to litmus (pH 5.18 to 6.00). From bile as thus altered, no carbonate precipitation takes place, even when it becomes greatly concentrated as in fasting animals or after obstruction of the common duct. Furthermore, carbonate which has precipitated out of liver bile on standing dissolves again in it when the fluid is rendered slightly acid in vitro, or, in some cases merely neutral to litmus. There are several obvious reasons for the absence of carbonate stones from the normal ducts under ordinary conditions,-notably the motility of these latter, the flushing that they undergo from an intermittently quickened bile stream, and the cleansing and possibly antagonistic action of the secretion elaborated by the duct mucosa. In the fasting animal, one at least of these influences is almost done away with, the rate of bile flow is so greatly cut down; while furthermore the calcium concentration of the secretion undergoes a considerable increase. But pari passu with these changes there occurs one in the bile reaction, a diminution in alkalinity so great that the pH often approximates that of the neutral point for litmus. That this change is not a direct consequence of the increase in calcium, may be inferred from the findings with stasis bile, the calcium content and reaction of which were observed to vary independently, if in general in the same direction. These adjustments within the organism, some of which may be thought to exhibit an element of the purposeful, when considered with the test-tube experiments, strongly suggest that the reaction of the bile plays a critical part in determining the occurrence of carbonate stones, as furthermore that their absence from the normal gall bladder is a consequence of the changes in the bile reaction there occurring. The changes come about through a functional activity of the bladder. This being the case, one might suppose that the failure to act would be followed by a formation of carbonate stones. There is sufficient evidence available in the literature to indicate that this happens, in rabbits at least. It is important to know whether changes in the bile reaction play any part in determining the cholelithiasis of man. To determine the matter will require a large material. But this much we have shown, that carbonate spheroliths not infrequently serve in human beings as centers in a formation of secondary stones of carbonate and cholesterol, as further that cholesterol precipitation out of human bladder bile can be induced or prevented by slightly altering the reaction of the fluid toward the alkaline and acid sides, respectively. The possibility that cholelithiasis may be a consequence of sins of omission on the part of the biliary channels and reservoir deserves to be considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9655280,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Can scintimammography reduce \"unnecessary\" biopsies?\n99Tc-sestamibi prone scintimammography (SMM) is a new, noninvasive method of imaging breast tumors. A pilot study has suggested that SMM increases the specificity of mammography, and that SMM could be used as an adjunct to mammography to reduce the number of mammographically indicated biopsies. The goal of this study was to further evaluate the efficacy of SMM in diagnosing or excluding breast carcinoma. This was a prospective case series with each patient serving as her own control. All subjects who had an abnormal mammogram, a palpable breast mass, or both were eligible for inclusion. All patients underwent breast examination, conventional mammography, SMM, and breast biopsy. Of the 81 women originally enrolled, 79 women with 80 lesions completed the study. SMM produced the following results: a sensitivity of 81 per cent, a specificity of 81 per cent, a positive predictive value of 61 per cent, and a negative predictive value of 92 per cent. These values were significantly lower than the pilot study results at a power of 80 per cent and P = 0.05. Our results indicate that SMM does not increase the specificity of conventional mammography and has a low negative predictive value. We would not recommend it as a screening technique to avoid biopsy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12236701,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Analysis of glycated and ascorbylated proteins by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.\nProteins or poly-L-lysine which were incubated in the presence of ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid (ascorbylation), or various sugars (glycation) were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). To also detect more labile reaction products, the Maillard modified proteins or poly-L-lysine were enzymatically hydrolyzed and reacted with N-methyl-N-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide to form the N(O)-tert-butyldimethylsilyl (tBDMS) derivatives prior to GC analysis. Under these conditions, the known Maillard products N (epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (1), oxalic acid mono-N (epsilon)-lysinylamide (2), and N (epsilon)-(carboxyethyl)lysine (3) could be simultaneously detected and quantified in glycated and ascorbylated proteins. Additionally, N (epsilon)-(1-carboxy-3-hydroxypropyl)-L-lysine (4) was identified for the first time as a Maillard product of proteins. Under the conditions applied here, 4 was found only in ascorbylated proteins or poly-L-lysine, but not in glycated proteins. Maillard-modified poly-L-lysine was further subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis after enzymatic hydrolysis and formation of the phenyl isothiocyanate derivatized amino acids. Using this method, N (epsilon)-formyl-L-lysine (5), which cannot be distinguished from 2 by GC-MS analysis, was identified for the first time as a glycation product. Compound 5 is mainly formed from ribose, lactose, and fructose. The indicated Maillard products were quantified in beta-lactoglobulin (GC-MS) or poly-L-lysine (HPLC) which were glycated or ascorbylated using different precursors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37373134,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Primary Undifferentiated\/Dedifferentiated Cutaneous Melanomas-A Review on Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Molecular Features with Emphasis on Prognosis and Treatment.\nDiagnosing cutaneous melanoma is usually straightforward based on these malignancies' histopathological and immunohistochemical features. Nevertheless, melanomas can imitate various other neoplasms, sometimes lacking the expression of conventional melanocytic markers and expressing non-melanocytic ones. Furthermore, divergent differentiation is more often encountered in metastatic melanomas and is still poorly described in primary cutaneous melanomas, and little is known about these patients' prognosis and therapeutic approach. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on undifferentiated\/dedifferentiated cutaneous melanomas, and we discuss the histological, immunohistochemical, and molecular profiles of undifferentiated\/dedifferentiated cutaneous melanomas to understand these peculiar lesions better and improve their diagnostic algorithm. In addition to this, we also discuss how different genetic mutations may influence prognosis and become potential therapeutic targets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32923,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Investigation of adenosinetriphosphatase activity of rat liver and thymus cell nuclei].\nThe activity of ATPase was studied in highly purified rat liver and thymus cell nuclei, HCO3-, CO3(2-) and SO3(2-) stimulated nuclear ATPase in 1.5--2 times. HSO3- did not affect the enzyme activity, and NO3-, J-, ClO4-,F- and SCN- inhibited it. Bicarbonate increased V and decreased Ka for ATP. SCN- inhibited HCO3--ATPase activity non-competitively with respect to HCO3-. Mg2+-ATPase activity did not depend on pH, and HCO3-component of the activity was decreased under alkaline pH. Mg2+, Mn2+ and Co2+ increased the initial ATPase activity and helped its stimulation with HCO3-. Ba2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ inhibited the ATPase activity, and Ca2+ did not affect it, Nuclear ATPase is sensitive to 2,4-dinitrophenol and DNAase. It is suggested that cell nuclei have their own H+-ATPase differing for some characteristics from mitochondrial H+-ATPase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7349564,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The effect of cooling rate before freezing and the temperature of the semen upon addition of DMSO on the fertilizing capacity of chicken semen stored at - 196 degrees C.\nSemen was collected from Single Comb White Leghorn roosters, diluted 1:4 with Beltsville Poultry Semen Extender at 35 degrees C and cooled at various rates to 5 degrees C. DMSO was added to the semen between 10 and 120 min after ejaculation at temperatures between 15 and 5 degrees C, respectively. Following the addition of DMSO, the semen was allowed to equilibrate for 2 h in a 5 degrees C environment. The semen was then frozen at 1 degree C per min from 5 degrees C to - 20 degrees C, transferred into liquid nitrogen vapour for 4 to 10 min and then immersed in liquid nitrogen for 4 to 60 days. The thawed semen was inseminated on two consecutive days and fertility was calculated during 5 and 7 days commencing on the second day after the last insemination. In general, fertility was unaffected by the rate of cooling and the temperature at which the DMSO was added. In one trial, however, the fertilizing capacity was significantly greater if the DMSO was added within 45 min when the temperature of the semen was 15 degrees C. Approximately 42 to 71 p. 100 of eggs laid by hens during the 5 day period after the second insemination were fertile regardless of the method of cooling or the temperature of the semen when the DMSO was added. The motility of the ejaculates after thawing and before insemination varied between 15 and 55 p. 100 and this measure of physiological quality was a poor indicator of fertilizing capacity. Embryonic mortality was unaffected by the cooling and freezing procedure and hatchability of fertile eggs was not significantly different for the hens inseminated with either fresh or frozen semen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8077575,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Growth and protein status of term infants fed soy protein formulas differing in protein content.\nThe purpose of this study was to compare growth and protein status of healthy term infants from 2 to 112 days of age fed a commercially available soy-based formula (IS) and a similar formula (EF) containing less protein (2.91 vs 2.45 g\/100 kcal). A controlled, randomized, blind parallel clinical trial was conducted in 32 male and 32 female infants. Infants were enrolled at 2 days of age, and their assigned formula was their only feeding to 112 days of age. At this time their weight, length, and head circumference were measured. Weight, length, and head circumference were measured and formula intake, formula intolerance and stool characteristics were recorded at 8, 28, 56, and 112 days of age. Plasma urea nitrogen (PUN), total protein, albumin, and transthyretin were determined at 56 and 112 days. There were no statistically significant differences in weight, length, head circumference, or gains in these measures. PUN concentration was significantly lower in infants fed EF than IS at 56 and 112 days. Plasma total protein, albumin, and transthyretin concentrations were not different between the two feeding groups at the two testing periods. Tolerance to the two formulas was similar. Stool characteristics did not differ between the two groups. A soy-based formula containing 2.45 g protein\/100 kcal and approximately 640 mumol of total sulfur containing amino acids\/100 kcal adequately meets the protein needs of term infants from 2 to 112 days of age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9645610,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Role of co-stimulation in CD8+ T cell activation.\nThe two-signal model states that activation of naive T cells requires a signal 1 stimulus through the TCR and a co-stimulatory signal 2. By contrast, signal 1 alone is sufficient for pre-activated T cells. Recently, however, it has been shown that under certain conditions T cells can bypass the requirement for co-stimulation. For example, CD28-deficient mice, when immunized with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, mount a vigorous cytotoxic T lymphocyte response and clear the virus. As a continuous effort to unravel the mechanisms of T cell activation, we previously reported activation of hybridoma T cells by recombinant single-chain MHC molecules in the absence of antigen-presenting cells. In such reconstitution experiments, since the signals delivered to the T cells are well controlled, the contribution of any known or unknown signals can be ruled out. In the present study, we analyzed the requirements for activation of naive T cells by using splenocytes from TCR transgenic mice as a source of responding cells. We observed that naive CD8+ T cells are fully activated by signal 1 alone, but that co-stimulation lowers their activation threshold. Previously activated T cells are fully responsive, even when the first stimulation was performed in the absence of co-stimulation. They display a low activation threshold and are insensitive to co-stimulation. The physiological relevance of this finding and its consequences for immunotherapy as well as for our understanding of self-tolerance are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32530934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Why validation is not enough: Setting the scene for the implementation of the Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale.\nThe two part Kimberley Mum's Mood Scale (KMMS) has been developed and validated as a culturally appropriate perinatal depression and anxiety screening tool for Aboriginal women living in the sparsely populated Kimberley region of North West Australia. As part of implementation aspects of user acceptability were explored to improve clinical utilisation of the KMMS. Eighteen health professionals involved in perinatal care participated in an online survey or a qualitative semi-structured interview. Ten Aboriginal women (who held administrative, professional or executive roles) were subsequently interviewed in depth to further explore aspects of KMMS user acceptability. Many of the health professionals were not using the second part of the KMMS (the psychosocial discussion tool). Time constraints and a perception that the KMMS is only appropriate for women with literacy issues were identified by health professionals as significant barriers to KMMS uptake. In contrast the Aboriginal women interviewed considered the KMMS to be important for literate Aboriginal women and placed high value on having the time and space to 'yarn' with health professionals about issues that are important to them. Implementing the KMMS across the Kimberley region requires health professionals to be trained. It also requires strategic engagement with health services to ensure health professionals and mangers understand the rationale and significance of the KMMS and are engaged in its successful implementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26037187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Biochemical and histopathological effects of catechin on experimental peripheral nerve injuries.\nCatechin is a type of polyphenol, along with epicatechin, epigallocatechin, and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG). This study aims to investigate the effect of EGCG, a major metabolite of catechin, which is the principle bioactive compound in green tea, on rats with peripheral nerve injury. A total of 74 rats were divided into six groups, namely the control, the trauma, the normal saline, a 25mg\/kg EGCG, a 50mg\/kg EGCG and a daily consumption group (10mg\/kg EGCG was given intraperitoneally for 14 days before the trauma). Except the first group, the other groups underwent a 1-minute sciatic nerve compression by clip with 50gr\/cm2 pressure. Nerve samples were obtained at 28 day after trauma for the biochemical and histopathological analysis. Our study showed that the Daily consumption, 25mg\/kg EGCG and 50mg\/kg EGCG groups demonstrated statistically significant decreased lipid peroxidation levels and particularly daily consumption, and the 25mg\/kg EGCG group showed a favourable reduction of degeneration and edema histologically. This study shows that Catechin and its derivatives have a protective effect on peripheral nerve injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11544531,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Loss of p16Ink4a with retention of p19Arf predisposes mice to tumorigenesis.\nThe cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16INK4a can induce senescence of human cells, and its loss by deletion, mutation or epigenetic silencing is among the most frequently observed molecular lesions in human cancer. Overlapping reading frames in the INK4A\/ARF gene encode p16INK4a and a distinct tumour-suppressor protein, p19ARF (ref. 3). Here we describe the generation and characterization of a p16Ink4a-specific knockout mouse that retains normal p19Arf function. Mice lacking p16Ink4a were born with the expected mendelian distribution and exhibited normal development except for thymic hyperplasia. T cells deficient in p16Ink4a exhibited enhanced mitogenic responsiveness, consistent with the established role of p16Ink4a in constraining cellular proliferation. In contrast to mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient in p19Arf (ref. 4), p16Ink4a-null MEFs possessed normal growth characteristics and remained susceptible to Ras-induced senescence. Compared with wild-type MEFs, p16Ink4a-null MEFs exhibited an increased rate of immortalization, although this rate was less than that observed previously for cells null for Ink4a\/Arf, p19Arf or p53 (refs 4, 5). Furthermore, p16Ink4a deficiency was associated with an increased incidence of spontaneous and carcinogen-induced cancers. These data establish that p16Ink4a, along with p19Arf, functions as a tumour suppressor in mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16469876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Molecular dissection of Meis1 reveals 2 domains required for leukemia induction and a key role for Hoxa gene activation.\nThe Hoxa9 and Meis1 genes represent important oncogenic collaborators activated in a significant proportion of human leukemias with genetic alterations in the MLL gene. In this study, we show that the transforming property of Meis1 is modulated by 3 conserved domains, namely the Pbx interaction motif (PIM), the homeodomain, and the C-terminal region recently described to possess transactivating properties. Meis1 and Pbx1 interaction domain-swapping mutants are dysfunctional separately, but restore the full oncogenic activity of Meis1 when cotransduced in primary cells engineered to overexpress Hoxa9, thus implying a modular nature for PIM in Meis1-accelerated transformation. Moreover, we show that the transactivating domain of VP16 can restore, and even enhance, the oncogenic potential of the Meis1 mutant lacking the C-terminal 49 amino acids. In contrast to Meis1, the fusion VP16-Meis1 is spontaneously oncogenic, and all leukemias harbor genetic activation of endogenous Hoxa9 and\/or Hoxa7, suggesting that Hoxa gene activation represents a key event required for the oncogenic activity of VP16-Meis1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12524534,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Reciprocal regulation of inflammation and lipid metabolism by liver X receptors.\nMacrophages have important roles in both lipid metabolism and inflammation and are central to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The liver X receptors (LXRs) are established mediators of lipid-inducible gene expression, but their role in inflammation and immunity is unknown. We demonstrate here that LXRs and their ligands are negative regulators of macrophage inflammatory gene expression. Transcriptional profiling of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophages reveals reciprocal LXR-dependent regulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism and the innate immune response. In vitro, LXR ligands inhibit the expression of inflammatory mediators such as inducible nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in response to bacterial infection or LPS stimulation. In vivo, LXR agonists reduce inflammation in a model of contact dermatitis and inhibit inflammatory gene expression in the aortas of atherosclerotic mice. These findings identify LXRs as lipid-dependent regulators of inflammatory gene expression that may serve to link lipid metabolism and immune functions in macrophages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29464165,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Reexploring the Anatomy of the Distal Humerus for its Role in Providing Vascularized Bone.\nThe lateral arm flap is used for composite defects in need of vascularized soft tissue, skin, and bone. From its original description, the distal humeral metaphysis can be included with the flap, supplied by the periosteal extensions of the posterior branch of the radial collateral artery. We sought to reexplore the anatomy of the lateral arm to determine its utility as a donor site for vascularized bone. Twelve fresh, silicone-injected cadaver dissections were performed. Arteriovenous anatomy, pedicle length and diameter, and anatomic variability as well as photo documentation was recorded. The distal extent of the deltoid, lateral intermuscular septum and lateral humeral epicondyle were identified before the dissection. A septocutaneous perforator was consistently located 10 cm proximal to the lateral humeral epicondyle, which could be used for a skin paddle to monitor. Harvest of a 1.5 cm \u00d7 2 cm corticocancellous bone graft was performed. Average pedicle length was 9.1 \u00b1 1.1 cm, and average pedicle diameter was 1.74 \u00b1 0.52 mm. The inferior lateral cutaneous nerve of the arm and the posterior cutaneous nerve of the forearm were consistently identified and preserved. The predictable anatomy of the lateral distal humerus make it an ideal donor site for small segments of vascularized bone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33669534,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Identification of Beneficial Microbial Consortia and Bioactive Compounds with Potential as Plant Biostimulants for a Sustainable Agriculture.\nA growing body of evidence demonstrates the potential of various microbes to enhance plant productivity in cropping systems although their successful field application may be impaired by several biotic and abiotic constraints. In the present work, we aimed at developing multifunctional synthetic microbial consortia to be used in combination with suitable bioactive compounds for improving crop yield and quality. Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) with different functional attributes were identified by a bottom-up approach. A comprehensive literature survey on PGPMs associated with maize, wheat, potato and tomato, and on commercial formulations, was conducted by examining peer-reviewed scientific publications and results from relevant European projects. Metagenome fragment recruitments on genomes of potential PGPMs represented in databases were also performed to help identify plant growth-promoting (PGP) strains. Following evidence of their ability to coexist, isolated PGPMs were synthetically assembled into three different microbial consortia. Additionally, the effects of bioactive compounds on the growth of individually PGPMs were tested in starvation conditions. The different combination products based on microbial and non-microbial biostimulants (BS) appear worth considering for greenhouse and open field trials to select those potentially adoptable in sustainable agriculture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23251699,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Urocortin 3 marks mature human primary and embryonic stem cell-derived pancreatic alpha and beta cells.\nThe peptide hormone Urocortin 3 (Ucn 3) is abundantly and exclusively expressed in mouse pancreatic beta cells where it regulates insulin secretion. Here we demonstrate that Ucn 3 first appears at embryonic day (E) 17.5 and, from approximately postnatal day (p) 7 and onwards throughout adult life, becomes a unifying and exclusive feature of mouse beta cells. These observations identify Ucn 3 as a potential beta cell maturation marker. To determine whether Ucn 3 is similarly restricted to beta cells in humans, we conducted comprehensive immunohistochemistry and gene expression experiments on macaque and human pancreas and sorted primary human islet cells. This revealed that Ucn 3 is not restricted to the beta cell lineage in primates, but is also expressed in alpha cells. To substantiate these findings, we analyzed human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic endoderm that differentiates into mature endocrine cells upon engraftment in mice. Ucn 3 expression in hESC-derived grafts increased robustly upon differentiation into mature endocrine cells and localized to both alpha and beta cells. Collectively, these observations confirm that Ucn 3 is expressed in adult beta cells in both mouse and human and appears late in beta cell differentiation. Expression of Pdx1, Nkx6.1 and PC1\/3 in hESC-derived Ucn 3(+) beta cells supports this. However, the expression of Ucn 3 in primary and hESC-derived alpha cells demonstrates that human Ucn 3 is not exclusive to the beta cell lineage but is a general marker for both the alpha and beta cell lineages. Ucn 3(+) hESC-derived alpha cells do not express Nkx6.1, Pdx1 or PC1\/3 in agreement with the presence of a separate population of Ucn 3(+) alpha cells. Our study highlights important species differences in Ucn 3 expression, which have implications for its utility as a marker to identify mature beta cells in (re)programming strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":43132,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Peroxide oxidation of indole to oxindole by chloroperoxidase catalysis.\nIn the presence of chloroperoxidase, indole was oxidized by H2O2 to give oxindole as the major product. Under most conditions oxindole was the only product formed, and under optimal conditions the conversion was quantitative. This reaction displayed maximal activity at pH 4.6, although appreciable activity was observed throughout the entire pH range investigated, namely pH 2.5-6.0. Enzyme saturation by indole could not be demonstrated, up to the limit of indole solubility in the buffer. The oxidation kinetics were first-order with respect to indole up to 8 mM, which was the highest concentration of indole that could be investigated. On the other hand, 2-methylindole was not affected by H2O2 and chloroperoxidase, but was a strong inhibitor of indole oxidation. The isomer 1-methylindole was a poor substrate for chloroperoxidase oxidation, and a weak inhibitor of indole oxidation. These results suggest the possibility that chloroperoxidase oxidation of the carbon atom adjacent to the nitrogen atom in part results from hydrogen-bonding of the substrate N-H group to the enzyme active site.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9654676,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sonographic appearance of an appendix carcinoma.\nMalignant appendix tumours are rare entities. Especially adenocarcinomas, which only appear in about 10% of appendix tumours, are very seldom. Preoperative diagnosis is very difficult due to a lack of typical clinical signs and a clinical appearance mimicking perforated appendicitis. Nevertheless, sonography is able to show indirect signs and therefore it can provide the surgeon with more information for a better operative treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30722837,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Yoga in Arterial Hypertension.\nYoga seems to exert its effect against arterial hypertension mainly through the associated breathing and meditation techniques, and less so through yoga postures. The goal of this trial was to compare the blood pressure-lowering effect of yoga interventions with and without yoga postures in patients with arterial hypertension. 75 patients taking medications for arterial hypertension (72% women, mean age 58.7 \u00b1 9.5 years) were randomized into three groups: a yoga intervention group with yoga postures (25 patients, of whom 5 dropped out of the trial before its end), a yoga intervention group without yoga postures (25 patients, 3 dropouts), and a wait list control group (25 patients, one dropout). The interventions consisted of 90 minutes of yoga practice per week for twelve weeks. The data collectors, who were blinded to the intervention received, assessed the primary outcome measures \"systolic 24-hour blood pressure\" and \"diastolic 24-hour blood pressure\" before and after the intervention. In this report, we also present the findings on secondary outcome measures, including follow-up data. After the intervention, the systolic 24-hour blood pressure in the yoga intervention group without yoga postures was significantly lower than in the control group (group difference [\u0394]= -3.8 mmHg; [95% confidence interval (CI): (-0.3; -7.4) p = 0.035]); it was also significantly lower than in the yoga intervention group with yoga postures (\u0394 = -3.2 mmHg; 95% CI: [-6.3; -0.8]; p = 0.045). Diastolic blood pressures did not differ significantly across groups. No serious adverse events were encountered in the course of the trial. In accordance with the findings of earlier studies, we found that only yoga without yoga postures induced a short-term lowering of ambulatory systolic blood pressure. Yoga is safe and effective in patients taking medications for arterial hypertension and thus can be recommended as an additional treatment option for persons in this category.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27198676,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Glutathione S-transferase A1 - a sensitive marker of alcoholic injury on primary hepatocytes.\nThe primary hepatocytes were extracted and purified from mice through improved Seglen two-step perfusion method. Ethanol-induced injury hepatocytes model in mice was used to investigate the importance of glutathione S-transferase A1 (GSTA1) in hepatocytes injury by comparison with other indicators, such as alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, malondialdehyde, glutathione and superoxide dismutase. The release of GSTA1 was demonstrated to be an earlier and more sensitive indicator of hepatocytes injury than other indicators. Significant increases in GSTA1 were detected at 2 h after ethanol exposure, while other indicators were undetected at this time. A markedly difference in other indicators were observed at 6 and 8 h. The release of GSTA1 was significantly increased at a concentration of 50 mmol\/L ethanol, the lowest exposure concentration than that in other indicators. In contrast, other indicators release was not statistically significant until concentrations of 75 mmol\/L and 100 mmol\/L ethanol. These results suggest that GSTA1 can be detected at the early stage of low concentration ethanol exposure and that GSTA1 is more sensitive and reliable marker in ethanol-induced hepatic injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15358765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Invertebrate data predict an early emergence of vertebrate fibrillar collagen clades and an anti-incest model.\nFibrillar collagens are involved in the formation of striated fibrils and are present from the first multicellular animals, sponges, to humans. Recently, a new evolutionary model for fibrillar collagens has been suggested (Boot-Handford, R. P., Tuckwell, D. S., Plumb, D. A., Farrington Rock, C., and Poulsom, R. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 31067-31077). In this model, a rare genomic event leads to the formation of the founder vertebrate fibrillar collagen gene prior to the early vertebrate genome duplications and the radiation of the vertebrate fibrillar collagen clades (A, B, and C). Here, we present the modular structure of the fibrillar collagen chains present in different invertebrates from the protostome Anopheles gambiae to the chordate Ciona intestinalis. From their modular structure and the use of a triple helix instead of C-propeptide sequences in phylogenetic analyses, we were able to show that the divergence of A and B clades arose early during evolution because alpha chains related to these clades are present in protostomes. Moreover, the event leading to the divergence of B and C clades from a founder gene arose before the appearance of vertebrates; altogether these data contradict the Boot-Handford model. Moreover, they indicate that all the key steps required for the formation of fibrils of variable structure and functionality arose step by step during invertebrate evolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31228129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Sulfurous Balneotherapy in Poland: A Vignette on History and Contemporary Use.\nBalneotherapy experiences a sharp increase in popularity during recent years. The present paper gives a perspective on the therapeutic use of mineral baths in the town of Solec-Zdroj in southeastern Poland, an old time spa endowed with rich natural sulfurous water resources. Historical aspects of the formation and development of the spa are presented, along with the contemporary insights into the plausible mechanisms and benefits of sulfide treatment, not only in otherwise hardly treatable chronic skin disorders but also in a variety of disease processes in organ systems. Sulfurous balneotherapy is not without potential risks, particularly for the skin, a tissue it is considered the most viable treatment for. The healing effect of sulfide waters does not increase in proportion to the sulfur content. As in every stimulus-based treatment, the stimulant strength should not go beyond the favorable hormetic boundaries of safety. Although the exact bioproperties of a high content of hydrogen sulfide in natural mineral springs are yet to be fully unraveled and understood in the context of healing capability, sulfide bath treatment is capable of growing and developing. It remains a cost-effective alternative to pharmaceutical products in a variety of disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16204845,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A docking analysis of the statistical physics of protein-protein recognition.\nWe describe protein-protein recognition within the frame of the random energy model of statistical physics. We simulate, by docking the component proteins, the process of association of two proteins that form a complex. We obtain the energy spectrum of a set of protein-protein complexes of known three-dimensional structure by performing docking in random orientations and scoring the models thus generated. We use a coarse protein representation where each amino acid residue is replaced by its Vorono\u00ef cell, and derive a scoring function by applying the evolutionary learning program ROGER to a set of parameters measured on that representation. Taking the scores of the docking models to be interaction energies, we obtain energy spectra for the complexes and fit them to a Gaussian distribution, from which we derive physical parameters such as a glass transition temperature and a specificity transition temperature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34636845,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"More scanning, but not zooming, is associated with diagnostic accuracy in evaluating digital breast pathology slides.\nDiagnoses of medical images can invite strikingly diverse strategies for image navigation and visual search. In computed tomography screening for lung nodules, distinct strategies, termed scanning and drilling, relate to both radiologists' clinical experience and accuracy in lesion detection. Here, we examined associations between search patterns and accuracy for pathologists (N = 92) interpreting a diverse set of breast biopsy images. While changes in depth in volumetric images reveal new structures through movement in the z-plane, in digital pathology changes in depth are associated with increased magnification. Thus, \"drilling\" in radiology may be more appropriately termed \"zooming\" in pathology. We monitored eye-movements and navigation through digital pathology slides to derive metrics of how quickly the pathologists moved through XY (scanning) and Z (zooming) space. Prior research on eye-movements in depth has categorized clinicians as either \"scanners\" or \"drillers.\" In contrast, we found that there was no reliable association between a clinician's tendency to scan or zoom while examining digital pathology slides. Thus, in the current work we treated scanning and zooming as continuous predictors rather than categorizing as either a \"scanner\" or \"zoomer.\" In contrast to prior work in volumetric chest images, we found significant associations between accuracy and scanning rate but not zooming rate. These findings suggest fundamental differences in the relative value of information types and review behaviors across two image formats. Our data suggest that pathologists gather critical information by scanning on a given plane of depth, whereas radiologists drill through depth to interrogate critical features.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20466804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of pravastatin on ventricular arrhythmias in infarcted rats: role of connexin43.\nEpidemiologic studies showed that men treated with statins appear to have a lower incidence of sudden death than men without statins. However, the specific factor for this remained disappointingly elusive. We assessed whether pravastatin enhanced connexin43 expression after myocardial infarction through attenuation of endothelin-1. Twenty-four hours after ligation of the anterior descending artery, male Wistar rats were randomized to vehicle, pravastatin, mevalonate, bosentan, or a combination of pravastatin and mevalonate or pravastatin and bosentan for 4 wk. Myocardial endothelin-1 levels were significantly elevated in vehicle-treated rats at the border zone compared with sham-operated rats. Myocardial connexin43 expression at the border zone was significantly decreased in vehicle-treated infarcted rats compared with sham-operated rats. Attenuated connexin43 expression was blunted after administration of pravastatin, as assessed by immunofluorescence analysis, Western blotting, and real-time quantitative RT-PCR of connexin43. Bosentan enhanced connexin43 amount in infarcted rats and did not have additional beneficial effects on pravastatin-treated rats. Arrhythmic scores during programmed stimulation in vehicle-treated rats were significantly higher than scores in those treated with pravastatin. In contrast, the beneficial effects of pravastatin-induced connexin43 were abolished by the addition of mevalonate and a protein kinase C inducer. In addition, the amount of connexin43 showed significant increase after addition of bisindolylmaleimide, implicating that protein kinase C is a relevant target in endothelin-1-mediated connexin43 expression. Thus chronic use of pravastatin after infarction, resulting in enhanced connexin43 amount by attenuation of mevalonate-dependent endothelin-1 through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway, may attenuate the arrhythmogenic response to programmed electrical stimulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21441553,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Major life events and the risk of ischaemic heart disease: does accumulation increase the risk?\nStress is a consequence of different types of external demands, most of which have been shown to be associated with increased risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), but whether accumulation of stressors over a life-course results in additional risk of IHD remains unknown. This study investigates the impact of major life events (MLE) in childhood, adulthood and at work, singly and accumulated, on incident IHD in men and women and examines vital exhaustion (VE) and use of tranquillizers as potential mediators. Material and methods The study includes 8738 participants, 57% women, from the third wave of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, who in 1991-93 answered a range of questions on MLE, VE and use of tranquillizers. The participants were followed in a nationwide hospital discharge register until 2007. During follow-up, 653 experienced a first-time incident of IHD. In general, there were no associations between MLE and incidence of IHD. However, being placed in care during childhood was associated with a higher risk of IHD among women [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.97-1.89], but a lower risk of IHD among men (HR = 0.72; 95% CI 0.51-1.03). MLE showed a dose-response association with psychological risk factors with highest estimates for those exposed to MLE in all three life domains: VE [odds ratio (OR) = 15.07; 95% CI 8.97-25.31] and use of tranquillizers (OR = 4.41; 95% CI 3.10-6.26). This prospective study finds no associations between accumulated MLE and IHD. MLE is, however, strongly associated with VE and use of tranquillizers. The results underscore the problems in conceptualizing and measuring MLE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28234684,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intermediate and Long-term Outcomes of Mitomycin C-enhanced Trabeculectomy as a First Glaucoma Procedure in Uveitic Glaucoma.\nTo evaluate the intermediate and long-term outcomes of mitomycin C-enhanced trabeculectomy as a first glaucoma procedure in uveitic glaucoma. Retrospective cohort study included 70 eyes of 50 patients with uveitic glaucoma who underwent mitomycin C-enhanced trabeculectomy as a first glaucoma procedure at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between 1996 and 2014. The main outcome measures were: the intraocular pressure (IOP), the number of antiglaucoma medications, the presence of visually threatening complications, and the need for further surgeries to control the IOP. Surgical outcome of each eye was classified as an absolute success, qualified success, or failure, based on the main outcome measures. The mean follow-up period was 77.0 months (\u00b140.9). The IOP and number of antiglaucoma medications decreased significantly from a mean of 39.5 mm Hg (\u00b18.9) and 3.7 (\u00b10.8) to 14.4 mm Hg (\u00b16.9) and 1 (\u00b11.3) at the last follow-up, respectively (P<0.001 for both). The cumulative probabilities of success were 60% and 35.7% at 36 and 60 months postoperatively, respectively. The most common complications were cataract development and progression (45.3%), hypotony (IOP \u22645 mm Hg) (30%) and IOP spike\u226530 mm Hg (10%). Eighteen eyes (25.7%) needed a second procedure to control the IOP. Although mitomycin C-enhanced trabeculectomy offers reasonable intermediate and long-term IOP control and safety in uveitic glaucoma, a significant number of patients needed further procedures to control the pressure. Thus, continuous monitoring of the pressure and inflammation are crucial.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33360102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Xist-mediated chromatin changes that establish silencing of an entire X chromosome in mammals.\nX chromosome inactivation (XCI) ensures an equal gene dosage between the sexes in placental mammals. Xist, a modular multi-domain X-encoded long non-coding RNA coats the X chromosome in cis during XCI. Xist recruits chromatin remodelers and repressor complexes ensuring silencing of the inactive X (Xi). Here, we review the recent work focused on the role of Xist functional repeats and interacting RNA-binding factors in the establishment of the silent state. Xist orchestrates recruitment of remodelers and repressors that first facilitate removal of the active chromatin landscape and subsequently direct the transition into a repressive heterochromatic environment. Some of these factors affect silencing on a chromosome-wide scale, while others display gene-specific silencing defects. The temporal order of recruitment shows each silencing step is party dependent on one another. After the Xi is established, many of the factors are dispensable, and a different repertoire of proteins ensure the silenced Xi is maintained and propagated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15101417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Involving the motor system in decision making.\nThe control of behaviour is usually understood in terms of three distinct components: sensory processing, decision making and movement control. Recently, this view has been questioned on the basis of physiological and behavioural data, blurring the distinction between these three stages. This raises the question to what extent the motor system itself can contribute to the interpretation of behavioural situations. To investigate this question we use a neural model of sensory motor integration applied to a behaving mobile robot performing a navigation task. We show that the population response of the motor system provides a substrate for the categorization of behavioural situations. This categorization allows for the assessment of the complexity of a behavioural situation and regulates whether higher-level decision making is required to resolve behavioural conflicts. Our model lends credence to an emerging reconceptualization of behavioural control where the motor system can be considered as part of a high-level perceptual system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26149791,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Genomic deletions and mutations resulting in the loss of eight genes reduce the in vivo replication capacity of Meleagrid herpesvirus 1.\nMeleagrid herpesvirus 1 (MeHV-1 or turkey herpesvirus) has been widely used as a vaccine in commercial poultry. Initially, these vaccine applications were for the prevention of Marek's disease resulting from Gallid herpesvirus 2 infections, while more recently MeHV-1 has been used as recombinant vector for other poultry infections. The construction of herpesvirus infectious clones that permit propagation and manipulation of the viral genome in bacterial hosts has advanced the studies of herpesviral genetics. The current study reports the construction of five MeHV-1 infectious clones. The in vitro properties of viruses recovered from these clones were indistinguishable from the parental MeHV-1. In contrast, the rescued MeHV-1 viruses were significantly attenuated when used in vivo. Complete sequencing of the infectious clones identified the absence of two regions of the MeHV-1 genome compared to the MeHV-1 reference sequence. These analyses determined the rescued viruses have seven genes, UL43, UL44, UL45, UL56, HVT071, sorf3 and US2 either partially or completely deleted. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in all clones compared with the MeHV-1 reference sequence. As a consequence of one of the polymorphisms identified in the UL13 gene, four of the rescued viruses were predicted to encode a serine\/threonine protein kinase lacking two of three domains required for activity. Thus four of the recovered viruses have a total of eight missing or defective genes. The implications of these findings in the context of herpesvirus biology and infectious clone construction are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21902441,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Disparities in antidepressant adherence in primary care: report from Israel.\nTo evaluate patient and physician characteristics associated with the purchase of antidepressant medication for at least 6 months. Clalit Health Services is the largest managed care health fund in Israel, a country that uses a universal healthcare system. We randomly sampled 30,000 primary care patients over the age of 22 years. Our analytic sample consisted of those 949 patients who did not purchase antidepressant medication during the last quarter of 2005 and purchased antidepressant medication at least once in 2006. We used multilevel analysis, with whether or not medication was purchased for at least 6 months as an indicator of adherence. Patient and physician characteristics were evaluated as potential predictors. Only 23% of the sample was classified as adherent. Physician characteristics explained only a small portion of the variance in adherence and, as a result, were not included in multivariate analysis. Patients who did not have a somatic diagnosis, had a depression diagnosis, and were of higher socioeconomic status were more likely to be classified as adherent. Patients who purchased tricyclic antidepressants were less likely to be classified as adherent. The findings suggest that in a managed care setting, there is high uniformity among physicians. Although physician characteristics explain little of the variability associated with adherence, certain patient characteristics as determined by their physicians (eg, antidepressant drug class, psychiatric diagnosis) do play a role in adherence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11407789,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hydroxyapatite-coated acetabular components. Histological and histomorphometric analysis of six cups retrieved at autopsy between three and seven years after successful implantation.\nImportant questions remain regarding the use of hydroxyapatite-coated acetabular components in total hip arthroplasty. What is the relation of resorption of the hydroxyapatite coating to enduring fixation? Will unresorbed or dislodged hydroxyapatite particles cause adverse tissue reactions? Retrieval studies of clinically well-functioning acetabular components should help to answer these questions. We examined six clinically successful hydroxyapatite-coated cementless acetabular components that were retrieved at autopsy between 3.3 and 6.6 years after implantation. All components were of the same design. The prostheses and the surrounding bone were prepared for qualitative histological and quantitative histomorphometric analysis. The percentage of bone growth onto the implant, the relative bone area around the implant, the extent of residual hydroxyapatite coating, and the coating thickness were measured. All of the cups showed bone ongrowth, with a mean bone-implant contact (and standard deviation) of 36.5% +\/- 13.5%. The contact area was the same in all three zones delineated by DeLee and Charnley. The extent and thickness of the hydroxyapatite layer were much reduced in the specimens from older patients and in those associated with a longer duration of implantation. Degradation of the hydroxyapatite coating by osteoclasts was observed. We did not observe loose hydroxyapatite granules far from the coating, nor did we note any adverse tissue reaction to these granules. In contrast, polyethylene debris was noted in approximately half of the empty screw-holes. Cell-mediated hydroxyapatite resorption seems to be the main reason for loss of hydroxyapatite coating. The area of bone ongrowth was within a certain range (20% to 50%) of the measured surfaces, and it was independent of the amount of hydroxyapatite residue. The hydroxyapatite coating showed a slow rate of resorption with time, without any adverse tissue reactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19448332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The cellular slime mold: eukaryotic model microorganism.\nCellular slime molds are eukaryotic microorganisms in the soil. They feed on bacteria as solitary amoebae but conditionally construct multicellular forms in which cell differentiation takes place. Therefore, they are attractive for the study of fundamental biological phenomena such as phagocytosis, cell division, chemotactic movements, intercellular communication, cell differentiation, and morphogenesis. The most widely used species, Dictyostelium discoideum, is highly amenable to experimental manipulation and can be used with most recent molecular biological techniques. Its genome and cDNA analyses have been completed and well-annotated data are publicly available. A larger number of orthologues of human disease-related genes were found in D. discoideum than in yeast. Moreover, some pathogenic bacteria infect Dictyostelium amoebae. Thus, this microorganism can also offer a good experimental system for biomedical research. The resources of cellular slime molds, standard strains, mutants, and genes are maintained and distributed upon request by the core center of the National BioResource Project (NBRP-nenkin) to support Dictyostelium community users as well as new users interested in new platforms for research and\/or phylogenic consideration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21126887,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Danish study of a modified Atkins diet for medically intractable epilepsy in children: can we achieve the same results as with the classical ketogenic diet?\nModified Atkins diet (MAD) is a less restrictive variety of the classical ketogenic diet (KD), used for treating patients with medically resistant epilepsy. There are only few reports comparing the two types of diets in terms of seizure reduction and tolerability. We compared the effect of a MAD evaluated prospectively on 33 consecutive children with medically resistant epilepsy, with a group of 50 patients, previously treated with KD. Patients who had >50% seizure reduction were considered responders. After 3 months on the MAD, 17 patients (52%) were responders, including 14 (42%) who had >90% seizure reduction. After 6 months, 13 patients (39%) were responders. Seventeen patients (52%) remained on the MAD at least 12 months with excellent overall tolerance and compliance, including 9 patients (27%) who were responders, 4 of them (12%) having >90% seizure reduction. Although there was a trend for higher incidence of responders in the KD group, this failed to reach the level of significance: after 6 months 39% on MAD and 60% on KD were responders. However, this trend was not observed when the two groups were adjusted for difference in age (patients in the MAD group were older than the KD group). In conclusion, our experience suggests that the MAD is similarly effective as the KD in reducing seizure frequency in children with medically resistant epilepsy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32396204,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Fine-tune control of targeted RNAi efficacy by plant artificial small RNAs.\nEukaryotic RNA interference (RNAi) results in gene silencing upon the sequence-specific degradation of target transcripts by complementary small RNAs (sRNAs). In plants, RNAi-based tools have been optimized for high efficacy and high specificity, and are extensively used in gene function studies and for crop improvement. However, efficient methods for finely adjusting the degree of induced silencing are missing. Here, we present two different strategies based on artificial sRNAs for fine-tuning targeted RNAi efficacy in plants. First, the degree of silencing induced by synthetic-trans-acting small interfering RNAs (syn-tasiRNAs) can be adjusted by modifying the precursor position from which the syn-tasiRNA is expressed. The accumulation and efficacy of Arabidopsis TAS1c-based syn-tasiRNAs progressively decrease as the syn-tasiRNA is expressed from positions more distal to the trigger miR173 target site. And second, syn-tasiRNA activity can also be tweaked by modifying the degree of base-pairing between the 3' end of the syn-tasiRNA and the 5' end of the target RNA. Both strategies were used to finely modulate the degree of silencing of endogenous and exogenous target genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana benthamiana. New high-throughput syn-tasiRNA vectors were developed and functionally analyzed, and should facilitate the precise control of gene expression in multiple plant species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26015677,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Plasma cell gingivitis.\nThe aim of the article is to present a report on the clinical presentation of plasma cell gingivitis with the use of herbal toothpowder. Plasma cell gingivitis [PCG] is a rare benign condition of the gingiva characterized by sharply demarcated erythematous and edematous gingivitis often extending to the mucogingival junction. As the name suggests it is diffuse and massive infiltration of plasma cells into the sub-epithelial gingival tissue. It is a hypersensitivity reaction to some antigen, often flavouring agents or spices found in chewing gums, toothpastes and lorenzes. A 27-yr old male with a chief complaint of painful, bleeding swollen mass in his lower front teeth region with prolong use of herbal toothpowder. The gingiva bled readily on probing. Patient was advised to refrain from the use of herbal toothpowder and along with periodontal treatment, no further reoccurrence was found. as more and more herbal products are gaining popularity, clinicians should be aware of effects of these products. Early diagnosis is essential as plasma cell gingivitis has similar pathologic changes seen clinically as in leukemia, HIV infection, discoid lupus erythematosis, atrophic lichen planus, desquamative gingivitis, or cicatrical pemphigoid which must be differentiated through hematologic and serologic testing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12768952,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[The scientific progress of the \"Clinica del Lavoro Luigi Devoto\" as seen through the contents of the journal \"La Medicina del Lavoro\". ].\nOn occasion of the Centenary of the \"Clinica del Lavoro Luigi Devoto\", its researchers suggested that awareness of its historical identity and scientific development should constitute the basis for the future of the Institution. The directors of the Institute who have succeeded one to the other over the years have left a vivid report of the vast amount of work developed in several research fields and also of the original results achieved with significant impact on the scientific community and on society. Content analysis of \"La Medicina del Lavoro\" allowed us to shed light on strong bonds existing between manufacturing techniques, work organization and health, in the different political and social periods in which they developed. Many actions have been defined and several research subjects have been renewed (according to current demands and new methodological possibilities) between the past and the present, nevertheless many new approaches need to be taken in the fields of epidemiology, indoor air quality, ergophthalmology, muskuloskeletal disorders, environmental and molecular toxicology, and further research will be undertaken thanks to the potential of this discipline for the future. The aim of this report is also to express our thanks to all the medical and non-medical staff who have made their contribution over 100 years of engagement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33064443,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Reactive Oxygen Species and Inflammatory Responses of Macrophages to Substrates with Physiological Stiffness.\nMacrophages play essential roles in innate immunity and their functions can be activated by different signals at pathological sites. Concerning changes in the rigidity of the microenvironment as a disease progresses, the influence of stiffened substrates on macrophage physiology remains elusive. In this study, to evaluate the effect of stiffened substrates on macrophages, we used J774A.1 cells as the macrophage model to investigate its mechanoinflammation responses using engineered polymeric substrates with various physiological rigidities (approximately 0.6 to 100 kPa). Under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stress, approximately 4-fold higher cytoplasmic reactive oxygen species (ROS) were triggered in cells on the softer substrate, compared with cells on the stiff substrates. The enhanced ROS response was found to be regulated mainly by NADPH oxidase. Moreover, mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), a crucial intracellular ROS source, are produced in response to substrate rigidity. The results showed higher mtROS production when cells were grown on a soft substrate with LPS\/ATP stimuli, and the mechano-mtROS alteration was eliminated by Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632. We suggest that substrate rigidity can coincide with LPS\/ATP in regulating the ROS generation of macrophages. As a result of the pivotal role of ROS in regulating inflammation, increased NLRP-3 inflammasome formation and higher NO secretion (an approximately 300% increase) were observed with macrophages grown on soft substrates. Although no substantial genomic distinction was identified in our experiments, based on the phenotypic and functional results, softer substrates prime macrophages toward the proinflammatory (M1)-like phenotype. In summary, this study demonstrated the mechanosensitive inflammatory response of macrophages and the alteration of ROS, as secondary inflammation signals, may contribute to the functional status of macrophages. These findings not only provide an alternative interpretation of the functional transitions of macrophages influenced by substrate rigidity but may also support the manipulation of the inflammatory responses of macrophages via physical microenvironment modifications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32853303,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A review of the analysis of biomarkers of exposure to tobacco and vaping products.\nQuantification of exposure to different chemicals from both combustible cigarettes and vaping products is important in providing information on the potential health risks of these products. To assess the exposure to tobacco products, biomarkers of exposure (BOEs) are measured in a variety of biological matrices. In this review paper, current knowledge on analytical methods applied to the analysis of biomarkers of exposure to tobacco products is discussed. Numerous sample preparation techniques are available for the extraction and sample clean up for the analysis of BOEs to tobacco and nicotine delivery products. Many tobacco products-related exposure biomarkers have been analyzed using different instrumental techniques, the most common techniques being gas and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS, GC-MS\/MS and LC-MS\/MS). To assess exposure to emerging tobacco products and study exposure in dual tobacco users, the list of biomarkers analyzed in urine samples has been expanded. Therefore, the current state of the literature can be used in preparing a preferred list of biomarkers based on the aim of each study. The information summarized in this review is expected to be a handy tool for researchers involved in studying exposures to tobacco products, as well as in risk assessment of biomarkers of exposure to vaping products.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28068069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Re-Engineering Extracellular Vesicles as Smart Nanoscale Therapeutics.\nIn the past decade, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a key cell-free strategy for the treatment of a range of pathologies, including cancer, myocardial infarction, and inflammatory diseases. Indeed, the field is rapidly transitioning from promising in vitro reports toward in vivo animal models and early clinical studies. These investigations exploit the high physicochemical stability and biocompatibility of EVs as well as their innate capacity to communicate with cells via signal transduction and membrane fusion. This review focuses on methods in which EVs can be chemically or biologically modified to broaden, alter, or enhance their therapeutic capability. We examine two broad strategies, which have been used to introduce a wide range of nanoparticles, reporter systems, targeting peptides, pharmaceutics, and functional RNA molecules. First, we explore how EVs can be modified by manipulating their parent cells, either through genetic or metabolic engineering or by introducing exogenous material that is subsequently incorporated into secreted EVs. Second, we consider how EVs can be directly functionalized using strategies such as hydrophobic insertion, covalent surface chemistry, and membrane permeabilization. We discuss the historical context of each specific technology, present prominent examples, and evaluate the complexities, potential pitfalls, and opportunities presented by different re-engineering strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30151091,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"MicroRNA-451 blockade promotes osteoblastic differentiation and skeletal anabolic effects by promoting YWHAZ-mediated RUNX2 protein stabilization.\nBackground: senile osteoporosis researchers are now seeking to promote osteoblastogenesis and resultant bone formation to directly counteract age-related bone loss. Targeting microRNA (miRNA) activity in adult osteoblasts may be a successful therapeutic strategy for age-related bone loss. We investigated the mechanism(s) by which miRNAs negatively regulate osteoblastogenesis and bone formation in vitro and in vivo. Methods: we performed a miRNA microarray screen followed by PCR validation in adult bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells during the proliferation-to-mineralization transition to identify downregulated miRNAs, most notably miR-451. Primary human calvarial pre-osteoblasts were isolated and transfected with miR-451's agomir or antagomir for in vitro assays. Bioinformatics analysis and in vitro experiments verified YWHAZ as a miR-451 target gene. We next investigated the effects of YWHAZ knockdown on osteoblastic differentiation. To examine the effects of miR-451's antagomir in vivo, we injected ovariectomized (OVX) or sham-operated mice with miR-451's antagomir over a period of six weeks. We isolated stromal cells from murine bone marrow on week six for further ex vivo experimentation. Results: miR-451's antagomir stimulated pre-osteoblast differentiation into a more differentiated, mineralized phenotype. This phenotype was associated with upregulated RUNX2, ALP, and COL1A1 protein expression. miR-451's antagomir derepresses YWHAZ expression, thereby enhancing RUNX2 protein stability and promoting osteoblastic differentiation. When injected in vivo, miR-451's antagomir promotes osteoblastogenesis and mineralization, reversed OVX-induced bone loss, and increased bone strength in OVX and sham-operated mice. Conclusions: miR-451 suppresses osteoblastogenesis in vitro and in vivo. miR-451 inhibition may serve as an effective anabolic therapeutic strategy in senile osteoporosis patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17590048,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Radical (phenylsulfonyl)difluoromethylation with iododifluoromethyl phenyl sulfone.\nAn unprecedented radical (phenylsulfonyl)difluoromethylation of terminal alkenes with PhSO2CF2I has been achieved by using Et3B\/air as an initiator. This synthetic methodology was also used in the one-pot regioselective preparation of PhSO2CF2-substituted alkanes, and in the regio- and stereoselective preparation of PhSO2CF2-substituted alkenes with high E\/Z ratio (up to > or =100:1).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28215897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of body condition, monensin, and essential oils on ruminal lipopolysaccharide concentration, inflammatory markers, and endoplasmatic reticulum stress of transition dairy cows.\nEvidence exists that dairy cows experience inflammatory-like phenomena in the transition period. Rumen health and alterations in metabolic processes and gene networks in the liver as the central metabolic organ might be key factors for cows' health and productivity in early lactation. This study made use of an animal model to generate experimental groups with different manifestations of postpartal fat mobilization and ketogenesis. In total, 60 German Holstein cows were allocated 6 wk antepartum to 3 high-body condition score (BCS) groups (BCS 3.95) and 1 low-BCS group (LC; BCS 2.77). High-BCS cows were fed an antepartal forage-to-concentrate ratio of 40:60 on dry matter basis, in contrast to 80:20 in the LC group, and received a monensin controlled-release capsule (HC\/MO), a blend of essential oils (HC\/EO), or formed a control group (HC). We evaluated serum haptoglobin, kynurenine, tryptophan, ruminal lipopolysaccharide concentration and mRNA abundance of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-\u03baB), nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), and endoplasmatic reticulum stress-induced unfolded protein response (UPR) target genes in liver biopsy samples from d -42 until +56 relative to calving. Nearly all parameters were highly dependent on time, with greatest variation near calving. The ruminal lipopolysaccharide concentration and evaluated target genes were not generally influenced by antepartal BCS and feeding management. The kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio was higher in LC than in HC\/MO treatment on d 7. Ruminal lipopolysaccharide concentration was higher in HC\/MO than in the HC group, but not increased in HC\/EO group. Abundance of UPR target gene X-box binding protein 1 was higher in HC\/MO than in HC\/EO group on d 7. Hepatic mRNA abundance of Nrf2 target gene glutathione peroxidase 3 was higher, whereas expression of NF-\u03baB target gene haptoglobin tended to be higher in LC than in HC\/EO cows. The HC\/MO cows showed the most prominent increase in the abundance of glutathione peroxidase 3 and haptoglobin after calving in comparison to antepartal values. Results indicate the presence of inflammatory-like phenomena near calving. Simultaneously, alterations in UPR and Nrf2 target genes with antioxidative properties and haptoglobin occurred, being most prominent in LC and HC\/MO group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3331280,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Urinary tract infection in children.\nBased on what is known of the pathogenesis of renal scarring, several therapeutic goals are important and are summarized in Figure 4. First, in children less than 5 years of age, and particularly neonates, a high index of suspicion must be combined with appropriate diagnostic techniques, including suprapubic aspiration if necessary, to obtain rapid and accurate diagnosis of urinary tract infection, thereby minimizing therapeutic delay. Although therapy can be started with broad spectrum antibiotics, culture and sensitivities are important to assure adequate antimicrobial therapy. Second, given the high incidence of vesicoureteral reflux in children with urinary tract infections, all children less than 5 years of age should have a VCUG and IV pyelogram shortly after resolution of the acute infection. In children more than 5 years of age, boys should be studied, given the very low incidence of urinary tract infection in males, and the high probability of urologic disease. Afebrile girls more than 5 years of age are exempted from diagnostic evaluation of the first episode of infection. Subsequent episodes should be investigated. Third, children with reflux should receive continuous antibiotic prophylaxis until age 6 to 8 years or until reflux resolves. Yearly evaluations are performed with radionuclide cystography, which is a nontraumatic sensitive means of detecting reflux, requiring less radiation than VCUG. Individuals of any age with recurrent urinary tract infections without reflux may benefit from a 3- to 6-month course of antimicrobial prophylaxis. Finally, antibiotic therapy should be appropriate and adjusted as necessary based the susceptibility of the bacterial pathogen. In older girls with simple uncomplicated urinary tract infections, single-dose therapy may be adequate. Younger children at increased risk for renal scarring should be treated more conservatively, receiving a 10-day course of therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25394682,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Analog modulation of spike-evoked transmission in CA3 circuits is determined by axonal Kv1.1 channels in a time-dependent manner.\nSynaptic transmission usually depends on action potentials (APs) in an all-or-none (digital) fashion. Recent studies indicate, however, that subthreshold presynaptic depolarization may facilitate spike-evoked transmission, thus creating an analog modulation of spike-evoked synaptic transmission, also called analog-digital (AD) synaptic facilitation. Yet, the underlying mechanisms behind this facilitation remain unclear. We show here that AD facilitation at rat CA3-CA3 synapses is time-dependent and requires long presynaptic depolarization (5-10 s) for its induction. This depolarization-induced AD facilitation (d-ADF) is blocked by the specific Kv1.1 channel blocker dendrotoxin-K. Using fast voltage-imaging of the axon, we show that somatic depolarization used for induction of d-ADF broadened the AP in the axon through inactivation of Kv1.1 channels. Somatic depolarization enhanced spike-evoked calcium signals in presynaptic terminals, but not basal calcium. In conclusion, axonal Kv1.1 channels determine glutamate release in CA3 neurons in a time-dependent manner through the control of the presynaptic spike waveform.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7563509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prevention of hepatitis B virus transmission by immunization. An economic analysis of current recommendations.\nTo evaluate the outcome of immunization strategies to prevent hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission. A decision model was used to determine the incremental effects of the following hepatitis B immunization strategies in a birth cohort receiving immunization services in the public sector: (1) prevention of perinatal HBV infection, (2) routine infant vaccination, or (3) routine adolescent vaccination. Over the lifetime of the cohort, the reduction in infections and medical and work-loss costs of HBV-related liver disease were determined for each strategy and compared with the outcome without immunization. Prevention of perinatal infection and routine infant vaccination would lower the 4.8% lifetime risk of HBV infection by at least 68%, compared with a 45% reduction for adolescent vaccination. From a societal perspective, each strategy was found to be cost saving, but was not cost saving with respect to direct medical costs. The estimated cost per year of life saved was $164 to prevent perinatal HBV infection, $1522 for infant vaccination, and $3730 for adolescent vaccination. Routine vaccination of infants in successive birth cohorts to prevent HBV transmission is cost-effective over a wide range of assumptions. While economically less attractive than infant vaccination, adolescent vaccination could serve to protect those children who were not vaccinated as infants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16435152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Interactions of skin thickness and physicochemical properties of test compounds in percutaneous penetration studies.\nTo determine the effect of skin thickness on the percutaneous penetration and distribution of test compounds with varying physicochemical properties using in vitro systems. Studies were carried out in accordance with OECD guidelines on skin absorption tests. Percutaneous penetration of caffeine (log P -0.01), testosterone (log P 3.32), propoxur (log P 1.52) (finite dose in ethanol to water vehicle ratio) and butoxyethanol (log P 0.83) (undiluted finite dose or as an infinite dose 50% [v\/v] aqueous solution) through skin of varying thicknesses under occluded conditions was measured using flow through cells for 8-24 h. Saline (adjusted to pH 7.4) was used as receptor fluid, with BSA added for studies with testosterone and propoxur. Following exposure, the remaining surface dose was removed by swabbing and the skin digested prior to scintillation counting. The maximum flux of caffeine was increased with decreasing skin thickness, although these differences were found to be non-significant. The presence of caffeine in the skin membrane was not altered by skin thickness. Maximum flux and cumulative dose absorbed of testosterone and butoxyethanol (in both finite and infinite doses) were markedly reduced with full thickness (about 1 mm thick) skin compared with split thickness skin (about 0.5 mm). Maximum flux of propoxur (dissolved in 60% ethanol) was clearly higher through skin of 0.71 mm than through skin of 1.36 mm, but no difference was found between 0.56 and 0.71 mm. The proportion of propoxur present in the membrane after 24 h increased significantly over the complete range of thicknesses tested (0.56-1.36 mm). A complex relationship exists between skin thickness, lipophilicity and percutaneous penetration and distribution. This has implications for risk assessment studies and for the validation of models with data from different sources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30988696,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Enhancing mental health research capacity: emerging voices from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) global hubs.\nEmerging researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) face many barriers, including inadequacies in funding, international exposure and mentorship. In 2012, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) funded five research hubs aimed at improving the research core for evidence-based mental health interventions, enhancing research skills in global mental health, and providing capacity building (CB) opportunities for early career investigators in LMIC. In this paper emerging researchers contextualize their experiences. Each of the five hubs purposively selected an emerging researcher who had experienced more than one hub-related CB opportunity and actively participated in hub-related clinical trial activities. The five 'voices' were invited to contribute narratives on their professional backgrounds, CB experience, challenges and successes as an emerging mental health researcher, and suggestions for future CB activities. These narratives are presented as case studies. CB activities provided broader learning opportunities for emerging researchers. Benefits included the receipt of research funding, hands-on training and mentorship, as well as exposure to networks and collaborative opportunities on a global scale. To overcome ongoing challenges of access to funding, mentoring, networking and global exposure, the emerging voices recommend making mentorship and training opportunities available to a wider range of emerging mental health researchers. Investing in CB is not enough to ensure sustainability and leave a legacy unless it is accompanied by ongoing mentorship and international exposure. Financial investment in building research capacity, promotion of mentorship and supervision, and international networking are essential to yield well-prepared young investigators in LMIC as experienced by these rising stars. Governments and policymakers should prioritize educational policies to support the continuous development and international engagement of emerging researchers. This can advance strategies to deal with one of most important and costly problems faced by healthcare systems in LMIC: the mental health treatment gap.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12509485,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Effects of oxidation and reduction on contractile function in skeletal muscle fibres of the rat.\nThis study investigated the effects of the oxidants hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and 2,2'-dithiodipyridine (DTDP), and reductants, glutathione (GSH) and dithiothreitol (DTT), on the properties of the contractile apparatus of rat fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscle fibres, in order to assess how oxidation affects muscle function. Skinned muscle fibres were activated in heavily-buffered Ca(2+) solutions. The force-[Ca(2+)] relationship before and after various treatments was fitted by a Hill curve described by the maximum Ca(2+)-activated force, pCa(50) (-log(10)[Ca(2+)] giving half-maximum force) and n(H) (the Hill coefficient). Exposing freshly skinned fibres to strong reducing conditions (i.e. 10 mM DTT or 5 mM GSH) had little if any effect on Ca(2+) sensitivity (pCa(50) or n(H)). The effect of oxidants H(2)O(2) and DTDP depended on whether the fibre was relaxed (in pCa > 9) or activated during the exposure. In both fast- and slow-twitch fibres a 5 min exposure to 10 mM H(2)O(2) at pCa > 9 had no effect on pCa(50), causing only a reduction in n(H). In contrast, when fast-twitch fibres were activated in the presence of 10 mM H(2)O(2) (or 100 microM DTDP) there was a substantial increase in pCa(50) (by approximately 0.06 and 0.1, respectively), as well as larger decreases in n(H) than occurred in relaxed fibres, with all effects being reversed by DTT (10 mM, 10 min). In slow-twitch soleus fibres, the activation-dependent effect of DTDP was even greater (pCa(50) increased by ~0.35), and it was found that the rate of reversal in DTT was also increased by activation. A separate important phenomenon was that fast-twitch fibres that had been oxidised with H(2)O(2) or DTDP (while either relaxed or activated) showed a paradoxical increase in Ca(2+) sensitivity (~0.04 and 0.25 increase in pCa(50), respectively) when briefly exposed to the endogenous reductant GSH (5 mM, 2 min). This effect was reversed by DTT or longer (> 20 min) exposure to GSH, did not occur in slow-twitch soleus fibres, and may contribute to post-tetanic potentiation in fast-twitch muscle. Maximum force was not affected by any of the above treatments, whereas exposure to a high concentration of DTDP (1 mM) did greatly reduce force production. These findings reveal a number of novel and probably important effects of oxidation on the contractile apparatus in skeletal muscle fibres.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33664754,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Evaluation of CBSX Proteins as Regulators of the Chloroplast Thioredoxin System.\nThe chloroplast-localized cystathionine \u03b2-synthase X (CBSX) proteins CBSX1 and CBSX2 have been proposed as modulators of thioredoxins (Trxs). In this study, the contribution of CBSX proteins to the redox regulation of thiol enzymes in the chloroplast Trx system was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. The in vitro biochemical studies evaluated whether CBSX proteins alter the specificities of classical chloroplastic Trx f and Trx m for their target proteins. However, addition of CBSX proteins did not alter the specificities of Trx f and Trx m for disulfide bond reduction of the photosynthesis-related major thiol enzymes, FBPase, SBPase, and NADP-MDH. In vivo analysis showed that CBSX-deficient mutants grew similarly to wild type plants under continuous normal light conditions and that CBSX deficiency did not affect photo-reduction of photosynthesis-related thiol enzymes by Trx system at several light intensities. Although CBSX proteins have been suggested as modulators in the chloroplast Trx system, our results did not support this model, at least in the cases of FBPase, SBPase, and NADP-MDH in leaves. However, fresh weights of the cbsx2 mutants were decreased under short day. Since Trxs regulate many proteins participating in various metabolic reactions in the chloroplast, CBSX proteins may function to regulate other chloroplast Trx target proteins, or serve as modulators in non-photosynthetic plastids of flowers. As a next stage, further investigations are required to understand the modulation of Trx-dependent redox regulation by plastidal CBSX proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36087614,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Higher susceptibility of males to bleomycin-induced pulmonary inflammation is associated with sex-specific transcriptomic differences in myeloid cells.\nIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a condition with likely genetic and environmental etiology, is relatively more prevalent with poor prognosis in human males. However, the underlying mechanisms for these gender-associated differences in the severity of fibrosis remain unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the transcriptomic repertoire of myeloid cells determines the higher susceptibility of male mice to bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis. Adult mice were oropharyngeally challenged with saline or BLM. Lung injury, inflammation, and fibrosis outcomes were assessed, and airspace myeloid-cells were subjected to RNA-sequencing. As compared with the female mice, the male mice manifested significantly increased lung injury, inflammation, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-1\u03b2, IL-7, and IP-10), and fibrosis in response to BLM challenge. Interestingly, several pro-inflammatory and extracellular matrix-associated genes were significantly up-regulated in male myeloid-cells compared to female myeloid-cells in the saline-control group. Similarly, BLM challenge resulted in greater pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic transcriptomic changes in male compared to female myeloid cells. On the other hand, anti-inflammatory and regulatory cytokine, Il10 and Ifng respectively, were uniquely upregulated in BLM-challenged female but not in male myeloid cells when compared to their respective saline-control groups. Further, cross-sex bone marrow transplantation experiments revealed that male hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) increased the granulocytic infiltration in female mice while female HPCs decreased the granulocytic infiltration in male mice post-BLM challenge. These findings suggest that there are inherent transcriptomic differences between the male and female lung myeloid cells and that the pro-inflammatory nature of male myeloid cells is sufficient to increase the susceptibility of female mice to BLM-induced inflammation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30736342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Intratumoural Heterogeneity Underlies Distinct Therapy Responses and Treatment Resistance in Glioblastoma.\nGlioblastomas are the most common and lethal neoplasms of the central nervous system. Neighbouring glioma cells maintain extreme degrees of genetic and phenotypic variation that form intratumoural heterogeneity. This genetic diversity allows the most adaptive tumour clones to develop treatment resistance, ultimately leading to disease recurrence. We aimed to model this phenomenon and test the effectiveness of several targeted therapeutic interventions to overcome therapy resistance. Heterogeneous tumour masses were first deconstructed into single tumour cells, which were expanded independently as single-cell clones. Single nucleotide polymorphism arrays, whole-genome and RNA sequencing, and CpG methylation analysis validated the unique molecular profile of each tumour clone, which displayed distinct pathologic features, including cell morphology, growth rate, and resistance to temozolomide and ionizing radiation. We also identified variable sensitivities to AURK, CDK, and EGFR inhibitors which were consistent with the heterogeneous molecular alterations that each clone harboured. These targeted therapies effectively eliminated the temozolomide- and\/or irradiation-resistant clones and also parental polyclonal cells. Our findings indicate that polyclonal tumours create a dynamic environment that consists of diverse tumour elements and treatment responses. Designing targeted therapies based on a range of molecular profiles can be a more effective strategy to eradicate treatment resistance, recurrence, and metastasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30083276,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"[18F]fluoroethyltyrosine-induced Cerenkov Luminescence Improves Image-Guided Surgical Resection of Glioma.\nThe extent of surgical resection is significantly correlated with outcome in glioma; however, current intraoperative navigational tools are useful only in a subset of patients. We show here that a new optical intraoperative technique, Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) following intravenous injection of O\u2011(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine (FET), can be used to accurately delineate glioma margins, performing better than the current standard of fluorescence imaging with 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). Methods: Rats implanted orthotopically with U87, F98 and C6 glioblastoma cells were injected with FET and 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). Positive and negative tumor regions on histopathology were compared with CL and fluorescence images. The capability of FET CLI and 5-ALA fluorescence imaging to detect tumor was assessed using receptor operator characteristic curves and optimal thresholds (CLIOptROC and 5-ALAOptROC) separating tumor from healthy brain tissue were determined. These thresholds were used to guide prospective tumor resections, where the presence of tumor cells in the resected material and in the remaining brain were assessed by Ki-67 staining. Results: FET CLI signal was correlated with signal in preoperative PET images (y = 1.06x - 0.01; p < 0.0001) and with expression of the amino acid transporter SLC7A5 (LAT1). FET CLI (AUC = 97%) discriminated between glioblastoma and normal brain in human and rat orthografts more accurately than 5-ALA fluorescence (AUC = 91%), with a sensitivity >92% and specificity >91%, and resulted in a more complete tumor resection. Conclusion: FET CLI can be used to accurately delineate glioblastoma tumor margins, performing better than the current standard of fluorescence imaging following 5-ALA administration, and is therefore a promising technique for clinical translation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23181788,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"HLA-DQ strikes again: genome-wide association study further confirms HLA-DQ in the diagnosis of asthma among adults.\nAsthma is a common chronic respiratory disease in children and adults. An important genetic component to asthma susceptibility has long been recognized, most recently through the identification of several genes (e.g., ORMDL3, PDE4D, HLA-DQ, and TLE4) via genome-wide association studies. To identify genetic variants associated with asthma affection status using genome-wide association data. We describe results from a genome-wide association study on asthma performed in 3855 subjects using a panel of 455 089 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The genome-wide association study resulted in the prioritization of 33 variants for immediate follow-up in a multi-staged replication effort. Of these, a common polymorphism (rs9272346) localizing to within 1 Kb of HLA-DQA1 (chromosome 6p21.3) was associated with asthma in adults (P-value = 2.2E-08) with consistent evidence in the more heterogeneous group of adults and children (P-value = 1.0E-04). Moreover, some genes identified in prior asthma GWAS were nominally associated with asthma in our populations. Overall, our findings further replicate the HLA-DQ region in the pathogenesis of asthma. HLA-DQA1 is the fourth member of the HLA family found to be associated with asthma, in addition to the previously identified HLA-DRA, HLA-DQB1 and HLA-DQA2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17947208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Investigation of a multi-ball, automatic dynamic balancing mechanism for eccentric rotors.\nThis paper concerns an analytical and experimental investigation into the dynamics of an automatic dynamic balancer (ADB) designed to quench vibration in eccentric rotors. This fundamentally nonlinear device incorporates several balancing masses that are free to rotate in a circumferentially mounted ball race. An earlier study into the steady state and transient response of the device with two balls is extended to the case of an arbitrary number of balls. Using bifurcation analysis allied to numerical simulation of a fully nonlinear model, the question is addressed of whether increasing the number of balls is advantageous. It is found that it is never possible to perfectly balance the device at rotation speeds comparable with or below the first natural, bending frequency of the rotor. When considering practical implementation of the device, a modification is suggested where individual balls are contained in separate arcs of the ball race, with rigid partitions separating each arc. Simulation results for a partitioned ADB are compared with those from an experimental rig. Close qualitative and quantitative match is found between the theory and the experiment, confirming that for sub-resonant rotation speeds, the ADB at best makes no difference to the imbalance, and can make things substantially worse. Further related configurations worthy of experimental and numerical investigation are proposed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30591574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Evolution of a Large-Scale Community-Based Contraceptive Distribution Program in Kinshasa, DRC Based on Process Evaluation.\nIn a context where distance, user fees, and health staff shortages constitute significant barriers to accessing facility-based family planning services, the use of community-based distributors (CBDs) as counseling and contraceptive providers has been tested in several resource-constrained environments to increase family planning uptake. In the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, a massive CBD program (AcQual) has been implemented since 2014, with lackluster results measured in terms of the low volume of contraceptives provided. A process evaluation conducted in 2017 assessed the fidelity of implementation of the program compared with the original AcQual design and analyzed gaps in provider training and motivation, contraceptive supplies, and reporting and monitoring processes. Its objective was to identify both theory and implementation failures in order to propose midcourse corrections for the program. The mixed-method data collection focused on the CBDs as a pivotal component of the AcQual program with 700 active CBDs interviewed. In addition, 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with clinical personnel, local health program managers, and project partners to identify gaps in the AcQual implementation environment. Issues with CBDs' performance, knowledge retention, and commitment to program activities, as well as gaps in contraceptive supply chains and insufficient monitoring and supervision processes, were the main implementation failures identified. Inappropriate method mix offered by the CBDs (condoms, pills, and CycleBeads only) and chronic overburdening of health care staff at the local level compounded these issues and explained the low volume of contraceptives provided through AcQual. Midcourse corrections included a more structured schedule of activities, stronger integration of CBDs with clinical providers and health zone managers, expansion of the mix of contraceptives offered to include subcutaneous injectables and emergency contraceptive pills, and clarifying reporting and monitoring responsibilities among all partners. Findings from this process evaluation contribute to the limited knowledge base regarding \"unwelcome results\" by examining all the intervention components and their relationships to highlight areas of potential failures, both in design and implementation, for similar CBD programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33757374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lurasidone for Adolescents With Complex Mental Disorders: A Case Series.\nLurasidone is a new second generation (atypical) antipsychotic agent with unique receptor affinity and side-effect profiles, but limited literature is available on its use in adolescent populations. Contrasting with research treatment trials which typically recruit patients by stringent selection criteria, this case series examined the effects and tolerability of using lurasidone in adolescents within real-life clinical settings in treating complex cases who had not responded to other therapy options. We conducted a retrospective case-note audit of 6 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years old attending community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) who were prescribed lurasidone. Lurasidone had been prescribed for a range of \"hard-to-manage\" conditions with complex comorbidities, in adolescents in relation to specific use of lurasidone on the basis of clinical and pharmacological indications after exhausting more conventional treatment options. Case-note review suggested response to lurasidone was clinically positive in 3 cases, equivocal\/marginal in 2 cases, and ineffective in 1 case. There were no cases of poor tolerance or adverse effects. Notably, positive responses for depressive and irritable mood symptoms were specifically recorded by prescribing clinicians, indicative of benefits on symptom improvement. No lurasidone attributed weight gain, galactorrhoea, metabolic abnormalities, sexual dysfunction or intolerance were reported. Pro-cognitive effects were not detected; but our findings were constrained by the non-systematic and incomplete information ascertainment, typical in retrospective case-note review. This case series provides preliminary data supporting lurasidone's potential use in adolescents of complex clinical needs (but without a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder) within real-life clinical settings. Lurasidone appears to show a weight-sparing effect, in addition to improving mood symptoms in some cases. Lurasidone deserves further study for its use in the adolescent population (outside the remit of FDA) given its potential more favorable risk-benefit profile in young people. The favorable tolerability appear to be borne out by the pharmacodynamic predictions in our complex patients who would be excluded in formal clinical trial studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22203489,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Familial genetic risk factors in premature cardiovascular disease: a family study.\nCardiovascular disease (CVD) is closely associated with familial predisposition. The aim of the present study was to investigate predisposing risk factors in the family of a young patient who underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery due to CVD. The father and uncle of the patient died at an early age due to myocardial infarction. Various stages of CVD were identified in both of the patient's brothers (28 and 32 years of age). Biochemical tests (fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, urea, creatinine and liver enzymes) and a complete blood count (haemoglobin, haematocrit, white blood cell count, and platelet count) were performed. Physiological coagulation inhibitory factors (protein C, protein S, and antithrombin III), prothrombotic genetic risk factors (factor V Leiden, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase A1C and C6T, angiotensin-converting enzyme, \u03b2-fibrinogen, glycoprotein IIIa and factor XIII) and homocysteine levels were evaluated in all cases. Defects were observed in many genetic factors and in the systems regulated by these factors. The results were compatible with those reported in the literature. In conclusion, it is possible to determine a specific family history in young adults with CVD. From this perspective, the emergence of more serious CVD may be prevented by providing disease-related information to the other family members and implementing preventive measures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30746254,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A pilot study of blood microRNAs and lung function in young healthy adults with fine particulate matter exposure.\nFine particulate exposure (PM2.5) is a risk factor of pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the mechanism underlying was not clear. Recent studies found blood microRNAs (miRNAs) are potential indicators of either COPD or PM2.5 exposure, but these results had no unified conclusions. We suggested it was more targeted to find disease related miRNAs first and then observe them during PM2.5 exposure. Firstly, in order to screen COPD associated miRNAs, we identified differentially expressed blood miRNAs contrasting COPD participants (n=6) without diagnose of COPD or related treatment before and matched control (n=6). In total, 21 miRNAs were differentially expressed in COPD individuals and expression of miR-495-3p, miR-223-5p and miR-194-3p were further validated using qRT-PCR. The results showed miR-495-3p and miR-223-5p significantly increased whereas miR-194-3p decreased marginally (P=0.058) in COPD participants. Secondly, in order to recognize the relevance between these miRNAs and PM2.5 exposure, we designed an independent time-series study nested within \"low-high-low\" pollution levels. The expression of blood miR-495-3p, miR-223-5p and miR-194-3p were detected before and after exposure (n=8). The results showed expression of miR-223-5p increased significantly while expression of miR-194-3p decreased significantly after exposure. The Pearson analysis showed only miR-194-3p showed a positive statistically correlation with lag0-1 forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) during exposure of PM2.5. So miR-194-3p might be a potential regulator in the toxicological pathways of both PM2.5 exposure and COPD. As this was a pilot study, formal and large-scale studies should be planned in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7775281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The tonotopic map in the embryonic chicken cochlea.\nThe purpose of the present study was to determine the tonotopic map in the chicken cochlea at 19 days of incubation (E19) by obtaining characteristic frequencies (CFs) for primary afferents, labeling the characterized neurons, and documenting their projections to the papilla. The lowest and highest CFs recorded were 188 and 1623 Hz respectively. The embryonic tonotopic map coincided with maps reported for post-hatch chicks. There were no evidence that neurons selective to low frequencies project inappropriately to more basal locations of the embryonic papilla. Linear regression was used to estimate the frequency gradient (b = 0.037 +\/- 0.012 In Hz\/% [b +\/- SEb]) and intercept (In C, where C = 111 Hz) of the semilog plot of frequency versus cochlear position (in % distance from apex). From these estimates the octave distribution was calculated to be 18.7%\/octave or 0.58 mm\/octave. These quantities were not significantly different from those found in post hatch chickens. We conclude that the tonotopic map of the avian cochlea for CFs between 100 and 1700 Hz is stable and relatively mature from age E19 to post-hatch day 21 (P21). The most striking sign of immaturity in the E19 embryo is the limited range of high CFs. We offer the hypothesis that, between the ages of E19 and P21, improvements in middle ear admittance alone or in combination with functional maturation of the cochlear base may be the principal factors responsible for the appearance of adult-like high CF limits and not an apically shifting tonotopic map.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35179809,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Nanostructured Moisture-Absorbing Gel for Fast and Large-Scale Passive Dehumidification.\nDehumidification is significant for environmental sustainability and human health. Traditional dehumidification methods involve significant energy consumption and have negative impact on the environment. The core challenge is to expose hygroscopic surfaces to the air, and appropriately store the captured water and avoid surface inactivation. Here, a nanostructured moisture-absorbing gel (N-MAG) for passive dehumidification, which consists of a hydrophilic nanocellulose network functionalized by hygroscopic lithium chloride, is reported. The interconnected nanocellulose can transfer the captured water to the internal space of the bulky N-MAG, eliminating water accumulation near the surfaces and hence enabling high-rate moisture absorption. The N-MAG can reduce the relative humidity from 96.7% to 28.7% in 6 h, even if the space is over 2 \u00d7 104 times of its own volume. The condensed water can be completely confined in the N-MAG, overcoming the problem of environmental pollution. This research brings a new perspective for sustainable humidity management without energy consumption and with positive environmental footprint.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16196377,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and gastric carcinoma in Malaysian patients.\nEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) has consistently been detected in the tumour cells of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and lymphoepithelial-like carcinoma of the salivary glands, and have occasionally been found in similar tumours at other sites. Moreover, recent studies from various parts of the world including the Orient have shown about 10% of gastric carcinomas to be EBV-associated. We studied 50 gastric carcinomas from Malaysia to investigate its association with EBV in the Malaysian population. They comprised 37 intestinal and 13 diffuse type carcinomas from 32 male and 18 female patients, age range from 29 to 86 years with an ethnic distribution of Malay: Chinese: Indian with the ratio of 4: 27: 19. EBV gene and gene-expression were examined in sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue using commercially available probes for detecting EBV encoded RNAs (EBERs) by in situ hybridization and monoclonal antibodies to EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) by standard immunohistochemistry. Five of 50 gastric carcinomas showed EBER intranuclear positivity in all tumour cells but no cases expressed LMP-1. The EBV-associated cases were classified as intestinal type in 4 and diffuse type in one case and all were histologically unremarkable. EBV-positive tumours were found in 3 Chinese and 2 Indian patients with none in the small Malay group. Four EBV-positive tumours were in male patients, with age-range of 65 to 86 years. We conclude that our findings of about 10% of Malaysian gastric carcinomas being EBV-associated is in line with the results from other parts of the world and from other ethnic groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19855360,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Treatment and outcome of patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation admitted to the intensive cardiac care unit.\nSudden circulatory arrest is most often of cardiac origin. Our aim was to evaluate circulatory arrest etiology and treatment strategies in patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with persistent impairment of consciousness in relation to survival and the subsequent quality of life. Retrospective analysis of patients after CPR treated according to the local protocol including mild hypothermia in the intensive cardiac care unit. Over 2 years, we admitted 57 mechanically ventilated patients after CPR. 47 patients (82%) were resuscitated outside the hospital. In 33 patients (58%) the initial rhythm was ventricular fibrillation; in the remaining patients (42%) asystole\/pulseless electrical activity. Urgent coronary angiography was performed in 36 patients and percutaneous coronary intervention in 25 of them. The admission APACHE II score was 32,4 +\/- 3,4 with predicted mortality of 77,1%. The hospital survival rate was 54% and 47% of the patients were discharged home in a good state of health (Glasgow outcome score 4-5). Our results suggest that comprehensive post-resuscitation care including therapeutic hypothermia and percutaneous coronary intervention in selected cases may have a positive impact on the prognosis of patients after CPR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19579085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A novel L218P mutation in NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase associated with type I recessive congenital methemoglobinemia.\nThe presence of central cyanosis that is unrelated to cardiopulmonary causes alerts clinicians to a possible diagnosis of methemoglobinemia. Congenital methemoglobinemia due to deficiency of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NADH)-cytochrome b5 reductase (cb(5)r) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by life long cyanosis. Here we report a six-year old boy who presented with central cyanosis and upon examination revealed a methemoglobin level of 19.0%. Sequencing the CYB5R3 gene identified a homozygous T-->C transition at base c.653, which changed codon 218 from leucine to proline (L218P) in cb(5)r protein. Treatment with ascorbic acid relieved the cyanosis and returned methemoglobin levels to normal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28223424,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"HSP70 Inhibition Synergistically Enhances the Effects of Magnetic Fluid Hyperthermia in Ovarian Cancer.\nHyperthermia has been investigated as a potential treatment for cancer. However, specificity in hyperthermia application remains a significant challenge. Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) may be an alternative to surpass such a challenge, but implications of MFH at the cellular level are not well understood. Therefore, the present work focused on the examination of gene expression after MFH treatment and using such information to identify target genes that when inhibited could produce an enhanced therapeutic outcome after MFH. Genomic analyzes were performed using ovarian cancer cells exposed to MFH for 30 minutes at 43\u00b0C, which revealed that heat shock protein (HSP) genes, including HSPA6, were upregulated. HSPA6 encodes the Hsp70, and its expression was confirmed by PCR in HeyA8 and A2780cp20 ovarian cancer cells. Two strategies were investigated to inhibit Hsp70-related genes, siRNA and Hsp70 protein function inhibition by 2-phenylethyenesulfonamide (PES). Both strategies resulted in decreased cell viability following exposure to MFH. Combination index was calculated for PES treatment reporting a synergistic effect. In vivo efficacy experiments with HSPA6 siRNA and MFH were performed using the A2780cp20 and HeyA8 ovarian cancer mouse models. A significantly reduction in tumor growth rate was observed with combination therapy. PES and MFH efficacy were also evaluated in the HeyA8 intraperitoneal tumor model, and resulted in robust antitumor effects. This work demonstrated that HSP70 inhibition combination with MFH generate a synergistic effect and could be a promising target to enhance MFH therapeutic outcomes in ovarian cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(5); 966-76. \u00a92017 AACR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35110559,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Construction and validation of safe Clostridium botulinum Group II surrogate strain producing inactive botulinum neurotoxin type E toxoid.\nBotulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs), produced by the spore-forming bacterium Clostridium botulinum, cause botulism, a rare but fatal illness affecting humans and animals. Despite causing a life-threatening disease, BoNT is a multipurpose therapeutic. Nevertheless, as the most potent natural toxin, BoNT is classified as a Select Agent in the US, placing C. botulinum research under stringent governmental regulations. The extreme toxicity of BoNT, its impact on public safety, and its diverse therapeutic applications urge to devise safe solutions to expand C. botulinum research. Accordingly, we exploited CRISPR\/Cas9-mediated genome editing to introduce inactivating point mutations into chromosomal bont\/e gene of C. botulinum Beluga E. The resulting Beluga Ei strain displays unchanged physiology and produces inactive BoNT (BoNT\/Ei) recognized in serological assays, but lacking biological activity detectable ex- and in vivo. Neither native single-chain, nor trypsinized di-chain form of BoNT\/Ei show in vivo toxicity, even if isolated from Beluga Ei sub-cultured for 25 generations. Beluga Ei strain constitutes a safe alternative for the BoNT research necessary for public health risk management, the development of food preservation strategies, understanding toxinogenesis, and for structural BoNT studies. The example of Beluga Ei generation serves as template for future development of C. botulinum producing different inactive BoNT serotypes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34616503,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Influence of Maternal Infection and Pregnancy Complications on Cord Blood Telomere Length.\nExposure to suboptimal intrauterine environment might induce structural and functional changes that can affect neonatal health. Telomere length as an important indicator of cellular health has been associated with increased risk for disease development. This study was aimed to examine the independent and combined effects of maternal, obstetric, and foetal factors on cord blood telomere length (TL). Pregnant women at the gestational age of 20th to 24th week who attended the antenatal clinic of a major local hospital in Hong Kong were recruited. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire on demographics, health-related quality of life, and history of risk behaviors. Medical history including pregnancy complications and neonatal outcomes was obtained from electronic medical records of both mother and neonate. Umbilical cord blood was collected at delivery for TL determination. A total of 753 pregnant women (average age: 32.18 \u00b1 4.51 years) were recruited. The prevalence of maternal infection, anaemia, and hypertension during pregnancy was 30.8%, 30.0%, and 6.0%, respectively. The adjusted regression model displayed that maternal infection was negatively associated with cord blood TL (\u03b2 = -0.18, p = 0.026). This association became even stronger in the presence of antenatal anaemia, hypertension, delivery complications, or neonatal jaundice (\u03b2 = -0.25 to -0.45). This study consolidates evidence on the impact of adverse intrauterine environment at the cellular level. Maternal infection was significantly associated with shorter cord blood TL in a unique manner such that its presence may critically determine the susceptibility of telomere to other factors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8530696,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Human trophoblast adhesion to matrix proteins: inhibition and signal transduction.\nAt the time of implantation, the extracellular matrix proteins laminin and fibronectin are abundant in the decidua and are distributed pericellularly around each individual stromal cell. First trimester human trophoblast expresses both laminin and fibronectin receptors, specifically the alpha 1 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, alpha 6 beta 1 and alpha 6 beta 4 integrin heterodimers. In this study we have demonstrated that in-vitro adhesion of first trimester human trophoblast to purified extracellular matrix proteins and to purified decidual stromal cell monolayers can be inhibited by monoclonal antibodies directed against appropriate integrin subunits and by synthetic peptides containing an arginine-glycine-aspartic acid sequence. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the alpha 5 and beta 1 integrin subunits and a synthetic peptide significantly inhibited adhesion to fibronectin. Binding of trophoblast to laminin was blocked with mAbs to the alpha 6 and beta 1 but not alpha 1 and beta 4 integrin subunits. Similarly, integrin-mediated adhesion to monolayers of decidual stromal cells could be blocked with mAbs to the alpha 5, alpha 6, beta 1 and beta 4 integrin subunits. Integrin-mediated signal transduction in normal and malignant trophoblast was investigated by Western blotting. A 115 kDa protein was the major tyrosine phosphorylated protein detected in trophoblast after binding to laminin or fibronectin. The profile of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins differed for malignant trophoblast.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19581283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The aged uterus: multifetal pregnancy outcome after ovum donation in older women.\nWe aimed to investigate whether multifetal pregnancies are at risk of more pregnancy complications in women of advanced age after ovum donation. Pregnancy outcome in women after ovum donation aged 40 and above was extracted. Labor and delivery data as well as antenatal records of women carrying twins were compared with those of singletons, as well as to a control group of all twin pregnancies delivered at Sheba Medical Center during 2007. One hundred and twenty-five women after ovum donation aged > or = 40 were studied. Of those, 42 women carried twin pregnancies and 83 carried singletons. The 42 women carrying twins comprised the study group and were compared with 417 control women with twins. Mean maternal age was 49.2 +\/- 4.3 years. Hypertensive complications (50%), diabetes in pregnancy (31%) and hospitalization in pregnancy (69%) were all extremely high in the study group. Mean gestational age at delivery was lower for the study group compared with controls (35.2 +\/- 2.3 versus 35.7 +\/- 2.6 weeks), with 35.7% of infants in the study group born < or = 34 weeks gestation compared with 21.8% of controls, (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.02-3.89). Mean birthweight was also significantly lower for study group infants compared with controls, with 77% of study infants born <2500 g compared with only 60% of controls (OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.3-3.77). Pregnancy in advanced maternal age women after ovum donation carrying twins is associated with significant maternal and fetal complications, with increased risks of prematurity and lower birthweight. Possibly, the aged uterus is less suitable for carrying a multifetal pregnancy than a younger uterus. Therefore, the alternative of transferring a single, good-quality embryo should be the preferred option.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26505891,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Inflammatory cytokines induce specific time- and concentration-dependent MicroRNA release by chondrocytes, synoviocytes, and meniscus cells.\nIn knee osteoarthritis (OA), concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1\u03b2 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-\u03b1 increase in joint tissues and synovial fluid which incite a catabolic cascade and further the progression of OA. Several microRNAs (miRNA) have been associated with apoptosis (miR-16), inflammation (miR-22, miR-146a), and matrix degradation (miR-140, miR-27b) in developed OA or its symptoms. In this study, the time- and concentration-dependent nature of cellular and extracellular miRNAs in synoviocytes, meniscus cells, and chondrocytes as influenced by inflammatory cytokines was investigated. For time-dependent studies, three cell types were stimulated with 10 ng\/ml IL-1\u03b2 or 50 ng\/ml TNF-\u03b1 for 8, 16, and 24 h. For concentration-dependent studies, chondrocytes were stimulated with a higher level of IL-1\u03b2 (20 ng\/ml) or TNF-\u03b1 (100 ng\/ml) for 8 h. Cellular and extracellular expressions of miR-22, miR-16, miR-146a, miR-27b, and miR-140 were analyzed by RT-PCR. Time-dependent cellular miRNA expressions were similar across the three cell types with miR-146a significantly up-regulated and miR-27b significantly down-regulated at all time points. However, chondrocytes exhibited a unique extracellular miRNA profile with an increased release rate of miR-27b at 24 h. Our findings support further research into the characterization of miRNAs in synovial fluid for the development of early detection strategies of OA or cartilage injury. \u00a9 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 34:779-790, 2016.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32399006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Severe Postoperative Chronic Constipation Related to Anorectal Malformation Managed with Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment.\nConstipation is frequent amongst infants who have undergone surgery for anorectal malformation (ARM). Faecal retention, due to a dysfunctional enteric reflex of defaecation, can cause abdominal cramps, pseudoincontinence and, in the worst cases, megacolon. Prokinetic protocols are used to stimulate at least 1 bowel movement per day, including laxatives, enema, stools softeners and dietary schedules. While osteopathic manipulative treatment is adopted in adults for functional constipation, it has not been described for infants. Herein, we report the case of an infant undergoing anorectoplasty for a low ARM who was referred to the osteopath 2 years after the onset of severe constipation associated with pseudoincontinence and abdominal cramps and was refractory to the prokinetic protocol. In a child with a good ARM prognosis, autonomous daily bowel movements should be achieved. In this child, the imbalanced tension of the pelvic floor and immaturity of the parasympathetic plexus led to a functional alteration of the defaecation reflex. After adjunction of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) to the therapeutic panel, the constipation showed gradual remission, with acquisition of autonomous defaecation 4 months after the therapy began. This suggests the importance of investigating the efficacy of OMT inclusion in the postsurgical prokinetic protocols for ARM patients with a good prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28713147,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"To Enroll or Not to Enroll?: A Researcher Struggles with the Decision to Involve Study Participants in a Clinical Trial That Could Save Their Lives.\nHundreds of thousands of clinical trials are conducted annually around the world, working to further scientific knowledge and expand medical treatment. At the same time, clinical trials also present novel challenges to researchers who have access to large pools of research participants and are routinely approached by pharmaceutical companies seeking to recruit subjects for clinical trials. This case study discusses the ethical dilemmas faced by a community health investigator who received an invitation to enroll people who inject drugs (PWID) into a clinical trial of a drug that promised a new treatment option for Hepatitis C. The author elaborates on the ethical tensions that he confronted between \"doing good\" and \"avoiding harm. The paper suggests that issues of distributive justice should also be considered, particularly when the drugs being tested might eventually command prices that place them out of reach of the population enrolled in the trial. This case does not attempt to provide an ethical road map to assist researchers in similar circumstances, but rather to illustrate some of the considerations involved in making a decision about whether or not to participate in clinical trials research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20418360,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hemorrhagic shock activates lung endothelial reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase via neutrophil NADPH oxidase.\nThe vascular endothelium plays an important role in the regulation of inflammatory responses after trauma and hemorrhage. Interactions of neutrophils with endothelial cells (ECs) contribute to the activation of specific EC responses involved in innate immunity. We have previously reported that oxidants derived from the neutrophil reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase is a critical regulator to EC activation. Our objective was to test the role of neutrophil NADPH oxidase-derived oxidants in mediating and enhancing hemorrhagic shock (HS)-induced activation of lung endothelial NADPH oxidase. Mice were subjected to HS and neutrophil depletion. The mice were also replenished with the neutrophil from NADPH oxidase-deficient mice. The resultant activation of lung NADPH oxidase was analyzed. The in vivo studies were also recapitulated with in vitro neutrophil-EC coculture system. HS induces NADPH oxidase activation in neutrophils and lung through high-mobility group box 1\/Toll-like receptor 4-dependent signaling. In neutropenic mice, shock-induced NADPH oxidase activation in the lung was reduced significantly, but was restored upon repletion with neutrophils obtained from wild-type mice subjected to shock, but not with neutrophils from shock mice lacking the gp91(phox) subunit of NADPH oxidase. The findings were recapitulated in mouse lung vascular ECs cocultured with neutrophils. The data further demonstrate that neutrophil-derived oxidants are key factors mediating augmented High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1)-induced endothelial NADPH oxidase activation through a Rac1-dependent, but p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-independent, pathway. Oxidant signaling by neutrophil NADPH oxidase is an important determinant of activation of endothelial NADPH oxidase after HS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10966016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Enhancing effect of chitosan on peptide drug delivery across buccal mucosa.\nThe buccal mucosa represents a potentially important topical route for delivery of peptide or protein drugs with some unique advantages such as the avoidance of hepatic first-pass metabolism and the acidity and protease activity encountered in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the bioavailabilities or relative potencies of intraorally administered peptides are usually quite low, unless permeabilizers are employed. Chitosan, a mucopolysaccharide of marine origin, has been claimed to act both as a bioadhesive and permeabilizer, making it a candidate system for mucosal drug delivery. In this study, the enhancement effect of chitosan in gel form for oral mucosa was investigated with a large bioactive peptide, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Chitosan gel was prepared at 2% concentration in dilute lactic acid and TGF-beta was incorporated into the gel. The effect of chitosan as a permeabilizer was determined by measuring the flux of TGF-beta across porcine oral mucosa in an in vitro system. The localization of TGF-beta within the oral mucosa was determined by horizontal sectioning and counting. Chitosan was found to exert a marked permeabilizing effect on buccal mucosa for peptide drug.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16051266,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Crystal structure of human T-protein of glycine cleavage system at 2.0 A resolution and its implication for understanding non-ketotic hyperglycinemia.\nT-protein, a component of the glycine cleavage system, catalyzes the formation of ammonia and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate from the aminomethyl moiety of glycine attached to the lipoate cofactor of H-protein. Several mutations in the human T-protein gene cause non-ketotic hyperglycinemia. To gain insights into the effect of disease-causing mutations and the catalytic mechanism at the molecular level, crystal structures of human T-protein in free form and that bound to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-CH3-H4folate) have been determined at 2.0 A and 2.6 A resolution, respectively. The overall structure consists of three domains arranged in a cloverleaf-like structure with the central cavity, where 5-CH3-H4folate is bound in a kinked shape with the pteridine group deeply buried into the hydrophobic pocket and the glutamyl group pointed to the C-terminal side surface. Most of the disease-related residues cluster around the cavity, forming extensive hydrogen bonding networks. These hydrogen bonding networks are employed in holding not only the folate-binding space but also the positions and the orientations of alpha-helix G and the following loop in the middle region, which seems to play a pivotal role in the T-protein catalysis. Structural and mutational analyses demonstrated that Arg292 interacts through water molecules with the folate polyglutamate tail, and that the invariant Asp101, located close to the N10 group of 5-CH3-H4folate, might play a key role in the initiation of the catalysis by increasing the nucleophilic character of the N10 atom of the folate substrate for the nucleophilic attack on the aminomethyl lipoate intermediate. A clever mechanism of recruiting the aminomethyl lipoate arm to the reaction site seems to function as a way of avoiding the release of toxic formaldehyde.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33864880,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Combinatrial treatment of anti-High Mobility Group Box-1 monoclonal antibody and epothilone B improves functional recovery after spinal cord contusion injury.\nSpinal cord injury (SCI) causes motor and sensory deficits and is currently considered an incurable disease. We have previously reported that administration of anti-High Mobility Group Box-1 monoclonal antibody (anti-HMGB1 mAb) preserved lesion area and improved locomotion recovery in mouse model of SCI. In order to further enhance the recovery, we here examined combinatorial treatment of anti-HMGB1 mAb and epothilone B (Epo B), which has been reported to promote axon regeneration. This combinatorial treatment significantly increased hindlimb movement compared with anti-HMGB1 mAb alone, although Epo B alone failed to increase functional recovery. These results are in agreement with that anti-HMGB1 mAb alone was able to decrease the lesion area spreading and increase the surviving neuron numbers around the lesion, whereas Epo B facilitated axon outgrowth only in combination with anti-HMGB1 mAb, suggesting that anti-HMGB1 mAb-dependent tissue preservation is necessary for Epo B to exhibit its therapeutic effect. Taken together, the combinatorial treatment can be considered as a novel and clinically applicable strategy for SCI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34183513,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Liver Transplantation in the Time of a Pandemic: A Widening of the Racial and Socioeconomic Health Care Gap During COVID-19.\nDuring the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, organ transplantation was classified a CMS Tier 3b procedure which should not be postponed. The differential impact of the pandemic on access to liver transplantation was assessed. Disparities in organ access and transplant outcomes among vulnerable populations have served as obstacles in liver transplantation. Using UNOS STARfile data, adult waitlisted candidates were identified from March 1, 2020 to November 30, 2020 (n = 21,702 pandemic) and March 1, 2019 to November 30, 2019 (n = 22,797 pre-pandemic), and further categorized and analyzed by time periods: March to May (Period 1), June to August (Period 2), and September to November (Period 3). Comparisons between pandemic and pre-pandemic groups included: Minority status, demographics, diagnosis, MELD, insurance type, and transplant center characteristics. Liver transplant centers (n = 113) were divided into tertiles by volume (small, medium, large) for further analyses. Multivariable logistic regression was fitted to assess odds of transplant. Competing risk regression was used to predict probability of removal from the waitlist due to transplantation or death and sickness. Additional temporal analyses were performed to assess changes in outcomes over the course of the pandemic. During Period 1 of the pandemic, Minorities showed greater reduction in both listing (-14% vs -12% Whites), and transplant (-15% vs -7% Whites), despite a higher median MELD at transplant (23 vs 20 Whites, P < 0.001). Of candidates with public insurance, Minorities demonstrated an 18.5% decrease in transplants during Period 1 (vs -8% Whites). Although large programs increased transplants during Period 1, accounting for 61.5% of liver transplants versus 53.4% pre-pandemic (P < 0.001), Minorities constituted significantly fewer transplants at these programs during this time period (27.7% pandemic vs 31.7% pre-pandemic, P = 0.04). Although improvements in disparities in candidate listings, removals, and transplants were observed during Periods 2 and 3, the adjusted odds ratio of transplant for Minorities was 0.89 (95% CI 0.83-0.96, P = 0.001) over the entire pandemic period. COVID-19's effect on access to liver transplantation has been ubiquitous. However, Minorities, especially those with public insurance, have been disproportionately affected. Importantly, despite the uncertainty and challenges, our systems have remarkable resiliency, as demonstrated by the temporal improvements observed during Periods 2 and 3. As the pandemic persists, and the aftermath ensues, health care systems must consciously strive to identify and equitably serve vulnerable populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11139401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Oxidation of pyridine nucleotides during Fas- and ceramide-induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells: correlation with changes in mitochondria, glutathione depletion, intracellular acidification and caspase 3 activation.\nJurkat T cells showed a major, early decrease in blue autofluorescence in response to Fas\/Apo-1\/CD95 cross-linking or stimulation with cell-permeant ceramide. This indicates the oxidation\/depletion of NADH or NADPH before the onset of apoptosis. Kinetic studies, cytofluorimetric multiparameter analyses and cell sorting experiments indicated a close temporal relationship between NAD(P)H oxidation\/depletion and the dissipation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)). In contrast, NAD(P)H depletion was detected well before several other changes associated with late apoptosis, including enhanced superoxide generation, phosphatidylserine exposure on the cell surface, loss of cytosolic K(+), decreased cytoplasmic pH, nuclear DNA fragmentation, cell shrinkage, loss of viability and the appearance of the mitochondrial antigen APO2.7. Full activation of caspase 9 and caspase 3 appeared to be correlated with the appearance of superoxide anions in the mitochondria, and followed the drop in NADPH. Overexpression of the apoptosis-inhibitory proto-oncogene Bcl-2, which encodes an inhibitor of the mitochondrial permeability transition (PT) pore, delayed both the DeltaPsi(m) disruption and the depletion of NAD(P)H. Similar effects were observed with the pharmacological PT pore inhibitors, bongkrekic acid and cyclosporin A. Thus there appears to be a close functional relationship between mitochondrial and cellular redox changes during early apoptosis; events that are inhibited by Bcl-2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33831110,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Maternal nutrient restriction in late pregnancy programs postnatal metabolism and pituitary development in beef heifers.\nMaternal undernutrition during pregnancy followed by ad libitum access to nutrients during postnatal life induces postnatal metabolic disruptions in multiple species. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to evaluate postnatal growth, metabolism, and development of beef heifers exposed to late gestation maternal nutrient restriction. Pregnancies were generated via transfer of in vitro embryos produced using X-bearing sperm from a single Angus sire. Pregnant dams were randomly assigned to receive either 100% (control; n = 9) or 70% (restricted; n = 9) of their total energy requirements from gestational day 158 to parturition. From post-natal day (PND) 301 until slaughter (PND485), heifers were individually fed ad libitum in a Calan gate facility. Calves from restricted dams were lighter than controls at birth (P<0.05) through PND70 (P<0.05) with no difference in body weight from PND105 through PND485 (P>0.10). To assess pancreatic function, glucose tolerance tests were performed on PND315 and PND482 and a diet effect was seen with glucose area under the curve being greater (P<0.05) in calves born to restricted dams compared to controls. At slaughter, total internal fat was greater (P<0.05) in heifers born to restricted dams, while whole pituitary weight was lighter (P<0.05). Heifers from restricted dams had fewer growth hormone-positive cells (somatotrophs) compared to controls (P<0.05). Results demonstrate an impaired ability to clear peripheral glucose in heifers born to restricted dams leading to increased deposition of internal fat. A reduction in the number of somatotrophs may contribute to the adipogenic phenotype of heifers born to restricted dams due to growth hormone's known anabolic roles in growth, lipolysis, and pancreatic islet function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23320623,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Patient and doctor attitudes and beliefs concerning perioperative do not resuscitate orders: anesthesiologists' growing compliance with patient autonomy and self determination guidelines.\nIn 1993, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) published guidelines stating that automatic perioperative suspension of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders conflicts with patients' rights to self-determination. Almost 20 years later, we aimed to explore both patient and doctor views concerning perioperative DNR status. Five-hundred consecutive patients visiting our preoperative evaluation clinic were surveyed and asked whether they had made decisions regarding resuscitation and to rate their agreement with several statements concerning perioperative resuscitation. Anesthesiologists, surgeons and internists at our tertiary referral institution were also surveyed. They were asked to assess their likelihood of following a hypothetical patient's DNR status and to rate their level of agreement with a series of non-scenario related statements concerning ethical and practical aspects of perioperative resuscitation. Over half of patients (57%) agreed that pre-existing DNR requests should be suspended while undergoing a surgical procedure under anesthesia, but 92% believed a discussion between the doctor and patient regarding perioperative resuscitation plans should still occur. Thirty percent of doctors completing the survey believed that DNR orders should automatically be suspended intraoperatively. Anesthesiologists (18%) were significantly less likely to suspend DNR orders than surgeons (38%) or internists (34%) (p < 0.01). Although many patients agree that their DNR orders should be suspended for their operation, they expect a discussion regarding the performance and nature of perioperative resuscitation. In contrast to previous studies, anesthesiologists were least likely to automatically suspend a DNR order.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27566481,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Effects of reduced mitochondrial DNA content on secondary mitochondrial toxicant exposure in Caenorhabditis elegans.\nThe mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) is intimately linked to cellular and organismal health, as demonstrated by the fact that mutations in and depletion of mtDNA result in severe mitochondrial disease in humans. However, cells contain hundreds to thousands of copies of mtDNA, which provides genetic redundancy, and creates a threshold effect in which a large percentage of mtDNA must be lost prior to clinical pathogenesis. As certain pharmaceuticals and genetic mutations can result in depletion of mtDNA, and as many environmental toxicants target mitochondria, it is important to understand whether reduced mtDNA will sensitize an individual to toxicant exposure. Here, using ethidium bromide (EtBr), which preferentially inhibits mtDNA replication, we reduced mtDNA 35-55% in the in vivo model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Chronic, lifelong, low-dose EtBr exposure did not disrupt nematode development or lifespan, and induced only mild alterations in mitochondrial respiration, while having no effect on steady-state ATP levels. Next, we exposed nematodes with reduced mtDNA to the known and suspected mitochondrial toxicants aflatoxin B1, arsenite, paraquat, rotenone or ultraviolet C radiation (UVC). EtBr pre-exposure resulted in mild sensitization of nematodes to UVC and arsenite, had no effect on AfB1 and paraquat, and provided some protection from rotenone toxicity. These mixed results provide a first line of evidence suggesting that reduced mtDNA content may sensitize an individual to certain environmental exposures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9419951,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Complications of membrane-filtration plasma exchange.\nPlasma exchange (PE) has been extensively used to treat a variety of disease states in the past three decades. Although PE is commonly thought to be a relatively safe procedure, a number of unpleasant side effects may occur. To highlight the need for continuing quality assurance in providing PE service, a retrospective review of PE records over a 13-year period was undertaken. From April 1983 to March 1996, 694 therapeutic PE procedures, membrane-filtration type, were performed on a total of 157 patients in this hospital. Plasmaflo op-05(L) (Asahi Japan) was used as the plasma separator and fresh frozen plasma of one plasma volume as replacement fluid. The PE sheets for all procedures were reviewed as were medical charts in order to evaluate clinical efficacy. Totally 694 PEs in 157 patients, 84 male and 73 females, ranging in age from 1 to 75 years (median, 35 years), were treated. Patients received a median of 4 treatments (range, 1 to 34). The most frequent indications were severe jaundice (41.4%), systemic lupus erythematosus (23.6%), and myasthenia gravis (15.3%). The overall effective rate was 40.8%, and was best in neurological diseases (91.4% effective). Complications of PE were noted during 36% of the procedures involving 59.2% of the patients treated. The most common adverse reactions were paresthesia (12.7%), chills (10.2%), urticaria (8.5%), chest pain (5.9%), nausea (2.9%) and dyspnea (2.0%). Less common complications included: catheter infection (0.3%), catheter oozing (1.2%), dizziness (1.3%), headache (0.4%), muscle cramps (1.3%), vomiting (0.4%), abdominal pain (0.9%), fever (0.3%), hypotension (1.3%), bleeding (0.4%), consciousness change (0.7%) and respiratory arrest (0.4%). These complications were classified as \"mild\" (23%), \"moderate\" (11.4%) and \"severe\" (1.6%). No deaths occurred within 24 hours after PE. Although the use of membrane-filtration PE represents a valuable and relatively safe therapy, some life-threatening reactions do occur.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30087980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Crystallization of low molecular weight atactic polystyrene.\nWe observe and characterize the crystallization of atactic polystyrenes (PS) of nearly oligomeric Mw using atomic force microscopy. We find that the low Mw polystyrene exhibits observable crystals on the surface. The crystals appear to be a few nm thick and nm to microns wide. These crystals grow at all temperatures less than \u223c290 K. Melting of crystals was probed over an extended temperature range, and some fraction of the crystals start to melt at 302 K, but some fraction persist to higher temperatures and do not exhibit complete melting until 343 K. The tacticity of the molecules is tested with NMR spectroscopy and found to be atactic. We suggest that the crystals form due simply to the distribution of isomerism along the molecule which necessarily leaves some fraction of the molecules with uniform stereoregularity. This natural crystallinity may be related to previously observed and not definitively explained gel formation in atactic PS (a-PS), as well as cluster formation. The measurements are compared with the theory by Semenov (Macromolecules, 2009, 42, 6761) and together suggest that such crystallinity is possible over a wide range of polymerization index (N), and is limited only by the vanishingly small volume fractions and sluggish growth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24072228,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Influence of specific training on spatio-temporal parameters at the onset of goal-directed reaching in infants.\nThere is evidence that long-term experience can promote functional changes in infants. However, much remains unknown about how a short-term experience affects performance of a task. This study aims to investigate the influence of a single training session at the onset of goal-directed reaching on the spatio-temporal parameters of reaching and whether there are differences in the effects of training across different reaching positions. Thirty-three infants were divided into three groups: 1) a control group; 2) a group that was reach trained in a reclined position; and 3) a group trained in the supine position. The infants were submitted to two assessments (pre- and post-training) in two testing positions (supine and reclined at 45\u00b0). The short-duration training sessions were effective in promoting shorter reaches in the specific position in which the training was conducted. Training in the reclined position was associated with shorter and faster reaches upon assessment in the reclined position. A few minutes of reach training are effective in facilitating reaching behavior in infants at the onset of reaching. The improvements in reaching were specific to the position in which the infants were trained.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30808011,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Dosimetric accuracy of dynamic couch rotation during volumetric modulated arc therapy (DCR-VMAT) for primary brain tumours.\nRadiotherapy treatment plans using dynamic couch rotation during volumetric modulated arc therapy (DCR-VMAT) reduce the dose to organs at risk (OARs) compared to coplanar VMAT, while maintaining the dose to the planning target volume (PTV). This paper seeks to validate this finding with measurements. DCR-VMAT treatment plans were produced for five patients with primary brain tumours and delivered using a commercial linear accelerator (linac). Dosimetric accuracy was assessed using point dose and radiochromic film measurements. Linac-recorded mechanical errors were assessed by extracting deviations from log files for multi-leaf collimator (MLC), couch, and gantry positions every 20 ms. Dose distributions, reconstructed from every fifth log file sample, were calculated and used to determine deviations from the treatment plans. Median (range) treatment delivery times were 125 s (123-133 s) for DCR-VMAT, compared to 78 s (64-130 s) for coplanar VMAT. Absolute point doses were 0.8% (0.6%-1.7%) higher than prediction. For coronal and sagittal films, respectively, 99.2% (96.7%-100%) and 98.1% (92.9%-99.0%) of pixels above a 20% low dose threshold reported gamma <1 for 3% and 3 mm criteria. Log file analysis showed similar gantry rotation root-mean-square error (RMSE) for VMAT and DCR-VMAT. Couch rotation RMSE for DCR-VMAT was 0.091\u00b0 (0.086-0.102\u00b0). For delivered dose reconstructions, 100% of pixels above a 5% low dose threshold reported gamma <1 for 2% and 2 mm criteria in all cases. DCR-VMAT, for the primary brain tumour cases studied, can be delivered accurately using a commercial linac.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16968214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cell survival responses to environmental stresses via the Keap1-Nrf2-ARE pathway.\nKeap1-Nrf2-ARE signaling plays a significant role in protecting cells from endogenous and exogenous stresses. The development of Nrf2 knockout mice has provided key insights into the toxicological importance of this pathway. These mice are more sensitive to the hepatic, pulmonary, ovarian, and neurotoxic consequences of acute exposures to environmental agents and drugs, inflammatory stresses, as well as chronic exposures to cigarette smoke and other carcinogens. Under quiescent conditions, the transcription factor Nrf2 interacts with the actin-anchored protein Keap1, largely localized in the cytoplasm. This quenching interaction maintains low basal expression of Nrf2-regulated genes. However, upon recognition of chemical signals imparted by oxidative and electrophilic molecules, Nrf2 is released from Keap1, escapes proteasomal degradation, translocates to the nucleus, and transactivates the expression of several dozen cytoprotective genes that enhance cell survival. This review highlights the key elements in this adaptive response to protection against acute and chronic cell injury provoked by environmental stresses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33861339,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"How Nearby Homicides Affect Young Women's Pregnancy Desires: Evidence From a Quasi-Experiment.\nLeveraging spatiotemporal variation in homicides that occurred during a 2.5-year weekly panel survey of 387 women ages 18-22 in Flint, Michigan, we investigate how young women's desires to become pregnant and to avoid pregnancy evolve in response to local homicides during the transition to adulthood. To address the endogeneity of exposure, we explore how the same woman's pregnancy desires (1) differed, on average, across weeks before and after the first homicide occurred within a quarter mile of her home; (2) evolved in the aftermath of this initial homicide exposure; and (3) changed in response to additional nearby homicides. One-fifth (22%) of women were exposed to a nearby homicide at least once during the study, and one-third of these women were exposed multiple times. Overall, the effects of nearby homicides were gradual: although average desires to become pregnant and to avoid pregnancy differed after initial exposure, these differences emerged approximately three to five months post-exposure. Repeated exposure to nearby homicides had nonlinear effects on how much women wanted to become pregnant and how much they wanted to avoid pregnancy. Together, our analyses provide a new explanation for why some young women-especially those who are socially disadvantaged-desire pregnancy at an early age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21953961,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Assessment of intracellular methotrexate and methotrexate-polyglutamate metabolite concentrations in erythrocytes by ultrafast matrix-assisted laser desorption\/ionization triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.\nA new ultrafast quantitative and high-throughput mass spectrometric method using matrix-assisted laser desorption\/ionization triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry has been developed and validated for determination of intracellular erythrocyte concentrations of the antifolate drug methotrexate (MTX) and its polyglutamate metabolites. The method consists of a solid-phase extraction of MTX and MTX-polyglutamate metabolites from deproteinized erythrocyte lysates spiked with aminopterin as internal standard. The newly developed method was validated according to the most recent FDA guidelines on linearity, recovery, within-run and between-run accuracy and precision and stability of the analytes. The low limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 10 nmol\/L for all analytes while the limit of detection (LOD) determined at a signal-to-noise (S\/N) ratio = 3:1 in drug- free erythrocyte lysate was on average 0.3 nmol\/L. After validation, the new method was used in the measurement of intracellular erythrocyte concentrations of MTX and MTX-polyglutamate metabolites (MTXPG2 to MTXPG7) in packed human erythrocyte samples collected from patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving low-dose oral methotrexate therapy. Mean (SD) intracellular erythrocyte concentrations observed in patient samples were 12.8 (12.6), 12.4 (9.4), 44.4 (30.0), 33.6 (35.9) and 9.4 (8.2) nmol\/L for MTX to MTXPG5, respectively, in 10(6) erythrocytes. The highest observed glutamylation degree of MTX was MTXPG5, the very long chain MTX-polyglutamate metabolites MTXPG6 and MTXPG7 were not detected in the packed erythrocyte pellets collected from rheumatoid arthritis patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34163746,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"17O NMR spectroscopy of crystalline microporous materials.\nMicroporous materials, containing pores and channels of similar dimensions to small molecules have a range of applications in catalysis, gas storage and separation and in drug delivery. Their complex structure, often containing different types and levels of positional, compositional and temporal disorder, makes structural characterisation challenging, with information on both long-range order and the local environment required to understand the structure-property relationships and improve the future design of functional materials. In principle, 17O NMR spectroscopy should offer an ideal tool, with oxygen atoms lining the pores of many zeolites and phosphate frameworks, playing a vital role in host-guest chemistry and reactivity, and linking the organic and inorganic components of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). However, routine study is challenging, primarily as a result of the low natural abundance of this isotope (0.037%), exacerbated by the presence of the quadrupolar interaction that broadens the spectral lines and hinders the extraction of information. In this Perspective, we will highlight the current state-of-the-art for 17O NMR of microporous materials, focusing in particular on cost-effective and atom-efficient approaches to enrichment, the use of enrichment to explore chemical reactivity, the challenge of spectral interpretation and the approaches used to help this and the information that can be obtained from NMR spectra. Finally, we will turn to the remaining challenges, including further improving sensitivity, the high-throughput generation of multiple structural models for computational study and the possibility of in situ and in operando measurements, and give a personal perspective on how these required improvements can be used to help solve important problems in microporous materials chemistry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3982745,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Endometrial biopsy, bacteremia, and endocarditis risk.\nAlthough bacterial endocarditis in women at risk because of endocardial lesions frequently follows pregnancy-related pelvic surgery, endometrial biopsy with or without brushing for cytology was not known to be associated with bacteremia or endocarditis risk. Because a patient who developed acute bacterial endocarditis as a result of endometrial biopsy performed without antibiotic prophylaxis was encountered, 50 subsequent patients undergoing endometrial brushing and biopsy were studied and postprocedure bacteremia was found in four, all of whom were premenopausal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17619954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Static shear strength between polished stem and seven commercial acrylic bone cements.\nThe stem-cement interface is one of the most significant sites in cemented total hip replacement and has long been implicated in failure of the whole joint system. However, shear strength at this interface has rarely been compared across a range of commercially available bone cements. The present study seeks to address this issue by carrying out a comparative study. The results indicated that the static shear strength was more dependent on cement type than cement viscosity and volume. However, both cement type and viscosity were contributory factors on porosity and micropore size in the cement surface. There was no significant difference between Simplex P and Simplex P with Tobramycin. Although the bone cements were all hand mixed in this study, the static shear strength was significantly larger than the values recorded by other researchers, and the porosity and micropore size showed much lower values. Bone cement transfer films were detected on the stem surface, typically about 4-10 mum thick. They were considered to be an important factor contributing to high friction at the stem-cement interface after initial debonding.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35102216,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Strategies for COVID-19 vaccination under a shortage scenario: a geo-stochastic modelling approach.\nIn a world being hit by waves of COVID-19, vaccination is a light on the horizon. However, the roll-out of vaccination strategies and their influence on the pandemic are still open questions. In order to compare the effect of various strategies proposed by the World Health Organization and other authorities, a previously developed SEIRS stochastic model of geographical spreading of the virus is extended by adding a compartment for vaccinated people. The parameters of the model were fitted to describe the pandemic evolution in Argentina, Mexico and Spain to analyze the effect of the proposed vaccination strategies. The mobility parameters allow to simulate different social behaviors (e.g. lock-down interventions). Schemes in which vaccines are applied homogeneously in all the country, or limited to the most densely-populated areas, are simulated and compared. The second strategy is found to be more effective. Moreover, under the current global shortage of vaccines, it should be remarked that immunization is enhanced when mobility is reduced. Additionally, repetition of vaccination campaigns should be timed considering the immunity lapse of the vaccinated (and recovered) people. Finally, the model is extended to include the effect of isolation of detected positive cases, shown to be important to reduce infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22056079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Prevalence of proteinuria and its association with HIV\/AIDS in Congolese children living in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo].\nIn Sub-Saharian Africa, the extent of the HIV-related kidney diseases is less known. Even so, that region is supposed to be the epicentre of such complications. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of proteinuria in Congolese children living in Kinshasa and to study its association with the HIV infection. By a cross-sectional and multicentric study (in six hospitals of Kinshasa), 194 children were consecutively recruited from August 2008 to February 2009. Among these, 101 naives HIV-infected children and 93 HIV-uninfected children like a control group. Proteinuria was assessed using urine dipstick completed by the 24-hour proteinuria assessment (Esbach method). Determinants of proteinuria were assessed by logistic regression. The median age of all children recruited was 84 months (9-221 months). Concerning the HIV-infected children, the median age was 76 months (9-221 months) with a male\/female ratio of 1\/1. The prevalence of proteinuria in this group was in order to 23.8%. HIV infected children have seven times more probability to present proteinuria than non infected children (OR 6.9; IC 95%: 2.3-20.8; P<0.001). Important immunosuppression was the main determinant of proteinuria (OR 10.4; IC 95%: 3.34-32.48; P<0.001). Proteinuria is common in Congolese children. The HIV infection rises significantly the probability to present proteinuria in children of this study, more so among those with important immunosuppression. This raises the question about the ideal time to initiate HAART in order to reduce the prevalence of kidney injury and to provide the best outcome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10175332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An alternative method for evaluating lipoprotein(a) excess in plasma.\nTo estimate the stability and reliability of lipoprotein(a) cholesterol measurement, and explore the possibility to evaluate lipoprotein(a) excess in plasma by using lipoprotein(a)-cholesterol assay alternatively to assay lipoprotein(a). Number 255 Hospital of PLA, Tangshan, Hebei, China. A total of 396 plasma samples from 100 healthy people (control), 107 chronic renal failure patients, 114 coronary heart disease patients, and 75 cerebral infarction patients, respectively, were measured for lipoprotein(a) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) mass; lipoprotein(a) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) mass levels among control and diseased groups were compared; and lipoprotein(a) cholesterol levels and lipoprotein(a) mass values from the control group were subjected to linear regression analysis. The affinity between oligosaccharide contained in lipoprotein(a) and lectin wheat germ agglutinin to isolate lipoprotein(a) from other lipoproteins; lipoprotein(a) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) mass detected by total cholesterol kits and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay kits, respectively. Both lipoprotein(a) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) mass levels of the chronic renal failure, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction groups were significantly higher than those of the control (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) whereas no difference was seen among the diseased groups at the 0.05 level. Regression analysis within the control group showed a very high correlation between lipoprotein(a) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) (r = 0.9932). The results suggest that lipoprotein(a) cholesterol assay may be used in the place of lipoprotein(a) measurement for evaluating lipoprotein(a) excess for chronic renal failure, coronary heart disease, and cerebral infarction patients. Further studies about the mechanism of this association between lipoprotein(a) cholesterol and lipoprotein(a) levels are needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16490152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The influence of method-related partner violence on covert pill use and pill discontinuation among women living in La Paz, El Alto and Santa Cruz, Bolivia.\nIntimate partner violence is widespread worldwide. While assumed to impact women's ability to use contraceptive methods, few data are available to support this claim. In this study, eight focus group discussions were conducted to guide questionnaire development and to provide contextual information. Participants were women who were currently using the pill and women who had used the pill previously. In addition, 300 women were interviewed who initiated oral contraceptive pill use between December 1995 and April 1996. Participants were interviewed 3-6 months later to investigate the role intimate partner violence played in covert pill use and pill discontinuation. Special study procedures for asking women questions about violence were employed. Nineteen per cent of the women interviewed were using the pill covertly. The odds of covert pill use were four times higher in El Alto and La Paz than in Santa Cruz. Women who used the pill covertly were more likely to have experienced method-related partner violence (OR = 21.27) than women whose partners knew of their pill use. One-third of the women had discontinued pill use at the time of the interview. In the final multivariate analysis, having experienced side-effects (OR = 2.37) was a significant predictor of pill discontinuation and method-related partner violence was marginally predictive (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.0-3.66). While efforts are ongoing to incorporate men into family planning programmes, some male partners oppose, and in some situations violently oppose, contraceptive use. The needs of women with these types of partners must not be overlooked.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28246858,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Coxitis in newborns and infants.\nFrom 1985 to 1996 (12 years) we saw 24 neonates and small infants with septic arthritis of the hip joint. A minority of these infants was simultaneously affected by osteomyelitis of the femoral neck or the acetabulum. Clinical signs are a painful leg, pseudoparalysis, uneasiness and refusal to drink. Quantitative measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) are more reliable then leucocyte count and sedimentation rate. Ultrasound images yield early information about capsular swelling and septic effusion; in late cases US can visualize femoral neck necrosis. Emergency arthrotomy to relieve the joint from septic effusion, bacteriological specimens and capsular biopsy are mandatory. Intravenous application of a second-generation cephalosporin as antibiotic has proven effective. We have been using cefuroxim for the past 10 years, changed if necessary according to the antibiogram. Parenteral antibiotic treatment is continued for an average of 3 weeks, followed by oral treatment for another 3 weeks. CRP normalisation monitors the cure from the disease. Our 24 cases included 7 with group B streptococci 2 with Staphylococcus aureus, 2 with Staphylococcus epidermidis and 2 with Escherichia coli. In 8 cases no germs could be cultured; 6 of them had outside antibiotic treatment before being transferred. If treatment was initiated within 3 days, healing without residuals was the rule. In 18 cases with early and sufficient treatment no sequelae were observed. With delay of treatment for several days, moderate osteomyelitic changes of the neck and the acetabulum were observed. In a case with delay of surgical treatment for 5 weeks, complete destruction of the hip joint occurred, causing a poor final result.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35511475,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Open left thoracoabdominal esophagectomy a viable option in the era of minimally invasive esophagectomy.\nMinimally invasive surgical technique has become standard at many institutions in esophageal cancer surgery. In some situations, however other surgical approaches are required. Left thoracoabdominal esophagectomy (LTE) facilitates complete resection of esophageal cancer particularly for bulky distal esophageal tumors, but there are concerns that this approach is associated with significant morbidity. Prospectively entered esophagectomy databases from three high-volume centers were reviewed for patients undergoing LTE or MIE 2009-2019. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, operative outcomes, postoperative outcomes, and pathologic surrogates of oncologic efficacy (R0 resection rate, and number of resected lymph nodes) were compared. In total 915 patients were included in the study, LTE was applied in 684 (74.8%) patients, and MIE in 231 (25.2%) patients. LTE patients had more locally advanced tumor stage and received more neoadjuvant treatment. Patients treated with MIE had more comorbidities. The results showed no difference in overall postoperative complications (LTE = 61.7%, MIE = 65.7%, P = 0.289), severe complications (Clavien-Dindo \u2265IIIa (LTE = 25.9%, MIE 26.8%, P = 0.806)), pneumonia (LTE = 29.0%, MIE = 24.7%, P = 0.211), anastomotic leak (LTE = 7.8%, MIE = 11.3%, P = 0.101), or in-hospital mortality (LTE = 2.6%, MIE = 3.5%, P = 0.511). Median number of resected lymph nodes was 24 for LTE and 25 for MIE (P = 0.491). LTE was used for more advanced tumors in patients that were more likely to have received neoadjuvant treatment compared with MIE, however postoperative morbidity, mortality, and oncologic outcomes were equivalent to that of MIE in this cohort. In conclusion open resection with left thoracoabdominal approach is a valid option in selected patients when performed at high-volume esophagectomy centers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19022855,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Level and determinants of incentives for village midwives in Indonesia.\nSince the early 1990s Indonesia has attempted to increase the level of skilled attendance at birth by placing rural midwives in every village in an effort to reduce persistently high levels of maternal mortality. Yet evidence suggests that there remains insufficient incentive to ensure an equal distribution across areas while the poor in all areas continue to access skilled attendance much less than those in richer groups. We report on a survey that was conducted as part of a complex evaluation of the rural midwife programme in Banten Province, to better understand the effect of financial incentives on the distribution of midwives and use of services. Midwives obtain almost two-thirds of their income from private clinical practice. Private income is strongly associated with competence and experience. Multivariate analysis suggests that midwives are well able to earn a substantial private income even in remoter areas. Yet the study also found a high level of unwillingness to move posts to a more remote area for a variety of non-financial reasons. The results suggest that the access to skilled attendance of those unable to afford fees may be impaired by the dependence on fee income, a result supported by companion household studies. In addition, ensuring that staff live and work in remoter areas is only likely to be financially sustainable if midwives can be attracted to live in these areas early in their careers. Finally, the overall strategy of basing skilled attendance mainly on village services throughout the country may need to be re-visited, with alternative models offered in areas where it continues to be impractical even with a change in the incentive framework.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34158383,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Randomized Study of Bedside vs Hallway Rounding: Neurology Rounding Study.\nOver the last century, attending rounds have shifted away from the bedside. Despite evidence for greater patient satisfaction rates and improved nursing perception of teamwork with bedside presentations, residents and attending physicians are apprehensive of the bedside approach. There is lack of data to guide rounding practices within neurology, and therefore, optimal rounding methods remain unclear. The objective of this study was to compare bedside rounding with hallway rounding on an academic neurology inpatient service and assess efficiency, trainee education, and satisfaction among patients and staff. We conducted a single-center prospective randomized study of bedside vs hallway rounding on new inpatient neurology admissions over 1-week blocks. The bedside team presented patients at the bedside, whereas the hallway team presented patients outside of the patient's room. We evaluated the 2 approaches with time-motion analysis, which investigated the rounding style's effect on composition and timing of rounds (primary outcome) and surveys of patients, nurses, residents, and attending physicians on both teams (secondary outcomes). The mean rounding time per newly admitted patient in the bedside group (n = 38 patients) and hallway group (n = 41 patients) was 23 minutes and 23.2 minutes, respectively (p = 0.93). The bedside group spent on average 56.4% of patient rounding time in the patient's room, whereas the hallway group spent 39.5% of rounding time in the patient's room (p = 0.036). Residents perceived hallway rounding to be more efficient and associated it with a superior educational experience and more effective data review. Nurses had improved perception of their participation in bedside rounds. Although patients' views of bedside and hallway rounds were similar, patients who had experienced bedside rounds preferred it. In conclusion, bedside rounding was perceived less favorably by most residents but was as efficient as hallway rounding. Although bedside rounding limited the use of technology for data review, it promoted nursing participation and resulted in more time spent with the patient. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Registered retrospectively per the editors' suggestion (NCT04754828).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28700143,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Consequences of brain tumour resection on emotion recognition.\nEmotion processing impairments are common in patients undergoing brain surgery for fronto-temporal tumour resection, with potential consequences on social interactions. However, evidence is controversial concerning side and site of lesions causing such deficits. This study investigates visual and auditory emotion recognition in brain tumour patients with the aim of clarifying which lesion sites are related to impairments in emotion processing from different modalities. Thirty-four patients were evaluated, before and after surgery, on facial expression and emotional prosody recognition; voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) analyses were performed on patients' post-surgery MRI images. Results showed that patients' performance decreased after surgery in both visual and auditory modalities, but, in general, recovered 3 months after surgery. In facial expression recognition, left brain-damaged patients showed greater post-surgery deterioration than right brain-damaged ones, whose performance specifically decreased for sadness and fear. VLSM analysis revealed two segregated areas in the left hemisphere accounting for post-surgery scores for happy (fronto-temporo-insular region) and surprised (middle frontal gyrus and inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus) facial expressions. Our findings demonstrate that surgical removal of tumours in the fronto-temporal region produces impairment in facial emotion recognition with an overall recovery at 3 months, suggesting a partially different representation of positive and negative emotions in the left and right hemispheres for visually - but not auditory - presented emotions; moreover, we show that deficits in specific expression recognition are associated with discrete lesion locations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2577954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The neuropeptide head activator loses its biological acitivity by dimerization.\nOn molecular sieve columns the neuropeptide head activator elutes at two distinct positions corresponding to apparent mol. wts of 700 and 1400 daltons. The low mol. wt component is stable only under high ionic conditions and represents the monomeric state of the head activator. Only this form is biologically active. The higher mol. wt component, which is reapidly formed under physiological conditions, is the dimeric head activator and is biologically inactive. We suggest that this dimerization is of biological relevance as a mechanism for inactivation of neuropeptides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12296474,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Biological response modifiers in cancer therapy.\nBiological response modifiers improve the body's ability to fight cancer by immunostimulation. Although a century has passed since the first attempt was made to stimulate the host immune system against cancer, only the past decade has witnessed the scientific use of biological response modifiers. Recent advances in tumour immunology have enabled the development of specific agents targeted against cancer cells. Various biological response modifiers include monoclonal antibodies, interferons, interleukins, tumour necrosis factor, colony stimulating factors and anticancer vaccines. Monoclonal antibodies directed against tumour-specific agents have been approved for the treatment of breast cancer (trastuzumab), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (rituximab) and for the diagnosis of certain cancers (oncoscint). Interferons are indicated for the treatment of certain leukaemias and Kaposi's sarcoma to inhibit tumour proliferation and angiogenesis. Interleukin-2 is the most widely studied interleukin, and is used for immunostimulation in metastatic renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Haematopoletic growth factors are often combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy to restore bone marrow function and treat complications such as infection and bleeding. Thalidomide, which suppresses tumour necrosis factor-alpha production and has antiangiogenic properties, is currently under evaluation in several cancers. Various anticancer vaccines are being developed using tumour cells, carbohydrates, peptides and heat-shock proteins as antigens. DNA-based vaccinations and the use of recombinant bacteria and viruses to deliver antigens or the DNA coding for them are also being investigated. However, the optimum choice of antigen, delivery vector and adjuvant, and administration regimen for some of these biological response modifiers are still being investigated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33562203,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"HIV mRNA Vaccines-Progress and Future Paths.\nThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic introduced the world to a new type of vaccine based on mRNA encapsulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). Instead of delivering antigenic proteins directly, an mRNA-based vaccine relies on the host's cells to manufacture protein immunogens which, in turn, are targets for antibody and cytotoxic T cell responses. mRNA-based vaccines have been the subject of research for over three decades as a platform to protect against or treat a variety of cancers, amyloidosis and infectious diseases. In this review, we discuss mRNA-based approaches for the generation of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to HIV. We examine the special immunological hurdles for a vaccine to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies and effective T cell responses to HIV. Lastly, we outline an mRNA-based HIV vaccination strategy based on the immunobiology of broadly neutralizing antibody development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17205909,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Litter and dead wood dynamics in ponderosa pine forests along a 160-year chronosequence.\nDisturbances such as fire play a key role in controlling ecosystem structure. In fire-prone forests, organic detritus comprises a large pool of carbon and can control the frequency and intensity of fire. The ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range, USA, where fire has been suppressed for a century, provide an ideal system for studying the long-term dynamics of detrital pools. Our objectives were (1) to quantify the long-term temporal dynamics of detrital pools; and (2) to determine to what extent present stand structure, topography, and soils constrain these dynamics. We collected data on downed dead wood, litter, duff (partially decomposed litter on the forest floor), stand structure, topographic position, and soils for 31 sites along a 160-year chronosequence. We developed a compartment model and parameterized it to describe the temporal trends in the detrital pools. We then developed four sets of statistical models, quantifying the hypothesized relationship between pool size and (1) stand structure, (2) topography, (3) soils variables, and (4) time since fire. We contrasted how much support each hypothesis had in the data using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). Time since fire explained 39-80% of the variability in dead wood of different size classes. Pool size increased to a peak as material killed by the fire fell, then decomposed rapidly to a minimum (61-85 years after fire for the different pools). It then increased, presumably as new detritus was produced by the regenerating stand. Litter was most strongly related to canopy cover (r2 = 77%), suggesting that litter fall, rather than decomposition, controls its dynamics. The temporal dynamics of duff were the hardest to predict. Detrital pool sizes were more strongly related to time since fire than to environmental variables. Woody debris peak-to-minimum time was 46-67 years, overlapping the range of historical fire return intervals (1 to > 100 years). Fires may therefore have burned under a wide range of fuel conditions, supporting the hypothesis that this region's fire regime was mixed severity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38124559,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dynamic analysis of a bacterial resistance model with impulsive state feedback control.\nBacterial resistance caused by prolonged administration of the same antibiotics exacerbates the threat of bacterial infection to human health. It is essential to optimize antibiotic treatment measures. In this paper, we formulate a simplified model of conversion between sensitive and resistant bacteria. Subsequently, impulsive state feedback control is introduced to reduce bacterial resistance to a low level. The global asymptotic stability of the positive equilibrium and the orbital stability of the order-1 periodic solution are proved by the Poincar\u00e9-Bendixson Theorem and the theory of the semi-continuous dynamical system, respectively. Finally, numerical simulations are performed to validate the accuracy of the theoretical findings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12359046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Association of circulating Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA with cardiovascular disease: a systematic review.\nChlamydia pneumoniae antigens, nucleic acids, or intact organisms have been detected in human atheroma. However, the presence of antibody does not predict subsequent cardiovascular (CV) events. We performed a systematic review to determine whether the detection of C. pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was associated with CV disease. We sought studies of C. pneumoniae DNA detection in PBMC by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) among patients with CV disease or other clinical conditions. We pooled studies in which CV patients were compared with non-diseased controls. We analyzed differences between studies by meta-regression, to determine which epidemiological and technical characteristics were associated with higher prevalence. Eighteen relevant studies were identified. In nine CV studies with control subjects, the prevalence of circulating C. pneumoniae DNA was 252 of 1763 (14.3%) CV patients and 74 of 874 (8.5%) controls, for a pooled odds ratio of 2.03 (95% CI: 1.34, 3.08, P < 0.001). Prevalence was not adjusted for CV risk factors. Current smoking status, season, and age were associated with C. pneumoniae DNA detection. High prevalence (>40%) was found in patients with cardiac, vascular, chronic respiratory, or renal disease, and in blood donors. Substantial differences between studies were identified in methods of sampling, extraction, and PCR targets. C. pneumoniae DNA detection was associated with CV disease in unadjusted case-control studies. However, adjustment for potentially confounding measures such as smoking or season, and standardization of laboratory methods, are needed to confirm this association.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22041210,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Canine papillomaviruses.\nPapillomaviruses can infect epithelia and induce proliferative disorders. Different types of canine papillomaviruses have been found to be associated with distinct pathologies including exophytic warts as in canine oral papillomatosis, endophytic warts, and pigmented plaques and, in some cases, squamous cell carcinomas. Virus infection is followed by a phase of subclinical infection before the onset of symptoms. A diagnosis can in some cases be made clinically but should be verified if there are any doubts. Most papillomas do regress spontaneously within a few months. Preventative vaccination is possible but not on the market.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30075772,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Implementation of district-based clinical specialist teams in South Africa: Analysing a new role in a transforming system.\nImproving the quality of health care is a national priority in many countries to help reduce unacceptable levels of variation in health system practices, performance and outcomes. In 2012, South Africa introduced district-based clinical specialist teams (DCSTs) to enhance clinical governance at the lowest level of the health system. This paper examines the expectations and responses of local health system actors in the introduction and early implementation of this new DCST role. Between 2013 and 2015, we carried out 258 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions with managers, implementers and intended beneficiaries of the DCST innovation. Data were collected in three districts using a theory of change approach for programme evaluation. We also embarked on role charting through policy document review. Guided by role theory, we analysed data thematically and compared findings across the three districts. We found role ambiguity and conflict in the implementation of the new DCST role. Individual, organisational and systemic factors influenced actors' expectations, behaviours, and adjustments to the new clinical governance role. Local contextual factors affected the composition and scope of DCSTs in each site, while leadership and accountability pathways shaped system adaptiveness across all three. Two key contributions emerge; firstly, the responsiveness of the system to an innovation requires time in planning, roll-out, phasing, and monitoring. Secondly, the interconnectedness of quality improvement processes adds complexity to innovation in clinical governance and may influence the (in) effectiveness of service delivery. Role ambiguity and conflict in the DCST role at a system-wide level suggests the need for effective management of implementation systems. Additionally, improving quality requires anticipating and addressing a shortage of inputs, including financing for additional staff and skills for health care delivery and careful integration of health care policy guidelines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24299447,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of different surface treatments on bond strength between resin cements and zirconia ceramics.\nThis study compares the bond strength of resin cement and yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP) ceramic with different surface conditioning methods. Two hundred presintered Y-TZP ceramic specimens were prepared, sintered (4 \u00d7 4 \u00d7 4 mm), and randomly assigned to four equal groups as control (C, no conditioning); airborne particle abraded (APA, air abrasion with 11 \u03bcm Al2O3); tribochemical silica coating\/silane coupling system (TSC, Rocatec, air abrasion with 110 \u03bcm Al2O3, 30 \u03bcm silica-coated Al2O3 and silane); and laser (L, Er:YAG laser irradiation treated at a power setting of 200 mJ). After specimen preparation, composite resin cylinders were prepared and cemented with resin cements (Clearfil Esthetic, Panavia F 2.0, Rely X-U100, Super Bond C&B, and Multilink Automix) on the ceramic surfaces and kept in an incubator at 37\u00b0C for 60 days. All specimens were tested for shear bond strength with a universal testing machine, and fractured surfaces were evaluated by environmental scanning electron microscopy. Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U-tests (\u03b1=0.05). The bond strengths for C and L groups were not significantly different according to adhesive resin cement. APA and TSC resulted in increased bond strength for Panavia F 2.0 and Rely X-U100 resin cements. Additionally, TSC presented higher bond strength with Multilink Automix. Adhesive fracture between the ceramic and resin cement was the most common failure. Complete cohesive fracture at the ceramic or composite cylinders was not observed. Regardless of the adhesive resin cement used, laser treatment did not improve resin bond strength.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20824705,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dietary nitrate and nitrite and the risk of thyroid cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study.\nDuring the past several decades, an increasing incidence of thyroid cancer has been observed worldwide. Nitrate inhibits iodide uptake by the thyroid, potentially disrupting thyroid function. An increased risk of thyroid cancer associated with nitrate intake was recently reported in a cohort study of older women in Iowa. We evaluated dietary nitrate and nitrite intake and thyroid cancer risk overall and for subtypes in the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons (NIH-AARP) Diet and Health Study, a large prospective cohort of 490,194 men and women, ages 50-71 years in 1995-1996. Dietary intakes were assessed using a 124-item food frequency questionnaire. During an average of 7 years of follow-up we identified 370 incident thyroid cancer cases (170 men, 200 women) with complete dietary information. Among men, increasing nitrate intake was positively associated with thyroid cancer risk (relative risk [RR] for the highest quintile versus lowest quintile RR = 2.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-4.041; p-trend <0.001); however, we observed no trend with intake among women (p-trend = 0.61). Nitrite intake was not associated with risk of thyroid cancer for either men or women. We evaluated risk for the two main types of thyroid cancer. We found positive associations for nitrate intake and both papillary (RR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.09-4.05; p-trend = 0.05) and follicular thyroid cancer (RR = 3.42; 95% CI: 1.03-11.4; p-trend = 0.01) among men. Nitrite intake was associated with increased risk of follicular thyroid cancer (RR = 2.74; 95%CI: 0.86-8.77; p-trend = 0.04) among men. Our results support a role of nitrate in thyroid cancer risk and suggest that further studies to investigate these exposures are warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33824461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lipid\/PAA-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for dual-pH-responsive codelivery of arsenic trioxide\/paclitaxel against breast cancer cells.\nNanomedicine has attracted increasing attention and emerged as a safer and more effective modality in cancer treatment than conventional chemotherapy. In particular, the distinction of tumor microenvironment and normal tissues is often used in stimulus-responsive drug delivery systems for controlled release of therapeutic agents at target sites. In this study, we developed mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) coated with polyacrylic acid (PAA), and pH-sensitive lipid (PSL) for synergistic delivery and dual-pH-responsive sequential release of arsenic trioxide (ATO) and paclitaxel (PTX) (PL-PMSN-PTX\/ATO). Tumor-targeting peptide F56 was used to modify MSNs, which conferred a target-specific delivery to cancer and endothelial cells under neoangiogenesis. PAA- and PSL-coated nanoparticles were characterized by TGA, TEM, FT-IR, and DLS. The drug-loaded nanoparticles displayed a dual-pH-responsive (pHe = 6.5, pHendo = 5.0) and sequential drug release profile. PTX within PSL was preferentially released at pH = 6.5, whereas ATO was mainly released at pH = 5.0. Drug-free carriers showed low cytotoxicity toward MCF-7 cells, but ATO and PTX co-delivered nanoparticles displayed a significant synergistic effect against MCF-7 cells, showing greater cell-cycle arrest in treated cells and more activation of apoptosis-related proteins than free drugs. Furthermore, the extracellular release of PTX caused an expansion of the interstitial space, allowing deeper penetration of the nanoparticles into the tumor mass through a tumor priming effect. As a result, FPL-PMSN-PTX\/ATO exhibited improved in vivo circulation time, tumor-targeted delivery, and overall therapeutic efficacy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28223351,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"In Vivo and in Vitro Proteome Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1-infected, Human CD4+ T Cells.\nHost-directed therapies against HIV-1 are thought to be critical for long term containment of the HIV-1 pandemic but remain elusive. Because HIV-1 infects and manipulates important effectors of both the innate and adaptive immune system, identifying modulations of the host cell systems in humans during HIV-1 infection may be crucial for the development of immune based therapies. Here, we quantified the changes of the proteome in human CD4+ T cells upon HIV-1 infection, both in vitro and in vivo A SWATH-MS approach was used to measure the proteome of human primary CD4+ T cells infected with HIV-1 in vitro as well as CD4+ T cells from HIV-1-infected patients with paired samples on and off antiretroviral treatment. In the in vitro experiment, the proteome of CD4+ T cells was quantified over a time course following HIV-1 infection. 1,725 host cell proteins and 4 HIV-1 proteins were quantified, with 145 proteins changing significantly during the time course. Changes in the proteome peaked 24 h after infection, concomitantly with significant HIV-1 protein production. In the in vivo branch of the study, CD4+ T cells from viremic patients and those with no detectable viral load after treatment were sorted, and the proteomes were quantified. We consistently detected 895 proteins, 172 of which were considered to be significantly different between the viremic patients and patients undergoing successful treatment. The proteome of the in vitro-infected CD4+ T cells was modulated on multiple functional levels, including TLR-4 signaling and the type 1 interferon signaling pathway. Perturbations in the type 1 interferon signaling pathway were recapitulated in CD4+ T cells from patients. The study shows that proteome maps generated by SWATH-MS indicate a range of functionally significant changes in the proteome of HIV-infected human CD4+ T cells. Exploring these perturbations in more detail may help identify new targets for immune based interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3118017,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of bovine follicular fluid inhibin on serum gonadotrophin concentrations in ewes during oestrus.\nExperiments were conducted with ewes to investigate the effects of an enriched bovine follicular fluid inhibin preparation (INH) on gonadotrophin secretion after the onset of oestrus. Administration of INH (10 mg) 1 h after the onset of oestrus did not significantly alter the preovulatory FSH and LH surges or the second FSH peak. To determine the effects of INH on the second FSH surge, ewes were treated with saline (N = 7) or INH (N = 10) at 4 h (10 mg) and 24 h (5 mg) after the peak of the preovulatory LH surge. The second FSH surge was delayed about 24 h (P less than 0.05) in ewes treated with INH; however, the delay did not alter the interval to the next oestrus. In a third experiment, 16 ewes were assigned to 4 groups in a 2 x 2 factorial with the main effects being ovariectomy at 4 h and INH treatment (10 mg) at 4, 20 and 36 h after the peak of the LH surge. Controls received sham ovariectomy and saline injection as appropriate. Ovariectomy resulted in a rapid increase in serum FSH but not LH and this was delayed (P less than 0.05) by INH treatment. These results indicate that inhibin has a selective inhibitory action on FSH secretion in ewes and suggests that the second FSH surge results from increased basal FSH secretion due to decreased endogenous inhibin levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20442342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Youth's perspectives on the determinants of health.\nIn this article, we discuss findings of an ethnographic exploring how Canadian youth frame health within the context of their life situations. Seventy-one youth (12 to 19 years of age) from diverse ethnic backgrounds and residing in a major city in western Canada took part in the study.We used traditional ethnographic methods of interviewing and fieldwork, as well as photovoice. Sociocultural themes emerging from the study indicate that even though youth have a broad understanding of health that includes acknowledging the many different types of health beyond physical health, lifestyle factors such as healthy eating and exercise nonetheless dominate the talk of health by youth. The results highlight that the concept of health normalized by academics and public policy experts-as being inclusive of the broader determinants of health-might not be congruent with how youth regard health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12269990,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of locally injected interferon-beta on palatal mucoperiosteal wound healing.\nWound contraction and scar formation in the palatal mucoperiosteum after cleft palate surgery impair maxillary growth. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of IFN-beta on palatal mucoperiosteal wound healing in growing rats. Standardized wounds were made in the palatal mucoperiosteum of young rats. Either IFN-beta or vehicle were injected at the wound site between 4 and 29 days after wounding. The results were compared with control wounds. Tissue samples were collected at 8, 15, 30, and 60 days PW for biochemical and microscopic analysis. IFN-beta stimulated re-epithelialization but did not reduce the number of myofibroblasts or scar tissue formation. Surprisingly, the injection of vehicle alone delayed the healing process. IFN-beta might be suitable to stimulate re-epithelialization but it does not reduce scar tissue formation in rat palatal wound healing. The injection of agents into palatal wounds might severely impair the healing process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26488326,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Mild traumatic brain injury increases risk for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder.\nTraumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occur in individuals who sustain physical injury and share a significant overlap in symptoms. PTSD rates in the civilian injury population range from 20% to 40%. The current study examined the presence of PTSD symptoms at multiple time points (3 months and 6 months after injury) among individuals with and without TBI after admission to a Level I trauma center. This prospective cohort study included patients 18 years and older admitted to a Level I trauma center for 24 hours or greater. Demographic and injury-related data were gathered in addition to assessments of PTSD during initial hospitalization after injury, as well as 3 months and 6 months later. The Primary Care PTSD Screen and PTSD Checklist-Civilian version were used to determine probable PTSD. International Classification of Diseases, 9th Rev. codes were used to determine mild TBI (MTBI). A total of 494 patients were enrolled at baseline, 311 (63%) completed 3-month follow-up, and 231 (47%) completed 6-month follow-up at the time of analysis. Preinjury PTSD was reported by 7% of the participants. At 3 months, patients with MTBI evidenced a probable PTSD rate of 18%, compared with a rate of 9% for patients with no MTBI (p = 0.04), although this relationship became a nonsignificant trend (p = 0.06) when demographics were included. At 6 months, patients with MTBI evidenced a probable PTSD rate of 26%, compared with a rate of 15% for patients with no MTBI (p = 0.04), and this relationship remained significant when demographics were included. Preinjury history of TBI did not predict PTSD, but incidence of TBI for the injury in which they were hospitalized did predict PTSD. TBI at time of injury demonstrated a nonsignificant trend toward higher rates of PTSD at 3 months and significantly predicted PTSD at 6 months after injury. This important finding may help clinicians identify patients at high risk for PTSD after injury and target these patients for screening, intervention, and referral for treatment. Prognostic study, level III.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11841821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phase separations of alpha-tocopherol in aqueous dispersions of distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine.\nThe effect of alpha-tocopherol on the structure and thermotropic phase behaviour of distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine was examined by using synchrotron X-ray diffraction methods. There was evidence that alpha-tocopherol does not distribute randomly in the dispersed phospholipid but instead phospholipid phases enriched in alpha-tocopherol are formed. Heating codispersions from lamellar gel phase induced formation of hexagonal-II phase at temperatures below the main transition of the pure phospholipid and which were enriched in alpha-tocopherol. Codispersions containing 5 or 10 mol% alpha-tocopherol were induced to form a cubic phase at temperatures above the lamellar to hexagonal-II phase transition. Such phases were not observed in codispersions containing 2.5 or 20 mol% alpha-tocopherol in which only lamellar and hexagonal-II phases were formed. The space group of the cubic phases were tentatively assigned as Pn3m. Equilibration of codispersions at 4 degrees C results in the formation of lamellar crystalline phases enriched in alpha-tocopherol and phase separated domains of pure phospholipid. Two lamellar crystalline phases were characterized on the basis of their particular wide-angle X-ray scattering patterns. The lamellar crystalline phases were also distinguished from other lamellar phases of the pure phospholipid by the lamellar repeat. Partitioning of alpha-tocopherol into phosphatidylethanolamine domains in membranes may introduce instability into the structure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17587375,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Changes in pools of depsidones and melanins, and their function, during growth and acclimation under contrasting natural light in the lichen Lobaria pulmonaria.\nThis study analysed relationships between secondary chemistry, lichen growth rates and external habitat factors for two groups of UV-B-absorbing secondary compounds in the lichen Lobaria pulmonaria in order to test some hypotheses on their formation and function. Medullary depsidones and cortical melanins were quantified in thalli transplanted to three successional forest stands (shaded young forest, open old forest, sun-exposed clear-cut area) and subjected to different watering regimes (spraying with water, water + nitrogen, no spraying). Growth rates were already known. The total concentration of all seven depsidones was constant across the entire range of growth rates and sun exposures, showing that these depsidones serve functions other than photoprotection. Thalli from the well-lit transplantation sites had the highest synthesis of melanins. Within each forest type there was a trade-off between growth and melanin synthesis. Melanins and photosynthetic acclimation enhanced survival on a subsequent exposure to high light intensity, despite excessive temperatures resulting from higher absorption of solar energy in melanic thalli relative to pale thalli. In conclusion, the highly responsive melanic pigments play a photoprotective role in light acclimation, whereas the constant amount of depsidones across a wide spectrum of growth ranges and irradiances is consistent with herbivore defence functions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10863641,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Diagnosis of human papillomavirus gynecologic infections.\nThe identification in the early 1980s of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in cervical carcinoma generated interest in molecular classification of the virus, and prompted studies regarding the oncogenic potential of genital HPVs. Subsequent studies confirming the presence of HPV in greater than 90% of precancerous cervical lesions and close to 100% of cervical cancers has raised concerns regarding the adequacy of Papanicolaou (Pap) smear testing for the detection of precancerous lesions\/HPV infection. A variety of detection methods adjunctive to cytologic testing have been described, including detection at the macroscopic level, cerviography, colposcopy, and serologic and molecular-based HPV testing. Recently, there has been intense interest in molecular-based detection and typing of HPV-induced genital lesions. This has resulted in the development of a variety of molecular-based detection methods including Southern transfer, dot blotting, in situ hybridization, hybrid capture, and PCR-based assays. This article provides an overview of each of the molecular methods, and addresses the potential future role of molecular-based HPV testing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27385633,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Sensitive proton-detected solid-state NMR spectroscopy of large proteins with selective CH3 labelling: application to the 50S ribosome subunit.\nSolid-state NMR spectroscopy allows the characterization of the structure, interactions and dynamics of insoluble and\/or very large proteins. Sensitivity and resolution are often major challenges for obtaining atomic-resolution information, in particular for very large protein complexes. Here we show that the use of deuterated, specifically CH3-labelled proteins result in significant sensitivity gains compared to previously employed CHD2 labelling, while line widths increase only marginally. We apply this labelling strategy to a 468 kDa-large dodecameric aminopeptidase, TET2, and the 1.6 MDa-large 50S ribosome subunit of Thermus thermophilus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23244390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Emotional intelligence, emotional labor, and job satisfaction among physicians in Greece.\nThere is increasing evidence that psychological constructs, such as emotional intelligence and emotional labor, play an important role in various organizational outcomes in service sector. Recently, in the \"emotionally charged\" healthcare field, emotional intelligence and emotional labor have both emerged as research tools, rather than just as theoretical concepts, influencing various organizational parameters including job satisfaction. The present study aimed at investigating the relationships, direct and\/or indirect, between emotional intelligence, the surface acting component of emotional labor, and job satisfaction in medical staff working in tertiary healthcare. Data were collected from 130 physicians in Greece, who completed a series of self-report questionnaires including: a) the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, which assessed the four dimensions of emotional intelligence, i.e. Self-Emotion Appraisal, Others' Emotion Appraisal, Use of Emotion, and Regulation of Emotion, b) the General Index of Job Satisfaction, and c) the Dutch Questionnaire on Emotional Labor (surface acting component). Emotional intelligence (Use of Emotion dimension) was significantly and positively correlated with job satisfaction (r=.42, p<.001), whereas a significant negative correlation between surface acting and job satisfaction was observed (r=-.39, p<.001). Furthermore, Self-Emotion Appraisal was negatively correlated with surface acting (r=-.20, p<.01). Self-Emotion Appraisal was found to influence job satisfaction both directly and indirectly through surface acting, while this indirect effect was moderated by gender. Apart from its mediating role, surface acting was also a moderator of the emotional intelligence-job satisfaction relationship. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that surface acting could predict job satisfaction over and above emotional intelligence dimensions. The results of the present study may contribute to the better understanding of emotion-related parameters that affect the work process with a view to increasing the quality of service in the health sector.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35687395,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Online Partner Seeking and Sexual Behaviors Among Men Who Have Sex With Men From Small and Midsized Towns: Cross-sectional Study.\nMen who have sex with men (MSM) residing outside of large urban areas are underrepresented in research on online partner seeking and sexual behaviors related to transmission of HIV. We aimed to determine associations between the use of the internet or social networking apps (online tools) to meet partners for sex, dating, or for both purposes (online partner seeking) and sexual behaviors among MSM residing in small and midsized towns in Kentucky, United States. Using peer-referral sampling and online self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from 252 men, aged 18 to 34 years, who had recently (past 6 months) engaged in anal sex with another man and resided in Central Kentucky. Using multivariable logistic regression models, we assessed associations of online partner seeking and HIV-related sexual behaviors. Most (181\/252, 71.8%) of the participants reported using online tools for partner seeking. Of these 181 respondents, 166 (91.7%) had used online tools to meet partners for sex (n=45, 27.1% for sex only; and n=121, 72.9% for sex and dating) and 136 (75.1%) had used online tools to meet partners for dating (n=15, 11% for dating only; and n=121, 89% for sex and dating). Adjusted analyses revealed that MSM who had engaged in condomless insertive and receptive anal intercourse were less likely to report online partner seeking (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.22, 95% CI 0.07-0.68; P=.009 and aOR 0.25, 95% CI 0.10-0.66; P=.005, respectively). Increased number of insertive and receptive anal sex partners and substance use before or during sex were associated with higher odds of online partner seeking (aOR 1.31, 95% CI 1.11-1.55; P=.001; aOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.05-1.39; P=.008; and aOR 2.50, 95% CI 1.41-4.44; P=.002, respectively). Among MSM who reside outside of large urban areas and practice online partner seeking, HIV risk-reduction interventions should address safer sex practices, including the risks for HIV transmission associated with alcohol or drug use before or during sex. MSM who do not practice online partner seeking are in need of continued outreach to reduce condomless anal sex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10852553,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Changes of copper-transporting proteins and ceruloplasmin in the lentiform nuclei in primary adult-onset dystonia.\nA recent study reported an increase of brain tissue copper content in the lentiform nuclei of patients with primary adult-onset dystonia. In this study we analyze copper-metabolizing proteins (Menkes protein, Wilson protein, ceruloplasmin) by Western blot analysis in frozen brain tissue (lentiform nuclei) of 3 patients with primary dystonia. Menkes protein was reduced in all patients, while Wilson protein and ceruloplasmin were increased in the 2 patients with focal dystonia and reduced in the patient with generalized dystonia. Our data provides further evidence for a disturbance of copper metabolism in primary dystonia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23242608,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"PTEN protein expression in malignant pleural mesothelioma.\nMalignant pleural mesothelioma is associated with poor prognosis and despite recent advances in chemotherapy, the median survival is still approximately 12 months. Loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) protein expression may lead to constitutive activation of AKT resulting in cell survival and proliferation. Small studies reported that PTEN protein expression is rarely lost in mesothelioma whilst a larger study demonstrated prognostic significance of PTEN protein expression status with absence in 62 % of cases. We aimed to analyse PTEN protein expression in mesothelioma. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed in 86 archival mesothelioma samples to determine the PTEN protein expression status and statistical analysis was performed to identify any prognostic significance. Mesothelial cells in normal pleura demonstrated positive staining for PTEN protein and served as a positive reference. For mesothelioma samples, the expression of PTEN protein was scored as 0 (negative), 1 (intensity less than that of positive normal pleura reference slide) and 2 (intensity equal to or greater than positive normal pleura reference slide). A total of 23\/86 (26.7 %) scored 0, 23\/86 (26.7 %) scored 1 and 40\/86 (46.5 %) scored 2 for PTEN expression. Univariate analysis demonstrated that lack of PTEN expression was not associated with survival. PTEN protein expression was undetectable in 26.7 % of mesothelioma samples; however, no prognostic significance was identified. Absence of PTEN protein may result in activation of the PI3K\/AKT\/MTOR pathway. Targeting this pathway with inhibitors further downstream of PTEN may provide a potential therapeutic target in selected patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11438700,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Activation of NF-kappa B by nontypeable Hemophilus influenzae is mediated by toll-like receptor 2-TAK1-dependent NIK-IKK alpha \/beta-I kappa B alpha and MKK3\/6-p38 MAP kinase signaling pathways in epithelial cells.\nNontypeable Hemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an important human pathogen in both children and adults. In children, it causes otitis media, the most common childhood infection and the leading cause of conductive hearing loss in the United States. In adults, it causes lower respiratory tract infections in the setting of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of NTHi-induced infections remain undefined, but they may involve activation of NF-kappa B, a transcriptional activator of multiple host defense genes involved in immune and inflammatory responses. Here, we show that NTHi strongly activates NF-kappa B in human epithelial cells via two distinct signaling pathways, NF-kappa B translocation-dependent and -independent pathways. The NF-kappa B translocation-dependent pathway involves activation of NF-kappa B inducing kinase (NIK)--IKK alpha\/beta complex leading to I kappa B alpha phosphorylation and degradation, whereas the NF-kappa B translocation-independent pathway involves activation of MKK3\/6--p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. Bifurcation of NTHi-induced NIK-IKK alpha\/beta-I kappa B alpha and MKK3\/6--p38 MAP kinase pathways may occur at transforming growth factor-beta activated kinase 1 (TAK1). Furthermore, we show that toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) is required for NTHi-induced NF-kappa B activation. In addition, several key inflammatory mediators including IL-1 beta, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha are up-regulated by NTHi. Finally, P6, a 16-kDa lipoprotein highly conserved in the outer membrane of all NTHi and H. influenzae type b strains, appears to also activate NF-kappa B via similar signaling pathways. Taken together, our results demonstrate that NTHi activates NF-kappa B via TLR2-TAK1-dependent NIK--IKK alpha\/beta-I kappa B alpha and MKK3\/6--p38 MAP kinase signaling pathways. These studies may bring new insights into molecular pathogenesis of NTHi-induced infections and open up new therapeutic targets for these diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16441025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Direct determination of the refractive index and thickness of a biolayer based on coupled waveguide-surface plasmon resonance mode.\nA coupled waveguide-surface plasmon resonance (CWSPR) biosensor based on the Kretschmann configuration is developed. The CWSPR couples the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) mode and the waveguide mode and generates two sharp resonance dips in the reflectivity spectrum. The proposed biosensor not only retains the same sensing sensitivity as that of a conventional SPR device but also yields sharper dips in the reflectivity spectrum and therefore provides an improved measurement precision. The two reflectivity spectrum dips enable the refractive indices and thicknesses of both the self-assembled monolayer and a layer of human serum albumin absorbed dynamically on the sensing surface to be determined directly on a real-time basis. The CWSPR biosensor provides the capability to detect the biomolecular conformational changes that occur in biomolecular kinetic interactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8466379,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Clinically significant hearing loss in renal allograft recipients treated with intravenous erythromycin.\nHearing loss is generally regarded as a rare side effect of erythromycin therapy. However, our own clinical experiences in erythromycin-treated patients led us to suspect that this complication may be more common among renal allograft recipients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence, predisposing factors, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of erythromycin-induced hearing loss among renal allograft recipients. We reviewed medical records of renal transplant patients treated for pneumonia with intravenous erythromycin lactobionate. Patients were evaluated for the occurrence of clinically significant hearing loss (including onset, duration, and reversibility), other signs and symptoms of ototoxicity (vertigo and tinnitus), daily erythromycin dose and duration of treatment, concurrent ototoxic drug therapy, renal and hepatic function, and history of previous otic disease. Eleven (32%) of 34 courses of intravenous erythromycin therapy resulted in hearing loss. The incidence of hearing loss was 53% (eight of 15 courses) in patients treated with 4 g of erythromycin daily compared with 16% (three of 19 courses) among those receiving 2 g\/d (P = .05). In addition, courses of erythromycin were longer in those suffering auditory toxicity (9.6 +\/- 4.7 days) than in nontoxic patients (5.7 +\/- 3.6 days) (P < .05). Hepatic and renal function did not differ between toxic and nontoxic patients. All episodes of erythromycin-induced hearing loss were reversible. We conclude that clinically significant hearing loss occurs in more than 30% of renal allograft recipients treated for pneumonia with intravenous erythromycin lactobionate. Patients who require prolonged courses of erythromycin and those treated with 4 g\/d are at particular risk for the development of auditory toxicity. With prompt recognition and modification of therapy, erythromycin-induced hearing loss appears to be completely reversible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11846027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Association of the Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 with lipid rafts is mediated through its N-terminal region.\nThe latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) encoded by the Epstein-Barr virus acts like a constitutively activated receptor of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) family and is enriched in lipid rafts. We showed that LMP1 is targeted to lipid rafts in transfected HEK 293 cells, and that the endogenous TNFR-associated factor 3 binds LMP1 and is recruited to lipid rafts upon LMP1 expression. An LMP1 mutant lacking the C-terminal 55 amino acids (Cdelta55) behaves like the wild-type (WT) LMP1 with respect to membrane localization. In contrast, a mutant with a deletion of the 25 N-terminal residues (Ndelta25) does not concentrate in lipid rafts but still binds TRAF3, demonstrating that cell localization of LMP1 was not crucial for TRAF3 localization. Moreover, Ndelta25 inhibited WT LMP1-mediated induction of the transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1. Morphological data indicate that Ndelta25 hampers WT LMP1 plasma membrane localization, thus blocking LMP1 function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27222680,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sensorless Force Sensing for Minimally Invasive Surgery.\nRobotic minimally invasive surgery (R-MIS) has achieved success in various procedures; however, the lack of haptic feedback is considered by some to be a limiting factor. The typical method to acquire tool-tissue reaction forces is attaching force sensors on surgical tools, but this complicates sterilization and makes the tool bulky. This paper explores the feasibility of using motor current to estimate tool-tissue forces and demonstrates acceptable results in terms of time delay and accuracy. This sensorless force estimation method sheds new light on the possibility of equipping existing robotic surgical systems with haptic interfaces that require no sensors and are compatible with existing sterilization methods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36260627,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Favipiravir, lopinavir-ritonavir, or combination therapy (FLARE): A randomised, double-blind, 2 \u00d7 2 factorial placebo-controlled trial of early antiviral therapy in COVID-19.\nEarly antiviral treatment is effective for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) but currently available agents are expensive. Favipiravir is routinely used in many countries, but efficacy is unproven. Antiviral combinations have not been systematically studied. We aimed to evaluate the effect of favipiravir, lopinavir-ritonavir or the combination of both agents on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral load trajectory when administered early. We conducted a Phase 2, proof of principle, randomised, placebo-controlled, 2 \u00d7 2 factorial, double-blind trial of ambulatory outpatients with early COVID-19 (within 7 days of symptom onset) at 2 sites in the United Kingdom. Participants were randomised using a centralised online process to receive: favipiravir (1,800 mg twice daily on Day 1 followed by 400 mg 4 times daily on Days 2 to 7) plus lopinavir-ritonavir (400 mg\/100 mg twice daily on Day 1, followed by 200 mg\/50 mg 4 times daily on Days 2 to 7), favipiravir plus lopinavir-ritonavir placebo, lopinavir-ritonavir plus favipiravir placebo, or both placebos. The primary outcome was SARS-CoV-2 viral load at Day 5, accounting for baseline viral load. Between 6 October 2020 and 4 November 2021, we recruited 240 participants. For the favipiravir+lopinavir-ritonavir, favipiravir+placebo, lopinavir-ritonavir+placebo, and placebo-only arms, we recruited 61, 59, 60, and 60 participants and analysed 55, 56, 55, and 58 participants, respectively, who provided viral load measures at Day 1 and Day 5. In the primary analysis, the mean viral load in the favipiravir+placebo arm had changed by -0.57 log10 (95% CI -1.21 to 0.07, p = 0.08) and in the lopinavir-ritonavir+placebo arm by -0.18 log10 (95% CI -0.82 to 0.46, p = 0.58) compared to the placebo arm at Day 5. There was no significant interaction between favipiravir and lopinavir-ritonavir (interaction coefficient term: 0.59 log10, 95% CI -0.32 to 1.50, p = 0.20). More participants had undetectable virus at Day 5 in the favipiravir+placebo arm compared to placebo only (46.3% versus 26.9%, odds ratio (OR): 2.47, 95% CI 1.08 to 5.65; p = 0.03). Adverse events were observed more frequently with lopinavir-ritonavir, mainly gastrointestinal disturbance. Favipiravir drug levels were lower in the combination arm than the favipiravir monotherapy arm, possibly due to poor absorption. The major limitation was that the study population was relatively young and healthy compared to those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the current doses, no treatment significantly reduced viral load in the primary analysis. Favipiravir requires further evaluation with consideration of dose escalation. Lopinavir-ritonavir administration was associated with lower plasma favipiravir concentrations. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04499677 EudraCT: 2020-002106-68.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25034607,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A mouse model for studying cone photoreceptor pathologies.\nDue to the low abundance of cone photoreceptors in the mouse retina and the scarcity of alternative animal models, little is known about mechanisms of cone degeneration. Nrl knockout mice develop exclusively the cone-type of photoreceptors. However, the cone photoreceptor layer in Nrl(-\/-) mice displays an irregular morphology with severe rosette formation. Retinas of Rpe65(-\/-);Nrl(-\/-) mice have no rosettes due to the lack of 11-cis-retinal, but also are not functional. To develop a model with a functional all-cone retina that is morphologically well structured, we generated R91W;Nrl(-\/-) double-mutant mice, which express a hypomorphic Rpe65 allele (R91W). The following analyses were used to characterize the R91W;Nrl(-\/-)mice: morphology by light and electron microscopy, protein distribution by immunofluorescence, cone function by electroretinography and optomotor response, RNA levels by RT-PCR, and chromophore levels by HPLC. Cone degeneration was assessed in R91W;Nrl(-\/-) mice treated with MNU, and in triple R91W;Nrl(-\/-);Cpfl1 and quadruple R91W;Nrl(-\/-);Cpfl1;rd10 mutant mice. The all-cone retina of R91W;Nrl(-\/-) mice is functional and relatively stable with only very slow age-related degeneration. Using triple and quadruple mutant mice, or a chemical treatment, we demonstrated that cone degeneration could be induced and analyzed in these mice. The reduced levels of visual chromophore prevented rosette formation and sustained function in the R91W;Nrl(-\/-) retina. Thus, the R91W;Nrl(-\/-) mouse allows study of the etiology of diseases related to cone degeneration in a \"morphologically intact\" and functional all-cone photoreceptor retina.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33078088,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Climate change: Does international research fulfill global demands and necessities?\nClimate change is safe to be one of the biggest challenges of mankind. Human activities, especially the combustion of fossil fuels, contribute to the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and thus to the pace of climate change. The effects of climate change are already being felt, and the resulting damage will most likely be enormous worldwide. Because global impacts vary widely and will lead to very different national vulnerability to climate impacts, each country, depending on its economic background, has different options to ward off negative impacts. Decisions have to be made to mitigate climate consequences according to the preparedness and the vulnerability of countries against the presumed impacts. This requires a profound scientific basis. To provide sound background information, a bibliometric study was conducted to present global research on climate change using established and specific parameters. Bibliometric standard parameters, established socioeconomic values, and climate change specific indices were used for the analyses. This allowed us to provide an overall picture of the global research pattern not only in terms of general aspects, but also in terms of climate change impacts, its effects and regional differences. For this purpose, we choose representative indices, such as the CO2 emissions for the responsibility of countries, the global climate risk index as a combination value for the different types of damage that countries can expect, the increase in sea level as a specific parameter as a measure of the huge global environmental impacts, and the readiness and vulnerability index for the different circumstances of individual countries under which climate change will take place. We hope to have thus made a comprehensive and representative selection of specific parameters that is sufficient to map the global research landscape. We have supplemented the methodology accordingly. In terms of absolute publication numbers, the USA was the leading country, followed by the UK, and China in 3rd place. The steep rise in Chinese publication numbers over time came into view, while their citation numbers are relatively low. Scandinavian countries were leading regarding their publication numbers related to CO2 emission and socioeconomic indices. Only three developing countries stand out in all analyses: Costa Rica, the Fiji Atoll, and Zimbabwe, although it is here that the climate impact will be greatest. A positive correlation between countries' preparedness for the impacts of climate change and their publication numbers could be shown, while the correlation between countries' vulnerability and their publication numbers was negative. We could show that there exists an inequity between national research efforts according to the publication output and the demands and necessities of countries related to their socioeconomic status. This inequity calls for a rethink, a different approach, and a different policy to improve countries' preparedness and mitigation capacity, which requires the inclusion of the most affected regions of the world in a strengthened international cooperation network.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10208975,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Transmembrane regulation of intracellular calcium by a plasma membrane sodium\/calcium exchanger in mouse ova.\nRegulation of cytoplasmic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+)]i) is a key factor for maintenance of viability of cells, including oocytes. Indeed, during fertilization of an ovum, [Ca2+]i is known to undergo oscillations, but it is unknown how basal [Ca2+]i or calcium oscillations are regulated. In the present study we investigated the role of the plasma membrane in regulating [Ca2+]i of metaphase II-arrested mouse oocytes (ova). Ova were collected from B6C3F1 mice treated with eCG (10 IU) and hCG (5 IU), and intracellular calcium was determined by means of fura-2. Extracellular calcium flux across the zona pellucida was detected noninvasively by a calcium ion-selective, self-referencing microelectrode that was positioned by a computer-controlled micromanipulator. Under basal conditions ova exhibited a calcium net efflux of 20.6 +\/- 5.2 fmol\/cm2 per sec (n = 69). Treatment of ova with ethanol (7%) or thapsigargin (25 nM-2.5 microM) transiently increased intracellular calcium and stimulated calcium efflux that paralleled levels of [Ca2+]i. The presence of a Na+\/Ca2+ exchanger was indicated by experiments employing both bepridil, an inhibitor of Na+\/Ca2+ exchange, and sodium-depleted media. In the presence of bepridil, a net influx of calcium was revealed across the zona pellucida, which was reflected by an increase in the [Ca2+]i. In addition, replenishment of extracellular sodium to ova that had been incubated in sodium-depleted media induced a large calcium efflux, consistent with the actions of Na+\/Ca2+ exchange. Sodium\/calcium exchange in mouse ova may be an important mechanism that regulates [Ca2+]i.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3142941,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Connective tissue disease associated with sclerodermoid features, early abortion, and circulating anticoagulant.\nAn 18-year-old white woman admitted for an incomplete septic abortion was found to have thrombocytopenia, anemia, and increased activated partial thromboplastin time (PTT). Additionally, results of nontreponemal serologic tests for syphilis were positive, and the fluorescent antinuclear antibody was weakly positive. A mixture of the patient's plasma with normal control plasma showed that the elevation in activated PTT was the result of a circulating anticoagulant, not an inherent clotting defect. Sclerodermoid features were present and consisted of bound-down, hairless skin and scattered subcutaneous indurated plaques. A faint pattern consistent with livedo reticularis was recognized on all extremities. Biopsy specimens of sclerodermoid lesions showed increased and thickened dermal collagen consistent with morphea. We believe that this patient's condition represents an unusual connective tissue disease syndrome consisting of abortion, livedo reticularis, thrombocytopenia, circulating \"anticoagulant,\" negative or slightly positive antinuclear antibodies, and false positive results on nontreponemal serologic tests for syphilis. Sclerodermoid lesions were also a unique feature in our patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7309802,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Biophysical and morphological correlates of kinetic change and death in a starved human melanoma cell line.\nAn investigation was made of the sequential biophysical and morphological changes that occur as cultured human melanoma cells (MM96) outgrow their supply of nutrient. Simultaneous buoyant-density and velocity-sedimentation fractionation experiments were used to characterize cells from 3 kinetically differing types of culture. Cells from exponential cultures were large, moderately dense and rapidly sedimenting; cells from post-exponential cultures were of intermediate size, less dense and much more slowly sedimenting; and dye-excluding cells from reproductively non-viable late post-exponential cultures were small, of widely variable though generally high density and sedimented moderately rapidly. Although reproductive viability was high in cells from both exponential and post-exponential cultures, depletion of clonogenic cells was seen at the extremes of the distribution profiles of cells fractionated by either method. This was particularly evident at the low-density extreme of the buoyant-density profiles where cells retained viability despite their loss of proliferative potential. As cells became post-exponential, nuclear size diminished in parallel with cell size, the number of microvilli declined, mitochondria condensed, cytoplasm vacuolated, the frequency of osmiophilic vacuolar inclusions rose, chromatin clumped and nucleoli became prominent. Progression to a reproductively non-viable late post-exponential state resulted in a continued parallel fall in nuclear size, increased cytoplasmic blebbing, further mitochondrial condensation, an increased proportion of cytoplasmic vacuoles containing osmiophilic material, the major part of which was melanin, and further clumping and margination of chromatin. Cells progressed rapidly from this newly described pre-apoptotic state to death by apoptosis, a process characterized by the budding and division of cells into a number of ultrastructurally well-preserved membrane-bound fragments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26558452,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The effects of long-lasting hypoglycemia on male reproductive organs in rats.\nGlucose has an important role in spermatogenesis. Nevertheless there are few reports in which the effects of long-lasting hypoglycemia on male reproductive organs have been evaluated. Therefore, insulin was administered subcutaneously at 100, 200, and 400 IU\/kg to male rats twice a day for one month. This treatment regimen produced plasma glucose levels that rapidly decreased after treatment, with decreased glucose levels lasting for several hours after each administration on the first and final treatment days. During the treatment period, no abnormalities in clinical signs or body weight were observed. No statistically significant differences were noted in the weights of testes, epididymides, prostates and seminal vesicles, or pituitary glands. Histopathological examination revealed that the insulin-treated animals exhibited degeneration of seminiferous tubules in the testes and exfoliation of germ cells in the lumens of epididymides as a secondary change related to the testicular lesions. The incidences of the histopathological findings were found to be proportional to insulin dose. Sperm analysis of the group receiving the highest dosage indicated that the sperm concentration tended to decrease and the incidences of sperm malformations tended to increase. Our results suggest that long-lasting hypoglycemia affects male reproductive organs in rats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18065482,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2017-13":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Probing intranuclear environments at the single-molecule level.\nGenome activity and nuclear metabolism clearly depend on accessibility, but it is not known whether and to what extent nuclear structures limit the mobility and access of individual molecules. We used fluorescently labeled streptavidin with a nuclear localization signal as an average-sized, inert protein to probe the nuclear environment. The protein was injected into the cytoplasm of mouse cells, and single molecules were tracked in the nucleus with high-speed fluorescence microscopy. We analyzed and compared the mobility of single streptavidin molecules in structurally and functionally distinct nuclear compartments of living cells. Our results indicated that all nuclear subcompartments were easily and similarly accessible for such an average-sized protein, and even condensed heterochromatin neither excluded single molecules nor impeded their passage. The only significant difference was a higher frequency of transient trappings in heterochromatin, which lasted only tens of milliseconds. The streptavidin molecules, however, did not accumulate in heterochromatin, suggesting comparatively less free volume. Interestingly, the nucleolus seemed to exclude streptavidin, as it did many other nuclear proteins, when visualized by conventional fluorescence microscopy. The tracking of single molecules, nonetheless, showed no evidence for repulsion at the border but relatively unimpeded passage through the nucleolus. These results clearly show that single-molecule tracking can provide novel insights into mobility of proteins in the nucleus that cannot be obtained by conventional fluorescence microscopy. Our results suggest that nuclear processes may not be regulated at the level of physical accessibility but rather by local concentration of reactants and availability of binding sites.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20337604,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Acupuncture for treating dry eye: a systematic review.\nThe objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment option for treating the condition of dry eye. We searched the literature using 14 databases from their inceptions to 3 December 2009, without language restrictions. We included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing acupuncture with conventional treatment. Their risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane criteria. Six RCTs met all the inclusion criteria. Three RCTs compared the effects of acupuncture with artificial tears in patients with xerophthalmia or Sj\u00f6gren syndrome. A meta-analysis of these data showed that acupuncture improved tear break-up times (p < 0.0001), Schirmer test scores (p < 0.00001), response rates (p = 0.002) and the region of cornea fluorescent staining (p = 0.0001) significantly more than artificial tears did. The other three RCTs compared the effects of acupuncture plus artificial tears with artificial tears alone. Two of these studies failed to show significant effects of acupuncture, while one reported significant effects. For Schirmer test scores and frequency of artificial tear usage, two RCTs reported superior effects of acupuncture plus artificial tears, while one RCT failed to do so. These results provide limited evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for treating dry eye. However, the total number of RCTs, the total sample size and the methodological quality were too low to draw firm conclusions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33770768,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Towards automated ultrasound imaging-robotic image acquisition in liver and prostate for long-term motion monitoring.\nReal-time volumetric (4D) ultrasound has shown high potential for diagnostic and therapy guidance tasks. One of the main drawbacks of ultrasound imaging to date is the reliance on manual probe positioning and the resulting user dependence. Robotic assistance could help overcome this issue and facilitate the acquisition of long-term image data to observe dynamic processesin vivoover time. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of robotic probe manipulation and organ motion quantification during extended imaging sessions. The system consists of a collaborative robot and a 4D ultrasound system providing real-time data access. Five healthy volunteers received liver and prostate scans during free breathing over 30 min. Initial probe placement was performed with real-time remote control with a predefined contact force of 10 N. During scan acquisition, the probe position was continuously adjusted to the body surface motion using impedance control. Ultrasound volumes, the pose of the end-effector and the estimated contact forces were recorded. For motion analysis, one anatomical landmark was manually annotated in a subset of ultrasound frames for each experiment. Probe contact was uninterrupted over the entire scan duration in all ten sessions. Organ drift and imaging artefacts were successfully compensated using remote control. The median contact force along the probe's longitudinal axis was 10.0 N with maximum values of 13.2 and 21.3 N for liver and prostate, respectively. Forces exceeding 11 N only occurred in 0.3% of the time. Probe and landmark motion were more pronounced in the liver, with median interquartile ranges of 1.5 and 9.6 mm, compared to 0.6 and 2.7 mm in the prostate. The results show that robotic ultrasound imaging with dynamic force control can be used for stable, long-term imaging of anatomical regions affected by motion. The system facilitates the acquisition of 4D image datain vivoover extended scanning periods for the first time and holds the potential to be used for motion monitoring for therapy guidance as well as diagnostic tasks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11825634,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A two-dose combined vaccine against hepatitis A and hepatitis B in healthy children and adolescents compared to the corresponding monovalent vaccines.\nImmunization against hepatitis A and B has been available for some time, protecting against both infections. With a view to achieving further reduction in the number of interventions and increasing convenience of the vaccinee, we investigated the reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a combined hepatitis A and B vaccine in healthy 4- to 20-year-old subjects at a 0, 6-month schedule. Two hundred forty-eight study subjects were allocated to two study groups and received either two doses of the combined hepatitis A and B vaccine (68% of subjects) or the corresponding monovalent hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines (32% of subjects) concomitantly in opposite arms. Reactogenicity was assessed via diary cards after each vaccination. Serum samples were analyzed at months 1, 2, 6, and 7. All vaccines were well tolerated and very few symptoms were scored as severe. All but one subject seroconverted for anti-hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV) antibodies (98.6%) and 100% of subjects seroconverted for anti-hepatitis B (HBs) antibodies, with respective seroprotection rates of 98.7% for the combined vaccine group and 95.9% for the concomitant vaccine group (p >0.05), respectively. Geometric mean titers were higher in the group receiving the combined vaccine: 6,635 mIU\/mL vs. 2,728 mIU\/mL (p = 0.0001) for anti-HAV and 3,362 mIU\/mL vs. 1,724 mIU\/mL (p = 0.0205) for anti-HBs, respectively. Younger subjects had a stronger immune response compared to older subjects. The combined hepatitis A and B vaccine was well tolerated at this two-dose schedule. The combined vaccine had higher immunogenicity, probably explained by a adjuvant effect of the antigens. Vaccination programs requiring fewer injections will most likely have a positive impact on compliance rate and comfort of the vaccinee.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36812929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Assessment of NLRP3 Gene Polymorphisms with Periodontitis as Compared with Healthy Periodontium in Iraqi Arabs Patients.\nThe nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome regulates the maturation and release of the cytokines as well as the activation of caspase in response to danger signals derived from pathogenic infection, tissue damage, andmetabolic changes that have a role in the pathogenesis of different diseases as periodontitis. Yet, the susceptibility to this illness could be determined by population-based genetic differences. The aim of this study was to determine whether periodontitis in Arab populations from Iraq is correlated with NLRP3 gene polymorphisms and measure clinical periodontal parameters and investigate their association with genetic polymorphisms of the NLRP3. The study sample consisted of 94 participants ranging from 30 to 55 years old, both males and females who fulfilled the study's criteria. The selected participants were divided into two groups: the periodontitis group (62 subjects) and the healthy control group (32 subjects). The examination of clinical periodontal parameters of all participants was carried out, followed by a collection of venous blood for NLRP3 genetic analysis using the polymerase chain reaction-sequencing technique. The genetic analysis of NLRP3 genotypes at four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs10925024, rs4612666, rs34777555, and rs10754557), by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, identified nonsignificant differences in studied groups. The C-T genotype among periodontitis was significantly different from controls, while the C-C genotype among control was significantly different from periodontitis at NLRP3 rs10925024. Overall, there were 35 SNPs in the periodontitis group and 10 SNPs in the control group for rs10925024 with significant differences versus nonsignificant differences of the other SNPs between the studied groups. Clinical attachment loss and NLRP3 rs10925024 additionally demonstrated a significant positive correlation in the periodontitis subjects. The findings suggested that polymorphisms of the NLRP3 gene may have a role and increasing the genetic susceptibility to periodontal disease in Arabs Iraqi patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31996005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Novel Passage of Dermis-Fat Graft for Augmentation of Vermilion Deficiency Following Cleft Lip Repair.\nDespite timely repair of cleft lip, secondary deformities such as vermilion notching or \"whistle deformity\" often require further surgical treatment. The use of dermis-fat graft for soft tissue augmentation of the upper lip is an established technique. We propose an innovation on this technique, by which the dermis-fat graft can be placed reliably and with minimal dissection by use of a soft red rubber sheath to protect the Keith needle while delivering the graft through the submucosal pocket in the dry vermilion, thereby avoiding the needle inadvertently catching soft tissue inside the pocket. We recommend using an 8F red rubber catheter, cutting the catheter to be just shorter than a 2.5-inch Keith needle. This provides a sheath through which the Keith needle can be passed within the submucosal vermilion tunnel. We believe this to be much more reliable for vermilion augmentation than other techniques, including fat injection, and makes graft inset more predictable, faster, and simpler.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23705006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Relevance and diversity of Nitrospira populations in biofilters of brackish RAS.\nLithoautotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacterial populations from moving-bed biofilters of brackish recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS; shrimp and barramundi) were tested for their metabolic activity and phylogenetic diversity. Samples from the biofilters were labeled with (13)C-bicarbonate and supplemented with nitrite at concentrations of 0.3, 3 and 10 mM, and incubated at 17 and 28\u00b0C, respectively. The biofilm material was analyzed by fatty acid methyl ester - stable isotope probing (FAME-SIP). High portions of up to 45% of Nitrospira-related labeled lipid markers were found confirming that Nitrospira is the major autotrophic nitrite oxidizer in these brackish systems with high nitrogen loads. Other nitrite-oxidizing bacteria such as Nitrobacter or Nitrotoga were functionally not relevant in the investigated biofilters. Nitrospira-related 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained from the samples with 10 mM nitrite and analyzed by a cloning approach. Sequence studies revealed four different phylogenetic clusters within the marine sublineage IV of Nitrospira, though most sequences clustered with the type strain of Nitrospira marina and with a strain isolated from a marine RAS. Three lipids dominated the whole fatty acid profiles of nitrite-oxidizing marine and brackish enrichments of Nitrospira sublineage IV organisms. The membranes included two marker lipids (16\u22361 cis7 and 16\u22361 cis11) combined with the non-specific acid 16\u22360 as major compounds and confirmed these marker lipids as characteristic for sublineage IV species. The predominant labeling of these characteristic fatty acids and the phylogenetic sequence analyses of the marine Nitrospira sublineage IV identified organisms of this sublineage as main autotrophic nitrite-oxidizers in the investigated brackish biofilter systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7568479,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Transconjunctival versus transcutaneous lower eyelid blepharoplasty: a prospective study.\nDebate continues over the relative merits of transconjunctival and the more customary subciliary transcutaneous approaches for lower lid blepharoplasty. Ten consecutive patients presented for blepharoplasty, and in all patients the transcutaneous subciliary musculocutaneous flap approach was used on the left lower eyelid and the transconjunctival preseptal approach was used on the right. Patients served as their own controls. Follow-up was evaluated clinically by patient questionnaire and by standardized photographs preoperatively and at 5 days, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively. Photographs were graded independently by four blinded examiners. No statistical difference was identified in measured fornix depth between preoperative patients and postoperatively on each side. Average fat removed from each side was the same, and no patient had an identified \"missed fat compartment.\" Three patients had mild bilateral scleral show postoperatively, and a fourth developed it on the left (transcutaneous) side. However, overall grading on both sides was universally very good with no significant difference on the two sides--0.68 on the right and 0.60 on the left (maximum worst grade could be 5.0 and best grade 0). The potential for external scarring was never a perceived problem in the transcutaneous technique.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26786711,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Tissue-specific patterns of allelically-skewed DNA methylation.\nWhile DNA methylation is usually thought to be symmetrical across both alleles, there are some notable exceptions. Genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation are two well-studied sources of allele-specific methylation (ASM), but recent research has indicated a more complex pattern in which genotypic variation can be associated with allelically-skewed DNA methylation in cis. Given the known heterogeneity of DNA methylation across tissues and cell types we explored inter- and intra-individual variation in ASM across several regions of the human brain and whole blood from multiple individuals. Consistent with previous studies, we find widespread ASM with > 4% of the \u223c220,000 loci interrogated showing evidence of allelically-skewed DNA methylation. We identify ASM flanking known imprinted regions, and show that ASM sites are enriched in DNase I hypersensitivity sites and often located in an extended genomic context of intermediate DNA methylation. We also detect examples of genotype-driven ASM, some of which are tissue-specific. These findings contribute to our understanding of the nature of differential DNA methylation across tissues and have important implications for genetic studies of complex disease. As a resource to the community, ASM patterns across each of the tissues studied are available in a searchable online database: http:\/\/epigenetics.essex.ac.uk\/ASMBrainBlood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30907953,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Pharmacological Management of Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: An Endocrine Society* Clinical Practice Guideline.\nThe objective is to formulate clinical practice guidelines for the pharmacological management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Evidence from clinical trials and insights from clinical experience with pharmacologic therapies for osteoporosis were critically evaluated in formulating this guideline for the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Patient preferences, data on adherence and persistence, and risks and benefits from the patient and provider perspectives were also considered in writing committee deliberations. A consensus by the Writing Committee members was achieved for four management principles: (i) The risk of future fractures in postmenopausal women should be determined using country-specific assessment tools to guide decision-making. (ii) Patient preferences should be incorporated into treatment planning. (iii) Nutritional and lifestyle interventions and fall prevention should accompany all pharmacologic regimens to reduce fracture risk. (iv) Multiple pharmacologic therapies are capable of reducing fracture rates in postmenopausal women at risk with acceptable risk-benefit and safety profiles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15127061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Development of a food frequency questionnaire to estimate calcium intake of Asian, Hispanic, and white youth.\nTo develop a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) that estimates calcium intake of Asian, Hispanic, and white youth living in the western United States. A list of 80 foods was assembled to create an FFQ to measure calcium intake. Evaluation of the FFQ spanned four consecutive weeks. An FFQ was completed during Week 1 and Week 4, and a 24-hour dietary recall was completed during Week 2 and Week 3.Subjects\/setting A convenience sample of 162 Asian, Hispanic, and white youth ages 10 to 18 years was selected. Statistical analyses performed Percent agreement, paired t tests, Pearson correlation coefficients of cube-root transformed values, and deattenuated Pearson correlation coefficients of cube-root transformed values were used to evaluate the FFQ. The correlation between calcium intake estimates, when measured by first and second administrations of the FFQ, was 0.68 (Pearson's r) for the total sample. Correlations differed by age, sex, and ethnic subgroups as follows: 10 to 13 years (r=0.62), 14 to 18 years (r=0.73), male (r=0.73), female (r=0.64), Asian (r=0.77), Hispanic (r=0.72), and white (r=0.48). The correlation between calcium intakes as estimated by the second FFQ vs the average of the two 24-hour dietary recalls was 0.54 (deattenuated Pearson's r) for the total sample. This correlation differed by age, sex, and ethnic subgroups as follows: 10 to 13 years (r=0.46), 14 to 18 years (r=0.59), male (r=0.65), female (r=0.45), Asian (r=0.64), Hispanic (r=0.18), and white (r=0.57). A unique dietary survey has been developed to estimate calcium intake among Asian, Hispanic, and white youth in the United States.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8064488,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of anterior cruciate ligament deficiency on economy of walking and jogging.\nThe metabolic cost of walking and jogging following injury to the anterior cruciate ligament is unknown. Economy of motion refers to the oxygen consumption for a submaximal work rate. The purpose of this study was to compare the economy of walking and jogging of an anterior cruciate ligament-deficient population with that of a control population without orthopaedic abnormalities. Steady-state oxygen consumption was measured in 30 patients and 98 controls while they were on a treadmill at various speeds. Deficiency of the anterior cruciate ligament was diagnosed arthroscopically. The patients also were tested for isokinetic knee extension-flexion strength, hip flexion, and abduction and adduction strength and underwent arthrometric measurement of anterior tibial displacement. The patients had a statistically significant increase in oxygen consumption when jogging at 160.9 m\/min (p = 0.007); however, there was no significant effect of anterior cruciate ligament deficiency on economy at the other speeds tested. The patients had significant deficits in strength of all muscle groups tested. Steady-state oxygen consumption at 160.9 m\/min tended to be inversely related to the deficit of strength of knee flexion (r = -0.44, p = 0.07). Arthrometric measurements and chronicity of injury were unrelated to steady-state oxygen consumption. These data indicate that anterior cruciate ligament deficiency increases oxygen consumption during jogging. In long-distance running, this decreased economy translates into significant additional caloric requirements, which may result in earlier fatigue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30811691,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epidemiological evidence of carcinogenicity of sunbed use and of efficacy of preventive measures.\nThe International Agency for Research on Cancer classified, in July 2009, exposure to artificial tanning devices (sunbeds) as carcinogenic to humans. This classification was based on evidence from epidemiological and experimental animal studies. The present chapter will review these epidemiological evidences. The summary risk estimates from 27 epidemiological studies obtained through a meta-analysis showed an increased risk of melanoma: summary relative risk (SRR) = 1.20 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.34]. The risk was higher when exposure took place at younger age (SRR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.36-1.85). The risk was independent of skin sensitivity or population and a dose response was evident. A meta-analysis of 12 studies was conducted for non-melanoma skin cancers and showed a significantly increased risk for basal cell carcinoma (SRR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.08-1.53) and for squamous cell carcinoma (SRR = 1.67; 95% CI 1.29-2.17). As for melanoma, the risk for other skin cancers increased for first exposures at young age. Epidemiological studies have gradually strengthened the evidence for a causal relationship between indoor tanning and skin cancer and they fit with prior knowledge on relationship between UV exposure and skin cancer. Additionally, several case-control studies provided consistent evidence of a positive association between use of sunbed and ocular melanoma, also with greater risk for first exposures at younger age. Preventive measures based on information on risk or by requiring parental authorization for young users proved to be inefficient in several studies. The significant impact of strong actions or total ban, such as performed in Iceland, or a total ban of sunbed use, as in Brazil or Australian states, needs to be further assessed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22547225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Thermal stability limits of proteins in solution and adsorbed on a hydrophobic surface.\nA coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulation is used to study thermal denaturation of small proteins in an infinitely dilute solution and adsorbed on a flat hydrophobic surface. Intermolecular interactions are modeled using the Miyazawa-Jernigan (MJ) knowledge-based potential for implicit solvent with the BULDG hydrophobicity scale. We analyze the thermal behavior of lysozyme for its prevalence of \u03b1-helices, fibronectin for its prevalence of \u03b2-sheets, and a short single helical peptide. Protein dimensions and contact maps are studied in detail before and during isothermal adsorption and heating. The MJ potential is shown to correctly predict the native conformation in solution under standard conditions, and the anticipated thermal stabilization of adsorbed proteins is observed when compared with heating in solution. The helix of the peptide is found to be much less stable thermally than the helices of lysozyme, reinforcing the importance of long-range forces in defining the protein structure. Contact map analysis of the adsorbed proteins shows correlation between the hydrophobicity of the secondary structure and their thermal stability on the surface.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38099303,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The accuracy of Fiber-Optic Raman Spectroscopy in the detection and diagnosis of head and neck neoplasm in vivo: a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nThe aim of this article was to review and collectively assess the published studies of fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy (RS) of the in vivo detection and diagnosis of head and neck carcinomas, and to derive a consensus average of the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. The authors searched four databases, including Ovid-Medline, Ovid-Embase, Cochrane Library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), up to February 2023 for all published studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of fiber-optic RS in the in vivo detection of head and neck carcinomas. Nonqualifying studies were screened out in accordance with the specified exclusion criteria, and relevant information about the diagnostic performance of fiber-optic RS was excluded. Publication bias was estimated by Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test. A random effects model was adopted to calculate the pooled sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR). Additionally, the authors conducted a summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve analysis and threshold analysis, reporting the area under the curve (AUC) to evaluate the overall performance of fiber-optic RS in vivo. Ten studies (including 16 groups of data) were included in this article, and a total of 5365 in vivo Raman spectra (cancer = 1,746; normal = 3,619) were acquired from 877 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of fiber-optic RS of head and neck carcinomas were 0.88 and 0.94, respectively. SROC curves were generated to estimate the overall diagnostic accuracy, and the AUC was 0.96 (95% CI [0.94-0.97]). No significant publication bias was found in this meta-analysis by Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test. The heterogeneity of these studies was significant; the Q test values of the sensitivity and specificity were 106.23 (P = 0.00) and 64.21 (P = 0.00), respectively, and the I2 index of the sensitivity and specificity were 85.88 (95% CI [79.99-91.77]) and 76.64 (95% CI [65.45-87.83]), respectively. Fiber-optic RS was demonstrated to be a reliable technique for the in vivo detection of head and neck carcinoma with high accuracy. However, considering the high heterogeneity of these studies, more clinical studies are needed to reduce the heterogeneity, and further confirm the utility of fiber-optic Raman spectroscopy in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26147734,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Mating Reverses Actuarial Aging in Female Queensland Fruit Flies.\nAnimals that have a long pre-reproductive adult stage often employ mechanisms that minimize aging over this period in order to preserve reproductive lifespan. In a remarkable exception, one tephritid fruit fly exhibits substantial pre-reproductive aging but then mitigates this aging during a diet-dependent transition to the reproductive stage, after which life expectancy matches that of newly emerged flies. Here, we ascertain the role of nutrients, sexual maturation and mating in mitigation of previous aging in female Queensland fruit flies. Flies were provided one of three diets: 'sugar', 'essential', or 'yeast-sugar'. Essential diet contained sugar and micronutrients found in yeast but lacked maturation-enabling protein. At days 20 and 30, a subset of flies on the sugar diet were switched to essential or yeast-sugar diet, and some yeast-sugar fed flies were mated 10 days later. Complete mitigation of actuarial aging was only observed in flies that were switched to a yeast-sugar diet and mated, indicating that mating is key. Identifying the physiological processes associated with mating promise novel insights into repair mechanisms for aging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22304732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Diphtheria in the postepidemic period, Europe, 2000-2009.\nDiphtheria incidence has decreased in Europe since its resurgence in the 1990s, but circulation continues in some countries in eastern Europe, and sporadic cases have been reported elsewhere. Surveillance data from Diphtheria Surveillance Network countries and the World Health Organization European Region for 2000-2009 were analyzed. Latvia reported the highest annual incidence in Europe each year, but the Russian Federation and Ukraine accounted for 83% of all cases. Over the past 10 years, diphtheria incidence has decreased by >95% across the region. Although most deaths occurred in disease-endemic countries, case-fatality rates were highest in countries to which diphtheria is not endemic, where unfamiliarity can lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment. In western Europe, toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans has increasingly been identified as the etiologic agent. Reduction in diphtheria incidence over the past 10 years is encouraging, but maintaining high vaccination coverage is essential to prevent indigenous C. ulcerans and reemergence of C. diphtheriae.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25419400,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"MDR-1 gene C\/T polymorphism in COPD: data from Aegean part of Turkey.\nGenetic factors, in addition to oxidative stress factors, have been implicated in the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Multi-drug resistant-1 (MDR-1) is a gene located on chromosome 7 and the products of this gene protect lung tissue from oxidative stress. We searched the frequency of MDR-1 gene C\/T polymorphism in patients with COPD and aimed to explain the association between MDR-1 gene and COPD development. 47 patients with COPD and 64 healthy control participants were placed in this study. DNAs were extracted from blood samples and MDR-1 amplification of DNA was performed using polymerase chain reaction and enzyme digestion techniques. The frequencies of MDR-1 genotypes were found 17.0% for CC, 51.1% for CT and 31.9% for TT in the COPD group and 39.1% for CC, 53.1% for CT and 7.8% for TT in the control group. The distribution of MDR-1 gene C alleles were found 32.3% in COPD group and 67.7% in control group; T alleles were found 55.1% in COPD group and 44.9% in control group. There was statistically significant difference between the groups for genotype and allele frequency of MDR-1 gene (P = 0.001). TT genotype of MDR-1 gene was significantly more frequent in COPD patients. MDR-1 gene C\/T polymorphism may play a role in COPD development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37220951,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evaluating open access publication and research impact in gynecologic oncology.\nTo evaluate whether a citation advantage exists for open access (OA) publications in gynecologic oncology. A cross-sectional study of research and review articles published in the International Journal of Gynecological Cancer (IJGC) and in Gynecologic Oncology during 1980-2022. Bibliometric measures were compared between OA publications and non-OA publications. The role of authors in low\/middle-income countries was assessed. We analyzed article characteristics associated with a high citations per year (CPY) score. Overall, 18 515 articles were included, of which 2398 (13.0%) articles were published OA. The rate of OA has increased since 2007. During 2018-2022, the average proportion of articles published OA was 34.0% (range 28.5%-41.4%). OA articles had higher CPY (median (IQR), 3.0 (1.5-5.3) vs 1.3 (0.6-2.7), p<0.001). There was a strong positive correlation between OA proportion and impact factor; IJGC - r(23)=0.90, p<0.001, Gynecologic Oncology - r(23)=0.89, p<0.001. Articles by authors from low\/middle-income countries were less common among OA articles than among non-OA articles (5.5% vs 10.7%, p<0.001). Articles by authors from low\/middle-income countries were less common in the high CPY group than for articles without a high CPY score (8.0% vs 10.2%, p=0.003). The following article characteristics were found to be independently associated with a high CPY: publication after 2007, (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=4.9, 95% CI 4.3 to 5.7), research funding reported (aOR=1.6, 95% CI 1.4 to 1.8), and being published OA (aOR=1.5, 95% CI 1.3-1.7). Articles written by authors in Central\/South America or Asia had lower odds of having high CPY (Central\/South America, aOR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.8; Asia, aOR=0.6, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.7). OA articles have a higher CPY, with a strong positive correlation between OA proportion and impact factor. OA publishing has increased since 2007, but articles written by authors in low\/middle-income countries are under-represented among OA publications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33668824,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Ibrexafungerp: A First-in-Class Oral Triterpenoid Glucan Synthase Inhibitor.\nIbrexafungerp (formerly SCY-078 or MK-3118) is a first-in-class triterpenoid antifungal or \"fungerp\" that inhibits biosynthesis of \u03b2-(1,3)-D-glucan in the fungal cell wall, a mechanism of action similar to that of echinocandins. Distinguishing characteristics of ibrexafungerp include oral bioavailability, a favourable safety profile, few drug-drug interactions, good tissue penetration, increased activity at low pH and activity against multi-drug resistant isolates including C. auris and C. glabrata. In vitro data has demonstrated broad and potent activity against Candida and Aspergillus species. Importantly, ibrexafungerp also has potent activity against azole-resistant isolates, including biofilm-forming Candida spp., and echinocandin-resistant isolates. It also has activity against the asci form of Pneumocystis spp., and other pathogenic fungi including some non-Candida yeasts and non-Aspergillus moulds. In vivo data have shown IBX to be effective for treatment of candidiasis and aspergillosis. Ibrexafungerp is effective for the treatment of acute vulvovaginal candidiasis in completed phase 3 clinical trials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22314022,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The chronic effects of fish oil with exercise on postprandial lipaemia and chylomicron homeostasis in insulin resistant viscerally obese men.\nVisceral obesity and insulin resistance are associated with a postprandial accumulation of atherogenic chylomicron remnants that is difficult to modulate with lipid-lowering therapies. Dietary fish oil and exercise are cardioprotective interventions that can significantly modify the metabolism of TAG-rich lipoproteins. In this study, we investigated whether chronic exercise and fish oil act in combination to affect chylomicron metabolism in obese men with moderate insulin resistance. The single blind study tested the effect of fish oil, exercise and the combined treatments on fasting and postprandial chylomicron metabolism. Twenty nine men with metabolic syndrome were randomly assigned to take fish oil or placebo for four weeks, before undertaking an additional 12 week walking program. At baseline and at the end of each treatment, subjects were tested for concentrations of fasting apo B48, plasma lipids and insulin. Postprandial apo B48 and TAG kinetics were also determined following ingestion of a fat enriched meal. Combining fish oil and exercise resulted in a significant reduction in the fasting apo B48 concentration, concomitant with attenuation of fasting TAG concentrations and the postprandial TAGIAUC response (p < 0.05). Fish oil by itself reduced the postprandial TAG response (p < 0.05) but not postprandial apo B48 kinetics. Individual treatments of fish oil and exercise did not correspond with improvements in fasting plasma TAG and apo B48. Fish oil was shown to independently improve plasma TAG homeostasis but did not resolve hyper-chylomicronaemia. Instead, combining fish oil with chronic exercise reduced the plasma concentration of pro-atherogenic chylomicron remnants; in addition it reduced the fasting and postprandial TAG response in viscerally obese insulin resistant subjects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26504253,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Foreign-Born Status and Geographic Patterns of Tuberculosis Genotypes in Tarrant County, Texas.\nRegardless of destination, immigrants arrive with health profiles typical of people in their previous surroundings. Thus, immigrants change the epidemiological profile of destination communities, and immigrant neighborhoods may represent islands of infectious disease. Genotyping has emerged as a useful surveillance tool to track the spread of disease at the molecular level. Yet the spatial distribution of infectious disease at the molecular level associated with migration and immigrant neighborhoods has received little attention. Using molecular genotyping to characterize M. tuberculosis isolated from tuberculosis cases, this article analyzes spatial variations of unique molecular M. tuberculosis strains by zip code in Tarrant County, Texas. The results suggest that immigrant neighborhoods have higher rates of unique isolates of tuberculosis (suggestive of remote transmission) compared to neighborhoods occupied by the native-born. Neighborhoods dominated by the native-born have higher rates of clustered isolates (suggestive of recent transmission). Therefore, in addition to being culturally distinct, immigrant neighborhoods may also be pathogenically distinct from surrounding neighborhoods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37767906,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Predictors of MACE following PPCI in patients with a prior history of CABG.\nEvidence suggests patients undergoing Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) who have a prior history of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) are more likely to experience adverse cardiac events compared to patients without prior CABG. We aimed to study risk factors of one-year Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) in patients undergoing PPCI with a prior history of CABG. Patients with a history of CABG undergoing PPCI on Saphenous Vein Graft (SVG) were contacted one year after PPCI. One-year follow-up sought MACE, death, and cardiovascular hospitalisation. A total of 69 patients were included in this study of which 66 were followed-up. Within the one-year follow-up, 6 (8.7%) patients were hospitalised due to cardiovascular causes, and 20 (29%) developed MACE. Patients with prior PCI had a significantly higher one-year MACE rate compared to others. Among patients undergoing pre-dilation, patients who experienced MACE had a significantly higher pre-dilation diameter. Moreover, patients experiencing MACE had a significantly lower Ejection Fraction (EF). According to logistic regression models, prior PCI, pre-dilation, and EF were predictors of one-year MACE. Furthermore, The EF was an independent predictor of one-year MACE. Higher pre-dilation diameter might be associated with a higher one-year MACE rate in patients undergoing PPCI on SVG with a prior history of CABG. Additionally, EF was an independent predictor of one-year MACE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10156587,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"What providers need to know bout the False Claims Act.\nIn the 1990s, the Federal government's antifraud efforts increasingly have focused on the healthcare industry, and the False Claims Act, a powerful law designed to curb fraud against the Federal Treasury, has been one of the government's most potent weapons. One reason for the act's potency is its qui tam provision, which encourages whistleblowers to expose fraud in return for a substantial percentage of money the government recovers. The False Claims Act has been used against healthcare providers in the following areas: billing for services or supplies not actually provided, billing for nonreimbursable services, using false diagnoses to justify claims, and cheating in government performance evaluations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32522132,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Outpatient Palliative Care in Heart Failure: An Integrative Review.\nBackground: Early integration of palliative care (PC) for patients with heart failure (HF) improves patient outcomes and decreases health care utilization. PC provided outside of an acute hospitalization is not well understood. Objective: To synthesize the literature of outpatient PC in HF to identify the current landscape, the impact on patient health outcomes, key stakeholders' perspectives, and future implications for research and practice. Design: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Web of Science was conducted from inception to February 2019 for studies of outpatient PC in adults with HF. Each study was analyzed to describe study characteristics, location of PC, types of providers involved, participant characteristics, and main findings, and to characterize domains of PC addressed. Results: Most studies (N = 19) employed a quantitative design and were conducted in the United States. The most common locations of PC were the home or PC clinic and providers were mainly PC specialists. Outpatient PC improved quality of life, alleviated symptoms, and decreased rehospitalizations for patients with HF. No study addressed all eight domains of PC. The structural, physical, and psychological domains were commonly addressed, whereas, least commonly addressed domains were the cultural and ethical\/legal domain. Women and ethnic minorities were underrepresented in the majority of samples. Conclusions: This integrative review highlights the need to promote primary PC and future PC research focusing on a holistic, integrated, team-based approach addressing all domains of PC in representative samples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36280934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of cervical stabilisation exercises on respiratory strength in chronic neck pain patients with forward head posture.\nThe objective of this study was to determine the effects of cervical stabilisation exercises on respiratory strength in chronic neck pain patients with forward head posture. The study was conducted from August 2020 to February 2021, at the Jinnah Hospital, Lahore; 44 patients who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to two groups-experimental group and control group-. Baseline measurement was taken for numeric pain rating scale, neck disability index, craniovertebral angle, single breath count, and spirometry and all the measurements were retaken at the completion of the fourth week. Results were not significant (p>0.05) before the treatment in both groups but post-intervention results revealed significant differences in both the groups (p<0.05), with the experimental group showing more improvement. Four weeks of cervical stabilisation with isometric exercises is more effective in the management of pain, forward head posture, neck disability and respiratory strength as compared with the four weeks of isometric exercises programme alone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6331413,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A re-examination of the reactions of cyanide with cytochrome c oxidase.\nExperiments were performed to examine the cyanide-binding properties of resting and pulsed cytochrome c oxidase in both their stable and transient turnover states. Inhibition of the oxidation of ferrocytochrome c was monitored as a function of cyanide concentration. Cyanide binding to partially reduced forms produced by mixing cytochrome c oxidase with sodium dithionite was also examined. A model is presented that accounts fully for cyanide inhibition of the enzyme, the essential feature of which is the rapid, tight, binding of cyanide to transient, partially reduced, forms of the enzyme populated during turnover. Computer fitting of the experimentally obtained data to the kinetic predictions given by this model indicate that the cyanide-sensitive form of the enzyme binds the ligand with combination constants in excess of 10(6) M-1 X s-1 and with KD values of 50 nM or less. Kinetic difference spectra indicate that cyanide binds to oxidized cytochrome a33+ and that this occurs rapidly only when cytochrome a and CuA are reduced.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16183624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Source memory in the real world: a neuropsychological study of flashbulb memory.\nA flashbulb memory (FM) is a vivid, enduring memory for how one learned about a surprising, shocking event. It thus involves memory for the source of event information, as opposed to memory for the event itself. Which brain regions are involved in FM, however, is uncertain. Although medial temporal lobe\/diencephalic (MTL\/D) damage impairs content or item memory, frontal lobe (FL) damage has been associated with impaired source memory. One would therefore expect that FM should depend on the FLs, although two recent reports do not support this idea. In the current study, we examined memory for the events of September 11th, and memory for the source of that information, in MTL\/D patients, FL patients, and healthy subjects. Only the MTL\/D patients were impaired in long-term memory for the event itself, measured after a 6 month retention interval. The FL patients, on the other hand, showed a selective deficit in source memory, although their memory for the target event was unimpaired. MTL\/D and FL structures appear to play different roles in memory for flashbulb events.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33270457,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Harnessing Plasma Environments for Ammonia Catalysis: Mechanistic Insights from Experiments and Large-Scale Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics.\nBy combining experimental measurements with ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we provide the first microscopic description of the interaction between metal surfaces and a low-temperature nitrogen-hydrogen plasma. Our study focuses on the dissociation of hydrogen and nitrogen as the main activation route. We find that ammonia forms via an Eley-Rideal mechanism where atomic nitrogen abstracts hydrogen from the catalyst surface to form ammonia on an extremely short time scale (a few picoseconds). On copper, ammonia formation occurs via the interaction between plasma-produced atomic nitrogen and the H-terminated surface. On platinum, however, we find that surface saturation with NH groups is necessary for ammonia production to occur. Regardless of the metal surface, the reaction is limited by the mass transport of atomic nitrogen, consistent with the weak dependence on catalyst material that we observe and has been reported by several other groups. This study represents a significant step toward achieving a mechanistic, microscopic-scale understanding of catalytic processes activated in low-temperature plasma environments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35120365,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Two-Tier Instant-Feedback Assessment Strategy for Improvement of Student Concentration.\nIn this study, a two-tier instant-feedback assessment model was constructed using the Zuvio instant-feedback system and oral questions; this model was applied to conduct formative assessments for an introductory computer course. We adopted a one-group pretest-posttest approach with 52 first-year nursing students. The course ran for 6 weeks with two classes per week. The course content of mBlock language and the educational robotic kit mbot was introduced in the first 2 weeks. From the third to the sixth week, the two-tier instant assessment strategy was added. At the end of the teaching experiment, surveys on concentration and course satisfaction were administered. Our results were as follows: (1) two-tier instant-feedback assessment can enhance student concentration, as the results showed that students' concentration improved; (2) in the subscale, the \"competitive selection\" dimension reached a significant difference; and (3), the students held positive views toward the incorporation of two-tier instant-feedback assessment into the course.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28557449,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Antimalarial Activities of Alkyl Cyclohexenone Derivatives Isolated from the Leaves of Poupartia borbonica.\nBioactivity-guided fractionation of the ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of Poupartia borbonica led to the isolation of three new alkyl cyclohexenone derivatives 1-3, and named Poupartone A-C. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data analysis and MS, whereas calculated and experimental ECD spectra were used to define the absolute configurations. These compounds were active against 3D7 and W2 Plasmodium falciparum strains with IC50 values between 0.55 and 1.81 \u03bcM. In vitro cytotoxicity against WI38 human fibroblasts and the human cervical cancer cell line HeLa (WST-1 assay) showed that these compounds were also cytotoxic, but no hemolytic activity was observed for the extract and pure compounds. An in vivo antimalarial assay was performed on the major cyclohexenone using P. berghei-infected mice at a dose of 15 mg\/kg\/day ip. The assay revealed growth inhibition of 59.1 and 69.5% at days 5 and 7 postinfection, respectively, although some toxicity was observed. Zebrafish larvae were used as a model to determine the type of toxicity, and the results showed cardiac toxicity. The methanol extract was also studied, and it displayed moderate antiplasmodial properties in vitro. This extract contained the known flavonoids, quercetin, 3'-O-hydroxysulfonylquercetin, quercitrin, and isoquercitrin as well as ellagic acid, which showed high to low activity against the 3D7 P. falciparum strain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20209307,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The role of the FEF50%\/0.5FVC ratio in the diagnosis of obstructive lung diseases.\nTo evaluate the contribution of a new coefficient, the FEF50%\/0.5FVC ratio, obtained from the maximal expiratory flow-volume curve, to the diagnosis of obstructive lung disease (OLD); to test this coefficient in differentiating among patients considered normal, those with OLD and those with restrictive lung disease (RLD); and to determine cut-off points for each functional diagnosis, as well as the probability for each diagnosis based on individual values. A prospective, cross-sectional study analyzing the pulmonary function of patients referred to the Porto Alegre Hospital de Cl\u00ednicas, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, between January and December of 2003. We collected demographic and spirometric data. The patients were divided into three groups: normal; OLD; and RLD. We calculated the FEV1\/FVC and FEF50%\/0.5FVC ratios, and we compared the mean FEF50%\/0.5FVC values among the groups. We used Pearson's correlation test in order to compare FEF50%\/0.5FVC with FEV1\/FVC. The patients were again divided into two groups: those with OLD and those without OLD. We calculated the likelihood ratio for different cut-off points. The mean age of the patients was 55.8 +\/- 14.7 years. There were significant differences among the groups in terms of the mean FEF50%\/0.5FVC (2.10 +\/- 0.82, 2.55 +\/- 1.47 and 0.56 +\/- 0.29, respectively, for normal, RLD and OLD; p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between FEF50%\/0.5FVC and FEV1\/FVC in the OLD group (r = 0.83). We found that an FEF50%\/0.5FVC < 0.79 strongly suggests OLD, whereas an FEF50%\/0.5FVC > 1.33 practically excludes this diagnosis. The FEF50%\/0.5FVC ratio is a potentially useful parameter in the differential diagnosis of OLD and correlates positively with the FEV1\/FVC ratio.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19747576,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Functional properties and epitope characteristics of T-cells recognizing natural HIV-1 variants.\nTo understand how broad recognition of HIV-1 variants may be achieved we examined T-cell reactivity in newly infected persons as well as vaccine recipients to a broad spectrum of potential T-cell epitope (PTE) variants containing conservative, semi-conservative and non-conservative amino acid substitutions. Among early infected persons T-cells recognized epitope variants with one substitution at a significantly higher frequency versus those with two (P=0.0098) and three (P=0.0125) substitutions. Furthermore T-cells recognized variants containing conservative substitutions at a higher frequency versus those containing semi-conservative (P=0.0029) and non-conservative (P<0.0001) substitutions. Similar effects were observed on recognition of variants by vaccine-induced T-cells. Moreover even when variants were recognized, the IFN-gamma and granzyme B responses as well as T-cell proliferation were of lower magnitude. Finally, we show that epitope distribution is strongly influenced by both processing preferences and amino acid entropy. We conclude that induction of broad immunity is likely to require immunogen sequences that encompass multiple variants. However, cost-effective design of peptide and sequence based vaccine immunogens that provide maximal coverage of circulating sequences may be achieved through emphasis on virus domains likely to be T-cell targets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10877497,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of intravaginal practices on the vaginal and cervical mucosa of Zimbabwean women.\nLesions on the vaginal and cervical mucosa may facilitate transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We evaluated the relationship between intravaginal practices and the presence of colposcopic lesions in Zimbabwean women. Users and nonusers of intravaginal practices were seen at enrollment, and at 1 and 6 months. Interviewing, counseling, and pelvic and colposcopic examinations were performed at each study visit. Specimens were collected at enrollment and 6 months. Colposcopic lesions were found at least once in 83% of the participants (n = 162), and in 66% of all exams (n = 430). Most lesions were classified as related to infection with human Papillomavirus (HPV) (58%) or another pathogen (20%), but 11% of lesions could have been caused by intravaginal practices (signal lesions). Intravaginal practices were not associated with an increased incidence in signal lesions (95 and 124 lesions per 100 person-years of follow-up for users and nonusers respectively; p = .290), nor with the presence of signal lesions in multivariate baseline (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37-4.72; p = .666) and six month transition models (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 0.59-4.70; p = .333). No associations between intravaginal practices and colposcopic lesions were found in this study. However, the potential effect of intravaginal practices on the cervical and vaginal mucosa, and on subsequent HIV and STD transmission, warrants further study. The usefulness of colposcopy as a research tool in areas with high prevalences of HIV and HPV is questioned.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30982574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Fucoxanthin exerts anti-fibrogenic effects in hepatic stellate cells.\nThe objective of this study was to evaluate whether fucoxanthin (FCX) have anti-fibrogenic properties in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). FCX significantly decreased basal and transforming growth factor \u03b21 (TGF\u03b21)-induced mRNA levels of fibrogenic genes with concomitant decreases in their protein levels in LX-2 cells. The phosphorylation of SMA- and MAD-related protein (SMAD3) was increased by TGF\u03b21, which was attenuated by FCX. Importantly, when LX-2 cells were treated with FCX and SIS3, a SMAD3 inhibitor, there was synergistic repression of fibrogenic gene expression. The anti-fibrogenic effect of FCX was also confirmed in primary human HSCs. FCX prevented TGF\u03b21-induced accumulation of reactive oxygen species by diminishing mRNA level of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) in LX-2 cells. When FCX was present during the activation of quiescent mouse primary HSCs, it decreased the expression of fibrogenic genes while diminishing intracellular lipid droplets. The results suggest that FCX exerts an anti-fibrogenic effect in HSCs primarily by preventing TGF\u03b21-induced pro-fibrogenic genes expression via inhibition of SMAD3 activation and by inhibiting the activation of quiescent HSCs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3209557,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"A muscarinic receptor subtype modulates vagally stimulated bronchial contraction.\nAn in vitro preparation was developed to study vagus nerve-stimulated (preganglionic) and field-stimulated (post-ganglionic) contraction of the rabbit main stem bronchus and to compare the inhibitory effects of muscarinic antagonists on that contraction. The maximal contractile responses (20 V, 0.5 ms, 64 Hz) for either field or vagal stimulation were completely abolished by atropine (60 nM). Hexamethonium (0.1 mM) abolished the response to vagal stimulation but did not affect the field-stimulated response. To compare the effectiveness of atropine and pirenzepine as antagonists at the nerve-smooth muscle junction, inhibition studies of field-stimulated contractions were performed. Pirenzepine was 102- to 178-fold less potent than atropine when compared at the inhibitory concentration of antagonist that produced 25, 50, and 75% inhibition (IC25, IC50, and IC75, respectively), indicating that the muscarinic receptor at the nerve-smooth muscle junction is a muscarinic receptor with low affinity for pirenzepine (M2 subtype). Atropine had similar inhibitory effects on vagal- and field-stimulated contractions. In contrast, pirenzepine was more potent in inhibiting vagally stimulated contraction than field-stimulated contraction, especially at the IC25 where pirenzepine was only 8- to 22-fold less potent than atropine in inhibiting vagally stimulated contraction. These data suggest that an M1 subtype of muscarinic receptor modulates excitatory neurotransmission through bronchial parasympathetic ganglia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11404653,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Laboratory protocol for exercise asthma to evaluate salbutamol given by two devices.\nAs new delivery devices and formulations are being introduced for drugs given by inhalation, there is a need to evaluate their equivalence with old preparations. One way to do this is to investigate their equivalence in protecting from exercise-induced asthma (EIA). We used a protocol for EIA to compare the protective effect of salbutamol delivered by the pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI) and the new Diskus dry powder device. Twenty-seven asthmatic subjects with moderately severe EIA completed an exercise test on four separate days at two study centers. Exercise was performed by cycling for 8 min while inhaling dry air (0% RH, 20-24 degrees C). The target workload in W was predicted as (53.76 x predicted FEV1) - 11.07 and 95% of this target was achieved at 4 min of exercise. This target was chosen in order to achieve ventilation between 50 and 60% of predicted maximum in the last 4 min. There was no significant difference in the workload, ventilation, or heart rate achieved on the study days. The severity of EIA was measured as the % fall in FEV1. EIA severity was similar on the placebo and control day and the coefficient of variation was 19.4%. The mean +\/- SD % fall on the control, placebo, salbutamol by Diskus, and pMDI were 42.0% +\/- 15, 39.4% +\/-17.6, 13.4% +\/- 13.2, and 8.5% +\/- 13.8, respectively. Salbutamol significantly inhibited the % fall in FEV1 after exercise, and there was no difference between the preparations. The protocol described here is suitable for evaluating equivalence of salbutamol preparations in protecting against EIA and could be used to evaluate the protective effect of other medications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34220359,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"InterCarb: A Community Effort to Improve Interlaboratory Standardization of the Carbonate Clumped Isotope Thermometer Using Carbonate Standards.\nIncreased use and improved methodology of carbonate clumped isotope thermometry has greatly enhanced our ability to interrogate a suite of Earth-system processes. However, interlaboratory discrepancies in quantifying carbonate clumped isotope (\u039447) measurements persist, and their specific sources remain unclear. To address interlaboratory differences, we first provide consensus values from the clumped isotope community for four carbonate standards relative to heated and equilibrated gases with 1,819 individual analyses from 10 laboratories. Then we analyzed the four carbonate standards along with three additional standards, spanning a broad range of \u03b447 and \u039447 values, for a total of 5,329 analyses on 25 individual mass spectrometers from 22 different laboratories. Treating three of the materials as known standards and the other four as unknowns, we find that the use of carbonate reference materials is a robust method for standardization that yields interlaboratory discrepancies entirely consistent with intralaboratory analytical uncertainties. Carbonate reference materials, along with measurement and data processing practices described herein, provide the carbonate clumped isotope community with a robust approach to achieve interlaboratory agreement as we continue to use and improve this powerful geochemical tool. We propose that carbonate clumped isotope data normalized to the carbonate reference materials described in this publication should be reported as \u039447 (I-CDES) values for Intercarb-Carbon Dioxide Equilibrium Scale.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21227625,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"The efficacy of portal vein embolization prior to right extended hemihepatectomy for hilar cholangiocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study.\nPreoperative portal vein embolization was introduced to minimize complications after extended hepatectomy. This retrospective cohort study was conducted to compare outcomes with and without portal vein embolization before hepatectomy for hilar cholangiocellular carcinoma. This study was conducted with 35 patients who underwent right extended hemihepatectomy for hilar cholangiocellular carcinoma from 2001 to 2008. Preoperative portal vein embolization was performed in 14 patients (embolization group) and not performed in 21 patients (non-embolization group). The groups did not differ in terms of sex, age, operative time, transfusion, postoperative serum bilirubin level, prothrombin time, and length of intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Although blood loss was higher in the embolization group than in the non-embolization group (P = .009), no major complications were observed between embolization and resection. At presentation, future liver remnant was smaller in the embolization group (19.8%, range 16-35%) than in non-embolization group (28.3%, 15-47%; P = .001). After embolization, the volume of the future liver remnant increased significantly to 27.2% (range, 23-42%; P = .001). Future liver remnants just before operation were similar in both groups (P > .99). There was no significant difference in terms of the rate of morbidity and in-hospital mortality. No statistically significant differences were observed in disease-free survival (P = .52) and overall survival (P = .30). Portal vein embolizations do not increase the rate of morbidity, in-hospital mortality, local recurrence and system metastasis. Therefore it can be considered safe and effective for patients with small future liver remnants. Embolization can lessen postoperative liver failure and widen the indication of the surgical resection, especially in patients with marginal future liver remnants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17604537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"HIV type 1 diversity in the Seychelles.\nSubtype determination and drug resistance-associated mutations (DRM) detection were performed on 40 HIV-1 Western blot-positive sera detected, obtained from consecutive patients resident in the Seychelles and consulting the Communicable Disease Control Unit, HIV reference center, in Victoria Hospital (Mahe) from October 2005 to June 2006. Amplification and sequencing of at least two of the partial reverse transcriptase, protease, and partial envelope genes were successful for all strains. All three genes sequences were obtained for 39 strains. A high degree of subtype or circulating recombinant forms (CRF) was observed for these 39 strains: A-A1 (17 cases), C (10 cases), B (8 cases), CRF02_AG (2 cases), D (1 case) and CRF01_AE (1 case). According to the ANRS 2006 DRM list and algorithm, none of the 40 isolates was found to be resistant to any protease or reverse transcriptase inhibitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16855017,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"High urinary calcium excretion and genetic susceptibility to hypertension and kidney stone disease.\nIncreased urinary calcium excretion commonly is found in patients with hypertension and kidney stone disease (KSD). This study investigated the aggregation of hypertension and KSD in families of patients with KSD and hypercalciuria and explored whether obesity, excessive weight gain, and diabetes, commonly related conditions, also aggregate in these families. Consecutive patients with KSD, aged 18 to 50 yr, were recruited from a population-based Kidney Stone Center, and a 24-h urine sample was collected. The first-degree relatives of eligible patients (n = 333) and their spouse were interviewed by telephone to collect demographic and health information. Familial aggregation was assessed using generalized estimating equations. Multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (OR) revealed significant associations between hypercalciuria in patients and hypertension (OR 2.9; 95% confidence interval 1.4 to 6.2) and KSD (OR 1.9; 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 3.5) in first-degree relatives, specifically in siblings. No significant associations were found in parents or spouses or in patients with hyperuricosuria. Similarly, no aggregation with other conditions was observed. In an independent study of siblings of hypercalciuric patients with KSD, the adjusted mean fasting urinary calcium\/creatinine ratio was significantly higher in the hypertensive siblings compared with normotensive siblings (0.60 +\/- 0.32 versus 0.46 +\/- 0.28 mmol\/mmol; P < 0.05), and both sibling groups had significantly higher values than the unselected study participants (P < 0.001). Urinary sodium\/creatinine and uric acid\/creatinine ratios were not different among the groups. Although an environmental effect cannot be excluded fully, our findings suggest that the disturbance in calcium metabolism in hypertension and KSD has a genetic basis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16417856,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"beta2-adrenergic receptor activation and genetic polymorphisms in autism: data from dizygotic twins.\nGestational and genetic factors can contribute to autism during infancy and early childhood through their effects on fetal brain development. Previous twin studies have shown strong genetic components for the development of autism, a disorder that can have multiple causes. We investigated the effects of prenatal overstimulation of the beta2-adrenergic receptor in dizygotic twins who were exposed to terbutaline, a selective beta2-adrenergic receptor agonist used to treat premature labor, as a gestational factor. As a possible genetic mechanism, we studied two beta2-adrenergic receptor polymorphisms in twins from whom DNA was available: glycine substitution at codon 16 (16G) and glutamic acid substitution at codon 27 (27E), which show diminished desensitization in vivo compared with the wild-type receptor. Continuous terbutaline exposure for 2 weeks or longer was associated with increased concordance for autism spectrum disorders in dizygotic twins (relative risk = 2.0), with a further increase in the risk for male twins with no other affected siblings (relative risk = 4.4). A significant association was found between the presence of 16G and 27E polymorphisms in autistic patients compared with population controls (P = .006). Prenatal overstimulation of the beta2-adrenergic receptor by terbutaline or by increased signaling of genetic polymorphisms of the beta2-adrenergic receptor that have diminished desensitization can affect cellular responses and developmental programs in the fetal brain, leading to autism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29375681,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Alendronate promotes osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis through interferon-\u03b2\/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 pathway.\nAlendronate is commonly used for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis; however, the underlying pathological molecular mechanisms of its action remain unclear. In the present study, the alendronate-treated signaling pathway in bone metabolism in rats with ovariectomy induced by osteoporosis was investigated. Rats with osteoporosis were orally administered alendronate or phosphate-buffered saline (control). In addition, the interferon-\u03b2 (IFN-\u03b2)\/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) signaling pathway was investigated in osteoblasts following treatment with alendronate in vitro and in vivo. During the differentiation period, IFN-\u03b2 (100 ng\/ml) was used to treat the osteoblast cells, and the activity, viability and bone metabolism-associated gene expression levels (STAT1, p-STAT1, Fra1, TRAF6 and SOCS1) were analyzed in osteoblast cells. Histopathological changes were used to evaluate osteoblasts, osteoclasts, inflammatory phase of bone healing and osteonecrotic areas. The results demonstrated that alendronate significantly inhibited the activity of osteoporotic osteoclasts by stimulating expression of IFN-\u03b2, as well as markedly improved the viability and activity of osteoblasts compared with the control group. In addition, alendronate increased the expression and phosphorylation levels of STAT1 in osteoclasts, enhanced osteoblast differentiation, upregulated the expression levels of alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin, and increased the expression of osteoblast differentiation-associated genes (osteocalcin, osterix and Runx2). Inhibition of IFN-\u03b2 expression canceled the benefits of alendronate-mediated osteoblast differentiation. Notably, alendronate enhanced bone formation in rats with osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy. In conclusion, these findings suggest that alendronate can regulate osteoblast differentiation and bone formation in rats with osteoporosis induced by ovariectomy through upregulation of IFN-\u03b2\/STAT1 signaling pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3768252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Excretion of trazodone in breast milk.\nThe excretion of breast milk was studied in six lactating women following the oral administration of a single trazodone tablet (50 mg). The milk\/plasma ratio of trazodone based on area under the plasma and milk curves was small: 0.142 +\/- 0.045 (mean +\/- s.d.). Assuming that the babies would drink 500 ml 12 h-1, they would be exposed to less than 0.005 mg kg-1 as compared to 0.77 mg kg-1 for the mothers. It is concluded that exposure of babies to trazodone via breast milk is very small.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6174630,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Membrane attach complex of complement (MAC): three-dimensional analysis of MAC-phospholipid vesicle recombinants.\nThe three-dimensional structure of recombinants of the isolated membrane attack complex (MAC) of complement with single bilayer dioleoyllecithin (DOL) vesicles and with dimyristoyllecithin (DML) vesicles was determined. A total of four MAC-vesicle complexes were analyzed by imaging negatively stained specimens at various defined tilting angles under minimal dose conditions in the electron microscope and by computer-aided three-dimensional reconstruction. The information on electron micrographs obtained at 6 degrees angular increments from +60 degrees to -60 degrees was digitized by densitometric scanning, Fourier-transformed, corrected for imaging errors, cross-correlated, and synthesized to the three-dimensional image. All four MAC-vesicle recombinants showed stain penetration into the interior of the vesicle, indicating increased permeability of the bilayer to negative stain. The MAC appeared as a hollow structure of 16-nm height, 2.0-nm wall thickness, and a 3.0-nm torus at the free end with an outer and inner diameter of 20.0 nm and 10.0 nm. In MAC-DOL vesicles the hollow core of the MAC terminated at the membrane-binding site, and only small pores of up to 2.0-nm in diameter penetrated the bilayer. In one MAC-DML vesicle lipid discontinuities on the outer circumference of the MAC binding site mediated stain penetration. The second MAC-DML vesicle showed a channel of approximately 4.0 nm connecting the hollow core of the MAC across the bilayer with the vesicle interior. The results suggest the MAC may mediate increased membrane permeability by protein channel formation in addition to lipid reorientation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2268175,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Silent myocardial ischemia in unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction. Prospective clinical study].\nTo establish the prevalence and characteristics of silent myocardial ischemia in patients with unstable angina and acute myocardial infarction and its possible correlation with coronary artery lesions; two groups patients were studied, fifteen with unstable angina and fifteen with acute myocardial infarction. In all patients a continuous 24 hours ECG recording was made with a solid state microprocessor for ST variation analysis, and all underwent coronary arteriography and ventriculography, the severity of coronary heart disease was determined by Gensini scoring system and the coronary angiography morphology was studied. In 86% patients with unstable angina ischemic ST changes were found, 90% of these episodes were silent. There were 66% of the patients with acute myocardial infarction and ST ischemic changes of these 75% were silent. There was no correlation with the ischemic myocardium score index, nor with the angiographic morphology or the heart rate. Therefore it can be said that myocardial ischemia is a result not only of anatomic factors but of many others such as vasoconstriction, endothelial, myocardial, systemic and hemorheological alterations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12522046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Western immunoblotting for Bartonella endocarditis.\nTo differentiate infectious endocarditis (IE) from other Bartonella infections and to identify infecting Bartonella bacteria at the species level on a serological basis, we used Western immunoblotting to test sera from 51 patients with Bartonella IE (of which 27 had previously benefited from species identification by molecular techniques), 11 patients with chronic Bartonella quintana bacteremia, and 10 patients with cat scratch disease. Patients with IE were Western blot positive in 49 of 51 cases, and significant cross-reactivity with three heterologous Bartonella antigens was found in 45 of 49 cases. Sera from bacteremic patients did not react with more than one heterologous antigen, and sera from patients with cat scratch disease gave negative results. Sera reacted only with B. henselae in four cases of IE, including one with a positive PCR result for valve tissue. Western blot and cross-adsorption performed on serum samples from patients with IE (the identity of the causative species having been determined by PCR) were demonstrated to identify efficiently the causative species in all cases. When applied to patients diagnosed on the basis of serological tests only, this technique allowed identification of the causative species in 20 of 22 cases. The results were in accordance with epidemiological features. Six reactive bands of B. quintana (of molecular sizes from 10 to 83 kDa) demonstrated significant association with sera from patients with B. quintana endocarditis. Overall, Western blotting and cross-adsorption made it possible to identify the causative species in 49 of 51 (96%) IE cases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12774323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[HPLC determination of 6-gingerol in Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens].\nTo determine the contents of 6-Gingerol in Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens. HPLC method was used, with Alltech C18 column, acetonitrile-methol-water (43:5:52) as mobile phase with a flow rate of 0.8 mL.min-1, detecting wavelength 280 nm, and column temperature 35 degrees C. Retained time of 6-gingerol was near 19 min, showing a good recovery (98.2%) and linear correlation (r = 0.9999). The contents of 6-gingerol were 1.35-2.87 mg.g-1, and the water contents were 70.4-85.5% mL.g-1 in Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens. The method is appropriate for the determination of 6-gingerol in Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens. Gingerol can be used as a chemical marker of the quality control of Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27465392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The use of EndoAnchors to rescue complicated TEVAR procedures.\nThe aim of this study was to assess the applicability and outcomes of EndoAnchor use in the endovascular repair of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms. A retrospective review was performed of all thoracic endovascular aortic repairs (TEVARs) performed with the use of EndoAnchors between December 2012 and January 2016. Primary study endpoints included freedom from migration, freedom from aortic- related intervention, and freedom from post-operative type I or type III endoleak. During this study period, a total of 54 patients underwent TEVAR for thoracic or thoracoabdominal aneurysm with the use of EndoAnchors at our institution. Twenty-seven cases were performed as the index operation. Twenty-seven cases were considered redo operations. EndoAnchors were deployed for therapeutic and prophylactic indications. Mean follow-up was 9.6\u00b18.8 months. EndoAnchors were used for therapeutic indications in 31.5% of patients and for prophylactic indications in 68.5%. The technical success of EndoAnchor deployment was 99.8%. The overall initial technical success of the operation was 98.1%. There were no instances of graft migration. The overall endoleak rate was 5.4% with prophylactic EndoAnchor use and 11.8% with therapeutic use. Aortic-related reintervention was required in 13.5% of patients who received prophylactic EndoAnchor placement and 23.5% of patients who received therapeutic EndoAnchor placement. Only one reintervention was performed for EndoAnchor failure. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant. EndoAnchors can be safely utilized in TEVAR with high rates of technical success. These results demonstrate the potential to enhance thoracic endograft efficacy and durability with the use of therapeutic and prophylactic EndoAnchors. Long-term data is needed to further define the use of this technology in the thoracic aorta.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32842724,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Charge-Sensitive Optical Detection of Small Molecule Binding Kinetics in Normal Ionic Strength Buffer.\nMost label-free detection technologies detect the masses of molecules, and their sensitivities thus decrease with molecular weight, making it challenging to detect small molecules. To address this need, we have developed a charge-sensitive optical detection (CSOD) technique, which detects the charge rather than the mass of a molecule with an optical fiber. However, the effective charge of a molecule decreases with the buffer ionic strength. For this reason, the previous CSOD works with diluted buffers, which could affect the measured molecular binding kinetics. Here, we show a technique capable of detecting molecular binding kinetics in normal ionic strength buffers. An H-shaped sample well was developed to increase the current density at the sensing area to compensate the signal loss due to ionic screening at normal ionic strength buffer, while keeping the current density low at the electrodes to minimize the electrode reaction. In addition, agarose gels were used to cover the electrodes to prevent electrode reaction generated bubbles from entering the sensing area. With this new design, we have measured the binding kinetics between G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their small molecule ligands in normal buffer. We found that the affinities measured in normal buffer are stronger than those measured in diluted buffer, likely due to the stronger electrostatic repulsion force between the same charged ligands and receptors in the diluted buffer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30283612,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dietary Supplements and Cardiovascular Diseases.\nThe market of nutritional supplements is expected to expand over 6%\/year through 2018 due to growing interest in personal health, aging population, and promising personalized care products. The most used dietary supplements are fish oil, multivitamins, Vitamin D, and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in this order, while probiotics is the fastest growing supplement. In the U.S., over 68% of the population use dietary supplements regularly. On the other hand, in the developed countries, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the main cause of death and morbidity from the 1900s. The effects of most dietary supplements on cardiovascular risk and CVD have been studied for a long time. However, despite several studies explored the association of the various supplements to the cardiovascular risk, there is still a lack of consensus. Multivitamin supplementation has been advocated to reduce cardiovascular events; Vitamin D levels have been associated with the occurrence of coronary artery disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation; CoQ10 deficiency has been associated with myocardial dysfunction and with statin myopathy; probiotoics has been suggested to lower both blood pressure and circulating lipids. However, the study of the effects of dietary supplementations is not straightforward, since people assuming dietary supplements generally have a healthier diet and lifestyle, and randomized studies are rarely performed. In this review, we will summarize the findings linking dietary supplements to CVD with a special focus on novel insights.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24835533,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Influence of the optical system and anatomic points on computer-assisted total knee arthroplasty.\nFor over a decade, computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery for total knee arthroplasty has been accepted as ensuring accurate implant alignment in the coronal plane. We hypothesised that lack of accuracy in skeletal landmark identification during the acquisition phase and\/or measurement variability of the infrared optical system may limit the validity of the numerical information used to guide the surgical procedure. We built a geometric model of a navigation system, with no preoperative image acquisition, to simulate the stages of the acquisition process. Random positions of each optical reflector center and anatomic acquisition point were generated within a sphere of predefined diameter. Based on the virtual geometric model and navigation process, we obtained 30,000 simulations using the Monte Carlo statistical method then computed the variability of the anatomic reference frames used to guide the bone cuts. Rotational variability (\u03b1, \u03b2, \u03b3) of the femoral and tibial landmarks reflected implant positioning errors in flexion-extension, valgus-varus, and rotation, respectively. Taking into account the uncertainties pertaining to the 3D infrared optical measurement system and to anatomic point acquisition, the femoral and tibial landmarks exhibited maximal alpha (flexion-extension), beta (valgus-varus), and gamma (axial rotation) errors of 1.65\u00b0 (0.9\u00b0); 1.51\u00b0 (0,98\u00b0), and 2.37\u00b0 (3.84\u00b0), respectively. Variability of the infrared optical measurement system had no significant influence on femoro-tibial alignment angles. The results of a Monte Carlo simulation indicate a certain level of vulnerability of navigation systems for guiding position in rotation, contrasting with robustness for guiding sagittal and coronal alignments. Level IV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19012758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The qualitative evaluation of a suicide prevention and management programme by general nurses.\nTo evaluate the effect of an education programme on nurses' knowledge, attitude and competence on suicide prevention and management for patients with suicide attempt or ideation and their family members; and to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the programme from the participants' perspectives. Providing care for patients with suicidal ideation or after suicidal acts in general hospitals often poses particular challenges for general nurses. Education programme may help these nurses acquire appropriate attitude, knowledge and competence in suicide prevention and intervention. An 18-hour education programme on suicide prevention and management was developed based on needs analysis and literature and was provided to the study group. Fifty-four registered general nurses from the medical and surgical units of two general hospitals completed the education programme. Focus groups were used for process (n = 24) and outcome evaluation (n = 18). Findings suggested that the education intervention had benefited the participants by improving their attitude, confidence and professional skills in responding to patients with suicidal intent. Barriers in the practice environment influenced nurses' abilities to give optimal care to this group of patients and their family members. This study identified the essential content in an education intervention for prevention and management of suicide by frontline nurses and helped to understand the difficulties that nurses' encountered in practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38174799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"First detection of Omicron variant BA.4.1 lineage in dogs, Chile.\nSARS-CoV-2's rapid global spread caused the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020. Alongside humans, domestic dogs and cats are also susceptible to infection. However, limited reports on pet infections in Chile prompted a comprehensive study to address this knowledge gap. Between March 2021 and March 2023, the study assessed 65 pets (26 dogs and 39 cats) from 33 COVID-19+ households alongside 700 nasal swabs from animals in households with unknown COVID-19 status. Using RT-PCR, nasal, fecal, and environmental samples were analyzed for the virus. In COVID-19+ households, 6.06% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, belonging to 3 dogs, indicating human-to-pet transmission. Pets from households with unknown COVID-19 status tested negative for the virus. We obtained 2 SARS-CoV-2 genomes from animals, that belonged to Omicron BA.4.1 variant, marking the first report of pets infected with this lineage globally. Phylogenetic analysis showed these sequences clustered with human sequences collected in Chile during the same period when the BA.4.1 variant was prevalent in the country. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Chilean pets was relatively low, likely due to the country's high human vaccination rate. Our study highlights the importance of upholding and strengthening human vaccination strategies to mitigate the risk of interspecies transmission. It underscores the critical role of the One Health approach in addressing emerging zoonotic diseases, calling for further research on infection dynamics and risk factors for a comprehensive understanding.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16859847,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Fish otolith asymmetry: morphometry and modeling.\nMathematical modeling suggests that relatively large values of otolith mass asymmetry in fishes can alter acoustic functionality and may be responsible for abnormal fish behavior when subjected to weightlessness during parabolic or space flight [D.V. Lychakov, Y.T. Rebane, Otolith mass asymmetry in 18 species of fish and pigeon, J. Grav. Physiol. 11 (3) (2004) 17-34; D.V. Lychakov, Y.T. Rebane, Fish otolith mass asymmetry: morphometry and influence on acoustic functionality, Hear. Res. 201 (2005) 55-69]. The results of morphometric studies of otolith mass asymmetry suppose that the absolute value and the sign of the otolith mass asymmetry can change many times during the growth of individual fish within the range +\/-20% [D.V. Lychakov, Y.T. Rebane, Otolith mass asymmetry in 18 species of fish and pigeon, J. Grav. Physiol. 11 (3) (2004) 17-34; D.V. Lychakov, Y.T. Rebane, Fish otolith mass asymmetry: morphometry and influence on acoustic functionality, Hear. Res. 201 (2005) 55-69]. This implies that the adverse effects of otolith asymmetry on acoustic and vestibular functionality could change during the lifetime of an individual fish. The aims of the present article were to examine the nature of otolith mass asymmetry fluctuation and to quantify otolith mass asymmetry in a large number of teleost fishes to verify our previous measurements. A dimensionless measure of otolith mass asymmetry, chi, was calculated as the difference between the masses of the right and left paired otoliths divided by average otolith mass. Saccular otolith mass asymmetry was studied in 59 Mediterranean teleost species (395 otolith pairs), 14 Black Sea teleost species (42 otolith pairs), red drum (196 otolith pairs) and guppy (30 otolith pairs). Utricular otolith mass asymmetry was studied in carp (103 otolith pairs) and goldfish (45 otolith pairs). In accordance with our previous results the value of chi did not depend on fish size (length or mass), systematic or ecological position of the fish, or otolith growth rate. In the great majority of the fishes studied, the saccular otolith chi was small \/chi\/ <0.05 (or <5%). Mathematical modeling indicates that values of chi vary among individual fish, but that the value is probably stable during a fish's lifetime.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23701759,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Outcomes following neonatal patent ductus arteriosus ligation done by pediatric surgeons: a retrospective cohort analysis.\nPatent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) ligation in premature infants is an urgent procedure performed by some but not all pediatric surgeons. Proficiency in PDA ligation is not a requirement of Canadian pediatric surgery training. Our purpose was to determine the outcomes of neonatal PDA ligation done by pediatric surgeons. We performed a retrospective review of premature infants who underwent PDA ligation by pediatric surgeons in 3 Canadian centers from 2005 to 2009. Outcomes were compared to published controls. The review identified 98 patients with a mean corrected GA and weight at repair of 29 weeks and 1122 g, respectively. There were no intraoperative deaths. The 30-day and inhospital mortality rates were 1% and 5%. Mortality and morbidity were comparable to the published outcomes. This study documents that a significant number of preterm infant PDA ligations are safely done by pediatric surgeons. To meet the Canadian needs for this service by pediatric surgeons, proficiency in PDA ligation should be considered important in pediatric surgery training programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2531943,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Combination therapy with low-dose aspirin and ticlopidine in cerebral ischemia.\nWe compared combination therapy with low-dose aspirin plus ticlopidine to therapy with aspirin alone or ticlopidine alone in patients suffering transient ischemic attack or cerebral infarction. In 17, 24, and 23 patients, respectively, 300 mg\/day aspirin, 200 mg\/day ticlopidine, and 81 mg\/day aspirin plus 100 mg\/day ticlopidine were administered orally. Aspirin alone markedly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid, partially inhibited platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate, and did not inhibit platelet aggregation induced by platelet activating factor. Ticlopidine alone inhibited platelet aggregation induced by adenosine diphosphate and platelet activating factor, but did not inhibit platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid. Combination therapy with aspirin plus ticlopidine markedly inhibited platelet aggregation induced by all three agonists. Plasma concentrations of beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4 remained unchanged by aspirin alone, were slightly reduced by ticlopidine alone, and were markedly reduced by aspirin plus ticlopidine. Plasma concentration of thromboxane B2 was reduced by aspirin alone or with ticlopidine, but not by ticlopidine alone. The level of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha was reduced only by aspirin alone. Bleeding time was significantly prolonged by aspirin alone and by ticlopidine alone, although the greatest prolongation was produced by aspirin plus ticlopidine. Our results indicate that the combination of aspirin plus ticlopidine is a potent antiplatelet strategy, although the clinical importance of the changes observed need to be determined by a properly designed and controlled prospective study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10627522,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Possible involvement of the double-stranded RNA-binding core protein sigmaA in the resistance of avian reovirus to interferon.\nTreatment of primary cultures of chicken embryo fibroblasts with a recombinant chicken alpha\/beta interferon (rcIFN) induces an antiviral state that causes a strong inhibition of vaccinia virus and vesicular stomatitis virus replication but has no effect on avian reovirus S1133 replication. The fact that avian reovirus polypeptides are synthesized normally in rcIFN-treated cells prompted us to investigate whether this virus expresses factors that interfere with the activation and\/or the activity of the IFN-induced, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent enzymes. Our results demonstrate that extracts of avian-reovirus-infected cells, but not those of uninfected cells, are able to relieve the translation-inhibitory activity of dsRNA in reticulocyte lysates, by blocking the activation of the dsRNA-dependent enzymes. In addition, our results show that protein sigmaA, an S1133 core polypeptide, binds to dsRNA in an irreversible manner and that clearing this protein from extracts of infected cells abolishes their protranslational capacity. Taken together, our results raise the interesting possibility that protein sigmaA antagonizes the IFN-induced cellular response against avian reovirus by blocking the intracellular activation of enzyme pathways dependent on dsRNA, as has been suggested for several other viral dsRNA-binding proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37770520,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Assessment of environmental and carcinogenic health hazards from heavy metal contamination in sediments of wetlands.\nSediment contamination jeopardizes wetlands by harming aquatic organisms, disrupting food webs, and reducing biodiversity. Carcinogenic substances like heavy metals bioaccumulate in sediments and expose consumers to a greater risk of cancer. This study reports Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn levels in sediments from eight wetlands in India. The Pb (51.25 \u00b1 4.46 \u00b5g\/g) and Cr (266 \u00b1 6.95 \u00b5g\/g) concentrations were highest in Hirakud, Cu (34.27 \u00b1 2.2 \u00b5g\/g) in Bhadrak, and Zn (55.45 \u00b1 2.93 \u00b5g\/g) in Koraput. The mean Pb, Cr, and Cu values in sediments exceeded the toxicity reference value. The contamination factor for Cr was the highest of the four metals studied at Hirakud (CF = 7.60) and Talcher (CF = 6.97). Furthermore, high and moderate positive correlations were observed between Cu and Zn (r = 0.77) and Pb and Cr (r = 0.36), respectively, across all sites. Cancer patients were found to be more concentrated in areas with higher concentrations of Pb and Cr, which are more carcinogenic. The link between heavy metals in wetland sediments and human cancer could be used to make policies that limit people's exposure to heavy metals and protect their health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34621595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"What Makes a Teen Get Tested? A Case of Urban Based Sample of Adolescents.\nUrban teens disproportionately impacted by HIV may not seek HIV testing. The objectives of this study are to determine factors that impact HIV testing among sexually active and non-sexually active teens seeking care in an urban academic setting; whether teens with high levels of self-efficacy are more likely to receive HIV testing; and whether an teen's ability to cope impacts positive attitudes toward testing. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 228 HIV negative adolescent and young adult participants age 12-21 who received care in an academic urban primary care clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. Most youth reported being sexually active (N=146, 64%) and reported having been tested at that day's visit (N=135, 85%). Provider recommendation was significantly associated with higher odds of testing among sexually active teens (OR 3.5, 95%CI 1.07-11.7) and those with no prior sexual history (OR 5.89, 95%CI 1.40-24.9), while high HIV stigma was associated with lower odds of testing (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04-0.77) among youth with no prior sexual history. Sexually active teens with a positive attitude toward HIV testing were more likely to be older (late: 6.3 [1.0-40]), report intention to be tested in 6 months (OR 7.11, 95% CI 1.48 - 34.2), and have higher HIV coping self-efficacy (OR 1.12, 95%CI 1.00-1.26). Provider recommendation may be the most important independent factor for testing in teens, regardless of sexual history, while HIV-related stigma may be an important factor for teens with no prior sexual history and thus may be perceived to have little or no risk for HIV acquisition. In sexually active youth, older age, intention to be tested for HIV and the ability to cope with a positive diagnosis likely dictates adolescent attitudes toward engagement in HIV testing, although it may not directly correspond with HIV testing behavior.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15879083,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cutting edge: emergence of CD127high functionally competent memory T cells is compromised by high viral loads and inadequate T cell help.\nIn this report we have inspected whether difficulties in controlling viral infections negatively impacts the generation of CD127(high) memory T cells. Using both MHC class I and II tetramers we reveal that CD127(low) T cells are not necessarily rapidly deleted but can persist in a pseudoeffector state in which they display the hallmarks of activated effector cells but are functionally inferior. CD127(high) cells can, however, emerge if the infection is contained. We also show that in the absence of CD4 T cell help significant populations of CD127(high) CD8 T cells fail to emerge. Analyses of cytokine-producing activities by both mouse and human CD8 T cells further document that the extended maintenance of T cells in a CD127(low) state has functional consequences which manifest as an impairment of IL-2 production.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12505939,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The effects of clonidine premedication on the blood pressure and tachycardiac responses to ephedrine in elderly and young patients during propofol anesthesia.\nWe studied the pressor and tachycardiac responses to ephedrine in elderly and young patients given either clonidine or midazolam during propofol anesthesia. In the first experiment, elderly (>60 yr) and young (20-45 yr) patients were randomly allocated to one of four groups according to age and premedicated regimens (n = 16 each; elderly-clonidine [EC], elderly-midazolam [EM], young-clonidine [YC], and young-midazolam [YM]). Under propofol anesthesia, ephedrine was injected, and hemodynamic measurements were made. In the second experiment, with clonidine premedication, elderly patients (n = 16) were given a reduced dose of propofol (EC-LP) and young patients (n = 16) were given an increased dose of propofol (YC-HP). Ephedrine was injected, and he- modynamic measurements were performed. The in-creases in mean blood pressure and heart rate were larger in the EC group than in the EM, YM, and EC-LP groups (P < 0.05). In the YC-HP group, the pressor response to ephedrine tended to be augmented as compared with the YC group but was not statistically significant. These results suggest that clonidine premedication augmented the pressor and tachycardiac responses to ephedrine, especially in elderly patients during a standard dose of propofol anesthesia, and that clonidine, age, and propofol could be involved in the augmentation of the blood pressure and tachycardiac responses to ephedrine. Clonidine premedication augments the pressor and tachycardiac responses to ephedrine in elderly patients during standard or large doses of propofol anesthesia but does not augment during small doses of propofol anesthesia. Clonidine, age, and propofol could be involved in the augmentation of the pressor and tachycardiac responses to ephedrine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1782337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prevalence of HIV infection in a cohort of patients with congenital coagulation defects of the prothrombin complex factors.\nTwenty-seven patients suffering from congenital coagulation defects of the prothrombin complex factors were investigated: six had haemophilia B; 14, factor VII defect; four, factor X defect; and three, factor II defect. Nineteen patients (70.3%) had previously received plasma and\/or clotting factors concentrates. Among these, markers of hepatitis B infection (HBV) were present in five cases (26.3%) and hepatitis C (HCV) antibodies were found in seven cases (36.8%). The HIV1 prevalence was similarly high. In fact, five patients (26.3%), previously infused with factor IX or prothrombin complex factors concentrates, developed HIV1 infection. No patient with factor VII deficiency became HIV1 positive, despite the administration of unheated factor VII concentrates and the consequent HBV and HCV contamination. In the HIV1 positive group, three patients showed a false positivity for HIV2 antibodies. Five years after seroconversion, three patients developed AIDS (stage IV) and died, one had persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (stage III), and one with post-hepatitis liver cirrhosis was asymptomatic (stage II) for HIV infection. The significant decrease in total white cells, T4 lymphocytes and platelet counts and increase of beta 2-microglobulin and neopterin levels confirmed the prognostic value of these markers for the progression of HIV1 disease. Only one HIV1 negative transfused patient developed anti-HTLV-I p19 antibodies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12594992,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dynamic measurement of internal solid displacement in articular cartilage using ultrasound backscatter.\nMechanics of articular cartilage can be represented using poroelastic theories where fluid and solid displacements are viscously coupled to create a time-dependent spatially heterogeneous behavior. In recent models of this tissue, finite element methods have been used to predict tissue deformation as a function of time for adult articular cartilage bearing a characteristic depth-dependent structure and composition. However, current experimental methods are limited in providing verification of these predictions. The current study presents an apparatus for imaging the radial displacement profile of cartilage in unconfined compression using an ultrasound technique called elastography. We acquired ultrasound A-scans across the lateral diameter of full-thickness cartilage disks containing a thin layer of underlying bone, during axial compression. Elastography was then applied to correlate temporally sequential A-scans to estimate the solid radial displacement profile in articular cartilage while it undergoes compression and stress-relaxation. Both time-dependent and depth-dependent solid radial displacement profiles were obtained with a precision better than 0.2 micro The results generally agree with predictions of poroelastic models, demonstrating lateral expansion with an effective Poisson's ratio just after completion of the compression phase of the mechanical tests reaching values from 0.18 to 0.4 (depending on compression speed), followed by contraction to lower values. A more restricted movement was observed at both the articular surface and near to the subchondral bone than at regions midway between these two locations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8460121,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A method for evaluation of activity of antagonistic analogs of growth hormone-releasing hormone in a superfusion system.\nAntagonistic analogs of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) are being synthesized in our laboratory for various clinical applications, including treatment of certain endocrine disorders and insulin-like growth factor I-dependent tumors. To evaluate the endocrine effect of these GHRH antagonists, a sensitive dynamic in vitro system has been developed. The concentration causing 50% inhibition (IC50) of the standard GHRH antagonist human [N-Ac-Tyr1,D-Arg2]GHRH-(1-29)-NH2 is 4.5 x 10(-8) M in our dispersed pituitary cell superfusion system. This value is 11 times less than that measured in earlier static pituitary cell cultures. This reliable dynamic system is simple, fast, and inexpensive and not only makes it possible to obtain quantitative data on the inhibitory capacity of the antagonists but also provides information about the intrinsic GHRH activity of the analog. The dynamic interactions of the GHRH antagonist, the GHRH receptors, and GH release can also be evaluated by this superfusion system. The pulsatile GH release induced by 10(-9) M human GHRH-(1-29)-NH2 was inhibited by two modes of application, preincubation and simultaneous administration of the GHRH antagonist (10(-9) to 10(-6) M). The reduction in GHRH-stimulated GH response was more pronounced when the cells were preincubated with the antagonist prior to GHRH infusion than for simultaneous application. The inhibitory effect of the antagonist was dose-dependent, temporary, and of the competitive type. GH release induced by nonspecific stimulus (100 mM potassium chloride) was not influenced by the GHRH antagonist. This sensitive dynamic in vitro system appears to be a suitable method for screening the biological activity of various GHRH antagonists and eliminates the drawbacks of static pituitary cell culture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32839585,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Lifting the mask on neurological manifestations of COVID-19.\nAs the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic spreads, it is becoming increasingly evident that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not limited to the respiratory system, and that other organs can be affected. In particular, virus-related neurological manifestations are being reported more and more frequently in the scientific literature. In this article, we review the literature on the association between COVID-19 and neurological manifestations, present evidence from preclinical research suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 could be responsible for many of these manifestations, and summarize the biological pathways that could underlie each neurological symptom. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19 and how these manifestations correlate with clinical outcomes will be instrumental in guiding the optimal use of targeted therapeutic strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6655187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The dot visual acuity test--a new acuity test for children.\nA new visual acuity test is described for children between the ages of 2 and 4 years who are unable to respond to the tumble E games. For children old enough to respond to both tests, the visual threshold are the same. Fifty percent of the children who could not respond to the tumble E game will be able to be tested with this new method. The new is rapid, inexpensive, and cannot be memorized, thereby allowing the test to be given at frequent intervals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12243768,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Monoamine oxidase inhibitor-induced blockade of locomotor sensitization to quinpirole: role of striatal dopamine uptake inhibition.\nPrevious studies have shown that the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) clorgyline, blocks locomotor sensitization to the D(2)\/D(3) dopamine agonist quinpirole and sensitizes self-directed mouthing behavior in rats by a mechanism independent of MAO inhibition. However, clorgyline is also an inhibitor of striatal dopamine uptake, and this mechanism could account for the effect of clorgyline on quinpirole sensitization. To investigate this possibility, the effects of clorgyline and pargyline were examined. Of these two MAOIs, only clorgyline inhibits dopamine uptake in the striatum. Rats received subcutaneous injections of clorgyline (1 mg\/kg), pargyline (10 mg\/kg) or vehicle 90 min prior to each injection of quinpirole (0.5 mg\/kg, s.c., x8, twice weekly) or saline. Clorgyline and pargyline blocked the development of quinpirole-induced locomotor sensitization and sensitized self-directed mouthing behaviors in quinpirole rats. Thus, it is unlikely that clorgyline blocks locomotor sensitization to quinpirole via an inhibition of striatal dopamine uptake. Both MAOIs increased dopamine metabolism in the striatum, showed opposite effects in the prefrontal cortex, and eliminated the correlation between prefrontal dopamine and striatal DOPAC content found in quinpirole sensitized rats. We suggest that clorgyline and pargyline may affect the behavioral and neurochemical response to quinpirole via a previously reported MAOI-displaceable quinpirole binding site, a site which we hypothesize serves as a 'switch' to select what motor output becomes sensitized to repeated injections of quinpirole.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17802011,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pentaborate Polyanion in the Crystal Structure of Ulexite, NaCaB5O6(OH)6{middle dot}5H2O.\nTriclinic ulexite crystals contain isolated borate polyanions [B(5)O(6)(OH)(6)](3-) related to the well known pentaborate polyanion [B(5)O(6)(OH)(4)](-) by addition of two hydroxyl groups to two opposite B-O triangles. The isolated ulexite polyanions form the [B(5)O(7)(OH)(4)](n)(3n-) chains previously found in crystals of the related mineral probertite, NaCaB(5)O(7)(OH)(4).3H(2)O.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27871494,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Current surgical management of carotid body tumors.\nCarotid body tumors (CBTs) are rare. Management guidelines may include genetic testing for succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) mutations. We performed an institutional review of the surgical management of CBT. A retrospective analysis (1994-2015) of CBT excisions at our institution was performed. Data obtained included demographics, genetic testing (if performed), intraoperative details, postoperative morbidity, and long-term outcomes. Data from the first CBT excision were included in patients with bilateral tumors. Genetic testing was routinely offered in patients with a family history of CBT or multiple paragangliomas. A total of 183 CBTs (124 female [67.7%]) were excised. A neck mass was present in 106 patients (57.9%), 24 patients (12.1%) presented with tenderness or neck pain, and 3 (1.6%) presented with cranial nerve dysfunction. Computed tomography (57.9%) or magnetic resonance imaging (51.3%) were the most commonly used imaging modalities. Preoperative angiography was performed in 73 patients (39.8%), and 62 of them (84.5%) underwent embolization or internal carotid balloon occlusion testing, or both. Mean tumor diameter was 3.2 cm (range, 0.6-7.2 cm). There were 71 (38.8%), 75 (41%), and 37 (20.2%) Shamblin type 1, 2, and 3 tumors, respectively. Average operating time was 224 minutes (range, 52-696 minutes). Average blood loss was 143.9 mL (range, 10-2000 mL). Arterial reconstruction with an interposition graft was required in 10, and patch angioplasty was performed in four. Cranial nerve injury was permanent in 10 (5.5%), and the rate of stroke was 1% (n = 2). A total of 382 lymph nodes were excised, and all were benign. There were no deaths \u226430 days. Only one patient presented with malignant disease 2 years after CBT excision, and this patient did not undergo genetic testing. Thirty-four (18.6%) had a family history of CBT. SDH testing was performed in 18 patients, and 17 tested positive. Positive genetic testing had a correlation with earlier age at operation (P < .0001). Mean age at diagnosis of patients with SDH mutations was 38.0 years, and patients without known SDH mutations presented at a mean age of 50.3 years. In patients with SDH mutations, tumor diameter, operating time, blood loss, and distribution of Shamblin type 1, 2, and 3 lesions were not significantly different compared with the control group. CBT can be treated with minimal morbidity and mortality; however, the subgroup of patients with positive SDH mutations may represent a variant group of younger patients. Vascular surgeons should be aware of genetic testing to identify patients and family members who should undergo additional preoperative testing and monitoring for other paragangliomas. Concomitant lymph node dissection does not appear to add value in absence of clinic suspicion for malignancy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18923574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Development and validation of exercise target heart rate zones for overweight and obese pregnant women.\nValidated target heart rate (THR) zones for exercise prescription for overweight and obese pregnant women have not been developed. The purposes of this study were to determine if heart rate reserve (HRreserve) is best described by aerobic capacity at peak exercise or by aerobic capacity reserve (VO2 reserve) and to develop and validate THR zones for light-intensity exercise (20%-39%VO2 reserve) in sedentary overweight and obese pregnant women. One hundred six women between 16 and 20 weeks gestation with medical clearance performed a progressive treadmill test to volitional fatigue (peak). Data from every 4th subject were used for cross-validation. Two linear regression equations were performed for each subject, then pooled to obtain mean group values (+\/- SD): %HRreserve vs. %VO2 peak and %HRreserve vs. %VO2 reserve. THR zones equivalent to 20%-39%VO2 reserve were developed and validated based on the strongest relationship. %HRreserve had a stronger linear relationship with %VO2 reserve (y = 1.046x -7.561; R2 = 0.741) than %VO2 peak (y = 1.259x -28.795; R2 = 0.604). Validated THR ranges for sedentary overweight and obese pregnant women are 102-124 beats.min-1 (20-29 years of age) and 101-120 beats.min-1 (30-39 years of age), representing an exercise intensity of 20%-39%VO2 reserve as recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for previously sedentary pregnant women. Overweight and obese women who are medically prescreened can exercise during pregnancy within our validated THR zones. The relationship between HR and VO2 remains strong, but the two are not equivalent in this population group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23121045,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Australian university students' attitudes towards the use of prescription stimulants as cognitive enhancers: perceived patterns of use, efficacy and safety.\nRecent, high profile articles in leading science journals have claimed that the enhancement use of prescription stimulants is a common practice among students worldwide. This study provides empirical data on Australian university students' perceptions of: (i) the prevalence of prescription stimulant use by their peers for cognitive enhancement; (ii) motivations for such use; (iii) efficacy; and (iv) its safety. Participants were 19 Australian university students with an average age of 24 who were recruited through emails lists, notice board posters and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted during 2010 and 2011, recordings transcribed and responses coded using thematic analysis. Participants typically did not believe the use of stimulants for cognitive enhancement was common in Australia. Perceived motivations for use included: (i) 'getting ahead' to perform at high levels; (ii) 'keeping up' as a method of coping; and (iii) 'going out' so that an active social life could be maintained in the face of study demands. Australian students were generally sceptical about the potential benefits of stimulants for cognitive enhancement and they identified psychological dependence as a potential negative consequence. This study is an important first step in understanding the use of stimulants for cognitive enhancement in Australia, amid calls for more widespread use of cognitive enhancing drugs. It is important to conduct further studies of the extent of cognitive enhancement in Australia if we are to develop appropriate policy responses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11491552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of pre- and postnatal polychlorinated biphenyl exposure on metabolic rate and thyroid hormones of white-footed mice.\nEnergy budgets have proven to be a valuable tool for predicting life history from physiological data in terrestrial vertebrates, yet these concepts have not been applied to the physiological effects of contaminants. Contaminants might affect energy budgets by imposing an additional metabolic cost or by reducing the overall amount of energy taken in; either process will reduce the energy available for production (i.e., growth or reproduction). This study examined whole animal energetic effects of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Exposure to PCBs is known to reduce concentrations of plasma thyroid hormones, and thyroid hormones exert strong control over the rate of energy metabolism in mammals. Peromyscus leucopus that were proven breeders were fed PCBs in their food at 0, 10, and 25 ppm. Through lactation, offspring were exposed to PCB from conception and were maintained on the maternal diet to adulthood. No effects were seen on energy metabolism (O2 consumption, measured in adulthood) or on growth, but there were large dose-dependent decreases in thyroid hormone concentrations, particularly T4. The apparent disparity in our data between unchanged metabolic rates and 50% reductions in T4 concentrations can be rationalized by noting that free T3 (the fraction not bound to plasma protein) in treated mice was not significantly different from controls and that metabolism is most strongly influenced by free T3. Overall, this study did not demonstrate any energetic consequences of PCB exposure in P. leucopus at dietary concentrations up to 25 ppm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":607547,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Postoperative analgesia in children operated upon under conditions of neuroleptoanalgesia].\nThe carried out study proved great possibilities and prospects of sensography for an objective estimation of the pain sensation alteration in the postoperative period. In children, operated upon under the conditions of neuroleptic analgesia (NLA), a prolonged and effective postoperative analgesia was noted. Its duration depends on the localisation and character of the operation and on the combination of NLA preparations with narcotics as well. The combination of NLA with sodium hydroxybutyrate provides the deepest and longest postoperative analgesia and increases its incidence, which is no less important.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27556668,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Marijuana Smoking in Patients With Leukemia.\nWorldwide, marijuana (cannabis) is a widely used drug. The incidence of marijuana smoking is increasing and is second only to tobacco as the most widely smoked substance in the general population. It is also the second most commonly used recreational drug after alcohol. Some adverse effects of marijuana smoking have been documented; however, the number of studies on the pulmonary effects of marijuana in individuals with leukemia is limited. In our case series, we report on 2 men with acute myeloid leukemia with miliary nodular lung patterns on computed tomography of the chest due to heavy marijuana use. We also report on 2 patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia who had a history of smoking marijuana and then developed lung opacities consistent with mold infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14625478,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Differences in the hepatic signal transcription pathway and cytokine expression between thermal injury and sepsis.\nInflammation and catabolism in response to trauma, surgery, critical illness or bacteria lead to a compromise of essential organs, which can lead to prolonged clinical stay and even death. Mediators responsible for catabolism were thought to be proinflammatory cytokines, but recently the focus has shifted to signal transduction. The purpose of the present study was to determine differences between two pathophysiologic states, sepsis and thermal injury, in signal transduction and cytokine expression and thus define the importance of the signal transcription pathway. Rats were randomly divided to either receive lipopolysaccharide (3 mg\/kg body weight or a 30% total body surface area burn) or they received no treatment and served as controls. Animals were sacrificed 1, 2, 5, and 7 days postinsult and serum and liver harvested for analysis. A thermal injury appeared to have a slow release and expression of signal transcription factors and cytokines and a sepsis showed a rapid increase of mediators and also a fast decrease. The changes in cytokine profiles after burn, particularly interleukin-1beta and macrophage inhibitory factor, appear to be mediated by C\/EBP-beta and STAT-3, whereas after the induction of a sepsis, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 are mainly mediated by STAT-5. Based on our findings we suggest that the pathophysiologic state of a thermal injury is not comparable with sepsis in association with signal transcription factors and the differences in intracellular and extracellular signaling therefore opens new ideas for therapeutic options.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7565728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Recruiting TATA-binding protein to a promoter: transcriptional activation without an upstream activator.\nThe binding of TATA-binding protein (TBP) to the TATA element is the first step in the initiation of RNA polymerase II transcription from many promoters in vitro. It has been proposed that upstream activator proteins stimulate transcription by recruiting TBP to the promoter, thus facilitating the assembly of a transcription complex. However, the role of activator proteins acting at this step to stimulate transcription in vivo remains largely speculative. To test whether recruitment of TBP to the promoter is sufficient for transcriptional activation in vivo, we constructed a hybrid protein containing TBP of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae fused to the DNA-binding domain of GAL4. Our results show that TBP recruited by the GAL4 DNA-binding domain to promoters bearing a GAL4-binding site can interact with the TATA element and direct high levels of transcription. This finding indicates that binding of TBP to promoters in S. cerevisiae is a major rate-limiting step accelerated by upstream activator proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7355640,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Clinical criteria of the social danger of schizophrenic patients (psychopathlike states)].\nOn the basis of an epidemiological multifactorial comparative study of schizphrenic patients who committed and did not commit socially dangerous acts, in several large administrative territories it was possible to detect a distinct correlation of different types of dangerous acts with clinical symptoms of the disease. The study contains a list of syndromes and their variants conjugated with different frequencies of dangerous acts. It was established that schizophrenic patients most frequently commit dangerous acts when there is a predominance of psychopathlike disorders in the clinical picture, mainly of a polymorphic and explosive character. It was demonstrated that this circumstance should be taken into consideration along with other factors, in a comprehensive assessment of the risk of a commitment of socially dangerous acts by patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12966580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Natural antimicrobial agent (reuterin) produced by lactobacillus reuteri for sanitization of biological tissues inoculated with pseudomonas aeruginosa.\nThe study was done to evaluate the efficacy of using reuterin produced by Lactobacillus reuteri to sanitize biological tissues. The microorganism tested in the study was Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common cause of nosocomial biomaterial-related infections. The inhibitory effect of reuterin on P. aeruginosa for an inoculated tissue was investigated at different conditions of concentration, temperature, and pH. Additionally, the cellular compatibility of the reuterin-sanitized tissue was evaluated. Glutaraldehyde was employed as a control. It was noted that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC, 33.0 +\/- 2.9 ppm) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC, 50.0 +\/- 0.0 ppm) values of reuterin for P. aeruginosa were significantly lower than their glutaraldehyde counterparts (MIC, 130.0 +\/- 8.2 ppm and MBC, 180.0 +\/- 18.3 ppm). This indicated that reuterin was more efficient than glutaraldehyde as an antimicrobial agent. The addition of reuterin on the inoculated tissue led to a reduced viability of P. aeruginosa. The reduction in the P. aeruginosa culture was more pronounced with increasing the concentration of reuterin (0-100 ppm). At increasing temperature (25-45 degrees C), there was an increasing effect of reuterin on its sanitization activity. However, it should be pointed out that the growth of P. aeruginosa in the nutrient broth was also significantly affected by temperature. The sanitization activity of reuterin was more evident with increasing the pH level (pH 6.5-8.5). The cytotoxicity of reuterin was significantly lower than that of glutaraldehyde. Additionally, the cellular compatibility of the reuterin-sanitized tissue was superior to its glutaraldehyde-sanitized counterpart.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3212758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Angiotropic large cell lymphoma presenting as interstitial lung disease.\nA case of angiotropic large cell lymphoma is reported in which the patient presented with only pulmonary symptoms. It suggests that this rare and highly malignant lymphoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of interstitial lung disease, and shows the value of open lung biopsy in unexplained interstitial lung disease. This patient responded well to treatment with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26060921,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Cinnamyl Long Chain Aroma Esters.\nCinnamyl long chain aroma esters were prepared by using the conventional and microwave-assisted methods. The esterification reaction of naturally occurring 3-phenyl-prop-2-en-1-ol and different chain lengths acidic and diol reagents was carried out at the temperature of 140 \u00b0C under solvent free conditions. As acidic reagents, oxolane-2,5-dione, oxane-2,6-dione, hexanedioic acid and decanedioic acid were applied. Ethane-1,2-diol and 2,2'-[oxybis(2,1-ethandiyloxy)]diethanol were used as diol reagents. The synthesis of high molecular mass cinnamyl esters under conventional method conditions requires a long time to obtain high yields. The studies confirm that by using microwave irradiation, it is possible to reduce the reaction times to only 10-20 min. The structures of prepared esters were confirmed on the basis of FTIR, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR. In addition, the newly obtained cinnamyl long chain esters were tested for their thermal properties. The TG studies proved the high thermal resistance of the obtained esters under inert and oxidative conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6170715,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Monoclonal antibodies that recognize the product controlled by a gene in the I-J subregion of the mouse H-2 complex.\nThe B cell hybridomas producing monoclonal antibodies (E10, D7, F4, H6, and D4) were established by the fusion of P3U1 or NS-1 murine myeloma cell lines and spleen cells of B10.A(5R) mice hyperimmunized with mitomycin C-treated B10.A(3R) spleen and thymus cells. Two types of monoclonal antibodies specific for the products controlled by a gene in the I-Jb subregion of the H-2 complex were characterized: one specific for the private type of I-Jb determinant, the other recognizing the cross-reactive determinant between the I-Jb and I-Jd products. By using these monoclonal reagents, the I-J-encoded product on the antigen-specific suppressor T cells was found to be expressed on their soluble suppressor factors. Furthermore, the I-Jb products were successfully detected not only on the T cell hybridoma with suppressor activity specific for keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), but also on KLH-primed suppressor T cells enriched by antigen-coated petri dishes and concanavalin A-induced thymocyte blasts of C57BL\/6 mice by complement-dependent cytotoxic assays and membrane fluorescence techniques.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7748973,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The presence of prolidase activity in amniotic fluid and its evaluation as a maturity test.\nProlidase (EC: 184.108.40.206) catalyses the hydrolysis of the peptide bond involving the imino nitrogen of proline or hydroxyproline. Because of the high proportion of imino acids in collagen, this enzyme plays an important role in its degradation. Since collagen turnover rate is expected to be high during fetal growth, the level of prolidase activity may reflect the degree of fetal maturation. In this study, amniotic fluid prolidase I activity was measured in term and preterm pregnancies. Lecithin concentration, which has been widely used for predicting fetal lung maturity, was also measured. Prolidase I activity was positively correlated with lecithin levels (n = 30; r = 0.42; p < 0.02), and also with birth weight of the babies (n = 30; r = 0.52; p < 0.01) in the term-mature group. Dysmature babies had significantly lower prolidase I activity in the amniotic fluid which was thought to be indicative of growth retardation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9035460,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Intrauterine and perinatal management of complete atrioventricular block in the fetus].\nTo report the experience of one of the most severe fetal rhythm disturbances, the complete atrioventricular block. Descriptive study of 14 fetuses diagnosed and monitored at the Fetal Cardiology Unit, from January, 1991 to August, 1995. Fourteen cases of complete AV block were identified during the study period, with post-conceptional age between 22 and 38 weeks at the moment of diagnosis. Twelve cases were referred to the Fetal Cardiology Unit because of low heart rate during obstetric examination. Eight fetuses showed complete AV block without evidence of structural heart disease; maternal collagen tissue disease was diagnosed in three of these cases. Four neonates were discharged from the hospital, two of them with a permanent pacemaker, one with complete AV block but no pacemaker and the fourth with sinus rhythm. The remaining seven neonates presented with severe heart failure leading to death despite treatment. Complete AV block is a rare fetal condition, but carries a high morbidity and mortality. A several treatment techniques have been suggested to improve monitoring and survival of these patients, particularly in utero.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34947958,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Modulation of Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition after AGTR-1 Gene Edition by Crispr\/Cas9 and Losartan Treatment in Mammary Tumor Cell Line: A Comparative Study between Human and Canine Species.\nBreast cancer is the most prevalent tumor type among women and female dogs. Tumor malignancy is characterized by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) which leads to the metastasis formation. The inhibition of angiotensin II type I receptor (AGTR1) by an antagonist such as losartan can suppress angiogenesis, consequently contributing to the metastasis control. The aim of this study was to analyze the capacity of losartan and AGTR-1 gene edition to modulate the EMT process in triple negative\/metastatic mammary tumor cells, compared to existing treatment protocols such as carboplatin. The cell lines CF41.Mg and MDA-MB-468, were cultured and treated with carboplatin, losartan, or submitted to AGTR-1 gene edition by CRISPR\/Cas9. EMT markers and PARP-1 protein and gene expression were evaluated by immunofluorescence or immunocytochemistry and qRT-PCR, respectively. Cell migration capacity was also evaluated. For CF41.Mg and MDA-MB-468 cell lines, there was an increase in E-cadherin and a decrease in N-cadherin and PARP-1 protein and gene expression after treatment with carboplatin, losartan, both in combination and after AGTR-1 gene edition. There was a decrease in VEGF and PARP-1 protein and gene expression after AGTR-1 gene edition. Moreover, in both lines, reduction in invasion rate was observed after all treatments. Our data suggest that losartan and the gene edition of AGTR-1 by CRISPR\/Cas9 were able to block the DNA repair and control the EMT process, such as carboplatin. The results in the canine species are unprecedented, as there are no data in the literature that demonstrate the action of losartan in this tumor type.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18154217,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dermatologic toxicities associated with EGFR inhibitors: the clinical psychologist's perspective. Impact on health-related quality of life and implications for clinical management of psychological sequelae.\nDermatologic toxicities associated with EGFR inhibitors can have a profound impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL) and may interfere with treatment adherence. We interviewed 20 patients and 12 expert clinicians to identify the most bothersome aspects of dermatologic toxicities to better understand the impact on patients' HRQL Patients and expert clinicians reported that dermatologic toxicities have an impact on patients' physical, functional, emotional, and social well-being. Patients identified the physical discomfort as having the most impact on their HRQL, specifically the sensations of pain, burning, and skin sensitivity. Patients experienced worry, frustration, and depression because of their dermatologic symptoms and reported withdrawing from social activities. Cognitive behavioral strategies such as guided imagery and symptom reframing (eg, rash means treatment is working) may provide patients with valuable skills for the management of this physical discomfort. Cognitive behavioral strategies may also be useful in helping patients manage anxiety and depression associated with any changes in their social function caused by skin rash, as well as distress associated with having a cancer diagnosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35973115,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Progressive Tinnitus Management Level 3 Skills Education: A 10-Year Clinical Retrospective.\nThe purpose of this study was to examine progressive tinnitus management (PTM) Level 3 skill utilization among Veterans in the Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Healthcare System 6-10 years after completing the PTM workshops. In fiscal year 2020, the Tinnitus Workshop Follow-Up form was mailed to Veterans who completed the workshops during fiscal years 2010-2014. Veterans were identified as receiving care via the traditional face-to-face method or clinical video telehealth (CVT). Data were compiled to determine which, if any, PTM skills were being used 6-10 years later and the impact on self-reported ratings of well-being. More than half of the respondents reported using all four self-management skills up to 10 years postcompletion; relaxation was utilized by more Veterans than the other three skills. Approximately 69% reported improved ability to control reactions to tinnitus. At least half reported ratings of improved well-being. Eighty-eight percent of the respondents said they would recommend the workshops to someone with bothersome tinnitus. Veterans who received care via CVT reported using fewer skills than those who received care face-to-face; however, the CVT respondents reported the same or slightly better ability to cope with tinnitus, less bothersome tinnitus, and improved ratings of well-being. Finally, most participants who responded to an open-ended question about their workshop experience reported it as positive. This clinical focus project suggests that PTM Level 3 skills continue to be utilized up to 10 years after participation in the workshops. Although there were reductions in the number of skills used, Veterans' ability to manage reactions to tinnitus and improvement in self-reported ratings of well-being indicate successful ongoing tinnitus management efforts. Respondents who received care via CVT did not report lower self-reported ratings of well-being or appear less likely to recommend Level 3 group PTM to other Veterans with bothersome tinnitus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27325844,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Type III Kounis syndrome after administration of an echocardiography contrast agent.\nA dobutamine stress echocardiogram was performed in a 72-year-old woman to assess an intermediate lesion in the left anterior descending artery. After administration of the echocardiography contrast agent, she presented with an anaphylactic reaction and in that context a subacute thrombosis of a drug-eluting stent implanted 15 days before. This is a case of the so-called type III Kounis syndrome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8573465,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Developing strategies for intervention and prevention in hereditary breast cancer.\nProphylactic mastectomy, intensified breast cancer screening, and the use of chemopreventive agents have all been recommended to reduce breast cancer risk in women with a family history of breast cancer. Yet, little is currently known about the efficacy of these approaches in reducing breast cancer mortality. The recent identification of BRCA1 and the localization of BRCA2 lend urgency to the need to assess breast cancer intervention and prevention strategies for women likely to carry germline mutations at these loci. At present, families with a history consistent with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation should be tested within the confines of a research protocol and encouraged to participate in intervention and prevention trials. Both retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials are critically needed. While randomized clinical trials would be the optimal mechanism to assess the relative efficacy of these potential interventions, no consensus was obtained as to whether such a trial would be feasible because of strong patient preference for intervention type. It is likely that optimal intervention and prevention strategies will consist of a combined approach to risk reduction. Participants must be appropriately informed of the potential risks as well as the potential benefits of such testing. The potential risks of testing for genetic susceptibility include not only potential psychosocial harm that may result from learning one's carrier status, but also the potential for altered family relationships and insurance and job discrimination. Participants and their family members must be counseled concerning the implication of their test results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9420261,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A defective interference-like phenomenon of human hepatitis B virus in chronic carriers.\nDefective interfering (DI) particles have been found in many RNA and DNA viruses of bacteria, plants, and animals since their first discovery in influenza virus. However, this fundamental phenomenon has not been demonstrated in human natural infections. Using a new approach, here we provide the first experimental evidence for the existence of DI-like viruses in human chronic carriers of hepatitis B virus (HBV). Functional characterization of naturally occurring core internal deletion (CID) variants of HBV revealed all of the features of DI particles. When equal amounts of wild-type and CID variant DNAs were cotransfected into a human hepatoma cell line, Huh7, a three- to fivefold enrichment of CID variants was most often observed. The fluctuations of the virus populations between CID variants and helper HBV in three chronic carriers are reminiscent of the cycling phenomenon in other DI viral systems. This finding has important implications for chronic viral hepatitis and other chronic progressive viral diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27464340,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Elucidating the degradation mechanism of the cathode catalyst of PEFCs by a combination of electrochemical methods and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.\nIn this study, we report a methodology which enables the determination of the degradation mechanisms responsible for catalyst deterioration under different accelerated stress protocols (ASPs) by combining measurements of the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) and Pt content (by X-ray fluorescence). The validation of this method was assessed on high surface area unsupported Pt nanoparticles (Pt-NPs), Pt nanoparticles supported on TaC (Pt\/TaC) and Pt nanoparticles supported on Vulcan carbon (Pt\/Vulcan). In the load cycle protocol, the degradation of Pt-NPs and Pt\/Vulcan follows associative processes (e.g. agglomeration) in the first 2000 cycles, however, in successive cycles the degradation goes through dissociative processes such as Pt dissolution, as is evident from a similar decay of ECSA and Pt content. In contrast, the degradation mechanism for Pt nanoparticles dispersed on TaC occurs continuously through the dissociative processes (e.g. Pt dissolution or particle detachment), with similar decay rates of both Pt content and ECSA. In the start-up\/shut-down protocol, high surface area Pt-NPs follow associative processes (e.g. Ostwald ripening) in the first 4000 cycles, after which the degradation continues through dissociative processes. On the other hand, dissociative mechanisms always govern the degradation of Pt\/TaC under start-up\/shut-down protocol conditions. Finally, we report that Pt nanoparticles supported on TaC exhibit the highest catalytic activity and long term durability of the three nanoparticle systems tested. This makes Pt\/TaC a potentially valuable catalyst system for application in polymer electrolyte fuel cell cathodes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32839066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The profile of patients with venous leg ulcers: A systematic review and global perspective.\nA holistic profile that includes demographic, medical history and wound characteristics of individuals with venous leg ulceration is lacking. Lack of such a profile negatively impacts the ability to develop interventions to improve patient outcomes. To describe the profile of the patient population with venous leg ulceration from published observational (non-interventional) studies and to identify gaps in the knowledge base for future research in this area. A systematic review of observational studies that included more than 50 patients, from any world region, of any age and in any care setting. twenty studies, involving 3395 patients, from all world regions met our criteria. Demographic characteristics were well reported and showed a female to male ratio of 1.2:1, average age of 47-65 years, high levels of co-morbidities including hypertension (53-71%) and diabetes (16-20%), and only one study reporting ethnicity. When reported, approximately 4-30% had high levels of depression. The average wound size was 18.6-43.39 cm2; mean wound duration was 13.8-65.5 months, mean number of recurrences was four. No study reported on demographic factors plus medical history plus wound characteristics together. a comprehensive, holistic profile of the population with VLU is lacking. There is a critical need for more comprehensive profiling to enable the development of targeted interventions to improve outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8376239,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Response of maternal-line sows to dietary protein concentration during lactation.\nOne hundred eighty-one maternal-line (Yorkshire x Landrace x Chester White or purebred Landrace) sows were used to determine effects of dietary protein concentration during lactation on voluntary feed intake of sows and sow and litter performance. Throughout gestation, sows received 1.8 kg\/d of a 14% CP corn-soybean meal diet. Sows were assigned to dietary treatments based on parity (range = 1 to 9) and expected farrowing date. Treatments were corn-soybean meal diets that contained 13.6 (Low, L), 15.5 (Medium, M), 17.5 (High, H), or 19.2 (Very High, VH) % CP. Calculated lysine content of diets was .62 (L), .76 (M), .90 (H), and 1.05 (VH) %. Sows had ad libitum access to their assigned diets from the day of parturition until weaning (24.6 +\/- .46 d postpartum). Pigs were cross-fostered irrespective of dietary treatment until d 3 postpartum. Diet had a cubic effect (P < .05) on the lactational weight change of sows (L, -9.1; M, -2.1; H, -4.6; VH, .8 kg; SE = 1.57) but had no effect on change in backfat depth during lactation or on voluntary feed intake of lactating sows (x = 6.0 kg\/d). Litter size at weaning (9.6 +\/- .17 pigs) was similar across dietary treatments; however, diet linearly affected (P < .05) daily litter weight gain (L, 2.01; M, 2.12; H, 2.18; VH, 2.14 kg; SE = .05). Postweaning interval to estrus averaged 5.2 +\/- .25 d and was unaffected by dietary treatments. Our data suggest that dietary protein concentrations between 13.6 and 19.2% do not influence voluntary feed intake of lactating sows or weaning-to-estrus interval.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24334458,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pancreatic cancer-associated retinoblastoma 1 dysfunction enables TGF-\u03b2 to promote proliferation.\nPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often associated with overexpression of TGF-\u03b2. Given its tumor suppressor functions, it is unclear whether TGF-\u03b2 is a valid therapeutic target for PDAC. Here, we found that proliferating pancreatic cancer cells (PCCs) from human PDAC patients and multiple murine models of PDAC (mPDAC) often exhibit abundant levels of phosphorylated retinoblastoma 1 (RB) and Smad2. TGF-\u03b21 treatment enhanced proliferation of PCCs isolated from KrasG12D-driven mPDAC that lacked RB (KRC cells). This mitogenic effect was abrogated by pharmacological inhibition of type I TGF-\u03b2 receptor kinase, combined inhibition of MEK\/Src or MEK\/PI3K, and restoration of RB expression. TGF-\u03b21 promoted epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, Smad2\/3 phosphorylation, Src activation, Wnt reporter activity, and Smad-dependent upregulation of Wnt7b in KRC cells. Importantly, TGF-\u03b21-induced mitogenesis was markedly attenuated by inhibition of Wnt secretion. In an in vivo syngeneic orthotopic model, inhibition of TGF-\u03b2 signaling suppressed KRC cell proliferation, tumor growth, stroma formation, EMT, metastasis, ascites formation, and Wnt7b expression, and markedly prolonged survival. Together, these data indicate that RB dysfunction converts TGF-\u03b2 to a mitogen that activates known oncogenic signaling pathways and upregulates Wnt7b, which synergize to promote PCC invasion, survival, and mitogenesis. Furthermore, this study suggests that concomitantly targeting TGF-\u03b2 and Wnt7b signaling in PDAC may disrupt these aberrant pathways, which warrants further evaluation in preclinical models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11404721,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Role of Helicobacter pylori infection in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus].\nPatients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) are often affected by chronic infections. H. pylori is one of the most common infection worldwide. Aim of the paper was to evaluate the prevalence of H. pylori infection, the efficacy of the most common H. pylori eradication therapies and the incidence of H. pylori reinfection after 12 months follow-up in IDDM and in a control group of dyspeptic patients matched for sex and age. 116 IDDM patients and 50 dyspeptic controls were evaluated for H. pylori infection through 13C-urea breath test (UBT). 64 IDDM infected patients and 50 dyspeptic infected controls were randomly assigned to 3 different 7-day eradication regimens: 1) amoxicillin, clarithromycin, pantoprazole; 2) tinidazole, clarithromycin, ranitidine bismuth citrate; 3) tinidazole, clarithromycin, pantoprazole. Patients not eradicated by the first cycle were subsequently submitted to a 7-day quadruple therapy with tinidazole, tetracycline, bismuth and pantoprazole. Gastrointestinal symptoms and side effects were evaluated. Thirty-four IDDM patients and 40 dyspeptic patients previously treated for H. pylori infection and successfully eradicated (confirmed both by UBT and histology) were re-evaluated after 12 months. 37% of IDDM patients were infected. Mean age of IDDM infected patients was higher than negative (40+\/-12 vs 32+\/-10 yrs). None of the triple therapies used allowed an eradication higher than 62%. Conversely, the quadruple regimen eradicated 88% of patients. Minor side effects were observed in 10% of patients submitted to the triple therapies and in 25% of patients treated with the quadruple therapy (p<0.05). H. pylori re-infection was significantly higher in IDDM patients compared to controls: (38% vs 5% respectively, p<0.001). Mean age of IDDM re-infected patients was higher than negative (40+\/-12 vs 32+\/-10). Among IDDM patients daily insulin requirement and glicate haemoglobin were significantly higher in re-infected compared to uninfected patients (44+\/-9 vs 35+\/-8 U\/I and 7,2+\/-1 vs 6,8+\/-0,8). Prevalence of H. pylori infection in IDDM patients was similar to controls. IDDM patients show a low H. pylori eradication rate with a standard triple therapy regardless of the regimen utilized. The use of a quadruple regimen leads to the cure of a large percentage of the infected patients not eradicated by the first therapy, although it is accompanied by a greater incidence of minor side effects. A significantly higher incidence of H. pylori re-infection was observed in IDDM patients when compared to not IDDM controls. The data suggest that vaccine development seems to be the only effective long run treatment for this subset of patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26058940,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The History of the Foundation of the Iranian National Blood Transfusion Service in 1974 and the Biography of its Founder; Professor Fereydoun Ala.\nThe history of early attempts of blood transfusion in Iran traces back to the 1940s; however, around three decades later in 1974, the Iranian National Blood Transfusion Service (Sazeman-e Melli-e Enteqal-e Khun-e Iran) was founded by the outstanding hematologist, Professor Fereydoun Ala. The main goals of this centralized organization were to collect blood from healthy voluntary donors, to screen the donated blood and to provide various safe blood products based on scientific and ethical standards. In due course, a new era of blood transfusion service in Iran had begun to such a degree that after more than four decades of its activity, it is now considered the best-developed blood service in the eastern Mediterranean region. Here, a brief historical account of the early blood transfusion efforts and the establishment of the modern Iranian National Blood Transfusion Service in Iran is discussed in addition to the life and career of its founder and first director, Professor Fereydoun Ala.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30978245,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"MyD88 and IL-1R signaling drive antibacterial immunity and osteoclast-driven bone loss during Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis.\nStaphylococcus aureus is able to infect virtually all organ systems and is a frequently isolated etiologic agent of osteomyelitis, a common and debilitating invasive infection of bone. Treatment of osteomyelitis requires invasive surgical procedures and prolonged antibiotic therapy, yet is frequently unsuccessful due to extensive pathogen-induced bone damage that can limit antibiotic penetration and immune cell influx to the infectious focus. We previously established that S. aureus triggers profound alterations in bone remodeling in a murine model of osteomyelitis, in part through the production of osteolytic toxins. However, staphylococcal strains lacking osteolytic toxins still incite significant bone destruction, suggesting that host immune responses are also major drivers of pathologic bone remodeling during osteomyelitis. The objective of this study was to identify host immune pathways that contribute to antibacterial immunity during S. aureus osteomyelitis, and to define how these immune responses alter bone homeostasis and contribute to bone destruction. We specifically focused on the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) and downstream adapter protein MyD88 given the prominent role of this signaling pathway in both antibacterial immunity and osteo-immunologic crosstalk. We discovered that while IL-1R signaling is necessary for local control of bacterial replication during osteomyelitis, it also contributes to bone loss during infection. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that S. aureus enhances osteoclastogenesis of myeloid precursors in vitro, and increases the abundance of osteoclasts residing on bone surfaces in vivo. This enhanced osteoclast abundance translates to trabecular bone loss, and is dependent on intact IL-1R signaling. Collectively, these data define IL-1R signaling as a critical component of the host response to S. aureus osteomyelitis, but also demonstrate that IL-1R-dependent immune responses trigger collateral bone damage through activation of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31993875,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Multidisciplinary patient care in X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets: one challenge, many perspectives.\nX\u2011linked hypophosphatemic rickets (XLH, OMIM #307800) is a rare genetic metabolic disorder caused by dysregulation of fibroblast-like growth factor 23 (FGF23) leading to profound reduction in renal phosphate reabsorption. Impaired growth, severe rickets and complex skeletal deformities are direct consequences of hypophosphatemia representing major symptoms of XLH during childhood. In adults, secondary complications including early development of osteoarthritis substantially impair quality of life and cause significant clinical burden. With the global approval of the monoclonal FGF23 antibody burosumab, a targeted treatment with promising results in phase III studies is available for children with XLH. Nevertheless, complete phenotypic rescue is rarely achieved and remaining multisystemic symptoms demand multidisciplinary specialist care. Coordination of patient management within the major medical disciplines is a mainstay to optimize treatment and reduce disease burden. This review aims to depict different perspectives in XLH patient care in the setting of a multidisciplinary centre of expertise for rare bone diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19578150,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Enterobacter oryzae sp. nov., a nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from the wild rice species Oryza latifolia.\nTwelve facultatively anaerobic, endophytic diazotrophs were isolated from surface-sterilized roots of the wild rice species Oryza latifolia and characterized by phenotypic and molecular methods. Six isolates were grouped together as group A by phenotypic characters, and this grouping was confirmed by SDS-PAGE whole-cell protein patterns and insertion sequence-based PCR (IS-PCR) methods. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that group A, represented by strain Ola 51(T), is closely related to Enterobacter radicincitans D5\/23(T) (98.9 % similarity, except that E. radicincitans D5\/23(T) has a 70 bp insertion) and Enterobacter cloacae (98.0 % similarity to the type strain). rpoB gene sequence analysis also showed strain Ola 51(T) has the highest sequence similarity to E. radicincitans DSM 16656(T) (98.3 %), but supported the distinct position. Biological and biochemical tests, protein patterns, genomic DNA fingerprinting, antibiotic resistance and comparison of cellular fatty acids showed differences among group A, E. radicincitans DSM 16656(T) and E. cloacae ATCC 13047(T). DNA-DNA hybridization distinguished strain Ola 51(T) from closely phylogenetically related Enterobacter species. Based on these data, the novel species Enterobacter oryzae sp. nov. is proposed, with strain Ola 51(T) (=LMG 24251(T) =CGMCC 1.7012(T)) as the type strain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31413118,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Long-term outcome following management of canine humeral intracondylar fissure using a medial approach and a cannulated drill system.\nThis study evaluated the feasibility, complications and long-term outcomes of using a cannulated drill system combined with intraoperative imaging to place a transcondylar screw for the management of canine humeral intracondylar fissure. Thirteen dogs were enrolled, with one dog undergoing staged bilateral surgery. No intraoperative complications occurred. Five minor (36%) and three major (21%) postoperative complications occurred, giving an overall complication rate of 57%. None of the screws placed penetrated the articular surface. The mean duration of surgery was 28 min (SD \u00b13.5) for dogs that developed a major complication versus 46 min (SD \u00b118.1) for those that did not (p=0.015). The duration of preoperative lameness was significantly shorter for cases which suffered a major complication (2 days; SD \u00b12.8) than those that did not (34 days; SD \u00b131.7, p=0.008). None of the variables assessed were significantly associated with minor complications. Median time from surgery to last follow-up was 5.8 years (range 3.5-8.5 years). Median Liverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs questionnaire score at the final point of follow-up was 16 (range 7-27). A significant number of patients were found to require analgesia at long-term follow-up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20216950,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Extensive Analysis of Elastase-Induced Pulmonary Emphysema in Rats: ALP in the Lung, a New Biomarker for Disease Progression?\nIt is accepted that pulmonary exposure of rodents to porcine pancreatic elastase (ELT) induces lesions that morphologically resemble human emphysema. Nonetheless, extensive analysis of this model has rarely been conducted. The present study was designed to extensively examine the effects of ELT on lung inflammation, cell damage, emphysematous change, and cholinergic reactivity in rats. Intratracheal administration of two doses of ELT induced 1) a proinflammatory response in the lung that was characterized by significant infiltration of macrophages and an increased level of interleukin-1beta in lung homogenates, 2) lung cell damage as indicated by higher levels of total protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in lung homogenates, 3) emphysema-related morphological changes including airspace enlargement and progressive destruction of alveolar wall structures, and 4) airway responsiveness to methacholine including an augmented Rn value. In addition, ELT at a high dose was more effective than that at a low dose. This is the novel study to extensively analyze ELT-induced lung emphysema, and the analysis might be applied to future investigations that evaluate new therapeutic agents or risk factors for pulmonary emphysema. In particular, ALP in lung homogenates might be a new biomarker for the disease progression\/exacerbation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27470764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A cryptic palm-pitviper species (Squamata: Viperidae: Bothriechis) from the Costa Rican highlands, with notes on the variation within B. nigroviridis.\nMiddle America is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, harboring an exceptional number of rare and endemic species. This is especially true of Middle American cloud forests, where montane specialists occupy restricted, high-elevation ranges making them attractive candidates for investigating historical biogeography and speciation. One such highland-restricted species, the black speckled palm-pitviper (Bothriechis nigroviridis), occupies the Central, Tilar\u00e1n, and Talamanca Cordilleras in Costa Rica and Panama. In this study, we investigate the genetic and morphological variation among populations of B. nigroviridis by inferring a multilocus phylogeny (21 individuals) and analyzing meristic scale characters with a principal component analysis (64 individuals). We find B. nigroviridis sensu stricto to be composed of two deeply divergent lineages, one with a restricted range in the northern and central Cordillera Talamanca and the other ranging throughout the Central, Tilar\u00e1n, and Talamanca Cordilleras. Furthermore, these two lineages are morphologically distinct, with previously unrecognized differences in several characters allowing us to name and diagnose a new species B. nubestris sp. nov. We also examine the genetic and morphological variation within B. nigroviridis and discuss biogeographic hypotheses that may have led to the diversification of Bothriechis lineages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30870356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Assessment of Cochlear Implant Revision Surgeries in a Cohort of 802 Patients.\nTo assess the etiology, demographics, rates and outcomes of revision surgeries, and device survival rates after cochlear implantation. Retrospective case review. Tertiary Otology & Neurotology center. Cochlear implantees who received revision surgeries after implantation INTERVENTIONS:: Any surgical intervention, performed due to device failure or the major complications of cochlear implantation. Medical records of the patients who received cochlear implants (CIs) between July 2002 and March 2018 were reviewed retrospectively regarding postoperative complications. Demographic data, device survival rates, and causes of revisions were recorded. Totally, 924 implantations were performed in 802 patients. Eighty one (8.7%) of them underwent 102 revision surgeries. The most common causes of revision surgeries were device failures and flap related problems which were seen in 28 and 18 patients, respectively.Overall CI survival rate was 91.9% in a 10 years period, which remained almost stable after 10 years. Although age was not found to be related with device failure (p = 0.693), device loss rates were significantly higher in adult implantees than children (p = 0.006). Device failure seems the most common cause of revision. The revision surgeries are usually safe and help to resolve the problem although flap problems are the most difficult to treat and may necessitate multiple revision surgeries. The device failure rate may reach to a plateau after 6 years. Overall CI survival rate exceeds 90% in 10 years period, and then remains stable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31205633,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Thyroid Disorders in Homozygous \u03b2-Thalassemia: Current Knowledge, Emerging Issues and Open Problems.\nChanges in thyroid function and thyroid function tests occur in patients with \u03b2-thalassemia major (TM). The frequency of hypothyroidism in TM patients ranges from 4% to 29 % in different reports. The wide variation has been attributed to several factors such as patients' genotype, age, ethnic heterogeneity, treatment protocols of transfusions and chelation, and varying compliance to treatment. Hypothyroidism is the result of primary gland failure or insufficient thyroid gland stimulation by the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. The main laboratory parameters of thyroid function are the assessments of serum thyroid-stimulating hor-mone (TSH) and serum free thyroxine (FT4). It is of primary importance to interpret these measurements within the context of the laboratory-specific normative range for each test. An elevated serum TSH level with a standard range of serum FT4 level is consistent with subclinical hypothyroidism. A low serum FT4 level with a low, or inappropriately normal, serum TSH level is consistent with secondary hypothyroidism. Doctors caring for TM patients most commonly encounter subjects with subclinical primary hypothyroidism in the second decade of life. Several aspects remain to be elucidated as the frequency of thyroid cancer and the possible existence of a relationship between thyroid dysfunction, on one hand, cardiovascular diseases, components of metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance) and hypercoagulable state, on the other hand. Further studies are needed to explain these emerging issues. Following a brief description of thyroid hormone regulation, production and actions, this article is conceptually divided into two parts; the first reports the spectrum of thyroid disease occurring in patients with TM, and the second part focuses on the emerging issues and the open problems in TM patients with thyroid disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24822079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Long-distance gene flow outweighs a century of local selection and prevents local adaptation in the Irish famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans.\nSustainably managing plant resistance to epidemic pathogens implies controlling the genetic and demographic changes in pathogen populations faced with resistant hosts. Resistance management thus depends upon the dynamics of local adaptation, mainly driven by the balance between selection and gene flow. This dynamics is best investigated with populations from locally dominant hosts in islands with long histories of local selection. We used the unique case of the potato late blight pathosystem on Jersey, where a monoculture of potato cultivar 'Jersey Royal' has been in place for over a century. We also sampled populations from the coasts of Brittany and Normandy, as likely sources for gene flow. The isolation by distance pattern and the absence of genetic differentiation between Jersey and the closest French sites revealed gene flow at that spatial scale. Microsatellite allele frequencies revealed no evidence of recombination in the populations, but admixture of two genotypic clusters. No local adaptation in Jersey was detected from pathogenicity tests on Jersey Royal and on French cultivars. These data suggest that long-distance gene flow (\u223c 50\/100 km) prevents local adaptation in Jersey despite a century of local selection by a single host cultivar and emphasize the need for regional rather than local management of resistance gene deployment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19578456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Analysis of airborne betula pollen in Finland; a 31-year perspective.\nIn this 31-year retrospective study, we examined the influence of meteorology on airborne Betula spp. (birch) pollen concentrations in Turku, Finland. The seasonal incidence of airborne birch pollen in Turku occurred over a brief period each year during spring (April 30 - May 31). Mean peak concentrations were restricted to May (May 5 to 13). Statistically significant increases in the annual accumulated birch pollen sum and daily maximum values were observed over the study period. Birch pollen counts collected in April were retrospectively shown to increase over the duration of the study. Increases in April temperature values were also significantly associated with the earlier onset of the birch pollen season. Furthermore, the number of days where daily birch pollen concentrations exceeded 10 and 1,000 grains\/m(3) also increased throughout the study period. These data demonstrate that increases in temperature, especially during months preceding the onset of the birch pollen season, favor preseason phenological development and pollen dispersal. Birch pollen derived from other geographical locations may also contribute to the aerospora of Turku, Finland. To date, the public health burden associated with personal exposure to elevated birch pollen loads remains unclear and is the focus of future epidemiological research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15115315,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The beneficial and detrimental effects of linoleic acid on autoimmune disorders.\nType 1, or cellular, immune response is characterized by overproduction of IL-1, IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha and is the underlying immune mechanism of some autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis, alopecia areata, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and experimental autoimmune uveitis. Type 2 immune response is seen in allergic and antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases and is characterized by IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 overproduction. Linoleic acid is a precursor of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and its intake results in tissue production of PGE2, especially in the absence of other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAS) which inhibit this conversion. PGE2 decreases the production of IL-1, IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha and proliferation of TH1 cells and increases the production of IL-4, leading to suppression of the type 1 immune response. Taken together, linoleic acid, the major PUFA of maize oil, could have therapeutic efficacy against cellular autoimmune disorders. On the other hand, excessive intake of linoleic acid may aggravate type 2 autoimmune disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12956929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Genetic authentication of ginseng and other traditional Chinese medicine.\nThe main objective of this paper is to review the chemical and genetic methods used in authentication of ginseng, especially the recent advances in microsatellite genotyping and its application to the authentication of other traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). The standardization and modernization of TCM hinge on the authentication of their botanical identities. Analysis of well-characterized marker compounds is now the most popular method for identifying the herbal materials and quality control of TCM, eg, ginsenoside profiling for authentication of Panax species. However, in many herbal species the chemical composition of the plant changes with the external environment and processing conditions, which lowers the reliability of these authentication methods. In the light of the advances in molecular biotechnology in the past few decades, genetic tools are now considered to provide more standardized and reliable methods for authentication of herbal materials at the DNA level. These genetic tools include random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), DNA fingerprinting using multi-loci probes, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and microsatellite marker technology. The practicality of these methods varies in terms of their sensitivity, reliability, reproducibility, and running cost. Using ginseng as an example, we reviewed the advantages and limitations of these molecular techniques in TCM authentication. We have developed a set of microsatellite markers from American ginseng that are able to differentiate Panax ginseng and Panax quinquetolius with the resolution down to farm level, ie, confirmation of its botanical identity and origin. Compared with other molecular techniques, microsatellite marker technology is more robust, accurate, reproducible, reliable, and sensitive. This is essential for large-scale TCM authentication centers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24473412,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"The determinants of fishing vessel accident severity.\nThe study examines the determinants of fishing vessel accident severity in the Northeastern United States using vessel accident data from the U.S. Coast Guard for 2001-2008. Vessel damage and crew injury severity equations were estimated separately utilizing the ordered probit model. The results suggest that fishing vessel accident severity is significantly affected by several types of accidents. Vessel damage severity is positively associated with loss of stability, sinking, daytime wind speed, vessel age, and distance to shore. Vessel damage severity is negatively associated with vessel size and daytime sea level pressure. Crew injury severity is also positively related to the loss of vessel stability and sinking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25028726,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"MToolBox: a highly automated pipeline for heteroplasmy annotation and prioritization analysis of human mitochondrial variants in high-throughput sequencing.\nThe increasing availability of mitochondria-targeted and off-target sequencing data in whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing studies (WXS and WGS) has risen the demand of effective pipelines to accurately measure heteroplasmy and to easily recognize the most functionally important mitochondrial variants among a huge number of candidates. To this purpose, we developed MToolBox, a highly automated pipeline to reconstruct and analyze human mitochondrial DNA from high-throughput sequencing data. MToolBox implements an effective computational strategy for mitochondrial genomes assembling and haplogroup assignment also including a prioritization analysis of detected variants. MToolBox provides a Variant Call Format file featuring, for the first time, allele-specific heteroplasmy and annotation files with prioritized variants. MToolBox was tested on simulated samples and applied on 1000 Genomes WXS datasets. MToolBox package is available at https:\/\/sourceforge.net\/projects\/mtoolbox\/.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3922028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Gas exchange analysis of immediate CO2 storage at onset of exercise.\nThe immediate storage of CO2 at the onset of exercise was estimated in 5 subjects as the difference between measured and predicted CO2 production at work rates of 33, 53 and 75% VO2max. Three time varying models of respiratory exchange ratio (RER) were used to obtain an expected range of predicted CO2 production. Calculated CO2 storage in the transition from rest to 33% VO2max ranged from 0.33 to 0.38 ml X kg-1 X torr-1; from 33 to 53% VO2max, corresponding values were -0.04 to 0.14 ml X kg-1 X torr-1; and, from 53 to 75% VO2max, values ranged from -0.25 to 0.16 ml X kg-1 X torr-1. In two models, CO2 storage decreased significantly at the highest work rate. Estimates of CO2 storage by hyperventilation in the steady state of exercise yielded significantly greater storage. It was concluded that immediate CO2 storage at the onset of exercise was less than hyperventilation estimates, and that it tended to decrease with metabolic acidosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22321005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Plasmonic coupling in gold nanoring dimers: observation of coupled bonding mode.\nWe investigate the optical properties of gold nanoring (NR) dimers in both simulation and experiment. The resonance peak wavelength of gold NR dimers is strongly dependent on the polarization direction and gap distance. As the gold NR particles approach each other, exponential red shift and slight blue shift of coupled bonding (CB) mode in gold NR dimers for longitudinal and transverse polarizations are obtained. In finite element method analysis, a very strong surface plasmon coupling in the gap region of gold NR dimers is observed, whose field intensity at the gap distance of 10 nm is enhanced 23% compared to that for gold nanodisk (ND) dimers with the same diameter. In addition, plasmonic dimer system exhibits a great improvement in the sensing performance. Near-field coupling in gold NR dimers causes exponential increase in sensitivity to refractive index of surrounding medium with decreasing the gap distance. Compared with coupled dipole mode in gold ND dimers, CB mode in gold NR dimers shows higher index sensitivity. This better index sensing performance is resulted form the additional electric field in inside region of NR and the larger field enhancement in the gap region owing to the stronger coupling of collective dipole plasmon resonances for CB mode. These results pave the way to design plasmonic nanostructures for practical applications that require coupled metallic nanoparticles with enhanced electric fields.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12233488,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Black suburbanization in the mid-1980s: trends and differentials.\n\"The 1980 U.S. Census revealed a marked acceleration in the suburbanization of blacks during the 1970s. This paper provides a preliminary answer to whether that acceleration continued in the 1980s by examining the 1985 American Housing Survey (National and Metropolitan Samples). These data sets permit racial and socioeconomic status comparisons in overall suburbanization level and in the propensity of recent movers to choose suburban destinations. Blacks continue to exhibit low levels of suburbanization relative to whites, and only a small percentage of blacks originating in central cities move to suburban areas. However, once in the suburbs, blacks tend to remain there at the same rate as whites. Intrametropolitan racial segregation remains strong, although it shows signs of decreasing.\" This paper was originally presented at the 1990 Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America (see Population Index, Vol. 56, No. 3, Fall 1990, p. 431).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30155864,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical impact of routine angiographic follow-up after percutaneous coronary interventions on unprotected left main.\nPatients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stent (DES) on unprotected left main (ULM) represent a complex subset. The role of routine coronary angiography at follow up in this subset remains debated. At the documented center, all patients undergoing successful PCI on ULM lesions performing angiographic follow-up is suggested, but adherence to such a recommendation is inhomogeneous. Consecutive patients undergoing DES PCI on ULM were enrolled and experienced no adverse events during the first 6 months. Patients were then allocated to two groups: those undergoing routine control angiography (CA) and those undergoing clinical follow-up (CF). Primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as cardiac death, myocardial infarction and urgent repeat target vessel revascularization. A total of 190 patients underwent successful DES implantation on ULM and the study population was without early events. CA was performed at 6 months after the index procedure in 91 (48%) patients. After 35 \u00b1 21 months, MACE rates were significantly more common in the CF group as compared with the CA group (16.2% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.009). At multivariable analysis, CA was associated with reduced MACE risk (HR 0.13, 95% CI 0.1-0.7, p = 0.028). Of note, this was mainly driven by higher cardiac death rate in those undergoing CF than in those undergoing CA (p = 0.01). CA after complex PCI, such as ULM PCI, is associated with reduced MACE. Such an observation calls for appropriately designed randomized trials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31966180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Preliminary Taxonomic Survey and Molecular Documentation of Jellyfish Species (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa and Cubozoa) in Malaysia.\nMohammed Rizman-Idid, Abu Bakar Farrah-Azwa, and Ving Ching Chong (2016) Scientific enquiries into jellyfish blooms and associated problems are often deterred by the lack of taxonomical and ecological studies worldwide. Taxonomic difficulty is attributed to the high degree of morphological variations among and within species. To date, only two scyphozoan jellyfish species have been documented from field surveys in Malaysian waters, whereas another four Malaysian scyphozoan and two cubozoan jellyfish species have been mentioned in toxicological studies. None of these species have; however, been verified. This study thus aimed to document and resolves the uncertainty of earlier identified species in the region using morphology and molecular DNA sequencing. Jellyfish specimens were collected from Malaysian waters in the Straits of Malacca, South-China Sea and the Sulu-Sulawesi Sea over two years (June 2008 to October 2010), and their DNA sequences were compared with those from the Atlantic and Pacific regions. Ten scyphozoan and two cubozoan species were recorded in Malaysian waters (South China Sea and Straits of Malacca). These jellyfish included eight species from the order Rhizostomeae (Rhizostomatidae, Lobonematidae, Mastigiidae, Catostylidae and Cepheidae), two species from Semaestomeae (Pelagiidae and Cyaneidae) and two species from class Cubozoa; one from order Carybdeida (family Carukiidae) and another from order Chirodropida (family Chiropsalmidae). Molecular identification of species using phylogenetic approaches was based on DNA sequences of partial cytochrome oxidase I (COI), 16S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) regions. The COI phylogenetic tree of Cubozoa and Scyphozoa species from the Atlantic and Pacific regions showed distinct clustering of six Malaysian jellyfish species. However, most of the deeper divergences and relationships between the families were unresolved, which were also observed in the 16S and ITS1 phylogenetic trees. The Malaysian edible species Lobonemoides robustus, Rhopilema hispidum and Rhopilema esculentum were grouped within Rhizostomeae, whereas other scyphozoans showed phylogenetic affinities to Semaestomeae and Kolpophorae. Chrysaora and Cyanea appeared non-monophyletic; however their paraphyly was not confirmed. This study has provided the much needed baseline information on the taxonomy of Malaysian jellyfish species which have been substantiated by partial COI, 16S and ITS1 sequences. A total of 12 putative species of jellyfish were identified, which encompassed 12 genera.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33211913,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"[Effect of carnosine and \u03b1-lipoic acid on hepatocyte apoptosis and the cytokine profile in induced fatty liver disease in Wistar rats].\nNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now a common liver disease affecting about a third of the world's population. In this regard, the issue of studying the pathogenetic factors of the development of this disease in order to select adequate drug therapy and biologically active substances with antioxidant properties regulating the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines is of particular relevance. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of minor biologically active substances - carnosine and \u03b1-lipoic acid on hepatocyte apoptosis and the cytokine profile in the experimental model of the initial stage of NAFLD. Material and methods. The studies were performed on male Wistar rats with initial body weight of 150\u00b110 g. Animals were divided into 5 groups of 8 rats each. Within 8 weeks, rats of the 1st group (control) received a complete modified diet AIN93M, in which soybean oil was replaced with sunflower oil and lard (1:1). Rats of the experimental groups consumed high-calorie choline-deficient diet (HCCDD), in which fat content was 45%, fructose content - 20% of the energy value of the diet. Rats of the 2nd group were fed HCCDD without any supplements, the 3rd group - with the addition of carnosine (75 mg\/kg body weight), the 4th group - with the addition of \u03b1-lipoic acid (75 mg\/kg body weight), the 5th group - with the addition of carnosine and \u03b1-lipoic acid in a total dose of 150 mg\/kg body weight. The study of rat hepatocyte apoptosis was performed by flow cytometry. Hepatocytes were stained with annexin V and vital dye 7-aminoactinomycin, followed by detection on an flow cytometer. The content of cytokines and chemokines (IL-1\u03b1, IL-10, IL-17\u0410, M-CSF, MIP-1\u03b1, MIP-3\u03b1, RANTES) in the cytoplasmic fraction of liver tissue was determined by multiplex immunoassay. Results and discussion. On the model of the initial stage of development of NAFLD in male Wistar rats the \u0435nrichment of HCCDD with carnosine and \u03b1-lipoic acid had demonstrated a protective effect on hepatocytes with a decrease in apoptosis intensity to the level in control rats. Under the influence of HCCDD, an increase in the content of M-CSF and MIP-1\u03b1 and a decrease in the levels of MIP-3\u03b1 and RANTES, stimulating the migration and differentiation of various immunoregulatory populations to the parenchyma at an early stage of the formation of fatty hepatosis, in the cytoplasmic fraction of liver tissue were detected. Moreover, a decrease in the level of proinflammatory cytokines IL-17A and IL-1\u03b1 and an increase in IL-10 produced mainly by Treg-populations indicate the absence of pronounced inflammatory changes in the liver of male Wistar rats at the initial stages of development of fatty dystrophy. Conclusion. Enrichment of HCCDD with both carnosine and \u03b1-lipoic acid in Wistar rats had a protective effect on hepatocytes with a decrease in apoptosis to a level in control rats. The increase in the IL-10\/IL-17A ratio indicates the activation of anti-inflammatory mechanisms due to the functional predominance of Treg-cells over Th1\/Th17 lymphocytes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33028652,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Understanding the characteristics of nonspecific binding of drug-like compounds to canonical stem-loop RNAs and their implications for functional cellular assays.\nIdentifying small molecules that selectively bind an RNA target while discriminating against all other cellular RNAs is an important challenge in RNA-targeted drug discovery. Much effort has been directed toward identifying drug-like small molecules that minimize electrostatic and stacking interactions that lead to nonspecific binding of aminoglycosides and intercalators to many stem-loop RNAs. Many such compounds have been reported to bind RNAs and inhibit their cellular activities. However, target engagement and cellular selectivity assays are not routinely performed, and it is often unclear whether functional activity directly results from specific binding to the target RNA. Here, we examined the propensities of three drug-like compounds, previously shown to bind and inhibit the cellular activities of distinct stem-loop RNAs, to bind and inhibit the cellular activities of two unrelated HIV-1 stem-loop RNAs: the transactivation response element (TAR) and the rev response element stem IIB (RREIIB). All compounds bound TAR and RREIIB in vitro, and two inhibited TAR-dependent transactivation and RRE-dependent viral export in cell-based assays while also exhibiting off-target interactions consistent with nonspecific activity. A survey of X-ray and NMR structures of RNA-small molecule complexes revealed that aminoglycosides and drug-like molecules form hydrogen bonds with functional groups commonly accessible in canonical stem-loop RNA motifs, in contrast to ligands that specifically bind riboswitches. Our results demonstrate that drug-like molecules can nonspecifically bind stem-loop RNAs most likely through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions and reinforce the importance of assaying for off-target interactions and RNA selectivity in vitro and in cells when assessing novel RNA-binders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21099695,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Nurses' educational needs for pain management of post-cardiac surgery patients: a qualitative study.\nInadequate knowledge among health care providers is a key barrier to good pain management, and nurses have a major role to provide education to patients. The purpose of this study was to identify nurses' learning needs to prepare patients for managing pain before and after discharge home from cardiac surgery. The overall aim is to develop a pain education intervention for nurses working with cardiac surgical patients. This was a focus groups study. Participants (N=22) were asked about their perceptions of patients' education needs for pain management after cardiac surgery and approaches to help nurses meet these needs. The Pain Beliefs Scale was used to capture nurses' own misbeliefs about pain that would need clarification in a successful pain education intervention. Nurses identified pain management challenges in the hospital, particularly related to patients' age, patient concerns about the use of opioids, the need to use multiple management strategies, and preparing patients to manage pain at home. Pain Beliefs Scale scores were low related to opioid dosing and adverse effects. Participants identified their most helpful educational approaches being brief in-services, hands-on learning, lunch-and-learn sessions, and designated education days. Participants identified the most common pain knowledge gaps for patients before and after discharge after cardiac surgery. These data will be used to develop an education intervention for nurses to help their cardiac surgery patients with more effective pain management strategies before and after discharge home.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22309185,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Ultrafast intramolecular exciton splitting dynamics in isolated low-band-gap polymers and their implications in photovoltaic materials design.\nRecord-setting organic photovoltaic cells with PTB polymers have recently achieved ~8% power conversion efficiencies (PCE). A subset of these polymers, the PTBF series, has a common conjugated backbone with alternating thieno[3,4-b]thiophene and benzodithiophene moieties but differs by the number and position of pendant fluorine atoms attached to the backbone. These electron-withdrawing pendant fluorine atoms fine tune the energetics of the polymers and result in device PCE variations of 2-8%. Using near-IR, ultrafast optical transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy combined with steady-state electrochemical methods we were able to obtain TA signatures not only for the exciton and charge-separated states but also for an intramolecular (\"pseudo\") charge-transfer state in isolated PTBF polymers in solution, in the absence of the acceptor phenyl-C(61)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) molecules. This led to the discovery of branched pathways for intramolecular, ultrafast exciton splitting to populate (a) the charge-separated states or (b) the intramolecular charge-transfer states on the subpicosecond time scale. Depending on the number and position of the fluorine pendant atoms, the charge-separation\/transfer kinetics and their branching ratios vary according to the trend for the electron density distribution in favor of the local charge-separation direction. More importantly, a linear correlation is found between the branching ratio of intramolecular charge transfer and the charge separation of hole-electron pairs in isolated polymers versus the device fill factor and PCE. The origin of this correlation and its implications in materials design and device performance are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3128276,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Studies on lipid peroxidation in normal and tumour tissues. The Yoshida rat liver tumour.\nReduced rates of lipid peroxidation have been observed in Yoshida hepatoma cells and microsomes when compared with appropriate control tissue (normal rat liver) under the same pro-oxidant conditions. The pro-oxidant conditions used were incubation with NADPH+ADP+iron or ascorbate+iron or exposure to gamma-irradiation. As previously shown with the Novikoff hepatoma, the relative concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and polyunsaturated fatty acids are important in conferring resistance to lipid peroxidation in the Yoshida hepatoma. Furthermore, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and the NADPH-cytochrome P-450 electron transport chain, which are involved in the initiation and propagation of certain types of lipid peroxidation, are found at very much reduced levels in the Yoshida hepatoma. The relative importance of these aberrations are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25424401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Young child socioemotional\/behavioral problems and cumulative psychosocial risk.\nLimited information is available about the rates and risk correlates of socioemotional\/behavioral problems in young children in pediatric primary care settings serving low-income families. Our objective was to determine rates of clinically significant socioemotional\/behavior problems in 12- to 48-month-olds from low-income families and identify associations between problems and individual and cumulative demographic and psychosocial risks. In this study, 378 Spanish- and English-speaking mothers attending a pediatric primary care practice serving low-income families were surveyed before well-child visits to assess socioemotional\/behavioral problems (Brief Infant-Toddler Social-Emotional Assessment; M.J. Briggs-Gowan & A.S. Carter, ) and psychosocial and demographic risks (e.g., unemployment, low social support) (Parent Risk Questionnaire; D.I. Lowell, A.S. Carter, L. Godoy, B. Paulicin, & M.J. Briggs-Gowan, ). We found that 19.8% of children had clinically significant problems, and 53.2% experienced one or more psychosocial risks. Clinically significant socioemotional\/behavioral problems were modestly to strongly associated with individual psychosocial risks, with the strongest associations with parental medical problems, parent depression\/anxiety, and extreme parental distress, Adjusted Relative Risk (ARR) = 4.8-6.6, p < .0001. Cumulative demographic and psychosocial risk were uniquely associated with clinically significant problems, particularly among children experiencing three to four psychosocial risks, ARR = 3.0-11.6, p < .05. Psychosocial risks affect the majority of low-income families with young children, with a steep increase in likelihood of clinically significant socioemotional\/behavioral problems as risks accumulate, underscoring the need to address both socioemotional\/behavioral issues and psychosocial risk in young children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33544069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Surveillance of invasive meningococcal disease in the south of Brazil: considerations of immunization programme.\nInvasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a major cause of meningitis and septicaemia worldwide. The switches in serogroup predominance contribute to the unpredictable nature of the disease with significant health impacts. The aim of this study was to determine the epidemiological profile of IMD in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paran\u00e1, three states in the south of Brazil. All meningitis cases confirmed by clinical and\/or laboratory criteria notified to the national information system for notifiable diseases between 2015 and 2019 were analysed. Proportions of serogroup and incidence by age were calculated. A total of 17 894 cases of IMD were reported during this period. Of these, 9029 cases (50 %) were due to serogroup C. Furthermore, serogroup W was responsible for almost half of the cases among children younger than 5 years old during 2017 and 2018, with an overall incidence of 33.3 cases per 100 000 infants. Despite the reduction in serogroup C after the introduction of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine into a childhood immunization programme in Brazil, it remains a significant healthcare issue in the south of the country. Changes in disease epidemiology were observed and serogroup W was the most common among children below 5 years of age in 2017 and 2018. Although future cost-effectiveness studies are necessary, our results could have future implications for meningococcal vaccination programmes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36156492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Endovascular therapy for steno-occlusive subclavian artery disease early and long-term outcomes in a multicentric Tunisian study.\nTo evaluate the outcomes of endovascular therapy in patients with subclavian steno-occlusive disease over the short and long term in a Tunisian population. Patients who underwent endovascular treatment of subclavian artery (SCA) steno-occlusive disease between 2013 and 2019 in three Tunisian centers were evaluated retrospectively. After treatment, patients were follow-up was scheduled at 1, 3, 6, 12 months postoperatively and annually afterwards by Doppler ultrasound and clinical findings. Primary outcomes included technical, clinical procedural success rates and limb salvage rate. Secondary outcomes included the occurrence of periprocedural complications and primary patency rates. 56 patients (33 males, 58.9%) were evaluated. Patients' mean age was 61.5 + years. Technical success rate was 94.6 %, being 100% in case of stenosis and 78.5% in case of occlusion. The technical success rate was 94.6%. The clinical success rate was 100% and the upper limb salvage rate was 100%. Minor amputations were performed on 5 patients. Perioperative mortality and morbidity rates were 0% and 8.9% respectively. Mean follow-up was 26.7\u00b116.4 months (range 12-86 months). Two in-stent restenosis occurred (at 12 and 15 months) and one case of thrombosis at the 16th month. The primary patency rates were 88.7%+4.3% at the end of the first year and 78.7%+6.1% at 3 years. Endovascular treatment can be considered as a safe and effective treatment of SCA steno-occlusive disease, with low perioperative complication rates and a good patency rates over long term. Subclavian artery stenosis, Subclavian artery occlusion, endovascular, subclavian revascularization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30133927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Qualitative study of women's experiences of safe childbirth in maternity care.\nFew studies have focused on women's childbirth experiences in relation to patient safety. The aim of this study was to explore the meaning of safety as a process phenomenon by outlining women's positive and negative experiences of safety in childbirth. A descriptive explorative design was chosen and 16 interviews were conducted. Qualitative content analysis was used. One main theme emerged: safe childbirth through involvement and guidance, based on four subthemes. The characteristics of women's experiences of safe childbirth included the need to be informed and involved by sharing and receiving trustworthy information. Women's experiences of unsafe childbirth included lack of meaningful and trustworthy information that resulted in feelings of being misled or lulled into a false sense of security. Not being involved evoked feelings of being ignored. In conclusion, this study highlights issues of importance for safe maternity care. The perspectives of childbearing women can contribute to an understanding of how to achieve meaningful improvements to provide safer maternity care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36125172,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cell-Size Space Regulates the Behavior of Confined Polymers: From Nano- and Micromaterials Science to Biology.\nPolymer micromaterials in a liquid or gel phase covered with a surfactant membrane are widely used materials in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and foods. In particular, cell-sized micromaterials of biopolymer solutions covered with a lipid membrane have been studied as artificial cells to understand cells from a physicochemical perspective. The characteristics and phase transitions of polymers confined to a microscopic space often differ from those in bulk systems. The effect that causes this difference is referred to as the cell-size space effect (CSE), but the specific physicochemical factors remain unclear. This study introduces the analysis of CSE on molecular diffusion, nanostructure transition, and phase separation and presents their main factors, i.e., short- and long-range interactions with the membrane surface and small volume (finite element nature). This serves as a guide for determining the dominant factors of CSE. Furthermore, we also introduce other factors of CSE such as spatial closure and the relationships among space size, the characteristic length of periodicity, the structure size, and many others produced by biomolecular assemblies through the analysis of protein reaction-diffusion systems and biochemical reactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1788876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Glutathione defense system in various brain structures during starvation].\nDistribution of glutathione reductase (GR) and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GP) activity and the content of selenium in the cytosolic fraction of the brain stem, hypothalamus and different cortical areas of the rat cerebrum in norm and under starvation was investigated. It was shown that GR activity in all investigated structures was approximately identical, but GP activity in various cortical areas was 1.5-2.0 times higher, than that in the mesencephalon and myeloencepalon. During 2-3 days of starvation GR activity changed insignificantly, whereas GP activity varied within wide limits. Under prolonged starvation a significant decrease in the content of selenium and GP activity was observed. The correlation of these changes was more expressed in the hypothalamus. It was assumed that glutathione and enzymes of its metabolism were involved in the regulatory system of redox processes in the nervous tissues in the primary period of starvation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8562270,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis: their epidemiology and physiopathology].\nSeveral epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that hypertensive patients have an increased risk for the development of atherosclerosis. Although the appearance of atherosclerosis only in those parts of vascular system subjected to high blood pressure suggests that the mechanical stress is the principal factor involved in the development of atherosclerosis, the mechanisms underlying the linkage between hypertension and atherosclerosis are not yet completely understood. In fact, the evidence that antihypertensive treatments are not able to abolish the increased incidence of ischemic accidents in hypertensive patients suggests that other cellular and molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The pathogenesis of hypertension is a multifactorial process that involves the interaction of genetic and environmental factors which determine the abnormalities of volume regulation, the enhanced vasoconstriction and the remodeling of the arterial wall which is characterized by hypertrophy and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. On the other hand, the increased growth response of vascular smooth muscle cells represents one of the principal characteristics of atherosclerosis. Thus, increased vascular smooth muscle cell growth is a common feature in the pathogenesis of both atherosclerosis and hypertension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3428015,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Characterization of nucleotide sequence of hepatitis B surface gene and enhancer element of HBV.\nThe HBV DNA sequence containing a primary part of pre-S2, the coding sequence of the major S protein and the enhancer sequence in pTWS1 was completely sequenced. A comparison with other previously published HBV sequences indicates that the nucleotide sequence homology in the pre-S2 region is 97%, 98% and 98% for adw, adr and ayw subtypes, respectively, and 76% among different subtypes. The nucleotide sequence homology in the major S protein region is 99% for each adw, adr and ayw subtype, and 90% among different subtypes. The important regulatory enhancer sequence (nucleotides 1036-1204) is identical in all subtypes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12169241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Interactions of antiarrhythmic drugs and implantable devices in controlling ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation.\nImplantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) have proven highly successful in the treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Despite the efficacy of the ICD in terminating ventricular arrhythmias, antiarrhythmic drugs remain an important adjunct to ICD therapy. The use of antiarrhythmic drug therapy in combination with the ICD is synergistic in terms of beneficial effects, but also has the potential for some adverse interactions. Knowledge and recognition of these potential interactions is important for any physician managing patients with an ICD. This review summarizes the benefits and adverse effects of ICD in combination with antiarrhythmic drug therapy, and provides guidelines to ensure safe application of this hybrid therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23602847,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Involvement of K+ channel-dependant pathways in lipoxin A4-induced protective effects on hypoxia\/reoxygenation injury of cardiomyocytes.\nStudies have shown that lipoxin A4 (LXA4) and activation of LXA4 receptor provided protection against myocardial ischemia\/reperfusion injury in animal models. However, the mechanisms by which LXA4 induced protective role on myocardial ischemia\/reperfusion injury remains unclear. In the present studies, we investigated the protective effects of LXA4 on H9c2 cardiomyocytes exposed to hypoxia\/reoxygenation (H\/R) injury and involvement of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)- and K(+) channel-dependant pathways in the LXA4 action. H9c2 cardiomyocytes were pretreated with or without LXA4 or HO-1 specific interfering RNA (siRNA) or various blockers and openers of K(+) channels before exposing to H\/R injury. The levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) in cellular supernatants and necrosis factor-\u03b1 (TNF-\u03b1) in cellular lysates were measured by using ELISA. Expressions of HO-1 mRNA and protein were analyzed by using RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Pretreatment of the cells undergoing H\/R injury with LXA4 significantly reduced the LDH and CK levels induced by H\/R injury, and increased the expressions and activity of HO-1. However, the protective effects of LXA4 were completely blocked by transfection of the cells with HO-1 siRNA, and were partially but significantly blocked by pretreatment of the cells with various blockers of K(+) channels. The LXA4-induced expressions of HO-1 in the cells were also inhibited by HO-1 siRNA and various blockers of K(+) channels. The inhibitory effects of LXA4 on enhanced TNF-\u03b1 levels induced by H\/R injury were abolished by transfection of the cells with HO-1 siRNA. In conclusion, the protective role of LXA4 on cardiomyocytes against H\/R injury is related to upregulation of HO-1 via reduced production of TNF-\u03b1 and activation of ATP-sensitive K(+) channels and calcium-sensitive K(+) channel.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15728918,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In vitro activity of ramoplanin against Clostridium difficile, including strains with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin or with resistance to metronidazole.\nWe evaluated the in vitro activity of ramoplanin, an antimicrobial compound that inhibits cell wall synthesis by acting at the level of lipid intermediate formation, against Clostridium difficile. We included strains with reduced susceptibilities to vancomycin (vancomycin-intermediate [Van(i)] strains) or with resistance to metronidazole (Mtz(r)), in order to assess the potential utility of ramoplanin for the treatment of C. difficile-associated diarrhea. We tested the activity of ramoplanin against a total of 105 nonduplicate clinical isolates of toxigenic C. difficile, including 8 Van(i) isolates and 6 Mtz(r) isolates, obtained from our laboratory. Ramoplanin was active against all strains tested at concentrations ranging from 0.03 to 0.5 microg\/ml (MICs at which 50 and 90% of isolates were inhibited, 0.25 microg\/ml; geometric mean MIC, 0.22 microg\/ml). All isolates, independently of their levels of susceptibility to vancomycin or metronidazole, were considered susceptible to ramoplanin (MICs, < or =0.5 microg\/ml).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28420282,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Exploring predictors of treatment outcome in cognitive behavior therapy for sleep disturbance following acquired brain injury.\nTo identify predictors of treatment response to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for sleep disturbance following acquired brain injury (ABI). Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was conducted on individual patient data from two pilot randomized controlled trials (RCTs): one in traumatic brain injury (TBI), the other in stroke. The combined sample comprised 32 participants; 15 receiving CBT and 17 allocated to treatment as usual (TAU). The outcome was reliable improvement on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Study group was a statistically significant predictor of outcome, with CBT participants more likely to achieve reliable improvements than TAU (OR = 4.88, p = 0.042). Study group (CBT vs. TAU) exhibited an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 69%. In separate CART analyzes, verbal memory (CVLT-II >45.5), age (<47.5) and baseline depression (HADS-D > 6) predicted positive outcomes in CBT recipients. Each of these variables added a small (\u223c5%) but not statistically significant amount to AUROC over study group. In this ABI sample, better memory, younger age, and higher baseline depression were associated with positive treatment response to CBT although individually these variables were not better than group alone in predicting outcomes. The present findings generate hypotheses for further investigation in future studies. Implications for rehabilitation Cognitive behavior therapy improves sleep quality over treatment as usual in persons with acquired brain injury. Individuals who are younger in age with better memory and co-morbid symptoms of depression are more likely to respond to the treatment. These findings are based on a small sample and can be considered hypothesis generating for future clinical studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22550425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Quality of Life and Utility in Patients with Metastatic Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma: The Sarcoma Treatment and Burden of Illness in North America and Europe (SABINE) Study.\nThe aim of the study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among metastatic soft tissue (mSTS) or bone sarcoma (mBS) patients who had attained a favourable response to chemotherapy. We employed the EORTC QLQ-C30, the 3-item Cancer-Related Symptoms Questionnaire, and the EQ-5D instrument. HRQoL was evaluated overall and by health state in 120 mSTS\/mBS patients enrolled in the SABINE study across nine countries in Europe and North America. Utility was estimated from responses to the EQ-5D instrument using UK population-based weights. The mean EQ-5D utility score was 0.69 for the pooled patient sample with little variation across health states. However, patients with progressive disease reported a clinically significant lower utility (0.56). Among disease symptoms, pain and respiratory symptoms are common. This study showed that mSTS\/mBS is associated with reduced HRQoL and utility among patients with metastatic disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32384373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effect of 3,3'-Diindolylmethane on Pulmonary Injury Following Thoracic Irradiation in CBA Mice.\nThe molecule 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) is small, a major bioactive metabolite of indole-3 carbinol (13C), and a phytochemical compound from cruciferous vegetables released upon exposure to the gut acid environment. DIM is a proposed anti-cancer agent and was previously demonstrated to prevent radiation damage in the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal tract. Here we investigated the effect of DIM on radiation-induced injury to the lung in a murine model through untargeted metabolomics and gene expression studies of select genes. CBA mice were exposed to thoracic irradiation (17.5 Gy). Mice were treated with vehicle or DIM (250 mg kg, subcutaneous injection) on days -1 pre-irradiation through +14 post-irradiation. DIM induced a significant improvement in survival by day 150 post-irradiation. Fibrosis-related gene expression and metabolomics were examined using lung tissue from days 15, 45, 60, 90, and 120 post-irradiation. Our qRT-PCR experiments showed that DIM treatment reduced radiation-induced late expression of collagen I\u03b1 and the cell cycle checkpoint proteins p21\/waf1 (CDKN1A) and p16ink (CDKN2A). Metabolomic studies of lung tissue demonstrated a significant dampening of radiation-induced changes following DIM treatment. Metabolites associated with pro-inflammatory responses and increased oxidative stress, such as fatty acids, were suppressed by DIM treatment compared to irradiated samples. Together these data suggest that DIM reduces radiation-induced sequelae in the lung.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27358998,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Landslides susceptibility change over time according to terrain conditions in a mountain area of the tropic region.\nSusceptibility to landslides in mountain areas results from the interaction of various factors related to relief formation and soil development. The assessment of landslide susceptibility has generally taken into account individual events, or it has been aimed at establishing relationships between landslide-inventory maps and maps of environmental factors, without considering that such relationships can change in space and time. In this work, temporal and space changes in landslides were analysed in six different combinations of date and geomorphological conditions, including two different geological units, in a mountainous area in the north-centre of Venezuela, in northern South America. Landslide inventories from different years were compared with a number of environmental factors by means of logistic regression analysis. The resulting equations predicted landslide susceptibility from a range of geomorphometric parameters and a vegetation index, with diverse accuracy, in the study area. The variation of the obtained models and their prediction accuracy between geological units and dates suggests that the complexity of the landslide processes and their explanatory factors changed over space and time in the studied area. This calls into question the use of a single model to evaluate landslide susceptibility over large regions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22047550,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Gynecomastia during imatinib mesylate treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumor: a rare adverse event.\nImatinib mesylate has been the standard therapeutic treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia, advanced and metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). It is well tolerated with mild adverse effects. Gynecomastia development during the course of treatment has been rarely reported. Ninety-eight patients with advanced or recurrent GIST were treated with imatinib mesylate. Among the fifty-seven male patients six developed gynecomastia during the treatment. The lesions were confirmed by sonography. Sex hormone levels were determined in six patients with and without the presence of gynecomastia respectively. The patients with gynecomatia were treated with tamoxifene and the sex hormones were assayed before and after tamoxifene treatment. In patients with gynecomastia the lump underneath the bilateral nipples was 2.5 to 5 centimeters in diameter. Their serum free testosterone levels ranged between 356.61 and 574.60 ng\/dl with a mean \u00b1 SD of 408.64 \u00b1 82.06 ng\/dl (95% CI 343.03~474.25 ng\/dl), which is within the normal range. The level of serum estradiol was 42.89 \u00b1 16.54 pg\/ml (95% CI 29.66~56.12 pg\/ml). Three patients had higher levels (43.79~71.21 pg\/ml) and the others' were within normal range of 27.00~34.91 pg\/ml. Six patients without the development of gynecomastia had normal free testosterone. One patient died because of large tumor burden. The sex hormones had no significant changes before and after tamoxifene treatment.(P > 0.05) Testosterone levels were not decreased in the six GIST patients with gynecomastia. Three patients had increased serum estradiol level which suggests that imbalance of sex hormones may be the cause of gynecomastia during treatment with imatinib mesylate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28555601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Influence of Smoking on Ultra-High-Frequency Auditory Sensitivity.\nIn this study, an attempt was made to determine the effect of smoking on ultra-high-frequency auditory sensitivity. The study also attempted to determine the relationship between the nature of smoking and ultra-high-frequency otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and thresholds. The study sample included 25 smokers and 25 non-smokers. A detailed history regarding their smoking habits was collected. High-frequency audiometric thresholds and amplitudes of high-frequency distortion-product OAEs were analyzed for both ears from all participants. The results showed that the ultra-high-frequency thresholds were elevated and that there was reduction in the amplitudes of ultra-high-frequency OAEs in smokers. There was an increased risk of auditory damage with chronic smoking. The study results highlight the application of ultra-high-frequency OAEs and ultra-high-frequency audiometry for the early detection of auditory impairment. However, similar studies should be conducted on a larger population for better generalization of the results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26362925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Temperature dependences of growth rates and carrying capacities of marine bacteria depart from metabolic theoretical predictions.\nUsing the metabolic theory of ecology (MTE) framework, we evaluated over a whole annual cycle the monthly responses to temperature of the growth rates (\u03bc) and carrying capacities (K) of heterotrophic bacterioplankton at a temperate coastal site. We used experimental incubations spanning 6\u00baC with bacterial physiological groups identified by flow cytometry according to membrane integrity (live), nucleic acid content (HNA and LNA) and respiratory activity (CTC+). The temperature dependence of \u03bc at the exponential phase of growth was summarized by the activation energy (E), which was variable (-0.52 to 0.72 eV) but followed a seasonal pattern, only reaching the hypothesized value for aerobic heterotrophs of 0.65 eV during the spring bloom for the most active bacterial groups (live, HNA, CTC+). K (i.e. maximum experimental abundance) peaked at 4 \u00d7 10(6) cells mL(-1) and generally covaried with \u03bc but, contrary to MTE predictions, it did not decrease consistently with temperature. In the case of live cells, the responses of \u03bc and K to temperature were positively correlated and related to seasonal changes in substrate availability, indicating that the responses of bacteria to warming are far from homogeneous and poorly explained by MTE at our site.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28230634,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Platelet dysfunction in critically ill patients.\n: Thrombelastography Platelet Mapping (TEG-PM) allows for measurement of maximal potential clot strength (MA) and strength from stimulation of arachidonic acid (MA-AA) and adenosine disphosphate (MA-ADP) receptors. This study was conducted to assess degree of platelet dysfunction in critically ill adult patients. A retrospective study of critically ill, adult, nontrauma patients in a medical\/surgical ICU was conducted from August 2013 to September 2014. All patients who underwent TEG-PM were enrolled. Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, following cardiac surgery, or without an APACHE II score were excluded. Patients were divided into those with and without aspirin use. Demographics, APACHE II score, and laboratory results were abstracted. Student t test was used to test significance. A total of 79 patients were enrolled (61% male). Average age and APACHE II score were 61 \u00b1 16 years and 18 \u00b1 9, respectively. Factor-associated coagulation measures and MA were normal in all groups but MA-AA and MA-ADP were significantly reduced irrespective of anticoagulant use. Compared to the nonanticoagulated cohort, MA-AA was significantly reduced in those on aspirin. There was no difference in mortality or length of stay in any cohort. Inhibition of the AA and ADP pathways is common in critically ill patients. Clinical correlation with propensity for bleeding and need for transfusion requires further assessment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17082636,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Extracellular heat shock protein-70 induces endotoxin tolerance in THP-1 cells.\nRecent data suggest that heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70), an intracellular protein, can exist in the extracellular compartment and signal through the CD14\/TLR4 pathway. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that extracellular HSP-70 induces endotoxin (LPS) tolerance. Using human monocyte cell line (THP-1), initial dose-response experiments were conducted to determine a subthreshold concentration of HSP-70 that does not induce NF-kappaB activity. Differentiated THP-1 cells were preconditioned with subthreshold concentration (0.03 microg\/ml HSP-70) for 18 h, followed by LPS stimulation (1 microg\/ml) for 4 h. Preconditioning with HSP-70 decreased subsequent LPS-mediated NF-kappaB-dependent promoter activity and was accompanied by significant decreases of supernatant TNF levels. Furthermore, human monocytes isolated from human volunteers, subsequently preconditioned with HSP-70, demonstrated LPS tolerance as evidenced by abrogated supernatant TNF levels. Additional experiments were conducted to exclude the possibility of endotoxin contamination of HSP-70 by boiling HSP-70 at 100 degrees C for 1 h or preconditioning with equivalent concentrations of endotoxin as present in the HSP-70 preparation. These experiments indicated that induction of tolerance was not secondary to endotoxin contamination. Neutralization experiments with an anti-HSP-70 Ab confirmed the specificity of HSP-70 in tolerance induction. Preconditioning with HSP-70 attenuated cytosolic degradation of inhibitor kappaB-alpha and inhibited activation of inhibitor kappaB kinase following LPS stimulation. HSP-70 preconditioning decreased phosphorylation of the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB following LPS stimulation. These data suggest a novel role for extracellular HSP-70 in modifying mononuclear cell responses to subsequent LPS challenge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22043936,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Public and private schoolteachers' differences in terms of job attitudes in Albania.\nIn the present study, the attitudinal differences between public and private schoolteachers in Albania were investigated. Since the type of the organization varies, one would expect different climates for the emergence of job attitudes--mainly job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment, the most frequently studied job attitudes in the industrial and organizational psychology literature. It was hypothesized that the private schoolteachers would be more satisfied than public schoolteachers, especially due to high levels of payment and other desirable conditions. However, the public schoolteachers will be more involved than the private schoolteachers since they have to justify their continued work under the undesirable conditions. The commitment level of the private schoolteachers will be higher than the public schoolteachers since there is usually high correlation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Data were gathered from a total of 429 teachers working in public (n = 254) and private (n = 175) schools in Albania, in high and middle schools. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance with age as a covariate. The results indicated that the private schoolteachers were more satisfied, as expected, revealed a weaker job involvement and were more committed to their school than their colleagues in the public sector. The results were found to be in line with previous studies conducted in the west. However, this study is believed to have a potential contribution to the literature in general, and to the Albanian local literature in particular. To the knowledge of the authors, there has been no similar study in Albania. Discussion is provided along with the limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8302083,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Thymic carcinoma. Ten years' experience in twenty patients.\nThymic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm with extremely poor prognosis. To evaluate the outcome of treatment in thymic carcinoma, we reviewed a 10-year (1982 to 1992) experience with 20 consecutive patients in Taichung Veterans General Hospital. There were 9 men and 11 women: ages ranged from 34 to 70 years old (mean 51.4 years). None of these patients had concomitant myasthenia gravis. All of the patients received surgical intervention, and the diagnosis was made by pathologic study. Postoperative staging was made according to the modified Masaoka staging system. None of our patients were in stage I. One patient (5%) had stage II disease, 12 (60%) stage III, and 7 (35%) stage IV. The pathologic subtypes of thymic carcinoma included eight squamous cell carcinomas, seven undifferentiated carcinomas, one lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma, one clear-cell carcinoma, 1 mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and two carcinoid tumors. Curative resection could be done in seven patients (35%). The overall cumulative survival was 45.9% at 3 years and 34.4% at 5 years. The median survival times for patients with complete and incomplete resection were 39.0 months and 14.3 months, respectively (p = 0.1752). The median survival times of patients with postoperative radiotherapy and without postoperative radiotherapy were 39.3 months and 15.0 months, respectively (p = 0.0738). The median survival times of patients with squamous cell carcinoma and undifferentiated carcinoma were 25.4 months and 11.3 months, respectively (p = 0.1464). Our data show that complete resection, postoperative radiotherapy, and squamous cell carcinoma do not indicate a significantly favorable result, even though they result in longer median survival times. Yet a positive trend of favorable outcome in patients who received postoperative radiotherapy is ambiguously shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30808337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The effect of hyperoxia on mortality in critically ill patients: a systematic review and meta analysis.\nStudies investigating the role of hyperoxia in critically ill patients have reported conflicting results. We did this analysis to reveal the effect of hyperoxia in the patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Electronic databases were searched for all the studies exploring the role of hyperoxia in adult patients admitted to ICU. The primary outcome was mortality. Random-effect model was used for quantitative synthesis of the adjusted odds ratio (aOR). We identified 24 trials in our final analysis. Statistical heterogeneity was found between hyperoxia and normoxia groups in patients with mechanical ventilation (I2 = 92%, P < 0.01), cardiac arrest(I2 = 63%, P = 0.01), traumatic brain injury (I2 = 85%, P < 0.01) and post cardiac surgery (I2 = 80%, P = 0.03). Compared with normoxia, hyperoxia was associated with higher mortality in overall patients (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.12~1.33), as well as in the subgroups of cardiac arrest (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.08~1.57) and extracorporeal life support (ELS) (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.03~2.02). Hyperoxia would lead to higher mortality in critically ill patients especially in the patients with cardiac arrest and ELS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31209085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Information and communication technology enabling partnership in person-centred diabetes management: building a theoretical framework from an inductive case study in The Netherlands.\nThe aim of this paper is to construct a theoretical framework for information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled partnership towards diabetes management. We conducted an inductive case study and held interviews on the development and use of an artificial pancreas (AP) system for diabetes management. The study was carried out in the Netherlands with users of an AP system. We interviewed six patients with type 1 diabetes, five healthcare professionals (two medical specialists and three diabetes nurses), and one policy advisor from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. We built a new theoretical framework for ICT-enabled person-centred diabetes management, covering the central themes of self-managing the disease, shared analysing of (medical) data and experiencing the partnership. We found that ICT yielded new activities of data sharing and a new role for data professionals in the provision of care as well as contributed to carefree living thanks to the semiautomated management enabled by the device. Our data suggested that to enable the partnership through ICT, organisational adjustments need to be made such as the development of new ICT services and a viable financial model to support these services. The management of diabetes through ICT requires an adjustment of the partnership between persons with the chronic condition and the healthcare professional(s) in such a way that the potential for self-managing the condition by analysing the newly available (medical) data (from the AP system) together leads to an experience of partnership between patients and healthcare professionals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31821343,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Replacing murine insulin 1 with human insulin protects NOD mice from diabetes.\nType 1, or autoimmune, diabetes is caused by the T-cell mediated destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice spontaneously develop autoimmune diabetes akin to human type 1 diabetes. For this reason, the NOD mouse has been the preeminent murine model for human type 1 diabetes research for several decades. However, humanized mouse models are highly sought after because they offer both the experimental tractability of a mouse model and the clinical relevance of human-based research. Autoimmune T-cell responses against insulin, and its precursor proinsulin, play central roles in the autoimmune responses against pancreatic beta cells in both humans and NOD mice. As a first step towards developing a murine model of the human autoimmune response against pancreatic beta cells we set out to replace the murine insulin 1 gene (Ins1) with the human insulin gene (Ins) using CRISPR\/Cas9. Here we describe a NOD mouse strain that expresses human insulin in place of murine insulin 1, referred to as HuPI. HuPI mice express human insulin, and C-peptide, in their serum and pancreata and have normal glucose tolerance. Compared with wild type NOD mice, the incidence of diabetes is much lower in HuPI mice. Only 15-20% of HuPI mice developed diabetes after 300 days, compared to more than 60% of unmodified NOD mice. Immune-cell infiltration into the pancreatic islets of HuPI mice was not detectable at 100 days but was clearly evident by 300 days. This work highlights the feasibility of using CRISPR\/Cas9 to create mouse models of human diseases that express proteins pivotal to the human disease. Furthermore, it reveals that even subtle changes in proinsulin protect NOD mice from diabetes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28397781,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Measurement of the cosmic optical background using the long range reconnaissance imager on New Horizons.\nThe cosmic optical background is an important observable that constrains energy production in stars and more exotic physical processes in the universe, and provides a crucial cosmological benchmark against which to judge theories of structure formation. Measurement of the absolute brightness of this background is complicated by local foregrounds like the Earth's atmosphere and sunlight reflected from local interplanetary dust, and large discrepancies in the inferred brightness of the optical background have resulted. Observations from probes far from the Earth are not affected by these bright foregrounds. Here we analyse the data from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) instrument on NASA's New Horizons mission acquired during cruise phase outside the orbit of Jupiter, and find a statistical upper limit on the optical background's brightness similar to the integrated light from galaxies. We conclude that a carefully performed survey with LORRI could yield uncertainties comparable to those from galaxy counting measurements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21953404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Efficacy of the antiphospholipid score for the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome and its predictive value for thrombotic events.\nTo define the antiphospholipid score (aPL-S) by testing multiple antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and to evaluate its efficacy for the diagnosis of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and predictive value for thrombosis. This study comprised 2 independent sets of patients with autoimmune diseases. In the first set of patients (n = 233), the aPL profiles were analyzed. Five clotting assays for testing lupus anticoagulant and 6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (IgG\/IgM anticardiolipin antibodies, IgG\/IgM anti-\u03b2(2)-glycoprotein I, and IgG\/IgM phosphatidylserine-dependent antiprothrombin antibodies) were included. The association of the aPL-S with a history of thrombosis\/pregnancy morbidity was assessed. In the second set of patients (n = 411), the predictive value of the aPL-S for thrombosis was evaluated retrospectively. Two hundred ninety-six of these patients were followed up for >2 years. The relationship between the aPL-S and the risk of developing thrombosis was analyzed. In the first set of patients, the aPL-S was higher in those with thrombosis\/pregnancy morbidity than in those without manifestations of APS (P < 0.00001). For the aPL-S, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value was 0.752. In the second set of patients, new thromboses developed in 32 patients. The odds ratio (OR) for thrombosis in patients with an aPL-S of \u226530 was 5.27 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 2.32-11.95, P < 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, an aPL-S of \u226530 appeared to be an independent risk factor for thrombosis (hazard ratio 3.144 [95% CI 1.383-7.150], P = 0.006). The aPL-S is a useful quantitative index for diagnosing APS and may be a predictive marker for thrombosis in autoimmune diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23213066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Clinical availability of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease as an early predictor of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Korean men: 5-year prospective cohort study.\nThere have been several reports about the clinical association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, most of the studies were about the unilateral effects of type 2 DM on NAFLD, and studies on the reverse relation are rare. Thus, this study was designed to investigate the effect of NAFLD on type 2 DM. We conducted a prospective cohort study on 25,232 Korean men without type 2 DM for 5 years. We serially checked the various metabolic factors including fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), and monitored the development of type 2 DM. The incidence rate of type 2 DM was compared according to the degree of NAFLD (normal, mild, and moderate to severe), and a Cox proportional hazards model was used to measure the hazard ratios (HRs) of NAFLD on type 2 DM. The incidence rate of type 2 DM increased according to the degree of NAFLD (normal: 7.0%, mild: 9.8%, moderate to severe: 17.8%, P < 0.001). Even after adjusting for other multiple covariates, the HRs (95% confidence interval [CI]) for type 2 DM development was higher in the mild group (1.09; 0.81-1.48) and moderate to severe group (1.73; 1.00-3.01) compared to the normal group, respectively (P for trend <0.001). The development of type 2 DM is potentially more associated with more progressive NAFLD than a normal or milder state. In addition, NAFLD was an independent risk factor for the future development of type 2 DM. These results suggest the potential availability of NAFLD as an early predictor of type 2 DM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32399392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cytochrome P450 Epoxygenase-Dependent Activation of TRPV4 Channel Participates in Enhanced Serotonin-Induced Pulmonary Vasoconstriction in Chronic Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension.\nTransient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a multi-functional non-selective channel expressed in pulmonary vasculatures. TRPV4 contributes to serotonin- (5-HT-) induced pulmonary vasoconstriction and is responsible in part for the enhanced 5-HT response in pulmonary arteries (PAs) of chronic hypoxia mice. Epoxyeicosatrienoic acid (EET) is an endogenous agonist of TRPV4 and is known to regulate vasoreactivity. The levels of EETs, the expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) epoxygenase for EET production, and epoxide hydrolase for EET degradation are altered by chronic hypoxia. Here, we examined the role of EET-dependent TRPV4 activation in the 5-HT-mediated PA contraction. In PAs of normoxic mice, inhibition of TRPV4 with a specific inhibitor HC-067047 caused a decrease in the sensitivity of 5-HT-induced PA contraction without affecting the maximal contractile response. Application of the cytochrome P450 epoxygenase inhibitor MS-PPOH had no effect on the vasoreactivity to 5-HT. In contrast, inhibition of CYP epoxygenase or TRPV4 both attenuated the 5-HT-elicited maximal contraction to a comparable level in PAs of chronic hypoxic mice. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of MS-PPOH on the 5-HT-induced contraction was obliterated in PAs of chronic hypoxic trpv4-\/- mice. These results suggest that TRPV4 contributes to the enhanced 5-HT-induced vasoconstriction in chronic hypoxic PAs, in part via the CYP-EET-TRPV4 pathway. Our results further support the notion that manipulation of TRPV4 function may offer a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of hypoxia-related pulmonary hypertension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23250067,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Continuous X-ray diffractive field in protein nanocrystallography.\nThe recent development of X-ray free-electron laser sources has created new opportunities for the structural analysis of protein nanocrystals. The extremely small sizes of the crystals, as well as imperfections of the crystal structure, result in an interference phenomenon in the diffraction pattern. With decreasing crystallite size the structural imperfections play a role in the formation of the diffraction pattern that is comparable in importance to the size effects and should be taken into account during the data analysis and structure reconstruction processes. There now exists a need to develop new methods of protein structure determination that do not depend on the availability of good-quality crystals and that can treat proteins under conditions close to the active form. This paper demonstrates an approach that is specifically tailored to nanocrystalline samples and offers a unique crystallographic solution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36864131,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":2,"2024-10":3,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Inferring density-dependent population dynamics mechanisms through rate disambiguation for logistic birth-death processes.\nDensity dependence is important in the ecology and evolution of microbial and cancer cells. Typically, we can only measure net growth rates, but the underlying density-dependent mechanisms that give rise to the observed dynamics can manifest in birth processes, death processes, or both. Therefore, we utilize the mean and variance of cell number fluctuations to separately identify birth and death rates from time series that follow stochastic birth-death processes with logistic growth. Our nonparametric method provides a novel perspective on stochastic parameter identifiability, which we validate by analyzing the accuracy in terms of the discretization bin size. We apply our method to the scenario where a homogeneous cell population goes through three stages: (1) grows naturally to its carrying capacity, (2) is treated with a drug that reduces its carrying capacity, and (3) overcomes the drug effect to restore its original carrying capacity. In each stage, we disambiguate whether the dynamics occur through the birth process, death process, or some combination of the two, which contributes to understanding drug resistance mechanisms. In the case of limited sample sizes, we provide an alternative method based on maximum likelihood and solve a constrained nonlinear optimization problem to identify the most likely density dependence parameter for a given cell number time series. Our methods can be applied to other biological systems at different scales to disambiguate density-dependent mechanisms underlying the same net growth rate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32324717,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Skeletal Health and Associated Injury Risk in Collegiate Female Rowers.\nBaker, BS, Buchanan, SR, and Bemben, DA. Skeletal health and associated injury risk in collegiate female rowers. J Strength Cond Res 36(4): 1125-1133, 2022-Rowing has been associated with low bone mass and stress fractures. The aim of this study was to compare bone density, geometry, and skeletal asymmetries between competitive female rowers and matched controls and within rowers based on reported injury status, allowing for the calculation of practical injury risk prediction equations. Rowers (n = 24) and controls (n = 24) completed total body, lumbar spine, and and dual femur and radii dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans. One-way analyses of covariance were performed between rowers and controls, and one-way analyses of variance were performed between rowers based on reported rib injury status (injured [n = 11]; injury-free [n = 13]). Logistic regression was used to create prediction models of rowers' injury status. Significance was set at p \u2264 0.05. Rowers were taller, had greater lean mass, less fat mass, and mostly equivalent skeletal measures compared to controls, which were within normal ranges (p < 0.048). Injury-free rowers consumed over 500 mg\u00b7d-1 more calcium and were less symmetrical at the 4% tibiae and hips (p < 0.015). The strongest predictive regression model of reported rib injury in rowers comprised calcium intake and the symmetry index of hip strength index (R2 = 0.833; p < 0.001). A more practical model including daily calcium intake and total bone specific physical activity (PA) scores can be used to correctly predict injury status 75% of the time (R2 = 0.750; p = 0.022). This is the first study to provide practitioners an injury prediction model for competitive rowers, reiterating the importance of proper nutrition and auxiliary PA focusing on balanced movement patterns.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26011026,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Sources of Variation in a Two-Step Monitoring Protocol for Species Clustered in Conspicuous Points: Dolichotis patagonum as a Case Study.\nIn species showing distributions attached to particular features of the landscape or conspicuous signs, counts are commonly made by making focal observations where animals concentrate. However, to obtain density estimates for a given area, independent searching for signs and occupancy rates of suitable sites is needed. In both cases, it is important to estimate detection probability and other possible sources of variation to avoid confounding effects on measurements of abundance variation. Our objective was to assess possible bias and sources of variation in a two-step protocol in which random designs were applied to search for signs while continuously recording video cameras were used to perform abundance counts where animals are concentrated, using mara (Dolichotis patagonum) as a case study. The protocol was successfully applied to maras within the Pen\u00ednsula Vald\u00e9s protected area, given that the protocol was logistically suitable, allowed warrens to be found, the associated adults to be counted, and the detection probability to be estimated. Variability was documented in both components of the two-step protocol. These sources of variation should be taken into account when applying this protocol. Warren detectability was approximately 80% with little variation. Factors related to false positive detection were more important than imperfect detection. The detectability for individuals was approximately 90% using the entire day of observations. The shortest sampling period with a similar detection capacity than a day was approximately 10 hours, and during this period, the visiting dynamic did not show trends. For individual mara, the detection capacity of the camera was not significantly different from the observer during fieldwork. The presence of the camera did not affect the visiting behavior of adults to the warren. Application of this protocol will allow monitoring of the near-threatened mara providing a minimum local population size and a baseline for measuring long-term trends.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32332416,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Gynecologic Management of Adolescents and Young Women With Seizure Disorders: ACOG Committee Opinion, Number 806.\nSeizure disorders frequently are diagnosed and managed during adolescence; therefore, obstetrician-gynecologists who care for adolescents should be familiar with epilepsy and other seizure disorders, as well as antiepileptic drugs. Patients diagnosed with seizure disorders during childhood may have increased seizure activity with puberty and menarche due to the neuroactive properties of endogenous steroid hormones. Compared with patients without epilepsy, patients with epilepsy are more likely to experience anovulatory cycles, irregular menstrual bleeding, and amenorrhea. Although hormonal suppression should not be initiated before puberty or menarche, prepubertal counseling may be appropriate, and obstetrician-gynecologists may work with young patients and their families to develop a plan to initiate with menarche. Additionally, obstetrician-gynecologists should be aware of any medication changes, including antiepileptics, for adolescent patients with seizure disorders. Research on hormonal therapy for the treatment of epilepsy is scant; however, the anticonvulsant properties of various progestins have been explored as potential treatment. There is no conclusive evidence that combination hormonal contraception increases epileptic seizures, and epilepsy itself poses no increased risk of an adverse outcome for those using combined oral contraceptive pills, the contraceptive patch, or a contraceptive ring. Because many antiepileptic drugs are teratogenic, discussing sexual health with and providing effective contraceptive choices to this population is critical. Obstetrician-gynecologists should work with patients with seizure disorders to develop a plan when pregnancy occurs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11408425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Interactions of exercise training and lipoic acid on skeletal muscle glucose transport in obese Zucker rats.\nExercise training (ET) or the antioxidant R(+)-alpha-lipoic acid (R-ALA) individually increases insulin action in the insulin-resistant obese Zucker rat. The purpose of the present study was to determine the interactions of ET and R-ALA on insulin action and oxidative stress in skeletal muscle of the obese Zucker rat. Animals either remained sedentary, received R-ALA (30 mg x kg body wt(-1) x day(-1)), performed ET (treadmill running), or underwent both R-ALA treatment and ET for 6 wk. During an oral glucose tolerance test, ET alone or in combination with R-ALA resulted in a significant lowering of the glucose (26-32%) and insulin (29-30%) responses compared with sedentary controls. R-ALA alone decreased (19%) the glucose-insulin index (indicative of increased insulin sensitivity), and this parameter was reduced (48-52%) to the greatest extent in the ET and combined treatment groups. ET or R-ALA individually increased insulin-mediated glucose transport activity in isolated epitrochlearis (44-48%) and soleus (37-57%) muscles. The greatest increases in insulin action in these muscles (80 and 99%, respectively) were observed in the combined treatment group. Whereas the improvement in insulin-mediated glucose transport in soleus due to R-ALA was associated with decreased protein carbonyl levels (an index of oxidative stress), improvement because of ET was associated with decreased protein carbonyls as well as enhanced GLUT-4 protein. However, there was no interactive effect of ET and R-ALA on GLUT-4 protein or protein carbonyl levels. These results indicate that ET and R-ALA interact in an additive fashion to improve insulin action in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle. Because the further improvement in muscle glucose transport in the combined group was not associated with additional upregulation of GLUT-4 protein or a further reduction in oxidative stress, the mechanism for this interaction must be due to additional, as yet unidentified, factors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35170269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ultrasensitive assay for saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection.\nWidespread SARS-CoV-2 testing is invaluable for identifying asymptomatic\/pre-symptomatic individuals. There remains a technological gap for highly reliable, easy, and quick SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests suitable for frequent mass testing. Compared to nasopharyngeal (NP) swab-based tests, saliva-based methods are attractive due to easier and safer sampling. Current saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests (RATs) are hindered by limited analytical sensitivity. Here, we report one of the first ultrasensitive, saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 antigen assays with an analytical sensitivity of <0.32 pg\/mL, corresponding to four viral RNA copies\/\u00b5L, which is comparable to that of PCR-based tests. Using the novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL)-based immunoassay, we measured the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) antigen concentration in 105 salivas, obtained from non-COVID-19 and COVID-19 patients. We then verified the results with a second, independent cohort of 689 patients (3.8% SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate). We also compared our method with a widely used point-of-care rapid test. In the first cohort, at 100% specificity, the sensitivity was 92%. Our assay correctly identified samples with viral loads up to 35 CT cycles by saliva-based PCR. Paired NP swab-based PCR results were obtained for 86 cases. Our assay showed high concordance with saliva-based and NP swab-based PCR in samples with negative (<0.32 pg\/mL) and strongly positive (>2 pg\/mL) N antigen concentrations. In the second cohort, at 100% specificity, sensitivity was also 92%. Our assay is about 700-fold more sensitive than the Abbott Panbio Rapid Test. We demonstrated the ultrasensitivity and specificity assay and its concordance with PCR. This novel assay is especially valuable when compliance to frequent swabbing may be problematic.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24517721,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The effects of metformin on endothelial dysfunction, lipid metabolism and oxidative stress in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.\nPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous disorder, which is considered not only a reproductive disease but also a metabolic disorder associated with long-term health risks. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of metformin on insulin resistance, oxidant-antioxidant status, endothelial dysfunction, lipid metabolism and their contribution to the risks of cardiovascular disease in women with PCOS. Fifteen women with PCOS and 17 healthy women were included in this case-control study. Nitric oxide (NO), endothelin-1 (ET-1), malondialdehyde (MDA), Apo A1, Apo B, small, dense LDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C), lipid levels and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activity were measured in serum\/plasma obtained from study groups. Insulin resistance (HOMA index - Homeostasis Model Assessment) and serum sex hormone profiles were also evaluated. Significantly decreased NO levels and PON1 activities, but increased MDA, ET-1 and sdLDL-C were found in PCOS patients compared to those of controls. Serum MDA, ET-1, HOMA and sdLDL-C levels decreased and PON1 activity and NO levels increased significantly after the metformin treatment. There was a positive correlation between MDA and free testosterone (fT), ET-1 and fT; and a negative correlation between PON1 activity and fT. Insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress might contribute to the excess risk of cardiovascular disease reported in PCOS. Metformin seemed to decrease oxidative stress and improve insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and endothelial dysfunction in PCOS patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20444284,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Mediastinal abscess after endobronchial ultrasound with transbronchial needle aspiration: a case report.\nEndobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) with transbronchial needle aspiration is now becoming widely accepted as a preferred staging technique. It has been perceived as a non-invasive and well tolerated procedure with minimal complications. We report the development and treatment of a severe complication that developed 2 weeks after the initial procedure in the form of a complex mediastinal abscess. EBUS although useful in its non-invasive application for diagnosing mediastinal or hilar disease, must be regarded with caution since the potential exists to develop severe complications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19867577,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"POST-HEMORRHAGIC ANEMIA.\nIn rabbits and cats in which a hemorrhagic anemia has been produced, the hemoglobin is regenerated much more slowly than the red corpuscles, but the index, relative to the red corpuscles, never rises above one. The resistance of the corpuscles is not increased. In erythrocytes developing in the bone marrow, the nucleus of the erythroblasts seems to lose its chromatin, but is apparently not extruded. Punctate basophilia of the erythrocytes is a common feature and seems to result from a diffusion of nuclear chromatin through the cell. Extramedullary myeloid metaplasia is generally slight, but in moderately severe and long continued anemia from bleeding it may be very extensive. Lipemia usually occurs when the blood is reduced below a certain limit. The greater part of the fat in the serum can be extracted with ether and is stained by osmic acid. Extensive fatty infiltration of the organs may occur and also widespread necrosis in the central parts of the liver lobules. Pigmentation of the internal organs is usually only slight, but may be considerable, particularly in the spleen. Although there are minor differences, all the essential features of anemia produced by toxins can be reproduced by hemorrhage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17208430,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"New insight into BRAF mutations in cancer.\nThere has been much recent progress in our understanding of the role played by the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK cascade in human cancer. RAS is an oncogene and this pathway is known to promote proliferation and malignant transformation. More recently, however, RAF has become the focus of attention, particularly in melanoma, where approximately 70% of cases carry mutations in the BRAF gene. The majority of the mutations in BRAF in cancer are activating, but rare mutants that cannot activate MEK have provided new insight into RAF signalling networks that exist in cancer and normal cells. Surprisingly, germline mutations in BRAF that occur in rare genetic syndromes have also recently been described. The induction of BRAF mutations in melanoma depends on the type of UV exposure that the skin receives, and some studies have suggested the existence of susceptibility loci that make it more likely that some individuals will acquire these mutations. Importantly, genetic profiling and microarray studies have provided insight into the spectrum of melanomas in which BRAF plays a role and also revealed intriguing new data that could be important for the diagnosis and treatment of human cancers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27437274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Temporal Lobe Encephalitis Need not Always be Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: Think of Tuberculosis.\nHistorically, temporal lobe encephalitis is considered as a pathognomonic feature of Herpes simplex encephalitis. This rule may not always be true and we believe that clinicians should keep their differential open. We here report once such. Case of a 36-year-old Indian male who developed altered sensorium following a prodrome of headache and fever. Examination and imaging suggested Temporal Lobe Encephalitis (TLE). Herpes encephalitis was considered and he was started on anti-virals awaiting lumbar puncture reports. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis for Herpes Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) turned out to be negative. Later, to our surprise PCR for tuberculosis (TB) was positive. CSF was 100% lymphocytic and Adenosine deaminase was 12. He was started on 5 drug anti-tuberculosis regimen following which he showed a significant clinical improvement. Given the prevalence of tuberculosis in the sub-continent, clinicians must be aware of this diagnostic possibility when a patient with TLE does not respond to anti-virals. Apart from disease specific therapy, multi-disciplinary approach involving speech therapy is warranted. An early aetiological characterization of TLE has both diagnostic and prognostic implications, failing which patient may succumb.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944485,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Synopsis on the taxonomy of the genus xanthomonas.\nABSTRACT The genus Xanthomonas exhibits a high phytopathogenic diversity in contrast to a phenotypic uniformity, which has hampered the genesis of a stable classification for a long time. In past decades, a large number of Xanthomonas strains have been characterized by a variety of phenotypic and genotypic methods in a multitude of studies. Extensive DNA hybridization studies and repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction and amplified fragment length polymorphism genomic fingerprinting have clearly revealed the genomic diversity and relationships within the genus. A review of the current classification of the genus Xanthomonas based on the synopsis of these studies is given here.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27459332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"MicroRNA expression profiling of Leishmania donovani-infected host cells uncovers the regulatory role of MIR30A-3p in host autophagy.\nLeishmania is an obligate intracellular parasite that replicates inside phagolysosomes or parasitophorous vacuoles (PV) of the monocyte\/macrophage lineage. It reprograms macrophages and produces a metabolic state conducive to successful infection and multiplication. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small 22 to 24 nucleotide noncoding regulatory RNAs alter the gene expression and consequently proteome output by targeting mRNAs, may play a regulatory role in modulating host cell functions. In the present study, we demonstrate the novel regulatory role of host microRNA, MIR30A-3p in modulation of host cell macroautophagy\/autophagy after infection with L. donovani. Our in vitro studies showed that MIR30A-3p expression was significantly enhanced after L. donovani infection in a time-dependent manner. Transient transfection with a MIR30A-3p inhibitor followed by L. donovani infection promoted the autophagic response and decreased the intracellular parasite burden in both THP-1 cells and human monocyte-derived macrophages (HsMDM). BECN1\/Beclin 1, the mammalian ortholog of yeast Vps30\/Atg6, is a key autophagy-promoting protein that plays a key role in the regulation of cell death and survival. We report BECN1-dependent modulation of host cell autophagy in response to L. donovani infection. Pretreatment of L. donovani-infected macrophages with the MIR30A-3p mimic decreased and with antagomir increased the expression of BECN1 protein. We demonstrate that BECN1 is a potential target of MIR30A-3p and this miRNA negatively regulates BECN1 expression. Our present study reveals for the first time a novel role of MIR30A-3p in regulating autophagy-mediated L. donovani elimination by targeting BECN1. The present study has significant impact for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20653551,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-06":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Extraction, isolation and analysis of chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycans.\nGlycosaminoglycans (GAGs) including chondroitin sulfate (CS) and chondroitin sulfate\/dermatan sulfate (CS\/DS) copolymers are anionic straight chain polysaccharides. They are galactosamine containing GAGs (galactosaminoglycans) having wide range of applications in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. This article reviews techniques to isolate and characterize these galactosaminoglycans from animal and poultry tissues. Patent based information is also discussed. Cartilaginous tissues are the major source of CS consisting entirely of D-glucuronosyl-N-acetylgalactosamine repeating disaccharide units, in which the galactosamine is sulfated at C4 or C6. In contrast, most galactosaminoglycans in non-cartilaginous connective tissues (e.g. skin and tendon) are CS\/DS copolymers comprised of varying proportions of D-glucuronosyl-N-acetylgalactosamine and L-iduronosyl-N-acetylgalactosamine. Tissues are digested with proteinase (e.g. papain) to liberate GAGs, which are fractionated to isolate and purify galactosaminoglycans. Common techniques used for fractionation of GAGs include: precipitation with different concentrations of ethanol; solubilization of GAG precipitated as GAG-quarternary ammonium compound complexes with different concentrations of NaCl; anion exchange chromatography and gel filtration chromatography. Purified galactosaminoglycans are examined by various methods including chondroitinase digestion, high performance liquid chromatography and electrophoresis. Histological methods are used to localize galactosaminoglycans in tissues. The patent information on the CS hydrolase and ultraviolet irradiation may be useful for the preparation of CS oligosaccharide.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28039857,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Consistent low-contrast detectability for variable patient sizes and corresponding dose in abdominal CT.\nFor CT dose optimization, one needs to address two important questions. The first is how various lesion-specific detection tasks demand different patient doses for the same patient. The second is how the variation of the patient size requires different patient doses for the same lesion detection task. In this study, we attempted to find quantitative solutions to these questions by utilizing a wide range of abdomen phantoms. A simplified model with a monochromatic fan beam passing through a bowtie-filter and an elliptical object was proposed. The model relates the minimum detectable contrast (MDC) to the size-specific dose by power index of -1\/2 and to the lesion size by power index of -1 with a patient size dependence function (PSDF) as the proportionality factor. The experimental validation was performed using seven abdomen phantoms (lateral ranges: 10 cm-39 cm) scanned with helical modes at various dose levels on two 64-slice scanners (Siemens mCT and GE HD 750). Noise images were obtained using subtractions among adjacent slices in the images reconstructed with filtered backprojection. It was verified that the mean pixel value distributions from various small regions (1.8 mm-10 mm) are Gaussian, thus the concept of the statistically defined minimum detectable contrast (SD-MDC), defined as distribution's standard deviation multiplied by 3.29, can be applied. The impact of the helical pitch and the high-definition (HD) acquisition was also studied. The experimental data from all phantoms were found to fit the power law well (R2 \u2265 0.983). The PSDF was found to be scanner dependent - modeled with a Gaussian amplifier (R2 = 0.983) for one manufacturer and with an exponential function for the other (R2 = 0.990). The MDC relationship was not found to be impacted by different pitches or by HD acquisition. The results were used to find the size-specific doses and corresponding acquisition techniques required by consistent low-contrast detectability for variable patient sizes. Visual comparisons on the low-contrast insert images demonstrated that the derived techniques delivered consistent low-contrast detectability. We have modeled and verified the relationship of the minimum detectable contrast to the patient size, the patient dose, and the lesion size from the images reconstructed with filtered backprojection. The findings can be useful for task-specific dose modulation on abdomen CT studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3771788,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Isovolumetric regulation of isolated S2 proximal tubules in anisotonic media.\nSudden alteration in medium osmolality causes an osmometric change in proximal tubule cell size followed by restoration of cell volume toward normal in hypotonic but not in hypertonic medium. We determined the capability of isolated nonperfused proximal tubules to prevent a change in cell volume in anisotonic media. The external osmolality was gradually changed over a range from 110 to 480 mosM. At 1.5 mosM\/min, cell volume remained constant between 167 +\/- 9 and 361 +\/- 7 mosM, a phenomenon termed isovolumetric regulation (IVR). Cells lost intracellular solutes in hypotonic and gained intracellular solutes in hypertonic media. Raffinose or choline chloride substitution showed that osmolality, rather than NaCl, signalled cell volume maintenance in hyperosmotic media. Cooling (7-10 degrees C) blocked IVR. IVR was maintained when osmolality was lowered at a rate of 27, but not at 42 mosM\/min. IVR was not observed when the rate of osmolality increase exceeded 3 mosM\/min. We conclude that proximal tubule cells sensitively regulate intracellular volume in an osmolality range of pathophysiologic interest by mechanisms dependent on the rate of net water movement across basolateral membranes and the absolute intracellular content of critical solutes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7567938,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Association of hepatic veno-occlusive disease with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.\nObservation of a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and veno-occlusive disease (VOD) at autopsy prompted us to review the liver pathology of autopsied patients with human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity and\/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV\/AIDS) to determine the frequency of occurrence of VOD and the circumstances in which it arose. the patients studied had been autopsied at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, a referral center, between April 1981 and July 1993. We reviewed 275 adult HIV\/AIDS patients autopsied with liver slides available for evaluation. Twenty cases fulfilled the pathologic criteria for VOD, central vein obliteration and sclerosis, sinusoidal congestion and fibrosis, and perivenular hepatocellular degeneration and necrosis. The autopsy cases were compared for age, race, gender, duration of HIV infection, and risk factor for the acquisition of HIV infection. The clinical and pathologic features of the 20 cases with VOD were reviewed. of the 275 HIV\/AIDS patients, 20 (7.3%) had VOD. The average age was 41 yr (range 30-58) and most cases were black males (15 black, 5 white, and 18 male). The duration of HIV infection ranged from 6 mo to 8 yr (mean, 19 mo). The risk factor for acquiring HIV infection was primarily intravenous drug abuse (12 of 20, 60%). Six patients had homosexual or bisexual contacts, and two had other or unknown risk factors. In contrast, among the total of 275 HIV\/AIDS autopsied patients reviewed, only 72 (26%) reported intravenous drug abuse whereas 157 (57%) individuals listed homosexual or bisexual contacts as a risk for developing HIV infection. Forty-six patients (17%) had other or unknown means of HIV infection. Statistical analysis by risk factor showed that intravenous drug abuse was statistically significant as a predictor for the development of VOD in an HIV\/AIDS patient (P < 0.005). VOD of the liver can be seen in patients with HIV\/AIDS and is associated with intravenous drug abuse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2473970,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Pediatric nasopharyngeal carcinoma: long term follow-up of 29 patients.\nTwenty-nine untreated children diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were consecutively admitted to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from 1962 to 1986. The age of the patients ranged from 6 to 19 years (median of 13) at diagnosis. Histologically, all had lymphoepithelioma. Patients were retrospectively staged in the American Joint Committee System. Disease extent was T1 (n = 5), T2 (n = 7), T3 (n = 9), T4 (n = 8); N0 (n = 1), N2 (n = 7), N3 (n = 21). Two patients had distant metastasis (M1) on admission, both ultimately succumbed to their disease. Twenty-seven patients were seen initially without metastatic disease: one received pre-irradiation vincristine, 17 were treated with concomitant radiotherapy and cyclophosphamide. From 1981 to the present, four patients received pre-irradiation and one received post-irradiation cisplatin-bleomycin, vinblastine (CDDP-BLEO-VLB) regimens. Four patients received radiotherapy alone. All patients completed chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Twenty-five patients had complete tumor clearance and four had a partial response. Overall, 14 patients are alive continuously without relapse with a median follow-up of 11 years (range 4 to 20). All patients who relapsed did so within 2 years postirradiation. Four patients failed locally--all had advanced (T3-T4) local disease at presentation and three of the failures were at the margin of treatment portals. Thirteen patients failed with distant metastasis. The major prognostic factor in these patients was the local extent of disease. Among the 27 M0 patients, all ten patients with T1-2 tumors are disease-free, whereas four of nine patients with T3 and two of eight patients with T4 tumors are alive and well. In the 16 patients who are long term survivors, eight have mild neck atrophy, two have shortening of the clavicles; except for one patient who required a neck brace for shoulder drop, all had normal function. Among the seven pre-pubertal patients who are long term survivors, three have decreased growth, including one with documented decreased growth hormone. Two patients developed irregular menstrual periods. One patient developed hypothyroidism, and another had a thyroid adenoma. One patient developed bleomycin pneumonitis and one patient who received pre- and post-irradiation chemotherapy died of laryngeal edema and fibrosis, in remission. Radiotherapy is the major modality in the therapy of childhood nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The long term toxicity of radiotherapy plus or minus chemotherapy is acceptable. In early stage tumors (T1-2, N1-2), radiotherapy alone (55-60 Gy) appears to be sufficient for disease control.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23193257,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Polymorphism of human telomeric quadruplex structure controlled by DNA concentration: a Raman study.\nDNA concentration has been recently suggested to be the reason why different arrangements are revealed for K(+)-stabilized human telomere quadruplexes by experimental methods requiring DNA concentrations differing by orders of magnitude. As Raman spectroscopy can be applied to DNA samples ranging from those accessible by absorption and CD spectroscopies up to extremely concentrated solutions, gels and even crystals; it has been used here to clarify polymorphism of a core human telomeric sequence G(3)(TTAG(3))(3) in the presence of K(+) and Na(+) ions throughout wide range of DNA concentrations. We demonstrate that the K(+)-structure of G(3)(TTAG(3))(3) at low DNA concentration is close to the antiparallel fold of Na(+)-stabilized quadruplex. On the increase of G(3)(TTAG(3))(3) concentration, a gradual transition from antiparallel to intramolecular parallel arrangement was observed, but only for thermodynamically equilibrated K(+)-stabilized samples. The transition is synergically supported by increased K(+) concentration. However, even for extremely high G(3)(TTAG(3))(3) and K(+) concentrations, an intramolecular antiparallel quadruplex is spontaneously formed from desalted non-quadruplex single-strand after addition of K(+) ions. Thermal destabilization or long dwell time are necessary to induce interquadruplex transition. On the contrary, Na(+)-stabilized G(3)(TTAG(3))(3) retains its antiparallel folding regardless of the extremely high DNA and\/or Na(+) concentrations, thermal destabilization or annealing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27445862,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison between Variable and Conventional Volume-Controlled Ventilation on Cardiorespiratory Parameters in Experimental Emphysema.\nEmphysema is characterized by loss of lung tissue elasticity and destruction of structures supporting alveoli and capillaries. The impact of mechanical ventilation strategies on ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in emphysema is poorly defined. New ventilator strategies should be developed to minimize VILI in emphysema. The present study was divided into two protocols: (1) characterization of an elastase-induced emphysema model in rats and identification of the time point of greatest cardiorespiratory impairment, defined as a high specific lung elastance associated with large right ventricular end-diastolic area; and (2) comparison between variable (VV) and conventional volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) on lung mechanics and morphometry, biological markers, and cardiac function at that time point. In the first protocol, Wistar rats (n = 62) received saline (SAL) or porcine pancreatic elastase (ELA) intratracheally once weekly for 4 weeks, respectively. Evaluations were performed 1, 3, 5, or 8 weeks after the last intratracheal instillation of saline or elastase. After identifying the time point of greatest cardiorespiratory impairment, an additional 32 Wistar rats were randomized into the SAL and ELA groups and then ventilated with VV or VCV (n = 8\/group) [tidal volume (VT) = 6 mL\/kg, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) = 3 cmH2O, fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) = 0.4] for 2 h. VV was applied on a breath-to-breath basis as a sequence of randomly generated VT values (mean VT = 6 mL\/kg), with a 30% coefficient of variation. Non-ventilated (NV) SAL and ELA animals were used for molecular biology analysis. The time point of greatest cardiorespiratory impairment, was observed 5 weeks after the last elastase instillation. At this time point, interleukin (IL)-6, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant (CINC)-1, amphiregulin, angiopoietin (Ang)-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA levels were higher in ELA compared to SAL. In ELA animals, VV reduced respiratory system elastance, alveolar collapse, and hyperinflation compared to VCV, without significant differences in gas exchange, but increased right ventricular diastolic area. Interleukin-6 mRNA expression was higher in VCV and VV than NV, while surfactant protein-D was increased in VV compared to NV. In conclusion, VV improved lung function and morphology and reduced VILI, but impaired right cardiac function in this model of elastase induced-emphysema.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11395445,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Autoregulation of the dnaA-dnaN operon and effects of DnaA protein levels on replication initiation in Bacillus subtilis.\nIn Escherichia coli, the DnaA protein level appears to play a pivotal role in determining the timing of replication initiation. To examine the effects on replication initiation in B. subtilis, we constructed a strain in which a copy of the dnaA gene was integrated at the purA locus on the chromosome under the control of an isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)-inducible promoter. However, increasing the DnaA level resulted in cell elongation and inhibition of cell growth by induction of the SOS response. Transcription of the native dnaA-dnaN operon was greatly reduced at high DnaA levels, but it was increased in a dnaA-null mutant, indicating autoregulation of the operon by DnaA. When a copy of the dnaN gene was added downstream of the additional dnaA gene at purA, the cells grew at high DnaA levels, suggesting that depletion of DnaN (beta subunit of DNA polymerase III) within the cell by repression of the native dnaA-dnaN operon at high DnaA levels was the cause of the SOS induction. Flow cytometry of the cells revealed that the cell mass at initiation of replication increased at a lower DnaA level and decreased at DnaA levels higher than those of the wild type. Proper timing of replication initiation was observed at DnaA levels nearly comparable to the wild-type level. These results suggest that if the DnaA level increases with progression of the replication cycle, it could act as a rate-limiting factor of replication initiation in B. subtilis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16409100,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Optically tunable nanoparticle contrast agents for early cancer detection: model-based analysis of gold nanoshells.\nMany optical diagnostic approaches rely on changes in scattering and absorption properties to generate optical contrast between normal and diseased tissue. Recently, there has been increasing interest in using exogenous agents to enhance this intrinsic contrast with particular emphasis on the development for targeting specific molecular features of disease. Gold nanoshells are a class of core-shell nanoparticles with an extremely tunable peak optical resonance ranging from the near-UV to the mid-IR wavelengths. Using current chemistries, nanoshells of a wide variety of core and shell sizes can easily be fabricated to scatter and\/or absorb light with optical cross sections often several times larger than the geometric cross section. Using gold nanoshells of different size and optical parameters, we employ Monte Carlo models to predict the effect of varying concentrations of nanoshells on tissue reflectance. The models demonstrate the importance of absorption from the nanoshells on remitted signals even when the optical extinction is dominated by scattering. Furthermore, because of the strong optical response of nanoshells, a considerable change in reflectance is observed with only a very small concentration of nanoshells. Characterizing the optical behavior of gold nanoshells in tissue will aid in developing nanoshells as contrast agents for optical diagnostics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10239357,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Regional planning for allied health education.\nThe tremendous proliferation of new programs in allied health education is contrasted with the situation which existed in the pre-Flexner era of medical education. Some similarities to the present state of allied health education and cautionary signs are noted. Allied health educators are urged to accept their responsibility for objective program planning. Several examples of successful regional planning approaches are noted as examples worthy of further investigation, with special attention focused on the State of Virginia, which appears to have developed some of the most comprehensive approaches to planning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20639456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Live free or die: tales of homeless (cells) in cancer.\nAnoikis, programed cell death that occurs on cell detachment from the extracellular matrix, thus disrupting integrin-ligand interactions, is a critical mechanism in preventing ectopic cell growth or attachment to an inappropriate matrix. Anoikis prevents shed epithelial cells from colonizing elsewhere and is thus essential for maintaining tissue organization. Lack of integrin ligation leads to decreased focal adhesion kinase and integrin-linked kinase activity, which impairs downstream survival signaling. Consequently, targeting tumor cell survival by triggering anoikis provides a unique molecular basis for novel therapeutic targeting of tumors before initiation of metastasis. The two major cell death pathways involved in anoikis signaling are apoptosis and autophagy; growing evidence suggests an extensive cross-talk between the two killing modes as well as context-dependent cooperation and antagonism. This review discusses the functional integration between the two modes of cell death converging at anoikis, including key molecules of interaction such as Beclin 1, reactive oxygen species, extracellular signal-related kinase, and death-associated protein kinase. The involvement of other apoptotic effectors such as Bcl-2, p53, and FLICE inhibitory protein in cancer cell anoikis is also discussed. Dissecting the mechanistic players in the cellular response may be of high clinical significance in identifying effective approaches in reversing anoikis resistance in primary tumor cells and, consequently, impairing metastasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":4386442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Multiple forms of bacterial NADP-specific isocitrate dehydrogenase.\nElectrophoretically distinct forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-specific isocritrate dehydrogenase have been observed in extracts of Escherichia coli grown under different culture conditions. In glucose-grown cells, two distinct bands of isocitrate dehydrogenase activity were observed on polyacrylamide gels and have been completely resolved by employing ion-exchange chromatography. These multiple forms of the enzyme have been studied and their possible metabolic role is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20223282,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Tooth pulp inflammation increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in rodent trigeminal ganglion neurons.\nNociceptive pathways with first-order neurons located in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) provide sensory innervation to the head, and are responsible for a number of common chronic pain conditions, including migraines, temporomandibular disorders and trigeminal neuralgias. Many of those conditions are associated with inflammation. Yet, the mechanisms of chronic inflammatory pain remain poorly understood. Our previous studies show that the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is expressed by adult rat TG neurons, and released from cultured newborn rat TG neurons by electrical stimulation and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a well-established mediator of trigeminal inflammatory pain. These data suggest that BDNF plays a role in activity-dependent plasticity at first-order trigeminal synapses, including functional changes that take place in trigeminal nociceptive pathways during chronic inflammation. The present study was designed to determine the effects of peripheral inflammation, using tooth pulp inflammation as a model, on regulation of BDNF expression in TG neurons of juvenile rats and mice. Cavities were prepared in right-side maxillary first and second molars of 4-week-old animals, and left open to oral microflora. BDNF expression in right TG was compared with contralateral TG of the same animal, and with right TG of sham-operated controls, 7 and 28 days after cavity preparation. Our ELISA data indicate that exposing the tooth pulp for 28 days, with confirmed inflammation, leads to a significant upregulation of BDNF in the TG ipsilateral to the affected teeth. Double-immunohistochemistry with antibodies against BDNF combined with one of nociceptor markers, CGRP or transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), revealed that BDNF is significantly upregulated in TRPV1-immunoreactive (IR) neurons in both rats and mice, and CGRP-IR neurons in mice, but not rats. Overall, the inflammation-induced upregulation of BDNF is stronger in mice compared to rats. Thus, mouse TG provides a suitable model to study molecular mechanisms of inflammation-dependent regulation of BDNF expression in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11381091,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Growth cone collapse through coincident loss of actin bundles and leading edge actin without actin depolymerization.\nRepulsive guidance cues can either collapse the whole growth cone to arrest neurite outgrowth or cause asymmetric collapse leading to growth cone turning. How signals from repulsive cues are translated by growth cones into this morphological change through rearranging the cytoskeleton is unclear. We examined three factors that are able to induce the collapse of extending Helisoma growth cones in conditioned medium, including serotonin, myosin light chain kinase inhibitor, and phorbol ester. To study the cytoskeletal events contributing to collapse, we cultured Helisoma growth cones on polylysine in which lamellipodial collapse was prevented by substrate adhesion. We found that all three factors that induced collapse of extending growth cones also caused actin bundle loss in polylysine-attached growth cones without loss of actin meshwork. In addition, actin bundle loss correlated with specific filamentous actin redistribution away from the leading edge that is characteristic of repulsive factors. Finally, we provide direct evidence using time-lapse studies of extending growth cones that actin bundle loss paralleled collapse. Taken together, these results suggest that actin bundles could be a common cytoskeletal target of various collapsing factors, which may use different signaling pathways that converge to induce growth cone collapse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21950216,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinicopathologic diagnosis of cutaneous toxoplasmosis in an Angora cat.\nThis report deals with a case of cutaneous toxoplasmosis in a 2 year-old female Angora cat. Cutaneous lesions were characterized by prescapular ulcers and hyperemic nodules in the skin of the inguinal and dorsosacral regions. A skin biopsy sample was collected from the lesioned area and processed for histopathologic examination and immunoperoxidase test using Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum specific antibodies. Toxoplasma gondii immunopositive reactions were detected in keratinocytes and dermal macrophages while no immunoreactivity was detected for N. caninum. The case of cutaneous toxoplasmosis was further confirmed by PCR analysis using T. gondii B1 gene-specific primers. In conclusion, we report the first case of cutaneous toxoplasmosis in Angora cats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10969703,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Healing of superior vena cava defect in mediastinal seminoma with invasion.\nWe present an unusual case of mediastinal seminoma with direct intraluminal invasion into the superior vena cava (SVC) and extension to the right atrium. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstration of the SVC defect due to tumor invasion was important for determining treatment strategy because rapid posttherapeutic tumor regression may increase the risk of SVC rupture. Gradual healing of the SVC defect at the tumor entrance site was attained using a tailored treatment plan with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8047821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of eradication of Helicobacter pylori on gastritis in duodenal ulcer patients.\nThe incidence and mean score of Helicobacter pylori-related, active antroduodenitis, lesions of superficial antral epithelium and duodenal gastric-type metaplasia were higher in endoscopic biopsies from a large series of patients with duodenal ulcer, when compared with asymptomatic patients or patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia. In 65 out of 73 patients with duodenal ulcer who could be followed up, H. pylori was eradicated using a combination of amoxycillin, 3 g daily, metronidazole, 1 g daily, and omeprazole, 20 mg daily. Rapid and permanent (6-month follow-up) abolition of both gastroduodenitis activity and lesions of the gastric surface epithelium was observed in these 65 patients. There was also a progressive decrease in total immune-inflammatory cells but without a substantial change in duodenal gastric-type metaplasia. Similar, but transient and quantitatively less prominent, improvements were observed in the antroduodenal mucosa, which had been temporarily cleared of H. pylori by treatment with omeprazole alone. Conversely, increased gastritis activity, epithelial lesions and immune-inflammatory cell scores were found in the short term in the corpus mucosa, which was not cleared of H. pylori after omeprazole treatment. It is concluded that, of the various H. pylori-related mucosal changes, antroduodenitis activity and antral epithelial lesions most closely reflect the severity of mucosal damage and are probably the most important factors in duodenal ulcerogenesis. Their complete and rapid suppression after bacterial eradication may be a key factor in preventing ulcer relapse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23126390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Advances in maternal fetal medicine practice.\nMaternal fetal medicine (MFM) is a subspecialty of obstetrics that focuses on identified risk pregnancies. The role includes obstetric ultrasound for fetal assessment and diagnosis of anomalies, invasive prenatal diagnosis and management of pregnancies complicated by maternal medical disorders, multiple fetuses and the antenatal management of extreme prematurity. Skill specialisation within MFM includes fetal interventions such as fetal shunting procedures, intrauterine transfusion, fetoscopic laser photocoagulation of anastomotic vessels for twin to twin transfusion syndrome and ex utero intrapartum treatment. MFM specialists are actively involved in clinical and basic science research to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. Most Australian MFM specialists are associated with metropolitan teaching hospitals. MFM sub-specialisation has reduced the impact of disability associated with aneuploidy, structural anomalies, multiple pregnancy and extreme prematurity. Management aims are to give families timely counselling, appropriate intervention, and optimisation of the time and location of delivery. The aim of this paper is to update the reader regarding current advances in MFM practices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29480632,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Ellagic acid inhibits HIV-1 infection in vitro: Potential role as a novel microbicide.\nTo investigate the in vitro effects of ellagic acid on HIV-1 replication. Anti-HIV-1 activity of ellagic acid was determined in vitro using X4-tropic HIV-1NPO3 and R5-tropic pBaL Env-recombinant virus. Anti-HIV-1NPO3 activity of ellagic acid was investigated at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.01. Anti-HIV-1 integrase and protease activities of ellagic acid were tested using in vitro integration and proteolytic cleavage assays. Ellagic acid, added either before or after HIV-1NPO3 exposure, suppressed replication of the virus in C8166 cells up to 34%. Ellagic acid showed an anti-integrase IC50 of 8.7 \u03bcM. No cytotoxicity of ellagic acid at concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 100 \u03bcM was observed. We conclude that ellagic acid can inhibit HIV-1 infection without cytotoxicity. Thus, it may be a new effective agent that has potential to be developed as a novel microbicide against HIV-1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33275430,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Laurdan and Di-4-ANEPPDHQ Influence the Properties of Lipid Membranes: A Classical Molecular Dynamics and Fluorescence Study.\nEnvironmentally sensitive (ES) dyes have been used for many decades to study the lipid order of cell membranes, as different lipid phases play a crucial role in a wide variety of cell processes. Yet, the understanding of how ES dyes behave, interact, and affect membranes at the atomistic scale is lacking, partially due to the lack of molecular dynamics (MD) models of these dyes. Here, we present ground- and excited-state MD models of commonly used ES dyes, Laurdan and di-4-ANEPPDHQ, and use MD simulations to study the behavior of these dyes in a disordered and an ordered membrane. We also investigate the effect that these two dyes have on the hydration and lipid order of the membranes, where we see a significant effect on the hydration of lipids proximal to the dyes. These findings are combined with experimental fluorescence experiments of ordered and disordered vesicles and live HeLa cells stained by the aforementioned dyes, where the generalized polarization (GP) values were measured at different concentrations of the dyes. We observe a small but significant decrease of GP at higher Laurdan concentrations in vesicles, while the same effect is not observed in cell membranes. The opposite effect is observed with di-4-ANEPPDHQ where no significant change in GP is seen for vesicles but a very substantial and significant decrease is seen in cell membranes. Together, our results show the profound effect that ES dyes have on membranes, and the presented MD models will be important for further understanding of these effects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17096255,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Thoracic injury criterion for frontal crash applicable to all restraint systems.\nFor several years now, car manufacturers have made significant efforts in the field of thoracic protection. After first limiting the forces in the shoulder belt to 6 kN, these forces are now usually limited to 4 kN, with airbags intentionally designed to absorb the surplus of energy. If this technology is rewarded by a considerable improvement in safety on the road, it remains penalized by the usual biomechanical criteria, when calculated on the Hybrid III and if applied to all restraint systems. To remedy this problem, a new criterion, valid in all the current restraint configurations (belt, airbag only or airbag and belt) is proposed. It is based on the measurement of the shoulder belt forces and of the central deflection and consequently is directly applicable to the current dummy model (Hybrid III). The use of shoulder belt forces allows the separation of the belt and airbag contributions to the deflection. A weighted criterion is calculated from these deflections, taking into account the different risks associated with a belt and an airbag for the same deflection. This new criterion was developed using 65 simulations on the LAB human model and validated by means of 48 sled tests from the literature, consisting of Hybrid III dummy and PMHS tests performed in similar configurations. This paper describes the logic behind the development of the criterion and gives all the parameters used as well as the elements of validation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37746769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Fluoroquinolone prophylaxis in patients with neutropenia at high risk of serious infections: Exploring pros and cons.\nThe use of fluoroquinolones to prevent infections in neutropenic patients with cancer or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a controversial issue, with international guidelines providing conflicting recommendations. Although potential benefits are clear, concerns revolve around efficacy, potential harms, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) implications. Fluoroquinolone prophylaxis reduces neutropenic fever (NF) bloodstream infections and other serious bacterial infections, based on evidence from systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and observational studies in adults and children. Fluoroquinolone prophylaxis may also reduce infection-related morbidity and healthcare costs; however, evidence is conflicting. Adverse effects of fluoroquinolones are well recognized in the general population; however, studies in the cancer cohort where it is used for a defined period of neutropenia have not reflected this. The largest concern for routine use of fluoroquinolone prophylaxis remains AMR, as many, but not all, observational studies have found that fluoroquinolone prophylaxis might increase the risk of AMR, and some studies have suggested negative impacts on patient outcomes as a result. The debate surrounding fluoroquinolone prophylaxis calls for individualized risk assessment based on patient characteristics and local AMR patterns, and prophylaxis should be restricted to patients at the highest risk of serious infection during the highest risk periods to ensure that the risk-benefit analysis is in favor of individual and community benefit. More research is needed to address important unanswered questions about fluoroquinolone prophylaxis in neutropenic patients with cancer or receiving HSCT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12517642,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Screening interval and risk of invasive squamous cell cervical cancer.\nTo compare the risks of developing invasive squamous cell cervical cancer associated with screening intervals of 1, 2, and 3 years after a negative cervical smear. We conducted a matched case-control study of invasive squamous cell cervical cancer patients (n = 482) diagnosed between 1983 and 1995 among long-term members of a large health maintenance organization. Controls were matched for age, length of membership, and race (n = 934). Screening interval was time between the last negative cervical smear and the case diagnosis date. The main outcome measure was the relative odds of invasive disease associated with 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year intervals. The odds ratio for a 2-year versus a 1-year interval was 1.72 (95% confidence interval 1.12, 2.64, P =.013) and for a 3-year versus a 1-year interval was 2.06 (95% confidence interval 1.21, 3.50, P =.007). The odds ratio for a 3-year versus a 2-year interval was 1.20 (95% confidence interval 0.65, 2.21, P =.561). Controlling for ever having had an abnormal cervical smear or a previous consecutive negative smear did not substantially change these results. In this large health plan, the relative risks of invasive squamous cell cervical cancer were significantly greater for 2-year and 3-year cervical cancer screening intervals compared with a 1-year interval, but not for a 3-year interval compared with a 2-year interval. Our findings need to be placed in the context of the low absolute risks of developing invasive cervical cancer during the first 3 years after a negative cervical smear before making policy recommendation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19574548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cardiomyocyte-specific loss of neurofibromin promotes cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction.\nNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a common autosomal dominant disorder with a broad array of clinical manifestations, including benign and malignant tumors, and characteristic cutaneous findings. NF1 patients also have an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases, including obstructive vascular disorders and hypertension. The disease gene, NF1, encodes neurofibromin, a ubiquitously expressed protein that acts, in part, as a Ras-GAP (GTP-ase activating protein), downregulating the activity of activated Ras protooncogenes. In animal models, endothelial and smooth muscle expression of the disease gene is critical for normal heart development and the prevention of vascular disease, respectively. To determine the role of NF1 in the postnatal and adult heart. We generated mice with homozygous loss of the murine homolog Nf1 in myocardium (Nf1mKO) and evaluated their hearts for biochemical, structural, and functional changes. Nf1mKO mice have normal embryonic cardiovascular development but have marked cardiac hypertrophy, progressive cardiomyopathy, and fibrosis in the adult. Hyperactivation of Ras and downstream pathways are seen in the heart with the loss of Nf1, along with activation of a fetal gene program. This report describes a critical role of Nf1 in the regulation of cardiac growth and function. Activation of pathways known to be involved in cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction are seen with the loss of myocardial neurofibromin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11834443,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Regulation by endogenous opioids of suckling-induced prolactin secretion in pregnant and lactating rats: role of ovarian steroids.\nEvidence suggests that endogenous opioid peptides are implicated in the suckling-induced prolactin rise. We explored the role of the opioid system and the participation of ovarian hormones in the regulation of prolactin induced by the suckling stimulus at the end of pregnancy in rats with developed maternal behavior, and during lactation. Suckling for 24 h induced a significant increase in serum prolactin on day 19 of pregnancy, which was increased more than three times when naloxone (2 mg\/kg s.c.) or mifepristone (2 mg\/kg) was administered. The combination of naloxone and mifepristone did not increase serum prolactin more than either compound alone. Administration of tamoxifen (500 microg\/kg orally) on days 14 and 15 of pregnancy completely abolished the effect of naloxone, indicating a role for estrogens in establishing this inhibitory role of opioids. To examine the participation of the opioid system during lactation, we used groups of rats on days 1, 3, 5, 12 and 19 postpartum either (i) isolated from the pups for 4 h, or (ii) isolated from the pups for 3.5 h and reunited with them and suckled for 30 min. Naloxone, given just before replacing the pups, prevented the increase in serum prolactin levels observed in the suckled group of rats but had no effect on the basal levels of the isolated rats. To examine whether the participation of the opioid system in the release of prolactin is dependent on the variation of progesterone levels, rats on day 20 of pregnancy were implanted with two cannulae containing progesterone (that blocked postpartum ovulation) or cholesterol, and cesarean surgery was performed on day 21. To maintain lactation, pups (1-3 days old) were replaced every 24 h, and 4 days after the cesarean eight pups were placed in the cage at 1800 h to maintain a strong suckling stimulus during the following 24 h. Naloxone administration significantly reduced serum prolactin levels in control (cholesterol) rats but progesterone implants prevented the inhibitory effect of naloxone and this effect was not modified by treatment with estrogen. These results indicate that the opioid system modulates suckling-induced prolactin secretion, passing from an inhibitory action before delivery to a stimulatory action during lactation. This regulatory shift seems to be dependent on the fall in progesterone concentration at the end of pregnancy and the subsequent increase after the postpartum ovulation and luteal phase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16595758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004.\nThe prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents and obesity in adults in the United States has increased over several decades. To provide current estimates of the prevalence and trends of overweight in children and adolescents and obesity in adults. Analysis of height and weight measurements from 3958 children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years and 4431 adults aged 20 years or older obtained in 2003-2004 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a nationally representative sample of the US population. Data from the NHANES obtained in 1999-2000 and in 2001-2002 were compared with data from 2003-2004. Estimates of the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents and obesity in adults. Overweight among children and adolescents was defined as at or above the 95th percentile of the sex-specific body mass index (BMI) for age growth charts. Obesity among adults was defined as a BMI of 30 or higher; extreme obesity was defined as a BMI of 40 or higher. In 2003-2004, 17.1% of US children and adolescents were overweight and 32.2% of adults were obese. Tests for trend were significant for male and female children and adolescents, indicating an increase in the prevalence of overweight in female children and adolescents from 13.8% in 1999-2000 to 16.0% in 2003-2004 and an increase in the prevalence of overweight in male children and adolescents from 14.0% to 18.2%. Among men, the prevalence of obesity increased significantly between 1999-2000 (27.5%) and 2003-2004 (31.1%). Among women, no significant increase in obesity was observed between 1999-2000 (33.4%) and 2003-2004 (33.2%). The prevalence of extreme obesity (body mass index > or =40) in 2003-2004 was 2.8% in men and 6.9% in women. In 2003-2004, significant differences in obesity prevalence remained by race\/ethnicity and by age. Approximately 30% of non-Hispanic white adults were obese as were 45.0% of non-Hispanic black adults and 36.8% of Mexican Americans. Among adults aged 20 to 39 years, 28.5% were obese while 36.8% of adults aged 40 to 59 years and 31.0% of those aged 60 years or older were obese in 2003-2004. The prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents and obesity among men increased significantly during the 6-year period from 1999 to 2004; among women, no overall increases in the prevalence of obesity were observed. These estimates were based on a 6-year period and suggest that the increases in body weight are continuing in men and in children and adolescents while they may be leveling off in women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3969605,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Inhibition of human pancreatic secretion by terbutaline as a potential agent for treating patients with pancreatic fistula.\nWe studied the effects of terbutaline on secretin-stimulated duodenal juice output in six healthy volunteers. When administered intravenously to healthy volunteers, terbutaline significantly inhibited secretin-stimulated output of duodenal juice and bicarbonate. After administration of terbutaline to one patient with an external pancreatic fistula, daily output of pancreatic juice decreased and the fistula closed. Significant side effects were not observed. These observations suggest that terbutaline inhibits human pancreatic secretion. Terbutaline may be useful in treating patients with external pancreatic fistula.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33759788,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Days Needed to Characterize the Healthfulness of a Typical Dinner Meal in Direct Observational Research: Mixed Methods Study.\nPrior research around the home meal environment has demonstrated that family meals are associated with positive health outcomes for children and adolescents. Researchers have begun using direct observational methods to understand key aspects of family meals such as meal healthfulness and family meal frequency to explain the protective nature of family meals. Direct observational research, however, can be resource intensive and also burdensome for participants. Information about the number of days needed to sufficiently characterize typical meal healthfulness using direct observational research methods is needed. The current study aimed to produce guidance about the number of meals necessary to approximate typical meal healthfulness at the family dinner meal occasion in a direct observational, mixed methods study of the home food environment. Families were recruited between 2012-2013 from primary care clinics in the Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area (N=120). A total of 800 meals were collected as part of the Family Meals LIVE! mixed methods study. The Healthfulness of Meal Index was used to evaluate meal dietary healthfulness of foods served at 8 family meal occasions. Participating families were provided an iPad (Apple Inc) and asked to video-record 8 consecutive days of family dinner meals with a minimum of two weekend meals. After the meal, families completed a meal screener, which is a self-reported, open-ended measure of the foods served at the meal. Weekend and weekday meals differed in their measurement of meal healthfulness, indicating that at least one weekday and one weekend day are necessary to approximate meal healthfulness. Single-day measurement mischaracterized the strength of the relationship between the quality of what was served and intake by almost 50%, and 3 to 4 observation days were sufficient to characterize typical weekly meal healthfulness (r=0.94; P<.001). Relatively few direct observational days of family meals data appear to be needed to approximate the healthfulness of meals across 1 week. Specifically, 1 weekday and 1 weekend observation are needed, including a total of 3 to 4 days of direct observational meal data. These findings may inform future direct observational study designs to reduce both research costs and participant burden in assessing features of the meal environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15718490,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Single assay for amino-terminal fragments of cardiac A- and B-type natriuretic peptides.\nHigh circulating concentrations of N-terminal fragments of A- and B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-proANP and NT-proBNP) identify patients with impaired cardiac function. ProANP-derived peptides are particularly sensitive to increased preload of the heart and proBNP-derived peptides to increased afterload; therefore, combining the information from the ANP and BNP systems into a single analyte could produce an assay with increased diagnostic and prognostic power. We prepared a hybrid peptide containing peptide sequences from both NT-proBNP and NT-proANP (referred to as NT-proXNP) by recombinant techniques and used it to develop a RIA combining weighed concentrations of NT-proANP and NT-proBNP into a new virtual analyte, NT-proXNP. We used the novel method to measure the circulating concentrations in healthy persons and in patients with cardiac disorders. We also characterized the assay by HPLC analysis of the immunoreactive molecular forms in human plasma and serum. The results from the novel assay correlated well with independent home-made NT-proANP and NT-proBNP assays (r2 = 0.75-0.85) as well with the arithmetic sum of NT-proANP and NT-proBNP (r2 = 0.92). Patients with valvular heart disease (VHD) and coronary artery disease (CAD) had significantly increased NT-proXNP concentrations. The areas under the curve (AUC) of the NT-proXNP assay in detecting VHD and CAD (0.961 and 0.924, respectively) were significantly larger than the AUC of either NT-proANP (0.947 and 0.872) or NT-proBNP (0.913 and 0.782) assays. HPLC analysis showed that the novel NT-proXNP assay detects two major classes of circulating immunoreactivity corresponding to peptides derived from NT-proANP and NT-proBNP. Our novel immunoassay mimics the physiologic signaling system working in the body by converging the information obtained from the activation of ANP and BNP into a single virtual analyte, NT-proXNP. It appears to have a diagnostic efficiency equal to or slightly better than that of individual NT-proANP or NT-proBNP assays.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6349993,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cloning and molecular characterization of the ompA gene from Salmonella typhimurium.\nThe ompA gene from Salmonella typhimurium, encoding a major heat-modifiable protein of the outer membrane, has been cloned and extensively characterized. When expressed in Escherichia coli the gene directs the synthesis of an OmpA protein which is functionally and topologically indistinguishable from that made in S. typhimurium, thus indicating that export and membrane incorporation are very similar in the two organisms. The S. typhimurium protein effectively substitutes for the E. coli polypeptide in F-dependent conjugation and in the uptake of certain colicins, although it cannot serve as the receptor for the OmpA-specific phages K3 and TuII. On examination of the primary sequence of the protein, predicted from the nucleotide sequence of its gene, it was found that those domains likely to be exposed on the cell surface were significantly different to the corresponding regions of the E. coli polypeptide. These differences in the structure of the two proteins have been used to interpret differences in their biological activities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9711068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Infant death presumably due to exertional self-overheating in bed: an autopsy case of suspected child abuse.\nWe report a case of accidental infant death presumably due to exertional self-overheating in bed. On a winter morning, a 9-month-old female baby was found dead in her bed at home. She had been confined to the bed overnight by her father, totally covered with a blanket and a thick quilt, because her night crying disturbed his sleep. The clothing and bedclothes were extremely wet with sweat. Many petechial hemorrhages were observed in the upper chest and thoracic viscera. The blood was concentrated, indicative of dehydration. Histological and immunohistochemical investigation revealed findings of shock and myolysis in the cardiac and skeletal muscles. There was no evidence of natural diseases. The main cause of death was diagnosed as circulatory collapse from overheating (hyperpyrexia and dehydration; heat stroke\/exhaustion) probably precipitated by struggling in the closed space. Although there was no apparent evidence of battering or any other repetitive physical violence, this case was regarded as an atypical type of fatal child abuse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25372556,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Effects of vitamin E from supplements and diet on colonic \u03b1- and \u03b3-tocopherol concentrations in persons at increased colon cancer risk.\nThe available evidence indicates that \u03b3-tocopherol has more potential for colon cancer prevention than \u03b1-tocopherol, but little is known about the effects of foods and supplements on tocopherol levels in human colon. This study randomized 120 subjects at increased colon cancer risk to either a Mediterranean or a Healthy Eating diet for 6 mo. Supplement use was reported by 39% of the subjects, and vitamin E intake from supplements was twofold higher than that from foods. Serum \u03b1-tocopherol at baseline was positively predicted by dietary intakes of synthetic vitamin E in foods and supplements but not by natural \u03b1-tocopherol from foods. For serum \u03b3-tocopherol, dietary \u03b3-tocopherol was not a predictor, but dietary \u03b1-tocopherol was a negative predictor. Unlike with serum, the data supported a role for metabolic factors, and not a direct effect of diet, in governing concentrations of both \u03b1- and \u03b3-tocopherol in colon. The Mediterranean intervention increased intakes of natural \u03b1-tocopherol, which is high in nuts, and decreased intakes of \u03b3-tocopherol, which is low in olive oil. These dietary changes had no significant effects on colon tocopherols. The impact of diet on colon tocopherols therefore appears to be limited.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3963407,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Ontogenetic development of the nervus terminalis in toothed whales. Evidence for its non-olfactory nature.\nFor the first time in cetaceans, the development of the terminalis system and its continuity between the olfactory placode and the telencephalon has been demonstrated by light microscopy. In the early development of toothed whales (Odontoceti) this system is partially incorporated within the fila olfactoria which grow out from the olfactory placode. As the peripheral olfactory system is reduced in later stages, a strongly developed ganglionlike structure (terminalis ganglion) remains within the primitive meninx. Peripherally it is connected via the cribriform plate with ganglionic cell clusters near the septal mucosa. Centrally it is attached to the telencephalon (olfactory tubercle, septal region) by several nerve fibre bundles. In contrast to all other mammalian groups, toothed whales and dolphins are anosmatic while being totally adapted to aquatic life. Therefore the remaining ganglion and plexus must have non-olfactory properties. They may be responsible for the autonomic innervation of intracranial arteries and of the large mucous epithelia in the accessory nasal air sacs. The morphology, evolution and functional implications of the terminalis system in odontocetes and other mammals are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31226682,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hierarchical Condition Category score as a predictor of readmission and reoperation following elective inpatient spine surgery.\nA universal, objective predictor of postoperative resource utilization following inpatient spine surgery has not been clearly established. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk adjustment model, based on a formula using patient demographics and coded diagnoses, is currently used to prospectively estimate financial risk in Medicare Advantage patients; however, the value of this score as a clinical tool is currently unknown. The authors present an analysis evaluating the utility of the CMS HCC score as a universal predictive tool for patients undergoing inpatient spine surgery. A total of 1966 consecutive patients (551 with lumbar laminectomy [LL] alone, 592 with lumbar laminectomy and fusion [LF], and 823 with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion [ACDF]) undergoing inpatient spine surgery at a single institution from January 2014 to May 2018 were included in this retrospective outcomes study. Perioperative outcome measures included procedure time, 30-day readmission, reoperation, hospital length of stay (LOS), opioid utilization measured by morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs), and cost of inpatient hospitalization (in US dollars). Published CMS algorithms were incorporated into the electronic health records and used to calculate HCC scores for all patients. Patients were stratified into HCC score quartiles. Linear regression was performed on LOS, procedure time, inpatient opioid consumption, discharge opioid prescriptions, and cost to identify predictors of HCC quartiles when controlling for procedure type. One-way ANOVA and Pearson's chi-square analysis were used to compare perioperative outcomes stratified by HCC score. Across all procedures, the HCC score demonstrated significant association with 30-day readmission (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.11-1.91, p = 0.007). The average BMI, median American Society of Anesthesiologists score, and 30-day readmission rate were similar across procedures (LL: 30.6 kg\/m2, 2, 3.6%; LF: 30.6 kg\/m2, 2, 4.6%; ACDF: 30.2 kg\/m2, 2, 3.9%; p = 0.265, 0.061, and 0.713, respectively). LOS (p < 0.0001), duration of procedure (p < 0.0001), discharge MME (p = 0.031), total cost (p < 0.001), daily MME (p < 0.001), reoperation (p < 0.001), and 30-day readmission rate (p < 0.001) were significantly different between HCC quartiles. The HCC score may hold value as an objective, automated predictor of postoperative resource utilization and outcomes, including readmission and reoperation. This may have value as a universal, reproducible tool to target clinical interventions for higher-risk patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2298805,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Suspected scaphoid fractures. The value of radiographs.\nTwenty observers reported independently on the presence or absence of a fracture of the scaphoid on 60 sets of radiographs; these included initial and 2- to 3-week views in patients in whom the outcome was known, normal scaphoids and random copies of these. Analysis of variance of the accuracy of observations revealed that the 2- to 3-week radiographs did not improve diagnostic ability and that this was independent of the experience or seniority of the observer. For normal radiographs, 20% of the observations reported a fracture. Reproducibility of opinion improved with experience but this did not help with accuracy. Radiographs without accurate clinical observation should not determine the management of the suspected scaphoid fracture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32341164,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cell atlas of aqueous humor outflow pathways in eyes of humans and four model species provides insight into glaucoma pathogenesis.\nIncreased intraocular pressure (IOP) represents a major risk factor for glaucoma, a prevalent eye disease characterized by death of retinal ganglion cells; lowering IOP is the only proven treatment strategy to delay disease progression. The main determinant of IOP is the equilibrium between production and drainage of aqueous humor, with compromised drainage generally viewed as the primary contributor to dangerous IOP elevations. Drainage occurs through two pathways in the anterior segment of the eye called conventional and uveoscleral. To gain insights into the cell types that comprise these pathways, we used high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). From \u223c24,000 single-cell transcriptomes, we identified 19 cell types with molecular markers for each and used histological methods to localize each type. We then performed similar analyses on four organisms used for experimental studies of IOP dynamics and glaucoma: cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis), rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), pig (Sus scrofa), and mouse (Mus musculus). Many human cell types had counterparts in these models, but differences in cell types and gene expression were evident. Finally, we identified the cell types that express genes implicated in glaucoma in all five species. Together, our results provide foundations for investigating the pathogenesis of glaucoma and for using model systems to assess mechanisms and potential interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19471401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Different rescattering trajectories related to different total electron momenta in nonsequential double ionization.\nWe extend earlier work on two-electron photo-ionization to analyze electron momentum. We provide theoretical evidence distinguishing two categories of e-e trajectory associated with the correlation that develops when an \"outer\" electron returns to the nucleus in the presence of a high-intensity optical-wavelength laser field. We use the method of back-analysis to connect these two categories of trajectory with NSDI events having either nearly zero (Z) or substantially non-zero (NZ) total electron momentum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21123810,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Replacing the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase at birth ameliorates symptoms in the brain and periphery of dogs with mucopolysaccharidosis type I.\nMucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by loss of activity of \u03b1-l-iduronidase and attendant accumulation of the glycosaminoglycans dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate. Current treatments are suboptimal and do not address residual disease including corneal clouding, skeletal deformities, valvular heart disease, and cognitive impairment. We treated neonatal dogs with MPS I with intravenous recombinant \u03b1-l-iduronidase replacement therapy at the conventional 0.58 mg\/kg or a higher 1.57 mg\/kg weekly dose for 56 to 81 weeks. In contrast to previous results in animals and patients treated at a later age, the dogs failed to mount an antibody response to enzyme therapy, consistent with the induction of immune tolerance in neonates. The higher dose of enzyme led to complete normalization of lysosomal storage in the liver, spleen, lung, kidney, synovium, and myocardium, as well as in the hard-to-treat mitral valve. Cardiac biochemistry and function were restored, and there were improvements in skeletal disease as shown by clinical and radiographic assessments. Glycosaminoglycan levels in the brain were normalized after intravenous enzyme therapy, in the presence or absence of intrathecal administration of recombinant \u03b1-l-iduronidase. Histopathological evidence of glycosaminoglycan storage in the brain was ameliorated with the higher-dose intravenous therapy and was further improved by combining intravenous and intrathecal therapy. These findings argue that neonatal testing and early treatment of patients with MPS I may more effectively treat this disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19802812,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Assessment of Parkinson disease manifestations.\nParkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurologic condition that causes motor and nonmotor manifestations. Treatment provides symptomatic benefit but no current treatment has been proven to slow disease progression. Research studies of PD require a means of rating the severity of disease by measurement of motor manifestations, assessment of ability to perform daily functional activities, and symptomatic response to medication. The most common rating scales are the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr staging, and the Schwab and England rating of activities of daily living. Each of these rating scales are described, including detailed instructions on how to implement these ratings. Although these are the most widely applied rating scales of PD, there are still substantial limitations to these scales that must be considered when using them for research. Finally, some common applications of these scales are described.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29382314,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Assessing the feasibility of integration of self-care for filarial lymphoedema into existing community leprosy self-help groups in Nepal.\nLymphatic filariasis (LF) and leprosy are disabling infectious diseases endemic in Nepal. LF infection can lead to lymphoedema and hydrocoele, while secondary effects of leprosy infection include impairments to hands, eyes and feet. The disabling effects of both conditions can be managed through self-care and the supportive effects of self-help groups (SHGs). A network of SHGs exists for people affected by leprosy in four districts in Nepal's Central Development Region, however no such service exists for people affected by LF. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of integrating LF affected people into existing leprosy SHGs in this area. A survey was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire to elicit information on: (i) participant characteristics, clinical manifestation and disease burden; (ii) participants' knowledge of management of their condition and access to services; and (iii) participants' knowledge and perceptions of the alternate condition (LF affected participants' knowledge of leprosy and vice versa) and attitudes towards integration. A total of 52 LF affected and 53 leprosy affected participants were interviewed from 14 SHGs. On average, leprosy affected participants were shown to have 1.8 times greater knowledge of self-care techniques, and practiced 2.5 times more frequently than LF affected participants. Only a quarter of LF affected participants had accessed a health service for their condition, compared with 94.3% of leprosy affected people accessing a service (including SHGs), at least once a week. High levels of stigma were perceived by both groups towards the alternate condition, however, the majority of LF (79%) and leprosy (94.3%) affected participants stated that they would consider attending an integrated SHG. LF affected participants need to increase their knowledge of self-care and access to health services. Despite stigma being a potential barrier, attitudes towards integration were positive, suggesting that the SHGs may be a good platform for LF affected people to start self-care in this area. This is not a registered trial.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19770884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Interferometric adaptive optics testbed for laser pointing, wave-front control and phasing.\nImplementing the capability to perform fast ignition experiments, as well as, radiography experiments on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) places stringent requirements on the control of each of the beam's pointing, intra-beam phasing and overall wave-front quality. In this article experimental results are presented which were taken on an interferometric adaptive optics testbed that was designed and built to test the capabilities of such a system to control phasing, pointing and higher order beam aberrations. These measurements included quantification of the reduction in Strehl ratio incurred when using the MEMS device to correct for pointing errors in the system. The interferometric adaptive optics system achieved a Strehl ratio of 0.83 when correcting for a piston, tip\/tilt error between two adjacent rectangular apertures, the geometry expected for the National ignition Facility. The interferometric adaptive optics system also achieved a Strehl ratio of 0.66 when used to correct for a phase plate aberration of similar magnitude as expected from simulations of the ARC beam line. All of these corrections included measuring both the upstream and downstream aberrations in the testbed and applying the sum of these two measurements in open-loop to the MEMS deformable mirror.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34225716,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Validity of observational evidence on putative risk and protective factors: appraisal of 3744 meta-analyses on 57 topics.\nThe validity of observational studies and their meta-analyses is contested. Here, we aimed to appraise thousands of meta-analyses of observational studies using a pre-specified set of quantitative criteria that assess the significance, amount, consistency, and bias of the evidence. We also aimed to compare results from meta-analyses of observational studies against meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and Mendelian randomization (MR) studies. We retrieved from PubMed (last update, November 19, 2020) umbrella reviews including meta-analyses of observational studies assessing putative risk or protective factors, regardless of the nature of the exposure and health outcome. We extracted information on 7 quantitative criteria that reflect the level of statistical support, the amount of data, the consistency across different studies, and hints pointing to potential bias. These criteria were level of statistical significance (pre-categorized according to 10-6, 0.001, and 0.05 p-value thresholds), sample size, statistical significance for the largest study, 95% prediction intervals, between-study heterogeneity, and the results of tests for small study effects and for excess significance. 3744 associations (in 57 umbrella reviews) assessed by a median number of 7 (interquartile range 4 to 11) observational studies were eligible. Most associations were statistically significant at P < 0.05 (61.1%, 2289\/3744). Only 2.6% of associations had P < 10-6, \u22651000 cases (or \u226520,000 participants for continuous factors), P < 0.05 in the largest study, 95% prediction interval excluding the null, and no large between-study heterogeneity, small study effects, or excess significance. Across the 57 topics, large heterogeneity was observed in the proportion of associations fulfilling various quantitative criteria. The quantitative criteria were mostly independent from one another. Across 62 associations assessed in both RCTs and in observational studies, 37.1% had effect estimates in opposite directions and 43.5% had effect estimates differing beyond chance in the two designs. Across 94 comparisons assessed in both MR and observational studies, such discrepancies occurred in 30.8% and 54.7%, respectively. Acknowledging that no gold-standard exists to judge whether an observational association is genuine, statistically significant results are common in observational studies, but they are rarely convincing or corroborated by randomized evidence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32321782,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel for Detection of Viral and Bacterial Pathogens in Lower Respiratory Tract Specimens in the Setting of a Tertiary Care Academic Medical Center.\nOur objective was to evaluate the diagnostic yield and accuracy of the BioFire FilmArray pneumonia panel (BFPP) for identification of pathogens in lower respiratory tract specimens (n = 200) from emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU) patients at a tertiary care academic medical center. Specimens were collected between January and November 2018, from patients \u226518 years of age, and culture was performed as part of standard-of-care testing. The BFPP identified a viral or bacterial target in 117\/200 (58.5%) samples, including Staphylococcus aureus in 22% of samples and Haemophilus influenzae in 14%, and both a viral and bacterial target in 4% of samples. The most common viruses detected by BFPP were rhinovirus\/enterovirus (4.5%), influenza A virus (3%), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (2%). Overall, there was strong correlation between BFPP and standard methods for detection of viruses (99.2%) and bacteria (96.8%). Most bacteria (60\/61 [98.4%]) detected by standard methods were also identified by BFPP, and 92 additional bacteria were identified by BFPP alone, including 22\/92 (23.9%) additional S. aureus isolates and 25\/92 (27.2%) H. influenzae isolates, which were more frequently discordant when detected at low concentrations (S. aureus, P < 0.001; H. influenzae, P < 0.0001) and in sputum-type specimens (S. aureus, P < 0.05). A potential limitation of the BFPP assay is the absence of fungal targets and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which were detected in 26 and 4 of 200 specimens, respectively. Real-time specimen analysis with BFPP has the potential to identify bacterial pathogens and resistance markers 44.2 and 56.3 h faster than culture-based methods. The BFPP is a rapid and accurate method for detection of pathogens from lower respiratory tract infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30764732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Epigenetic activation of POTE genes in ovarian cancer.\nThe POTE gene family consists of 14 homologous genes localized to autosomal pericentromeres, and a sub-set of POTEs are cancer-testis antigen (CTA) genes. POTEs are over-expressed in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), including the high-grade serous subtype (HGSC), and expression of individual POTEs correlates with chemoresistance and reduced survival in HGSC. The mechanisms driving POTE overexpression in EOC and other cancers is unknown. Here, we investigated the role of epigenetics in regulating POTE expression, with a focus on DNA hypomethylation. Consistent with their pericentromeric localization, Pan-POTE expression in EOC correlated with expression of the pericentromeric repeat NBL2, which was not the case for non-pericentromeric CTAs. POTE genomic regions contain LINE-1 (L1) sequences, and Pan-POTE expression correlated with both global and POTE-specific L1 hypomethylation in EOC. Analysis of individual POTEs using RNA-seq and DNA methylome data from fallopian tube epithelia (FTE) and HGSC revealed that POTEs C, E, and F have increased expression in HGSC in conjunction with DNA hypomethylation at 5' promoter or enhancer regions. Moreover, POTEs C\/E\/F showed additional increased expression in recurrent HGSC in conjunction with 5' hypomethylation, using patient-matched samples. Experiments using decitabine treatment and DNMT knockout cell lines verified a functional contribution of DNA methylation to POTE repression, and epigenetic drug combinations targeting histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone methyltransferases (HMTs) in combination with decitabine further increased POTE expression. In summary, several alterations of the cancer epigenome, including pericentromeric activation, global and locus-specific L1 hypomethylation, and locus-specific 5' CpG hypomethylation, converge to promote POTE expression in ovarian cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27564327,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Supramolecular Assemblies of Ferrocene-Hinged Naphthalenediimides: Multiple Conformational Changes in Film States.\nWe design a new naphthalenediimide (NDI) \u03c0-system, NDI-Fc-NDI, having a ferrocene linker as a hinge unit and long alkyl chains as supramolecular assembling units. The NDI units are \"directionally flexible\" in concert with the pivoting motion of the ferrocene unit with a small rotational barrier. The NDI units rotate around the ferrocene unit faster than the NMR time scale in solution at room temperature. UV-vis absorption, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscope studies reveal that NDI-Fc-NDI forms a fibrous supramolecular assembly in solution (methylcyclohexane and highly concentrated chloroform) and film states, wherein the NDI units are in the slipped-stack conformation. The NDI-Fc-NDI supramolecular assembly in the film state exhibits multiple phase transitions associated with conformational changes at different temperatures, which are confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and temperature-dependent X-ray diffraction. Such thermal transitions of NDI-Fc-NDI films also induce changes in the optical and electronic properties as revealed by UV-vis absorption and photoelectron yield spectroscopies, respectively. The thermal behaviors of NDI-Fc-NDI, realized by the unique molecular design, are considerably different from the reference compounds such as an NDI dimer connected with a flexible 1,4-butylene linker. These results provide us with a plausible strategy to propagate the molecular dynamics of the \u03c0-system into macroscopic properties in film states; the key factors are (i) the supramolecular alignment of molecular switching units and (ii) the directional motion of the switching units perpendicular to the supramolecular axis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19852640,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Duration of the pubertal peak in skeletal Class I and Class III subjects.\nTo estimate and compare the duration of the pubertal growth peak in Class I and Class III subjects. The data examined consisted of pretreatment lateral cephalometric records of 218 skeletal Class I or Class III subjects (93 female and 125 male subjects) of white ancestry. The duration of the pubertal peak was calculated from the average chronological age intervals between stages CS3 and CS4 of the cervical vertebral maturation in Class I vs Class III groups (t-test). In skeletal Class I subjects, the pubertal peak had a mean duration of 11 months, whereas in Class III subjects it lasted 16 months. The average difference (5 months) was statistically significant (P < .001). The growth interval corresponding to the pubertal growth spurt (CS3-CS4) was longer in Class III subjects than in subjects with normal skeletal relationships; the larger increases in mandibular length during the pubertal peak reported in the literature for Class III subjects may be related to the longer duration of the pubertal peak.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25378560,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Anabaena cell ageing monitored with confocal fluorescence spectroscopy.\nCyanobacteria use a sophisticated system of pigments to collect light energy across the visible spectrum for photosynthesis. The pigments are assembled in structures called phycobilisomes, composed of phycoerythrocyanin, phycocyanin and allophycocyanin, which absorb energy and transfer it to chlorophyll in photosystem II reaction centres. All of the components of this system are fluorescent, allowing sensitive measurements of energy transfer using single cell confocal fluorescence microscopy. The native pigments can be interrogated without the use of reporters. Here, we use confocal fluorescence microscopy to monitor changes in the efficiency of energy transfer as single cells age, between the time they are born at cell division until they are ready to divide again. Alteration of fluorescence was demonstrated to change with the age of the cyanobacterial cell.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19465236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Pancreas transplantation.\nSince the introduction of pancreas transplantation more than 40 years ago, efforts to develop more minimally invasive techniques for endocrine replacement therapy have been in progress, yet this surgical procedure still remains the treatment of choice for diabetic patients with end-stage renal failure. Many improvements have been made in the surgical techniques and immunosuppressive regimens, both of which have contributed to an increasing number of indications for pancreas transplantation. This operation can be justified on the basis that patients replace daily injections of insulin with an improved quality of life but at the expense of a major surgical procedure and lifelong immunosuppression. The various indications, categories, and outcomes of patients having a pancreas transplant are discussed, particularly with reference to the effect on long-term diabetic complications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38146123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phase separation in DNA double-strand break response.\nDNA double-strand break (DSB) is the most dangerous type of DNA damage, which may lead to cell death or oncogenic mutations. Homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) are two typical DSB repair mechanisms. Recently, many studies have revealed that liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) plays a pivotal role in DSB repair and response. Through LLPS, the crucial biomolecules are quickly recruited to damaged sites with a high concentration to ensure DNA repair is conducted quickly and efficiently, which facilitates DSB repair factors activating downstream proteins or transmitting signals. In addition, the dysregulation of the DSB repair factor's phase separation has been reported to promote the development of a variety of diseases. This review not only provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging roles of LLPS in the repair of DSB but also sheds light on the regulatory patterns of phase separation in relation to the DNA damage response (DDR).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20218214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Analysis of the obstacles related to treatment entry, adherence and drop-out among alcoholic patients.\nAlcoholism is a complex syndrome involving social, psychological and individual factors in addition to a series of obstacles regarding treatment entry, adherence, and drop-out. These obstacles contribute negatively to both clinical evolution and prognosis of the patients, affecting their quality of life and raising the social costs. This is a bibliographical study in which we address this theme as well as other experiences observed in our daily practice in the Alcohol and Drug Research Unit (UNIAD) based at the Federal University of S\u00e3o Paulo (UNIFESP). The analysis of the obstacles related to treatment entry, attendance, and drop-out among alcoholic patients shows that systemic, social, cultural, and individual factors are all involved, including the structural ones. Women have more obstacles compared to men, and what is thought to be a barrier to one patient may be a factor motivating another patient to search for help. We conclude that several factors at different levels exist that prevent the patient from overcoming these treatment obstacles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Delayed Symptom Development in ein2-1, an Arabidopsis Ethylene-Insensitive Mutant, in Response to Bacterial Wilt Caused by Ralstonia solanacearum.\nABSTRACT Wilt disease caused by the phytopathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum is poorly understood at the molecular level. The possible roles of salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene, compounds commonly associated with the plant response to pathogens, in wilt symptom development were investigated using various Arabidopsis thaliana mutants in a Col-0 background, an ecotype that develops wilt symptoms in response to the virulent GMI1000 strain. Following root inoculation, wilt symptoms were delayed in ein2-1, an ethylene-insensitive mutant, in response to several virulent strains of the pathogen. In ein2-1, bacteria invade the plant and multiply, reaching concentrations slightly lower than those detected in susceptible plants but 1 to 2 logs higher than in Nd-1, an A. thaliana ecotype resistant to strain GMI1000. This delay in disease symptom development of ein2-1 plants suggests that ethylene signaling plays a critical role in wilt disease development. Furthermore, a strong accumulation of transcripts corresponding to PR-3 and PR-4, two ethylene-responsive genes, was observed in susceptible Col-0 plants, but not in ein2-1 and Nd-1 plants, providing additional evidence for a role of ethylene in wilt symptom production. However, this hormone is probably not involved in the establishment of resistance to R. solanacearum, because homozygous ein2-1 plants in a resistant background remain fully resistant to strain GMI1000.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":629753,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Identification of the sites in collagen alpha-chains that bind serum anti-gelatin factor (cold-insoluble globulin).\nAnti-gelatin factor was prepared from guinea-pig and human serum by affinity chromatography on denatured type-I collagen. As shown previously, this component is related to cold-insoluble globulin. It reacted with 125I-labelled denatured collagen, and the reaction could be inhibited by preincubation with unlabelled collagenous components. In the inhibition assay comparable activities were observed for native and denatured type-I, -II, -III and -IV collagens. There was also no difference in reactivity between collagens of different species. The reactive sites in the collagen alpha-chains were located by inhibition assays on distinct CNBr- and collagenase-derived peptides. The results obtained with fragments from alpha1(I)-, alpha2- and alpha1(II)-chains indicate that the most active region is located between positions 643 and 819 of the alpha1-chain. Lower activities were found for other regions of collagen and may indicate that the factor has the potential to interact with several sites in the alpha-chains. The present data agree with observations by Kleinman, McGoodwin & Klebe [Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. (1976) 72, 426-432] on the specificity of a serum factor promoting the attachment of fibroblasts to collagen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29370061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Temporary ectopic implantation for salvaging amputated parts: A systematic review.\nTemporary ectopic implantation is an option when handling severe crushing injuries to the distal extremities or other body parts. The surgical techniques applied in those cases, and the patient outcomes have not been previously analyzed. Extensive literature search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar to collect articles reporting outcomes of temporary ectopic implantation for salvaging amputated extremities or other body parts. Age and sex of patients, injured part, amputation level, surgical details, and clinical outcomes were recorded. Twenty-two articles encompassing 38 amputated cases met the inclusion criteria. The publication dates ranged from 1986 to 2016. Of the 38 cases, temporary ectopic implantation procedures were performed in 16 digit cases, 10 hand cases, 3 forearm cases, 5 foot cases, 1 penis case, 1 testes case, and 2 scalp cases. The ectopic implantation duration varied from 6 to 319 days. The ectopic implantation and following replantation of the amputated parts resulted in a survival rate of 81.6% and 100%, respectively. With different follow-up durations, most patients were found to have sensation restore in the tips of reconstructed extremities, and those reconstructed extremities were functionally useful in daily lives. The function of other replanted parts was also satisfactory. Temporary ectopic implantation is a valuable technique for salvaging amputation cases resulted from severe crushing injuries. There is yet no consensus on the indications of this surgical technique. In future practices, both success and failure cases should be recorded and analyzed to help us to optimize the surgical strategies and improve the patient outcomes. Systematic review, level IV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29360398,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of High Pressures in Combination with Temperature on the Inactivation of Spores of Nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum Types B and F.\nThe impact of high pressure processing on the inactivation of spores of nonproteolytic Clostridium botulinum is important in extended shelf life chilled low-acid foods. The three most resistant C. botulinum strains (Ham-B, Kap 9-B, and 610-F) were selected for comparison of their thermal and pressure-assisted thermal resistance after screening 17 nonproteolytic C. botulinum strains (8 type B, 7 type E, and 2 type F). Spores of strains Ham-B, Kap 9-B, and 610-F were prepared using a biphasic media method, diluted in N-(2-acetamido)-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (ACES) buffer (0.05 M, pH 7.00) to 105 to 106 CFU\/mL, placed into a modified sterile transfer pipette, heat sealed, and subjected to a combination of high pressures (600 to 750 MPa) and high temperatures (80 to 91\u00b0C) using laboratory and pilot-scale pressure test systems. Diluted spores from the same crops were placed in nuclear magnetic resonance tubes, which were heat sealed, and subjected to 80 to 91\u00b0C in a Fluke 7321 high precision bath with Duratheram S oil as the heat transfer fluid. After incubation for 3 months, survivors in both studies were determined by the five-tube most-probable-number method using Trypticase-peptone-glucose-yeast extract broth. The highest (>5.0) log reductions in spore counts for Ham-B, Kap 9-B, and 610-F occurred at the highest temperature and pressure combination tested (91\u00b0C and 750 MPa). Thermal D-values of Ham-B, Kap 9-B, and 610-F decreased as the process temperature increased from 80 to 87\u00b0C, decreasing to <1.0 min at 87\u00b0C for these strains. Pressure-assisted thermal D-values of Ham-B, Kap 9-B, and 610-F decreased as the process temperature increased from 80 to 91\u00b0C with any pressure combination and decreased to <1.0 min as the pressure increased from 600 to 750 MPa at 91\u00b0C. Based on the pressure-assisted thermal D-values, pressure exerted a more protective effect on spores of Ham-B, Kap 9-B, and 610-F when processed at 83 to 91\u00b0C combined with pressures of 600 to 700 MPa when compared with thermal treatment only. No protective effect was observed when the spores of Ham-B, Kap9-B, and 610-F were treated at lower temperatures (80 to 83\u00b0C) in combination with 750 MPa. However, at higher temperatures (87 to 91\u00b0C) in combination with 750 MPa, a protective effect was seen for Ham-B, Kap9-B, and 610-F spores based on the calculated pressure-assisted thermal D-values.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24605022,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Beyond first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer: an expanding array of therapeutic options?\nWhile an increasing number of therapeutic options are now available for the first-line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer, the optimal choice for treatment in the second-line setting and beyond is less well defined. A variety of cytotoxic agents, either alone or in combination, have been evaluated, although primarily in the context of small single-arm or retrospective studies. Most regimens have been associated with median progression-free survival rates in the range of 2-4 mo and overall survival rates between 4-8 mo, highlighting the very poor prognosis of patients who are candidates for such treatment. Targeted therapies studied in this chemotherapy-refractory setting, meanwhile, have produced even worse efficacy results. In the current article, we review the clinical evidence for treatment of refractory disease, primarily in patients who have progressed on front-line gemcitabine-based chemotherapy. In the process, we highlight the limitations of the available data to date as well as some of the challenges in designing appropriate clinical trials in this salvage setting, including how to select an appropriate control arm given the absence of a well-established reference standard, and the importance of incorporating predictive biomarkers and quality of life measures whenever possible into study design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6652252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Rectal cancer: anterior resection with per anal colo-anal anastomosis. The results in 76 patients treated by Sir Alan Parks.\nRectal anterior resection with colo-anal anastomosis permits the restoration of intestinal continuity even after complete removal of the rectum. It is a relatively new operation, having been first described in 1972. Consequently a long term follow-up of greater than 5 years is available in a relatively small number of patients. In our series a 3 years survival rate of 70 per cent is available in 37\/76 patients. The evidence so far, however, strongly suggests that survival rates are very similar to those reported by others for patients treated either by total rectal excision or by conventional anterior resection. The rate of pelvic recurrences (10%) is again very similar to the overall rate of local recurrence reported from the St. Mark's Hospital. The functional outcome has been excellent or acceptable in all but one of the 70 patients assessed. Thus this is every indication that cancer cure is as likely following this operation as any other for rectal cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23119112,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Down-regulation of GAP-43 by inhibition of caspases-3 in a rat model of neuropathic pain.\nNeuropathic pain remains a prevalent and persistent clinical problem due to incomplete understanding of its pathogenesis. The present study aimed to investigate the role of caspase-3 in the neuropathic pain in rats with chronic constriction injury (CCI). SD rats were randomly assigned four groups (n=18 per group): sham group, normal saline group (NS group), Z-DEVD-FMK group (DEVD group) and RNA interference group (siRNA group). Z-DEVD-FMK (1 U\/30 \u03bcl), siRNA targeting caspase-3 (10 \u03bcg\/30 \u03bcl) and NS of equal volume were intrathecally administered once daily for 5 days starting 1 day before surgery in the DEVD, siRNA and NS group, respectively. Thermal hyperalgesia was assessed at one day before and 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 10 days after surgery. The mRNA and protein expressions of caspase-3 were measured by real time PCR and immunofluorescence assay. Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining. GAP-43 expression was measured by immunofluorescence and western blot assays. The right paw withdrawal latency (PWL) was decreased after CCI (P<0.05). TUNEL-positive neurons and the mRNA and protein expressions of caspase-3 in the spinal cord were increased significantly. After Z-DEVD-FMK or siRNA treatment, TUNEL-positive neurons were decreased, PWLs increased (P<0.05) and the mRNA and protein expressions of caspase-3 decreased. The expression of GAP-43, a sprouting related protein, was decreased in the DEVD and siRNA group as compared to NS group (P<0.05). Up-regulation of GAP-43 following CCI was decreased following caspase-3 inhibition. Following sciatic nerve ligation, the gene expression, translation and transcription are significantly changed in the neurons which finally results in neuron apoptosis. The neuron apoptosis induce the up-regulation of GAP-43 expression leading to hyperalgesia. Caspase-3 mediated neuron apoptosis is probably responsible for the neuropathic pain in CCI rats. Inhibition of caspase-3 may serve as a treatment of neuropathic pain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30746453,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Polymorphism of bulk boron nitride.\nBoron nitride (BN) is a material with outstanding technological promise due to its exceptional thermochemical stability, structural, electronic, and thermal conductivity properties, and extreme hardness. Yet, the relative thermodynamic stability of its most common polymorphs (diamond-like cubic and graphite-like hexagonal) has not been resolved satisfactorily because of the crucial role played by kinetic factors in the formation of BN phases at high temperatures and pressures (experiments) and by competing bonding and electrostatic and many-body dispersion forces in BN cohesion (theory). This lack of understanding hampers the development of potential technological applications and challenges the boundaries of fundamental science. Here, we use high-level first-principles theories that correctly reproduce all important electronic interactions (the adiabatic-connection fluctuation-dissipation theorem in the random phase approximation) to estimate with unprecedented accuracy the energy differences between BN polymorphs and thus overcome the accuracy hurdle that hindered previous theoretical studies. We show that the ground-state phase of BN is cubic and that the frequently observed hexagonal polymorph becomes entropically stabilized over the cubic at temperatures slightly above ambient conditions (T c\u2192h = 335 \u00b1 30 K). We also reveal a low-symmetry monoclinic phase that is extremely competitive with the other low-energy polymorphs and that could explain the origins of the experimentally observed \"compressed h-BN\" phase. Our theoretical findings therefore should stimulate new experimental efforts in bulk BN and promote the use of high-level theories in modeling of technologically relevant van der Waals materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15367474,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Association between perceived health status and satisfaction with quality of care: evidence from users of primary health care in Oman.\nOur aim was to assess the influence of perceived health status, as measured by SF-12, on the client's views of service quality. A structured interview of patients was carried out in six primary health care centres in Adh Dhahira region health authority in the Sultanate of Oman. A total of 1226 patients aged 15 and over attending the different health care services within the health centres took part in the study. The main outcome measures were patients' satisfaction with the different aspects of health care and their perceived physical and mental health status. When adjusted for the relevant background factors such as age and gender, poor perceived health status has been found to predict less positive judgements of various aspects of health care quality. Poor mental health status, for example, predicts less positive judgements of aspects that are linked to the accessibility of the service and interpersonal aspects of care such as the working hours of the centre, GP's attitude and time spent with the GP (P < 0.05, <0.05 and <0.01, respectively). Poor physical health status, on the other hand, predicts less positive judgements of aspects such as cleanliness of the building, confidentiality of consultation with the GP, explanation about the visit to the antenatal clinic and standard of antenatal clinic in general (P < 0.05, <0.05, <0.05 and <0.05, respectively). Users' perceived health status has to be evaluated concurrently with assessing satisfaction with the quality of health care services. This would provide more valid results with regard to the patients' views on their level of satisfaction with health care quality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3342025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The complete sequence of a frog alpha-tubulin gene and its regulated expression in mouse L-cells.\nA frog alpha-tubulin cDNA and a frog alpha-tubulin gene, closely related to the cDNA, were cloned and sequenced and the structure of the gene deduced. The gene was introduced into mouse L-cells in order to investigate the transcription and regulation of the gene. The gene was transcribed and there was processing of the transcripts. Furthermore, the gene displayed the correct autoregulatory feedback control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32511601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions for containing the COVID-19 outbreak in China.\nThe COVID-19 outbreak containment strategies in China based on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) appear to be effective. Quantitative research is still needed however to assess the efficacy of different candidate NPIs and their timings to guide ongoing and future responses to epidemics of this emerging disease across the World. We built a travel network-based susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed (SEIR) model to simulate the outbreak across cities in mainland China. We used epidemiological parameters estimated for the early stage of outbreak in Wuhan to parameterise the transmission before NPIs were implemented. To quantify the relative effect of various NPIs, daily changes of delay from illness onset to the first reported case in each county were used as a proxy for the improvement of case identification and isolation across the outbreak. Historical and near-real time human movement data, obtained from Baidu location-based service, were used to derive the intensity of travel restrictions and contact reductions across China. The model and outputs were validated using daily reported case numbers, with a series of sensitivity analyses conducted. We estimated that there were a total of 114,325 COVID-19 cases (interquartile range [IQR] 76,776 - 164,576) in mainland China as of February 29, 2020, and these were highly correlated (p<0.001, R2=0.86) with reported incidence. Without NPIs, the number of COVID-19 cases would likely have shown a 67-fold increase (IQR: 44 - 94), with the effectiveness of different interventions varying. The early detection and isolation of cases was estimated to prevent more infections than travel restrictions and contact reductions, but integrated NPIs would achieve the strongest and most rapid effect. If NPIs could have been conducted one week, two weeks, or three weeks earlier in China, cases could have been reduced by 66%, 86%, and 95%, respectively, together with significantly reducing the number of affected areas. However, if NPIs were conducted one week, two weeks, or three weeks later, the number of cases could have shown a 3-fold, 7-fold, and 18-fold increase across China, respectively. Results also suggest that the social distancing intervention should be continued for the next few months in China to prevent case numbers increasing again after travel restrictions were lifted on February 17, 2020. The NPIs deployed in China appear to be effectively containing the COVID-19 outbreak, but the efficacy of the different interventions varied, with the early case detection and contact reduction being the most effective. Moreover, deploying the NPIs early is also important to prevent further spread. Early and integrated NPI strategies should be prepared, adopted and adjusted to minimize health, social and economic impacts in affected regions around the World.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28245765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Kynurenines and PACAP in Migraine: Medicinal Chemistry and Pathogenetic Aspects.\nMigraine is a highly disabling neurovascular primary headache disorder, with its exact pathomechanism being still unrevealed. The current leading hypotheses are based on the sensitization and activation of the trigeminovascular system. To review the literature with focus on the effects of kynurenines (L-kynurenine and kynurenic acid) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide on the regulation of the trigeminovascular system. A literature search was conducted to identify preclinical and clinical publications (198 references) by using the keywords 'kynurenines', 'pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide', and 'migraine' in the database of MEDLINE\/PubMed up to 10 September 2016 for topical review. Additional filters used included 'review', 'systematic review', 'original article', and 'English language'. L-kynurenine and kynurenic acid act on the glutamatergic system at the level of the second-order nociceptive neurons in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis. Pituitary adenylate cyclase- activating polypeptide is released from the peripheral nerve endings of the trigeminal pseudounipolar neurons and causes vasodilation and mast cell degranulation, leading to consequent peripheral sensitization of the dural nociceptors. Centrally released pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis results in the central sensitization of the second-order neurons. The sensitization process leads to the characteristic features of migraine. L-kynurenine, kynurenic acid, and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide may have fundamental roles in the initiation of migraine headache attacks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26530665,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Re-dislocation after corrective osteotomy for chronic dislocation of the radial head in children.\nThis retrospective study was designed to evaluate the outcomes of re-dislocation of the radial head after corrective osteotomy for chronic dislocation. A total of 12 children with a mean age of 11 years (5 to 16), with further dislocation of the radial head after corrective osteotomy of the forearm, were followed for a mean of five years (2 to 10). Re-operations were performed for radial head re-dislocation in six children, while the other six did not undergo re-operation ('non-re-operation group'). The active range of movement (ROM) of their elbows was evaluated before and after the first operation, and at the most recent follow-up. In the re-operation group, there were significant decreases in extension, pronation, and supination when comparing the ROM following the corrective osteotomy and following re-operation (p < 0.05). The children who had not undergone re-operation achieved a better ROM than those who had undergone re-operation. There was a significant difference in mean pronation (76\u00b0 vs 0\u00b0) between the non- re-operation and the re-operation group (p = 0.002), and a trend towards increases in mean flexion (133\u00b0 vs 111\u00b0), extension (0\u00b0 vs 23\u00b0), and supination (62\u00b0 vs 29\u00b0). We did not find a clear benefit for re-operation in children with a re-dislocation following corrective osteotomy for chronic dislocation of the radial head.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30764767,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Urea dilution of serum for reproducible anti-HSV1 IgG avidity index.\nHerpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), establishes life-long latency and can cause symptoms during both first-time infection and later reactivation. The aim of the present study was to describe a protocol to generate a reliable and discriminative avidity index (AI) for anti-HSV1 IgG content in human sera. Human serum from two distinct cohorts; one a biobank collection (Betula) (n = 28), and one from a clinical diagnostics laboratory at Northern Sweden University Hospital (NUS) (n = 18), were assessed for presence of IgG antibodies against HSV1 by a commercially available ELISA-kit. Addition of urea at the incubation step reduces effective binding, and the ratio between urea treated sample and non-treated sample was used to express an avidity index (AI) for individual samples. AI score ranged between 43.2 and 73.4% among anti-HSV1 positive biobank sera. Clinical samples ranged between 36.3 and 74.9%. Reproducibility expressed as an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was estimated at 0.948 (95% CI: 0.900-0.979) and 0.989 (95% CI 0.969-0.996) in the biobank and clinical samples, respectively. The method allows for AI scoring of anti-HSV1 IgG from individual human sera with a single measurement. The least significant change between two measurements at the p < 0.05 level was estimated at 5.4 and 3.2 points, respectively, for the two assessed cohorts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1728642,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Increased adhesion of fibroblasts from patients with scleroderma to extracellular matrix components: in vitro modulation by IFN-gamma but not by TGF-beta.\nA characteristic feature of systemic scleroderma is fibrosis of the skin and eventually of internal organs resulting from an overproduction of collagen and other connective tissue components by the resident fibroblasts. The balance between the cells and the amount of the surrounding extracellular matrix is then altered. Because cellular metabolism depends to a large extent on cellular contacts and communications with connective tissue molecules, we have therefore investigated the interactions with extracellular matrix components of fibroblasts obtained from skin of patients affected with scleroderma. In comparison to fibroblasts from healthy skin, all fibroblasts from scleroderma patients had an increased adhesion capacity to collagens I, IV, VI, fibronectin, and laminin. In addition, whereas adhesion of control fibroblasts was stimulated by a pre-treatment with transforming growth factor-beta, adhesion patterns of scleroderma fibroblasts remained unchanged. However, pre-incubation of the cells with interferon-gamma decreased the adhesion of both scleroderma and control fibroblasts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30714914,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Deformable Image Registration Using Functions of Bounded Deformation.\nDeformable image registration is a widely used technique in the field of computer vision and medical image processing. Basically, the task of deformable image registration is to find the displacement field between the moving image and the fixed image. Many variational models are proposed for deformable image registration, under the assumption that the displacement field is continuous and smooth. However, displacement fields may be discontinuous, especially for medical images with intensity inhomogeneity, pathological tissues, or heavy noises. In the mathematical theory of elastoplasticity, when the displacement fields are possibly discontinuous, a suitable framework for describing the displacement fields is the space of functions of bounded deformation (BD). Inspired by this, we propose a novel deformable registration model, called the BD model, which allows discontinuities of displacement fields in images. The BD model is formulated in a variational framework by supposing the displacement field to be a function of BD. The existence of solutions of this model is proven. Numerical experiments on 2D images show that the BD model outperforms the classical demons model, the log-domain diffeomorphic demons model, and the state-of-the-art vectorial total variation model. Numerical experiments on two public 3D databases show that the target registration error of the BD model is competitive compared with more than ten other models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12974046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Validation of an instrument to measure behavioral competencies in HIV positive persons].\nTo assess the reliability and validity of an instrument to measure behavioral competences in HIV\/AIDS-infected persons. A cross-sectional study was conducted in November and December 2002 in Hermosillo, Sonora State, Mexico. An instrument consisting of 24 items was applied to 60 HIV-positive subjects who received health care through two Mexican Ministry of Health instiutions. Statistical analysis consisted of Student s t test for item discrimination and Cronbach s alpha for testing construct reliability. All but two items were able to discriminate correctly; factorial analysis resulted in three factors that jointly accounted for 48% of the variance. Finally a two-item index was obtained. The survey as a whole attained a Cronbach s alpha of 0.856. And advantage of this instrument is that it is clear, as it has good item discrimination. In addition, this instrument has construct validity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31638239,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Suppressive effects of the sodium\u2011glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor tofogliflozin on colorectal tumorigenesis in diabetic and obese mice.\nSodium\u2011glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors were developed for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Although recent studies have indicated that sodium\u2011glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors have suppressive effects on several types of cancer, their effects against colorectal cancer remain unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of tofogliflozin, a sodium\u2011glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, on the development of colorectal cancer in diabetic and obese mice. The direct effects of tofogliflozin on the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells were also evaluated. C57BL\/KsJ\u2011db\/db mice were injected with azoxymethane to induce colorectal pre\u2011malignancy and they received drinking water with or without tofogliflozin. At the end of the study, administration of tofogliflozin was revealed to significantly suppress the development of colorectal neoplastic lesions and \u03b2\u2011catenin accumulated crypts. In the tofogliflozin\u2011treated mice, the levels of blood glucose and serum TNF\u2011\u03b1, as well as mRNA expression of the pro\u2011inflammatory markers in the white adipose tissue, were reduced. Furthermore, macrophage infiltrations in the white adipose tissues were also reduced significantly. The proliferation of the sodium\u2011glucose cotransporter 2\u2011expressing human colorectal cancer cells was not altered by tofogliflozin. These results indicated that tofogliflozin ameliorated chronic inflammation and hyperglycemic condition leading to prevention of colorectal tumorigenesis in a diabetes\u2011 and obesity\u2011related colorectal cancer model.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33279516,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epigenetic Alterations in the Gastrointestinal Tract: Current and Emerging Use for Biomarkers of Cancer.\nColorectal cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, and esophageal cancer are leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A fundamental trait of virtually all gastrointestinal cancers is genomic and epigenomic DNA alterations. Cancer cells acquire genetic and epigenetic alterations that drive the initiation and progression of the cancers by altering the molecular and cell biological processes of the cells. These alterations, as well as other host and microenvironment factors, ultimately mediate the clinical behavior of the precancers and cancers and can be used as biomarkers for cancer risk determination, early detection of cancer and precancer, determination of the prognosis of cancer and prediction of the response to therapy. Epigenetic alterations have emerged as one of most robust classes of biomarkers and are the basis for a growing number of clinical tests for cancer screening and surveillance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8133048,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In vitro and in vivo characterization of BR96 sFv-PE40. A single-chain immunotoxin fusion protein that cures human breast carcinoma xenografts in athymic mice and rats.\nBR96 sFv-PE40 is a single-chain immunotoxin fusion protein targeted to the Ley Ag, which is expressed in many different human carcinomas as well as in normal gastrointestinal epithelium of humans and certain animals, including athymic rats but not mice. In vitro binding analysis determined that BR96 sFv-PE40 was similar in affinity to BR96 Fab. BR96 sFv-PE40 internalizes rapidly, similar to BR96 IgG. H3396 cells, derived from metastatic human breast carcinoma, have been established as tumor xenografts in estradiol-supplemented athymic mice and rats. H3396 tumor xenografts established in athymic mice (up to 350 mm3) and rats (up to 100 mm3) completely regressed after i.v. administration of BR96 sFv-PE40, given as 0.625 mg\/kg (1.975 mg\/m2) every 4th day for a total of five doses (mice) or 0.25 mg\/kg (1.475 mg\/m2) every 4th day for a total of four doses (rats). The tumors remained regressed for the duration of the study (> 85 days post-implant), which represents > 10 doubling times, indicating that the animals were cured. There was no toxicity in rats receiving a curative dose of 0.25 mg\/kg, although liver and lung toxicity could be detected at a 16 times higher dose, 4 mg\/kg or 23.6 mg\/m2. We conclude, therefore, that BR96 sFv-PE40 can cure tumor xenografts at well tolerated doses and also in the presence of Ley expression in normal tissues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30219794,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"JUUL and other stealth vaporisers: hiding the habit from parents and teachers.\nSome consumers wish to use vapour devices discreetly so that family members, teachers and coworkers do not recognise their use of nicotine ortetrahydrocannabinol (THC) laden vapour. Stealthy vapour devices, as well as low-odour and low-vapour e-juices, were identified via a comprehensive online search between March and June 2018. As evidence of their popularity, a search for 'stealth vaping' on YouTube found 18 200 videos. A variety of cleverly designed vapour devices disguised as USB sticks, pens, remote controls, car fobs, smart phones, sweatshirt drawstrings and even asthma inhalers are on the market. JUUL, which resembles a USB stick, is the archetype of these devices and is especially popular among youth. A search of 'JUUL' on YouTube yielded 148 000 videos with 57 videos having >100 000 views. Searches on 'JUUL at school' (15 500), 'JUUL in class' (6840), 'hiding JUUL in school' (2030) and 'JUUL in school bathroom' (1040) illustrate the product's popularity among students. Some e-juices promote themselves as having low visibility plumes while others profess to be of subtle odour to avoid detection. Numerous techniques have been described to hide the exhaled vapour plume such as by swallowing it or blowing it into one's clothing or into a backpack. The vaping industry has demonstrated much ingenuity in devising discreet vaporisers and de-emphasising exhaled vapour plumes and their aroma. The US market for vaping devices with stealthy characteristics is anything but inconspicuous, with JUUL alone accounting for 70.5% of sales (July 2018).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30964206,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Bone Morphogenetic Protein 9 Is a Paracrine Factor Controlling Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cell Fenestration and Protecting Against Hepatic Fibrosis.\nBone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9) is a circulating factor produced by hepatic stellate cells that plays a critical role in vascular quiescence through its endothelial receptor activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1). Mutations in the gene encoding ALK1 cause hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2, a rare genetic disease presenting hepatic vessel malformations. Variations of both the circulating levels and the hepatic mRNA levels of BMP9 have been recently associated with various forms of hepatic fibrosis. However, the molecular mechanism that links BMP9 with liver diseases is still unknown. Here, we report that Bmp9 gene deletion in 129\/Ola mice triggers hepatic perisinusoidal fibrosis that was detectable from 15 weeks of age. An inflammatory response appeared within the same time frame as fibrosis, whereas sinusoidal vessel dilation developed later on. Proteomic and mRNA analyses of primary liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) both revealed that the expression of the LSEC-specifying transcription factor GATA-binding protein 4 was strongly reduced in Bmp9 gene knockout (Bmp9-KO) mice as compared with wild-type mice. LSECs from Bmp9-KO mice also lost the expression of several terminal differentiation markers (Lyve1, Stab1, Stab2, Ehd3, Cd209b, eNos, Maf, Plvap). They gained CD34 expression and deposited a basal lamina, indicating that they were capillarized. Another main characteristic of differentiated LSECs is the presence of permeable fenestrae. LSECs from Bmp9-KO mice had a significantly reduced number of fenestrae. This was already observable in 2-week-old pups. Moreover, we could show that addition of BMP9 to primary cultures of LSECs prevented the loss of their fenestrae and maintained the expression levels of Gata4 and Plvap. Conclusion: Taken together, our observations show that BMP9 is a key paracrine regulator of liver homeostasis, controlling LSEC fenestration and protecting against perivascular hepatic fibrosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23694715,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Push hard, push fast: quasi-experimental study on the capacity of elementary schoolchildren to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.\nThe optimal age to begin CPR training is a matter of debate. This study aims to determine if elementary schoolchildren have the capacity to administer CPR efficiently. This quasi-experimental study took place in a Quebec City school. Eighty-two children 10 to 12 years old received a 6-hour CPR course based on the American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines. A comparison group of 20 adults who had taken the same CPR course was recruited. After training, participants' performance was evaluated using a Skillreporter manikin. The primary outcome was depth of compressions. The secondary outcomes were compression rate, insufflation volume and adherence to the CPR sequence. Children's performance was primarily evaluated based on the 2005 AHA standards and secondarily compared to the adults' performance. Schoolchildren did not reach the lower thresholds for depth (28.1 +\/- 5.9 vs 38 mm; one-sided p = 1.0). The volume of the recorded insufflations was sufficient (558.6 +\/222.8 vs 500 ml; one-sided p = 0.02), but there were a significant number of unsuccessful insufflation attempts not captured by the Skillreporter. The children reached the minimal threshold for rate (113.9 +\/-18.3 vs 90\/min; one-sided p < 0.001). They did not perform as well as the adults regarding compression depth (p < 0.001), but were comparable for insufflation volume (p = 0.83) and CPR sequence. In this study, schoolchildren aged 10-12 years old did not achieve the standards for compression depth, but achieved adequate compression rate and CPR sequence. When attempts were successful at generating airflow in the Skillreporter, insufflation volume was also adequate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34063355,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Wearable Devices for Biofeedback Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis to Design Application Rules and Estimate the Effectiveness on Balance and Gait Outcomes in Neurological Diseases.\nWearable devices are used in rehabilitation to provide biofeedback about biomechanical or physiological body parameters to improve outcomes in people with neurological diseases. This is a promising approach that influences motor learning and patients' engagement. Nevertheless, it is not yet clear what the most commonly used sensor configurations are, and it is also not clear which biofeedback components are used for which pathology. To explore these aspects and estimate the effectiveness of wearable device biofeedback rehabilitation on balance and gait, we conducted a systematic review by electronic search on MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, and the Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to January 2020. Nineteen randomized controlled trials were included (Parkinson's n = 6; stroke n = 13; mild cognitive impairment n = 1). Wearable devices mostly provided real-time biofeedback during exercise, using biomechanical sensors and a positive reinforcement feedback strategy through auditory or visual modes. Some notable points that could be improved were identified in the included studies; these were helpful in providing practical design rules to maximize the prospective of wearable device biofeedback rehabilitation. Due to the current quality of the literature, it was not possible to achieve firm conclusions about the effectiveness of wearable device biofeedback rehabilitation. However, wearable device biofeedback rehabilitation seems to provide positive effects on dynamic balance and gait for PwND, but higher-quality RCTs with larger sample sizes are needed for stronger conclusions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15346052,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Gene expression in cancer cells is influenced by contact with bone cells in a novel coculture system that models bone metastasis.\nContact between bone cells and cancer cells (heterotypic cell contact) is thought to play a central role in the initial growth and progression of metastatic cells. Attempts at studying heterotypic contact in vitro and in vivo have been confounded by difficulty in controlling how and when heterotypic contact occurs between unlike cells. A novel model, the micropatterned coculture system, is described that quantifies and controls heterotypic contact between cancer cells and bone cells in vitro. The micropatterned coculture system is biocompatible, and is modified easily to accommodate two or more different populations of cells. Immunofluorescence of cocultures of prostate cancer-3 cells and osteoblasts show the precise control of cell interactions. Ribonucleic acid of sufficient quantity and quality is isolated readily from cells cocultured on the micropatterned coculture system. The expression of the metastasis associated genes urokinase plasminogen activator, insulinlike growth factor binding protein-1 and insulinlike growth factor binding protein-3 are regulated in response to heterotypic contact and soluble factors respectively. A model of bone metastasis based on the micropatterned coculture system technology will streamline the process for testing therapeutic agents, so that more molecules can be identified for animal and clinical testing at less cost and in less time than using conventional methods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9815820,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"707-AP peptide recognized by human antibody induces human leukocyte antigen A2-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte killing of melanoma.\nWe recently identified a tumor-associated antigen that was recognized by human monoclonal antibody L94. The antibody-reactive 707-AP sequence RVAALARDAP, cloned from a melanoma cDNA library, was also found to be recognized by peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from melanoma patients. In this study, 707-AP was used to stimulate melanoma patients' PBLs for the establishment of peptide-specific CTL cell lines. CTL cell lines derived from 258 melanoma patients of different human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A and HLA-B allele expressions were assessed by a 51Cr cytotoxicity assay against the peptide-pulsed autologous B lymphoblastoid cells and T2 HLA-A2 antigen-presenting cells and autologous and allogeneic melanoma cell lines. The analysis of 707-AP CTL activity demonstrated that only HLA-A2 patients' PBLs could be stimulated with 707-AP. 707-AP CTLs were able to specifically lyse HLA-A2 autologous and allogeneic melanoma cell lines. This verified the endogenous processing and presentation of 707-AP by melanoma cells. 707-AP CTL cytotoxicity against peptide-pulsed autologous HLA-A2 B lymphoblastoid cells and T2 HLA-A2 cells was also demonstrated. The killing activity of HLA-A2 707-AP CTL cell lines (CD8+ CD3+) was inhibited by anti-HLA class and anti-HLA-A2 monoclonal antibodies. The amino acid substitution or deletion analysis of the 707-AP sequence in CTL stimulation and recognition confirmed that position 2, amino acid V and position 9, amino acid A were essential. Both positions are known as supermotif anchors for HLA-A2 peptide sequences. Our studies demonstrated that 707-AP is a potent stimulator of CTLs that can induce peptide-specific HLA-A2 melanoma cell killing. The recognition of 707-AP by both antibody and CTLs suggests its potential significance as a peptide immunotherapeutic.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32347038,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Relationship between Functional Promoter Variants of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and Endometriosis.\nEndometriosis is a common gynecological and inflammatory disorder. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine that is secreted by accumulated active macrophages in ectopic endometrial tissues. Two promoter polymorphisms of MIF [-794(CATT)5-8 \/-173G\/C] were identified to susceptibility and severity of several immune and inflammatory diseases. We aimed to evaluate the possible association between MIF promoter polymorphisms and susceptibly to endometriosis and its corolation with mRNA level. This case-control study was performed in Royan Institute from 2015 to 2017. Polymorphisms were evaluated in 106 endometriosis patients and 110 controls. For 17 endometrioma tissues, gene expression studies were conducted during secretory phase of menstrual cycle. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed to determine -173G\/C polymorphism and -794(CATT)5-8 were detected by sequencing. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) was carried out to determine MIF expression level. Homozygote of CATT7 was observed only in endometriosis whilst we did not detect the significant allele and genotype variation in both groups. The homozygotes for -794(CATT)5-8 and -173G\/C polymorphisms were obtained to estimate the haplotype frequencies. Significantly higher haplotype frequencies were observed for CATT5\/G in controls [global P value=0.044]. Additionally, the CATT5\/C and CATT7\/G haplotypes were not detected in any groups. Expression level of mRNA in ectopic tissue of endometriosis patients with CATT6,7\/CC haplotype, were significantly higher compared to other haplotypes including CATT5,5\/GG (2.91 fold, P=0.007), CATT5,5\/GC (2.48 fold, P=0.047) and CATT6,6\/GG (2.08 fold, P=0.046). We report, for the first time, a strong linkage between the decreased repetition of CATT and G allele in control and CATT6\/C and CATT7\/C haplotypes in endometriosis patients. Increased MIF expression is affected by genetic variants in the MIF promoter in ectopic endometrial tissues. This promoter haplotype might play an important role in the development and establishment of endometriosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7575255,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Do ophthalmologists, anesthesiologists, and internists agree about preoperative testing in healthy patients undergoing cataract surgery?\nTo assess variation in reported use of preoperative medical tests in patients undergoing cataract surgery and to identify factors that influence test use by different physician groups we performed a national survey of ophthalmologists, anesthesiologists, and internists. Participants included randomly selected members of American professional societies who provided care to one or more patients undergoing cataract surgery in 1991. Responses were obtained from 538 (82%) of 655 eligible ophthalmologists, 109 (76%) of 143 anesthesiologists, and 54 (44%) of 122 internists. Fifty percent of ophthalmologists, 40% of internists, and 33% of anesthesiologists frequently or always obtained a chest x-ray film, while 20% of ophthalmologists, 27% of internists, and 37% of anesthesiologists never obtained a chest x-ray film for patients being considered for cataract surgery who had no history of major medical problems (P < .01 for differences between ophthalmologists and the other groups). Similarly, 70% to 90% of ophthalmologists, 73% to 79% of internists, and 41% to 79% of anesthesiologists frequently or always obtained a complete blood cell count, electrolyte panel, and electrocardiogram, while 4% to 11% of ophthalmologists, 13% to 17% of internists, and 9% to 28% of anesthesiologists never obtained these tests for such patients. Many respondents (32% to 80%) believed tests were unnecessary but cited multiple reasons for obtaining tests (eg, medicolegal concerns and institutional requirements). Many physicians in each group viewed preoperative evaluations as screening opportunities or believed that one of the other two types of physicians \"required\" tests. We conclude that marked variation exists within and across physician specialties in the use and rationale for use of medical tests in patients undergoing cataract surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1404320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The esterification of fatty acids by Staphylococcus aureus fatty acid modifying enzyme (FAME) and its inhibition by glycerides.\nFifty-five randomly selected Staphylococcus aureus strains were examined for fatty acid modifying enzyme (FAME) production. Of these, 20.4% did not elaborate the enzyme. Amongst the remaining strains, the lowest level produced in culture was 0.1 unit\/10(9) cocci and the maximum was 2.01 U\/10(9) cocci; the median level was 0.4 U\/10(9) cocci. In a series of straight-chain saturated fatty acids with 11-24 carbons, all could be esterified by FAME. However, those with 15-19 carbons were generally better substrates than the others. For a particular chain length, the unsaturated forms were better substrates than the saturated form. Triglycerides with unsaturated fatty acid side chains were potent inhibitors of FAME. Diglycerides were almost as active as triglycerides, but monoglycerides were much less inhibitory. FAME was purified by gel filtration followed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography on hexyl agarose. FAME and lipase may have a role in determining the survival of S. aureus in lesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12762533,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cadaver dog and handler team capabilities in the recovery of buried human remains in the southeastern United States.\nThe detection of human remains that have been deliberately buried to escape detection is a problem for law enforcement. Sometimes the cadaver dog and handler teams are successful, while other times law enforcement and cadaver dog teams are frustrated in their search. Five field trials tested the ability of four cadaver dog and handler teams to detect buried human remains. Human and animal remains were buried in various forested areas during the summer months near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The remains ranged in decomposition from fresh to skeletonized. Cadaver dogs detected with varying success: buried human remains at different stages of decomposition, buried human remains at different depths, and buried decomposed human and animal remains. The results from these trials showed that some cadaver dogs were able to locate skeletonized remains buried at a significant depth. Fresh and skeletonized remains were found equally by the cadaver dogs along with some caveats. Dog handlers affected the reliability of the cadaver dog results. Observations and videotape of the cadaver dogs during field trials showed that they were reliable in finding buried human remains.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18064410,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Pharmacology of neurotransmitter release: measuring exocytosis.\nNeurotransmission in the nervous system is initiated at presynaptic terminals by fusion of synaptic vesicles with the plasma membrane and subsequent exocytic release of chemical transmitters. Currently, there are multiple methods to detect neurotransmitter release from nerve terminals, each with their own particular advantages and disadvantages. For instance, most commonly employed methods monitor actions of released chemical substances on postsynaptic receptors or artificial substrates such as carbon fibers. These methods are closest to the physiological setting because they have a rapid time resolution and they measure the action of the endogenous neurotransmitters rather than the signals emitted by exogenous probes. However, postsynaptic receptors only indirectly report neurotransmitter release in a form modified by the properties of receptors themselves, which are often nonlinear detectors of released substances. Alternatively, released chemical substances can be detected biochemically, albeit on a time scale slower than electrophysiological methods. In addition, in certain preparations, where presynaptic terminals are accessible to whole cell recording electrodes, fusion of vesicles with the plasma membrane can be monitored using capacitance measurements. In the last decade, in addition to electrophysiological and biochemical methods, several fluorescence imaging modalities have been introduced which report synaptic vesicle fusion, endocytosis, and recycling. These methods either take advantage of styryl dyes that can be loaded into recycling vesicles or exogenous expression of synaptic vesicle proteins tagged with a pH-sensitive GFP variant at regions facing the vesicle lumen. In this chapter, we will provide an overview of these methods with particular emphasis on their relative strengths and weaknesses and discuss the types of information one can obtain from them.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23215962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evidence for contribution of autophagy to rubisco degradation during leaf senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana.\nDuring leaf senescence, Rubisco is gradually degraded and its components are recycled within the plant. Although Rubisco can be mobilized to the vacuole by autophagy via specific autophagic bodies, the importance of this process in Rubisco degradation has not been shown directly. Here, we monitored Rubisco autophagy during leaf senescence by fusing synthetic green fluorescent protein (sGFP) or monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP) with Rubisco in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). When attached leaves were individually exposed to darkness to promote their senescence, the fluorescence of Rubisco-sGFP was observed in the vacuolar lumen as well as chloroplasts. In addition, release of free-sGFP due to the processing of Rubisco-sGFP was observed in the vacuole of individually darkened leaves. This vacuolar transfer and processing of Rubisco-sGFP was not observed in autophagy-deficient atg5 mutants. Unlike sGFP, mRFP was resistant to proteolysis in the leaf vacuole of light-grown plants. The vacuolar transfer and processing of Rubisco-mRFP was observed at an early stage of natural leaf senescence and was also obvious in leaves naturally covered by other leaves. These results indicate that autophagy contributes substantially to Rubisco degradation during natural leaf senescence as well as dark-promoted senescence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27199013,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The development and achievement of a healthy cities network in Taiwan: sharing leadership and partnership building.\nThe World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy Cities (HC) projects are the best known of the settings-based approaches to health promotion. They engage local governments in health development through a process of political commitment, institutional change, capacity-building, partnership-based planning and innovative projects. Many cities have promoted HC projects in Taiwan since 2002. In 2008, the Taiwan Alliance for Healthy Cities (TAHC) was launched to assist local governments in effectively establishing, operating and promoting HC projects. In this article, we share our experiences of establishing a platform and network to promote the HC program in Taiwan. Based on individual city profiles and governance in Taiwan, the TAHC developed a well-organized framework and model to encourage strong leadership in local governments and to promote participation and engagement in their communities. In the last 6 years, leaders from Taiwan's local governments in HC networks have integrated the HC concepts into their governance models, actively engaging and combining various resources with practical expertise and private sectors. The network of health in Taiwan allows each city to develop its unique perspective on the HC projects. Using this method, not only local government meets its needs, but also increases governance efficiency and effectiveness, resulting in the promotion of its citizens' overall sustainable urban health development. This HC network in Taiwan has partnerships with government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with academic support and citizen involvement, a dynamic data collection system and demonstrated leadership in the sharing of information in the Asian region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30869800,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Opportunities and Barriers for Family Physician Contribution to the Maternity Care Workforce.\nThe number of family physicians providing obstetric deliveries is decreasing, but high numbers of new graduates report they intend to include obstetric deliveries in their practices. The objective of this study was to understand barriers to providing obstetrical care faced by recent family medicine residency graduates who intended to provide obstetrical care at graduation. Email surveys were sent to graduating family medicine residents who indicated intention to include obstetrics in their practice on the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Certification Examination Registration Survey (2014-2016). We used descriptive and bivariate statistics to analyze the data. Of our sample of 2,098 early career family physicians, 1,016 (48.4%) responded. Seven hundred (68.9%) currently include obstetrics in their practices. Those currently including obstetrics were more likely to practice in a small rural or isolated (15.4% vs 5.2% and 4.6% vs 1.7%, P<0.001) community and report credentialing was easy (85.2% and 26.5%, respectively, P<0.001). Physicians not currently including obstetrics in their practice reported \"found a job without OB\" and \"lifestyle concerns\" as the most significant barriers. Respondents living in the Middle Atlantic and West South Central regions were least likely to provide obstetric deliveries, with fewer than 50% doing so. Among recent graduates who intended to practice obstetrics, finding a job without obstetrics and lifestyle concerns were the most significant barriers to realizing the scope of practice they intended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19794762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dual-fiber stretcher as a tunable dispersion compensator for an all-fiber optical coherence tomography system.\nWe present an all-fiber tunable dispersion compensator based on a pair of fiber stretchers made with different fiber types in which the group delay and the second-order dispersion can be tuned independently. Its efficiency is demonstrated in a fiber-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) system operating in the 800 nm wavelength range. The average sample dispersion in OCT imaging or the dispersion of transmission lines could also be compensated by our system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8050950,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of and factors associated with umbilical hernias in a swine herd.\nOf 2,958 pigs from a 320-sow, farrow-to-finish herd that were evaluated from birth to slaughter, 44 (1.5%) developed umbilical hernias. Hernias were detected mostly (34\/44) when the pigs were between 9 and 14 weeks of age and were not fatal despite lack of treatment. Among littermates, weight gain prior to weaning was significantly (P = 0.04) lower in pigs that developed hernias (144.7 g\/d) by 30 weeks of age than for nonaffected pigs (163.3 g\/d), but growth rates from weaning to about 45 kg did not differ significantly. Records of pigs sired by 13 purebred boars were used to evaluate breed-of-sire associations. Pigs sired by American Spotted (n = 19; relative risk [RR] = 8.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1 to 32.7) and Duroc boars (n = 378; RR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.0 to 4.5) were more likely to develop umbilical hernias than were pigs (n = 1,644) sired by Yorkshire boars. Umbilical lesions (omphalitis or umbilical abscess) were associated (RR = 7.6; 95% CI = 1.2 to 49.5) with umbilical herniation on an individual basis, but the association was not evident (RR = 1.2; 95% CI = 0.2 to 7.6) when the litter was the unit of analysis. Analysis of sire associations, stratified by umbilical lesion status, indicated increased risks in the nonlesioned stratum for the American Spotted (RR = 8.7) and Duroc sires (RR = 2.2). Adequate comparisons of sire breed in the lesioned stratum could not be made, because umbilical lesions were an infrequent finding (9\/2, 958).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25388175,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Surveillance on pesticides: quantification of use and prediction of impact on health, work and the environment for Brazilian municipalities].\nThis paper analyzes the quantity, type and toxicity of pesticides used per hectare in the State of Mato Grosso as a surveillance strategy for the health of workers, the population in general and the environment, and to serve as a surveillance indicator for Brazilian cities. Brazil cultivated 95 million hectares in 2012, and Mato Grosso was the major consumer of pesticides. In this research, the database of the Agriculture and Livestock Defense Institute was consulted, as it records the prescribed agronomic data and place of use in sales invoices. The results reveal the average consumption of pesticides per hectare per crop: 12 liters for soy; 6 liters for corn; 4.8 liters for sugarcane; and 24 liters for cotton. The toxicological types and classes of pesticides used per hectare per crop were also monitored. Using a matrix of agricultural production and pesticide consumption, it was also found that certain health problems are correlated with the major producing regions. Based on pesticide consumption, agricultural production and pesticide toxicity it is possible to ascertain health problems in Brazilian cities and establish prevention and surveillance strategies for the workers, the environment and the populations exposed to pesticides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16595549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evidence for a role of transmembrane protein p25 in localization of protein tyrosine phosphatase TC48 to the ER.\nT-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase gives rise to two splice isoforms: TC48, which is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and TC45, a nuclear protein. The present study was undertaken to identify proteins that are involved in targeting TC48 to the ER. We identified two TC48-interacting proteins, p25 and p23, from a yeast two-hybrid screen. p23 and p25 are members of a family of putative cargo receptors that are important for vesicular trafficking between Golgi complex and ER. Both p23 and p25 associate with overexpressed TC48 in Cos-1 cells as determined by coimmunoprecipitation. A significant amount of TC48 colocalized initially with ERGIC and Golgi complex markers (in addition to ER and nuclear membrane localization) and was then retrieved to the ER. Coexpression with p25 enhanced ER localization of TC48, whereas coexpression with p23 resulted in its trapping in membranous structures. Coexpression of a p25 mutant lacking the ER-localization signal KKxx resulted in enhanced Golgi localization of TC48. Forty C-terminal amino acid residues of TC48 (position 376-415) were sufficient for interaction with p23 (but not with p25) and targeted green fluorescence protein (GFP) to the Golgi complex. Targeting of GFP to the ER required 66 C-terminal amino acid residues of TC48 (position 350-415), which showed interaction with p25 and p23. We suggest that TC48 translocates to the Golgi complex along the secretory pathway, whereas its ER localization is maintained by selective retrieval enabled by interactions with p25 and p23.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10972224,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Molecular cloning and characterization of the pig homologue to human CD29, the integrin beta1 subunit.\nCD29 is the beta1 subunit, a member of the integrin gene superfamily that function as receptor for cell adhesion molecules of the extracellular matrix. Porcine integrin beta1 subunit is involved in rejection of pig-to-human tissue xenografts as target of the natural antibodies present in the human serum. Moreover since CD29, as part of the beta1 integrins very late antigen 4 (VLA-4) and VLA-6, is involved in homing and differentiation of haematopoietic progenitor cells, its characterization in pig is critical to study the interaction of porcine adhesion molecules with human ligands in the induction of donor-specific tolerance toward porcine antigens, a process extremely desirable to prevent rejection of xenogeneic organs. The porcine CD29 cDNA has been isolated from a cDNA library and its structure determined. In addition, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the expression of CD29 in different tissues. The nucleotide sequence of the porcine cDNA includes an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 798 amino acids. Expression analysis showed that porcine CD29 is expressed in all lymphoid tissues tested and, in lower amounts, in nonlymphoid tissues. Pig CD29 deduced amino acid sequence displays extensive conservation compared with CD29 sequences from other species and a common structural feature with all the other CD29 molecules analyzed in mammals, including the 12 potential N-glycosilation sites. Punctual changes between human and swine CD29 molecule into the ligand binding domain, and\/or into the regulatory domain, suggest potential differences between human and porcine CD29 relative to the human CD29 ligands. Cloning of the swine CD29 gene offers a new tool for an alternative protocol of removing xenoreactive antibodies in the recipient. In addition, the determination of the differences between human and swine CD29 will help to understand the adhesion molecule-ligand interactions and their function across the swine-human barrier in xenotransplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38136625,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of 1,25-Vitamin D3 and 24,25-Vitamin D3 on Corneal Nerve Regeneration in Diabetic Mice.\nCorneal nerve homeostasis is essential for the functional integrity of the ocular surface. Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and vitamin D receptor knockout (VDR KO) have been found to reduce corneal nerve density in diabetic mice. This is the first study to comprehensively examine the influence of vitamin D on nerve regeneration following corneal epithelial injury in diabetic mice. Corneal nerve regeneration was significantly retarded by diabetes, VDR KO, and VDD, and it was accelerated following topical 1,25 Vit D and 24,25 Vit D administration. Furthermore, topical 1,25 Vit D and 24,25 Vit D increased nerve growth factor, glial cell line-derived neurotropic factor, and neurotropin-3 protein expression, and it increased secretion of GDNF protein from human corneal epithelial cells. CD45+ cells and macrophage numbers were significantly decreased, and vitamin D increased CD45+ cell and macrophage recruitment in these wounded diabetic mouse corneas. The accelerated nerve regeneration observed in these corneas following topical 1,25 Vit D and 24,25 Vit D administration may be related to the vitamin D-stimulated expression, secretion of neurotrophic factors, and recruitment of immune cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10604854,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Patterns of weaning and adult response to stress.\nEarly environmental effects including variation in maternal care, can modify hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. One of the more overt early effects, involving maternal care, is weaning restraint. In this study the effects of different patterns of weaning, in the rat (Rattus norvegicus), on both adult response to restraint stress and to dexamethasone administration were examined. Animals that as pups experienced a gradual lengthening time of separation from the mother, between 21 and 30 days of postnatal age (completely separated on 30 days), showed lower levels of systemic corticosterone and glutamate in the sensory cortex in response to restraint stress than seen in other groups. These animals also showed greater suppression of corticosterone by dexamethasone than did animals abruptly removed from the mother at 21 days of age. Animals left in the cage with the mother until either 30 or 40 days of age showed the greatest levels of corticosterone and glutamate in the sensory cortex in response to the stress and the least suppression by dexamethasone. These results suggest that changes in maternal contact at time of weaning can influence adult responsiveness to stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16420527,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"COG complex-mediated recycling of Golgi glycosyltransferases is essential for normal protein glycosylation.\nDefects in conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) complex result in multiple deficiencies in protein glycosylation. On the other hand, acute knock-down (KD) of Cog3p (COG3 KD) causes accumulation of intra-Golgi COG complex-dependent (CCD) vesicles. Here, we analyzed cellular phenotypes at different stages of COG3 KD to uncover the molecular link between COG function and glycosylation disorders. For the first time, we demonstrated that medial-Golgi enzymes are transiently relocated into CCD vesicles in COG3 KD cells. As a result, Golgi modifications of both plasma membrane (CD44) and lysosomal (Lamp2) glycoproteins are distorted. Localization of these proteins is not altered, indicating that the COG complex is not required for anterograde trafficking and accurate sorting. COG7 KD and double COG3\/COG7 KD caused similar defects with respect to both Golgi traffic and glycosylation, suggesting that the entire COG complex orchestrates recycling of medial-Golgi-resident proteins. COG complex-dependent docking of isolated CCD vesicles was reconstituted in vitro, supporting their role as functional trafficking intermediates. Altogether, the data suggest that constantly cycling medial-Golgi enzymes are transported from distal compartments in CCD vesicles. Dysfunction of COG complex leads to separation of glycosyltransferases from anterograde cargo molecules passing along secretory pathway, thus affecting normal protein glycosylation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9816292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"MRP and MDR1 gene expression in primary breast carcinomas.\nTo evaluate the clinically important mechanisms of drug resistance in breast cancer, the expression of the MRP gene and the corresponding one for the MDR1 gene were determined in primary breast carcinoma specimens by both reverse transcription-PCR (n = 134) and immunohistochemistry (n = 63). Expression of MRP RNA was observed in all breast cancer specimens. MDR1 RNA was detected in 80 (60%) of the carcinomas. Staining with monoclonal antibodies QCRL-1 and QCRL-3, which both recognize MRP, was strong in 15 (24%) and weak in the remaining 48 specimens (76%). Staining with C219, which recognizes P-glycoprotein, was strong in 6 (9%), weak in 30 (48%), and negative in 27 (43%) of the samples. Strong MRP staining was more frequent in T3 and T4 tumors than in T1 and T2 tumors and in the primary tumors of patients with distant metastases but was independent of age, menopausal status, histology, histological grade, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and lymph node involvement. No correlation between MRP staining and expression of MDR1 RNA or P-glycoprotein was observed. Thus, these results indicate expression of both the MRP gene and the MDR1 gene in primary breast carcinomas and suggest that clinical drug resistance in breast cancer is most likely multifactorial.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6772152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An investigation of pyridinoline, and putative collagen cross-link.\nA component, termed pyridinoline, has been reported to be derived from 'lysine aldehyde' (2,6-diaminohexanaldehyde) and designated as the stable cross-link of mature collagen. Commerically prepared collagen and freshly obtained mature bovine tendon collagen were both investigated with regard to their pyridinoline content. Both sources of material could be depleted of this component by mild washing procedures. Pepsin-solubilized collagen and peptides derived from CNBr cleavage of intact collagen did not contain the compound. Pure pyridinoline was isolated and shown to be hydrolysed by water, as previously reported, but neither hydroxylysine nor lysine could be ds not a cross-linking component of collagen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32943852,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Correlation Between Patients' Medication Adherence and Their Psychological Contract with Hospital Pharmacists.\nTo investigate the correlation between patients' medication adherence and their psychological contract with hospital pharmacists under the background of the pharmacist-patient relationship, providing a reference for improving the pharmacist-patient relationship and the patients' medication adherence based on the patients' psychological contract with the hospital pharmacists. Some of the patients who received medication dispensing service at the outpatient pharmacies at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University were included and investigated as follows: 320 patients were included through the convenient sampling method for psychological contract and medication adherence questionnaire survey with the self-designed scales for patients' psychological contract with the hospital pharmacists and their medication adherence. SPSS 17.0 was used for reliability and validity testing, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis. The average score of the psychological contract was 3.80\u00b10.59. The average score of the patients' medication adherence was 2.93\u00b10.70. The patients' psychological contract with the pharmacists and its dimensions (the responsibility of competence, the responsibility of service, and the responsibility of humanistic care) were positively correlated with medication adherence (P<0.05). The results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that the effect of patients' psychological contract with the pharmacists on medication adherence was statistically significant (P<0.05). Outpatients' psychological contract with the pharmacists is positively correlated with their medication adherence. Maintaining the patients' psychological contract with the pharmacists may be an effective way to improve medication adherence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38167347,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Quality of spirometry tests in the field of occupational health.\nThe spirometry test is a valuable test to evaluate the performance of the respiratory system. The interpretation of the results is highly dependent on the quality of its performance, while the inappropriate quality results in unwanted consequences for individuals and the healthcare system. This study investigated the quality of spirometry tests performed in occupational health. In this cross-sectional study, the quality of 776 spirometry tests in different occupational centers by the specialists in Rasht, Iran, in 2020, based on the guidelines of the American Thoracic Society (ATS), was investigated. The quality and success rate of the test and the demographical characteristics of the operators and the participants were collected. All data was analyzed using SPSS software version 20. Out of 776 spirometry tests, about 69.7% were unacceptable. Among the unacceptable tests, a pause error between inhalation and exhalation was identified in 7.4% of tests. Additionally, 4.6% of the unacceptable tests exhibited a cough error within the first second, while an exhalation error of less than six was observed in 85%. Repeatability errors were found in 60.9% of the tests. Furthermore, among some errors, the communication error between the characteristics of the technicians and the test performance errors were evident. According to the results, most of the performed tests were unacceptable with no repeatability, which indicated that the validity and quality of spirometry tests and their interpretation were inappropriate in the field of occupational health in Rasht, Iran.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26029073,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Factors that determine depth perception of trapezoids, windsurfers, runways.\nWe report here a windsurfer illusion, a naturally occurring trapezoidal illusion in which the small end of the sail viewed at a distance appears to be pointed away from the observer even when it is closer. This naturally occurring illusion is so compelling that observers are unaware of their gross perceptual misinterpretation of the scene. Four laboratory experiment of this kind of trapezoidal illusion investigated the joint effects of retinal orientation, head position, relative motion, and the relative direction of gravity on automatic depth perception. Observers viewed two adjacent white trapezoids outlined on a black background rotating back and forth \u00b1 20\u00b0 on a vertical axis much like the sails of two adjacent windsurfers. Observers reported which side of the trapezoids (long or short) appeared to be closer to them (i.e., in front). The longer edge of the trapezoid was reported in front 76 \u00b1 2% of trials (\"windsurfer effect\") whether it was on the left or on the right. When the display was rotated 90\u00b0to produce a runway configuration, there was a striking asymmetry: the long edge was perceived to be in front 97% when it was on the bottom but only 43% when it was on top (\"runway effect\"). The runway effect persisted when the head was tilted 90\u00b0 or when displays on the ceiling were viewed from the floor. Ninety-five percent of the variance of the variance in the strikingly different 3D perceptions produced by the same 2D trapezoid image was quantitatively explained by a model that assumes there are just three additive bias factors that account for perceiving an edge as closer: Implicit linear perspective, lower position on the retina (based on an automatic assumption of viewing from above), and being lower in world coordinates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27198213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Possible selection of host folate pathway gene polymorphisms in patients with malaria from a malaria endemic region in North East India.\nRecent studies in experimental mice have shown that mild deficiency of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) enzyme confers protection against malaria, thus providing an important basis for the hypothesis that MTHFR polymorphism, i.e. C677T, might have been subjected to selection pressure against malaria. The present study was undertaken in a malaria endemic region in North East India to assess whether a similar selection advantage exists for other genes in folate metabolism pathway. A total of 401 subjects including 131 symptomatic malaria, 97 asymptomatic malaria and 173 normal healthy controls were analysed for nine polymorphisms (single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] in eight genes and insertion\/deletion in one gene): MTHFR C677T, methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G, glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCPII) C1561T, cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) 844ins68, reduced folate carrier-1 (RFC-1) G80A, serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) C1420T, methionine synthase (MTR) A2756G, MTHFR G1793A (D 919G), glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) 1289 by PCR-RFLP technique. Differences in frequencies of genotype distribution of each polymorphic marker between these groups were evaluated. MTRR A2756G, SHMT C1420T, GCPII C1561T, MTRR A2756G and GNMT C1289T and RFC1 G80A polymorphisms showed significantly different prevalence between different groups analyzed. No significant differences were seen in the distribution of other polymorphisms. The study gives a clue for the possible selection of specific polymorphisms in the genes involved in the folate metabolism pathway by malaria parasite.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36268663,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The works of Zhang Wenzhong as the Shang Yao Feng Yu in the early Tang Dynasty].\nZhang Wenzhong, a famous Chinese medical doctor in the early Tang Dynasty, was granted a particular position as Shang Yao Feng Yu, for the Empress Wu Ze Tian dealing with medication. He was good at dealing with stroke in particular. He also had unique viewpoints towards medical prescriptions and skills. He wrote medical books and developed his own medical theories. All these were recorded in both the Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang. However, most of his works had been lost due to time and the frequent wars in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. Six medical prescriptions signed by Zhang Wenzhong were discovered in documents unearthed from the Dun Huang Sutra Cave. They were believed to be important archives of Zhang Wenzhong's writing and medical thoughts. In addition, some pieces of work found in the documents unearthed from Tu Yu Gou were suspected of being written by Zhang Wenzhong. This can be compared with his works cited in the handed-down documents, such as The Collection of Secret Prescriptions (Wai Tai Mi Yao Fang). This paper takes a textual research approach to examine the medical works of Zhang Wenzhong, comparing the handed-down documents with the unearthed documents to examine his medical achievements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36469509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Using genetic data to identify transmission risk factors: Statistical assessment and application to tuberculosis transmission.\nIdentifying host factors that influence infectious disease transmission is an important step toward developing interventions to reduce disease incidence. Recent advances in methods for reconstructing infectious disease transmission events using pathogen genomic and epidemiological data open the door for investigation of host factors that affect onward transmission. While most transmission reconstruction methods are designed to work with densely sampled outbreaks, these methods are making their way into surveillance studies, where the fraction of sampled cases with sequenced pathogens could be relatively low. Surveillance studies that use transmission event reconstruction then use the reconstructed events as response variables (i.e., infection source status of each sampled case) and use host characteristics as predictors (e.g., presence of HIV infection) in regression models. We use simulations to study estimation of the effect of a host factor on probability of being an infection source via this multi-step inferential procedure. Using TransPhylo-a widely-used method for Bayesian estimation of infectious disease transmission events-and logistic regression, we find that low sensitivity of identifying infection sources leads to dilution of the signal, biasing logistic regression coefficients toward zero. We show that increasing the proportion of sampled cases improves sensitivity and some, but not all properties of the logistic regression inference. Application of these approaches to real world data from a population-based TB study in Botswana fails to detect an association between HIV infection and probability of being a TB infection source. We conclude that application of a pipeline, where one first uses TransPhylo and sparsely sampled surveillance data to infer transmission events and then estimates effects of host characteristics on probabilities of these events, should be accompanied by a realistic simulation study to better understand biases stemming from imprecise transmission event inference.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17587162,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genetic evidence of a functional monocyte dichotomy.\nHuman peripheral blood monocytes are found as two distinct populations based upon differential expression of chemokine receptors, adhesion molecules, Fc receptors, and cytokines. cDNA microarray analysis now reveals additional differences between these subsets that suggest dramatically diverse functions. One monocyte subset (CD14++CD16-) appears to be closely paired with neutrophils, and may have as its primary function the removal and recycling of apoptotic neutrophils at sites of inflammation. The other monocyte subset (CD14+CD16+) expresses numerous genes encoding proteins with antimicrobial activity and thus may be more directly involved in peripheral host defense. The production of monocytes capable of efficiently removing dying neutrophils may be necessary to prevent host tissue damage and autoimmune response induction. Therefore, species like humans that produce relatively high levels of circulating neutrophils must also produce relatively high numbers of the recycling monocytes. Conversely, species such as mice and rats that maintain relatively lower levels of circulating neutrophils require fewer recycling monocytes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35614214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Strongly correlated electron-photon systems.\nAn important goal of modern condensed-matter physics involves the search for states of matter with emergent properties and desirable functionalities. Although the tools for material design remain relatively limited, notable advances have been recently achieved by controlling interactions at heterointerfaces, precise alignment of low-dimensional materials and the use of extreme pressures. Here we highlight a paradigm based on controlling light-matter interactions, which provides a way to manipulate and synthesize strongly correlated quantum matter. We consider the case in which both electron-electron and electron-photon interactions are strong and give rise to a variety of phenomena. Photon-mediated superconductivity, cavity fractional quantum Hall physics and optically driven topological phenomena in low dimensions are among the frontiers discussed in this Perspective, which highlights a field that we term here 'strongly correlated electron-photon science'.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":584714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The use of pacemaking for the treatment of acute arrhythmias. 2.\nTemporary cardiac pacing is an effective means of therapy for many arrhythmias and is potentially useful in treating all rhythm disorders except fibrillation. Although the right ventricular pacing is the easiest and most reliable, atrial pacing is in some instances more effective and safer; Atrial pacing is underused and should be considered even for ventricular arrhythmias. There are three methods for pacing: interruption, overdrive suppression, and rapid atrial stimulation. Each has a different physiologic mechanism, and the method must be matched to the arrhythmia under treatment. Pacing is best suited to the acute recurrent arrhythmia which can be suppressed or prevented by short-term pacing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10867389,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Quality of life among pediatric asthma patients].\nAsthma is the most common chronic childhood disease. For many years improvement of symptoms and normalization of lung function have been the main goals in treatment of paediatric asthma. This conventional measures provide information about the impairement of the lung, but rarely capture the functional impairment which is the most important for the patient. In the 90' health related quality of life mesures have been developed and many clinicians recognize the importance of incorporating this assessment in order to obtain a global information of a patient's health status. The Paediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) is a specific questionnaire developed by Junniper et al which assesses the impact of asthma on the daily life of a child. It containes 23 items which cover 3 dimensions: symptoms, activities limitation and emotional function. We developed a conceptually equivalent version of the PAQLQ. In order to adapt the PAQLQ to the Spanish language, the method of translation-retranslation was used. In order to assess the measurement characteristics of the Spanish version thus obttained, a 5 week longitudinal study was undertaken with evaluations at the end of the 1st and 5th weeks. 99 asthmatic patients were included in the study. Accurate cultural adaptation should be carried on before using a health status questionnaire. Appropriate translation methods should be complemented with the evaluation of the properties of the adapted version. The Spanish version of the PAQLQ maintains similar measurement properties to the original instrument and is reliable, valid and sensitive to clinical changes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12517321,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Do hospital E-codes consistently capture suicidal behaviour?\nHospital separation data are used to study suicidal behaviour; however, there is little information about the appropriateness of these data for research and planning activities. The study purpose is to examine how consistently hospital separation E-code data reflect suicidal behaviours. Expert clinicians reviewed medical records of individuals who had a separation for self-poisoning to determine whether the self-poisoning was deliberate. Agreement among clinicians was evaluated and latent class analysis performed to derive a summary estimate of the prevalence of deliberate self-poisoning. This estimate was then compared to the prevalence of deliberate self-poisoning based on the external cause of injury (E-codes). Clinicians estimated the prevalence to be 63% higher than the E-code based prevalence. Much larger discrepancies were apparent among older age groups, those whose care was primarily medical in nature and those with a longer length of hospital stay. In acute care settings, self-poisonings among the elderly may not receive adequate attention and\/or documentation. Estimating the prevalence of admissions for suicidal behaviour using hospital separation data is of questionable validity, particularly among older age groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16189016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Human papillomavirus type 16 E1circumflexE4 contributes to multiple facets of the papillomavirus life cycle.\nThe life cycle of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is tightly linked to the differentiation program of the host's stratified epithelia that it infects. E1(circumflex)E4 is a viral protein that has been ascribed multiple biochemical properties of potential biological relevance to the viral life cycle. To identify the role(s) of the viral E1(circumflex)E4 protein in the HPV life cycle, we characterized the properties of HPV type 16 (HPV16) genomes harboring mutations in the E4 gene in NIKS cells, a spontaneously immortalized keratinocyte cell line that when grown in organotypic raft cultures supports the HPV life cycle. We learned that E1(circumflex)E4 contributes to the replication of the viral plasmid genome as a nuclear plasmid in basal cells, in which we also found E1(circumflex)E4 protein to be expressed at low levels. In the suprabasal compartment of organotypic raft cultures harboring E1(circumflex)E4 mutant HPV16 genomes there were alterations in the frequency of suprabasal cells supporting DNA synthesis, the levels of viral DNA amplification, and the degree to which the virus perturbs differentiation. Interestingly, the comparison of the phenotypes of various mutations in E4 indicated that the E1(circumflex)E4 protein-encoding requirements for these various processes differed. These data support the hypothesis that E1(circumflex)E4 is a multifunctional protein and that the different properties of E1(circumflex)E4 contribute to different processes in both the early and late stages of the virus life cycle.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1718529,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Evaluation of palliative surgical procedures in unresectable pancreatic cancer.\nTo update our experience with palliative surgical procedures in unresectable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, the records of 297 patients surgically treated at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center were reviewed. Between October 1983 and November 1989, 117 patients underwent exploratory laparotomy as a single procedure: 24 patients had gastric bypass, 38 biliary bypass, and 118 both gastric and biliary bypass. The postoperative in-hospital mortality rate was 4.4 per cent. Overall morbidity was 29.7 per cent; the morbidity rate in patients with a double bypass was 29.7 per cent. Median (s.e.m.) survival was 231(20.3) days. Statistical analysis showed a significantly increased risk of morbidity in patients who underwent one therapeutic and one prophylactic bypass. Survival was decreased in patients who had a therapeutic gastric bypass (median(s.e.m.) survival 136(70.2) days) or a combination of two therapeutic bypasses (median(s.e.m.) survival 93(85.9) days). These data emphasize the poor prognosis of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who cannot be resected. The need for therapeutic double bypass is a bad prognostic indicator, and a prophylactic bypass added to a therapeutic bypass increases morbidity without prolonging survival.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16969633,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Primary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (pachydermoperiostosis): a case report.\nHypertrophic osteoarthropathy is characterized by digital clubbing and periosteal reaction of long bones. Most cases are associated with malignancy or other conditions such as congenital heart disease, liver cirrhosis, pulmonary fibrosis, biliary atresia, and gastrointestinal polyps. We report a 19-year-old man presenting with arthritis, broadening of the fingers and clubbing of the fingers and toes for the previous 3 years. The ankles and knees were swollen. X-rays showed periosteal apposition. The search for a secondary cause remained negative. In cases of arthralgia\/arthritis together with clubbed fingers, consideration must be given to hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. The primary or idiopathic form is rare and has a good prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32344065,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Adipocyte-specific Beclin1 deletion impairs lipolysis and mitochondrial integrity in adipose tissue.\nBeclin1 is a core molecule of the macroautophagy machinery. Although dysregulation of macroautophagy is known to be involved in metabolic disorders, the function of Beclin1 in adipocyte metabolism has not been investigated. In the present study, we aimed to study the role of Beclin1 in lipolysis and mitochondrial homeostasis of adipocytes. Autophagic flux during lipolysis was examined in adipocytes cultured in vitro and in the adipose tissue of mice. Adipocyte-specific Beclin1 knockout (KO) mice were used to investigate the activities of Beclin1 in adipose tissues. cAMP\/PKA signaling increased the autophagic flux in adipocytes differentiated from C3H10T1\/2 cells. In vivo autophagic flux was higher in the brown adipose tissue (BAT) than that in the white adipose tissue and was further increased by the \u03b23 adrenergic receptor agonist CL316243. In addition, surgical denervation of BAT greatly reduced autophagic flux, indicating that sympathetic nerve activity is a major regulator of tissue autophagy. Adipocyte-specific KO of Beclin1 led to a hypertrophic enlargement of lipid droplets in BAT and impaired CL316243-induced lipolysis\/lipid mobilization and energy expenditure. While short-term effects of Beclin1 deletion were characterized by an increase in mitochondrial proteins, long-term Beclin1 deletion led to severe disruption of autophagy, resulting in mitochondrial loss, and dramatically reduced the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism. Consequently, adipose tissue underwent increased activation of cell death signaling pathways, macrophage recruitment, and inflammation, particularly in BAT. The present study demonstrates the critical roles of Beclin1 in the maintenance of lipid metabolism and mitochondrial homeostasis in adipose tissues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27184667,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cytotoxicity, intracellular localization and exocytosis of citrate capped and PEG functionalized gold nanoparticles in human hepatocyte and kidney cells.\nSurface-modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are nanomaterials that hold promise in drug delivery applications. In this study, the cytotoxicity, uptake, intracellular localization, and the exocytosis of citrate-stabilized (Cit-AuNP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-modified gold nanoparticles with the carboxyl (COOH) terminal functional group were assessed in human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) and the human caucasian hepatocytes carcinoma (Hep G2) cell systems, representing two major accumulation sites for AuNPs. The zeta (\u03b6)-potential measurements confirmed the negative surface charge of the AuNPs in water and in cell growth medium. The transmission electron microscopy confirmed the size and morphology of the AuNPs. Both types of AuNPs were shown to induce cytotoxic effects in cells. The Hep G2 cells were more sensitive cell type, with the COOH-PEG-AuNPs inducing the highest toxicity at higher concentrations. Dark field microscopy and TEM images revealed that the AuNPs were internalized in cells, mostly as agglomerates. TEM micrographs further revealed that the AuNPs were confined as agglomerates inside vesicle-like compartments, likely to be endosomal and lysosomal structures as well as in the cytosol, mostly as individual particles. The AuNPs were shown to remain in cellular compartments for up to 3 weeks, but thereafter, clearance of the gold nanoparticles from the cells by exocytosis was evident. The results presented in this study may therefore give an indication on the fate of AuNPs on long-term exposure to cells and may also assist in safety evaluation of AuNPs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22579452,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Biochemical study of retired pentachlorophenol workers with and without following dietary exposure to PCDD\/Fs.\nPCDD\/Fs are found as impurities in commercial pesticide sodium pentachlorophenol (Na-PCP) salt. We compared, using multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for confounding factors, serum PCDD\/F levels and biochemical examinations of retired Na-PCP workers and other inhabitants living near a closed Na-PCP plant that discharged PCP-contaminated wastewater into a nearby pond in Tainan, Taiwan. In this cross-sectional study from October 2006 through May 2009, 1167 participants were divided into groups according to their occupational (retired Na-PCP plant workers versus other residents) and dietary exposure (eating polluted fish versus not eating polluted fish) to PCDD\/Fs, and a general population from a large-scale survey. Serum PCDD\/F levels were significantly different between these groups (range: from 22.9\u00b110.0pg WHO(98)-TEQ(DF) g(-1) lipid in the general population to 109.6\u00b194.5pg WHO(98)-TEQ(DF) g(-1) lipid in retired Na-PCP workers eating polluted seafood; P(trend)<0.001). Distinct patterns of PCDD\/Fs congener profiles, showing a significantly higher proportion of 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxDD, and less 2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF, OCDF, were also found among workers and residents with different serum PCDD\/F levels versus the general population. After adjusting for confounding factors, glucose (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 7.22 [95% CI: 4.04-12.90]), triglycerides (AOR 4.31 [95% CI: 2.57-7.22]), blood urea nitrogen (AOR 2.90 [95% CI: 1.58-5.33]), creatine (AOR 5.83 [95% CI: 1.12-30.30]) and total protein (AOR 3.74 [95% CI: 1.91-7.31]) levels in retired workers were significantly higher than in the reference group. Occupational exposure to PCDD\/Fs is associated with biochemical abnormalities that may persist for years after serum PCDD\/F levels have declined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3228051,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hypersensitivity to wheat flour in bakers.\nEleven bakers and 4 pastry cooks with hypersensitivity to wheat flour underwent skin tests to flours (wheat, barley, rye, oats), pollens (wheat, barley, rye, oats, grasses), mites (dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, dermatophagoides farinae), molds (alternaria, aspergillus) and weeds (parietaria judaica). The levels of serum immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE) were studied and the values of specific IgE (RAST) in the presence of wheat flour and the histamine release test for wheat flour, grass pollens, mites, molds and weeds were assessed. All the patients underwent a nasal challenge test to wheat flour. The results demonstrated the existence of cross reactions between the extracts of barley and rye flour with wheat flour (15\/15) as well as between the pollens of cereals and cereal flours. The levels of specific IgE (PRU greater than .35) and the percentages of histamine release (greater than 10%) were positive in 14\/15 cases. The nasal challenge test was positive for all the 15 patients under study. Of the patients studied, 11 received immunotherapy for periods ranging from 12 to 18 months. Of these patients, 9\/11 continued working in the same occupation whereas the 2 who left their jobs in the industry corresponded to the cases of severe asthma which were polysensitized (flour, mites, molds).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20440277,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"The RAAS in the pathogenesis and treatment of diabetic nephropathy.\nAngiotensin II and other components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) have a central role in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetic renal disease. A study in patients with type 1 diabetes and overt nephropathy found that RAAS inhibition with angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors was associated with a reduced risk of progression to end-stage renal disease and mortality compared with non-RAAS-inhibiting drugs. Blood-pressure control was similar between groups and proteinuria reduction was responsible for a large part of the renoprotective and cardioprotective effect. ACE inhibitors can also prevent microalbuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes who are hypertensive and normoalbuminuric; in addition, ACE inhibitors are cardioprotective even in the early stages of diabetic renal disease. Angiotensin-II-receptor blockers (ARBs) are renoprotective (but not cardioprotective) in patients with type 2 diabetes and overt nephropathy or microalbuminuria. Studies have evaluated the renoprotective effect of other RAAS inhibitors, such as aldosterone antagonists and renin inhibitors, administered either alone or in combination with ACE inhibitors or ARBs. An important task for the future will be identifying which combination of agents achieves the best renoprotection (and cardioprotection) at the lowest cost. Such findings will have major implications, particularly in settings where money and facilities are limited and in settings where renal replacement therapy is not available and the prevention of kidney failure is life saving.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33762509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Progress of Disaster Medicine during Ten Years after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.\nThe 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) has renewed the paradigm of disaster medicine. The Tohoku Journal of Experimental Medicine (TJEM) widened its scope to include the disaster science from the health perspectives. TJEM has been accumulating 76 articles related with \"disaster\" or \"pandemic\" out of which 69 were published after 2011. Tohoku University established the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) that took initiative to impact the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (Sendai Framework) to include health aspect. Sendai Framework provided the platform for collaboration of different sectors, including the terminology that defines the concept of disaster, risk, hazard & exposure, vulnerability and coping capacity. Disaster medicine covers the diverse causes and damages of disasters by various hazards in this globalized and rapidly changing world. TJEM articles range the physical and mental health damage after the GEJE and other disasters with approved ethical consideration of investigations from the view point of affected area, mechanisms of hazard to affect human health including the radiation, virus or hazardous materials, proposal of refinement of health system to cope with disasters such as mental health support, risk communication, disaster medical coordination and hospital business continuity plan and future perspectives with reconstruction including Tohoku Medical Megabank Project. TJEM scope on disaster medicine had been widened during the 10 years after GEJE and IRIDeS can be the bridging hub not only between the health sector and other sectors, but also between disaster medicine and other medical disciplines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15931669,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Solution structure of chi-conopeptide MrIA, a modulator of the human norepinephrine transporter.\nThe chi-conopeptides MrIA and MrIB are 13-residue peptides with two disulfide bonds that inhibit human and rat norepinephrine transporter systems and are of significant interest for the design of novel drugs involved in pain treatment. In the current study we have determined the solution structure of MrIA using NMR spectroscopy. The major element of secondary structure is a beta-hairpin with the two strands connected by an inverse gamma-turn. The residues primarily involved in activity have previously been shown to be located in the turn region (Sharpe, I. A.; Palant, E.; Schroder, C. I.; Kaye, D. M.; Adams, D. J.; Alewood, P. F.; Lewis, R. J. J Biol Chem 2003, 278, 40317-40323), which appears to be more flexible than the beta-strands based on disorder in the ensemble of calculated structures. Analogues of MrIA with N-terminal truncations indicate that the N-terminal residues play a role in defining a stable conformation and the native disulfide connectivity. In particular, noncovalent interactions between Val3 and Hyp12 are likely to be involved in maintaining a stable conformation. The N-terminus also affects activity, as a single N-terminal deletion introduced additional pharmacology at rat vas deferens, while deleting the first two amino acids reduced chi-conopeptide potency.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34228123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficacy of a stepped care approach to deliver cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in cancer patients: a noninferiority randomized controlled trial.\nCognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment for cancer-related insomnia, but its accessibility is very limited in routine care. A stepped care approach has been recommended as a cost-effective way to make CBT-I more widely accessible. However, no controlled study has yet been published about the efficacy of this approach. The goal of this noninferiority randomized controlled trial (RCT) was to compare the short and long-term efficacy of a stepped care CBT-I (StepCBT-I) to a standard face-to-face CBT-I (StanCBT-I). A total of 177 cancer patients were randomized to: (1) StanCBT-I (6 face-to-face CBT-I sessions; n = 59) or (2) StepCBT-I (n = 118). In the StepCBT-I group, patients with less severe insomnia first received a web-based CBT-I (n = 65), while those with more severe insomnia received 6 face-to-face CBT-I sessions (n = 53). In both cases, patients could receive up to three booster sessions of CBT-I if they still had insomnia symptoms following this first step. Results indicated that the Step-CBT-I group showed an Insomnia Severity Index score reduction and a sleep efficiency (on a sleep diary) increase that was not significantly inferior to that of StanCBT-I at all post-treatment time points. Analyses of secondary outcomes indicated significant time effects (ps < .001) and no significant group-by-time interactions (ps from .07 to .91) on other sleep diary parameters, sleep medication use, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and quality of life scores. The efficacy of stepped care CBT-I is not inferior to that of a standard face-to-face intervention and is a valuable approach to making this treatment more widely accessible to cancer patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01864720 (https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/ct2\/show\/NCT01864720?term=Savard&draw=2&rank=6; Stepped Care Model for the Wider Dissemination of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia Among Cancer Patients).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12759389,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Neoplastic and antineoplastic effects of beta-carotene on colorectal adenoma recurrence: results of a randomized trial.\nIn two large, randomized prevention trials, supplementation with beta-carotene increased the risk of lung cancer. Subjects in these studies were predominantly cigarette smokers, and the adverse effects were concentrated among those who also drank alcohol. Although beta-carotene supplementation appeared not to increase the risk of cancer generally, it is not clear if smoking and\/or alcohol use alters the effect of beta-carotene on carcinogenesis at sites outside the lung. We studied the effect of beta-carotene supplementation on colorectal adenoma recurrence among subjects in a multicenter double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of antioxidants for the prevention of colorectal adenomas. A total of 864 subjects who had had an adenoma removed and were polyp-free were randomly assigned (in a factorial design) to receive beta-carotene (25 mg or placebo) and\/or vitamins C and E in combination (1000 mg and 400 mg, respectively, or placebo), and were followed with colonoscopy for adenoma recurrence 1 year and 4 years after the qualifying endoscopy. A total of 707 subjects had two follow-up examinations and provided smoking and alcohol use data. Adjusted multivariate risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the effects of beta-carotene on adenoma recurrence. Among subjects who neither smoked cigarettes nor drank alcohol, beta-carotene was associated with a marked decrease in the risk of one or more recurrent adenomas (RR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.89), but beta-carotene supplementation conferred a modest increase in the risk of recurrence among those who smoked (RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 0.70 to 2.62) or drank (RR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.89 to 1.43). For participants who smoked cigarettes and also drank more than one alcoholic drink per day, beta-carotene doubled the risk of adenoma recurrence (RR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.39 to 3.08; P for difference from nonsmoker\/nondrinker RR <.001). Alcohol intake and cigarette smoking appear to modify the effect of beta-carotene supplementation on the risk of colorectal adenoma recurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27879608,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"E-Cigarettes and Potential Implications for Plastic Surgery.\nThe use of tobacco-based products, most notably cigarettes, is related directly to wound healing problems and poorer outcomes in plastic surgery. Current abstracts have highlighted the potential complications from nicotine, specifically following plastic surgery in patients who choose to smoke. Recently, products that use electricity to vaporize liquid nitrogen have been gaining popularity. New rules were recently proposed that would give the federal government authority over electronic cigarettes. However, the health-related issues surrounding e-cigarettes are still largely unknown or misunderstood. These issues also extend to their impact on surgical procedures, notably their effect on plastic surgical procedures that rely heavily on the vascularity of either the host wound bed or the replacement tissue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27886343,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Resistance of soybean genotypes to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum isolates in different incubation environments.\nSclerotinia sclerotiorum is an important soybean pathogen. The objectives of this study were to evaluate levels of resistance of soybean genotypes to the fungus, and to determine the effects of different incubation environments on host resistance and pathogen aggressiveness. Two experiments were conducted using 103 genotypes from the seed collection of Laborat\u00f3rio de Desenvolvimento de Germoplasma, Universidade Federal de Uberl\u00e2ndia (LAGER-UFU). The first experiment was conducted in a greenhouse, and the second in a growth chamber. Inoculations were performed by the straw test method using two Brazilian isolates of the fungus, one from Uberaba, Minas Gerais, and the other from Jata\u00ed, Goi\u00e1s. The average stem-lesion length (cm) at 5 days post-inoculation was used to determine levels of resistance. Overall, the most resistant genotype was EMGOPA-316, and the most susceptible genotype was LAGER-29. Incubation in a growth chamber and use of the Jata\u00ed isolate generated the most reliable data, and multivariate analysis indicated that the genotypes were divergent under the growth chamber conditions. Therefore, when studying host resistance of soybean genotypes to S. sclerotiorum, it is important to use environmental conditions favorable to the fungus and aggressive isolates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32517094,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Enhanced Infrared Absorbance of the CMOS Compatible Thermopile by the Subwavelength Rectangular-Hole Arrays.\nThe enhanced infrared absorbance (IRA) of the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible thermopile with the subwavelength rectangular-hole arrays in active area is investigated. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method considered and analyzed the matrix arrangement (MA) and staggered arrangement (SA) of subwavelength rectangular-hole arrays (SRHA). For the better cases of MA-SRHA and SA-SRHA, the geometric parameters are the same and the infrared absorption efficiency (IAE) of the SA type is better than that of the MA type by about 19.4% at target temperature of 60\u02daC. Three proposed thermopiles with SA-SRHA are manufactured based on the 0.35 \u03bcm 2P4M CMOS-MEMS process. The measurement results are similar to the simulation results. The IAE of the best simulation case of SA-SRHA is up to 3.3 times higher than that without structure at the target temperature of 60\u02daC. Obviously, the staggered rectangular-hole arrays with more appropriate geometric conditions obtained from FDTD simulation can excellently enhance the IRA of the CMOS compatible thermopile.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24496794,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Laser optical sensor, a label-free on-plate Salmonella enterica colony detection tool.\nWe investigated the application capabilities of a laser optical sensor, BARDOT (bacterial rapid detection using optical scatter technology) to generate differentiating scatter patterns for the 20 most frequently reported serovars of Salmonella enterica. Initially, the study tested the classification ability of BARDOT by using six Salmonella serovars grown on brain heart infusion, brilliant green, xylose lysine deoxycholate, and xylose lysine tergitol 4 (XLT4) agar plates. Highly accurate discrimination (95.9%) was obtained by using scatter signatures collected from colonies grown on XLT4. Further verification used a total of 36 serovars (the top 20 plus 16) comprising 123 strains with classification precision levels of 88 to 100%. The similarities between the optical phenotypes of strains analyzed by BARDOT were in general agreement with the genotypes analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). BARDOT was evaluated for the real-time detection and identification of Salmonella colonies grown from inoculated (1.2 \u00d7 10(2) CFU\/30 g) peanut butter, chicken breast, and spinach or from naturally contaminated meat. After a sequential enrichment in buffered peptone water and modified Rappaport Vassiliadis broth for 4 h each, followed by growth on XLT4 (~16 h), BARDOT detected S. Typhimurium with 84% accuracy in 24 h, returning results comparable to those of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service method, which requires ~72 h. BARDOT also detected Salmonella (90 to 100% accuracy) in the presence of background microbiota from naturally contaminated meat, verified by 16S rRNA sequencing and PFGE. Prolonged residence (28 days) of Salmonella in peanut butter did not affect the bacterial ability to form colonies with consistent optical phenotypes. This study shows BARDOT's potential for nondestructive and high-throughput detection of Salmonella in food samples. High-throughput screening of food products for pathogens would have a significant impact on the reduction of food-borne hazards. A laser optical sensor was developed to screen pathogen colonies on an agar plate instantly without damaging the colonies; this method aids in early pathogen detection by the classical microbiological culture-based method. Here we demonstrate that this sensor was able to detect the 36 Salmonella serovars tested, including the top 20 serovars, and to identify isolates of the top 8 Salmonella serovars. Furthermore, it can detect Salmonella in food samples in the presence of background microbiota in 24 h, whereas the standard USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service method requires about 72 h.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18204405,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Course and prognostic factors for neck pain in whiplash-associated disorders (WAD): results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders.\nBest evidence synthesis. To perform a best evidence synthesis on the course and prognostic factors for neck pain and its associated disorders in Grades I-III whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). Knowledge of the course of recovery of WAD guides expectations for recovery. Identifying prognostic factors assists in planning management and intervention strategies and effective compensation policies to decrease the burden of WAD. The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and its Associated Disorders (Neck Pain Task Force) conducted a critical review of the literature published between 1980 and 2006 to assemble the best evidence on neck pain and its associated disorders. Studies meeting criteria for scientific validity were included in a best evidence synthesis. We found 226 articles related to course and prognostic factors in neck pain and its associated disorders. After a critical review, 70 (31%) were accepted on scientific merit; 47 of these studies related to course and prognostic factors in WAD. The evidence suggests that approximately 50% of those with WAD will report neck pain symptoms 1 year after their injuries. Greater initial pain, more symptoms, and greater initial disability predicted slower recovery. Few factors related to the collision itself (for example, direction of the collision, headrest type) were prognostic; however, postinjury psychological factors such as passive coping style, depressed mood, and fear of movement were prognostic for slower or less complete recovery. There is also preliminary evidence that the prevailing compensation system is prognostic for recovery in WAD. The Neck Pain Task Force undertook a best evidence synthesis to establish a baseline of the current best evidence on the course and prognosis for WAD. Recovery of WAD seems to be multifactorial.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22222628,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the quantification of 5-thio-d-glucose in rat and human plasma.\nA highly selective, sensitive, and robust liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric method for the determination of 5-thio-d-glucose concentrations in rat and human plasma was developed and validated. The sample preparation procedure involved protein precipitation and solid phase extraction, which efficiently removed sources of interference present in the plasma. Chromatographic separation was obtained using an NH(2)-column with distilled water and acetonitrile as the mobile phase under gradient conditions. Detection was performed using tandem mass spectrometry equipped with an electrospray ionization interface in negative ion mode. The selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions for 5-thio-d-glucose and an internal standard (5-thio-d-glucose-(13)C(6)) were m\/z 195\u2192m\/z 105 and m\/z 201\u2192m\/z 108, respectively. The correlation coefficients of the calibration curves ranged from 0.9997 to 0.9999 over a concentration range from 10 to 3000ng\/mL plasma. The validated method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study in rats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33765434,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Specific and general relationships between cortical thickness and cognition in older adults: a longitudinal study.\nPrior studies suggest that relationships between regional cortical thickness and domain-specific cognitive performance can be mediated by the relationship between global cortical thickness and domain-general cognition. Whether such findings extend to longitudinal cognitive change remains unclear. Here, we examined the relationships in healthy older adults between cognitive performance, longitudinal cognitive change over 3 years, and cortical thickness at baseline of the left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left and right hemispheres. Both right IFG and right hemisphere thickness predicted baseline general cognition and domain-specific cognitive performance. Right IFG thickness was also predictive of longitudinal memory change. However, right IFG thickness was uncorrelated with cognitive performance and memory change after controlling for the mean thickness of other ipsilateral cortical regions. In addition, most identified associations between cortical thickness and specific cognitive domains were nonsignificant after controlling for the variance shared with other cognitive domains. Thus, relationships between right IFG thickness, cognitive performance, and memory change appear to be largely accounted for by more generic relationships between cortical thickness and cognition. This article is part of the Virtual Special Issue titled \"COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF HEALTHY AND PATHOLOGICAL AGING\". The full issue can be found on ScienceDirect athttps:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/journal\/neurobiology-of-aging\/special-issue\/105379XPWJP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":627834,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Complement-mediated killing of schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni by rat eosinophils in vitro.\nEosinophils from the peritoneal cavity of normal rats, in the presence of fresh normal rat serum (NRS), adhered to schistosomula of Schistosoma mansoni in vitro and killed the majority of parasites within 18 h. The reaction differed from the previously described antibody-mediated eosinophil adherence to schistosomula which occurs in heat-inactivated immune rat serum (IRS) and where adherence is mediated through Fc receptors. Adherence of eosinophils in fresh NRS was shown to be due to the activation of complement at the schistosomular surface by the alternative pathway, and it was effected through C3 receptors. The ability of eosinophils to kill in Fc-mediated adherence. This enhancement of killer activity may be due to the generation by complement activation of eosinophil chemotactic factors which increase the concentration of cells at the target surface. It is suggested that eosinophil adherence mediated through complement activation could be the principla mechanism of destroying schistosomula in the host.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21940732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Diagnostic difficulties of pure intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a report of eight cases from India.\nBone marrow involvement in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is prognostically important for appropriate management. Intrasinusoidal pattern of bone marrow infiltration is poorly identified on trephine biopsies. We analyzed the clinical, hematological and histopathological spectrum of eight cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma showing pure intrasinusoidal bone marrow infiltration. Fever, cytopenias and blasts in circulation were the indications for bone marrow aspiration and trephine biopsies. Flow cytometry on bone marrow and immunohistochemistry on trephine sections were done. There were five cases of T-cell hepatosplenic non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (three \u03b3\u03b4 T-cell lymphoma) and three B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (two intravascular large B-cell lymphoma and one splenic marginal zone lymphoma). Except the cases with intravascular large B-cell lymphoma, all showed variable splenomegaly without lymphadenopathy. Immunohistochemistry highlighted intrasinusoidal infiltration, which was difficult to discern on hematoxylin and eosin. This brief analysis highlights that pure intrasinusoidal infiltration of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma requires a high degree of diagnostic suspicion and can be seen in various lymphomas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31679816,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Accuracy of contrast-enhanced CT and predictive factors for extracapsular spread in unknown primary head and neck squamous cell cancer.\nTo determine the accuracy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) for nodal extracapsular spread (ECS) and identify predictive radiological signs and clinicopathological features for ECS in unknown-primary head and neck squamous cell cancer (UPHNSCC). The CECT imaging of patients who underwent primary neck dissection for UPHNSCC during 2011-2015 was analysed. The largest pathological-looking node at each radiologically involved level was evaluated in consensus by two head and neck radiologists. Parameters included longest diameter, margin sharpness, haziness in adjacent fat, necrosis, and loss of fat plane with adjacent structures. Independent assessment was also made regarding the presence\/absence of ECS. Findings and clinicopathological parameters were correlated with histopathology. Thirty-one patients with 39 neck levels had metastatic nodal involvement determined on CECT. Confirmed ECS was found at 26 levels in 23 patients. Sensitivity of radiological assessment for ECS by nodal level was 81-85% (95% confidence interval [CI]=65-93%) and specificity 46-54% (95% CI=19-81%); kappa 0.87. On univariate analysis based on the largest involved node per patient, longest diameter being \u226530 mm (p=0.007), haziness in adjacent fat (p=0.023), increasing age (p=0.006), and more advanced pathological nodal status (p=0.027) were statistically significantly associated with ECS. Haziness and increasing age were independent predictors on multivariate analysis (odds ratio [OR]=26.4 and 1.24). Expert assessment of ECS on CECT had good sensitivity with excellent interobserver agreement. A longest nodal diameter of \u226530 mm, haziness in the surrounding fat on CECT, advanced pathological nodal status, and advancing patient age were significantly associated with ECS in UPHNSCC patients, findings not previously reported.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17101362,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Endoscopic excision of benign forehead masses: a novel approach for pediatric general surgeons.\nBenign tumors of the brow and forehead are commonly managed by pediatric general surgeons by excision through an overlying incision. Cosmetic results in children can be suboptimal. Plastic surgeons have used endoscopic brow-lift techniques for the removal of these lesions. We review our experience after adopting this endoscopic technique in a pediatric general surgery practice. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 9 consecutive outpatient procedures (5 girls and 4 boys; age range, 5 months to 12 years) between March and October 2005. Seven patients had lesions located on the lateral brow (left, n = 4; right, n = 3), 1 patient had a lesion on the left mid forehead, and 1 patient had a nasoglabellar cyst. All procedures were performed using endoscopic brow-lift equipment through a single small scalp incision 2 cm posterior to the hairline. Outcome measures included need for conversion, operative time, cosmetic outcome, and complications. All lesions (6 dermoid cysts and 3 pilomatrixomas) were successfully excised endoscopically. The mean operative time was 56 minutes (range, 22-90 minutes). There was no intraoperative or postoperative complication. All families were pleased with the cosmetic outcomes. This case report shows that endoscopic excision of forehead masses is a safe and efficacious procedure in the hands of pediatric general surgeons.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20648888,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Caries prevalence and intra-oral pattern among young children in Ajman.\nTo describe the prevalence and intra-oral pattern of caries among young children in Ajman, UAE. A one-stage cluster sampling was used to randomly select children aged 5 or 6 years old who were enrolled in public or private schools in Ajman. Clinical examinations for dental caries were conducted by a single examiner using WHO criteria. The total number of children sampled was 1297, of whom 1036 (79.9%) were dentally examined. The prevalence of caries (defined as dmft > 0) in 5- and 6-year-olds was 72.9% (95% CI, 61.8, 83.9) and 80.0% (95% CI, 76.0, 84.4) respectively, with mean dmft scores of 4.0 (sd, 4.1) and 4.9 (sd, 4.3) respectively (P < 0.05). The teeth most frequently affected by caries were mandibular second molars (38.6% of those on the left, and 36.9% of those on the right) and the least affected were mandibular central incisors (2.1% and 2.0% respectively). The prevalence of bilateral molar caries (that is, contralateral teeth both affected) was relatively high, being 29.7% for mandibular second molars and 28.3% for mandibular first molars. Dental caries prevalence and severity in 5- and 6-year-olds in Ajman were high, with the lower molars and upper central incisors most commonly affected by caries. There is an urgent need for oral health programs targeted at the treatment and prevention of dental caries in these children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3204548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Format and content of medical record summaries in 27 training practices.\nTwenty seven established trainers enrolled on an advanced course for trainers were sent a set of medical records with the instruction to summarize them as they would any set of records going into their practice. The main finding of the study was the great variability of the summaries produced, often owing to the failure to include important information from the continuation cards. The need for nationally recognized standards in summary making is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23201770,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Tocotrienols reverse cardiovascular, metabolic and liver changes in high carbohydrate, high fat diet-fed rats.\nTocotrienols have been reported to improve lipid profiles, reduce atherosclerotic lesions, decrease blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin concentrations, normalise blood pressure in vivo and inhibit adipogenesis in vitro, yet their role in the metabolic syndrome has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the effects of palm tocotrienol-rich fraction (TRF) on high carbohydrate, high fat diet-induced metabolic, cardiovascular and liver dysfunction in rats. Rats fed a high carbohydrate, high fat diet for 16 weeks developed abdominal obesity, hypertension, impaired glucose and insulin tolerance with increased ventricular stiffness, lower systolic function and reduced liver function. TRF treatment improved ventricular function, attenuated cardiac stiffness and hypertension, and improved glucose and insulin tolerance, with reduced left ventricular collagen deposition and inflammatory cell infiltration. TRF improved liver structure and function with reduced plasma liver enzymes, inflammatory cell infiltration, fat vacuoles and balloon hepatocytes. TRF reduced plasma free fatty acid and triglyceride concentrations but only omental fat deposition was decreased in the abdomen. These results suggest that tocotrienols protect the heart and liver, and improve plasma glucose and lipid profiles with minimal changes in abdominal obesity in this model of human metabolic syndrome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19594292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Radiographic texture analysis of densitometric calcaneal images: relationship to clinical characteristics and to bone fragility.\nOsteoporotic fractures are related not only to bone mineral density (BMD) but also to bone structure or microarchitecture, which is not assessed routinely with currently available methods. We have developed radiographic texture analysis (RTA) for calcaneal images from a peripheral densitometer as an easy, noninvasive method for assessing bone structure. We conducted a cross-sectional study of the relationship between RTA and prevalent vertebral fractures (n = 148) among 900 subjects (ages 19 to 99 years, 94 males) referred for bone densitometry as part of their routine medical care. RTA features were derived from Fourier-based image analysis of the radiographic texture pattern (including root mean square, first moment, and power spectral analyses). RTA features were associated with age, weight, gender, and race, as well as glucocorticoid use. When controlling for clinical risk factors and BMD (or a summary measure calculated using FRAX algorithms), RTA features were significantly different for subjects with and without prevalent vertebral fractures [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.5 per 1 standard deviation (SD) decrease in RTA feature beta, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-1.8, p = .001]. Gender and use of pharmacologic therapy for osteoporosis did not significantly affect this association, suggesting that RTA can be applied to a wide range of densitometry patients. We conclude that RTA obtained using a portable instrument has a potential as a noninvasive method to enhance identification of patients at increased risk of osteoporotic fractures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22316701,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Design of educational artifacts as support to learning process.\nThe aim of this paper is to identify utilization schemes developed by students and teachers in their interaction with educational workstations in the electronic measurement and instrumentation laboratory at the Department of Electrical Engineering in the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil. After that, these schemes were used to design a new workstation. For this, it was important to bear in mind that the mentioned artifacts contain two key characteristics: (1) one from the designers themselves, resulting from their experience and their technical knowledge of what they are designing and (2) the experience from users and the means through which they take advantage of and develop these artifacts, in turn rendering them appropriate to perform the proposed task - the utilization schemes developed in the process of mediation between the user and the artifact. The satisfactory fusion of these two points makes these artifacts a functional unit - the instruments. This research aims to demonstrate that identifying the utilization schemes by taking advantage of user experience and incorporating this within the design, facilitates its appropriation and, consequently, its efficiency as an instrument of learning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30985408,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Long Working Hours and Poor Self-Rated Health in the Young Working Population in Korea.\n: This cross-sectional study investigated the association between long working hours and prevalence of poor self-rated health (SRH) in Korean young workers using data from the 6th Korea Youth Panel Survey 2007. A total of 3317 young wage workers were included. Weekly working hours were divided into four groups (36 to 40 hours, 41 to 52 hours, 53 to 60 hours, and more than 60 hours per week). Multiple logistic regression was performed to investigate the association between long working hours and SRH, adjusting for demographic and work-related factors. Long working hours were associated with increased risk of poor SRH, in both the men and women. Legal restriction on working hours should be suitably applied to help improve the health status of Korean young workers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21115102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Biochemical and molecular aspects of aluminium chloride-induced neurotoxicity in mice and the protective role of Crocus sativus L. extraction and honey syrup.\nAluminium has been proposed as an environmental factor that may affect several enzymes and other biomolecules related to neurotoxicity and Alzheimer's disease (AD). The promising protective effect of aqueous saffron extract and honey syrup on neurotoxicity induced by aluminuim chloride (AlCl(3)) may be derived from their own antioxidant properties. Balb\/c and C57BL\/6 mice (35-40 g) were injected with AlCl(3), 40 mg\/kg\/day for 45 days. Each mice strain was divided into four groups: AlCl(3) treated group, AlCl(3) plus water saffron extract group (administered with saffron extract at 200 mg\/kg b.w. once a day for the experimental period), AlCl(3) plus honey syrup group (administered with honey syrup at 500 mg\/kg b.w. for 45 days). The control group received no treatment. Oxidative stress and antioxidant status were estimated in the brain and differential display was performed for both mice strains to scan the mRNA in the treated and non treated groups. In addition, the up and down regulated genes were isolated, cloned and sequenced. The sequence analysis was performed and compared with the other genes cited on GenBank. The results show that there was a decrease in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes (P\u22640.001) such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the AlCl3 groups of both mice strains. The level of brain thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) showed a significant increase (P\u22640.001) of lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the AlCl(3) groups. There was an indication of carcinogenicity in the AlCl(3) treated group representing an increase in serum tumor markers such as arginase and a-l-fucosidase. More than 350 band patterns were obtained and about 22 different up-down regulated genes were observed. The sequence analysis of the three selected up-regulated genes revealed that they are similar to B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), R-spondin and the inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase genes (INPP4B), respectively. The R-spondin gene was up-regulated in all examined animals except the control ones but the other two genes were only induced in the animals treated with AlCl(3) and honey syrup. We conclude that the biochemical and molecular studies showed the neurotoxicity of AlCl(3) in the brains of mice. In addition, there was an ameliorative change with saffron extract and honey syrup against AlCl(3) neurotoxicity. The obtained molecular results suggest that AlCl(3) made induction for BCL-W gene, which is an anticancer gene or belongs to the DNA repair system in the brain cells, as well as for R-spondin and inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase genes, which help in cell proliferation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31229588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Peptidomimetic inhibitors targeting the membrane-binding site of the neutrophil proteinase 3.\nProteinase 3 (PR3), together with other serine proteases, such as neutrophil elastase (NE) and cathepsin G (CG), regulates inflammatory and immune responses. However, in comparison with NE and CG, there is increasing evidence that PR3 functions significantly differ. In particular, PR3 can bind to cell membranes and such membrane-bound PR3 (mbPR3) might be differently involved in the activation of cytokines, growth factors, cellular receptors, and in the regulation of cell apoptosis. For instance, PR3 membrane binding can block some \"eat me\" signals, notably, phosphatidylserine membrane lipid, and facilitate non-resolving inflammation. Based on the clear evidence that PR3 membrane binding affects the biological functions of PR3, we designed peptidomimetic inhibitors that can remove mbPR3 from the membrane surface in vitro without influencing PR3 catalytic activity. Such inhibitors, which specifically target PR3 binding to membranes, are still lacking. In particular, we found peptidomimetics that inhibit binding of PR3 to POPC:PS liposomes, which mimic the biological environment of PR3.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7578834,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Analysis of hypercholesterolemia care costs in primary health care].\n1) To calculate the care costs of Hypercholesterolaemia in Primary Care in terms of the number of visits to the doctor, analyses and drugs. 2) To calculate the effectiveness of the intervention. A retrospective study. Primary Care Centre. 97 histories of patients diagnosed as having Hypercholesterolaemia, obtained by systematic sampling from the Centre's morbidity register, were analysed. A control with the same age, sex and risk factors was chosen for each one of them. The study period was 12 months. For those patients diagnosed as having Hypercholesterolaemia after the opening of the centre, the initial figures and those at the end of the study for total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol (cLDL) and HDL cholesterol (cHDL) were analysed. There were no differences between the demographic characteristics and the risk factors of the cases and controls. An excess of attendances (average of 9.0 against 6.0, p = 0.01), of hypolipaemic and non-hypolipaemic drugs (average of 4.0 against 3.0, p = 0.006) and of analyses (average of 2.0 against 0.0, p = 0.0001) were detected for the cases. The following variations were found between the initial and final figures: for total Cholesterol (-7.2%, p = 0.001), for cLDL (-11.6%, p = 0.006) and cHDL (+18.2%, p < 0.0001). 1) Hypercholesterolaemia care in a mainly selective manner for people at high risk was shown to be reasonably effective and affordable. 2) Before starting other strategies for detecting Hypercholesterolaemia, adequate prioritisation and evaluation of their impact on health-care delivery are required.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24616308,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Circulating tumor cell counts are prognostic of overall survival in SWOG S0421: a phase III trial of docetaxel with or without atrasentan for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.\nCirculating tumor cell (CTC) enumeration has not been prospectively validated in standard first-line docetaxel treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. We assessed the prognostic value of CTCs for overall survival (OS) and disease response in S0421, a phase III trial of docetaxel plus prednisone with or without atrasentan. CTCs were enumerated at baseline (day 0) and before cycle two (day 21) using CellSearch. Baseline counts and changes in counts from day 0 to 21 were evaluated for association with OS, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and RECIST response using Cox regression as well as receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves, integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) analysis, and regression trees. Median day-0 CTC count was five cells per 7.5 mL, and CTCs < versus \u2265 five per 7.5 mL were significantly associated with baseline PSA, bone pain, liver disease, hemoglobin, alkaline phosphatase, and subsequent PSA and RECIST response. Median OS was 26 months for < five versus 13 months for \u2265 five CTCs per 7.5 mL at day 0 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.74 [adjusting for covariates]). ROC curves had higher areas under the curve for day-0 CTCs than for PSA, and IDI analysis showed that adding day-0 CTCs to baseline PSA and other covariates increased predictive accuracy for survival by 8% to 10%. Regression trees yielded new prognostic subgroups, and rising CTC count from day 0 to 21 was associated with shorter OS (HR, 2.55). These data validate the prognostic utility of CTC enumeration in a large docetaxel-based prospective cohort. Baseline CTC counts were prognostic, and rising CTCs at 3 weeks heralded significantly worse OS, potentially serving as an early metric to help redirect and optimize therapy in this clinical setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29092255,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Tunable high harmonic pulses from nanorings swirled by optical vortices.\nIrradiating intercalated nanorings by optical vortices ignites a charge flow that emits coherent trains of high harmonic bursts with frequencies and time structures that are controllable by the topological charge of the driving vortex beam. Similar to synchrotron radiation, the polarization of emitted harmonics is also selectable by tuning to the appropriate emission angle with respect to the ring plane. The nonequilibrium orbital magnetic moment triggered in a ring tunnels quantum mechanically to smaller and larger rings leading respectively to high and low-frequency harmonic generation. The frequencies of the emitted harmonics are tunable by simply changing the waist and\/or the winding number of the optical vortex, without the need to increase the pulse intensity which can lead to material damage. These findings follow from full-fledged quantum dynamic simulations for realistic material and laser parameters. The proposed setup is non-destructive as only short vortex pulses of moderate intensities are needed, and it offers a versatile tool for nanoscale optical and spectroscopic applications such as local, single beam pump-probe experiments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9409542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Biogenesis of eukaryotic 20S proteasomes: the complex maturation pathway of a complex enzyme.\nEukaryotic 20S proteasomes harbor a remarkably complex architecture and unique proteolytic properties. Its catalytic mechanism places this enzyme in a new kind of protease family. The recently solved crystal structure of the yeast 20S complex, along with elucidation of the maturation pathway of human proteasomes, has allowed insight into structure\/function relationships. Although not all of the unusual enzymatic properties such as broad substrate specificity, predominant generation of peptides with a specific size, or susceptibility to activating complexes can be explained in detail, knowledge of the structure provides important hints for an explanation of underlying mechanisms. Except for ribosome biogenesis, the complexity of eukaryotic proteasome maturation is without precedence. It is a slow process that involves a series of precisely ordered events. Proteasome structure formation is characterized by an initial cooperative formation of an alpha ring matrix, providing docking sites for a defined subset of beta subunits. Subsequent structural rearrangement allows the residual subunits to bind, followed by dimerization of two half-proteasomes. The prosequences of beta subunits exert specific functions during this process and are removed by cis- and trans-autocatalysis, most likely in the completely assembled proteasome cylinder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16868170,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of MR\/fluoroscopy-guided portosystemic shunt creation in a swine model.\nTo evaluate three different percutaneous portosystemic shunts created with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and fluoroscopy guidance in a swine model. In stage 1 of the experiment, an active MR intravascular needle system was created for needle tracking and extracaval punctures. Twenty inferior vena cava (IVC)\/superior mesenteric vein (SMV)\/portal vein (PV) punctures were performed in 10 swine (weight, 40-45 kg) in a 1.5-T short-bore interventional MR imager. With use of a real-time MR imaging sequence, the needle was guided through the IVC and into the SMV or PV (N = 20 punctures). After confirmation, a wire was advanced into the portal venous system under MR imaging guidance (N = 20). In stage 2, animals were transferred to the radiographic fluoroscopy suite for deployment of shunts. Three different shunts were evaluated in this study: (i) a commercial stent-graft, (ii) a prototype bridging stent, and (iii) a prototype nitinol vascular anastomotic device. Postprocedural necropsy was performed in all animals. Successful MR-guided IVC\/SMV punctures were performed in all 20 procedures (100%). All three shunts were deployed. Stent-grafts had the poorest mechanism for securing a shunt. The vascular anastomotic device and the bridging stent had more secure anchoring mechanisms but also had higher technical failure rates (50% and 40%, respectively). When deployed successfully, the vascular anastomotic device resulted in no bleeding at the sites of punctures at necropsy. Percutaneous shunts and vascular anastomoses between the portal mesenteric venous system and IVC were successfully created with use of a combination of MR imaging and conventional fluoroscopy for guidance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22212801,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Metrology of laser-guided particles in air-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber.\nMicrometer-sized particles are trapped in front of an air-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber using a novel dual-beam trap. A backward guided mode produces a divergent beam that diffracts out of the core, and simultaneously a focused laser beam launches a forward-propagating mode into the core. By changing the backward\/forward power balance, a trapped particle can be selectively launched into the hollow core. Once inside, particles can be optically propelled along several meters of fiber with mobilities as high as 19 cm\u00b7s(-1) W(-1) (precisely measured using in-fiber Doppler velocimetry). The results are in excellent agreement with theory. The system allows determination of fiber loss as well as the mass density and refractive index of single particles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15109137,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Comparative study of X-ray computerised tomography and conventional X-ray methods in diagnosis of swimbladder infection in eels caused by Anguillicola crassus.\nTo date, swimbladder lesions due to Anguillicola crassus infection of the European eel Anguilla anguilla have so far been studied only by conventional X-ray methods. This is the first study to report the use of computerised tomography (CT) for studying lesions induced by anguillicolosis. Of 50 eels caught by electrofishery from Lake Balaton, Hungary, in autumn 2002 and pre-selected by a conventional X-ray method, 22 specimens were examined with a Siemens Somatom Plus S40 spiral CT scanner. Tomograms, radiographs and photographs of 5 of these, showing anguillicolosis-induced swimbladder lesions of varying severity, are presented. Computerised tomograms provide information on the inner structure, air content and wall thickness of the swimbladder as well as on the number of worms it contains. When the swimbladder is not severely affected or not completely filled with worms, computerised tomography provides adequate data on the shape of the swimbladder, thickness of the swimbladder wall and the location of worms in the lumen. However, in more severe cases, i.e. when the swimbladder is tightly packed with worms or contains no air as a result of wall-thickening, this method fails to determine the number and location of helminths or the thickness of the swimbladder wall.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27184178,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Are Surgeons Born or Made? A Comparison of Personality Traits and Learning Styles Between Surgical Trainees and Medical Students.\nMedical students and surgical trainees differ considerably in both their preferential learning styles and personality traits. This study compares the personality profiles and learning styles of surgical trainees with a cohort of medical students specifically intent on pursuing a surgical career. A cross-sectional study was conducted contrasting surgical trainees with medical students specifying surgical career intent. The 50-item International Personality Item Pool Big-Five Factor Marker (FFM) questionnaire was used to score 5 personality domains (extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness to experience, and neuroticism). The 24-item Learning Style Inventory (LSI) Questionnaire was used to determine the preferential learning styles (visual, auditory, or tactile). \u03c7(2) Analysis and independent samples t-test were used to compare LSI and FFM scores, respectively. Surgical trainees from several UK surgical centers were contrasted to undergraduate medical students. A total of 53 medical students who had specifically declared desire to pursue a surgical career and were currently undertaking an undergraduate intercalated degree in surgical sciences were included and contrasted to 37 UK core surgical trainees (postgraduate years 3-4). The LSI questionnaire was completed by 53 students and 37 trainees. FFM questionnaire was completed by 29 medical students and 34 trainees. No significant difference for learning styles preference was detected between the 2 groups (p = 0.139), with the visual modality being the preferred learning style for both students and trainees (69.8% and 54.1%, respectively). Neuroticism was the only personality trait to differ significantly between the 2 groups, with medical students scoring significantly higher than trainees (2.9 vs. 2.6, p = 0.03). Medical students intent on pursuing a surgical career exhibit similar personality traits and learning styles to surgical trainees, with both groups preferring the visual learning modality. These findings facilitate future research into potential ways of improving both the training and selection of students and junior trainees onto residency programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19010531,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The controlled release of drugs from emulsified, sol gel processed silica microspheres.\nControlled release silica sol gels are room temperature processed, porous, resorbable materials with generally good compatibility. Many molecules including drugs, proteins and growth factors can be released from sol gels and the quantity and duration of the release can vary widely. Processing parameters render these release properties exquisitely versatile. The synthesis of controlled release sol gels typically includes acid catalyzed hydrolysis to form a sol with the molecules included. This is then followed by casting, aging and drying. Additional steps such as grinding and sieving are required to produce sol gel granules of a desirable size. In this study, we focus on the synthesis of sol gel microspheres by using a novel process with only two steps. The novelty is related to acid-base catalysis of the sol prior to emulsification. Sol gel microspheres containing either vancomycin (antibiotic) or bupivacaine (analgesic) were successfully synthesized using this method. Both drugs showed controlled, load dependent and time dependent release from the microspheres. The in vitro release properties of sol gel microspheres were remarkably different from those of sol gel granules produced by grinding and sieving. In contrast to a fast, short-term release from granules, the release from microspheres was slower and of longer duration. In addition, the degradation rate of microspheres was significantly slower than that of the granules. Using various mathematical models, the data reveal that the release from sol gel powder is governed by two distinct phases of release. In addition, the release from emulsified microspheres is delayed, a finding that can be attributed to differences in surface properties of the particles produced by emulsification and those produced by casting and grinding. The presented results represent an excellent data set for designing and implementing preclinical studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8051894,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The right foreign body at the wrong site].\nIn ophthalmology like in any other medical field, some natural tissue or a piece of artificial material may be found in an unusual location. We are going to describe two extraordinary clinical cases: a tuft of hair in the conjunctiva and a luxated posterior chamber lens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24520123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"T cell-derived IL-22 amplifies IL-1\u03b2-driven inflammation in human adipose tissue: relevance to obesity and type 2 diabetes.\nProinflammatory cytokines are critically involved in the alteration of adipose tissue biology leading to deterioration of glucose homeostasis in obesity. Here we show a pronounced proinflammatory signature of adipose tissue macrophages in type 2 diabetic obese patients, mainly driven by increased NLRP3-dependent interleukin (IL)-1\u03b2 production. IL-1\u03b2 release increased with glycemic deterioration and decreased after gastric bypass surgery. A specific enrichment of IL-17- and IL-22-producing CD4(+) T cells was found in adipose tissue of type 2 diabetic obese patients. Coculture experiments identified the effect of macrophage-derived IL-1\u03b2 to promote IL-22 and IL-17 production by human adipose tissue CD4(+) T cells. Reciprocally, adipose tissue macrophages express IL-17 and IL-22 receptors, making them sensitive to IL-17 and IL-22. IL-22 increased IL-1\u03b2 release by inducing pro-IL-1\u03b2 transcription through activation of C-Jun pathways in macrophages. In sum, these human data identified IL-1\u03b2 and the T-cell cytokine IL-22 as key players of a paracrine inflammatory pathway previously unidentified in adipose tissue, with a pathological relevance to obesity-induced type 2 diabetes. These results provide an additional rationale for targeting IL-1\u03b2 in obesity-linked type 2 diabetes and may have important implications for the conception of novel combined anti-IL-1\u03b2 and anti-IL-22 immunotherapy in human obesity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11159868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Delivery of a cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate response element-binding protein (creb) mutant to seminiferous tubules results in impaired spermatogenesis.\nFSH binding to Sertoli cells is required for optimal production of sperm in mammals. The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a major mediator of FSH-induced changes in gene expression. To determine whether CREB is required for spermatogenesis, an adenovirus encoding a phosphorylation-defective CREB mutant (AdCREBm1) was used to inhibit CREB activity in Sertoli cells. Addition of AdCREBm1 to primary rat Sertoli cell cultures completely abolished induction of the CREB-regulated c-fos gene. Injection of an adenovirus encoding ss-galactosidase into the rat testis seminiferous tubules in vivo demonstrated that predominately Sertoli cells were infected by adenovirus. AdCREBm1-directed expression of CREBm1 in seminiferous tubules did not affect Sertoli cell viability, but resulted in the apoptosis of meiotic spermatocyte germ cells within 4 days of adenovirus injection into seminiferous tubules. Disrupted spermatogenesis, defined by at least a 75% reduction of round spermatids, was observed in 42 +\/- 5.8% of seminiferous tubules 14 days after AdCREBm1 infection, whereas using this criteria, testes injected with a control adenovirus did not display disrupted spermatogenesis. These data demonstrate that AdCREBm1 causes apoptosis and elimination of germ cells and suggest that CREB is required to produce a Sertoli cell-derived factor that is critical for germ cell survival.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8572692,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phylogenetic position of yeastlike endosymbionts of anobiid beetles.\nThe Anobiid beetles Stegobium paniceum and Lasioderma serricorne possess the intracellular yeastlike symbionts Symbiotaphrina buchneri and Symbiotaphrina kochii, respectively, in the mycetome between the foregut and midgut. The nucleotide sequences of the small-subunit rRNA-encoding genes of the symbionts were determined for phylogenetic analysis. Five group I introns were found in the small-subunit rRNA-encoding genes of S. buchneri, but S. kochii lacked introns. The phylogenetic position of both symbionts was close to the class Discomycetes, which is a paraphyletic group. The two symbionts formed a monophyletic group distinct from the other major lineages. Both appear to have parted from other filamentous fungi during the early radiation of the euascomycetes and to have later become obligatory partners of the beetles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32529917,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficacy and safety of afatinib for non-small-cell lung cancer: state-of-the-art and future perspectives.\nAfatinib is a second-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, acting as an irreversible and multitarget blocker of ErbB family members. Afatinib is currently approved for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring common and uncommon sensitizing EGFR mutations and for squamous NSCLC patients progressing after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. This review summarizes the efficacy and safety profile of afatinib compared with chemotherapy and other EGFR TKIs, in order to evaluate its characteristics and potential role in the increasingly complex treatment landscape of EGFR-mutant lung cancer. Future perspectives and innovative drug combinations are also discussed. Afatinib has been demonstrated to improve efficacy and quality of life compared with chemotherapy with a managed toxicity profile. However, in recent years, the increasing availability of different treatment options for advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC has made the current treatment scenario more complicated, with an increasing need of new and deeper scientific data. In this light, the identification and validation of potential clinicopathological and\/or molecular predictors of benefit, as well as the clarification of resistance mechanisms, may help to clarify the most appropriate treatment strategies and sequences for EGFR-mutant patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17940543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Migration and differences in dietary habits-a cross sectional study of Finnish twins in Sweden.\nTo compare dietary habits between Finnish twin migrants to Sweden and their co-twins always living in Finland, and to analyse how migration influenced food consumption patterns in the migrants. Same-sexed twin pairs born in Finland below 75 years of age, with at least one twin migrating to Sweden (n=1083 pairs). Dietary habits were assessed by a food frequency questionnaire included in a comprehensive mailed questionnaire (response rate 71%). For 76 male twin pairs, information was also collected by a dietary history interview inquiring the habitual diet during the previous year. Migrant twins in Sweden had a lower intake of typical Finnish foods like dark bread and berries, and an increased consumption of fresh fruit compared with co-twins living in Finland. The migrants consumed less potatoes and more rice and pasta. Sweet pastries were consumed less often by the migrants and they also tended to more often cut out visible fat of meat and on the other hand add salt to dishes. Among men the migrants had a lower alcohol intake than their co-twins living in Finland. Migration from Finland to Sweden is associated with differences in the food pattern that reflect population differences in eating habits between the two countries. The differences include a reduced consumption of typical Finnish foods like dark bread and berries and are of bidirectional nature from the point of view of cardiovascular health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30201804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Adaptation to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Requires Transphosphorylation within the Activation Loop of Protein Kinases Kin1 and Kin2, Orthologs of Human Microtubule Affinity-Regulating Kinase.\nPerturbations in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis, a condition termed ER stress, activate the unfolded protein response (UPR), an intracellular network of signaling pathways. Recently, we have shown that protein kinase Kin1 and its paralog, Kin2, in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (orthologs of microtubule affinity-regulating kinase in humans) contribute to the UPR function. These Kin kinases contain a conserved kinase domain and an autoinhibitory kinase-associated 1 (KA1) domain separated by a long undefined domain. Here, we show that Kin1 or Kin2 protein requires minimally a kinase domain and an adjacent kinase extension region (KER) for UPR function. We also show that the functional mini-Kin2 protein is predominantly visualized inside the cells and precipitated with the cellular membrane fraction, suggesting its association with the cellular endomembrane system. Furthermore, we show that transphosphorylation of the Kin1 residue T302 and the analogous Kin2 residue T281 within the activation loop are important for full kinase activity. Collectively, our data suggest that, during ER stress, the Kin kinase domain is released from its autoinhibitory KA1 domain and is activated by transphosphorylation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28956582,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Effect of the dietary intake of melatonin- and hydroxytyrosol-rich wines by healthy female volunteers on the systemic lipidomic-related oxylipins.\nOxylipins are lipid mediators involved in the physiopathology of all organs. Moreover, isoprostanes have been established as general and reliable in vivo oxidative stress biomarkers. Red wine has proved to exert several benefits through the maintenance of the oxidative balance of the organism. Antiradical scavenging capacity has been mainly attributed to polyphenols. However, melatonin and hydroxytyrosol should be taken into account as potent antiradical agents. The present research aimed to clarify the situation of enzymatic and oxidative injury and eicosanoid urinary excretion related to the intake of three kinds of red wines and their primary musts. Judging by the reduction in the excretion of isoprostanes, red wine consumption exhibited the highest antioxidant protection against oxidative stress, attributed to its OHTyr content (p < 0.05), and to a lesser extent to its MEL content. Similarly, the intake of red wine leads to the cardioprotective effect due to the reduction in the urinary excretion of the pro-inflammatory prostaglandin 2,3-dinor-11-\u03b2-PGF2\u03b1, besides the increase in the vasodilator prostaglandin PGE1, mediated by the melatonin (p < 0.05) and hydroxytyrosol (p < 0.05) contents. In conclusion, red wine (especially non-aged wine) exerts a higher in vivo antioxidant capacity than must or alcohol.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12143964,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cross-species conservation of SEL1L, a human pancreas-specific expressing gene.\nSEL1L is a recently cloned and organ-specific expressing human gene whose function is still at an embryonic stage but displays several interesting characteristics, among which a remarkable cross-species conservation. During evolution, the gene structural complexity increased, suggesting a diversification of its function; however, several amino acid motifs remain perfectly conserved from the bacteria to the human protein. SEL1L is the human ortholog of the C. elegans gene sel-1; the latter is implicated in the negative regulation of LIN-12\/GLP-1\/Notch receptor proteins. These receptor proteins play fundamental roles in signal transduction pathways and are key players in cell fate determination during the development of various organs. Studies in model organisms, such as C. elegans, helped to illuminate fundamental mechanisms involved in normal cellular functions and human diseases. This paper describes the conserved nature of SEL1L across a wide range of species suggesting, that the encoded protein most likely exerts a very important biological function; it may belong to a subclass of genes considered to be \"essential.\"","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9403694,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Miranda directs Prospero to a daughter cell during Drosophila asymmetric divisions.\nAsymmetric cell division is a general process used in many developmental contexts to create two differently fated cells from a single progenitor cell. Intrinsic mechanisms like the asymmetric transmission of cell-fate determinants during cell division, and extrinsic cell-interaction mechanisms, can mediate asymmetric divisions. During embryonic development of the Drosophila central nervous system, neural stem cells called neuroblasts divide asymmetrically to produce another multipotent neuroblast and a ganglion mother cell (GMC) of more restricted developmental potential. Intrinsic mechanisms promote asymmetric division of neuroblasts: for example, the transcription factor Prospero localizes to the basal cell cortex of mitotic neuroblasts and then segregates exclusively into the GMC, which buds off from the basal side of the neuroblast. In the GMC, Prospero translocates to the nucleus, where it establishes differential gene expression between sibling cells. Here we report the identification of a gene, miranda, which encodes a new protein that co-localizes with Prospero in mitotic neuroblasts, tethers Prospero to the basal cortex of mitotic neuroblasts, directing Prospero into the GMC, and releases Prospero from the cell cortex within GMCs. miranda thus creates intrinsic differences between sibling cells by mediating the asymmetric segregation of a transcription factor into only one daughter cell during neural stem-cell division.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27447499,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Reconstruction of Bulk Operators within the Entanglement Wedge in Gauge-Gravity Duality.\nIn this Letter we prove a simple theorem in quantum information theory, which implies that bulk operators in the anti-de Sitter\/conformal field theory (AdS\/CFT) correspondence can be reconstructed as CFT operators in a spatial subregion A, provided that they lie in its entanglement wedge. This is an improvement on existing reconstruction methods, which have at most succeeded in the smaller causal wedge. The proof is a combination of the recent work of Jafferis, Lewkowycz, Maldacena, and Suh on the quantum relative entropy of a CFT subregion with earlier ideas interpreting the correspondence as a quantum error correcting code.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27792221,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Successful treatment of groin pain syndrome in a pole-vault athlete with core stability exercise.\nThe purpose of this case report was to present a case of groin pain in a pole vault athlete describing the biomechanical features of the injury`s mechanism, acute medical management, and its successful rehabilitation. A 22-year-old professional pole-vaulter sustained an injury during a regular training session. The athlete reported significant left lower abdominal and left proximal adductor discomfort in all activities, including basic trunk motion when moving in bed, sit to stand, and walking, and was unable to return to the regular training. Clinical evaluation and imaging studies addressed the injury to a case of adductor-related groin pain associated with pubic symphysis degeneration. Treatment consisted of an exercise-based therapeutic protocol based on trunk and core muscle strengthening and stability program, with progressive motor and functional demands. Significant improvements in the overall clinical findings and functional outcomes were reported after 52 days of intervention when the athletes returned to his full athletic activity. These results suggest that an appropriate rehabilitation program, focused on trunk and core musculature stability exercise addressing to sport-related specific demands, should be considered as an optimal conservative method in the multidisciplinary approach for treatment of groin pain and prior to any surgical intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17088983,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Identification of ID2 associated with invasion of hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma by gene expression profile.\nPortal vein invasion (PVI) is a hallmark of metastatic potential of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is frequently found at a stage of moderately differentiated HCC. To identify genes involved in PVI of HCC associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV), we performed a comprehensive analysis of 12,600 genes in 35 moderately differentiated HCV-related HCCs by DNA microarray. Our supervised learning method identified 35 genes involved in PVI. Among the 35 identified genes, we focused on the inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2), because it encodes a liver-rich dominant-negative helix-loop-helix protein. The microarray results for ID2 were reproduced by quantitative real-time reverse transcription (QRT)-PCR and Western blot analyses. In an independent set of HCV-related HCCs (n=28) and HCV-unrelated HCCs (n=14), our QRT-PCR showed that decrease in ID2 mRNA levels were associated with PVI in HCV-related HCC but not HCV-unrelated HCC. In conclusion, our results strongly suggest that ID2 plays an important role in PVI process of HCV-related HCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26526804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Outcomes After Skin and Soft Tissue Infection in Infants 90 Days Old or Younger.\nSkin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are an increasingly common cause of pediatric hospital visits among infants. The optimal evaluation strategy for younger infants with SSTI is unknown because there is little information about outcomes including risks of concomitant bacterial infections and treatment failure. This study was designed to determine rates of concomitant invasive bacterial infection and hospital revisits for treatment failure as well as factors associated with treatment failure in infants presenting with SSTI. Retrospective study of patients\u226490 days of age who received care from the 22 emergency departments and hospitals in the Intermountain Healthcare system from July 1, 2004 to December 31, 2011, with a primary discharge diagnosis of SSTI. Concomitant bacterial infections were defined as urinary tract infection (UTI; culture-confirmed) or invasive bacterial infection (IBI; culture-confirmed bacteremia and\/or meningitis). Treatment failure was defined as any unplanned change in care at hospital revisit within 14 days of discharge. The study included 172 infants; 29 (17%) were febrile, and 91 (53%) had \u22651 sterile site culture performed. One case of bacteremia in a febrile infant was identified giving an overall proportion with UTI\/IBI of 0.58% (95% confidence interval 0.01%-3.2%). Sixteen infants (9.3%; 95% confidence interval 5.4%-14.7%) returned for treatment failure. Perianal location (P=.03) and private insurance status (P=.01) were associated with more treatment failures compared with other locations or payer types. No patients returned for missed UTI\/IBI. Concomitant bacterial infections were rare in infants with SSTI, with none identified in afebrile infants. Treatment failure of SSTI leading to hospital revisit was common.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30759982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"DeepDDG: Predicting the Stability Change of Protein Point Mutations Using Neural Networks.\nAccurately predicting changes in protein stability due to mutations is important for protein engineering and for understanding the functional consequences of missense mutations in proteins. We have developed DeepDDG, a neural network-based method, for use in the prediction of changes in the stability of proteins due to point mutations. The neural network was trained on more than 5700 manually curated experimental data points and was able to obtain a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.48-0.56 for three independent test sets, which outperformed 11 other methods. Detailed analysis of the input features shows that the solvent accessible surface area of the mutated residue is the most important feature, which suggests that the buried hydrophobic area is the major determinant of protein stability. We expect this method to be useful for large-scale design and engineering of protein stability. The neural network is freely available to academic users at http:\/\/protein.org.cn\/ddg.html .","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23190587,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire in the arctic.\nInformation about physical activity (PA) in Greenland is limited, partly because of a lack of validated instruments in countries with non-Western living conditions. We modified the long form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-L) to arctic living conditions. The aim of the study was to compare IPAQ-L estimates with combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring (ACC + HR) in a population-based study of adult Inuit in Greenland. Cross-sectional data were collected by face-to-face interview and ACC + HR monitoring among Inuit (18 yr and above) in Greenland during 2005-2010 (n = 1508). PA energy expenditure (PAEE) and time spent sedentary and on PA at moderate and vigorous intensity were derived from IPAQ-L and ACC + HR. Estimates were compared using Bland-Altman agreement analysis and Spearman correlations stratified by sex, place of residence (capital, towns, and villages), and age groups. Questionnaire-based PAEE was moderately correlated with objectively measured PAEE (r = 0.20-0.35, P < 0.01). Self-reported time spent at moderate- and vigorous-intensity PA and time spent sedentary were weakly correlated with the objective measure (r = 0.11-0.31). Agreement analyses showed relatively small median differences for all measures of PA; however, time spent at moderate-intensity PA was substantially overreported by IPAQ-L when including walking (>1.5 h\u00b7d, P < 0.001) but not when excluding walking. The IPAQ-L adapted to arctic living conditions in Greenland had a moderate level of agreement with combined accelerometry and heart rate monitoring for total PAEE at population level, but it was less valid to measure different intensities of PA and sedentary activity. Validity did not differ markedly between rural and urban communities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27441490,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fabrication of PdCo Bimetallic Nanoparticles Anchored on Three-Dimensional Ordered N-Doped Porous Carbon as an Efficient Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction.\nPdCo bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) anchored on three-dimensional (3D) ordered N-doped porous carbon (PdCo\/NPC) were fabricated by an in situ synthesis. Within this composite, N-doped porous carbon (NPC) with an ordered mesoporous structure possesses a high surface area (659.6 m(2) g(-1)), which can facilitate electrolyte infiltration. NPC also acts as a perfect 3D conductive network, guaranteeing fast electron transport. In addition, homogeneously distributed PdCo alloy NPs (\u223c15 nm) combined with the doping of the N element can significantly improve the electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Due to the structural and material superiority, although the weight percentage of PdCo NPs (\u223c8 wt%) is much smaller than that of commercial Pt\/C (20 wt%), the PdCo\/NPC catalyst exhibits similar excellent electrocatalytic activity; however, its superior durability and methanol-tolerance ability of the ORR are as great as those of commercial Pt\/C in alkaline media.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27554053,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pain perception in healthy volunteers: effect of repeated exposure to experimental systemic inflammation.\nWe aimed to study the relationship between pain perception and cytokine release during systemic inflammation. We present a randomized crossover trial in healthy volunteers (n = 17) in 37 individual trials. Systemic inflammation was induced by an i.v. bolus of Escherichia coli LPS (2 ng\/kg) on two separate trial days, with or without a nicotine patch applied 10 h previously. Pain perception at baseline, and 2 and 6 h after LPS was assessed by pressure algometry and tonic heat stimulation at an increasing temperature (45-48\u2103) during both trials. Compared with baseline, pain pressure threshold was reduced 2 and 6 h after LPS, while heat pain perception was accentuated at all testing temperatures after 2 but not 6 h. The magnitude of changes in pain perception did not correlate to cytokine release. No effect of transdermal nicotine or training status was observed. In conclusion, LPS administration in healthy human volunteers leads to reduction in pain pressure threshold and an increase in pain perception to heat stimuli, supporting a relationship between acute systemic inflammation and pain perception.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9637034,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Double-evoked otoacoustic emissions. II. Intermittent noise rejection, calibration and ear-canal measurements.\nMeasurements of double-click-evoked otoacoustics emissions (2CEOAEs) and double-chirp distortion products (2ChDPs) are reported for normal-hearing adults based upon theory presented in an earlier report [Keefe, J. Acoust, Soc. Am. 103, 3489-3498 (1998)]. The nonlinear acoustic response of a probe assembly used in ear-canal measurements in tested in a calibration cavity to compare the double-evoked (2E) technique with existing OAE techniques. The 2E technique reduces the peak distortion by approximately 30 dB relative to existing click-evoked techniques. The 2E subtraction of click responses is partially analogous to current techniques in that the linear response is eliminated, but differs in that high-frequency measurements are improved by eliminating time gating of the cochlear response, and low-frequency measurements are improved by reducing probe distortion, especially when two acoustic sources are used. Because time gating is eliminated, it is straightforward to measure the onset of a click-evoked OAE. The nonlinear coherence function is used to measure the nonlinear distortion signal-to-noise ratio (DNR) for the 2ChDPs and 2CEOAEs. The DNR is typically 20-30 dB. An intermittent noise rejection technique is implemented in real time that compares a currently acquired ear-canal response with a stored response. Dissimilar responses indicate the presence of intermittent noise, and the noise-contaminated responses are thereby discarded before ensemble averaging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7780201,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Tissue fibronectin is an endogenous ligand for galectin-1.\nA 14K beta-galactoside-binding lectin (galectin-1) is present in many animal tissues. In a search for endogenous ligands, we surveyed galectin-1-binding proteins in human placenta. Extract of human placenta with 2 M urea was applied to a Sepharose 4B column conjugated with galectin-1 purified from frog (Rana catesbeiana) eggs. Two major proteins eluted with 100 mM lactose from the column-bound fraction showed apparent molecular masses of 220 and 180 kDa on SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. Western blotting analysis using monoclonal antibodies indicated that these proteins were fibronectin and laminin, respectively. Most placental and amniotic fibronectins bound strongly to the column, whereas almost all plasma fibronectin passed through the column. The galectin-1, fibronectin and laminin were immunohistochemically shown to be co-localized in the extracellular matrix of placental tissue. In a cell attachment assay, rhabdosarcoma cells adhered to a plate coated with placental fibronectin, even in the presence of GRGDS peptide, if galectin-1 were also present. This adhesive effect of galectin-1 was inhibited by lactose. These results indicate that tissue fibronectin, as well as laminin, serve as endogenous ligands for galectin-1, suggesting that galectin-1 may play a role in assembly of the extracellular matrix, or in the control of cell adhesion based on lectin-extracellular matrix interaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17882744,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Stress-ECG is adequate to detect myocardial ischemia: when are additional diagnostic tests needed?].\nThe stress-ECG is the most often adopted and most cost effective initial diagnostic test for the assessment of myocardial ischemia in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Prerequisites for the diagnostic usefullness of stress-ECG are a clearly interpretable ST-segment, ability to reach the predicted work load, an intermediate pretest probability for CAD ranging between 10% and 90% and the absence of any contraindications for dynamic exercise. Because of the limited diagnostic sensitivity of about 70%, and a high percentage of patients, who are unable to exercise, a negative stress ECG can definitely not exclude hemodynamically significant CAD. Therefore, stress imaging techniques like myocardial scintigraphy, stress-echocardiography and stress magnetic resonance imaging play a major role in the stepwise diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected CAD. These stress imaging techniques are basically interchangeable since no method is definitely superior to one of the others. However, each method has its specific pros and cons and inherent contraindications. Therefore the choice of the stress imaging method and the form of stress applied should be based on the individual patients characteristics to gain optimal image quality and diagnostic accuracy. Moreover, the decision for one method should take the local availability and institutional expertise of diagnostic centers into account. Although partly substituted by stress imaging techniques the stress-ECG still remains the workhorse for a stepwise diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected CAD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28713715,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Hand Injuries by the Killer Kite Manja and Their Management.\nAlthough hand injuries due to kite strings seem to be trivial, these injuries could be serious enough to lose the function of hand. This case series in the division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of our institution from August 2014 to January 2016 evaluated the clinic-etiological profile, severity and management of hand injuries due to kite strings assessed clinically and radiologically. Eleven patients reported kite related injuries during two years, and 5 presented during 17 months. Of 11 patients, 8 were male and 3 were female with a M:F ratio of 2.66:1. The majority of patients presented with the mean age of 19.9\u00b14.27 years. Eight patients presented acutely to the emergency while 3 believed the injury to be trivial and had delayed presentation. Injuries in the right hand were 8 and 3 in the left hand. Seven patients had injuries in zone II of the hand while 4 presented with zone III injuries. Total number of injured digits was 14 (1.4\u00b11.11), total number of injured tendons was 26 (2.36\u00b12.18), only one patient had nerve injury (mean=0.09), and no patient had any major vessel injury. So strict attention to safety measures and parental\/guardian supervision while flying kites can avoid many preventable injuries to life and limb and also let the sport be an enjoyable and safe.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22553242,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Sustained reduction of microbial burden on common hospital surfaces through introduction of copper.\nThe contribution of environmental surface contamination with pathogenic organisms to the development of health care-associated infections (HAI) has not been well defined. The microbial burden (MB) associated with commonly touched surfaces in intensive care units (ICUs) was determined by sampling six objects in 16 rooms in ICUs in three hospitals over 43 months. At month 23, copper-alloy surfaces, with inherent antimicrobial properties, were installed onto six monitored objects in 8 of 16 rooms, and the effect that this application had on the intrinsic MB present on the six objects was assessed. Census continued in rooms with and without copper for an additional 21 months. In concert with routine infection control practices, the average MB found for the six objects assessed in the clinical environment during the preintervention phase was 28 times higher (6,985 CFU\/100 cm(2); n = 3,977 objects sampled) than levels proposed as benign immediately after terminal cleaning (<250 CFU\/100 cm(2)). During the intervention phase, the MB was found to be significantly lower for both the control and copper-surfaced objects. Copper was found to cause a significant (83%) reduction in the average MB found on the objects (465 CFU\/100 cm(2); n = 2714 objects) compared to the controls (2,674 CFU\/100 cm(2); n = 2,831 objects [P < 0.0001]). The introduction of copper surfaces to objects formerly covered with plastic, wood, stainless steel, and other materials found in the patient care environment significantly reduced the overall MB on a continuous basis, thereby providing a potentially safer environment for hospital patients, health care workers (HCWs), and visitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21228929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of exogenous galectin-1 on leukocyte migration: modulation of cytokine levels and adhesion molecules.\nThe effect of exogenous Gal-1 on cellular response and adhesion molecule expression was investigated in a classical model of acute inflammation induced by zymosan. C57BL6 mice, treated or not with human recombinant (hr) Gal-1, received i.p. injection of zymosan and peritoneal exudate, blood and mesentery were processed for cellular, biochemical, light and electron microscopic analysis after 4 and 24 h. Zymosan peritonitis provoked the expected signs of inflammation at 4 h, including a significant increase in extravasated PMNs in the mesentery and peritoneal exudate, mirrored by blood neutrophilia. These changes subsided after 24 h. Ultrastructural immunocytochemical analysis of PMNs showed significant Gal-1 expression and co-localization with L-selectin and \u03b22-integrin in the plasma membrane and cytoplasm. Pharmacological treatment with hrGal-1 at 4 h produced an inhibition of PMN migration, associated with diminished expression of adhesion molecules, particularly \u03b22-integrin, and TNF-\u03b1 and IL-1\u03b2 release by peritoneal cells. At 24 h, Gal-1 induced an increase in mononuclear phagocytic cell recruitment. In conclusion, our data propose an important mechanism of anti-inflammatory action of Gal-1, initially by modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine release and PMN migration through an imbalance between adhesion molecule expression and, later, by promoting monocyte-macrophage recruitment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12760257,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Stabilizing selection and computer models of the joint evolution of patterns of polygenes, transposable elements, and origin identity labels].\nA computer model of the populations dynamics of the patterns of polygenes, transposable elements (TEs), and origin identity labels (OILs) in the course of stabilizing selection for an additive quantitative trait (with the target value being 0.4 of the maximum) was analyzed. It was demonstrated that the final plateaus of the trait value and the frequencies of the active values of polygenes are reached rapidly, namely, within five to seven generations (the effective selection period). The inbreeding coefficient during this period also grows rapidly and then gradually increases eventually reaching approximately 0.7. The inbreeding coefficient reaches plateau (at approximately 1.0) only in generations 300-350, which suggests the effect of gene drift. Dendrograms of the patterns of polygenes, TEs, and OILs were constructed for all generations. By generation 100 of selection, the final patterns of TEs and OILs were not formed completely. Fixations and losses, especially those of the OIL pattern, were delayed. In general, however, the population heterogeneity with respect to the patterns studied does not stabilize. This heterogeneity decreases the case of stabilizing selection, although more slowly than in the cases of positive and negative selections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22040187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Informant discrepancies in clinical reports of youths and interviewers' impressions of the reliability of informants.\nIn this study the authors examined whether discrepancies between parent and youth reports of the youth's emotional and behavioral functioning are related to interviewers' reliability ratings of parents and youths. In a consecutive case series analysis of 328 parents and youths aged 11-17 years, parents and youths provided reports of youth emotional and behavioral functioning and participated in structured clinical interviews. At the conclusion of the interviews, interviewers rated the reliability of informants. Interviewers rated youths' clinical severity and parents and youths provided information on youth demographics. Nominal logistic regressions tested patterns of discrepancies between parent and youth reports (i.e., which informant consistently reported greater degrees of youth emotional and behavioral concerns than the other) as predictors of interviewers' ratings of the reliability of parents and youths. All analyses controlled for variance explained by youth demographics and youth severity. When parents reported greater degrees of youth emotional and behavioral concerns than youths self-reported, interviewers were likely to rate the youth as an unreliable informant, and were unlikely to rate the youth as an unreliable informant when parents reported less concerns than youths self-reported. However, interviewers' ratings of parents' reliability did not relate to the discrepancies between reports, regardless of which informant reported greater degrees of youth concerns. Prior research indicates that informant discrepancies potentially reveal important information of youths' emotional and behavioral concerns, such as the settings in which youths express these concerns. Yet, when parents and youths disagree in their clinical reports of the youth's functioning, this relates to whether a clinical interviewer views the youth as a reliable informant of their own functioning. To increase the cost-effectiveness and clinical utility of multi-informant clinical evaluations, practitioners and researchers should anticipate informant discrepancies and predict what they may represent before conducting clinical evaluations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1719828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Channel arrest: implications from membrane resistance in turtle neurons.\nA widespread defense strategy used by hypoxia-tolerant animals is metabolic depression. One possible mechanism for metabolic depression is \"channel arrest.\" This hypothesis predicts that ion leakage through plasma membrane leakage channels is reduced during an anoxic episode. The decreased ion flux would result in the conservation of energy through the reduction of ATP-demanding ion pumping. We tested this hypothesis with the anoxia-tolerant turtle (Chrysemys picta) as a model system. With intracellular recording used in cortical slices, whole cell input resistance and specific membrane resistivity were monitored under control and anoxic conditions. There were no significant changes in resistance, indicating that the channel arrest defense mechanism was not utilized for energy conservation during short-term anoxia (less than or equal to 120 min).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22578110,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":2,"2015-06":1}}},"text":"A single dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prevents severe pain after ureteric stent removal: a prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.\nTo determine the incidence of severe pain after ureteric stent removal. To evaluate the efficacy of a single dose of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in preventing this complication. A prospective, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed at our institution. Adults with an indwelling ureteric stent after ureteroscopy were randomised to receive either a single dose of placebo or an NSAID (rofecoxib 50 mg) before ureteric stent removal. Pain was measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) just before and 24 h after stent removal Pain medication use after ureteric stent removal was measured using morphine equivalents. In all, 22 patients were enrolled and randomised into the study before ending the study after interim analysis showed significant decrease in pain level in the NSAID group. The most common indication for ureteroscopy was urolithiasis (14 patients). The proportion of patients with severe pain (VAS score of \u22657) during the 24 h after ureteric stent removal was six of 11 (55%) in the placebo group and it was zero of 10 in the NSAID group (P < 0.01). There were no complications related to the use of rofecoxib. We found a 55% incidence of severe pain after ureteric stent removal. A single dose of a NSAID before stent removal prevents severe pain after ureteric stent removal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27348221,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Decoupling kinematics and mechanics reveals coding properties of trigeminal ganglion neurons in the rat vibrissal system.\nTactile information available to the rat vibrissal system begins as external forces that cause whisker deformations, which in turn excite mechanoreceptors in the follicle. Despite the fundamental mechanical origin of tactile information, primary sensory neurons in the trigeminal ganglion (Vg) have often been described as encoding the kinematics (geometry) of object contact. Here we aimed to determine the extent to which Vg neurons encode the kinematics vs. mechanics of contact. We used models of whisker bending to quantify mechanical signals (forces and moments) at the whisker base while simultaneously monitoring whisker kinematics and recording single Vg units in both anesthetized rats and awake, body restrained rats. We employed a novel manual stimulation technique to deflect whiskers in a way that decouples kinematics from mechanics, and used Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to show that Vg neurons more directly encode mechanical signals when the whisker is deflected in this decoupled stimulus space.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34234731,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Inside the Clockwork of the ECHO Factorial Trial: A Conceptual Model With Proposed Mediators for Prevention of Emotional Problems in Children.\nHaving interventions that are not only evidence-based and effective but also cost-effective and efficient is important for the prevention and treatment of child and adolescent emotional problems. A randomized clinical trial (RCT) tests the total interventions effect but does not address specific components of the intervention. In this article the hypothesis and a conceptual model of the ECHO study are presented and discussed. The ECHO intervention consists of three different components each containing two levels of intervention. By using a cluster randomized factorial design, children aged 8-12 at 40 schools across Norway will be randomized to eight different experimental conditions investigating the optimal balance between effect, cost-effectiveness, and efficiency. The article presents the design and the different components being tested and discusses how optimalization can be reached through this innovative design. The article also discusses how interventions can be improved by investigating and understanding the mechanisms of change within psychological interventions. For each of the three components in the study we consider the mediators that could be active within the intervention and how the study investigates such mediation. The results will contribute to a better understanding of how psychological interventions work and how we intend to optimize the EMOTION intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17942601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Caenorhabditis elegans intersectin: a synaptic protein regulating neurotransmission.\nIntersectin is a multifunctional protein that interacts with components of the endocytic and exocytic pathways, and it is also involved in the control of actin dynamics. Drosophila intersectin is required for viability, synaptic development, and synaptic vesicle recycling. Here, we report the characterization of intersectin function in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nematode intersectin (ITSN-1) is expressed in the nervous system, and it is enriched in presynaptic regions. The C. elegans intersectin gene (itsn-1) is nonessential for viability. In addition, itsn-1-null worms do not display any evident phenotype, under physiological conditions. However, they display aldicarb-hypersensitivity, compatible with a negative regulatory role of ITSN-1 on neurotransmission. ITSN-1 physically interacts with dynamin and EHS-1, two proteins involved in synaptic vesicle recycling. We have previously shown that EHS-1 is a positive modulator of synaptic vesicle recycling in the nematode, likely through modulation of dynamin or dynamin-controlled pathways. Here, we show that ITSN-1 and EHS-1 have opposite effects on aldicarb sensitivity, and on dynamin-dependent phenotypes. Thus, the sum of our results identifies dynamin, or a dynamin-controlled pathway, as a potential target for the negative regulatory role of ITSN-1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18955910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Predicting need for hospitalization in acute pediatric asthma.\nTo develop and validate predictive models to determine the need for hospitalization in children treated for acute asthma in the emergency department (ED). Prospective cohort study of children aged 2 years and older treated at 2 pediatric EDs for acute asthma. The primary outcome was successful ED discharge, defined as actual discharge from the ED and no readmission for asthma within 7 days, versus need for extended care. Among those defined as requiring extended care, a secondary outcome of inpatient care (>24 hours) or short-stay care (<24 hours) was defined. Logistic regression and recursive partitioning were used to create predictive models based on historical and clinical data from the ED visit. Models were developed with data from 1 ED and validated in the other. There were 852 subjects in the derivation group and 369 in the validation group. A model including clinical score (Pediatric Asthma Severity Score) and number of albuterol treatments in the ED distinguished successful discharge from need for extended care with an area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve of 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.87-0.92) in the derivation group and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.89-0.95) in the validation group. Using a score of 5 or more as a cutoff, the likelihood ratio positive was 5.2 (95% CI, 4.2-6.5), and the likelihood ratio negative was 0.22 (95% CI, 0.17-0.28). Among those predicted to need extended care, a classification tree using number of treatments in the ED, clinical score at end of ED treatment, and initial pulse oximetry correctly classified 63% (95% CI, 56-70) of the derivation group as short stay or inpatient, and 62% (95% CI, 55-68) of the validation group. Successful discharge from the ED for children with acute asthma can be predicted accurately using a simple clinical model, potentially improving disposition decisions. However, predicting correct placement of patients requiring extended care is problematic.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24050029,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Does enhanced \"bundling\" criteria improve outcomes? A comparative study of elective inductions.\nTo assess outcomes and costs of dyads achieving elective induction bundle criteria with a favorable Bishop score. In a historical automated records-based cohort study, 180 dyads undergoing elective induction bundling at a single institution from 2009 to 2010 were compared to a pre-introduction of bundling cohort. The bundled cohort was then compared by Bishop score. The bundled cohort (n = 180) had a lower cesarean delivery rate (12% vs. 21%, p = 0.01), but neonatal special or intensive care admissions were not statistically significant compared to the pre-introduction of bundling cohort (n = 473). Ninety-six percent (n = 173) of the bundled cohort achieved bundle criteria. Those with a Bishop score > 6 (52%, n = 90) had fewer cesarean deliveries (4% vs. 19%, p = 0.003), fewer neonatal special or intensive care admissions (1% vs. 10%, p = 0.015), shorter induction time to vaginal delivery (8.8 vs. 17 hrs, p < 0.001), fewer cesareans for dystocia (75% vs. 94%, p = 0.002) or fetal heart rate abnormalities (25% vs. 50%, p = 0.015), and had one-sixth the average net income lost ($423 vs. $2,600, p < 0.001) compared to bundle achievers with a Bishop score of < or = 6. The elective induction bundle does not guarantee quality and should require favorable cervix instead of documented Bishop score to proceed with induction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11481619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Protein kinase C-dependent distribution of the multidrug resistance protein 2 from the canalicular to the basolateral membrane in human HepG2 cells.\nThe subcellular localization of hepatobiliary transport proteins directly affects the rate of bile formation, e.g., the conjugate export pump multidrug resistance protein 2 (MRP2) is regulated on a short-term scale by retrieval from and insertion into the canalicular membrane in the liver. This study reports on the effects of protein kinase C on MRP2 localization and activity in human hepatoblastoma HepG2 cells. MRP2 was detected in HepG2 cells by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. Functional activity was assessed by confocal laser scanning microscopy using fluorescent MRP2 substrates. In untreated HepG2 cells MRP2 was almost exclusively localized at the apical membrane. Treatment of HepG2 cells with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) resulted in a rapid decrease of apically localized MRP2 and a loss of more than 90% of pseudocanaliculi within 4 hours. This was accompanied by a reduced pseudocanalicular secretion of the MRP2 substrate glutathione-methylfluorescein. Interestingly, PMA treatment (1-100 nmol\/L) led to the appearance of immunoreactive MRP2 at the basolateral membrane within 30 minutes. This was shown by its colocalization with MRP1, human dipeptidylpeptidase IV (DPPIV), and transfected rat Ntcp. The effects of PMA on MRP2 localization were sensitive to the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor G\u00f66850 but insensitive to inhibition of MEK by PD098059. Basolateral MRP2-appearance was not inhibited by cycloheximide or by disruption of microtubules or microfilaments. In rat livers cholestasis was induced by PMA (100 nmol) and MRP2 was detected at the basolateral membrane in some areas, colocalizing with Ntcp. The data suggest that retargeting of canalicular MRP2 to the basolateral membrane due to PKC activation may represent a novel mechanism that may contribute to cholestasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35606897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Radiological Definitions of Sagittal Plane Segmental Instability in the Degenerative Lumbar Spine - A Systematic Review.\nSystematic Review. To collect and group definitions of segmental instability, reported in surgical studies of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and\/or lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (LDS). To report the frequencies of these definitions. To report on imaging measurement thresholds for instability in patients and compare these to those reported in biomechanical studies and studies of spine healthy individuals.To report on studies that include a reliability study. This review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies eligible for inclusion were clinical and biomechanical studies on adult patients with LDS and\/or LSS who underwent surgical treatment and had data on diagnostic imaging. A systematic literature search was conducted in relevant literature databases. Full text screening inclusion criteria was definition of segmental instability or any synonym. Two reviewers independently screened articles in a two-step process. Data synthesis presented by tabulate form and narrative synthesis. We included 118 studies for data extraction, 69% were surgical studies with decompression or fusion as interventions, 31% non-interventional studies. Grouping the definitions of segmental instability according similarities showed that 24% defined instability by dynamic sagittal translation, 26% dynamic translation and dynamic angulation, 8% used a narrative definition. Comparison showed that non-interventional studies with a healthy population more often had a narrative definition. Despite a reputation of non-consensus, segmental instability in the degenerative lumbar spine can radiologically be defined as > 3 mm dynamic sagittal translation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12167017,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Conversion of antennapedia homeodomain to zinc finger-like domain: Zn(II)-induced change in protein conformation and DNA binding.\nFrom the standpoint of protein dynamics and metalloprotein design, it is interesting to create an artificial protein which induces structural change and regulates its function by metal-ion binding. We engineered a novel protein, \"Antennafinger (Ant-F)\", whose structure and function can be controlled with Zn(II), by introducing the consensus sequence of a Cys(2)His(2)-type zinc finger protein into a non-metalloprotein scaffold, an Antennapedia homeodomain mutant (Ant-wt), selected using a motif-searching system. The circular dichroism studies demonstrate that Ant-F has secondary structures similar to Ant-wt and also changes its conformation due to Zn(II)-binding. The optical absorption spectra of the Co(II) complexes of Ant-F and its derivative proteins suggest that the geometry of the metal center of holo-Ant-F is tetrahedral and that the mutated Cys(2)His(2) residues are involved in the complex formation. In addition, the gel mobility shift assay reveals that the DNA binding activity of Ant-F can be regulated through Zn(II)-induced structural alteration. These results provide valuable information about the dynamic properties of proteins and a novel concept for metalloprotein design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31967113,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Identification of a prolonged action molecular GLP-1R agonist for the treatment of femoral defects.\nAutografts are still regarded as the gold standard treatment for bone defects but they require additional surgery that causes pain for the patient. Thus, alternatives that can substitute for grafts are required. In the present study, a novel poly-GLP-1 molecule was developed using a polymeric pro-drug strategy which was found to accelerate bone healing in a mouse femoral defect model. Furthermore, the poly-GLP-1 molecule induced osteogenesis and inhibited adipogenesis in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The results demonstrate that poly-GLP-1 promoted M2 polarization of bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and increased the levels of TGF-\u03b21 in the bone marrow, resulting in the migration of an increased number of CD29 + Sca-1 + BMSCs to the bone surface. Finally, we found that poly-GLP-1 facilitated the migration of BMSCs due to transduction of the Smad2 signaling pathway, causing increased numbers of CD31 + Endomucin + endothelial cells in bone marrow that promoted bone formation. These results support poly-GLP-1 as a potential bone-healing agent and suggest that it may play a promising role in the clinical treatment of fracture repair.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16056201,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prevalence of CSOM among rural school going children.\nA prospective study was carried out from January 2001 to December 2002 to find the prevalence of CSOM among rural school going children. Altogether 225 students aged 4-13 years from five primary schools and junior high schools of Magura district were interviewed and examined. 28 (12.44%) children were found to have CSOM. Out of these 28 cases, 25 came from lower and 3 from middle income group families. No case of CSOM was found in higher income group family. In this study 73.33% mothers were not aware of CSOM. 60% mothers had no knowledge about treatment and sequelae of CSOM. Only (5.78%) people use cotton bud to clean ear while majority use unhygienic materials like matchstick, cloth with stick and chicken feathers. Treatment seeking pattern was observed in our study. 10.71% cases did not receive any treatment and remaining 89.29% received treatment of which 25% from MBBS doctor or Hospital and 7.14%, 35.71%, 10.71%, 10.71% received it from Kabiraj, Quack, Homeopathy doctor, and salesman of pharmacy respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24619241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Smoking behavior characteristics of non-selected smokers with childhood attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (AD\/HD) history: a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nIt is unclear whether adult smokers with childhood attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder history (CH) have more severe smoking behavior than non-CH smokers, while it is clearly suggested that CH adolescents have more severe smoking behavior than CH adolescents. The aim of the present comprehensive meta-analysis is to determine whether CH smokers have more severe smoking behavior characteristics than those without and the effect of age on the association between CH and smoking behavior. We included all case-control studies and first round data collection of observational studies addressing the difference in smoking behavior characteristics of CH smokers versus non-CH smokers, with validated scales or structured interviews, without any language or date restriction. Nine studies (including 365 smokers with CH and 1,708 smokers without) were included. Compared to non-CH smokers, CH smokers smoked significantly more cigarettes [standardized mean differences (SMD) = 0.15, 95 % CI 0.01-0.28, p = 0.04] and began to regularly smoke earlier (SMD = -0.28, 95 % CI -0.49; -0.07, p = 0.01) but were not significantly more nicotine dependent (SMD = 0.23, 95 % CI -0.04 to 0.48, p = 0.08). After removing the single adolescent study, the significant association between CH and number of daily smoked cigarettes disappeared, and subgroups analyses confirmed that the significant association between CH and number of daily smoked cigarettes disappeared as age increased. Our meta-analysis illustrates a clinically important link between CH and tobacco smoking in adolescence but not later in life. Further high-quality studies are needed to confirm this finding, as only two studies included participants with a mean age below 20 years.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30978497,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Decrypting the electrophysiological individuality of the human brain: Identification of individuals based on resting-state EEG activity.\nBiometric identification (BI) of individuals is a fast-growing field of research that is producing increasingly sophisticated applications in several spheres of everyday life. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have demonstrated that based on the high inter-individual variability of brain structure and function, it is possible to identify individuals with high accuracy. Otherwise, there is the common belief that electroencephalographic (EEG) data recorded at the surface of the scalp are too noisy for identification purposes with a comparably high hit rate. In the present work, we compared BI quality (F1-scores, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity) between different types of functional (instantaneous, lagged, and total coherence, phase synchronization, correlation, and mutual information) and effective (Granger causality, phase synchronization, and coherence) connectivity measures. Results revealed that across functional connectivity metrics, identification accuracy was in the range of 0.98-1, whereas sensitivity and F1-scores were between 0.00 and 1 and specificity was between 0.99 and 1. BI was higher for the connectivity metrics that are contaminated by volume conduction (instantaneous connectivity) compared to those that are unaffected by this variable (lagged connectivity). Support vector machine and neural network algorithms yielded the highest BI, followed by random forest and weighted k-nearest neighborhood, whereas linear discriminant analysis was less accurate. These results provide cross-validated counterevidence to the belief that EEG data are too noisy for identification purposes and demonstrate that functional and effective connectivity metrics are particularly suited for BI applications with comparable accuracy to MRI. Our results have important implications for fast, low-cost, and mobile BI applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24611461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Protective effect of clove oil and eugenol microemulsions on fatty liver and dyslipidemia as components of metabolic syndrome.\nIn the present research, the effect of clove essential oil (CO) and its major constituent, eugenol, formulated in water-based microemulsions, was studied on fatty liver and dyslipidemia in high-fructose-fed rats. Plasma and liver lipids, oxidative stress, inflammatory biomarker, and liver function were the assessed criteria. CO dispersed in water as conventional cloudy emulsion was also subjected to the same biological evaluations for comparison with the microemulsified form of this oil. Results showed that the particle size of CO microemulsion (COM) and eugenol microemulsion (EM) was 8.0 nm and 8.9 nm, respectively. Excess dilution and incubation of these microemulsions in 1.2 N HCl, that mimic stomach juice (without lipase), for 5 hours at 37 \u00b0C lead to the establishment of second population of larger particles with average diameter>100.0 nm. Biological evaluation revealed that rats of high fructose control group exhibited significant dyslipidemia, high plasma tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1, and elevated malondialdehyde. The same group of rats showed significant high liver total fat, triglycerides and cholesterol, and liver dysfunction compared to control normal rats fed balanced diet. Daily oral administration of CO conventional emulsion, COM, and EM produced significant improvement of all studied parameters. No significant change in all biochemical parameters was noticed when the groups given the different formulations were compared with each other. The study concluded that administration of CO conventional emulsion, COM, or EM produced significant improvement in fatty liver and dyslipidemia with consequent expected protection from cardiovascular diseases and other complications of fatty liver. Formulation of CO in microemulsion having particle size \u223c 8.0 nm did not enhance the protective effect compared with the same dose of CO dispersed in water as conventional macroemulsion, probably due to the ease of absorption of these bioactives in their native states. However, formulation in microemulsion provides a delivery system for oral administration of CO or eugenol in homogeneous, water-based, and thermodynamically stable dosage form during storage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21451442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Initial macular thickness and response to treatment in diabetic macular edema.\nTo assess the effect of initial central macular thickness (CMT) on the response to treatment in diabetic macular edema. The data of 150 eyes of 129 patients with clinically significant diabetic macular edema and no previous treatment who had been randomly assigned in the original trial to 1 of the 3 groups, 1) intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) group (50 eyes); 2) combined intravitreal bevacizumab and triamcinolone (IVB\/IVT) group (50 eyes); and 3) macular laser photocoagulation group (50 eyes), were reevaluated. This time the data of the cases were reanalyzed based on their initial CMT. Accordingly, the original treatment groups were categorized into 3 subgroups: 1) <250 \u03bcm, 2) 250 \u03bcm to 349 \u03bcm, and 3) \u2265350 \u03bcm. Visual acuity and CMT changes in response to different treatments were compared. Main outcome measures were changes in visual acuity and CMT at Weeks 6, 12, 24, and 36. At 6 weeks in all subgroups, mean visual acuity improvement in the IVB group was significantly greater than the other groups (P = 0.002, P = 0.003, P < 0.001, for subgroups of <250, 250-349, and \u2265350 \u03bcm, respectively). At 12, 24, and 36 weeks in the subgroup >350 \u03bcm and at 24 weeks in the subgroup 250 \u03bcm to 349 \u03bcm, the difference of mean visual acuity changes among the groups reached to a significant level (P = 0.010, P = 0.028, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively) in favor of the IVB group. The difference in mean CMT changes at 6 weeks and 12 weeks was significant among the groups in the subgroup \u2265350 \u03bcm (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001) in favor of the IVB group and in the subgroup 250 \u03bcm to 349 \u03bcm at 24 weeks in favor of combined IVB\/IVT group (P < 0.001). In the primary treatment of diabetic macular edema, initial CMT may be an important factor in decision making. Regardless of initial CMT, IVB caused a better visual outcome only at 6 weeks. With longer follow-up, however, IVB was superior to IVB\/IVT and macular laser photocoagulation only in the eyes with initial CMT of \u2265350 \u03bcm. Concerning CMT reduction, this superiority of IVB in the eyes with initial CMT of \u2265350 \u03bcm was not observed beyond 12 weeks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31218130,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hydroclimatic variations reveal differences in carbon capture in two sympatric conifers in northern Mexico.\nForest ecosystems are considered among the largest terrestrial carbon sinks. The dynamics of forest carbon depend on where the carbon is stored and its responses to environmental factors, as well as the physiology of the trees. Thus, threatened forest regions with high biodiversity have great scientific importance, such as the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. A comparative analysis of tree species can expand the knowledge of the carbon cycle dynamics and ecological processes in this region. Here, we examined the growth, wood density, and carbon accumulation of two threatened species (Pseudotsuga menziesii and Cupressus lusitanica) to evaluate their hydroclimatic responsiveness. The temporal variations in the carbon accumulation patterns of two co-occurring species (P. menziesii and C. lusitanica) and their sensitivity to the local climate were studied using dendroecological techniques, X-ray densitometry, and allometric equations. The results show that the annual carbon accumulation in C. lusitanica is positively associated with the temperature during the current fall, while the carbon accumulation in P. menziesii is correlated with the rainfall during the winter of the previous year. The climatic responses are associated with the intra-annual variations of wood density and ring widths for each species. The ring width was strongly correlated with carbon accumulation in C. lusitanica, while the mean wood density was linked to carbon accumulation in P. menziesii. This study has implications for the carbon accumulation rates of both species, revealing differences in the carbon capture patterns in response to climatic variations. Although the species coexist, there are variation in the hydroclimatic sensitivity of the annual carbon sequestered by trunks of trees, which would be associated with tree-ring width and\/or wood density, i.e., directly by anatomical features. The results are relevant to analyze the response to the variability of climatic conditions expected in the near future of the tree communities of Sierra Madre Occidental. Therefore, this study provides a basis for modeling the long-term carbon budget projections in terrestrial ecosystems in northern Mexico.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28713322,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Age-Differential Effects of Job Characteristics on Job Attraction: A Policy-Capturing Study.\nBased on an integration of job design and lifespan developmental theories, Truxillo et al. (2012) proposed that job characteristics interact with employee age in predicting important work outcomes. Using an experimental policy-capturing design, we investigated age-differential effects of four core job characteristics (i.e., job autonomy, task variety, task significance, and feedback from the job) on job attraction (i.e., individuals' rating of job attractiveness). Eighty-two employees between 19 and 65 years (Mage = 41, SD = 14) indicated their job attraction for each of 40 hypothetical job descriptions in which the four job characteristics were systematically manipulated (in total, participants provided 3,280 ratings). Results of multilevel analyses showed that the positive effects of task variety, task significance, and feedback from the job were stronger for younger compared to older employees, whereas we did not find significant age-differential effects of job autonomy on job attraction. These findings are only partially consistent with propositions of Truxillo et al.'s (2012) lifespan perspective on job design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":622445,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hypertension control through the design of targeted delivery models.\nIf we discard some of the assumptions upon which curatively oriented medical care is based, we can design models to deliver more effective services for those with chronic diseases. Assumptions to be discarded are--that disease processes can be cured through the delivery of a \"magic bullet\" rather than controlled through continuous surveillance, -that the physician must be an active decision maker and thus act as gatekeeper and monitor for all disease victims, and -that care for a family of consumers must be provided together. Models for the delivery of services can then be designed to provide continuity of care for those with a specific chronic disease, and paraprofessionals can be used as gatekeepers and monitors, in combination with physicians, rather than physicians alone, to give services. Models can be targeted to reach specific high-risk groups within the population at the workplace, the school, unemployment office, or wherever groups routinely congregate for purposes other than health care. Building targeted models requires extensive knowledge of the specific geographic area and its population as well as knowledge of the natural history of the disease and its treatment. For hypertension programs, goals can be set in terms of numbers of persons whose disease is controlled and the number of new programs initiated as the result of the control efforts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8560335,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The prevalence and clinical features of internal disc disruption in patients with chronic low back pain.\nThis was a cross-sectional analytic study of patients with chronic low back pain. To investigate whether the criteria for internal disc disruption, as adopted by the International Association for the Study of Pain, could be satisfied in patients with chronic low back pain and to test whether there were any conventional clinical features that could identify this condition. Internal disc disruption has been postulated as an important cause of low back pain. To diagnose this condition, the International Association for the Study of Pain taxonomy requires that pain be reproduced on provocation discography and that computed tomography discography reveal internal disc disruption, provided that as a control, stimulation of at least one other disc fails to reproduce pain. Ninety-two consecutive patients with chronic low back pain and no history of previous lumbar surgery were studied. Each patient underwent a standard physical examination. Computed tomography discography was performed at a minimum of two levels. The diagnostic criteria for internal disc disruption were fully satisfied in 39% of patients, most commonly at L5-S1 and L4-L5. None of the clinical tests used could differentiate between those patients with internal disc disruption and other patients. A diagnosis of internal disc disruption can be made in a significant proportion of patients with chronic low back pain, but no conventional clinical test can discriminate patients with internal disc disruption from patients with other conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1781651,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Current problems in radiotherapy, chemotherapy and staging of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).\nNasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in South East Asia is almost entirely of the undifferentiated or poorly differentiated squamous cell types which are more radiosensitive and have better prospect for locoregional control. Cross-sectional imaging can now detect disease in the parapharynx which is commonly involved by this carcinoma. This has resulted in up-staging and technique modification for better local control. Poor prognostic factors include parapharyngeal, skull bone, cranial nerve or other wide-spread involvements locally. Neck nodes in the supraclavicular fossae or bulky nodes also confer poor prognoses. A simplified staging classification system is proposed. With the availability of afterloading machines, a booster dose of intracavitary radiotherapy can conveniently be given. When given shortly after the usual external radiotherapy, the desired high dose to the primary can be achieved without increasing the risk of long-term side effects. Chemotherapy given before radiotherapy helps to achieve prompt control of bulky neck nodes which distort the anatomy and pose problems in radiotherapy dosimetry. However, the eventual survival rate is still not improved. As staging and major prognostic factors are better defined, trials of adjuvant chemotherapy given after radiotherapy should be undertaken. However, the ultimate control of NPC may rest on the feasibility studies on screening for early NPC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33804991,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Medical Application of Substances Derived from Non-Pathogenic Fungi Aspergillus oryzae and A. luchuensis-Containing Koji.\nAlthough most fungi cause pathogenicity toward human beings, dynasties of the East Asian region have domesticated and utilized specific fungi for medical applications. The Japanese dynasty and nation have domesticated and utilized koji fermented with non-pathogenic fungus Aspergillus oryzae for more than 1300 years. Recent research has elucidated that koji contains medicinal substances such as Taka-diastase, acid protease, koji glycosylceramide, kojic acid, oligosaccharides, ethyl-\u03b1-d-glucoside, ferulic acid, ergothioneine, pyroglutamyl leucine, pyranonigrin A, resistant proteins, deferriferrichrysin, polyamines, Bifidobacterium-stimulating peptides, angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor peptides, 14-dehydroergosterol, beta-glucan, biotin, and citric acid. This review introduces potential medical applications of such medicinal substances to hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and cognitive diseases, chronic inflammation, epidermal permeability barrier disruption, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and anti-cancer therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23623919,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A novel dense granule protein, GRA22, is involved in regulating parasite egress in Toxoplasma gondii.\nThe intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is capable of invading any nucleated cell and replicates within a parasitophorous vacuole (PV). This microenvironment is modified by secretory proteins from organelles named rhoptries and dense granules. In this report, we identify a novel dense granule protein, which we refer to as GRA22. GRA22 has no significant homology to any other known proteins. GRA22 possesses a signal peptide at the N-terminal end which is responsible for dense granule and PV localization. The RH strain GRA22 contains 12 copies of tandem repeats consisting each of 21 amino acids located between the 42nd and 293rd amino acid residues from a full length of 624 amino acids. On the other hand, ME49 strain GRA22 has 10 copies of tandem repeats. The Neospora caninum GRA22 ortholog completely lacks this repetitive sequence. GRA22 knock out parasites show a similar growth rate as the parental strain. However, the timing of egress is earlier than that of the parental strain. These results suggest that GRA22 is involved in regulating parasite egress in T. gondii.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17949885,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"The origins of modern proteomes.\nDistributions of phylogenetically related protein domains (fold superfamilies), or FSFs, among the three Superkingdoms (trichotomy) are assessed. Very nearly 900 of the 1200 FSFs of the trichotomy are shared by two or three Superkingdoms. Parsimony analysis of FSF distributions suggests that the FSF complement of the last common ancestor to the trichotomy was more like that of modern eukaryotes than that of archaea and bacteria. Studies of length distributions among members of orthologous families of proteins present in all three Superkingdoms reveal that such lengths are significantly longer among eukaryotes than among bacteria and archaea. The data also reveal that proteins lengths of eukaryotes are more broadly distributed than they are within archaeal and bacterial members of the same orthologous families. Accordingly, selective pressure for a minimal size is significantly greater for orthologous protein lengths in archaea and bacteria than in eukaryotes. Alignments of orthologous proteins of archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes are characterized by greater sequence variation at their N-terminal and C-terminal domains, than in their central cores. Length variations tend to be localized in the terminal sequences; the conserved sequences of orthologous families are localized in a central core. These data are consistent with the interpretation that the genomes of the last common ancestor (LUCA) encoded a cohort of FSFs not very different from that of modern eukaryotes. Divergence of bacterial and archaeal genomes from that common ancestor may have been accompanied by more intensive reductive evolution of proteomes than that expressed in eukaryotes. Dollo's Law suggests that the evolution of novel FSFs is a very slow process, while laboratory experiments suggests that novel protein genesis from preexisting FSFs can be relatively rapid. Reassortment of FSFs to create novel proteins may have been mediated by genetic recombination before the advent of more efficient splicing mechanisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32860729,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Guidance for Implementing Best Practice Therapeutic Exercise for Patients With Knee and Hip Osteoarthritis: What Does the Current Evidence Base Tell Us?\nTherapeutic exercise is a recommended first-line treatment for patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA); however, there is little specific advice or practical resources to guide clinicians in its implementation. As the first in a series of projects by the Osteoarthritis Research Society International Rehabilitation Discussion Group to address this gap, we aim in this narrative review to synthesize current literature informing the implementation of therapeutic exercise for patients with knee and hip OA, focusing on evidence from systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials. Therapeutic exercise is safe for patients with knee and hip OA. Numerous types of therapeutic exercise (including aerobic, strengthening, neuromuscular, mind-body exercise) may be utilized at varying doses and in different settings to improve pain and function. Benefits from therapeutic exercise appear greater when dosage recommendations from general exercise guidelines for healthy adults are met. However, interim therapeutic exercise goals may also be useful, given that many barriers to achieving these dosages exist among this patient group. Theoretically-informed strategies to improve adherence to therapeutic exercise, such as patient education, goal-setting, monitoring, and feedback, may help maintain participation and optimize clinical benefits over the longer term. Sedentary behavior is also a risk factor for disability and lower quality of life in patients with knee and hip OA, although limited evidence exists regarding how best to reduce this behavior. Current evidence can be used to inform how to implement best practice therapeutic exercise at a sufficient and appropriate dose for patients with knee and hip OA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7340115,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The clinical spectrum of toxic shock syndrome.\nToxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a recently recognized acute multisystem illness that may recur. Epidemiologic links with menstruation and use of tampons have been identified. We report the cases of seven patients (six women and one man), 12 to 31 years old, seen over nine months, who met the criteria for TSS. Four were menstruating at onset. All had hypotension, fever, erythematous rash and distal desquamation. A prodrome of myalgias and diarrhea occurred in all patients. Clinical features of the acute illness included pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, leukocytosis and renal dysfunction (7), hepatobiliary abnormalities (6), mental confusion (6) and coagulopathy (4). In three patients, examination of cerebrospinal fluid showed abnormalities. The illness progressed in three patients to adult respiratory distress syndrome and significant cardiac dysfunction. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from mucosal sites in six. The disease recurred in two. There were no deaths. Possible transmissibility was illustrated by two patients, a married couple, with simultaneous illnesses. Pathophysiologic features of TSS suggest a toxicogenic cause. Management consists of early recognition, vigorous fluid resuscitation, inotropic support as needed, discontinuation of tampon use and treatment with antistaphylococcal antimicrobic drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18045884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of an indirect immunofluorescence assay for detection of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG antibodies against yellow fever virus.\nThe first commercial indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using Euroimmun Biochip technology was evaluated for the serodiagnosis of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibodies against yellow fever virus (YFV) and was compared with the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT), which is currently the gold standard test for YFV. An overall correlation between the tests of 98.7% was established based on the analysis of 150 sera from individuals after vaccination with the 17D yellow fever vaccine. The sensitivity and specificity, calculated using the 150 sera from vaccinees and 150 sera from healthy blood donors, were 95% and 95%, respectively, for the IgG IFA and 94% and 97% for the IgM IFA. Antibody titers found in the PRNT correlated poorly with the IgM and IgG titers detected by IFA. The analysis of preexisting heterologous flaviviral immunity revealed the presence of antibodies reactive with YFV, tick-borne encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, and dengue virus serotypes 1 to 4 in 20 out of the 150 vaccinees. The indirect IFA showed that nine of these individuals with previous flaviviral exposure who received 17D vaccine failed to produce detectable IgM antibodies. Despite this preexisting immunity, all vaccinees developed protective immunity as detected by PRNT and anti-YFV IgG antibodies as detected by IFA. The high specificity and sensitivity of the IFA make it a useful tool for rapid diagnosis of yellow fever during outbreaks, for epidemiological studies, and for serosurveillance after vaccination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28697386,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Alterations in functional brain networks associated with loss-chasing in gambling disorder and cocaine-use disorder.\nContinued, persistent gambling to recover accumulating losses, or 'loss-chasing', is a behavioral pattern linked particularly closely to gambling disorder (GD) but may reflect impaired decision-making processes relevant to drug addictions like cocaine-use disorder (CUD). However, little is known regarding the neurocognitive mechanisms of this complex, maladaptive behavior, particularly in individuals with addictive disorders. Seventy participants (25 GD, 18 CUD, and 27 healthy comparison (HC)) completed a loss-chase task during fMRI. Engagement of functional brain networks in response to losing outcomes and during decision-making periods preceding choices to loss-chase or to quit chasing losses were investigated using independent component analysis (ICA). An exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine patterns of coordinated engagement across identified networks. In GD relative to HC and CUD participants, choices to quit chasing were associated with greater engagement of a medial frontal executive-processing network. By comparison, CUD participants exhibited altered engagement of a striato-amygdala motivational network in response to losing outcomes as compared to HC, and during decision-making as compared to GD. Several other networks were differentially engaged during loss-chase relative to quit-chasing choices, but did not differ across participant groups. Exploratory factor analysis identified a system of coordinated activity across prefrontal executive-control networks that was greater in GD and CUD relative to HC participants and was associated with increased chasing persistence across all participants. Results provide evidence of shared and distinct neurobiological mechanisms in substance and behavioral addictions, and lend insight into potential cognitive interventions targeting loss-chasing behavior in GD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9363233,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of seminal plasma on implantation rates.\nThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of seminal plasma on implantation rates. A prospective randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was designed, and carried out at the Center for Reproduction and Transplantation Immunology. Eighty-seven women experiencing unexplained infertility and\/or recurrent spontaneous abortion were recruited into the study and were randomized into groups using vaginal capsules containing seminal plasma or placebo (lubrication jelly). Implantation rates documented by the appearance of an intrauterine gestational sac visible on transvaginal ultrasonographic examination by the 6th week of gestation were compared between women receiving either seminal plasma or placebo. The results obtained from this study demonstrated that, of the 87 women participating in the study, 23 (26%) did not achieve pregnancy within 1 year. Nine of these infertile women received seminal plasma and 14 received placebo. Implantation rates were higher among women receiving seminal plasma (35\/44, 80%) compared to placebo (29\/43, 67%). The conclusions drawn from this study suggest that vaginal capsules containing seminal plasma appear to enhance implantation. They, therefore, may be useful in the treatment of couples undergoing assisted reproductive technologies or with unexplained infertility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23137384,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Patient safety can be ensured in clinical microsystems].\nPatients, health-care professionals and the public expect safe health care. The system, however, is not safe and patients are being harmed. Workplace and organizational conditions and human factors contribute to these harms and a system approach is needed to avoid them. In clinical microsystems (CMS), the frontline units of health care, staff and patients can make care safer by learning about their system, its processes, members and purposes. Approaches from patient safety should be integrated in the daily work of every member of the CMS to reduce risk, implement safe practices and learn from errors. We summarize methods for use in CMS and offer ideas for fostering a proactive culture of patient safety.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27387823,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"High Rates of Bleeding Complications among Hospitalized Patients with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia in the United States.\nThere is sparse published literature on the causes and outcomes of hospitalization of patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). To evaluate rates of various complications, comorbidities, and in-hospital outcomes of patients with HHT using a large, multihospital inpatient database. We identified patients with HHT in the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample between 2000 and 2012. Rates of hemorrhagic, neurological, hepatic, and cardiopulmonary complications among hospitalized patients with HHT were evaluated. We also studied procedure use rates for blood transfusion, endoscopy, and epistaxis treatment. Hospitalization outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, discharge status, charges, and length of stay, were evaluated. We identified 10,293 patients with HHT. The mean age of the HHT population was 60.7 years. Sixty percent of patients were female. More than 75% of HHT hospitalizations occurred in those older than 50 years of age. Patients with HHT had high rates of bleeding-related complications, including anemia (53.3%), epistaxis (16.2%), and gastrointestinal bleeding (10.8%). Overall, bleeding complications accounted for 62.7% of HHT-related complications. Thirty-eight percent of hospitalized patients with HHT received one or more transfusions of a blood product. Cardiopulmonary complications were present in 41.0% of the cases. Congestive heart failure was the second most common individual complication among patients with HHT, affecting 19.9% of patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 1.9%. In this large, nationwide study, we found that nearly two-thirds of patients hospitalized with HHT experienced a bleeding-related complication. Nearly 40% of hospitalized patients with HHT required transfusion of blood products. Cardiopulmonary complications, including congestive heart failure, were the second most common complication. The high burden of bleeding-related complications points to a significant unmet clinical need for these patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34278262,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Indirect air CO2 capture and refinement based on OTEC seawater outgassing.\nIn this paper, we propose a low-cost method to capture and purify CO2 from ocean water indirectly from the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 dissolves in seawater following Henry's law. In open-cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OC-OTEC), being a heat engine, large quantities of water are used to generate electricity from temperature differences in the ocean. CO2 and other gases dissolved in seawater are extracted from seawater by a vacuum compressor, being essential for heat transfer in OC-OTEC. Non-condensable gases containing CO2 from OC-OTEC are currently considered a waste gas stream. Based on literature, we calculate cold water non-condensables containing up to 14% CO2. These non-condensables can be refined further to 80-90% purity with a water absorption process, inspired by those as used in the biogas industry. Levelized CO2 capture and purification costs were estimated to be 15-35 euro per ton, as only refinement costs are allocated of a waste gas stream of OC-OTEC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21953930,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dehydrogenation of dodecahydro-N-ethylcarbazole on Pd\/Al2O3 model catalysts.\nTo elucidate the dehydrogenation mechanism of dodecahydro-N-ethylcarbazole (H(12)-NEC) on supported Pd catalysts, we have performed a model study under ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions. H(12)-NEC and its final dehydrogenation product, N-ethylcarbazole (NEC), were deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) at temperatures between 120 K and 520 K onto a supported model catalyst, which consisted of Pd nanoparticles grown on a well-ordered alumina film on NiAl(110). Adsorption and thermally induced surface reactions were followed by infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS) in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was shown that, at 120 K, H(12)-NEC adsorbs molecularly both on the Al(2)O(3)\/NiAl(110) support and on the Pd particles. Initial activation of the molecule occurs through C-H bond scission at the 8a- and 9a-positions of the carbazole skeleton at temperatures above 170 K. Dehydrogenation successively proceeds with increasing temperature. Around 350 K, breakage of one C-N bond occurs accompanied by further dehydrogenation of the carbon skeleton. The decomposition intermediates reside on the surface up to 500 K. At higher temperatures, further decay to small fragments and atomic species is observed. These species block most of the absorption sites on the Pd particles, but can be oxidatively removed by heating in oxygen at 600 K, fully restoring the original adsorption properties of the model catalyst.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28419713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":3,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"NT-proBNP predicts mortality in adults with transposition of the great arteries late after Mustard or Senning correction.\nThe patients after Mustard and Senning corrections of transposition of the great arteries (TGA) are at an increased risk of unexpected death. The aim of this study was to identify markers allowing risk stratification of patients after atrial switch correction of TGA to provide them with optimum care. In this study, 87 patients were retrospectively evaluated after atrial switch correction of TGA followed-up between 2005 and 2015. The mortality during the follow-up was 9% (8 cardiac deaths). Markers significantly predictive of death using univariable Cox proportional hazard ratio survival analysis were: N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), ejection fraction and end-diastolic dimension of the systemic right ventricle, mitral E, e', and s'. Surprisingly, the Doppler parameters of mitral valve in subpulmonary ventricle were more important for prognosis than those of systemic tricuspid valve. In multivariable analysis, the only independent predictors of mortality were NT-proBNP (P = .00048; AUC 0.97) and the velocity of early diastolic filling (mitral E) in subpulmonary ventricle (P = .01815; AUC 0.81). According to Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, patients with NT-proBNP > 1000 pg\/ml are at high risk of death. Patients with mitral E < 68 cm\/s are also at an increased risk of death. NT-proBNP is the most reliable prognostic mortality factor and should be measured regularly in TGA patients after Mustard or Senning correction. Diastolic filling velocity of the subpulmonary left ventricle (mitral E) may be more important for prognosis than systolic function of the systemic right ventricle.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11502989,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Diagnostic yield of screening colonoscopies in lung transplant candidates.\nColonoscopy has been used to screen lung transplant candidates for colorectal diseases that would preclude transplantation. The diagnostic yield of this procedure is unknown. This is a retrospective cohort study of patients 50 years of age and over who underwent lung transplant evaluations from 1996 to 1999. We assessed the prevalence and location of colonoscopic abnormalities, the predictive value of risk factors for colonic neoplasms, and the impact of colonoscopic findings on management. Thirty-one patients were evaluated. Twenty-four patients had at least one abnormal endoscopic finding. Six patients (19%) had adenomatous polyps; no carcinomas were detected. The 13 patients with risk factors were more likely to have adenomas (relative risk=2.8, P=0.2). The negative predictive value of risk factors for adenomas was 89%. One patient's management was altered and none were denied transplant listing because of the colonoscopic findings. Screening colonoscopy did not substantively alter the management of lung transplant candidates. More selective screening strategies may be warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28550622,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genomic instability related to zinc deficiency and excess in an in vitro model: is the upper estimate of the physiological requirements recommended for children safe?\nMicronutrients are important for the prevention of degenerative diseases due to their role in maintaining genomic stability. Therefore, there is international concern about the need to redefine the optimal mineral and vitamin requirements to prevent DNA damage. We analyzed the cytostatic, cytotoxic, and genotoxic effect of in vitro zinc supplementation to determine the effects of zinc deficiency and excess and whether the upper estimate of the physiological requirement recommended for children is safe. To achieve zinc deficiency, DMEM\/Ham's F12 medium (HF12) was chelated (HF12Q). Lymphocytes were isolated from healthy female donors (age range, 5-10 yr) and cultured for 7 d as follows: negative control (HF12, 60 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4); deficient (HF12Q, 12 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4); lower level (HF12Q + 80 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4); average level (HF12Q + 180 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4); upper limit (HF12Q + 280 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4); and excess (HF12Q + 380 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4). The comet (quantitative analysis) and cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome assays were used. Differences were evaluated with Kruskal-Wallis and ANOVA (p < 0.05). Olive tail moment, tail length, micronuclei frequency, and apoptotic and necrotic percentages were significantly higher in the deficient, upper limit, and excess cultures compared with the negative control, lower, and average limit ones. In vitro zinc supplementation at the lower and average limit (80 and 180 \u03bcg\/dl ZnSO4) of the physiological requirement recommended for children proved to be the most beneficial in avoiding genomic instability, whereas the deficient, upper limit, and excess (12, 280, and 380 \u03bcg\/dl) cultures increased DNA and chromosomal damage and apoptotic and necrotic frequencies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23712748,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bipolar disorder risk alleles in children with ADHD.\nBipolar disorder (BD) and attention deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may share common genetic risk factors as indicated by the high co-morbidity of BD and ADHD, their phenotypic overlap especially in pediatric populations, the high heritability of both disorders, and the co-occurrence in families. We therefore examined whether known polygenic BD risk alleles are associated with ADHD. We chose the eight best SNPs of the recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of BD patients of German ancestry and the nine SNPs from international GWAS meeting a 'genome-wide significance' level of \u03b1 = 5 \u00d7 10(-8). A GWAS was performed in 495 ADHD children and 1,300 population-based controls using HumanHap550v3 and Human660 W-Quadv1 BeadArrays. We found no significant association of childhood ADHD with single BD risk alleles surviving adjustment for multiple testing. Yet, risk alleles for BD and ADHD were directionally consistent at eight of nine loci with the strongest support for three SNPs in or near NCAN, BRE, and LMAN2L. The polygene analysis for the BP risk alleles at all 14 loci indicated a higher probability of being a BD risk allele carrier in the ADHD cases as compared to the controls. At a moderate power to detect association with ADHD, if true effects were close to estimates from GWAS for BD, our results suggest that the possible contribution of BD risk variants to childhood ADHD risk is considerably lower than for BD. Yet, our findings should encourage researchers to search for common genetic risk factors in BD and childhood ADHD in future studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24112713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2013-48":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Characterization of the heart transcriptome of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias).\nThe white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a globally distributed, apex predator possessing physical, physiological, and behavioral traits that have garnered it significant public attention. In addition to interest in the genetic basis of its form and function, as a representative of the oldest extant jawed vertebrate lineage, white sharks are also of conservation concern due to their small population size and threat from overfishing. Despite this, surprisingly little is known about the biology of white sharks, and genomic resources are unavailable. To address this deficit, we combined Roche-454 and Illumina sequencing technologies to characterize the first transciptome of any tissue for this species. From white shark heart cDNA we generated 665,399 Roche 454 reads (median length 387-bp) that were assembled into 141,626 contigs (mean length 503-bp). We also generated 78,566,588 Illumina reads, which we aligned to the 454 contigs producing 105,014 454\/Illumina consensus sequences. To these, we added 3,432 non-singleton 454 contigs. By comparing these sequences to the UniProtKB\/Swiss-Prot database we were able to annotate 21,019 translated open reading frames (ORFs) of \u2265 20 amino acids. Of these, 19,277 were additionally assigned Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotations. While acknowledging the limitations of our single tissue transcriptome, Fisher tests showed the white shark transcriptome to be significantly enriched for numerous metabolic GO terms compared to the zebra fish and human transcriptomes, with white shark showing more similarity to human than to zebra fish (i.e. fewer terms were significantly different). We also compared the transcriptome to other available elasmobranch sequences, for signatures of positive selection and identified several genes of putative adaptive significance on the white shark lineage. The white shark transcriptome also contained 8,404 microsatellites (dinucleotide, trinucleotide, or tetranucleotide motifs \u2265 five perfect repeats). Detailed characterization of these microsatellites showed that ORFs with trinucleotide repeats, were significantly enriched for transcription regulatory roles and that trinucleotide frequency within ORFs was lower than for a wide range of taxonomic groups including other vertebrates. The white shark heart transcriptome represents a valuable resource for future elasmobranch functional and comparative genomic studies, as well as for population and other biological studies vital for effective conservation of this globally vulnerable species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":13106706,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hereditary influences in relation to the problem of child adoption.\nThere is little exact information on the hereditary influences which are of greatest interest from the social and educational points of view. Many genes are involved in the origins of socially significant traits and there are usually many steps in the causal chain linking gene to trait. The value of genetical judgements is thus limited; they cannot be substituted for facts ascertained about the physical and mental state of the child itself at the time of adoption. Information on the family occurrence of recessive autosomal or sex-linked traits may be used for predicting the likelihood of the onset of diseases later on in life. The knowledge that a rare dominant abnormality is present in a close relative is especially important if the close relative is the subject's own parent. But most genetical problems in adoption cases concern graded characters, and here prediction can only be very tentative. A definite degree of likeness obtains within families for graded characters, but the genetical divergence may be considerable, and it can be accentuated by environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32317857,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Current Approaches for Personalized Therapy of Soft Tissue Sarcomas.\nSoft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a highly heterogeneous group of cancers of mesenchymal origin with diverse morphologies and clinical behaviors. While surgical resection is the standard treatment for primary STS, advanced and metastatic STS patients are not eligible for surgery. Systemic treatments, including standard chemotherapy and newer chemical agents, still play the most relevant role in the management of the disease. Discovery of specific genetic alterations in distinct STS subtypes allowed better understanding of mechanisms driving their pathogenesis and treatment optimization. This review focuses on the available targeted drugs or drug combinations based on genetic aberration involved in STS development including chromosomal translocations, oncogenic mutations, gene amplifications, and their perspectives in STS treatment. Furthermore, in this review, we discuss the possible use of chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance assays (CSRA) for the adjustment of treatment for individual patients. In summary, current trends in personalized management of advanced and metastatic STS are based on combination of both genetic testing and CSRA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15381373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A case of infantile acute lymphoblastic leukemia presenting with rearrangement of MLL at 11q23 and apparent insertion or translocation at 10p12.\nWe report the case of an 11-month-old patient with a clinical diagnosis of infantile acute lymphoblastic leukemia and an MLL (11q23) rearrangement in 69% of nuclei, revealed with interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Routine chromosome analysis of the bone marrow showed a very subtle rearrangement involving the short arm of chromosome 10 and the long arm of chromosome 11 in the abnormal cells. To clarify the nature of this rearrangement, we hybridized the MLL break-apart probe to previously G-banded slides. The rearrangement was interpreted as a small inversion within the band 11q23, separating the 5' MLL from the 3' MLL region. This segment on the long arm of chromosome 11 containing the rearranged MLL locus was either inserted in or translocated to the short arm of chromosome 10 at approximately band 10p12. The inversion affecting MLL may have followed insertion or preceded it. Molecular characterization of this rearrangement was not possible, due to limited sample material. There have been previous reports of rearrangements of MLL with the MLLT10 (alias AF10) gene locus at 10p12, including an interstitial inverted insertion of 11q13q23 in one case and insertion of 11q14q23 at 10p12 in another. These both resulted in a large derivative chromosome 10 and transcription of an MLL\/MLLT10 fusion product. To our knowledge, the novel and cryptic rearrangement detected in our patient has not been described previously. A follow-up study of the patient's bone marrow at the end of induction therapy showed no morphologic evidence of residual leukemia and both FISH and chromosome analyses were normal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3137579,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Functional differences between immunoglobulins M and D expressed on the surface of an immature B-cell line.\nCrosslinked IgM molecules expressed on the surface of immature B cells mediate responses that inhibit further development, in contrast to the activational and proliferative events that follow crosslinking of the mu heavy chain in mature B cells. Concomitant with this change in IgM signaling capacity is the appearance of surface IgD, which has been proposed to modulate the response elicited by the mu heavy chain. In an attempt to gain insight into the mechanism(s) by which surface IgM is able to generate such disparate responses, delta heavy chain gene transfectants of the murine B-cell lymphoma line WEHI-231 were established. WEHI-231 cells resemble phenotypically immature B cells, in addition to being highly susceptible to the growth-inhibitory effect of surface IgM cross-linking. Endogenous mu and exogenous delta heavy chains expressed on the surface of the transfectants were compared for their role in cell proliferation and on gene expression. Our results indicate that the growth-inhibitory response is associated only with the mu heavy chain and that surface IgD does not mediate such a response. Furthermore, in contrast to IgM, IgD molecules appear to have an inductive effect on the expression of Myc and the endogenous mu and exogenous delta Ig heavy chain genes but not on the expression of the housekeeping gene encoding beta 2-microglobulin. These findings suggest that IgM and IgD are functionally distinct when expressed on the surface of an immature B cell.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24469398,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"53BP1, BRCA1, and the choice between recombination and end joining at DNA double-strand breaks.\nWhen DNA double-strand breaks occur, the cell cycle stage has a major influence on the choice of the repair pathway employed. Specifically, nonhomologous end joining is the predominant mechanism used in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, while homologous recombination becomes fully activated in S phase. Studies over the past 2 decades have revealed that the aberrant joining of replication-associated breaks leads to catastrophic genome rearrangements, revealing an important role of DNA break repair pathway choice in the preservation of genome integrity. 53BP1, first identified as a DNA damage checkpoint protein, and BRCA1, a well-known breast cancer tumor suppressor, are at the center of this choice. Research on how these proteins function at the DNA break site has advanced rapidly in the recent past. Here, we review what is known regarding how the repair pathway choice is made, including the mechanisms that govern the recruitment of each critical factor, and how the cell transitions from end joining in G1 to homologous recombination in S\/G2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11475078,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Accuracy of the intra-operative radioguided localization of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) 24 hours after lymphoscintigraphy in patients with malignant melanoma.\nFor optimized logistics for the sentinel lymphadenectomy (SL) it might be helpful for the clinics involved if a longer time period between the lymphoscintigraphy (LS) and surgery is possible. Therefore, we investigated if a precise localization of the sentinel lymph node is possible 24 hours after LS. 78 patients with primary malignant melanoma (MM; n = 44) or with MM pre-operated by excisional biopsy (n = 34) were investigated. In 40 cases the tumor was localized on the trunk and in 38 cases on the extremities. Mean MM thickness was 2.68 mm (range: 0.29 to 12 mm). In all patients a lymphoscintigraphy (LS) with an average of 85 MBq of Tc-99m nanocolloid was performed one day prior to surgery. Immediately after tracer application dynamic data acquisition was started at a LFOV gamma camera followed by a whole body scan. With a hand-held gamma detector (C-Trak) 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours after tracer administration the SLN was identified and the counts registered. 94 SLNs were identified in 87 lymphatic basins from which 86 could be resected. Nine MM showed two draining channels. After 24 hours 15.5% (as an average) of the initial counts could be measured in the SLN. The uptake in the SLN in pre-operated versus patients with primary tumor was statistically not significant (p = 0.4). In 16 cases (20.5%) the SLN was tumor positive. Four of those patients developed distant metastases and two died within the first year. None of the patients with negative SLN developed distant metastases or died. The remaining activity in the SLN up to 24 hours after administration is sufficient for their intra operative localization. The method of lymphoscintigraphy and localization of the SLN by a hand-held gamma detector optimizes the intra operative identification of the SLN in patients with malignant melanoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36158127,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) Catheterization Nursing on Bloodstream Infection in Peripheral Central Venous Catheters in Lung Cancer: A Single-Center, Retrospective Study.\nPeripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), as one of the important intravenous routes for the rescue and treatment of critically ill patients, has been widely used in the fluid resuscitation of critically ill patients in intensive care. In particular, PICC can be widely used in the treatment of cancer patients. With the wide application of peripheral central venous catheterization, the clinical findings of bloodstream infection complications caused by PICC have gradually attracted the attention of doctors and patients. To investigate the effect of specialized placement and PICC placement care on patients with lung cancer who underwent PICC puncture. Patients were selected and divided into a comparison group and an observation group of 40 patients each according to the randomized residual grouping method. In the comparison group, routine PICC placement and catheter maintenance were performed, while the observation group was provided with specialized placement and PICC placement care. The differences in immune and tumor marker levels and nursing compliance between the two groups were observed and compared before and after nursing care. There was no significant difference in the comparison of tumor marker levels between the two groups of patients before care, while the levels of CYFRA21-1, CA125, and VGEF in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the comparison group after care, and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the comparison of immune levels between the two groups before care (P > 0.05), while the comparison of CD4+, CD3+, and CD4+\/CD8+ after care was significantly different and higher in the observation group than in the comparison group, and the comparison was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The compliance rate of 93.8% in the observation group was significantly higher than that of 77.9% in the comparison group, and this difference was statistically significant for comparison (P < 0.05). PICC placement care is more effective in patients with lung cancer and performing PICC puncture, significantly improves patients' immune and tumor marker levels, improves patients' negative emotions, reduces disease uncertainty, and improves nursing compliance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24070300,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Ion selection of charge-modified large nanopores in a graphene sheet.\nWater desalination becomes an increasingly important approach for clean water supply to meet the rapidly growing demand of population boost, industrialization, and urbanization. The main challenge in current desalination technologies lies in the reduction of energy consumption and economic costs. Here, we propose to use charged nanopores drilled in a graphene sheet as ion exchange membranes to promote the efficiency and capacity of desalination systems. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the selective ion transport behavior of electric-field-driven KCl electrolyte solution through charge modified graphene nanopores. Our results reveal that the presence of negative charges at the edge of graphene nanopore can remarkably impede the passage of Cl(-) while enhance the transport of K(+), which is an indication of ion selectivity for electrolytes. We further demonstrate that this selectivity is dependent on the pore size and total charge number assigned at the nanopore edge. By adjusting the nanopore diameter and electric charge on the graphene nanopore, a nearly complete rejection of Cl(-) can be realized. The electrical resistance of nanoporous graphene, which is a key parameter to evaluate the performance of ion exchange membranes, is found two orders of magnitude lower than commercially used membranes. Our results thus suggest that graphene nanopores are promising candidates to be used in electrodialysis technology for water desalinations with a high permselectivity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23178534,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of complete vagotomy and blockage of cell adhesion molecules on interferon-\u03b1 induced behavioral changes in mice.\nSickness behavior and chronic immune diseases are frequently associated with depressive symptomatology. In addition, immune activation by single cytokine therapies, such as treatment of malignancies and hepatitis C with interferon-alpha (IFN-\u03b1) often induces significant changes in emotional reactivity and affect. However, underlying pathogenic mechanisms of cytokine-induced brain dysfunction largely remain unknown. We presently demonstrate the induction of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior in male BALB\/c mice after prolonged treatment with murine IFN-\u03b1 for up to four weeks. Subsequently, neural and cellular communication routes between the immune system and the brain were examined. IFN-\u03b1 induced anxious and depressive-like behavior in a light dark, open field, tail suspension, and novel object paradigm with a maximum effect after two weeks of treatment. Effect sizes of IFN-\u03b1 varied between variables from 23 to 41%. Behavioral deficits were not prevented by complete vagotomy, or by blocking leukocyte function-associated-1 (LFA-1)\/intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and activated leukocyte cellular adhesion molecule (ALCAM)-mediated cellular adhesion events, which are both involved in immune cell entry to the brain. We demonstrate emergence of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior in a mouse model of sustained IFN-\u03b1 application allowing investigation of its pathogenic mechanisms, which is of clinical importance. We failed to demonstrate a critical effect for the vagus nerve or adhesion molecules, but current experiments do not allow excluding the vagus nerve as an afferent communication route. Future studies are needed to unveil if both pathways can be completely excluded in the etiology of behavioral deficits induced by IFN-\u03b1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12514059,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Degradation and transformability of DNA from transgenic leaves.\nThe fate of transplastomic (chloroplast genome contains the transgene) tobacco plant DNA in planta was studied when the plant leaves were subjected to decay conditions simulating those encountered naturally, including grinding, incubation with cellulase or enzymes produced by Erwinia chrysanthemi, and attack by the plant pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum. Direct visualization of DNA on agarose gels, gene extraction yield (the number of amplifiable aadA sequences in extracted plant DNA), and the frequency that recipient bacteria can be transformed by plant DNA were used to evaluate the quality and quantity of plant DNA and the transgene. These measurements were used to monitor the physical and biological degradation of DNA inside decaying plant tissues. Our results indicate that while most of the DNA will be degraded inside plant cells, sufficient DNA persists to be released into the soil.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12764275,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Noninvasive ultrasound measurements of aortic intima-media thickness: implications for in vivo study of aortic wall stress.\nThe abdominal aorta (AA) has a predilection for aneurysm formation. An etiologic factor may be underlying aortic wall stress. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the intima-media thickness (IMT) of the AA, as a surrogate to arterial wall thickness, can be measured noninvasively with satisfactory results to calculate circumferential wall stress, and to evaluate regional and gender differences in wall stress. Sixty-five middle-aged healthy subjects were examined with B-mode ultrasound to determine the diameter and IMT in the infrarenal AA, common carotid artery (CCA), common femoral artery (CFA), and popliteal artery (PA). Blood pressure was measured noninvasively in the brachial artery. Wall stress was calculated according to the law of LaPlace. Intraobserver variability for the IMT in the AA showed a coefficient of variation of 11%. IMT was thickest in the AA compared with the CCA, CFA, and PA (P <.001). There was a gender difference in IMT in the CFA (P <.05) and PA (P <.01) but not in the AA. Greater wall stress was found in the AA than in the CCA (P <.001) and PA (P <.001), with men having greater wall stress in all studied arterial regions. Aortic IMT can be satisfactorily studied in vivo with noninvasive B-mode ultrasound. There are gender differences in IMT and wall stress, and the largest wall stress is found in the AA in men, which might be important in aneurysm development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12531900,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Characterization of the molecular defects in Rab27a, caused by RAB27A missense mutations found in patients with Griscelli syndrome.\nRab27a plays a pivotal role in the transport of melanosomes to dendrite tips of melanocytes and mutations in RAB27A, which impair melanosome transport cause the pigmentary dilution and the immune deficiency found in several patients with Griscelli syndrome (GS). Interestingly, three GS patients present single homozygous missense mutations in RAB27A, leading to W73G, L130P, and A152P transitions that affect highly conserved residues among Rab proteins. However, the functional consequences of these mutations have not been studied. In the present report, we evaluated the effect of overexpression of these mutants on melanosome, melanophilin, and myosin-Va localization in B16 melanoma cells. Then we studied several key parameters for Rab27a function, including GTP binding and interaction with melanophilin\/myosin-Va complex, which links melanosomes to the actin network. Our results showed that Rab27a-L130P cannot bind GTP, does not interact with melanophilin, and consequently cannot allow melanosome transport on the actin filaments. Interestingly, Rab27a-W73G binds GTP but does not interact with melanophilin. Thus, Rab27a-W73G cannot support the actin-dependent melanosome transport. Finally, Rab27a-A152P binds both GTP and melanophilin. However, Rab27a-A152P does not allow melanosome transport and acts as a dominant negative mutant, because its overexpression, in B16 melanoma cells, mimics a GS phenotype. Hence, the interaction of Rab27a with melanophilin\/myosin-Va is not sufficient to ensure a correct melanosome transport. Our results pointed to an unexpected complexity of Rab27a function and open the way to the search for new Rab27a effectors or regulators that control the transport of Rab27a-dependent vesicles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36152429,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cross-redox and simultaneous removal of Cr(VI) and As(III): Influences of Fe(II), Fe(III), oxalic acid, and dissolved organic carbon.\nHexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] and arsenite [As(III)] are hazardous to both human and ecosystem. While their cross-redox reaction decreases both their toxicities, the interferences from ubiquitous substances like Fe (Fe(II) and Fe(III)) and organic compounds (oxalic acid and soil-extracted dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) on such interaction are rarely reported; thence, inspires the investigation in this study. Results showed that the cross-redox, in the absence of interfering substances, only occurred at pH\u22642.0, with reaction orders of 0.676 and 0.783 in respect to the concentration of Cr(VI) and As(III). The pseudo-reaction constant, k', of such reaction was recorded at 0.087 m1.377\/(mmol0.459 min). With the addition of Fe(II), the rate of Cr(VI) reduction is promoted in conjunction with suppressed As(III) oxidation. Upon neutralizing to pH 6.0, such reduced Cr can be entirely removed via Fe(II)-assisted adsorption and\/or co-precipitation. Meanwhile, the elimination of aqueous As is relatively inferior (36 %), attributed to the largely preserved As(III), which is less susceptible to adsorptive\/co-precipitative removal. Unlike Fe(II), Fe(III) did not alter Cr(VI)-As(III) cross-redox path, but triggered high adsorptive and\/or co-precipitative removals of Cr and As (90 %). In contrast, both organically-altered systems exhibits plummeted As(III) oxidation, under distinctive mechanisms: oxalic acid competes with As(III) in the redox interactions while DOC reduces As(V) into As(III). Also, DOC would undergo complexion with metals and\/or blocked the adsorption or co-precipitation sites, leading to even lower Cr and As precipitation. This study unravelled the interference from ubiquitous species in the co-removal of Cr(VI) and As(III), which provides insightful remediation for heavy metal contaminations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30810208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Genome-wide association meta-analysis and Mendelian randomization analysis confirm the influence of ALDH2 on sleep durationin the Japanese population.\nUsual sleep duration has substantial heritability and is associated with various physical and psychiatric conditions as well as mortality. However, for its genetic locus, only PAX8 and VRK2 have been replicated in previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We conducted a GWAS meta-analysis of self-reported usual sleep duration using three population-based cohorts totaling 31 230 Japanese individuals. A genome-wide significant locus was identified at 12q24 (p-value < 5.0 \u00d7 10-8). Subsequently, a functional variant in the ALDH2 locus, rs671, was replicated in an independent sample of 5140 Japanese individuals (p-value = 0.004). The association signal, however, disappeared after adjusting for alcohol consumption, indicating the possibility that the rs671 genotype modifies sleep duration via alcohol consumption. This hypothesis explained a modest genetic correlation observed between sleep duration and alcohol consumption (rG = 0.23). A Mendelian randomization analysis using rs671 and other variants as instrumental variables confirmed this by showing a causal effect of alcohol consumption, but not of coffee consumption on sleep duration. Another genome-wide significant locus was identified at 5q33 after adjusting for drinking frequency. However, this locus was not replicated, nor was the PAX8 and VRK2. Our study has confirmed that a functional ALDH2 variant, rs671, most strongly influences on usual sleep duration possibly via alcohol consumption in the Japanese population, and presumably in East Asian populations. This highlights the importance of considering the involvement of alcohol consumption in future GWAS of usual sleep duration, even in non-East Asian populations, where rs671 is monomorphic.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22228163,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Risk factors for rectal stump cancer in inflammatory bowel disease.\nPatients with long-standing colitis carry an increased risk of colorectal cancer and are therefore enrolled in colonoscopic surveillance programs. It is presently not known if endoscopic surveillance of patients with colitis with a closed rectal stump after a subtotal colectomy is justified. Neither is it clear which of these patients might be at increased risk for rectal stump cancer. The aim of this study is to identify the risk factors for rectal stump cancer. This investigation is a retrospective descriptive case-control study. This study was conducted at tertiary referral centers in the Netherlands. Colorectal cancer cases associated with inflammatory bowel disease diagnosed between 1990 and 2006 were selected in a nationwide pathology archive. Patients with rectal stump cancer were selected from this group. The pathology archive was also used to identify inflammatory bowel disease controls matched for referral center with a closed rectal stump after subtotal colectomy, but without neoplasia. Follow-up started at the date of subtotal colectomy with the formation of a rectal stump. Demographic and disease characteristics were collected at baseline. Hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated for factors associated with the development of rectal stump cancer with the use of univariate Cox regression analysis. End points were rectal stump cancer, end of follow-up, or death. A total of 12 patients with rectal stump cancer and 18 matching controls without neoplasia were identified. Univariate analysis showed an association between rectal stump cancer and primary sclerosing cholangitis, and disease duration until subtotal colectomy. This study is limited by its retrospective design, and, despite being the largest series to date, it still has a limited number of cases. Risk factors for rectal stump cancer in a closed rectal stump after subtotal colectomy were primary sclerosing cholangitis and disease duration until subtotal colectomy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32321901,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, Flk1 and Flt1, in rat skin mast cells during development.\nVascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is a principal regulator of hematopoiesis as well as angiogenesis. However, the functions of VEGF-A and its receptors (VEGFRs) in the differentiation of mast cells (MCs) in the skin remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the expression patterns of two VEGFRs (Flk1 and Flt1) in the skin MCs during development and maturation in rats. From the 17th days of embryonic development (E17) to 1 day after birth (Day 1), most of skin MCs were immature cells containing predominant alcian blue (AB)+ rather than safranin O (SO)+ granules (AB>SO MCs). AB>SO MC proportions gradually decreased, while mature ABSO MCs had significantly decreased, and AB or =18 years with an outpatient visit to an office- or hospital-based medical practice or to an emergency department. All visits were classified into 1 of 4 diagnostic categories: (1) acute respiratory infection (ARI)-antibiotics rarely indicated, (2) ARI-antibiotics often indicated, (3) nonrespiratory infection-antibiotics often indicated, and (4) all others. Trends in: (1) Proportion of outpatient visits associated with an antibiotic prescription; (2) proportion of antibiotic prescriptions that were broad spectrum; and (3) number of visits and antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 U.S. adults > or =18 years of age. From 1995-1996 to 2001-2002, the proportion of all outpatient visits that generated an antibiotic prescription decreased from 17.9% to 15.3% (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.84, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.76 to 0.92). The entire reduction was because of a decrease in antibiotic prescriptions associated with visits for ARIs where antibiotics are rarely indicated from 59.9% to 49.1% (adjusted OR 0.64 95% CI 0.51 to 0.80). However, the proportion of prescribed antibiotics for these visits that were classified as broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription increased from 41.0% to 76.8%. Overall outpatient visits increased from 1693 to 1986 per 1,000 adults over the 8 years studied, but associated antibiotic prescriptions changed little, from 302 to 304 per 1,000 adults. During the study period, outpatient antibiotic prescribing for respiratory infections where antibiotics are rarely indicated has declined, while the proportion of broad-spectrum antibiotics prescribed for these diagnoses has increased significantly. This trend resulted in a 15% decline in the total proportion of outpatient visits in which antibiotics were prescribed. However, because outpatient visits increased 17% over this time period, the population burden of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions changed little.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21443087,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of lateral lymph node metastases in advanced distal rectal cancer.\nThe importance of lateral node dissection has not yet been fully investigated in advanced rectal cancer. To evaluate tumor cells in perirectal and lateral lymph nodes dissection from rectal adenocarcinomas considered free of disease by the hematoxylin-eosin test. Fifteen patients submitted to neoadjuvant therapy and surgery for rectal adenocarcinoma with lateral node dissection were studied, retrospectively. The paraffin blocs of the nodes were analyzed with a immunohistochemical study and multiples cross section of the nodes. A total of 331 lymph nodes from these 15 patients were assessed, distributed as 258 perirectal nodes, 73 non perirectal, and 27 lateral nodes. The average was 22.1 lymph nodes per patient. Three patients out of 15 (20%) with histological negative lateral lymph node had occult metastasis detected by pancytokeratins AE1 and AE3. One of these cases didn't present tumor in the surgical specimen of the rectum. A case of positive lateral node identified by hematoxylin-eosin was also identified by immunohistochemical study. Although we had a small number of patients in the present study, lateral node dissection is important in selected cases of advanced cancer. Pancytokeratins AE1 and AE3 had a potential to improve study for detection of occult node metastasis, being helpful in rectal cancer prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26019139,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of postural steadiness in below-knee amputees when wearing different prosthetic feet during various sensory conditions using the Biodex\u00ae Stability System.\nIn recent years, computerized posturography has become an essential tool in quantitative assessment of postural steadiness in the clinical settings. The purpose of this study was to explore the ability of the Biodex(\u00ae) Stability System (BSS) to quantify postural steadiness in below-knee amputees. A convenience sample of 10 below-knee amputees participated in the study. The overall (OSI), anterior-posterior (APSI) and medial-lateral (MLSI) stability indexes as well as the percentage of time spent in left and right quadrants and four concentric zones were measured under altered sensory conditions while standing with solid ankle cushion heel (SACH), single-axis (SA) and energy storage and release (ESAR) feet. Significant difference was found between sensory conditions in SACH and ESAR feet for OSI (SACH, p = 0.002; ESAR, p = 0.005), APSI (SACH, p = 0.036; ESAR, p = 0.003) and MLSI (SACH, p = 0.008; ESAR, p = 0.05) stability indexes. The percentage of time spent in Zone A (0\u00b0-5\u00b0) was significantly greater than the other three concentric zones (p < 0.01). The loading time percentage on their intact limb (80%-94%) was significantly longer than the amputated limb (20%-6%) in all conditions for all three prosthetic feet. Below-knee amputees showed compromised postural steadiness when visual, proprioceptive or vestibular sensory input was altered. The findings highlight that the characteristics of postural stability in amputees can be clinically assessed by utilizing the outcomes produced by the BSS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24132761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Negative pressure wound therapy for treating foot wounds in people with diabetes mellitus.\nFoot wounds in people with diabetes mellitus (DM) are a common and serious global health issue. Negative pressure wound therapy can be used to treat these wounds and a clear and current overview of current evidence is required to facilitate decision-making regarding its use. To assess the effects of negative pressure wound therapy compared with standard care or other adjuvant therapies in the healing of foot wounds in people with DM. In July 2013, we searched the following databases to identify reports of relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs): Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); The NHS Economic Evaluation Database; Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. Published or unpublished RCTs that evaluate the effects of any brand of negative pressure wound therapy in the treatment of foot wounds in people with diabetes, irrespective of publication date or language of publication. Particular effort was made to identify unpublished studies. Two review authors independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. We included five studies in this review randomising 605 participants. Two studies (total of 502 participants) compared negative pressure wound therapy with standard moist wound dressings. The first of these was conducted in people with DM and post-amputation wounds and reported that significantly more people healed in the negative pressure wound therapy group compared with the moist dressing group: (risk ratio 1.44; 95% CI 1.03 to 2.01). The second study, conducted in people with debrided foot ulcers, also reported a statistically significant increase in the proportion of ulcers healed in the negative pressure wound therapy group compared with the moist dressing group: (risk ratio 1.49; 95% CI 1.11 to 2.01). However, these studies were noted to be at risk of performance bias, so caution is required in their interpretation. Findings from the remaining three studies provided limited data, as they were small, with limited reporting, as well as being at unclear risk of bias. There is some evidence to suggest that negative pressure wound therapy is more effective in healing post-operative foot wounds and ulcers of the foot in people with DM compared with moist wound dressings. However, these findings are uncertain due to the possible risk of bias in the original studies. The limitations in current RCT evidence suggests that further trials are required to reduce uncertainty around decision making regarding the use of NPWT to treat foot wounds in people with DM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31638373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Electrochemically Modulated Liquid Chromatography in Fused Silica Capillary Columns.\nElectrochemically modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC) uses electrical potentials, applied to a conductive chromatographic stationary phase (e.g., porous graphitic carbon [PGC]), to manipulate analyte retention. This paper reports the design of a capillary EMLC column with a smaller internal diameter (ID; 250 \u03bcm) than that of the standard bore predecessor (3.3 mm ID). The new capillary EMLC columns are configured so that the PGC stationary phase serves as the working electrode in a two-electrode electrochemical cell and simplifies electrode placement by obviating the need for a counter electrode. This configuration also eliminates the internal Nafion sleeve that is critical to operation for the standard bore columns, thereby avoiding Nafion deformation as a source of chromatographic band broadening and rupturing as a mode of column failure. Indeed, values for chromatographic efficiency obtained on the capillary columns meet or exceed those measured for the standard columns (20 000-40 000 vs 14 000 plates\/m, respectively) with near symmetric elution bands (asymmetry factors of 1.1-1.4 for well-packed capillaries) that surpass band symmetries observed in all prior studies. A test suite of aromatic sulfonates was used to characterize the chromatographic performance of the capillary EMLC columns. Separations of this test mixture showed that retention factors for individual analytes could be manipulated by as much as 21\u00d7 by changing the applied potential at the PGC stationary phase. Changes in retention behavior at different potential ranges, hypothesized to result from differences in adsorption orientation, were also observed and are consistent with past work. Collectively, the retention behavior unique to EMLC is operative in this new capillary configuration and promises to open new avenues in tuning LC separations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31638710,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The Swedish specialist examination in emergency medicine: reflections on the first decade].\nEmergency Medicine became a supraspeciality in Sweden in 2008. The Swedish Specialist Examination in Emergency Medicine is a formative examination that seeks to guide local training in Emergency Medicine, provide feedback to physicians during their residency, and establish national standards for various processes in Emergency Medicine. It consists of six partial examinations and 118 cases. Documents and checklists accessible on the internet specify the degree of competence expected during the examination. Program directors are tasked with offering the examination locally to their residents. During the past 10 years, the examination has been offered during 53 days to 180 residents belonging to 27 training programs. The total number of passed partial examinations is 201. Six physicians have so far passed all six partial examinations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38110441,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Two-dimensional Brownian motion of active particle on superfluid helium surface.\nWe report an experimental study of the 2D dynamics of active particles driven by quantum vortices on the free surface of superfluid helium at T = 1.45 \u041a. The particle motion at short times (< 25 ms) relates to anomalous diffusion mode typical for active particles, while for longer times it corresponds to normal diffusion mode. The values of the rotational and translational kinetic energies of the particle allow to determine for the first time the intensity of the particle-vortex interaction and the dissipation rate of the vortex bundle energy. Strong bonding between a particle and a vortex is explained by coupling of normal and superfluid components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20442583,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Survivin small interfering RNA transfected with a microbubble and ultrasound exposure inducing apoptosis in ovarian carcinoma cells.\nSmall interfering RNA (siRNA) has been used to knock down the expression of specific genes. However, its delivery remains a challenge. Recently, ultrasound combined with microbubbles has been used to deliver plasmid into cells and has shown much superiority. Whether a survivin siRNA transfected with a microbubble contrast agent combined with ultrasound exposure could inhibit survivin expression and induce ovarian cancer cell apoptosis was investigated. The survivin gene was amplified and inserted into vector pEGFP-N1, resulting in psurvivin-EGFP. Three siRNA expression cassettes (SECs) targeting survivin were obtained by 2-step polymerase chain reaction. The SECs and psurvivin-EGFP were cotransfected into 293T cells. A functional SEC was selected and inserted into pMD18T, resulting in the survivin-targeting siRNA expression plasmid, which was transfected into SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma cells using SonoVue, a microbubble contrast agent, and ultrasound exposure. Survivin expression was monitored by Western blot, and apoptosis was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. One siRNA effectively inhibited survivin expression. SonoVue with ultrasound effectively delivered survivin siRNA to SKOV-3 cells, inhibited survivin expression, and induced apoptosis. Delivery of survivin siRNA using a microbubble contrast agent combined with ultrasound exposure can effectively inhibit survivin expression and induce apoptosis, providing a new promising approach for siRNA delivery in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11723792,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Photoreactivity of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 2-arylpropionic acids with photosensitizing side effects.\nThe photoreactivity of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 2-arylpropionic acids benoxaprofen, carprofen, naproxen, ketoprofen, tiaprofenic acid, and suprofen is reviewed with special emphasis on fundamental photophysical and photochemical properties. The absorption and emission properties of the excited states of these drugs as well as their main photodegradation routes are summarized. The photochemical mechanisms are discussed on the basis of product studies and detection of short-lived intermediates by means of laser flash photolysis. After dealing with the unimolecular processes, attention is focused on the photosensitized reactions of key biomolecules, such as lipids, proteins or nucleic acids. Finally, a short section on the photobiological effects on simple biological models is also included. Although some earlier citations are included, the literature coverage is in general limited to the last decade.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19590621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Timing of referral impacts surgical outcomes in patients undergoing repair of bile duct injuries.\nBile duct injury (BDI) after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) remains a significant surgical challenge. Despite claims to the contrary, the incidence of bile duct injury has remained elevated since the introduction of LC. Several issues regarding the surgical management of BDI are controversial, including: (i) identification of the surgeon and centre most capable of managing the injury, (ii) timing of surgical repair, (iii) incidence and significance of associated vascular injury and (iv) identification of patient factors which significantly impact outcome after repair. Variability in timing of referral of BDI to tertiary centres has been noted in the literature. The impact of timing of referral upon post-operative outcomes after definitive surgery has yet to be clearly investigated. We report our experience with 44 patients who required reconstructive surgery after BDI. In contrast to the many studies available in the literature, patients in the current study were classified according to a modern injury classification system. Additionally, we examined the impact of delayed referral to our centre on short- and long-term outcomes after surgical repair of BDI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36008154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of Compensation Strategies for Gait Impairment in Patients With Parkinson Disease.\nCompensation strategies are essential in Parkinson disease (PD) gait rehabilitation. However, besides external cueing, these strategies have rarely been investigated systematically. We aimed to perform the following: (1) establish the patients' perspective on the efficacy and usability of 5 different compensation strategies; (2) quantify the efficacy of these strategies on spatiotemporal gait parameters; and (3) explore associations between the effects of specific strategies and patient characteristics. We recruited persons with PD and self-reported disabling gait impairments for this laboratory-based, within-subject study. Clinimetrics included the following: questionnaires (New Freezing of Gait Questionnaire, Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index), cognitive assessments (Attentional Network Test and Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA], Brixton), and physical examinations (Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale [MDS-UPDRS III], Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test, tandem gait, and rapid turns test). Gait assessment consisted of six 3-minute trials of continuous walking around a 6-m walkway. Trials comprised the following: (1) baseline gait; (2) external cueing; (3) internal cueing; (4) action observation; (5) motor imagery; and (6) adopting a new walking pattern. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were acquired using 3-dimensional motion capture analysis. Strategy efficacy was determined by the change in gait variability compared with baseline gait. Associated patient characteristics were explored using regression analyses. A total of 101 participants (50 men; median [range] age: 66 [47-91] years) were included. The effects of the different strategies varied greatly among participants. While participants with higher baseline variability showed larger improvements using compensation strategies, participants without freezing of gait, with lower MDS-UPDRS III scores, higher balance capacity, and better performance in orienting attention also showed greater improvements in gait variability. Higher MoCA scores were associated with greater efficacy of external cueing. Our findings support the use of compensation strategies in gait rehabilitation for PD but highlight the importance of a personalized approach. Even patients with high gait variability are able to improve through the application of compensation strategies, but certain levels of cognitive and functional reserve seem necessary to optimally benefit from them.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17803442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Biodistribution of 211At-labeled humanized monoclonal antibody A33.\nRadioimmunotherapy (RIT) could be a possible adjuvant treatment method for patients with colorectal carcinoma. The A33 antigen is a promising RIT target, as it is highly and homogenously expressed in 95% of all colorectal carcinomas. In this study, the humanized monoclonal antibody A33 (huA33), targeting the A33 antigen, was labeled with the therapeutic nuclide 211At, and the biodistribution and in vivo targeting ability of the conjugate was investigated in an athymic mouse xenograft model. There was an accumulation of 211At in tumor tissue over time, but no substantial accumulation was seen in any organ apart from the skin and thyroid, indicating no major release of free 211At in vivo. At all time points, the uptake of 211At-huA33 was higher in tumor tissue than in most organs, and at 8 hours postinjection (p.i.), no organ had a higher uptake than tumor tissue. The tumor-to-blood ratio of 211At-huA33 increased with time, reaching 2.5 after 21 hours p.i. The highest absorbed dose was found in the blood, but the tumor received a higher dose than any organ other than the thyroid. An in vivo blocking experiment showed that 211At-huA33 binds specifically to human tumor xenografts in athymic mice. In conclusion, the favorable biodistribution and specific in vivo targeting ability of 211At-huA33 makes it a potential therapeutic agent for the RIT of metastatic colorectal carcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33849022,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Development of a Checklist Tool to Assess the Quality of Skin Lesion Images Acquired by Consumers Using Sequential Mobile Teledermoscopy.\nMobile teledermoscopy is an emerging technology that involves imaging and digitally sending dermoscopic images of skin lesions to a clinician for assessment. High-quality, consistent images are required for accurate telediagnoses when monitoring lesions over time. To date there are no tools to assess the quality of sequential images taken by consumers using mobile teledermoscopy. The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to assess the quality of images acquired by consumers. Participants imaged skin lesions that they felt were concerning at baseline, 1-, and 2-months. A checklist to assess the quality of consumer sequential imaging of skin lesions was developed based on the International Skin Imaging Collaboration guidelines. A scale was implemented to grade the quality of the images: 0 (low) to 18 (very high). Intra- and inter-reliability of the checklist was assessed using Bland-Altman analysis. Using this checklist, the consistency with which 85 sets of images were scored by 2 evaluators were compared using Kappa statistics. Items with a low Kappa value <0.4 were removed. After reliability testing, 5 of the items were removed due to low Kappa values (<0.4) and the final checklist included 13 items surveying: lesion selection; image orientation; lighting; field of view; focus and depth of view. Participants had a mean age of 41 years (range 19-73), and 67% were female. Most participants (84%, n = 71\/85) were able to select and image the correct lesion over time for both the dermoscopic and overview images. Younger participants (<40 years old) scored significantly higher (8.1 \u00b1 2.1) on the imaging checklist compared to older participants (7.1 \u00b1 2.4; p = 0.037). Participants had most difficulty with consistent image orientation. This checklist could be used as a triage tool to filter images acquired by consumers prior to telediagnosis evaluation, which would improve the efficiency and accuracy of teledermatology and teledermoscopy processes. It may also be used to provide feedback to the consumers to improve image acquisition over time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8119057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Non-invasive measurement of pulsatile vessel diameter change and elastic properties in human arteries: a methodological study.\nA recently developed ultrasound phase-locked echo-tracking system makes it possible to measure non-invasive pulsatile vessel diameter changes, and, in combination with blood-pressure measurement, to calculate pressure strain elastic modulus (Ep) and stiffness (beta). The reproducibility in measurements of pulsatile diameter changes with this system was evaluated. Also the precision of indirect blood-pressure measurements, as compared to the simultaneously measured intra-arterial blood pressure was tested. The resulting reproducibility in pressure strain elastic modulus (Ep) and stiffness (beta) was evaluated. Intra-observer variabilities in measuring pulsatile diameter changes were 16% for the abdominal aorta, 10% for the common carotid artery, and 15% for the common femoral artery, respectively. Intra-observer variabilities for Ep and beta were 21% for both in the abdominal aorta, 17% for both in the common carotid artery, and 18% for both in the common femoral artery, respectively. There were only small differences in indirect and direct measurement of systolic blood pressure, whereas indirect blood pressure measurement systematically overestimated the diastolic blood pressure, on average by 20%. The variabilities in indirect blood pressure measurements were 2% for the systolic and 3% for the diastolic blood pressure, respectively. Inter-observer variability in the investigation of the common carotid artery was 10% for the pulsatile diameter changes, and 21% and 23% for Ep and beta, respectively. Thus, the echo-tracking system represents a reliable system for estimation of pressure strain elastic modulus and stiffness. However, Ep and beta are systematically underestimated by 25-30%, when used in combination with indirect blood pressure measurements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31223202,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in Honey BeesCaused by EMF Radiation.\nHoney bees are one of the treasures in the world. An increase of waveform communication leads to good information exchange of mankind. In the biological view, it causes a lot of side effects and lifestyle changes in other living organisms. The drastic changes are causing the natural imbalance in the ecosystem and become a global issue. There are significant reasons for bee colony collapse disorder (CCD) like pesticides, disease and climate change. Recent studies reveal that a cell phone tower and mobile phone handset are also causing side effects to honey bees due to radiation emission. Most of the researchers concentrated on biological and behavioral changes in a honey bee due to radiation effects. For that, the real-time radiation levels have experimented but the different technical perspectives such as radiation emission levels, handset radiation emission measures and multi-sources of radiation are needed to be considered during research. This study aimed to provide possible research extensions of colony collapse disordercaused by cell tower and mobile handsets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3216188,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cytoplasmic free calcium, myosin light chain phosphorylation, and force in phasic and tonic smooth muscle.\nThe time course of [Ca2+]i, tension, and myosin light chain phosphorylation were determined during prolonged depolarization with high K+ in intact tonic (rabbit pulmonary artery) and phasic (longitudinal layer of guinea pig ileum) smooth muscles. [Ca2+]i was monitored with the 340 nm\/380 nm signal ratio of the fluorescent indicator fura-2. The fluorescence ratio had a similar time course in both muscle types during depolarization with 109 mM [K+]o; after a transient peak, there was a decline to 70% of its peak value in tonic smooth muscle, and to 60% in phasic smooth muscle. Tension, however, continued to increase in the pulmonary artery, while in the ileum it declined in parallel with the [Ca2+]i. On changing [K+]o from 109 to 20 mM, tension and [Ca2+]i either remained unchanged or declined in parallel in the pulmonary artery. Phosphorylation of the 20-kD myosin light chain, measured during stimulation of muscle strips with 109 mM [K+]o in another set of experiments, increased from 3% to a peak of 50% in the intact pulmonary artery, and then declined to a steady state value of 23%. In the intact ileum, a very rapid, early transient phosphorylation (up to 50%) at 2-3 s was seen. This transient declined by 30 s to a value that was close to the resting level (7%), while tension remained at 55% of its peak force. A quick release during maintained stimulation induced no detectable change in the [Ca2+]i in either type of smooth muscle. We discuss the possibility that the slowly rising tonic tension in pulmonary artery could be due to cooperativity between phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated crossbridges.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10629654,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Chemotherapy response rates in recurrent\/progressive pediatric glioma; results of a systematic review.\nThe optimum treatment strategy for recurrent childhood glioma is unknown. This report presents a systematic analysis of the currently available clinical data on chemotherapeutic management of this disease. A study protocol was prospectively developed outlining the objectives and methods of analysis including literature search strategy, eligibility criteria for published trials to be included, key data elements to be extracted and a plan for statistical analysis. Summary statistics were analyzed for the primary outcome variables. Data on recognized prognostic factors were recorded in order to adjust the outcome measures for these factors. A total of 27 non-randomized clinical trails were included in the analysis. Studies were stratified into 6 chemotherapy classes based on the frequency of drug used across studies. Average median response (complete + partial) across all drug categories was approximately 14% (range 10.4-23.5%). Adding patients with stable disease to complete and partial responders at least doubled average median response rates. Time to tumor progression ranged from 29.4 weeks to 49.7 weeks. The most frequently used drugs were the platinum analogs which demonstrated a mean TTP of 42.0 = \/-23.4 weeks. Small sample sizes and the overall poor quality of the available data precluded definitive conclusions regarding the clinical impact of the various drug classes on the natural history of this disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32324777,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Performance of a multiplexed amplicon-based next-generation sequencing assay for HLA typing.\nNext-generation sequencing (NGS) has enabled efficient high-resolution typing of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes with minimal ambiguity. Most commercially available assays amplify individual or subgroup of HLA genes by long-range PCR followed by library preparation and sequencing. The AllType assay simplifies the workflow by amplifying 11 transplant-relevant HLA genes in one PCR reaction. Here, we report the performance of this unique workflow evaluated using 218 genetically diverse samples. Five whole genes (HLA-A\/B\/C\/DQA1\/DPA1) and six near-whole genes (HLA-DRB1\/DRB345\/DQB1\/DPB1; excluding exon 1 and part of intron 1) were amplified in a multiplexed, long-range PCR. Manual library preparation was performed per manufacturer's protocol, followed by template preparation and chip loading on the Ion Chef, and sequencing on the Ion S5 sequencer. Pre-specified rules for quality control and repeat testing were followed; technologists were blinded to the reference results. The concordance between AllType and reference results was determined at 2-field resolution. We also describe the ranges of input DNA and library concentrations, read number per sample and per locus, and key health metrics in relation to typing results. The concordance rates were 98.6%, 99.8% and 99.9% at the sample (n = 218), genotype (n = 1688), and allele (n = 3376) levels, respectively. Three genotypes were discordant, all of which shared the same G group typing results with the reference. Most ambiguous genotypes (116 out of 144, 80.6%) were due to the lack of exon 1 and intron 1 coverage for HLA-DRB1\/DRB345\/DQB1\/DPB1 genes. A broad range of input DNA concentrations and library concentrations were tolerated. Per sample read numbers were adequate for accurate genotyping. Per locus read numbers showed some inter-lot variations, and a trend toward improved inter-locus balance was observed with later lots of reagents. The AllType assay on the Ion Chef\/Ion S5 platform offers a robust and efficient workflow for clinical HLA typing at the 2-field resolution. The multiplex PCR strategy simplifies the laboratory procedure without compromising the typing accuracy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25025279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Plasticity of the MAPK signaling network in response to mechanical stress.\nCells display versatile responses to mechanical inputs and recent studies have identified the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades mediating the biological effects observed upon mechanical stimulation. Although, MAPK pathways can act insulated from each other, several mechanisms facilitate the crosstalk between the components of these cascades. Yet, the combinatorial complexity of potential molecular interactions between these elements have prevented the understanding of their concerted functions. To analyze the plasticity of the MAPK signaling network in response to mechanical stress we performed a non-saturating epistatic screen in resting and stretched conditions employing as readout a JNK responsive dJun-FRET biosensor. By knocking down MAPKs, and JNK pathway regulators, singly or in pairs in Drosophila S2R+ cells, we have uncovered unexpected regulatory links between JNK cascade kinases, Rho GTPases, MAPKs and the JNK phosphatase Puc. These relationships have been integrated in a system network model at equilibrium accounting for all experimentally validated interactions. This model allows predicting the global reaction of the network to its modulation in response to mechanical stress. It also highlights its context-dependent sensitivity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20200263,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Iron bioavailability and dietary reference values.\nIron differs from other minerals because iron balance in the human body is regulated by absorption only because there is no physiologic mechanism for excretion. On the basis of intake data and isotope studies, iron bioavailability has been estimated to be in the range of 14-18% for mixed diets and 5-12% for vegetarian diets in subjects with no iron stores, and these values have been used to generate dietary reference values for all population groups. Dietary factors that influence iron absorption, such as phytate, polyphenols, calcium, ascorbic acid, and muscle tissue, have been shown repeatedly to influence iron absorption in single-meal isotope studies, whereas in multimeal studies with a varied diet and multiple inhibitors and enhancers, the effect of single components has been, as expected, more modest. The importance of fortification iron and food additives such as erythorbic acid on iron bioavailability from a mixed diet needs clarification. The influence of vitamin A, carotenoids, and nondigestible carbohydrates on iron absorption and the nature of the \"meat factor\" remain unresolved. The iron status of the individual and other host factors, such as obesity, play a key role in iron bioavailability, and iron status generally has a greater effect than diet composition. It would therefore be timely to develop a range of iron bioavailability factors based not only on diet composition but also on subject characteristics, such as iron status and prevalence of obesity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25040175,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Aspirin therapy in venous malformation: a retrospective cohort study of benefits, side effects, and patient experiences.\nVenous malformations (VMs) are often painful and may enlarge over time. Chronic coagulopathy is common in VMs and may contribute to phleboliths and potentially to disease progression. Few studies have examined the effects of anticoagulation on VMs and to our knowledge none have examined the use of aspirin therapy. A survey was administered to patients and parents of patients with VMs who attended the University of California at San Francisco Vascular Anomalies Center over a 4-year period (2008-2012) to whom aspirin had been recommended. They were surveyed regarding whether they were taking aspirin and, if yes, whether aspirin had resulted in any appreciable benefit. Sixty-five letters were sent to potential subjects: 38 participated and 27 declined to participate or could not be contacted. Twenty-eight of the 38 had begun aspirin and 22 reported current use. Seventeen reported some benefit, including less aching (n = 2), less shooting pain (n = 15), less fullness and swelling (n = 13), and shrinking of the VM (n = 1). Discontinuation of aspirin was associated with worsening VM symptoms in five of six patients. Side effects were reported in 6 of 28 patients, including five episodes of minor bleeding or excessive bruising and one of nausea and vomiting. This study suggests that aspirin may be a beneficial treatment for VM, with a reduction in pain and soft tissue swelling and an acceptable side-effect profile, but the retrospective nature of the study and the small size of the cohort limited our conclusions. Larger prospective studies of aspirin for VM using clinical and laboratory outcome measures are needed to confirm these observations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24305578,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The usefulness of T-wave peak to T-wave end interval in identifying malignant arrhythmias in patients with Chagas disease.\nAbnormal ventricular repolarization has been proposed as a marker of arrhythmogenesis, and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the influence of the interval between the peak and the end of the T wave (Tp-Te) on the inducibility of sustained ventricular arrhythmias (VA) in patients with Chagas disease (CD). Using a case-control design, chagasics undergoing electrophysiological study (EPS) in the last three years were matched by age and sex. Cases represented those with positive EPS and controls those with no inducible VA. Tp-Te>100 ms was considered abnormal. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between Tp-Te and a positive EPS, after adjusting for confounders. A total of 105 patients (mean age 56 years, 52.4% male) were included: 41 (39%) had a positive EPS; 85.4% with inducible VA (n=35) had non-sustained ventricular tachycardia on the Holter monitoring, compared to 62.5% with negative EPS (n=40, p<0.001). While ventricular aneurysm (adjusted OR=5.3, 95% CI: 1.11-24.96, p=0.03) and coronary artery disease (adjusted OR=8.8, 95% CI: 1.45-53.15, p=0.01) were associated with an increased risk of malignant arrhythmias, a greater ejection fraction (adjusted OR=0.96, 95% CI: 0.93-0.99, p<0.01) was associated with a lower risk of VA. Prolonged Tp-Te trended to be associated with an increased risk of induced VA (p=0.07). Ventricular aneurysm, coronary artery disease, and ejection fraction are associated with inducible VA. Prolonged TP-Te may have a modest role in the identification of patients with CD who are at high risk for VA. Further studies are warranted to validate our results and to correlate them with clinical outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23184735,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"How calcium inhibits the magnesium-dependent kinase gsk3\u03b2: a molecular simulation study.\nGlycogen synthase kinase 3\u03b2 (GSK3\u03b2) is a ubiquitous serine\/threonine kinase that plays a pivotal role in many biological processes. GSK3\u03b2 catalyzes the transfer of \u03b3-phosphate of ATP to the unique substrate Ser\/Thr residues with the assistance of two natural activating cofactors Mg(2+). Interestingly, the biological observation reveals that a non-native Ca(2+) ion can inhibit the GSK3\u03b2 catalytic activity. Here, the inhibitory mechanism of GSK3\u03b2 by the displacement of native Mg(2+) at site 1 by Ca(2+) was investigated by means of 80 ns comparative molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the GSK3\u03b2\u00b7\u00b7\u00b7Mg(2+)-2\/ATP\/Mg(2+) -1 and GSK3\u03b2\u00b7\u00b7\u00b7Mg(2+)-2\/ATP\/Ca(2+)-1 systems. MD simulation results revealed that using the AMBER point charge model force field for Mg(2+) was more appropriate in the reproduction of the active site architectural characteristics of GSK3\u03b2 than using the magnesium-cationic dummy atom model force field. Compared with the native Mg(2+) bound system, the misalignment of the critical triphosphate moiety of ATP, the erroneous coordination environments around the Mg(2+) ion at site 2, and the rupture of the key hydrogen bond between the invariant Lys85 and the ATP O(\u03b22) atom in the Ca(2+) substituted system were observed in the MD simulation due to the Ca(2+) ion in active site in order to achieve its preferred sevenfold coordination geometry, which adequately abolish the enzymatic activity. The obtained results are valuable in understanding the possible mechanism by why Ca(2+) inhibits the GSK3\u03b2 activity and also provide insights into the mechanism of Ca(2+) inhibition in other structurally related protein kinases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12533101,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Are astrocytes central players in the pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis?\nAn interaction between antimyelin T cells and antigen-presenting glial cells is a crucial step in the cascade of immune events that lead to the inflammatory lesions in multiple sclerosis (MS). One of the most debated and controversial issues is whether microglial cells or astrocytes are the key players in initiating the (auto)immune reactions in the central nervous system in MS. Many investigators consider microglia to be the responsible intrinsic immunoeffector cells. In this review, we speculate that in MS astrocytes may serve as primary (facultative) antigen-presenting cells due to a failure of noradrenergic suppression of class II major histocompatibility complex molecules, which is caused by a loss of beta(2)-adrenergic receptors. If this hypothesis is correct, pharmacologic suppression of the antigen-presenting capacities of astrocytes may be a potential therapy for MS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30149454,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Clinical Experience with Cerebrospinal Fluid A\u03b242, Total and Phosphorylated Tau in the Evaluation of 1,016 Individuals for Suspected Dementia.\nElevated total tau (tTau), 181-phosphorylated phosphorylated tau (pTau), and low amyloid-\u03b242 (A\u03b242) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represent a diagnostic biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The goal was to determine the overall accuracy of CSF A\u03b242, tTau, pTau, and the A\u03b242\/total tau index (ATI) in a non-research, clinical setting for the diagnosis of AD. From medical records in 1,016 patients that had CSF studies for dementia over a 12-year period (2005 to 2017), we calculated the sensitivity and specificity of CSF A\u03b242, tTau, and pTau and the ATI in relation to the final clinical diagnosis. Compared with non-demented patients and patients with other dementias or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), the sensitivity and specificity of the recommended ATI and pTau cut-offs (ATI < 1.0 and pTau >61 pg\/ml) for the diagnosis of AD were 0.88 and 0.72, respectively. Similar results were obtained comparing AD with non-demented patients only (0.88, 0.82) and AD with other types of dementia (0.81, 0.77). A subgroup of patients with presumed normal pressure hydrocephalus (n = 154) were biopsied at the time of shunt placement. Using the pathological manifestations of AD as the standard, the sensitivity was 0.83 while the specificity was 0.72. In a non-research setting, CSF biomarkers for AD showed a high sensitivity in accordance with previous studies, but modest specificity differentiating AD from other types of dementia or MCI. This study of unselected patients provides a valid and realistic assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of these CSF biomarkers in clinical practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34812999,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Genes involved in mRNA surveillance are induced in Brachypodium distachyon under cadmium toxicity.\nCd accumulation in plant cells results in dramatic problems including oxidative stress and inhibition of vital enzymes. It also affects mineral uptakes by disrupting membrane permeability. Interaction among Cd and other plant nutrient elements changes the nutritional contents of crops and reduces their yield. In the present study, Cd stress in Brachypodium distachyon led to the upregulation of some heavy metal transport genes (influx or efflux) encoding cation-efflux proteins, heavy metal-associated proteins and NRAMP proteins. The Arabidopsis orthologs of the differentially expressed B. distachyon genes (DEGs) under Cd toxicity were identified, which exhibited Bradi4g26905 was an ortholog of AtALY1-2. Detailed co-expression network and gene ontology analyses found the potential involvement of the mRNA surveillance pathway in Cd tolerance in B. distachyon. These genes were shown to be downregulated by sulfur (S) deficiency. This is the first transcriptomic study investigating the effect of Cd toxicity in B. distachyon, a model plant for genomic studies in Poaceae (Gramineae) species. The results are expected to provide valuable information for more comprehensive research related to heavy metal toxicity in plants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19014508,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Development of a novel ozone- and photo-stable HyPer5 red fluorescent dye for array CGH and microarray gene expression analysis with consistent performance irrespective of environmental conditions.\nArray-based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and gene expression profiling have become vital techniques for identifying molecular defects underlying genetic diseases. Regardless of the microarray platform, cyanine dyes (Cy3 and Cy5) are one of the most widely used fluorescent dye pairs for microarray analysis owing to their brightness and ease of incorporation, enabling high level of assay sensitivity. However, combining both dyes on arrays can become problematic during summer months when ozone levels rise to near 25 parts per billion (ppb). Under such conditions, Cy5 is known to rapidly degrade leading to loss of signal from either \"homebrew\" or commercial arrays. Cy5 can also suffer disproportionately from dye photobleaching resulting in distortion of (Cy5\/Cy3) ratios used in copy number analysis. Our laboratory has been active in fluorescent dye research to find a suitable alternative to Cy5 that is stable to ozone and resistant to photo-bleaching. Here, we report on the development of such a dye, called HyPer5, and describe its' exceptional ozone and photostable properties on microarrays. Our results show HyPer5 signal to be stable to high ozone levels. Repeated exposure of mouse arrays hybridized with HyPer5-labeled cDNA to 300 ppb ozone at 5, 10 and 15 minute intervals resulted in no signal loss from the dye. In comparison, Cy5 arrays showed a dramatic 80% decrease in total signal during the same interval. Photobleaching experiments show HyPer5 to be resistant to light induced damage with 3- fold improvement in dye stability over Cy5. In high resolution array CGH experiments, HyPer5 is demonstrated to detect chromosomal aberrations at loci 2p21-16.3 and 15q26.3-26.2 from three patient sample using bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) arrays. The photostability of HyPer5 is further documented by repeat array scanning without loss of detection. Additionally, HyPer5 arrays are shown to preserve sensitivity and data quality from gene expression experiments. HyPer5 is a red fluorescent dye that behaves functionally similar to Cy5 except in stability to ozone and light. HyPer5 is demonstrated to be resistant to ozone at up to 300 ppb, levels significantly higher than commonly observed during summer months. Consequently, HyPer5 dye can be used in parallel with Cy3 under any environmental conditions in array experiments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9035449,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Precision and accuracy of blood lipid analyses by a portable device (Cholestech-LDX)].\nTo verify whether precision and accuracy of lipids analyses by a new portable device, Cholestech-lipid desktop analyzer (LDX), were in agreement with the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). Serum samples from 45 outpatients were collected for the determination of total Cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG). These samples were analysed simultaneously by the Cholestech-LDX, and by the automatic enzymatic methods routinely used at the Heart Institute's laboratory. Precision was determined by repeating 20 times the evaluation of the same sample of venous blood. Accuracy was established confronting the values of the lipids variables obtained with Cholestech-LDX against the values determined by the automatic enzymatic routine. Accuracy for TC was 1.60% (NCEP < or = 3%), for HDL-C was -2.74% (NCEP < or = 6%) and for TG was 2.11% (NCEP < or = 5%). Precision for CT was 3.05% (NCEP < or = 3%), for HDL-C was 1.05% (NCEP < or = 6%) and for TG was 2.65% (NCEP < 5%). Precision and accuracy of lipids evaluation by the Cholestech-LDX are within the guidelines of the National Cholesterol Education Program. Therefore the cholestech-LDX seems to be a reliable alternative to the conventional biochemical routine, allowing population screenings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18196953,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Growth and host-pathogen interactions.\nDiffering trajectories of infant and child growth are associated with different patterns of disease and mortality in adulthood. Since postnatal growth patterns are partially modifiable by diet, these associations raise fresh questions about what constitutes an optimal growth rate. We use data from contemporary societies that still suffer poor nutrition and high burdens of infectious disease to illustrate early growth patterns that have likely been typical of our evolutionary past. Pathogenic assault is a major suppressor of growth; populations frequently average -1.0 to -1.5 z scores (standard deviations relative to standard growth curves) for height, and -2.0 to -2.5 z scores for weight, body mass index and head circumference. Many infections are symptomatic (e.g. diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia, HIV), but others are subclinical (e.g. hepatitis B, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, herpes, Helicobacter pylori). The great majority of young children become infected by multiple pathogens which initiate a downward cycle of infection --> suppressed appetite and malabsorption --> reduced growth --> lowered immunity --> repeated infection. Examination of the evolutionary 'norm' for early growth, and the external environmental factors that influenced it, may provide clues towards identifying the current day optimum for growth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8987266,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Three-dimensional mapping of acute ischemic regions using artificial neural networks and tagged MRI.\nMany methods for mapping ischemic myocardial regions by functional analysis have been suggested. However, the complicated relationship between myocardial function and perfusion, and the inherent limitations of the imaging techniques used, have led to a generally low mapping accuracy. We show herein, that highly accurate mapping can be obtained by combining tagged magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), three-dimensional (3-D) analysis, and artificial neural networks. Nine canine hearts with acute ischemia were studied using multiplanar tagged MRI. Twenty-four myocardial cuboids were tagged in each heart and reconstructed in 3-D at end diastole (ED) and end systole (ES). The cuboids were arranged in three slices approximately 1 cm thick and covered most of the left ventricle (LV). Transmural thickening and endocardial area strain were calculated for each cuboid. Applying a post-mortem (PM) analysis, the percent ischemia in each cuboid was estimated using monastral blue dye; the PM analysis served as a \"gold standard.\" An artificial neural network (ANN), designed to estimate the percent ischemia in each cuboid from the functional indexes, was then created. The ANN \"learned\" the function-ischemia relationship in 192 cuboids taken from eight of the hearts and was asked to estimate the percent ischemia in the 24 cuboids of the ninth heart. The process was repeated nine times, each time using a different heart as test case. The average accuracy of mapping, i.e., the accuracy with which the ANN has mapped the normal and ischemic cuboids using the functional parameters, was 87.5% +\/- 7.8 (s.d.). This accuracy was superior to the accuracy obtained by optimal thresholding of the same thickening (80.1%) and endocardial strain (76.9%) data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37679859,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Anaerobic methanotrophy is stimulated by graphene oxide in a brackish urban canal sediment.\nAnthropogenic activities are influencing aquatic environments through increased chemical pollution and thus are greatly affecting the biogeochemical cycling of elements. This has increased greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane, from lakes, wetlands, and canals. Most of the methane produced in anoxic sediments is converted into carbon dioxide by methanotrophs before it reaches the atmosphere. Anaerobic oxidation of methane requires an electron acceptor such as sulphate, nitrate, or metal oxides. Here, we explore the anaerobic methanotrophy in sediments of three urban canals in Amsterdam, covering a gradient from freshwater to brackish conditions. Biogeochemical analysis showed the presence of a shallow sulphate-methane transition zone in sediments of the most brackish canal, suggesting that sulphate could be a relevant electron acceptor for anaerobic methanotrophy in this setting. However, sediment incubations amended with sulphate or iron oxides (ferrihydrite) did not lead to detectable rates of methanotrophy. Despite the presence of known nitrate-dependent anaerobic methanotrophs (Methanoperedenaceae), no nitrate-driven methanotrophy was observed in any of the investigated sediments either. Interestingly, graphene oxide stimulated anaerobic methanotrophy in incubations of brackish canal sediment, possibly catalysed by anaerobic methanotrophs of the ANME-2a\/b clade. We propose that natural organic matter serving as electron acceptor drives anaerobic methanotrophy in brackish sediments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22559111,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Use of serial measurements of peritoneal fluid lactate concentration to identify strangulating intestinal lesions in referred horses with signs of colic.\nTo determine the value of serial measurements of peritoneal fluid lactate concentration (PFL) for detecting strangulating intestinal lesions (SLs) in referred horses with signs of colic. Retrospective cohort study. 94 horses with signs of colic. Medical records of horses evaluated between September 2006 and February 2010 because of signs of colic were reviewed. All included horses had \u2265 2 peritoneal fluid samples collected, including one at admission and another within 1 to 6 hours after admission. Of the 94 horses, 26 were assigned to the SL group on the basis of findings at surgery or necropsy and 68 were assigned to the nonstrangulating intestinal lesion group because their signs of colic resolved with medical management. Peritoneal fluid lactate concentration was measured by use of a handheld lactate monitor. Data were analyzed by use of univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. PFL at admission > 4 mmol\/L, an increase in PFL over time, and especially an increase in PFL over time in horses with a PFL < 4 mmol\/L at admission (OR, 62; sensitivity, 95%; specificity, 77%) were significant predictors of horses with an SL. Serially determined PFL was a strong predictor for differentiating horses with SLs from horses with nonstrangulating intestinal lesions. Given the high OR, sensitivity, and specificity of these tests, serially determined PFL may have potential as a screening test for identifying horses with SLs. Further evaluation of the clinical value of PFL for predicting SLs in a prospective, multicenter study is warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16862464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The association between impact factors and language of general internal medicine journals.\nWe sought to determine the associations between journal country of origin and language and journal impact factor of general medicine journals. For each \"Medicine, General and Internal\" journal listed in the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the 2003 impact factor, language (ie, English, multiple languages [including English], or non-English), and country of origin (ie, US or non-US) were determined. The mean log impact factors of the journals by language, country of origin, and a combination of country of origin and language were compared. Of the 102 \"Medicine, General and Internal\" journals listed in the ISI JCR, 41 (40%) were published in the US and 83 (81%) were published in English. English-language journals had a significantly greater 2003 mean log impact factor than non-English journals and journals originating in the US had a significantly greater impact factor than journals originating elsewhere. However, the mean log impact factor of English-language journals originating in the US did not differ significantly from that of English-language journals originating elsewhere. Journal impact factor is more associated with journal language (ie, English versus non-English), rather than journal country of origin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26786823,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Money Cues Increase Agency and Decrease Prosociality Among Children: Early Signs of Market-Mode Behaviors.\nPeople can get most of their needs broadly satisfied in two ways: by close communal ties and by dealings with people in the marketplace. These modes of relating-termed communal and market-often necessitate qualitatively different motives, behaviors, and mind-sets. We reasoned that activating market mode would produce behaviors consistent with it and impair behaviors consistent with communal mode. In a series of experiments, money-the market-mode cue-was presented to Polish children ages 3 to 6. We measured communal behavior by prosocial helpfulness and generosity and measured market behavior by performance and effort. Results showed that handling money (compared with other objects) increased laborious effort and reduced helpfulness and generosity. The effects of money primes were not due to the children's mood, liking for money, or task engagement. This work is the first to demonstrate that young children tacitly understand market mode and also understand that money is a cue to shift into it.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10235076,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Surgical resection of pancreatic cancer].\nSurgical resection offers the only potential cure for pancreatic carcinoma. Although the overall prognosis remains a dismal, several recent series have reported an encouraging increase in 5-year survival after resection, exceeding 20%. As the reasons for this improvement are not clearly understood, numerous clinico-pathological parameters (demographic, intraoperative and histopathologic factors) have been investigated to evaluate their role in predicting long term survival. In this single-institution study, immediate and long-term outcome after pancreatic resection in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma was retrospectively evaluated, focusing attention on the possible impact of different clinico-pathologic factors on long-term survival. Sixty-six patients with a confirmed histologic diagnosis of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, treated by pancreatic resection at the Department of Surgery of the Catholic University of Rome in the years 1988-1997, were retrospectively analyzed. Morbidity and survival data were reviewed and potential prognostic factors were compared statistically by univariate analysis. There was no postoperative mortality. Twenty-five patients (38%) developed major operative complications. Pancreatic fistula was the most common complication, and occurred in 7 patients (11%). The actuarial overall and disease-specific survival for all 66 patients were respectively 58% and 59% at 1 year, 27% and 31% at 3 years, and 13% and 20% at 5 years, with a median survival time of 13.4 months. Nodal status was the only single factor significantly affecting survival by univariate analysis. The 3-and 5-year survival rates were respectively 35% and 19% for node-negative patients and 7% and 0% for node-positive patients (P = .04). A positive correlation with improved survival, even if not of statistical significance, was shown for other pathologic or intraoperative factors. Among the former, 5-year survival rates were better for patients with negative resection margins as compared to patients with positive margins (12% vs 7%, P = ns). Among the latter, a better actuarial 5-year survival rate was shown for patients with shorter operative time (< 4 hours, 21% survival vs > 4 hours 5%, P = ns) and for patients that received fewer transfusions (0-2 blood units, 14% survival vs 3 or more blood units, 0%; P = ns). Age, gender, tumor diameter and tumor grading showed no influence on survival in this series. Our series confirmed that nodal status is the strongest independent predictor of survival. Limited intraoperative transfusion, reduced operative time and clear margins could also yeald a prognostic significance, and require further confirmation in larger series.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":635379,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[X-ray installations for gastrointestinal diagnosis. The technical state of the art and problems (author's transl)].\nToday, the X-ray industry offers a side range of products with varying facilities and prices for the X-ray examinations of the gastrointestinal tract. All the further stages of development from the simple unit to the highly sophisticated installation have a common aim: The earliest, reliable diagnosis, as the prerequisite for early and effective therapy. Certain expenditures are necessary to achieve this objective. The main point is to find the optimum, wherein the requirements of the user, the technical possibilities and the costs are matched to one an other. Besides the enhancement of image quality in both, fluoroscopy and radiography, improvements in working conditions and the automation of technical processes also contribute to improving the diagnostic possibilities. The technically sophisticated installations guarantee a uniform standard of the pictures \"documented\", so that the examiner can concentrate more intensively on the medical problems. The introduction of fluoroscopy via image intensifier and TV has led not only to improvements in the conventional examination unit, but also to the realization of a new unit conception which, because of more universal application, can be more economically used, and because of new projections, provides additional information. Each X-ray installation must be configurated according to its specific medical application.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27792210,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Animal models to study non-celiac gluten sensitivity.\nNon-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), sometimes known as non-celiac wheat sensitivity (NCWS), has recently received much attention, both scientific as well as from the alternative medical community. Over the past 5 years, there are over 200 publications on NCGS indexed on the PubMed database, the gluten-free market has been growing bigger, and it is clear that the number of consumers who are on a gluten-free diet (GFD) possibly because of a suspicion for NCGS appears to grow even faster. Nevertheless, despite these three rising events, many questions about NCGS remain unresolved. It is likely that NCGS represents a heterogeneous group of disorders linked by a common response to a GFD. It is still not fully understood how gluten, and likely other wheat proteins and components, could activate and drive the pathophysiology of NCGS. As a result, there are still no clear biomarkers, no robust clinical diagnostic criteria, nor a conclusive definition for NCGS. This heterogeneity can be approached by reducing the variables, in particular those of human behaviour and placebo effect, by studying animal models to address specific biological effects of wheat and\/or gluten-related proteins. Herein we review the animal models and their potential to be used to advance our understanding of these disorders and potentially address their prevention and treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17802173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Basalts Dredged from the Northeastern Pacific Ocean.\nVolcanic rocks dredged from seamounts, fault ridges, and other major geological features of the northeast Pacific Ocean include a wide variety of basalts. Most of these are vesicular, porphyritic types with near analogues in the Hawaiian and other oceanic islands. In addition, aluminous basalts and diabasic theoleiites impoverished in potassium also occur. There is no simple correlation of composition, degree of oxidation, vesiculation, or hydration of these basalts with texture, or depth of dredge site. Most samples appear to have been extruded at much shallower depths than those now pertaining at the dredge site. The distribution of these basalts suggests that the andesite line coincides with or lies on the continent side of the foot of the continental slope.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11719874,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome associated with Hirschsprung's disease: mutation analysis of the RET and endothelin-signaling pathways.\nThree cases of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS) associated with Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR) were examined with respect to their genomic DNA on the coding region of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RET) and the endothelin-B receptor (EDNRB). No causative mutations for the disease were detected, but one polymorphism was observed in exon 11 of the RET proto-oncogene. In cases with CCHS, HSCR occurs with a high incidence, and this disease complex has been described as neurocristopathy due to aberrations in neural crest cell proliferation, differentiation or migration during the early fetal period. Both the RET and EDNRB may play important roles in the modulation of neurocristopathies; however, further systemic studies in a large population of patients and control subjects are necessary for elucidating the pathogenesis of this disorder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11487322,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Molecular and electronic structure of [Mn(V)N(cyclam-acetato)]PF6. A combined experimental and DFT study.\nFrom the reaction of Li(cyclam-acetate), MnCl(2).4H(2)O, and KPF(6) in methanol brown microcrystals of [Mn(III)Cl(cyclam-acetato)]PF(6) (1) were obtained in the presence of air (cyclam-acetic acid = 1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane-1-acetic acid). The reaction of 1 in aqueous NH(3) solution with NaOCl produced blue crystals of [Mn(V)N(cyclam-acetato)]PF(6) (2). Complexes 1 and 2 were characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, IR and Raman, electronic absorption, and (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR spectroscopies. Their magnetochemistry as well as their electrochemistry have been investigated. The complexes [MnN(cyclam-acetato)](+\/2+) were studied by theoretical calculations at the DFT and semiempirical levels in order to obtain more insight into the ground and excited states of the Mn(V)(triple bond)N unit. Structural and spectroscopic parameters were successfully calculated and compared to experiment. A pictorial description of the bonding has been developed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37369549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Laser-assisted cataract surgery versus standard ultrasound phacoemulsification cataract surgery.\nCataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world and, as such, cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed operations globally. Surgical techniques have changed dramatically over the past half century with associated improvements in outcomes and safety. Femtosecond lasers can be used to perform the key steps in cataract surgery, such as corneal incisions, lens capsulotomy and fragmentation. The potential advantage of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) is greater precision and reproducibility of these steps compared to manual techniques. The disadvantages are the costs associated with FLACS technology. To compare the effectiveness and safety of FLACS with standard ultrasound phacoemulsification cataract surgery (PCS) by gathering evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register; 2022, Issue 5); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid Embase; LILACS; the ISRCTN registry; ClinicalTrials.gov; the WHO ICTRP and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. We did not use any date or language restrictions in the electronic searches for trials. We last searched the electronic databases on 10 May 2022. We included RCTs where FLACS was compared to PCS. Three review authors independently screened the search results, assessed risk of bias and extracted data using the standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane. The primary outcome for this review was intraoperative complications in the operated eye, namely anterior capsule, and posterior capsule tears. The secondary outcomes included corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), quality of vision (as measured by any validated patient-reported outcome measure (PROM)), postoperative cystoid macular oedema complications, endothelial cell loss and cost-effectiveness. We assessed the certainty of the evidence using GRADE. We included 42 RCTs conducted in Europe, North America, South America and Asia, which enrolled a total of 7298 eyes of 5831 adult participants. Overall, the studies were at unclear or high risk of bias. In 16 studies the authors reported financial links with the manufacturer of the laser platform evaluated in their studies. Thirteen of the studies were within-person (paired-eye) studies with one eye allocated to one procedure and the other eye allocated to the other procedure. These studies were reported ignoring the paired nature of the data. There was low-certainty evidence of little or no difference in the odds of developing anterior capsular tears when comparing FLACS and PCS (Peto odds ratio (OR) 0.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.40 to 1.72; 5835 eyes, 27 studies) There was one fewer anterior capsule tear per 1000 operations in the FLACS group compared with the PCS group (95% CI 4 fewer to 3 more). There was low-certainty evidence of lower odds of developing posterior capsular tears with FLACS compared to PCS (Peto OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.00; 5767 eyes, 26 studies). There were four fewer posterior capsule tears per 1000 operations in the FLACS group compared with the PCS group (95% CI 6 fewer to same). There was moderate-certainty evidence of a very small advantage for the FLACS arm with regard to CDVA at six months or more follow-up, (mean difference (MD) -0.01 logMAR, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.00; 1323 eyes, 7 studies). This difference is equivalent to 1 logMAR letter between groups and is not thought to be clinically important. From the three studies (1205 participants) reporting a variety of PROMs (Cat-PROMS, EQ-5D, EQ-SD-3L, Catquest9-SF and patient survey) up to three months following surgery, there was moderate-certainty evidence of little or no difference in the various parameters between the two treatment arms. There was low-certainty evidence of little or no difference in the odds of developing cystoid macular oedema when comparing FLACS and PCS (Peto OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.28; 4441 eyes, 18 studies). There were three fewer cystoid macular oedema cases per 1000 operations in the FLACS group compared with the PCS group (95% CI 10 fewer to 6 more). In one study the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) (cost difference divided by quality-adjusted life year (QALY) difference) was GBP \u00a3167,620 when comparing FLACS to PCS. In another study, the ICER was EUR \u20ac10,703 saved per additional patient who had treatment success with PCS compared to FLACS. Duration ranged from three minutes in favour of FLACS to eight minutes in favour of PCS (I2 = 100%, 11 studies) (low-certainty evidence). There was low-certainty evidence of little or no important difference in endothelial cell loss when comparing FLACS with PCS (MD 12 cells per mm2 in favour of FLACS, 95% CI -40 to 64; 1512 eyes, 10 studies). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review of 42 studies provides evidence that there is probably little or no difference between FLACS and PCS in terms of intraoperative and postoperative complications, postoperative visual acuity and quality of life. Evidence from two studies suggests that FLACS may be the less cost-effective option. Many of the included studies only investigated very specific outcome measures such as effective phacoemulsification time, endothelial cell count change or aqueous flare, rather than those directly related to patient outcomes. Standardised reporting of complications and visual and refractive outcomes for cataract surgery would facilitate future synthesis, and guidance on this has been recently published.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12764086,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Functional correlations between neighboring neurons in the primate globus pallidus are weak or nonexistent.\nThe anatomical structure of the basal ganglia displays topographical organization and massive funneling of neuronal projections toward the globus pallidus as well as an axonal collateral system within this nucleus. This structure suggests the formation of correlations between the spiking activities of pallidal cells. Nevertheless, previous studies of remote neurons in the pallidum have reported uncorrelated spiking activity. These correlation results may be challenged, because remote pallidal neurons may be located in different pallidal territories. To further test the independence of pallidal activity, we studied the spiking activity of neighboring pairs recorded by the same electrodes. A narrow peak dominated the correlations of all pairs of neurons recorded on the same electrode. This type of peak is classically interpreted as a sign of strong common input. However, recent mathematical analysis shows that such peaks may derive from a technical inability to detect overlapping spikes by spike-sorting techniques. A long-term shallow trough in the correlation of neighboring neurons may also result from the same effect, which we have termed the \"shadowing effect.\" A comparison of the expected shadowing effect with the actual correlations suggests that no real correlations exist between 93.9% of neighboring pallidal pairs. The remaining 6.1% of the pairs display symmetric long-term positive correlations centered on time 0. Thus, functional interactions between neighboring pallidal neurons do not display any significant differences from the interactions between physically remote neurons in this brain area. Moreover, the combination of anatomical data and current physiological results suggests an active decorrelating process performed in the basal ganglia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23242178,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The impact of post-transcriptional regulation in the p53 network.\nThe p53 transcription factor regulates the synthesis of mRNAs encoding proteins involved in diverse cellular stress responses such as cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, autophagy and senescence. In this review, we discuss how these mRNAs are concurrently regulated at the post-transcriptional level by microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which consequently modify the p53 transcriptional program in a cell type- and stimulus-specific manner. We also discuss the action of specific miRNAs and RBPs that are direct transcriptional targets of p53 and how they act coordinately with protein-coding p53 target genes to orchestrate p53-dependent cellular responses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23617925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Genetic drift in antagonistic genes leads to divergence in sex-specific fitness between experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster.\nMales and females differ in their reproductive roles and as a consequence are often under diverging selection pressures on shared phenotypic traits. Theory predicts that divergent selection can favor the invasion of sexually antagonistic alleles, which increase the fitness of one sex at the detriment of the other. Sexual antagonism can be subsequently resolved through the evolution of sex-specific gene expression, allowing the sexes to diverge phenotypically. Although sexual dimorphism is very common, recent evidence also shows that antagonistic genetic variation continues to segregate in populations of many organisms. Here we present empirical data on the interaction between sexual antagonism and genetic drift in populations that have independently evolved under standardized conditions. We demonstrate that small experimental populations of Drosophila melanogaster have diverged in male and female fitness, with some populations showing high male, but low female fitness while other populations show the reverse pattern. The between-population patterns are consistent with the differentiation in reproductive fitness being driven by genetic drift in sexually antagonistic alleles. We discuss the implications of our results with respect to the maintenance of antagonistic variation in subdivided populations and consider the wider implications of drift in fitness-related genes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8382304,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Adult mouse kidneys become permissive to acute polyomavirus infection and reactivate persistent infections in response to cellular damage and regeneration.\nKidneys of newborn (but not adult) mice are normally high permissive for polyomavirus (Py) infection and readily establish persistent infections. We have proposed that ongoing cellular differentiation, which occurs in newborn mice, may be necessary for a high level of in vivo Py replication (R. Rochford, J. P. Moreno, M. L. Peake, and L. P. Villarreal, J. Virol. 66:3287-3297, 1992). This cellular differentiation requirement may also be necessary for the reactivation of a persistent Py kidney infection and could provide an alternative to the accepted view that reactivation results from immunosuppression. To examine this proposal, the ability of adult BALB\/c mouse kidneys to support primary acute Py infection or to reactivate previously established persistent Py infections after kidney-specific damage was investigated. Kidney damage was induced by both chemical (glycerol, cisplatin, or methotrexate) and mechanical (through renal artery clamping to produce unilateral renal ischemia) treatments. We also examined the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF), which enhances the rate of kidney regeneration, on Py replication. Using histopathologic techniques, in situ hybridization for Py DNA, and immunofluorescence for Py VP1 production, we established that both chemical damage and damage through renal artery clamping of adult kidneys promoted high levels of primary Py replication in these normally nonpermissive cells. This damage also promoted the efficient reactivation of Py replication from persistently infected kidneys, in the absence of immunosuppression. EGF treatment significantly increased acute Py replication and also reactivation in damaged kidneys. These results support the view that ongoing cellular division and differentiation may be needed both for high levels of acute Py replication and for reactivation of persistent infections in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31653269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Case study of a method of development of a selection process for community health workers in sub-Saharan Africa.\nChoosing who should be recruited as a community health worker (CHW) is an important task, for their future performance partly depends on their ability to learn the required knowledge and skills, and their personal attributes. Developing a fair and effective selection process for CHWs is a challenging task, and reports of attempts to do so are rare. This paper describes a five-stage process of development and initial testing of a CHW selection process in two CHW programmes, one in Malawi and one in Ghana, highlighting the lessons learned at each stage and offering recommendations to other CHW programme providers seeking to develop their own selection processes. The five stages of selection process development were as follows: (1) review an existing selection process, (2) conduct a job analysis, (3) elicit stakeholder opinions, (4) co-design the selection process and (5) test the selection process. Good practice in selection process development from the human resource literature and the principles of co-design were considered throughout. Validity, reliability, fairness, acceptability and feasibility-the determinants of selection process utility-were considered as appropriate during stages 1 to 4 and used to guide the testing in stage 5. The selection methods used by each local team were a written test and a short interview. Working with stakeholders, including CHWs, helped to ensure the acceptability of the selection processes developed. Expectations of intensiveness-in particular the number of interviewers-needed to be managed as resources for selection are limited, and CHWs reported that any form of interview may be stressful. Testing highlighted the importance of piloting with CHWs to ensure clarity of wording of questions, interviewer training to maximise inter-rater reliability and the provision of guidance to applicants in advance of any selection events. Trade-offs between the different components of selection process utility are also likely to be required. Further refinements and evaluation of predictive validity (i.e. a sixth stage of development) would be recommended before roll-out.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31652677,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prevalence of Relative Age Effect in Russian Soccer: The Role of Chronological Age and Performance.\nThe relative age effect (RAE) has been well studied in adolescent and adult soccer players; however, less information has been available about children engaged in regular soccer training and the role of performance. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence of RAE in children and adolescent soccer players, as well as the role of age and performance. Russian soccer players (n = 10,446) of various ages, playing positions and performance levels were examined for their date of birth. It was observed that RAE was widespread in Russian soccer teams of all age groups. RAE was most pronounced in children teams of the top tier Russian soccer academies and junior Russia national teams, where the proportions of soccer players born in the first quarter were 43.9% and 39.8%, respectively, whereas those born in the fourth quarter of the year were 7.7% and 6.3%, respectively. In top tier soccer academies, RAE did not vary by age group. In the middle tier soccer academies, RAE was less pronounced. It was still prevalent in the junior teams of the top tier clubs of the Russian Premier League, where 14.3% of the soccer players were born in the fourth quarter of the year compared to 42.9% born in the first quarter of the year. RAE can be observed in the top tier Russian adult teams as well, although it is less pronounced there. In summary, RAE is highly prevalent in Russian children and junior soccer and is associated with the level of competitiveness. At the same time, the proportion of players born in the fourth quarter of the year is higher in adult teams than in junior and youth teams, which is most likely due to the wider selection of players, not limited by their age and place of residence. In junior teams, RAE results in a bias towards selection of players who are more physically mature, whereas children who may be more talented but are less developed due to their younger chronological age tend to be overlooked.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38099636,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fifth-time redo mitral valve replacement via right thoracotomy under systemic hyperkalemia cardiopulmonary bypass without aortic cross-clamp.\nThe surgical management of prosthetic valvular endocarditis (PVE) can be challenging. We report a case of a 46-year-old female patient who had a history of four cardiac operations. We chose a mitral valve replacement via right thoracotomy to enable optimal exposure of the mitral valve (MV). Because of multi-reoperations, we employed systemic hyperkalemia for cardiac arrest to protect the heart during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) without aortic cross-clamping. Here, we present a complex operation that performed management of CPB under hyperkalemia and the patient had a good postoperative recovery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26507273,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"DNA transfer-a never ending story. A study on scenarios involving a second person as carrier.\nThe transfer of DNA directly from one item to another has been shown in many studies with elaborate discussions on the nature of the DNA donor as well as material and surface of the items or surrounding features. Every DNA transfer scenario one can imagine seems to be possible. This evokes more and more intricate scenarios proposed by lawyers or attorneys searching for an explanation of the DNA of a certain person on a distinct item with impact on a crime. At court, the forensic genetic scientist has to comment on the probability of these scenarios thus calling for extensive studies on such settings. Here, the possibility of an involvement of a second person as a carrier of the donor's DNA in a variety of different scenarios including three pairs of people and two kinds of items (textiles and plastic bags) was investigated. All transfer settings were executed with and without gloves on the carrier's hands. DNA left on the items was isolated and analyzed using the Powerplex\u00ae ESX17 kit. In 21 out of 180 samples, all alleles of the donor DNA could be obtained on the second item (12%), on eight samples, the donor's DNA was dominant compared to all other alleles (38% of samples with complete donor profile). Additionally, 51 samples displayed at least more than half of the donor's alleles (28%). The complete DNA profile of the carrier was found in 47 out of 180 samples (42 partial profiles). In summary, it could be shown that a transfer of donor DNA from epithelial cells through a carrier to a second item is possible, even if the carrier does not wear gloves.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26002025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Biomarkers in axial spondyloarthritis.\nTo assess the literature for biomarker validation studies that address key unmet needs related to the evaluation and management of patients with axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). This review focused on biomarkers facilitating early diagnosis and reflecting disease activity, structural damage on radiography, and clinical response to major therapies. Early diagnosis may be facilitated by measurement of antibodies to the human leukocyte antigen class II-associated invariant chain peptide (anti-CD74) but sensitivity declines with increasing duration of disease. No disease activity biomarkers have demonstrated consistent superiority over standard C-reactive protein (CRP), and future validation should employ multivariate analysis aimed at demonstrating the added value of any associated biomarkers beyond available clinical parameters of disease activity and the use of magnetic resonance imaging inflammation as the primary endpoint. Several biomarkers reflecting inflammation (CRP and calprotectin), angiogenesis (vasoactive endothelial growth factor), and connective tissue turnover (C2 M, C3 M, and citrullinated metalloproteinase degraded fragment of vimentin ) have recently been shown to reflect radiographic progression in multivariate studies adjusted for baseline severity. Future studies should be prospective and demonstrate that predictive capacity adds to the information provided by known predictors such as CRP and baseline modified Stoke AS Spine Score. Calprotectin is a promising predictor of response to major therapies for axial SpA. Several promising biomarkers addressing major unmet clinical needs require further validation in prospective studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":471112,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Myelo- and cytoarchitectonics of the cat pallidum].\n600 thick serial frontal and sagittal sections of the cat cerebrum were made. Using the new controlled impregnation technique, it was shown that the pallidum is crossed by numerous transit axons bundles (TAB) consisting of thin myelinated and unmyelinated axons each 0.2-0.8 micron in diameter. TAB pass through the dorsal part of the putamen and the whole pallidum parallel to the sagittal plane and perpendicular to the frontal plane. Such TAB contain not less than 10 million axons in the pallidum of a hemisphere. The TAB are mainly related to the capsula interna and to the sensory-motor cortex. The cyto- and synaptoarchitectonics of the pallidum is described.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27356781,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Oncologists' perceived barriers to an expanded role for primary care in breast cancer survivorship care.\nConcern exists about the sustainability of traditional, oncologist-led models of breast cancer survivorship care. However, many oncologists are hesitant about deferring survivorship care to primary care providers (PCPs). Our objective was to examine oncologists' perceptions of the role PCPs play in breast cancer survivorship and the rationale underlying these perceptions. One-on-one interviews with medical, radiation, and surgical oncologists in Wisconsin were conducted (n = 35) and transcribed. Data analysis was performed using an inductive approach to content analysis. Oncologist-perceived barriers included: PCP's level of experience with cancer care; Lack of PCP comfort in providing survivorship care; Existing demands on PCPs' time; Patient preference for oncology-led survivorship care. Oncologists described familiarity and trust in individual PCPs as factors that could mitigate barriers and lead to increased PCP involvement in survivorship care. Although a number of perceived barriers to PCP participation in survivorship were identified by Wisconsin oncologists, our findings support the direction of ongoing initiatives to facilitate PCP involvement. Our findings also suggest that early PCP involvement in survivorship may increase PCP comfort and patients' trust in PCPs in this role. The identified barrier most challenging to address may be the limited capacity of the current primary care system to manage follow-up for breast cancer survivors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11389285,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Urine-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in children.\nSerology and (13)C-urea breath test have been widely used as noninvasive tests to detect Helicobacter pylori infection. However, easier collection of samples and lower costs are desirable for diagnosis of the individual patient or for use in epidemiologic studies. Our aim was to study the diagnostic accuracy of a recently developed urine-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for the detection of H pylori-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in children. Specimens of serum and randomly voided urine were collected from 816 children (0-15 years old) and were analyzed using 2 serum-based ELISA kits and a urine-based ELISA kit, respectively. Based on results of serology, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the urine-based ELISA kit were evaluated. With regard to false-positive and false-negative results, urinary IgG concentrations and IgG\/creatinine levels were studied. Both serum-based ELISAs were positive in 41 children and were negative in 666, who were enrolled in this study. The remaining 109 children were excluded because of disagreement between the results of the 2 serum-based ELISAs, including indeterminate values. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of urine-based ELISA test compared with serology were 85.4%, 95.5%, and 94.9%, respectively. On positivity rates, the urine-based ELISA was closely coincident with the serum-based ELISA in each age group. There was no correlation between antibody levels detected by urine-based ELISA and each serum-based ELISA. Urinary IgG concentrations and IgG\/creatinine levels were significantly higher in false-positives and were lower in false-negatives than in true-positives plus true-negatives for serology. Most of those with false-positive results had trace to moderate proteinuria. The urine-based ELISA is an alternative to serum-based ELISA for diagnosis of H pylori infection in children and should be suitable for large-scale epidemiologic studies concerning the organism. In children with proteinuria, results of the test should be interpreted with caution. It is possible that the urine-based ELISA method would be applicable to diagnosis of other infectious diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12529889,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Potential inhibitors from wet oxidation of wheat straw and their effect on ethanol production of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: wet oxidation and fermentation by yeast.\nAlkaline wet oxidation (WO) (using water, 6.5 g\/L sodium carbonate and 12 bar oxygen at 195 degrees C) was used as pretreatment method for wheat straw (60 g\/L), resulting in a hydrolysate and a cellulosic solid fraction. The hydrolysate consisted of soluble hemicellulose (8 g\/L), low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids (3.9 g\/L), phenols (0.27 g\/L = 1.7 mM) and 2-furoic acid (0.007 g\/L). The wet oxidized wheat straw hydrolysate caused no inhibition of ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 96581. Nine phenols and 2-furoic acid, identified to be present in the hydrolysate, were each tested in concentrations of 50-100 times the concentration found in the hydrolysate for their effect on fermentation by yeast. At these high concentrations (10 mM), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde, vanillin, 4-hydroxyacetophenone and acetovanillone caused a 53-67% decrease in the volumetric ethanol productivity in S. cerevisiae compared to controls with an ethanol productivity of 3.8 g\/L. The phenol acids (4-hydroxy, vanillic and syringic acid), 2-furoic acid, syringaldehyde and acetosyringone were less inhibitory, causing a 5-16% decrease in ethanol productivity. By adding the same aromatic compounds to hydrolysate (10 mM), it was shown that syringaldehyde and acetovanillone interacted negatively with hydrolysate components on the ethanol productivity. Fermentation in WO hydrolysate, that had been concentrated 6 times by freeze-drying, lasted 4 hours longer than in regular hydrolysate; however, the ethanol yield was the same. The longer fermentation time could not be explained by an inhibitory action of phenols alone, but was more likely caused by inhibitory interactions of phenols with carboxylic acids, such as acetic and formic acid.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17205528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"HPV integration begins in the tonsillar crypt and leads to the alteration of p16, EGFR and c-myc during tumor formation.\nThe prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is high in the oropharyngeal mucosal regions, of which the tonsil is the most commonly affected. There may be a link between HPV and the pathogenesis of tonsillar cancer (TC), because of common anatomical characteristics between cervical and tonsillar cancer. We aimed to clarify whether HPV directly affects the oncogenesis and biologic behavior of TC by making a comparison between infection prevalence, physical status and viral loading numbers, and clinicopathologic prognostic factors. To compare HPV-related molecules between TC and tonsillitis (CFT), p16, survivin, HIF-1alpha, skp-1, cyclin A, cyclin B1, c-myc and EGFR were investigated. We observed a significant difference in HPV prevalence between 52 TCs and 69 CFTs (73.1% vs. 11.6%), and most of the HPVs were type 16 (87.2%) and nonepisomal (94.1%). Most TCs associated with HPV arose from the tonsillar crypts, and tended to be inverted and poorly differentiated. Compared with HPV-negative TC, HPV-positive TC showed a strong association with p16 overexpression (p<0.0001), and an inverse association with EGFR amplification (p=0.0478). HPV-16 integration status was strongly associated with c-myc amplification (p=0.034) and HIF-1alpha overexpression (p=0.022). HPV-16 integration could be directly related to tonsillar carcinogenesis initially in tonsillar crypts, followed by cell cycle aberration such as p16 overexpression related to the G1-S phase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17213479,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"2024-10":3,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Religious beliefs in schizophrenia: their relevance for adherence to treatment.\nThe study examined how religious beliefs and practices impact upon medication and illness representations in chronic schizophrenia. One hundred three stabilized patients were included in Geneva's outpatient public psychiatric facility in Switzerland. Interviews were conducted to investigate spiritual and religious beliefs and religious practices and religious coping. Medication adherence was assessed through questions to patients and to their psychiatrists and by a systematic blood drug monitoring. Thirty-two percent of patients were partially or totally nonadherent to oral medication. Fifty-eight percent of patients were Christians, 2% Jewish, 3% Muslim, 4% Buddhist, 14% belonged to various minority or syncretic religious movements, and 19% had no religious affiliation. Two thirds of the total sample considered spirituality as very important or even essential in everyday life. Fifty-seven percent of patients had a representation of their illness directly influenced by their spiritual beliefs (positively in 31% and negatively in 26%). Religious representations of illness were prominent in nonadherent patients. Thirty-one percent of nonadherent patients and 27% of partially adherent patients underlined an incompatibility or contradiction between their religion and taking medication, versus 8% of adherent patients. Religion and spirituality contribute to shaping representations of disease and attitudes toward medical treatment in patients with schizophrenia. This dimension should be on the agenda of psychiatrists working with patients with schizophrenia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11494146,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"BAD\/BCL-[X(L)] heterodimerization leads to bypass of G0\/G1 arrest.\nThe pro-apoptotic molecule BAD binds BCL-[X(L)] or BCL2 and inactivates their survival function. In addition to their anti-apoptotic function, BCL2 and BCL-[X(L)] also delay cell cycle entry from quiescence. We found that the BH3-only molecule BAD also exerted a cell cycle effect. BAD expression resulted in failure to cell cycle block in growth arrest conditions. In low serum and in confluence, fibroblasts constitutively or inducibly expressing BAD persisted in S phase, continued to incorporate BrdU, and exhibited sustained cyclin E\/cdk2 activity. Mutation analysis indicated that the cell cycle effect of BAD was not dependent on its phosphorylation status or subcellular localization, but strictly co-segregated with BCL-[X(L)] binding. bclx(-\/-) MEFs expressing BAD and bad(-\/-) MEFs both arrested in G0\/G1 in low serum similar to wild-type controls, suggesting that the ability to overcome the G0\/G1 checkpoint resulted from the presence of BAD\/BCL-x(L) heterodimers, rather than the absence of BCL-[X(L)] or BAD. These data provide evidence that in addition to regulating apoptosis, the BAD\/BCL-[X(L)] heterodimer has a novel cell cycle function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21452819,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"High-efficiency, solid-state, dye-sensitized solar cells using hierarchically structured TiO\u2082 nanofibers.\nHigh-performance, room-temperature (RT), solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using hierarchically structured TiO\u2082 nanofiber (HS-NF) electrodes and plastic crystal (PC)-based solid-state electrolytes. The electrospun HS-NF photoelectrodes possessed a unique morphology in which submicrometer-scale core fibers are interconnected and the nanorods are dendrited onto the fibers. This nanorod-in-nanofiber morphology yielded porosity at both the mesopore and macropore level. The macropores, steming from the interfiber space, afforded high pore volumes to facilitate the infiltration of the PC electrolytes, whereas the mesoporous nanorod dendrites offered high surface area for enhanced dye loading. The solid-state DSSCs using HS-NFs (DSSC-NF) demonstrated improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to conventional TiO\u2082 nanoparticle (NP) based DSSCs (DSSC-NP). The improved performance (>2-fold) of the DSSC-NFs was due to the reduced internal series resistance (R(s)) and the enhanced charge recombination lifetime (\u03c4(r)) determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and intensity modulated photocurrent\/photovoltage spectroscopy. The easy penetration of the PC electrolytes into HS-NF layers via the macropores reduces R(s) significantly, improving the fill factor (FF) of the resulting DSSC-NFs. The \u03c4(r) difference between the DSSC-NF and DSSC-NP in the PC electrolytes was extraordinary (~14 times) compared to reported results in conventional organic liquid electrolytes. The optimized PCE of DSSC-NF using the PC electrolytes was 6.54, 7.69, and 7.93% at the light intensity of 100, 50, and 30 mW cm\u207b\u00b2, respectively, with increased charge collection efficiency (>40%). This is the best performing RT solid-state DSSC using a PC electrolyte. Considering the fact that most reported quasi-solid state or nonvolatile electrolytes require higher iodine contents for efficient ion transport, our HS-NFs are a promising morphology for such electrolytes that have limited ion mass transport.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37484983,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Spanish Validation of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale Among Mexican University Students.\nthe rate of death by suicide has increased in Mexico, representing a significant public health problem. To prevent and treat this phenomenon, it is crucial to identify reliable suicide risk factors among Mexicans. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide has demonstrated empirical support for the role of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability in the development of suicidal desire and behaviors. The measure of the theory's constructs-the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS)-has also shown good psychometric qualities. translate, culturally adapt and validate these instruments. 495 university students from Mexico City participated in two independent samples (n = 239; n = 256). For the INQ, the available version in Spanish was used. For the ACSS, the most current version in English was used. Based on the results from the first sample, items were modified, eliminated, or added for the second sample. the INQ demonstrated good fit (RMSEA = .054, TLI = .97, IFI = .97, NFI = .95) with an internal consistency of .77 and .87 for thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, respectively. The ACSS obtained similar results (RMSEA = .011, CFI = .99, TLI = .99, IFI = .99, NFI = .91); the internal consistency was .77. the Spanish version of the instruments display good psychometric properties and can be used to measure the constructs of the interpersonal theory of suicide. However, further replication is needed to support generalizability in other Spanish-speaking populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1725461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Evidence for a direct anterior pituitary site of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol action.\nThe effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), alone and in the presence of estradiol (E), on several estrogen-sensitive parameters in the immature female rat were examined, and it was demonstrated that THC administration antagonized the stimulatory effects of E on anterior pituitary weight and on both the secretion and pituitary content of prolactin. In the current study, the anterior pituitary gland was examined as a potential site of THC action in the ability of this cannabinoid to antagonize E-induced stimulation of pituitary function. A stimulatory dose of E (1 nM) significantly elevated prolactin levels in pituitary cells derived from either immature or retired breeder animals. Whereas THC (1 microM) alone had no effect on prolactin levels when compared to controls, THC completely prevented the E-induced increase in media prolactin levels. Moreover, THC blocked the ability of E to desensitize pituitary cells to the inhibitory influence of dopamine. Together with the findings that THC inhibited E-induced stimulation of total RNA synthesis in pituitary cell cultures, these data strongly suggest that THC antagonizes the stimulatory effect of E on the pituitary by a direct action at the adenohypophyseal level.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25016838,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Development and psychometric evaluation of a Japanese version of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II].\nWe conducted two studies to develop a Japanese version of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II (PGIS-II), and examined its reliability and validity. PGIS-II was developed as a multidimensional measure of the multiple processes of the Personal Growth Initiative (PGI). The PGI describes an active, intentional engagement in the process of personal growth for self-improvement of life experiences. Study 1 (N = 204) reports the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Japanese version of the PGIS-II. The CFA confirmed that 4-factor model showed acceptable fit indices, with reliability coefficients ranging from .67 to .84. Concurrent validity of the PGIS-II was indicated by the correlation with happiness, the positive score for automatic thoughts. Study 2 (N = 101) reports the concurrent validity of the PGIS-II using scales for locus of control, self-esteem and coping. Results suggested significant correlations between scores on the PGIS-II and locus of control, self-esteem and some coping subscales. The overall results suggest that the Japanese version of the PGIS-II has satisfactory statistical reliability and validity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28426464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparative effectiveness in urology: a state of the art review utilizing a systematic approach.\nComparative effectiveness research plays a vital role in healthcare delivery by guiding evidence-based practices. We performed a state-of-the-art review of comparative effectiveness research in the urology literature for 2016, utilizing a systematic approach. Seven high-impact papers are reviewed in detail. Across the breadth of urology, there were several important studies in comparative effectiveness research, of which we will highlight two randomized controlled trials and five observational trials: radiotherapy, prostatectomy, and active monitoring have equivalent mortality outcomes in patients with localized prostate cancer; the ideal modality of patient education is yet to be determined, and written education has minimal effect on patient perception of prostate specific antigen screening; robotic prostatectomy is associated with higher perioperative complication rates on a population basis; racial disparities exist in incontinence rates after treatment for localized prostate cancer, but not in irritative, bowel, or sexual function; androgen deprivation therapy is associated with higher fracture, peripheral artery disease, and cardiac-related complications than bilateral orchiectomy; robotic and open cystectomy offer comparable cancer-specific mortality and perioperative outcomes; and bonuses for low-cost hospitals can inadvertently reward low-quality hospitals. There have been major advancements in comparative effectiveness research in urology in 2016.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22041747,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Tegumental alterations of Fasciola gigantica due to in vitro treatment with Ro-354.\nTriclabendazole is the drug of choice against Fasciola infections in humans and animals. However, parasite resistance against triclabendazole is spreading in veterinary field, and there are no drugs of comparable activity currently available for the treatment and control of fascioliasis. The efficacy of a new rhodanine derivative Ro-354 against adult Fasciola gigantica in vitro was investigated. One hour post incubation, scanning and transmission electron microscopic examination revealed an evident disruption of the tegument of F. gigantica as blebbing, swelling and furrowing. Moreover, an increase in severity of tegumental damage as sloughing and absence of spines was observed. In conclusion, Ro-354 shows potent activity against F. gigantica in vitro, and, the authors recommend carrying out more studies to detect its efficacy in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35501120,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cataract progression after Nd:YAG laser iridotomy in primary angle-closure suspect eyes.\nProphylactic laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) is performed in primary angle-closure suspect (PACS) eyes to prevent acute angle-closure attacks. However, accelerated cataractogenesis is a potential risk of the procedure that may result in decreased visual acuity. We aimed to assess the long-term impact of LPI on cataract formation in Chinese PACS. In the Zhongshan Angle Closure Prevention Trial, eligible bilateral PACS participants received LPI in one randomly selected eye, while the fellow eye remained untreated. Cataract was graded using the Lens Opacity Classification System III, and progression was defined as an increase in grade by at least two units in any category or cataract surgery. In total, 889 participants were randomly assigned to LPI in one eye only (mean age 59\u00b15 years, 83% female). At 72 months, treated eyes had slightly higher average nuclear grades (p<0.001). However, there were no differences between eyes for predefined cataract progression (cumulative probability at 72 months: 21.2% in LPI vs 19.4% in control, p=0.401) or cataract surgery (1% for both). While LPI-treated eyes had a 10% higher risk of progression over 6 years (HR=1.10 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.36)), this was not statistically significant. Visual acuity at 72 months was similar in treated and untreated eyes (p=0.43). Although lenses were graded on average as slightly more opaque in laser-treated eyes, prophylactic neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet LPI did not cause significant cataract progression. Our results suggest that LPI treatment of asymptomatic narrow angles does not increase the risk of developing clinically meaningful cataract worsening over time. ISRCTN45213099.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8573091,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Spermine suppresses the activation of human neutrophil NADPH oxidase in cell-free and semi-recombinant systems.\nSpermine, a cellular polyamine, down-regulates O2- generation in human neutrophils stimulated by receptor-linked agonist [Ogata, Tamura and Takeshita (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 182, 20-26]. In this study, to elucidate the mechanism for the inhibition, the effect of spermine on cell-free activation of the O2- generating enzyme (NADPH oxidase) was examined. Spermine suppressed the SDS-induced activation of NADPH oxidase in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 of 18 microM. The inhibition was specific for spermine over its precursor amines, spermidine and putrescine. Spermine did not alter the Km for NADPH or the optimal concentration of SDS for activation. The amine was inhibitory only when added before activation, indicating that it affects the activation process rather than the enzyme's activity. An increased concentration of cytosol partly prevented the inhibition by spermine. In semi-recombinant cell-free system, spermine inhibited the activation of NADPH oxidase as effectively as in the cell-free system (IC50 = 13 microM). Pretreatment of each recombinant cytosolic component with spermine revealed that they (especially p67phox) are sensitive to spermine. These results suggest that spermine interacts with cytosolic component(s) and impairs the assembly of NADPH oxidase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1317852,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Characterization of the signal for rapid internalization of the bovine mannose 6-phosphate\/insulin-like growth factor-II receptor.\nThe signal for rapid internalization of the mannose 6-phosphate\/insulin-like growth factor II receptor has been localized to the sequence Tyr-Lys-Tyr-Ser-Lys-Val in positions 24-29 of its 163-residue cytoplasmic tail. Most of the activity of this signal is mediated by the carboxyl 4 amino acids, especially Tyr26 and Val29 (Canfield, W. M., Johnson, K. F., Ye, R. D., Gregory, W. and Kornfeld, S. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5682-5688). In this study, we have tested the effect of a series of mutations on the internalization rate of a mutant receptor that contains a 29-amino acid cytoplasmic tail terminating with the 4-amino acid internalization sequence Tyr-Ser-Lys-Val. Replacement of Tyr26 with Phe or Trp gave rise to mutant receptors that were internalized at 10% the wild-type rate, while receptors with Ala, Leu, Ile, Val, or Asn at this position were totally inactive. Val29 could be replaced by other large hydrophobic residues (Phe, Leu, Ile, or Met) with no loss of activity, but the presence of Ala, Gly, Arg, Gln, or Tyr in this position inactivated the signal. Ser27 could be effectively replaced by many different amino acids, but not by Pro or Gly. However, Gly27 could be tolerated if the residues at positions 28 and 29 were also changed. A change in the 2-residue spacing between Tyr26 and Val29 destroyed the signal. These data show that the essential elements of this signal are an aromatic residue, especially a Tyr in the first position, separated from a large hydrophobic residue in the last position by 2 amino acids. The residues in positions 2 and 3 of the signal may have a modulating effect on its activity. The Tyr-Ser-Lys-Val signal could be moved to a more proximal region of the cytoplasmic tail with only a modest loss of activity. In addition, the signal could be effectively replaced by the putative 4-residue signals of seven other receptors and membrane proteins known to undergo rapid endocytosis, including the Tyr-Thr-Arg-Phe sequence of the transferrin receptor, a Type II membrane protein. These results are compatible with the 4-residue signals of this type being interchangeable, even among Type I and Type II membrane proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12556368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Severe astigmatic blur does not interfere with spectacle lens compensation.\nWhether either natural emmetropization or compensation for imposed spectacle lenses requires the visual system to distinguish myopic from hyperopic blur is controversial. Some have argued that the visual system need only respond to the magnitude of the blur. This study was undertaken to test whether adding large amounts of astigmatic image blur would cause myopia and interfere with compensation for positive or negative spectacle lenses. Chicks were fitted with mixed astigmatic (toric) lenses with +5 D on one meridian and -5 D on the orthogonal meridian (Jackson crossed cylinders), thus producing massive blur while having no spherical equivalent power. Chicks wore these lenses either alone or in combination with +6 D, +3 D, -3 D, or -6 D spherical lenses. To produce a similar degree of image degradation in a different way, other chicks were fitted with weak diffusers, with or without spherical lenses. Eyes fitted with astigmatic lenses alone became mildly hyperopic, whereas those fitted with weak diffusers became mildly myopic. Eyes wearing both the astigmatic and spherical lenses compensated as completely for the spherical lenses as did the eyes wearing spherical lenses alone-the compensation being caused by changes in both choroidal thickness and ocular length. Eyes wearing weak diffusers and spherical lenses also compensated but did so without a change in choroidal thickness. Severe astigmatic blur does not interfere with spectacle lens compensation. From this it can be inferred that the average amount of blur is not an important error signal for spectacle lens compensation and therefore probably not for emmetropization either. These results strengthen the case that the sign of defocus is used to direct eye growth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29455330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Ocular Manifestations of Pediatric Systemic Diseases.\nOcular manifestations that occur directly or indirectly as result of a pathologic process that involves other parts of the body, in a pediatric population, will be discussed here. While a myriad number of systemic conditions have ocular manifestations, its importance cannot be undermined because it has implications for both diagnosis and treatment. Often, the eye findings can give a clue to the systemic diagnosis and at other times, not managing the eye manifestations can lead to irreversible blindness although the systemic condition was treated well. So, it is important for all clinicians dealing with pediatric population to be aware of ocular manifestations of the common systemic conditions. The authors discuss the ocular manifestations of the following systemic conditions: Genetic and chromosomal anomalies, phakomatoses, metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, craniofacial anomalies, muscular disorders, inflammatory disorders and miscellaneous.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17209785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Plasma and gingival crevicular fluid phenytoin concentrations as risk factors for gingival overgrowth.\nGingival enlargement is one of the side effects associated with the administration of phenytoin. The mechanism by which phenytoin induces gingival enlargement is not well understood. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between plasma and gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) phenytoin concentrations and the degree of gingival overgrowth in patients with similar gingival and plaque indices and also to determine the risk factors for gingival enlargement. Eighteen patients taking phenytoin in regular doses > or =6 months prior to the investigation participated in the study. Gingival enlargement was evaluated with two indices to score vertical and horizontal overgrowth. The gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI), gingival bleeding time index (GBTI), probing depth (PD), and clinical attachment level (CAL) were also evaluated. GCF and plasma phenytoin concentrations were determined by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). There was no significant difference between responders and non-responders for PD, CAL, PI, GI, and GBTI. Phenytoin was detected in all of the GCF and plasma samples using the HPLC analysis method. The mean concentration of phenytoin in GCF was significantly greater than the concentration of phenytoin in plasma. No significant difference was observed for the concentration of GCF phenytoin between responders and non-responders. However, the concentration of plasma phenytoin was significantly higher in responders than non-responders. This study showed that plasma phenytoin level appeared to be a risk factor for phenytoin-induced gingival overgrowth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24514815,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Conversion of broadband energy to narrowband emission through double-sided metamaterials.\nIn this paper, an energy harvesting\/re-radiating device is proposed to realize high efficiency energy conversion in the solar thermo-photovoltaic system. Such device consists of double-sided metamaterials which are assembled by a broadband absorber working in the major solar spectrum, and a back-by-back narrowband emitter working in the infrared band. It is theoretically proved that most of solar light (from 0.28 \u03bcm to 4 \u03bcm) can be collected, and then, converted to a sharp emission at the maximal response energy level (~0.4 eV) of photovoltaic cells in thermal equilibrium state. The impact of high temperature (as large as 966 K) and the parasitic radiation on the performance is discussed and compensated by geometric optimization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25405212,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ethnoveterinary study of medicinal plants in a tribal society of Sulaiman range.\nThe aims of the present study were (i) to document ethnoveterinary plants and their formulation techniques in an unexplored region of Pakistan and (ii) to select candidate medicinal plants with high consensus factor and fidelity value for further in vitro investigation. A total of 60 informants were interviewed using semistructured questionnaire. A total of 41 plants belonging to 30 families were used to treat livestock ailments in study area. Mostly leaves (47%) were used in recipes formulation mostly in the form of decoction. Gastrointestinal infections were found more common and majority of the plants were used against cow (31) and buffaloes (24) ailments. Recovery time of majority of the recipes was three to four days. Informant consensus factor (Fic) results have shown a high degree of consensus for gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive (0.95 each) ailments. Fidelity level (FL) results showed that Asparagus gracilis ranked first with FL value 93% followed by Rumex hastatus ranked second (91%) and Tinospora cordifolia ranked third (90%). Aged farmers and nomads had more traditional knowledge as compared to younger ones. Plants with high Fic and FL values could be further investigated in vitro for the search of some novel bioactive compounds and young generation should be educated regarding ethnoveterinary practices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33231010,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Unusual histopathologies of the appendix.\nAppendicitis is the most common surgical emergency. Most commonly it is a result of luminal occlusion that leads to ischaemia and eventually to perforation with resultant localised or diffuse peritonitis. Unusual causes have been documented including viral infections, parasites, tuberculosis and neoplasms. These conditions are important to recognise, as they may need additional specific management. This study endeavours to identify the incidence and type of unusual histopathology of appendicitis. A retrospective review of histopathological reports of appendix specimens obtained during appendectomies done between January 2012 and December 2014 in the three academic hospitals of Johannesburg - Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH), Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH), and Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH). All specimens were examined by pathologists of the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS). A total of 2 408 histopathology results were obtained from the NHLS. 164 specimens were excluded because they were part of colonic resection for unrelated conditions. Of the 2 244 specimens included, 8.1% were normal, 52.7% showed acute appendicitis and 30.1% showed complicated appendicitis. Unusual pathology comprised 5.3% (119\/2 244). The median age of all patients was 25.6 years (0-88yrs) and the gender distribution was 61.9% males and 38.1% females. The most common unusual causes were parasites (37%), mainly schistosomiasis (24.3%), followed by neoplasm (20%) and fibrous obliteration (14.2%). All appendectomy specimens must be submitted to the pathologist for histological diagnosis. It is important that the result be checked before the patient is discharged as further specific treatment may be indicated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26497533,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pituitary adenomas: historical perspective, surgical management and future directions.\nPituitary adenomas are among the most common central nervous system tumors. They represent a diverse group of neoplasms that may or may not secrete hormones based on their cell of origin. Epidemiologic studies have documented the incidence of pituitary adenomas within the general population to be as high as 16.7%. A growing body of work has helped to elucidate the pathogenesis of these tumors. Each subtype has been shown to demonstrate unique cellular changes potentially leading to tumorigenesis. Surgical advancements over several decades have included microsurgery and the employment of the endoscope for surgical resection. These advancements increase the likelihood of gross-total resection and have resulted in decreased patient morbidity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26785910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Impact of panniculectomy on transplant candidacy of obese patients with chronic kidney disease declined for kidney transplantation because of a high-risk abdominal panniculus: A pilot study.\nObese patients can develop a large lower abdominal panniculus (worsened by significant weight loss). Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) affected by this obesity-related sequela are not infrequently declined for kidney transplantation because of the high risk for serious wound-healing complications. We hypothesized that pretransplant panniculectomy in these patients would (1) render them transplant candidates, and (2) result in low posttransplant wound-complication rates. In a pilot study, adult patients with CKD who had a high-risk panniculus as the only absolute contraindication to kidney transplantation subsequently were referred to a plastic surgeon to undergo a panniculectomy in order to become transplant candidates. We analyzed the effect of panniculectomy on (1) transplant candidacy and (2) wait list and transplant outcomes (04\/2008-06\/2014). Overall, 36 patients had panniculectomy (median prior weight loss, 38 kg); all were wait-listed with these outcomes: (1) 22 (62%) patients were transplanted; (2) 7 (19%) remain listed; and (3) 7 (19%) were removed from the wait list. Survival after panniculectomy was greater for those transplanted versus not transplanted (at 5 years, 95% vs 35%, respectively; P = .002). For the 22 kidney recipients, posttransplant wound-complication rate was 5% (1 minor subcutaneous hematoma). For obese CKD patients with a high-risk abdominal panniculus, panniculectomy was highly effective in obtaining access to the transplant wait list and successful kidney transplantation. This approach is particularly pertinent for CKD patients because they are disproportionally affected by the obesity epidemic and because obese CKD patients already face multiple other barriers to transplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34798241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Vitrification of Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) sperm: A possible alternative to conventional cryopreservation.\nSperm vitrification is a simple, inexpensive method that allows the cryopreservation of sperm in the field and for endangered species is a useful alternative to conventional freezing. The study, therefore, is focused on the suitability of vitrification for cryopreserving Iberian wolf sperm and utilizing plasma testosterone concentration as a marker for procedure efficacy. Sperm and blood samples were collected from 17 wolves. There were 14 samples suitable for cryopreservation (12 ejaculated and two epididymal). Immediately after collection, these samples were proportioned into two aliquots for conventional freezing using a Tris-citric acid-glucose based extender (TCG) or vitrification utilizing an animal protein free extender (HTF\u00ae). Vitrification occurred by directly plunging a sperm suspension into liquid nitrogen. Sperm were assessed for motility, membrane integrity, acrosomal status and DNA integrity before and after cryopreservation. With both techniques, there were similar post-thaw\/warming results (P > 0.05) with respect to progressive motility, kinetic variables VCL, VSL, VAP and BCF, DNA fragmentation, sperm membrane functionality and morphological abnormalities. Total motile sperm, progression ratios LIN, STR, and WOB, the ALH, sperm viability and sperm with intact membrane and acrosome were greater (P < 0.05) in the conventional frozen-thawed sperm than vitrified-warmed sperm. Plasma testosterone concentrations varied from 0.0 ng\/mL to 7.7 ng\/mL. For epididymal sperm, sperm motility and viability following thawing were greater in vitrified-warmed samples than conventionally-frozen samples; however, small sample numbers precluded statistical analysis. When considered together, these results indicate vitrification may be a possible alternative for wolf sperm cryopreservation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19907111,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cladribine treatment in two-hour intravenous infusion for previously-treated low grade B-cell lymphoma: a pilot study.\nCladribine is approved to be used in 24-hour continuous infusion for the treatment of low-grade lymphoma by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that the antitumor activity of cladribine by 2-hour infusion should be comparable to that given by continuous infusion. The safety and anti-tumor activity of short infusion of cladribine was shown in hairy cell leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Europe. We therefore underwent a pilot study to confirm the safety and efficacy of cladribine given by 2-hour infusion for Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory indolent B-cell lymphoma. Cladribine at a dose of 0.09 mg\/kg was administered in 2-hour intravenous infusion for 5 consecutive days. The treatment was repeated at a 28-day interval for at least 2 cycles, and its efficacy and toxicity were investigated. Fourteen patients were entered into this study. Eight patients (57%) responded to cladribine, including 2 (14%) complete response (CR) and 6 (43%) partial response (PR). The median duration of response was 20+ and 21+ months for CR, and 12 months ranging from 3 to 34 months for PR, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and lymphocytopenia occurred in 43% and 71% of patients, respectively, but there was no febrile neutropenia or opportunistic infection associated with cladribine treatment. No other adverse events greater than grade 3 were encountered. The tumor response and degree of toxicity were comparable with those observed in cladribine treatment given by continuous infusion at a same dose. Cladribine can be administered in 2-hour infusion in an outpatient clinic and is therefore quite convenient for patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31952456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Inter- and Intraobserver Agreement in the Assessment of Thyroid Nodule Ultrasound Features and Classification Systems: A Blinded Multicenter Study.\nBackground: Single-center trials demonstrated moderate-substantial level of interobserver agreement in the evaluation of ultrasound (US) features of thyroid nodules. Multicenter studies on US agreement, however, are scanty, and data on intraobserver agreement are poor. Aim of the study was to assess inter- and intraobserver agreement between different thyroid centers and different specialists. Methods: A blinded analysis of 100 electronically recorded thyroid nodule US images was conducted in three large-volume thyroid centers by seven radiologists and endocrinologists. The evaluation was repeated after randomization 4 months later. The following US characteristics were evaluated: composition, echogenicity, margins, intranodular echogenic spots, vascularity, and shape. Thyroid nodules were also classified according to AACE\/ACE\/AME, EU-TIRADS, ATA, and ACR-TIRADS US classifications. Intra- and interobserver agreement was calculated using cross-tabulation expressed as mean Cohen's Kappa. Results: Interobserver agreement for US features: K-coefficient was 0.53 for composition, 0.47 for echogenicity, 0.46 for intranodular vascularity, and 0.33 for margins of the nodules. For echogenic foci, the K-coefficient was 0.47 for microcalcifications, 0.38 for macrocalcifications, 0.11 for the subcategory comet-tail artifacts, and 0.42 for shape. Operators resulted uncertain on hyperechoic foci definition in 16% of cases and described them as \"hyperechoic foci of uncertain significance.\" Interobserver Cohen-K for US classification systems was 0.44 for AACE, 0.42 for ACR-TIRADS, 0.39 EU-TIRADS, and 0.34 for ATA. Intraobserver agreement: the K-coefficient for nodule US features was 0.62 for intranodular vascularity, 0.58 for composition, 0.60 for echogenicity, 0.54 for macrocalcifications, 0.55 for microcalcifications, 0.47 for comet tails, 0.39 for margins, and 0.35 for shape. Intraobserver Cohen-K for US classification systems was 0.54 for AACE, 0.49 for ACR-TIRADS, 0.38 for ATA, and 0.33 for EU-TIRADS. Conclusions: Intraobserver reproducibility for thyroid nodule US reporting and US classification systems appears fairly adequate, while the interobserver agreement between different centers is lower than that assessed in single-center trials. Reporting and rating ability of thyroid US examiners still appear not consistent. An unified lexicon of thyroid US features, a simplified method of classification, and a dedicated training in the description of thyroid US findings may increase the observers' agreement and the predictive value of US classification systems in real world practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6342836,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Timolol Myocardial Infarction Study: an evaluation of selected variables.\nThe Timolol Myocardial Infarction Study was a completely randomized program of 1884 survivors of myocardial infarction comparing timolol maleate, 10 mg twice daily, with placebo for the secondary prevention of sudden death and reinfarction. In that study, timolol maleate reduced total mortality (152 placebo vs 98 timolol) and the incidence of first nonfatal reinfarctions (131 placebo vs 90 timolol). This report evaluates the effect of timolol in selected categories--age, sex, infarction site, heart size, transmural infarction, diabetes, smoking, multiple reinfarctions and pulse. These data document two important facts. First, the effects of timolol in the total sample were also seen in different subpopulations, and there were no major subgroups for which this positive effect would not be expected. Second, the consistency of the effects observed with respect to pulse, transmural infarction, age and infarct site are in contrast to some previous studies with practolol, propranolol, and alprenolol. Thus, beta blockers may not be identical with respect to reducing the mortality and morbidity associated with acute myocardial infarction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23599611,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Profiling acute respiratory tract infections in children from assam, India.\nAcute respiratory infections (ARI) are leading global cause of under-five mortality and morbidity. To elicit the prevalence and risk factors associated with ARI among under-five children. A community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken in 21 registered urban slums of Guwahati in Assam to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with ARI among 370 under-five children from 184 households and 370 families. The prevalence of ARI was found to be 26.22%; infants and female children were more affected. Majority of the ARI cases were from nuclear families (84.54%), living in kutcha houses (90.72%) with inadequate ventilation (84.54%), overcrowded living condition (81.44%), with kitchen attached to the living room (65.98%) and using biomass fuel for cooking (89.69%). ARI was significantly associated with ventilation, location of kitchen in household; presence of overcrowding, nutritional status, and primary immunization status also had impacts on ARI. The present study had identified a high prevalence of the disease among under-fives. It also pointed out various socio-demographic, nutritional, and environmental modifiable risk factors which can be tackled by effective education of the community.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37764229,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Terbium and Europium Chlorocyananilate-Based 2D Coordination Polymers.\nTwo-dimensional layered coordination polymers based on the hetero-substituted 3-chloro-6-cyano-2,5-dihydroxybenzoquinone ligands, hereafter ClCNAn2- anilate, and LnIII ions (Tb and Eu) are reported. Compounds 1 and 2, formulated as Ln2(ClCNAn)3(DMSO)6 (LnIII = Tb, 1; Eu, 2), and their related intermediates 1' and 2', formulated as Ln2(ClCNAn)3(H2O)x\u00b7yH2O (x + y likely = 12, Ln = Tb, 1'; and Eu, 2'), were prepared by a conventional one-pot reaction (the latter) and recrystallized from DMSO solvent (the former). Polyhydrated intermediates 1' and 2' show very similar XRPD patterns, while, despite their common stoichiometry, 1 and 2 are not isostructural. Compound 1 consists of a 2D coordination framework of 3,6 topology, where [Tb(DMSO)3]III moieties are bridged by three bis-chelating ClCNAn2- ligands, forming distorted hexagons. Ultrathin nanosheets of 1 were obtained by exfoliation via the liquid-assisted sonication method and characterized by atomic force microscopy, confirming the 2D nature of 1. The crystal structure of 2, still showing the presence of 2D sheets with a \"hexagonal\" mesh and a common (3,6) connectivity, is based onto flat, non-corrugated slabs. Indeed, at a larger scale, the different \"rectangular tiles\" show clear roofing in 1, which is totally absent in 2. The magnetic behavior of 1 very likely indicates depopulation of the highest crystal-field levels, as expected for TbIII compounds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31204167,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Condensin-Mediated Chromosome Folding and Internal Telomeres Drive Dicentric Severing by Cytokinesis.\nIn Saccharomyces cerevisiae, dicentric chromosomes stemming from telomere fusions preferentially break at the fusion. This process restores a normal karyotype and protects chromosomes from the detrimental consequences of accidental fusions. Here, we address the molecular basis of this rescue pathway. We observe that tandem arrays tightly bound by the telomere factor Rap1 or a heterologous high-affinity DNA binding factor are sufficient to establish breakage hotspots, mimicking telomere fusions within dicentrics. We also show that condensins generate forces sufficient to rapidly refold dicentrics prior to breakage by cytokinesis and are essential to the preferential breakage at telomere fusions. Thus, the rescue of fused telomeres results from a condensin- and Rap1-driven chromosome folding that favors fusion entrapment where abscission takes place. Because a close spacing between the DNA-bound Rap1 molecules is essential to this process, Rap1 may act by stalling condensins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10852884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The alternative sigma factor RpoN is required for hrp activity in Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola and acts at the level of hrpL transcription.\nbeta-Glucuronidase (uidA) reporter gene fusions were constructed for the hrpZ, hrpL, and hrpS genes from the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola strain ES4326. These reporters, as well as an avrRpt2-uidA fusion, were used to measure transcriptional activity in ES4326 and a ES4326 rpoN mutant. rpoN was required for the expression of avrRpt2, hrpZ, and hrpL in vitro in minimal media and in vivo when infiltrated into Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. In contrast, the expression of hrpS was essentially the same in wild-type and rpoN mutant strains. Constitutive expression of hrpL in an rpoN mutant restored hrpZ transcription to wild-type levels, restored the hypersensitive response when infiltrated into tobacco (Nicotiana tobacum), and partially restored the elicitation of virulence-related symptoms but not growth when infiltrated into Arabidopsis leaves. These data indicate that rpoN-mediated control of hrp gene expression acts at the level of hrpL and that in planta growth of P. syringae is not required for the elicitation of disease symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21208592,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Combined effects of depressive symptoms and resting heart rate on mortality: the Whitehall II prospective cohort study.\nTo examine the combined effects of depressive symptoms and resting heart rate on mortality risk. Analysis was performed on data from 5,936 participants in the Whitehall II study with a mean \u00b1 SD age of 61 \u00b1 6 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed from 2002 to 2004 using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (cutoff score for depression at \u2265 16). Resting heart rate was measured at the same study phase via electrocardiogram. Participants were assigned to 1 of 6 risk-factor groups on the basis of depression status (yes\/no) and resting heart rate categories (< 60, 60-80, and > 80 beats\/minute [bpm]). All-cause mortality was the main outcome in our analysis. Mean follow-up for mortality was 5.6 years. In mutually adjusted Cox regression models, depression (hazard ratio = 1.93, P < .001) and resting heart rate > 80 bpm (hazard ratio = 1.67, P < .001) were independent predictors of mortality. After adjustment for potential confounding and mediating variables, participants with both depression and high resting heart rate had a 3-fold higher (P < .001) risk of death compared to depression-free participants with resting heart rates ranging from 60 to 80 bpm. This risk is particularly marked in participants with prevalent coronary heart disease. This study provides evidence that the coexistence of depressive symptoms and elevated resting heart rate is associated with substantially increased risk of death compared to those without these 2 factors. This finding suggests the possibility that treatments that improve both depression and resting heart rate might improve survival.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33805737,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hydrogel Models with Stiffness Gradients for Interrogating Pancreatic Cancer Cell Fate.\nPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and has seen only modest improvements in patient survival rate over the past few decades. PDAC is highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy, owing to the presence of a dense and hypovascularized fibrotic tissue, which is composed of stromal cells and extracellular matrices. Increase deposition and crosslinking of matrices by stromal cells lead to a heterogeneous microenvironment that aids in PDAC development. In the past decade, various hydrogel-based, in vitro tumor models have been developed to mimic and recapitulate aspects of the tumor microenvironment in PDAC. Advances in hydrogel chemistry and engineering should provide a venue for discovering new insights regarding how matrix properties govern PDAC cell growth, migration, invasion, and drug resistance. These engineered hydrogels are ideal for understanding how variation in matrix properties contributes to the progressiveness of cancer cells, including durotaxis, the directional migration of cells in response to a stiffness gradient. This review surveys the various hydrogel-based, in vitro tumor models and the methods to generate gradient stiffness for studying migration and other cancer cell fate processes in PDAC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31988064,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Leukocyte Telomere Length, DNA Oxidation, and Risk of Lower-Extremity Amputation in Patients With Long-standing Type 1 Diabetes.\nTelomere shortening and DNA oxidation are associated with premature vascular aging, which may be involved in lower-extremity amputation (LEA). We sought to investigate whether leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and plasma 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), a biomarker of DNA oxidation, were associated with LEA in subjects with type 1 diabetes at high vascular risk. LTL (quantitative PCR) and plasma 8-OHdG concentrations (immunoassay method) were assessed at baseline in the GENEDIAB (G\u00e9n\u00e9tique de la N\u00e9phropathie Diab\u00e9tique) type 1 diabetes cohort. Logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to estimate odds ratio (OR) (at baseline) and hazard ratio (HR) (during follow-up), with related 95% CI, by increasing biomarker tertiles (T1, T2, T3). Among 478 participants (56% male, mean \u00b1 SD age 45 \u00b1 12 years and diabetes duration 29 \u00b1 10 years), 84 patients had LEA at baseline. Baseline history of LEA was associated with shorter LTL (OR for T2 vs. T1 0.62 [95% CI 0.32-1.22] and for T3 vs. T1 0.41 [0.20-0.84]) but not with plasma 8-OHdG (1.16 [0.56-2.39] and 1.24 [0.61-2.55], respectively). New cases of LEA occurred in 34 (12.3%) participants during the 10-year follow-up. LTL were shorter (HR T2 vs. T1 0.25 [95% CI 0.08-0.67] and T3 vs. T1 0.29 [0.10-0.77]) and plasma 8-OHdG higher (2.20 [0.76-7.35] and 3.11 [1.07-10.32]) in participants who developed LEA during follow-up compared with others. No significant interaction was observed between biomarkers on their association with LEA. We report the first independent association between LTL shortening and excess risk of LEA in type 1 diabetes. High plasma 8-OHdG was also associated with incident LEA but partly dependent on cofounding variables.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11502361,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Specific actions of cyanide on membrane potential and voltage-gated ion currents in rostral ventrolateral medulla neurons in rat brainstem slices.\nThe present study examined specific effects of sodium cyanide (CN) on the membrane potential (MP), spontaneous discharge (SD) and voltage-gated ion current of the identified bulbospinal rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) neuron in the rat pup brainstem slice. 125 microM CN rapidly depolarized MP in the RVLM neuron by 11.6 mV as well as enhanced the SD rate by 300%. In contrast, the same dose of CN immediately hyperpolarized unlabeled, non-RVLM neurons by 4.8 mV. 50 microM CN did not significantly affect voltage-gated Ca(++) or A-type K(+) currents. The same concentration of CN, however, rapidly and reversibly suppressed voltage-gated Na(+) currents and sustained outward K(+) currents in the RVLM neuron by 22.5% and 23%, respectively. Tetraethylammonium could mimic the effect of CN on MP, SD and sustained K(+) current in the RVLM neuron. It is concluded that: (1) like that from the adult rat, the rat pup bulbospinal RVLM neuron can be selectively and rapidly excited by CN; (2) the hypoxia-sensitive, sustained outward K(+) channel may play an important role in the acute hypoxia-induced excitation of the RVLM neurons.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21957678,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Multiple indicator cluster survey 2003 in Afghanistan: outdated sampling frame and the effect of sampling weights on estimates of maternal and child health coverage.\nDue to an urgent need for information on the coverage of health service for women and children after the fall of Taliban regime in Afghanistan, a multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS) was conducted in 2003 using the outdated 1979 census as the sampling frame. When 2004 pre-census data became available, population-sampling weights were generated based on the survey-sampling scheme. Using these weights, the population estimates for seven maternal and child healthcare-coverage indicators were generated and compared with the unweighted MICS 2003 estimates. The use of sample weights provided unbiased estimates of population parameters. Results of the comparison of weighted and unweighted estimates showed some wide differences for individual provincial estimates and confidence intervals. However, the mean, median and absolute mean of the differences between weighted and unweighted estimates and their confidence intervals were close to zero for all indicators at the national level. Ranking of the five highest and the five lowest provinces on weighted and unweighted estimates also yielded similar results. The general consistency of results suggests that outdated sampling frames can be appropriate for use in similar situations to obtain initial estimates from household surveys to guide policy and programming directions. However, the power to detect change from these estimates is lower than originally planned, requiring a greater tolerance for error when the data are used as a baseline for evaluation. The generalizability of using outdated sampling frames in similar settings is qualified by the specific characteristics of the MICS 2003-low replacement rate of clusters and zero probability of inclusion of clusters created after the 1979 census.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11438627,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"PET imaging of somatostatin receptors using [68GA]DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide: first results in patients with meningiomas.\nImaging of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) using [111In]diethylenetriaminepentaacetic-acid-octreotide (DTPAOC) has proven to be helpful in the differentiation of meningiomas, neurinomas or neurofibromas, and metastases as well as in the follow-up of meningiomas. A drawback of the SPECT method is its limited sensitivity in detecting small meningiomas. Because of PET's increased spatial resolution and its ability to absolutely quantify biodistribution, a PET tracer for SSTR imaging would be desirable. 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N\",N\"'-tetraacetic-acid-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (DOTATOC) was labeled using the positron-emitting generator nuclide 68Ga. We acquired dynamic PET images over 120 min after intravenous injection of 175 MBq [68Ga]DOTATOC in 3 patients suffering from 8 meningiomas (WHO I degrees; 7- to 25-mm diameter). Patients' heads had been fixed using individually shaped fiber masks equipped with an external stereotactic localizer system to match PET, CT, and MRI datasets. [68Ga]DOTATOC was rapidly cleared from the blood (half-life alpha, 3.5 min; half-life beta, 63 min). Standardized uptake values (SUVs) of meningiomas increased immediately after injection and reached a plateau 60-120 min after injection (mean SUV, 10.6). No tracer could be found in the surrounding healthy brain tissue. All meningiomas (even the 3 smallest [7- to 8-mm diameter]) showed high tracer uptake and could be visualized clearly. Tracer boundaries showed a good correspondence with the matched CT and MRI images. PET provided valuable additional information regarding the extent of meningiomas located beneath osseous structures, especially at the base of the skull. According to our initial experiences, [68Ga]DOTATOC seems to be a very promising new PET tracer for imaging SSTRs even in small meningiomas, offering excellent imaging properties and a very high tumor-to-background ratio.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16960654,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The continuum\/spectrum concept of mood disorders: is mixed depression the basic link?\nMixed states, i.e., opposite polarity symptoms in the same mood episode, question the bipolar\/unipolar splitting of mood disorders, and support a spectrum view. Study aim was assessing the distribution of intradepressive hypomanic symptoms between bipolar-II (BP-II) and major depressive disorder (MDD) depressions, and testing a dose-response relationship between number of intradepressive hypomanic symptoms and bipolar family history. No bi-modality, and a dose-response relationship, would not support a categorical distinction. Consecutive 389 BP-II and 261 MDD depressed outpatients were interviewed by the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV, hypomania interview guide, and family history screen, by a mood specialist psychiatrist, in a private practice. Intradepressive hypomanic symptoms were systematically assessed. Mixed depression was defined as the combination of depression and three or more intradepressive hypomanic symptoms, a validated definition. BP-II, versus MDD, had significantly more intradepressive hypomanic symptoms. The distribution of intradepressive hypomanic symptoms between BP-II and MDD was not bi-modal but normal-like, and a dose-response relationship was found between the number of intradepressive hypomanic symptoms and bipolar family history. Study findings question the categorical division of BP-II and MDD, and may support the spectrum view of mood disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26158821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"We Have to Break Up.\nThree mostly positive developments in academic psychology-the cognitive revolution, the virtual requirement for multiple study reports in our top journals, and the prioritization of mediational evidence in our data-have had the unintended effect of making field research on naturally occurring behavior less suited to publication in the leading outlets of the discipline. Two regrettable consequences have ensued. The first is a reduction in the willingness of researchers, especially those young investigators confronting hiring and promotion issues, to undertake such field work. The second is a reduction in the clarity with which nonacademic audiences (e.g., citizens and legislators) can see the relevance of academic psychology to their lives and self-interest, which has contributed to a concomitant reduction in the availability of federal funds for basic behavioral science. Suggestions are offered for countering this problem.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34815721,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Formative Study on the Wearability and Usability of a Large-Volume Patch Injector.\nThe subcutaneous self-administration of biologics using a single large-volume bolus dose requires novel large-volume patch injectors. However, the usability and wearability of such on-body devices has rarely been investigated thus far. Therefore, this formative simulated use experiment studies the overall handling and acceptability in terms of the size and weight of a novel 10 mL large-volume patch injector device platform. Twenty-three participants, including patients and healthcare professionals, simulated two injections with the large-volume patch injector, each lasting 17 min. During the injections, the patient participants performed predefined movements and activities with the on-body devices. Perceived usability and wearability were assessed through observation by the moderator and participant-reported feedback using five-point Likert scales and open-ended interviews. All participants successfully completed the simulated injections. Only non-serious usability issues were identified. Users rated the device acceptability in terms of wearability and usability with high ratings. The results suggest the safe and effective usage of a novel prefilled large-volume patch injector that enables the subcutaneous delivery of a single bolus dose of up to 10 mL with an injection duration of 15 min. The participants of the simulated use study successfully used the device regardless of the disease state, age, or body size and habitus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25399962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Periodontal and peri-implant microbiota in patients with healthy and inflamed periodontal and peri-implant tissues.\nTo compare the prevalence and levels of six bacterial pathogens within the subgingival\/submucosal microbiota at teeth versus implants with various clinical conditions. Twenty-two Chinese were included. Four subgingival\/submucosal sites were selected for microbiological sampling within each subject, that is, (1) healthy peri-implant tissues; (2) peri-implantitis [PPD \u2265 5 mm, presence of bleeding on probing (BOP) and confirmed radiographic bone loss]; (3) healthy gingiva; and (4) periodontitis (PPD \u22654 mm). Subgingival\/submucosal plaque was sampled using paper points. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) was used to quantify six pathogens, including Porphyromonas gingivalis (P.g.), Treponema denticola (T.d.), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.), Fusobacterium nucleatum (F.n.), Prevotella intermedia (P.i.), and Staphylococcus aureus (S.a.). Counts were log10-transformed. The most commonly detected species were S. a. and F. n., while A. a. and. P. i. had the lowest detection frequency. The detection frequencies of diseased tooth or implant sites for each of the six target species were either equal to or higher than the respective frequencies at the corresponding healthy sites. There were no statistically significant differences for any of the species or clinical sites (P > 0.05, Cochran's Q test). No statistically significant differences in the bacterial loads were found among the four clinical sites; with the exception of F. nucleatum. This was more abundant in periodontitis sites (P = 0.023, Friedman's 2-way anova). Both periodontal and peri-implant sites, irrespective of their health status, were revealed to harbor S. aureus cells. The log10-transformed loads of S. aureus were approximately 3.5 within each of the clinical sites (P = 0.232). This was the highest of the six species analyzed. Within the same subjects, putative periodontal pathogens were common to both periodontal and peri-implant sites irrespective of health status. The prevalence and levels of P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum were significantly associated with periodontitis, but not with peri-implantitis. A. actinomycetemcomitans was associated with both disease conditions, periodontitis and peri-implantitis, but not with either gingival or mucosal health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33270917,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Research on esophageal cancer: With personal perspectives from studies in China and Kenya.\nThe most common form of esophageal cancer (EC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), is prevalent in many unindustrialized societies, among people with lower socioeconomic status and those who frequently use tobacco and alcohol. In some areas, ESCC mortality ranked top among all cancer. In this review, we begin with discussions of the extensive research on EC in Linxian in northern China that started 60 years ago and the recent studies in Kenya from our personal perspectives. Based on the results obtained from these studies and information from the literature, we summarize our current understanding about the risk factors for ESCC including lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol, consumption of food and beverages at high temperature and other unhealthy habits), poor diet and nutritional insufficiencies and genetic susceptibility. Elimination or minimization of these environmental risk factors, as well as early detection and treatment of precancerous lesions, would be effective means for the prevention of ESCC. Current knowledge of molecular alterations in ESCC (gene mutations, hypermethylation and amplification or overexpression), as well as treatment of ESCC and the potential of targeted therapy, are also discussed. Finally, we propose effective approaches for the prevention of ESCC by adapting a healthy lifestyle, including a healthy diet that would also prevent other diseases. Community outreach, public education and international collaboration are important for achieving this public health goal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24724675,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Dissipation in ultrahigh quality factor SiN membrane resonators.\nWe study the mechanical properties of stoichiometric SiN resonators through a combination of spectroscopic and interferometric imaging techniques. At room temperature, we demonstrate ultrahigh quality factors of 5\u00d7107 and a f\u00d7Q product of 1\u00d71014 Hz. To our knowledge, these correspond to the largest values yet reported for mesoscopic flexural resonators. Through a comprehensive study of the limiting dissipation mechanisms as a function of resonator and substrate geometry, we identify radiation loss through the supporting substrate as the dominant loss process. In addition to pointing the way towards higher quality factors through optimized substrate designs, our work realizes an enabling platform for the observation and control of quantum behavior in a macroscopic mechanical system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8978765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Translocation, t(17;22)(q22;q13), in dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: a new tumor-associated chromosome rearrangement.\nA translocation, t(17;22)(q22;q13), was identified in two cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DP). They bring to four the number of DP cases characterized by an identical t(17;22)(q22;q13), which can be considered as a new tumor-associated chromosome rearrangement. To date, this translocation has been found only in DP and its juvenile form, giant-cell fibroblastoma. This finding has two major consequences. First, it casts light on the development and significance in DP of ring chromosomes which consistently harbor sequences derived from chromosomes 17 and 22. Second, the identification of this new chromosome marker, and eventually of the underlying molecular rearrangement, should help to classify DP, a soft-tissue tumor of still uncertain cell origin. In addition, it could be used to differentiate DP from truly benign or malignant entities, in order that this tumor of intermediate malignancy could be adequately managed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14615593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A growth regulatory loop that provides homeostasis to phytochrome a signaling.\nPhytochrome kinase substrate1 (PKS1) is a cytoplasmic protein that interacts physically with, and is phosphorylated by, the plant photoreceptor phytochrome. Here, we show that light transiently increases PKS1 mRNA levels and concentrates its expression to the elongation zone of the hypocotyl and root. This response is mediated by phytochrome A (phyA) acting in the very low fluence response (VLFR) mode. In the hypocotyl, PKS1 RNA and protein accumulation are maintained only under prolonged incubation in far-red light, the wavelength that most effectively activates phyA. Null mutants of PKS1 and its closest homolog, PKS2, show enhanced phyA-mediated VLFR. Notably, a pks1 pks2 double mutant has no phenotype, whereas overexpression of either PKS1 or PKS2 results in the same phenotype as the pks1 or pks2 single null mutant. We propose that PKS1 and PKS2 are involved in a growth regulatory loop that provides homeostasis to phyA signaling in the VLFR. In accordance with this idea, PKS1 effects are larger in the pks2 background (and vice versa). Moreover, the two proteins can interact with each other, and PKS2 negatively regulates PKS1 protein levels specifically under VLFR conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10377082,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in maine coon cats: an animal model of human disease.\nA naturally occurring animal model of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHCM) is lacking. We identified a family of Maine coon cats with HCM and developed a colony to determine mode of inheritance, phenotypic expression, and natural history of the disease. A proband was identified, and related cats were bred to produce a colony. Affected and unaffected cats were bred to determine the mode of inheritance. Echocardiography was used to identify affected offspring and determine phenotypic expression. Echocardiograms were repeated serially to determine the natural history of the disease. Of 22 offspring from breeding affected to unaffected cats, 12 (55%) were affected. When affected cats were bred to affected cats, 4 (45%) of the 9 were affected, 2 (22%) unaffected, and 3 (33%) stillborn. Findings were consistent with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with 100% penetrance, with the stillborns representing lethal homozygotes that died in utero. Affected cats usually did not have phenotypic evidence of HCM before 6 months of age, developed HCM during adolescence, and developed severe HCM during young adulthood. Papillary muscle hypertrophy that produced midcavitary obstruction and systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve was the most consistent manifestation of HCM. Cats died suddenly (n=5) or of heart failure (n=3). Histopathology of the myocardium revealed myocardial fiber disarray, intramural coronary arteriosclerosis, and interstitial fibrosis. HCM in this family of Maine coon cats closely resembles the human form of FHCM and should prove a valuable tool for studying the gross, cellular, and molecular pathophysiology of the disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32523332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Applying Different Techniques to Improve the Bioavailability of Candesartan Cilexetil Antihypertensive Drug.\nThe objective of this study was to compare different techniques to enhance the solubility and dissolution rate, and hence the bioavailability of candesartan cilexetil. To achieve this target, various techniques were employed such as solid dispersions, inclusion complexes, and preparation of candesartan nanoparticles. Following the preparations, all samples were characterized for their physicochemical properties, and the samples of the best results were subjected to further bioavailability studies. Results of dissolution studies revealed an increase in the dissolution rate of all samples. The highest dissolution rate was achieved using solid dispersion of the drug with PVP K-90 (1:4). Physicochemical investigations (XR, DSC, and FT-IR) suggested formation of hydrogen bonding and changing in the crystalline structure of the drug. Regarding the inclusion complexes, more stable complex was formed between HP-\u03b2-CD and CC compared to \u03b2-CD, as indicated by phase solubility diagrams. Antisolvent method resulted in the preparation of stable nanoparticles, as indicated by \u03b6 potential, with average particle size of 238.9 \u00b1 19.25 nm using PVP K-90 as a hydrophilic polymer. The best sample that gave the highest dissolution rate (CC\/PVP K-90 1:4) was allowed for further pharmacokinetic studies using UPLC MS\/MS assay of rabbit plasma. Results showed a significant increase in the bioavailability of CC from ~15% to ~48%. The bioavailability of CC was significantly improved from ~15% to ~48% when formulated as SDs with PVP K-90 with 1:4 drug:polymer ratio.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35186448,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A new phylogenetic data standard for computable clade definitions: the Phyloreference Exchange Format (Phyx).\nTo be computationally reproducible and efficient, integration of disparate data depends on shared entities whose matching meaning (semantics) can be computationally assessed. For biodiversity data one of the most prevalent shared entities for linking data records is the associated taxon concept. Unlike Linnaean taxon names, the traditional way in which taxon concepts are provided, phylogenetic definitions are native to phylogenetic trees and offer well-defined semantics that can be transformed into formal, computationally evaluable logic expressions. These attributes make them highly suitable for phylogeny-driven comparative biology by allowing computationally verifiable and reproducible integration of taxon-linked data against Tree of Life-scale phylogenies. To achieve this, the first step is transforming phylogenetic definitions from the natural language text in which they are published to a structured interoperable data format that maintains strong ties to semantics and lends itself well to sharing, reuse, and long-term archival. To this end, we developed the Phyloreference Exchange Format (Phyx), a JSON-LD-based text format encompassing rich metadata for all elements of a phylogenetic definition, and we created a supporting software library, phyx.js, to streamline computational management of such files. Together they form a foundation layer for digitizing and computing with phylogenetic definitions of clades.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8397613,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Influence of tutors' subject-matter expertise on student effort and achievement in problem-based learning.\nTo investigate the effects of tutors' subject-matter expertise on students' levels of academic achievement and study effort in a problem-based health sciences curriculum. Also, to study differences in tutors' behaviors and the influences of these differences on students' performances. Data were analyzed from 336 staff-led tutorial groups involving student participants in seven four-year undergraduate programs at the University of Limburg Faculty of Health Sciences in 1989-90. Overall, 1,925 data records were studied, with each student participating in an average of 1.7 groups led by either content experts or non-experts. The basic analyses were of (1) students' achievement scores as a function of tutors' expertise levels and students' curriculum year; (2) students' estimates of self-study time as a function of tutors' expertise levels and students' curriculum year; and (3) the average ratings of the tutors' behaviors as a function of tutors' expertise levels. Statistical methods included analysis of variance and Pearson correlations. The students guided by subject-matter experts were shown to spend more time on self-directed study, and they achieved somewhat better than did the students guided by non-expert tutors. The effect of subject-matter expertise on achievement was strongest in the first curriculum year, suggesting that novice students are more dependent on their tutors' expertise than are more advanced students. Also, the content-expert tutors made more extensive use of their subject-matter knowledge to guide students. However, in addition to the tutors' knowledge-related behaviors, the tutors' process-facilitation skills affected student achievement. Moreover, these two sets of behaviors were correlated, indicating that both are necessary conditions for effective tutoring. The results indicate that, at least for the curriculum studied, the assumption in the literature that tutors do not necessarily need content knowledge so long as they are skilled in the tutoring process is not entirely justified: the students who were guided by content experts achieved somewhat better and spent more time on self-directed learning. More important, tutoring skill and content knowledge seemed to be necessary and closely related conditions for effective tutoring.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30842157,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"ROBO1 Expression in Metastasizing Breast and Ovarian Cancer: SLIT2-induced Chemotaxis Requires Heparan Sulfates (Heparin).\nThe members of the slit homolog (SLIT) and roundabout homolog (ROBO) families have emerged as important signaling molecules in tumor metastasis. This study analyzed their role in regulating breast cancer (BC) cell motility and chemotaxis and assessed expression of ROBO1 in brain metastases (BMs) of breast, lung, and colon cancer, and in peritoneal metastases (PMs) of ovarian cancer. The BC cell line MDA-MB231 was subjected to scratch, motility, and chemotaxis assays using heparin and a purified recombinant N-terminal SLIT2 fragment. Protein expression was assessed in primary tumors and metastases by immunohistochemistry. Exposure to SLIT2 induced MDA-MB231 cell motility, but no significant chemotaxis without the presence of heparin. ROBO1 was expressed in 4\/5 primary BC and in 18\/21 BC-derived BM samples; 7\/9 BM primary lung cancer samples also stained positive. In contrast, BMs from colorectal cancer were negative for ROBO1. Primary ovarian cancer and ovarian PM showed ROBO1 expression in 0\/6 and in only 2\/6 samples, respectively, whereas SLIT2 was observed in 1\/6 primary cancer and in 6\/6 PMs samples. SLIT2 can induce BC cell motility and chemotaxis, but the latter requires the presence of heparin. BM expression of ROBO1 is a common feature of some, but not all cancer types. SLIT2 expression appears to be a general feature of ovarian cancer-derived PMs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11158002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with obstructive sleep apnea and daytime sleepiness: role of insulin resistance.\nPolycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of premenopausal women, characterized by chronic hyperandrogenism, oligoanovulation, and insulin resistance. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) are strongly associated with insulin resistance and hypercytokinemia, independently of obesity. We hypothesized that women with PCOS are at risk for OSA and EDS. Fifty-three women with PCOS (age range, 16-45 yr) and 452 control premenopausal women (age range, 20-42), from a general randomized sample for the assessment of prevalence of OSA, were evaluated in the sleep laboratory for 1 night. In addition, women with PCOS were tested for plasma free and weakly bound testosterone, total testosterone, and fasting blood glucose and insulin concentrations. In this study, PCOS patients were 30 times more likely to suffer from sleep disordered breathing (SDB) than the controls [odds ratio = 30.6, 95% confidence interval (7.2-139.4)]. Nine of the PCOS patients (17.0%) were recommended treatment for SDB, in contrast with only 3 (0.6%) of the control group (P < 0.001). In addition, PCOS patients reported more frequent daytime sleepiness than the controls (80.4% vs. 27.0%, respectively; P < 0.001). PCOS patients who were recommended treatment for SDB, compared with those who were not, had significantly higher fasting plasma insulin levels (306.48 +\/- 52.39 vs. 176.71 +\/- 18.13 pmol\/L, P < 0.01) and a lower glucose-to-insulin ratio (0.02 +\/- 0.00 vs. 0.04 +\/- 0.00, P < 0.05). Plasma free and total testosterone and fasting blood glucose concentrations were not different between the two groups of PCOS women. Our data indicate that SDB and EDS are markedly and significantly more frequent in PCOS women than in premenopausal controls. Also, insulin resistance is a stronger risk factor than is body mass index or testosterone for SDB in PCOS women. These data support our proposal that, independently of gender, sleep apnea might be a manifestation of an endocrine\/metabolic abnormality in which insulin resistance plays a principal role.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943452,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A predictive model for spotted wilt epidemics in peanut based on local weather conditions and the tomato spotted wilt virus risk index.\nTomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), a member of the genus Tospovirus (family Bunyaviridae), is an important plant virus that causes severe damage to peanut (Arachis hypogaea) in the southeastern United States. Disease severity has been extremely variable in individual fields in Georgia, due to several factors including variability in weather patterns. A TSWV risk index has been developed by the University of Georgia to aid peanut growers with the assessment and avoidance of high risk situations. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between weather parameters and spotted wilt severity in peanut, and to develop a predictive model that integrates localized weather information into the risk index. On-farm survey data collected during 1999, 2002, 2004, and 2005 growing seasons, and derived weather variables during the same years were analyzed using nonlinear and multiple regression analyses. Meteorological data were obtained from the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network. The best model explained 61% of the variation in spotted wilt severity (square root transformed) as a function of the interactions between the TSWV risk index, the average daily temperature in April (TavA), the average daily minimum temperature between March and April (TminMA), the accumulated rainfall in March (RainfallM), the accumulated rainfall in April (RainfallA), the number of rain days in April (RainDayA), evapotranspiration in April (EVTA), and the number of days from 1 January to the planting date (JulianDay). Integrating this weather-based model with the TSWV risk index may help peanut growers more effectively manage tomato spotted wilt disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20473184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Using mechanistic models to simulate comparative effectiveness trials of therapy and to estimate long-term outcomes in HIV care.\nIn HIV care, it is difficult to decide when to initiate therapy, which drugs to use for initial treatment, and which drugs to use if drug resistance develops. With hundreds of possible drug regimens available and variable patterns of drug resistance, randomized controlled trials cannot answer all HIV treatment decisions. Mechanistic models of HIV infection can be used to conduct virtual therapeutic trials with the goal of predicting outcomes, some of which are long-term and may not fall within the time frame of a typical therapeutic trial. We used a previously developed and validated model of HIV infection to replicate 2 arms of an HIV initial treatment trial (ACTG A5142) and predict long-term outcomes. The model incorporated data about biologic processes involved in the development of drug resistance. The model reproduced the proportion that developed AIDS (0.04 and 0.05 for the efavirenz arm and lopinavir arms, respectively, vs. 0.04 and 0.06 for the trial), the development of virologic failure (0.27 and 0.33 for the Efavirenz arm and lopinavir arms, respectively, vs. 0.24 and 0.37 for the trial), and drug resistance. The hazard ratio for the time to treatment failure, a combination of resistance and other causes (0.96 for the model vs. 0.75 for the trial; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.98), and changes in CD4 cell count, were less accurate. The model estimated longer-term life expectancy, quality-adjusted life expectancy, and HIV-related deaths. Mechanistic models of HIV infections have the potential to be useful in comparative effectiveness research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23140666,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Psychometric testing of an Arabic version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire for heart disease.\nIllness perceptions about heart disease may influence related health behaviors. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) for heart disease. Secondary analysis of interview data collected from 401 visitors of hospital patients in Lebanon was conducted, using an Arabic version of the IPQ. Statistical analysis included Cronbach's alpha coefficient, correlational and factor analyses. Content validity was supported, with a content validity index of 1. The timeline, control and consequences items loaded on four factors, explaining 41.6% of the variance. Two factors, internal and external, explained 14.54% and 28.36% of the variance in the causes scale. The overall Cronbach alpha was .80. The factor structure did not concur with prior findings on the IPQ; no distinct control factor was obtained. The type of sample and cultural considerations may explain these findings. Replication of this study in Lebanese cardiac patients and further psychometric testing in healthy adults are recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31548285,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Oxidative status and telomere length are related to somatic and physiological maturation in chicks of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).\nTelomere length can be considered as an indicator of an organism's somatic state, long telomeres reflecting higher energy investment in self-maintenance. Early-life is a period of intense investment in somatic growth and in physiological maturation but how this is reflected in telomere length remains unclear. Using European starling chicks we tested: (i) how telomere length measured at asymptotic mass is related to proxies of somatic growth and physiological maturity in 17-day-old nestlings; (ii) how telomere length measured at 17 days then predicts the changes in somatic and physiological maturity occurring in fledglings (between 17 and 21 days); (iii) how growth and telomere length co-vary when chicks are under experimentally good (fed) growth conditions. Depending on environmental conditions, our data suggest links between somatic growth, physiological maturation and body maintenance parameters (positive with oxidative stress and negative with telomere length) in nestlings. Telomere length measured at day 17 predicted a subsequent change in physiological maturation variables observed in fledglings, but only in second-brood chicks: chicks with shorter telomeres had a higher pre-fledging rate of increase in haematocrit and haemoglobin content and a greater decrease in reticulocyte count. Finally, food supplementation of chicks did not change telomere length compared with that in control siblings. Our results suggest that physiological maturation prior to fledging may occur at the expense of telomere length but only when environmental conditions are sub-optimal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9020480,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Somatostatin receptor subtype mRNA expression in human colorectal cancer and normal colonic mucosae.\nSomatostatin analogues may be useful novel agents in the systemic treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, as somatostatin inhibits proliferation in a wide variety of cell types. Here, we report the expression profiles of somatostatin receptor mRNAs in 32 pairs of malignant and normal colonic epithelia. Receptor subtype 2 (hSSTR2) mRNA was detected throughout nearly 90% of both malignant and normal tissue by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization. Subtype 5 (hSSTR5) mRNA was detected in 46% and 45% of tumour and mucosal samples respectively, but in 75% (9\/12) of early-stage tumours (tubulovillous adenomas, Dukes' A and B) compared with 31% (5\/16) of late-stage tumours (Dukes' C and 'D' tumours), 0.05>P>0.025 (chi2 with Yates' correction). There was also reduced expression of hSSTR5 in samples of metastatic tumour (11%, 1\/9) compared with all tumour samples (56%, 18\/32) 0.025>P>0.01 (chi2 with Yates' correction). Other hSSTRs (1, 3 and 4) were expressed infrequently. Thus, hSSTR2 expression is retained after malignant transformation in colonic epithelium and, although it may potentially be a target for antiproliferative therapy, its ubiquitous expression militates against this. hSSTR5 warrants investigation as a tumour suppressor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3499104,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An infrared spectroscopic study on the secondary structure of the black-eyed pea trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor--amide I-III and V bands.\nThe infrared spectrum of native black-eyed pea trypsin and chymotrypsin inhibitor (BTCI) in solid film was measured from 550 to 1750 cm-1 and amide I-III, and V regions have been analyzed. By comparison between the observed bands with the modes calculated for several structures (available in the literature), the occurrence in BTCI of unordered, antipatallel beta-sheet, and beta-turn structures is suggested.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3455785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"X-ray diffraction from intraneuronal paired helical filaments and extraneuronal amyloid fibers in Alzheimer disease indicates cross-beta conformation.\nInformation about the structure of the paired helical filaments (PHF) that accumulate within human neurons and the amyloid fibers that accumulate in the extracellular spaces between neurons in Alzheimer disease has so far depended on electron microscopy of thin-sectioned or negatively stained material. To determine the protein conformation of these abnormal fibers, we have obtained x-ray diffraction patterns from unfixed human brain fractions highly enriched in PHF and from purified amyloid cores isolated from senile plaques. The predominant x-ray scatter evident from both types of samples, either wet or dry, is a sharp reflection at 4.76-A spacing and a diffuse one at about 10.6-A spacing. These features are characteristic of a beta-pleated sheet type of protein conformation. In doubly oriented dried pellets of PHF fractions, the two reflections are accentuated at right angles to each other and the arc at 4.76-A spacing is in the fiber direction indicating a cross-beta conformation. From the integral widths of the reflections we estimate the cross-beta crystallite to be about 80 A long in the fiber direction and about 40 A thick. These dimensions correspond to approximately four pleated sheets, each of which consists of approximately 16 hydrogen-bonded polypeptide chains running normal to the fiber direction. The cross-beta conformation of PHF and amyloid fibers that we have found from x-ray diffraction is in contrast to the predominant alpha-helical coiled-coil conformation of the neurofilaments with which they share epitopes and from which they have been postulated to derive.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34160168,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Activation of the dorsal, but not the ventral, hippocampus relieves neuropathic pain in rodents.\nAccumulating evidence suggests hippocampal impairment under the chronic pain phenotype. However, it is unknown whether neuropathic behaviors are related to dysfunction of the hippocampal circuitry. Here, we enhanced hippocampal activity by pharmacological, optogenetic, and chemogenetic techniques to determine hippocampal influence on neuropathic pain behaviors. We found that excitation of the dorsal (DH), but not the ventral (VH) hippocampus induces analgesia in 2 rodent models of neuropathic pain (SNI and SNL) and in rats and mice. Optogenetic and pharmacological manipulations of DH neurons demonstrated that DH-induced analgesia was mediated by N-Methyl-D-aspartate and \u03bc-opioid receptors. In addition to analgesia, optogenetic stimulation of the DH in SNI mice also resulted in enhanced real-time conditioned place preference for the chamber where the DH was activated, a finding consistent with pain relief. Similar manipulations in the VH were ineffective. Using chemo-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), where awake resting-state fMRI was combined with viral vector-mediated chemogenetic activation (PSAM\/PSEM89s) of DH neurons, we demonstrated changes of functional connectivity between the DH and thalamus and somatosensory regions that tracked the extent of relief from tactile allodynia. Moreover, we examined hippocampal functional connectivity in humans and observe differential reorganization of its anterior and posterior subdivisions between subacute and chronic back pain. Altogether, these results imply that downregulation of the DH circuitry during chronic neuropathic pain aggravates pain-related behaviors. Conversely, activation of the DH reverses pain-related behaviors through local excitatory and opioidergic mechanisms affecting DH functional connectivity. Thus, this study exhibits a novel causal role for the DH but not the VH in controlling neuropathic pain-related behaviors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24491321,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Development and validation of a brief dementia screening indicator for primary care.\nDetection of \"any cognitive impairment\" is mandated as part of the Medicare annual wellness visit, but screening all patients may result in excessive false positives. We developed and validated a brief Dementia Screening Indicator using data from four large, ongoing cohort studies (the Cardiovascular Health Study [CHS]; the Framingham Heart Study [FHS]; the Health and Retirement Study [HRS]; the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging [SALSA]) to help clinicians identify a subgroup of high-risk patients to target for cognitive screening. The final Dementia Screening Indicator included age (1 point\/year; ages, 65-79 years), less than 12 years of education (9 points), stroke (6 points), diabetes mellitus (3 points), body mass index less than 18.5 kg\/m(2) (8 points), requiring assistance with money or medications (10 points), and depressive symptoms (6 points). Accuracy was good across the cohorts (Harrell's C statistic: CHS, 0.68; FHS, 0.77; HRS, 0.76; SALSA, 0.78). The Dementia Screening Indicator is a simple tool that may be useful in primary care settings to identify high-risk patients to target for cognitive screening.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3456388,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Characterization of a two-signal-dependent, Ia+ mononuclear phagocyte progenitor subpopulation that is sensitive to inhibition by ferritin.\nEvidence is presented that the ferritin-inhibitable, Ia+ monocyte progenitor in murine marrow requires two signals for stimulation of clonal proliferation. Escherichia coli K235 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at 0.1 ng\/ml enhanced macrophage colony formation by 25 to 70% in murine marrow cultures stimulated with colony-stimulating factor (CSF-1). The progenitors which responded to LPS and CSF-1 represented a distinct subpopulation. Pretreatment of marrow cells with complement plus anti-Ia, anti-H2, anti-asialo GM1, and anti-Mac-1 antibodies specifically depleted the two-signal-requiring progenitors. In addition, the same progenitors were depleted by preincubation with hydroxyurea, indicating that these cells were in cell cycle when removed from the marrow. When compared with the quiescent progenitors, the Ia+, cycling cells were more sensitive to the antiproliferative effects of interferon alpha\/beta but were more resistant to inhibition by E prostaglandins. Pretreatment with T cell-specific antibodies and complement specifically enhanced cloning of quiescent progenitors without affecting cloning of the Ia+, cycling subpopulation. Moreover, rat liver ferritin at 10(-8) to 10(-10) M specifically inhibited clonal proliferation of the Ia+ progenitors. Finally, the requirement for LPS as the additional stimulant could be replaced by the addition of haplotype-specific anti-Ia antibody to CSF-stimulated cultures. In contrast to LPS, anti-IA was competitive with inhibitory ferritin in clonal proliferation of the Ia+ progenitors. The significance of these observations in regulation of monocytopoiesis is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33846252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nitrogen deposition accelerates soil carbon sequestration in tropical forests.\nTerrestrial ecosystem carbon (C) sequestration plays an important role in ameliorating global climate change. While tropical forests exert a disproportionately large influence on global C cycling, there remains an open question on changes in below-ground soil C stocks with global increases in nitrogen (N) deposition, because N supply often does not constrain the growth of tropical forests. We quantified soil C sequestration through more than a decade of continuous N addition experiment in an N-rich primary tropical forest. Results showed that long-term N additions increased soil C stocks by 7 to 21%, mainly arising from decreased C output fluxes and physical protection mechanisms without changes in the chemical composition of organic matter. A meta-analysis further verified that soil C sequestration induced by excess N inputs is a general phenomenon in tropical forests. Notably, soil N sequestration can keep pace with soil C, based on consistent C\/N ratios under N additions. These findings provide empirical evidence that below-ground C sequestration can be stimulated in mature tropical forests under excess N deposition, which has important implications for predicting future terrestrial sinks for both elevated anthropogenic CO2 and N deposition. We further developed a conceptual model hypothesis depicting how soil C sequestration happens under chronic N deposition in N-limited and N-rich ecosystems, suggesting a direction to incorporate N deposition and N cycling into terrestrial C cycle models to improve the predictability on C sink strength as enhanced N deposition spreads from temperate into tropical systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38166840,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dose-response associations of maternal prenatal noise exposure duration with antepartum depression status.\nAntepartum depression has been reported to be associated with the intensity of maternal prenatal noise exposure; however, the association between noise exposure duration and the development of antepartum depression has not been established. This study aimed to determine the total and trimester-specific association of prenatal noise exposure duration with the development of antepartum depression. From May 2018 to June 2021, we recruited 2,166 pregnant women from Shengjing Hospital, northeast China. We used a standardized questionnaire to assess women's prenatal noise exposure and used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to assess pregnant women's antepartum depression during the 1st -, 2nd -, and 3rd - trimesters. We calculated a cumulative noise exposure score ranging from 0 to 3, with a higher score reflecting higher frequency and longer duration of noise exposure during pregnancy. Women who were exposed to noise for \u2265 15 min per day had an increased risk of antepartum depression compared with women who were not exposed to noise during pregnancy [odds ratio (OR) = 1.83, 95%CI:1.18, 2.83]. Noise exposure in a specific trimester was associated with higher risk of depression in the same trimester and subsequent trimesters. We observed increases in antepartum depression risk with increasing cumulative noise exposure scores (P for trend < 0.05 for all). Pregnant women with the highest scores had the highest risk of antepartum depression during the first (OR = 1.30, 95%CI:1.02, 1.65), second (OR = 1.75, 95%CI:1.23, 2.50) trimesters. Women with a cumulative noise exposure score of 2 had the highest risk of antepartum depression during the third trimester (OR = 1.79, 95%CI:1.14, 2.80), as well as during the whole pregnancy (OR = 1.94, 95%CI:1.14, 3.30). Maternal prenatal noise exposure duration was positively associated with antepartum depression risk in a dose-response manner. It is necessary to develop strategies by which pregnant women can avoid excessive exposure to noise to prevent antepartum depression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35494012,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Utility of Biology-Guided Radiotherapy to De Novo Metastases Diagnosed During Staging of High-Risk Biopsy-Proven Prostate Cancer.\nBiology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT) uses real-time functional imaging to guide radiation therapy treatment. Positron emission tomography (PET) tracers targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) are superior for prostate cancer detection than conventional imaging. This study aims at describing nodal and distant metastasis distribution from prostate cancer and at determining the proportion of metastatic lesions suitable for BgRT. A single-institution patient subset from the ProPSMA trial (ID ACTRN12617000005358) was analysed. Gross tumour volumes (GTV) were delineated on the CT component of a PSMA PET\/CT scan. To determine the suitability of BgRT tracking zones, the normalized SUV (nSUV) was calculated as the ratio of SUVmax inside the GTV to the SUVmean of adjacent three-dimensional shells of thickness 5 mm\/10 mm\/20 mm as a measure of signal to background contrast. Targets were suitable for BgRT if (1) nSUV was larger than an nSUV threshold and (2) non-tumour tissue inside adjacent shell was free of PET-avid uptake. Of this cohort of 84 patients, 24 had at least one pelvic node or metastatic site disease, 1 to 13 lesions per patient, with a total of 98 lesions (60 pelvic nodes\/38 extra-pelvic nodal diseases and haematogenous metastases). Target volumes ranged from 0.08 to 9.6 cm3 while SUVmax ranged from 2.1 to 55.0. nSUV ranged from 1.9 to 15.7\/2.4 to 25.7\/2.5 to 34.5 for the 5 mm\/10 mm\/20 mm shell expansion. Furthermore, 74%\/68%\/34% of the lesions had nSUV \u2265 3 and were free of PSMA PET uptake inside the GTV outer shell margin expansion of 5 mm\/10 mm\/20 mm. Adjacent avid organs were another lesion, bladder, bowel, ureter, prostate, and liver. The majority of PSMA PET\/CT-defined radiotherapy targets would be suitable for BgRT by using a 10-mm tracking zone in prostate cancer. A subset of lesions had adjacent non-tumour uptake, mainly due to the proximity of ureter or bladder, and may require exclusion from emission tracking during BgRT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21429156,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A noninvasive, direct real-time PCR method for sex determination in multiple avian species.\nPolymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods to determine the sex of birds are well established and have seen few modifications since they were first introduced in the 1990s. Although these methods allowed for sex determination in species that were previously difficult to analyse, they were not conducive to high-throughput analysis because of the laboriousness of DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis. We developed a high-throughput real-time PCR-based method for analysis of sex in birds, which uses noninvasive sample collection and avoids DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26135636,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Tunable continuous wave emission via phase-matched second harmonic generation in a ZnSe microcylindrical resonator.\nWhispering gallery mode microresonators made from crystalline materials are of great interest for studies of low threshold nonlinear phenomena. Compared to amorphous materials, crystalline structures often exhibit desirable properties such as high indices of refraction, high nonlinearities, and large windows of transparency, making them ideal for use in frequency comb generation, microlasing and all-optical processing. In particular, crystalline materials can also possess a non-centrosymmetric structure which gives rise to the second order nonlinearity, necessary for three photon processes such as frequency doubling and parametric down-conversion. Here we report a novel route to fabricating crystalline zinc selenide microcylindrical resonators from our semiconductor fibre platform and demonstrate their use for tunable, low power continuous wave second harmonic generation. Visible red light is observed when pumped with a telecommunications band source by a process that is phase-matched between different higher order radial modes, possible due to the good spatial overlap between the pump and signal in the small volume resonator. By exploiting the geometrical flexibility offered by the fibre platform together with the ultra-wide 500-22000 nm transmission window of the ZnSe material, we expect these resonators to find use in applications ranging from spectroscopy to quantum information systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16041909,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The impact of non-traumatic hip and knee disorders on health-related quality of life as measured with the SF-36 or SF-12. A systematic review.\nThe purpose of this review is to summarize the available evidence on the impact of non-traumatic hip or knee disorders on health-related quality of life (HRQL), as measured with the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) or Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12), by comparing this with data from reference populations. Studies were identified by an electronic search of the MEDLINE, PsychInfo and Cinahl databases. Studies with the following features were included: study population included patients with non-traumatic hip or knee disorders, the SF-36 or SF-12 was used as an outcome measure and mean scores on these HRQL measures were presented. Using mean HRQL scores from the selected studies and scores from reference populations, z-scores were computed. Pooled estimates were computed for subgroups of studies with similar patients in similar settings. A total of 40 studies met the inclusion criteria. Patients with non-traumatic hip and knee disorders scored up to 2.5 standard deviations (SDs) below reference population values, especially on the physical aspects of HRQL. Social and mental aspects were up to 1 SD below reference population values, especially in patients in clinical settings. The impact of non-traumatic hip or knee disorders on HRQL is substantial, especially on the physical aspects of HRQL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36149085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Emergency pharmacology for the CT technologist.\nThe scope of practice of the medical radiation practitioner demands knowledge and understanding of the indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, proper use, drug interactions and adverse reactions of a variety of medications. The risk of patient deterioration or acute emergent event, particularly following contrast administration, makes the command of crash cart medications particularly important. This article explores the pharmacological principles of medications most likely to be required in a medical emergency in the medical radiation department and in particular by the computed tomography (CT) technologist. The article also outlines early warning signs to assist in identifying the emergent or deteriorating patient. The learning outlined is designed to equip medical radiation practitioners with the capacity to identify and respond to a medical emergency typical of the medical radiation department, and to respond to that situation with the appropriate use of emergency medications where appropriate. The ability of medical radiation practitioners to recognise and respond to (including the use of medicines) the deteriorating patient or circumstances of a medically urgent nature are key capabilities required to meet minimum standards for Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia registration and National Safety and Quality Health Service standards.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30719925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Determination of netrin-1 levels and its relationship with neurotoxicity in carbon monoxide poisoning.\nThe aim of the study was to assess netrin-1 levels in carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning to determine its relationship with poisoning severity and neurotoxicity. This is a cross-sectional prospective study. The patients older than 18 years with CO poisoning were included. The patients were categorized into two groups on the basis of neurological involvement. Both the patient and the control groups were sampled for netrin-1 at 0th hour, and the patient group only was sampled for netrin-1 at 4th hour. A total of 84 patients and 50 healthy controls were enrolled. The median 0th hour netrin-1 level of the patient group (765.1 pg\/mL (619.8-983.1) was significantly higher than the control group (484 pg\/mL (376-1031.6)) ( p < 0.001). There was also a significant difference between the 0th hour and 4th hour netrin-1 (888.9 pg\/mL (700.3-1175.5)) levels in the patient group ( p < 0.001).There was no significant statistical difference between patients with and without neurological involvement ( p = 0.62) and between those who underwent hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and those who did not ( p = 0.76) with respect to 4th hour netrin-1 levels. The significantly higher netrin-1 levels in patients with CO poisoning, suggests that netrin-1 is elevated as a stress marker. Although there is no significant difference in netrin-1 levels in patients with neurological impairment in CO poisonings, netrin-1 may show subclinically neurological effects. Hence, we believe that netrin-1 cannot be used as a marker of poisoning severity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33035282,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Intermolecular cyclotrimerization of haloketoalkynes and internal alkynes: facile access to arenes and phthalides.\nA highly chemo- and regioselective cyclo(co)trimerization between 3-halopropiolamides and symmetrical internal alkynes is reported. The reaction is catalyzed by CpRuCl(COD) and proceeds under air at ambient temperature in ethanol with no additional precautions. Iodo-, bromo-, and chloropropiolamides, esters, and ketones are viable coupling partners and, in a 2 : 1 stoichiometry relative to internal alkyne, yield fully-substituted arenes in a single step. The highest regioselectivities (96% single isomer) were observed when employing 2\u00b0 and 3\u00b0-halopropiolamides. A mechanistic hypothesis accounting for this selectivity is proposed. Notably, by using 1,4-butynediol as the internal alkyne, in situ lactonization following [2+2+2]-cycloaddition generates therapeutically-relevant phthalide pharmacophores directly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19604979,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Perihypoglossal and secondary vestibular projections to lobules VI and VII of the cerebellar cortex: An HRP study.\nHorseradish peroxidase (HRP) was injected into (1) lobule VI; (2) lobule VII; (3) lobule VI and VII of the cat's cerebellar vermis. Marked cells were found in two groups of nuclei related to the vestibulo-ocular system; (a) the three perihypoglossal nuclei: praepositus hypoglossi, nucleus of Roller and intercalatus of Staderini and (b) two areas of the secondary vestibular complex located within the medial and the descending vestibular nuclei. It is concluded that fibers from the perihypoglossal and the secondary vestibular nuclei project to both lobule VI and lobule VII of the cerebellar cortex.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37485565,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pain history and experimental pressure pain responses in adolescents: Results from a population-based birth cohort.\nSensitized pain mechanisms are often reported in musculoskeletal pain conditions, but population-based paediatric studies are lacking. We assessed whether adolescents with musculoskeletal pain history had evidence of increased responsiveness to experimental pressure stimuli. Data were from 1496 adolescents of the Generation XXI birth cohort. Pain history was collected using the Luebeck Pain Questionnaire (self-reported at 13, parent-reported at 7 and 10 years). Two case definitions for musculoskeletal pain were considered: (1) cross-sectional-musculoskeletal pain lasting more than 3 months at age 13 and (2) longitudinal-musculoskeletal pain at age 13 with musculoskeletal pain reports at ages 7 and\/or 10. Lower limb cuff pressure algometry was used to assess pain detection and tolerance thresholds, conditioned pain modulation effects (CPM, changes in thresholds in the presence on painful conditioning) and temporal summation of pain effects (TSP, changes in pain intensity to 10 phasic painful cuff stimulations). Adolescents with musculoskeletal pain at age 13 plus a history of pain in previous evaluations (longitudinal definition) had lower pain tolerance thresholds compared to the remaining sample (40.2 v. 49.0 kPa, p = 0.02), but showed no differences in pain detection threshold, CPM effect and TSP effect. Pain sensitivity, CPM effects and TSP effects were not significantly different when the current pain only case definition (cross-sectional) was used. Adolescents with current musculoskeletal pain who had a history of pain since childhood had lower tolerance to cuff stimulation. This may suggest long-standing musculoskeletal pain since childhood may contribute to sensitisation, rather than the presence of current pain only. Repeated musculoskeletal pain up to age 13 years may contribute to higher pain sensitivity (particularly lowered pressure pain tolerance) in the general adolescent population. This does not seem to be the case when reported pain experiences are recent or when the outcomes are temporal pain summation or CPM. In this community-based paediatric sample, the vast majority showed no sign of altered pain processing, but a small fraction may reveal some pain sensitization at 13 years of age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33809126,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Nutrition Transition with Accelerating Urbanization? Empirical Evidence from Rural China.\nAlthough rapid urbanization is often considered as one of the most important drivers for changing dietary patterns, little attention has been paid to rural areas despite the profound transformation they have undergone. Using longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) for the period from 2004 to 2011, this study seeks to better understand the relationship between the urbanization of rural areas and dietary transition, with the focus on nutrition intake and dietary quality. Our results suggest that with increasing urbanization, rural residents tend to have on average lower calorie intakes but higher dietary quality. Specifically, increasing urbanization consistently reduces carbohydrate consumption and reduces fat consumption after a turning point; protein consumption first decreases and then increases after the turning point with increasing urbanization. Urbanization shows a significant and positive effect on the Healthy Eating Index (HEI). In addition to sociodemographic changes, we find that changing consumer preferences and knowledge serve as important determinants in explaining the dietary transition in rural China from 2004 to 2011. In our study, urbanization appears to positively affect rural residents' healthy food preferences and dietary knowledge. This study is a first attempt for better understanding the nutrition transition resulting from accelerating urbanization in rural China; several limitations and areas for future research have been highlighted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8456832,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"In situ hybridization shows direct evidence of skewed X inactivation in one of monozygotic twin females manifesting Duchenne muscular dystrophy.\nA novel combination of conventional and molecular cytogenetic techniques was used to investigate the expression of an X-linked recessive disorder in one of monozygotic (MZ) twin females. These twins carry a deletion, approximately 300 kb in length, in one of their X chromosomes within the dystrophin gene, which is responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in one twin [Richards et al.: Am J Hum Genet 46:672-681, 1990]. A unique DNA fragment generated from an exon within this gene deletion was hybridized in situ to both twins' metaphase chromosomes, a probe which would presumably hybridize only to the normal X chromosome and not to the X chromosome carrying the gene deletion. Chromosomes were identified by reverse-banding (R-banding) and by the addition of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in culture to distinguish early and late replicating X chromosomes, corresponding to active and inactive X chromosomes, respectively. Hybridization experiments showed predominant inactivation of the normal X chromosome in the twin with DMD. This is the first report showing direct evidence at the chromosome level of unequal inactivation of cytogenetically normal X chromosomes resulting in the manifestation of an X-linked recessive disorder in one of monozygotic twin females. This study may now facilitate other research of unequal X inactivation and of females manifesting X-linked recessive disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8928774,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Chronic desensitization of the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor in diabetic rats.\nRats were rendered diabetic by streptozotocin, after which serum glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) levels, duodenal mucosal GIP content, and GIP mRNA levels were nine times, 50% and 80%, respectively, greater than in control rats. To determine whether an increase in GIP gene expression might induce chronic desensitization of its receptor, normal rats were subjected to continuous intravenous GIP infusion. Serum GIP levels increased gradually in GIP-infused rats, and by 4 h a threefold increase was detected. In response to GIP infusion, the serum insulin concentration increased at 30 min, followed by a gradual decrease, and at 4 h, no increase in insulin levels was detected despite a sustained elevated serum GIP level. The response to glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) was preserved, a reporter cell line (LGIPR2) stably transfected with rat GIP receptor cDNA was studied. GIP stimulated adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) production in LGIPR2 cells, which was first detected after 1 h of stimulation, reached maximum level at 4 h, and returned to basal concentrations by 16 h. Additional stimulation with GIP at 16 h did not affect cAMP generation, indicating desensitization of the GIP receptor by the ligand. In contrast, a response to prostaglandin E1 or forskolin in GIP-desensitization was a receptor-specific process. The results of these studies indicate that GIP gene expression is enhanced in diabetic animals and that elevated serum GIP level induces chronic desensitization of the GIP receptor in vivo and in a stably transfected cell line.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30874138,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Propagation trajectory measurement and autofocusing generation of Airy beams using digital propagation.\nWe present a method of measuring the propagation trajectory of Airy beams using digital propagation based on the theory of angular spectrum. The dependence of the transverse displacement of Airy beams on artificial propagation distance in phase masks is investigated with no motion of imaging apparatus. The parabolic propagation trajectory is experimentally verified, which is consistent with theoretical predictions. On this basis, we generate autofocusing beams by combining multiple Airy beams and digital propagation. Results show that this technique can provide accurate and easy measurement of the self-accelerating characteristic in a fixed plane, as well as flexible manipulation without translating the target.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":747397,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Improved accuracy of lactose tolerance test in children, using expired H2 measurement.\nExpired hydrogen and blood glucose were measured during an oral lactose tolerance test in 163 children aged between 9 months and 14 years. Lactose malabsorption, defined as an abnormal increase in expired H2 during a lactose tolerance test, was found in 54 children. Of these, 30 were found to be lactose intolerant as the increased expired H2 was accompanied by clinical symptoms. The other 109 children, in whom there was no rise in expired H2, were assumed to have normal lactose absorption. In children with lactose intolerance the increase in expired H2 tended to occur earlier after lactose ingestion than in children with malabsorption. The mean value of the rise in blood glucose was 2.4 mmol\/100 ml) in the lactose-tolerant children and 1.0 mmol\/1 (18 mg\/100 ml) in the lactose-intolerant ones. Although this difference is significant (p less than 0.001), the rise in blood glucose, in predicting the correct diagnosis, was wrong in 13% of cases in the lactose-tolerant group, and wrong in 37% in the lactose-intolerant group (95% confidence limits 9-19% and 22-53% respectively). It is concluded that a rise in blood glucose, whether or not of more that 1.2 mmol\/1 (22mg\/100 ml) is of little help in differentiating lactose tolerance from intolerance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3222153,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Analysis of treatment response in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: new approaches.\nAs therapeutic protocols to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia evolve, new criteria will be required to define remission and identify early relapse. Two techniques that detect low numbers of residual monoclonal B-lymphocytes currently include immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangement and clonal excess analysis. Ig-gene rearrangement studies are time consuming and expensive. Clonal excess analysis by FC may be insensitive because of minimal surface immunoglobulin (SIg) expression. Three antigens, CD5, CD11c and CD14 are expressed on B-lymphocytes of CLL. CD14 is also expressed on most normal B-lymphocytes. In contrast, CD5 and CD11c are expressed on few normal B-lymphocytes. Consequently CD5 and CD11c are useful markers for detecting residual CLL cells. Appropriate selection of the second B-cell marker such as SIg, CD19, CD20 or other, is critical. We evaluated this approach in persons with CLL receiving therapy. Preliminary results will be presented.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30746102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Understanding the desulphurization process in an ionic porous aromatic framework.\nAn ionic porous aromatic framework, iPAF-1, was successfully synthesized from a designed monomer with imidazolium functional groups. The iPAF-1 exhibits the highest dibenzothiophene uptake among all reported adsorptive desulphurization adsorbents. The so-called precursor designed synthetic route provides the stoichiometric and homogeneous introduction of desired functional groups into the framework. Molecular dynamics simulation was performed to understand the structure and the desulphurization process within the amorphous iPAF-1. The insight into the key role of the moderate bonding interaction between the adsorbate and the functional groups of iPAF-1 for improved uptake is highlighted in this work.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34077961,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Academic Achievement, Professionalism, and Burnout in Family Medicine Residents.\nPhysician burnout has been shown to have roots in training environments. Whether burnout in residency is associated with the attainment of critical educational milestones has not been studied, and is the subject of this investigation. We used data from a cohort of graduating family medicine residents registering for the 2019 American Board of Family Medicine initial certification examination with complete data from registration questionnaire, milestone data, in-training examination (ITE) scores, and residency characteristics. We used bivariate and multilevel multivariate analyses to measure the associations between four professionalism milestones ratings and ITE performance with burnout. Our sample included 2,509 residents; 36.8% met the criteria for burnout. Multilevel regression modeling showed a correlation between burnout and failure to meet only one of four professionalism milestones, specifically professional conduct and accountability (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.07-1.87), while no statistically significant relationship was demonstrated between burnout and being in the lowest quartile of ITE scores. Other factors negatively associated with burnout included international medical education (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.48-0.76) and higher salary compared to cost of housing (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.82). We found significant association between self-reported burnout and failing to meet expectations for professional conduct and accountability, but no relationship between burnout and medical knowledge as measured by lower ITE performance. Further investigation of how this impacts downstream conduct and accountability behaviors is needed, but educators can use this information to examine program-level interventions that can specifically address burnout and development of physician professionalism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31639703,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of CisBio ELISA for Chromogranin A Measurement.\nChromogranin A (CgA) is a nonspecific marker for the presence of neuroendocrine tumors and neuroendocrine differentiation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the CisBio CgA ELISA. Precision, linearity, limit of blank, and recovery of the CisBio CgA ELISA were evaluated. Seventy waste serum samples obtained from the clinical laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were analyzed by the CisBio CgA ELISA. Results were compared to those obtained from a reference laboratory that used a proprietary ELISA for serum CgA measurement. Paired waste plasma samples were also collected from 24 of these patients to assess possible differences between CgA in serum and plasma. Finally, a preliminary reference range study was performed with samples from healthy volunteers in serum (n = 60) and plasma (n = 60). Within-run and between-run precision ranged from 3.0% to 5.1% and 4.8% to 12.9%, respectively. The limit of blank was 2.4 ng\/mL. Recovery ranged from 88% to 102%. A statistically significant bias was observed when the CisBio CgA assay results were compared to those of a reference laboratory. Comparison of the 2 assays yielded a slope of 9.05, intercept of -18.0, and a correlation coefficient of 0.955. CgA values in serum correlated well to values measured in plasma. The analytical performance of the CisBio CgA ELISA was acceptable. However, CgA results are method-specific owing to lack of standardization and use of different antibodies. This lack of standardization results in several challenges for the clinical laboratory when evaluating a CgA assay.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8106159,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pharmacodynamic profile of carvedilol.\nThe combination of a beta blocker and a vasodilator is logical in the treatment of high blood pressure. Systemic arteriolar dilatation is beneficial to reduce the elevated peripheral resistance and hence to decrease cardiac afterload. beta-Adrenoceptor blockade exerts its own antihypertensive activity and also suppresses the reflex tachycardia induced by vasodilation. The combined beta- and alpha-adrenoceptor blockade exerted by carvedilol imposes these beneficial hemodynamic effects. Carvedilol is a nonselective beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, devoid of intrinsic sympathomimetic activity and possessing selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor-blocking activity, although this is considerably weaker than its beta-adrenoceptor antagonistic activity. One isomer [S(-)-carvedilol] contains both the beta- and alpha-adrenoceptor activity, whereas R(+)-carvedilol is only a weak alpha blocker. Carvedilol is produced as the racemate. The hemodynamic profile is in accordance with that to be expected from the combination of beta and alpha blockade.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30206139,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The kinases HipA and HipA7 phosphorylate different substrate pools in Escherichia coli to promote multidrug tolerance.\nThe bacterial serine-threonine protein kinase HipA promotes multidrug tolerance by phosphorylating the glutamate-tRNA ligase (GltX), leading to a halt in translation, inhibition of growth, and induction of a physiologically dormant state (persistence). The HipA variant HipA7 substantially increases persistence despite being less efficient at inhibiting cell growth. We postulated that this phenotypic difference was caused by differences in the substrates targeted by both kinases. We overproduced HipA and HipA7 in Escherichia coli and identified their endogenous substrates by SILAC-based quantitative phosphoproteomics. We confirmed that GltX was the main substrate of both kinase variants and likely the primary determinant of persistence. When HipA and HipA7 were moderately overproduced from plasmids, HipA7 targeted only GltX, but HipA phosphorylated several additional substrates involved in translation, transcription, and replication, such as ribosomal protein L11 (RplK) and the negative modulator of replication initiation, SeqA. HipA7 showed reduced kinase activity compared to HipA and targeted a substrate pool similar to that of HipA only when produced from a high-copy number plasmid. The kinase variants also differed in autophosphorylation, which was substantially reduced for HipA7. When produced endogenously from the chromosome, HipA showed no activity because of inhibition by the antitoxin HipB, whereas HipA7 phosphorylated GltX and phage shock protein PspA. Initial testing did not reveal a connection between HipA-induced phosphorylation of RplK and persistence or growth inhibition, suggesting that other HipA-specific substrates were likely responsible for growth inhibition. Our results contribute to the understanding of HipA7 action and present a resource for elucidating HipA-related persistence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26506974,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Accessory lacrimal gland duct cyst: 23 years of experience in the Saudi population.\nAccessory lacrimal gland ductal cyst is a rare clinical entity that has been reported after trauma, infection, or conjunctival inflammation. Trachoma has been postulated as an etiologic factor for this dacryops in Saudis. We studied the prevalence, demographics, clinicopathological features and surgical approach for these lesions. Retrospective study of 23 consecutive ductal cysts diagnosed clinically and proved histopathologically at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (KKESH) over 23 years (1991-2014). Data on patient demographics, clinical features, surgery, and outcome were collected by chart review. The histopathologic slides were reviewed by a single pathologist. Of 23 cases of accessory lacrimal gland ductal cysts confirmed histopathologically, 14 were males and 9 females with a median age of 38.8 years. Cysts were located in the upper eyelid in 73.9%. The commonest presentation was a painless eyelid mass in 91.3%. Excision by conjunctival incision was performed in 14 and intra-operative perforation occurred in 9. Trachomatous scarring was evident in 39.1% but did not have significance in relation to this rupture. No recurrences have been observed with a mean follow up of 34.6 months. The approximate prevalence of accessory lacrimal gland dacryops in the Saudi population is 1\/6800. Trachoma does not seem to be a major predisposing factor. They are more frequent in males. Their histopathological appearance is identical regardless of origin. The presence of conjunctival scarring, dacryops size, and the surgical incision type did not seem to have significant correlation with the iatrogenic rupture of the cyst. We recommend careful dissection for complete cyst excision through conjunctival approach with no expected recurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15342570,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Involvement of a plasmid-encoded type IV secretion system in the plant tissue watersoaking phenotype of Burkholderia cenocepacia.\nBurkholderia cenocepacia strain K56-2, a representative of the Burkholderia cepacia complex, is part of the epidemic and clinically problematic ET12 lineage. The strain produced plant tissue watersoaking (ptw) on onion tissue, which is a plant disease-associated trait. Using plasposon mutagenesis, mutants in the ptw phenotype were generated. The translated sequence of a disrupted gene (ptwD4) from a ptw-negative mutant showed homology to VirD4-like proteins. Analysis of the region proximal to the transfer gene homolog identified a gene cluster located on the 92-kb resident plasmid that showed homology to type IV secretion systems. The role of ptwD4, ptwC, ptwB4, and ptwB10 in the expression of ptw activity was determined by conducting site-directed mutagenesis. The ptw phenotype was not expressed by K56-2 derivatives with a disruption in ptwD4, ptwB4, or ptwB10 but was observed in a derivative with a disruption in ptwC. Complementation of ptw-negative K56-2 derivatives in trans resulted in complete restoration of the ptw phenotype. In addition, analysis of culture supernatants revealed that the putative ptw effector(s) was a secreted, heat-stable protein(s) that caused plasmolysis of plant protoplasts. A second chromosomally encoded type IV secretion system with complete homology to the VirB-VirD system was identified in K56-2. Site-directed mutagenesis of key secretory genes in the VirB-VirD system did not affect expression of the ptw phenotype. Our findings indicate that in strain K56-2, the plasmid-encoded Ptw type IV secretion system is responsible for the secretion of a plant cytotoxic protein(s).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34239932,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In Vitro Models for Studying Entry, Tissue Tropism, and Therapeutic Approaches of Highly Pathogenic Coronaviruses.\nCoronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped nonsegmented positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to the family Coronaviridae that contain the largest genome among RNA viruses. Their genome encodes 4 major structural proteins, and among them, the Spike (S) protein plays a crucial role in determining the viral tropism. It mediates viral attachment to the host cell, fusion to the membranes, and cell entry using cellular proteases as activators. Several in vitro models have been developed to study the CoVs entry, pathogenesis, and possible therapeutic approaches. This article is aimed at summarizing the current knowledge about the use of relevant methodologies and cell lines permissive for CoV life cycle studies. The synthesis of this information can be useful for setting up specific experimental procedures. We also discuss different strategies for inhibiting the binding of the S protein to the cell receptors and the fusion process which may offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27329557,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Not Just Language: Persisting Lateralized Visuospatial Impairment after Left Hemisphere Stroke.\nImbalances in spatial attention are most often associated with right hemisphere brain injury. This report assessed 25 chronic left hemisphere stroke patients for attentional bias. Participants were evaluated with a computerized visual search task and a standardized neuropsychological assessment known as the Behavioral Inattention Test (BITC). Twenty age-matched controls were also tested. Although little to no attentional impairment was observed on the BITC, the computerized visual search task revealed statistically significant contralesional attentional impairment in the left hemisphere stroke group. Specifically, these participants required 208 ms more viewing time, on average, to reliably detect visual targets on the right side of the display compared to detection on the left side, while controls showed a difference of only 8 ms between the two sides. The observation of significant leftward visuospatial bias in this chronic stroke group provides further evidence that the left hemisphere also plays a role in the balance of visual attention across space. These results have implications for left hemisphere patients who are often not screened for visuospatial problems, as well as for theories of visual attention which have primarily emphasized the role of the right hemisphere. (JINS, 2016, 22, 695-704).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24141148,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"C57BL\/6J congenic Prp-TDP43A315T mice develop progressive neurodegeneration in the myenteric plexus of the colon without exhibiting key features of ALS.\nALS therapy development has been hindered by the lack of rodent animal models. The discovery of TDP-43, a transcription factor that accumulates in the cytoplasm of motor neurons (MNs) in most cases of ALS, prompted attempts to develop TDP-43-based models of the disease. The current study sought to examine, in extensive detail, the emerging disease phenotype of a transgenic mouse model that overexpresses a mutant human TDP-43 (hTDP-43) gene under mouse prion promoter control. Careful attention was given to ALS-like characteristics to determine the appropriateness of this model for testing therapies for ALS. In light of previous reports that gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is responsible for early death in these mice, gut immunohistochemistry (IHC) and longitudinal gut motility assays were used to identify the onset and the progression of these defects. IHC studies revealed that site-specific overexpression of the hTDP-43 transgene in colonic myenteric plexes resulted in progressive neurodegeneration in this region. This change was associated with progressively reduced GI motility, culminating in frank stasis that was primarily responsible for decreasing longevity in these mice. The disease phenotype was gender- and genetic background-dependent, with congenic C57BL\/6J male mice exhibiting the most aggressive form of the disease. Spinal cord IHC revealed ubiquitin-positive inclusions, but not TDP-43 aggregates, in the cytoplasm of MNs. Neither gender exhibited compelling ALS-like neuromuscular deficits, irrespective of age. While this model may be useful for studying GI tract neurodegeneration, in its present state it does not display a phenotype suitable for testing ALS therapeutics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30760524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The autophagy-related gene Atg101 in Drosophila regulates both neuron and midgut homeostasis.\nAtg101 is an autophagy-related gene identified in worms, flies, mice, and mammals, which encodes a protein that functions in autophagosome formation by associating with the ULK1-Atg13-Fip200 complex. In the last few years, the critical role of Atg101 in autophagy has been well-established through biochemical studies and the determination of its protein structure. However, Atg101's physiological role, both during development and in adulthood, remains less understood. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of an Atg101 loss-of-function mutant in Drosophila and report on the roles of Atg101 in maintaining tissue homeostasis in both adult brains and midguts. We observed that homozygous or hemizygous Atg101 mutants were semi-lethal, with only some of them surviving into adulthood. Both developmental and starvation-induced autophagy processes were defective in the Atg101 mutant animals, and Atg101 mutant adult flies had a significantly shorter lifespan and displayed a mobility defect. Moreover, we observed the accumulation of ubiquitin-positive aggregates in Atg101 mutant brains, indicating a neuronal defect. Interestingly, Atg101 mutant adult midguts were shorter and thicker and exhibited abnormal morphology with enlarged enterocytes. Detailed analysis also revealed that the differentiation from intestinal stem cells to enterocytes was impaired in these midguts. Cell type-specific rescue experiments disclosed that Atg101 had a function in enterocytes and limited their growth. In summary, the results of our study indicate that Drosophila Atg101 is essential for tissue homeostasis in both adult brains and midguts. We propose that Atg101 may have a role in age-related processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33795542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficacy of S-pantoprazole 10 mg in the Symptom Control of Non-erosive Reflux Disease: A Phase III Placebo-controlled Trial.\nS-isomer (S) pantoprazole is more bioavailable and less dependent on cytochrome 2C19 than is racemic pantoprazole. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 10 mg S-pantoprazole for treatment of non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). In this phase 3, double-blind, randomized placebo controlled, multicenter study, 174 NERD patients were randomized to one of both treatment groups: 10 mg S-pantoprazole, or placebo once daily for 4 weeks. Symptoms and safety were assessed. The efficacy endpoints were complete relief of symptoms, > 50% improvement of all reflux symptoms and recurrence. Eighty-eight patients were assigned to the S-pantoprazole group (25 males, mean 43.7 years old) and 86 to the placebo group (32 males, mean 43.0 years old), and 163 patients were subjected to full Analysis Set. A higher proportion of patients in the S-pantoprazole group had complete symptom relief (42.0 % [34\/81] vs 17.1% [14\/82], P < 0.001) and > 50% symptom responses (66.0% vs 50.0%, P = 0.010 for heartburn; 64.2% vs 28.0%, P = 0.010 for acid regurgitation; and 51.9% vs 30.5%, P = 0.03 for epigastric discomfort) compared to the placebo group. The factors associated with poor responsiveness to PPI were older age, female, greater body mass index, and severe baseline symptoms. Low dose of S-pantoprazole (10 mg) for 4 weeks was more efficacious than placebo in providing reflux symptom relief in patients with NERD, especially acid regurgitation. More doses or longer periods of treatment with S-pantoprazole would be needed to completely eliminate symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23181093,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic evaluation of some new 2,3-disubstituted 4(3H)-quinazolinone derivatives.\nIn this study antibacterial, antifungal and cytotoxic effects of some new 2,3-disubstituted 4(3H)-quinazolinone derivatives have been evaluated. The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal tests of new synthesized compounds were performed using MABA method against six strains of bacteria (three Grampositive and three Gram-negative) and three strains of fungi. Also Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) tests were performed. All synthesized compounds indicated mild antibacterial effects especially against Gram-negative bacteria. The most sensitive bacteriumwas E. coli. All strains of tested fungi were sensitive to the synthesized compounds mostly at 32 \u03bcg\/ml and there was no significant differences in the sensitivity of the tested compounds. MBC and MFC data indicated that tested compounds act as bactriostatic and fungistatic agents. Cytotoxic activity of the compounds was screened at 1, 10 and 100 \u03bcM concentrations against HeLa cells using the MTT colorimetric assay. While the synthesized compounds did not show significant cytotoxic activities, compounds 7a(3) and 7a(4) reduced cell viability to about 50% at 100 \u03bcM concentration. The present study revealed that most of the new synthesized compounds possess good antifungal effects and they could be considered as valuable candidates for further structural modification to design more potent antifungal agents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21227499,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Human resources for health in India.\nIndia has a severe shortage of human resources for health. It has a shortage of qualified health workers and the workforce is concentrated in urban areas. Bringing qualified health workers to rural, remote, and underserved areas is very challenging. Many Indians, especially those living in rural areas, receive care from unqualified providers. The migration of qualified allopathic doctors and nurses is substantial and further strains the system. Nurses do not have much authority or say within the health system, and the resources to train them are still inadequate. Little attention is paid during medical education to the medical and public health needs of the population, and the rapid privatisation of medical and nursing education has implications for its quality and governance. Such issues are a result of underinvestment in and poor governance of the health sector--two issues that the government urgently needs to address. A comprehensive national policy for human resources is needed to achieve universal health care in India. The public sector will need to redesign appropriate packages of monetary and non-monetary incentives to encourage qualified health workers to work in rural and remote areas. Such a policy might also encourage task-shifting and mainstreaming doctors and practitioners who practice traditional Indian medicine (ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, and siddha) and homoeopathy to work in these areas while adopting other innovative ways of augmenting human resources for health. At the same time, additional investments will be needed to improve the relevance, quantity, and quality of nursing, medical, and public health education in the country.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":603005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Vacuum stethoscope attached to a tape recorder. A simple device for monitoring respiration and pulse rate.\nA simple apparatus consisting of a vacuum stethoscope attached to an ordinary cassette tape recorder is described. This can be used for monitoring respiration and pulse rate during paediatric anaesthesia, head and neck surgery and resuscitation of the newborn.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9411610,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Dose-effect of chemotherapy in bronchial small-cell cancer].\nTreatment of patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains disappointing despite high initial complete response rate. The dramatic initial chemosensitivity of tumor cells is frustrated by the early emergence of drug resistant clonogenic cells, regardless of front line treatments. Enhancement of dose-intensity (DI) can be achieved by various strategies: initial or late intensive chemotherapy with the use of hematological supports, moderate increase in the initial dose of chemotherapy or intensive weekly chemotherapy. Although the dose relationship is fairly well established regarding the response rate, the effect of DI on survival is not clearly shown in most of the different trials. But the effect of a moderate increase in the initial dose of cisplatinum and cyclophosphamide on survival, opens new directions in the therapeutic strategy of SCLC. The contribution of hematopoietic growth factors and reinfusion of hematopoietic progenitors may be of great interest in the management of this disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30806626,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A Tablet App- and Sensor-Based Assistive Technology Intervention for Informal Caregivers to Manage the Challenging Behavior of People With Dementia (the insideDEM Study): Protocol for a Feasibility Study.\nDespite the enormous number of assistive technologies (ATs) in dementia care, the management of challenging behavior (CB) of persons with dementia (PwD) by informal caregivers in home care is widely disregarded. The first-line strategy to manage CB is to support the understanding of the underlying causes of CB to formulate individualized nonpharmacological interventions. App- and sensor-based approaches combining multimodal sensors (actimetry and other modalities) and caregiver information are innovative ways to support the understanding of CB for family caregivers. The main aim of this study is to describe the design of a feasibility study consisting of an outcome and a process evaluation of a newly developed app- and sensor-based intervention to manage CB of PwD for family caregivers at home. In this feasibility study, we perform an outcome and a process evaluation with a pre-post descriptive design over an 8-week intervention period. The Medical Research Council framework guides the design of this feasibility study. The data on 20 dyads (primary caregiver and PwD) are gathered through standardized questionnaires, protocols, and log files as well as semistructured qualitative interviews. The outcome measures (neuropsychiatric inventory and Cohen-Mansfield agitation inventory) are analyzed by using descriptive statistics and statistical tests relevant to the individual assessments (eg, chi-square test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test). For the analysis of the process data, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology is used. Log files are analyzed by using descriptive statistics, protocols are analyzed by using documentary analysis, and semistructured interviews are analyzed deductively using content analysis. The newly developed app- and sensor-based AT has been developed and was evaluated until July in 2018. The recruitment of dyads started in September 2017 and was concluded in March 2018. The data collection was completed at the end of July 2018. This study presents the protocol of the first feasibility study to encompass an outcome and process evaluation to assess a complex app- and sensor-based AT combining multimodal actimetry sensors for informal caregivers to manage CB. The feasibility study will provide in-depth information about the study procedure and on how to optimize the design of the intervention and its delivery. DERR1-10.2196\/11630.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27708571,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Error-Related Negativity and the Misattribution of State-Anxiety Following Errors: On the Reproducibility of Inzlicht and Al-Khindi ().\nIn their innovative study, Inzlicht and Al-Khindi (2012) demonstrated that participants who were allowed to misattribute their arousal and negative affect induced by errors to a placebo beverage had a reduced error-related negativity (ERN\/Ne) compared to controls not being allowed to misattribute their arousal following errors. These results contribute to the ongoing debate that affect and motivation are interwoven with the cognitive processing of errors. Evidence that the misattribution of negative affect modulates the ERN\/Ne is essential for understanding the mechanisms behind ERN\/Ne. Therefore, and because of the growing debate on reproducibility of empirical findings, we aimed at replicating the misattribution effects on the ERN\/Ne in a go\/nogo task. Students were randomly assigned to a misattribution group (n = 48) or a control group (n = 51). Participants of the misattribution group consumed a beverage said to have side effects that would increase their physiological arousal, so that they could misattribute the negative affect induced by errors to the beverage. Participants of the control group correctly believed that the beverage had no side effects. As Inzlicht and Al-Khindi (2012), we did not observe performance differences between both groups. However, ERN\/Ne differences between misattribution and control group could not be replicated, although the statistical power of the replication study was high. Evidence regarding the replication of performance and the non-replication of ERN\/Ne findings was confirmed by Bayesian statistics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17921440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Spirorchiidiosis (Digenea: Spirorchiidae) and lesions associated with parasites in Caribbean green turtles (Chelonia mydas).\nForty-seven nesting green turtles (Chelonia mydas) were examined for parasitic pathogens. Four species of cardiovascular flukes (Digenea: Spirorchiidae), Learedius learedi, Hapalotrema postorchis, Monticellius indicum and Amphiorchis solus were collected from 39 of 40 of the turtles, and Neospirorchis species were identified in seven of the 47 by histological examination. The pathological changes associated with the spirorchiids and their eggs included aneurysms, arteritis of great vessels with dark nodular thickenings, endocarditis, haemorrhagic lesions, thrombi, vasculitis, and granulomatous reactions in all the turtles. Ozobranchus branchiatus (Hirudinea: Ozobranchidae) leeches were found on the skin of 27 of the 47 turtles and were associated with traumatic purulent and ulcerative dermatitis. Oesophagitis associated with Rameshwarotrema uterocrescens (Digenea: Pronocephalidae) was recorded in 11 of 43 of the turtles. Petechial haemorrhages and unspecific crater-like ulcerated lesions on the gastric mucosa associated with Charaxicephaloides species and Charaxicephalus robustus (Digenea: Pronocephalidae) were observed in four of 40 of the turtles. Cholycystitis and ectasia of mucosal glands associated with Rhytidodoides similis (Digenea: Rhytidodidae) were observed in one of the 47 turtles. Fibropapillomas were observed on the skin of one turtle and fibromas on the skin of two of them.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22210635,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A national review of vertical HIV transmission.\nPrevention of vertical HIV transmission has evolved significantly in Canada over the last two decades. The aim of this analysis is to describe the surveillance programme used, rate of vertical HIV transmission and changing epidemiology of HIV-affected pregnancies in Canada. National perinatal HIV surveillance programme. From 1990, annual retrospective data was collected on demographic and clinical characteristics of HIV-infected mothers and their infants referred to 22 participating sites across Canada either before\/during pregnancy or within 3 months after delivery. Factors impacting HIV transmission and demographic features were explored. Two thousand, six hundred and ninety-two mother-infant pairs were identified. The overall rate of vertical HIV transmission was 5.2%, declining to 2.9% since 1997. The rate of transmission for mothers who received HAART was 1%, and 0.4% if more than 4 weeks of HAART was given. Forty percent of women delivered by caesarean section, with no difference in transmission rate compared with vaginal delivery for women treated with HAART (1.4 vs. 0.6%, P = 0.129) but significant risk reduction for those who did not receive HAART (3.8 vs. 10.3%, P = 0.016). Black women were the largest group; proportions of black and aboriginal women increased significantly over time (P < 0.001 for both). Heterosexual contact was the most common risk category for maternal infection (65%), followed by injection drug use (IDU) (25%). Vertical HIV transmission in Canada has decreased dramatically for women treated with HAART therapy. All pregnant women should be evaluated for HIV infection and programmes expanded to reach vulnerable populations including aboriginal, immigrant and IDU women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33673927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Hormonal and Metabolic Changes of Aging and the Influence of Lifestyle Modifications.\nIncreased life expectancy combined with the aging baby boomer generation has resulted in an unprecedented global expansion of the elderly population. The growing population of older adults and increased rate of age-related chronic illness has caused a substantial socioeconomic burden. The gradual and progressive age-related decline in hormone production and action has a detrimental impact on human health by increasing risk for chronic disease and reducing life span. This article reviews the age-related decline in hormone production, as well as age-related biochemical and body composition changes that reduce the bioavailability and actions of some hormones. The impact of hormonal changes on various chronic conditions including frailty, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia are also discussed. Hormone replacement therapy has been attempted in many clinical trials to reverse and\/or prevent the hormonal decline in aging to combat the progression of age-related diseases. Unfortunately, hormone replacement therapy is not a panacea, as it often results in various adverse events that outweigh its potential health benefits. Therefore, except in some specific individual cases, hormone replacement is not recommended. Rather, positive lifestyle modifications such as regular aerobic and resistance exercise programs and\/or healthy calorically restricted diet can favorably affect endocrine and metabolic functions and act as countermeasures to various age-related diseases. We provide a critical review of the available data and offer recommendations that hopefully will form the groundwork for physicians\/scientists to develop and optimize new endocrine-targeted therapies and lifestyle modifications that can better address age-related decline in heath.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38172582,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"2 DOF transformable wheel design based on geared 8 bar parallel linkage mechanism.\nThis paper introduces a novel design and static optimization for a two-degrees-of-freedom transformable wheel based on a geared linkage mechanism. Overcoming obstacles, including stairs, with small wheels is a major challenge in the field of mobile robotics research. Among various robots, the transformable wheel, which can change the shape of the wheel to overcome steps and optimize the path, was presented and has undergone many improvements. Nevertheless, problems such as asymmetry and structural strength remain. Therefore, the design of this paper aims to address the structural inefficiencies identified in the previous research model, which were attributed to the asymmetric placement of the linear motion guide. Through the implementation of this mechanism, the linear motion of the lobe can be segregated, enabling each input motor to share the workload effectively. The optimization process focus on determining the optimal linkage length under static conditions, resulting in improved structural characteristics and force distribution of linkage within the designated workspace. As a result, asymmetry of motion is eliminated, required intervention angle of the driving motor and stress of linkage was reduced by 36.24% and 8.35%, respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11406480,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Estrogen restores postischemic pial microvascular dilation.\nEstrogen protects the brain from experimental cerebral ischemia, likely through both vascular and neuronal cellular mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to determine whether chronic estrogen treatment in males and repletion in ovariectomized (Ovx) females reverses abnormalities in pial arteriolar reactivity during reperfusion from global forebrain ischemia (4-vessel occlusion, 15 min) and whether the site of protection is vascular endothelium. Male and Ovx female rats were implanted with either placebo or a 25-microg 17 beta-estradiol pellet 10 days before ischemia. With the use of intravital microscopy, pial vessel dilation to ACh (10 microM) and S-nitroso-N-acetyl-penicillamine (SNAP; 1 microM) and vasoconstriction to serotonin (10 microM) was examined in situ at 30--60 min of reperfusion. Postischemic changes in vessel diameter were compared with preischemic values for each agent. Postischemic response to both ACh and SNAP was lost in males and Ovx females, but not in estrogen pellet-implanted males and estrogen-implanted Ovx females, suggesting that estrogen protects both endothelial and smooth muscle-mediated vasodilation. Ischemia blunted vessel constriction to serotonin regardless of treatment. These data demonstrate that estrogen acts as a vasoprotective agent within the cerebral circulation and can improve microvascular function under conditions of an acutely evolving ischemic pathology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7294903,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Spontaneous pneumopyelography: ureterocolic fistula caused by rectosigmoid carcinoma].\nWe present a case of ureterocolic fistula, secondary to a rectosigmoid carcinoma. The infrequency of these ureterocolic fistulae, contrasts with the more usual vesicointestinal ones. In our case, the diagnosis of pathological communication arose from the presence of gas in the excretory tract, after ruling out all those processes which could have led to a similar situation. In agreement with the world literature consulted, we confirm the great difficulty in tracing the course of the fistula by the usual means of diagnosis, in view of the minimal size of the pathological communication and the frequent obstructive behaviour of the fistula itself.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26063932,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Alternative Synthesis and Structures of C-monoacetylenic Phosphaalkenes.\nAn alternative synthesis of C-monoacetylenic phosphaalkenes trans-Mes*P=C(Me)(C\u2261CR) (Mes* = 2, 4, 6-tBu3Ph, R = Ph, SiMe3) from C-bromophosphaalkenes cis-Mes*P=C(Me)Br using standard Sonogashira coupling conditions is described. Crystallographic studies confirm cis-trans isomerization of the P=C double bond during Pd-catalyzed cross coupling, leading exclusively to trans-acetylenic phosphaalkenes. Crystallographic studies of all synthesized compounds reveal the extend of \u03c0-conjugation over the acetylene and P=C \u03c0-systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27458389,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effect of Deep Brain Stimulation on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Patients with Medically Refractory Tourette Syndrome.\nIn this study, alterations in brain perfusion have been investigated in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) compared with control subjects. In addition, we investigated the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in both globus pallidus internus (GPi) and centromedian-parafascicular\/ventralis oralis internus nuclei of the thalamus (CM\/Voi) and sham (SHAM) stimulation on cerebral blood flow. In a prospective controlled, randomized, double-blind setting, five severely affected adult patients with TS with predominant motor or vocal tics (mean total tic score on the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale: 39) underwent serial brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography with (99m)Tc-ECD. Results were compared with data from six age-matched control subjects. All patients were investigated at four different time points: once before DBS implantation (preOP) and three times postoperatively. Postoperative scans were performed in a randomized order, each after 3 months of either GPi, CM\/Voi, or SHAM stimulation. At each investigation, patients were injected at rest while awake, but scanned during anesthesia. This procedure ensured that neither anesthesia nor movement artifacts influenced our results. Control subjects were investigated only once at baseline (without DBS or anesthesia). At baseline, cerebral blood flow was significantly reduced in patients with TS (preOP) compared with controls in the central region, frontal, and parietal lobe, specifically in Brodmann areas 1, 4-9, 30, 31, and 40. Significantly increased perfusion was found in the cerebellum. When comparing SHAM stimulation to preOP condition, we found significantly decreased perfusion in basal ganglia and thalamus, but increased perfusion in different parts of the frontal cortex. Compared with SHAM condition both GPi and thalamic stimulation resulted in a significant decrease in cerebral blood flow in basal ganglia and cerebellum, while perfusion in the frontal cortex was significantly increased. Our results provide substantial evidence that, in TS, brain perfusion is altered in the frontal cortex and the cerebellum and that these changes can be reversed by both GPi and CM\/Voi DBS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23120793,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Dementia in epilepsy].\nWe studied clinical and neuropsychological characteristics of 106 epileptic patients, aged 18-87 years, with dementia. Mild, moderate and severe variants of dementia have been singled out. The neuropsychological tests effective for identification and quantitative assessment of cognitive impairment in patients with epilepsy are suggested.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9011088,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Distribution of tobamovirus movement protein in infected cells and implications for cell-to-cell spread of infection.\nThe intercellular and intracellular distribution of the movement protein (MP) of the Ob tobamovirus was examined in infected leaf tissues using an infectious clone of Ob in which the MP gene was translationally fused to the gene encoding the green fluorescent protein (GFP) of Aequorea victoria. In leaves of Nicotiana tabacum and N. benthamiana, the modified virus caused fluorescent infection sites that were visible as expanding rings. Microscopy of epidermal cells revealed subcellular patterns of accumulation of the MP:GFP fusion protein which differed depending upon the radial position of the cells within the fluorescent ring. Punctate, highly localized fluorescence was associated with cell walls of all of the epidermal cells within the infection site, and apparently represents association of the fusion protein with plasmodesmata; furthermore, fluorescence was retained in cell walls purified from infected leaves. Within the brightest region of the fluorescent ring, the MP:GFP was observed in irregularly shaped inclusions in the cortical regions of infected cells. Fluorescent filamentous structures presumed to represent association of MP:GFP with microtubules were observed, but were distributed differently within the infection sites on the two hosts. Within cells containing filaments, a number of fluorescent bodies, some apparently streaming in cytoplasmic strands, were also observed. The significance of these observations is discussed in relation to MP accumulation, targeting to plasmodesmata, and degradation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31827546,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Ozone Exerts Cytoprotective and Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Cardiomyocytes and Skin Fibroblasts after Incubation with Doxorubicin.\nSkin reactions and cardiotoxicity are one of the most common side effects of doxorubicin in cancer patients. The main mechanisms based on the etiopathogenesis of these reactions are mediated by the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, metalloproteases, and the disruption of mitochondrial homeostasis. Ozone therapy demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in several preclinical and clinical studies. The aim of this research is based on the evaluation of cardioprotective and dermatoprotective effects of ozone during incubation with doxorubicin, giving preliminary evidences for further studies in the field of cardio-oncology. Human skin fibroblast cells and human fetal cardiomyocytes were exposed to doxorubicin at subclinical concentration (100 nM) alone or combined with ozone concentrated from 10 up to 50 \u03bcg\/mL. Cell viability and multiple anti-inflammatory studies were performed in both cell lines, with particular attention on the quantification of interleukins, leukotriene B4, NF-\u03baB, and Nrf2 expressions during treatments. Ozone decreased significantly the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin in skin fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes after 24 h of incubation. The best cytoprotective effect of ozone was reached to 30 \u03bcg\/mL with a plateau phase at higher concentration. Ozone also demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects decreasing significantly the interleukins and proinflammatory mediators in both cells. Ozone exerts cardioprotective and dermatoprotective effects during incubation with doxorubicin, and the involved mechanisms are mediated by its anti-inflammatory effects. The overall picture described herein is a pilot study for preclinical studies in oncology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7296783,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The effects of hypoproteinemia on blood-to-lymph fluid transport in sheep lung.\nWe studied the effects of reducing the plasma protein concentration on flow and composition of pulmonary lymph in 12 unanesthetized sheep. Whole blood was removed while red cells were returned and lactated Ringers was infused at a rate sufficient to maintain pulmonary vascular pressures at baseline values. A 44-54% reduction in plasma protein concentration resulted in a decrease in the plasma oncotic pressure from 18.6 +\/- 1.1 to 7.8 +\/- 0.9 mm Hg. Within an hour after plasmapheresis, lymph flows increased to a maximum of 4 times baseline. Subsequently, lymph flow gradually decreased and were close to baseline at 24 hours. The plasma-to-lymph oncotic gradient was reestablished in 5 hours due to decreased lymph protein. Maintained elevation of lymph flow with hydrostatic and oncotic gradients at baseline values suggest that the blood-to-lymph barrier offers less resistance to fluid transport. The calculated filtration coefficient increased 2- to 3-fold after plasmapheresis. Protein clearances remained normally coupled to lymph flows. Thus the enhanced fluid transport cannot be attributed to a permeability change in the large pore pathways. Hypoproteinemia may alter the interstitial gel so that there is less resistance to fluid movement. Such changes in fluid conductivity between blood capillaries and lymphatics may augment the lymphatic safety factor against pulmonary edema during hypoproteinemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37671790,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Factors influencing re-bleeding after trans-arterial embolization for endoscopically unmanageable peptic ulcer bleeding.\nAcute peptic ulcer bleeding is the most common cause of non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB). Endoscopic hemostasis is the standard treatment. However, various conditions complicate endoscopic hemostasis. Transarterial visceral embolization (TAE) may be helpful as a rescue therapy. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with rebleeding after TAE. We retrospectively investigated the records of 156 patients treated with TAE between January 2007 and December 2021. Rebleeding was defined as the presence of melena, hematemesis, or hematochezia, with a fall (>2.0 g\/dl) in hemoglobin level or shock after TAE. The primary outcomes were rebleeding rate and 30-day mortality. Seventy patients with peptic ulcer bleeding were selected, and rebleeding within a month after TAE occurred in 15 patients (21.4%). Among the patients included in rebleeding group, significant increases were observed in the prevalence of thrombocytopenia (73.3% vs. 16.4%, p<.001) and ulcers >1 cm (93.3% vs 54.5%, p = .014). The mean AIMS65 (albumin, international normalized ratio, mental status, systolic blood pressure, age >65 years) score (2.3 vs 1.4, p = .009) was significantly higher in the rebleeding group. Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that thrombocytopenia (odds ratio 31.92, 95% confidence interval 6.24-270.6, p<.001) and larger ulcer size (odds ratio 27.19, 95% confidence interval 3.27-677.7, p=.010) significantly increased the risk of rebleeding after TAE. TAE was effective in the treatment of patients with high-risk peptic ulcer bleeding. AIMS65 score was a significant predictor of rebleeding after TAE, and thrombocytopenia and larger ulcer size increased the risk of rebleeding after TAE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11724876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus from positive blood cultures by real-time fluorescence PCR.\nMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus septicemia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and requires treatment with intravenous glycopeptides. For blood cultures positive for gram-positive cocci, 24 to 48 h is required for the detection of S. aureus bacteremia and the provision of antibiotic susceptibility testing results. We describe a molecular biology-based assay that requires 2 h from the time of initial positivity of blood cultures. The assay correctly detected 96% of the S. aureus isolates including all methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates. Clinical data collected during the study suggest that 28% of patients with S. aureus bacteremia do not receive early and appropriate treatment and that 10% of patients may initially be receiving inappropriate glycopeptide treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25401685,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Experiencing weight bias in an unjust world: Impact on exercise and internalization.\nThis research explores the effects of belief in a just world on exercise and psychological well-being among individuals who have experienced weight bias. In Study 1, 804 participants in an online study reported belief in a just world; exercise intentions, motivation, self-efficacy, and behavior; experiences with weight bias; and height\/weight and self-perceived weight status. In Study 2, 237 participants with overweight and obesity were randomly assigned to read 1 of 2 passages (online) describing weight bias and discrimination as rare versus pervasive, and rated their perceptions of pervasiveness. Participants then read 1 of 3 randomly assigned vignettes that confirmed, challenged, or did not attempt to influence belief in a just world, and completed measures of exercise intentions and motivation, body dissatisfaction, weight bias internalization, and experiences with weight bias. Study 1 revealed that weaker belief in a just world was associated with lower ratings on all exercise variables among participants who reported experiencing weight bias. In Study 2, regression analyses revealed an interaction between ratings of perceived pervasiveness of weight discrimination and the Challenge condition for all outcome measures. The Challenge condition led to lower ratings of exercise intentions and motivation, and higher reports of body dissatisfaction and weight bias internalization, when weight bias was perceived to be more pervasive. Threats to belief in a just world may lead to negative outcomes for health behaviors and psychological well-being among individuals who have experienced weight bias and perceive it to be pervasive.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21133199,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Monitoring and evaluating school nutrition and physical activity policies.\nGiven the increase in the number of Canadian jurisdictions with school nutrition and\/or physical activity policies, there is a need to assess the effectiveness of such policies. The objectives of this paper are to 1) provide an overview of key issues in monitoring and evaluating school nutrition and physical activity policies in Canada and 2) identify areas for further research needed to strengthen the evidence base and inform the development of effective approaches to monitoring and evaluation. Evaluation indicators, data sources and existing tools for evaluating nutrition and physical activity are reviewed. This paper has underscored the importance of identifying common indicators and approaches, using a comprehensive approach based on the WHO framework and ensuring that research capacity and funding is in place to facilitate high-quality evaluation efforts in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16597615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Physiological oxygenation status is required for fully differentiated phenotype in kidney cortex proximal tubules.\nHypoxia has been suspected to trigger transdifferentiation of renal tubular cells into myofibroblasts in an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. To determine the functional networks potentially altered by hypoxia, rat renal tubule suspensions were incubated under three conditions of oxygenation ranging from normoxia (lactate uptake) to severe hypoxia (lactate production). Transcriptome changes after 4 h were analyzed on a high scale by restriction fragment differential display. Among 1,533 transcripts found, 42% were maximally expressed under severe hypoxia and 8% under mild hypoxia (Po(2) = 48 mmHg), suggesting two different levels of oxygen sensing. Normoxia was required for full expression of the proximal tubule-specific transcripts 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1-hydroxylase (Cyp27b1) and l-pyruvate kinase (Pklr), transcripts involved in tissue cohesion such as fibronectin (Fn1) and N-cadherin (Cdh2), and non-muscle-type myosin transcripts. Mild hypoxia increased myogenin transcript level. Conversely, severe hypoxia increased transcripts involved in extracellular matrix remodeling, those of muscle-type myosins, and others involved in creatine phosphate synthesis and lactate transport (Slc16a7). Accordingly, microscopy showed loss of tubule aggregation under hypoxia, without tubular disruption. Hypoxia also increased the levels of kidney-specific transcripts normally restricted to the less oxygenated medullary zone and others specific for the distal part of the nephron. We conclude that extensive oxygen supply to the kidney tubule favors expression of its differentiated functions specifically in the proximal tubule, whose embryonic origin is mesenchymal. The phenotype changes could potentially permit transient adaptation to hypoxia but also favor pathological processes such as tissue invasion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24847737,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Friday night ventilation: a safety starting tool kit for mechanically ventilated patients.\nWe wish to report here a practical approach to an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patient as devised by a group of intensivists with different expertise. The referral scenario is an intensive care unit of a Community Hospital with limited technology, where a young doctor, alone, must deal with this complicate syndrome during the night. The knowledge of pulse oximetry at room air and at 100% oxygen allows to estimate the PaO2 and the cause of hypoxemia, shunt vs. VA\/Q maldistribution. The ARDS severity (mild [200 0.7). The IMU system did however record slightly less hip flexion on both sides (36.7-37.7 degrees for the OTS compared to 34.0-34.4 degrees for the IMU, p < 0.001). We found that inertial measurement units can produce valid kinematic data of pelvis- and knee flexion-extension range. Slightly less hip flexion was however recorded with the inertial measurement units which may be due to the difference in the modelling of the pelvis, soft tissue artefacts, and malalignment between the two methods or misplacement of the inertial measurement units. The study has ethical approval from the ethical committee \"Regionala etikpr\u00f6vningsn\u00e4mnden i G\u00f6teborg\" (Dnr: 611-15, 2015-08-27) and all study participants have submitted written approval for participation in the study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3341062,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Hypergammaglobulinemia can be associated with a positive direct antiglobulin test, a nonreactive eluate, and no evidence of hemolysis.\nTo determine the cause of a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT), blood banks routinely perform serologic tests on eluates prepared from DAT-positive red cells. Negative eluates traditionally have been suspected to be associated with drug reactions. This report confirms that the most frequent cause of a positive DAT and a nonreactive eluate is hypergammaglobulinemia. The results of 74 patient samples with positive DATs were analyzed retrospectively. Eluates prepared from the red cells of 54 patients (72.9%) reacted; eluates from 20 patients (27.1%) did not react. This latter group had identical serologic and clinical findings, suggesting that they made up a homogeneous group. In particular, the patients had a positive DAT, a negative indirect antiglobulin test, and a negative eluate; an increased serum concentration of IgG; and no evidence of hemolysis. In a subsequent study, DATs were performed prospectively on red cells from 44 consecutive patients with elevated serum IgG levels. The serum IgG concentration was highest in the three patients whose red cells had a positive DAT. The DAT also became positive in two patients treated with high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin (IV IgG). These studies indicate that a negative eluate from red cells with a positive DAT, a common serologic finding, is often caused by hypergammaglobulinemia. The authors postulate that IgG binds nonspecifically to the red cells because of the hypergammaglobulinemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6347191,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The effects of glucocorticoids on insulin-stimulated lipogenesis in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.\nWe used primary cultures of rat hepatocytes to evaluate the effects of glucocorticoids on insulin-responsive hepatic lipogenesis. The data indicate that hepatocytes incubated for 20 h with dexamethasone (0.1 microM) alone are profoundly resistant to the ability of insulin to stimulate lipogenesis acutely. In contrast, primary cultures of hepatocytes incubated with dexamethasone plus insulin are hyper-responsive to the ability of insulin to stimulate lipogenesis chronically. This potentiation of insulin action by a glucocorticoid occurs at physiological concentrations of the two hormones. Exposure to dexamethasone plus insulin for more than 4 h is required for the two hormones to enhance insulin action either by overcoming the insulin resistance induced by dexamethasone alone or by stimulating insulin action induced by insulin alone. Despite the marked potentiation of insulin action, hepatocytes exposed to dexamethasone plus insulin are less sensitive to insulin, as demonstrated by a shift to the right in the dose-response curve for insulin-stimulated lipogenesis. The resistance of hepatocytes to the acute effects of insulin after exposure to dexamethasone alone and the potentiation of insulin action and decreased sensitivity to insulin after exposure to insulin plus dexamethasone are all mediated by post-insulin-binding events. These studies demonstrate potentiation of insulin action in the liver by physiological concentrations of glucocorticoids and may have physiological significance for the regulation of normal hepatic lipogenesis, for the hyperlipidaemia observed with the pharmacological use of glucocorticoids, and for disease states in man associated with hyperinsulinaemia and hypercortisolism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27335365,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Management of granulomatous lymphocytic interstitial lung disease in a patient with common variable immune deficiency.\nA 61-year-old woman presented with longstanding cough and progressive dyspnoea. She underwent an extensive evaluation and was diagnosed with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) with granulomatous lymphocytic interstitial lung disease (GLILD). She was initially treated with subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy, having declined intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy. She also declined treatment with oral glucocorticoids. Over several months, she became increasingly symptomatic and developed increased pulmonary infiltrates, pleural effusions, mediastinal adenopathy, splenomegaly, pancytopenia and ascites. An interdisciplinary team composed of an immunologist, pulmonologist and haematologist deliberated over a therapeutic management approach. The patient received a recently reported immunotherapy regimen with azathioprine and rituximab. The therapy led to rapid improvement of her constitutional and respiratory symptoms, with clinical and radiographic improvement in her interstitial lung disease, lymphadenopathy, pleural effusions and ascites. This case report reviews the literature surrounding the diagnosis and management of GLILD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11714146,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Forensic analysis of commercial petroleum products using selective fluorescence quenching.\nA novel method for the forensic analysis of commercial petroleum products is presented. In this approach, the petroleum sample is extracted with nitromethane and then separated by capillary liquid chromatography with laser-induced fluorescence detection. The addition of selective fluorescence quenching agents allows the sample to be profiled by the distribution of alternant and nonalternant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In preliminary studies, the quenching behavior of nitromethane and diisopropylamine was established by using a standard mixture of sixteen PAHs ranging in size from two to six aromatic rings. Subsequent examination of new and used motor oil demonstrated that characteristic differences arise in the PAH content, which may allow for the unique identification of oil from a particular engine or vehicle. In addition, three brands of petrolatum jelly were successfully distinguished. Although a number of alternant alkylated and heterocyclic PAHs were found in all petrolatum samples, there were significant differences in the relative concentrations of alternant as well as nonalternant PAHs. This allowed for clear differentiation of the samples through qualitative inspection of their chromatograms as well as quantitative statistical correlation techniques.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38115308,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Case report: Interstitial lung disease of XELOEX chemotherapy with cetuximab in advanced colon cancer induced.\nThis paper presents a case of a Chinese patient with advanced colon cancer who developed drug-induced interstitial lung disease while undergoing treatment with cetuximab combined with XELOX. A 75-year-old man with a history of colon cancer, had metastases in the liver, peritoneum, and lungs, which were initially treated with XELOX and cetuximab (0.4 g) in 2019. However, the lung metastases progressed, and the cetuximab dosage was adjusted to 0.9 g and then readjusted to 0.4 g. In January 2021, computed tomography revealed developed interstitial lung disease, leading to the discontinuation of chemotherapy and cetuximab. Receiving methylprednisolone pulse therapy. The patient experienced respiratory failure and passed away. The Naranjo Algorithm Assessment score indicated a probable relationship between cetuximab and the adverse event. This case highlights the need for regular pulmonary imaging examinations during cetuximab therapy, as drug-induced interstitial lung disease may be associated with the dose and duration of treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20648331,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of N\/B doping on the electronic and field emission properties for carbon nanotubes, carbon nanocones, and graphene nanoribbons.\nCarbon nanotubes, carbon nanocones, and graphene nanoribbons are carbon-based nanomaterials, and their electronic and field emission properties can be altered by either electron donors or electron acceptors. Among both donors and accepters, nitrogen and boron atoms are typical substitutional dopants for carbon materials. The contribution of this paper mainly provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical topics. The effect of nitrogen\/boron doping on the electronic and field emission properties for carbon nanotubes, carbon nanocones, and graphene nanoribbons is reviewed. It is also suggested that nitrogen is more an n-type donor. The discussion about the mechanism of field emission for N-doped carbon nanotubes and electronic structures of N-doped graphene nanoribbons is interesting and timely.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24984033,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Low temperature partial nitritation\/anammox in a moving bed biofilm reactor treating low strength wastewater.\nMunicipal wastewater collected in areas with moderate climate is subjected to a gradual temperature decrease from around 20 \u00b0C in summer to about 10 \u00b0C in winter. A lab-scale moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) with carrier material (K3 from AnoxKaldnes) was used to test the tolerance of the overall partial nitritation\/anammox process to this temperature gradient. A synthetic influent, containing only ammonium and no organic carbon was used to minimize denitrification effects. After stable reactor operation at 20 \u00b0C, the temperature was slowly reduced by 2 \u00b0C per month and afterward held constant at 10 \u00b0C. Along the temperature decrease, the ammonium conversion dropped from an average of 40 gN m(-3) d(-1) (0.2 gN kgTSS h(-1)) at 20 \u00b0C to about 15 gN m(-3) d(-1) (0.07 gN kg TSS h(-1)) at 10 \u00b0C, while the effluent concentration was kept <8 mg NH4-N l(-1) during the whole operation. This also resulted in doubling of the hydraulic retention time over the temperature ramp. The MBBR with its biofilm on 10 mm thick carriers proved to sufficiently sustain enough biomass to allow anammox activity even at 10 \u00b0C. Even though there was a minor nitrite-build up when the temperature dropped below 12.5 \u00b0C, reactor performance recovered as the temperature decrease continued. Microbial community analysis by 16S rRNA amplicon analysis revealed a relatively stable community composition over the entire experimental period.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22043274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Meibum lipid composition in Asians with dry eye disease.\nPrevious lipidomic analyses of the human meibum had largely focused on individuals from non-Asian populations, despite the higher prevalence of dysfunctional tear syndrome (DTS) observed across Asia. Information pertaining to the alterations in lipid profiles in relation to DTS onset and progression is also lacking and warrants comprehensive experimental analysis. We examined the meibum lipidome of 27 DTS patients and 10 control subjects for a total of 256 lipid species from 12 major lipid classes, including cholesteryl ester (CE), wax ester (WE), triacylglyceride (TAG), (O-acyl)-\u03c9-hydroxy fatty acid (OAHFA), glycerophospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, PC; phosphatidylethanolamine, PE; phosphatidylinositol, PI; phosphatidylglycerol, PG) and sphingolipids (sphingomyelin, SM; ceramide, Cer; glucosylceramide, GluCer; dihexosylceramide, DihexCer). Neutral lipids were analysed using high-performance liquid-chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC\/MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS\/MS) was used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of polar lipid species. DTS patients were classified into three severity groups (i.e. mild, moderate and severe) based on the ocular surface disease index (OSDI). A significantly lower level of TAG (p<0.05) was observed in patients under the moderate category compared to the mild category. Notably, a number of OAHFA species displayed consistently decreasing levels that correlate with increasing disease severity. An attempt was also made to investigate the changes in meibum lipid profiles of DTS patients compared to normal individuals classified based on OSDI score. Several unsaturated TAG and PC species were found at significantly higher levels (p<0.05) in patients than controls. The current study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive lipidome of meibum from individuals of an Asian ethnicity, which can potentially offer new insights into the higher prevalence of DTS observed amongst Asian populations. This study also represents an attempt towards identification of lipid species in meibum which could serve as marker for DTS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7744967,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Stage- and ribosome-specific alterations in nascent chain-Sec61p interactions accompany translocation across the ER membrane.\nNear-neighbor interactions between translocating nascent chains and Sec61p were investigated by chemical cross-linking. At stages of translocation before signal sequence cleavage, nascent chains could be cross-linked to Sec61p at high (60-80%) efficiencies. Cross-linking occurred through the signal sequence and the mature portion of wild-type and signal cleavage mutant nascent chains. At later stages of translocation, as represented through truncated translocation intermediates, cross-linking to Sec61p was markedly reduced. Dissociation of the ribosome into its large and small subunits after assembly of the precursor into the translocon, but before cross-linking, resulted in a dramatic reduction in subsequent cross-linking yield, indicating that at early stages of translocation, nascent chain-Sec61p interactions are in part mediated through interactions of the ribosome with components of the ER membrane, such as Sec61p. Dissociation of the ribosome was, however, without effect on subsequent translocation. These results are discussed with respect to a model in which Sec61p performs a function essential for the initiation of protein translocation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31412214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A cryptic non-GPI-anchored cytosolic isoform of CD59 controls insulin exocytosis in pancreatic \u03b2-cells by interaction with SNARE proteins.\nCD59 is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface inhibitor of the complement membrane attack complex (MAC). We showed previously that CD59 is highly expressed in pancreatic islets but is down-regulated in rodent models of diabetes. CD59 knockdown but not enzymatic removal of cell surface CD59 led to a loss of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), suggesting that an intracellular pool of CD59 is required. In this current paper, we now report that non-GPI-anchored CD59 is present in the cytoplasm, colocalizes with exocytotic protein vesicle-associated membrane protein 2, and completely rescues GSIS in cells lacking endogenous CD59 expression. The involvement of cytosolic non-GPI-anchored CD59 in GSIS is supported in phosphatidylinositol glycan class A knockout GPI anchor-deficient \u03b2-cells, in which GSIS is still CD59 dependent. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis demonstrated different structural requirements of CD59 for its 2 functions, MAC inhibition and GSIS. Our results suggest that CD59 is retrotranslocated from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cytosol, a process mediated by recognition of trimmed N-linked oligosaccharides, supported by the partial glycosylation of non-GPI-anchored cytosolic CD59 as well as the failure of N-linked glycosylation site mutant CD59 to reach the cytosol or rescue GSIS. This study thus proposes the previously undescribed existence of non-GPI-anchored cytosolic CD59, which is required for insulin secretion.-Golec, E., Rosberg, R., Zhang, E., Renstr\u00f6m, E., Blom, A. M., King, B. C. A cryptic non-GPI-anchored cytosolic isoform of CD59 controls insulin exocytosis in pancreatic \u03b2-cells by interaction with SNARE proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29099690,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Genome sequence analysis of emm89 Streptococcus pyogenes strains causing infections in Scotland, 2010-2016.\nStrains of type emm89 Streptococcus pyogenes have recently increased in frequency as a cause of human infections in several countries in Europe and North America. This increase has been molecular epidemiologically linked with the emergence of a new genetically distinct clone, designated clade 3. We sought to extend our understanding of this epidemic behavior by the genetic characterization of type emm89 strains responsible in recent years for an increased frequency of infections in Scotland. We sequenced the genomes of a retrospective cohort of 122 emm89 strains recovered from patients with invasive and noninvasive infections throughout Scotland during 2010 to 2016. All but one of the 122 emm89 infection isolates are of the recently emerged epidemic clade 3 clonal lineage. The Scotland isolates are closely related to and not genetically distinct from recent emm89 strains from England, they constitute a single genetic population. The clade 3 clone causes virtually all-contemporary emm89 infections in Scotland. These findings add Scotland to a growing list of countries of Europe and North America where, by whole genome sequencing, emm89 clade 3 strains have been demonstrated to be the cause of an ongoing epidemic of invasive infections and to be genetically related due to descent from a recent common progenitor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36278257,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Association Between Daily Average of Mobility Achieved During Physical Therapy Sessions and Hospital-Acquired or Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia among Critically Ill Patients.\nHospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonias (HAP and VAP) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Immobility is a risk factor for developing ICU-acquired weakness (ICUAW). Early mobilization is associated with improved physical function, but its association with hospital-acquired (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonias (VAP) is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association between daily average of highest level of mobility achieved during physical therapy (PT) and incidence of HAP or VAP among critically ill patients. In a retrospective cohort study of progressive mobility program participants in the medical ICU, we used a validated method to abstract new diagnoses of HAP and VAP. We captured scores on a mobility scale achieved during each inpatient physical therapy session and used a Bayesian, discrete time-to-event model to evaluate the association between daily average of highest level of mobility achieved and occurrence of HAP or VAP. The primary outcome of HAP\/VAP occurred in 55 (26.8%) of the 205 participants. Each increase in the daily average of highest level of mobility achieved during PT (0-6 mobility scale) exhibited a protective association with occurrence of HAP or VAP (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.61; 95% CI 0.44, 0.85). Age, baseline ambulatory status, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, and previous day's mechanical ventilation (MV) status were not significantly associated with the occurrence of HAP\/VAP. Among critically ill patients in a progressive mobility program, a higher daily average of highest level of mobility achieved during PT was associated with a decreased risk of HAP or VAP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10962904,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Aberrations of chromosome 18 and their significance in genetic counseling].\nIn order to get information on the origin of chromosome 18 aberrations trisomy 18 cases were analysed as well as different chromosome 18 rearrangements. In total, their study population consisted of 100 trisomy 18 patients and their parents, 67 out of which have already been published. Additionally, seven families were analysed with structural aberrations of chromosome 18 including four patients with tetrasomy 18p. Determination of parent and cell stage of origin was performed by short tandem repeat typing (STR, microsatellites). These investigations revealed that the additional chromosomal material in the majority of the chromosomal 18 aberrations was maternal in origin (97\/107). In most of the cases the nondisjunction occurred during maternal meiosis II. This was in agreement with findings of other groups. Thus, independently from the type of aberration, there was a predisposition of chromosome 18 for nondisjunction in maternal meiosis II. In this respect, chromosome 18 seemed to be unique among human autosomes. Furthermore, these results showed that molecular genetic analyses of chromosomal aberrations and their formation mechanisms were meaningful tools in genetic counselling situations: in 5 cases where cytogenetic investigations could not performed, the clinical diagnosis of Edwards syndrome could be confirmed by molecular findings. Thus, in these cases other genetic diseases with differing types of inheritance could be excluded from being the cause of the observed malformations. In a further structural rearrangement of chromosome 18, the origin could be determined as being mitotic, therefore a recurrence risk could be excluded for this couple.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27876024,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Evaluation of computer-based computer tomography stratification against outcome models in connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease: a patient outcome study.\nTo evaluate computer-based computer tomography (CT) analysis (CALIPER) against visual CT scoring and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) when predicting mortality in patients with connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD). To identify outcome differences between distinct CTD-ILD groups derived following automated stratification of CALIPER variables. A total of 203 consecutive patients with assorted CTD-ILDs had CT parenchymal patterns evaluated by CALIPER and visual CT scoring: honeycombing, reticular pattern, ground glass opacities, pulmonary vessel volume, emphysema, and traction bronchiectasis. CT scores were evaluated against pulmonary function tests: forced vital capacity, diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide transfer coefficient, and composite physiologic index for mortality analysis. Automated stratification of CALIPER-CT variables was evaluated in place of and alongside forced vital capacity and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide in the ILD gender, age physiology (ILD-GAP) model using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Cox regression analyses identified four independent predictors of mortality: patient age (P < 0.0001), smoking history (P = 0.0003), carbon monoxide transfer coefficient (P = 0.003), and pulmonary vessel volume (P < 0.0001). Automated stratification of CALIPER variables identified three morphologically distinct groups which were stronger predictors of mortality than all CT and functional indices. The Stratified-CT model substituted automated stratified groups for functional indices in the ILD-GAP model and maintained model strength (area under curve (AUC) = 0.74, P < 0.0001), ILD-GAP (AUC = 0.72, P < 0.0001). Combining automated stratified groups with the ILD-GAP model (stratified CT-GAP model) strengthened predictions of 1- and 2-year mortality: ILD-GAP (AUC = 0.87 and 0.86, respectively); stratified CT-GAP (AUC = 0.89 and 0.88, respectively). CALIPER-derived pulmonary vessel volume is an independent predictor of mortality across all CTD-ILD patients. Furthermore, automated stratification of CALIPER CT variables represents a novel method of prognostication at least as robust as PFTs in CTD-ILD patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27350899,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The Size-Weight Illusion is not anti-Bayesian after all: a unifying Bayesian account.\nWhen we lift two differently-sized but equally-weighted objects, we expect the larger to be heavier, but the smaller feels heavier. However, traditional Bayesian approaches with \"larger is heavier\" priors predict the smaller object should feel lighter; this Size-Weight Illusion (SWI) has thus been labeled \"anti-Bayesian\" and has stymied psychologists for generations. We propose that previous Bayesian approaches neglect the brain's inference process about density. In our Bayesian model, objects' perceived heaviness relationship is based on both their size and inferred density relationship: observers evaluate competing, categorical hypotheses about objects' relative densities, the inference about which is then used to produce the final estimate of weight. The model can qualitatively and quantitatively reproduce the SWI and explain other researchers' findings, and also makes a novel prediction, which we confirmed. This same computational mechanism accounts for other multisensory phenomena and illusions; that the SWI follows the same process suggests that competitive-prior Bayesian inference can explain human perception across many domains.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10958190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Verification of absolute dose rates for intravascular brachytherapy beta sources.\nThe absolute dose rate around beta sources for intravascular brachytherapy was measured with thin thermoluminescent (TL) dosimeters and radiochromic film. The calibration of these dosimeters was performed at the dose maximum in a 6 MeV electron beam of a linear accelerator. Compared to the values given by the manufacturers, higher dose rates of about 20% for 90Sr\/90Y source trains and 20 to 40% for 90Y line sources were found. We also measured the dose rate for a planar 90Sr\/90Y source, which was calibrated at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). This source serves as a reference for the determination of the dose rates by the supplier of the 90Y sources. For this source we measured a 13% higher dose rate compared to the value given in the calibration report by NIST. Our observation can have important consequences for the interpretation and comparison of the dose-related clinical results of intravascular brachytherapy with these and other beta sources. Also the comparison of the clinical results obtained with beta sources and gamma sources, i.e. 192Ir, depends largely on the accuracy of the absolute dosimetry of the beta sources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3346545,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Subcutaneous and intestinal vaccination with tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii and acquisition of immunity to peroral and congenital toxoplasma challenge.\nMice were immunized s.c. or intraintestinally with two injections of a temperature-sensitive mutant of Toxoplasma gondii (ts4). Nonpersistence of the vaccine strain was documented by subinoculation of tissues of a subgroup of mice 3 mo or more after the second immunization. Mice were immune to other-wise lethal parenteral challenges with tachyzoites of the M7741 strain or to peroral challenge with bradyzoites of the Me49 strain of T. gondii. Although two s.c. or intraintestinal immunizations did not completely protect against development of T. gondii in the brains of mice, fewer cysts developed in the s.c. immunized mice than in control mice (2 +\/- 3 cysts\/0.01 ml in immunized mice compared with 75 +\/- 48 cysts\/0.01 ml in controls (p less than 0.002)). Reduction in cyst number after intraintestinal immunization was more variable, but also statistically significant (p less than 0.02). Female mice were first immunized, then mated, and then challenged perorally. Neonates of the s.c. immunized mice were not protected. Neonates of intraintestinally immunized mice were protected in part (36% of 115) against congenital infection compared with controls (7% of 107).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17076619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Immediate restoration of single implants placed immediately after tooth extraction.\nSome of the original surgical protocols for implant surgery have been reassessed to satisfy the patient's continuously increasing expectation for shorter rehabilitation time, improved esthetics, and increased comfort. The aim of this study was to evaluate the 12-month clinical success of 18 single-tooth implants inserted immediately after tooth extraction and restored the same day with non-functional loading. A total of 18 patients (12 women and six men), 22 to 60 years old, were enrolled in this study. Eighteen single implants were inserted in fresh extraction sockets and immediately restored with temporary abutments and crowns. All experimental sites showed an absence of fenestrations or dehiscences of the bone walls and a residual gap between implant surfaces and surrounding bone walls < or =2 mm. All temporary prostheses were positioned the same day of surgery and were not in occlusal contact with opposing arches. The comparison between the baseline and 12-month visits was performed with the Student t test for paired data (statistically significant at a level of alpha = 0.05). During the 12-month follow-up period, one fixture was removed 4 weeks after implant placement following an abscess. All remaining implants healed uneventfully with no complications and were assessed as stable and successful at the 12-month checkup. No technical complications such as screw loosening, resin fracture, or pain during chewing were registered during the 12-month period. Within the limits of the data from this study, it can be suggested that immediate placement and restoration of a single implant can be a valid and successful option of treatment in the case of single compromised teeth. Moreover, this treatment protocol eliminates the need for removable provisional restoration and seems to maintain the preexisting architecture of soft and hard tissues in most cases. Nonetheless, further prospective and long-term studies are required to obtain a better insight into the limitations of this protocol.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23712986,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Association between adiponectin and heart failure risk in the physicians' health study.\nTo assess the association between adiponectin and incident heart failure (HF). In the current ancillary study to the Physicians' Health Study (PHS), we used a prospective nested case-control design to examine whether plasma adiponectin concentration was related to the risk of HF. We selected 787 incident HF cases and 787 matched controls for the current analysis. Each control was selected using a risk set sampling technique at the time of the occurrence of the index case and matched on year of birth, age at blood collection, and race. Adiponectin was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HF occurrence was self-reported in annual follow-up questionnaire. Validation of self-reported HF in this cohort has been published. The mean age was 58.7 years. In a conditional logistic regression adjusting for age, race, time of blood collection, year of birth, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, smoking, alcohol intake, and exercise, estimates of the relative risk (95% confidence interval) were 1.0 (reference), 0.74 (0.53-1.04), 0.67 (0.48-0.94), 0.70 (0.50-0.99), and 0.92 (0.65-1.30) from the lowest to the highest quintile of adiponectin, respectively, P for quadratic trend 0.004. Additional adjustment for potential mediating factors including diabetes, C-reactive protein, and BMI led to the attenuation of the estimate of effect (1.0 (reference), 0.81 (0.57-1.15), 0.75 (0.53-1.06), 0.83 (0.58-1.18), and 1.26 (0.87-1.81) across consecutive quintiles of adiponectin). Our data are consistent with a J-shaped association between total adiponectin and the risk of HF among US male physicians.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20669046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Combined Src and ER blockade impairs human breast cancer proliferation in vitro and in vivo.\nAntiestrogen therapies arrest susceptible estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers by increasing p27. Since Src phosphorylates p27 to promote p27 proteolysis, Src activation observed in up to 40% of ER-positive cancers may contribute to antiestrogen resistance. In this article, we show that treatment with the Src-inhibitor saracatinib (AZD0530) together with ER-blocking drugs increased breast cancer cell cycle arrest via p27. Saracatinib and fulvestrant together more effectively increased p27, reduced Ki67, and impaired MDA-MB-361 xenograft tumor growth in vivo than either of the drugs alone. In contrast, saracatinib monotherapy rapidly gave rise to drug resistance. Since combined ER and Src inhibition delays development of resistance in vivo, these data support further clinical investigation of saracatinib in combination with fulvestrant for women with ER-positive breast cancer. Proteomic analysis revealed striking bypass activation of the mTOR pathway in saracatinib-resistant tumors. mTORC1 activation also arose following long-term culture of ER-positive breast cancer lines in the presence of saracatinib. These data indicate the utility of proteomic analysis of drug-resistant tumors to identify potential means of drug resistance. The use of mTOR kinase inhibitors with saracatinib may subvert drug resistance and prove to be more effective than saracatinib alone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3120217,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Nutrition and health--an individual responsibility.\nThe report of the Public Health Service Task Force on Women's Health Issues identifies five social factors which affect health and also apply to nutrition: cultural and social values, which are at the heart of issues of body size; economic status, which is associated inversely with nutrient per food dollar expenditures; labor force participation, where working mothers make less money than fathers; family, household structure, social supports, and health, where the single parent has limited resources; and interactions with a health care system that frequently identifies the woman as the victim of the problem when actually the system is the source of the problem. Fourteen of the 40 conditions described in the report mention nutrient changes or weight maintenance. Twelve other conditions have been added to the list. Four categories of women, based on their roles, are used to discuss major nutrition issues. The youth role focuses on body image and preoccupation with weight control. The childbearer role emphasizes the demand and burden of pregnancy because the outcome of pregnancy is linked with many behaviors during pregnancy. The menopausal woman role is that of the older woman and the health consequence of life-long dietary habits and the frequent \"victim\" position to which she is relegated when using the health care system. The gatekeeper role sends messages to the marketplace through demand and directs purchases for the home. Choosing from 13,000 items makes it possible to regularly choose foods which are inadequate in meeting daily vitamin and mineral needs and can lead to use and abuse of supplements. The final solution rests within the individual and her active involvement in seeking health care and carrying out recommendations for her nutrition and health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6332570,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Bepridil and hyperkalemia. Discussion of a case].\nThe authors report a case with typical bepridil-induced electrocardiographic changes. Although the serum potassium was normal, an infusion of potassium chloride caused the electrical abnormalities induced by bepridil to disappear.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26217545,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Alien Limb Syndrome Responsive to Amantadine in a Patient with Corticobasal Syndrome.\nCorticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder associated with parkinsonism and alien limb syndrome. Dressing and ideomotor apraxia were reportedly responsive to amantadine. A 79-year-old female was referred for evaluation of right hemiparesis. Neurological examination showed dementia, normal ocular movements, mild facial hypomimia, and bradykinesia with right hemiparesis. Nine years later, she developed alien limb syndrome and was diagnosed with CBS. After failure to respond to several medications, alien limb syndrome markedly improved with amantadine. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a consistent response of severe, forced dystonic alien limb syndrome to amantadine in a patient with CBS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26572377,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Assessment of the bifidogenic effect of substituted xylo-oligosaccharides obtained from corn straw.\nThis work evaluates the bifidogenic potential of substituted xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) obtained from a lignocellulosic feedstock (corn straw). Autohydrolysis was used to selectively hydrolyse the xylan-rich hemicellulosic fraction and the soluble oligosaccharides were purified by gel filtration chromatography. Selected oligosaccharides fractions within the target ranges of polymerization degree (4-6 and 9-21, samples S1 and S2, respectively) were characterized and their bifidogenic potential was investigated by in vitro fermentations using human fecal inocula. Bacterial growth was assessed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH). XOS consumption and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production were evaluated and compared with commercial oligosaccharides. Under the tested conditions, all the substrates were utilized by the microbiota, and fermentation resulted in increased bifidobacteria populations. Samples S1 and S2 increased bifidobacteria populations and the production profile of SCFA was similar for XOS samples and commercial oligosaccharides although XOS samples displayed the highest concentration of SCFA on longer fermentation times.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8457008,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The doubly labeled water method: errors due to deuterium exchange and sequestration in ruminants.\nThe doubly labeled water (DLW) technique allows the CO2 production (rCO2) of free living animals to be estimated from the difference between the turnover of 2H2O and H218O in the body water. A fundamental assumption of this technique is that neither of the isotopes used are lost in products other than CO2 and H2O. We found, however, that 2H was lost in both exchangeable and nonexchangeable positions in the feces of sheep. Negligible amounts of 18O were lost in exchangeable positions. 2H losses led to a 0.75% (SE 0.06, n = 4) overestimation of the measured 2H2O flux, leading to an average error in rCO2 estimates of 20.3 l\/day. For a typical rCO2 rate of 370 l\/day, this would amount to an error of approximately 5% (range -7.0 to -4.3%, n = 4). Correction factors to account for this loss were presented. The error in rCO2 due to 2H sequestration into fat was calculated to be at most 2.1 l\/day or about -0.66% in lambs with a rCO2 of 320 l\/day. In a triply labeled water (TLW) study the maximum error in the estimation of fractionated evaporative water loss (X) would lead to a 0.81% underestimation of rCO2. We recommend that during a DLW study involving ruminant animals the correction factors presented here be used to compensate for 2H loss in feces. This may be particularly important where the diet has a high roughage content leading to a significant fecal dry matter production.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6330190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of intake of a mixed dairy steers on digestion events.\nRuminally cannulated steers were in a 4 X 4 Latin square to determine the effect of amount of feed ingested on fiber digestion and other digestion events. Alfalfa haylage, corn silage, and a corn-soybean meal mix were incorporated in a ratio 45:20:35 (dry matter) and fed at either 100, 85, 70, or 55% of ad libitum intake. Acid-insoluble ash, lanthanum, and chromium-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid were digestion, particulate, and liquid markers. Apparent digestibility of dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and cell solubles decreased linearly as feed intake increased. The fiber fraction digested was a larger percentage of the dry matter digested at low than at high intakes of feed. A more rapid rate of cellulose disappearance and a slow rate of passage of particulate matter through the rumen and total digestive tract with decreasing feed intake were key factors responsible for bringing about changes of digestion coefficients. A consistently lower rumen pH of steers at high intakes of feed was thought to account for the slower rate of ruminal fiber disappearance. The lower tract accounted for 11 to 17% of dry matter disappearance, and tended to play a greater role during periods of high feed intake. Rumen and fecal sampling techniques provided similar ruminal rates of solids passage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35158062,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The safety and efficacy of 2 anterior-inferior portals for arthroscopic repair of anterior humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligament: cadaveric comparison.\nHumeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligament (HAGL) lesions are associated with shoulder instability. Arthroscopic repair of anterior HAGL lesions typically requires the placement of an anterior-inferior (5-o'clock) portal, with different variations of this portal described. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of described anterior-inferior shoulder arthroscopy portals for arthroscopic anterior HAGL repair, as well as evaluate the safety of these portals with respect to the surrounding neurovascular structures. Additionally, we sought to evaluate the effect of arm adduction vs. standard abduction during anterior-inferior portal creation. HAGL lesions were created and repaired using an all-arthroscopic technique in 12 cadaveric shoulders (matched pairs). Half of the repairs were performed using a standard 5-o'clock portal, whereas the other half of the matched pairs were repaired using a medialized 5-o'clock portal. Repairs were timed, and the number of anchor pullouts was recorded. The shoulders were subsequently dissected to measure the proximity of the portal to the cephalic vein, musculocutaneous nerve, axillary nerve, and lateral cord of the brachial plexus. The average time for HAGL repair was 18.0 \u00b1 4.6 minutes. Repair times using the medial 5-o'clock portal (19.0 \u00b1 3.3 minutes) vs. standard 5-o'clock portal (16.2 \u00b1 5.8 minutes) were not significantly different (P = .37). From abduction to adduction, the cephalic vein distance from the standard 5-o'clock portal increased from 4.1 \u00b1 4.7 mm to 5.2 \u00b1 5.4 mm (P = .02); musculocutaneous nerve distance, from 14.4 \u00b1 9.8 mm to 18.1 \u00b1 10.8 mm (P = .005); axillary nerve distance, from 19.2 \u00b1 9.6 mm to 19.8 \u00b1 9.2 mm (P = .12); and distance of the lateral cord of the brachial plexus, 13.8 \u00b1 6.6 mm to 16.7 \u00b1 6.4 mm (P = .0006). The arm abduction angle significantly affects the distance of the cephalic vein, musculocutaneous nerve, and lateral cord of the brachial plexus from the anterior-inferior portal, regardless of which portal-standard or medial 5-o'clock portal-is chosen. This portal should be created with the arm in adduction. Arthroscopic HAGL repair can be performed safely, although accurate anchor placement remains a challenge. There was no advantage to use of the medial 5-o'clock portal. With a curved guide, the standard 5-o'clock portal allows for reproducible anchor placement and is recommended for anterior HAGL repairs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12232168,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A Study of the Effect of Inhibitors of the Animal Sarcoplasmic\/Endoplasmic Reticulum-Type Calcium Pumps on the Primary Ca2+-ATPases of Red Beet.\nThe inhibitor sensitivity of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and plasma membrane (PM) calcium pumps of red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) were studied by measuring the ATP-driven accumulation of 45Ca2+ into isolated membrane vesicles. Both transporters were strongly inhibited by 50 [mu]mol m-3 erythrosin B, but only by 50% in the presence of 100 mmol m-3 vanadate. A number of inhibitors considered to be specific for the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)\/ER-type calcium pump in animal cells were used to further characterize the PM and ER Ca2+-ATPases in red beet and were compared with their effect on the transport and hydrolytic activities of the PM and tonoplast H+-ATPases. The hydroquinones 2,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone and 2,5-di(tert-amyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone produced around 20 and 40% inhibition of activity, respectively, of the PM and ER calcium pumps and the PM H+-ATPase when present at concentrations of 30 mmol m-3. In contrast, the vacuolar proton pump displayed a much higher sensitivity to these two compounds. Nonylphenol appeared to have a general inhibitory effect on all four membrane transport proteins and gave almost complete inhibition when present at a concentration of 100 mmol m-3. Thapsigargin and the structurally related compound trilobolide produced 50% inhibition of both the ER and PM calcium pumps at concentrations of 12.5 and 24 mmol m-3, respectively. The PM and tonoplast proton pumps were also sensitive to these compounds. The ER and PM calcium pumps were almost completely insensitive to cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) up to a concentration of 20 mmol m-3. When present at 100 mmol m-3 CPA caused 30% inhibition of the transport properties of all four ATPases. The high concentrations of all of the inhibitors of the SR\/ER Ca-ATPase required to inhibit the red beet ER calcium pump, together with the similar effects on the PM calcium pump and the PM and tonoplast proton pumps, suggests that these hydrophobic compounds have a general nonselective action in red beet, possibly through disruption of membrane lipid-protein interactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18648456,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"High temperature fiber sensor with high sensitivity based on core diameter mismatch.\nWe report a simple fiber sensor for measurement of high temperature with high sensitivity. The sensing head is a multimode-single mode-multimode (MM-SM-MM) fiber configuration formed by splicing a section of uncoated single mode fiber (SMF) with two short sections of multimode fibers (MMF) whose core is composed of pure silica. Because of the mode-field mismatch at the splicing points of the SMF with 2 sections of MMFs, as well as index matching between the core of the MMF and the cladding of the SMF, optical power from the lead-in fiber can be partly coupled to the cladding modes of the SMF through the MMF. The cladding modes of the SMF then re-coupled to the lead-out fiber, in the same fashion. Due to the effective index difference between the core and cladding modes, an interference pattern in the transmission spectrum of the proposed device was obtained. The interference pattern was found to shift to the longer wavelength region with respect to temperature variation. The temperature sensor can measure temperature stably up to more than 900 degrees C with sensitivity of 0.088 nm\/ degrees C.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21221503,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Common congenital hand conditions.\nCongenital hand deformities are common but most of these conditions are minor. Polydactyly and syndactyly are the commonest congenital hand conditions for which treatment is sought. The presence of congenital hand deformities has a significant psychological impact on both the parents and child, and in severe cases, can significantly affect limb function. This article reviews the more common hand conditions so that non-specialist physicians can diagnose them and understand their management principles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20335867,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Free-vascularized medial femoral condyle bone transfer in the treatment of scaphoid nonunions.\nScaphoid nonunions with associated avascular necrosis and carpal collapse have proven difficult to treat reliably. This study outlines the rationale and approach to the use of a free-vascularized medial femoral condyle bone graft and the authors' experience with it in the treatment of scaphoid nonunions. A retrospective review was conducted to identify all patients with scaphoid nonunions with avascular necrosis and carpal collapse treated with a medial femoral condyle bone graft. Between July of 2004 and August of 2007, 12 such patients (12 men and no women), with a mean age of 25.3 years (range, 18 to 40 years), were identified. Nine of the twelve had failed prior operative treatment. Mean duration of nonunion was 20 months (range, 4 to 36 months). Carpal indices, time to union, early functional outcomes, and complications were recorded. All 12 nonunions healed at a mean of 13 weeks (range, 6 to 26 weeks). Radiographic evaluation demonstrated significant improvement from preoperative to postoperative mean lateral intrascaphoid angle (66 and 28 degrees, respectively; p = 0.00005), scaphoid height-to-length ratio (0.78 and 0.65 respectively; p = 0.006), scapholunate angle (63 and 49 degrees, respectively; p = 0.001), and radiolunate angle (15 and 6 degrees, respectively; p = 0.0005). Five patients underwent subsequent procedures (one radial styloidectomy and four Kirschner wire removals, with one concurrent donor-site stitch abscess d\u00e9bridement). Free-vascularized medial femoral condyle grafts provide both blood supply and structural support to restore scaphoid vascularity and architecture, thereby promoting union. These results suggest that this graft is a promising alternative in the treatment of scaphoid nonunions associated with avascular necrosis and carpal collapse.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27716844,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SARAH Domain-Mediated MST2-RASSF Dimeric Interactions.\nRASSF enzymes act as key apoptosis activators and tumor suppressors, being downregulated in many human cancers, although their exact regulatory roles remain unknown. A key downstream event in the RASSF pathway is the regulation of MST kinases, which are main effectors of RASSF-induced apoptosis. The regulation of MST1\/2 includes both homo- and heterodimerization, mediated by helical SARAH domains, though the underlying molecular interaction mechanism is unclear. Here, we study the interactions between RASSF1A, RASSF5, and MST2 SARAH domains by using both atomistic molecular simulation techniques and experiments. We construct and study models of MST2 homodimers and MST2-RASSF SARAH heterodimers, and we identify the factors that control their high molecular stability. In addition, we also analyze both computationally and experimentally the interactions of MST2 SARAH domains with a series of synthetic peptides particularly designed to bind to it, and hope that our approach can be used to address some of the challenging problems in designing new anti-cancer drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1724910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of oral glucose feeding on thyroid hormone action in human mononuclear blood cells.\nThe effect of glucose feeding on serum concentrations of thyroid hormones, nuclear T3 binding and thyroid hormone stimulated oxygen consumption and glucose uptake was evaluated. Six persons without thyroid diseases were fed exclusively glucose (2500 kcal\/day) for two days. Glucose feeding resulted in the following serum hormone levels (before vs after glucose feeding) T3: 1.07 vs 1.16 nmol\/l (p less than 0.05); FT4I: 76 vs 102 a.u. (p less than 0.05) and TSH: 1.48 vs 1.14 mU\/l (n.s.). Nuclear T3 binding decreased after glucose feeding; before: maximal binding capacity (MBC) 1.3 +\/- 0.5 fmol\/100 ug DNA, MBC after glucose feeding: 0.8 +\/- 0.2 fmol\/100 ug DNA (p less than 0.05). The Ka's were identical in both groups before glucose, Ka: 4.2 +\/- 1.2 x 10A10 l\/mol, after glucose, Ka: 3.5 +\/- 1.2 x 10(10) l\/mol. Conversely did glucose feeding increase thyroid hormone stimulated oxygen consumption by approximately 100% and thyroid hormone stimulated glucose uptake by approximately 200%. In conclusion, our results show that glucose feeding 1) increases serum T3 levels, 2) decreases nuclear T3 binding, 3) enhances thyroid hormone stimulated oxygen consumption and glucose uptake.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24046004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Observations on the effects of Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling 7 (SOCS7) knockdown in breast cancer cells: their in vitro response to Insulin Like Growth Factor I (IGF-I).\nSuppressor of cytokine signaling 7 (SOCS7) is a member of the SOCS family and is known to interact with phospholipase C\u03b3-1 (PLC\u03b3-1), one of the insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptor downstream molecules. In this study, we sought to observe the effect of knocking down SOCS7 gene on breast cancer cells in vitro growth and migration and to elucidate whether this involves IGF-I-PLC\u03b31 route using the PLC\u03b3-1 blocker U73122. Suitable breast cancer cells (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) were transfected with anti-SOCS7 ribozymal transgene, to create sub-lines with SOCS7 knockdown verified by RT-PCR. The growth and migration of the cells were evaluated in the presence or absence of IGF-I and PLC\u03b3-1 inhibitor using growth assay, scratch-wound and electrical cell impedance sensing (ECIS) migration assays. IGF-I treatment produced more pronounced influence on MCF7 growth and migration and on MDA-MB-231 migration when SOCS7 gene was knocked down in both lines (p < 0.05). The absence of IGF-I-induced growth response in MDA-MB-231 could be due to the intrinsic characteristics of these cells. PLC\u03b3-1 pharmacological inhibition during their in vitro migration seemed to only occur when SOCS7 gene was knocked down. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the SOCS7 regulatory role in IGF-I induced in vitro functions in ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cells. IGF-I treatment and SOCS7 loss have synergistically resulted in increased growth and migration of MCF7 and in increased migration of MDA-MB-231 cells. The migratory effects could be due to a precise anti-PLC\u03b3-1 role.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23129532,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Insight into the origin of the positive effects of imidazolium salt on electrocatalytic activity: ionic carbon nanotubes as metal-free electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction.\nWe report remarkable metal-free electrocatalytic activities of the imidazolium salt-functionalized ionic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (IM-f-MWCNTs) in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The electrocatalytic activity can be attributed to the induced polarization of the \u03c0-electrons of CNTs, thus accelerating interfacial electron transfer. The zwitterionic MWCNTs functionalized with poly(vinylimidazolium sulfonate) have a more positive surface charge and exhibit a better electrocatalytic activity than the poly(vinylbutylimidazolium chloride)-functionalized MWCNTs. The IM-f-MWCNTs showed better fuel selectivity than the commercial Pt\/C electrocatalyst.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7771575,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of arterially infused catecholamines and insulin on plasma glucose and free fatty acids in carp.\nCommon carp (Cyprinus carpio L.), kept at 20 degrees C, were fitted with an indwelling PE-50 cannula in the dorsal aorta. Hormones dissolved in Ringer saline were arterially infused at a rate of 1 microgram.kg-1.min-1 for epinephrine (Epi), 2 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 for norepinephrine (NE), and 1.33 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 for insulin. INfusion of bovine insulin in carp resulted in a long lasting (24 h) decrease of plasma free fatty acids (FFA; -0.41 +\/- 0.06 mM) and glucose levels (-3.14 +\/- 0.25 mM) compared with preinfusion levels at t = 0. Both Epi and NE induced a marked hyperglycemia although Epi was more potent (+8.2 +\/- 0.9 and +6.9 +\/- 0.8 mM, respectively). Plasma FFA levels increased by 0.25 +\/- 0.03 mM compared with preinfusion levels on Epi infusion. In contrast, during NE infusion, plasma FFA levels decreased significantly by -0.21 +\/- 0.03 mM. Plasma insulin titers did not significantly change during infusion of NE or Epi. It is concluded that the ratio of NE to Epi is the major factor that determines the effect of catecholamines on plasma FFA levels in carp. These results may explain species-dependent different effects of hypoxia on FFA metabolism in fish.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6340730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Dynamic aspects of insulin action: synchronization of oscillatory glycolysis in isolated perifused rat fat cells by insulin and hydrogen peroxide.\nGlucose oxidation to CO2 was investigated in isolated perifused rat epididymal fat cells. Insulin stimulated rates of oxidation up to 30-fold. Multiple pulses of insulin or prolonged perifusion with the hormone led to a time-dependent desensitization of the cells. The action of insulin could be mimicked by H2O2. Reversal of H2O2 effects was associated with a damped oscillation of large initial amplitude. Initiation of perifusion with insulin induced rates of glucose oxidation that oscillated around a mean elevated rate with an amplitude of about +\/- 4% of the mean, significantly larger than the measurement error. Basal rates did not show clear oscillations. The oscillations after insulin had a statistically significant period of around 14 min. The results were the same with C1- or C6-labeled glucose and occurred in the presence of both 0.275 and 5.5 mM glucose in the perifusion medium. The oscillations were interpreted as the result of insulin- or H2O2-induced synchronization of oscillatory glycolysis by individual fat cells. The similarity of the observed oscillatory period with the period of oscillatory insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells suggests that oscillatory glycolysis may constitute the internal pacemaker for the latter process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10228626,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Expression and function of beta 2 integrin CD11B\/CD18 on leukocytes from patients with psoriasis.\nThe expression of beta 2 integrin CD11b on granulocytes and monocytes from patients with psoriasis vulgaris and pustular psoriasis was examined by flow cytometry. The amount of CD11b expressed on both granulocytes and monocytes was greater in 4 patients with pustular psoriasis than in 16 patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Its expression correlated with the development of pustules on the skin. No difference was seen between healthy blood donors and patients with active psoriasis vulgaris. Three patients with pustular psoriasis were followed during retinoid treatment. Granulocytes and monocytes showed a decrease in CD11b expression after administration of retinoids, in parallel with clearing of the skin. The adherence of granulocytes isolated from psoriasis patients was tested on cultured human umbilical vein endothelium. No significant difference in adherence was observed between control cells and cells from patients with active psoriasis vulgaris. These data indicate that the development of microabscesses in the dermis in psoriasis vulgaris is not related to enhanced beta 2 integrin function. The increased CD11b expression found in patients with pustular psoriasis may, however, serve as a triggering factor for pustule formation in pustular psoriasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35113974,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"More journal articles and fewer books: Publication practices in the social sciences in the 2010's.\nThe number of scholarly journal articles published each year is growing, but little is known about the relationship between journal article growth and other forms of scholarly dissemination (e.g., books and monographs). Journal articles are the de facto currency of evaluation and prestige in STEM fields, but social scientists routinely publish books as well as articles, representing a unique opportunity to study increased article publications in disciplines with other dissemination options. We studied the publishing activity of social science faculty members in 12 disciplines at 290 Ph.D. granting institutions in the United States between 2011 and 2019, asking: 1) have publication practices changed such that more or fewer books and articles are written now than in the recent past?; 2) has the percentage of scholars actively participating in a particular publishing type changed over time?; and 3) do different age cohorts evince different publication strategies? In all disciplines, journal articles per person increased between 3% and 64% between 2011 and 2019, while books per person decreased by at least 31% and as much as 54%. All age cohorts show increased article authorship over the study period, and early career scholars author more articles per person than the other cohorts in eight disciplines. The article-dominated literatures of the social sciences are becoming increasingly similar to those of STEM disciplines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26480275,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and the 'Third Wave' of Cognitive-Bahavioral Therapies (CBT)].\nThe paper presents the reasons that led to the incorporation of mindfulness as part of a cognitive therapy approach to the prevention of relapse of recurrent depressive disorders. It describes the context in which models focused on the contents of cognition gave way to models focused on cognitive processes. We highlight the problems encountered by the standard cognitive model when trying to account for the cognitive vulnerability of individuals who, having experienced a depressive episode, are in remission. We briefly describe the theoretical foundations of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and its therapeutic approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33791249,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Impact of Radical Nephrectomy and Partial Nephrectomy on Actual Estimated Overall Survival Compared to Life Expectancy in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma.\nReports suggest that partial nephrectomy provides no significant benefit in terms of cancer-specific and overall survival (OS) compared to radical nephrectomy. Here, we focused on survival in terms of life expectancy and investigated the significance of partial nephrectomy for localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients. Our retrospective study included 937 patients (median age 63 years) with localized RCC who underwent partial nephrectomy or radical nephrectomy. Various predictive factors were explored, and the association between actual OS and life expectancy was analyzed. Performance status (PS) \u22651 and tumor size \u226540 mm were identified as independent poor prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival. Age \u226560, male sex, PS \u22651, C-reactive protein elevation, pT1b stage, and radical nephrectomy were identified as independent poor prognostic factors for OS. OS and life expectancy did not differ in the partial nephrectomy group (P=0.11). OS was significantly shorter than life expectancy in the radical nephrectomy group (P<0.0001). In PS0 or pT1a patients, there was a significant difference between actual OS and life expectancy in the radical nephrectomy group (P<0.0001), but not in the partial nephrectomy group (P=0.15). In patients with a life expectancy \u226510 years, PS0, and pTa, OS and life expectancy differed in the radical nephrectomy group, but not in the partial nephrectomy group. Partial nephrectomy can improve actual OS, and notably, PS and tumor size are crucial factors that determine the choice of surgical procedure. Further research is needed to establish appropriate treatment strategies and criteria for clinical practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17217225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Phenomenon of endogenic auto-rosetting in blood, its role in toxic anemia pathogenesis].\nEndogenic auto-rosetting in peripheral blood was studied in workers exposed to paint-and-lacquer materials. Findings are increased numbers of general auto-rosettes and of auto-rosettes with extracellular RBC lysis (p < 0.001). That was associated with decrease of RBC and hemoglobin (p < 0.01).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30613119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Permutation Tests for General Dependent Truncation.\nTruncated survival data arise when the event time is observed only if it falls within a subject-specific region, known as the truncation set. Left-truncated data arise when there is delayed entry into a study, such that subjects are included only if their event time exceeds some other time. Quasi-independence of truncation and failure refers to factorization of their joint density in the observable region. Under quasi-independence, standard methods for survival data such as the Kaplan-Meier estimator and Cox regression can be applied after simple adjustments to the risk sets. Unlike the requisite assumption of independent censoring, quasi-independence can be tested, e.g., using a conditional Kendall's tau test. Current methods for testing for quasi-independence are powerful for monotone alternatives. Nonetheless, it is essential to detect any kind of deviation from quasi-independence so as not to report a biased Kaplan-Meier estimator or regression effect, which would arise from applying the simple risk set adjustment when dependence holds. Nonparametric, minimum p-value tests that are powerful against non-monotone alternatives are developed to offer protection against erroneous assumptions of quasi-independence. The use of conditional and unconditional methods of permutation for evaluation of the proposed tests are investigated in simulation studies. The proposed tests are applied to a study on the cognitive and functional decline in aging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35123342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Age-related changes and longitudinal stability of individual differences in ABCD Neurocognition measures.\nTemporal stability of individual differences is an important prerequisite for accurate tracking of prospective relationships between neurocognition and real-world behavioral outcomes such as substance abuse and psychopathology. Here we report age-related changes and longitudinal test-retest stability (TRS) for the Neurocognition battery of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, which included the NIH Toolbox (TB) Cognitive Domain and additional memory and visuospatial processing tests administered at baseline (ages 9-11) and two-year follow-up. As expected, performance improved significantly with age, but the effect size varied broadly, with Pattern Comparison and the Crystallized Cognition Composite showing the largest age-related gain (Cohen's d:.99 and.97, respectively). TRS ranged from fair (Flanker test: r = 0.44) to excellent (Crystallized Cognition Composite: r = 0.82). A comparison of longitudinal changes and cross-sectional age-related differences within baseline and follow-up assessments suggested that, for some measures, longitudinal changes may be confounded by practice effects and differences in task stimuli or procedure between baseline and follow-up. In conclusion, a subset of measures showed good stability of individual differences despite significant age-related changes, warranting their use as prospective predictors. However, caution is needed in the interpretation of observed longitudinal changes as indicators of neurocognitive development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17890376,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An oncoprotein from the plant pathogen agrobacterium has histone chaperone-like activity.\nProtein 6b, encoded by T-DNA from the pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, stimulates the plant hormone-independent division of cells in culture in vitro and induces aberrant cell growth and the ectopic expression of various genes, including genes related to cell division and meristem-related class 1 KNOX homeobox genes, in 6b-expressing transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum plants. Protein 6b is found in nuclei and binds to several plant nuclear proteins. Here, we report that 6b binds specifically to histone H3 in vitro but not to other core histones. Analysis by bimolecular fluorescence complementation revealed an interaction in vivo between 6b and histone H3. We recovered 6b from a chromatin fraction from 6b-expressing plant cells. A supercoiling assay and digestion with micrococcal nuclease indicated that 6b acts as a histone chaperone with the ability to mediate formation of nucleosomes in vitro. Mutant 6b, lacking the C-terminal region that is required for cell division-stimulating activity and interaction with histone H3, was deficient in histone chaperone activity. Our results suggest a relationship between alterations in nucleosome structure and the expression of growth-regulating genes on the one hand and the induction of aberrant cell proliferation on the other.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30816724,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Teen mothers' educational attainment and their children's risk for teenage childbearing.\nThe children of teen mothers are at elevated risk for becoming teen parents themselves. The current study aimed to identify how levels of mothers' education were associated with risk of teenage childbearing for children of teen versus nonteen mothers. Through structural equation modeling, we tested whether children's environmental and personal characteristics in adolescence and subsequent sexual risk behaviors mediated the relationship between their mothers' educational attainment and their risk for teenage childbearing. With multiple-group models, we assessed whether the associations of maternal educational attainment with children's outcomes were similar for the children of teen and nonteen mothers. The sample (N = 1,817) contained linked data from female National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 (NLSY79) participants and their first-born child (son or daughter) from the NLSY79 Children and Young Adults. The mediating pathways linking higher levels of maternal education to lower risk for teenage childbearing, and magnitudes of the associations, were mostly similar for children of teen and nonteen mothers. However, nonteen mothers experienced greater associations of their high school diploma attainment (vs. no degree) with some of their children's outcomes. Also, the association of earning a high school diploma (vs. a GED) with household incomes was greater for nonteen mothers; there was no significant difference between degree types for teen mothers. Findings provide support for teen mother secondary school support programming, but point to a need for further research regarding the long-term behavioral and social outcomes associated with the high school equivalency certificate for teen mothers and their children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28425087,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Peer Connect for African American breast cancer survivors and caregivers: a train-the-trainer approach for peer support.\nRacial disparities in breast cancer survivorship are a major concern nationally. How survivors cope with cancer and re-frame their lives is a critical part of survivorship. Community-academic research partnerships may facilitate access to much-needed psychosocial support for African American survivors and caregivers in rural areas, but drivers of successful intervention implementation are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to describe the training and evaluation of Community Coaches and Guides (i.e., peer supporters) using the Peer Connect program for African American breast cancer survivors and caregivers. Community engagement strategies were used to implement the training component of Peer Connect, an evidence-based program grounded in the Diffusion of Innovation Theory utilizing motivational interviewing techniques (MI) and a \"train-the-trainer\" model. Quantitative and qualitative methods examined implementation outcomes of feasibility, MI fidelity, and acceptability-precursor outcomes that must be achieved before examining intervention impact vis-\u00e0-vis changes in support care. Training was feasible to implement and replicable by the trained Community Coaches. Beyond feasibility and replicability, success was modest regarding MI fidelity. Benefits (e.g., serving as role models and having safe sources of support) and lessons learned (e.g., need for additional quality control) were identified as both facilitators and barriers to implementation and as factors that could impact the effectiveness of community-engaged programs to improve survivorship outcomes. Peer Connect, like other programs that employ community-engagement strategies, holds promise to meet the psychosocial support needs of diverse rural cancer survivor populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28073801,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Predictors of work disability after start of anti-TNF therapy in a national cohort of Swedish patients with rheumatoid arthritis: does early anti-TNF therapy bring patients back to work?\nTo examine predictors of work ability gain and loss after anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) start, respectively, in working-age patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a special focus on disease duration. Patients with RA, aged 19-62 years, starting their first TNF inhibitor 2006-2009 with full work ability (0 sick leave\/disability pension days during 3 months before bio-start; n=1048) or no work ability (90 days; n=753) were identified in the Swedish biologics register (Anti-Rheumatic Treatment In Sweden, ARTIS) and sick leave\/disability pension days retrieved from the Social Insurance Agency. Outcome was defined as work ability gain \u226550% for patients without work ability at bio-start and work ability loss \u226550% for patients with full work ability, and survival analyses conducted. Baseline predictors including disease duration, age, sex, education level, employment, Health Assessment Questionnaire, Disease Activity Score 28 and relevant comorbidities were estimated using Cox regression. During 3 years after anti-TNF start, the probability of regaining work ability for totally work-disabled patients was 35% for those with disease duration <5 years and 14% for disease duration \u22655 years (adjusted HR 2.1 (95% CI 1.4 to 3.2)). For patients with full work ability at bio-start, disease duration did not predict work ability loss. Baseline disability pension was also a strong predictor of work ability gain after treatment start. A substantial proportion of work-disabled patients with RA who start anti-TNF therapy regain work ability. Those initiating treatment within 5 years of symptom onset have a more than doubled 3-year probability of regaining work ability compared with later treatment starts. This effect seems largely due to the impact of disease duration on disability pension status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28043820,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Kinase signaling and targeted therapy for primary myelofibrosis.\nThe myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are somatic mutation-driven hematologic malignancies characterized by bone marrow fibrosis and the accumulation of atypical megakaryocytes with reduced polyploidization in the primary myelofibrosis subtype of the MPNs. Increasing evidence points to a dominant role of abnormal megakaryocytes in disease initiation and progression. Here we review the literature related to kinase signaling pathways relevant to megakaryocyte differentiation and proliferation, including Aurora A kinase, RhoA\/ROCK, and JAK\/STAT, as well as the activities of their targeted inhibitors in models of the disease. Some of these pathway inhibitors selectively induce megakaryocyte differentiation, suppress malignant proliferation, and promote polyploidization and proplatelet formation. Moreover, combining sets of these inhibitors may be an effective approach to treat and potentially cure MPN patients. For example, preclinical studies reported significant synergistic effects of the combination of an Aurora A inhibitor and JAK1\/2 inhibitor, in a murine model of the primary myelofibrosis. Future basic and clinical research into the contributions of these signaling pathways to aberrant megakaryopoiesis may lead to novel effective treatments for MPN patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30595120,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Novel Potent Decameric Peptide of Spirulina platensis Reduces Blood Pressure Levels Through a PI3K\/AKT\/eNOS-Dependent Mechanism.\nConsidered as a superfood of the future, Spirulina platensis matrix has been extensively used because of its beneficial effect on the management of cardiovascular diseases. However, its nutraceutical properties, bioactive compounds, and molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that S platensis matrix processed in vitro by simulated gastrointestinal digestion induces direct endothelial nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasorelaxation of resistance vessels in mice. To gain insight into the bioactive compounds responsible for this effect, we used a complex multistep peptidomic approach to fractionate the crude digest: of the 5 peptide fractions identified (A-E), only fraction E evoked vasorelaxation. High-resolution mass spectrometry-based screening revealed in E the presence of 4 main peptides (SP3-SP6 [spirulina peptides]), of which only SP6 (GIVAGDVTPI) exerted direct endothelium-dependent vasodilation of ex vivo vessels, an effect occurring via a PI3K (phosphoinositide-3-kinase)\/AKT (serine\/threonine kinase Akt) pathway converging on NO release. In vivo, administration of SP6 evoked a significant hemodynamic effect, reducing blood pressure, an action absent in eNOS (endothelial NO synthase)-deficient mice. Of note, although lower doses of SP6 had no hemodynamic effects, it still enhanced endothelial NO vasorelaxation. Finally, in an experimental model of arterial hypertension, SP6 exerted an antihypertensive effect, improving endothelial vasorelaxation associated with enhanced serum nitrite levels. Based on our results, this novel decameric peptide may extend the possible fields of application for spirulina-derived peptides and could be developed into a promising nonpharmacological approach for the containment of pathologies associated with vascular NO misregulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27891438,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Blastomycosis-Like Pyoderma- A Rare Case Report.\nBlastomycosis-like pyoderma is a rare, cutaneous bacterial infection of skin, seen in malnourished individuals, in a poor state of health and manifests as vegetating skin lesions. It is an unusual tissue reaction possibly to bacterial infection, the most common organism being Staphylococcus aureus. This case report is of a 35-year-old male who presented with thick verrucous surfaced plaques and papules on trunk and extremities since 2 months. Investigations revealed anaemia with hypochromasia, neutrophilic leucocytosis, hypo-proteinemia and hypo-albuminemia with reversal of A\/G ratio. Pathergy test was negative. Pus on Gram's stain showed plenty of pus cells, and negative for AFB and fungal stain. On culture of pus grew Coagulase negative staphylococcus species. Biopsy showed acanthosis of epidermis with moderate lymphocytic infiltrates in dermis and focally a few neutrophils and histiocytes. Patient fulfilled the criteria for diagnosis of blastomycosis like pyoderma viz., presentation of large verrucous plaques with pustules and ulcers with elevated border, histologically neutrophilic infiltration and growth of one pathogenic bacterium on culture. Patient responded to long-term cefotaxime therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17781527,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"High-voltage transmission electron microscopy study of lunar surface material.\nThe internal substructures of a type B sample have been examined at high magnification and compared with terrestrial rocks. Selected ultrathin sections were prepared from these multiphase materials by an ion-thinning technique and examined in a 1-Mev electron microscope, with complementary optical analyses. The structures in the ilmenite and plagioclase indicate that the lunar material has undergone plastic deformation by dislocation movement and possibly microtwinning, with subsequent recovery. The pyroxene exhibits complex lamellar structures of submicron spacing. These various observations are consistent with the optical microscopy evidence for distortion and recovery and identify the processes involved.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16960464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Approaching delusional misidentification syndromes as a disorder of the sense of uniqueness.\nCo-occurrence of the different types of delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS) implies a common pathogenetic substrate. Until now, theoretical explanations have strained to produce a collective approach, but have been trammeled by the initial definition of the syndromes (Capgras\/Fregoli) that originated from the attribution of causal significance to the element of familiarity towards the misidentified object. In this article, we present two cases illustrating the co-occurrence of the syndromes and we attempt to propose a new approach to DMS. We hypothesize that a common potential pathogenetic factor underlying DMS could be a disorder of the sense of uniqueness. The ability to attribute uniqueness to the self and to surrounding people, objects, or places is a principal property of the adaptable mind that acts as a matrix for the identification process. We propose that although the term 'identity' encompasses the concept of uniqueness, this must be accomplished somewhere in a model of semantic processing of identity. Our approach is questioning the current view that this sequential stage is the PIN stage in the functional model of face recognition by Bruce and Young, and we attempt to see the disordered sense of uniqueness within the evolved form of the model of face recognition and delusional misidentification introduced by Ellis and Lewis. We propose that such a disturbance could result in an unstable identification process, vulnerable to discrepancies in perceptual, emotional, or memory input caused by psychotic or organic mental states, thus resulting in a breakdown of the identification process that inevitably leads to a delusion of denial of identity, or to a delusion of 'doubles'.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10617276,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Molecular pathology of multiple endocrine neoplasia type I: two novel germline mutations and updated classification of mutations affecting MEN1 gene.\nMultiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the combined development of tumors in several endocrine glands and other tissues. The MEN1 gene was recently identified and isolated by positional cloning. This gene was screened in two unrelated MEN1 Spanish kindreds (with four affected members and seven asymptomatic members) using single-strand conformation polymorphism, DNA sequencing, and restriction enzyme analysis. Two novel germline mutations were identified: a missense in exon 2 (H139R) and a splice-site in intron 9 (1461-2A>C). These findings allowed us to identify the MEN1 carriers among the seven asymptomatic members analyzed. An updated review of the mutations and polymorphisms found in the analysis of the MEN1 gene is provided. The report of all germline mutations causing MEN1 and easy access to this updated information are both of special diagnostic interest, because this greatly facilitates the task of attributing the disorder to a specific mutation found in a given MEN1 family. This is especially helpful in the critical differentiation of missense mutations from nonsynonymous polymorphisms that fit the pattern of segregation of the disease, but do not cause it.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15720516,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of the anti-endotoxic effects of polymyxin-E (colistin) in dogs with naturally occurred endotoxic shock.\nEndotoxin is a potent stimulator of the inflammatory response and is believed to initiate the pathology in gram-negative sepsis. Agents are being searched for that bind and neutralize or block the effects of endotoxin. The aim was to study the anti-endotoxic effects of polymyxin-E (colistin) in endotoxaemic dogs. The study included a total of 30 endotoxaemic dogs, which were divided into two groups (control = 15; test = 15) of both sexes, different breeds and ages. Hetastarch colloid solution (Expahes,10 mL\/kg, i.v.) with lactated Ringer's solution (20 mL\/kg, i.v., Q12 h) was given to all dogs. While ampicillin was administered (Alfasilin, 10 mg\/kg, i.m., Q12 h) as an antibacterial to the control group, colistin (12,500 IU\/kg, i.m., Q12 h) + ampicillin were administered to the test group. The clinical examination (body temperature, pulse and respiration rates, capillary filling times, peripheral pulse qualities, dehydration degrees), hematological and biochemical examinations (WBC, RBC, HGB, HCT, thrombocyte, serum urea, creatinine and TNF-alpha) were performed both before the treatment, and 2, 4, 12 and 24 h after the treatment. In comparison with the control group, it was observed that test group had shorter capillary filling time at 24 h (P < 0.001). Moreover, the degree of dehydration in test group, was significantly improved at 24 h (P < 0.01). While the differences in peripheral pulse qualities significantly differed between 0 and 2 h in controls, at 2, 4, 24 h after treatment it was found to be significantly increased when compared with 0 h in the test group. Serum TNF-alpha concentrations were statistically decreased in the test group between 0 h and other times (P < 0.01). When compared with controls, serum TNF-alpha concentrations were lower at 2, 4, 12 and 24 h in test group (P < 0.05). Results of the study indicated that polymyxin-E (colistin) has an anti-endotoxic effect and is safe for the dogs with endotoxemia at the dosage used in this study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17101332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Hepatic vein pressure gradient reduction and prevention of variceal bleeding in cirrhosis: a systematic review.\nA reduction of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) to <\/=12 mm Hg or by >\/=20% of baseline prevents variceal bleeding in cirrhosis. Because some inconsistent data have argued against the clinical application of these hemodynamic targets, we performed a systematic review of available studies from the Cochrane Library and MEDLINE. Hemodynamic targets were HVPG reduction (1) to <\/=12 mm Hg; (2) by >\/=20% with final value >12 mm Hg; (3) by >\/=20% or to <\/=12 mm Hg. Meta-regression analysis was used to explore heterogeneity. Twelve studies were identified including 943 patients. Pooled odds ratios for bleeding for the 3 hemodynamic targets were, respectively, 0.21 (95% CI: 0.10-0.45; P = .0001), 0.25 (95% CI: 0.11-0.56; P = .001), and 0.17 (95% CI: 0.09-0.33; P = .001). A significant heterogeneity was found for the 2 last estimates, and meta-regression analysis showed that this was caused by an exceedingly long interval between HVPG measurements in 1 study. After exclusion of that study, heterogeneity disappeared, and the pooled odds ratios were, respectively, 0.19 (95% CI: 0.11-0.34; P = .0001) and 0.14 (95% CI: 0.09-0.21; P = .0001). The beneficial effect of HVPG reduction for first bleeding was similar to that for recurrent bleeding. Mortality was significantly reduced for HVPG reduction by >\/=20% or to <\/=12 mm Hg (pooled odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI: 0.19-0.81, P = .012). HVPG reduction to <\/=12 mm Hg or by >\/=20% significantly reduces the risk of bleeding, and a reduction of >\/=20% significantly reduces mortality. These hemodynamic targets should be considered for clinical practice and for randomized controlled trials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15105376,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Translation repression by GLD-1 protects its mRNA targets from nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in C. elegans.\nPreviously, we identified multiple in vivo mRNA targets of the maxi-KH\/STAR domain protein GLD-1 by their ability to interact with GLD-1 in cytoplasmic extracts and, for all targets tested thus far, GLD-1 functions as a translational repressor. However, here we show that GLD-1 stabilizes the mRNAs of two targets, gna-2 (T23G11.2) and Y75B12B.1. gna-2 mRNA has two upstream open reading frames (uORF), resulting in two premature stop codons. We found that gna-2 mRNA is a naturally occurring mRNA target of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) and that the binding of GLD-1 protects gna-2 mRNA from NMD, likely by repressing translation of the uORFs. Therefore, gna-2 mRNA comes under two posttranscriptional controls: (1) translation regulation by a specific translational repressor, GLD-1; and (2) uORF elicited regulation, mainly through NMD. As a result, these two posttranscriptional controls together provide precise temporal and spatial control of gene expression. Consistent with this novel mode of regulation, when GLD-1 mRNA targets acquire premature stop codon mutations, GLD-1 protects them from NMD. Analysis of several mRNA targets containing premature stop codons suggests that in translation repression, GLD-1 either represses ribosome assembly on the target mRNA, or subsequent ribosome elongation to the premature stop codon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24335427,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Species radiation by niche shifts in New Zealand's rockcresses (Pachycladon, Brassicaceae).\nAdaptive radiations such as the Darwin finches in the Galapagos or the cichlid fishes from the Eastern African Great Lakes have been a constant source of inspiration for biologists and a stimulus for evolutionary thinking. A central concept behind adaptive radiation is that of evolution by niche shifts, or ecological speciation. Evidence for adaptive radiations generally requires a strong correlation between phenotypic traits and the environment. But adaptive traits are often cryptic, hence making this phenotype-environment approach difficult to implement. Here we propose a procedure for detecting adaptive radiation that focuses on species' ecological niche comparisons. It evaluates whether past ecological disparity in a group fits better a neutral Brownian motion model of ecological divergence or a niche shift model. We have evaluated this approach on New Zealand rockcresses (Pachycladon) that recently radiated in the New Zealand Alps. We show that the pattern of ecological divergence rejects the neutral model and is consistent with that of a niche shift model. Our approach to detect adaptive radiation has the advantage over alternative approaches that it focuses on ecological niches, a key concept behind adaptive radiation. It also provides a way to evaluate the importance of ecological speciation in adaptive radiations and will have general application in evolutionary studies. In the case of Pachycladon, the high estimated diversification rate, the distinctive ecological niches of species, and the evidence for ecological speciation suggest a remarkable example of adaptive radiation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28396308,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"New options and controversies in the management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.\nAn expanding array of options for prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), including regimens containing olanzapine or recently approved neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor antagonists, are reviewed. Up to 80% of patients receiving chemotherapy have CINV. Current practice guidelines recommend that patients treated with highly emetogenic chemotherapy also receive a 3-drug antiemetic regimen initiated on the day of and continued for 3 days after chemotherapy administration, with the most commonly used 3-drug regimen consisting of an NK1 receptor antagonist, a 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonist, and dexamethasone. Developments in the area of CINV management in recent years include the use of olanzapine in combination with a 5-HT3 antagonist and dexamethasone; Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the NK1 receptor antagonist rolapitant, which provides a longer duration of effect than aprepitant; FDA approval of a combination product containing palonosetron and the NK1 receptor antagonist netupitant; and revisions of U.S. practice guidelines ending palonosetron's status as the preferred 5-HT3 antagonist for prevention of CINV associated with moderately or highly emetogenic chemotherapy. Newer therapeutic options for the management of CINV are equivalent to standard-of-care regimens in terms of efficacy and toxicity. While the NK1 receptor antagonist rolapitant and a product combining palonosetron and netupitant have potential advantages over standard therapy in terms of convenience or pharmacologic properties, their relatively high costs must be considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29470102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"What You Don't Notice Can Harm You: Age-Related Differences in Detecting Concurrent Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Cues.\nObjective This research sought to determine whether people can perceive and process three nonredundant (and unrelated) signals in vision, hearing, and touch at the same time and how aging and concurrent task demands affect this ability. Background Multimodal displays have been shown to improve multitasking and attention management; however, their potential limitations are not well understood. The majority of studies on multimodal information presentation have focused on the processing of only two concurrent and, most often, redundant cues by younger participants. Method Two experiments were conducted in which younger and older adults detected and responded to a series of singles, pairs, and triplets of visual, auditory, and tactile cues in the absence (Experiment 1) and presence (Experiment 2) of an ongoing simulated driving task. Detection rates, response times, and driving task performance were measured. Results Compared to younger participants, older adults showed longer response times and higher error rates in response to cues\/cue combinations. Older participants often missed the tactile cue when three cues were combined. They sometimes falsely reported the presence of a visual cue when presented with a pair of auditory and tactile signals. Driving performance suffered most in the presence of cue triplets. Conclusion People are more likely to miss information if more than two concurrent nonredundant signals are presented to different sensory channels. Application The findings from this work help inform the design of multimodal displays and ensure their usefulness across different age groups and in various application domains.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17807447,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Activation and Inhibition of Indoleacetic Acid Oxidase Activity from Peas.\nThe inhibition of indoleacetic acid oxidase activity by chlorogenic acid is markedly variable. Aqueous extracts of acetone precipitates from etiolated pea epicotyls contain heat-stable substances which decrease the inhibition produced by chlorogenic acid and also have a small activating effect. Low concentrations of pcoumaric acid (1 micro\/ml) can stimulate this action. The possible role of activators and inhibitors in the in vivo regulation of indoleacetic acid oxidase activity is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16862291,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Bacterial growth and DOC consumption in a tropical coastal lagoon.\nThe aims of this research were to determine the main limiting nutrient to bacterial growth in Imboassica lagoon, southeastern Brazil, to estimate the percentage of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) available for bacterial growth, and to determine the bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) of natural assemblages. Bacterial growth and DOC consumption were determined in batch culture experiments, in which water samples were supplemented with nitrogen and phosphorus together or separately, or incubated without nutrient additions. When added together, N and P stimulated higher bacterial growth rates and production, as well as higher DOC consumption. The BGEs and DOC consumption rates were strongly dependent on the method used to determine bacterial production. The BGE ranged from 11 to 72%. However, only a minor fraction of bulk DOC was consumed by the planktonic bacteria (from 0.7 to 3.4%). The results suggest that low availability of phosphorus and nitrogen coupled with excess organic carbon was the main factor responsible for the relatively low bacterial utilization of DOC in Imboassica lagoon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26154994,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A battery-operated portable handheld electrospinning apparatus.\nElectrospinning (e-spinning) still has certain limitations in flexible practicability because its conventional setup is usually quite bulky and excessively dependent on a plug (electric supply). In this article, we report on a battery-operated e-spinning apparatus (BOEA) based on miniaturization and integration. The new device gets liberated from the conventional heavy power supply, achieves the tight integration of functional parts and can be operated by a single hand due to its small volume (10.5 \u00d7 5 \u00d7 3 cm(3)) and light weight (about 120 g). Different polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polycaprolactone (PCL), polystyrene (PS), poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) were electrospun into fibers successfully, which confirms the stable performance and good real-time control capability of the apparatus. These results demonstrate that the BOEA could be potentially applied in many fields, especially in biomedical fields such as skin damage, wound healing, rapid hemostasis, etc.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":13109110,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Regression of transplanted lymphomas induced in vivo by means of normal guinea pig serum. I. Course of transplanted cancers of various kinds in mice and rats given guinea pig serum, horse serum, or rabbit serum.\nIn the experiments here described transplanted lymphomas of two kinds regularly regressed following repeated injections of normal guinea pig serum intraperitoneally into mice carrying them, the animals meanwhile remaining lively and devoid of signs of illness or wasting. The lymphomas of untreated control mice, by contrast, usually grew progressively and killed their hosts within 20 to 30 days, and the same was true of the growth of other mice given repeated injections of horse serum or rabbit serum. In similar experiments, the cells of a transplanted lymphosarcoma of rats were temporarily kept from proliferating by repeated intraperitoneal injections of guinea pig serum, though the cells of two transplanted mammary carcinomas of mice, and those of fibrosarcoma, grew unimpeded in hosts likewise treated. Additional experiments related to the phenomenon here described, and a discussion of the findings as a whole, are given in an associated paper.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11561428,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Informational and analytical system for the support of decision making during liquidation of consequences of a large-scale radiation accident].\nThe developed information and analytic system (IAS) of decision making support in liquidation medical-and-sanitary consequences of the large-scale radiation accidents permits on the base of computer models to evaluate the size and degree of territorial radioactive pollution, the radiation doses, the number and structure of radiation affection, the forces and means of medical service required for rendering the casualties the first medical aid as well as to compare the available and necessary medical forces and means. IAS is intended for equipping the toxicologist-radiologist's working place. To solve the private problems the IAS computer methods can be used both in complex and autonomously.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34066605,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Quantifying the Persistence of Vaccine-Related T Cell Epitopes in Circulating Swine Influenza A Strains from 2013-2017.\nWhen swine flu vaccines and circulating influenza A virus (IAV) strains are poorly matched, vaccine-induced antibodies may not protect from infection. Highly conserved T cell epitopes may, however, have a disease-mitigating effect. The degree of T cell epitope conservation among circulating strains and vaccine strains can vary, which may also explain differences in vaccine efficacy. Here, we evaluate a previously developed conserved T cell epitope-based vaccine and determine the persistence of T cell epitope conservation over time. We used a pair-wise homology score to define the conservation between the vaccine's swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I and II-restricted epitopes and T cell epitopes found in 1272 swine IAV strains sequenced between 2013 and 2017. Twenty-four of the 48 total T cell epitopes included in the epitope-based vaccine were highly conserved and found in >1000 circulating swine IAV strains over the 5-year period. In contrast, commercial swine IAV vaccines developed in 2013 exhibited a declining conservation with the circulating IAV strains over the same 5-year period. Conserved T cell epitope vaccines may be a useful adjunct for commercial swine flu vaccines and to improve protection against influenza when antibodies are not cross-reactive.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23115118,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phase composition control of calcium phosphate nanoparticles for tunable drug delivery kinetics and treatment of osteomyelitis. I. Preparation and drug release.\nDeveloped in this study is a multifunctional material for simultaneous osseoinduction and drug delivery, potentially applicable in the treatment of osteomyelitis. It is composed of agglomerates of nanoparticles of calcium phosphate (CAP) with different monophasic contents. The drug-loading capacity and the release kinetics were investigated on two model drug compounds with different chemical structures, sizes, and adsorption propensities: bovine serum albumin and fluorescein. Loading of CAP powders with small molecule drugs was achieved by physisorption and desiccation-induced agglomeration of nanoparticulate subunits into microscopic blocks. The material dissolution rate and the drug release rate depended on the nature of the CAP phase, decreasing from monocalcium phosphate to monetite to amorphous CAP and calcium pyrophosphate to hydroxyapatite. The sustained release of the two model drugs was shown to be directly relatable to the degradation rate of CAP carriers. It was demonstrated that the degradation rate of the carrier and the drug release kinetics could be made tunable within the time scale of 1-2 h for the most soluble CAP phase, monocalcium phosphate, to 1-2 years for the least soluble one, hydroxyapatite. From the standpoint of antibiotic therapy for osteomyelitis, typically lasting for 6 weeks, the most prospective CAP powder was amorphous CAP with its release time scale for a small organic molecule, the same category to which antibiotics belong, of 1-2 months under the conditions applied in our experiments. By combining these different CAP phases in various proportions, drug release profiles could be tailored to the therapeutic occasion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27380771,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Rescue of endemic states in interconnected networks with adaptive coupling.\nWe study the Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible model of epidemic spreading on two layers of networks interconnected by adaptive links, which are rewired at random to avoid contacts between infected and susceptible nodes at the interlayer. We find that the rewiring reduces the effective connectivity for the transmission of the disease between layers, and may even totally decouple the networks. Weak endemic states, in which the epidemics spreads when the two layers are interconnected but not in each layer separately, show a transition from the endemic to the healthy phase when the rewiring overcomes a threshold value that depends on the infection rate, the strength of the coupling and the mean connectivity of the networks. In the strong endemic scenario, in which the epidemics is able to spread on each separate network -and therefore on the interconnected system- the prevalence in each layer decreases when increasing the rewiring, arriving to single network values only in the limit of infinitely fast rewiring. We also find that rewiring amplifies finite-size effects, preventing the disease transmission between finite networks, as there is a non zero probability that the epidemics stays confined in only one network during its lifetime.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11148185,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Computer-supported detection of M-components and evaluation of immunoglobulins after capillary electrophoresis.\nElectrophoresis of serum samples allows detection of monoclonal gammopathies indicative of multiple myeloma, Waldenstr\u00f6m macroglobulinemia, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, and amyloidosis. Present methods of high-resolution agarose gel electrophoresis (HRAGE) and immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) are manual and labor-intensive. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) allows rapid automated protein separation and produces digital absorbance data, appropriate as input for a computerized decision support system. Using the Beckman Paragon CZE 2000 instrument, we analyzed 711 routine clinical samples, including 95 monoclonal components (MCs) and 9 cases of Bence Jones myeloma, in both the CZE and HRAGE systems. Mathematical algorithms developed for the detection of monoclonal immunoglobulins (MCs) in the gamma- and ss-regions of the electropherogram were tested on the entire material. Additional algorithms evaluating oligoclonality and polyclonal concentrations of immunoglobulins were also tested. CZE electropherograms corresponded well with HRAGE. Only one IgG MC of 1 g\/L, visible on HRAGE, was not visible after CZE. Algorithms detected 94 of 95 MCs (98.9%) and 100% of those visible after CZE. Of 607 samples lacking an MC on HRAGE, only 3 were identified by the algorithms (specificity, 99%). Algorithms evaluating total gammaglobulinemia and oligoclonality also identified several cases of Bence Jones myeloma. The use of capillary electrophoresis provides a modern, rapid, and cost-effective method of analyzing serum proteins. The additional option of computerized decision support, which provides rapid and standardized interpretations, should increase the clinical availability and usefulness of protein analyses in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10952024,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"A functional proteomics screen of proteases in colorectal carcinoma.\nProteases facilitate several steps in cancer progression. To identify proteases most suitable for drug targeting, actual enzyme activity and not messenger RNA levels or immunoassay of protein is the ideal assay readout. An automated microtiter plate assay format was modified to allow detection of all four major classes of proteases in tissue samples. Fifteen sets of colorectal carcinoma biopsies representing primary tumor, adjacent normal colon, and liver metastases were screened for protease activity. The major proteases detected were matrix metalloproteases (MMP9, MMP2, and MMP1), cathepsin B, cathepsin D, and the mast cell serine proteases, tryptase and chymase. Matrix metalloproteases were expressed at higher levels in the primary tumor than in adjacent normal tissue. The mast cell proteases, in contrast, were at very high levels in adjacent normal tissue, and not detectable in the metastases. Cathepsin B activity was significantly higher in the primary tumor, and highest in the metastases. The major proteases detected by activity assays were then localized in biopsy sections by immunohistochemistry. Mast cell proteases were abundant in adjacent normal tissue, because of infiltration of the lamina propria by mast cells. Matrix metalloproteases were localized to the tumor cells themselves; whereas, cathepsin B was predominantly expressed by macrophages at the leading edge of invading tumors. Although only low levels of urinary plasminogen activator were detected by direct enzyme assay, immunohistochemistry showed abundant protein within the tumor. This analysis, surveying all major classes of proteases by assays of activity rather than immunolocalization or in situ hybridization alone, serves to identify proteases whose activity is not completely balanced by endogenous inhibitors and which may be essential for tumor progression. These proteases are logical targets for initial efforts to produce low molecular weight protease inhibitors as potential chemotherapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17490540,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Relationship between thymus output function in CML patients and their bcr-abl mRNA levels].\nThe study was purposed to analyze the relationship between the content of T-cell receptor excision DNA circles (TREC) and bcr-abl mRNA levels in CML patients and to evaluate the prognostic significance of recent thymic output function detection in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Quantitative detection of TREC and bcr-abl fusion gene transcripts in peripheral blood from 15 CML patients were preformed by real-time PCR. The change of bcr-abl levels in 6 patients was followed-up for two years. The results showed that there was no significant correlation between TREC and bcr-abl mRNA levels in peripheral blood from CML patients for the first attack. Patients who had higher TREC at diagnosis had a larger reduction of bcr-abl after 2 years of follow-up. While out of 2 patients who underwent haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), one patient with higher level of TREC before transplantation was confirmed to express undetectable level of TREC by three consecutive detections after transplantation, other one patient was identified to express low level of bcr-abl. It is concluded that high thymic output function in CML patients can be beneficial for killing the residual CML cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33060073,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Potential of Circular RNAs as Cancer Biomarkers.\nCircular RNA (circRNA) is a covalently closed RNA structure that has several proposed functions related to cancer development. Recently, cancer-specific and tissue-specific circRNAs have been identified by high-throughput sequencing and are curated in publicly available databases. CircRNAs have features that are ideal properties of biomarkers, including conservation, abundance, and stability in plasma, saliva, and urine. Many circRNAs with predictive and prognostic significance in cancer have been described, and functional mechanisms for some circRNAs have been suggested. CircRNA also has great potential as a noninvasive biomarker for early cancer detection, although further investigation is necessary before clinical application is feasible.See all articles in this CEBP Focus section, \"NCI Early Detection Research Network: Making Cancer Detection Possible.\"","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30816594,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"\"There Is a Big Question Mark\": Managing Ambiguity in a Moroccan Maternity Ward.\nIn Morocco, where extramarital sex and abortion are illegal, single mothers' ambiguous status before the law inflects medical decision-making. Leaky boundaries between the court and the hospital required doctors and administrators to work with multiple forms of documentation while anticipating external surveillance. Gaps between everyday experience and legalized forms of identity created confusion across multiple institutions. When discussing single mothers, hospital staff often spoke of \"question marks\" that flagged tensions between legibility and liability, disappearance and documentation. Managing question marks ramified surveillance and categorization. Ultimately, however, attempts to administratively resolve single mothers' ambiguity created gaps and inconsistencies that allowed vulnerable patients to disappear from view.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18651070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"AOTF-based multicolor fluorescence detection for short tandem repeat (STR) analysis in an electrophoretic microdevice.\nAn acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) has been used to perform multicolor fluorescence detection for four and five-color short tandem repeat (STR) analysis on glass microchips. Matrix files were initially generated by collecting and comparing the laser-induced fluorescence emission of the labels specific to a particular STR kit, and raw data was processed to remove spectral overlap. The AmpFlSTR kits used in this work include Profiler Plus and COfiler, which are four-color kits used in tandem to address the core STR loci, as well as the five-color Identifiler kit, which contains each of the loci. In contrast to previous reports on multicolor detection for STR analysis on microchips, this detection system is characterized by a single filter and detector, and reports the first five-color genotyping application on-chip. This capability matches the portability and reduced scale of the microchip with the state-of-the-art in multicolor STR analysis kits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21094761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of increased supplementation of n-3 fatty acids to transition dairy cows on performance and fatty acid profile in plasma, adipose tissue, and milk fat.\nThe objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding an increased amount of extruded flaxseed with high proportions of n-3 fatty acids (FA) to transition dairy cows on performance, energy balance, and FA composition in plasma, adipose tissue, and milk fat. Multiparous Israeli-Holstein dry cows (n = 44) at 256 d of pregnancy were assigned to 2 treatments: (1) control cows were fed prepartum a dry-cow diet and postpartum a lactating-cow diet that consisted of 5.8% ether extracts; and (2) extruded flaxseed (EF) cows were supplemented prepartum with 1 kg of extruded flaxseed (7.9% dry matter)\/cow per d, and postpartum were fed a diet containing 9.2% of the same supplement. The EF supplement was fed until 100 d in milk. On average, each pre- and postpartum EF cow consumed 160.9 and 376.2g of C18:3n-3\/d, respectively. Postpartum dry matter intake was 3.8% higher in the EF cows. Milk production was 6.4% higher and fat content was 0.4% U lower in the EF group than in the controls, with no differences in fat and protein yields. Energy balance in the EF cows was more positive than in the controls; however, no differences were observed in concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids and glucose in plasma. Compared with controls, EF cows had greater proportions of C18:3n-3 in plasma and adipose tissue. The proportion of n-3 FA in milk fat was 3.7-fold higher in the EF cows, and the n-6:n-3 ratio was decreased from 8.3 in controls to 2.3 in the EF cows. Within-group tests revealed that the C18:3n-3 content in milk fat in the EF cows was negatively correlated with milk fat percentage (r = -0.91) and yield (r = -0.89). However, no decrease in de novo synthesis of less than 16-carbon FA was found in the EF group, whereas C16:0 yields were markedly decreased. It appears that the enrichment of C18:3n-3 in milk fat was limited to approximately 2%, and the potential for increasing this n-3 FA in milk is higher for cows with lower milk fat contents. In conclusion, feeding increased amounts of C18:3n-3 during the transition period enhanced dry matter intake postpartum, increased milk production, decreased milk fat content, and improved energy balance. Increased amounts of EF considerably influenced the FA profile of plasma, adipose tissue, and milk fat. However, the extent of C18:3n-3 enrichment in milk fat was limited and was negatively correlated with milk fat content and yield.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8072151,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Fluctuation of injection pressure of syringe pumps; the effect of syringe volumes and speed settings].\nWe measured fluctuation of injection pressure by several types of commercially available syringe pumps in order to investigate the effect of syringe volumes (Terumo syringe) and speed settings on the irregularity of injection speeds. We recorded the injection pressure continuously with various speed settings, except that one of the pumps injected irregularly at the settings of 2 and 1 ml.h-1. With 50 ml syringes, only two of the six pumps injected precisely at all the speed settings. With the other four types, a steep increase in pressure was recorded at the speed setting of 1 ml.h-1. However irregular infusion was never observed by using a syringe of a high resistant type (TOP syringe). With 30 ml syringes, injection pressures fluctuated in most of the six syringe pumps at a speed lower than 5 ml.h-1. In conclusion, changes in injection pressures depend on types of syringes, syringe volumes and speed settings. We urge not to use a 30 ml syringe to infuse vasoactive drugs with syringe pumps.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8943517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Astonishing fertility from a single oocyte recovery.\nA 36 year old patient underwent in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. Three embryos were transferred to her uterus and eight spare embryos were cryopreserved. The patient conceived a quadruplet pregnancy and delivered two boys and two identical twin girls by Caesarean section at 30 weeks gestation. The couple subsequently donated their cryopreserved embryos to the embryo donation programme for the use of other couples. Two agonadal patients received these cryopreserved-thawed embryos, each in a hormone replacement cycle. Both conceived, one has safely delivered twins and the other conceived a twin pregnancy, one of the fetuses has vanished and the other is progressing normally. The overall embryo implantation rate was seven out of nine (78%).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25417275,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A case of synchronous bleeding from esophageal varices and appendixin a patient with decompensated liver cirrhosis.\nLower gastrointestinal bleeding is defined as any bleeding localized distally to Treitz's ligament. The massive bleeding from the appendix is extremely rare and only 21 cases described in the English literature. We present a 61-years-old patient with decompensated liver cirrhosis and bleeding from esophageal varices. He underwent band ligation by Six Shooter (Cook Medical, USA). Due to a massive bleeding from the lower gastrointestinal tract and a rapid decline of hemoglobin level to 3 g\/dL, angiography was performed. It revealed a bleeding from distal branches of ileocolic artery, confirmed by the followed computed tomography angiography. The patient underwent appendectomy and was discharged in a good condition on the 6th postoperative day. The synchronous bleeding from upper and lower GIT should be considered, especially in the cases with portal hypertension. The angiography and computed tomography angiography are valuable diagnostic methods, able to localize the bleeding a thus to reduce the morbidity and mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14325881,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"COMPARATIVE IN VITRO ACTIVITIES OF LYSOSTAPHIN AND OTHER ANTISTAPHYLOCOCCAL ANTIBIOTICS ON CLINICAL ISOLATES OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS.\nThe in vitro activity of lysostaphin against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was determined by conventional tube-dilution methods. For comparison, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were also determined for penicillin G, ampicillin, methicillin, ristocetin, vancomycin, and erythromycin. Phage type and penicillinase and coagulase production were determined for each isolate. The MIC values for lysostaphin ranged from <0.047 to 12.5 mug\/ml; 96% of the penicillinase-positive strains were inhibited by 1.56 mug\/ml of lysostaphin, whereas 3.12 mug\/ml of vancomycin and methicillin were required to attain the same degree of inhibition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34802012,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mobile Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Covid-19 Does Not Pose Extra Risk to Transport Team.\nPrevious experience has shown that transporting patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a safe and effective mode of transferring critically ill patients requiring maximum mechanical ventilator support to a quaternary care center. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic posed new challenges. This is a multicenter, retrospective study of 113 patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, cannulated at an outside hospital and transported on ECMO to an ECMO center. This was performed by a multidisciplinary mobile ECMO team consisting of physicians for cannulation, critical care nurses, and an ECMO specialist or perfusionist, along with a driver or pilot. Teams practised strict airborne contact precautions with eyewear while caring for the patient and were in standard Personal Protective Equipment. The primary mode of transportation was ground. Ten patients were transported by air. The average distance traveled was 40 miles (SD \u00b156). The average duration of transport was 133 minutes (SD \u00b192). When stratified by mode of transport, the average distance traveled for ground transports was 36 miles (SD \u00b152) and duration was 136 minutes (SD \u00b193). For air, the average distance traveled was 66 miles (SD \u00b182) and duration was 104 minutes (SD \u00b170). There were no instances of transport-related adverse events including pump failures, cannulation complications at outside hospital, or accidental decannulations or dislodgements in transit. There were no instances of the transport team members contracting COVID-19 infection within 21 days after transport. By adhering to best practices and ACE precautions, patients with COVID-19 can be safely cannulated at an outside hospital and transported to a quaternary care center without increased risk to the transport team.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30088650,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Educational technologies and practices for prevention of vertical HIV transmission.\nto assess available evidence on educational technologies and practices for prevention of vertical HIV transmission. LILACS, PubMed, Scopus, BDENF, between April and May 2016, with the descriptors: \"Vertical Transmission of Infectious Disease\", \"HIV\", \"Health Education\" and \"Technology\". there are 16 articles published between 2000 and 2014, mostly Brazilian and African, Cross-sectional and with low level of evidence. The studies covered the use of hard technologies, through video, radio and telephone, and soft, emphasizing, in particular, counseling. the studies recognize the importance of educational activities as a tool for health promotion in the context of vertical HIV transmission, despite reporting the need for constant training of professionals and urgency in the renewal of educational concepts and practices. Therefore, it is recommended to expand and consolidate health counseling and emphasize the role of nurses as an important actor in this setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944325,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Localizing the Bacterial Blight Resistance Gene, Xa22(t), to a 100-Kilobase Bacterial Artificial Chromosome.\nABSTRACT The rice bacterial blight resistance gene, Xa22(t), provides resistance to a broad spectrum of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae isolates. Here, we localize the gene to a small 100-kb fragment of chromosome 11 by a combination of genetic recombination analysis and physical mapping. Mapping was done with two F(2) populations from the cross between Zhachanglong and Zhenzhuai. The first population consisted of 248 random individuals and 404 highly susceptible individuals selected from an F(2) population of more than 2,000 individuals and was used to construct a linkage map around the Xa22(t) locus. For the second F(2) population, 7,680 plants were examined with simple sequence repeat markers flanking the Xa22(t) locus to identify recombinants useful for fine-genetic mapping. Two large-insert bacterial artificial chromasome (BAC) libraries (from cvs. Teqing and Minghui63) were screened with a marker (R1506) which cosegregated perfectly with Xa22(t) in the first population. Restriction mapping of the resulting BAC clones enabled a physical map of the area to be constructed, and subclones from the BAC clones provided additional restriction fragment length polymorphism probes which could be placed on the fine-structure genetic map using the recombinants from the second mapping population. The Xa22(t) locus was mapped to a approximately 100-kb interval delimited by the R1506 marker and a subclone from the M3H8 BAC clone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23242585,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A phase II study of UCN-01 in combination with irinotecan in patients with metastatic triple negative breast cancer.\nMutations in TP53 lead to a defective G1 checkpoint and the dependence on checkpoint kinase 1 (Chk1) for G2 or S phase arrest in response to DNA damage. In preclinical studies, Chk1 inhibition resulted in enhanced cytotoxicity of several chemotherapeutic agents. The high frequency of TP53 mutations in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC: negative for estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and HER2) make Chk1 an attractive therapeutic target. UCN-01, a non-selective Chk1 inhibitor, combined with irinotecan demonstrated activity in advanced TNBC in our Phase I study. The goal of this trial was to further evaluate this treatment in women with TNBC. Patients with metastatic TNBC previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes received irinotecan (100-125 mg\/m(2) IV days 1, 8, 15, 22) and UCN-01 (70 mg\/m(2) IV day 2, 35 mg\/m(2) day 23 and subsequent doses) every 42-day cycle. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and tumor specimens were collected. Twenty five patients were enrolled. The overall response (complete response (CR) + partial response (PR)) rate was 4 %. The clinical benefit rate (CR + PR + stable disease \u22656 months) was 12 %. Since UCN-01 inhibits PDK1, phosphorylated ribosomal protein S6 (pS6) in PBMC was assessed. Although reduced 24 h post UCN-01, pS6 levels rose to baseline by day 8, indicating loss of UCN-01 bioavailability. Immunostains of \u03b3H2AX and pChk1(S296) on serial tumor biopsies from four patients demonstrated an induction of DNA damage and Chk1 activation following irinotecan. However, Chk1 inhibition by UCN-01 was not observed in all tumors. Most tumors were basal-like (69 %), and carried mutations in TP53 (53 %). Median overall survival in patients with TP53 mutant tumors was poor compared to wild type (5.5 vs. 20.3 months, p = 0.004). This regimen had limited activity in TNBC. Inconsistent Chk1 inhibition was likely due to the pharmacokinetics of UCN-01. TP53 mutations were associated with a poor prognosis in metastatic TNBC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23304387,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Harnessing a health information exchange to identify surgical device adverse events for urogynecologic mesh.\nWe sought to create an automated means to conduct surveillance of complications related to urogynecologic mesh because current postmarket surveillance fails to detect the true incidence of device-related adverse events. Using health information exchange data, we developed a search algorithm to identify urogynecologic surgeries with mesh implantation and associated inpatient adverse events. We validated the algorithm search results against those obtained from a manual case review of mesh surgical records. Our refined automated search strategy matched 93% of the 2874 mesh cases manually identified, and further identified 97% of 2103 vaginal mesh cases. Complications were identified in 380 of the 2874 mesh cases. This is the first known report of an automated process for identifying urogynecologic surgical mesh implantation cases from a health information exchange. Automated surveillance of health information exchange data may contribute to tracking of device-related adverse events.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19911751,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[On the preventive activities of physician of medical primary care services].\nThe development of healthy life-style among population is accepted as one of the major directions of activities of physician of medical primary care services. However, most of the research studies related to this problem deals with the investigation of inter-sectoral approach and functioning of medical prevention centers. There is not enough studies on the exploration of healthy life-style implementation techniques as applied to patients, on the determination of criteria to assess the quality and effectiveness of medical establishments and medical professionals functioning in the field of healthy life-style development. In view of this, it seems actual to generalize the approaches to the resolving of these problems as proposed by WHO and to assess the possibilities to apply them in Russian Federation. Furthermore, to develop on the basis of the implemented analysis corresponding suggestions related to the enhancement of quality and effectiveness of activities of physicians of primary medical care services related to the development of healthy life-style.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9817756,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Tic20 and Tic22 are new components of the protein import apparatus at the chloroplast inner envelope membrane.\nTwo components of the chloroplast envelope, Tic20 and Tic22, were previously identified as candidates for components of the general protein import machinery by their ability to covalently cross-link to nuclear-encoded preproteins trapped at an intermediate stage in import across the envelope (Kouranov, A., and D.J. Schnell. 1997. J. Cell Biol. 139:1677-1685). We have determined the primary structures of Tic20 and Tic22 and investigated their localization and association within the chloroplast envelope. Tic20 is a 20-kD integral membrane component of the inner envelope membrane. In contrast, Tic22 is a 22-kD protein that is located in the intermembrane space between the outer and inner envelope membranes and is peripherally associated with the outer face of the inner membrane. Tic20, Tic22, and a third inner membrane import component, Tic110, associate with import components of the outer envelope membrane. Preprotein import intermediates quantitatively associate with this outer\/inner membrane supercomplex, providing evidence that the complex corresponds to envelope contact sites that mediate direct transport of preproteins from the cytoplasm to the stromal compartment. On the basis of these results, we propose that Tic20 and Tic22 are core components of the protein translocon of the inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24303255,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An information extraction framework for cohort identification using electronic health records.\nInformation extraction (IE), a natural language processing (NLP) task that automatically extracts structured or semi-structured information from free text, has become popular in the clinical domain for supporting automated systems at point-of-care and enabling secondary use of electronic health records (EHRs) for clinical and translational research. However, a high performance IE system can be very challenging to construct due to the complexity and dynamic nature of human language. In this paper, we report an IE framework for cohort identification using EHRs that is a knowledge-driven framework developed under the Unstructured Information Management Architecture (UIMA). A system to extract specific information can be developed by subject matter experts through expert knowledge engineering of the externalized knowledge resources used in the framework.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26365100,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Conjugation Approach To Produce a Staphylococcus aureus Synbody with Activity in Serum.\nSynbodies show promise as a new class of synthetic antibiotics. Here, we explore improvements in their activity and production through conjugation chemistry. Maleimide conjugation is a widely used conjugation strategy due to its high yield, selectivity, and low cost. We used this strategy to conjugate two antibacterial peptides to produce a bivalent antibacterial peptide, called a synbody that has bactericidal activity against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The synbody was prepared by conjugation of a partially d-amino acid substituted synthetic antibacterial peptide to a bis-maleimide scaffold. The synbody slowly degrades in serum, but also undergoes exchange reactions with other serum proteins, such as albumin. Therefore, we hydrolyzed the thiosuccinimide ring using a mild hydrolysis protocol to produce a new synbody with similar bactericidal activity. The synbody was now resistant to exchange reactions and maintained bactericidal activity in serum for 2 h. This work demonstrates that low-cost maleimide coupling can be used to produce antibacterial peptide conjugates with activity in serum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29370176,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Patterns of sedentary behavior in overweight and moderately obese users of the Catalan primary-health care system.\nProlonged sitting time (ST) has negative consequences on health. Changing this behavior is paramount in overweight\/obese individuals because they are more sedentary than those with normal weight. The aim of the study was to establish the pattern of sedentary behavior and its relationship to health, socio-demographics, occupation, and education level in Catalan overweight\/obese individuals. A descriptive study was performed at 25 healthcare centers in Catalonia (Spain) with 464 overweight\/moderately obese patients, aged25 to 65 years. Exclusion criteria were chronic diseases which contraindicated physical activity and language barriers. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data on age, gender, educational level, social class, and marital status. Main outcome was 'sitting time' (collected by the Marshall questionnaire); chronic diseases and anthropometric measurements were registered. 464 patients, 58.4% women, mean age 51.9 years (SD 10.1), 76.1% married, 60% manual workers, and 48.7% had finished secondary education. Daily sitting time was 6.2 hours on working days (374 minutes\/day, SD: 190), and about 6 hours on non-working ones (357 minutes\/day, SD: 170). 50% of participants were sedentary \u22656 hours. The most frequent sedentary activities were: working\/academic activities around 2 hours (128 minutes, SD: 183), followed by watching television, computer use, and commuting. Men sat longer than women (64 minutes more on working days and 54 minutes on non-working days), and individuals with office jobs (91 minutes),those with higher levels of education (42 minutes), and younger subjects (25 to 35 years) spent more time sitting. In our study performed in overweight\/moderately obese patients the mean sitting time was around 6 hours which was mainly spent doing work\/academic activities and watching television. Men, office workers, individuals with higher education, and younger subjects had longer sitting time. Our results may help design interventions targeted at these sedentary patients to decrease sitting time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19765345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"RNA interference in schistosomes: machinery and methodology.\nRNA interference (RNAi) is a potent gene silencing process that is playing an increasingly important role in investigations of gene function in schistosomes. Here we review what is known about the process in these parasites and provide an update on the methodology and machinery of RNAi. Data are presented to demonstrate that: (1) not all schistosome genes can be suppressed to the same extent, using the methods employed here; (2) while there is variation in the level of suppression achieved for one target gene (SmAP) in adult parasites, all individuals exhibit robust (>80%) suppression; (3) short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can effect suppression when delivered by soaking (and not just via electroporation, as reported previously); (4) Male\/female adult pairs need not be separated prior to siRNA delivery by electroporation for effective gene suppression in both genders and (5) electroporation of siRNAs in medium is as efficient as in commercial electroporation buffer. Regarding the machinery of RNAi in schistosomes, a homologue of the C. elegans multi-membrane spanning, RNA importing protein SID-1 is identified in silico. The gene encoding this protein contains 21 exons and spans over 50 kb to potentially encode a 115,556 Mr protein (SmSID-1). These analyses, and a review of the literature, permit us to derive and present here a draft of potential RNAi pathways in schistosomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19797367,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Public-academic partnerships: the Beck Initiative: a partnership to implement cognitive therapy in a community behavioral health system.\nThe Beck Initiative is a partnership between researchers and clinicians at a large university and an urban behavioral health managed care system. Both partners share a commitment to ensuring that consumers in the community have access to competently delivered, individualized, evidence-based mental health care and that the providers who serve them have the support they need to deliver high-quality evidence-based treatments. Central features of the program are individualized training and consultation in cognitive therapy for each provider agency and policies to promote the sustainability of the initiative and its continuing evolution to meet the needs of providers and consumers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24133439,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Genome-wide association study of autistic-like traits in a general population study of young adults.\nLay abstract: It has been proposed that autistic-like traits in the general population lie on a continuum, with clinical Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), representing the extreme end of this distribution. The current study undertook a genome-wide association (GWA) scan of 965 young Western Australian adults to identify novel risk variants associated with autistic-like traits. No associations reached genome-wide significance; however, a review of nominally associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) indicated two positional candidate loci that have been previously implicated in autistic-like trait etiology. Scientific abstract: Research has proposed that autistic-like traits in the general population lie on a continuum, with clinical ASD representing the extreme end of this distribution. Inherent in this proposal is that biological mechanisms associated with clinical ASD may also underpin variation in autistic-like traits within the general population. A GWA study using 2,462,046 SNPs was undertaken for ASD in 965 individuals from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. No SNP associations reached genome-wide significance (p < 5.0 \u00d7 10(-8)). However, investigations into nominal observed SNP associations (p < 1.0 \u00d7 10(-5)) add support to two positional candidate genes previously implicated in ASD etiology, PRKCB1, and CBLN1. The rs198198 SNP (p = 9.587 \u00d7 10(-6)), is located within an intron of the protein kinase C, beta 1 (PRKCB1) gene on chromosome 16p11. The PRKCB1 gene has been previously reported in linkage and association studies for ASD, and its mRNA expression has been shown to be significantly down regulated in ASD cases compared with controls. The rs16946931 SNP (p = 1.78 \u00d7 10(-6)) is located in a region flanking the Cerebellin 1 (CBLN1) gene on chromosome 16q12.1. The CBLN1 gene is involved with synaptogenesis and is part of a gene family previously implicated in ASD. This GWA study is only the second to examine SNPs associated with autistic-like traits in the general population, and provides evidence to support roles for the PRKCB1 and CBLN1 genes in risk of clinical ASD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28229148,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Uniform and Janus-like nanoparticles in contact with vesicles: energy landscapes and curvature-induced forces.\nBiological membranes and lipid vesicles often display complex shapes with non-uniform membrane curvature. When adhesive nanoparticles with chemically uniform surfaces come into contact with such membranes, they exhibit four different engulfment regimes as recently shown by a systematic stability analysis. Depending on the local curvature of the membrane, the particles either remain free, become partially or completely engulfed by the membrane, or display bistability between free and completely engulfed states. Here, we go beyond stability analysis and develop an analytical theory to leading order in the ratio of particle-to-vesicle size. This theory allows us to determine the local and global energy landscapes of uniform nanoparticles that are attracted towards membranes and vesicles. While the local energy landscape depends only on the local curvature of the vesicle membrane and not on the overall membrane shape, the global energy landscape describes the variation of the equilibrium state of the particle as it probes different points along the membrane surface. In particular, we find that the binding energy of a partially engulfed particle depends on the 'unperturbed' local curvature of the membrane in the absence of the particle. This curvature dependence leads to local forces that pull the partially engulfed particles towards membrane segments with lower and higher mean curvature if the particles originate from the exterior and interior solution, respectively, corresponding to endo- and exocytosis. Thus, for partial engulfment, endocytic particles undergo biased diffusion towards the membrane segments with the lowest membrane curvature, whereas exocytic particles move towards segments with the highest curvature. The curvature-induced forces are also effective for Janus particles with one adhesive and one non-adhesive surface domain. In fact, Janus particles with a strongly adhesive surface domain are always partially engulfed which implies that they provide convenient probes for experimental studies of the curvature-induced forces that arise for complex-shaped membranes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24594819,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mental health, citizenship, and the memory of World War II in the Netherlands (1945-85).\nAfter World War II, Dutch psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals articulated ideals of democratic citizenship. Framed in terms of self-development, citizenship took on a broad meaning, not just in terms of political rights and obligations, but also in the context of material, social, psychological and moral conditions that individuals should meet in order to develop themselves and be able to act according to those rights and obligations in a responsible way. In the post-war period of reconstruction (1945-65), as well as between 1965 and 1985, the link between mental health and ideals of citizenship was coloured by the public memory of World War II and the German occupation, albeit in completely different, even opposite ways. The memory of the war, and especially the public consideration of its victims, changed drastically in the mid-1960s, and the mental health sector played a crucial role in bringing this change about. The widespread attention to the mental effects of the war that surfaced in the late 1960s after a period of 20 years of public silence should be seen against the backdrop of the combination of democratization and the emancipation of emotions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33847977,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Embryo Morphokinetics and Blastocyst Development After GnRH Agonist versus hCG Triggering in Normo-ovulatory Women: a Secondary Analysis of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.\nGonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) for final oocyte maturation, along with vitrification of all usable embryos followed by transfer in a subsequent frozen-thawed cycle, is the most effective strategy to avoid ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). However, less is known about the ovulation induction triggers effect on early embryo development and blastocyst formation. This study is a secondary analysis of a multicenter, randomized controlled trial, with the aim to compare embryo development in normo-ovulatory women, randomized to GnRHa or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) trigger. In all, 4056 retrieved oocytes were observed, 1998 from the GnRHa group (216 women) and 2058 from the hCG group (218 women). A number of retrieved oocytes, mature and fertilized oocytes, and high-quality embryos and blastocysts were similar between the groups. A sub-analysis in 250 women enrolled at the main trial site including 2073 oocytes was conducted to compare embryo morphokinetics and cleavage patterns with EmbryoScope time-lapse system. In total, 1013 oocytes were retrieved from the GnRHa group (124 women) and 1060 oocytes were retrieved from the hCG group (126 women). Morphokinetic parameters and cleavage patterns were comparable between the groups. However, embryos derived from the GnRHa group were less likely to perform rolling during their development than the embryos from the hCG trigger group (OR = 0.41 (95%CI 0.25; 0.67), p-value 0.0003). The comparable results on embryo development and utilization rates between the GnRHa and hCG triggers is of clinical relevance to professionals and infertile patients, when GnRHa trigger and freeze-all is performed to avoid OHSS development. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02746562.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25016741,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Changes of fatty acids spectrum of plasma triglycerides and their pharmacological correction by statins in patients with unstable angina].\nThe fatty acid composition of plasma triglycerides by gas chromatography, the dynamics of the segment ST, cardiac arrhythmia by daily monitoring of electrocardiogram in patients with unstable angina (progressive) and the effects of treatment with statins were studied. Revealed marked qualitative abnormalities of plasma triglycerides in patients with progressive angina manifest increase in the amount of saturated and reduction--of unsaturated fatty acids. High therapeutic effect of simvastatin and atorvastatin may be due to the identified strong correlation between the dynamics of the fatty acid components of plasma triglycerides and indicators of ischemia, ectopic activity in patients with progressive angina.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1424683,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Grand challenges in biomedical computing.\nAdvances in computing technology (both algorithms and hardware) over the next several years promise to make increasingly sophisticated computer modeling of biomedical phenomena a routine part of biomedical research. Improvements in both the absolute speed of processors and in their programming and graphics interfaces will allow nonexpert users to bring computing power equivalent to the supercomputers of a few years ago to bear on routine research problems and to display complex data in understandable ways (visualization). Although biomedical applications have traditionally not driven the leading edge of computing and supercomputing, such applications are increasingly being ported to advanced parallel and vector processors. This paper summarizes the current state of biomedical computing, citing examples of the best practice in research today. A number of projects enabled by advanced computing from various subdisciplines are described. Trends in technology for both inexpensive (workstation) and high-end computing (vector supercomputers and parallel processors) are cited; the implications of these for biomedical computing are discussed. \"Grand challenges\" in biomedical computing, i.e., computational problems of major scientific importance that are beyond our current capabilities but that might be achieved in a 5-year time frame, are outlined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30921422,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Persistent left ventricular dysfunction after acute lymphocytic myocarditis: Frequency and predictors.\nPersistent left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction in patients with acute lymphocytic myocarditis (LM) is widely unexplored. To assess the frequency and predictors of persistent LV dysfunction in patients with LM and reduced LVEF at admission. We retrospectively evaluated 89 consecutive patients with histologically-proven acute myocarditis enrolled at three Italian referral hospitals. A subgroup of 48 patients with LM, baseline systolic impairment and an available echocardiographic assessment at 12 months (6-18) from discharge constituted the study population. The primary study end-point was persistent LV dysfunction, defined as LVEF <50% at 1-year, and was observed in 27\/48 patients (56.3%). Higher LV end-diastolic diameter at admission (odds ratio [OR] 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-1.43, p = 0.002), non-fulminant presentation (OR 8.46, 95% CI 1.28-55.75, p = 0.013) and presence of a poor lymphocytic infiltrate (OR 12.40, 95% CI 1.23-124.97, p = 0.010) emerged as independent predictors of persistent LV dysfunction at multivariate analysis (area under the curve 0.91, 95% CI 0.82-0.99). Pre-discharge LVEF was lower in patients with persistent LV dysfunction compared to the others (32%\u00b18 vs. 53%\u00b18, p <0.001), and this single variable showed the best accuracy in predicting the study end-point (area under the curve 0.95, 95% CI 0.89-1.00). More than half of patients presenting with acute LM and LVEF <50% who survive the acute phase show persistent LV dysfunction after 1-year from hospital discharge. Features of subacute inflammatory process and of established myocardial damage at initial hospitalization emerged as predictors of this end-point.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7525193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Guidelines for the rational use of benzodiazepines. When and what to use.\nThe main actions of benzodiazepines (hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, myorelaxant and amnesic) confer a therapeutic value in a wide range of conditions. Rational use requires consideration of the large differences in potency and elimination rates between different benzodiazepines, as well as the requirements of individual patients. As hypnotics, benzodiazepines are mainly indicated for transient or short term insomnia, for which prescriptions should if possible be limited to a few days, occasional or intermittent use, or courses not exceeding 2 weeks. Temazepam, loprazolam and lormetazepam, which have a medium duration of action are suitable. Diazepam is also effective in single or intermittent dosage. Potent, short-acting benzodiazepines such as triazolam appear to carry greater risks of adverse effects. As anxiolytics, benzodiazepines should generally be used in conjunction with other measures (psychological treatments, antidepressants, other drugs) although such measures have a slower onset of action. Indications for benzodiazepines include acute stress reactions, episodic anxiety, fluctuations in generalised anxiety, and as initial treatment for severe panic and agoraphobia. Diazepam is usually the drug of choice, given in single doses, very short (1 to 7 days) or short (2 to 4 weeks) courses, and only rarely for longer term treatment. Alprazolam has been widely used, particularly in the US, but is not recommended in the UK, especially for long term use. Benzodiazepines also have uses in epilepsy (diazepam, clonazepam, clobazam), anaesthesia (midazolam), some motor disorders and occasionally in acute psychoses. The major clinical advantages of benzodiazepines are high efficacy, rapid onset of action and low toxicity. Adverse effects include psychomotor impairment, especially in the elderly, and occasionally paradoxical excitement. With long term use, tolerance, dependence and withdrawal effects can become major disadvantages. Unwanted effects can largely be prevented by keeping dosages minimal and courses short (ideally 4 weeks maximum), and by careful patient selection. Long term prescription is occasionally required for certain patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24518293,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The Bcl-2 homolog Nrz inhibits binding of IP3 to its receptor to control calcium signaling during zebrafish epiboly.\nMembers of the Bcl-2 protein family regulate mitochondrial membrane permeability and also localize to the endoplasmic reticulum where they control Ca(2+) homeostasis by interacting with inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors (IP3Rs). In zebrafish, Bcl-2-like 10 (Nrz) is required for Ca(2+) signaling during epiboly and gastrulation. We characterized the mechanism by which Nrz controls IP3-mediated Ca(2+) release during this process. We showed that Nrz was phosphorylated during early epiboly, and that in embryos in which Nrz was knocked down, reconstitution with Nrz bearing mutations designed to prevent its phosphorylation disrupted cyclic Ca(2+) transients and the assembly of the actin-myosin ring and led to epiboly arrest. In cultured cells, wild-type Nrz, but not Nrz with phosphomimetic mutations, interacted with the IP3 binding domain of IP3R1, inhibited binding of IP3 to IP3R1, and prevented histamine-induced increases in cytosolic Ca(2+). Collectively, these data suggest that Nrz phosphorylation is necessary for the generation of IP3-mediated Ca(2+) transients and the formation of circumferential actin-myosin cables required for epiboly. Thus, in addition to their role in apoptosis, by tightly regulating Ca(2+) signaling, Bcl-2 family members participate in the cellular events associated with early vertebrate development, including cytoskeletal dynamics and cell movement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38152022,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Psychologically informed care of patients with anorexia nervosa on an acute medical ward.\nAnorexia nervosa is a challenging and highly distressing illness associated with significant and often debilitating symptoms that affect the person's physical and mental well-being, as well as their wider social networks. Although some patients can make important steps in their recovery in the community, many will become significantly unwell and require medical stabilisation and refeeding in an acute medical ward as a result of significant weight loss. This article describes some of the challenges experienced by adult nurses when caring for patients with anorexia nervosa on acute medical wards and explores how the patient's distress may manifest and complicate the recovery process. The article also discusses the principles of psychologically informed care and therapeutic interactions that nurses can use to promote recovery and ensure optimal practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11540929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison of developmental gradients for growth, ATPase, and fusicoccin-binding activity in mung bean hypocotyls.\nA comparison has been made of the developmental gradients along a mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) hypocotyl of the growth rate, plasma membrane ATPase, and fusicoccin-binding protein (FCBP) activity to determine whether they are interrelated. The hook and four sequential 7.5 millimeter segments of the hypocotyl below the hook were cut. A plasma membrane-enriched fraction was isolated from each section by aqueous two-phase partitioning and assayed for vanadate-sensitive ATPase and FCBP activity. Each gradient had a distinctive and different pattern. Endogenous growth rate was maximal in the second section and much lower in the others. Vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity was maximal in the third section, but remained high in the older sections. Amounts of ATPase protein, shown by specific antibody binding, did not correlate with the amount of vanadate-sensitive ATPase activity in the three youngest sections. FCBP activity was almost absent in the first section, then increased to a maximum in the oldest sections. These data show that the growth rate is not determined by the ATPase activity, and that there are no fixed ratios between the ATPase and FCBP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29369615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Nanoparticulate Dielectric Overlayer for Enhanced Electric Fields in a Capacitive Deionization Device.\nThe magnitude and distribution of the electric field between two conducting electrodes of a capacitive deionization (CDI) device plays an important role in governing the desalting capacity. A dielectric coating on these electrodes can polarize under an applied potential to modulate the net electric field and hence the salt adsorption capacity of the device. Using finite element models, we show the extent and nature of electric field modulation, associated with changes in the size, thickness, and permittivity of commonly used nanostructured dielectric coatings such as zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). Experimental data pertaining to the simulation are obtained by coating activated carbon cloth (ACC) with nanoparticles of ZnO and TiO2 and using them as electrodes in a CDI device. The dielectric-coated electrodes displayed faster desalting kinetics of 1.7 and 1.55 mg g-1 min-1 and higher unsaturated specific salt adsorption capacities of 5.72 and 5.3 mg g-1 for ZnO and TiO2, respectively. In contrast, uncoated ACC had a salt adsorption rate and capacity of 1.05 mg g-1 min-1 and 3.95 mg g-1, respectively. The desalting data is analyzed with respect to the electrical parameters of the electrodes extracted from cyclic voltammetry and impedance measurements. Additionally, the obtained results are correlated with the simulation data to ascertain the governing principles for the changes observed and advances that can be achieved through dielectric-based electrode modifications for enhancing the CDI device performance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23312858,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":3,"2013-48":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Resident cross-cultural training, satisfaction, and preparedness.\nTo describe the diversity of pediatric residents and examine relationships of cross-cultural training experiences with training satisfaction, perceived preparedness for providing culturally effective care, and attitudes surrounding care for underserved populations. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of a national random sample of graduating pediatric residents and an additional sample of minority residents. Using weighted analysis, we used multivariate regression to test for differences in satisfaction, preparedness, and attitudes between residents with more and less cross-cultural experiences during residency, controlling for residents' characteristics and experiences before training. The survey response rate was 57%. Eleven percent were Hispanic, 61% white, 21% Asian, 9% African American, 9% other racial\/ethnic groups; 34% grew up in a bi- or multilingual family. Ninety-three percent of residents were satisfied with their residency training, 81% with the instruction they received on health and health care disparities, and 54% on global health issues. Ninety-six percent of residents felt they were prepared to care for patients from diverse backgrounds, but fewer felt prepared to care for families with beliefs at odds with Western medicine (49%) and families who receive alternative or complementary care (37%). Residents with more cross-cultural experiences during residency reported being better prepared than those with less experience to care for families with limited English proficiency (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40-3.17), new immigrants (aOR 1.91; 95% CI 1.32-2.75), and with religious beliefs that might affect clinical care (aOR 1.62; 95% CI 1.13-2.32). Pediatric residents begin their training with diverse cross-cultural backgrounds and experiences. Residency experiences in cross-cultural care contribute to feelings of preparedness to care for diverse US children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19863111,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Biochemical characterization of the RNase II family of exoribonucleases from the human pathogens Salmonella typhimurium and Streptococcus pneumoniae.\nMaturation, turnover, and quality control of RNA are performed by many different classes of ribonucleases. Escherichia coli RNase II is the prototype of the RNase II family of ribonucleases, a ubiquitous family of hydrolytic, processive 3' --> 5' exonucleases crucial in RNA metabolism. RNase R is a member of this family that is modulated in response to stress and has been implicated in virulence. In this work, RNase II-like proteins were characterized in the human pathogens Salmonella typhimurium and Streptococcus pneumoniae. By sequence analysis, only one member of the RNase II family was identified in S. pneumoniae, while both RNase II and RNase R were found in Sa. typhimurium. These enzymes were cloned, expressed, purified, and characterized with regard to their biochemical features and modular architecture. The specificity of substrates and the final products generated by the enzymes were clearly demonstrated. Sa. typhimurium RNase II and RNase R behaved essentially as their respective E. coli counterparts. We have shown that the only hydrolytic RNase found in S. pneumoniae was able to degrade structured RNAs as is the case with E. coli RNase R. Our results further showed that there are differences with regard to the activity and ability to bind RNA from enzymes belonging to two distinct pneumococcal strains, and this may be related to a single amino acid substitution in the catalytic domain. Since ribonucleases have not been previously characterized in S. pneumoniae or Sa. typhimurium, this work provides an important first step in the understanding of post-transcriptional control in these pathogens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26370834,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Ameliorating effects of gypenosides on chronic stress-induced anxiety disorders in mice.\nEthanol extract from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GP) shows anti-stress and anxiolytic functions in mice, and also protects dopamine neurons in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease. In addition, gypenosides (the gypenoside-enriched components of GP, GPS) have a protective effect on 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced mouse model of Parkinson's disease. In this study, the ameliorating effects of GPS on chronic stress-induced anxiety disorders in mice were investigated. Mice were orally treated with GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg) once a day for 10 days, followed by exposure to electric footshock (EF) stress (0.6 mA, 1 s every 5 s, 3 min). After the final administration of either GPS, water extract of GP (GP-WX) or ethanol extract of GP (GP-EX, positive control), the behavioral tests such as elevated plus-maze, marble burying and locomotor activity tests, and the biochemical parameters including dopamine, serotonin and corticosterone levels, and c-Fos expression were examined. Treatment with GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg) increased the number of open arm entries and the time spent on open arms in elevated plus-maze which were reduced by chronic EF stress. GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg) reduced the number of marbles buried which increased by chronic EF stress. In these states, the brain levels of dopamine and serotonin decreased by chronic EF stress and they were recovered by GPS. The serum levels of corticosterone increased by chronic EF stress were also reduced by GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg). Finally, chronic EF stress-induced c-Fos expression was markedly reduced by GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg) in the brain. GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg) also showed an equivalent efficacy on anxiolytic functions, as compared with GP-EX (50 mg\/kg). However, GP-WX (50 mg\/kg) showed a less effect on anxiety disorders than GP-EX (50 mg\/kg) and GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg). These results suggest that GPS (100 and 200 mg\/kg) has anxiolytic effects on chronic EF stress-induced anxiety disorders by modulating dopamine and serotonin neuronal activities, c-Fos expression and corticosterone levels. GPS may serve as a phytonutrient in chronic stress-induced anxiety disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15918346,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Multiple measures, methods, and moments: a factor-analytic investigation of change in depressive symptoms during acute-phase cognitive therapy for depression.\nResearchers and clinicians use a variety of measures to assess depressive symptoms, including clinician reports [for example the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17) and the 30-item Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology - Clinician Report (IDS-C-30)]; and patient reports [for example, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the 30-item Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology--Self-Report (IDS-SR-30)]. Although their concurrent convergent validity is well established, the degree to which these measures reflect the same pattern and level of change during treatment is unclear. We assessed depressive symptoms with two clinician (HRSD-17, IDS-C-30) and two patient (BDI, IDS-SR-30) reports on 14-15 occasions in 127 out-patients with recurrent major depressive disorder treated with 20 sessions of acute-phase cognitive therapy. Factor analyses revealed that time was the major source of variation in depressive symptom severity and change, with distinct 'early' and 'late' assessment factors, regardless of measure or rater (patient v. clinician). Average symptom severity decreased rapidly on all measures until mid-treatment, after which gradual decreases continued through the end of treatment. Effect sizes for pre- to post-treatment change were large for all measures (d = 1.9-2.2), although there were significant differences among measures at some time-points. The HRSD-17, BDI, IDS-C-30 and IDS-SR-30 reflect essentially the same symptom severity and change constructs during acute-phase cognitive therapy. Clinicians and researchers using one of these measures may estimate scores on the others with the provided common-factor conversions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19020783,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Transcription of genes of p53-dependent apoptosis in acute leukaemia.\nTumour suppressor protein p53 prevents cancer development through various mechanisms, including the induction of apoptosis. We demonstrated that acute leukaemia, myeloblastic (AML) and lymphoblastic (ALL), is associated with significantly elevated levels of p53 and Bax mRNA in leukaemic cells. Regarding ALL, significantly elevated levels of Bcl-xL mRNA may explain the relative resistance of ALL cells to p53-dependent apoptosis. Altered alternative processing of Bcl-x and myeloid cell leukaemia-1 (MCL1) primary transcripts were observed in the case of AML and AML and ALL, respectively. We assumed that increased glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gapdh) transcription and decreased MCL1s mRNA were not fully responsible for the dysregulation of p53-dependent apoptosis in the case of AML. In addition, transcription of hsp70.1 and Bcl-2 producing anti-apoptotic proteins was not affected in acute leukaemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16965675,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Troglitazone sensitizes effect of epirubicin on breast cancer cells].\nPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is known to be highly expressed in breast cancer tissues. Thiazolidinediones (TZD), the specific ligands for PPARgamma, can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. This study was to investigate the possibility of using troglitazone, one of TZD, as the sensitizer of epirubicin in the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER) negative breast cancer. MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to examine the cell proliferation and apoptosis in two ER negative breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-435S and MDA-MB-231. Cells were treated with either troglitazone or epirubicin alone or co-treated with troglitazone and epirubicin. Western blot analysis was used to assess the expression level of Bcl-2. The migration potential of cells with different treatments was analyzed by the wound healing assay. The effect of epirubicin on inhibiting cell proliferation of breast cancer cells was enhanced by co-treatment with troglitazone in the range of 4 micromol\/L to 24 micromol\/L. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of epirubicin was reduced to 60% when combined with troglitazone compared to the treatment with epirubicin only. Treatment of cells with troglitazone or epirubicin alone could not induce significant apoptosis. However, the apoptotic indexes of MDA-MB-435S and MDA-MB-231 cells co-treated with troglitazone and epirubicin were (5.48+\/-0.45)% and (10.08+\/-1.89)%, respectively. Co-treatment with troglitazone and epirubicin further downregulated the expression level of Bcl-2 and inhibited cell migration simultaneously. Troglitazone could not only augment the effect of epirubicin on inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis, but also suppress the migration of breast cancer cells. Troglitazone may sensitize the effect of epirubicin on breast cancer cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8285952,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Development of the emergency physician job satisfaction measurement instrument.\nThe objective of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the job satisfaction of physicians practicing emergency medicine. A prospective survey involving four separate stages (an item evaluation and reduction stage, a factor analysis stage, a construct validity stage, and a reliability stage) was distributed in Canada to full-time emergency physicians. Three separate survey instruments were administered (an initial draft instrument with 228 items, a pilot instrument with 142 items, and the final instrument with 79 items). Construct validity of the final instrument was tested by evaluating the correlation between physician scores on the instrument, and scores on two instruments measuring the same construct, and three measuring different but related constructs. A draft instrument with 228 items and six hypothetical domains was tested on 61 physicians. Evaluation for frequency endorsement, redundancy, and homogeneity reduced the item pool to 157. The remaining 157 items were used as a pilot instrument and tested on 223 physicians. Factor analysis eliminated 66 items from the pilot instrument, creating a final instrument with 79 items, 11 factors, and six domains. Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the final instrument domains is 0.81, and all domain-total correlations are greater than 0.4. All correlations between the final instrument and the construct validity instruments were statistically significant (P < .001), but not so high that they appeared to be measuring the same thing. Correlations between instruments measuring the same construct were higher than those measuring related but different constructs. Correlations between the final instrument and the CES-D scale, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization subscales of the Maslach Burnout Inventory were negative. A test-retest reliability study on 42 physicians showed Pearson's correlation coefficients for individual domains were all greater than 0.7 and greater than 0.8 for the final instrument. This study has produced a valid and reliable instrument for measuring emergency physician job satisfaction, which is both internally consistent and stable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11405948,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Treatments for breast engorgement during lactation.\nNational surveys have shown that painful breasts are the second most common reason for giving up breastfeeding in the first two weeks after birth in the UK. One factor contributing to such pain can be breast engorgement. Views differ as to how engorgement arises, although restrictive feeding patterns in hospital are likely to have contributed in the past. These differing views are reflected in the range of solutions offered to treat engorgement in breastfeeding mothers and these treatments are assessed in this review. To determine the effects of any proposed intervention to relieve symptoms of breast engorgement among breastfeeding women. The register of clinical trials maintained and updated by the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group. CINAHL and MEDLINE were also searched. Date of last search: December 2000. All randomised and 'quasi-randomised' controlled trials, with or without blinding, that assess the effectiveness of treatments for the alleviation of symptoms in breastfeeding women experiencing engorgement. Data were extracted by one reviewer and verified by a second reviewer. Eight trials, involving 424 women, were included. Three different studies were identified which used cabbage leaves or cabbage leaf extracts;. no overall benefit was found. Ultrasound treatment and placebo were equally effective. Use of Danzen (an anti-inflammatory agent) significantly improved the total symptoms of engorgement when compared to placebo (odds ratio (OR) 3.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3 - 10.3) as did bromelain\/trypsin complex (OR 8.02, 95% CI 2.8-23.3). Oxytocin and cold packs had no demonstrable effect on engorgement symptoms. Cabbage leaves and gel packs were equally effective in the treatment of engorgement. Since both cabbage extract and placebo cream were equally effective, the alleviation in symptoms may be brought about by other factors, such as breast massage. Ultrasound treatment is equally effective with or without the ultra-wave emitting crystal, therefore its effectiveness is more likely to be due to the effect of radiant heat or massage. Pharmacologically, oxytocin was not an effective engorgement treatment while Danzen and bromelain\/trypsin complex significantly improved the symptoms of engorgement. Initial prevention of breast engorgement should remain the key priority.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10958779,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Molecular analysis of plant migration and refugia in the Arctic.\nThe arctic flora is thought to have originated during the late Tertiary, approximately 3 million years ago. Plant migration routes during colonization of the Arctic are currently unknown, and uncertainty remains over where arctic plants survived Pleistocene glaciations. A phylogenetic analysis of chloroplast DNA variation in the purple saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) indicates that this plant first occurred in the Arctic in western Beringia before it migrated east and west to achieve a circumpolar distribution. The geographical distribution of chloroplast DNA variation in the species supports the hypothesis that, during Pleistocene glaciations, some plant refugia were located in the Arctic as well as at more southern latitudes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21951070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Postharvest temperature influences volatile lactone production via regulation of acyl-CoA oxidases in peach fruit.\nThe biosynthesis of volatile compounds in plants is affected by environmental conditions. Lactones are considered to be peach-like aroma volatiles; however, no enzymes or genes associated with their biosynthesis have been characterized. White-fleshed (cv. Hujingmilu) and yellow-fleshed (cv. Jinxiu) melting peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) fruit were used as materials in two successive seasons and responses measured to four different temperature treatments. Five major lactones accumulated during postharvest peach fruit ripening at 20 \u00b0C. Peach fruit at 5 \u00b0C, which induces chilling injury (CI), had the lowest lactone content during subsequent shelf life after removal, while 0 \u00b0C and a low-temperature conditioning (LTC) treatment alleviated development of CI and maintained significantly higher lactone contents. Expression of PpACX1 and activity of acyl-CoA oxidase (ACX) with C16-CoA tended to increase during postharvest ripening both at 20 \u00b0C and during shelf life after removal from cold storage when no CI was developed. There was a positive correlation between ACX and lactones in peach fruit postharvest. Changes in lactone production in response to temperatures are suggested to be a consequence of altered expression of PpACX1 and long-chain ACX activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24482238,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Origin of the proton-transfer step in the cofactor-free (1H)-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine 2,4-dioxygenase: effect of the basicity of an active site His residue.\nDioxygenases catalyze a diverse range of chemical reactions that involve the incorporation of oxygen into a substrate and typically use a transition metal or organic cofactor for reaction. Bacterial (1H)-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine 2,4-dioxygenase (HOD) belongs to a class of oxygenases able to catalyze this energetically unfavorable reaction without any cofactor. In the quinaldine metabolic pathway, HOD breaks down its natural N-heteroaromatic substrate using a mechanism that is still incompletely understood. Experimental and computational approaches were combined to study the initial step of the catalytic cycle. We have investigated the role of the active site His-251\/Asp-126 dyad, proposed to be involved in substrate hydroxyl group deprotonation, a critical requirement for subsequent oxygen reaction. The pH profiles obtained under steady-state conditions for the H251A and D126A variants show a strong pH effect on their kcat and kcat\/Km constants, with a decrease in kcat\/Km of 5500- and 9-fold at pH 10.5, respectively. Substrate deprotonation studies under transient-state conditions show that this step is not rate-limiting and yield a pKa value of \u223c 7.2 for WT HOD. A large solvent isotope effect was found, and the pKa value was shifted to \u223c 8.3 in D2O. Crystallographic and computational studies reveal that the mutations have a minor effect on substrate positioning. Computational work shows that both His-251 and Asp-126 are essential for the proton transfer driving force of the initial reaction. This multidisciplinary study offers unambiguous support to the view that substrate deprotonation, driven by the His\/Asp dyad, is an essential requirement for its activation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31233822,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Age-dependent differences on neurochemistry and behavior in rats raised with low and high levels of maternal care.\nIn laboratory rats, naturally-occurring variations in maternal care have been used to study the neurobehavioral consequences of maternal nursing and to model the early-life adversity associated with many psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to determine the role of maternal care on behavior and monoamine concentrations at the prepubertal and young adulthood ages. We observed the licking\/grooming (LG) behavior of Sprague-Dawley (SD) dams and assigned the litter to either low (LLG) or high (HLG) LG groups. Behavioral testing in the male offspring consisted of the open-field test, the elevated plus-maze, and the forced swimming test. Afterward, neurotransmitters contents were measured in the prefrontal cortex, the nucleus accumbens, the amygdala, and the hippocampus. We found that at the prepubertal stage, the effects of maternal care were only noticeable in the elevated plus-maze and the serotonin concentration in the nucleus accumbens. At adulthood, body weight and monoamines contents increased substantially in LLG rats. Specifically, they showed higher serotonin contents with a reduced turnover in almost all brain regions, followed by higher contents of norepinephrine and dopamine, especially in the nucleus accumbens. Changes in monoamines concentrations seem to be independent of the behavioral phenotype shaped by variations in maternal care, as behavioral effects were somewhat weak in both experiments. If higher monoamines contents in LLG rats represent an adaptive mechanism to deal with further adverse events, the behavioral paradigms used here were insufficiently challenging to bring out noticeable differences, at least in SD rats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36090466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The dynamics of musical participation.\nIn this paper we argue that our comprehension of musical participation-the complex network of interactive dynamics involved in collaborative musical experience-can benefit from an analysis inspired by the existing frameworks of dynamical systems theory and coordination dynamics. These approaches can offer novel theoretical tools to help music researchers describe a number of central aspects of joint musical experience in greater detail, such as prediction, adaptivity, social cohesion, reciprocity, and reward. While most musicians involved in collective forms of musicking already have some familiarity with these terms and their associated experiences, we currently lack an analytical vocabulary to approach them in a more targeted way. To fill this gap, we adopt insights from these frameworks to suggest that musical participation may be advantageously characterized as an open, non-equilibrium, dynamical system. In particular, we suggest that research informed by dynamical systems theory might stimulate new interdisciplinary scholarship at the crossroads of musicology, psychology, philosophy, and cognitive (neuro)science, pointing toward new understandings of the core features of musical participation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27378984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Self-regulation and Beyond: Affect Regulation and the Infant-Caregiver Dyad.\nIn the available psychological literature, affect regulation is fundamentally considered in terms of self-regulation, and according to this standard picture, the contribution of other people in our affect regulation has been viewed in terms of socially assisted self-regulation. The present article challenges this standard picture. By focusing on affect regulation as it unfolds in early infancy, it will be argued that instead of being something original and fundamental, self-regulation developmentally emerges from the basis of a further type of affect regulation. While infants' capacities in recognizing, understanding, and modifying their own affective states are initially immature and undeveloped, affect regulation is initially managed by the other: it is initially the self, and not the other, that plays the role of an assistant in affect regulation. To capture this phenomenon, the concepts of \"auto-matic,\" \"hetero-matic,\" and \"altero-matic\" affect regulation will be introduced and their interrelations elaborated. By showing how the capacity of affective self-regulation, which is characteristic to maturity, is developmentally achieved by internalizing regulative functions that, at the outset of development, are managed by the caregiver, it will be argued that altero-matic affect regulation is an autonomous type of affect regulation and the developmental basis for self-regulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26504808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The Relationship between Neighborhood Immigrant Composition, Limited English Proficiency, and Late-Stage Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis in California.\nDespite the availability of effective early detection technologies, more than half (61%) of colorectal cancers in the United States and 55% in California are identified at an advanced stage. Data on colorectal cancer patients (N = 35,030) diagnosed from 2005 to 2007 were obtained from the California Cancer Registry. Multivariate analyses found a relationship among neighborhood concentration of recent immigrants, neighborhood rates of limited English proficiency, and late-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis. Hispanics living in neighborhoods with a greater percentage of recent immigrants (compared to the lowest percentage) had greater odds (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.22, 2.02) of late-stage diagnosis whereas Hispanics living in neighborhoods with the highest percentage of limited English proficiency (compared to the lowest percentage) had lower odds (OR .71, 95% CI .51, .99) of late-stage diagnosis. These relationships were not observed for other ethnic groups. Results highlight the complex relationship among race\/ethnicity, neighborhood characteristics, and colorectal cancer stage at diagnosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16059526,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Georg H\u00e4ndel (1622-97): the barber-surgeon father of George Frideric Handel (1685-1759).\nGeorge Frideric Handel was born in Halle (Saale) in Germany. After initial musical education in Germany and Italy, he came to London as a young man and spent the rest of his life in England. Until recently, little has been written of his early life in either the English or the German literature, and it is not widely known that he was the son of Georg H\u00e4ndel, a barber-surgeon of repute. When his father's name is mentioned, it is usually to claim that he actively discouraged his son's musical education. Georg H\u00e4ndel lived in a turbulent time; he became an eminent surgeon who served as valet and barber to the Courts of Saxony and Brandenburg, as well as a distinguished citizen of Halle. In describing his surgical duties, we show how these differed from those of barbers in England and France at that time. Barbers in Germany were less controlled, freer to practise as they pleased, and H\u00e4ndel himself had important duties in public health and forensic medicine. George Frideric was the first son of the second marriage, born when his father was 63 years of age. We aim also to dispel the notion that H\u00e4ndel's influence on his son's career was as obstructive as has been claimed, but rather that he was a responsible father with his children's interests at heart. This is shown in the success achieved by all his children, most of whom followed their father into medicine, while George Frideric became the most famous of them all, being regarded by posterity as one of the greatest composers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36135690,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Biotransformation of the Fluoroquinolone, Levofloxacin, by the White-Rot Fungus Coriolopsis gallica.\nThe wastewater from hospitals, pharmaceutical industries and more generally human and animal dejections leads to environmental releases of antibiotics that cause severe problems for all living organisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the capacity of three fungal strains to biotransform the fluoroquinolone levofloxacin. The degradation processes were analyzed in solid and liquid media. Among the three fungal strains tested, Coriolopsis gallica strain CLBE55 (BRFM 3473) showed the highest removal efficiency, with a 15% decrease in antibiogram zone of inhibition for Escherichia coli cultured in solid medium and 25% degradation of the antibiotic in liquid medium based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Proteomic analysis suggested that laccases and dye-decolorizing peroxidases such as extracellular enzymes could be involved in levofloxacin degradation, with a putative major role for laccases. Degradation products were proposed based on mass spectrometry analysis, and annotation suggested that the main product of biotransformation of levofloxacin by Coriolopsis gallica is an N-oxidized derivative.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15357390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The capsalidae (Monogenea: Monopisthocotylea): a review of diversity, classification and phylogeny with a note about species complexes.\nThe Capsalidae are monogeneans parasitizing 'skin', fins and gills of marine fishes. Some capsalids are pathogenic to cultivated fish and a few have caused epizootic events. It is a cosmopolitan family with broad host associations (elasmobranchs and teleosts, including sturgeons). Approximately 200 capsalid species are placed in nine subfamilies and 44-46 genera, some of which are well known (Benedenia, Capsala, Entobdella, Neobenedenia). Sturgeons host two capsalid species (Nitzschiinae) and 15 species in five genera are reliably reported from elasmobranchs. The combination of ancient (shark, ray, sturgeon) and modem (teleost) host fish lineages indicates that capsalid evolution is likely a blend of coevolution and host-switching, but a family phylogeny has been lacking due to deficient knowledge about homologies. The current phenetic subfamilial classification is discussed in detail using a preliminary phylogeny generated from large subunit ribosomal DNA sequence data from representatives of five subfamilies. Monophyly of the Capsalidae is supported by possession of accessory sclerites. Hypotheses are proposed for the possible radiation of capsalids. A suggestion that Neobenedenia melleni, a pathogenic species atypical due to its broad host-specificity (>100 host teleost species from >30 families in five orders), may be a complex of species is supported from genetic evidence. This may explain peculiarities in biology, taxonomy, host associations and geographic distribution of N. 'melleni' and has implications for fish health. Holistic studies using live and preserved larval and adult capsalid specimens and material for genetic analysis are emphasised to further determine identity, phylogeny and details of biology, especially for pathogenic species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31474679,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Association between Vitamin D Status and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Population-Based Study.\nThe relationship between vitamin D levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains unestablished. In this study, we aimed to explore the relationship between vitamin D levels and NAFLD based on population survey data. This cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Liver steatosis was diagnosed by ultrasonography. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between vitamin D status and NAFLD. A total of 9,782 participants were identified in this analysis, with 46.8% male and an average age of 44.41\u00b10.16 y old. Among them, 6,047 (61.8%) cases were without NAFLD, 1,357 (13.9%) had mild NAFLD, 1,594 (16.3%) had moderate and 784 (8.0%) had severe NAFLD. Compared to those with non-NAFLD or mild NAFLD, patients in the moderate to severe NAFLD group had higher vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency rates (12.4% vs 11.5% and 36.8% vs 33.2%, respectively). After adjustment for male gender, older age, race, BMI, history of diabetes and vitamin D intake, vitamin D levels were independently associated with the severity of NAFLD (vitamin D deficiency group OR: 1.314, 95% CI: 1.129 to 1.529, vitamin D insufficiency group OR: 1.203, 95% CI: 1.090 to 1.328). Besides that, cold season was also found to be an independent factor for NAFLD (OR: 0.896, 95% CI: 0.820 to 0.979). Lower vitamin D level is an independent risk factor for NAFLD. Vitamin D levels are inversely associated with the severity of NAFLD. Cold season increases the risk of NAFLD independently.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34824084,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Functional evaluation in inherited retinal disease.\nFunctional assessments are a fundamental part of the clinical evaluation of patients with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). Their importance and impact have become increasingly notable, given the significant breadth and number of clinical trials and studies investigating multiple avenues of intervention across a wide range of IRDs, including gene, pharmacological and cellular therapies. Moreover, the fact that many clinical trials are reporting improvements in vision, rather than the previously anticipated structural stability\/slowing of degeneration, makes functional evaluation of primary relevance. In this review, we will describe a range of methods employed to characterise retinal function and functional vision, beginning with tests variably included in the clinic, such as visual acuity, electrophysiological assessment and colour discrimination, and then discussing assessments often reserved for clinical trials\/research studies such as photoaversion testing, full-field static perimetry and microperimetry, and vision-guided mobility testing; addressing perimetry in greatest detail, given it is commonly a primary outcome metric. We will focus on how these tests can help diagnose and monitor particular genotypes, also noting their limitations\/challenges and exploring analytical methodologies for better exploiting functional measurements, as well as how they facilitate patient inclusion and stratification in clinical trials and serve as outcome measures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27375727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Trends of contraception among ladies of local population in Pakistan; why, how, when and what?\nTo analyze trends of use of methods of contraception along with study of impact of various demographic and social factors on contraception in Peshawar, Pakistan. A cross-sectional descriptive study with random purposive sampling was conducted at Combined Military Hospital Peshawar, from Mar 2015-Nov 2015. Self-designed questionnaire with demographic details and questions pertinent to contraceptive practices was utilized as study instrument. Females reporting to concerned hospital for contraceptive advice and prescription were distributed with questionnaire and written informed consent form. Formal approval was taken from ethical committee of hospital. Data was analyzed via descriptive analysis (SPSS-21), qualitative data was expressed as frequencies and percentages; quantitative as mean\u00b1standard deviation (SD). Main outcome variable i-e contraceptive device used; was cross-tabulated with independent variables. Response rate was 53.2% (n-426). Usage of contraceptive device was as follows; 51.2% Nil, 9.4% barriers, 22.3% oral\/injectable hormones, 13.4% IUCDs, 3.8% sterilization. There was a strong relationship between type of contraceptives used and age (p<0.001), client's education (p<0.001), husband's education (p<0.001), number of children (p<0.001), religion (p0.013), socioeconomic class (p<0.001), and religious beliefs about use of contraceptives (p<0.001). More Muslims considered contraception irreligious than non-Muslims (p 0.02). There was no significant impact of husbands' pressure to not to use contraceptives on type of contraception practised (p 0.114). Contraceptive devices are under-utilized in the study participants. Multidisciplinary approach should be applied to enhance client education, awareness and counseling to utilize these devices more appropriately and regularly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8063717,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chimeric enzymes. Structure-function analysis of segments of sn-1,2-diacylglycerol choline- and ethanolaminephosphotransferases.\nThe Saccharomyces cerevisiae CPT1 and EPT1 genes represent structural genes that encode distinct choline- and choline\/ethanolaminephosphotransferases, respectively. To explore the function of linear segments of these enzymes, a series of 14 EPT1-CPT1 chimeric gene constructs and the parental wild-type genes were expressed in a cpt1 ept1 double null mutant background completely devoid of phosphoamino alcohol transferase activity. Eleven of the chimeric genes expressed functional enzymes. The CDP-amino alcohol and sn-1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) substrate specificities and essential phospholipid cofactor requirements of the parental and chimeric enzymes were investigated using a mixed micellar assay system. Chimeric enzymes exhibited a pattern of CDP-amino alcohol affinities that defined a structural domain sufficient to confer CDP-amino alcohol specificity. When wild-type enzymes were investigated using a chemically defined series of DAGs, each possessed a distinct characteristic pattern of utilization. Chimeric enzymes exhibited DAG acyl chain specificity profiles that either conformed to parental wild-type patterns or represented novel substrate specificities. Correlation of these outcomes with their underlying structural modifications permitted the assignment of an internal, linear region of 218 amino acids sufficient to confer DAG acyl chain specificity; this region contained three predicted transmembrane segments. Neither wild-type enzyme showed significant acyl chain selectivity with respect to phospholipid activation when a homologous series of chemically defined phosphatidylcholines were employed, suggesting that enzyme recognition of the fatty acyl moieties of the DAG substrate and phospholipid activator is fundamentally different. Analysis of chimeric enzymes dependence on phospholipid activators suggested the involvement of discontinuous protein segments participating in the interaction with phospholipid cofactors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7324691,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Mental disorders in the late stages of cranio-cerebral injuries (based on the results of an epidemiologic study)].\nAn epidemiological examination of a representative group of 334 patients with late sequelae of craniocerebral injuries was carried out. The patients were selected from those registered at psychoneurological dispensaries of a large city. On the basis of the examination results various types of the course of the post-traumatic psychic disorders were specified, and so were dominating syndromes (asthenic, psychopathic, deficit-type and endomorphous). The peculiarities of their clinical picture formation and time course are shown with indication to factors playing the pathogenetic role. The importance of some psychopathological complexes in the genesis and prognosis of the patients antisocial behaviour is noted. Recommendations concerning medical and social prophylactic and therapeutic measures are substantiated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7784738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Cardiovascular toxicity of anticancer chemotherapy: 5 cases treated in intensive care].\nDuring a five-months period, 5 cases of cardiovascular toxicity related to chemotherapy were observed. Various hypotheses are discussed to explain the pathogenicity of this type of toxicity. Cardiovascular risk factors may favor this toxicity. In the presence of known cardiovascular risk factors, the choice of a less toxic regimen is desirable and, if this is not possible, the patient should be treated with continuous monitoring of the vital parameters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33059351,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Predictors of Lymph Node Invasion in Patients with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Who Undergo Radical Prostatectomy and Extended Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection: The Role of Obesity.\nIn patients with intermediate- and high-risk localized prostate cancer (PCa), improving the detection of occult lymph node metastases could play a pivotal role for therapeutic counseling and planning. The recent literature shows that several clinical factors may be related to PCa aggressiveness. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential associations between clinical factors and the risk of multiple lymph node invasion (LNI) in patients with intermediate- and high-risk localized PCa (cT1\/2, cN0, and ISUP grading group >2 and\/or prostate-specific antigen (PSA) >10 ng\/mL) who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) and extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND). In a period ranging from January 2014 to December 2018, 880 consecutive patients underwent RP with ePLND for PCa. Among these, 481 met the inclusion criteria and were selected. Data were prospectively collected within an institutional dataset and retrospectively analyzed. Age (years), body mass index (BMI; kg\/m2), PSA (ng\/mL), prostate volume (mL), and biopsy positive cores (BPC; %) were recorded for each case. BMI and BPC were considered continuous and categorical variables, respectively. The logistic regression models evaluated the association of clinical factors with the risk of nodal metastases. LNI was detected in 73\/418 patients (15.2%) of whom 40\/418 (8.3%) harbored multiple LNI (median 2, IQR: 3-4). On multivariate analysis, BMI was independently associated with the risk of multiple LNI in the pathological specimen when compared with patients without LNI (OR = 1.147; p = 0.018), as well as the percentage of biopsy positive cores (OR = 1.028; p < 0.0001) and European Association of Urology high-risk class (OR = 5.486; p < 0.0001). BMI was the only predictor of multiple LNI when compared with patients with 1 positive node (OR = 1.189, p = 0.027). In intermediate- and high-risk localized PCa, BMI was an independent predictor of the risk of multiple lymph node metastases. The inclusion of BMI within LNI risk calculators could be helpful, and a detailed counseling in obese patients should be required.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18999758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Suppression and feedback control of anomalous induced backscattering by pump-frequency modulation.\nThe possibility of induced backscattering parametric decay instability resonant suppression by harmonic pump-frequency modulation is demonstrated experimentally. It is shown that the pump anomalous reflection is strongly reduced at the modulation frequency equal to the difference of the decay instability eigenfrequencies. The parametric instability feedback control method is proposed based on this effect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10623649,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Immunoblot analysis of CD34 expression in histologically diverse neoplasms.\nCD34 is a heavily glycosylated transmembrane protein of approximately 110 kd whose function is essentially uncharacterized. First identified in a myeloid leukemia cell line, immunohistological reactivity with anti-CD34 antibodies is also encountered in a histologically diverse subset of nonhematolymphoid neoplasms including angiosarcoma, solitary fibrous tumors, epithelioid sarcomas, spindle cell lipomas, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, and myofibroblastomas. Immunohistological reactivity for CD34 in hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial cells has been shown to correspond to the expression of the CD34 protein. With the exception of gastrointestinal stromal tumors, CD34 protein expression has not been investigated in other CD34 immunohistologically reactive nonhematolymphoid neoplasms. We undertook this study to examine whether the observed reactivity for anti-CD34 antibodies in apparently unrelated tumors is due to the expression of the same protein or whether shared epitopes elaborated by other proteins could account for this reactivity. Immunoblot analyses with anti-CD34 antibodies of six different CD34 immunohistologically reactive lesions show the same approximately 110-kd molecular weight protein. In addition, two cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans show double bands at approximately 110 kd. Laser-capture microdissection of CD34 immunohistologically reactive epithelioid sarcoma and nonreactive epidermal cells illustrates that this reactivity is specific to tumor cells. These results show that the observed immunohistological reactivity with anti-CD34 antibodies is due to the expression of the CD34 protein and not to shared epitopes on unrelated proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3434225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Brain pathology induced by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A histological, immunocytochemical, and electron microscopical study of 100 autopsy cases.\nNeuropathological examination of brain tissue of 100 patients with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), including 98 with clinically manifest acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), revealed distinct multifocal-disseminated and diffuse brain tissue lesions, which can be regarded as HIV-induced brain lesions: multifocal giant cell encephalitis (MGCE; 4) and progressive diffuse leukoencephalopathy (PDL; 25). These lesions were found in 38 brains, and in 17 in absence of infectious, necrotizing or inflammatory changes of other types. In 13 brains, a combination of MGCE with PDL was seen, suggesting a spectrum of HIV-induced brain lesions. MGCE is characterized by perivascular accumulations predominantly of rod cells, monohistiocytes and macrophages, all of which are strongly labeled with a monoclonal antibody to macrophages. Most conspicuous are multinucleated giant cells which are also labeled by anti-macrophage antibody, and which can be regarded as evidence of the local presence of HIV, as confirmed by electron microscopical detection of HIV particles in four MGCE brains, and by immunocytochemical detection of HIV proteins in two MGCE brains. PDL is characterized by a triad: diffuse myelin loss, astroglial proliferation, and infiltration by mono- and multinucleated macrophages. HIV-induced lesions can be morphologically differentiated from histopathological brain lesions known in immunosuppression, including what is called here nodular encephalitis [\"subacute encephalitis\" of the literature, in most cases attributable to cytomegalovirus (CMV) or toxoplasmosis], by their characteristic histopathology including the hallmark presence of multinucleated giant cells, by direct immunocytochemical and electron microscopical demonstration of HIV in the lesions, and by the absence of opportunistic agents (bacteria, fungi, Toxoplasma, CMV, HSV or papovaviruses). Diffuse poliodystrophy (diffuse proliferation of astroglia with swollen nuclei, occasionally minor neuronal loss and rod cell proliferation) was found in the cerebral cortex and other gray matter in half of all brains, including cases with gyral atrophy, and may be another correlate of HIV damage to the brain. Morphological delineation of HIV-induced brain lesions is a necessary prerequisite for a meaningful clinical definition of HIV-induced cerebral disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":13984604,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Persistent vaginal cornification in mice.\nPersistent vaginal cornification induced in A\/Crgl mice by brief postnatal treatment with estrogen is not prevented by later ovariectomy, adrenalectomy, or hypophysectomy. Transplantation of the persistently cornified vaginae into ovariectomized normal mice or into ovariectomized persistently estrous mice also does not eliminate cornification in the majority of transplants. Administration of \"anti-estrogenic\" steroids temporarily alters the vaginal picture in some but not all of these mice. The vaginal epithelium of the persistently estrous mouse appears to represent an altered cell population which does not require estrogen for its constant keratinization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29383197,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Rethinking the bile acid\/gut microbiome axis in cancer.\nDietary factors, probiotic agents, aging and antibiotics\/medicines impact on gut microbiome composition leading to disturbances in localised microbial populations. The impact can be profound and underlies a plethora of human disorders, including the focus of this review; cancer. Compromised microbiome populations can alter bile acid signalling and produce distinct pathophysiological bile acid profiles. These in turn have been associated with cancer development and progression. Exposure to high levels of bile acids, combined with localised molecular\/genome instability leads to the acquisition of bile mediated neoplastic alterations, generating apoptotic resistant proliferation phenotypes. However, in recent years, several studies have emerged advocating the therapeutic benefits of bile acid signalling in suppressing molecular and phenotypic hallmarks of cancer progression. These studies suggest that in some instances, bile acids may reduce cancer phenotypic effects, thereby limiting metastatic potential. In this review, we contextualise the current state of the art to propose that the bile acid\/gut microbiome axis can influence cancer progression to the extent that classical in vitro cancer hallmarks of malignancy (cell invasion, cell migration, clonogenicity, and cell adhesion) are significantly reduced. We readily acknowledge the existence of a bile acid\/gut microbiome axis in cancer initiation, however, in light of recent advances, we focus exclusively on the role of bile acids as potentially beneficial molecules in suppressing cancer progression. Finally, we theorise that suppressing aggressive malignant phenotypes through bile acid\/gut microbiome axis modulation could uncover new and innovative disease management strategies for managing cancers in vulnerable cohorts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8065841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Phenylalanine and tyrosine kinetics in critically ill children with sepsis.\nTo better understand the impact of severe illness on the amino acid economy and nutritional needs of pediatric patients, we studied plasma phenylalanine and tyrosine kinetics in eleven critically ill patients (six full-term newborns and five young infants). Within 48 h of the diagnosis of sepsis they were given primed constant i.v. infusions of L-[1-13C]phenylalanine and L-[3,3,2H2]tyrosine for 4 h. Routine nutritional support continued during this period by parenteral administration of dextrose, lipid emulsion, and an amino acid mixture low in tyrosine. Phenylalanine and tyrosine fluxes and rate of phenylalanine hydroxylation did not differ significantly between the two age groups, and so the data were combined for evaluation. For the entire group, values (mumol.kg-1.h-1; mean +\/- SD) for phenylalanine and tyrosine fluxes and rate of phenylalanine hydroxylation were 132 +\/- 24, 66 +\/- 16, and 29 +\/- 12, respectively. Plasma phenylalanine to tyrosine concentration ratio was 1.67 +\/- 0.6. From a comparison of the rate of phenylalanine hydroxylation with measured phenylalanine intakes, it was concluded that their routine, clinical nutritional support was inadequate to achieve body phenylalanine balance. In comparison with published data, the relative rate of phenylalanine hydroxylation appears to be high. We speculate that tyrosine is a conditionally indispensable amino acid under these conditions; it would be desirable to establish the intake levels and ratio of phenylalanine to tyrosine that effectively support aromatic amino acid balance in these critically ill patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21491863,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Precise placement of gold nanorods by capillary assembly.\nCapillary assembly was explored for the precise placement of 25 nm \u00d7 70 nm colloidal gold nanorods on prestructured poly(dimethylsiloxane) template surfaces. The concentration of nanorods and cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), the template wettability, and most critically the convective transport of the dispersed nanorods were tuned to study their effect on the resulting assembly yield. It is shown that gold nanorods can be placed into arrayed 120-nm diameter holes, achieving assembly yields as high as 95% when the local concentration of nanorods at the receding contact line is sufficiently high. Regular arrays of gold nanorods have several benefits over randomly deposited nanorod arrangements. Each assembled nanorod resides at a precisely defined location and can easily be found for subsequent characterization or direct utilization in a device. The former is illustrated by collecting scattering spectra from single nanorods and nanorod dimers, followed by subsequent SEM characterization without the need for intricate registration schemes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27223866,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis in urban households as risk factor of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis.\nUrban occurrence of human and canine visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is linked to households with characteristics conducive to the presence of sand flies. This study proposes an ad hoc classification of households according to the environmental characteristics of receptivity to phlebotominae and an entomological study to validate the proposal. Here we describe the phlebotominae population found in intra- and peridomiciliary environments and analyse the spatiotemporal distribution of the VL vector Lutzomyia longipalpis of households receptive to VL. In the region, 153 households were classified into levels of receptivity to VL followed by entomological surveys in 40 of those properties. Kruskal-Wallis verified the relationship between the households' classification and sand fly abundance and Kernel analysis evaluated L. longipalpis spatial distribution: of the 740 sand flies were captured, 91% were L. longipalpis; 82% were found peridomiciliary whilst the remaining 18% were found intradomiciliary. No statistically significant association was found between sandflies and households levels. L. longipalpis counts were concentrated in areas of high vulnerability and some specific households were responsible for the persistence of the infestation. L. longipalpis prevails over other sand fly species for urban VL transmission. The entomological study may help target the surveillance and vector control strategies to domiciles initiating and\/or maintaining VL outbreaks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9033647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Human papillomavirus types 52 and 58 are prevalent in cervical cancers from Chinese women.\nA substantial body of evidence has confirmed human papillomavirus (HPV) infection as an etiologic agent in human cervical cancer. To evaluate the association between HPV and cervical cancer in Chinese women, we examined tumor specimens from women who lived in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. Biopsies from 40 women, diagnosed with either squamous-cell carcinoma (n = 35) or adenocarcinoma (n = 5) were tested for HPV DNA by PCR. The HPV types present in tumors were determined either by hybridization of PCR products with HPV type-specific probes or by PCR-based sequencing. A total of 35 of the 40 cervical cancer specimens (87.5%) contained HPV DNA. The following distribution and types were detected: 7.5% HPV 16, 10% HPV 18, 20% HPVs 16 and 18, 15% HPV 52, 15% HPV 58, 12.5% HPVs 52 and 58 and 7.5% unclassified HPVs. In this population of Chinese women with cervical cancer, HPV 52 and 58 were as prevalent as the \"high-risk\" (for cervical cancer) viruses HPVs 16 and 18.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24510141,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Synthetic Biology: opportunities for Chilean bioindustry and education.\nIn an age of pressing challenges for sustainable production of energy and food, the new field of Synthetic Biology has emerged as a promising approach to engineer biological systems. Synthetic Biology is formulating the design principles to engineer affordable, scalable, predictable and robust functions in biological systems. In addition to efficient transfer of evolved traits from one organism to another, Synthetic Biology offers a new and radical approach to bottom-up engineering of sensors, actuators, dynamical controllers and the biological chassis they are embedded in. Because it abstracts much of the mechanistic details underlying biological component behavior, Synthetic Biology methods and resources can be readily used by interdisciplinary teams to tackle complex problems. In addition, the advent of robust new methods for the assembly of large genetic circuits enables teaching Biology and Bioengineering in a learning-by-making fashion for diverse backgrounds at the graduate, undergraduate and high school levels. Synthetic Biology offers unique opportunities to empower interdisciplinary training, research and industrial development in Chile for a technology that promises a significant role in this century's economy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27792762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Development of the Nervous System of Carinina ochracea (Palaeonemer-tea, Nemertea).\nThe various clades of Lophotrochozoa possess highly disparate adult morphologies. Most of them, including Nemertea (ribbon worms), are postulated to develop via a pelagic larva of the trochophora type, which is regarded as plesiomorphic in Lophotrochozoa. With respect to the nervous system, the trochophora larva displays a set of stereotypic features, including an apical organ and trochal neurites, both of which are lost at the onset of metamorphosis. In the investigated larvae of Nemertea, the nervous system is somewhat divergent from the postulated hypothetical trochophore-like pattern. Moreover, no detailed data is available for the \"hidden\" trochophore larva, the hypothetical ancestral larval type of palaeonemertean species. Therefore, the development of the nervous system in the larva of Carinina ochracea, a basally branching palaeonemertean species, was studied by means of immunofluorescence and confocal laserscanning microscopy. Like in the other investigated nemertean larvae, the prospective adult central nervous system in C. ochracea develops in an anterior to posterior direction, as an anterior brain with paired longitudinal nerve cords. Thus, development of the adult nervous system in Nemertea is largely congruent with currently accepted hypotheses of nervous system development in Spiralia. In early development, transitory apical, serotonin-like immunoreactive flask-shaped cells are initially present, but the trochal neurites that have been considered as pivotal to lophotrochozoan development, are absent. In the light of the above stated hypothesis, trochal neurites have to be interpreted as reduced in Nemertea. On the other hand, due to the unsettled systematic status of Palaeonemertea, more comparative data are desirable to answer the remaining questions regarding the evolution of nervous system development in Nemertea.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26547680,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Changes in dimensions of total knee arthroplasty anterior knee dressings during flexion: Preliminary findings.\nWound care is critical to the management of patients post total knee arthroplasty, requiring prudent selection of dressings that can accommodate changes in wound length during knee flexion. This study aims to quantify differences in dressing dimensions based on the position of the knee during the application of the dressing and subsequent flexion. Our study involved 40 knees divided into 2 groups, an extension group and a flexion group, each consisting of 20 knees. These groups had dressings applied to the knee in full extension and in 90\u00b0 of flexion respectively. Measurements of the dressings were taken for the extension group with the knee in extension and for both groups at 90\u00b0 of flexion. For the extension group, the changes in length and breadth of the dressings when measured in 90\u00b0 of flexion were 3.42 \u00b1 0.15 cm, p < 0.001 and -0.43 \u00b1 0.10 cm, p < 0.001 respectively. Compared to the flexion group, the differences in length and breadth between the dressings when measured in 90\u00b0 of flexion were 3.48 \u00b1 0.15 cm, p < 0.001 and -0.14 \u00b1 0.12 cm, p < 0.001 respectively. There are significant differences and changes in the dimensions of knee dressings depending on the position of the knee during the application of dressing and subsequent flexion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27721793,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Efficacy and Safety of Telavancin for Treatment of Infectious Disease: Are We Clearer?\nObjective: Telavancin is approved to treat complicated skin and skin structure infections, hospital-acquired, and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus. A previous meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials suggested that it might be an alternative to vancomycin in cases of difficult-to-treat meticillin-resistant S. aureus infections. We did a meta-analysis including one new trial to access the efficacy and safety of telavancin. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE and ClinicalTrials.gov up to December 30, 2015 to identify randomized controlled trials that assessed the clinical efficacy, eradication efficiency, adverse events and laboratory abnormalities of telavancin vs. other antibiotic agents for bacterial infection. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3.0. Results: Five studies (3790 participants) were included in the meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in treatment success with telavancin than with control antibiotic agents. The pooled pathogen eradication for the telavancin group was numerically higher than that for the control groups, but there was no significant difference. While all-cause mortalities and serious adverse events were comparable between telavancin and control antibiotic agents, adverse event-related withdrawals (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.13-1.91) were higher in telavancin group. The total number adverse events were more in the telavancin group than in the control groups, especially in the digestive system (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.37-1.79), nervous system (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.86-2.47) and urogenital system (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.99-3.25). Serum creatinine increase (OR 2.25, 95% Cl 1.78-2.85) and hypokalemia (OR 1.74, 95% CI 1.19-2.53) occurred more frequently in telavancin group compared to control groups. Conclusion: Telavancin may be as effective as but no better than the comparison therapy for S. aureus infection. However, because of the high risk of adverse event-related withdrawals and potential nephrotoxicity, prudence with the clinical use of telavancin in infections is required.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11833180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Gender, sexuality, and HIV\/AIDS: the what, the why, and the how.\nThe focus of Geeta Rao Gupta's plenary presentation of 12 July 2000 at the XIII International AIDS Conference is on the what, why, and how of gender, sexuality, and HIV\/AIDS. Dr Rao Gupta discusses the factors associated with women's vulnerability to HIV; and the ways in which unequal power balance in gender relations increases not only women's, but also men's, vulnerability to HIV-despite, or rather because of, their greater power. She then addresses the question of how one is to overcome the seemingly insurmountable barriers of gender and sexual inequality. How can we change the cultural norms that create damaging, even fatal, gender disparities and roles? According to Dr Rao Gupta, an important first step is to recognize, understand, and publicly discuss the ways in which the power imbalance in gender and sexuality fuels the epidemic. She provides examples of sensitive, transformative, and empowering approaches to gender and sexuality and concludes that, in the final analysis, reducing the imbalance in power between women and men requires policies that are designed to empower women--policies that aim to decrease the gender gap in education, improve women's access to economic resources, increase women's political participation, and protect women from violence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29479305,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Neuronal Growth and Behavioral Alterations in Mice Deficient for the Psychiatric Disease-Associated Negr1 Gene.\nNeuronal growth regulator 1 (NEGR1), a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecule subgroup IgLON, has been implicated in neuronal growth and connectivity. In addition, genetic variants in or near the NEGR1 locus have been associated with obesity and more recently with learning difficulties, intellectual disability and psychiatric disorders. However, experimental evidence is lacking to support a possible link between NEGR1, neuronal growth and behavioral abnormalities. Initial expression analysis of NEGR1 mRNA in C57Bl\/6 wildtype (WT) mice by in situ hybridization demonstrated marked expression in the entorhinal cortex (EC) and dentate granule cells. In co-cultures of cortical neurons and NSC-34 cells overexpressing NEGR1, neurite growth of cortical neurons was enhanced and distal axons occupied an increased area of cells overexpressing NEGR1. Conversely, in organotypic slice co-cultures, Negr1-knockout (KO) hippocampus was less permissive for axons grown from EC of \u03b2-actin-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) mice compared to WT hippocampus. Neuroanatomical analysis revealed abnormalities of EC axons in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) of Negr1-KO mice including increased numbers of axonal projections to the hilus. Neurotransmitter receptor ligand binding densities, a proxy of functional neurotransmitter receptor abundance, did not show differences in the DG of Negr1-KO mice but altered ligand binding densities to NMDA receptor and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors M1 and M2 were found in CA1 and CA3. Activity behavior, anxiety-like behavior and sensorimotor gating were not different between genotypes. However, Negr1-KO mice exhibited impaired social behavior compared to WT littermates. Moreover, Negr1-KO mice showed reversal learning deficits in the Morris water maze and increased susceptibility to pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures. Thus, our results from neuronal growth assays, neuroanatomical analyses and behavioral assessments provide first evidence that deficiency of the psychiatric disease-associated Negr1 gene may affect neuronal growth and behavior. These findings might be relevant to further evaluate the role of NEGR1 in cognitive and psychiatric disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27897175,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Accelerated pseudogenization on the neo-X chromosome in Drosophila miranda.\nY chromosomes often degenerate via the accumulation of pseudogenes and transposable elements. By contrast, little is known about X-chromosome degeneration. Here we compare the pseudogenization process between genes on the neo-sex chromosomes in Drosophila miranda and their autosomal orthologues in closely related species. The pseudogenization rate on the neo-X is much lower than the rate on the neo-Y, but appears to be higher than the rate on the orthologous autosome in D. pseudoobscura. Genes under less functional constraint and\/or genes with male-biased expression tend to become pseudogenes on the neo-X, indicating the accumulation of slightly deleterious mutations and the feminization of the neo-X. We also find a weak trend that the genes with female-benefit\/male-detriment effects identified in D. melanogaster are pseudogenized on the neo-X, implying the masculinization of the neo-X. These observations suggest that both X and Y chromosomes can degenerate due to a complex suite of evolutionary forces.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15917572,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Levofloxacin disposition over time in aqueous humor of patients undergoing cataract surgery.\nThe ocular disposition of levofloxacin in patients receiving two 500-mg oral doses 10 h apart before cataract surgery was assessed with the intent of defining drug ocular exposure over time. The mean aqueous humor concentrations persisted above 1.5 mg\/liter between 1.5 and 6.0 h after the second dose, with average aqueous-to-plasma ratios ranging between 0.33 and 0.57. This favorable ocular disposition provides support for trials of systemic levofloxacin for prophylaxis of postoperative endophthalmitis in selected patients or as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of this potentially devastating infective complication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36730096,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Characteristics and processes of registered nurses' clinical reasoning and factors relating to the use of clinical reasoning in practice: a scoping review.\nThe objective of this review was to examine the characteristics and processes of clinical reasoning used by registered nurses in clinical practice, and to identify factors reported to relate to the use of clinical reasoning by registered nurses in clinical practice. Significant variability in the clinical reasoning of graduate registered nurses has been identified in research, with underdeveloped and unsafe clinical reasoning being linked to failure-to-rescue and sentinel events in the clinical setting. The identification of characteristics and processes of clinical reasoning, and factors relating to registered nurses' clinical reasoning when engaged in clinical practice, will increase understanding of the clinical reasoning requirements for undergraduate registered nurses and of potential factors that may affect their clinical reasoning. Studies including registered nurses who met the criteria for registered nurse registration in Australia and who used clinical reasoning to engage with health care consumers in all practice environments were eligible for inclusion. Eight databases were searched, with articles identified through CINAHL, MedNar, PubMed, Science Direct, ERIC, PsycINFO, Scopus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Database searches were conducted on December 31, 2020, and updated August 20, 2021, with primary qualitative and quantitative research studies in English from 2000 onwards considered for inclusion. Opinion papers, text, and reports were not included. Data were extracted based on the draft charting tool from the scoping review protocol, with results presented in tabular format and in a narrative summary. The 29 qualitative and 5 quantitative research studies included in the scoping review utilized exploratory descriptive, descriptive rationalist, narrative, ethnography, correlational, observational, and grounded theory methodologies in their research designs. Observation, think-aloud sessions, questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and focus groups were used to collect data from the 1099 participants in 9 countries. Multiple concepts related to the characteristics (n=35) and processes (n=30) of clinical reasoning were detected in the research studies, with 5 categories identified: i) situation management, ii) data management, iii) interpreting, iv) implementing and evaluating, and v) professional practice, with an additional processes category identified (decision-making processes). The factors (n=26) reported to relate to clinical reasoning were categorized into environment of care, care requirements, professional practice, experience, knowledge, and decision-making processes. Connections between the various concepts were evident throughout the review. The scoping review identified characteristics and processes of clinical reasoning, as well as factors reported to relate to clinical reasoning in all studies. The concepts that comprise the clinical reasoning of registered nurses in clinical practice must be considered in undergraduate registered nurse education. Registered nurses must complete their baccalaureate program with well-developed clinical reasoning to ensure safe clinical practice. Understanding the characteristics and processes of registered nurses' clinical reasoning in clinical practice, and the factors reported to relate to clinical reasoning, supports the creation of targeted resources for development and assessment of clinical reasoning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7302312,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The Belgian Heart Disease Prevention Project (author's transl)].\nThe Belgian Heart Disease Prevention Project is a controlled multifactorial preventive trial. It is basal on the well-documented epidemiologic notion of major coronary risk-factors: hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, smoking and obesity. This Project has been executed in industries, in males aged 40-59 yrs at the base-line screening. It is part of the WHO European Collaborative Trial including the United-Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Spain. This trial should verify a double work-hypothesis: 1 degree it is possible to modify significantly the coronary risk profile in middle-aged males through a comprehensive intervention program, 2 degrees this modification should, in turn, significantly reduce total mortality as compared to a control group. The authors discuss the pros and cons of a preventive trial in industry and review the numerous problems raised by the difficulties in modifying well-established life-styles as well as those related to the follow-up morbidity and mortality. Final screening took place in 1979-80 and results regarding incidence should be available by 1981.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30845820,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"No Support for Historical Candidate Gene or Candidate Gene-by-Interaction Hypotheses for Major Depression Across Multiple Large Samples.\nInterest in candidate gene and candidate gene-by-environment interaction hypotheses regarding major depressive disorder remains strong despite controversy surrounding the validity of previous findings. In response to this controversy, the present investigation empirically identified 18 candidate genes for depression that have been studied 10 or more times and examined evidence for their relevance to depression phenotypes. Utilizing data from large population-based and case-control samples (Ns ranging from 62,138 to 443,264 across subsamples), the authors conducted a series of preregistered analyses examining candidate gene polymorphism main effects, polymorphism-by-environment interactions, and gene-level effects across a number of operational definitions of depression (e.g., lifetime diagnosis, current severity, episode recurrence) and environmental moderators (e.g., sexual or physical abuse during childhood, socioeconomic adversity). No clear evidence was found for any candidate gene polymorphism associations with depression phenotypes or any polymorphism-by-environment moderator effects. As a set, depression candidate genes were no more associated with depression phenotypes than noncandidate genes. The authors demonstrate that phenotypic measurement error is unlikely to account for these null findings. The study results do not support previous depression candidate gene findings, in which large genetic effects are frequently reported in samples orders of magnitude smaller than those examined here. Instead, the results suggest that early hypotheses about depression candidate genes were incorrect and that the large number of associations reported in the depression candidate gene literature are likely to be false positives.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19445007,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Learning to 'talk the talk: the relationship of psychopathic traits to deficits in empathy across childhood.\nPsychopathy is characterised by profound deficits in the human tendency to feel and care about what other people feel, often known as 'affective empathy'. On the other hand, the psychopath often has intact 'cognitive' empathy skills, that is, he is able to describe what and why other people feel, even if he does not share or care about those feelings. Despite a rapidly advancing neuroscience of empathy, little is known about the developmental underpinnings of this psychopathic disconnect between affective and cognitive empathy. The parents of N = 2760, 3-13-year-olds reported on the levels of empathy, callous-unemotional traits (CU), and antisocial behaviour (AB). Consistent with current theory and measurement practice, an index of 'psychopathic traits' was derived from the CU and AB measures. There are important gender and developmental differences in empathy deficits related to psychopathic traits. As expected, psychopathy is associated with severe deficits in affective empathy across all ages for males; however, no such deficits were found for females. Contrary to adult findings, psychopathic traits are associated with deficits in cognitive empathy in childhood for both sexes; however, males with high psychopathic traits appear to overcome these deficits in cognitive empathy as they move through the pubertal years. In contrast to cognitive empathy, low affective empathy does not appear to be associated with psychopathic traits in females. The characteristic disconnect between cognitive and affective empathy seen in adult male psychopathy crystallises in the pubertal years when they appear to learn to 'talk the talk' about other people's emotions, despite suffering severe deficits in their emotional connection (affective empathy) to others.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10613214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in a dog with intestinal leiomyosarcoma.\nNephrogenic diabetes insipidus was diagnosed in a dog with an intestinal leiomyosarcoma. The diagnosis of nephrogenic diabetes insipidus was made on the basis of results of serum biochemical tests, urinalyses, and a water-deprivation test, along with a lack of response to exogenous administration of vasopressin following the water-deprivation test. The temporal association between resection of the intestinal mass and resolution of clinical signs of diabetes insipidus (i.e., polyuria and polydipsia) and between recurrence of clinical signs and detection of metastatic disease suggests that there may have been a causal relationship, and nephrogenic diabetes insipidus may have developed as a paraneoplastic syndrome in this dog.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8058885,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A motivational model for understanding moral action and moral development.\nThe neglected topic of moral action and the explanations given for such actions, with their shortcomings, are discussed. To avoid these limitations a new model is offered which integrates personal and situational variables, wherein motivation for moral action is the result of the interaction among moral motives, expectations about costs\/benefits, and expectations about outcomes for self-evaluation. The numerical values for these variables are defined and support for this model is given through a reanalysis of Kohlberg's stages and some data from other researchers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7569607,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Susceptibility of Biomphalaria tenagophila and Biomphalaria glabrata from a same region to 2 Schistosoma mansoni strains].\nB. tenagophila snails from Ouro Branco, MG, showed positivity for S. mansoni, with infection rates of 5%, 10%, (SJ strain), and 1% (LE strain) using a pool of miracidia. The mollusks were found to be susceptive from the 3rd generation reared in laboratory onwards. The B. tenagophila (OB, MG) when individually exposed to 10 miracidia, showed infection rate of 2% for LE strain. B. glabrata snails from Gag\u00e9, MG, showed a positivity rate of 58% for S. mansoni (LE strain), under experimental conditions. The B. tenagophila from Cabo Frio, RJ and B. glabrata from Belo Horizonte, MG used as a control for SJ strain showed infection rates of 47%-85% and 36% respectivily. For the LE strain, B. glabrata (BH, MG) used as control showed infection rate of 40%-75%.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23325372,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adjunctive aripiprazole therapy with escitalopram in patients with co-morbid major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence: clinical and neuroimaging evidence.\nThe effective treatment of depression has been reported to reduce the severity of alcohol use, potentially reflecting improvements in common brain reward circuits. We hypothesized that augmentation therapy of escitalopram with aripiprazole would improve depressive symptoms as well as reduce craving for alcohol and cue-induced brain activity in patients with co-morbid alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder, compared with treatment with escitalopram alone. Thirty-five subjects with major depressive disorder and alcohol dependence were recruited and randomly assigned into 17 aripiprazole + escitalopram and 18 escitalopram only groups. At baseline and following six weeks of treatment, symptoms of depression, craving for alcohol and brain activity were evaluated. During the six week treatment period, Beck Depression Inventory and clinical global index-severity (CGI-S) scores decreased in both the aripiprazole + escitalopram and escitalopram only groups. In addition, following the treatment period, the Korean alcohol urge questionnaire scores in the aripiprazole + escitalopram group were reduced from 23.3\u00b18.4 to 14.3\u00b14.9, compared with those of the escitalopram group of from 21.6\u00b18.4 to 19.3\u00b17.1 (F=13.1, p<0.01). The activity within the anterior cingulate was increased in response to the presentation of alcohol drinking scenes following treatment in the aripiprazole + escitalopram group. The change of brain activity within the left anterior cingulate gyrus in all patients with co-morbid alcohol dependence and major depressive disorder was negatively correlated with the change in craving for alcohol. These findings suggest that the effects of aripiprazole on anterior cingulate cortex might mediate the successful treatment of alcohol dependence in patients with major depressive disorder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26355680,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Parkinson's Disease-Associated Protein Kinase LRRK2 Modulates Notch Signaling through the Endosomal Pathway.\nLeucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a key molecule in the pathogenesis of familial and idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). We have identified two novel LRRK2-associated proteins, a HECT-type ubiquitin ligase, HERC2, and an adaptor-like protein with six repeated Neuralized domains, NEURL4. LRRK2 binds to NEURL4 and HERC2 via the LRRK2 Ras of complex proteins (ROC) domain and NEURL4, respectively. HERC2 and NEURL4 link LRRK2 to the cellular vesicle transport pathway and Notch signaling, through which the LRRK2 complex promotes the recycling of the Notch ligand Delta-like 1 (Dll1)\/Delta (Dl) through the modulation of endosomal trafficking. This process negatively regulates Notch signaling through cis-inhibition by stabilizing Dll1\/Dl, which accelerates neural stem cell differentiation and modulates the function and survival of differentiated dopaminergic neurons. These effects are strengthened by the R1441G ROC domain-mutant of LRRK2. These findings suggest that the alteration of Notch signaling in mature neurons is a component of PD etiology linked to LRRK2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21453514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Detection of arbitrarily-shaped clusters using a neighbor-expanding approach: a case study on murine typhus in south Texas.\nKulldorff's spatial scan statistic has been one of the most widely used statistical methods for automatic detection of clusters in spatial data. One limitation of this method lies in the fact that it has to rely on scan windows with predefined shapes in the search process, and therefore it cannot detect cluster with arbitrary shapes. We employ a new neighbor-expanding approach and introduce two new algorithms to detect cluster with arbitrary shapes in spatial data. These two algorithms are called the maximum-likelihood-first (MLF) algorithm and non-greedy growth (NGG) algorithm. We then compare the performance of these two new algorithms with the spatial scan statistic (SaTScan), Tango's flexibly shaped spatial scan statistic (FlexScan), and Duczmal's simulated annealing (SA) method using two datasets. Furthermore, we utilize the methods to examine clusters of murine typhus cases in South Texas from 1996 to 2006. When compared with the SaTScan and FlexScan method, the two new algorithms were more flexible and sensitive in detecting the clusters with arbitrary shapes in the test datasets. Clusters detected by the MLF algorithm are statistically more significant than those detected by the NGG algorithm. However, the NGG algorithm appears to be more stable when there are no extreme cluster patterns in the data. For the murine typhus data in South Texas, a large portion of the detected clusters were located in coastal counties where environmental conditions and socioeconomic status of some population groups were at a disadvantage when compared with those in other counties with no clusters of murine typhus cases. The two new algorithms are effective in detecting the location and boundary of spatial clusters with arbitrary shapes. Additional research is needed to better understand the etiology of the concentration of murine typhus cases in some counties in south Texas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8372728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Antioxidants as antirheumatics.\nReactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated by activated leukocytes and during ischaemia-reperfusion damage, such as that which occurs in the joint during exercise. Activities of endogenous scavengers in the synovial fluid are insufficient to deal with this excessive oxidative stress. Therapy with naturally occurring antioxidants, however, has been disappointing. This is due predominantly to poor pharmacokinetics. Studies on traditional anti-rheumatic drugs and the actions of novel compounds suggest that targeting to the joint coupled with defined mechanisms of action may lead to the development of effective antioxidant antirheumatics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20444967,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Escherichia coli isolates causing asymptomatic bacteriuria in catheterized and noncatheterized individuals possess similar virulence properties.\nUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infectious diseases of humans, with Escherichia coli being responsible for >80% of all cases. Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) occurs when bacteria colonize the urinary tract without causing clinical symptoms and can affect both catheterized patients (catheter-associated ABU [CA-ABU]) and noncatheterized patients. Here, we compared the virulence properties of a collection of ABU and CA-ABU nosocomial E. coli isolates in terms of antibiotic resistance, phylogenetic grouping, specific UTI-associated virulence genes, hemagglutination characteristics, and biofilm formation. CA-ABU isolates were similar to ABU isolates with regard to the majority of these characteristics; exceptions were that CA-ABU isolates had a higher prevalence of the polysaccharide capsule marker genes kpsMT II and kpsMT K1, while more ABU strains were capable of mannose-resistant hemagglutination. To examine biofilm growth in detail, we performed a global gene expression analysis with two CA-ABU strains that formed a strong biofilm and that possessed a limited adhesin repertoire. The gene expression profile of the CA-ABU strains during biofilm growth showed considerable overlap with that previously described for the prototype ABU E. coli strain, 83972. This is the first global gene expression analysis of E. coli CA-ABU strains. Overall, our data suggest that nosocomial ABU and CA-ABU E. coli isolates possess similar virulence profiles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36076957,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sugarcane ScDREB2B-1 Confers Drought Stress Tolerance in Transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana by Regulating the ABA Signal, ROS Level and Stress-Related Gene Expression.\nThe dehydration-responsive element-binding protein (DREB) is a subgroup member of the AP2\/ERF family and actively participates in the response of plants to abiotic stress. Although DREB genes have been studied in a variety of plant species, there are few reports of DREB genes in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). In this study, a novel full-length cDNA sequence of the ScDREB2B-1 gene was cloned from the Saccharum hybrid ROC22, whose encoding protein contained only one AP2-conserved domain and was clustered into the DREB (A-2) subgroup. The diverse promoter elements in the ScDREB2B-1 gene and the accumulated transcripts of its homologous gene (SsAP2\/ERF-107) in S. spontaneum under drought stress suggest that the ScDREB2B-1 gene may play a role in drought response. In addition, reverse transcription quantitative PCR analysis showed that the expression level of the ScDREB2B-1 gene was upregulated in the root and leaf of ROC22 under polyethylene glycol, sodium chloride and abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. The yeast two-hybrid experiment demonstrated that ScDREB2B-1 had transcriptional self-activation activity. Compared with wild-type plants, the overexpression of the ScDREB2B-1 gene improved the drought tolerance of the transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana by activating the ABA pathway to enhance the expression of the ABA-responsive gene (NbNCED) and ABA content, regulate the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level (enhance the transcripts of ROS synthase-related gene NbRbohB and the activities of catalase, peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) and increase the relative water content, proline content and expression level of osmotic stress-related genes (NbERD and NbLEA). Collectively, our data indicate that ScDREB2B-1 is a stress-inducible and ABA-responsive transcription factor gene that responds to drought stress by regulating ABA signaling, ROS levels and stress-related gene expression. This study contributes to a better understanding of the biological function of ScDREB2B-1, which could serve as a foundation for future resistance breeding in sugarcane.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11837311,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Pseudoalteromonas maricaloris sp. nov., isolated from an Australian sponge, and reclassification of [Pseudoalteromonas aurantia] NCIMB 2033 as Pseudoalteromonas flavipulchra sp. nov.\nA marine, gram-negative, aerobic bacterium that produced cytotoxic, lemon-yellow, chromopeptide pigments that inhibited the development of sea urchin eggs has been isolated from the Australian sponge Fascaplysinopsis reticulata Hentschel. The cells of the organism were rod-shaped with a single polar flagellum and they required NaCl for growth (0.5-10%) with optimum growth at 1-3% NaCl. The temperature for growth was 10-37 degrees C, with optimum growth at 25-30 degrees C. Growth occurred at pH values from 6.0 to 10.0, with optimum growth at pH 6.0-8.0. Major phospholipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine. Of 26 fatty acids with 11-19 carbon atoms that were detected, 16:1omega7, 16:0, 17:1omega8 and 18:1omega7 were predominant. The DNA G+C content was 38.9 mol%. All of these phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characters place the organism in the genus Pseudoalteromonas (Gauthier et al, 1995). These data are consistent with the phylogenetic analyses that confirmed that strain KMM 636T is a member of the Pseudoalteromonas cluster in the gamma-subclass of the Proteobacteria. DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed that the levels of relatedness between the DNA of the strain studied and DNAs of type strains of the species that clustered together (on the basis of 16S rDNA sequences) and [Pseudoalteromonas aurantia] NCIMB 2033 ranged from 19 to 35%, and that the DNA-DNA homology between [P. aurantia] NCIMB 2033 and other phylogenetically and\/or phenotypically similar type strains ranged from 32 to 52%. According to the polyphasic evidence presented in this study, it is proposed that strain KMM 636T (= LMG 19692T = CIP 106859T) be classified as Pseudoalteromonas maricaloris sp. nov. and [P. aurantia] NCIMB 2033 be reclassified as Pseudoalteromonas flavipulchra NCIMB 2033T (= KMM 3630T = LMG 20361T) sp. nov.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33834694,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Punicalagin effect on total sleep deprivation memory deficit in male Wistar rats.\nSleep deprivation has deteriorating effects on cognitive functions and activation of brain inflammation mechanisms has been reported by some studies following total sleep deprivation. Some studies have reported the health benefits of punicalagin, a main abstract from Punica granatum L., including those for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The antioxidant characteristic of punicalagin and the fact that sleep deprivation accelerates mediators of inflammation led us to further explore the possible neuroprotective role of punicalagin in total sleep deprivation memory impairment in a rat model. In this study, male Wistar rats were implanted with a canula in the lateral ventricle to receive intracerebroventricular injections (drug or vehicle). The animals were trained for the passive avoidance test and then received intracerebroventricular injections of different doses of punicalagin (0.001, 0.01, or 0.1 \u00b5g\/rat). Then, they were placed in the sleep deprivation apparatus for 24 hours and tested afterwards for memory retrieval and locomotion. Our results indicated that 24 hours of total sleep deprivation impaired memory processes. PG microinjection before TSD did not prevent the deteriorating effect of total sleep deprivation on memory, and only showed a tendency of restoring the memory impairment. Comparison of the locomotor activity between the animals in different groups showed a significant increase in the total sleep deprivation sham groups that received two of the highest doses of punicalagin. Considering the reported beneficial actions of PG by other studies, further investigation is needed into the possible effects of PG in memory alterations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34070109,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of Weight Loss and Moderate-Protein, High-Fiber Diet Consumption on the Fasted Serum Metabolome of Cats.\nFeline obesity elicits a plethora of metabolic responses leading to comorbidities, with potential reversal during weight loss. The specific metabolic alterations and biomarkers of organ dysfunction are not entirely understood. Untargeted, high-throughput metabolomic technologies may allow the identification of biological components that change with weight status in cats, increasing our understanding of feline metabolism. The objective of this study was to utilize untargeted metabolomic techniques to identify biomarkers and gain mechanistic insight into the serum metabolite changes associated with reduced food intake and weight loss in overweight cats. During a four-wk baseline period, cats were fed to maintain body weight. For 18 wk following baseline, cats were fed to lose weight at a rate of ~1.5% body weight\/wk. Blood serum metabolites were measured at wk 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16. A total of 535 named metabolites were identified, with up to 269 of them being altered (p- and q-values < 0.05) at any time point. A principal component analysis showed a continual shift in metabolite profile as weight loss progressed, with early changes being distinct from those over the long term. The majority of lipid metabolites decreased with weight loss; however, ketone bodies and small lipid particles increased with weight loss. The majority of carbohydrate metabolites decreased with weight loss. Protein metabolites had a variable result, with some increasing, but others decreasing with weight loss. Metabolic mediators of inflammation, oxidative stress, xenobiotics, and insulin resistance decreased with weight loss. In conclusion, global metabolomics identified biomarkers of reduced food intake and weight loss in cats, including decreased markers of inflammation and\/or altered macronutrient metabolism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35166433,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A Two-Phase Approach to Fusicoccane Synthesis To Uncover a Compound That Reduces Tumourigenesis in Pancreatic Cancer Cells.\nAlterbrassicicene D (1) and 3(11)-epoxyhypoestenone (2) were synthesised via a two-phase approach featuring concise construction of the 5-8-5 tricyclic intermediate and a tandem base-mediated epoxide opening-transannular oxa-Michael addition cascade to forge the complex skeleton of 2. The route is scalable and we generated 15 g of the tricyclic intermediate in 8 steps from (R)-limonene and 720 mg of the penultimate bioactive intermediate in a protecting-group-free manner. Our synthesis enabled the structural determination of 2 and provided materials for preliminary anticancer evaluation. The penultimate intermediate showed therapeutic potential in terms of its ability to dramatically reduce the tumourigenic potential of PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells according to a limiting dilution tumour-initiating assay. Our synthetic approach will facilitate unified access to naturally occurring fusicoccanes and their derivatives for anticancer evaluation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31981220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Exacerbation of hepatic cirrhosis may trigger admission for epilepsy and status epilepticus.\nTo determine whether acute exacerbations of cirrhotic liver disease are associated with higher odds of readmission for epilepsy or status epilepticus. The New York State Inpatient Database is a statewide dataset containing data on 97% of hospitalizations for New York State. In this retrospective, case-crossover design study, we used International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes to identify index status epilepticus and epilepsy admissions. The primary exposure was defined as admission due to an acute exacerbation of cirrhotic liver disease. The case-crossover analysis tested whether exposure to a hepatic exacerbation within progressively longer case periods (14, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days before index admission), compared to control periods 1 year before the case period, was associated with readmission for epilepsy or status epilepticus. The odds ratio for subsequent admission for epilepsy after exposure to an acute exacerbation of cirrhotic liver disease was significant in the 30-day window at 2.072 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.095-3.92, P = .0252) and peaked in the 150-day window at 2.742 (95% CI = 1.817-4.137, P < .0001). In the status epilepticus group, all case periods demonstrated significantly elevated odds of subsequent admission following hepatic exacerbation. Hepatic exacerbations are associated with increased odds for hospital admissions for epilepsy and status epilepticus across several timeframes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36267310,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Analysis of the Effect of the Communication Ability of Nurses in Outpatient Infusion Room on the Treatment Experience of Patients and Their Families.\nTo observe the effect of nursing communication ability in outpatient infusion room on the treatment experience of outpatients and their families and analyze whether improving nurses' communication skills can reduce the incidence of doctor-patient disputes. According to the results of the communication ability survey, the outpatient nurses in our hospital are divided into groups A (score < 65), B (65 \u2264 score < 80), C (80 \u2264 score < 95), and D (score \u2265 95). Taking outpatients and their families in our hospital from September 2019 to December 2020 as the research objects, they were divided into corresponding groups according to the nurses who served them. Finally, there were 73 cases in group A, 85 in group B, 92 in group C, and 65 in group D. The mental toughness scale (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale Chinese (CD-RISC)) scores and Herth Hope Index (HHI) scores of the four groups of patients were compared, and the correlation between nurse communication scores and CD-RISC scores and HHI scores was analyzed. The incidence of negative events (patient-nurse disputes, complaints, etc.) and the results of nursing satisfaction surveys during the visits of the four study groups were also counted. The four groups of CD-RISC and HHI total scores were ranked from highest to lowest as groups D, C, B, and A, respectively (P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation between the resilience dimension scores of the family members' CD-RISC and the toughness, strength, optimism dimension scores of the HHI and the nurses' communication dimension scores (r = 0.191-0.472, P < 0.05). Besides, the incidence of negative events was higher in group A than in the other three groups, while the satisfaction with care was lower than in the other three groups (P < 0.05). Improving nurses' communication skills in infusion room nursing quality management can improve the mental toughness and hope level of patients' accompanying family members, which is conducive to controlling their emotions and avoiding the occurrence of dispute incidents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8109461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[Noninvasive two-dimensional analysis of retinal microcirculation using the laser speckle phenomenon--II. Comparison of results with those obtained with the microsphere technique].\nWe have recently developed an apparatus for noninvasive two-dimensional analysis of the retinal microcirculation using the laser speckle phenomenon. The fundus is illuminated by an argon laser spot and its image speckle is detected by an area sensor. The difference between the average of output data and the output data for successive scannings of the image speckles at the sensor plane is calculated to give the value of normalized blur (NB), which is a quantitative index of tissue blood flow velocity. In pigmented rabbit eyes, the coefficient of reproducibility was 8% when the same area of retina was measured twice at 5-minute intervals and 13% at 24-hour intervals. The NB values in the retina free of visible vessels were recorded under various levels of intraocular pressure ranging from 10 to 80 mmHg and the results were compared with the blood flow rate determined with the colored microsphere technique. A linear correlation was found between the former and the latter, which suggested that the NB value also parallels the tissue blood flow rate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9647537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Leptin concentrations in the follicular phase of spontaneous cycles and cycles superovulated with follicle stimulating hormone.\nIt has been reported that oestradiol may play a role in the production of leptin from adipocytes. To investigate this relationship further, nine normally ovulating women were studied during two menstrual cycles, i.e. an untreated spontaneous cycle and a cycle treated with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) from cycle day 2 until the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) injection. Serum leptin values on cycle day 2 did not differ significantly between the spontaneous and the FSH cycles. In the spontaneous cycles, leptin values declined gradually and significantly up to day 7 and then increased progressively up to the day of luteinizing hormone (LH) surge onset, at which point they achieved the highest values. In the FSH cycles, serum leptin values increased gradually and significantly up to day 6, remaining stable thereafter, and were in the midfollicular phase significantly higher than in the spontaneous cycles. Significant positive correlations were found between mean values of leptin and mean values of oestradiol during the second half of the follicular phase in the spontaneous cycles and during the first half in the FSH cycles. A significant negative correlation was found between these two parameters in the spontaneous cycles during the first half of the follicular phase. Serum leptin levels were significantly higher in the midluteal than in the follicular phase in both cycles. These results demonstrate for the first time significant changes in leptin values during the follicular phase of the human menstrual cycle and a significant increase during superovulation induction with FSH. It is suggested that oestradiol may be involved in the regulation of leptin production in women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17474873,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A traditional Mediterranean diet decreases endogenous estrogens in healthy postmenopausal women.\nBreast cancer incidence and mortality rates are markedly lower in the south than in the north of Europe. This has been ascribed to differences in lifestyle and, notably, dietary habits across European countries. However, little information exists on the influence of different dietary regimens on estrogens and, hence, on breast cancer risk. Here we report results of our MeDiet Project, a randomized, dietary intervention study aimed to assess the effect of a Mediterranean diet on the profiles of endogenous estrogens in healthy postmenopausal women. Out of the 230 women who initially volunteered to participate in the study, 115 were found to be eligible and were enrolled. Women were then randomly assigned into an intervention (n = 58) and a control (n = 57) group. Women in the intervention group adhered to a traditional, restricted Mediterranean diet for 6 mo, whereas women in the control group continued to follow their regular diet. Women in the intervention group changed their dietary regimen substantially, and this eventually led to a shift from a prevalent intake of animal fat and proteins to a prevalent intake of vegetable fat and proteins. Regarding urinary estrogens, no significant difference was observed between the intervention and control groups at baseline. After 6 mo, however, control women did not show any major change but women in the intervention group exhibited a significant decrease (over 40%) of total estrogen levels (P < 0.02). The largest part of this modification was based on a marked decrease of specific estrogen metabolites, including hydroxy- and keto-derivatives of estradiol or estrone. To our knowledge, this is the first report to show that a traditional Mediterranean diet significantly reduces endogenous estrogen. This may eventually lead to identify selected dietary components that more effectively decrease estrogens levels and, hence, provide a basis to develop dietary preventive measures for breast cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27366154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Deficiency in an Exon 3 Deletion Mouse Model Promotes Hematopoietic Stem Cell Proliferation and Impacts Endosteal Niche Cells.\nThe aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor belonging to the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) family of proteins. The AHR is involved in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) functions including self-renewal, proliferation, quiescence, and differentiation. We hypothesize that AHR impacts HSC functions by influencing genes that have roles in HSC maintenance and function and that this may occur through regulation of bone marrow (BM) niche cells. We examined BM and niche cells harvested from 8-week-old AHR null-allele (KO) mice in which exon 3 was deleted in the Ahr gene and compared these data to cells from B6 control mice; young and old (10 months) animals were also compared. We report changes in HSCs and peripheral blood cells in mice lacking AHR. Serial transplantation assays revealed a significant increase in long term HSCs. There was a significant increase in mesenchymal stem cells constituting the endosteal BM niche. Gene expression analyses of HSCs revealed an increase in expression of genes involved in proliferation and maintenance of quiescence. Our studies infer that loss of AHR results in increased proliferation and self-renewal of long term HSCs, in part, by influencing the microenvironment in the niche regulating the balance between quiescence and proliferation in HSCs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30759532,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"First Report of Blast of Guinea Grass Caused by Pyricularia sp. LS-Group in Japan.\nGuinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) is an important C-4 perennial herbage in the southern part of Japan. In February 2002, a blast disease was found on the grass cultivated on the Okinawa Islands, the southern most region of Japan. Early symptoms appeared as small, round or ellipsoid lesions on leaves. Lesions later expanded to 2 to 5 \u00d7 1 to 2 mm and were spindle shaped and grayish white in the central area with dark brown margins. We obtained three single-conidia isolates of a Pyricularia-like fungus from the lesions and deposited them in the NIAS Genebank, Japan as MAFF306662, 306671, and 306672. The isolates were grown under near-UV light on V8 juice agar for 7 days to produce conidia, and guinea grass plants of the seven- to eight-leaf stage grown from seeds in a green house, five plants for each isolate, were inoculated by atomizing them with the conidial suspension of 105 conidia\/ml. The same number of plants sprayed with sterilized distilled water served as the control. The experiments were repeated twice. All plants were covered with plastic bags for 24 h at 25\u00b0C to maintain high relative humidity. After 7 days, all inoculated plants showed symptoms identical to those observed in the field. Controls remained symptom free. The Pyricularia-like fungus was reisolated from lesions on inoculated leaves. The morphologies of the isolates were observed and described from the colonies grown under the condition described above. Conidiophores were pale brown, emerging singly or in small groups, straight or flexuous, geniculate toward the apex, and 36 to 197 \u00d7 2 to 5 \u03bcm. Conidia were obpyriform, straight, colorless to pale brown, smooth, and 19 to 30 \u00d7 5 to 10 \u03bcm with two to three septa. The morphologies were the same as those of the description of the genus Pyricularia. Previously, all Pyricularia isolates from Gramineae had been identified as P. grisea, except for those from rice (3,4). However, a new taxonomy of Pyricularia spp. based on DNA analyses was proposed by Couch and Kohn (1). Only the isolates from Digitaria were classified as P. grisea and those from C-3 grasses classified as P. oryzae. However, the species names for the isolates from the other C-4 grasses were not described. We analyzed the sequences of the rDNA-ITS region (ITS1-5.8s-ITS2) and \u03b2-tubulin gene of the isolates from guinea grass following Couch and Kohn (1). The sequences of rDNA-ITS (GenBank Accession No. AB512785) and \u03b2-tubulin (AB512786) of the isolate MAFF306672 matched the sequences of those of the Pyricularia sp. LS-group (AB274426 and AB274458, respectively) isolated from Leersia oryzoides. Hirata et al. (2) reclassified Pyricularia isolates from Gramineae by multilocus phylogenetic analysis and showed that non-P. oryzae and non-P. grisea isolates could be classified into two groups of the Pyricularia sp., a LS- and a CE-group, corresponding to those isolated from Leersia spp. and Setaria spp. or Cenchrus spp. of grasses, respectively. Since no Magnaporthe teleomorph was produced by the crossing tests using the isolates, we identified the isolates from guinea grass as the Pyricularia sp. LS-group on the basis of their morphology and the molecular phylogenetic analysis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of blast on guinea grass in Japan. References: (1) B. C. Couch and L. M. Kohn. Mycologia 94:683, 2002. (2) K. Hirata et al. Mycol. Res. 111:799, 2007. (3) K. D. Hyde. Australas. Plant Pathol. 22:73, 1993. (4) R. Sprague. Diseases of Cereals and Grasses in North America. Ronald Press Company, New York, 1950.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8061445,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging assessment of vascularized free fibular grafts.\nMagnetic resonance (MR) imaging may be a noninvasive method for assessing perfusion of vascularized bone grafts placed for treatment of avascular necrosis. One proximal femur of seven beagles was devascularized, with insertion of a vascularized fibular graft. MR imaging at 1 week (seven dogs) and 6 weeks (five dogs) after surgery included pre- and postcontrast spin-echo sequences, unenhanced two-dimensional time-of-flight (TOF) vascular imaging, and dynamic gradient-echo imaging during infusion of gadolinium. Relative signal intensity values of selected regions obtained from the dynamic gradient-echo images were plotted as percent enhancement versus time. In the operated hip, MR imaging did not show enhancement in six of seven femoral heads and greater trochanters at 1 week after surgery, with similar results after 6 weeks. MR imaging of fibular grafts 6 weeks after surgery showed an initial rapid increase in enhancement and a subsequent slower increase in five of five dogs, although no enhancement was seen in six of seven dogs at 1 week. These findings contrasted with a rapid initial increase in enhancement followed by slow decline in non-operated hips. Two-dimensional TOF imaging did not show the vascular pedicle of the graft in any dog. Findings of radionuclide bone scanning performed 1 week after surgery were consistent with devascularization of the operated femur and fibular graft. However, tetracycline distribution and histologic findings confirmed the viability of five of five grafts within the devascularized femurs 6 weeks after surgery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21218813,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Characterization of water in proton-conducting membranes by deuterium NMR T1 relaxation.\n(2)H T(1) NMR relaxation was used to characterize the molecular motion of deuterated water ((2)H(2)O) in Aquivion E87-05, Nafion 117, and sulfonated-Radel proton-exchange membranes. The presence of bound water with solid character was confirmed by the dependence of the (2)H T(1) relaxation on the magnetic field of the spectrometer. By comparing the (2)H T(1) relaxation times of the different membranes that were equilibrated in varying humidities, the factors that influence the state of water in the membranes were identified. At low levels of hydration, the molecular motion of (2)H(2)O is affected by the acidity and mobility of the sulfonic acid groups to which the water molecules are coordinated. At higher levels of hydration, the molecular motion of (2)H(2)O is affected by the phase separation of the hydrophilic\/hydrophobic domains and the size of the hydrophilic domains.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":4164884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Mechanisms of the inhibition of chemotaxis by phosphonate esters.\nStudies in the time course of the response of rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN's) to the complement-associated chemotactic factor have revealed that the response is virtually complete by 60 min with less than 15% additionally responding cells thereafter. Phosphonate esters with a well defined capacity to inhibit serine esterases have been used to study the cell-associated enzymes of the rabbit PMN required for the chemotactic response. Two types of inhibition of the cell response to the chemotactic factor have been found: (a) cell-dependent inhibition occurring as a result of pretreatment of PMN's with phosphonate esters; and (b) chemotactic factor-dependent inhibition demonstrated only when the phosphonate ester is present during the chemotactic response. Differences were found in these two modes of inhibition caused by various phosphonates, in terms of their time course of inhibition, in the dose response curves, and in the structure-activity relationships. It has been conclusively demonstrated that the phosphonate esters have no direct inhibitory effect on the chemotactic factor. This has been shown by retention of activity of the chemotactic factor following incubation with phosphonate esters and subsequent removal by dialysis. In addition, the activity of the chemotactic factor and its physical-chemical characteristics in density gradient ultracentrifugation were unaltered in the continued presence of a potent phosphonate inhibitor of chemotaxis. The uptake of the dye trypan blue was studied in cells treated with phosphonate in such a manner to induce cell-dependent inhibition of chemotaxis. Even when 84% cell-dependent inhibition of chemotaxis occurred, no uptake of the dye by leukocytes was found. Thus, phosphonate-induced inhibition of cell responsiveness in chemotaxis was not associated with generalized cell damage as defined by exclusion of the dye. It is concluded that cell-dependent inhibition is due to the presence of a cell-bound esterase which is already activated and thus susceptible to inhibition by phosphonate esters before contact of the cell with the chemotactic factor. The second type of inhibition, chemotactic factor-dependent inhibition, is considered due to a cell-bound esterase which becomes susceptible to inhibition by phosphonate esters only after contact of the PMN with the chemotactic factor. It is postulated that the chemotactic factor activates this phosphonate-resistant precursor making it susceptible to the inhibitory action of the phosphonate ester.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32002397,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Multimodal Imaging and Histopathological Evaluation of Berger's Space.\nTo demonstrate the multimodal imaging and histopathology of Berger's space. We conducted a retrospective in vivo analysis of 4 patients demonstrating Berger's space with intraocular pathological conditions, documented by slit-lamp biomicroscopic photography and, in 2 patients, also by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Additionally, we carried out a retrospective histological study of 7 enucleated eyes with retinoblastoma demonstrating Berger's space. A review of the literature was also performed. Two eyes had slit-lamp photographs. One case showed Berger's space surrounded by vitreous hemorrhage. In the other case, amyloid was trapped within Berger's space. In another 2 eyes that were pseudophakic, Berger's space was visible on anterior segment OCT. One had amyloid trapped in Berger's space that could be seen with OCT. The histological review of the 7 enucleated eyes with advanced retinoblastoma demonstrated the presence of pyknotic cells in Berger's space. Berger's space is an actual space in pathological conditions and can be an important site of pathology. Additionally, to our knowledge, this is the first time that Berger's space has been documented by anterior segment OCT in a clinical setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32346390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Epidemiological and histopathological characteristics of head and neck cancers in Bhutan from 2011 to 2017: a retrospective descriptive study.\nHead and neck cancers are among the commonest cancers in the developing world. Personal habits, such as the use of tobacco, betel nut and alcohol are strongly associated with the development of head and neck cancers at certain sites. Therefore, they are among the preventable cancers. In Bhutan, there has not yet been a study conducted on head and neck cancers. To describe baseline epidemiological and histopathological characteristics of head and neck cancers in Bhutan. This is a 7-year descriptive study of all cases of head and neck cancers presented at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital from 2011 to 2017. The data were collected from the hospital's medical records section, histopathology records, patient referral unit and some treatment centres in India. Prior approval was sought from the Research and Ethics Board for Health, the Ministry of Health and the hospital management. There were a total of 515 cases of head and neck cancers from 2011 to 2017. The crude incidence rate was 10 per 100,000 and the overall age adjusted rate was 12.3 (95% CI 9.5-15.1) per 100,000 population. The prevalence during this 7-year period was 69.1 per 100,000 population. The commonest cancers are thyroid, oral cavity, hypopharyngeal, laryngeal and nasopharyngeal cancer in decreasing order. Head and neck cancers are more common in males than females in the majority of sites except thyroid, salivary gland and sinonasal malignancies. Thyroid cancers and nasopharyngeal cancers are found to affect younger age groups. Tashigang (48) followed by Paro (43) recorded the highest number of cases. Squamous cell carcinoma is the commonest histopathology type in almost all the cases, while papillary carcinoma is the commonest among thyroid cancers. Personal habits, such as smoking, chewing tobacco, betel nut and alcohol consumption, were found to be more common among patients suffering from oral cavity, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal and oropharyngeal cancers. Head and neck cancers are the third most common cancer in Bhutan after stomach cancer and cervical cancer. Thyroid, oral cavity and hypopharynx are the top three anatomical sites for head and neck cancers in Bhutan. The current epidemiological and histopathological profile of head and neck cancers will form a baseline of information and basis for further research on head and neck cancers in Bhutan.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17211138,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of butyrate on intestinal barrier function in a Caco-2 cell monolayer model of intestinal barrier.\nProduction of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the intestinal lumen may play an important role in the maintenance of the intestinal barrier. However, overproduction\/accumulation of SCFA in the bowel may be toxic to the intestinal mucosa and has been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). By using a Caco-2 cell monolayer model of intestinal barrier, we report here that the effect of butyrate on the intestinal barrier is paradoxical. Butyrate at a low concentration (2 mM) promotes intestinal barrier function as measured by a significant increase in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) and a significant decrease in inulin permeability. Butyrate at a high concentration (8 mM) reduces TER and increases inulin permeability significantly. Butyrate induces apoptosis and reduces the number of viable Caco-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Intestinal barrier function impairment induced by high concentrations of butyrate is most likely related to butyrate-induced cytotoxicity due to apoptosis. We conclude that the effect of butyrate on the intestinal barrier is paradoxical; i.e. whereas low concentrations of butyrate may be beneficial in promoting intestinal barrier function, excessive butyrate may induce severe intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and disrupt intestinal barrier.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36831783,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Left Prefrontal tDCS during Learning Does Not Enhance Subsequent Verbal Episodic Memory in Young Adults: Results from Two Double-Blind and Sham-Controlled Experiments.\nRecent studies suggest that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the prefrontal cortex (PFaC) may enhance episodic memory ability. As such, there is ongoing interest in the therapeutic potential of this technique in age-related memory decline. At the same time, the findings are not yet conclusive regarding the magnitude of this effect, and assumptions regarding underlying brain mechanisms of stimulation-induced changes in behaviour are yet to be tested in detail. Here, we evaluated the effect of tDCS over left PFC on verbal episodic memory in young adults. Two separate randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled experiments were carried out using (1) incidental learning followed by a recognition test and (2) intentional learning followed by a free recall. In both studies, participants performed a learning task with active or sham tDCS during the encoding period, followed by retrieval tasks on the same day and the next day. The results suggest that, contrary to expectations, active tDCS did not enhance memory performance relative to sham tDCS. Possible reasons behind the lack of enhancement effects are discussed, including the possibility that memory enhancement effects of tDCS may be smaller than first thought. Scientific practices that could improve estimation accuracy in the field are also discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10874041,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mullerian inhibiting substance inhibits breast cancer cell growth through an NFkappa B-mediated pathway.\nM\u00fcllerian inhibiting substance (MIS), a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, induces regression of the M\u00fcllerian duct in male embryos. In this report, we demonstrate MIS type II receptor expression in normal breast tissue and in human breast cancer cell lines, breast fibroadenoma, and ductal adenocarcinomas. MIS inhibited the growth of both estrogen receptor (ER)-positive T47D and ER-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines, suggesting a broader range of target tissues for MIS action. Inhibition of growth was manifested by an increase in the fraction of cells in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle and induction of apoptosis. Treatment of breast cancer cells with MIS activated the NFkappaB pathway and selectively up-regulated the immediate early gene IEX-1S, which, when overexpressed, inhibited breast cancer cell growth. Dominant negative IkappaBalpha expression ablated both MIS-mediated induction of IEX-1S and inhibition of growth, indicating that activation of the NFkappaB signaling pathway was required for these processes. These results identify the NFkappaB-mediated signaling pathway and a target gene for MIS action and suggest a putative role for the MIS ligand and its downstream interactors in the treatment of ER-positive as well as negative breast cancers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12967635,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Protein kinase C epsilon-dependent activation of proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes.\nProline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (PYK2) is a nonreceptor protein tyrosine kinase that links G-protein-coupled receptors to activation of MAPK cascades and cellular growth. In smooth muscle and other cell types, PYK2 activation is dependent on either Ca(2+) or protein kinase C (PKC), and we have previously shown that endothelin-1 (ET) activates PYK2 in adult and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). However, ET both alters intracellular Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)), and activates the novel, Ca(2+)-independent PKCs. Therefore, immunoprecipitation and western blotting experiments were used to examine the PKC and Ca(2+) dependence of PYK2 activation in NRVM. PYK2 was activated by ET (100 nM; 2-30 min) and phenylephrine (50 microM; 2-30 min), which are both hypertrophic agonists that activate Gq-coupled receptors. Moreover, adenoviral (Adv)-mediated overexpression of constitutively active (ca) Galphaq increased PYK2-Y(402) phosphorylation as early as 8 h post-infection, as compared to NRVM infected with a control Adv encoding beta-galactosidase. caGalphaq overexpression also induced PKC epsilon and PKCdelta (but not PKCalpha) translocation, followed by downregulation of both novel PKC isoenzymes. Phorbol myristate acetate (PMA; 200 nM), a direct activator of Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent PKCs, activated PYK2 within 10 min, and PYK2 phosphorylation remained elevated after 30 min of stimulation. Adv-mediated overexpression of caPKC epsilon increased PYK2 phosphorylation, whereas Adv-mediated overexpression of a kinase-inactive mutant of PKC epsilon markedly inhibited ET-induced, but not basal PYK2 phosphorylation. In contrast, both basal and ET-induced PYK2 phosphorylation were blocked by treatment with the Src-family protein kinase inhibitor PP2. Although reducing [Ca(2+)](i) with either nifedipine (10 microM) or BAPTA-AM (50 microM) decreased basal PYK2 phosphorylation, it did not prevent ET-induced PYK2 activation. Furthermore, increasing [Ca(2+)](i) with ionomycin (10 microM), K(+) depolarization, or BayK8644 (1 microM) was not sufficient to further activate PYK2. These data demonstrate that ET-induced PYK2 activation is Gq, PKC epsilon, and Src dependent, describing a distinct signaling pathway leading to agonist-induced PYK2 activation in cardiomyocytes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30905768,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Persistent behavior deficits, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress in a rat model of acute organophosphate intoxication.\nCurrent medical countermeasures for organophosphate (OP)-induced status epilepticus (SE) are not effective in preventing long-term morbidity and there is an urgent need for improved therapies. Rat models of acute intoxication with the OP, diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), are increasingly being used to evaluate therapeutic candidates for efficacy in mitigating the long-term neurologic effects associated with OP-induced SE. Many of these therapeutic candidates target neuroinflammation and oxidative stress because of their implication in the pathogenesis of persistent neurologic deficits associated with OP-induced SE. Critical to these efforts is the rigorous characterization of the rat DFP model with respect to outcomes associated with acute OP intoxication in humans, which include long-term electroencephalographic, neurobehavioral, and neuropathologic effects, and their temporal relationship to neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. To address these needs, we examined a range of outcomes at later times post-exposure than have previously been reported for this model. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were given pyridostigmine bromide (0.1 mg\/kg, im) 30 min prior to administration of DFP (4 mg\/kg, sc), which was immediately followed by atropine sulfate (2 mg\/kg, im) and pralidoxime (25 mg\/kg, im). This exposure paradigm triggered robust electroencephalographic and behavioral seizures that rapidly progressed to SE lasting several hours in 90% of exposed animals. Animals that survived DFP-induced SE (~70%) exhibited spontaneous recurrent seizures and hyperreactive responses to tactile stimuli over the first 2 months post-exposure. Performance in the elevated plus maze, open field, and Pavlovian fear conditioning tests indicated that acute DFP intoxication reduced anxiety-like behavior and impaired learning and memory at 1 and 2 months post-exposure in the absence of effects on general locomotor behavior. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed significantly increased expression of biomarkers of reactive astrogliosis, microglial activation and oxidative stress in multiple brain regions at 1 and 2 months post-DFP, although there was significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity across these endpoints. Collectively, these data largely support the relevance of the rat model of acute DFP intoxication as a model for acute OP intoxication in the human, and support the hypothesis that neuroinflammation and\/or oxidative stress represent potential therapeutic targets for mitigating the long-term neurologic sequelae of acute OP intoxication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16968725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pruritus in haemodialysis patients: International results from the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS).\nPruritus affects many haemodialysis (HD) patients. In this study, pruritus and its relationship to morbidity, mortality, quality of life (QoL), sleep quality and patient laboratory measures were analysed in >300 dialysis units in 12 countries. Pruritus data were collected from 18 801 HD patients in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) (1996-2004). Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, black race, Kt\/V, haemoglobin, serum albumin, albumin-corrected serum calcium, serum phosphorus, 13 comorbidities, depression, years on dialysis, country and facility clustering effects. Moderate to extreme pruritus was experienced by 42% of prevalent HD patients in DOPPS during 2002\/2003. Many patient characteristics were significantly associated with pruritus, but this did not explain the large differences in pruritus between countries (ranging from 36% in France to 50% in the UK) and between facilities (5-75%). Pruritus was slightly less common in patients starting HD than in patients on dialysis >3 months. Pruritus in new end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients likely results from pre-existing conditions and not haemodialysis per se, indicating the need to understand development of pruritus before ESRD. Patients with moderate to extreme pruritus were more likely to feel drained [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.3-5.2, P < 0.0001] and to have poor sleep quality (AOR = 1.9-4.1, P < or = 0.0002), physician-diagnosed depression (AOR = 1.3-1.7, P < or = 0.004), and QoL mental and physical composite scores 3.1-8.6 points lower (P < 0.0001) than patients with no\/mild pruritus. Pruritus in HD patients was associated with a 17% higher mortality risk (P < 0.0001), which was no longer significant after adjusting for sleep quality measures. The pruritus\/mortality relationship may be substantially attributed to poor sleep quality. The many poor outcomes associated with pruritus underscore the need for better therapeutic agents to provide relief for the 40-50% of HD patients affected by pruritus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":54187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Increase in serum alpha foetoprotein level in hepatic regeneration of the rat. Effects of age and of magnitude of regenerative activity.\nThe effects of variable degrees of liver regeneration induced by two-thirds partial hepatectomy or intoxication with different doses of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) on increased production of alpha foetoprotein (AFP) have been studied in very young (5-6 weeks) and older (15 weeks and more) rats by counter-immunoelectrophoresis (sensitivity down to 250 ng\/ml). In the young animal adequate regeneration following two-thirds hepatectomy as well as 100 myl CCl4 successfully induced large increases in serum AFP levels. Smaller doses as well as a large fatal dose of the toxin, all of which resulted in inadequate regenerative activity, failed to excite AFP synthesis and secretion up to detectable levels. The adult animal did not show detectable AFP with any of these procedures. However, necrosis induced in the regenerating adult liver 24 h following partial hepatectomy did result in the detection of small amounts of protein in the serum. It is concluded that in hepatic regeneration of this species, the age of the animal as well as the magnitude of regenerating activity in the liver are critical in the occurrence of high levels of serum AFP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2322535,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Structure of the gene for human butyrylcholinesterase. Evidence for a single copy.\nWe have isolated five genomic clones for human butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), using cDNA probes encoding the catalytic subunit of the hydrophilic tetramer [McTiernan et al. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 6682-6686]. The BChE gene is at least 73 kb long and contains four exons. Exon 1 contains untranslated sequences and two potential translation initiation sites at codons -69 and -47. Exon 2 (1525 bp) contains 83% of the coding sequence for the mature protein, including the N-terminal and the active-site serine, and a third possible translation initiation site (likely functional), at codon -28. Exon 3 is 167 nucleotides long. Exon 4 (604 bp) codes for the C-terminus of the protein and the 3' untranslated region where two polyadenylation signals were identified. Intron 1 is 6.5 kb long, and the minimal sizes of introns 2 and 3 are estimated to be 32 kb each. Southern blot analysis of total human genomic DNA is in complete agreement with the gene structure established by restriction endonuclease mapping of the genomic clones: this strongly suggests that the BChE gene is present in a single copy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28244436,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Development of new CdZnTe detectors for room-temperature high-flux radiation measurements.\nRecently, CdZnTe (CZT) detectors have been widely proposed and developed for room-temperature X-ray spectroscopy even at high fluxes, and great efforts have been made on both the device and the crystal growth technologies. In this work, the performance of new travelling-heater-method (THM)-grown CZT detectors, recently developed at IMEM-CNR Parma, Italy, is presented. Thick planar detectors (3 mm thick) with gold electroless contacts were realised, with a planar cathode covering the detector surface (4.1 mm \u00d7 4.1 mm) and a central anode (2 mm \u00d7 2 mm) surrounded by a guard-ring electrode. The detectors, characterized by low leakage currents at room temperature (4.7 nA cm-2 at 1000 V cm-1), allow good room-temperature operation even at high bias voltages (>7000 V cm-1). At low rates (200 counts s-1), the detectors exhibit an energy resolution around 4% FWHM at 59.5 keV (241Am source) up to 2200 V, by using commercial front-end electronics (A250F\/NF charge-sensitive preamplifier, Amptek, USA; nominal equivalent noise charge of 100 electrons RMS). At high rates (1 Mcounts s-1), the detectors, coupled to a custom-designed digital pulse processing electronics developed at DiFC of University of Palermo (Italy), show low spectroscopic degradations: energy resolution values of 8% and 9.7% FWHM at 59.5 keV (241Am source) were measured, with throughputs of 0.4% and 60% at 1 Mcounts s-1, respectively. An energy resolution of 7.7% FWHM at 122.1 keV (57Co source) with a throughput of 50% was obtained at 550 kcounts s-1 (energy resolution of 3.2% at low rate). These activities are in the framework of an Italian research project on the development of energy-resolved photon-counting systems for high-flux energy-resolved X-ray imaging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943223,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Specificity of incomplete resistance to Mycosphaerella graminicola in wheat.\nWe examined interactions between wheat (Triticum aestivum) and Mycosphaerella graminicola, causal agent of Septoria tritici blotch, to determine whether specific interactions occur between host and pathogen genotypes that could be involved in eroding resistance. The moderate resistance of the wheat cultivar Madsen has eroded significantly in the Willamette Valley of Oregon since its release in 1990. Foote is a replacement cultivar expressing moderate resistance and was released in 2000. Isolates of M. graminicola were collected from Foote and Madsen in 2004 and 2005 and tested on each cultivar in growth chamber and greenhouse experiments. There was a significant (P \/= 1.5) ranged from 1,135 genes at 15 min to 1,463 genes at 120 min for a temperature up-shift of 13 degrees C from a growth temperature of 37 degrees C for this organism and suggested both direct and indirect modes of heat sensing. Clusters of orthologous group categories that were significantly affected included posttranslational modifications; protein turnover and chaperones (up-regulated); energy production and conversion (down-regulated), nucleotide transport, metabolism (down-regulated), and translation; ribosomal structure; and biogenesis (down-regulated). Analysis of the genome sequence revealed the presence of features of both negative and positive regulation which included the CIRCE element and promoter sequences corresponding to the alternate sigma factors sigma(32) and sigma(54). While mechanisms of heat shock control for some genes appeared to coincide with those established for Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, the presence of unique control schemes for several other genes was also evident. Analysis of protein expression levels using differential in-gel electrophoresis suggested good agreement with transcriptional profiles of several heat shock proteins, including DnaK (DVU0811), HtpG (DVU2643), HtrA (DVU1468), and AhpC (DVU2247). The proteomics study also suggested the possibility of posttranslational modifications in the chaperones DnaK, AhpC, GroES (DVU1977), and GroEL (DVU1976) and also several periplasmic ABC transporters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25420320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[A comparison of susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates to carbapenem antibiotics in our hospital].\nWe investigated the susceptibility of 400 Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) clinical isolates to 3 antipseudomonal carbapenems, namely, doripenem (DRPM), meropenem (MEPM), and imipenem (IPM). The test strains were isolated from the following specimens: respiratory (n = 194), urinary (n = 61), digestive (n = 38), pus (n = 36), skin (n = 21), blood (n = 9), upper respiratory tract and oral cavity (n = 8), and others (n = 33) at Osaka City University Hospital from July to October 2013. Test strains were categorized as susceptible, \u2264 2 \u03bcg\/mL; intermediate, 4 \u03bcg\/mL; and resistant, \u2265 8 \u03bcg\/mL according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute criteria (M100-S22), updated on January 2012. To compare the antimicrobial activities of these 3 carbapenems, the susceptibility rate for each agent was analyzed. Susceptibility to DRPM, MEPM, and IPM was 78.3%, 74.3%, and 64.8%, respectively, whereas resistance was 12.5%, 22.8%, and 28.5%, respectively. The frequency of strains resistant to DRPM was significantly lower than that for MEPM (p < 0.001) and IPM (p < 0.001). To compare the activities of the 3 carbapenems against the P. aeruginosa clinical isolates, we plotted the numbers of strains against each minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) level. The MICs of DRPM were lower than those of MEPM in 19.8% of strains, and lower than those of IPM in 41.8% of strains, and the MICs of MEPM were lower than those of IPM in 33.0% of strains. Further, we found that 7.7% of the MEPM-resistant strains were susceptible to DRPM, 23.7% of the IPM-resistant strains were susceptible to DRPM, and 9.6% of the IPM-resistant strains were susceptible to MEPM; however, none of the MEPM-resistant strains was susceptible to IPM, and none of the DRPM-resistant strains was susceptible to MEPM or IPM. In conclusion, the in vitro activity of DRPM against the P. aeruginosa clinical isolates was superior to those of MEPM and IPM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1731066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Specificity of origin recognition by replication initiator protein in plasmids of the pT181 family is determined by a six amino acid residue element.\nWe have investigated the specificity of replication origin recognition by the initiator proteins of a set of six closely related Staphylococcus aureus plasmids, the pT181 family. These plasmids replicate by an asymmetric rolling-circle mechanism using plasmid-coded initiators that nick the replication origins and form a phosphotyrosine bond at the 5' nick terminus. Five of the plasmids are in different incompatibility groups and their initiator proteins do not cross-complement the cloned origins of any but their own plasmid. One pair is weakly incompatible and their initiator proteins and origins do cross-complement for replication in vivo. This pattern of cross-reactivity led to the prediction that the determinant of specificity would correspond to a homologously positioned set of six residues in the C-terminal domain of the protein, some 80 residues away from the active site tyrosine, that are divergent for all of the compatible plasmids and identical for the incompatible pair. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to exchange these six residues among three pairs of plasmids and these exchanges brought about the predicted switching of origin recognition specificity. Single substitution within this six residue set reduced or eliminated the activity of the protein but did not alter the origin recognition specificity. These six and flanking residues cannot form an amphipathic alpha-helix nor do they conform to the classical helix-turn-helix or other known DNA binding motifs. A novel type of interaction is suggested in which the protein binds to its recognition site, bends and melts the DNA, and causes or enhances the extrusion of an adjacent cruciform containing the nick site. This configuration would juxtapose the nicking target and the active site tyrosine residue and would unwind the highly G + C-rich replication origin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10175684,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Managing disabilities in an integrated health environment: the experience of Aetna.\nDisability-related outlays are increasing at a rate well above the medical inflation rate. This article discusses the experience of one company in its attempt to manage these skyrocketing costs, by developing a new program that integrates health and related benefits by combining the medical and human resources interventions into a unified program. The authors discuss the initiation, development and progress of the program, concluding with measured results revealing reduced lost work time, improved employee health and productivity, and reduced disability costs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36824336,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"X-ray micro-tomographic data of live larvae of the beetle Cacosceles newmannii.\nQuantifying insect respiratory structures and their variation has remained challenging due to their microscopic size. Here we measure insect tracheal volume using X-ray micro-tomography (\u03bcCT) scanning (at 15 \u03bcm resolution) on living, sedated larvae of the cerambycid beetle Cacosceles newmannii across a range of body sizes. In this paper we provide the full volumetric data and 3D models for 12 scans, providing novel data on repeatability of imaging analyses and structural tracheal trait differences provided by different image segmentation methods. The volume data is provided here with segmented tracheal regions as 3D models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6336012,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Work-related diseases--some problems in study design.\nMethodological problems in the epidemiologic study of work-related diseases are addressed. Because the occupational etiologic fraction of work-related diseases is small, its demonstration is often difficult. Especially cross-sectional studies are hampered by diluting effects, such as selection out of an exposed job. The problems involved in the study of four disease groups, ie, chronic nonspecific respiratory disease, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and behavioral responses and psychosomatic symptomatology are discussed in some detail.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17491080,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Estrogen receptors alpha and beta and progesterone receptors in normal bovine ovarian follicles and cystic ovarian disease.\nThe purpose of this study was to determine by immunohistochemistry the expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors in ovarian follicular structures from cows with cystic ovarian disease (COD) and to compare these with normal ovarian structures. Secondary, tertiary, atretic, and cystic follicles were evaluated. The follicular cysts of animals with COD presented a significantly higher expression of estrogen receptor alpha in all follicular layers than secondary, tertiary, and atretic follicles in both groups (P < .05). The intensity of estrogen receptor beta in the granulosa cell layer was stronger in tertiary than in secondary and atretic follicles in normal animals (P < .05) and in growing and cystic follicles in animals with COD (P < .05). Theca cells were scarcely stained in the 2 groups. Growing follicles and cysts from COD animals were less stained than tertiary follicles from normal animals (P < .05). Differences did not exist between the 2 groups with regard to the progesterone receptor. Ovaries of animals with COD exhibited altered estrogen receptors expression compared with that in normal animals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1430256,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Demonstration of HIV-1 infected cells in human placenta by in situ hybridisation and immunostaining.\nTo show the presence of HIV infected cells in the placentas and membranes exposed to HIV during pregnancy, and to trace the possible transmission routes from mother to fetus. Twenty three therapeutic abortions and 11 term placentas were investigated for the presence of HIV antigen by immunostaining with HIV core protein specific antibodies and HIV nucleic acids by in situ hydridisation (ISH) with a 35S-labelled HIV specific RNA probe. HIV antigen as well as HIV RNA positive cells were rarely found in placental tissue and membranes. In therapeutic abortions HIV antigen was shown in 10 out of 23 placentas, HIV RNA in two. HIV antigen was detected in five out of 11 term placentas and HIV RNA in two. Infected cell types comprised syncytiotrophoblasts, Hofbauer cells, amnionic epithelium, chorionic macrophages as well as maternal lymphocytes in the intervillous space and decidua. These data suggest that the transmission routes are: (1) a haematogenous route from the maternal intervillous space to villous stromal cells; (2) from chorion laeve to amnionic fluid and vice versa. Two additional transmission routes are partly suggested by the data: (1) in early gestation by direct extension from basal decidua to budding trophoblastic cells; (2) from the capsular decidua to chorion laeve and chorionic plate, entering the fetal circulation via the small veins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21106120,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Modeling the competition between lung metastases and the immune system using agents.\nThe Triplex cell vaccine is a cancer cellular vaccine that can prevent almost completely the mammary tumor onset in HER-2\/neu transgenic mice. In a translational perspective, the activity of the Triplex vaccine was also investigated against lung metastases showing that the vaccine is an effective treatment also for the cure of metastases. A future human application of the Triplex vaccine should take into account several aspects of biological behavior of the involved entities to improve the efficacy of therapeutic treatment and to try to predict, for example, the outcomes of longer experiments in order to move faster towards clinical phase I trials. To help to address this problem, MetastaSim, a hybrid Agent Based - ODE model for the simulation of the vaccine-elicited immune system response against lung metastases in mice is presented. The model is used as in silico wet-lab. As a first application MetastaSim is used to find protocols capable of maximizing the total number of prevented metastases, minimizing the number of vaccine administrations. The model shows that it is possible to obtain \"in silico\" a 45% reduction in the number of vaccinations. The analysis of the results further suggests that any optimal protocol for preventing lung metastases formation should be composed by an initial massive vaccine dosage followed by few vaccine recalls. Such a reduction may represent an important result from the point of view of translational medicine to humans, since a downsizing of the number of vaccinations is usually advisable in order to minimize undesirable effects. The suggested vaccination strategy also represents a notable outcome. Even if this strategy is commonly used for many infectious diseases such as tetanus and hepatitis-B, it can be in fact considered as a relevant result in the field of cancer-vaccines immunotherapy. These results can be then used and verified in future \"in vivo\" experiments, and their outcome can be used to further improve and refine the model.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23607797,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Maximal mouth opening capacity: percentiles for healthy children 4-17 years of age.\nA reduced mouth opening capacity may be one of the first clinical signs of pathological changes in the masticatory system. The aim of this retrospective cross-sectional study was to create age related percentiles for unassisted maximal mouth opening capacity (MOC) of healthy children. All recordings of MOC as measured at the yearly dental examinations of school children in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, between August 2009 and August 2010 were extracted from the database. The program LMSchartMaker Pro Version 2.43, Huiqi Pan and Tim Cole, Medical Research Council, 1997-2010 was used to calculate age and sex related reference centiles. Records from 22(')060 dental examinations were found during the study period. In 1286 (5.8%) the maximal interincisal measurement was missing. Another 55 examinations were excluded because of missing data for sex (7), age at examination (11) or because the value was deemed to be pathologically low (37). Thus, a total of 20(')719 measurements (10(')060 girls, 10(')659 boys) were included in the analysis. The median age (range) was 9.9 years (3.3-18.3) for girls and 10.0 years (2.8-18.7) for boys. The mean MOC (range) was 45 mm (25-69) for girls and 45 mm (25-70) for boys. Age related percentiles were created for girls and boys separately, showing the 3(rd), 10(th), 25(th), 50(th), 75(th), 90(th), and 97(th) percentile from 3 through 18 years of age. In these 20(')719 unselected school children MOC increased with age but showed a wide range within children of the same age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10972301,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Secretory proteins from the female reproductive tract of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula): binding to sperm and effects on sperm survival in vitro.\nPrevious studies have demonstrated that co-culture of brushtail possum epididymal spermatozoa with oviduct epithelial cell monolayers prolongs sperm survival and results in the re-orientation of the sperm head and tail to the T-shape (thumbtack) configuration. Transformation of sperm to thumbtack orientation is believed to be associated with marsupial sperm capacitation. Here we report that incubation in oviduct-conditioned media also significantly prolongs sperm survival and results in the transformation of sperm to the thumbtack orientation. The major objective of the current study was to examine the proteins present in the conditioned media, to determine whether any of these proteins specifically bound to sperm and the relationship between these proteins and sperm survival and thumbtack orientation. Co-culturing brushtail possum sperm with biotin-labeled proteins in conditioned media (CM) from ampulla, isthmus and uterine explants demonstrated strong binding of two proteins of molecular mass 230 and 61 kD and weak binding of nine proteins of molecular mass 200, 180, 120, 140, 55, 52, 48, 34, 30 kD to sperm within 30 min. The binding of the 61-kD protein from the conditioned media appeared specific as increasing concentrations of non-labeled oviduct proteins, but not serum proteins, inhibited the binding of labeled proteins. The binding of oviduct and uterine proteins in the conditioned media significantly prolonged sperm survival and percentage motility and also transformed a large number of sperm to a thumbtack orientation. The implication of binding of these proteins is discussed in the context of sperm survival and capacitation in this species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19751528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Information in small neuronal ensemble activity in the hippocampal CA1 during delayed non-matching to sample performance in rats.\nThe matrix-like organization of the hippocampus, with its several inputs and outputs, has given rise to several theories related to hippocampal information processing. Single-cell electrophysiological studies and studies of lesions or genetically altered animals using recognition memory tasks such as delayed non-matching-to-sample (DNMS) tasks support the theories. However, a complete understanding of hippocampal function necessitates knowledge of the encoding of information by multiple neurons in a single trial. The role of neuronal ensembles in the hippocampal CA1 for a DNMS task was assessed quantitatively in this study using multi-neuronal recordings and an artificial neural network classifier as a decoder. The activity of small neuronal ensembles (6-18 cells) over brief time intervals (2-50 ms) contains accurate information specifically related to the matching\/non-matching of continuously presented stimuli (stimulus comparison). The accuracy of the combination of neurons pooled over all the ensembles was markedly lower than those of the ensembles over all examined time intervals. The results show that the spatiotemporal patterns of spiking activity among cells in the small neuronal ensemble contain much information that is specifically useful for the stimulus comparison. Small neuronal networks in the hippocampal CA1 might therefore act as a comparator during recognition memory tasks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15367256,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Systematic assessment of decision models in Parkinson's disease.\nTo give an insight into the structural and methodological approaches used in published decision-analytic models evaluating interventions in Parkinson's disease (PD) and to derive recommendations for future comprehensive PD decision models. A systematic literature review was performed to identify studies that evaluated PD interventions using mathematical decision models. Using a standardized assessment form, information on the study design, methodological framework, and data sources was extracted from each publication and systematically reported. Strengths and limitations were assessed. We identified eight studies that used mathematical models to evaluate different pharmaceutical (n=7) and surgical (n=1) treatment options in PD. All models included economic evaluations. Modeling approaches comprised mathematical equations, decision trees, and Markov models with a time horizon ranging from 5 years to lifetime. All based progression on the evolution of clinical surrogate endpoints. Treatment effects were either modeled via reduction of symptomatic progression and\/or initial symptomatic improvement or via reduction of adverse effect rates. No model is currently available that encompasses both the underlying biologic disease progression and the spectrum of all relevant complications and also links them to patient preferences and economic outcomes. Models have been successfully applied to evaluate PD treatments. However, currently available models have substantial limitations. We recommend that a comprehensive, generic, and flexible decision model for PD that can be applied to different treatment strategies should consider a large spectrum of clinically relevant outcomes and complications of the disease during a sufficiently long time horizon, include PD-specific mortality, systematically evaluate uncertainty including heterogeneity effects, and should be validated by independent data or other models. Approaches to model treatment effects included reduction of symptomatic progression, initial symptomatic improvement, or reduction of adverse effects. We believe that structural bias could be avoided if underlying disease progression and treatment effects on symptoms are modeled separately.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15931220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Seismological constraints on a possible plume root at the core-mantle boundary.\nRecent seismological discoveries have indicated that the Earth's core-mantle boundary is far more complex than a simple boundary between the molten outer core and the silicate mantle. Instead, its structural complexities probably rival those of the Earth's crust. Some regions of the lowermost mantle have been observed to have seismic wave speed reductions of at least 10 per cent, which appear not to be global in extent. Here we present robust evidence for an 8.5-km-thick and approximately 50-km-wide pocket of dense, partially molten material at the core-mantle boundary east of Australia. Array analyses of an anomalous precursor to the reflected seismic wave ScP reveal compressional and shear-wave velocity reductions of 8 and 25 per cent, respectively, and a 10 per cent increase in density of the partially molten aggregate. Seismological data are incompatible with a basal layer composed of pure melt, and thus require a mechanism to prevent downward percolation of dense melt within the layer. This may be possible by trapping of melt by cumulus crystal growth following melt drainage from an anomalously hot overlying region of the lowermost mantle. This magmatic evolution and the resulting cumulate structure seem to be associated with overlying thermal instabilities, and thus may mark a root zone of an upwelling plume.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35701342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ultrasound in the Emergency Department Identifies Ectopic Pregnancy Post Hysterectomy: A Case Report.\nRuptured ectopic pregnancy is one of the leading causes of maternal death. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been shown to be highly sensitive for excluding ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy after a hysterectomy is a rare but life-threatening occurrence. We present a case where POCUS helped to diagnose a post-hysterectomy ectopic pregnancy. A 36-year-old female with a prior surgical history of hysterectomy without oophorectomy presented to the emergency department with lower abdominal pain. A POCUS revealed free fluid in the right upper quadrant with an unremarkable gallbladder. Subsequently, the pelvic POCUS noted free fluid as well as a heterogeneous structure in the right adnexa. The clinician ordered a serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin level, which was 173.2 international units per milliliter (lU\/mL) (negative: < 5m IU\/ml). Transvaginal ultrasound revealed a right adnexal echogenic structure with surrounding vascularity and moderate, complex free fluid suggestive of hemorrhage. Given the concern for possible ectopic pregnancy, obstetrics took the patient to the operating room where a right tubal ectopic pregnancy was confirmed. A ruptured ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition that requires rapid diagnosis. Ectopic pregnancy post hysterectomy is an uncommon occurrence infrequently considered in the differential diagnosis of lower abdominal pain, leading to considerable delays in diagnosis. Although uncommon, emergency clinicians must consider this diagnosis in female patients with lower abdominal pain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21444283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Rethinking the head and neck cancer population: the human papillomavirus association.\nHead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the tenth most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in males worldwide. Although the incidence of HNSCC is relatively low in the United States, the affected population is changing from older males to young Caucasian males. High-risk strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) already are associated with cervical, oral, and anal cancers; however, HPV DNA has been detected in about a third of head and neck malignancies. Nurses play major roles in educating the public and treating patients with HPV and HNSCC. Many possibilities for outreach and research exist that could decrease HPV and HNSCC rates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26548539,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Why should ethics approval be required prior to publication of health promotion research?\nMost academic journals that publish studies involving human participants require evidence that the research has been approved by a human research ethics committee (HREC). Yet journals continue to receive submissions from authors who have failed to obtain such approval. In this paper, we provide an ethical justification of why journals should not, in general, publish articles describing research that has no ethics approval, with particular attention to the health promotion context. Using theoretical bioethical reasoning and drawing on a case study, we first rebut some potential criticisms of the need for research ethics approval. We then outline four positive claims to justify a presumption that research should, in most instances, be published only if it has been undertaken with HREC approval. We present four justifications for requiring ethics approval before publication: (1) HREC approval adds legitimacy to the research; (2) the process of obtaining HREC approval can improve the quality of an intervention being investigated; (3) obtaining HREC approval can help mitigate harm; and (4) obtaining HREC approval demonstrates respect for persons. This paper provides a systematic and comprehensive assessment of why research ethics approval should generally be obtained before publishing in the health promotion context. So what? Journals such as the Health Promotion Journal of Australia have recently begun to require research ethics approval for publishing research. Health promotion researchers will be interested in learning the ethical justification for this change.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34615245,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Exploiting zirconium nitride for an efficient heat-resistant absorber and emitter pair for solar thermophotovoltaic systems.\nA perfect absorber in the visible-infrared regime maintaining its performance at elevated temperatures and under a harsh environment is needed for energy harvesting using solar-thermophotovoltaic (STPV) systems. A near-perfect metasurface absorber based on lossy refractory metal nitride, zirconium-nitride (ZrN), having a melting-point of 2,980\u00b0C, is presented. The numerically proposed design with metal-insulator-metal configuration exhibits an average of > 95% for 400-800 nm and 86% for 280-2200 nm. High absorption is attributed to magnetic resonance leading to free-space impedance matching. The subwavelength structure is polarization- and angle-insensitive and is highly tolerant to fabrication imperfections. An emitter is optimized for bandgap energy ranging from 0.7 eV-1.9 eV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15920554,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Fatty acid synthase expression in cutaneous melanocytic neoplasms.\nMammalian fatty acid synthase is a multifunctional enzyme complex involved in de novo synthesis of saturated fatty acids, and inhibitors of fatty acid synthase are being evaluated as potential therapeutic agents. Increased fatty acid synthase expression has been demonstrated in subsets of malignancies, including colon, breast, endometrium, prostate and ovarian carcinomas, and recently malignant melanomas. We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of fatty acid synthase in 155 cutaneous melanocytic lesions. They included 30 congenital nevi, 19 compound nevi, 40 Spitz nevi, 48 primary melanomas, and 18 metastatic melanomas. Fatty acid synthase expression was stronger in malignant melanomas in comparison to conventional nevi and Spitz nevi, and was the highest for metastatic melanoma. Of the primary malignant melanomas, mean fatty acid synthase scores were significantly greater for Clark levels IV and V compared to Clark levels I and II (P<0.001). In addition, melanomas with Breslow thickness 0.75-1.50 mm and >1.50 mm showed significantly higher mean fatty acid synthase scores compared with those with Breslow thickness <0.75 mm (P=0.013 and <0.001, respectively). Of interest, congenital melanocytic nevi also showed strong fatty acid synthase expression, similar to that seen in metastatic melanoma. This may represent persistence of or regression to a fetal phenotype since normal fetal tissues are known to express high levels of fatty acid synthase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33070548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficacy and safety of left atrial appendage occlusion in atrial fibrillation patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nAtrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia among the elderly, and more frequently occur in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is used as a mechanical alternative approach for prevention of AF-related thromboembolisms. This meta-analysis was conducted to provide suggestions for the clinical application of LAAO in AF patients with CKD. The incidence of perioperative adverse events and other clinical effects after operation was by a single rate meta-analysis. Results showed that incidence of adverse events in the perioperative period after LAAO was generally low, with only pericardial effusion \/ tamponade (1.90%) and mortality rate (1.10%). During the follow-up period, the incidence of stroke\/transient ischemic attack (TIA) and bleeding were 2.17% and 4.53%, respectively. A low incidence rate of adverse events was found in the perioperative period following LAAO. These results indicate that LAAO more effectively prevents the occurrence of stroke\/TIA and minimizes bleeding events than oral anticoagulants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19870122,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"THE ROLE OF THE SPLEEN IN IRON METABOLISM AS ELUCIDATED BY CHANGES IN THE IRON BALANCE AFTER SPLENECTOMY.\nWe have estimated the iron balance in six dogs before and after splenectomy, in two intact dogs, and in five dogs before and after major operations other than splenectomy. In all the animals studied, considerable variation in iron balance was observed in the periods used (6 to 14 days). The intact controls had positive balances, the one followed for a year and a half having over 0.4 mg. per kilo per day, except when fasting or on an inadequate intake. The iron of urine, lost hair, dandruff, etc., which was not included in the determinations, would be far from sufficient to restore equilibrium. Of five animals subjected to major operations other than splenectomy, all of which in preoperative periods had positive balances varying between 0.423 mg. to 0.075 mg. per kilo per day, three showed a positive balance of from 0.989 mg. to 0.057 mg. and two showed negative balances of from 0.02 to 0.18 mg., the last two having anemia in the period of study while the others had none. Of the six splenectomized dogs, five showed a greater tendency to loss of iron after splenectomy (i.e., either a change from a positive to a negative balance or to an increasedly negative or lessened positive balance). This was not always apparent until some days after splenectomy and coincided approximately with the period of developing anemia. The removal of the spleen was usually found therefore to be transiently associated with increased excretion of iron. It is not possible to demonstrate, however, that the increased loss of iron is the cause of the anemia, and the matter awaits further investigation before the reason of its occurrence is made clear. An adequate iron intake in an intact animal was usually accompanied by a positive balance, though in splenectomized animals during the period of anemia it was frequently accompanied by a negative balance. Gain in weight in intact animals likewise was associated with a positive balance; but in the three instances in which gain of weight occurred during periods of anemia, after splenectomy or other operations, it was associated with a negative balance. Weight maintenance was also associated with a positive balance except in one instance of severe postsplenectomy anemia. Loss of weight was not sufficiently associated with a negative balance to make it seem a definite factor influencing the balance, per se, although about one-third of the periods of loss of weight were associated with negative balances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26009657,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Inhibitory effect of curcumin on the contractility of isolated caprine detrusor muscle.\nCurcumin is a naturally occurring compound which has been used in traditional medicine in India for a long time. This study investigated the ability of curcumin to inhibit the contractility of isolated caprine (goat) detrusor muscle. The ability of three concentrations of curcumin (30, 100 and 300 \u00b5M) to inhibit the 100 \u00b5M acetylcholine-induced contractility of the isolated caprine urinary bladder detrusor muscle was investigated. The effect of raising the concentration of acetylcholine from 100, 200 and 400 \u00b5M to overcome the curcumin-induced inhibition of detrusor contractility and the effects of the reversal agents tetraethylammonium, a potassium channel blocker (100 \u00b5M), glibenclamide, an ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker (10 \u00b5M), and propranolol, a beta adrenergic receptor blocker (1 \u00b5M), on the inhibitory effect of detrusor contractility was also studied. Curcumin caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of acetylcholine-induced contractility of the isolated detrusor muscle which was statistically significant at all three concentrations of curcumin used. This inhibition was partially overcome by raising the concentration of ACh to 200 and 400 \u00b5M. The inhibition was overcome by the concurrent administration of tetraethylammonium. Glibenclamide reversed the inhibitory effect of 100 \u00b5M curcumin, but not that of 300 \u00b5M curcumin. Propranolol reversed the inhibitory effect of 100 \u00b5M curcumin but not that of 300 \u00b5M curcumin. These results suggest that curcumin inhibited the contractions of the isolated detrusor muscle. The results further suggest that the inhibitory effect is mediated by various mechanisms: stimulation of beta adrenergic receptors; an anticholinergic effect; and the opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18047476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Increased expression of catalase in human hepatoma cells by the soy isoflavone, daidzein.\nThe reduced incidence of cancer that has been observed in Asian population traditionally consuming soy-based food has been linked to the antioxidant potential of soy isoflavones, in particular daidzein and genistein. The present study was undertaken in order to test the antioxidative potential of daidzein and to examine the effect of daidzein treatment on the expression of the antioxidant enzyme catalase in the human hepatoma cell lines Huh-7 and HepG2. Daidzein itself did not display radical scavenging activity but it significantly increased the activity of the antioxidant enzyme catalase. Huh-7 cells were much more susceptible to daidzein cytotoxicity than HepG2 cells and showed much lower basal activity in luciferase reporter gene assays with the 3.2 kb fragment of the human catalase promoter. However, treatment with daidzein at a non-toxic concentration resulted in a similar induction of promoter activity in both cell lines. Reporter gene studies with different promoter constructs in HepG2 cells restrict the potential localization of the main regulatory elements for basal and inducible activity of the catalase promoter to a region approximately 120 bp to 300 bp upstream of the start codon of the catalase gene. From our results, we conclude that in human hepatoma cells daidzein at a non-toxic concentration increases the activity of human catalase and induces the transcription of the catalase gene via interaction with the proximal part of the promoter.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27333150,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"HOTAIR overexpression correlated with worse survival in patients with solid tumors.\nHOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR), a long non-coding RNA transcribed from the antisense strand of the HOXC gene locus, has been reported to be overexpressed in various carcinomas and is thought to be an indicator of poor prognosis. We performed a meta-analysis using qualified relevant literatures to evaluate the prognostic significance of HOTAIR in various solid tumors. Eligible studies were identified from PubMed, EMBASE and ISI Web of Science through multiple search strategies. We extracted and estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS), which compared the high and low expression levels of HOTAIR in patients with a variety of solid carcinomas. HRs and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to pool the effect size. A total of 2407 patients from 21 studies with various solid carcinomas were included. For OS, higher HOTAIR expression could significantly predict worse outcome with the pooled HR of 2.21 (95 % CI 1.77-2.74, P<0.00001). The subgroup analysis suggested that the elevated levels of HOTAIR appears to be worse OS in Asian population (HR=2.06, 95% CI 1.80-2.37, P<0.00001) and digestive system cancers (HR=2.27, 95% CI 1.93-2.67, P<0.00001) including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (HR=2.27, 95% CI 1.62-3.18, P<0.00001) and colorectal cancer (HR=4.65, 95 % CI 2.39-9.05, P<0.00001). The present meta-analysis revealed that the high level of HOTAIR is associated with an adverse OS in numerous solid cancers, suggesting that HOTAIR may be a predictor of poor prognosis for the development of solid tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31824989,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Navigating the landscape of non-health administrative data in Scotland: A researcher's narrative.\nBackground: There is growing interest in using routinely collected administrative data for research purposes. Following the success of research using routinely collected healthcare data, attention has turned to leveraging routinely-collected non-health data derived from systems providing other services to the population (e.g., education, social security) to conduct research on important social problems. In Scotland, specialised organisations have been set up to support researchers in their pursuit of using and linking administrative data. The landscape of administrative data in Scotland, however, is complex and changeable, and is often difficult for researchers to navigate. Purpose: This paper provides a researcher's narrative of the steps required to gain the various approvals necessary to access and link non-health administrative data for research in social and cognitive epidemiology. Findings: This paper highlights the problems, particularly regarding the length and complexity of the process, which researchers typically face, and which result in a challenging research environment. The causes of these problems are discussed, as are potential solutions. Conclusions: Whereas the potential of non-health administrative data is great, more work and investment are needed on the part of all those concerned - from researchers to data controllers - in order to realise this potential.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30818684,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Molecular Characterization of Rhynchosia mosaic virus-Puerto Rico Associated with Symptomatic Rhynchosia minima and Cajanus cajan in Puerto Rico.\nA begomovirus (family Geminiviridae) has long been suspected to be associated with Rhynchosia mosaic (RhM) disease of Rhynchosia minima (L.) DC., a weed that is widespread in Puerto Rico (PR). The suspect virus has been transmitted by the Sida biotype of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) and has been designated RhM virus-PR (RhMV-PR) (1) (synonym, Rhynchosia mosaic virus [RMV]). RhM symptoms in R. minima included yellow foliar mosaic and stunting. The virus has a broad experimental host range and infects species in the Fabaceae, including R. minima, pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.), and Clitoria falcata L. (1). However, until now RhMV has not been identified from naturally infected pigeon pea or Clitoria falcata. R. minima and C. cajan plants exhibiting yellow foliar mosaic and stunting symptoms were collected in Puerto Rico. Using the B biotype of B. tabaci as the vector, their whitefly transmissibility from the respective source plant to R. minima and C. cajan test plants was confirmed, and symptoms in inoculated host were indistinguishable for both isolates. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and primers (2), three amplicons were obtained and cloned for each isolate. PCR products (1.1 and 2.1 kbp) were assembled (~200 nucleotide [nt] overlap) to yield an apparent full-length DNA A component (~2.6 kbp) containing the diagnostically informative viral coat protein gene (CP) and common region (CR-A). PCR primers were used to amplify the DNA B component segment (0.7 kbp) containing the CR-B (2). The DNA sequence for the core CP (533 nt) and full CP (750 nt) were compared with analogous sequences for well-studied begomoviruses, and CR-A and CR-B (153 nt) were compared for RhMV isolates. All isolates noted were obtained from GenBank. The core CP for isolates from R. minima (AF442117) and C. cajan (AY062025) shared 97.9% nucleotide identity (100% AA similarity) and the CR-A (AF442118) and CR-B (AF442119) sequences for R. minima and C. cajan isolates were ~96% identical, indicating the A and B components are of the same begomovirus. Comparison of the core CP sequence for an independent isolate from C. cajan from PR (AY028308) (4) with those for R. minima and C. cajan isolates indicated 95.5% (99.4% AA) and 96.2% (99.4% AA) nucleotide identity, respectively, indicating association of RhMV with both C. cajan samples. The recently archived core CP (533 nt) (AY028308) is actually of RhMV-PR, rather than a distinct begomovirus species, as indicated (4). Interestingly, the core CP of R. minima (AF442117) and C. cajan (AY062025) isolates were 91.7% (98.9% AA) and 92.3% (98.9% AA) identical, respectively, with a PR isolate from Clitoria falcata (AF070924), also confirming that RhMV-PR naturally infects Clitoria falcata. Analysis of the full CP for the R. minima and C. cajan isolates revealed that their closest relatives were Macroptilium mosaic virus (MaMV-PR) (AF176092) and Bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV-PR) (M10070) at 89 and 84% nucleotide identity, respectively. Applying the 90% CP rule (3) to RhMV CP sequences, RhMV is a distinct begomovirus species. At least three begomoviruses, BGMV-PR, MaMV-PR, and RhMV-PR, naturally infect leguminous species in Puerto Rico. References: (1) J. Bird. Phytopathology 52:286, 1962. (2) A. M. Idris and J. K. Brown. Phytopathology 88:648, 1998. (3) M. A. Mayo and C. R. Pringle. J. Gen. Virol. 79:649, 1998. (4) R. L. Rodriguez et al. Plant Dis. 85:1119, 2001.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8453823,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of clozapine.\nThe introduction of clozapine has given clinicians a unique agent for treating patients with schizophrenia that is refractory to other neuroleptics. Despite its efficacy, the drug continues to be prescribed with trepidation due to the incidence of agranulocytosis. This article reviews the pharmacokinetic and pharmacological properties of clozapine and the clinical implications for monitoring plasma concentrations. Various assays have been developed for clozapine that include gas-liquid chromatography, radioimmunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography. Only a few studies have examined the pharmacokinetics of clozapine in patients with schizophrenia. These studies have revealed a wide interpatient variability in pharmacokinetic parameters that include: time to reach peak plasma concentrations 1.1 to 3.6h; elimination half-life 9.1 to 17.4h; clearance 8.7 to 53.3 L\/h; and a volume of distribution of 1.6 to 7.3 L\/kg. Clozapine is metabolised via the hepatic microsomal enzyme system into 2 principle metabolites: demethyl-clozapine and clozapine N-oxide. Urine samples have reported the ratio of clozapine:demethyl:N-oxide to be 1:1:2. The clozapine N-oxide binding affinity with 3H-haloperidol was 4 times lower than clozapine and its conversion back to clozapine is hypothesised. Although the exact pharmacological mechanism of action of clozapine is not fully understood, the drug does possess significant binding affinity for different dopamine receptors, with recent evidence supporting binding to the D4 receptor subtype. Clozapine transiently increases serum prolactin levels with minimal changes in homovanillic acid plasma levels. Limited studies investigating the relationship between clinical response and plasma clozapine concentrations have investigated the range between 100 and 800 micrograms\/L. In the treatment of patients with refractory schizophrenia, a minimum concentration of 350 micrograms\/L was suggested as needed. The occurrence of agranulocytosis could have a genetic basis and patients should be rigorously monitored during treatment. The incidence of tardive dyskinesia and extrapyramidal side effects is minimal. Clozapine can lower the seizure threshold in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Careful patient selection and monitoring are required when clozapine therapy is used in patients with schizophrenia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23205556,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"High diversity and widespread occurrence of mitotic spore mats in ectomycorrhizal Pezizales.\nFungal mitospores may function as dispersal units and\/ or spermatia and thus play a role in distribution and\/or mating of species that produce them. Mitospore production in ectomycorrhizal (EcM) Pezizales is rarely reported, but here we document mitospore production by a high diversity of EcM Pezizales on three continents, in both hemispheres. We sequenced the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and partial large subunit (LSU) nuclear rDNA from 292 spore mats (visible mitospore clumps) collected in Argentina, Chile, China, Mexico and the USA between 2009 and 2012. We collated spore mat ITS sequences with 105 fruit body and 47 EcM root sequences to generate operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Phylogenetic inferences were made through analyses of both molecular data sets. A total of 48 OTUs from spore mats represented six independent EcM Pezizales lineages and included truffles and cup fungi. Three clades of seven OTUs have no known meiospore stage. Mitospores failed to germinate on sterile media, or form ectomycorrhizas on Quercus, Pinus and Populus seedlings, consistent with a hypothesized role of spermatia. The broad geographic range, high frequency and phylogenetic diversity of spore mats produced by EcM Pezizales suggests that a mitospore stage is important for many species in this group in terms of mating, reproduction and\/or dispersal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33857166,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"High drug resistance levels could compromise the control of HIV infection in paediatric and adolescent population in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.\nThe inadequacy of HIV viraemia and resistance monitoring in Africa leads to uncontrolled circulation of HIV strains with drug resistance mutations (DRM), compromising antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectiveness. This study describes the DRM prevalence and its therapeutic impact in HIV-infected pediatric patients from Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC). From 2016-2018, dried blood were collected from 71 HIV-infected children and adolescents under ART in two hospitals in Kinshasa for HIV-1 DRM pol analysis, predicted ARV-susceptibility by Stanford and phylogenetic characterization. HIV-1 sequences were recovered from 55 children\/adolescents with 14 years of median-age. All had received nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI, NNRTI), 9.1% protease inhibitors (PI) and only one integrase inhibitor (INI). Despite the use of ART, 89.1% showed virological failure and 67.3% carried viruses with major-DRM to one (12.7%), two (47.3%), or three (5.5%) ARV-families. Most children\/adolescents harbored DRM to NNRTI (73.5%) or NRTI (61.2%). Major-DRM to PI was present in 8.3% and minor-DRM to INI in 15%. Dual-class-NRTI+NNRTI resistance appeared in 53.1% of patients. Viruses presented high\/intermediate resistance to nevirapine (72.9% patients), efavirenz (70.9%), emtricitabine\/lamivudine (47.9%), rilpivirine (41.7%), etravirine (39.6%), doravidine (33.3%), zidovudine (22.9%), among others. Most participants were susceptible to INI and PI. Great diversity of variants was found, with a high rate (40%) of unique recombinants. The high DRM prevalence observed among HIV-infected children and adolescents in Kinshasa could compromise the 95-95-95-UNAIDS targets in the DRC. It also reinforces the need for routine resistance monitoring for optimal rescue therapy election in this vulnerable population to control the spread of resistant HIV in the country.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26548226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Halitosis as a product of hepatic disease.\nThis study evaluated halitosis in patients suffering from hepatic disease. Twenty-five patients (12 males and 13 females) aged between 16 and 73 years who had undergone treatment for liver disease were included in this study. Three halimeter recordings were performed to measure methyl mercarptan and hydrogen sulphite. Mean values were calculated and compared with normal values (75-120 ppb). The level of significance was set at P < .05. Results: Thirteen of the 25 subjects (52%) had normal Volatile Sulphur Compound (VSC) values (75-120 ppb). Twelve subjects (48%) recorded values ranging from 132 to 1112 ppb. There was no correlation between hepatic pathology and halitosis. Fifty-two percent of all subjects had poor oral hygiene, strongly correlated with high VSC values (P<0.05) whereas the remaining 48% with good hygiene had normal levels of VSC. Within the limitations of this study, high values of VSC were not associated with the presence of hepatic disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28419208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Interhemispheric Synchrony of Spontaneous Cortical States at the Cortical Column Level.\nIn cat early visual cortex, neural activity patterns resembling evoked orientation maps emerge spontaneously under anesthesia. To test if such patterns are synchronized between hemispheres, we performed bilateral imaging in anesthetized cats using a new improved voltage-sensitive dye. We observed map-like activity patterns spanning early visual cortex in both hemispheres simultaneously. Patterns virtually identical to maps associated with the cardinal and oblique orientations emerged as leading principal components of the spontaneous fluctuations, and the strength of transient orientation states was correlated with their duration, providing evidence that these maps are transiently attracting states. A neural mass model we developed reproduced the dynamics of both smooth and abrupt orientation state transitions observed experimentally. The model suggests that map-like activity arises from slow modulations in spontaneous firing in conjunction with interplay between excitation and inhibition. Our results highlight the efficiency and functional precision of interhemispheric connectivity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24057119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The delusion of the Master: the last days of Henry James.\nThe novelist Henry James shared with his brother William, the author of the Principles of Psychology, a deep interest in the ways in which personal identity is built through one's history and experiences. At the end of his life, Henry James suffered a vascular stroke in the right hemisphere and developed a striking identity delusion. He dictated in a perfectly clear and coherent manner two letters as if they were written by Napoleon Bonaparte. He also showed signs of reduplicative paramnesia. Negative symptoms resulting from right hemisphere damage may disrupt the feelings of \"warmth and intimacy and immediacy\" and the \"resemblance among the parts of a continuum of feelings (especially bodily feelings)\", which are the foundation of personal identity according to William James. On the other hand, a left hemisphere receiving inadequate input from the damaged right hemisphere may produce positive symptoms such as delusional, confabulatory narratives. Other fragments dictated during Henry James's final disease reveal some form of insight, if partial and disintegrated, into his condition. Thus, even when consciousness is impaired by brain damage, something of its deep nature may persist, as attested by the literary characteristics of the last fragments of the Master.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22040012,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Formaldehyde suppresses neuronal apoptosis via inhibition of outward K(+) currents in rat hippocampus.\nFormaldehyde (FA) is widely present in the environment, and is also a mammalian metabolite. However, its biological role has not been well understood. Here, we show that FA plays an anti-apoptotic role in cultured hippocampal neurons: FA suppressed staurosporine-induced neuronal apoptosis and inhibited the activity of apoptosis-associated caspase-3\/7 proteases in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, FA suppressed outward K(+) currents and attenuated the enhanced IK currents that are associated with neuronal apoptosis. As an increase in outward K(+) currents is critical for cell apoptosis, our results suggest that FA exerts its anti-apoptotic effects on neuronal cells, probably through its inhibitory effect on the outward K(+) currents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38156450,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Association of Abnormal Lung Function and Its Subtypes With Arterial Stiffness: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.\nPrior studies have reported the cross-sectional relationship between lung function and arterial stiffness, while the longitudinal association remains unclear to date. This study aimed to investigate whether abnormal lung function and its subtypes at baseline are associated with increased arterial stiffness using a cohort. This was a secondary analysis extracting 2461 participants from Beijing Health Management Cohort as baseline and annually followed for development of arterial stiffness. Abnormal lung function was defined by forced expiratory volume in 1s <80% of the predicted value, forced vital capacity of the predicted value, or forced expiratory volume in 1s\/forced vital capacity ratio <70%. Increased arterial stiffness was determined by brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity \u22651400 cm\/s. Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate the hazard ratio and population attributable fraction. The mean age was 42.8\u00b18.1 years, and 444 (18.0%) cases developed increased arterial stiffness during a median follow-up of 3.0 years. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) of arterial stiffness was 1.47 (95% CI, 1.10-1.96) for abnormal lung function, with a population attributable fraction of 3.9% (95% CI, 0.8-7.1). Of subtypes, only obstructive ventilatory dysfunction was significantly associated with arterial stiffness (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.06 [95% CI, 1.27-3.36]), not restricted ventilatory dysfunction (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.54-1.65]). Consistent results were observed on multiple sensitivity analyses. Our study indicated a longitudinal association of abnormal lung function with increased arterial stiffness using a large cohort, especially for the obstructive ventilatory dysfunction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21951315,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Relationships between hair growth rate and morphological parameters of human straight hair: a same law above ethnical origins?\nAfter measurement of individual growth rates, natural hair fibres from Asian and Caucasian subjects were analysed using scanning electron microscopy. In total, more than 1000 hairs were analysed. Measurements of diameter, medulla and interscale distance (average distance between two successive cuticle scales) show these parameters strongly correlated with hair growth rate. A thicker hair fibre corresponds to a faster growth rate, a shorter interscale distance and greater probability to have a medulla, and vice versa, a thin hair fibre shows slower growth rate, a larger interscale distance and a lower probability to have a medulla. Very interestingly, this finding appears to be unrelated to the ethnic origin of the subjects, suggesting a common characteristic of human hair, at least for the straight or semi-straight hair studied. From a practical viewpoint, this finding clearly suggests an alternative method for measuring hair growth rates, by measuring the interscale distance, which appears easier than using common laboratory equipments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27206631,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The floral transcriptomes of four bamboo species (Bambusoideae; Poaceae): support for common ancestry among woody bamboos.\nNext-generation sequencing now allows for total RNA extracts to be sequenced in non-model organisms such as bamboos, an economically and ecologically important group of grasses. Bamboos are divided into three lineages, two of which are woody perennials with bisexual flowers, which undergo gregarious monocarpy. The third lineage, which are herbaceous perennials, possesses unisexual flowers that undergo annual flowering events. Transcriptomes were assembled using both reference-based and de novo methods. These two methods were tested by characterizing transcriptome content using sequence alignment to previously characterized reference proteomes and by identifying Pfam domains. Because of the striking differences in floral morphology and phenology between the herbaceous and woody bamboo lineages, MADS-box genes, transcription factors that control floral development and timing, were characterized and analyzed in this study. Transcripts were identified using phylogenetic methods and categorized as A, B, C, D or E-class genes, which control floral development, or SOC or SVP-like genes, which control the timing of flowering events. Putative nuclear orthologues were also identified in bamboos to use as phylogenetic markers. Instances of gene copies exhibiting topological patterns that correspond to shared phenotypes were observed in several gene families including floral development and timing genes. Alignments and phylogenetic trees were generated for 3,878 genes and for all genes in a concatenated analysis. Both the concatenated analysis and those of 2,412 separate gene trees supported monophyly among the woody bamboos, which is incongruent with previous phylogenetic studies using plastid markers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36480242,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Association between lipid peroxidation and risk of type 2 diabetes in women.\nIn-vitro and animal studies demonstrate that lipid peroxidation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, human data from prospective studies are limited and contradictory. We used data originally collected in two nested case-control studies of cancer to prospectively evaluate whether systemic levels of lipid peroxidation were associated with incidence of T2D in 1917 women who were 40-70 years old and diabetes-free at baseline. Lipid peroxidation was measured by urinary F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) and its major metabolite 2,3-dinor-5,6-dihydro-15-F2t-IsoP (F2-IsoP-M) with GC\/NICI-MS assays. The Cox regression model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident T2D. After a median follow-up of 10.1 years, 187 women were diagnosed with T2D. Urinary concentrations of both F2-IsoPs and F2-IsoP-M were significantly higher in T2D cases than in non-cases. Both biomarkers were positively associated with subsequent risk of T2D in multivariable-adjusted Cox models. When further adjusted for body mass index (BMI), the positive association with F2-IsoP-M was attenuated and no longer statistically significant, whereas the association with F2-IsoPs remained (P for overall significance < 0.001). HR for T2D was 1.68 (95% CI: 1.13, 2.51) for the highest vs the lowest quartile of F2-IsoPs. Moreover, this association appeared more pronounced among women with higher BMI. In summary, our study suggests that F2-IsoPs could be of significance in T2D risk prediction among middle-aged and elderly women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30074981,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Advancing Randomized Controlled Trials in Pediatric Critical Care: The Perspectives of Trialists.\nClinical research is a complex scientific and social enterprise. Our objective was to identify strategies that pediatric critical care trialists consider acceptable, feasible, and effective to improve the design and conduct randomized controlled trials in pediatric critical care. Qualitative descriptive study using semistructured individual interviews. We interviewed 26 pediatric critical care researchers from seven countries who have published a randomized controlled trial (2005-2015). We used purposive sampling to achieve diversity regarding researcher characteristics and randomized controlled trial characteristics. None. Most participants (24 [92%]) were from high-income countries, eight (31%) had published more than one randomized controlled trial, 17 (65%) had published a multicenter randomized controlled trial, and eight (31%) had published a multinational randomized controlled trial. An important theme was \"building communities\"-groups of individuals with similar interests, shared experiences, and common values, bound by professional and personal relationships. Participants described a sense of community as a source of motivation and encouragement and as a means to larger, more rigorous trials, increasing researcher and clinician engagement and maintaining enthusiasm. Strategies to build communities stressed in-person interactions (both professional and social), capable leadership, and trust. Another important theme was \"getting started.\" Participants highlighted the importance of formal research training and high-quality experiential learning through collaboration on other's projects, guided by effective mentorship. Also important was \"working within the system\"-ensuring academic credit for a range of contributions, not only for the principal investigator role. The longitudinal notion of \"building on success\" was also underscored as a cross-cutting theme. Coordinated, deliberate actions to build community and ensure key training and practical experiences for new investigators may strengthen the research enterprise in pediatric critical care. These strategies, potentially in combination with other novel approaches, may vitalize clinical research in this field.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17614179,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"DNA damage in rats after treatment with methylphenidate.\nMethylphenidate (MPH) is a widely prescribed psychostimulant for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Recently, some studies have addressed the genotoxic potential of the MPH, but the results have been contradictory. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the index of cerebral and peripheral DNA damage in young and adult rats after acute and chronic MPH exposure. We used (1) single cell gel electrophoresis (Comet assay) to measure early DNA damage in hippocampus, striatum and total blood, and (2) micronucleus test in total blood samples. Our results showed that MPH increased the peripheral index of early DNA damage in young and adult rats, which was more pronounced with chronic treatment and in the striatum compared to the hippocampus. Neither acute nor chronic MPH treatment increased micronucleus frequency in young or in adult rats. Peripheral DNA damage was positively correlated with striatal DNA damage. These results suggest that MPH may induce central and peripheral early DNA damage, but this early damage may be repaired.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23205945,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Use of epothilone B (patupilone) in refractory lymphoma and advanced solid tumors in dogs.\nThe epothilones are microtubule-stabilizing agents with promising antitumor effect in refractory and metastatic tumors in humans. The toxicity profile is considered more favorable than in taxanes. The safety of epothilone B (patupilone) has not been evaluated in tumor-bearing dogs. To evaluate the inhibition of proliferation in canine tumor cells after patupilone treatment. To assess toxicity profile and maximally tolerated dose of patupilone in dogs with refractory tumors. Twenty client-owned dogs with various malignancies. Prospective clinical study. The inhibition of proliferation was assessed with a proliferation assay in vitro in canine hemangiosarcoma and lymphoma cell lines. Dogs received patupilone IV once a week for 2 treatments (= 1 treatment cycle). Dose was escalated with 3 dogs per cohort and 20% increments. Adverse effects were graded according to the VCOG-CTCAE v1.0. Both canine cell lines were sensitive to patupilone with approximately 50% decrease in proliferative activity at 0.2-1 nM. In vivo, dose-limiting adverse effects occurred at 3.3 mg\/m(2); main adverse effects were diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting, and nausea. Neither neutropenia nor peripheral neuropathy was observed. Maximally tolerated dose for 2 patupilone administrations once weekly IV is 2.76 mg\/m(2). Three per 11 dogs receiving more than 1 treatment cycle showed partial remission in the short period of observation. Canine tumor cells show inhibition of proliferation to patupilone in vitro. Clinically, a dose of 2.76 mg\/m(2) IV is well tolerated in dogs with spontaneously occurring tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6168874,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Determination of amylase and lipase in peritoneal fluid: diagnostic value in ovarian cysts (author's transl)].\nTwo female patients aged 18 and 25 were admitted because of progressive abdominal distention, both had vague digestive complaints of several months onset, which was interpreted as ascitis. Needle aspiration yielded a clear fluid with an elevated amylase content. Lipase was within normal limits which suggested an extra-pancreatic process as the cause of amylase elevation. The sex of the patients, the non-progression of symptomatology together with good tolerance suggested the possibility of a giant ovarian cyst, which was confirmed by laparotomy. The value of lipase determination in fluid obtained by needle aspiration and high in amylase content, in ruling out pancreatic processes is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36475442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Many-to-one function of cat-like mandibles highlights a continuum of sabre-tooth adaptations.\nCat-like carnivorans are a textbook example of convergent evolution, with distinct morphological differences between taxa with short or elongated upper canines, the latter often being interpreted as an adaptation to bite at large angles and subdue large prey. This interpretation of the sabre-tooth condition is reinforced by a reduced taxonomic sampling in some studies, often focusing on highly derived taxa or using simplified morphological models. Moreover, most biomechanical analyses focus on biting scenarios at small gapes, ideal for modern carnivora but ill-suited to test for subduction of large prey by sabre-toothed taxa. In this contribution, we present the largest three-dimensional collection-based muscle-induced biting simulations on cat-like carnivorans by running a total of 1074 analyses on 17 different taxa at three different biting angles (30\u00b0, 60\u00b0 and 90\u00b0) including both morphologies. While our results show a clear adaptation of extreme sabre-toothed taxa to bite at larger angles in terms of stress distribution, other performance variables display surprising similarities between all forms at the different angles tested, highlighting a continuous rather than bipolar spectrum of hunting methods in cat-like carnivorans and demonstrating a wide functional disparity and nuances of the sabre-tooth condition that cannot simply be characterized by specialized feeding biomechanics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9816084,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Radiolocalization of squamous lung carcinoma with 131I-labeled epidermal growth factor.\nOverexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) in squamous carcinomas has been demonstrated extensively. Preliminary clinical studies have shown that radiolabeled anti-EGFr monoclonal antibodies can localize to these tumors. The aims of this study were to determine the tolerance, pharmacokinetics, and radiolocalization properties of 131I-labeled EGF in patients (n = 9) with advanced squamous lung cancer. Patients' vital signs and symptoms were monitored regularly for 3 days. Daily scintigrams and biological samples for pharmacokinetic analysis were obtained for 3-4 days. 99mTc-labeled human serum albumin was administered to patients with positive tumor scans. Six patients had positive tumor scans, and five of them had received >\/=1.0 mg EGF. In all of these cases, tumors were visualized the same day of the infusion, although best tumor-background contrast was obtained at 50-74 h. There were no false-positive images. Whole-body radioactivity retention rose significantly with increasing EGF doses; most labeled EGF was eliminated by urinary excretion. Tumor:normal tissue uptake ratios increased during the course of the study. All patients presented self-limited, dose-related gastrointestinal adverse effects. In conclusion, recombinant 131I-labeled EGF administered i.v. can localize to squamous lung cancer efficiently, can be administered safely to patients, and has more advantageous pharmacokinetic properties than monoclonal antibodies. Further studies are warranted to determine more accurately the potential of EGF and EGF-related peptides in the imaging and\/or therapy of EGFr-overexpressing human cancers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24063959,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Fully automatic plaque segmentation in 3-D carotid ultrasound images.\nAutomatic segmentation of the carotid plaques from ultrasound images has been shown to be an important task for monitoring progression and regression of carotid atherosclerosis. Considering the complex structure and heterogeneity of plaques, a fully automatic segmentation method based on media-adventitia and lumen-intima boundary priors is proposed. This method combines image intensity with structure information in both initialization and a level-set evolution process. Algorithm accuracy was examined on the common carotid artery part of 26 3-D carotid ultrasound images (34 plaques ranging in volume from 2.5 to 456 mm(3)) by comparing the results of our algorithm with manual segmentations of two experts. Evaluation results indicated that the algorithm yielded total plaque volume (TPV) differences of -5.3 \u00b1 12.7 and -8.5 \u00b1 13.8 mm(3) and absolute TPV differences of 9.9 \u00b1 9.5 and 11.8 \u00b1 11.1 mm(3). Moreover, high correlation coefficients in generating TPV (0.993 and 0.992) between algorithm results and both sets of manual results were obtained. The automatic method provides a reliable way to segment carotid plaque in 3-D ultrasound images and can be used in clinical practice to estimate plaque measurements for management of carotid atherosclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34964212,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Efficacy of N-acetyl- l-cysteine against glyphosate induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in testicular germ cells preventing infertility.\nThe present era's demand for continuous pesticides' use to increase the agriculture outcome, has caused numerous health effects among which mammalian infertility, owing to reproductive toxicity, is serious. Thus, the present study emphasizes upon glyphosate (GLY) induced toxicity and mitigating effects of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) in testicular cells of caprine by using various cytotoxic and biochemical parameters. GLY was found to induce several apoptotic attributes such as pyknotic nuclei, tubular degeneration, increased vacuolization, and so on, in testicular cells. GLY also decreased the cell viability and increased the incidence of apoptosis in testicular cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner as revealed by MTT assay and Fluorescence (ethidium bromide\/acridine orange) assay, respectively. It also increased the level of oxidative stress as evident with an increase in lipid peroxidation and decline in antioxidant power along with the decreased enzymatic activity of different antioxidant enzymes (SOD, CAT, and GST). However, NAC supplementation showed antagonistic results in GLY-treated testicular tissues with maximum amelioration at the highest dose, thereby decreasing GLY-mediated apoptosis rate and oxidative stress. Maximum amelioration was reported at 10 mM NAC concentration. Reduced GLY toxicity due to NAC will prove NAC to be an excellent approach for dealing with male reproductive toxicity at the cellular level, benefiting the mammalian reproductive status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32384942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Retrospective Study of Intercalated Disk Defects Associated with Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Atrial Thrombosis, and Heart Failure in BALB\/c Mice Deficient in IL4 Receptor \u03b1.\nAn increased incidence of dilated cardiomyopathy and atrial thrombosis was noted in a breeding colony of BALB\/c mice deficient in IL4 receptor \u03b1. The condition affected mice of both sexes and of various ages, and extensive testing (microbiology, serology, histopathology) failed to ascertain the cause. Transmission electron microscopy of heart samples showed structural defects in the myocardial intercalated disks, characterized by unorganized and heavily convoluted arrangement with lower density and less prominent desmosomes and adherens junctions, widening of the intercellular space, myofibrillar lysis adjacent to intercalated disks, occasional sarcomere lysis with marked myofiber degeneration, vacuolation, accumulation of cell debris, and myelin figures. The intercalated disk contains cell adhesion molecules that form cell junctions, allowing contraction coupling of cardiomyocytes and the electrical and mechanical connection between cardiac fibers. Thus, defects at this level result in poor myocardial contraction, intracardiac blood stagnation, and consequently cardiac dilation with clinical signs of heart failure. The background strain or, potentially, the Cre-loxP-mediated recombination system used to create these mice may have contributed to the elevated incidence of cardiomyopathy and atrial thrombosis in this colony. Due to the backcrossing breeding scheme used, we cannot discount the emergence and colonywide dissemination of a spontaneous mutation that affects the intercalated disk. This report underscores the importance of carefully monitoring genetically modified mice colonies for unexpected phenotypes that may result from spontaneous or unintended mutations or enhanced strain background pathology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26511006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"The acute:chronic workload ratio predicts injury: high chronic workload may decrease injury risk in elite rugby league players.\nInvestigate whether acute workload (1 week total distance) and chronic workload (4-week average acute workload) predict injury in elite rugby league players. Data were collected from 53 elite players over two rugby league seasons. The 'acute:chronic workload ratio' was calculated by dividing acute workload by chronic workload. A value of greater than 1 represented an acute workload greater than chronic workload. All workload data were classified into discrete ranges by z-scores. Compared with all other ratios, a very-high acute:chronic workload ratio (\u22652.11) demonstrated the greatest risk of injury in the current week (16.7% injury risk) and subsequent week (11.8% injury risk). High chronic workload (>16 095 m) combined with a very-high 2-week average acute:chronic workload ratio (\u22651.54) was associated with the greatest risk of injury (28.6% injury risk). High chronic workload combined with a moderate workload ratio (1.02-1.18) had a smaller risk of injury than low chronic workload combined with several workload ratios (relative risk range from 0.3 to 0.7\u00d7\/\u00f71.4 to 4.4; likelihood range=88-94%, likely). Considering acute and chronic workloads in isolation (ie, not as ratios) did not consistently predict injury risk. Higher workloads can have either positive or negative influences on injury risk in elite rugby league players. Specifically, compared with players who have a low chronic workload, players with a high chronic workload are more resistant to injury with moderate-low through moderate-high (0.85-1.35) acute:chronic workload ratios and less resistant to injury when subjected to 'spikes' in acute workload, that is, very-high acute:chronic workload ratios \u223c1.5.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24729394,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Microbacterium kyungheense sp. nov. and Microbacterium jejuense sp. nov., isolated from salty soil.\nTwo novel strains, THG-C26(T) and THG-C31(T), were characterized using a polyphasic approach to determine their taxonomic positions. These two isolates were aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped. 16S rRNA gene sequences and phenotypic features including chemotaxonomic characteristics indicated that the two isolates clearly represented members of the genus Microbacterium. The quinone systems of strains THG-C26(T) and THG-C31(T) contained MK-12\/MK-13 as major menaquinones. The diamino acid in cell-wall hydrolysates of the two strains was ornithine. The major fatty acids were iso-C16 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The polyamine pattern had spermidine as the predominant component. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and unidentified glycolipids. Phenotypic characteristics supported the affiliation of strains THG-C26(T) and THG-C31(T) to the genus Microbacterium. Chemotaxonomic data and DNA-DNA relatedness values allowed differentiation of these strains from other species of the genus Microbacterium with validly published names. Strains THG-C26(T) and THG-C31(T) showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Microbacterium resistens DMMZ 1710(T) (98.5%) and Microbacterium trichothecenolyticum IFO 15077(T) (98.8%), respectively, and the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between them was 99.0%. DNA-DNA hybridization values between the novel isolates and strains of other species of the genus Microbacterium with validly published names were 4-25%. Therefore, strains THG-C26(T) and THG-C31(T) are considered to represent two novel species of the genus Microbacterium, for which the names Microbacterium kyungheense sp. nov. [type strain THG-C26(T) ( = KACC 17124(T) = JCM 18735(T))] and Microbacterium jejuense sp. nov. [type strain THG-C31(T) ( = KACC 17123(T) = JCM 18734(T))] are proposed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3126376,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[An improved method of determining the carbonic anhydrase activity of erythrocytes].\nThe article describes a method of determining erythrocytic carbonic anhydrase activity based on measuring medium pH which characterizes the rate of the carbon dioxide hydration in the borate buffer under the effect of enzyme. The use of modern measuring technique makes it possible to rapidly obtain the results of high precision. The normal activity of the erythrocytic carbonic anhydrase of the capillary blood considerably exceeds that of the enzyme in the vascular bed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21940515,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The calcium-sensing receptor affects fat accumulation via effects on antilipolytic pathways in adipose tissue of rats fed low-calcium diets.\nLow-calcium intake is associated with increased risk of obesity, but the mechanism underlying this is not clear. We previously reported that the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) plays an important role in modulating the expression of rate-limiting lipolysis enzymes in human adipocytes. In the present study, rats were fed diets containing normal [0.50% (NC)], low [0.30% (LC)], or very low [0.15% (VLC)] calcium for 15 wk. Ten rats of each group were killed at wk 5, 10, and 15 of the intervention. The LC-fed rats had greater visceral fat mass, lower serum FFA and glycerol concentrations, and greater CaSR expression in white adipose tissue than did those fed the NC diet at wk 10 and 15. Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) and adipose TG lipase (ATGL) protein levels were lower, whereas fatty acid synthase mRNA in white adipose tissue was greater in the LC-fed rats compared with the NC-fed rats. These differences from the NC group were greater in the VLC group than in the LC group at wk 15. In vitro experiments showed that 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol stimulated the expression of CaSR through the nuclear vitamin D receptor (nVDR). This resulted in an antilipolytic effect by increasing intracellular calcium, decreasing the intracellular cAMP level, and downregulating HSL and ATGL protein expression in adipocytes. These effects were suppressed by either nVDR or CaSR small-interfering RNA. These results suggest that CaSR affects fat accumulation by mediating antilipolytic pathways in adipose tissue of rats fed low-calcium diets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25036768,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Mother-infant mutual eye gaze supports emotion regulation in infancy during the Still-Face paradigm.\nThis study was designed to examine the sequential relationship between mother-infant synchrony and infant affect using multilevel modeling during the Still Face paradigm. We also examined self-regulatory behaviors that infants use during the Still-Face paradigm to modulate their affect, particularly during stressors where their mothers are not available to help them co-regulate. There were 84 mother-infant dyads, of healthy full term 4 month old infants. Second-by-second coding of infant self-regulation and infant affect was done, in addition to mother-infant mutual eye gaze. Using multilevel modeling, we found that infant affect became more positive when mutual gaze had occurred the previous second, suggesting that the experience of synchronicity was associated with observable shifts in affect. We also found a positive association between self-regulatory behaviors and increases in positive affect only during the Still-Face episode (episode 2). Our study provides support for the role of mother-infant synchronicity in emotion regulation as well as support for the role of self-regulatory behaviors in emotion regulation that can have important implication for intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33863803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Human White Adipose Tissue Displays Selective Insulin Resistance in the Obese State.\nSelective hepatic insulin resistance is a feature of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Whether similar mechanisms operate in white adipose tissue (WAT) of those with obesity and to what extent these are normalized by weight loss are unknown. We determined insulin sensitivity by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp and insulin response in subcutaneous WAT by RNA sequencing in 23 women with obesity before and 2 years after bariatric surgery. To control for effects of surgery, women postsurgery were matched to never-obese women. Multidimensional analyses of 138 samples allowed us to classify the effects of insulin into three distinct expression responses: a common set was present in all three groups and included genes encoding several lipid\/cholesterol biosynthesis enzymes; a set of obesity-attenuated genes linked to tissue remodeling and protein translation was selectively regulated in the two nonobese states; and several postobesity-enriched genes encoding proteins involved in, for example, one-carbon metabolism were only responsive to insulin in the women who had lost weight. Altogether, human WAT displays a selective insulin response in the obese state, where most genes are normalized by weight loss. This comprehensive atlas provides insights into the transcriptional effects of insulin in WAT and may identify targets to improve insulin action.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25415984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Entropy-based evaluation of context models for wavelet-transformed images.\nEntropy is a measure of a message uncertainty. Among others aspects, it serves to determine the minimum coding rate that practical systems may attain. This paper defines an entropy-based measure to evaluate context models employed in wavelet-based image coding. The proposed measure is defined considering the mechanisms utilized by modern coding systems. It establishes the maximum performance achievable with each context model. This helps to determine the adequateness of the model under different coding conditions and serves to predict with high precision the coding rate achieved by practical systems. Experimental results evaluate four well-known context models using different types of images, coding rates, and transform strategies. They reveal that, under specific coding conditions, some widely-spread context models may not be as adequate as it is generally thought. The hints provided by this analysis may help to design simpler and more efficient wavelet-based image codecs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2212736,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Fibrinolytic phenomenon in leprosy.\nFibrinolytic activity in eighty-one patients with different types of leprosy and thirty-two normal healthy controls was studied by Euglobulin Lysis Time Method, Fibrinolytic activity was markedly decreased in patients with lepromatous leprosy and those with ENL reaction. Decline in fibrinolytic activity during ENL was independent of frequency of attacks. Fibrinolytic activity was partly restored after subsidence of ENL reaction, though it failed to attain normal levels. Cutaneous vasculitis seems to be most probable cause of fall in fibrinolytic activity in lepromatous leprosy and ENL reaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18216172,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Multiple RTK pathways downregulate Groucho-mediated repression in Drosophila embryogenesis.\nRTK pathways establish cell fates in a wide range of developmental processes. However, how the pathway effector MAPK coordinately regulates the expression of multiple target genes is not fully understood. We have previously shown that the EGFR RTK pathway causes phosphorylation and downregulation of Groucho, a global co-repressor that is widely used by many developmentally important repressors for silencing their various targets. Here, we use specific antibodies that reveal the dynamics of Groucho phosphorylation by MAPK, and show that Groucho is phosphorylated in response to several RTK pathways during Drosophila embryogenesis. Focusing on the regulation of terminal patterning by the Torso RTK pathway, we demonstrate that attenuation of Groucho's repressor function via phosphorylation is essential for the transcriptional output of the pathway and for terminal cell specification. Importantly, Groucho is phosphorylated by an efficient mechanism that does not alter its subcellular localisation or decrease its stability; rather, modified Groucho endures long after MAPK activation has terminated. We propose that phosphorylation of Groucho provides a widespread, long-term mechanism by which RTK signals control target gene expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16192819,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A prospective trial on initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) overexpression and cancer recurrence in node-positive breast cancer.\nA previous study of patients with stage I to III breast cancer showed that those patients whose tumors were in the highest tertile of eIF4E overexpression experienced a higher risk for recurrence. This study was designed to determine whether high eIF4E overexpression predicts cancer recurrence independent of nodal status by specifically targeting patients with node-positive disease. The prospective trial was designed to accrue 168 patients with node-positive breast cancer to detect a 2.5-fold increase in risk for recurrence. eIF4E level was quantified by Western blots as x-fold elevated compared with breast tissues from noncancer patients. End points measured were disease recurrence and cancer-related death. Statistical analyses performed include survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazard model. One hundred seventy-four patients with node-positive breast cancer were accrued. All patients fulfilled study inclusion and exclusion criteria, treatment protocol, and surveillance requirements, with a compliance rate >95%. The mean eIF4E elevation was 11.0 +\/- 7.0-fold (range, 1.4-34.3-fold). Based on previously published data, tertile distribution was as follow: 1) lowest tertile (<7.5-fold) = 67 patients, 2) intermediate tertile (7.5-14-fold) = 54 patients, and 3) highest tertile (>14-fold) = 53 patients. At a median follow up of 32 months, patients with the highest tertile had a statistically significant higher cancer recurrence rate (log-rank test, P = 0.002) and cancer-related death rate (P = 0.036) than the lowest group. Relative risk calculations demonstrated that high eIF4E patients had a 2.4-fold increase in relative risk increase for cancer recurrence (95% confidence interval, 1.2-4.1; P = 0.01). In this prospective study designed to specifically address risk for recurrence in patients with node-positive breast cancer, the patients whose tumors were in the highest tertile of eIF4E overexpression had a 2.4-fold increase in relative risk for cancer recurrence. Therefore, eIF4E overexpression appears to be an independent predictor of a worse outcome in patients with breast cancer independent of nodal status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17488981,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"International Society of Geriatric Oncology Chemotherapy Taskforce: evaluation of chemotherapy in older patients--an analysis of the medical literature.\nThe elderly comprise the majority of patients with cancer and are the recipients of the greatest amount of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, there is a lack of data to make evidence-based decisions with regard to chemotherapy. This is due to the minimal participation of older patients in clinical trials and that trials have not systematically evaluated chemotherapy. This article reviews the available information with regard to chemotherapy and aging provided by a task force of the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG). Due to the lack of prospective data, the conclusions and recommendations made are a consensus of the participants. Extrapolation of data from younger to older patients is necessary, particularly to those patients older than 80 years, for which data is almost entirely lacking. The classes of drugs reviewed include alkylators, antimetabolites, anthracyclines, taxanes, camptothecins, and epipodophyllotoxins. Clinical trials need to incorporate an analysis of chemotherapy in terms of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of aging. In addition, data already accumulated need to be reanalyzed by age to aid in the management of the older cancer patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8990167,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The molecular chaperone hsp40 regulates the activity of P58IPK, the cellular inhibitor of PKR.\nThe interferon-induced double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase, PKR, likely contributes to both the antiviral and the antiproliferative effects of interferon. We previously found that influenza virus avoids the translational inhibitory effects of activated PKR by activating a cellular inhibitory protein, termed P58IPK, based on its Mr of 58,000. P58IPK is a member of the tetratricopeptide family of proteins and possesses significant homology to the conserved J region of the DnaJ family of heat shock proteins. We earlier hypothesized that P58IPK was kept in an inactive state with its own inhibitor (termed I-P58IPK) in uninfected cells. We therefore attempted the purification and characterization of I-P58IPK. The following data suggest that we have identified the molecular chaperone, hsp40, as 1-P58IPK. (i) The MonoP-purified I-P58IPK protein reacted with hsp40 antibody. (ii) This preparation demonstrated high specific activity in an in vitro functional assay containing only purified recombinant and native components. (iii) Purified, recombinant hsp40 protein inhibited P58IPK in an identical in vitro assay. (iv) Finally, we demonstrate that hsp40 directly complexes with P58IPK, in vitro, suggesting the inhibition occurs through a direct interaction. Our data, taken together, provide evidence for a novel intersection between the heat shock and interferon pathways, and suggest that influenza virus regulates PKR activity through the recruitment of a cellular stress pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3223495,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Familial dilated cardiomyopathy.\nIdiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is generally considered a sporadic, nongenetic disorder, and reports of familial cases are often regarded as rare occurrences. Results of the present investigation of 6 families with this disorder suggest that familial forms of dilated cardiomyopathy occur more frequently than previously suspected. The familial nature of the dilated cardiomyopathy was not readily apparent in 3 of these families until thorough family investigations had been performed. The clinical symptoms and age of onset were variable from one family to another and within families. Based on these observations, it is recommended that all persons diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy have a thorough review of their family history. If there are any cases of unexplained heart disease, sudden unexpected death or syncopal episodes, further investigations of relatives should be performed. Echocardiography is a convenient noninvasive tool for investigating relatives. Early diagnosis of affected relatives is important for 2 reasons--treatment of significant arrhythmias may prevent sudden unexpected death, and genetic counseling can be provided.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26505738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Fabry-Perot Microcavity Modes in Single GaP\/GaNP Core\/Shell Nanowires.\nSemiconductor nanowires (NWs) are attracting increasing interest as nanobuilding blocks for optoelectronics and photonics. A novel material system that is highly suitable for these applications are GaNP NWs. In this article, we show that individual GaP\/GaNP core\/shell nanowires (NWs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si substrates can act as Fabry-Perot (FP) microcavities. This conclusion is based on results of microphotoluminescence (\u03bc-PL) measurements performed on individual NWs, which reveal periodic undulations of the PL intensity that follow an expected pattern of FP cavity modes. The cavity is concluded to be formed along the NW axis with the end facets acting as reflecting mirrors. The formation of the FP modes is shown to be facilitated by an increasing index contrast with the surrounding media. Spectral dependence of the group refractive index is also determined for the studied NWs. The observation of the FP microcavity modes in the GaP\/GaNP core\/shell NWs can be considered as a first step toward achieving lasing in this quasidirect bandgap semiconductor in the NW geometry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38110457,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Usability of an artificially intelligence-powered triage platform for adult ophthalmic emergencies: a mixed methods study.\nThere is growing demand for emergency-based eyecare services where the majority of those attending do not require urgent ophthalmic management. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists have recommended upskilling and supporting of allied health professionals to support eyecare delivery, where machine learning algorithms could help. A mixed methods study was conducted to evaluate the usability of an artificial intelligence (AI) powered online triage platform for ophthalmology. The interface, usability, safety and acceptability were investigated using a Think Aloud interview and usability questionnaires. Twenty participants who actively examine patients in ophthalmic triage within a tertiary eye centre or primary care setting completed the interview and questionnaires. 90% or more of participants found the platform easy to use, reflected their triage process and were able to interpret the triage outcome, 85% found it safe to use and 95% felt the processing time was fast. A quarter of clinicians reported that they have experienced some uncertainty when triaging in their career and were unsure of using AI, after this study 95% of clinicians were willing to use the platform in their clinical workflow. This study showed the platform interface was acceptable and usable for clinicians actively working in ophthalmic emergency triage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24617789,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A Delphi study of medical professionalism in Arabian countries: the Four-Gates model.\nMedical professionalism has been described as a set of attributes and behaviors, yet the Western frameworks of medical professionalism may not resonate with the cultural values of non-Western countries. This study aims to formulate a professionalism framework for healthcare providers as interpreted by local medical professionals in Arabian countries. A purposive sample of 17 experts from diverse disciplines participated in a Delphi study in three rounds. Consensus was identified by content analysis and by numerical analysis of responses on the basic attributes of medical professionalism in Arabian context. Eight professional traits were shortlisted and coupled in four themes (Gates): dealing with self, dealing with tasks, dealing with others and dealing with God. Self-accountability and self-motivation were interpreted from a faithful viewpoint as \"taqwa\" and \"ehtesab\", respectively, in Arabic. The Four-Gates Model helps in better understanding of medical professionalism as grounded in the minds and culture of Arabs. The model may act as a genuine framework for teaching and learning of medical professionalism in Arab medical schools. The study highlights the divergent interpretation of medical professionalism between Western and Arabian contexts. The Four-Gates Model may work for faith-driven societies, but not for non-Muslims Arabs students or teachers or in institutions with humanistic values.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20436517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Priming with r-metHuSCF and filgrastim or chemotherapy and filgrastim in patients with malignant lymphomas: a randomized phase II pilot study of mobilization and engraftment.\nSCF has been shown to synergize with G-CSF to mobilize CD34(+) PBPCs. In this study we report results from this combination after a phase II trial of 32 patients with malignant lymphoma randomized to receive recombinant methionyl human SCF (ancestim, r-metHuSCF) in combination with recombinant methionyl human G-CSF (filgrastim, r-metHuG-CSF) (experimental arm A) or routine chemotherapy plus filgrastim (conventional arm B). The primary objective was to evaluate the side effects and toxicity during priming and mobilization. The secondary objectives were efficacy by the level of blood-circulating PBPCs, the number of harvest days and the time to three-lineage engraftment after autografting. First, during priming 5 patients had 8 serious events, 4 in each arm. A summary of all adverse events revealed 30 (94%) patients suffering from 132 events of all grading. Second, neutropenia and thrombocytopenia was documented in arm B. Third, 9\/14 (64%) patients in arm A reached the target of 5 million CD34(+) cells\/kg body weight (bw) compared with 13\/15 (87%) in arm B. The results represent the first randomized trial of growth factor plus chemotherapy priming and indicate that a formal phase III trial very unlikely may challenge chemotherapy plus r-metHuG-CSF priming in candidates for high-dose therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26045965,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Mechanical ventilation of acute respiratory distress syndrome.\nAcute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been intensively and continuously studied in various settings, but its mortality is still as high as 30-40 %. For the last 20 years, lung protective strategy has become a standard care for ARDS, but we still do not know the best way to ventilate patients with ARDS. Tidal volume itself does not seem to have an important role to develop ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), but the driving pressure, which is inspiratory plateau pressure-PEEP, is the most important to predict and affect the outcome of ARDS, though there is no safe limit for the driving pressure. There is so much controversy regarding what the best PEEP is, whether collapsed lung should be recruited, and what parameters should be measured and evaluated to improve the outcome of ARDS. Since the mechanical ventilation for patients with respiratory failure, including ARDS, is a standard care, we need more dynamic and regional information of ventilation and pulmonary circulation in the injured lungs to evaluate the efficacy of new type of treatment strategy. In addition to the CT scanning of the lung as the gold standard of evaluation, the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) of the lung has been clinically available to provide such information non-invasively and at the bedside. Various parameters have been tested to evaluate the homogeneity of regional ventilation, and EIT could provide us with the information of ventilator settings to minimize VILI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21951701,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Neonatal presentation of familial glucocorticoid deficiency resulting from a novel splice mutation in the melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein.\nFamilial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterised by isolated glucocorticoid deficiency. Mutations in the ACTH receptor\/melanocortin 2 receptor (MC2R), the MC2R accessory protein (MRAP) or the STAR protein (STAR) cause FGD types 1, 2 and 3, respectively, accounting for ~50% of all cases. We report a neonate of Indian origin, who was diagnosed with FGD in the first few days of life. He presented with hypoglycaemic seizures and was noted to have generalised intense hyperpigmentation and normal male genitalia. Biochemical investigations revealed hypocortisolaemia (cortisol 0.223 \u03bcg\/dl; NR 1-23 \u03bcg\/dl) and elevated plasma ACTH (170 pg\/ml). Serum electrolytes, aldosterone and plasma renin activity were normal. Peak cortisol following a standard synacthen test was 0.018 \u03bcg\/dl. He responded to hydrocortisone treatment and continues on replacement. Patient DNA was analysed by direct sequencing. The effect of the novel mutation was assessed by an in vitro splicing assay using wild type and mutant heterologous minigenes. A novel homozygous mutation c.106+2_3dupTA was found in the MRAP gene. Both parents were heterozygous for the mutation. In an in vitro splicing assay, the mutation resulted in the skipping of exon 3. We have identified a novel MRAP mutation where disruption of the intron 3 splice-site results in a prematurely terminated translation product. This protein (if produced) would lack the transmembrane domain that is essential for MC2R interaction. We predict that this would cause complete lack of ACTH response thus explaining the early presentation in this case.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30925213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Synergistic Effects of Imidazolium-Functionalization on fac-Mn(CO)3 Bipyridine Catalyst Platforms for Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction.\nThe electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) could be a powerful tool for generating chemical fuels and feedstock molecules relevant to the chemical industry. One of the major challenges for molecular catalysts remains the necessity of high overpotentials, which can be overcome by identifying novel routes that improve the energetic reaction trajectory of critical intermediates during catalysis. In this combined experimental and computational study, we show that imidazolium functionalization of molecular fac-Mn(CO)3 bipyridine complexes results in CO2 reduction at mild electrochemical potentials in the presence of H2O. Importantly, our studies suggest that imidazolium groups in the secondary coordination sphere promote the formation of a local hydration shell that facilitates the protonation of CO2 reduction intermediates. As such, we propose a synergistic relationship between the functionalized catalyst and H2O, which stands in contrast to other systems in which the presence of H2O frequently has detrimental effects on catalysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36714825,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Magnetic fields produced by subsea high-voltage direct current cables reduce swimming activity of haddock larvae (Melanogrammus aeglefinus).\nHigh-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cables are used to transport power between locations and from\/to nearshore and offshore facilities. HVDC cables produce magnetic fields (B-fields) that could impact marine fish. Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) is a demersal fish that is at risk of exposure to anthropogenic B-fields. Their larvae drift over the continental shelf, and use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation during dispersal. Therefore, anthropogenic magnetic fields from HVDC cables could alter their behavior. We tested the behavior of 92 haddock larvae using a setup designed to simulate the scenario of larvae drifting past a B-field in the intensity range of that produced by a DC subsea cable. We exposed the larvae to a B-field intensity ranging from 50 to 150 \u00b5T in a raceway tank. Exposure to the B-field did not affect the spatial distribution of haddock larvae in the raceway. Larvae were categorized by differences in their exploratory behavior in the raceway. The majority (78%) of larvae were nonexploratory, and exposure to the artificial B-field reduced their median swimming speed by 60% and decreased their median acceleration by 38%. There was no effect on swimming of the smaller proportion (22%) of exploratory larvae. These observations support the conclusion that the swimming performance of nonexploratory haddock larvae would be reduced following exposure to B-field from HVDC cables. The selective impact on nonexploratory individuals, and the lack of impact on exploratory individuals, could have population-scale implications for haddock in the wild.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36853319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Retailer's Density and Single Stick Cigarette's Accessibility among School-Age Children in Indonesia.\nThe density of single-stick cigarette sales is related to the increase in tobacco epidemic-related diseases. This study aims to provide evidence of retailers' density and radius around the school location, accessibility of single-stick cigarette selling among school-age children, and retailers' response regarding the restriction policy options in urban areas in Indonesia. It is a cross-sectional study. The retailers' spatial density and the radius around schools in Daerah Khusus Ibukota (DKI) Jakarta Province were investigated using Google Maps and Google Street View (GSV). The coordinates of retailers and schools were geo-coded to Kernel Density Map. The accessibility of single-stick cigarettes among children and restriction policy options for cigarette selling were derived from random sampling using surveys of 64 retailers based on Google Data results. Virtually walking using google maps and GSV found 8,371 retailers in DKI Jakarta. There were \u00b1 15 cigarette retailers every 1 km2, and an average of \u00b1 one cigarette retailer in every 1,000 residents. There were 456 (21.67%) retailers with a radius \u2264 100 meters around elementary schools, even an increase around junior high school locations of 167 (26.05%) retailers. The accessibility of cigarettes among children is easy because the price is relatively low, at Rp1,500\/ $0.11 per stick. In addition, 58.1% of retailers allowed customers to buy on debt. Eleven percent of cigarette retailers intended to reduce the sale of cigarettes if the prohibition of single-stick cigarette sales were applied. Cigarette retailers were very dense and single-stick cigarettes were still accessible to children in Indonesia. The implementation of the prohibition on single-stick cigarette sales should be added for future tobacco control in developing countries such as Indonesia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37501224,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Educational attainment in eating disorders: What can we learn from visualising data.\nEducational attainment is an understudied outcome in eating disorders (ED). We compared the educational attainment of individuals with and without ED. This study is a nationwide, register-based, observational epidemiological study using record linkage. The studied cohorts were (1) all persons treated psychiatrically for ED from 1970 to 2014, and (2) a control population matched for sex, age, and place of residence. The International Standard Classification of Education 2011 was used to classify educational attainment. We employed ineqord, a series of graphical and analytical tools that are appropriate for comparing the distributions of ordinal data (Jenkins, 2020). Females with ED attained higher educational levels than males with ED. Males with ED had lower average educational levels than controls. On average, female controls attained higher educational levels than patients with ED in the eating disorders not otherwise specified or overeating groups. Females with anorexia nervosa, differed from matched controls: While their median was the same, too many participants were in the lower and higher levels of educational attainment. Females with bulimia nervosa had higher educational levels than matched controls on average. Educational attainment differs between individuals with and without out ED for all ED diagnoses and in both sexes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25420344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparative studies on the discrepant fragmentation mechanisms of the GLy-Asp-Gly-Arg and Arg-Gly-Asp-Gly: evidence for the mobile proton model.\nThe fragmentation mechanisms of singly protonated Gly-Asp-Gly-Arg (GDGRI and Arg-Gly-Asp-Gly (RGDGJ were investigated by mass spectrometry and theoretical methods. Both protonated molecules are fragmented mainly at the Asp-Gly amide bond C-terminal to Asp, as supported by quantum chemical calculations. Charge distributions of C and N atoms (Qc + QN) on the amide bonds were collected when the ionizing proton was fixed at different nitrogen atoms along the backbone for each peptide. Compared with the neutral molecules, the total charges of C and N atoms (Qc + QN] for the singly charged peptides tended to be negative when the proton was located at the backbone nitrogen atoms. A relatively larger value of QC + QN corresponds to a higher trend of fragmentation, which is consistent with the experimental relative abundances data that the predominant ions are y2 for [GDGR + H]+ and b3 for [RGDG + H]+. Also, the anhydride mechanism driven by the C-terminal COOH for [RGDG + H]+ was explored by a quantum-mechanical\/molecular-mechanical method. Calculations indicate that the protonated peptide can be cleaved through an unusual charge-directed pathway by forming a salt bridge at the C-termini. The formation of the anhydride linkage is much more feasible since this process needs very little energy and is exother- mic, though the subsequent nucleophilic attack on the Asp carbonyl carbon is more difficult. The combined experimental and theoretical methods substantiate the mobile proton model, which opens a way to analyze quantitatively the discrepant fragmentation of dissociated peptides in peptide\/protein identification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11160451,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of antisense to the (alpha)2A-adrenoceptors administered into the region of the locus ceruleus on behaviors in plus-maze and sexual behavior tests in sham-operated and castrated male rats.\nClinical and experimental findings have implicated brain alpha2-adrenoceptors in the regulation of many physiological functions, including sexual activity and stress-related behavior. However, which subtypes of the three alpha2-adrenoceptors that have now been cloned (alpha2A, alpha2B, and alpha2C) are involved in these controls have yet to be established. Here, we investigated the contribution of alpha2A-adrenoceptors of the locus ceruleus, the principal source of brain noradrenaline, to exploratory and sexual behaviors. Using administration of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to inhibit the receptor expression, we found that reductions in brainstem alpha2A-adrenoceptor mRNA levels and alpha2-adrenoceptor densities induced by antisense treatment were not accompanied by any changes in the major characteristics of male sexual activity, such as mount latencies and numbers of mounts. However, in sexual behavior tests, antisense-treated male rats had decreased numbers of rearings and thus have higher percentages of behaviors positively correlated with sexual activity. Besides, antisense-treated animals had decreased anxiety in plus-maze tests. The data demonstrate that inhibition of alpha2A-adrenoceptor expression in the region of the locus ceruleus has an anxiolytic-like effect and facilitates male's attention to female in sexual behavior test.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27347109,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cytokeratin and protein expression patterns in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity provide evidence for two distinct pathogenetic pathways.\nSquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity is a morphological heterogeneous disease. Various cytokeratin (CK) expression patterns with different prognostic values have been described, but little is known concerning the underlying biological cell mechanisms. Therefore, the present study investigated 193 cases of oral SCCs using immunohistochemistry for \u03b1\/\u03b2\/\u03b3-catenin, glucose transporter 1, caspase-3, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein, hypoxia inducible factor-1\u03b1, carbonic anhydrase 9, heat shock protein (hsp) 70, mast\/stem cell growth factor receptor, p21, p27, p16, p53, B-cell lymphoma 6, epidermal growth factor receptor, cyclin D1 and CK1, 5\/6, 8\/18, 10, 14 and 19. Expression patterns were analyzed with biomathematical permutation analysis. The present results revealed a significant association between the expression of low-molecular weight CK8\/18 and 19 and a high-tumor grade, \u03b2 and \u03b3-catenin expression, deregulated cell cycle proteins and a predominant localization of the tumor on the floor of the mouth. By contrast, expression of high-molecular weight CK1, 5\/6, 10 and 14 was significantly associated with the expression of p21 and hsp70. In conclusion, the current study presents evidence for the existence of two parallel pathogenetic pathways in oral SCCs, characterized by the expression of low- and high-molecular weight CKs. Additional studies are required to demonstrate the extent that these results may be used to improve therapeutic regimens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12209890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Standardized analysis of UHMWPE wear particles from failed total joint arthroplasties.\nPeriprosthetic tissue obtained at revision surgery from eight total hip replacement cases was hydrolyzed, and polyethylene debris particles were isolated from each case. Individual particles were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and computerized image analysis in accordance with ASTM F1877-98, a standard for quantitative description of wear debris. For comparison, periprosthetic tissues from eight total knee revision and four total shoulder revision cases were processed and analyzed with identical methods. A total of 2599 hip, 4345 knee, and 1200 shoulder particles were analyzed. The morphologies of the isolated polyethylene particles from the total hip specimens were distinctly different from the total knee and total shoulder particles. The mean equivalent circle diameter (ECD) for hip particles was 0.694 microm +\/- 0.005; knee particles measured 1.190 microm +\/-0.009; and shoulder particles 1.183 microm +\/- 0.017. The ECD was significantly different between hip particles and those from the shoulder and knee. The mean aspect ratio (AR) for the hip particles was 1.626 +\/- 0.015, compared to the knee particles at 1.935 +\/- 0.015 and shoulder particles at 2.082 +\/- 0.033. The AR was statistically different among all three groups. Other descriptors from the ASTM standard, elongation (E), form factor (FF), and roundness (R) were all significantly different among the three groups of joints. This study demonstrates the utility of ASTM F1877-98 in differentiating wear debris particles from different sources.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6650446,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Assessment of nutritional status and in vivo immune responses in alcoholic liver disease.\nNutritional status and in vivo immune responses were investigated in 30 patients with alcoholic liver disease who were drinking heavily up until emergency hospital admission. Investigations were performed on admission and after 2 wk abstention and adequate hospital diet. No relationship was found between the severity of liver disease revealed histologically and the recent quantity or total duration of alcohol intake, inadequacy of diet, or nutritional status. Skin anergy was more common in those patients with cirrhosis but did not relate to depletion in circulating T lymphocytes, poor nutritional status, or to the direct effect of alcohol toxicity. Acute alcohol toxicity did, however, produce extensive and rapidly reversible metabolic and cellular changes including reduction in serum potassium, magnesium and phosphate and depletion of all circulating lymphocyte subpopulations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1412500,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Dietary pyrrolizidine (Senecio) alkaloids and tissue distribution of copper and vitamin A in broiler chickens.\nThe effect of feeding a diet containing 5% tansy ragwort (TR) (Senecio jacobaea), a poisonous plant containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), on the blood and liver levels of copper, zinc, iron and vitamin A in broiler chicks was examined. Serum and liver copper and liver iron concentrations were increased in chicks fed a diet with 5% TR, while serum and liver zinc and vitamin A decreased. When PA were removed from the diet, partial restoration of normal serum vitamin A level occurred, indicating that the ability to mobilize liver vitamin A is not irreversibly inhibited by PA. The decline in serum vitamin A occurred by 8 days of TR feeding with a concurrent decline in growth rate. When chicks were fed a diet high in vitamin A (25,000 IU\/kg), followed by a basal diet containing TR, serum vitamin A levels were significantly (P < 0.01) decreased, while liver vitamin A level increased. This indicates that mobilization of previously stored vitamin A from the liver is impaired by PA. Prior feeding of a high vitamin A level resulted in protective effects against PA toxicity, as assessed by histopathology. This study shows that a dietary source of PA modifies metabolism and tissue distribution of minerals and vitamin A.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26357246,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Human Motion Capture Data Tailored Transform Coding.\nHuman motion capture (mocap) is a widely used technique for digitalizing human movements. With growing usage, compressing mocap data has received increasing attention, since compact data size enables efficient storage and transmission. Our analysis shows that mocap data have some unique characteristics that distinguish themselves from images and videos. Therefore, directly borrowing image or video compression techniques, such as discrete cosine transform, does not work well. In this paper, we propose a novel mocap-tailored transform coding algorithm that takes advantage of these features. Our algorithm segments the input mocap sequences into clips, which are represented in 2D matrices. Then it computes a set of data-dependent orthogonal bases to transform the matrices to frequency domain, in which the transform coefficients have significantly less dependency. Finally, the compression is obtained by entropy coding of the quantized coefficients and the bases. Our method has low computational cost and can be easily extended to compress mocap databases. It also requires neither training nor complicated parameter setting. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of compression performance and speed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33544064,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"5-HT3\/7 and GABAB receptors mediate inhibition of trigeminal nociception by dietary supplementation of grape seed extract.\nBackground: Temporomandibular joint disorder is a prevalent orofacial pain condition involving sensitization and activation of trigeminal nociceptive neurons. Dietary supplementation with a proanthocyanin-enriched grape seed extract (GSE) was found to inhibit trigeminal nociception in a chronic TMD model. In this study, the cellular mechanisms by which GSE inhibits sustained trigeminal nociception in male and female Sprague Dawley rats were investigated.Methods: Some animals were supplemented with 0.5% GSE dissolved in their water one week prior to neck muscle inflammation induced by injection of complete Freund's adjuvant into the trapezius. To investigate the mechanism of GSE, some animals were injected intracisternally with antagonists of 5-HT3, 5-HT7, GABAA, or GABAB, receptor prior to jaw opening.Results: In males and females, trapezius inflammation prior to jaw opening resulted in sustained mechanical hypersensitivity of trigeminal nociceptors that was significantly inhibited by GSE. Further, GSE beginning 14 days post jaw opening also inhibited trigeminal nociception. Intracisternal injection of antagonists of the 5-HT3\/7 and GABAB, but not GABAA receptors reduced the anti-nocifensive effect of GSE in both sexes. Neuronal expression of GABAB protein and mRNA in the spinal cord and trigeminal ganglion were detected.Conclusions: The inhibitory effect of GSE is mediated via activation of 5-HT3\/7 receptors and GABAB to enhance central descending inhibitory pain pathways and suppress ongoing trigeminal nociception. Further, our findings support the use of GSE as a dietary supplement in the management of pain associated with TMD and other orofacial pain conditions involving central sensitization and dysfunction of descending pain modulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17214821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of intrathecal amikacin administration and repeated centesis on digital flexor tendon sheath synovial fluid in horses.\nTo determine the effect of intrathecal amikacin administration and repeated tenovaginocentesis on the total nucleated cell count (TNCC), total protein (TP) concentration and cytologic characteristics of synovial fluid of the equine digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). Randomized, cross-over experimental design. Adult horses (n=8). Synovial fluid was aseptically collected from the DFTS and either 1 mL amikacin sulfate (250 mg\/mL) or lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) was injected into the DFTS. Serial synovial fluid samples were obtained at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. The opposite treatment was administered to the contralateral DFTS after a washout period of 2 weeks. Treatment increased TP concentration, TNCC, percentage of neutrophils, and neutrophil counts from baseline levels. There was no difference between treatment of the DFTS with amikacin or LRS. Values peaked at 12-24 hours after the initial centesis and then declined toward baseline levels. Injection and repeat centesis of the normal DFTS with 250 mg amikacin or an equivalent volume of LRS resulted in mild increases in synovial fluid analytes from baseline. Synovial inflammation in this study was not accompanied by lameness at the walk and measured analytes returned toward baseline levels within 12-24 hours of first injection. The effect of tenovaginocentesis and intrathecal administration of amikacin or LRS on DFTS synovial fluid values are modest in most horses; however, some horses can develop marked increases in synovial fluid values that may be interpreted as sepsis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23306444,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Zinc coproporphyrin I derived from meconium has an antitumor effect associated with singlet oxygen generation.\nZinc coproporphyrin I (ZnCP-I) is a photosensitive molecule and a major component of meconium. Here, we examined the effects of ZnCP-I as a potential photosensitizer in photodynamic therapy for tumors. (1) Aqueous ZnCP-I was irradiated with a pulsed YAG-SHG laser (wavelength: 532 nm)\/YAG-SHG dye laser (wavelength: 566 nm). (2) HeLa cells were incubated in 200 mM ZnCP-I, and accumulation of ZnCP-I in HeLa cells was evaluated with ZnCP-I-specific fluorescence over 500 nm. (3) Aqueous ZnCP-I was administered intravenously to HeLa tumor-bearing mice at a dose of 10.2 mg\/kg body weight. The tumors were irradiated with a filtered halogen lamp (wavelength: 580 nm) at 100 J\/cm(2) 20 min after administration. (1) An intense near-infrared emission spectrum was observed at around 1,270 nm after irradiation. The emission intensity was proportional to the laser power between 10 and 80 mW and was completely inhibited by addition of NaN3, a singlet oxygen scavenger. (2) ZnCP-I-specific fluorescence was detected in the HeLa cell cytoplasm. (3) Irradiated tumors treated with ZnCP-I were mostly necrotized. ZnCP-I accumulated in tumor cells, produced singlet oxygen upon irradiation, and necrotized the tumor cells. These results suggest that ZnCP-I may be an effective photosensitizer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19459537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The ghost in our genes: legal and ethical implications of epigenetics.\nEpigenetics is one of the most scientifically important, and legally and ethically significant, cutting-edge subjects of scientific discovery. Epigenetics link environmental and genetic influences on the traits and characteristics of an individual, and new discoveries reveal that a large range of environmental, dietary, behavioral, and medical experiences can significantly affect the future development and health of an individual and their offspring. This article describes and analyzes the ethical and legal implications of these new scientific findings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15108236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fine-needle aspiration cytology of pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia of the breast.\nPseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH) is an uncommon lesion usually found in premenopausal women. Histologically, it is characterized by complex, anatomosing, empty slit-like spaces in a dense collagenous stroma. These pseudoangiomatous spaces are lined by monomorphic spindle cells of myofibroblastic differentiation. Cytological features of PASH are rarely discussed and reported, and may pose diagnostic challenge to surgical pathologists. Two cases of PASH are reported with emphasis on the FNAC features and cytologic differentiation from other benign fibroepithelial lesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11695765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Parallel cascades: new ways to describe noise transfer in medical imaging systems.\nA generalized approach to describing transfer of the noise power spectrum through medical imaging systems has been developed over the past several years in which image-forming processes are represented in terms of a cascade of amplified point processes. Until recently, this approach has been restricted to serial cascades only. Here we develop a generalized expression for the cross covariance of amplified point processes and an expression for the cross spectral density for wide-sense stationary conditions. These results extend the generalized transfer-theory approach to include the description of more complex image-forming processes involving parallel cascades of quantum amplification processes. This parallel-cascade approach is used to develop a theoretical expression for noise-power transfer in a simple radiographic screen that includes the effect of characteristic x-ray reabsorption. The result confirms earlier work by Metz and Vyborny, who showed that reabsorption increases image noise and decreases the detective quantum efficiency at low spatial frequencies. Use of the transfer-theory approach facilitates a straightforward generalization to many new digital imaging systems including conventional angiographic and active-matrix flat-panel systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20826934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Age effect on the Gaze Stabilization test.\nImpairments of the vestibular-ocular reflex (VOR) lead to a decline in visual acuity during head movements. Dynamic visual acuity (DVA) testing is a sensitive assessment tool for detecting VOR impairments. DVA evaluates accuracy of visual acuity during fixed velocity head movements. In contrast, the Gaze Stabilization test (GST) is a new functional evaluation of the VOR that identifies a person's maximum head velocity (in degrees per second) a person can maintain with stable vision of a target (i.e. optotype). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age on the GST in participants without vestibular disease. The study was conducted in a vestibular and balance laboratory at a tertiary medical center. A total of 87 healthy adult volunteers were included in this study. The main outcome measure was the association between age and both GST maximum head velocity in the yaw (right\/left) plane and velocity symmetry. A significant negative correlation was found between age and maximum head velocity (r =-0.469, p< 0.001). Our results suggest that age should be considered when interpreting GST results in the yaw plane, however standardization of testing methods should be established as variation in results has been reported in the literature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31823199,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Cannabidiol Improves Cognitive Impairment and Reverses Cortical Transcriptional Changes Induced by Ketamine, in Schizophrenia-Like Model in Rats.\nCannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychotropic cannabinoid, demonstrates antipsychotic-like and procognitive activities in humans and in animal models of schizophrenia. The mechanisms of these beneficial effects of CBD are unknown. Here, we examined behavioral effects of CBD in a pharmacological model of schizophrenia-like cognitive deficits induced by repeated ketamine (KET) administration. In parallel, we assessed transcriptional changes behind CBD activities in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the main brain area linked to schizophrenia-like pathologies. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected for 10 days with KET followed by 6 days of CBD. The cognitive performance was evaluated in the novel object recognition test followed by PFC dissections for next-generation sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis and bioinformatics. We observed that KET-induced learning deficits were rescued by CBD (7.5 mg\/kg). Similarly, CBD reversed transcriptional changes induced by KET. The majority of the genes affected by KET and KET-CBD were allocated to astroglial and microglial cells and associated with immune-like processes mediating synaptogenesis and neuronal plasticity. These genes include C1qc, C1qa, C1qb, C2, and C3 complement cascade elements, Irf8 factor and Gpr84, Gpr34, Cx3cr1, P2ry12, and P2ry6 receptors. The main pathway regulators predicted to be involved included TGF\u03b21 and IFN\u03b3. In addition, CBD itself upregulated oxytocin mRNA in the PFC. The present data suggest that KET induces cognitive deficits and transcriptional changes in the PFC and that both effects are sensitive to a reversal by CBD treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26549892,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Does Marriage Moderate Genetic Effects on Delinquency and Violence?\nUsing data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 1,254), the authors investigated whether marriage can foster desistance from delinquency and violence by moderating genetic effects. In contrast to existing gene-environment research that typically focuses on one or a few genetic polymorphisms, they extended a recently developed mixed linear model to consider the collective influence of 580 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 64 genes related to aggression and risky behavior. The mixed linear model estimates the proportion of variance in the phenotype that is explained by the single nucleotide polymorphisms. The authors found that the proportion of variance in delinquency\/violence explained was smaller among married individuals than unmarried individuals. Because selection, confounding, and heterogeneity may bias the estimate of the Gene \u00d7 Marriage interaction, they conducted a series of analyses to address these issues. The findings suggest that the Gene \u00d7 Marriage interaction results were not seriously affected by these issues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15389854,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Analysis of nucleic acids by FTICR MS.\nFourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometry represents a unique platform with which to study nucleic acids and non-covalent complexes containing nucleic acids moieties. In particular, systems in which very high mass measurement accuracy is required, very complex mixtures are to be analyzed, or very limited amounts of sample are available may be uniquely suited to interrogation by FTICR mass spectrometry. Although the FTICR platform is now broadly deployed as an integral component of many high-end proteomics-based research efforts, momentum is still building for the application of the platform towards nucleic acid-based analyses. In this work, we review fundamental aspects of nucleic acid analysis by FTICR, focusing primarily on the analysis of DNA oligonucleotides but also describing applications related to the characterization of RNA constructs. The goal of this review article is to give the reader a sense of the breadth and scope of the status quo of FTICR analysis of nucleic acids and to summarize a few recently published reports in which researchers have exploited the performance attributes of FTICR to characterize nucleic acids in support of basic and applied research disciplines including genotyping, drug discovery, and forensic analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21116466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Testing the Efficacy of a Computer-Based Parent-Adolescent Sexual Communication Intervention for Latino Parents.\nThe efficacy of a computer-based intervention to increase parent-adolescent communication among Latino parents and adolescents was tested in a randomized controlled trial. Parents assigned to receive the 2-session intervention reported greater general communication, sexual communication, and comfort with communication at 3 month follow-up than did parents assigned to the wait-list control condition. Adolescents, whose parents received the intervention, reported higher sexual communication than did adolescents whose parents were in the wait-list control condition. Results provide support for the efficacy of brief parent interventions designed to maximize adolescent support systems. The acceptability of the computer-based format for an underserved population provides an important venue for the delivery and use of health information.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22557476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Role of alternate medicines in total health care.\nMedical therapies of various kinds practiced round the world have the role of reestablishing a homeostatic balance in an individual. Both the scientific community and populace at large take it for granted that Western (or as it is called, Modern) medicine is scientific while traditional medicine as unscientific and purely empirical, while the first idea may be partly true, the second attitude is completely false. The choice of a medical technology-be it modern medicine, Ayurveda, acupuncture or any other natural or man-made technology-should rest with the society depending on the technology's efficacy for the particular disease in question, its immediate availability, cost effectiveness, psychosocial acceptance etc. several countries in Europe have kept their doors open for different medical technological choices to their population. In India, an attempt is made to provide support through reimbursement-to complimentary technologies in medical therapeutics.Western medicine is export-oriented, expensive and socially foreign to the majority of our patients. It is unavoidable and extremely useful in critically ill patients. However, for a large variety of chronic disorders, complimentary medical technologies are both inexpensive and patient oriented. It is necessary to judiciously blend modern medicine with ancient technologies so that an effective medical umbrella is provided to our heterogenous population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26369516,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Ocular motor signatures of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis.\nThe anatomical and functional overlap between ocular motor command circuitry and the higher-order networks that form the scaffolding for cognition makes for a compelling hypothesis that measures of ocular motility could provide a means to sensitively interrogate cognitive dysfunction in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Such an approach may ultimately provide objective and reproducible measures of cognitive dysfunction that offer an innovative capability to refine diagnosis, improve prognostication, and more accurately codify disease burden. A further dividend may be the validation and application of biomarkers that can be used in studies aimed at identifying and monitoring preventative, protective and even restorative properties of novel neurotherapeutics in MS. This Review discusses the utility of ocular motor measures in patients with MS to characterize disruption to wide-ranging networks that support cognitive function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11391841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An inexpensive and available external fixator.\nThis article introduces a simple and inexpensive external fixator device which has been designed and manufactured from materials readily available in this country. It is called the Doxa Fixator.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16979704,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of sildenafil citrate treatment on serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in patients with erectile dysfunction.\nTo investigate the effect of sildenafil citrate treatment on serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). A total of 124 men with a mean age of 45.9 years were included in the study. Group 1 consisted of 78 patients with ED, as determined by the Sexual Health Inventory of Male (SHIM) scale (score less than 21). Group 2 consisted of 46 healthy men with a SHIM score of 21 or greater. The 78 patients with ED took 100 mg sildenafil citrate at least eight times in 1 month. The SHIM scale was administered and serum DHEAS levels measured before and after treatment in the ED group. The serum DHEAS levels were also measured in the control group. The treatment response was defined as positive if the SHIM score was 21 or greater after sildenafil administration. At the end of sildenafil citrate treatment, the serum DHEAS levels and SHIM scores had increased significantly in the ED group (P = 0.013 and P = 0.001, respectively). In groups 1 and 2, the mean pretreatment serum DHEAS level of the men younger than 50 years old was 200.1 +\/- 77.9 and 279.4 +\/- 125.4 microg\/dL, respectively (P = 0.013). The elevation of the serum DHEAS levels and SHIM scores was more significant in the sildenafil responders (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001), respectively. Serum DHEAS levels were significantly greater in the patients younger than 50 years old than in the older patients in the ED group. The serum DHEAS levels increased significantly after sildenafil citrate treatment in the ED group (especially in the younger men). Also, patient age was an important factor affecting the sildenafil citrate response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33224246,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Macroalgae of Izmir Gulf: Cystoseira barbata, Cystoseira compressa and Cystoseira crinita species have high \u03b1-glucosidase and Moderate Pancreatic Lipase Inhibition Activities.\nHyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia have been symptoms of many serious diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis overall the world. Thus, drug researchers have focused on new, natural and healthy drug alternatives. Marine macroalgae is a great source of hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic or hypocholesterolemic agents. In this study, we investigated that hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and cytotoxic potentials of 22 marine macroalgae from the Gulf of Izmir. According to our results, the cold methanol extract of Polysiphonia denudata exhibited the highest antioxidant activity (93.6%) compared to BHA (95.3%). Three Cystoseira species, Cystoseria crinita (91.9%), Cystoseria barbata (90.7%), Cystoseria compressa (89.8%) showed higher \u03b1-glucosidase inhibition rates than oral antidiabetic acarbose (79.5%). It has also been observed that same species are potent inhibitors of pancreatic lipase. Cytotoxicity test revealed that these extracts did not cause viability inhibition on MCF-7. The results of maltose- glucose assay indirectly displayed that Cystoseira cold methanolic extracts inhibited maltose consumption better than acarbose on HT29. The results of this screening study show that these Cystoseira species may provide non- toxic bioactive agents to control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7744028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Expression of human cyclophilin-40 and the effect of the His141-->Trp mutation on catalysis and cyclosporin A binding.\nThe cDNA encoding a human cytosolic 40-kDa cyclophilin (CyP-40) has been inserted into a modified pGEX-3X expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli to yield recombinant CyP-40 at levels up to 4 mg\/l medium. The protein was purified to homogeneity using a cyclosporin affinity matrix and gel filtration. The recombinant CyP-40 showed peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity (kcat\/Km = 1.12 x 10(6) M-1.s-1) comparable to that of bovine brain CyP-40. The weak affinity of CyP-40 for cyclosporin A was postulated to arise from a histidine residue that replaces a tryptophan residue critical for cyclosporin A binding and highly conserved in other cyclophilins that have high affinity for cyclosporin A. Site-directed mutagenesis to replace His141 by tryptophan yielded a protein with an approximately 20-fold greater affinity for cyclosporin A (Kdapp 11.5 +\/- 2 nM as determined by tryptophan fluorescence measurements). The intrinsic isomerase activity of this mutant protein with succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe 4-nitroanilide as substrate was about nine times greater than the value obtained for the nonmutated recombinant CyP-40 and had an activity similar to that of CyP-18. NMR difference spectroscopy and molecular modelling revealed a cyclosporin-A-binding domain that is similar to that of CyP-18.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26137403,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Trial Watch: Immunomodulatory monoclonal antibodies for oncological indications.\nImmunomodulatory monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) differ from their tumor-targeting counterparts because they exert therapeutic effects by directly interacting with soluble or (most often) cellular components of the immune system. Besides holding promise for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, immunomodulatory mAbs have recently been shown to constitute a potent therapeutic weapon against neoplastic conditions. One class of immunomodulatory mAbs operates by inhibiting safeguard systems that are frequently harnessed by cancer cells to establish immunological tolerance, the so-called \"immune checkpoints.\" No less than 3 checkpoint-blocking mAbs have been approved worldwide for use in oncological indications, 2 of which during the past 12 months. These molecules not only mediate single-agent clinical activity in patients affected by specific neoplasms, but also significantly boost the efficacy of several anticancer chemo-, radio- or immunotherapies. Here, we summarize recent advances in the development of checkpoint-blocking mAbs, as well as of immunomodulatory mAbs with distinct mechanisms of action.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17100982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Fecal calprotectin in first-degree relatives of patients with ulcerative colitis.\nThe pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease seems to depend on the combination of genetic and environmental factors. To evaluate genetic susceptibility, one approach is to search for specific markers in apparently unaffected family members of patients. Our aim was to evaluate fecal calprotectin concentrations (FCCs) in first-degree relatives of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Fifty-five patients with UC and 167 healthy first-degree relatives were recruited; 38 of the patients' spouses were also enrolled. One hundred fifty healthy subjects participated as the control group. FCCs were determined by ELISA. FCCs were compared among the groups by Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA) test followed by Mann-Whitney U test. Significantly greater FCCs were found in first-degree relatives of patients with UC (76.0 [34.7-129.6] microg\/g) as compared with controls (31.6 [17.0-45.0]) (P < 0.0001). Fecal calprotectin levels in patients with UC (256.0 [153.0-356.0] microg\/g) were significantly higher as compared with first-degree relatives, spouses (43.8 [18.6-89.0] microg\/g), and controls (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). FCC of relatives was significantly higher than FCC of spouses (P = 0.01). FCC of spouses had a significantly higher FCC with respect to controls (P = 0.01). First-degree relatives of patients with UC had greater FCC values and could have a subclinical intestinal inflammation. It needs to be clarified if this finding is the consequence of genetic predisposition, of environmental factors, or the interaction of both, and if relatives with high FCC have a greater risk of developing the disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15105182,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"A repeated measures approach for simultaneous modeling of multiple neurobehavioral outcomes in newborns exposed to cocaine in utero.\nMultiple binary outcomes are encountered frequently in epidemiologic research. This work was motivated by the Maternal Lifestyle Study, 1993-1995, where newborns exposed prenatally to cocaine and a comparison cohort were examined for the presence of central and autonomic nervous system (CNS\/ANS) signs. Thus, each infant contributed to multiple, possibly interrelated, binary outcomes that may collectively constitute one syndrome (even though specific outcomes that are affected by cocaine are of scientific interest). Because it is neither scientifically appropriate nor statistically efficient to fit separate models for each outcome, here we adopt a multivariate repeated measures approach to simultaneously model all the CNS\/ANS outcomes as a function of cocaine exposure and other covariates. This formulation has a number of advantages. First, it implicitly recognizes that all the CNS\/ANS outcomes may together constitute one syndrome. Second, simultaneous modeling boosts statistical efficiency by allowing for correlations among the outcomes, and it avoids multiple comparisons. Third, it allows for outcome-specific exposure effects, so that the specific signs that are affected by cocaine exposure can be identified.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30966889,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Metabolic programming in early life in humans.\nAn association of low birth weight with an increased risk of adult cardiovascular disease and diabetes led to the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) hypothesis, which proposes that undernutrition during early development permanently 'programmes' organ structure and metabolism, leading to vulnerability to later cardio-metabolic disease. High birth weight caused by maternal gestational diabetes is also associated with later diabetes, suggesting that fetal over-nutrition also has programming effects. Post-natal factors (excess weight gain\/obesity, smoking, poor diets and physical inactivity) interact with fetal exposures to increase disease risk. Animal studies have shown permanent metabolic effects in offspring after alterations to maternal or early post-natal diets but evidence in humans is largely limited to observational and quasi-experimental situations such as maternal famine exposure. Randomized trials of maternal nutritional interventions during pregnancy have so far had limited follow-up of the offspring. Moreover, interventions usually started after the first trimester and therefore missed key peri-conceptional or early pregnancy events such as epigenetic changes, placentation and fetal organogenesis. Recent and ongoing trials intervening pre-conceptionally and powered for long-term offspring follow-up will address these issues. While current preventive strategies for cardio-metabolic disease focus on high-risk individuals in mid-life, DOHaD concepts offer a 'primordial' preventive strategy to reduce disease in future generations by improving fetal and infant development. This article is part of the theme issue 'Developing differences: early-life effects and evolutionary medicine'.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32854678,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Secondary signs on preoperative CT as predictive factors for febrile urinary tract infection after ureteroscopic lithotripsy.\nFebrile urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common complications after ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS). We evaluated the effect of secondary signs on preoperative computed tomography (CT) for febrile UTI after URS. In total, 182 patients who underwent URS for ureteral stones from January 2013 to December 2015 were retrospectively included in this study. These patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of postoperative febrile UTI after URS. We compared the clinical factors, stone factors, and secondary signs between the groups. Predictive factors for febrile UTI after URS were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. Febrile UTI occurred in 26 of the 182 patients. In univariate analysis, presence of comorbid chronic kidney disease (CKD) and stone size were significantly different between UTI and non-UTI groups. Among secondary signs, presence of hydroureter, perinephric fat stranding, periureteral fat stranding, and tissue rim sign were significantly different between the groups. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, comorbid CKD, stone size, perinephric fat stranding, and tissue rim sign were independent predictive factors for febrile UTI after URS. This study demonstrated that secondary signs including perinephric fat stranding and tissue rim sign on preoperative CT, CKD, and stone size are independent predictive factors for febrile UTI after URS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18945141,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Oospore Production of Phytophthora infestans in Potato and Tomato Leaves.\nABSTRACT Fungal, host, and environmental factors affecting sexual reproduction of Phytophthora infestans in planta were studied. Intact and detached leaves were coinoculated with sporangia of various combinations of A(1) and A(2) mating-type isolates; leaves were incubated under various conditions, and oospore production was estimated microscopically within whole, clarified leaflets. Some A(1) + A(2) isolate combinations were more reproductive than others, whereas some potato genotypes better supported oospore formation than others. Tomato usually supported more oospore formation than potato. To induce oospore formation, A(1) and A(2) sporangia were usually mixed at a 1:1 ratio. Ratios of 1:19 to 19:1, however, also allowed abundant production of oospores. Optimal temperatures for sexual sporulation ranged from 8 to 15 degrees C, but oospores also were produced at 23 degrees C. Oogonia developed 5 to 6 days after sporangial coinoculation, and oospores developed after 8 to 10 days. Light had little effect on oospore formation in both tomato and potato leaves provided that initial lesions were established under photoperiodic conditions. Although A1 and A(2) sporangia usually were mixed before inoculation on leaves to obtain oospores, we found that discrete A(1) and A(2) lesions produced on opposite sides of the midvein of tomato leaves also induced oospore formation in the midvein and adjacent tissues. Oospores also formed when the two halves of the leaves were cut and separated at 3 days after sporangial coinoculation, which corresponded with the appearance of late blight lesions. The continuous supply of moisture to infected leaves was essential to oospore production. No oospores or oogonia formed in severely diseased plants kept at 50 to 80% relative humidity. Such plants did allow some oospore formation when kept continuously wet for 2 weeks in plastic boxes or tents. Detached leaves floated on water supported the highest sexual sporulation. Under optimal conditions of wetness and temperature, as many as 100 oospores per mm(2) of tissue were observed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28699702,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adult attachment, hostile conflict, and relationship adjustment among couples facing multiple sclerosis.\nCouples facing multiple sclerosis (MS) report significantly elevated rates of relationship distress, yet the effects of attachment have never been examined in this population. We examined whether hostile conflict mediated the dyadic effects of attachment on relationship adjustment in couples facing MS and whether these associations were moderated by gender or role. We also explored whether dyadic adjustment mediated the relationship between attachment and hostile conflict. The study was cross-sectional and included 103 couples in which one partner had been diagnosed with MS. Participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and Aversive Interactions Scale, as well as demographic variables. We used the actor-partner interdependence model for data analysis. There were significant actor and partner effects of greater anxious attachment and worse dyadic adjustment. Actor and partner effects of anxious attachment were significantly mediated by greater hostile conflict. Gender significantly moderated the effects between avoidant attachment and dyadic adjustment. The actor effect was significant for males and females; the partner effect was only significant for females. The actor effect for females but not males was significantly mediated by greater hostile conflict. Role was not a significant moderator. Exploratory analyses also showed that dyadic adjustment mediated the relationship between anxious and avoidant attachment and hostile conflict. Findings highlight the important effects of attachment on relationship adjustment in MS couples. Both hostile conflict and dyadic adjustment appear to be mechanisms through which insecure attachment has a detrimental effect. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Despite higher-than-normal rates of marital distress and separation\/divorce, the effects of attachment on relationship adjustment among couples facing multiple sclerosis have never been examined. Prior studies within healthy populations have supported within-person and cross-dyadic associations between attachment and relationship adjustment; however, they have failed to use dyadic analyses. Hostile conflict has been associated with both insecure attachment and relationship adjustment and therefore may be an important mediator to help understand these relationships. What does this study add? Women were more negatively affected by their partner's avoidant attachment then men. Hostile conflict mediated the effects of anxious attachment on dyadic adjustment for individuals and across dyads. Hostile conflict accounted for the individual effect of avoidant attachment on dyadic adjustment for women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7354257,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of saturated and polyunsaturated fat diets on the chemical composition and metabolism of low density lipoproteins in man.\nThis study examined the effects of dietary saturated and polyunsaturated fat on the chemical composition and metabolism of low density lipoproteins (LDL) in eight normal male subjects. The influence of these diets on fecal sterol excretion was also measured in four of the subjects. When compared with the saturated fat diet, the polyunsaturated diet lowered both plasma cholesterol polyunsaturated diet lowered both plasma cholesterol (23%, P less than 0.001) and triglyceride (14%, P less than 0.001) levels. Sixty-seven percent of the reduction in the former lipid resulted from a fall in LDL cholesterol (23%, P less than 0.001), although very low density (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels also fell (by 27% and 20% of their respective control value). These changes were accompanied by significant alterations in LDL composition. Specifically, during polyunsaturated fat feeding, the relative percentage cholesterol in the LDL fraction fell while that of phospholipid rose. There was no change in the percentage protein or triglyceride. The fatty acid components of LDL triglyceride, cholesteryl esters, and phospholipid were also affected by dietary fat saturation level. Overall, polyunsaturated fat feeding produced an enrichment in linoleate with reciprocal changes in palmitate, stearate, and oleate which affected triglycerides more than cholesteryl esters and phospholipids. The above changes in LDL composition were associated with alterations in the metabolism of LDL apoprotein (apoLDL). The polyunsaturated deit lowered plasma apoLDL by 13% (P less than 0.05). This resulted from an increase in the fractional catabolic rate of LDL (whether determined by plasma decay curve analysis (P less than 0.05) or urine\/plasma radioactivity ratios (P less than 0.001) without significant alteration of its corporeal distribution or synthetic rate. The polyunsaturated fat diet did not cause a consistent change in fecal neutral or acidic steroid excretion. We conclude that the hypocholesterolemic action of polyunsaturated fat diets is effected by multiple mechanisms whose expression may vary from patient to patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22222559,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Systemic immunomodulatory effects of topical dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) in rats. Activity of peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells.\nTopical application of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) is employed in the immunotherapy of skin diseases. Activation of T-cell mediated immune responses (Th1\/type1) is the supposed mechanism of the clinical effect of DNCB, but there are no data concerning innate\/inflammatory mechanisms. In this study, the effect of repeated topical DNCB application on peripheral blood polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes has been examined in two rat strains which differ in the propensity to mount Th1\/type1 or Th2\/type2 responses. The dynamics of changes in PMN numbers and effector activities (respiratory burst, nitric oxide production and myeloperoxidase content), as well as in adhesion and TNF-\u03b1 production following the rat skin sensitization with low (0.4%) and high (4%) DNCB doses were measured. Both priming and activation of PMNs were observed following skin sensitization with DNCB, with dose-dependent as well as time-dependent differences in some PMN activities. Obtained data might be relevant for understanding the immune mechanisms of topical DNCB therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31837598,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Differential expression of immune-related genes in the bursa of Fabricius of two inbred chicken lines following infection with very virulent infectious bursal disease virus.\nAmong different inbred chickens' lines, we previously showed that lines P and N of Institute for Animal Health, Compton, UK are the most susceptible and the least affected lines, respectively, following infection with very virulent infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV). In this study, the differential expressions of 29 different immune-related genes were characterized. Although, birds from both lines succumbed to infection, line P showed greater bursal lesion scores and higher viral copy numbers compared to line N. Interestingly, line N showed greater down-regulation of B cell related genes (BLNK, TNFSF13B and CD72) compared to line P. While up-regulation of T-cell related genes (CD86 and CTLA4) and Th1 associated cytokines (IFNG, IL2, IL12A and IL15) were documented in both lines, the expression levels of these genes were different in the two lines. Meanwhile, the expression of IFN-related genes IFNB, STAT1, and IRF10, but not IRF5, were up-regulated in both lines. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL1B, IL6, IL18, and IL17) and chemokines (CXCLi2, CCL4, CCL5 and CCR5) were up-regulated in both lines with greater increase documented in line P compared to line N. Strikingly, the expression of IL12B was detected only in line P whilst the expression of IL15RA was detected only in line N. In conclusion, the bursal immunopathology of IBDV correlates more with expression of proinflammatory response related genes and does not related to expression of B-cell related genes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27878160,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chemo-enzymatic modification of eukaryotic mRNA.\nMessenger RNA may not be very abundant in the cell but its central role in gene expression is indisputable. In addition to being the template for translation it can be subject for a variety of regulatory mechanisms affecting gene expression, ranging from simple structural changes to modifications and active transport. To elucidate and potentially control the underlying changes in vitro and in cells, site-specific modification and labeling strategies are required. In this perspective, we introduce chemo-enzymatic concepts for posttranscriptional modification focusing on eukaryotic mRNAs. We describe how eukaryotic mRNA can be enzymatically modified via its 5' cap. Directions towards chemo-enzymatic mRNA labeling and visualization inside cells are given, taking into account current developments in fluorophore design. Recent achievements and future perspectives will be highlighted in the framework of an honest discussion of existing challenges.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19842000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Latino access to the patient-centered medical home.\nDisparities can be caused by minorities receiving care in low-quality settings. The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has been identified as a model of high-quality primary care that can eliminate disparities. However, Latinos are less likely to have PCMHs. To identify Latino subgroup variations in having a PCMH, its impact on disparities, and to identify factors associated with Latinos having a PCMH. Analysis of the 2005 MEPS Household Component, a nationally representative survey with an oversample of Latino adults. The total sample was 24,000 adults, including 6,200 Latinos. The PCMH was defined as having a regular provider, who provides total care, fosters patient engagement in care, and offers easy access to care. Self reports of preventive care (cholesterol screening, blood pressure check, mammography, and prostate-specific antigen screening) and patient experiences were examined. White (57.1%) and Puerto Rican (59.3%) adults were most likely to have a PCMH, while Mexican\/Mexican Americans (35.4%) and Central and South Americans (34.2%) were least likely. Much of the disparity was caused by lack of access to a regular provider. Respondents with a PCMH had higher rates of preventive care and positive patient experiences. Disparities in care were eliminated or reduced for Latinos with PCMHs. The regression models showed private insurance, which is less common among all Latinos, was an important predictor of having a PCMH. Eliminating health-care disparities will require assuring access to the PCMH. Addressing differences in health-care coverage that contribute to lower rates of Latino access to the PCMH will also reduce disparities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33793395,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"High Data Rate Communications In Vivo Using Ultrasound.\nThe emergence of in-body medical devices has provided a means of capturing physiological or diagnostic information and streaming this information outside of the body. Currently, electromagnetic-based communications make up the bulk of in-body medical device communication protocols. Traditional electromagnetic-based solutions are limited in their data rates and available power. Recently, ultrasound was investigated as a communication channel for through-tissue data transmission. To achieve real-time video streaming through tissue, data rates of ultrasound need to exceed 1 Mbps. In a previous study, we demonstrated ultrasound communications with data rates greater than 30 Mbps with two focused ultrasound transducers using a large footprint laboratory system through slabs of lossy tissues. While the form factor of the transmitter is also crucial, it is obvious that a large, focused transducer cannot fit within the size of a small in-body medical device. Several other challenges for achieving high-speed ultrasonic communication through tissue include strong reflections leading to multipath effects and attenuation. In this work, we demonstrate ultrasonic video communications using a mm-scale microcrystal transmitter with video streaming supplied by a camera connected to a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The signals were transmitted through a tissue-mimicking phantom and through the abdomen of a rabbit in vivo. The ultrasound signal was recorded by an array probe connected to a Verasonics Vantage system and decoded back to video. To improve the received signal quality, we combined the signal from multiple channels of the array probe. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation was used to reduce the receiver complexity under a strong multipath environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29386401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Efficient analysis of stochastic gene dynamics in the non-adiabatic regime using piecewise deterministic Markov processes.\nSingle-cell experiments show that gene expression is stochastic and bursty, a feature that can emerge from slow switching between promoter states with different activities. In addition to slow chromatin and\/or DNA looping dynamics, one source of long-lived promoter states is the slow binding and unbinding kinetics of transcription factors to promoters, i.e. the non-adiabatic binding regime. Here, we introduce a simple analytical framework, known as a piecewise deterministic Markov process (PDMP), that accurately describes the stochastic dynamics of gene expression in the non-adiabatic regime. We illustrate the utility of the PDMP on a non-trivial dynamical system by analysing the properties of a titration-based oscillator in the non-adiabatic limit. We first show how to transform the underlying chemical master equation into a PDMP where the slow transitions between promoter states are stochastic, but whose rates depend upon the faster deterministic dynamics of the transcription factors regulated by these promoters. We show that the PDMP accurately describes the observed periods of stochastic cycles in activator and repressor-based titration oscillators. We then generalize our PDMP analysis to more complicated versions of titration-based oscillators to explain how multiple binding sites lengthen the period and improve coherence. Last, we show how noise-induced oscillation previously observed in a titration-based oscillator arises from non-adiabatic and discrete binding events at the promoter site.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23195557,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Immune responses against chimeric DNA and protein vaccines composed of plpEN-OmpH and PlpEC-OmpH from Pasteurella multocida A:3 in mice.\nPasteurella multocida is a pathogenic bacterium causing many diseases that are of significant economic importance to livestock industries. Outer membrane protein H (ompH) gene and two fragments of Pasteurella lipoprotein E (plpE) gene, namely plpEN and plpEC, were cloned from P. multocida A:3. Three DNA vaccine formulations, namely pCMV-ompH, pCMV-plpEN-ompH and pCMV-plpEC-ompH and two protein-based prototype vaccines, alum adjuvanted PlpEN-OmpH and PlpEC-OmpH, were generated. Antibody levels were induced in mice vaccinated with chimeric DNA or protein vaccines. A significant (p < 0.05) increase in serum IFN-g titer was obtained by vaccination with 100 \u03bcg of pCMV-ompH, pCMV-plpEC-ompH and PlpEC-OmpH. DNA vaccines did not provide protection upon intraperitoneal challenge with 10 LD50 of live P. multocida A:3. However, 40% protection was conferred by 100 \u03bcg of PlpEC-OmpH which was not statistically significant. These results showed that plpEN-ompH and plpEC-ompH chimeric DNA vaccines and alum adjuvanted PlpEN-OmpH or PlpEC-OmpH protein vaccines were immunogenic but not protective against P. multocida A:3 in mice. Prime-boost strategies, i.e. priming with DNA vaccines and boost with protein formulations or different adjuvants can be utilized to obtain significant protection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22214470,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2013-48":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The immune score as a new possible approach for the classification of cancer.\nThe outcome prediction in cancer is usually achieved by evaluating tissue samples obtained during surgical removal of the primary tumor focusing on their histopathological characteristics. Tumor staging (AJCC\/UICC-TNM classification) summarizes data on tumor burden (T), presence of cancer cells in draining and regional lymph nodes (N), and evidence for metastases (M). However, this classification provides limited prognostic information in estimating the outcome in cancer and does not predict response to therapy. It is recognized that cancer outcomes can vary significantly among patients within the same stage. Recently, many reports suggest that cancer development is controlled by the host's immune system underlying the importance of including immunological biomarkers for the prediction of prognosis and response to therapy. Data collected from large cohorts of human cancers demonstrated that the immune-classification has a prognostic value that may be superior to the AJCC\/UICC TNM-classification. Thus, it is imperative to begin incorporating immune scoring as a prognostic factor and to introduce this parameter as a marker to classify cancers, as part of the routine diagnostic and prognostic assessment of tumors. At the same time, the inherent complexity of quantitative immunohistochemistry, in conjunction with variable assay protocols across laboratories, the different immune cell types analyzed, different region selection criteria, and variable ways to quantify immune infiltration underscore the urgent need to reach assay harmonization. In an effort to promote the immunoscore in routine clinical settings worldwide, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), the European Academy of Tumor Immunology, the Cancer and Inflammation Program, the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA and \"La Fondazione Melanoma\" will jointly initiate a task force on Immunoscoring as a New Possible Approach for the Classification of Cancer that will take place in Naples, Italy, February 13th, 2012. The expected outcome will include a concept manuscript that will be distributed to all interested participants for their contribution before publication outlining the goal and strategy to achieve this effort; a preliminary summary to be presented during the \"Workshop on Tumor Microenvironment\" prior to the SITC annual meeting on October 24th - 25th 2012 in Bethesda, Maryland, USA and finally a \"Workshop on Immune Scoring\" to be held in Naples in December of 2012 leading to the preparation of a summary document providing recommendations for the harmonization and implementation of the Immune Score as a new component for the classification of cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27196466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Profile of the Older Population Living in Miami-Dade County, Florida: An Observational Study.\nFlorida has the greatest proportion (19%) of older population (65 years or older) in the United States. The age distribution of its residents, in conjunction with a major shift in the leading cause of death within all age groups from acute illnesses to chronic disease, creates unprecedented health care challenges for the state. The objective of this study is to profile the older population living in Miami-Dade County (MDC) using 3 population-based, household-based surveys conducted over the past 5 years.This study examined cross-sectional data (demographics, health outcomes, risk factors, health assess, and utilization) collected from probability-sampled, household-based surveys conducted in 3 areas of MDC: north Miami-Dade, Little Haiti, and South Miami. The questionnaire was administered face-to-face by trained interviewers in English, Spanish, French, or Creole. Analyses were restricted to households containing at least 1 member aged 65 years or older (n = 935). One consenting adult answered the questionnaire on behalf of household members.The mean age of the respondent (60% females) was 60 years. Overall, respondents were predominantly African-Americans, Hispanics, and blacks of Haitian origin. One-third of all households fell below the US poverty thresholds. One-quarter of all households had at least 1 member who was uninsured within the year before the survey. Twenty percent of households had at least 1 member with an acute myocardial infarction or stroke during the year before the survey. Bone density tests and blood stool tests were strikingly underutilized. The health outcomes most prevalent within household members were cardiovascular diseases followed by cancer, anxiety\/depression, obesity, asthma, and bone fractures. Twenty percent of households reported having at least 1 current smoker. Overall, emergency rooms were the most commonly used places of care after doctor's offices.Findings of 3 household-based surveys show a predominantly elderly, female, uninsured, and poor minority populations living in MDC, FL. The reported use of preventive services was constrained, and emergency room use was often reported as a main resource for health care. Cardiovascular disease, cancer, bone fractures, and related risk factors were the most prevalent health outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24481883,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Respiratory syncytial virus and seasonal influenza cause similar illnesses in children with sickle cell disease.\nRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a cause of acute chest syndrome (ACS) in sickle cell disease (SCD), but its clinical course and acute complications have not been well characterized. We compared RSV to seasonal influenza infections in children with SCD. We defined cases as laboratory-confirmed RSV or seasonal influenza infection in inpatients and outpatients <18 years of age with SCD from 1 September 1993 to 30 June 2011. We used Fisher's exact test to compare proportions, Student's t-test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test to compare continuous variables, and logistic regression to evaluate associations. We identified 64 children with RSV and 91 with seasonal influenza. Clinical symptoms, including fever, cough, and rhinorrhea were similar for RSV and influenza, as were complications, including ACS and treatments for SCD. In a multivariable logistic regression model, older age (OR 1.2 per year, 95% CI [1.02-1.5], P = 0.04), increased white blood cell count at presentation (OR 1.1 per 1,000\/\u03bcl increase, 95% CI [1.03-1.3], P = 0.008), and a history of asthma (OR 7, 95% [CI 1.3-37], P = 0.03) were independently associated with increased risk of ACS in children with RSV. The hospitalization rate for children with SCD and RSV (40 per 1,000 <5 years and 63 per 1,000 <2 years) greatly exceeds the general population (3 in 1,000 <5 years). We conclude that RSV infection is often associated with ACS and similar in severity to influenza infection in febrile children with SCD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21443511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-06":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Anabolic androgenic steroids and intracellular calcium signaling: a mini review on mechanisms and physiological implications.\nIncreasing evidence suggests that nongenomic effects of testosterone and anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) operate concertedly with genomic effects. Classically, these responses have been viewed as separate and independent processes, primarily because nongenomic responses are faster and appear to be mediated by membrane androgen receptors, whereas long-term genomic effects are mediated through cytosolic androgen receptors regulating transcriptional activity. Numerous studies have demonstrated increases in intracellular Ca2+ in response to AAS. These Ca2+ mediated responses have been seen in a diversity of cell types, including osteoblasts, platelets, skeletal muscle cells, cardiac myocytes and neurons. The versatility of Ca2+ as a second messenger provides these responses with a vast number of pathophysiological implications. In cardiac cells, testosterone elicits voltage-dependent Ca2+ oscillations and IP3R-mediated Ca2+ release from internal stores, leading to activation of MAPK and mTOR signaling that promotes cardiac hypertrophy. In neurons, depending upon concentration, testosterone can provoke either physiological Ca2+ oscillations, essential for synaptic plasticity, or sustained, pathological Ca2+ transients that lead to neuronal apoptosis. We propose therefore, that Ca2+ acts as an important point of crosstalk between nongenomic and genomic AAS signaling, representing a central regulator that bridges these previously thought to be divergent responses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21903215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Separation of phenolic acids from natural plant extracts using molecularly imprinted anion-exchange polymer confined ionic liquids.\nPolymer-confined ionic liquids were used for the separation of phenolic acids from natural plant extract by utilizing an anion-exchange mechanism. They were synthesized using molecular imprinting technique to reduce non-directional ion-ion interactions during anion-exchange and other interactions with interference substances that could decrease selectivity. A suitable sorbent for phenolic acid separation could be identified based on the adsorption behaviors of phenolic acids on different polymer-confined ionic liquids. Thus, the developed ionic liquid-based molecularly imprinted anion-exchange polymer (IMAP) achieved high recovery rates by solid-phase extraction of phenolic acids from Salicornia herbacea L. extract: 90.1% for protocatechuic acid, 95.5% for ferulic acid and 96.6% for caffeic acid. Moreover, the phenolic acids were separable from each other by repeated solid phase extraction cycles. The proposed method could be used to separate other phenolic acids or organic acids from complex samples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7310773,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Annual fluctuations in rheumatoid arthritis.\nA literature survey revealed many reports implicating the microclimate and seasonal changes in arthritic diseases. Therefore, a retrospective study of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and the C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration of 2,802 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was performed. No statistically significant fluctuation was found when analyzed according to the month of the year in which blood was taken. The significance of this is discussed in relation to other RA symptoms, meteorologic phenomena, microclimate, and the joint circulatory responses in RA. The observations reported are consistent with the concept that seasons and microclimate may affect some of the symptoms of RA, but not the inflammatory processes represented by the ESR and CRP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33769480,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The regulation of the DNA damage response at telomeres: focus on kinases.\nThe natural ends of linear chromosomes resemble those of accidental double-strand breaks (DSBs). DSBs induce a multifaceted cellular response that promotes the repair of lesions and slows down cell cycle progression. This response is not elicited at chromosome ends, which are organized in nucleoprotein structures called telomeres. Besides counteracting DSB response through specialized telomere-binding proteins, telomeres also prevent chromosome shortening. Despite of the different fate of telomeres and DSBs, many proteins involved in the DSB response also localize at telomeres and participate in telomere homeostasis. In particular, the DSB master regulators Tel1\/ATM and Mec1\/ATR contribute to telomere length maintenance and arrest cell cycle progression when chromosome ends shorten, thus promoting a tumor-suppressive process known as replicative senescence. During senescence, the actions of both these apical kinases and telomere-binding proteins allow checkpoint activation while bulk DNA repair activities at telomeres are still inhibited. Checkpoint-mediated cell cycle arrest also prevents further telomere erosion and deprotection that would favor chromosome rearrangements, which are known to increase cancer-associated genome instability. This review summarizes recent insights into functions and regulation of Tel1\/ATM and Mec1\/ATR at telomeres both in the presence and in the absence of telomerase, focusing mainly on discoveries in budding yeast.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28331707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Factors Affecting the Postsurgical Length of Hospital Stay in Patients with Breast Cancer.\nBreast cancer is the most common malignancy and the most common cause of mortality in women worldwide. In addition to the increasing incidence of breast cancer, the length of hospital stay (LOS) after breast cancer surgery has been decreasing. Because LOS is key in determining hospital usage, the decrease in the use of hospital facilities may have implications on healthcare planning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the factors affecting postoperative LOS in patients with breast cancer. Seventy-six in patients with breast cancer, who had been treated between July 2013 and December 2014 in the General Surgery Clinic of Dicle University, were included in the study. The demographic characteristics of the patients, treatment methods, histopathological features of the tumor, concomitant diseases, whether they underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy or not, and the length of drain remaining time were retrospectively recorded. There was a correlation between drain remaining time, totally removed lymph node, the number of metastatic lymph node, and LOS. LOS of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy was longer. The patients who underwent breast-conserving surgery had a shorter LOS. Linear regression analysis revealed that the drain remaining time and the number of metastatic lymph nodes were independent risk factors for LOS. Consideration should be given to cancer screening to diagnose the patients before lymph node metastasis occurs. In addition, drains should be avoided unless required and, if used, they should be removed as early as possible for shortening LOS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36262078,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of altered human exposome on the skin and mucosal epithelial barrier integrity.\nPollution in the world and exposure of humans and nature to toxic substances is continuously worsening at a rapid pace. In the last 60 years, human and domestic animal health has been challenged by continuous exposure to toxic substances and pollutants because of uncontrolled growth, modernization, and industrialization. More than 350,000 new chemicals have been introduced to our lives, mostly without any reasonable control of their health effects and toxicity. A plethora of studies show exposure to these harmful substances during this period with their implications on the skin and mucosal epithelial barrier and increasing prevalence of allergic and autoimmune diseases in the context of the \"epithelial barrier hypothesis\". Exposure to these substances causes an epithelial injury with peri-epithelial inflammation, microbial dysbiosis and bacterial translocation to sub-epithelial areas, and immune response to dysbiotic bacteria. Here, we provide scientific evidence on the altered human exposome and its impact on epithelial barriers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30143909,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Assessment of the cellular localisation of the annexin A2\/S100A10 complex in human placenta.\nThe AnxA2\/S100A10 complex has been implicated in various placental functions but although the localisation of these proteins individually has been studied, there is no information about the localisation of their complex in situ at the cellular level. Using the proximity ligation technique, we have investigated the in situ localisation of AnxA2\/S100A10 complex in the placenta and have compared this with the location patterns of the individual proteins. High levels of expression of AnxA2\/S100A10 complexes were observed in the amniotic membrane and in blood vessel endothelial cells. Lower levels were detected in the brush border area of the syncytium and in the trophoblasts. Immunohistochemical analysis of AnxA2 and S100A10 individually revealed broadly similar patterns of localisation. The brush border staining pattern suggests that in this location at least some of the AnxA2 is not in complex with S100A10. The formal location of the AnxA2\/S100A10 complex is compatible with a role in cell-cell interaction, intracellular transport and secretory processes and regulation of cell surface proteases, implying contributions to membrane integrity, nutrient exchange, placentation and vascular remodelling in different parts of the placenta. Future applications will allow specific assessment of the association of the complex with pathophysiological disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10958031,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Handling information. Some ethical issues.\nGeneral practitioners are increasingly involved in a range of activities which require the use of data from patients' case notes. These activities include audit, evaluation and research. Any use of patient data has the potential to breach patient confidentiality and privacy. However, at present the requirements in terms of obtaining informed consent vary. Research is usually acknowledged as requiring consent, but this is not always the case for audit and evaluation activities. The aim of this paper is to define audit, evaluation and research activities in general practice and to clarify the ethical issues involved in using patient data for these purposes. We argue that the ethical issues raised by accessing patient case notes are similar for all of these activities. The ethical obligation to obtain patient consent prior to accessing or using patient information is the same for many general practice audit, evaluation and research activities. However, the avenues for obtaining ethical clearance may be hard to access for GPs. In addition, the special relationship between patients and their GP and the requirements specified by health research ethics committees such as de-identification of case notes create problems for these activities in general practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27245005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Effect of External Irradiation and Immobilization Stress on the Reproductive System of Male Rats].\nWe studied the state of the reproductive system of male rats after irradiation at a dose of 2.0 Gy, immobilization stress (6 hours\/day for 7 days) and their combined effects. On the 30th day after the combined treatment (37 days after irradiation) a decrease in the testicular weight by almost 50% compared with the control and lesions connected with the process of spermatogenesis are observed. In the remote period--on the 60th day (67th after irradiation) the effect of irradiation and irradiation in combination with immobilization stress leads to a sharp drop in the number of epididymal sperm (up to 18% of the control), and a reduction of their viability. The reaction ofthe reproductive system to the immobilization stress is expressed in a certain increase in the mass of the testes and epididymis, moderate imbalances in the composition of spermatogenic cells in the testis tissue, and in the long term--in the increased number of epididymal sperm and the decrease in their viability. Changes of testosterone in the blood serum, especially significant for the combined effect, reflect impairments of the regulation of the reproductive system of males under these conditions. With regard to individual indicators of the reproductive system of male rats in some cases, the- combined effects of radiation and stress had a synergistic, or, on the contrary, antagonistic character.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9718786,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Hepatic angioma: rational simplification of diagnostic procedures].\nThe contribution of various techniques to the diagnosis of hepatic angioma has been evaluated retrospectively in 32 patients. The features characterizing hepatic angioma in each technique (ultrasound, Doppler-ultrasound, computed tomography, angiography, scintigraphy, nuclear magnetic resonance) have also been evaluated. The results support the primary role of ultrasound for detecting hepatic lesions and for monitoring their evolution, because of the high sensitivity and of the easy availability of the technique. Doubts on the nature of the lesions should be resolved by using techniques with a higher specificity: scintigraphy for lesions larger than 3 cm in diameter, and computed tomography or nuclear magnetic resonance for lesions of even smaller sizes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15381281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Expression of the neurokinin 1 receptor in the mouse retina.\nPrevious studies have revealed that the expression pattern of the neurokinin 1 receptor (the preferred receptor for substance P, SP) varies in different mammalian retinas. We investigated NK1 receptor expression in the mouse retina to provide background information for future studies in transgenic mice on SP functional roles in the retina. Mouse retinal sections were treated for single and double-label immunofluorescence. NK1 receptor immunoreactivity was in bipolar cells and in numerous amacrine cells. Double-label studies showed that NK1 receptor-expressing bipolar cells constituted a population of ON-type cone bipolar cells, since they were distinct from rod bipolar cells and contained glycine. They were nonrandomly distributed with highest density in central retina. These cells were similar and may correspond to the population of NK1 receptor-expressing bipolar cells of the rabbit retina. Different subsets of NK1 receptor-expressing amacrine cells were identified on the basis of the expression of selected neurotransmitter substances: i) about 23% of NK1 receptor-expressing amacrine cells also contained glycine; ii) the remaining 77% were likely to be GABAergic, although some inconsistency was observed in the GABA immunostaining obtained with two different GABA antibodies; iii) all dopaminergic amacrine cells also expressed NK1 receptors; iv) about one third of SP-containing amacrine cells also expressed NK1 receptors. These findings confirm and expand previous observations in rat and rabbit retinas. In particular, common to all three species is the expression of NK1 receptors in dopaminergic amacrine cells, indicating that SP neurotransmission may be a universal feature of the circuitry of the dopaminergic amacrine cell. Peculiar to the mouse retina is the presence of putative NK1 autoreceptors expressed by SP-containing amacrine cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7566558,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Relationship between cholesterol levels and depression in the elderly].\nThe aim of our study is to evaluate the possible association between lower plasma cholesterol and depression in the elderly. 140 subjects over 65 years old of both sexes were enrolled, of which 60 were affected by depression (DSM-III-R and Hamilton test) and 80 composed a control group homogeneous for sex and age with the previous one. Plasma cholesterol, HLD-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides were measured. A statistically significant difference between cholesterol and LDL-C (p < 0.001) was noted in the total group, in both males and females. Such modifications were independent of sex. In the group with lower cholesterol (cut-off < = 160 mg\/dl) a prevalence of depression three times greater than subjects with higher cholesterol was found. In conclusion, the authors recommended a prudent use of lipid-lowering medications in the elderly because of its uncertain benefits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32344785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Composition and Predominance of Fusarium Species Causing Fusarium Head Blight in Winter Wheat Grain Depending on Cultivar Susceptibility and Meteorological Factors.\nFusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most important diseases of wheat, causing yield losses and mycotoxin contamination of harvested grain. A complex of different toxigenic Fusarium species is responsible for FHB and the composition and predominance of species within the FHB complex are determined by meteorological and agronomic factors. In this study, grain of three different susceptible winter wheat cultivars from seven locations in northern Germany were analysed within a five-year survey from 2013 to 2017 by quantifying DNA amounts of different species within the Fusarium community as well as deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZEA) concentrations. Several Fusarium species co-occur in wheat grain samples in all years and cultivars. F. graminearum was the most prevalent species, followed by F. culmorum, F. avenaceum and F. poae, while F. tricinctum and F. langsethiae played only a subordinate role in the FHB complex in terms of DNA amounts. In all cultivars, a comparable year-specific quantitative occurrence of the six detected species and mycotoxin concentrations were found, but with decreased DNA amounts and mycotoxin concentrations in the more tolerant cultivars, especially in years with higher disease pressure. In all years, similar percentages of DNA amounts of the six species to the total Fusarium DNA amount of all detected species were found between the three cultivars for each species, with F. graminearum being the most dominant species. Differences in DNA amounts and DON and ZEA concentrations between growing seasons depended mainly on moisture factors during flowering of wheat, while high precipitation and relative humidity were the crucial meteorological factors for infection of wheat grain by Fusarium. Highly positive correlations were found between the meteorological variables precipitation and relative humidity and DNA amounts of F. graminearum, DON and ZEA concentrations during flowering, whereas the corresponding correlations were much weaker several days before (heading) and after flowering (early and late milk stage).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20455526,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hydrophilic CdSe-ZnS core-shell quantum dots with reactive functional groups on their surface.\nWe synthesized macromolecular ligands for CdSe-ZnS core-shell quantum dots incorporating multiple thiol groups, poly(ethylene glycol) chains, and either carboxylic acids or primary amines along a common poly(methacrylate) backbone. The thiol groups encourage the adsorption of these macromolecular constructs on the ZnS shell of the nanoparticles, and the poly(ethylene glycol) chains impose hydrophilic character on the resulting assemblies. Indeed, the coated quantum dots are readily soluble in water and are stable under these conditions for months over a broad pH range (4.0-12.0) and even in the presence of large salt concentrations. In addition, these nanoparticles have relatively small hydrodynamic diameters (17-30 nm) and good quantum yields (0.3-0.4). Furthermore, the pendant carboxylic acids or primary amines of the macromolecular ligands can be exploited to modify the quantum dots after the adsorption of the polymers on their surface. For example, boron dipyrromethene dyes can be connected to the hydrophilic quantum dots on the basis of amide bond formation to encourage the transfer of energy from the luminescent CdSe core to the organic dyes. Our hydrophilic nanoparticles can also cross the membrane of Chinese hamster ovarian cells and accumulate in the cytosol with limited nuclear localization. Moreover, the internalized quantum dots are not cytotoxic and have essentially no influence on cell viability. Thus, our strategy for the preparation of biocompatible quantum dots can evolve into the development of valuable luminescent probes with nanoscaled dimensions and optimal photophysical properties for a diversity of biomedical applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29383054,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Self vs. Other Focus: Predicting Professionalism Remediation of Emergency Medicine Residents.\nUnprofessionalism is a major reason for resident dismissal from training. Because of the high stakes involved, residents and educators alike would benefit from information predicting whether they might experience challenges related to this competency. Our objective was to correlate the outcome of professionalism-related remedial actions during residency with the predictor variable of resident response to a standardized interview question: \"Why is Medicine important to you?\" We conducted a professional development quality improvement (QI) initiative to improve resident education and mentorship by achieving a better understanding of each resident's reasons for valuing a career in medicine. This initiative entailed an interview administered to each resident beginning emergency medicine training at San Antonio Military Medical Center during 2006-2013. The interviews uniformly began with the standardized question \"Why is Medicine important to you?\" The residency program director documented a free-text summary of each response to this question, the accuracy of which was confirmed by the resident. We analyzed the text of each resident's response after a review of the QI data suggested an association between responses and professionalism actions (retrospective cohort design). Two associate investigators blinded to all interview data, remedial actions, and resident identities categorized each text response as either self-focused (e.g., \"I enjoy the challenge\") or other-focused (e.g., \"I enjoy helping patients\"). Additional de-identified data collected included demographics, and expressed personal importance of politics and religion. The primary outcome was a Clinical Competency Committee professionalism remedial action. Of 114 physicians starting residency during 2006-2013, 106 (93.0%) completed the interview. There was good inter-rater reliability in associate investigator categorization of resident responses as either self-focused or other-focused (kappa coefficient 0.85). Thirteen of 50 residents (26.0%) expressed self-focus versus three of 54 (5.4%) residents expressed other-focus experienced professionalism remedial actions (p<0.01). This association held in a logistic regression model controlling for measured confounders (p=0.02). Self-focused responses to the question \"Why is Medicine important to you?\" correlated with professionalism remedial actions during residency.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26523244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Initial Evaluation of a Titration Appliance for Temporary Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.\nCustom oral appliances that adjustably advance the mandible provide superior outcomes when treating patients with moderate or severe sleep apnea. Custom appliances, however, are expensive, must be fitted by a dentist, and the likelihood of successful outcomes are difficult to predict. An inexpensive trial appliance, if proven efficacious, might be used to predict custom appliance outcomes or to provide temporary therapeutic benefit. The aim of this initial study was to assess the treatment efficacy of a novel titration oral appliance with that of an optimized custom appliance. Seventeen patients, treated with a custom oral appliance for at least one year, successfully completed a three-night home sleep test. The baseline obstructive sleep apnea severity was established on Night 1 with seven patients exhibiting severe, six moderate and four mild apnea\/hypopnea indexes. Patients were randomly assigned to wear their custom appliance or the titration appliance on Nights 2 and 3. Significant reductions in the mean overall and supine apnea indexes (p < 0.05), and the overall (p < 0.01) and supine (p < 0.05) apnea\/hypopnea indexes were observed for both the titration and custom appliances. The proportion of patients who exhibited at least a 50% reduction in the overall apnea index and supine apnea\/hypopnea were similar for the titration and custom appliance (~60%). The custom appliance reduced the overall apnea\/hypopnea index by 50% in a greater proportion of the patients compared to the titration appliance (77% vs. 53%). The titration appliance significantly reduced the degree of hypoxic exposure across sleep disordered breathing events overall (p < 0.05) and supine (p < 0.01). Patients found their custom appliance was more comfortable than the titration appliance, but preferred the titration appliance to no therapy. The titration appliance may be useful in assessing oral appliance treatment efficacy. When set to 70% of maximum protrusion, the titration appliance may provide immediate, temporary therapeutic benefit.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15367218,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":2,"2013-48":2,"2013-20":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Following universal prophylaxis with intravenous ganciclovir and cytomegalovirus immune globulin, valganciclovir is safe and effective for prevention of CMV infection following lung transplantation.\nWe prospectively determined the safety and efficacy of valganciclovir for prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in at-risk (donor positive\/recipient negative [D+\/R-] or R+) lung transplant recipients. We also determined the length of prophylaxis required to significantly decrease both CMV infection and disease. Consecutive lung transplant recipients surviving >30 days (n = 90) received combination prophylaxis with intravenous (i.v.) ganciclovir (GCV) 5 mg\/kg\/day and cytomegalovirus immune globulin (CMV-IVIG) followed by valganciclovir (450 mg twice-daily) to complete 180, 270 or 365 days of prophylaxis. This group was compared to a historical group (n = 140) who received high-dose oral acyclovir following i.v. GCV and CMV-IVIG. CMV disease was significantly lower in patients receiving valganciclovir compared to acyclovir (2.2% vs. 20%; p < 0.0001). Freedom from CMV infection and disease was significantly greater (p < 0.02) in patients receiving 180, 270 or 365 days of prophylaxis (90%, 95% and 90%, respectively) compared to those receiving 100-179 days (64%) or < 100 days (59%). No patient receiving valganciclovir died during the study. Following prophylaxis with i.v. GCV and CMV-IVIG, valganciclovir is safe and effective for prevention of CMV infection and disease in at-risk lung transplant recipients. The required length of prophylaxis was at least 180 days.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20655479,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Mechanisms of GABAB receptor exocytosis, endocytosis, and degradation.\nGABA(B) receptors belong to the family of G-protein-coupled receptors, which mediate slow inhibitory neurotransmission in the central nervous system. They are promising drug targets for a variety of neurological disorders and play important functions in regulating synaptic plasticity. Signaling strength is critically dependent on the availability of the receptors at the cell surface. Several distinct highly regulated trafficking mechanisms ensure the presence of adequate receptor numbers in the plasma membrane. The rate of exocytosis of newly synthesized receptors from the endoplasmic reticulum via the Golgi apparatus to the cell surface as well as the rates of their endocytosis and degradation determines the retention time of receptors at the cell surface. This chapter focuses on the recently emerged mechanisms of GABA(B) receptor exocytosis, endocytosis, recycling, and degradation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37359010,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":3,"2024-26":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Unmet needs and future perspectives in hydroxychloroquine retinopathy.\nRetinopathy is a well-recognized toxic effect of hydroxychloroquine treatment. As hydroxychloroquine retinopathy is potentially a vision-threatening condition, early detection is imperative to minimize vision loss due to drug toxicity. However, early detection of hydroxychloroquine retinopathy is still challenging even with modern retinal imaging techniques. No treatment has been established for this condition, except for drug cessation to minimize further damage. In this perspective article, we aimed to summarize the knowledge gaps and unmet needs in current clinical practice and research in hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. The information presented in this article may help guide the future directions of screening practices and research in hydroxychloroquine retinopathy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20645792,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Herba Cistanche extract enhances mitochondrial glutathione status and respiration in rat hearts, with possible induction of uncoupling proteins.\nHerba Cistanche, a Chinese herb derived from the whole plant of Cistanche deserticola Y.C. Ma (Orobanchaceae), has been shown to enhance mitochondrial ATP generation and to protect against myocardial ischemia\/reperfusion (I\/R) injury ex vivo in rats. To define the role of mitochondria in the cardioprotective action of Herba Cistanche, we investigated the effect of Herba Cistanche treatment on mitochondrial glutathione status and functional parameters in rat hearts. Treatment with a methanol extract of Herba Cistanche enhanced mitochondrial glutathione status, decreased mitochondrial Ca(2+) content, and increased mitochondrial membrane potential. In addition, an increase in State 4 respiration, indicative of uncoupled respiration, was observed in mitochondria isolated from Herba Cistanche-treated rat hearts. The enhancement of mitochondrial glutathione status and functional ability, as well as the putative induction of uncoupling proteins, may be related to cardioprotection afforded by Herba Cistanche treatment protecting against I\/R injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33565116,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adaptation of a hands-on veterinary surgical training course from a traditionally taught laboratory to a remotely taught laboratory during a global pandemic.\nThe goal of this study was to evaluate and report details of a remotely taught surgical laboratory. Observational. Second-year veterinary students (n = 143) enrolled in a surgical laboratory; 9 weeks were taught traditionally, and 6 weeks were taught remotely. Because of the global pandemic, remote laboratories were developed and delivered. Students performed surgical procedures in model organs remotely while being observed by and receiving feedback from instructors on an internet-based video platform. Methods for remote surgical teaching were explored, and successes and challenges were detailed. Surveys were administered to the students and faculty to gather perspectives on their experience and subsequent confidence. Surveys were completed by 81 of 143 (57%) students and seven of seven (100%) instructors. The mean overall student satisfaction score (1 not at all satisfied, 10 very satisfied) for in-person instruction was 8.2, and the mean score for remote instruction was 6.2 (P < .001). Overall, the instructors had a mean satisfaction score of 8 for in-person laboratories and a mean satisfaction score of 6 for remotely taught laboratories. Most students had a perception of greater one-on-one instructor attention in remote laboratories. Students reported similar confidence levels for three surgical procedures. The described remote teaching method resulted in the perception of greater instructor attention given to students. Student and instructor satisfaction was lower with remote teaching than with in-person teaching. The described method of remote teaching may be applied to teaching surgical students in settings when face-to-face instruction cannot be achieved and may be developed further to create an experience equivalent to face-to-face instruction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22212347,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phoma medicaginis stimulates the induction of the octadecanoid and phenylpropanoid pathways in Medicago truncatula.\nGene expression changes and metabolite abundances were measured during the interaction of Medicago truncatula with the fungal necrotrophic pathogen Phoma medicaginis in leaf tissue of susceptible and resistant accessions. Over 330 genes were differentially expressed in plants infected with P. medicaginis relative to mock-inoculated plants at 12 h post-inoculation. Of these, 191 were induced in either the resistant or the susceptible accession, with 143 genes repressed. Expression changes were observed in genes involved in the oxidative burst, cell wall strengthening and lipid metabolism, as well as several transcription factors. Genes related to salicylic acid, jasmonate and ethylene responses were up-regulated, as well as genes leading to the production of jasmonic acid. Significant induction of genes in the phenylpropanoid pathway leading to lignin and isoflavonoid biosynthesis occurred. High-pressure liquid chromatography with UV detection (HPLC-UV) identified several phenolic compounds induced by P. medicaginis, as well as constitutively higher levels of phenolic compounds, in the resistant M. truncatula accession. Differentially regulated genes induced in both the resistant and susceptible accessions, but with different kinetics, and constitutively more highly expressed and induced phenolic compounds provide candidates for functional analysis. Taken together, these results highlight the importance of the octadecanoid and phenylpropanoid pathways in defence against this necrotrophic pathogen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1202014,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Structural changes in the membrane of vero cells infected with a paramyxovirus.\nVero cells productively infected with the Halle strain of measles virus have been studied by means of surface replication, freeze-fracturing, and surface labeling with horseradish peroxidase-measles antibody conjugate in order to examine changes in the structure of the cell membrane during viral maturation. Early in infection, the surfaces of infected cells are embossed by scattered groups of twisted strands, and diffuse patches of label for viral antigens cover regions marked by these strands. At later stages, when numerous nucleocapsids become aligned under the plasmalemmal strands, the strands increase in number and width and become more convoluted. At this stage, label for viral antigens on the surface of the cell membrane is organized into stripes lying on the crests of strands. Finally, regions of the membrane displaying twisted strands protrude to form ridges or bulges, and the freeze-fractured membrane surrounding these protrusions is characterized by an abundance of particles small than those found on the rest of the cell membrane. The fractured membranes of viral buds are continuous sheets of these small particles, and the spacing between both nucleocapsids and stripes of surface antigen in buds is less than in the surrounding cell membrane. Detached virus is covered with a continuous layer of viral antigen, has unusually large but no small particles on its membrane surfaces exposed by freeze-fracturing, and no longer has nucleocapsids aligned under its surface. Thus, surface antigens, membrane particles, and nucleocapsids attached to the cell membrane are mobile within the plane of the membrane during viral maturation. All three move simutaneously in preparation for viral budding.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26024761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chemically Programmed Bispecific Antibody Targeting Legumain Protease and \u03b1v\u03b23 Integrin Mediates Strong Antitumor Effects.\nA chemically programmed bispecific antibody (cp-bsAb) that targeted cysteine protease legumain and \u03b1v\u03b23 integrin has been prepared using the aldolase antibody chemical programming (AACP) strategy. In vitro evaluation of the anti-legumain, anti-integrin cp-bsAb and its comparison with cpAbs targeting either integrin or legumain have shown that the former possesses superior functions, including receptor binding and inhibitory effects on cell proliferation as well as capillary tube formation, among all three cpAbs. The anti-legumain, anti-integrin cp-bsAb also inhibited growth of primary tumor more effectively than either anti-legumain or anti-integrin cpAb as observed in the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer mouse model. The AACP-based cp-bsAb, which contains a generic aldolase antibody, can also serve as a suitable platform for combination therapy, where two equally potent compounds are used to target extracellular receptors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19018739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Nursing in the advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD) unit].\nACKD units should be equipped with a nephrology nurse, who to carry out his\/her function adequately and contribute to the objectives of the ACKD unit should have the following: - Specific training as a nephrology nurse. - Own work area and appointments schedule. - Full-time commitment to nephrology. - A direct phone line to be able to contact patients and vice versa. - Well-established communication channels between nursing staff and nephrologists. Objectives of the nephrology nursing unit: - Patients treated in this unit have a CrCl < or >or= 30 ml\/min. - Foster self-care and patient autonomy. - Preserve GFR as long as possible by delaying progression of the disease. - Optimize patient quality of life in the pre-KRT period. - Reduce comorbidity. - Support patient in the decision on KRT. - Coordinate planning of vascular access and\/or peritoneal catheter. - Schedule entry into chosen kidney replacement therapy, preventing complications and use of temporary accesses. - The nurse of this unit should be trained in clinical interviewing techniques.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21902528,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"APTIMA\u00ae Trichomonas vaginalis, a transcription-mediated amplification assay for detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in urogenital specimens.\nThe APTIMA(\u00ae) Trichomonas vaginalis (APTIMA TV; Gen-Probe Inc.) assay is the only amplification-based assay for T. vaginalis (TV) currently cleared by the US FDA. The assay was cleared in April 2011. APTIMA TV utilizes target capture specimen processing, transcription-mediated amplification and chemiluminescent probe hybridization for the qualitative detection of TV ribosomal RNA. The assay is used for the screening\/diagnosis of trichomoniasis in women. Specimen types that can be used include physician-collected endocervical swabs, vaginal swabs, endocervical specimens collected in PreservCyt(\u00ae) (Thin Prep, Hologic Incorporated, MA, USA) solution and female urine specimens. The APTIMA TV assay has shown superior performance in side-by-side comparisons with other diagnostic methods in all patient populations and specimen types tested. Clinical sensitivity and specificity are >95 and 98%, respectively. The APTIMA TV assay fills a significant void in sexually transmitted infection diagnostics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34158764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Policies and Practices Catalyzing the Use of Generic Medicines: A Systematic Search and Review.\nThe use of generic medicines instead of branded, is one of the main policies to decrease the expenditures and provide access to affordable and essential medicines in low and middle-income countries. The present study aims to systematically create a comprehensive synthesis of demand-side policies, encouraging the use of generic medicines. The study systematically searched and reviewed the articles in Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase from 1.1.2000 to 12.5.2019. A total of 6435 records were identified during this period of time (Medline (n=315), Scopus (n=4323), Web of Science (n=71) and Embase (n=1726)). All stages are conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzed (PRISMA). The encouraging policies and practices were classified into four categories from 44 articles analyzed, including; Prescribing, Dispensing, Patients\/consumers, and healthcare organizations. Subthemes were also explored in relation to each category as; education, financial incentives, generic substitution, advertising approaches, and enforcement. Various policies should be taken into consideration to encourage successful generic medication prescribing, dispensing, and consumption in both supply and demand-side. Economic, political, socio-cultural, technological, legal, and structural factors could as such accelerate the policies' effect. Studying the experience of successful countries can be helpful for policymakers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35104985,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"A new technique for tokamak edge density measurement based on microwave interferometer.\nA novel approach for density measurements at the edge of a hot plasma device is presented-Microwave Interferometer in the Limiter Shadow (MILS). The diagnostic technique is based on measuring the change in phase and power of a microwave beam passing tangentially through the edge plasma, perpendicular to the background magnetic field. The wave propagation involves varying combinations of refraction, phase change, and further interference of the beam fractions. A 3D model is constructed as a synthetic diagnostic for MILS and allows exploring this broad range of wave propagation regimes. The diagnostic parameters, such as its dimensions, frequency, and configuration of the emitter and receiver antennas, should be balanced to meet the target range and location of measurements. It can be therefore adjusted for various conditions, and here, the diagnostic concept is evaluated on a chosen example, which was taken as suitable to cover densities of \u223c1015 to 1019 m-3 on the edge of the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. Based on a density profile with a fixed radial shape, appropriate for experimental density approximation, a database of synthetic diagnostic measurements is built. The developed genetic algorithm genMILS of density profile reconstruction using the constructed database has quite low errors. It is estimated as \u223c5% to 15% for density \u22651017 m-3. Therefore, the new diagnostic technique (with a dedicated data processing algorithm) has a large potential in practical applications in a wide range of densities, with low errors in the numerical model and in the method of density reconstruction, so the total error and the density estimation accuracy are expected to be defined mostly by experimental uncertainties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33059079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Changing Hands: A Rising Role of the Tumor Surgeon in Teaching Sylvian Fissure Dissection.\nThe landscape of microneurosurgery has changed considerably over the past 2 decades, with a decline in indications for open surgery on cerebrovascular pathology and ever-increasing indications for open resection of brain tumors. This study investigated how these trends in case volume affected residents' training experiences in microsurgery and, specifically, Sylvian fissure dissection. Resident case logs were reviewed, identifying open cerebrovascular operations and craniotomies for tumor. Operations involving Sylvian fissure dissection were identified through operative reports. Changes in case number by resident were plotted over time, and linear regression was applied. Among 23 chief residents, 3045 operations were identified, 1071 of which were for cerebrovascular pathology and 1974 for tumor. Open cerebrovascular experience decreased (P < 0.0001) while tumor volume remained unchanged (P = 0.221). The number of Sylvian fissure dissections per resident did not change over time overall (P = 0.583) or within cerebrovascular operations (P = 0.071). The number of Sylvian fissure dissections in tumor operations increased (P = 0.004). This effect was predominated by an increase in intraaxial tumors approached via Sylvian fissure dissection (P = 0.003). The proportion of Sylvian fissure dissections in tumor surgery increased from 15% in 2009 to 34% by 2019 (P = 0.003). Residents are seeing an increasing proportion of their Sylvian fissure dissection experience during tumor operations. The distribution of this experience will continue to evolve as surgical indications change but suggests a growing role for tumor surgeons in resident training in microsurgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31961333,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Testing Consultation Recordings in a Clinical Setting With the SecondEars Smartphone App: Mixed Methods Implementation Study.\nHealth care systems are increasingly looking to mobile device technologies (mobile health) to improve patient experience and health outcomes. SecondEars is a smartphone app designed to allow patients to audio-record medical consultations to improve recall, understanding, and health care self-management. Novel health interventions such as SecondEars often fail to be implemented post pilot-testing owing to inadequate user experience (UX) assessment, a key component of a comprehensive implementation strategy. This study aimed to pilot the SecondEars app within an active clinical setting to identify factors necessary for optimal implementation. Objectives were to (1) investigate patient UX and acceptability, utility, and satisfaction with the SecondEars app, and (2) understand health professional perspectives on issues, solutions, and strategies for effective implementation of SecondEars. A mixed methods implementation study was employed. Patients were invited to test the app to record consultations with participating oncology health professionals. Follow-up interviews were conducted with all participating patients (or carers) and health professionals, regarding uptake and extent of app use. Responses to the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) were also collected. Interviews were analyzed using interpretive descriptive methodology; all quantitative data were analyzed descriptively. A total of 24 patients used SecondEars to record consultations with 10 multidisciplinary health professionals. In all, 22 of these patients used SecondEars to listen to all or part of the recording, either alone or with family. All 100% of patient participants reported in the MARS that they would use SecondEars again and recommend it to others. A total of 3 themes were identified from the patient interviews relating to the UX of SecondEars: empowerment, facilitating support in cancer care, and usability. Further, 5 themes were identified from the health professional interviews relating to implementation of SecondEars: changing hospital culture, mitigating medico-legal concerns, improving patient care, communication, and practical implementation solutions. Data collected during pilot testing regarding recording use, UX, and health professional and patient perspectives will be important for designing an effective implementation strategy for SecondEars. Those testing the app found it useful and felt that it could facilitate the benefits of consultation recordings, along with providing patient empowerment and support. Potential issues regarding implementation were discussed, and solutions were generated. Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12618000730202; https:\/\/www.anzctr.org.au\/Trial\/Registration\/TrialReview.aspx?id=373915&isClinicalTrial=False.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27561221,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Ethical Issues and Practical Challenges in Suicide Research.\nResearch with human subjects represents a critical avenue for suicide prevention efforts; however, such research is not without its ethical and practical challenges. Specifically, given the nature of research with individuals at elevated risk for suicide (e.g., increased concerns regarding participant safety, adverse events, liability, difficulties often arise during the institutional review board (IRB) evaluation and approval process. This paper aims to discuss IRB-related issues associated with suicide prevention research, including researcher and IRB panel member responsibilities, suicide risk assessment and management ethics and procedures, informed consent considerations, preparation of study protocols, and education and training. Points to consider and components to potentially include in an IRB application for suicide-related research are additionally provided. Literature relevant to ethics in suicide research and suicide risk assessment and management was reviewed and synthesized. Suicide research can be conducted in accordance with ethical principles while also furthering the science of suicide prevention. Despite the challenging nature of suicide prevention research, empirically informed solutions exist to address difficulties that may emerge in interfacing with IRBs. There remain areas for improvement in the IRB approval process that warrant further investigation and work.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20447685,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Multilayer microfluidic PEGDA hydrogels.\nDevelopment of robust 3D tissue analogs in vitro is limited by passive, diffusional mass transport. Perfused microfluidic tissue engineering scaffolds hold the promise to improve mass transport limitations and promote the development of complex, metabolically dense, and clinically relevant tissues. We report a simple and robust multilayer replica molding technique in which poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) are serially replica molded to develop microfluidic PEGDA hydrogel networks embedded within independently fabricated PDMS housings. We demonstrate the ability to control solute-scaffold effective diffusivity as a function of solute molecular weight and hydrogel concentration. Within cell laden microfluidic hydrogels, we demonstrate increased cellular viability in perfused hydrogel systems compared to static controls. We observed a significant increase in cell viability at all time points greater than zero at distances up to 1 mm from the perfused channel. Knowledge of spatiotemporal mass transport and cell viability gradients provides useful engineering design parameters necessary to maximize overall scaffold viability and metabolic density. This work has applications in the development of hydrogels as in vitro diagnostics and ultimately as regenerative medicine based therapeutics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17790439,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Interstellar cloud material: contribution to planetary atmospheres.\nA statistical analysis of the properties of dense interstellar clouds indicates that the solar system has encountered at least a dozen clouds of sufficient density to cause planets to accumulate nonnegligible amounts of some isotopes. The effect is most pronounced for neon. This mechanism could be responsible for much of the neon in Earth's atmosphere. For Mars, the predicted amount of neon added by cloud encounters greatly exceeds the present abundance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23117853,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Alcohol consumption suppresses mammary tumor metastasis in a syngeneic tumor transplantation model.\nEpidemiological studies indicate a positive correlation between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing breast cancer. However, little is known about whether alcohol consumption affects breast cancer metastasis. Considering that the primary cause of death in breast cancer patients is due to metastasis, further insight into whether alcohol consumption influences disease progression and survival is needed. We tested the effect of alcohol consumption on breast cancer metastasis using the 4T1.2 syngeneic mammary tumor model in Balb\/c mice. The treatment groups included a High-consuming group (18 % w\/v alcohol in drinking water), a Moderate-consuming group (5 % w\/v), a Low-consuming group (1 % w\/v), and a Water-drinking control group. 4T1.2 mammary tumor cells were injected orthotopically into the mammary fat pad. Metastases were enumerated in lungs and in distant mammary glands 4 weeks after injection. Consumption of High alcohol protected against metastasis, as High-consuming mice typically had 65-75 % fewer metastases compared to Water-drinking controls. A suggestive reduction in tumor spread was observed in the Moderate-drinking group, although the effects did not reach statistical significance. Consumption of the Low alcohol dose did not affect metastasis. CXCR4 expression in the primary tumors was significantly reduced by High alcohol consumption; however, expression of this chemokine receptor in the primary tumor did not correlate with metastatic potential. Additional studies were conducted to test for possible direct effects of 0.3 % w\/v ethanol on tumor cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation of 4T1.2 cells in vitro. Our results indicate that, for this murine model, alcohol consumption does not exacerbate tumor metastasis, and that High alcohol consumption reduces tumor spread.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12160445,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"STDs, HIV, AIDS and urbanisation process in Kenya.\nThe AIDS epidemic in Kenya constitutes the greatest public health challenge of our time. It has been recognized that social factors associated with urbanization process are important in the rapid spread of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Kenya. It is, therefore imperative to provide knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) baseline data that would provide a basis for designing intervention measures for changing sexual practices in order to avoid AIDS. The study focused on eight districts of Kenya, namely; Mombasa, Machakos, Kajiado, Nairobi, Nyeri, Kisumu, South Nyanza (now Kuria, Migori and Homa Bay) and Busia (figure 1). There is a high and widespread awareness of AIDS. However, the actual knowledge of AIDS appeared to be lacking since most respondents associated the disease with other forms of \"curses\". The younger generation appeared to be more aware of STDs, HIVs and AIDS but the awareness decreases with age and increases with the level of education. It is, therefore, important that the programmes on STDs, HIVs and AIDS should be intensified. Mass media and other interpersonal communication channels should also be intensified since they play an important role in imparting knowledge and awareness about the dreaded disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2325028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Implications of sampling the implantation site in the endometrial biopsy for infertility.\nEndometrial sampling performed during the cycle of conception occurs uncommonly. Less frequent is inclusion of the implantation site in an endometrial specimen obtained late in the luteal phase during the course of an infertility evaluation. From 1984 to 1987 the implantation site was sampled in 3 of 520 (0.6%) endometrial biopsies for infertility. In each instance the pregnancy did not continue. Two women conceived again within a year; both delivered term infants. The third woman had not conceived after ten months of follow-up. When an infertility biopsy results in a diagnosis of intrauterine pregnancy, further evaluation of the patient should be determined by the clinical situation: even in couples with extremely compromised fertility the woman occasionally will become pregnant. The prognosis for that pregnancy may be poor; however, the prognosis for subsequently conceiving and carrying a pregnancy to term is encouraging. This study demonstrated the relative safety of endometrial sampling in the infertile woman. The use of barrier contraception during the cycle of sampling can further decrease the chance of interrupting an intrauterine pregnancy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23305169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Low-abundance resistant mutations in HIV-1 subtype C antiretroviral therapy-naive individuals as revealed by pyrosequencing.\nGiven the recent scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa, we sought to determine how often and at what levels do drug-resistant mutant variants exist in ART-naive HIV subtype C infected individuals. Samples from 10 ART-naive Zambian individuals were subjected to ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) to characterize the frequency of low-abundance drug resistance mutations in the pol gene. Low-abundance clinically relevant variants were detected for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs) in eight of the ten subjects. Intermediate to high-level resistance was predicted for the majority of NRTIs. Mutations conferring resistance to most first-line and some second-line therapy drugs were also observed. UDPS detected a number of additional major resistant mutations suggesting that these individuals may have an increased risk of virological failure after initiating ART. Moreover, the effectiveness of first-line and even some secondline ART may be compromised in this setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17602692,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Effects of altered stride frequency and contact time on leg-spring behavior in human running.\nMany studies have demonstrated that contact time is a key factor affecting both the energetics and mechanics of running. The purpose of the present study was to further explore the relationships between contact time (t(c)), step frequency (f) and leg stiffness (k(leg)) in human running. Since f is a compound parameter, depending on both contact and aerial time, the specific goal of this study was to independently vary f and t(c) and to investigate their respective effects on spring-mass characteristics during running, seeking to determine if the changes in k(leg) observed when running at different f are mainly due to inherent changes in t(c). We compared three types of constant 3.33 m s(-1) running conditions in 10 male subjects: normal running at the subject's freely chosen f, running with decreased and increased f, and decreased and increased t(c) at the imposed freely chosen f. The data from the varied f trials showed that the variation of t(c) was strongly correlated to that of k(leg) (r(2)=0.90), and the variation of f was also significantly correlated to that of k(leg) (r(2)=0.47). Further, changes in t(c) obtained in various t(c) conditions were significantly correlated to changes in k(leg) (r(2)=0.96). These results confirm that leg stiffness was significantly influenced by step frequency variations during constant speed running, as earlier demonstrated, but our more novel finding is that compared to step frequency, the effect of contact time variations appears to be a stronger and more direct determinant of k(leg). Indeed, 90-96% of the variance in k(leg) can be explained by contact time, whether this latter parameter is directly controlled, or indirectly controlled through its close relationship with step frequency. In conclusion, from the comparison of two experimental procedures, i.e. imposing various step frequency conditions vs. asking subjects to intentionally vary contact time at their freely chosen step frequency, it appears that changes in leg stiffness are mainly related to changes in contact time, rather than to those in step frequency. Step frequency appears to be an indirect factor influencing leg stiffness, through its effect on contact time, which could be considered a major determinant of this spring-mass characteristic of human running.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30896694,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Insight into the halogen-bond nature of noble gas-chlorine systems by molecular beam scattering experiments, ab initio calculations and charge displacement analysis.\nWe have carried out molecular-beam scattering experiments and high-level ab initio investigations on the potential energy surfaces of a series of noble-gas-Cl2 adducts. This effort has permitted the construction of a simple, reliable and easily generalizable analytical model potential formulation, which is based on a few physically meaningful parameters of the interacting partners and transparently shows the origin, strength, and stereospecificity of the various interaction components. The results demonstrate quantitatively beyond doubt that the interaction between a noble-gas (Ng) atom - even He - and Cl2 in a collinear configuration is characterized by weak halogen bond (XB) formation, accompanied by charge transfer (CT) from the Ng to chlorine. This characteristic, which stabilizes the adduct, rapidly disappears on going towards the T-shaped configuration, dominated by pure van der Waals (vdW) forces. Similarly, a pure vdW interaction takes place - with no CT component in any configuration - if Cl2 is present in the lowest \u03c0g* \u2192 \u03c3u* excited state, because the change in electron density that accompanies the excitation eliminates the Cl2 polar flattening and \u03c3 hole, making the XB interaction inaccessible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27387270,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A lab-on-a-chip device for investigating the fusion process of olfactory ensheathing cell spheroids.\nUnderstanding the process of fusion of olfactory ensheathing cell spheroids will lead to improvement of cell transplantation therapies to repair spinal cord injuries. The successful fusion of transplanted spheroids will enable alternative transplantation strategies to be developed for in vivo applications. This paper describes the use of a microfluidic device to trap and fuse olfactory ensheathing cell spheroids. The velocity, the pressure distribution in the device were simulated numerically to predict the trapping location. The simulation predicted the optimum flow rates for trapping the spheroids in the later experiments. Simulated particle trajectories were verified experimentally with tracing of fluorescent micro particles. The fusion process of the spheroids was investigated over a period of 48 hours. The microfluidic platform presented here can be used for testing potential drugs that can promote the fusion process and improve the transplantation therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36120874,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"\"The First Step to Changing Something\": Addressing Latinx Childhood Obesity through Photovoice.\nLatinx children in immigrant families have disproportionately high obesity rates; effective obesity treatment for this subset of Latinx children is critically needed. To inform the development of weight management interventions we explored: 1) community facilitators and barriers to achieving childhood healthy weight through photovoice; and 2) participant reflections on the photovoice process. Photovoice was conducted using established methods in a local church. After photovoice, participants completed semi-structured interviews to reflect on their experience. Transcripts were analyzed using a general thematic analysis approach to arrive at preliminary themes, which were presented to participants for validation. Participant input was used to finalize the themes. Six adults and two youth Latinx immigrants identified photograph themes over seven sessions. Four themes emerged regarding community barriers and facilitators to achieving childhood healthy weight: 1) family habits, 2) cultural influences on food, 3) built environment, and 4) food marketing. Participant reflections revealed they were motivated to participate in photovoice to learn more about health, recognized personal growth as a result of group sharing, valued representation as a community, and felt empowered to be role models. Findings from both photovoice and participant reflections reinforced the need for multi-level approaches to treating childhood obesity. Though participant reflections were gathered to inform continued engagement of Latinx families, they ultimately had a significant impact on our conclusions about priority intervention components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31674188,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Internal Motions and Sulfur Hydrogen Bonding in Methyl 3-Mercaptopropionate.\nThe effect of sulfur hydrogen bonding on the conformational equilibrium of methyl 3-mercaptopropionate was investigated using microwave spectroscopy in a supersonic jet expansion. The two most stable conformers (I and II) were assigned in the rotational spectra, and complex splitting patterns owing to the methyl internal rotation and SH tunneling motion were resolved and analyzed in detail. For both conformers, the experimental torsional barriers for the methyl top are similar and about 5.1 kJ mol-1, revealing that their geometrical differences do not affect the methyl internal rotation. The experimentally derived rotational and centrifugal distortion constants, along with the methyl internal rotation barriers, are discussed and compared with results from density functional theory and ab initio calculations. Quantum theory of atoms in molecules, noncovalent interactions, and natural bond orbital analyses show that the global minimum geometry (I), which has the thiol hydrogen oriented toward the carbonyl of the ester, is stabilized by an SH\u00b7\u00b7\u00b7O=C hydrogen bond. The presence of a hydrogen bond is confirmed by the derivation of an accurate experimental geometry that reveals a hydrogen bond distance and S-H-O angle of 2.515(4) \u00c5 and 117.4(1)\u00b0, respectively. These results are key benchmarks to expand the current knowledge of sulfur hydrogen bonds and the relationship between internal motions and conformational preferences in esters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23220901,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Performance of FDG PET\/CT in the clinical management of breast cancer.\nIn this analysis, the role of metabolic imaging with fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in breast cancer is reviewed. The analysis was limited to recent works by using state-of-the-art positron emission tomography (PET)\/computed tomography (CT) technology. The strengths and limitations of FDG PET\/CT are examined in various clinical settings, and the following questions are answered: Is FDG PET\/CT useful to differentiate malignant from benign breast lesions? Can FDG PET\/CT replace sentinel node biopsy for axillary staging? What is the role of FDG PET\/CT in initial staging of inflammatory or locally advanced breast cancer? What is the role of FDG PET\/CT in initial staging of clinical stage IIA and IIB and primary operable stage IIIA breast cancer? How does FDG PET\/CT compare with conventional techniques in the restaging of cancer in patients who are suspected of having disease recurrence? What is the role of FDG PET\/CT in the assessment of early response to neoadjuvant therapy and of response to therapy for metastatic disease? Some recommendations for clinical practice are given.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15923715,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ontology-based knowledge repository support for healthgrids.\nHealthgrids unite a large amount of independent and distributed organisations to provide for various healthcare services. Often the involved organisations can belong to different areas of healthcare and even different countries. However to achieve efficient operation they have to act in a well coordinated manner. As a result, an efficient knowledge sharing between multiple participating parties of the healthgrid is required. The paper describes application of an earlier developed ontology-driven KSNet (Knowledge Source Network) - approach to knowledge repository support for healthgrids. This approach is based on representation of knowledge via ontologies using formalism of object-oriented constraint networks. Such representation makes it possible to define and solve various tasks from the areas of management, planning, configuration, etc., by using constraint solving engines such as, for instance, ILOG or CLP. The major discussed aspects cover the formalism of knowledge representation via ontologies and implementation of the approach as a decision support system for a case study from the area of health service logistics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33228144,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A Review on the Triggers of Pediatric Migraine with the Aim of Improving Headache Education.\nAlthough migraines are common in children and adolescents, they have a robustly negative impact on the quality of life of individuals and their families. The current treatment guidelines outline the behavioral and lifestyle interventions to correct common causative factors, such as negative emotional states, lack of exercise and sleep, and obesity; however, the evidence of their effectiveness is insufficient. To create a plan for disseminating optimal pediatric headache education, we reviewed the current evidence for factors correlated with migraine. We assessed three triggers or risk factors for migraines in children and adolescents: stress, sleep poverty, and alimentation (including diet and obesity). While there is a gradual uptick in research supporting the association between migraine, stress, and sleep, the evidence for diet-related migraines is very limited. Unless obvious dietary triggers are defined, clinicians should counsel patients to eat a balanced diet and avoid skipping meals rather than randomly limiting certain foods. We concluded that there is not enough evidence to establish a headache education plan regarding behavioral and lifestyle interventions. Clinicians should advise patients to avoid certain triggers, such as stress and sleep disorders, and make a few conservative dietary changes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31467421,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"2024-26":4}}},"text":"Regulation of thermogenic capacity in brown and white adipocytes by the prebiotic high-esterified pectin and its postbiotic acetate.\nHigh-esterified pectin (HEP) is a prebiotic able to modulate gut microbiota, associated with health-promoting metabolic effects in glucose and lipid metabolism and adipostatic hormone sensitivity. Possible effects regulating adaptive thermogenesis and energy waste are poorly known. Therefore, we aimed to study how physiological supplementation with HEP is able to affect microbiota, energy metabolism and adaptive thermogenic capacity, and to contribute to the healthier phenotype promoted by HEP supplementation, as previously shown. We also attempted to decipher some of the mechanisms involved in the HEP effects, including in vitro experiments. We used a model of metabolic malprogramming consisting of the progeny of rats with mild calorie restriction during pregnancy, both under control diet and an obesogenic (high-sucrose) diet, supplemented with HEP, combined with in vitro experiments in primary cultured brown and white adipocytes treated with the postbiotic acetate. Our main findings suggest that chronic HEP supplementation induces markers of brown and white adipose tissue thermogenic capacity, accompanied by a decrease in energy efficiency, and prevention of weight gain under an obesogenic diet. We also show that HEP promotes an increase in beneficial bacteria in the gut and peripheral levels of acetate. Moreover, in vitro acetate can improve adipokine production, and increase thermogenic capacity and browning in brown and white adipocytes, respectively, which could be part of the protection mechanism against excess weight gain observed in vivo. HEP and acetate stand out as prebiotic\/postbiotic active compounds able to modulate both brown-adipocyte metabolism and browning and protect against obesity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24301401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The US emergency care system: meeting everyday acute care needs while being ready for disasters.\nThe emergency care system is an essential part of the US health care system. In addition to providing acute resuscitation and life- and limb-saving care, the emergency care system provides considerable support to physicians outside the emergency department and serves as an important safety-net provider. In times of disaster, the emergency care system must be able to surge rapidly to accommodate a massive influx of patients, sometimes with little or no notice. Extreme daily demands on the system can promote innovations and adaptations that are invaluable in responding to disasters. However, excessive and inappropriate utilization is wasteful and can diminish \"surge capacity\" when it is most needed. Certain features of the US health care system have imposed strains on the emergency care system. We explore policy issues related to moving toward an emergency care system that can more effectively meet both individuals' needs for acute care and the broader needs of the community in times of disaster. Strategies for the redesign of the emergency care system must include the active engagement of both patients and the community and a close look at how to align incentives to reward quality and efficiency throughout the health care system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10027197,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Sentinel lymph node mapping in breast cancer.\nSentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is a rapidly emerging treatment option for patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer and a clinically negative axilla. In the era of mammographic detection, SLN biopsy has the potential to eliminate axillary dissection for the enlarging cohort of breast cancer patients who are node-negative. Using radioisotope, blue dye, or both methods, experienced surgeons can successfully localize SLNs in more than 90% of cases. The effects of isotope and blue dye may be additive. Sentinel lymph node biopsy reliably predicts axillary node status in 98% of all patients and 95% of those who are node-positive. The operation is best learned under a formalized protocol in which a backup axillary dissection is performed to validate the technique during the surgeon's early experience. Enhanced pathologic analysis, including serial sections and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, is an essential element of the procedure. In experienced hands, SLN biopsy has less morbidity and greater accuracy than conventional axillary dissection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31969344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Black Raspberry Inhibits Oral Tumors in Mice Treated with the Tobacco Smoke Constituent Dibenzo(def,p)chrysene Via Genetic and Epigenetic Alterations.\nWe previously reported that the environmental pollutant and tobacco smoke constituent dibenzo[def,p]chrysene (DBP) induced DNA damage, altered DNA methylation and induced oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in mice. In the present study, we showed that 5% dietary black raspberry (BRB) significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the levels of DBP-DNA adducts in the mouse oral cavity with comparable effect to those of its constitutes. Thus, only BRB was selected to examine if aberrant DNA methylation induced by DBP can be altered by BRB. Using comparative genome-wide DNA methylation analysis, we identified 479 hypermethylated and 481 hypomethylated sites (q < 0.01, methylation difference >25%) between the oral tissues of mice treated with DBP and fed control diet or diet containing BRB. Among the 30 differential methylated sites (DMS) induced by DBP, we found DMS mapped to Fgf3, Qrich2, Rmdn2, and Cbarp were hypermethylated by BRB whereas hypomethylated by DBP at either the exact position or proximal sites; DMS mapped to Vamp3, Ppp1rB1, Pkm, and Zfp316 were hypomethylated by BRB but hypermethylated by DBP at proximal sites. In addition to Fgf3, 2 DMS mapped to Fgf4 and Fgf13 were hypermethylated by BRB; these fibroblast growth factors are involved in regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway as identified by IPA. Moreover, BRB significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the tumor incidence from 70% to 46.7%. Taken together, the inhibitory effects of BRB on DNA damage combined with its effects on epigenetic alterations may account for BRB inhibition of oral tumorigenesis induced by DBP. SIGNIFICANCE: We provided mechanistic insights that can account for the inhibition of oral tumors by BRB, which could serve as the framework for future chemopreventive trials for addicted smokers as well as non- or former smokers who are exposed to environmental carcinogens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35505410,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A method combining the use of a mobile application and a dedicated pelvic positioner for acetabular cup insertion.\nWe developed a mobile device application and dedicated pelvic positioner with the aim of improving the acetabular cup placement accuracy in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA). The function of the application was to display the intra-operative cup angle. The accuracy and clinical usefulness of this combined method were verified through comparison with the conventional alignment guide method. In total, 60 patients who underwent cementless THA were included in this study. We compared the cup alignment when using this combined method with that when using the conventional alignment guide method. The absolute value error between the intra- and post-operative angles of inclination and anteversion of the cup was calculated. The absolute value error of inclination was 2.4\u00b0 \u00b1 2.1\u00b0 in the study group and 4.0\u00b0 \u00b1 3.3\u00b0 in the control group (P = 0.107). The absolute value error of anteversion was 2.8\u00b0 \u00b1 2.6\u00b0 in the study group and 7.4\u00b0 \u00b1 5.3\u00b0 in the control group (P < 0.001). Using the application and pelvic positioner is simple and can be introduced at a low cost. The more accurate measurement of the intra-operative cup angle using this combined method has improved the cup insertion accuracy compared with that of the conventional alignment guide method.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1709459,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Rapid resolution of acute subdural hematoma. Report of two cases].\nThe authors report two cases of rapid resolution of acute subdural hematoma. Case 1, a 78-year-old male, sustained head trauma and became unconscious for a few minutes, but on arrival he was alert and neurological examination was normal. A computed tomography (CT) scan taken 5 hours after the injury showed a high-dense subdural hematoma partly containing low-density area over the right cerebral hemisphere. He was conservatively treated. A CT scan taken 33 hours after the injury disclosed diminution of the hematoma and appearance of a thin high-density layer in the subdural space adjacent to the tentorium. The high-density layer disappeared on a CT scan taken 7 days after the injury. Case 2, an 84-year-old female, struck her head in the occipital region. On arrival she was drowsy but otherwise had no neurological abnormality. A CT scan taken 1 hour after the injury demonstrated a high-dense subdural hematoma partly containing low-density area over the right cerebral hemisphere. She was conservatively managed and became asymptomatic. A CT scan taken 14 hours after the injury disclosed complete resolution of the hematoma and appearance of a thin high-density layer in the subdural space adjacent to the falx and the tentorium. This high-density layer also completely disappeared on a CT scan taken 14 days after the injury. It was suggested that a mechanism of rapid resolution of the acute subdural hematoma was attributable to washing-out by cerebrospinal fluid.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24062859,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characterization of the Stoichiometry of HMGA1\/DNA Complexes.\nHigh-mobility group A1 (HMGA1) non-histone chromatin architectural transcription factors regulate gene expression, embryogenesis, cell differentiation, and adaptive immune responses by binding DNA and other transcription factors. HMGA1 has also been shown to be highly over-expressed in many human cancers and is considered to be a valuable cancer biomarker. Elevated HMGA1 expression levels also make cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy. Here, HMGA1\/DNA complex formation was investigated using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). Collectively, the EMSA results indicated that full length HMGA1 mixed with DNA containing three AT-hook binding sites formed four distinct HMGA1\/DNA complexes ranging in stoichiometry from 1:2 to 3:1 in HMGA1:DNA ratio. The data indicated that the distribution of complexes with different HMGA1 to DNA stoichiometries depended on the molar ratio of HMGA1 to DNA in solution, which could have significant biological implications given that HMGA1 is highly over-expressed in human cancer cells. The two naturally occurring isoforms of HMGA1, HMGA1a and HMGA1b, the latter containing an 11 amino acid deletion between the first and second AT-hooks, were observed to have slightly different DNA binding profiles. Finally, HMGA1 binding affinity to DNA was found to be influenced by the DNA A:T segment sequence context, with higher specificity be observed in HMGA1 binding to TnAn segments, which have two local minor groove minima on either side of the TpA step, compared to An:Tn segments, which have a single minor groove minimum at the 3' end of the An run, implying AT-hook binding favors narrow minor groove structure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26352542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The genomic landscape of myeloid neoplasms with myelodysplasia and its clinical implications.\nThis article will review the most recent advances in the understanding of the genetic basis of myeloid neoplasms with myelodysplasia and will discuss its clinical implications. Recurrent somatic mutations have been identified in about 90% of patients with myeloid neoplasms with myelodysplasia, involving genes of RNA splicing, DNA methylation, histone modification, transcription regulation, DNA repair, signal transduction, and cohesin complex. Somatic mutations are acquired in a linear manner in a multipotent hematopoietic stem cell, resulting in a growth advantage at the stem cell level and in defective differentiation and maturation of hematopoietic precursors. Recently, evidence has been provided of age-related hematopoietic clones, driven by mutations of genes recurrently mutated in myeloid neoplasms. These hematopoietic clones may represent either premalignant clones with the potential to progress to myeloid neoplasm or small malignant clones at a preclinical stage. The available evidence clearly indicates that greater understanding of the molecular basis of myeloid neoplasms with myelodysplasia has relevant implications in the classification of these disorders, as well as in predicting disease risk and response to specific treatment modalities, and may open avenues of research leading to novel therapeutic options and personalized treatment in the individual patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34631624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Bridging Pediatric and Adult Rehabilitation Services for Young Adults With Childhood-Onset Disabilities: Evaluation of the LIFEspan Model of Transitional Care.\nBackground: LIFEspan (\"Living Independently and Fully Engaged\") is a linked transition service model for youth and young adults with childhood-onset disabilities offered via an inter-agency partnership between two rehabilitation hospitals (one pediatric and one adult) in Toronto, Canada. Objective: The objective was to evaluate healthcare outcomes (continuity of care and healthcare utilization) for clients enrolled in LIFEspan. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, observational mixed-method study design was used. The intervention group comprised youth with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and Cerebral Palsy (CP) enrolled in LIFEspan. A prospective comparison group comprised youth with Spina Bifida (SB) who received standard care. A retrospective comparison group comprised historical, disability-matched clients (with ABI and CP) discharged prior to model introduction. Medical charts were audited to determine continuity of care, i.e., whether study participants had at least one visit to an adult provider within 1 year post-discharge from the pediatric hospital. Secondary outcomes related to healthcare utilization were obtained from population-based, health service administrative datasets. Data were collected over a 3-year period: 2 years pre and 1 year post pediatric discharge. Rates were estimated per person-year. Fisher's Exact Test was used to examine differences between groups on the primary outcome, while repeated measures GEE Poisson regression was used to estimate rate ratios (post vs. pre) with 95% confidence intervals for the secondary outcomes. Results: Prospective enrolment comprised 30 ABI, 48 CP, and 21 SB participants. Retrospective enrolment comprised 15 ABI and 18 CP participants. LIFEspan participants demonstrated significantly greater continuity of care (45% had engagement with adult services in the year following discharge at 18 years), compared to the prospective SB group (14%). Healthcare utilization data were inconsistent with no significant changes in frequency of physician office visits, emergency department visits, or hospitalizations for clients enrolled in LIFEspan in the year following discharge, compared to the 2 years prior to discharge. Conclusion: Introduction of the LIFEspan model increased continuity of care, with successful transfer from pediatric to adult services for clients enrolled. Data on longer-term follow-up are recommended for greater understanding of the degree of adult engagement and influence of LIFEspan on healthcare utilization following transfer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33835092,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Which Bone-Modifying Agent is Associated with Better Outcomes in Patients with Skeletal Metastases from Lung Cancer? A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.\nLung cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Metastatic bone disease occurs in 20% to 40% of patients with lung cancer, and these patients often present with pain or skeletal-related events (SREs) that are associated with decreased survival. Bone-modifying agents such as denosumab or bisphosphonates are routinely used; however, to our knowledge, there has been no quantitative synthesis of randomized controlled trial data to determine the most effective pharmacologic treatment of metastatic bone disease because of lung cancer. We aimed to perform a network meta-analysis of randomized trials to identify the bone-modifying agent that is associated with the (1) highest overall survival, (2) longest time to SRE, (3) lowest SRE incidence, and (4) greatest likelihood of pain resolution. We conducted our study according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses protocol and pre-registered the analysis on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42019124364). We performed a librarian-assisted search of MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Chinese databases including China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data. We included randomized controlled trials reporting outcomes specifically for patients with lung cancer treated with a bisphosphonate or denosumab. SREs included pathologic fractures, spinal cord compression, hypercalcemia of malignancy, or pain resulting in surgical intervention or radiation therapy. We excluded trials exclusively reporting surrogate outcomes such as changes in bone turnover markers. Screening, data extraction, risk of bias evaluation, and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation evaluations were performed in duplicate. We included 131 randomized controlled trials that evaluated 11,105 patients with skeletal metastases from lung cancer. The network meta-analysis was performed using a frequentist model and the R statistical software. Results are reported as relative risks or mean differences, and the I2 value is reported for heterogeneity. The P-score, a measure of ranking certainty that accounts for standard error, is reported for each outcome. Heterogeneity in the network was considered moderate for overall survival and time to SRE, mild for the incidence of SRE, and low for pain resolution. For overall survival, denosumab was ranked above zoledronic acid and estimated to confer a mean of 3.3 months (95% CI 0.3-6.3) of increased overall survival compared with untreated patients (P-score = 89%). For the time to SRE, denosumab was ranked first with a mean of 9.1 additional SRE-free months (95% CI 6.7-11.5) compared with untreated patients (P-score = 99%), while zoledronic acid conferred an additional 4.8 SRE-free months (95% CI 3.6-6.1). Reduction in the incidence of SREs was not different between patients treated with denosumab (relative risk 0.54; 95% CI 0.33-0.87) and those treated with zoledronic acid (relative risk 0.56; 95% CI 0.46-0.67). Patients treated with the combination of ibandronate and systemic therapy were more likely to experience successful pain resolution than untreated patients (relative risk 2.4; 95% CI 1.8-3.2). In this comprehensive synthesis of all available randomized controlled trial evidence guiding the pharmacologic treatment of bone metastases from lung cancer, denosumab was ranked above zoledronic acid for overall survival and time to SRE and was not different for reducing the incidence of SRE. Both were superior to no treatment for each of these outcomes. Given this, we encourage physicians to consider the use of denosumab or zoledronic acid in treating this patient population. The combination of ibandronate and systemic therapy was the most effective at reducing pain because of metastases. No cost-effectiveness analysis has yet been performed for denosumab and zoledronic acid on patients with metastatic lung cancer, and this represents an avenue for future research. Level I, therapeutic study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33674353,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Implantable cardiac defibrillator events in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.\nArrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is associated with a risk of sudden cardiac death. Optimal risk stratification is still under debate. The main purpose of this long-term, single-centre observation was to analyse predictors of appropriate and inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) interventions in the population of patients with ARVC with a high risk of life-threatening arrhythmias. The study comprised 65 adult patients (median age 40 years, 48 men) with a definite diagnosis of ARVC who received ICD over a time span of 20 years in primary (40%) or secondary (60%) prevention of sudden cardiac death. The study endpoints were first appropriate and inappropriate ICD interventions (shock or antitachycardia pacing) after device implantation. During a median follow-up of 7.75 years after ICD implantation, nine patients died and six individuals underwent heart transplantation. Appropriate ICD interventions occurred in 43 patients (66.2%) and inappropriate ICD interventions in 18 patients (27.7%). Multivariable analysis using cause-specific hazard model identified three predictors of appropriate ICD interventions: right ventricle dysfunction (cause-specific HR 2.85, 95% CI 1.56 to 5.21, p<0.001), age <40 years at ICD implantation (cause-specific HR 2.37, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.94, p=0.022) and a history of sustained ventricular tachycardia (cause-specific HR 2.55, 95% CI 1.16 to 5.63, p=0.020). Predictors of inappropriate ICD therapy were not found. Complications related to ICD implantation occurred in 12 patients. Right ventricle dysfunction, age <40 years and a history of sustained ventricular tachycardia were predictors of appropriate ICD interventions in patients with ARVC. The results may be used to improve risk stratification before ICD implantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23122599,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Polysubstance and alcohol dependence: unique abnormalities of magnetic resonance-derived brain metabolite levels.\nAlthough comorbid substance misuse is common in alcohol dependence, and polysubstance abusers (PSU) represent the largest group of individuals seeking treatment for drug abuse today, we know little about potential brain abnormalities in this population. Brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies of mono-substance use disorders (e.g., alcohol or cocaine) reveal abnormal levels of cortical metabolites (reflecting neuronal integrity, cell membrane turnover\/synthesis, cellular bioenergetics, gliosis) and altered concentrations of glutamate and \u03b3-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The concurrent misuse of several substances may have unique and different effects on brain biology and function compared to any mono-substance misuse. High field brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 4 T and neurocognitive testing were performed at one month of abstinence in 40 alcohol dependent individuals (ALC), 28 alcohol dependent PSU and 16 drug-free controls. Absolute metabolite concentrations were calculated in anterior cingulate (ACC), parieto-occipital (POC) and dorso-lateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC). Compared to ALC, PSU demonstrated significant metabolic abnormalities in the DLPFC and strong trends to lower GABA in the ACC. Metabolite levels in ALC and light drinking controls were statistically equivalent. Within PSU, lower DLPFC GABA levels are related to greater cocaine consumption. Several cortical metabolite concentrations were associated with cognitive performance. While metabolite concentrations in ALC at one month of abstinence were largely normal, PSU showed persistent and functionally significant metabolic abnormalities, primarily in the DLPFC. Our results point to specific metabolic deficits as biomarkers in polysubstance misuse and as targets for pharmacological and behavioral PSU-specific treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15930336,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Radiolabeled small-molecule ligands for prostate-specific membrane antigen: in vivo imaging in experimental models of prostate cancer.\nProstate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a cell surface protein that is overexpressed in prostate cancer, including hormone-refractory and metastatic disease. Our goal in this study was to develop a series of PSMA-based imaging agents for clinical use. We have synthesized and evaluated the in vivo biodistribution of two radiolabeled urea derivatives that have high affinity for PSMA in severe combined immunodeficient mice harboring MCF-7 (breast, PSMA-negative), PC-3 (prostate, PSMA-negative), and LNCaP (prostate, PSMA-positive) xenografts. Radiopharmaceutical binding selectivity and tumor uptake were also evaluated in vivo using dedicated small animal positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, and gamma scintigraphic imaging devices. N-[N-[(S)-1,3-dicarboxypropyl]carbamoyl]-S-[(11)C]methyl-L-cysteine ([(11)C]DCMC K(i), 3.1 nmol\/L) and N-[N-[(S)-1,3-dicarboxypropyl]carbamoyl]-S-3-[(125)I]iodo-L-tyrosine ([(125)C]DCIT K(i), 1.5 nmol\/L) were synthesized using [(11)C]CH(3)I and with [(125)I]NaI\/Iodogen, respectively. At 30 minutes postinjection, [(11)C]DCMC and [(125)I]DCIT showed tumor\/muscle ratios of 10.8 and 4.7, respectively, with clear delineation of LNCaP-derived tumors on imaging. MCF-7- and PC-3-derived tumors showed significantly less uptake of [(11)C]DCMC or [(125)I]DCIT. These results show the feasibility of imaging PSMA-positive prostate cancer using low molecular weight agents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17916806,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations by salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate or tiotropium bromide.\nExacerbations are key drivers of morbidity and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We compared the relative efficacy of the long-acting inhaled bronchodilator\/antiinflammatory combination (salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate) 50\/500 microg twice daily and the long-acting bronchodilator (tiotropium) 18 microg once daily in preventing exacerbations and related outcomes in severe and very severe COPD. A total of 1,323 patients (mean age, 64 yr, post-bronchodilator FEV1, 39% predicted) were randomized in this 2-year, double-blind, double-dummy parallel study. Primary endpoint was health care utilization exacerbation rate. Other endpoints included health status measured by St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), mortality, adverse events, and study withdrawal. Probability of withdrawing from the study was 29% greater with tiotropium than salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate (P = 0.005). The modeled annual exacerbation rate was 1.28 in the salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate group and 1.32 in the tiotropium group (rate ratio, 0.967; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.836-1.119]; P = 0.656). The SGRQ total score was statistically significantly lower at 2 years on salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate versus tiotropium (difference 2.1 units; 95% CI, 0.1-4.0; P = 0.038). Mortality was significantly lower in the salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate group; 21 (3%) of patients in this group died compared with 38 (6%) in the tiotropium group (P = 0.032). More pneumonias were reported in the salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate group relative to tiotropium (P = 0.008). We found no difference in exacerbation rate between salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate and tiotropium. More patients failed to complete the study while receiving tiotropium. A small statistically significant beneficial effect was found on health status, with an unexpected finding of lower deaths in salmeterol\/fluticasone propionate-treated patients. Clinical trial registered with www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT 00361959).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26535771,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Juvenile Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy in a Patient With Dyskeratosis Congenita Due to C16orf57 Mutation.\nDyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare inherited disorder characterized by reticular skin pigmentation, oral cavity leukoplakia, and nail dystrophy. A variety of noncutaneous (dental, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, neurological, genitourinary, ophthalmic, and skeletal) abnormalities also have been reported. An 8-year-old boy with DC developed juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. C16orf57 mutation was identified as a genetic cause of DC. Treatment with methylprednisolone was initiated, followed with methotrexate, prednisolone, and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin treatment. This is the first report on a patient with juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and DC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10942997,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[A specialized product with antioxidant action in the treatment of lipid disorders in experimental hyperlipoproteinemia].\nAt an experimental model of alimentary hyperlipoproteinemia the medical effect of specialized product \"Zolotoi Rog\", a composition of biologically active substances, antioxidants and honey, isolated from marine organisms, was analysed. The hypolipidemic effect of this product was defined at violations of lipid metabolism of blood and liver of animals. Deterioration of the processes of lipids peroxidation and raising activity of antioxidant system of an organism, were revealed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":731764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Levamisole therapy of chronic Leishmania tropica.\nCutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in parts of Saudi Arabia. Levamisole used as a stimulant of cell mediated immunity has been shown in this study to produce good therapeutic response in clinical trials in the chronic form of this disease. Levamisole may prove to be the treatment of choice in the chronic form of Leishmania tropica.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20657779,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Trait performance correlations across life stages under environmental stress conditions in the common frog, Rana temporaria.\nIf an organism's juvenile and adult life stages inhabit different environments, certain traits may need to be independently adapted to each environment. In many organisms, a move to a different environment during ontogeny is accompanied by metamorphosis. In such organisms phenotypic induction early in ontogeny can affect later phenotypes. In laboratory experiments we first investigated correlations between body morphology and the locomotor performance traits expressed in different life stages of the common frog, Rana temporaria: swimming speed and acceleration in tadpoles; and jump-distance in froglets. We then tested for correlations between these performances across life stages. We also subjected tadpoles to unchanging or decreasing water levels to explore whether decreasing water levels might induce any carry-over effects. Body morphology and performance were correlated in tadpoles; morphology and performance were correlated in froglets: hence body shape and morphology affect performance within each life stage. However, performance was decoupled across life stages, as there was no correlation between performance in tadpoles and performance in froglets. While size did not influence tadpole performance, it was correlated with performance of the metamorphosed froglets. Experiencing decreasing water levels accelerated development time, which resulted in smaller tadpoles and froglets, i.e., a carry-over effect. Interestingly, decreasing water levels positively affected the performance of tadpoles, but negatively affected froglet performance. Our results suggest that performance does not necessarily have to be correlated between life stages. However, froglet performance is size dependent and carried over from the tadpole stage, suggesting that some important size-dependent characters cannot be decoupled via metamorphosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36807447,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Elevated levels of circulatory follicular T helper cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia contribute to B cell expansion.\nChronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by an expansion of mature B cells in the bone marrow, peripheral lymphoid organs, and blood. CD4 T helper (Th) lymphocytes significantly contribute to the physiopathology of CLL, but the subset(s) of Th cell involved in CLL pathogenesis is (are) still under debate. In this study, we performed flow cytometry analysis of the circulatory T cells of untreated CLL patients and observed an increase in follicular helper T cells (Tfh), which is a subset of T cells specialized in B cell help. Elevated numbers of Tfh cells correlated with disease severity as measured by the Binet staging system. Tfh from CLL patients were activated and skewed toward a Th1 profile as evidenced by their PD-1+IL-21+IFN\u03b3+ phenotype and their CXCR3+CCR6- chemokine receptor profile. Tfh efficiently enhanced B-CLL survival and proliferation through IL-21 but independently of IFN\u03b3. Finally, we observed an inverse correlation between the Tfh1 and IgA and IgG serum levels in patients, suggesting a role for this Tfh subset in the immune dysfunction associated with CLL. Altogether, our data highlight an impairment in circulatory Tfh subsets in CLL patients and their critical role in CLL physiopathology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33226278,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Platelet-rich plasma for genital lichen sclerosus: analysis and results of 94 patients. Are there gender-related differences in symptoms and therapeutic response to PRP?\nLichen sclerosus is a chronic relapsing inflammatory dermatosis with a predilection for anogenital skin in 85%-98% of cases and is more prevalent in women (3%) than in men (> 0.07%). The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in clinical presentation and therapeutic response to treatment with platelet-rich plasma (PRP), an emerging innovative strategy for LS. Forty-three male and 51 female patients affected by LS were evaluated. Each patient was subjected to PRP treatment (1 infiltration every 15 days, for 3 times). The PRP procedure was well tolerated by all patients and an overall significant decrease in symptoms was reported 6 months after PRP infiltration. Reduction in pain and burning sensation was significant in both gender but more accentuated in women than in men, whereas reduction of itching was similar. On the contrary, dyspareunia evidenced sex-related difference since a significant diminution was observed only in male. This study demonstrates that PRP based therapy may exert a relevant role in LS patient management due to its effect on Quality of Life (QoL) and sexual function in both gender. In addition, the study underlined gender-related differences in severity of symptoms and disease age onset.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32860797,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluation of the analytical performance of six rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of viral hepatitis B and C in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo.\nRapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are widely used in Lubumbashi for the diagnosis of viral hepatitis B and C. To date, there are no works that have been carried out in Lubumbashi to independently assess the performance of such tests. This study aimed at assessing the effectiveness of RDTs for the detection of HBsAg and anti-HCV antibodies in order to identify infected blood donors in Lubumbashi. A total of 300 serum samples (100 HBsAg positive samples; 100 anti-HCV positive samples and 100 HBsAg and anti-HCV negative samples) were tested simultaneously using the 6 locally used RDTs and as gold standard the chemiluminescent assays for HBsAg and the RT-TMA for HCV detection. The six evaluated RDTs demonstrated a sensitivity and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100 % whereas the specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) varied from 46 % to 98.1 %. SB BioLine HBsAg test performed best in this study with 100 % of sensitivity, 97.1 % of specificity, 100 % of NPV and 96.9 % of PPV. Furthermore, sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV for SB BioLine HCV test were as follows: 100 %, 98.1 %, 100 % and 93.9 %. Therefore, SD BioLine tests (HBsAg, HCV) would be selected as the first line RDTs for the detection and the diagnostic of hepatitis B and C. They can prevent blood-borne transmission of HBV and HCV in areas with limited incomes as Lubumbashi.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26008766,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"E3 SUMO ligase AtSIZ1 positively regulates SLY1-mediated GA signalling and plant development.\nGibberellins affect various plant development processes including germination, cell division and elongation, and flowering. A large number of studies have been carried out to address the molecular mechanisms that mediate gibberellin signalling effects on plant growth. However, such studies have been limited to DELLA protein degradation; the regulatory mechanisms controlling how the stability and function of SLEEPY1 (SLY1), a protein that interacts with target DELLA proteins as components of the Skp, Cullin, F-box (SCF)(SLY1) complex, are modulated at the post-translational level have not been addressed. In the present study, we show that the E3 SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) ligase AtSIZ1 regulates gibberellic acid signalling in Arabidopsis species by sumoylating SLY1. SLY1 was less abundant in siz1-2 mutants than in wild-type plants, but the DELLA protein repressor of ga1-3 (RGA) was more abundant in siz1-2 mutants than in wild-type plants. SLY1 also accumulated to a high level in the SUMO protease mutant esd4. Transgenic sly1-13 mutants over-expressing SLY1 were phenotypically similar to wild-type plants; however, sly1-13 plants over-expressing a mutated mSLY1 protein (K122R, a mutation at the sumoylation site) retained the mutant dwarfing phenotype. Over-expression of SLY1 in sly1-13 mutants resulted in a return of RGA levels to wild-type levels, but RGA accumulated to high levels in mutants over-expressing mSLY1. RGA was clearly detected in Arabidopsis co-expressing AtSIZ1 and mSLY1, but not in plants co-expressing AtSIZ1 and SLY1. In addition, sumoylated SLY1 interacted with RGA and SLY1 sumoylation was significantly increased by GA. Taken together, our results indicate that, in Arabidopsis, AtSIZ1 positively controls GA signalling through SLY1 sumoylation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26017927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Melatonin Suppression by Light in Humans Is More Sensitive Than Previously Reported.\nThe retina drives various non-image-forming photoresponses, including circadian photoentrainment and pupil constriction. Previous investigators showed that in humans, photic suppression of the clock-controlled hormone melatonin is most sensitive to 460-nm blue light, with a threshold of ~12 log photons cm(-2) s(-1). This threshold is surprising because non-image-forming vision is mediated by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, which receive rod-driven synaptic input and can respond to light levels as low as ~7 log photons cm(-2) s(-1). Using a protocol that enhances data precision, we have found the threshold for human melatonin suppression to be ~10 log photons cm(-2) s(-1) at 460 nm. This finding has far-reaching implications since there is mounting evidence that nocturnal activation of the circadian system can be harmful.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23206992,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Bench-to-bedside review: Clinical experience with the endotoxin activity assay.\nEndotoxin detection in human patients has been a difficult challenge, in part due to the fact that the conserved active portion of the molecule (lipid A) is a relatively small epitope only amenable to binding by a single ligand at any one instance and low levels (pg\/ml) are capable of stimulating the immune system. The endotoxin activity assay, a bioassay based on neutrophil activation by complement opsonized immune complexes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), has allowed the specific detection of the lipid A epitope of LPS in a rapid whole blood assay format. This review summarizes diagnostic studies utilizing the endotoxin activity assay in a variety of hospital patient populations in whom endotoxin is postulated to play a significant role in disease etiology. These include ICU patients at risk of developing 'sepsis syndrome', abdominal and cardiovascular surgery patients and patients with serious traumatic injury. Significant features of these studies include the high negative predictive value of the assay (98.6%) for rule out of Gram-negative infection, ability to risk stratify patients progressing to severe sepsis (odds ratio 3.0) and evidence of LPS release in patients with gut hypoperfusion. Preliminary studies have successfully combined the assay with anti-LPS removal strategies to prospectively identify patients who might benefit from this therapy with early evidence of clinical benefit.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22558332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"How bodies and voices interact in early emotion perception.\nSuccessful social communication draws strongly on the correct interpretation of others' body and vocal expressions. Both can provide emotional information and often occur simultaneously. Yet their interplay has hardly been studied. Using electroencephalography, we investigated the temporal development underlying their neural interaction in auditory and visual perception. In particular, we tested whether this interaction qualifies as true integration following multisensory integration principles such as inverse effectiveness. Emotional vocalizations were embedded in either low or high levels of noise and presented with or without video clips of matching emotional body expressions. In both, high and low noise conditions, a reduction in auditory N100 amplitude was observed for audiovisual stimuli. However, only under high noise, the N100 peaked earlier in the audiovisual than the auditory condition, suggesting facilitatory effects as predicted by the inverse effectiveness principle. Similarly, we observed earlier N100 peaks in response to emotional compared to neutral audiovisual stimuli. This was not the case in the unimodal auditory condition. Furthermore, suppression of beta-band oscillations (15-25 Hz) primarily reflecting biological motion perception was modulated 200-400 ms after the vocalization. While larger differences in suppression between audiovisual and audio stimuli in high compared to low noise levels were found for emotional stimuli, no such difference was observed for neutral stimuli. This observation is in accordance with the inverse effectiveness principle and suggests a modulation of integration by emotional content. Overall, results show that ecologically valid, complex stimuli such as joined body and vocal expressions are effectively integrated very early in processing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12508876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Paenibacillus daejeonensis sp. nov., a novel alkaliphilic bacterium from soil.\nThe taxonomy of soil isolates AP-20(T) and AP-37 was examined. These alkaliphilic organisms grew over a wide pH range (pH 7.0-13.0). The growth rate was higher at pH 8.0-12.0 than at pH 7.0. The G+C composition of these strains averaged 53 mol%. These strains contained MK-7 as the main respiratory quinone and meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan. The major cellular fatty acid of the isolates was 12-methyltetradecanoic acid. Levels of 16S rDNA similarity between strain AP-20(T), AP-37 and other Paenibacillus species were 94.2-90.2%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequence revealed that strains AP-20(T) and AP-37 formed an evolutionary lineage distinct from other Paenibacillus species. Based on the evaluation of morphological, physiological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, and on 16S rDNA sequence comparison, the new species Paenibacillus daejeonensis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is AP-20(T) ( = KCTC 3745(T) = JCM 11236(T)).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9816047,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Dose escalation of N,N',N\"-triethylenethiophosphoramide combined with pentoxifylline for advanced breast cancer.\nPentoxifylline potentiates the cytotoxicity of alkylating agents in preclinical models. In this study we sought to define the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of N,N',N\"-triethylenethiophosphoramide (thioTEPA) with pentoxifylline, and to estimate the antitumor response to this combination in previously treated breast cancer patients. Thirty-five previously treated advanced breast cancer patients received 70 cycles (median, 2 cycles\/patient; range, 1-6) of 1600 mg of oral sustained release pentoxifylline every 8 h for 4 doses in combination with escalating doses of i.v. bolus thioTEPA 40-65 mg\/m2 administered 3 h after the second dose of pentoxifylline. Thrombocytopenia was dose limiting at 65 mg\/m2 of thioTEPA, and the MTD was defined as 60 mg\/m2. Among 25 patients treated at the MTD, leukopenia was grade 2 in 9 patients (36%), grade 3 in 4 patients (16%), and grade 4 in 2 patients (8%); thrombocytopenia was grade 2 in 3 patients (12%), grade 3 in 4 patients (16%), and grade 4 in 3 patients (12%). No other thioTEPA-related toxicity was observed. Plasma concentrations of thioTEPA, TEPA, and pentoxifylline were measured in 6 patients. The median (range) area under the plasma concentration versus time curve for thioTEPA was 29.4 microM\/h (26. 2-40.5) and for TEPA was 16.3 microM\/h (9.2-21.7 microM-h). The median (range) maximal plasma concentration of pentoxifylline and major metabolites I, IV, and V were 1.2 microgram\/ml (0.2-7.8), 4.0 microgram\/ml (0.5-16.4), 0.4 (range 0.1-0.8), and 2.9 (1.1-5.5), respectively. No objective responses were observed among 21 evaluable patients treated at the MTD (95% confidence interval, 0-15%). The combination of pentoxifylline and thioTEPA is well tolerated but not active in previously treated advanced breast cancer patients. Further clinical trials using commercially available oral sustained release pentoxifylline as a modulator of alkylating agents are not warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35611431,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A case of juvenile systemic sclerosis and congenital pulmonary airway malformation related mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung: paraneoplastic syndrome or just a coincidence?\nJuvenile systemic sclerosis (JSS) is an extremely rarely seen auto-immune disease characterized by the increased fibrosis of skin and internal organs. Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a developmental disorder of the lung, characterized by atypical cell hyperplasia which creates the ground for lung adenocarcinoma. In general, CPAM is diagnosed in early childhood, due to recurrent respiratory symptoms including cough, hemoptysis and respiratory infections. Although rare, there are some sporadic asymptomatic cases of CPAM that have been reported. We present a case with a coincidental presence of two rare diseases: JSS and CPAM. An adolescent female patient was admitted to hospital due to clinical signs of JSS. During the followup, the patient had been diagnosed with cystic adenoid malformation of the lung complicated by mucinous adenocarcinoma. The patient was previously healthy with an unremarkable history, including lack of respiratory symptoms. Left inferior lobectomy was performed. Considering the small size of malignant loci, the total resection of the tumor and absence of any sign for metastasis disease, adjuvant therapy was not scheduled. We haven`t found a pediatric case of CPAM associated adenocarcinoma of the lung presented by signs of JSS in the literature. In this case, the clinical signs of JSS possibly represent part of the paraneoplastic syndrome related to adenocarcinoma of the lung. Internal organ involvement, including respiratory system, should not be omitted even in asymptomatic patients with JSS. Auto-antibody negativity represents a clue for the possible underlying condition. Further studies with a higher number of patients would reveal more relevant data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3223199,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Outpatient sclerotherapy of esophageal varices: preliminary results].\nWe performed endoscopic sclerotherapy of esophageal varices (ESEV) as an outpatient procedure in a private setting in patients with portal hypertension and a least one previous episode of variceal hemorrhage. Twenty-six stable cirrhotic patients (child's class A, 11 patients; class B, 10 patients; class C, 5 patients) underwent 103 outpatient sessions of ESEV. There were two episodes of post-sclerotherapy bleeding (1.9% of total sessions) requiring hospitalisation. Fever (2.9%), dysphagia (6.8%), chest pains (14.6%) and one episode (1%) of respiratory depression due to sedation were also noted, but were managed with simple measures. One of 26 patients developed esophageal stricture. These preliminary results suggest that ESEV can be performed as a relatively safe ambulatory procedure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18956889,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of nitration on the physicochemical and kinetic features of wild-type and monotyrosine mutants of human respiratory cytochrome c.\nThe effect of tyrosine nitration on the physicochemical properties and reactivity of human respiratory cytochrome c has been extensively analyzed. A set of mutants, each bearing only one tyrosine out of the five present in the wild-type molecule, has been constructed in order to study the effect of each tyrosine nitration on the properties of the whole protein. Replacement of tyrosines by phenylalanines does not promote significant changes in the properties of the cytochrome. Nitration of wild-type cytochrome c promotes a drastic decrease (ca. 350 mV) in the midpoint redox potential, probably induced by nitration of both tyrosines 48 and 67. Nitration also promotes a significant decrease in the intrinsic reactivity of all the wild-type and mutant proteins. Nitration of mutant cytochromes and, in particular, of the wild-type protein significantly decreases their reactivity with cytochrome c oxidase, thereby suggesting that this alteration is due to an accumulative effect of different nitrations. The reactivity of mutants bearing tyrosine 67 and, to a lesser extent, tyrosine 74 is more affected by nitration, indicating that the change in reactivity of nitrated wild-type cytochrome c is mainly due to nitration of these tyrosine residues. Moreover, nitration of wild-type cytochrome c induces a significant loss in its ability to activate caspases because of the additive effect of nitration of several tyrosine groups, as inferred from the behavior of monotyrosine mutants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27706689,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparative analysis of soybean genotype resistance to Heterodera glycines and Meloidogyne species via resistance gene analogs.\nNematodes are important pests of soybean throughout the world and cause high yield losses. As a control strategy, the identification of resistance genes is an important aim of breeding studies. Plants possess resistance genes (R), which are responsible for the recognition of pathogens and activation of the defense system. R genes and resistance gene analogs (RGAs) possess conserved domains, from which nucleotide-binding site is the most common. Using degenerate primers originating from these domains, it is possible to identify and isolate sequences of R and RGA genes. In this study, soybean genotypes resistant to the nematodes Heterodera glycines, Meloidogyne incognita, M. javanica, and M. enterolobii were compared by the use of RGAs and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Forty-six soybean genotypes were studied, including plant introductions (PIs), commercial crops, and source of resistance genotypes. Thirteen combinations of RGA primers and different SSRs linked to QTLs were used to confirm resistance to soybean cyst nematodes (SCN). Fragments associated with resistance to the studied nematodes were amplified in the source of resistance and PI genotypes. RGA markers were efficient at distinguishing groups of genotypes that were resistant and susceptible to Meloidogyne spp and SCN. Combinations of specific primers were identified through their ability to amplify nucleotide sequences from possible resistance candidate genes. SSR markers contributed to the analysis of SCN race specificity, showing that the QTLs identified by these markers are distinct from those identified by RGA markers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38132769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Trichoderma harzianum Cellulase Gene thph2 Affects Trichoderma Root Colonization and Induces Resistance to Southern Leaf Blight in Maize.\nTrichoderma, widely distributed all over the world, is commonly found in soil and root ecosystems. It is a group comprising beneficial fungi that improve plant disease resistance and promote plant growth. Studies have shown that Trichoderma cellulases can also improve plant disease resistance. Based on previous studies, we reported that a C6 zinc finger protein (Thc6) regulates two cellulase genes, thph1 and thph2, to induce ISR responses in plants. Therefore, in this study, we focused on the role of thph2 in the colonization of maize roots by T. harzianum and the induction of systemic resistance against southern leaf blight. The results showed that thph2 had a positive regulatory effect on the Trichoderma colonization of maize roots. After the root was treated with Trichoderma, the leaf defense genes AOS, LOX5, HPL, and OPR1 were expressed to resist the attack of Cochliobolus heterostrophus. The pure Thph2 protein also resulted in a similar induction activity of the AOS, LOX5, HPL, and OPR1 expression in maize roots, further demonstrating that thph2 can induce plant defense responses and that signal transduction occurs mainly through the JA signaling pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23133117,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The incremental value of dual modality PET\/CT imaging over PET imaging alone in advanced colorectal cancer.\n(18)Fluoro-2-Deoxy Glucose (18 FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) impacts upon the management of recurrent colorectal cancer (CRC) but is limited by anatomical localisation. The development of integrated positron emission and computerised tomography (PET\/CT) yields high anatomical resolution combined with the PET data. We evaluate the added value of PET\/CT over PET alone. Thirty-one consecutive patients had PET\/CT for suspected recurrent CRC. Two blinded observers (A and B) reported images from PET alone and from integrated PET\/CT. Lesion detection, lesion localisation, diagnostic certainty and impact on surgical management was assessed for each data set and then compared. The minimum clinical follow up was for 8 months (median 9.6 months) and 7 patients had histological confirmation of diagnosis. Compared to PET alone, PET\/CT the percentage of lesions accurately localised increased from 96% to 99% for observer A and 86% to 99% for Observer B. PET\/CT increased the number of lesions reported as definitely abnormal or normal from 78% to 95% for Observer A and from 72% to 94% for Observer B. Surgical management was changed in 6 patients (19%). Inter-observer variability was reduced with PET\/CT. PET\/CT improves the accuracy of reporting in recurrent colorectal cancer and influences surgical management in a significant proportion of patients when compared to PET only imaging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10380851,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Facilitated NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 area of dystrophin-deficient mice.\nThe contribution of the cytoskeletal membrane-associated protein dystrophin in glutamatergic transmission and related plasticity was investigated in the hippocampal CA1 area of wild-type and dystrophin-deficient (mdx) mice, using extracellular recordings in the ex vivo slice preparation. Presynaptic fiber volleys and field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) mediated through N-methyl-D-Aspartate receptors (NMDAr) or non-NMDAr were compared in both strains. Comparable synaptic responses were observed in wild-type and mdx mice, suggesting that basal glutamatergic transmission is not altered in the mutants. By contrast, the synaptic strengthening induced by a conditioning stimulation of either 10, 30, or 100 Hz was significantly greater in mdx mice during the first minutes posttetanus. Because the posttetanic potentiation induced in the presence of the NMDAr antagonist D-APV was not affected in the mutants, a critical role of NMDAr in this increase was suggested. The magnitude of the potentiation induced by a 30 Hz stimulation in mdx mice was normalized as compared to wild-type mice by increasing the extracellular magnesium concentration from 1.5 to 3 mM. Moreover, the transitory depression of fEPSPs induced by bath-applied NMDA (50 microM for 30s) was more sensitive to an increased extracellular magnesium concentration in wild-type than in mdx mice. Our results suggest that the absence of dystrophin may facilitate NMDAr activation in the CA1 hippocampal subfield of mdx mice, which may be partly due to a reduction of the voltage-dependent block of this receptor by magnesium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29108443,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Translating Healthy Living Messages to Postpartum Women and Their Partners After Gestational Diabetes (GDM): Body Habitus, A1C, Lifestyle Habits, and Program Engagement Results From the Families Defeating Diabetes (FDD) Randomized Trial.\nThe Families Defeating Diabetes intervention evaluated a postpartum healthy living program for women with recent gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Randomized controlled trial. Tertiary centers in London, Calgary, and Victoria, Canada. Women with GDM and partners; 46% of eligible maternal participants agreed to participate. Interventional (INT) participants received a healthy living seminar at 3 months; access to a walking group\/Website; biweekly e-mails. Control (CON) participants received a contemporary postpartum diabetes prevention handout. Maternal, partner, and offspring demographics at baseline, 3, and 12 months. Percentages of women losing \u22657% of postpartum weight were compared by \u03c72 testing; body habitus comparisons by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA); maternal A1C comparisons by unpaired t tests; participant outcome associations by Pearson correlation coefficients. Maternal participants were 170 (89 INT and 81 CON) with 63 partners (30 INT and 33 CON); 103 (73 maternal; 30 partners) were lost to follow-up; 57% of maternal participants completed 12 months; 33% INT women (n = 50) lost \u22657% weight versus 25% CON women (n = 47), P = .43. Interventional participant results did not correlate with accession of study elements. Maternal completion was significantly associated with partner involvement, breastfeeding, higher income, and education. Paternal weights correlated significantly with maternal and offspring weights. Families Defeating Diabetes outcomes were not significantly different for INT maternal or paternal participants versus CON participants. Secondary outcomes of future value included statistically significant positive associations between paternal participation, socioeconomic indicators, and maternal study completion, significant correlations between maternal, paternal, and offspring weights as well as insights into study component engagement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27557296,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Development and validation of an LC-MS\/MS quantitative method for endogenous deoxynucleoside triphosphates in cellular lysate.\nThe endogenous deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pool includes deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP), deoxycytidine triphosphate (dCTP), deoxyguanosine triphosphate (dGTP) and thymidine triphosphate (TTP). The endogenous dNTP pool is regulated by complex enzymatic pathways that can be targeted by drugs, such as antimetabolites. In addition, these components compete with antiviral nucleos(t)ide analog triphosphates, contributing to the mechanism of pharmacologic action. This communication describes the development and validation of a sensitive method to quantify the intracellular dNTP pool in cellular lysates. The extraction process was optimized for dNTPs using an indirect strategy - the separation of mono-, di- and triphosphate moieties by strong anion exchange, dephosphorylation of target fractions to molar equivalent nucleosides - followed by sensitive quantitation using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The validated analytical range was 50-2500 fmol\/sample for each dNTP. The assay was used to quantify dNTPs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 40 clinical research participants (n = 279 samples). Median (interquartile range) concentrations were 143 (116, 169) for dATP, 737 (605, 887) for dCTP, 237 (200, 290) for dGTP and 315 (220, 456) for TTP, in femtomoles per million cells. This method allows for future studies of endogenous dNTP disposition in subjects receiving antimetabolites or nucleos(t)ide analogs, or for other clinical scenarios.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14974637,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Familial cancer and developmental dyslexia: an observational pilot study.\nThe aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that raised platelet-activating factor (PAF) may contribute to the aetiology of developmental dyslexia. PAF is a potent proinflammatory mediator which signals cell damage and facilitates natural killer cell activity. Raised PAF may help protect against tumourigenesis. As dyslexia has a partial genetic basis, the PAF hypothesis predicts that dyslexia may be negatively associated with a family history of cancer. To test this prediction, children with dyslexia (n=163) and children without dyslexia (n=154), with (n=152) and without (n=165) a family history of cancer (total n=317; mean age 11 years 5 months, SD 2 years 11 months), were compared on standard psychometrics (British Ability Scales subtests). Results showed that proportionately fewer children with dyslexia (38%) than controls (58.4%) had a family history of cancer, and there was some evidence of a 'dose' effect: children who had more relatives with cancer showed better reading and spelling. It was concluded that children at genetic risk of dyslexia who have a family history of cancer have better reading and spelling than those without a family history of cancer, confirming the prediction of the PAF hypothesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20204582,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Species differences in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.\nVeterinary medicine faces the unique challenge of having to treat many types of domestic animal species, including mammals, birds, and fishes. Moreover, these species have evolved into genetically unique breeds having certain distinguishable characteristics developed by artificial selection. The main challenge for veterinarians is not to select a drug but to determine, for the selected agent, a rational dosing regimen because the dosage regimen for a drug in a given species may depend on its anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, and behaviour as well as on the nature and causes of the condition requiring treatment. Both between- and within-species differences in drug response can be explained either by variations in drug pharmacokinetics (PK) or drug pharmacodynamics (PD), the magnitude of which varies from drug to drug. This chapter highlights selected aspects of species differences in PK and PD and considers underlying physiological and patho-physiological mechanisms in the main domestic species. Particular attention was paid to aspects of animal behaviour (food behaviour, social behavior, etc.) as a determinant of interspecies differences in PK or\/and PD. Modalities of drug administration are many and result not only from anatomical, physiological and\/or behavioural differences across species but also from management options. The latter is the case for collective\/group treatment of food-producing animals, frequently dosed by the oral route at a herd or flock level. After drug administration, the main causes of observed inter-species differences arise from species differences in the handling of drugs (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination). Such differences are most common and of greatest magnitude when functions which are phylogenetically divergent between species, such as digestive functions (ruminant vs. non-ruminant, carnivore vs. herbivore, etc.), are involved in drug absorption. Interspecies differences also exist in drug action but these are generally more limited, except when a particular targeted function has evolved, as is the case for reproductive physiology (mammals vs. birds vs. fishes; annual vs. seasonal reproductive cycle in mammals; etc.). In contrast, for antimicrobial and antiparasitic drugs, interspecies differences are more limited and rather reflect those of the pathogens than of the host. Interspecies difference in drug metabolism is a major factor accounting for species differences in PK and also in PD (production or not of active metabolites). Recent and future advances in molecular biology and pharmacogenetics will enable a more comprehensive view of interspecies differences and also between breeds with existing polymorphism. Finally, the main message of this review is that differences between species are not only numerous but also often unpredictable so that no generalisations are possible, even though for several drugs allometric approaches do allow some valuable interspecies extrapolations. Instead, each drug must be investigated on a species-by-species basis to guarantee its effective and safe use, thus ensuring the well-being of animals and safeguarding of the environment and human consumption of animal products.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8400281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"p53 mutations are associated with histologic transformation of follicular lymphoma.\nThe majority of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) undergo clinical progression toward intermediate- and high-grade lymphomas. This progression is often associated with histologic transformation from follicular to diffuse-type NHL. The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying this evolution are presently unknown. In this study, we have analyzed the role in NHL progression of relevant genetic lesions affecting proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Sequential biopsies from 21 patients with clinical progression with (5 cases) or without (16 cases) evidence of histologic transformation were analyzed for karyotypic changes, c-myc rearrangements and deletions affecting 6q27 by Southern blot analysis, and p53 mutations by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis coupled with direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified products. No novel cytogenetic aberration was detected in association with progression, and all samples analyzed displayed a normal c-myc gene. Mutations of the p53 gene were detected in 4 of 5 cases displaying histologic transformation from follicular to diffuse-type NHL and in none of the 16 cases displaying clinical progression in the absence of histologic transformation. In 1 of these positive cases, the same mutation was also present in the pretransformation biopsy, correlating with the presence of diffuse-type areas within a predominant follicular pattern. In 1 of these cases, a deletion of 6q27 was also detected in the posttransformation biopsy along with a p53 mutation. These findings indicate that p53 mutations are associated with and may be responsible for histologic transformation of follicular lymphoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31995803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The Five-Year Survival Rate of Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Based on Tumor Response after Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Followed by Chemoradiation, in Indonesia: A Retrospective Study.\nNasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a common malignancy in Southeast Asia with a high mortality rate. Previous studies have shown that the patient survival rate is <80% worldwide. At the Dharmais Cancer Hospital, NPC is the first of the top 10 diseases with the highest rate of stage III cancer progression. This study aims to determine the 5-year survival rate of patients with NPC based on tumor response and their prognostic factors after receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by chemoradiation. The records of 261 patients between January 2009 and December 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients with NPC who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by chemoradiation, at the Dharmais Cancer Hospital from 2009 to 2013 were identified. Patients with metastasis were excluded. The primary endpoint of this study was overall survival, which was defined as the time from the date of treatment to the date of death. The survival curve was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The Cox proportional hazard model was used for the multivariate analysis of prognostic factors. The tumor response rates for patients with complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and progressive disease (PD) were 33.7, 45.2, and 21.2%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rate was 38.6%. The 5-year survival rates based on tumor response among CR, PR, and PD patients were 71.0, 30.4, and 10.6%, respectively. The significant independent prognostic factors were tumor response, educational background, job, alcohol consumption, clinical stage, and prompt treatment. The survival probability of patients with NPC receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by chemoradiation, was higher in the CR group than in the PR and PD groups. This confirms that early detection can improve the patient's survival. Long-term follow-up is required to determine the factors influencing tumor response in NPC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29096599,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A molecular dynamics study of components of the ginger (Zingiber officinale) extract inside human acetylcholinesterase: implications for Alzheimer disease.\nComponents of ginger (Zingiber officinale) extracts have been described as potential new drug candidates against Alzheimer disease (AD), able to interact with several molecular targets related to the AD treatment. However, there are very few theoretical studies in the literature on the possible mechanisms of action by which these compounds can work as potential anti-AD drugs. For this reason, we performed here docking, molecular dynamic simulations and mmpbsa calculations on four components of ginger extracts former reported as active inhibitors of human acetylcholinesterase (HssAChE), and compared our results to the known HssAChE inhibitor and commercial drug in use against AD, donepezil (DNP). Our findings points to two among the compounds studied: (E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)hept-4-en-3-on and 1-(3,4-dihydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-7-(4-hydroxy-3- ethoxyphenyl) heptane-3,5-diyl diacetate, as promising new HssAChE inhibitors that could be as effective as DNP. We also mapped the binding of the studied compounds in the different binding pockets inside HssAChE and established the preferred interactions to be favored in the design of new and more efficient inhibitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10202392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The chemopreventive effects of tea on human oral precancerous mucosa lesions.\nA double-blind intervention trial was conducted in patients with oral mucosa leukoplakia using a mixed tea product developed by the authors. Fifty-nine oral mucosa leukoplakia patients, diagnosed by established clinical and pathological criteria, were randomly divided into a treated group (3 g mixed tea oral administration and topical treatment) and a control group (placebo and glycerin treatment). After the 6-month trial, the size of oral lesion was decreased in 37.9% of the 29 treated patients and increased in 3.4%; whereas the oral lesion was decreased in 10.0% of the 30 control patients and increased in 6.7%. At the same time, the incidence of micronucleated exfoliated oral mucosa cells in the treated group (5. 4 per 1000 cells) was lower than that in the control group (11.3 per 1000 cells)(P < 0.01); whereas it was 1.4 per 1000 cells in 20 healthy subjects. The micronuclei and chromosome aberration rate in the peripheral blood lymphocytes showed the same results. In pathological examination, there were significant differences (P < 0. 05) in the number and total volume of the silver-stained Nucleolar Organizer Regions (AgNOR) and the proliferating index of Proliferation Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) in oral mucosa cell nuclei between the treated group and the control group which indicates that cell proliferation was decreased in the treated patients. The overall results provide some direct evidence on the protective effects of tea on oral cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8302074,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Complete prevention of postischemic spinal cord injury by means of regional infusion with hypothermic saline and adenosine.\nSpinal cord injury after operations on the descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta remains a persistent clinical problem. Previous attempts to decrease the risk of this devastating complication by lowering the rate of metabolism of the spinal cord have met with varying success. We hypothesized that the tolerance of the spinal cord to an ischemic insult could be improved by means of adenosine. Twenty New Zealand white rabbits underwent 40 minutes of isolated infrarenal aortic occlusion after heparin anticoagulation. Clamps were placed both below the left renal vein and above the aortic bifurcation. In 10 rabbits (group A), a bolus of adenosine (100 mg) was infused into the isolated aortic segment immediately after crossclamping and this bolus was followed by a flush of hypothermic saline (8 degrees C, 30 ml\/kg) over the first 10 minutes of ischemia. In one control group of five animals (group B), the descending infrarenal aorta was crossclamped without infusion of adenosine or saline. In another control group of five animals (group C), the aortic segment was flushed with normothermic saline (37 degrees C) in a fashion identical to that of the study group. The aortic clamps were removed after 40 minutes, the abdomen was closed, and the animals were allowed to recover from anesthesia. Spinal cord function was assessed 12, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours after operation by the Tarlov scale. All animals were put to death at 96 hours after operation and spinal cords were harvested for histologic analysis. The spinal cord function of all group A animals was fully intact with Tarlov scores of 5; group B and group C animals were all paraplegic with Tarlov scores of 0 (p < 0.001, general linear models analysis of variance). Histologic examination of spinal cords from group A rabbits revealed no evidence of cord injury, whereas spinal cords from groups B and C had evidence of extensive cord injury with central gray necrosis, axonal swelling, dissolution of Nissl substance, and astrocyte and macrophage infiltration. Regional infusion of the crossclamped infrarenal rabbit aorta with hypothermic saline and adenosine completely prevented paraplegia in our model despite a 40-minute ischemic insult.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19798868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Daedalus sive mechanicus--automated equipment and machines at the interface between mechanics and medicine].\nAutomata have always held a particular fascination. Their history leads back to their mythical ancestors, whose destinies raise considerable ethical questions about the sense of technology and about the boundaries between nature and art. In the 16th century engineers, architects and also physicians discussed the status of the ,artes mechanicae' and the machines they produced or used. Useful, sometimes dangerous, amusing and elaborate artefacts liven up their texts. Together with wonderful automata we find there also orthopaedic stretching machines and artificial limbs, whose acceptance by medical practice was anything but a matter of course.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17235147,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Factors affecting the concentration of sphingomyelin in bovine milk.\nSphingomyelin is a phospholipid located in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of most cells and is a component of the milk fat globule membrane. Sphingomyelin and its digestion products participate in several antiproliferative pathways that may suppress oncogenesis. Although milk and dairy products are important sources of sphingomyelin in the human diet, little is known about factors that influence sphingomyelin concentrations in milk fat or whether concentrations can be modified via the nutrition of cows. Sphingomyelin concentrations were determined in milk from Holstein and Jersey cows matched for parity and stage of lactation. Sphingomyelin was more concentrated in milk fat from Holstein cows than in milk fat from Jersey cows (1,044 vs. 839 microg\/g of fat). Concentrations in whole milk did not differ because of greater milk fat content for milk from Jerseys. Differences between breeds may be related to the greater fat globule size in milk from Jerseys. Sphingomyelin content in whole milk increased with increasing days in milk because of associated increases in milk fat content. Regardless of breed, primiparous cows had greater amounts of stearic acid and less palmitic acid in sphingomyelin than did older cows. The sphingomyelin concentration in milk fat of cows in a commercial Jersey herd was lower for cows in their fourth or greater parity. Sphingomyelin content in whole milk was greater for cows in late lactation because of greater milk fat content. Feed restriction of multiparous Holstein cows to 37% of ad libitum dry matter intake increased milk fat content but did not affect milk sphingomyelin content or milk fat globule size. Supplementation of the diet with 4% soybean oil did not affect milk composition, sphingomyelin content, or milk fat globule size. Milk was sampled seasonally from 7 herds throughout Illinois during a 2-yr period. Sphingomyelin concentration in milk fat was greatest during summer and least during winter, but whole milk concentrations did not vary across seasons. We conclude that 1) sphingomyelin content of milk fat is greater in milk from Holsteins than that from Jerseys, 2) sphingomyelin content in whole milk increases with stage of lactation, and 3) sphingomyelin content of milk fat is greater during summer. However, efforts to produce milk with a greater sphingomyelin content through altering management and nutrition are unlikely to be successful.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17103384,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Studies on the metabolism and toxicological detection of the designer drug 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methyl-beta- phenethylamine (2C-D) in rat urine using gas chromatographic\/mass spectrometric techniques.\nThe phenethylamine-derived designer drug 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methyl-beta-phenethylamine (2C-D) was found to be metabolized in rats by O-demethylation at position 2 or 5 followed by N-acetylation or by deamination with oxidation to the corresponding acids or reduction to the corresponding alcohol. Furthermore, 2C-D was hydroxylated at the methyl group or deaminated followed by reduction to the corresponding alcohol or by oxidation to the corresponding acid. Most of the metabolites were excreted in conjugated form. The authors' systematic toxicological analysis (STA) procedure using full-scan GC\/MS allowed the detection of an intake of a dose of 2C-D in rat urine that corresponds to a common drug user's dose. Assuming similar metabolism, the described STA procedure should be suitable for proof of an intake of 2C-D in human urine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7369947,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The practical application of drug assays in general practice.\nWhy measure plasma drug concentrations? Which drugs should be monitored, and what information is required? Assuming that the objective of drug therapy is to achieve an optimal response, with minimal adverse effects, this paper discusses these questions, and offers some conclusions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36717226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Amyloid Precursor Protein Modulates the Position and Length of the Axon Initial Segment.\nThe amyloid precursor protein (APP) is linked to the genetics and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is the parent protein of the \u03b2-amyloid (A\u03b2) peptide, the main constituent of the amyloid plaques found in an AD brain. The pathways from APP to A\u03b2 are intensively studied, yet the normal functions of APP itself have generated less interest. We report here that glutamate stimulation of neuronal activity leads to a rapid increase in App gene expression. In mouse and human neurons, elevated APP protein changes the structure of the axon initial segment (AIS) where action potentials are initiated. The AIS is shortened in length and shifts away from the cell body. The GCaMP8f Ca2+ reporter confirms the predicted decrease in neuronal activity. NMDA antagonists or knockdown of App block the glutamate effects. The actions of APP on the AIS are cell-autonomous; exogenous A\u03b2, either fibrillar or oligomeric, has no effect. In culture, APPSwe (a familial AD mutation) induces larger AIS changes than wild type APP. Ankyrin G and \u03b2IV-spectrin, scaffolding proteins of the AIS, both physically associate with APP, more so in AD brains. Finally, in humans with sporadic AD or in the R1.40 AD mouse model, both females and males, neurons have elevated levels of APP protein that invade the AIS. In vivo as in vitro, this increased APP is associated with a significant shortening of the AIS. The findings outline a new role for the APP and encourage a reconsideration of its relationship to AD.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT While the amyloid precursor protein (APP) has long been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the normal functions of the full-length Type I membrane protein have been largely unexplored. We report here that the levels of APP protein increase with neuronal activity. In vivo and in vitro, modest amounts of excess APP alter the properties of the axon initial segment. The \u03b2-amyloid peptide derived from APP is without effect. Consistent with the observed changes in the axon initial segment which would be expected to decrease action potential firing, we show that APP expression depresses neuronal activity. In mouse AD models and human sporadic AD, APP physically associates with the scaffolding proteins of the axon initial segment, suggesting a relationship with AD dementia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20435925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Surfactant protein D-mediated decrease of allergen-induced inflammation is dependent upon CTLA4.\nPulmonary surfactant protein D (SP-D), a member of the collectin family, is an innate immune molecule critical for defense that can also modulate adaptive immune responses. We previously showed that SP-D-deficient mice exhibit enhanced allergic responses and that SP-D induction requires lymphocytes. Thus, we postulated that SP-D may decrease adaptive allergic responses through interaction with T cells. In this study, we used two forms of SP-D, a dodecamer and a shorter fragment containing the trimeric neck and carbohydrate recognition domains (SP-D NCRD). Both forms decreased immune responses in vitro and in a murine model of pulmonary inflammation. SP-D NCRD increased transcription of CTLA4, a negative regulator of T cell activation, in T cells. SP-D NCRD no longer decreased lymphoproliferation and IL-2 cytokine production when CTLA4 signals were abrogated. Administration of SP-D NCRD in vivo no longer decreased allergen induced responses when CTLA4 was inhibited. Our results indicate that SP-D decreases allergen responses, an effect that may be mediated by increase of CTLA4 in T cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12296010,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sexual assault history and women's reproductive and sexual health.\nAssociations of sexual assault history with reproductive and sexual symptoms were evaluated in 3419 women randomly selected from two communities. Sexual assault was associated with excessive menstrual bleeding, genital burning, and painful intercourse (whether or not attributable to disease or injury), medically explained missing two menstrual periods, and medically unexplained dysmenorrhea, menstrual irregularity, and lack of sexual pleasure. Physically violent assaults and those committed by strangers were most strongly related to reproductive symptoms. Multiple assaults, assaults accomplished by persuasion, spouse assault, and completed intercourse were most strongly related to sexual symptoms. Assault was occasionally associated more strongly with reproductive symptoms among women with lower income or less education, possibly because of economic stress or differences in assault circumstances. Associations with unexplained menstrual irregularity were strongest among African American women; ethnic differences in reported circumstances of assault appeared to account for these differences. Assault was associated with sexual indifference only among Latinas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23210428,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The cost of being a man: social and health consequences of Igbo masculinity.\nIn the bid to explain reproductive health outcomes in most developing countries, men have often been seen as the cause of the problem. However, no systematic attempt has been made to examine men's perception of their own social and health needs, including how ideologies of masculinity impact men's social and physical health. This study examines the Igbo context and shows how men understand and interpret masculinity and the consequences of this for social and health behaviours. Data from adolescent and adult Igbo men aged 15-75 were collected using both quantitative survey interviews (n = 1372) and qualitative techniques such as focus-group discussion (n = 20), in-depth interviews (n = 10) and key informant interviews (n = 10) in selected areas of south-eastern Nigeria. We collected data on gender role ideologies and sexuality issues and practices. Our analysis shows that there are social and health costs associated with adherence to masculine ideologies and a strong association between masculine ideologies and men's health, risk-taking and health-seeking behaviours in the study population. We conclude that all sexual and reproductive health programmes should include services that address the specific needs of men and those negative aspects of masculinity that tend to expose men to adverse health outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19864728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hepatic granulomas in an arab population: a retrospective study from a teaching hospital in Riyadh.\nThis is a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 116 patients who presented to the gastroenterology division, department of medicine at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and subsequently had a histopathologic diagnosis of hepatic granulomas. Infections contributed to 56% and were represented mainly by schistosomiasis and to a lesser extent by tuberculosis, brucellosis and hydatid disease. Lymphomas (8%) were the major representative of noninfectious causes. The etiology of 25% of granulomas remained undetermined. Weight loss, fever, anorexia and abdominal pain were the most frequent presenting symptoms in 53, 45, 43 and 42% of patients, respectively. Ten percent of the patients were asymptomatic. Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were the predominant physical findings in 55% and 43% of patients respectively. Hepatic granulomas in this study are mainly caused by infections. Schistosomiasis, tuberculosis and brucellosis represented the most common etiologic factors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25014014,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Structural analysis and mutant growth properties reveal distinctive enzymatic and cellular roles for the three major L-alanine transaminases of Escherichia coli.\nIn order to maintain proper cellular function, the metabolism of the bacterial microbiota presents several mechanisms oriented to keep a correctly balanced amino acid pool. Central components of these mechanisms are enzymes with alanine transaminase activity, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes that interconvert alanine and pyruvate, thereby allowing the precise control of alanine and glutamate concentrations, two of the most abundant amino acids in the cellular amino acid pool. Here we report the 2.11-\u00c5 crystal structure of full-length AlaA from the model organism Escherichia coli, a major bacterial alanine aminotransferase, and compare its overall structure and active site composition with detailed atomic models of two other bacterial enzymes capable of catalyzing this reaction in vivo, AlaC and valine-pyruvate aminotransferase (AvtA). Apart from a narrow entry channel to the active site, a feature of this new crystal structure is the role of an active site loop that closes in upon binding of substrate-mimicking molecules, and which has only been previously reported in a plant enzyme. Comparison of the available structures indicates that beyond superficial differences, alanine aminotransferases of diverse phylogenetic origins share a universal reaction mechanism that depends on an array of highly conserved amino acid residues and is similarly regulated by various unrelated motifs. Despite this unifying mechanism and regulation, growth competition experiments demonstrate that AlaA, AlaC and AvtA are not freely exchangeable in vivo, suggesting that their functional repertoire is not completely redundant thus providing an explanation for their independent evolutionary conservation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16049174,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Interaction via a key tryptophan in the I-II linker of N-type calcium channels is required for beta1 but not for palmitoylated beta2, implicating an additional binding site in the regulation of channel voltage-dependent properties.\nThe CaVbeta subunits of voltage-gated calcium channels regulate these channels in several ways. Here we investigate the role of these auxiliary subunits in the expression of functional N-type channels at the plasma membrane and in the modulation by G-protein-coupled receptors of this neuronal channel. To do so, we mutated tryptophan 391 to an alanine within the alpha-interacting domain (AID) in the I-II linker of CaV2.2. We showed that the mutation W391 virtually abolishes the binding of CaVbeta1b and CaVbeta2a to the CaV2.2 I-II linker and strongly reduced current density and cell surface expression of both CaV2.2\/alpha2delta-2\/beta1b and\/beta2a channels. When associated with CaVbeta1b, the W391A mutation also prevented the CaVbeta1b-mediated hyperpolarization of CaV2.2 channel activation and steady-state inactivation. However, the mutated CaV2.2W391A\/beta1b channels were still inhibited to a similar extent by activation of the D2 dopamine receptor with the agonist quinpirole. Nevertheless, key hallmarks of G-protein modulation of N-type currents, such as slowed activation kinetics and prepulse facilitation, were not observed for the mutated channel. In contrast, CaVbeta2a was still able to completely modulate the biophysical properties of CaV2.2W391A channel and allow voltage-dependent G-protein modulation of CaV2.2W391A. Additional data suggest that the concentration of CaVbeta2a in the proximity of the channel is enhanced independently of its binding to the AID by its palmitoylation. This is essentially sufficient for all of the functional effects of CaVbeta2a, which may occur via a second lower-affinity binding site, except trafficking the channel to the plasma membrane, which requires interaction with the AID region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8051215,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Major histocompatibility complex class II molecules induce the formation of endocytic MIIC-like structures.\nDuring biosynthesis, major histochompatibility complex class II molecules are transported to the cell surface through a late endocytic multilaminar structure with lysosomal characteristics. This structure did not resemble any of the previously described endosomal compartments and was termed MIIC. We show here that continuous protein synthesis is required for the maintenance of MIIC in B cells. Transfection of class II molecules in human embryonal kidney cells induces the formation of multilaminar endocytic structures that are morphologically analogous to MIIC in B cells. Two lysosomal proteins (CD63 and lamp-1), which are expressed in MIIC of B cells, are also present in the structures induced by expression of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules. Moreover, endocytosed HRP enters the induced structures defining them as endocytic compartments. Exchanging the transmembrane and cytoplasmic tail of the class II alpha and beta chains for that of HLA-B27 does not result in the induction of multilaminar structures, and the chimeric class II molecules are now located in multivesicular structures. This suggests that expression of class II molecules is sufficient to induce the formation of characteristic MIIC-like multilaminar structures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24847844,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Delirium and the Family Caregiver: The Need for Evidence-based Education Interventions.\nDelirium, an acute confusional state, is experienced by many older adults. Although there is substantial research on risk factors and etiology, we hypothesized that there is a dearth of information on educating the family caregivers of delirious older patients. A date-specific (2000-2013) literature review of articles, written in English, was conducted in several major databases using keyword searches. This systematic review focused on 2 objectives: (1) investigate published studies on the impact of delirium on the family regarding caring for a loved one; and (2) determine if there are interventions that have provided family caregivers with education and\/or coping skills to recognize and\/or manage delirium. A systematic elimination provided outcomes that met both objectives. Thirty articles addressed impact on family caregivers (objective 1); only 7 addressed caregiver education regarding the delirious state of a loved one (objective 2). Few studies consider the impact of delirium on family caregivers and even fewer studies focus on how to manage delirium in loved ones. With increased risks to older adult patients, high cost of care, and the preventable nature of delirium, family caregiver education may be an important tactic to improve outcomes for both patient and caregiver.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33824541,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Linking parental incarceration and family dynamics associated with intergenerational transmission: A life-course perspective.\nChildren experiencing parental incarceration face numerous additional disadvantages, but researchers have often relied on these other co-occurring factors primarily as controls. In this article, we focus on the intimate links between crime and incarceration, as well as on the broader family context within which parental incarceration often unfolds. Thus, parents' drug use and criminal behavior that precedes and may follow incarceration periods may be ongoing stressors that directly affect child well-being. We also use our analyses to foreground mechanisms associated with social learning theories, including observations and communications that increase the child's risk for criminal involvement and other problem outcomes. These related family experiences often channel the child's own developing network ties (peers, romantic partners) that then serve as proximal influences. We explore these processes by drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from a study of the lives of a sample of respondents followed from adolescence to young adulthood, as well as on records searches of parents' incarceration histories. Through our analyses, we find evidence that 1) some effects attributed to parental incarceration likely connect to unmeasured features of the broader family context, and b) together parental incarceration and the broader climate often constitute a tightly coupled package of family-related risks linked to intergenerational continuities in criminal behavior and other forms of social disadvantage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30160588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Associations Between Gait-Related Falls and Gait Adaptations When Stepping Onto a Curb: A Prospective Falls Study.\nObjectives: To examine gait regulation during the approach to stepping onto a curb for older adults who did or did not report gait-related falls over a 12-month follow-up. Methods: A total of 98 participants aged 60 years and older were analyzed. Primary outcomes were step length adaptations (lengthening or shortening) during a curb approach and the occurrence of a gait-related fall during a 12-month follow-up. Results: Linear mixed-effects modeling indicated stronger adaptations toward the end of the approach. Participants who reported experiencing a gait-related fall showed a stronger relationship between the adjustment required and adjustment produced, indicating different gait adaptations during the step leading onto the curb. Discussion: The link between prospective gait-related falls and gait adaptations indicated that older adults with reduced capabilities require stronger adaptations to complete tasks reminiscent of everyday life. This finding may provide insight into the mechanisms of falls in older adults and should inform new fall prevention interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35612236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Patient Safety Informatics: Criteria Development for Assessing the Maturity of Digital Patient Safety in Hospitals.\nWith the start of the 21st century, patient safety as a topic of special interest has attracted increasing attention in both academia and clinical practice. As technology has continued to develop since then, questions and focal points surrounding the topic have also shifted. In particular, questions regarding the impact of digitalization on patient safety and its measurement are now of high interest. This work aims to develop a maturity assessment instrument in the form of a criteria set for measuring structural requirements for digital patient safety in hospitals. Based on the results of a literature review and a derivation of maturity objects (MO) from known maturity models, 64 criteria across 11 categories were developed. Written comments of two digital patient safety experts as well as subsequent interviews were used to evaluate and refine the criteria catalog. The resulting catalog offers hospitals guidance for detecting possible areas of structural improvements in their information systems with regard to patient safety and represents a unique instrument for assessing digital maturity in this particular area.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30888281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Use of non-contrast-enhanced computed tomography to identify deep digital flexor tendinopathy in horses with lameness: 28 cases (2014-2016).\nTo describe the use of non-contrast-enhanced CT to identify deep digital flexor (DDF) tendinopathy in horses with lameness attributed to pain in regions distal to the metatarsophalangeal or metacarpophalangeal joints. Retrospective case series. 28 client-owned horses. Medical records were searched to identify horses that underwent non-contrast-enhanced CT with or without high-field MRI as part of an evaluation for lameness localized to areas distal to the metacarpophalangeal or metatarsophalangeal joint in \u2265 1 limb. Horses were included in the study if they had \u2265 1 DDF tendon lesion (DDF tendinopathy) identified. Signalment, lameness examination findings and response to perineural anesthesia, imaging modality, anesthetic agents and duration of anesthesia, and imaging findings were recorded. Data were summarized descriptively. Bilateral imaging was performed for all horses, irrespective of unilateral or bilateral lameness. Nine of 28 horses underwent both CT and MRI, and all DDF tendon lesions identified by one modality were identified by the other. Of 48 limbs with DDF tendinopathy, 46 (96%) had core lesions and 35 (73%) had dorsal border irregularities. Median anesthesia time for CT and CT followed by MRI was 15 and 110 minutes, respectively. Results suggested that non-contrast-enhanced CT was useful for identifying DDF tendinopathy in horses with lameness localized to the phalangeal regions, and this was supported by consistency of findings in a subset of horses that underwent MRI. Further research is needed to confirm these results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10233428,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Red cell deformability, splenic function and anaemia in thalassaemia.\nRed cell deformability (RCD) was measured in 38 patients with alpha-thalassaemia and 48 patients with beta-thalassaemia, of whom 13 had undergone splenectomy. All splenectomized patients, but none of those with intact spleens, had very rigid erythrocytes with an elongation index <0.45 at a high shear stress of 30 Pa suggesting a splenic recognition threshold for removal of rigid red cells. At this shear stress RCD correlated strongly with the degree of anaemia in both the splenectomized (r = 0.81, P < 0.001) and non-splenectomized beta-thalassaemic patients (all patients r = 0.81, P < 0.001; homozygous beta-thalassaemic patients r = 0.51, P = 0. 01). These data suggest that reduced RCD is a major determinant of anaemia in thalassaemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30608463,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison of EMLA and Diclofenac on Reduction of Pain and Phlebitis Caused by Peripheral IV Catheter: A Randomized-Controlled Trial Study.\nPeripheral venous catheters (PVC) are often used to provide hydration, medications, and blood products when the length of therapy is expected to be less than 1 week. Pain and phlebitis are frequent complications of PVC. Diclofenac and EMLA have been used to minimize these adverse effects; however, conflicting results have been reported regarding which has better outcomes. This double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of EMLA and Diclofenac (TDP) in attenuating PVC pain and phlebitis. The inpatient setting was chosen because of the higher frequency of PVC insertions, allowing for a sufficient sample size. One hundred fifty-four subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: EMLA patch (n = 61), a TDP patch (n = 50), or a patch with lubricant gel (n = 46) as a placebo. The pain was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Phlebitis was examined based on Boxter criteria in intervals of 6, 12, 18, 24, and 48 hours after PVC insertion. The mean score of VAS was 41.86 \u00b1 22.49 for the control, 39.40 \u00b1 21.60 for TDP, and 38.77 \u00b1 23.28 for the EMLA group, with no significant differences in pain severity between the three groups. The rate of phlebitis in the group with EMLA was significantly higher than the other two groups at 6, 12, and 18 hours (p = 0.02, p = 0.003 and p = 0.04, respectively). In all interval times, the rate of phlebitis in the TDP group was significantly lower than the other groups. Compared with men, women experienced higher rate of phlebitis and intensity of PVC pain. EMLA and TDP had similar analgesic effects, but phlebitis was less frequently observed with TDP, suggesting TDP as a potential medication for reducing pain and phlebitis before PVC insertion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23198487,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The legal position of vulnerable people in the future: improving or going backwards?\nTwo vulnerable groups in our society are children with psychiatric problems and people with intellectual disabilities. The demand for care is growing every year in both groups. The current (Dutch) legal status of people with intellectual disabilities and children with psychiatric problems is one in which too much attention is devoted to the right to self-determination. An important question is whether this central feature is enough to support clients in both groups in such a way that they can develop their abilities. The Dutch government is currently preparing new legislation to replace the Psychiatric Hospitals Act. We recommend that this legislation should also take account of the right to development and the right to good care in order to deal with the dilemmas that will arise in the near future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1410292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The effect of ionizing radiation on nitrosamine formation from anthropogenic precursors].\nThe kinetics of formation of nitrosoamines from precursors under the effect of ionizing radiation has first been quantitatively estimated, and the optimal conditions of their formation determined. The possibility of formation of nitrosoamines under the effect of low-level radiation has been investigated. Using the mathematical functions obtained from the experiments, the number of nitrosoamines, that may form under the effect of radiation in the aqueous medium, has been determined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17213495,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Implementation and use of an electronic health record within the Indian Health Service.\nThere are limited data regarding implementing electronic health records (EHR) in underserved settings. We evaluated the implementation of an EHR within the Indian Health Service (IHS), a federally funded health system for Native Americans. We surveyed 223 primary care clinicians practicing at 26 IHS health centers that implemented an EHR between 2003 and 2005. The survey instrument assessed clinician attitudes regarding EHR implementation, current utilization of individual EHR functions, and attitudes regarding the use of information technology to improve quality of care in underserved settings. We fit a multivariable logistic regression model to identify correlates of increased utilization of the EHR. The overall response rate was 56%. Of responding clinicians, 66% felt that the EHR implementation process was positive. One-third (35%) believed that the EHR improved overall quality of care, with many (39%) feeling that it decreased the quality of the patient-doctor interaction. One-third of clinicians (34%) reported consistent use of electronic reminders, and self-report that EHRs improve quality was strongly associated with increased utilization of the EHR (odds ratio 3.03, 95% confidence interval 1.05-8.8). The majority (87%) of clinicians felt that information technology could potentially improve quality of care in rural and underserved settings through the use of tools such as online information sources, telemedicine programs, and electronic health records. Clinicians support the use of information technology to improve quality in underserved settings, but many felt that it was not currently fulfilling its potential in the IHS, potentially due to limited use of key functions within the EHR.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33808514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Comparison of Hemodynamic Visualization in Cerebral Arteries: Can Magnetic Resonance Imaging Replace Computational Fluid Dynamics?\nA multimodality approach was applied using four-dimensional flow magnetic resonance imaging (4D flow MRI), time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) signal intensity gradient (SIG), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to investigate the 3D blood flow characteristics and wall shear stress (WSS) of the cerebral arteries. TOF-MRA and 4D flow MRI were performed on the major cerebral arteries in 16 healthy volunteers (mean age 34.7 \u00b1 7.6 years). The flow rate measured with 4D flow MRI in the internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery, and anterior cerebral artery were 3.8, 2.5, and 1.2 mL\/s, respectively. The 3D blood flow pattern obtained through CFD and 4D flow MRI on the cerebral arteries showed reasonable consensus. CFD delivered much greater resolution than 4D flow MRI. TOF-MRA SIG and CFD WSS of the major cerebral arteries showed reasonable consensus with the locations where the WSS was relatively high. However, the visualizations were very different between TOF-MRA SIG and CFD WSS at the internal carotid artery bifurcations, the anterior cerebral arteries, and the anterior communicating arteries. 4D flow MRI, TOF-MRA SIG, and CFD are complementary methods that can provide additional insight into the hemodynamics of the human cerebral artery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26046779,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":2,"2024-22":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Expanding the yeast protein arginine methylome.\nProtein arginine methylation is a PTM involved in various cellular processes in eukaryotes. Recent discoveries led to a vast expansion of known sites in higher organisms, indicating that this modification is more widely spread across the proteome than previously assumed. An increased knowledge of sites in lower eukaryotes may facilitate the elucidation of its functions. In this study, we present the discovery of arginine mono-methylation sites in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by a combination of immunoaffinity enrichment and MS\/MS. As detection of methylation is prone to yield false positives, we demonstrate the need for stringent measures to avoid elevated false discovery rates. To this end, we employed MethylSILAC in combination with a multistep data analysis strategy. We report 41 unambiguous methylation sites on 13 proteins. Our results indicate that, while substantially less abundant, arginine methylation follows similar patterns as in higher eukaryotes in terms of sequence context and functions of methylated proteins. The majority of sites occur on RNA-binding proteins participating in processes from transcription and splicing to translation and RNA degradation. Additionally, our data suggest a bias for localization of arginine methylation in unstructured regions of proteins, which frequently involves Arg-Gly-Gly motifs or Asn-rich contexts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8919141,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Normal anatomy and lesions of the lacrimal sac and duct: evaluated by dacryocystography, computed tomography, and MR imaging.\nDiseases of the lacrimal system are optimally evaluated by dacryocystography, CT, MR imaging, and nuclear scintigraphy. Dacryocystography is selected to define the lumen of the lacrimal drainage system in inflammatory disease (dacryocystitis), dacryoceles, dacryoliths, and developmental abnormalities. Dacryocystography provides supplemental information in benign and malignant tumors, principally to differentiate an intrinsic lesion from an extrinsic lesion. CT is indicated for delineation of palpable mass lesions such as cysts, benign and malignant tumors, and diseases, especially in the paranasal sinuses, affecting the lacrimal apparatus secondarily. MR imaging has limited application but is useful to differentiate fluid from solid masses within the sac and to define tumor extension from the sac into the duct and anatomic regions outside the sac and duct. MR imaging with gadolinium enhancement should be used in suspected tumors and to separate a cyst from a solid mass. Radiologic methods fail to identify the histopathology of benign and malignant tumors. Nuclear scintigraphy is helpful in patients with epiphora with no demonstrable anatomic abnormality on dacryocystography.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25386764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Posttraumatic growth after earthquake trauma is predicted by executive functions: a pilot study.\nAlthough positive personal change after adverse events (posttraumatic growth [PTG]) is repeatedly shown to occur after a range of traumatic or distressing events, there is still a debate on the validity of the concept. Using the objective measurement of cognitive functions, we attempted to show that PTG is a scientifically valid construct in a group of earthquake survivors. This is the first study to associate PTG with cognitive functioning. We found that growth was predicted by executive functions and not by memory or processing speed, showing that the correlation between cognitive functions and growth is a specific one. In addition, a specific form of PTG, namely personal growth, was related to cognitive functions, whereas relational growth was not. Our findings provide support for the validity of the PTG concept.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10873450,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A single amino acid substitution in the C terminus of OmpR alters DNA recognition and phosphorylation.\nIn bacteria and lower eukaryotes, adaptation to changes in the environment is often mediated by two-component regulatory systems. Such systems provide the basis for chemotaxis, nitrogen and phosphate regulation and adaptation to osmotic stress, for example. In Escherichia coli, the sensor kinase EnvZ detects a change in the osmotic environment and phosphorylates the response regulator OmpR. Phospho-OmpR binds to the regulatory regions of the porin genes ompF and ompC, and alters their expression. Recent evidence suggests that OmpR functions as a global regulator, regulating additional genes besides the porin genes. In this study, we have characterized a previously isolated OmpR2 mutant (V203M) that constitutively activates ompF and fails to express ompC. Because the substitution was located in the C-terminal DNA-binding domain, it had been assumed that the substitution would not affect phosphorylation of the N-terminal domain of OmpR. Our results indicate that this substitution completely eliminates phosphorylation by a small phosphate donor, acetyl phosphate, but not phosphorylation by the kinase EnvZ. The mutant OmpR has altered dephosphorylation kinetics and altered binding affinities to both ompF and ompC sites compared to the wild-type. Thus, a single amino acid substitution in the C-terminal DNA-binding domain has dramatic effects on the N-terminal phosphorylation domain. Most strikingly, we have identified a single base change in the OmpR binding site of ompC that restores high-affinity binding activity by the mutant. We interpret our results in the context of a model for porin gene expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36284154,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Effects of shady environments on fish collective behavior.\nDespite significant efforts devoted to understanding the underlying complexity and emergence of collective movement in animal groups, the role of different external settings on this type of movement remains largely unexplored. Here, by combining time series analysis and complex network tools, we present an extensive investigation of the effects of shady environments on the behavior of a fish species (Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) within earthen ponds. We find that shade encourages fish residence during daylight hours, but the degree of preference for shade varies substantially among trials and ponds. Silver Carp are much slower and exhibit lower persistence in their speeds when under shade than out of it during daytime and nighttime, with fish displaying the highest persistence degree and speeds at night. Furthermore, our research shows that shade affects fish schooling behavior by reducing their polarization, number of interactions among individuals, and the stability among local neighbors; however, fish keep a higher local degree of order when under shade compared to nighttime positions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11426153,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Racial differences in the use of lumbar spine radiographs: results from the Veterans Health Study.\nWe analyzed data from the Veterans Health Study, a longitudinal study of male patients receiving VA ambulatory care. To determine whether clinical differences and\/or race account for disparities between white and nonwhite patients in the use of lumbar spine radiographs. Four hundred one patients with low back pain (LBP) receiving ambulatory care services in four VA outpatient clinics in the greater Boston area were followed for 12 months. Participants were mailed the Medical Outcome Study Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and had scheduled interviews that included the completion of a low back questionnaire, a comorbidity index, and a straight leg raising (SLR) test. Using self-reported racial data, patients were grouped as whites (315 patients) and nonwhites (among whom 22 were black, 4 nonwhite Hispanics, and 1 other race). Nonwhite patients had lumbar spine films more often (13 of 27, 48%) than white patients (87 of 315, 27%)(P = 0.02). Nonwhite patients had higher pain intensity scores than white patients (63 +\/- 21 vs. 48 +\/- 21, P < 0.01) and were more likely to have radiating leg pain (20 of 27, 76%; compared with 171 of 315, 55%; P = 0.01) than white patients. Nonwhite patients had worse physical functioning (P = 0.01), general health perception (P = 0.05), social functioning (P = 0.02), and role limitations because of emotional problems (P < 0.01). At higher LBP intensity level, nonwhite patients received more lumbar spine films (20 of 27, 74%) than did white patients (155 of 315, 50%)(P < 0.01). Among patients with positive SLR test, nonwhite patients also had lumbar spine films more often (5 of 22, 23%) than white patients (29 of 315, 11%) (P < 0.01). However, after adjusting for multiple clinical characteristics, race was no longer found to be an independent predictor of lumbar spine radiograph use. A positive SLR test remained to be associated with higher radiograph use, whereas better mental health status was associated with lower radiograph use. There was greater use of lumbar spine radiographs by nonwhite patients compared with white patients. This remained true when patients were subcategorized by severity of LBP or SLR test. However, race had no influence when multiple clinical characteristics of the patients were controlled for simultaneously. This study demonstrates the importance of careful and comprehensive case-mix adjustment when assessing apparent differences in the use of medical services.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30153212,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Machine Learning Methods for Identifying Critical Data Elements in Nursing Documentation.\nPublic health nurses (PHNs) engage in home visiting services and documentation of care services for at-risk clients. To increase efficiency and decrease documentation burden, it would be useful for PHNs to identify critical data elements most associated with patient care priorities and outcomes. Machine learning techniques can aid in retrospective identification of critical data elements. We used two different machine learning feature selection techniques of minimum redundancy-maximum relevance (mRMR) and LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) and elastic net regularized generalized linear model (glmnet in R). We demonstrated application of these techniques on the Omaha System database of 205 data elements (features) with a cohort of 756 family home visiting clients who received at least one visit from PHNs in a local Midwest public health agency. A dichotomous maternal risk index served as the outcome for feature selection. Using mRMR as a feature selection technique, out of 206 features, 50 features were selected with scores greater than zero, and generalized linear model applied on the 50 features achieved highest accuracy of 86.2% on a held-out test set. Using glmnet as a feature selection technique and obtaining feature importance, 63 features had importance scores greater than zero, and generalized linear model applied on them achieved the highest accuracy of 95.5% on a held-out test set. Feature selection techniques show promise toward reducing public health nursing documentation burden by identifying the most critical data elements needed to predict risk status. Further studies to refine the process of feature selection can aid in informing PHNs' focus on client-specific and targeted interventions in the delivery of care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33021489,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Use of mHealth Devices to Screen for Atrial Fibrillation: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.\nWith an estimated prevalence of around 3% and an about 2.5-fold increased risk of stroke, atrial fibrillation (AF) is a serious threat for patients and a high economic burden for health care systems all over the world. Patients with AF could benefit from screening through mobile health (mHealth) devices. Thus, an early diagnosis is possible with mHealth devices, and the risk for stroke can be markedly reduced by using anticoagulation therapy. The aim of this work was to assess the cost-effectiveness of algorithm-based screening for AF with the aid of photoplethysmography wrist-worn mHealth devices. Even if prevented strokes and prevented deaths from stroke are the most relevant patient outcomes, direct costs were defined as the primary outcome. A Monte Carlo simulation was conducted based on a developed state-transition model; 30,000 patients for each CHA2DS2-VASc (Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age\u226575 years, Diabetes mellitus, Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65-74 years, Sex category [female]) score from 1 to 9 were simulated. The first simulation served to estimate the economic burden of AF without the use of mHealth devices. The second simulation served to simulate the economic burden of AF with the use of mHealth devices. Afterwards, the groups were compared in terms of costs, prevented strokes, and deaths from strokes. The CHA2DS2-VASc score as well as the electrocardiography (ECG) confirmation rate had the biggest impact on costs as well as number of strokes. The higher the risk score, the lower were the costs per prevented stroke. Higher ECG confirmation rates intensified this effect. The effect was not seen in groups with lower risk scores. Over 10 years, the use of mHealth (assuming a 75% ECG confirmation rate) resulted in additional costs (\u20ac1=US $1.12) of \u20ac441, \u20ac567, \u20ac536, \u20ac520, \u20ac606, \u20ac625, \u20ac623, \u20ac692, and \u20ac847 per patient for a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 to 9, respectively. The number of prevented strokes tended to be higher in groups with high risk for stroke. Higher ECG confirmation rates led to higher numbers of prevented strokes. The use of mHealth (assuming a 75% ECG confirmation rate) resulted in 25 (7), -68 (-54), 98 (-5), 266 (182), 346 (271), 642 (440), 722 (599), 1111 (815), and 1116 (928) prevented strokes (fatal) for CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 to 9, respectively. Higher device accuracy in terms of sensitivity led to even more prevented fatal strokes. The use of mHealth devices to screen for AF leads to increased costs but also a reduction in the incidence of stroke. In particular, in patients with high CHA2DS2-VASc scores, the risk for stroke and death from stroke can be markedly reduced.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30604463,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effective treatment and decolonization of a dog infected with carbapenemase (VIM-2)-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa using probiotic and photodynamic therapies.\nCarbapenem-resistant bacterial infections are a critical problem in veterinary medicine with limited treatment options. To describe effective probiotic and photodynamic therapy of a dog with gut colonization and ear infection caused by a hospital-associated lineage of carbapenemase (VIM-2)-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A 5-year-old Lhasa apso dog presented with otitis externa. Unilateral otitis externa caused by carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa was treated with antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) using methylene blue as photosensitizer [wavelength 660 nm, fluence 140 J\/cm2 , 8 J and 80 s per point (six equidistant points), 100 mW, spot size 0.028 cm2 and fluence rate 3.5 W\/cm2 ]. The isolated bacterial strain also was tested for susceptibility to in vitro aPDT where the survival fraction was quantified by colony forming unit counts after exposure to increasing light doses. For decolonization, probiotic supplements were orally administered (once daily) for 14 days. Effectiveness of probiotics and photodynamic therapy was evaluated by clinical and microbiological culture assays. Complete resolution of clinical signs was achieved by Day 7 after aPDT. Samples collected immediately and after seven and 14 days following aPDT were negative for VIM-2-producing P. aeruginosa. Oral and rectal swabs collected on days 7, 14 and 21 after probiotic therapy, confirmed effective gastrointestinal decolonization. Combined use of aPDT and probiotics could be a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of superficial infections produced by carbapenem-resistant bacteria, while avoiding recurrent infection due to intestinal bacterial carriage of these multidrug-resistant pathogens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11005250,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Localization of androgen and estrogen receptors in rat and primate tissues.\nThere is now evidence that estrogens and androgens are exerting their effects in different tissues throughout the body. In order to determine the sites of action of these steroids, studies have been performed to identify at the cellular level the localization of androgen receptor (AR) and the two estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, ERalpha and ERbeta, specially in the rat, monkey and human. In the prostate, AR was observed in the secretory and stromal cells. In the testis, Sertoli, Leydig and myoid cells were labelled. In the epididymis and seminal vesicles, both epithelial and stromal cells contained AR. In the ovary, AR was detected in granulosa and interstitial cells. In the uterus, epithelial, stromal and muscle cells were all immunopositive for AR. In the central nervous system, AR-containing neurons were found to be widely distributed throughout the brain. In the mammary gland, epithelial cells in acini and ducts and stromal cells were demonstrated to express AR. In the skin, AR was detected in keratinocytes, sebaceous and sweat glands, and hair follicles. In addition, AR was also found in anterior pituitary, thyroid, adrenal cortex, liver, kidney tubules, urinary bladder, cardiac and striated muscle, and bone. The ER subtypes are in general differentially expressed. While ERalpha has been predominantly found in anterior pituitary, uterus, vagina, testis, liver and kidney, ERbeta is predominant in thyroid, ovary, prostate, skin, bladder, lungs, gastro-intestinal tract, cartilage and bone. In tissues which contain both receptor subtypes, such as ovary, testis and various regions of the brain, a cell-specific localization for each ER subtype has been generally observed. Altogether, the recent results on the cellular localization of sex steroid receptors will certainly contribute to a better understanding of the specific role of these steroids in different target organs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24820417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Fbw7 targets GATA3 through cyclin-dependent kinase 2-dependent proteolysis and contributes to regulation of T-cell development.\nProper development of T cells depends on lineage-specific regulators controlled transcriptionally and posttranslationally to ensure precise levels at appropriate times. Conditional inactivation of F-box protein Fbw7 in mouse T-cell development resulted in reduced thymic CD4 single-positive (SP) and splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) cell proportions. Fbw7 deficiency skewed CD8 SP lineage differentiation, which exhibited a higher incidence of apoptosis. Similar perturbations during development of CD8-positive cells were reported with transgenic mice, which enforced GATA3 (T-cell differentiation regulator) expression throughout T-cell development. We observed augmented GATA3 in CD4\/CD8 double negative (DN) stage 4, CD4 SP, and CD8 SP lineages in Fbw7-deficient thymocytes. Using overexpressed proteins in cultured cells, we demonstrated that Fbw7 bound to, ubiquitylated, and destabilized GATA3. Two Cdc4 phosphodegron (CPD) candidate sequences, consensus Fbw7 recognition domains, were identified in GATA3, and phosphorylation of Thr-156 in CPD was required for Fbw7-mediated ubiquitylation and degradation. Phosphorylation of GATA3 Thr-156 was detected in mouse thymocytes, and cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) was identified as a respondent for phosphorylation at Thr-156. These observations suggest that Fbw7-mediated GATA3 regulation with CDK2-mediated phosphorylation of CPD contributes to the precise differentiation of T-cell lineages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9030699,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Expression of the orphan receptor steroidogenic factor-1 mRNA in the rat medial basal hypothalamus.\nSteroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1), an orphan receptor of the nuclear hormone receptor family, binds to the AAGGTCA motif in the promoter elements of several diverse target genes, including some that mediate steroidogenesis and sexual differentiation. In addition, SF-1 is expressed in embryonic forebrain, suggesting that it plays a role in neural development. This study was undertaken to study the distribution and regulation of SF-1 mRNA expression in the rat brain. SF-1 mRNA levels were measured in tissue dissections by ribonuclease protection assay. A 452 nt 32P-labeled cRNA probe, complementary to the putative ligand-binding domain of the rat SF-1 mRNA, was synthesized from the rat SF-1 cDNA inserted into pBluescript II KS, using a Sty 1 fragment and T3 polymerase. The probe protected a single 390 nt transcript in the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) and peripheral steroidogenic tissues of the male rat. The size of this protected band corresponded to that of the protected sense RNA standard (HindIII fragment of the SF-1 cDNA transcribed with T7 polymerase). No SF-1 mRNA was detected in the preoptic area, amygdala or cingulate cortex. The levels of SF-1 mRNA in MBH were not affected by gonadectomy or androgen treatment, nor was there a sex difference in its expression in adults. In situ hybridization histochemistry revealed that SF-1 was localized to the ventromedial nucleus of the adult hypothalamus. The levels of SF-1 mRNA were high on gestational day 18 after which they fell by approximately 30% and remained constant throughout gestation, the first week of neonatal life, and into adulthood. These results demonstrate that the gene encoding SF-1 is expressed in a discrete region of the rat hypothalamus and appears to be developmentally regulated, but not affected by gonadal hormones in adults.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27215544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Paranasal sinus opacification in headache sufferers: A population-based imaging study (the HUNT study-MRI).\nBackground The association between headache and paranasal sinus disease is still unclear. Because of symptom overlap, the two conditions are not easily studied on the basis of symptoms alone. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether paranasal sinus opacification on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was associated with migraine, tension-type headache (TTH) or unclassified headache. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 844 randomly selected participants (442 women, age range 50-65 years, mean age 57.7 years). Based on 14 headache questions, participants were allocated to four mutually exclusive groups: migraine, TTH, unclassified headache or headache free. On MRI, opacifications as mucosal thickening, polyps\/retention cysts and fluid in the five paired sinuses were measured and recorded if \u22651 mm. For each participant, opacification thickness was summed for each sinus and, in addition, a total sum of all sinuses was calculated. Opacification in each sinus was compared between headache-free participants and the headache groups using non-parametric tests, and the total sum was compared by logistical regression. Results No significant association was found between paranasal sinus opacification and headache in general, nor when headache was differentiated into migraine, TTH and unclassified headache. This was also true in separate analyses of mucosal thickening and fluid and of opacification from each paranasal sinus. Conclusion Migraine, TTH and unclassified headache were found not to be associated with an increased degree of paranasal sinus opacification at MRI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7295967,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Changes in the expression of HLA-antigens on lymphocytes after certain types of treatment].\nThe microlymphocytotoxic test was used for typing HLA-A and HLA-B antigens of peripheral blood lymphocytes in normal subjects. Cultivation of lymphocytes for 72 hours signifies that distinct reaction with the cells is produced by a greater number of HLA-antisera, with the specificity of direct and cross reactions being unchanged. Addition of mitogens to the cultural medium further increases the number of reacting antisera. The treatment of lymphocytes with cyclophosphan (an activated form) in doses not leading to the dealth of the cells but inhibiting cells proliferation completely eliminates the above effect. Stimulation of such cultures with mitogens did not entail the increased number of positive reactions. Possible mechanisms of the phenomenon under consideration are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28553879,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The relationship between lower body stiffness and injury incidence in female netballers.\nThe aim of this study was to provide contemporary information on injury rates in an elite and sub-elite netball population and to explore the relationship between lower body stiffness and lower body injuries. One elite and two sub-elite teams of female netballers (n = 29) performed the vertical hop test to assess active lower body stiffness (Kvert) and myometry to assess quasi-static stiffness. Lower body injuries were monitored via self-reporting and liaison with physiotherapists. Twelve lower body non-contact injuries were sustained by 10 players, equating to 11.29 lower body injuries per 1,000 exposure hours. The most commonly injured sites were the calf (33%) and ankle (25%). No significant differences between Kvert of injured and non-injured players were reported, however, injured elite players recorded significantly higher season mean quasi-static stiffness in the soleus (p = 0.037) and Achilles (p = 0.004) than non-injured elite players. Elite and sub-elite netball players recorded a higher injury incidence than previous reports of injuries in recreational netballers. Within the constraints of the study, relatively high stiffness of the soleus and Achilles appears to be related to lower body non-contact injury incidence in female netballers, particularly at the elite level. These results provide a basis for development of injury prevention strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14624385,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Toxin-gene profile heterogeneity among endemic invasive European group A streptococcal isolates.\nWe determined the toxin-gene profiles of 239 endemic, invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) isolates that circulated, within a 5-year period, in European university hospitals. Profiling was performed by use of multiplex polymerase chain reaction that screened for 9 streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins (speA, speB, speC, speF, speG, speH, speJ, ssa, and smeZ). Analysis revealed that invasive GAS isolates do not share a common toxin-gene profile. Although all emm types were characterized by several different toxin-gene profiles, a predominance of 1 or 2 toxin-gene profiles could be observed, reflecting that a few invasive clones have spread successfully throughout the world. Remarkably, statistical pair-wise analysis of individual toxin genes revealed that strains that did not share the predominant profile still showed a nonrandom distribution of key toxin genes characteristic of the specific emm type. This could indicate that M proteins function, directly or indirectly, as barriers for horizontal gene exchange.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8294617,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"In vitro bond strengths and SEM evaluation of dentin bonding systems to different dentin substrates.\nIn comparison to enamel, bonding to normal dentin is a greater challenge because of its organic constituents, fluid-filed tubules, and variations in intrinsic composition. Bonding to sclerotic dentin is even more difficult. To evaluate the shear bond strengths of four adhesive systems to dentin substrates with different levels of mineralization, 120 extracted human teeth were randomly assigned to three groups (n = 40). After mid-coronal dentin was exposed, groups of specimens were artificially hypermineralized by immersion in a remineralizing solution, demineralized by means of an acetic acid demineralizing solution, or stored in distilled water to model sclerotic, carious, and normal dentin, respectively. Resin composite was bonded to dentin by use of commercial adhesive systems. After the specimens were thermocycled, shear bond strengths were determined in an Instron universal testing machine. Dentin substrates and resin\/dentin interfaces were examined by SEM. For each adhesive system, the mean shear bond strength to normal dentin was significantly higher than that to either of the other substrates. Shear bond strengths to hypermineralized dentin were significantly higher than those to demineralized dentin with all adhesives except Prisma Universal Bond 3.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30198389,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Treatment for spoken and written word retrieval in the semantic variant of primary progressive aphasia.\nThis study investigated whether a treatment programme for spoken word retrieval, supplemented with written naming, was beneficial for an individual with right-hemisphere dominant semantic variant of PPA (svPPA). Assessment and treatment were delivered remotely through Skype. Treatment consisted of two phases of lexical retrieval therapy (Repetition and Reading in the Presence of a Picture: RRIPP), with and without written responses (Phases 1 and 2 respectively), and a third treatment phase based on the procedures of Conceptual Enrichment (COEN) therapy. The first two phases of treatment resulted in short-lasting improvements in spoken and written word retrieval, with greater improvement in Phase 2 when written production was also required. Both treatment phases resulted in gains only for treated items, but generalised to different depictions to those treated. However, Phase 2 also resulted in significant improvement of treated items on a comprehension task. COEN treatment did not result in significant gains in word retrieval or comprehension. This study reinforces the value of a simple lexical retrieval treatment delivered remotely. It adds to the current evidence that anomia in svPPA can be responsive to treatment, but also shows that challenges remain regarding maintenance effects and the generalisation of treatment effects to connected speech.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33828163,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Life-extended glycosylated IL-2 promotes Treg induction and suppression of autoimmunity.\nIL-2 is the master-regulator cytokine for T cell dependent responses and is crucial for proliferation and survival of T cells. However, IL-2-based treatments remained marginal, in part due to short half-life. Thus, we aimed to extend IL-2 half-life by flanking the IL-2 core with sequences derived from the extensively glycosylated hinge region of the NCR2 receptor. We termed this modified IL-2: \"S2A\". Importantly, S2A blood half-life was extended 14-fold compared to the clinical grade IL-2, Proleukin. Low doses inoculation of S2A significantly enhanced induction of Tregs (CD4+ Regulatory T cells) in vivo, as compared to Proleukin, while both S2A and Proleukin induced low levels of CD8+ T cells. In a B16 metastatic melanoma model, S2A treatment was unable to reduce the metastatic capacity of B16 melanoma, while enhancing induction and recruitment of Tregs, compared to Proleukin. Conversely, in two autoimmune models, rheumatoid arthritis and DSS-induced colitis, S2A treatment significantly reduced the progression of disease compared to Proleukin. Our results suggest new avenues for generating long-acting IL-2 for long-standing treatment and a new technique for manipulating short-life proteins for clinical and research uses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27568299,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phylogeny strongly drives seed dormancy and quality in a climatically buffered hotspot for plant endemism.\nModels of costs and benefits of dormancy (D) predict that the evolutionarily stable strategy in long-term stable environments is for non-dormancy (ND), but this prediction remains to be tested empirically. We reviewed seed traits of species in the climatically buffered, geologically stable and nutrient-impoverished campo rupestre grasslands in Brazil to test the hypothesis that ND is favoured over D. We examined the relative importance of life-history traits and phylogeny in driving the evolution of D and assessed seed viability at the community level. Germination and viability data were retrieved from 67 publications and ND\/D was determined for 168 species in 25 angiosperm families. We also obtained the percentage of embryoless, viable and dormant seeds for 74 species. Frequencies of species with dormant and non-dormant seeds were compared with global databases of dormancy distribution. The majority of campo rupestre taxa (62\u00b75 %) had non-dormant seeds, and the ND\/D ratio was the highest for any vegetation type on Earth. Dormancy was unrelated to other species life-history traits, suggesting that contemporary factors are poor predictors of D. We found a significant phylogenetic structure in the dormancy categorical trait. Dormancy diversity was highly skewed towards the root of the phylogenetic tree and there was a strong phylogenetic signal in the data, suggesting a major role of phylogeny in determining the evolution of D versus ND and seed viability. Quantitative analysis of the data revealed that at least half of the seeds produced by 46 % of the surveyed populations were embryoless and\/or otherwise non-viable. Our results support the view that long-term climatic and geological stability favour ND. Seed viability data show that campo rupestre species have a markedly low investment in regeneration from seeds, highlighting the need for specific in situ and ex situ conservation strategies to avoid loss of biodiversity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":629782,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparison of the metabolism of chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants by the perfused liver.\n1. The hepatic metabolism of chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants was compared after adding approximately equal numbers of each lipoprotein particle to the perfusate of isolated livers. 2. At least 40% of the added remnants were metabolized by the liver compared with less than 3% for chylomicrons. 3. There was significantly more net removal of labelled remnants than of chylomicrons by the liver. 4. A greater proportion of labelled cholesterol than of labelled triacylglycerol fatty acids was transferred to the liver from each lipoprotein. 5. Cholesteryl esters of remnants were hydrolysed to triacylglycerol fatty lipoprotein. 5. Cholesteryl esters of remnants were hydrolysed to triacylglycerol fatty acids of remnants were oxidized to CO2 more extensively than those of chylomicrons. 6. There was greater oxidation of remnant glycerolipic [(1(-14)C]oleate than of glycerolipid [1(-14)C]palmitate. 7. A large fraction of the fatty acids of remnants, but not of chylomicrons, was transferred to phospholipids, which were released by the liver in a lipoprotein of relative density less than 1.006. 8. Label from remnants, but not from chylomicrons, was found in lipoproteins of relative density greater than 1.006, which were not released during perfusion but could be flushed out from the liver at the end of perfusion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26023661,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Systemic review of dry socket: aetiology, treatment, and prevention.\nOur systemic review is to make a comprehensive review about the aetiology, treatment and the prevention of dry socket, the inclusion criteria were all the studies that discuss the dry socket and its etiology, treatment and prevention and exclusion criteria were all the studies that discuss the other complications of tooth extraction, the materials and methods used for this systemic review was to search in the Pub Medline database between 2008 to 2013, using specific words \"dry socket, aetiology, treatment and prevention\" and published in the English language, the articles were screened by abstract for relevance to aetiology, treatment and prevention of dry socket, 82 papers were identified in pub med but a total of 36 out of Publications were included in the final systemic review according to the specific keywords and materials mentioned above. The occurrence of dry socket in an everyday oral surgery or dental practice is unavoidable. The risk factors are smoking, surgical trauma, single extractions, age, sex, medical history, systemic disorder, extraction site, amount of anaesthesia, operator experience, antibiotics use prior to surgery, difficulty of the surgery and the previous surgical site infection in addition to oral Contraceptives, menstrual cycle and immediate postextraction socket irrigation with normal saline. The traditional options of treatment are directed toward palliative care, such as the irrigation of the surgical site, avoiding curetting the extraction socket, Packing with a zinc oxide- eugenol paste on iodoform gauze can be considered to relieve acute pain episodes, there is also new agents in the market can accelerate the healing of the socket such as PRGF and GECB. The prevention methods include avoiding smoking before and after surgery and a traumatic surgery, the use of antibiotics, such as, azithromycin, can be considered, the other preventive measures such as chlorhecidine rinse or gel can be effective in the reduction of dry socket incidence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26051846,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Evaluation of the effectiveness of three physiotherapeutic treatments for subacromial impingement syndrome: a randomised clinical trial.\nTo determine whether dexketoprofen administered by phonophoresis or iontophoresis is more effective for the treatment of subacromial impingement syndrome (SIS) than conventional ultrasound therapy. Randomised clinical trial. University hospital. Ninety-nine participants with SIS without a complete tear of the rotator cuff were assigned at random to three intervention groups. Participants received ultrasound (n=32), phonophoresis with dexketoprofen (50mg\/session) (n=33) or iontophoresis with dexketoprofen (50mg\/session) (n=34). All participants completed 20 treatment sessions plus exercise therapy and cryotherapy. A visual analogue scale (VAS), the Constant-Murley Scale (CMS) and the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire were administered pre-treatment (baseline), post-treatment and 1 month post-treatment. At baseline, there were no differences between the groups. Post-treatment, VAS score improved by -1.2 points and CMS score improved by 8.9 points in the ultrasound group compared with the iontophoresis group [95% confidence interval (CI) -0.2 to -2.2 and 95% CI 17.0 to 0.7, respectively]. CMS score improved by 7.1 points in the phonophoresis group compared with the iontophoresis group (95% CI 14.8 to -0.7). At 1 month post-treatment, no significant differences were detected between the groups. VAS, CMS and DASH scores of all groups improved post-treatment and at 1 month post-treatment. Ultrasound, iontophoresis with dexketoprofen and phonophoresis with dexketoprofen can improve pain, shoulder function, and physical functioning and symptoms in the upper limb in patients with SIS without a complete tear of the rotator cuff. CLINICAL TRIALS. NCT01748188.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10155419,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Liability immunity as a legal defense for recent emergency medical services system litigation.\nAlthough many emergency medical services (EMS) providers are concerned about liability litigation, no comprehensive, national studies of EMS appelate cases have been published. Information about these cases and the use of liability immunity (sovereign immunity, emergency medical care immunity, or Good Samaritan immunity) as a defense could be used for EMS risk management and better patient care. To review recent EMS system civil litigation cases to determine their common characteristics and the number that used liability immunity as a legal defense. An observational study of the WESTLAW computerized database of legal cases from all state and federal appellate courts. All legal cases that named a member of the EMS system as a defendant, involved either a patient-care incident or ambulance collision, and received an appellate court opinion from 1987 through 1992, were studied. Eighty-six cases were identified and analyzed. Most cases (85%) were related to a patient-care incident, and 71% of the cases involved a death or significant physical injury. More than 49% of the patient cases alleged inadequate assessment or treatment, and 27% alleged delay in ambulance arrival or no ambulance arrival. There were 11 cases (15%) that alleged no transport of the patient to the hospital. Liability immunity was used as a defense in 53% of the cases. The appellate courts ruled in favor of 68% of the defendants that did not use an immunity defense and in favor of 72% of those that did use liability immunity. There have been a large number of recent appellate cases involving EMS systems. The common characteristics of many of these cases demonstrate the need for providing rapid ambulance arrival, proper assessment and treatment, and rapid patient transportation to a hospital. Although liability immunity was used as a legal defense by most EMS system defendants, the appellate court outcome was similar regardless of its use.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16863319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Capillary waves at the liquid-vapor interface and the surface tension of water.\nCapillary waves occurring at the liquid-vapor interface of water are studied using molecular dynamics simulations. In addition, the surface tension, determined thermodynamically from the difference in the normal and tangential pressure at the liquid-vapor interface, is compared for a number of standard three- and four-point water models. We study four three-point models (SPC\/E, TIP3P, TIP3P-CHARMM, and TIP3P-Ew) and two four-point models (TIP4P and TIP4P-Ew). All of the models examined underestimate the surface tension; the TIP4P-Ew model comes closest to reproducing the experimental data. The surface tension can also be determined from the amplitude of capillary waves at the liquid-vapor interface by varying the surface area of the interface. The surface tensions determined from the amplitude of the logarithmic divergence of the capillary interfacial width and from the traditional thermodynamic method agree only if the density profile is fitted to an error function instead of a hyperbolic tangent function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30839250,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Falsibacillus albus sp. nov., isolated from mangrove soil.\nA novel Gram-stain-positive, catalase- and oxidase-positive, endospore-forming bacterium, designated GY 10110T, was isolated from mangrove soil collected from Qinzhou, Guangxi province, China. Cells were aerobic, motile with peritrichous flagella and rod-shaped. The strain grew at 15-37 \u00b0C (optimum, 28 \u00b0C), at 0-3 %(w\/v) NaCl (1 %) and at pH 6.0-9.0 (pH 7.0). The major fatty acids of strain GY 10110T were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 and iso-C16 : 0. The predominant menaquinone was MK-7. The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The polar lipid profile comprised diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphoglycolipid, glycolipid, two unidentified aminophospholipids and three unidentified phospholipids. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain GY 10110T was closely related to Falsibacillus pallidus CCTCC AB 207188T (98.0 % sequence similarity) and Bacillus oceanisediminis CGMCC 1.10115T (96.9 %), respectively. The G+C content of strain GY 10110T based on the whole genome sequence was 42.3 mol%. The novel strain showed an average nucleotide identity (ANI) value of 77.8 % and a digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) value of 15.6 % with Falsibacillus pallidus CCTCC AB 207188T based on draft genome sequences, followed by Bacillus oceanisediminis CGMCC 1.10115T with ANI and dDDH values of 75.2 and 12.8 %, respectively. The results of the polyphasic taxonomic study, including phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analysis, showed that strain GY 10110T represents a novel species of the genus Falsibacillus, for which the name Falsibacillus albus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is GY 10110T (=CGMCC 1.13648T=NBRC 113502T).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32000562,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Common Data Elements: Critical Assessment of Harmonization between Current Multi-Center Traumatic Brain Injury Studies.\nStandardization and harmonization of data collection in studies on traumatic brain injury (TBI) is of paramount importance for meta-analyses across studies. Nearly 10 years ago, the first set of Common Data Elements for TBI (TBI-CDEs v1) were introduced to achieve these goals. The TBI-CDEs version 2 were developed in 2012 to broaden the approach to all ages, injury severity, and phases of recovery. We aimed to quantify the degree of harmonization of these data elements in three large, prospective multi-center studies conducted within the International Initiative for TBI Research (InTBIR). Data variables of the Collaborative European NeuroTrauma Effectiveness Research in Traumatic Brain Injury (CENTER-TBI; adult and pediatric patients in Europe and Israel), Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI; adult and pediatric patients in the U.S.), and Approaches and Decisions in Acute Pediatric TBI (ADAPT; international study on severe pediatric TBI) studies were indexed and matched to the second version of the TBI CDEs. We focused on the CDE sub-categories of \"Acute Hospitalized\" (AH) and \"Moderate\/Severe TBI: Rehabilitation (Rehab). All \"Core\" and \"Basic\" level CDEs were considered. Closely related elements were reduced to one variable to prevent over-representation. Categorical elements and text elements for the same variable were likewise merged to one element for analysis. Following reduction and merging of related elements, 21 Core, 46 Basic AH, and 50 Basic Rehab elements were deemed harmonizable across studies. Gaps in global applicability were identified for four of the TBI CDEs and many of the outcome instruments, which are only available in the English language. Agreements of Core and Basic study CDEs for the AH domain with the TBI CDEs were respectively 81% and 91% for CENTER-TBI, 76% and 93% for TRACK-TBI, and 85% in ADAPT for both domains. For the domain Rehab, agreement with Basic TBI CDEs was 84% for CENTER-TBI, 94% for TRACK-TBI, and 71% for ADAPT. Non-harmonization was largely caused by absence of the elements in the studies. For elements present, the compatibility of coding with TBI CDEs was 90-99%. The degree of harmonization was greatest between CENTER-TBI and TRACK-TBI with 81-87% overlap within the TBI CDE sub-categories. The high degree of harmonization of study variables among these studies demonstrates the importance and utility of common data elements in TBI research. It also confirms the potential for future meta-analyses across these large studies, especially for CENTER TBI and TRACK TBI. The global applicability of the TBI CDEs needs to be improved for them to become a global standard for TBI research. CENTER-TBI, TRACK-TBI, and ADAPT, along with other studies within the InTBIR Initiative, provide a platform to inform further refinement and internationalization for the next version of the TBI CDEs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24303338,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Impact of alternative approaches to assess outlying and influential observations on health care costs.\nThe distributions of medical costs are often skewed to the right because small numbers of patients use large amounts of health care resources. Using data from a study of colon cancer costs, we show, by example, the impact and magnitude of outliers and influential observations on health care costs and compared the effects of statistical costing methods for addressing the disproportionate influence of outliers and influential observations. We used data from a retrospective cohort study of 3,842 elderly veterans with colon cancer who were enrolled in and used health care from, both the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicare in 1999-2004. After calculating the average colon cancer episode cost and distribution for the full cohort, we used box-plot methods, Winsorization, DFBETAs, and Cook's distance to identify and assess or adjust the outlying and\/or influential observations. The number of observations identified as outlying and\/or influential ranged from 13 when the predicted DFBETA measurement was greater than 0.15 and the observation was a qualified box-plot outlier to 384 cases using the Winsorization method at the 5th and 95th percentiles. Average costs of colon cancer episodes using these methods were similar. The method of choice from the results of this particular analysis can be conditionally based on whether the purpose is to control only for influential observations or to simultaneously control for outliers and influential observations. Understanding how estimates could change with each approach is important in assessing the impact of a particular method on the results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35116942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"N 6-methyladenosine could indirectly modulate translation in human cancer cells via cis-elements.\nN 6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the common forms of RNA modifications. METTL3 is the essential factor that has methyltransferase activity. One important role of m6A is to regulate translation of mRNAs via reader YTHDF1. However, whether m6A could indirectly affect the translation of mRNA through other approaches remains unclear. We retrieved the m6A genes in HeLa cells generated by a previous study. In the METTL3 or YTHDF1 knock-down libraries, we examined the global changes in mRNA splicing as well as translation efficiency (TE). In, METTL3-KD cells, the differential splicing (DS) genes are enriched in m6A modified genes. The DS events are relatively enriched in 5'UTR of mRNAs. The 105 genes with DS events in 5'UTR alter their TE more strongly than the genes with DS events in other regions (CDS\/3'UTR\/intron). Furthermore, the splicing pattern of 98 out of those 105 genes are unaffected by reader YTHDF1. Importantly, we did not observe significant TE changes for these 98 genes when YTHDF1 was knocked down. In HeLa cells, for a small set of genes, m6A could modulate the translation of modified mRNAs through affecting the splicing patterns. These indirect effects are independent of the direct regulation by reader proteins as we have verified using YTHDF1-KD data. This pattern is likely caused by the gain or loss of cis-elements in 5'UTRs that determine the translation of host genes. Our work extended our knowledge about the translation regulation by m6A.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3502038,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Use of inhalation of ultrasonic aerosols and galvanic current in the treatment of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis].\nMultimodality treatment of 83 patients with newly detected destructive forms of pulmonary tuberculosis included the use of inhalation of isoniazid and streptomycin in ultrasonic aerosols in combination with galvanic current. This method was well tolerated by the patients, inhalation agents showed high efficacy: elimination of bacteria and disintegration cavity closing in most of the patients occurred in the first 4 months, i. e. by the end of a course of inhalation therapy. The incorporation of rifampicin in the therapeutic scheme did not result in the improvement of therapeutic results but increased the frequency of side effects (toxic and hepatotoxic). The time course of radionuclide scanning showed that the improvement of the capillary blood flow was more frequently observed in therapy with galvanic current.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6153007,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adenoviral pancreatitis in rhesus monkeys: current knowledge.\nFeatures and pathogenesis of adenoviral pancreatitis in rhesus monkeys were studied with an immunofluorescence staining procedure on tissues from two previously documented cases. Fluorescing adenovirus antigen in epithelial cells of the pancreatic ducts, duodenum, and jejunum suggests that under as yet undefined conditions, a primary adenovirus infection of the gastrointestinal tract ascends to the pancreatic parenchyma via pancreatic ducts. In a retrospective survey, over 3,000 microslides of pancreas taken at necropsy from several species of nonhuman primates (1,002 animals) were studied to determine the incidence of and species susceptibility to adenoviral pancreatitis. Other than the two documented cases from our files, we found comparable lesions in only one rhesus monkey. Adenoviral pancreatitis seems to be a distinct entity in rhesus monkeys, and it should be considered when pancreatitis is found in this species. Our findings also suggest a possible viral cause for some cases of pancreatitis in man.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17914627,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Antibacterial activity of ZnO powder with crystallographic orientation.\nZnO powder with crystallographic orientation was prepared from the mixed aqueous solution of zinc chloride, tri-ethanol amine and thio-urea. From X-ray diffraction measurement, as-prepared powder was found to have the orientation along a-b axes of hexagonal structure, and a needle-like shape with the aspect ratio of 5 was observed by scanning electron microscope, indicating that as-prepared powder had crystallographic orientation. In the tests of antibacterial activity by colony count method, ZnO powders with and without crystallographic orientation were used in present work. Survival ratio of bacteria decreased with increasing powder concentration, i.e., increase in antibacterial activity. The antibacterial activity in ZnO powder with crystallographic orientation was weaker than that in commercial ZnO powder without orientation at same powder concentration. Regarding specific surface area of the powders used in antibacterial tests, however, antibacterial activity in powder with orientation was found to be similar to that without orientation; that is, the crystallographic orientation of ZnO did not affect antibacterial activity. The activity toward Staphylococcus aureus was stronger than that toward Escherichia coli, irrespective of the kind of powders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25374293,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Biomarkers as point-of-care tests to guide prescription of antibiotics in patients with acute respiratory infections in primary care.\nBackground Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are by far the most common reason for prescribing an antibiotic in primary care, even though the majority of ARIs are of viral or non-severe bacterial aetiology. Unnecessary antibiotic use will, in many cases, not be beneficial to the patients' recovery and expose them to potential side effects. Furthermore, as a causal link exists between antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance, reducing unnecessary antibiotic use is a key factor in controlling this important problem. Antibiotic resistance puts increasing burdens on healthcare services and renders patients at risk of future ineffective treatments, in turn increasing morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. One strategy aiming to reduce antibiotic use in primary care is the guidance of antibiotic treatment by use of a point-of-care biomarker. A point-of-care biomarker of infection forms part of the acute phase response to acute tissue injury regardless of the aetiology (infection, trauma and inflammation) and may in the correct clinical context be used as a surrogate marker of infection,possibly assisting the doctor in the clinical management of ARIs.Objectives To assess the benefits and harms of point-of-care biomarker tests of infection to guide antibiotic treatment in patients presenting with symptoms of acute respiratory infections in primary care settings regardless of age.Search methods We searched CENTRAL (2013, Issue 12), MEDLINE (1946 to January 2014), EMBASE (2010 to January 2014), CINAHL (1981 to January 2014), Web of Science (1955 to January 2014) and LILACS (1982 to January 2014).Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in primary care patients with ARIs that compared use of point-of-care biomarkers with standard of care. We included trials that randomised individual patients as well as trials that randomised clusters of patients(cluster-RCTs).Two review authors independently extracted data on the following outcomes: i) impact on antibiotic use; ii) duration of and recovery from infection; iii) complications including the number of re-consultations, hospitalisations and mortality; iv) patient satisfaction. We assessed the risk of bias of all included trials and applied GRADE. We used random-effects meta-analyses when feasible. We further analysed results with a high level of heterogeneity in pre-specified subgroups of individually and cluster-RCTs.Main results The only point-of-care biomarker of infection currently available to primary care identified in this review was C-reactive protein. We included six trials (3284 participants; 139 children) that evaluated a C-reactive protein point-of-care test. The available information was from trials with a low to moderate risk of bias that address the main objectives of this review.Overall a reduction in the use of antibiotic treatments was found in the C-reactive protein group (631\/1685) versus standard of care(785\/1599). However, the high level of heterogeneity and the statistically significant test for subgroup differences between the three RCTs and three cluster-RCTs suggest that the results of the meta-analysis on antibiotic use should be interpreted with caution and the pooled effect estimate (risk ratio (RR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.66 to 0.92; I2 statistic = 68%) may not be meaningful.The observed heterogeneity disappeared in our pre planned subgroup analysis based on study design: RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.02; I2 statistic = 5% for RCTs and RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.75; I2 statistic = 0% for cluster-RCTs, suggesting that this was the cause of the observed heterogeneity.There was no difference between using a C-reactive protein point-of-care test and standard care in clinical recovery (defined as at least substantial improvement at day 7 and 28 or need for re-consultations day 28). However, we noted an increase in hospitalisations in the C-reactive protein group in one study, but this was based on few events and may be a chance finding. No deaths were reported in any of the included studies.We classified the quality of the evidence as moderate according to GRADE due to imprecision of the main effect estimate.Authors' conclusions A point-of-care biomarker (e.g. C-reactive protein) to guide antibiotic treatment of ARIs in primary care can reduce antibiotic use,although the degree of reduction remains uncertain. Used as an adjunct to a doctor's clinical examination this reduction in antibiotic use did not affect patient-reported outcomes, including recovery from and duration of illness.However, a possible increase in hospitalisations is of concern. A more precise effect estimate is needed to assess the costs of the intervention and compare the use of a point-of-care biomarker to other antibiotic-saving strategies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30818299,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Numerical investigations on the electromagnetic enhancement effect to tip-enhanced Raman scattering and fluorescence processes.\nIn the present work, we theoretically study the electromagnetic (EM) enhancement of the Raman and fluorescence signals for a molecule placed in a nanocavity formed by a metallic tip and substrate that mimics a tip-enhanced Raman scattering (TERS) setup using three-dimensional finite element method calculations. The influence of tip size and tip-molecule distance on the EM enhancements of the incident field as well as the radiative and non-radiative decay rates of the molecule are systematically investigated. Simulation results show that the maximum EM enhancement to the incident light as provided by the localized surface plasmon resonance in the nanocavity can reach \u223c285 for the configuration considered in the present work. Meanwhile, it was found that, at the classical limit, decreasing the apex radius or the tip-molecule distance can both reduce the spatial distribution (as characterized by the full width at half maximum) of the Raman enhancement in a linear fashion. Moreover, simulation results show that the nonlocal dielectric response of the tip and the substrate plays a key role to the fluorescence quantum yield of the molecule. However, it was found that the strong EM excitation enhancement is the dominating factor for the tip enhanced fluorescence (TEF) effect and stronger fluorescence enhancement has been found when increasing the apex radius or reducing the tip-molecule distance with an incident wavelength of 532 nm. The best TERS and TEF enhancements were found to be \u223c[Formula: see text] and \u223c[Formula: see text], respectively, with the tip-molecule distance around 1 nm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22045544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Sensitivity \"hot spots\" in the direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry of nerve agent simulants.\nPresented here are findings describing the spatial-dependence of sensitivity and ion suppression effects observed with direct analysis in real time (DART). Continuous liquid infusion of dimethyl methyl phosphonate (DMMP) revealed that ion yield \"hot spots\" did not always correspond with the highest temperature regions within the ionization space. For instance, at lower concentrations (50 and 100 \u03bcM), the highest sensitivities were in the middle of the ionization region at 200 \u00b0C where there was a shorter ion transport distance, and the heat available to thermally desorb neutrals was moderate. Conversely, at higher DMMP concentrations (500 \u03bcM), the highest ion yield was directly in front of the DART source at 200 \u00b0C where it was exposed to the highest temperature for thermal desorption. In matching experiments, differential analyte volatility was observed to play a smaller role in relative ion suppression than differences in proton affinity and the relative sampling positions of analytes. At equimolar concentrations sampled at the same position, suppression was as high as 26\u00d7 between isoquinoline (proton affinity 952 kJ mol(-1), boiling point 242 \u00b0C) and p-anisidine (proton affinity 900 kJ mol(-1), boiling point 243 \u00b0C). This effect was exacerbated when sampling positions of the two analytes differed, reaching levels of relative suppression as high as 4543.0\u00d7 \u00b1 1406.0. To mitigate this level of relative ion suppression, sampling positions and molar ratios of the analytes were modified to create conditions in which ion suppression was negligible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8556889,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The long-term effects of parental divorce on the mental health of young adults: a developmental perspective.\nThe effects of parental divorce during childhood and adolescence on the mental health of young adults (age 23) were examined, using the National Child Development Study (NCDS), a longitudinal, multimethod, nationally representative survey of all children born in Great Britain during 1 week in 1958 (N = 17,414). Children were assessed at birth and subsequently followed up at ages 7, 11, 16, and 23 by means of maternal and child interviews, and by psychological, school, and medical assessments. Parental divorce had a moderate, long-term negative impact on adult mental health, as measured by the Malaise Inventory total score, and controlling for economic status, children's emotional problems, and school performance preceding marital dissolution. The likelihood of scoring above the clinical cutoff of the Malaise Inventory rose from 8% to 11% due to parental divorce. This indicated that the relative risk of serious emotional disorders increased in the aftermath of divorce, but that the large majority of individuals did not exhibit such risks. Path analyses revealed that the negative effects of divorce on adult mental health operated indirectly through higher emotional problems and lower levels of school achievement and family economic status at age 16. Results related to timing of divorce, remarriage, and interactions between age 7 emotional problems and divorce, and between age 7 emotional problems and child gender, are also discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26551901,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Commentary on: Are we overpathologizing everyday life? A tenable blueprint for behavioral addiction research.\nThis commentary supports the argument that there is an increasing tendency to subsume a range of excessive daily behaviors under the rubric of non-substance related behavioral addictions. The concept of behavioral addictions gained momentum in the 1990s with the recent reclassification of pathological gambling as a non-substance behavioral addiction in DSM-5 accelerating this process. The propensity to label a host of normal behaviors carried out to excess as pathological based simply on phenomenological similarities to addictive disorders will ultimately undermine the credibility of behavioral addiction as a valid construct. From a scientific perspective, anecdotal observation followed by the subsequent modification of the wording of existing substance dependence diagnostic criteria, and then searching for biopsychosocial correlates to justify classifying an excessive behavior resulting in harm as an addiction falls far short of accepted taxonomic standards. The differentiation of normal from non-substance addictive behaviors ought to be grounded in sound conceptual, theoretical and empirical methodologies. There are other more parsimonious explanations accounting for such behaviors. Consideration needs to be given to excluding the possibility that excessive behaviors are due to situational environmental\/social factors, or symptomatic of an existing affective disorder such as depression or personality traits characteristic of cluster B personalities (namely, impulsivity) rather than the advocating for the establishment of new disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22216894,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Combination therapy with insulin glargine and exenatide: real-world outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes.\nTo investigate the real-world use of combination insulin glargine\/exenatide therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and associated treatment persistence and glycemic control. In this retrospective study, data were extracted from a national US insurance claims database for patients with T2DM for whom insulin glargine and exenatide were co-prescribed in differing order: insulin glargine added after exenatide (EXE+); exenatide added after insulin glargine (GLA+); glargine and exenatide initiated together (GLA + EXE). Patients had continuous health plan coverage for 6 months pre- (baseline) and 1-year post-index (follow-up). A total of 453 patients were eligible for analysis: 141 patients were included in the EXE+ cohort, 281 in the GLA+ cohort, and 31 in the GLA + EXE cohort. There were significant differences between the groups at baseline, including a significantly lower A1C in the GLA+ versus the EXE+ cohort (p = 0.0023). Around one third of patients stayed on both drugs up until the end of the follow-up period (GLA+: 30.2%; EXE+: 29.0%; GLA + EXE: 29.0%). However, more patients stayed on insulin glargine than on exenatide in each cohort. Significant A1C reductions were observed in each of the cohorts at follow-up: GLA+: -0.4%; EXE+: -0.9%; GLA + EXE: -1.2%; p < 0.01, and were significantly higher in the GLA + EXE and EXE+ cohorts than in the GLA+ cohort (p = 0.03 and p = 0.002, respectively). The mean number of hypoglycemic events increased slightly from baseline but remained low in each of the cohorts (GLA+: 0.12 to 1.42; EXE+: 0.09 to 1.04; GLA + EXE: 0.23 to 1.87 per patient, all p > 0.1). Combined therapy with insulin glargine and exenatide resulted in A1C reductions in T2DM patients with poor glycemic control without a significantly increased risk of hypoglycemia irrespective of treatment order. Limitations of this study are the between-cohort differences at baseline, lack of a comparator group, and small n number, particularly in the GLA + EXE cohort.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31684400,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Noise-suppressing channel allocation in dynamic DWDM-QKD networks using LightGBM.\nIntegrating quantum key distribution (QKD) with existing optical networks is highly desired to reduce the deployment costs and achieve efficient resource utilization, and some point-to-point transmitting experiments have verified its feasibility. Nevertheless, there are still many problems in the realistic scenario where QKD coexists with dynamic data traffics. On the one hand, the conventional static channel allocation schemes cannot guarantee the quality of quantum channels in the presence of the time-varying noises. On the other hand, considering the complex noise generation caused by dynamic classical data traffics with variable characters, it is challenging to achieve online high-performance quantum channel assignments. To address these problems, we propose a machine learning based noise-suppressing channel allocation (ML-NSCA) scheme. In this scheme, the LightGBM based ML framework is trained to predict the optimal channel allocations with lowest noise impacts, according to which, the quantum channels are periodically reallocated to guarantee high secure key rate. To improve the accuracy and scalability of the ML framework, we also optimize the method of feature extraction during the training process. The performance evaluation results indicate that the proposed scheme can effectively resist the dynamic noise impacts in the realistic optical networks and obtain higher secure key rate with less operation complexity than the previous schemes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7785713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Reasoning and the art of therapy for spinal cord injury.\nIn this pilot study, qualitative methodology was used to examine the clinical reasoning of four experienced occupational therapists as they presented and modified therapeutic activities to treat patients with spinal cord injuries. The therapists demonstrated the multi-layered thinking discovered in previous research, but hierarchical structuring of knowledge emerged as an unexpectedly dominant theme in their reasoning. Examples of hierarchical thinking about therapeutic activity included creating mental files of therapy tasks and materials sequenced from elementary to advanced and determining the level of difficulty at which to present an activity in order to build the patient's skills in a stepwise manner. The therapists reported that they learned to make decisions about the use of activities in treatment by observing skilled clinicians and by treating patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1777149,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effects of aging on priming and skill learning.\nThis study examined the effects of aging on 2 kinds of implicit memory; repetition priming and skill learning. In Experiment 1, older adults showed less improvement in the skill of reading inverted words than did young adults, but priming performance did not differ for the 2 age groups. Similarly, in Experiment 2, in a partial-word identification task, skill learning was observed only for young adults, whereas there was no age difference in priming. Experiments 1a and 2a, however, showed that when older adults were presented with more perceptual information than were young adults, the age deficit in skill learning was eliminated. These results indicate that skill learning is impaired under data-limited conditions, whereas priming is unaffected under these conditions. It is proposed that the age deficit in skill learning is related to a deficit in perceptual organization and reorganization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34971617,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hidden intermediates in Mango III RNA aptamer folding revealed by pressure perturbation.\nFluorescent RNA aptamers have the potential to enable routine quantitation and localization of RNA molecules and serve as models for understanding biologically active aptamers. In recent years, several fluorescent aptamers have been selected and modified to improve their properties, revealing that small changes to the RNA or the ligands can modify significantly their fluorescent properties. Although structural biology approaches have revealed the bound, ground state of several fluorescent aptamers, characterization of low-abundance, excited states in these systems is crucial to understanding their folding pathways. Here we use pressure as an alternative variable to probe the suboptimal states of the Mango III aptamer with both fluorescence and NMR spectroscopy approaches. At moderate KCl concentrations, increasing pressure disrupted the G-quadruplex structure of the Mango III RNA and led to an intermediate with lower fluorescence. These observations indicate the existence of suboptimal RNA structural states that still bind the TO1-biotin fluorophore and moderately enhance fluorescence. At higher KCl concentration as well, the intermediate fluorescence state was populated at high pressure, but the G-quadruplex remained stable at high pressure, supporting the notion of parallel folding and\/or binding pathways. These results demonstrate the usefulness of pressure for characterizing RNA folding intermediates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12231851,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Synthesis of Benzylglucosinolate in Tropaeolum majus L. (Isothiocyanates as Potent Enzyme Inhibitors).\nBenzylglucosinolate accumulates in mature plants of Tropaeolum majus L. The biosynthetic capacity for synthesis of benzylglucosinolate and the total content of benzylglucosinolate have been investigated during plant development and in different tissues. The content increased from 5 mg of benzylglucosinolate in the fresh seed to between 200 and 400 mg in the adult plant, depending on size. The biosynthetic capacity was measured using L-[U-14C]phenylalanine as precursor. Incorporation levels of approximately 30% were obtained with green leaves, whereas the incorporation levels obtained with other tissues were in the range of 0 to 5%. Leaves were the primary site of benzylglucosinolate synthesis. The high amounts of benzylglucosinolate accumulated in other tissues (e.g. developing seeds) reflected transport of benzylglucosinolate from the leaves. The initial steps in the biosynthesis of glucosinolates and cyanogenic glycosides are thought to be similar and to be localized on microsomal membranes. However, a microsomal system prepared from T. majus was biosynthetically inactive. Inclusion of T. majus plant material during preparation of sorghum microsomes also inhibited their activity. Benzylisothiocyanate, generated by degradation of benzylglucosinolate during the homogenization procedure, strongly inhibited the sorghum enzyme system, and its presence may thus explain why the isolated T. majus microsomal system is inactive.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12223586,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Chronic morphine induces downregulation of spinal glutamate transporters: implications in morphine tolerance and abnormal pain sensitivity.\nTolerance to the analgesic effects of an opioid occurs after its chronic administration, a pharmacological phenomenon that has been associated with the development of abnormal pain sensitivity such as hyperalgesia. In the present study, we examined the role of spinal glutamate transporters (GTs) in the development of both morphine tolerance and associated thermal hyperalgesia. Chronic morphine administered through either intrathecal boluses or continuous infusion induced a dose-dependent downregulation of GTs (EAAC1 and GLAST) in the rat's superficial spinal cord dorsal horn. This GT downregulation was mediated through opioid receptors because naloxone blocked such GT changes. Morphine-induced GT downregulation reduced the ability to maintain in vivo glutamate homeostasis at the spinal level, because the hyperalgesic response to exogenous glutamate was enhanced, including an increased magnitude and a prolonged time course, in morphine-treated rats with reduced spinal GTs. Moreover, the downregulation of spinal GTs exhibited a temporal correlation with the development of morphine tolerance and thermal hyperalgesia. Consistently, the GT inhibitor l-trans-pyrrolidine-2-4-dicarboxylate (PDC) potentiated, whereas the positive GT regulator riluzole reduced, the development of both morphine tolerance and thermal hyperalgesia. The effects from regulating spinal GT activity by PDC were at least in part mediated through activation of the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), because the noncompetitive NMDAR antagonist MK-801 blocked both morphine tolerance and thermal hyperalgesia that were potentiated by PDC. These results indicate that spinal GTs may contribute to the neural mechanisms of morphine tolerance and associated abnormal pain sensitivity by means of regulating regional glutamate homeostasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6173376,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A new relaxed mutant of Bacillus subtilis.\nA new relaxed mutant of Bacillus subtilis was isolated by screening Rifr clones for alterations in stringent control. The Rifr relaxed mutant which is described was found to contain a second-site mutation conferring a relaxed response to an energy source downshift and was partially relaxed after amino acid starvation. The new rel locus, called relG, was distinct from the two other known rel loci in B. subtilis, relA, and relC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17472514,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"National survey of pediatric residency program directors and residents regarding education in palliative medicine and end-of-life care.\nTo determine how palliative and end-of-life care can best be incorporated into the training of pediatric residents. From 2001 to 2002, we surveyed 246 directors and 235 residents of pediatric residency programs. We elicited responses regarding (1) perceived relevance of pediatric palliative care, (2) residents' exposure to palliative medicine, (3) competency of faculty and matriculating residents in palliative care, (4) core palliative medicine competencies, and (5) the best teaching\/learning format for palliative care. Fifty-five directors (22.4%) and 98 residents (42.0%) responded. More than three quarters of directors (78.1%) agreed with the statement that palliative care as a competency is \"somewhat\" to \"very\" important. Approximately one third (32.7%) agreed with the statement that their residents were not clinically exposed to end-of-life care; 99.0% of the residents indicated participation in such care. Almost one third of directors (27.3%) indicated that they had no faculty available to teach palliative care. Only 38.2% agreed with the statement that matriculating residents are competent in palliative medicine while many residents indicated having limited or no training in core palliative care competencies. For palliative care principles to be better incorporated into pediatric practice, they must be incorporated into residency education, optimally through informal teaching and during rounds. Finding ways to teach residents palliative medicine during clinical \"teachable moments\" and standardizing didactic curricula should become a priority in palliative and end-of-life care education.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6356477,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Endoscopic control of gastrointestinal hemorrhage by local injection of absolute ethanol: a basic assessment of the procedure.\nTo investigate the hemostatic mechanism of local ethanol injection, ethanol was injected into the gastric mucosa of five adult mongrel dogs and one guinea pig and histologic changes at acute and healing stages were followed. Following a local injection of absolute ethanol, the blood flow in small vessels at the site of injection became instantaneously arrested. Histopathologically, thrombosis of blood vessels in the mucosa and submucosa with edema, predominantly submucosal, was found 10 min after the ethanol injection. There was little or no inflammatory cell infiltration in the injected region. By 4 days after the injection, the base of the formed ulcer became stabilized with a uniform white coating, which, microscopically, was mainly composed of a thick layer of necrotized mucosal tissue. Ethanol showed fixative activity when applied to tissues at concentrations of greater than or equal to 20% although an ethanol concentration of at least 70% was required to accomplish adequate tissue fixation. With 95% or lower concentrations of ethanol, dehydration of tissue was insufficient, and hemostasis due to local vasoconstriction was less conspicuous than with absolute alcohol. Nevertheless, a fixative effect with consequent degeneration and necrosis of cells and secondary thrombosis was evident even at these ethanol concentrations. In patients treated with this hemostatic procedure, exposed blood vessels in the gastric ulcer became necrotized and corroded by fixation with injected absolute ethanol and disappeared from the base of the ulcer within 24 hr as seen in the animals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15917664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Triple layer control: phosphorylation, acetylation and ubiquitination of FOXO proteins.\nFOXO proteins are transcriptional regulators that control cell cycle progression, DNA repair, defense against oxidative damage and apoptosis. These divergent functions of FOXO proteins are regulated by signal-induced, post-translational modifications. Phosphorylation of cytoplasmic FOXO at specific sites by JNK initiates translocation into the nucleus. Acetylation and deacetylation of nuclear FOXO affects the selection of transcriptional programs that are controlled by FOXO proteins. Activation of Akt by growth factors results in phosphorylation of nuclear FOXO at specific sites followed by additional phosphorylations mediated by other kinases. Akt-dependent phosphorylation reduces the DNA-binding activity of FOXO, interferes with binding to the co-activators p300\/CBP, and inactivates the FOXO nuclear translocation signal. The Akt-phosphorylated FOXO is exported from the nucleus in a CRM1- and 14-3-3-dependent process. Cytoplasmic, Akt-phosphorylated FOXO interacts with the ubiquitin ligase Skp2 and is targeted for proteasomal degradation. The nuclear-cytoplasmic \"FOXO shuttle\" is driven by stress signals that result in nuclear import and FOXO transcriptional activity and growth signals that initiate nuclear export and proteasomal degradation of FOXO.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20660159,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Ubc4 and Not4 regulate steady-state levels of DNA polymerase-\u03b1 to promote efficient and accurate DNA replication.\nThe accurate duplication of chromosomal DNA is required to maintain genomic integrity. However, from an evolutionary point of view, a low mutation rate during DNA replication is desirable. One way to strike the right balance between accuracy and limited mutagenesis is to use a DNA polymerase that lacks proofreading activity but contributes to DNA replication in a very restricted manner. DNA polymerase-\u03b1 fits this purpose exactly, but little is known about its regulation at the replication fork. Minichromosome maintenance protein (Mcm) 10 regulates the stability of the catalytic subunit of pol-\u03b1 in budding yeast and human cells. Cdc17, the catalytic subunit of pol-\u03b1 in yeast, is rapidly degraded after depletion of Mcm10. Here we show that Ubc4 and Not4 are required for Cdc17 destabilization. Disruption of Cdc17 turnover resulted in sensitivity to hydroxyurea, suggesting that this pathway is important for DNA replication. Furthermore, overexpression of Cdc17 in ubc4 and not4 mutants caused slow growth and synthetic dosage lethality, respectively. Our data suggest that Cdc17 levels are very tightly regulated through the opposing forces of Ubc4 and Not4 (destabilization) and Mcm10 (stabilization). We conclude that regular turnover of Cdc17 via Ubc4 and Not4 is required for proper cell proliferation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30140482,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An Assessment of Forage Selection by Giraffe Introduced into Umfurudzi Park, Northern Zimbabwe.\nGiraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) is one of the flagship herbivore species in the savanna ecosystem and is of high conservation value. Management of the species under diversified ecosystems, particularly, their introduction in new ecosystems is of great concern, given that limited information is available of how the species acclimatizes to new ecosystems and which forage species it selects. The objectives of the present study were to (i) identify woody plant species selected by the recently introduced giraffes and (ii) determine whether there were differences in woody plant diversity between the dry and wet seasons in Umfurudzi Park, northern Zimbabwe. Forage selection and woody composition data were collected from a herd of giraffe between May and December 2016, using the focal observation method in an enclosure within the study area. A total of 106 observation plots were established. Our results showed that 12 woody plant species comprising six families were selected from a total of 29 woody plant species recorded in the study area. Giraffe showed a higher preference of the selected species in the dry season than in the wet season. In contrast, no significant differences were recorded in terms of forage availability and woody vegetation diversity between seasons. In conclusion, our results suggest that plant phenology, particularly, presence of leaves on plants influences giraffe feed preferences. Establishing long-term monitoring plots to determine woody vegetation utilisation by giraffes is valuable as a way to monitoring habitat utilisation by the species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18052535,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"STDP in a bistable synapse model based on CaMKII and associated signaling pathways.\nThe calcium\/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) plays a key role in the induction of long-term postsynaptic modifications following calcium entry. Experiments suggest that these long-term synaptic changes are all-or-none switch-like events between discrete states. The biochemical network involving CaMKII and its regulating protein signaling cascade has been hypothesized to durably maintain the evoked synaptic state in the form of a bistable switch. However, it is still unclear whether experimental LTP\/LTD protocols lead to corresponding transitions between the two states in realistic models of such a network. We present a detailed biochemical model of the CaMKII autophosphorylation and the protein signaling cascade governing the CaMKII dephosphorylation. As previously shown, two stable states of the CaMKII phosphorylation level exist at resting intracellular calcium concentration, and high calcium transients can switch the system from the weakly phosphorylated (DOWN) to the highly phosphorylated (UP) state of the CaMKII (similar to a LTP event). We show here that increased CaMKII dephosphorylation activity at intermediate Ca(2+) concentrations can lead to switching from the UP to the DOWN state (similar to a LTD event). This can be achieved if protein phosphatase activity promoting CaMKII dephosphorylation activates at lower Ca(2+) levels than kinase activity. Finally, it is shown that the CaMKII system can qualitatively reproduce results of plasticity outcomes in response to spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) and presynaptic stimulation protocols. This shows that the CaMKII protein network can account for both induction, through LTP\/LTD-like transitions, and storage, due to its bistability, of synaptic changes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26217013,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"C\/EBP\u03b2 and Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells Differentially Regulate Adamts-1 Induction by Stimuli Associated with Vascular Remodeling.\nEmerging evidence indicates that the metalloproteinase Adamts-1 plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of vessel remodeling, but little is known about the signaling pathways that control Adamts-1 expression. We show that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiotensin-II, interleukin-1\u03b2, and tumor necrosis factor \u03b1, stimuli implicated in pathological vascular remodeling, increase Adamts-1 expression in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Analysis of the intracellular signaling pathways implicated in this process revealed that VEGF and angiotensin-II upregulate Adamts-1 expression via activation of differential signaling pathways that ultimately promote functional binding of the NFAT or C\/EBP\u03b2 transcription factors, respectively, to the Adamts-1 promoter. Infusion of mice with angiotensin-II triggered phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of C\/EBP\u03b2 proteins in aortic cells concomitantly with an increase in the expression of Adamts-1, further underscoring the importance of C\/EBP\u03b2 signaling in angiotensin-II-induced upregulation of Adamts-1. Similarly, VEGF promoted NFAT activation and subsequent Adamts-1 induction in aortic wall in a calcineurin-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate that Adamts-1 upregulation by inducers of pathological vascular remodeling is mediated by specific signal transduction pathways involving NFAT or C\/EBP\u03b2 transcription factors. Targeting of these pathways may prove useful in the treatment of vascular disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3415324,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Monitoring in non-traumatic coma. Part II: Electroencephalography.\nForty eight comatose children had electroencephalograms (EEG) recorded during the acute phase of their illnesses. These were classified according to a simple grading system and the findings correlated with the presence of seizures, deep coma, minimum cerebral perfusion pressure, and eventual neurological outcome. Serial EEGs proved important, particularly when slow activity was seen initially. None of the 20 patients who showed low amplitude EEG activity or electrocerebral silence at any stage of the acute illness did well. Discharges were seen in only 13 of the 29 patients with seizures and their presence did not correlate with outcome except in five patients with a distinctive pattern of discharges, none of whom had a good outcome. EEG findings associated with poor outcome did not always correlate with the clinical assessment of deep coma, emphasising the difficulties of neurological evaluation in these patients. Five of the patients with cerebral perfusion pressures greater than 42 mm Hg had a poor outcome that was predicted by serial EEGs. In nine patients with a minimum cerebral perfusion pressure in the borderline range 38-42 mm Hg the EEG was useful as an indication of the outcome. The EEG reflects changes in cerebral function which may be due to multifactorial or repeated insults. An EEG is therefore important in both the initial assessment and as an indicator of the neurological outcome, particularly in those patients in whom the cerebral perfusion pressure has apparently been adequate or within the borderline range.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16193772,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Influence of phantom material and phantom size on radiographic film response in therapy photon beams.\nThe energy dependence of radiographic film can introduce dosimetric errors when evaluating photon beams. The variation of the film response, which is attributed to the changing photon spectrum with depth and field size, has been the subject of numerous publications in recent years. However, these data show large unexplained differences in the magnitude of this variation among independent studies. To try to resolve this inconsistency, this study assesses the dependence of radiographic film response on phantom material and phantom size using film measurements and Monte Carlo calculations. The relative dose measured with film exposed to 6 MV x rays in various phantoms (polystyrene, acrylic, Solid Water, and water; the lateral phantom dimensions vary from 25 to 50 cm square; backscatter thickness varies from 10 to 30 cm) is compared with ion chamber measurements in water. Ranges of field size (5 x 5 to 40 x 40 cm2) and depth (dmax to 20 cm) are studied. For similar phantom and beam configurations, Monte Carlo techniques generate photon fluence spectra from which the relative film response is known from an earlier study. Results from film response measurements agree with those derived from Monte Carlo calculations within 3%. For small fields (< or = 10 x 10 cm2) and shallow depths (< or = 10 cm) the film response variation is small, less than 4%, for all phantoms. However, for larger field sizes and depths, the phantom material and phantom size have a greater influence on the magnitude of the film response. The variation of film response, over the ranges of field sizes and depths studied, is 50% in polystyrene compared with 30% in water. Film responses in Solid Water and water phantoms are similar; acrylic is between water and polystyrene. In polystyrene the variation of film response for a 50 cm square phantom is nearly twice that observed in a 25 cm square phantom. This study shows that differences in the configuration of the phantoms used for film dosimetry can explain much of the inconsistency for film response reported in the literature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8289437,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy--immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies on the central and peripheral nervous systems in infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy.\nWe performed pathological studies on the central and peripheral nervous systems of cases with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD). Numerous spheroid bodies in the central and peripheral nervous systems, were seen and divided into large spheroid bodies (LSB) and small spheroid bodies (SSB) photo-microscopically. LSB had a relation to some specific neurons with weak expression of neuron specific enolase, neurofilament and chromogranin using PAP method. SSB showed a relation to the axon without immunohistochemical expression of neuron specific enolase, neurofilament, glial fibrillary acidic protein, myelin basic protein, chromogranin, S 100 protein or antitrypsin. LSB were prominent in the posterior column, gracile nucleus, cuneate nucleus, and the tegmentum of the midbrain and the pons associated with neuronal loss and gliosis. SSB were observed in the thalamus, basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. The cerebellum was sclerotic with few microtubule-like structures disposed in a dense network in association with degenerated mitochondria. Similar changes were observed in the sural nerves, autonomic nerve endings in the skin, and the nerve plexus of the digestive tract. Although INAD is a generalized neurodegenerative disease, it is suggested that the primary disorder might occur in the neurons and axons of the sensory tracts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24466293,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bilateral versus single internal mammary coronary artery bypass grafting in Sweden from 1997-2008.\nPrior observational studies have suggested better outcomes in patients who receive bilateral internal mammary arteries (BIMA) during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) compared with patients who receive a single internal mammary artery (SIMA). The aim of this study was to analyze the association between BIMA use and long-term survival in patients who underwent primary isolated CABG. Patients who underwent primary isolated non-emergent CABG in Sweden between 1997 and 2008 were identified. The SWEDEHEART registry and other national Swedish registers were used to acquire information about patient characteristics and outcomes. Unadjusted and multivariable adjusted regression models were used to estimate the association between BIMA use and early mortality, long-term survival, and a composite of death from any cause or rehospitalization for myocardial infarction, heart failure, or stroke in the overall cohort and in a propensity score-matched cohort. The study population consisted of 49702 patients who underwent CABG with at least one internal mammary artery, and 559 (1%) of those had BIMA grafting. In the adjusted analyses, BIMA use was not associated with better survival compared with SIMA use in the overall cohort (hazard ratio (HR) for death: 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.97 to 1.37) or in the matched cohort (HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 0.78 to 1.40). The results were similar for early mortality and the composite endpoint. Reoperation for sternal wound complications was more common among BIMA patients (odds ratio: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.01 to 2.88). BIMA grafting was performed infrequently and was not associated with better outcomes compared with SIMA grafting in patients undergoing non-emergent primary isolated CABG in Sweden during 1997-2008.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2205492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An overview of prechronic and chronic toxicity\/carcinogenicity experimental study designs and criteria used by the National Toxicology Program.\nSince the establishment of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), there have been gradual changes in strategies to evaluate the overall toxicity of chemicals as well as their carcinogenic potential. The spectrum of toxicologic information sought on selected chemicals has been broadened by the multidisciplinary approach to evaluating chemicals. This paper describes the scientific rationale and experimental processes used by NTP in designing studies. Also, an outline of current NTP protocols are given for prechronic and chronic toxicity\/carcinogenicity studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8466764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Reduction of cisplatinum-induced renal toxicity in mice by tetrahydroindazolonecarboxylic acid (HIDA) [corrected].\nThe ability of tetrahydroindazolone carboxylic acid (HIDA) to reduce the toxicity of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (cis-DDP) in CDF1 mice was investigated. Toxicity was assessed both in terms of mouse lethality occurring within 14 days after treatment and kidney damage estimated by measurement of plasma urea. The levels of plasma urea were found to increase from day 2 after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of cis-DDP, reaching a peak at day 5. This increase was also cis-DDP-dose dependent. An i.p. injection of HIDA reduced kidney damage only when given 2.5 h prior to cis-DDP and at HIDA doses of 100 mg\/kg or larger. The protection ratio for this reduction was 1.10. HIDA also decreased mouse lethality from cis-DDP, resulting in a PR of 1.41. This protective effect of HIDA on cis-DDP toxicity may eventually have a clinical application.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36865436,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Simple Arthroscopic Technique to Perform Retrograde Drilling for Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Condyles with the Use of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Guide.\nThis technical note describes a simple arthroscopic technique that was introduced without the need for further staff during an operation to address osteonecrosis of the medial femoral condyle. A 2.4 mm pin was positioned through the sleeve of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tibial guide and marked with a steri-strip at its body, aiming at 5-10 mm distance between the tips of guide and the pin. The steri-strip serves as a marker and as a stop for inadvertent violation of the cartilage. The tip of the ACL was positioned just over the bone lesion, while the marked 2.4 mm pin was inserted through the ACL tibial guide from anterior surface of the femur. A stab incision was made and without advancing the sleeve to the bone, the pin was drilled to the marked position while cartilage integrity was confirmed arthroscopically. This arthroscopic technique is simple, fast and effective and is performed without the need for special equipment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25025476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Is asthma a psychosomatic illness?\nIn asthma the bronchial muscle is hyperirritable, making asthmatics susceptible to a wide variety of external and endogenous trigger factors normally experienced by us all. The level of hyperirritability determines the risk of developing bronchospasm on exposure to the trigger factors. Bronchial muscle tone is in part maintained by vagal nerves. Emotional factors can act as triggers for bronchospasm through these nerves, particularly in patients with the greatest hyperirritability. Asthma itself may arouse hostilities in parents, peers, and therapists. By definition asthma can therefore be considered psychosomatic, but because of current usage, this term does not help good medical management. The complex interplay between the organic abnormality in asthma and the psychosocial environment should always be carefully considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37477990,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mitochondrial DNA 13513G>A Mutation Causing Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Associated With Adult-Onset Renal Failure.\nLeber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is one of the more common mitochondrial diseases and is rarely associated with mitochondrial renal disease. We report 3 unrelated patients with a background of adult-onset renal failure who presented to us with LHON and were shown to have a heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA mutation (m.13513G>A). Retrospective chart review. All 3 patients had a background of chronic renal failure and presented to us with bilateral optic neuropathy (sequential in 2) and were found to have heteroplasmic m.13513G>A mutations in the MT-ND5 gene. Two of the patients were females (aged 30 and 45 years) with chronic kidney disease from their 20s, attributed to pre-eclampsia, one of whom also had diabetes and sudden bilateral hearing loss. One patient was a male (aged 54 years) with chronic kidney disease from his 20s attributed to IgA nephropathy. His mother had diabetes and apparently sudden bilateral blindness in her 70s. Renal biopsy findings were variable and included interstitial fibrosis, acute tubular necrosis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and IgA\/C3 tubular casts on immunofluorescence. Mild improvements in vision followed treatment with either idebenone or a combination supplement including coenzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic acid, and B vitamins. Our cases expand the clinical syndromes associated with m.13513G>A to include bilateral optic neuropathy and adult-onset renal disease. This highlights that in patients with bilateral, especially sequential, optic neuropathy a broad approach to mitochondrial testing is more useful than a limited LHON panel. Mitochondrial diseases present a diagnostic challenge because of their clinical and genetic variability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26372307,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"I can, I do, and so I like: From power to action and aesthetic preferences.\nThe current work tested the hypothesis that power increases reliance on experiences of motor fluency in forming aesthetic preferences. In 4 experiments, participants reported their aesthetic preferences regarding a variety of targets (pictures, movements, objects, and letters). Experiments 1, 2, and 3 manipulated power and motor fluency (via motoric resonance, extraocular muscle training, and dominant hand restriction). Experiment 4 manipulated power and assessed chronic interindividual differences in motor fluency. Across these experiments, power consistently increased reliance on motor fluency in aesthetic preference judgments. This finding was not mediated by differences in mood, judgment certainty, perceived task-demands or task-enjoyment, and derived from the use of motor simulations rather than from power differences in the acquisition of motor experiences. This is the first demonstration suggesting that power changes the formation of preference judgments as a function of motor fluency experiences. The implications of this research for the links between power and action, as well as the understanding of fluency processes are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10950132,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Comparison between radioactive aerosol, technegas and krypton for ventilation imaging in healthy calves.\nThe use of lung scintigraphy in calves necessitates the validation of a ventilation (V) imaging agent compatible with clinical applications. This study aimed at defining the value of an inhaled radioactive aerosol (99mTc-DTPA) and a 'pseudogas' (Technegas) in the assessment of regional V in healthy conscious calves by comparing 99mTc-DTPA and Technegas deposition (D) images to V(V) images obtained from the steady-state inhalation of the short half-life krypton 81 (81mKr) gas. Images were compared by analysis of radioactivity distribution in computer-generated regions of interest within the right lung and D to V ratio images were generated in order to highlight areas of mismatching between 99mTc-DTPA or Technegas and 81mKr distributions. Results of this analysis showed that the 99mTc-DTPA aerosol droplets were unable to reach the lung parenchyma because of significant particle impaction in the major conducting airways. Better definition of the ventilated lung was obtained when using Technegas because of minimal deposition in conducting airways. Furthermore, the Technegas and 81mKr distribution patterns were highly equivalent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8285282,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"ICI 182,780: a pure antiestrogen that affects behaviors and energy balance in rats without acting in the brain.\nICI 182,780 is one of a new class of steroidal antiestrogens that differs from nonsteroidal antiestrogens, such as tamoxifen, in a number of respects. 1) It is bound by estrogen receptors with a high affinity, similar to that for estradiol. 2) It is a \"pure\" antiestrogen in that it does not mimic any of the effects of estradiol. 3) This class of antiestrogens does not seem to be bound by antiestrogen binding sites. 4) ICI 182,780 may not be active in the brain after peripheral administration. Indeed, ICI 182,780 blocked in vivo cell nuclear binding of [3H]estradiol in uterus, pituitary, and adipose tissue but not in hypothalamus-preoptic area. In vitro, ICI 182,780 competed for binding by neural estrogen receptors with an affinity comparable with that for estradiol. When given to ovariectomized rats, ICI 182,780 did not mimic any of the actions of estradiol. Instead, ICI 182,780 treatment completely blocked the uterotrophic effects of estradiol and attenuated the actions of estradiol on linear growth, carcass fat content, fat pad weight, and sexual receptivity. Treatment with ICI 182,780 also attenuated the estrogenic effects of tamoxifen on food intake, body weight and composition, linear growth, and uterine weight. These findings support the concept that, in addition to its actions in the brain, estradiol can act peripherally to modulate regulatory behaviors, energy balance, and estrous behavior. They are also consistent with the hypothesis that nonsteroidal antiestrogens, such as tamoxifen, affect energy balance via estrogen receptors, rather than antiestrogen binding sites.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16443633,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Enhancing instance-based classification with local density: a new algorithm for classifying unbalanced biomedical data.\nClassification is an important data mining task in biomedicine. In particular, classification on biomedical data often claims the separation of pathological and healthy samples with highest discriminatory performance for diagnostic issues. Even more important than the overall accuracy is the balance of a classifier, particularly if datasets of unbalanced class size are examined. We present a novel instance-based classification technique which takes both information of different local density of data objects and local cluster structures into account. Our method, which adopts the basic ideas of density-based outlier detection, determines the local point density in the neighborhood of an object to be classified and of all clusters in the corresponding region. A data object is assigned to that class where it fits best into the local cluster structure. The experimental evaluation on biomedical data demonstrates that our approach outperforms most popular classification methods. The algorithm LCF is available for testing under http:\/\/biomed.umit.at\/upload\/lcfx.zip.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26781331,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Interruptin B induces brown adipocyte differentiation and glucose consumption in adipose-derived stem cells.\nInterruptin B has been isolated from Cyclosorus terminans, however, its pharamcological effect has not been fully identified. In the present study, the effects of interruptin B, from C. terminans, on brown adipocyte differentiation and glucose uptake in adipose\u2011derived stem cells (ASCs) were investigated. The results revealed that interruptin B dose\u2011dependently enhanced the adipogenic differentiation of ASCs, with an induction in the mRNA expression levels of peroxisome proliferator\u2011activated receptor (PPAR)\u2011\u03b1 and PPAR\u2011\u03b3. In addition, interruptin B efficiently increased the number and the membrane potential of mitochondria and upregulated the mRNA expression levels of uncoupling protein (UCP)\u20111 and cyclooxygenase (COX)\u20112, which are all predominantly expressed in brown adipocytes. Interruptin B increased glucose consumption in differentiated ASCs, accompanied by the upregulation in the mRNA expression levels of glucose transporter (GLUT)\u20111 and GLUT\u20114. The computational analysis of molecular docking, a luciferase reporter assay and surface plasmon resonance confirmed the marked binding affinity of interruptin B to PPAR\u2011\u03b1 and PPAR\u2011\u03b3 (K(D) values of 5.32 and 0.10 \u00b5m, respectively). To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first report to show the stimulatory effects of interruptin B on brown adipocyte differentiation and glucose uptake in ASCs, through its role as a dual PPAR\u2011\u03b1 and PPAR\u2011\u03b3 ligand. Therefore, interruptin B could be further developed as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of diabetes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17087190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Oxidative stress, the functional activity of beta-cells, and the content of tumor necrosis factor alpha in patients with type II diabetes mellitus].\nThe purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of dietotherapy on oxidative stress (OS) condition, the fl-cell functional activity (BCFA), insulin resistance index (IRI), and the serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (alpha-TNF) level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM 2). The subjects, 30 patients with DM 2 (9 men, 21 women), aged 42 to 70 (mean age 58.77 +\/- 8.86 years), were examined. The duration of DM 2 in the subjects was from 1 month to 5 years. OS parameters, IRI and BCFA, as well as serum alpha-TNF were measured before the study and after 3 months of observation. The tests performed after the end of the study showed that hydrocarbonate exchange remained compensated, and IRI and BCFA were moderately lowered in DM 2 patients on dietotherapy. There was an insignificant elevation of serum alpha-TNF, while the condition of hydrocarbonate exchange had bettered. Changes in OS parameters in patients on dietotherapy evidence that the reserve activity of anti-oxidative system enzymes decreases. Thus, the compensation of hydrocarbonate exchange in DM 2 patients on dietotherapy retains, which is accompanied by a decrease in IRI and BCFA, while serum alpha-TNFincreases insignificantly, and reserved anti-oxidative system enzyme activity decreases moderately.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7746227,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Holoprosencephaly: a case presentation.\nHoloprosencephaly is a rare, potentially catastrophic genetic defect involving the midfacial region and brain. The most severe expressions of the disorder are fatal. Approximately 20 percent of individuals with holoprosencephaly have normal brains and mild facial deformities. As adults, these individuals have the potential of producing severely affected offspring. Therefore, accurate health histories for purposes of case finding and referral for genetic counseling are important components of nursing care for any obstetric patient. NICU nurses should be aware of this rare disorder. When it presents in its most severe forms, it is important that NICU nurses provide accurate information and emotional support while diagnosis is confirmed. It is crucial that parents and families of affected infants be referred for genetic counseling so they can make informed decisions about future pregnancies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33669492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epitaxial Growth and Characterization of 4H-SiC for Neutron Detection Applications.\nThe purpose of this work is to study the 4H-SiC epitaxial layer properties for the fabrication of a device for neutron detection as an alternative material to diamond detectors used in this field. We have studied a high growth rate process to grow a thick epitaxial layer (250 \u00b5m) of 4H-SiC and, in order to estimate the quality of the epitaxial layer, an optical characterization was done through Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy for stacking fault defect evaluation. Micro Raman spectroscopy was used for simultaneous determination of both carrier lifetime and induced carriers in equilibrium. We have compared these results with other two samples with an epitaxial layer of 100 micron, obtained with two different growth rates, 60 and 90 \u00b5m\/h, respectively. From Raman measurements it has been observed that both the growth rate and the grown epitaxial layer thickness have an effect on the measured carrier lifetime. A comparison between different kinds of stacking faults (SF) was done, evaluating the influence of these defects on the carrier lifetime as a function of the injection level and it was observed that only at a low injection is the effect on the carrier lifetime low.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19602827,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Is glycemic index of food a feasible predictor of appetite, hunger, and satiety?\nThis review assesses the feasibility of using glycemic index (GI) as a predictor of appetite, hunger and satiety by surveying published human intervention studies. We also discuss the relationship between GI and two appetite\/satiety control hormones, leptin and ghrelin. Ingestion of high-GI food increased hunger and lowered satiety in short-term human intervention studies. This effect may be attributed to the rapid decline in blood glucose level following a hyperinsulinemic response caused by a sharp and transient increase in blood glucose level that occurs after the ingestion of high-GI food, which is defined as the glucostatic theory. However, appetite, hunger and satiety after the ingestion of foods with varying GI were inconsistent among long-term human intervention studies. From the few relevant long-term studies available, we selected two recent well-designed examples for analysis, but they failed to elicit clear differences in glycemic and insulinemic responses between high- and low-GI meals (consisting of a combination of different foods or key carbohydrate-rich foods incorporated into habitual diets). One of the reasons that these studies could not predict glycemic response to mixed meals is presumably that the GI of each particular food was not reflected in that of the mixed meals as a whole. Thus, it is difficult to conclude that the GI values of foods or mixed meals are a valid long-term predictor for appetite, hunger and satiety. Both insulin and insulin-mediated glucose uptake and metabolism in adipose tissue affect blood leptin concentration and its diurnal pattern. Circulating ghrelin level is suppressed by carbohydrate-rich meals, presumably via glycemia and insulinemia. Accordingly, low-GI foods may not necessarily increase satiety or suppress appetite and\/or hunger because of the lack of insulin-mediated leptin stimulation and ghrelin suppression. However, insulin-mediated leptin stimulation and ghrelin suppression per se is not consistent among studies; thus we were not able to identify a clear relationship among GI, satietogenic leptin, and appetitic ghrelin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31843948,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Quality of Life and Glucose Control After 1 Year of Nationwide Reimbursement of Intermittently Scanned Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Adults Living With Type 1 Diabetes (FUTURE): A Prospective Observational Real-World Cohort Study.\nIn 2016, nationwide reimbursement of intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) for people living with type 1 diabetes treated in specialist diabetes centers was introduced in Belgium. We undertook a 12-month prospective observational multicenter real-world study to investigate impact of isCGM on quality of life and glycemic control. Between July 2016 and July 2018, 1,913 adults with type 1 diabetes were consecutively recruited in three specialist diabetes centers. Demographic, metabolic, and quality of life data were collected at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months of standardized clinical follow-up. The primary end point was evolution of quality of life from baseline to 12 months. Secondary outcome measures were, among others, change in HbA1c, time spent in different glycemic ranges, occurrence of acute diabetes complications, and work absenteeism. General and diabetes-specific quality of life was high at baseline and remained stable, whereas treatment satisfaction improved (P < 0.0001). Admissions for severe hypoglycemia and\/or ketoacidosis were rare in the year before study (n = 63 out of 1,913; 3.3%), but decreased further to 2.2% (n = 37 out of 1,711; P = 0.031). During the study, fewer people reported severe hypoglycemic events (n = 280 out of 1,913 [14.6%] vs. n = 134 out of 1,711 [7.8%]; P < 0.0001) or hypoglycemic comas (n = 52 out of 1,913 [2.7%] vs. n = 18 out of 1,711 [1.1%]; P = 0.001) while maintaining HbA1c levels. Fewer people were absent from work (n = 111 out of 1,913 [5.8%] vs. n = 49 out of 1,711 [2.9%]; P < 0.0001). Time spent in hypoglycemia significantly decreased in parallel with less time in range and more time in hyperglycemia. Eleven percent (n = 210) of participants experienced skin reactions, leading to stopping of isCGM in 22 participants (1%). Nationwide unrestricted reimbursement of isCGM in people with type 1 diabetes treated in specialist diabetes centers results in higher treatment satisfaction, less severe hypoglycemia, and less work absenteeism, while maintaining quality of life and HbA1c.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17941860,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Significant bacteriuria in outpatient diabetic and non-diabetic persons.\nThe prevalence of significant bacteriuria (SB) in diabetes mellitus has not been clearly established. Having previously investigated SB frequency in inpatient diabetic women, we now screened for SB (both asymptomatic and symptomatic forms) in outpatients. We examined 511 consecutive outpatients with Type 1 (T1D) or Type 2 diabetes (T2D), and 98 non-diabetic subjects. At least one uncontaminated midstream urine sample was available from 602 subjects: 64 T1D (37 female, age 49 +\/- 13 years, diabetes duration 23 +\/- 15 years), 441 T2D (212 female, 66 +\/- 10 years, 12 +\/- 10 years), and 97 healthy control subjects (39 female, 57 +\/- 12 years). On the same day, we determined: blood cell count, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)), plasma creatinine, urinary creatinine, and urinary albumin excretion (UAE; microg\/mg urinary creatinine). The rate of SB was 14.1% in T1D, 9.3% in T2D and 6.2% in control subjects (P = NS). The 50 diabetic patients with SB differed from the 455 diabetic patients without SB in gender (43 male vs. 206 female, P < 0.001), FPG (10.2 +\/- 3.6 vs. 9.2 +\/- 2.9 mmol\/l, P < 0.05), HbA(1c) (7.8 +\/- 1.1 vs. 7.5 +\/- 1.3%, P < 0.05), and UAE (median 15.6 vs. 7.6 microg\/mg, P < 0.01). Eleven diabetic patients with SB had symptoms (vs. 48 without SB, P < 0.05); UAE levels were higher in the 39 asymptomatic diabetic patients with SB than in the 11 symptomatic patients. The prevalence of SB is similar in outpatient diabetic individuals and in non-diabetic subjects. The main risk factors for SB in diabetic patients were female gender and UAE. The likelihood of asymptomatic SB increased with UAE levels, i.e. with the presence of established microangiopathy. Poor glycaemic control is associated with bacteriuria, either as a cause or consequence of bacteriuria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21957616,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Monitoring the depth of anesthesia in neurosurgical patients].\nThe study reports the results of monitoring the depth of anesthesia with BIS technology in 456 neurosurgical patients with different neurosurgical pathology: sub- and supratentorial tumors, aneurisms, arteriovenous malformations, spinal pathology, etc. BIS reflects hypnotic state of the brain during anesthesia in almost all the cases, except for bifon-tal surgical approach when sensor placement is impossible. BIS monitoring of the depth of anesthesia is most advantageous in the following cases: epilepsy surgery, spine surgery with neurophysiological monitoring, awake craniotomy, severe cardiovascular pathology, massive blood loss, neurosurgery in pregnant patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33809934,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Barriers to Biosimilar Prescribing Incentives in the Context of Clinical Governance in Spain.\nIncentives contribute to the proper functioning of the broader contracts that regulate the relationships between health systems and professionals. Likewise, incentives are an important element of clinical governance understood as health services' management at the micro-level, aimed at achieving better health outcomes for patients. In Spain, monetary and non-monetary incentives are sometimes used in the health services, but not as frequently as in other countries. There are already several examples in European countries of initiatives searching the promotion of biosimilars through different sorts of incentives, but not in Spain. Hence, this paper is aimed at identifying the barriers that incentives to prescribe biosimilars might encounter in Spain, with particular interest in incentives in the framework of clinical governance. Both questions are intertwined. Barriers are presented from two perspectives. Firstly, based on the nature of the barrier: (i) the payment system for health professionals, (ii) budget rigidity and excessive bureaucracy, (iii) little autonomy in the management of human resources (iv) lack of clinical integration, (v) absence of a legal framework for clinical governance, and (vi) other governance-related barriers. The second perspective is based on the stakeholders involved: (i) gaps in knowledge among physicians, (ii) misinformation and distrust among patients, (iii) trade unions opposition to productivity-related payments, (iv) lack of a clear position by professional associations, and (v) misalignment of the goals pursued by some healthcare professionals and the goals of the public system. Finally, the authors advance several recommendations to overcome these barriers at the national level.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1612762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Histopathological and serological progression of experimental Staphylococcus aureus arthritis.\nIn a newly developed mouse model of Staphylococcus aureus arthritis the kinetics of joint destruction and serological manifestations as well as the clinical course of arthritis and osteitis were studied. Almost all mice developed histopathological signs of arthritis upon a single intravenous injection of 10(7) S. aureus LS-1 cells. There was rapid joint destruction, with synovial hypertrophy already visible, within 24 h after injection of the bacteria. Cartilage and\/or bone erosions were seen in a majority of the mice within 72 h. Extra-articular manifestations, especially signs of bone infection, were also found soon after inoculation of the bacteria. Tail osteitis was frequent (50% of the mice) but appeared later than arthritis. Polymorphonuclear cells prevailed in the early joint lesions and were also common in the extra-articular manifestations. Within 3 days, mononuclear cells were also seen in the inflamed synovium, gaining a dominant position 3 weeks after the start of the disease. Serum interleukin-6 levels were already increased within 6 h after bacterial injection and remained elevated throughout the course of arthritis. Serum tumor necrosis factor levels were increased within 24 h. There was a tremendous induction of immunoglobulin production, especially of the immunoglobulin G1 isotype. This was paralleled by the production of specific antibodies to S. aureus (cell walls and toxin), as well as autoantibodies (rheumatoid factors and anti-single-stranded DNA antibodies), all predominantly of the immunoglobulin G isotype. The type and magnitude of the immunoglobulin G response together with the elevated interleukin-6 levels speak in favor of both antigen-specific and polyclonal B-cell activation during S. aureus arthritis. This study points out important similarities between our new model of S. aureus arthritis and human S. aureus arthritis. This resemblance will enable controlled studies of pathogenetic mechanisms of septic arthritis as well as therapeutic and prophylactic approaches.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19598105,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"XRASGRP2 is essential for blood vessel formation during Xenopus development.\nRas guanyl nucleotide-releasing protein 2 (RASGRP2), one of the Ras guanine exchange factors, is implicated as a critical regulator of inside-out integrin activation in human lymphocytes, neutrophils and platelets. However, the activities of this protein in endothelial cells remain unclear. In the current study, we identify a physiological function in blood vessel formation for XRASGRP2, which is the Xenopus ortholog of mammalian RASGRP2. XRASGRP2 over-expression induced ectopic vascular formation, and XRASGRP2-knockdown embryos showed delayed vascular development. We also investigated the upstream signaling of XRASGRP2 in endothelium formation. XRASGRP2 expression was up-regulated in the presence of VEGF-A and down-regulated following VEGF-A depletion. XRASGRP2 knockdown abolished the ectopic induction of endothelial cells by VEGF-A in the posterior ventral blood island. These results suggest that XRASGRP2 is essential for vascular formation during Xenopus development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9418732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The effect of cytochalasin D on outflow facility and the trabecular meshwork of the human eye in perfusion organ culture.\nTo determine the effect of cytochalasin D on outflow facility in the human anterior segment, and the histologic changes that accompany the effect. Human anterior segments were studied in perfusion organ culture. The anterior segment from one eye received cytochalasin D, and that from the fellow control eye received vehicle; doses ranged from 0.06 mg\/ml to 27.7 mg\/ml. The duration of action and the effect of repeated doses were studied, and the accompanying histologic changes were assessed in 12 pairs of anterior segments. Cytochalasin D in concentrations of 0.6 mg\/ml and 1.1 mg\/ml caused increases in outflow facility of 42% and 37%, respectively (P < 0.05), with a peak effect 2 to 6 hours after infusion and a duration of action of approximately 14 hours. Anterior segments were not responsive to repeated doses (24 hours apart). Compared with the effect of vehicle in control anterior segments, cytochalasin D caused scattered breaks in the inner wall endothelial lining of Schlemm's canal (4.6 +\/- 2.5% versus 0.7 +\/- 0.6%; P = 0.02; anterior segments fixed during maximum drug effect). No increase in the amount of optically empty space within the juxtacanalicular tissue was seen. Inner wall breaks persisted, even in eyes in which the outflow facility had returned to baseline; the basement membrane and subendothelial matrix of the inner wall remained intact. Final intraocular pressure was inversely correlated with the length of optically empty space immediately adjacent to the inner wall. Cytochalasin D can increase outflow facility in the anterior segment of the human eye and causes ruptures of the inner wall of Schlemm's canal. These breaks persist, even when interocular pressure returns to baseline; the basement membrane and subendothelial matrix of the inner wall appear to remain intact. The final intraocular pressure was inversely correlated with the length of optically empty space immediately adjacent to the inner wall.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17949423,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Slow oscillation of membrane currents mediated by glutamatergic inputs of rat somatosensory cortical neurons: in vivo patch-clamp analysis.\nUsing in vivo patch-clamp technique, the slow oscillation of membrane currents was characterized by its synaptic nature, correlation with electroencephalogram (EEG) and responses to different anesthetic agents, in primary somatosensory cortex (SI) neurons in urethane-anesthetized rats. In more than 90% of the SI neurons, the slow oscillation of the inward currents (0.1-2.5 Hz) with the duration of several hundreds of a millisecond was observed at the holding membrane potential of -70 mV. The reversal potential of the inward currents was approximately 0 mV and was suppressed by application of an alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptor antagonist. In most cases (> 90%) the inward current was synchronized with positive wave of the surface EEG recorded from ipsilateral and even contralateral cortical regions. The frequency as well as duration of the slow oscillation decreased by a volatile anesthetic agent, isoflurane (1.5-5.0%), and excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were almost abolished at the highest concentration. Intraperitoneal injection of pentobarbital (25 mg\/kg) also decreased the frequency of the slow oscillation without affecting short EPSCs. When gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA(A)) receptors were activated by local microinjection of muscimol (3 x 10(-3) m, 1-10 microL) into the thalamus, the frequency of the slow oscillation markedly decreased, but was not abolished completely. These findings suggest that the slow oscillation of the inward currents is generated by the summation of glutamatergic EPSCs, and affected by isoflurane and pentobarbital differently. In addition, GABAergic system in the thalamus can affect the frequency, but is not essentially implicated in the genesis of the slow oscillation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10162152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Systems thinking, boundaries, and role clarity.\nConfused or ambiguous expectations among healthcare professionals, and between them and patients, can result in reduced quality of care. Conversely, clear role expectations have benefited, specifically, improved communication and information provided to physicians, and generally have benefited overall healthcare system flexibility and responsiveness. Such benefits are not confined to patient-care teams alone, but can accrue to teams in all phases of healthcare practice and support.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10955147,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Nephron-sparing surgery--initial experience with 50 patients].\nDuring recent years the use of the new imaging techniques, ultrasonography and computerized tomography, has increased. The accessibility to these methods has changed the pattern of detection of renal lesions. Over 90% of renal masses are now discovered incidentally, while investigating nonurological symptoms. Therefore, most lesions are discovered in their early stages. The gold-standard procedure for removing renal masses is radical nephrectomy, which ensures complete removal of an organ-confined lesion, but involves loss of functional tissue. This might be critical in patients with a single kidney, or reduced nephron function. There are several diseases characterized by multiple renal lesions, such as Von Hippel-Lindau and tuberous sclerosis in which radical treatment may lead to chronic dialysis in young patients. Nephron-sparing surgery was developed in order to preserve as much functional tissue as possible while removing safely any suspicious renal lesion. This new technique, not involving radical surgery, should be evaluated in cases of renal tumors for its ability to achieve the same cancer cures rates. We present our experience with our first 50 patients who underwent nephron-sparing surgery for removal of renal lesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26490517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Follicular Dendritic Cell Meshwork in Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma Is Characterized by Accumulation of CXCL13(+) Cells.\nAngioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is considered to originate from follicular helper T (TFH) cells. Currently, neoplastic cells in AITL are considered to express CXCL13 as a tumor marker. However, the identification of CXCL13(+) cells remains unclear in terms of whether they are neoplastic cells (or TFH cells) or follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) in both AITL and normal germinal centers. Therefore, the exact identification of CXCL13(+) cells was performed using 33 cases of AITL and normal germinal centers. Single-labeling immunohistochemistry and double-labeling immunofluorescent microscopy first confirmed that CXCL13 was expressed mainly in FDCs in the normal germinal centers. In 28 of 33 AITL cases, CXCL13 was expressed mainly in FDCs as a meshwork pattern, which was associated with CXCL13(+) neoplastic cells. In the other five cases, CXCL13 was expressed mainly in neoplastic cells, which were densely distributed in and around the FDC meshwork. These findings indicate the abundance of CXCL13(+) cells in the FDC meshwork irrespective of the cell type. Triple-labeling immunofluorescent microscopy showed that the CXCL13(+) FDC meshwork in AITL harbored both neoplastic cells and B cells. CXCR5, the cognate receptor of CXCL13, was expressed in neoplastic cells in AITL. The present study suggests that neoplastic cells in AITL preserve a certain level of TFH-cell function since neoplastic cells and B cells are closely enmeshed in the CXCL13(+) cell-rich FDC meshwork in a similar way as in normal germinal centers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18951240,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Theoretical models for regulation of blood flow.\nBlood-flow rate in the normal microcirculation is regulated to meet the metabolic demands of the tissues, which vary widely with position and with time, but is relatively unaffected by changes of arterial pressure over a considerable range. The regulation of blood flow is achieved by the combined effects of multiple interacting mechanisms, including sensitivity to pressure, flow rate, metabolite levels, and neural signals. The main effectors of flow regulation, the arterioles and small arteries, are located at a distance from the regions of tissue that they supply. Flow regulation requires the sensing of metabolic and hemodynamic conditions and the transfer of information about tissue metabolic status to upstream vessels. Theoretical approaches can contribute to the understanding of flow regulation by providing quantitative descriptions of the mechanisms involved, by showing how these mechanisms interact in networks of interconnected microvessels supplying metabolically active tissues, and by establishing relationships between regulatory processes occurring at the microvascular level and variations of metabolic activity and perfusion in whole tissues. Here, a review is presented of previous and current theoretical approaches for investigating the regulation of blood flow in the microcirculation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1714464,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Alteration of proteoglycan metabolism during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts into adipocytes.\n3T3-L1 fibroblasts were induced to differentiate to 3T3-L1 adipocytes by dexamethasone, isobutyl-methylxanthine, and insulin. To study how differentiation affects extracellular matrix production, the accumulation of proteoglycans was studied by labeling the 3T3-L1 cells with [35S]sulphate for 24 h. The labeled proteoglycans were isolated from the medium and cell layer extracts by anion-exchange chromatography. They were then taken to gel filtration chromatography on Superose 6 before or after chondroitin ABC lyase digestion. Hyaluronan was determined by radioimmunoassay. The rate of accumulation of proteoglycans and hyaluronan in the control 3T3-L1 fibroblasts increased with time whereas it decreased slightly in the age matched adipocytes where the differentiation had proceeded, as judged by the change of morphology and increase of the activity of the adipose conversion markers glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and hormone sensitive lipase. The main change noted was that the adipocytes accumulated 50-70% less amount of small proteoglycans (decorin) in the medium than the fibroblasts did. The amount of large chondroitin\/dermatan sulphate proteoglycans was also decreased but to a considerably smaller extent (30%). In the cell layer, heparan sulphate proteoglycan decreased by 60% as compared with the control cells. Thus, the differentiation of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts into adipocytes, which changes the morphology and the function of the cells, is also accompanied by a decreased net production especially of proteoglycans typical of fibrous connective tissue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24280761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Predictive factors for impaired renal function following nephroureterectomy in upper urinary tract urothelial cell carcinoma.\nDespite the uncertain value of adjuvant chemotherapy after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) it is clear that impaired renal function represents a contraindication to its administration. The objective of this study was to identify possible predictive clinical factors for impaired renal function following RNU in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial cell carcinoma (UUT-UCC). A retrospective analysis was conducted of 546 patients who underwent RNU between 1992 and 2008 at our institution. Data of interest for this study included estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), age, pathological stage and preoperative hydronephrosis (HN). The predictive value of HN, age and pathological stage for impaired renal function after RNU was calculated by multivariate linear regression analysis. In total, 138 patients met the criteria for inclusion, including 108 men (78%). Mean age at surgery was 67 \u00b1 10 years. There was a significant correlation (p < 0.001) between pre- and postoperative eGFR (decrease of 21% after NU). Preoperative HN was present in 51 patients (37%). On linear regression analysis, preoperative eGFR \u226460 ml\/min (p = 0.012; OR = 4.60) and HN (p = 0.027; OR = 10.34) were confirmed to be predictive factors for a postoperative eGFR \u226460 ml\/min. When postoperative eGFR \u226445 ml\/min was used as the criterion for impaired renal function, predictive factors proved to be preoperative eGFR \u226445 ml\/min (p < 0.0001; OR = 18.53), HN (p = 0.038; OR = 0.380) and age \u226570 years (p < 0.0001; OR = 0.169). Preoperative HN, older age and preoperative eGFR <60 ml\/min were proven to be predictive factors for impaired renal function after RNU. In these settings, neoadjuvant chemotherapy may be considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20658504,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sodium effect on self-organization of amphiphilic carboxylates: formation of structured micelles and superlattices.\nNot only the self-aggregation of dendritic polycarboxylates into structurally persistent micelles, but also that of the micelles themselves into superlattices is controlled by alkali-metal counterions and shows a pronounced sodium effect. Our combined experimental and computational work has revealed the formation of superlattices for the first time. The behavior of a variety of amphiphilic carboxylates and the different effects of the alkali cations Li(+), Na(+), and K(+) have been investigated by conductivity measurements, cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations. Together, these show that sodium salts of the amphiphiles give the most stable micelles, followed by lithium and potassium. Our results suggest that ion multiplets in bridging positions, rather than contact ion pairs, are responsible for the enhanced stability and the formation of hexagonally ordered superlattices with sodium counterions. Potassium ions do not form such ion multiplets and cannot therefore induce aggregation of the micelles. This sodium effect has far-reaching consequences for a large number of biological and technical systems and sheds new light on the origin of specific-ion effects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9018642,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Neutrophil activation in preeclampsia. Are defensins and lactoferrin elevated in preeclamptic patients?\nTo determine if human defensins and lactoferrin, both markers of neutrophil activation, are elevated in preeclamptic plasma. Blood samples were obtained from 18 preeclamptic and 29 normal pregnant women in the third trimester. Demographic and clinical data were obtained from the medical record. No patient had evidence of labor and\/or infection when blood was drawn. Preeclamptic patients were defined by elevated blood pressure, 140\/90 mm Hg, proteinuria of > 300 mg in a 24-hour collection and hyperuricemia. Human defensins and lactoferrin were measured by enzyme immunoassay of plasma samples diluted 1:100 and 1:10, respectively. Standard curve values ranged from 0.25 to 16 ng\/mL. Data for human defensins and lactoferrin are presented as median values +\/-SE. Statistical analysis included Student's t test for comparison of clinical data, Mann-Whitney U test for comparison of absolute values between groups and Fisher's exact test, when appropriate. There was no difference in age or estimated gestational age between the two groups. There were more nulliparous patients in the preeclamptic group. Human defensin levels were significantly elevated (P = .005) in plasma of preeclamptic patients (25.1 ng\/mL +\/- 16.2) as compared to normal controls (9.0 ng\/mL +\/- 8.9). Nine of 18 (50%) preeclamptic patients and 2 of 29 (7%) normal controls had defensin levels above the low point on the standard curve (P = .001). There was no difference in lactoferrin levels between the two groups. Our results suggest that preeclampsia is associated with neutrophil activation. The biologic effect of elevated human defensins in preeclamptic plasma remains to be determined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7562988,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"IgG subclass responses to Pseudomonas aeruginosa a- and b-type flagellins in patients with cystic fibrosis: a prospective study.\nSera from 20 cystic fibrosis patients, whose lungs were colonised by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were examined in a 3-5-year prospective study for any relationship between IgG subclass antibody levels to P. aeruginosa a- and b-type flagellins and pulmonary function (FEV1 and radiological score). Patients were divided into two groups according to their pulmonary status: group 1 comprised 11 patients with poor pulmonary status; group 2 comprised nine patients with relatively good pulmonary status. High concentrations of IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 antibodies to flagellins, particularly to the b-type, were found in most patients. IgG4 reactivity was observed in only a few patients. Comparison of the two groups of patients showed that those with poor pulmonary status (group 1) had a significantly higher concentration (p < 0.05) of IgG3 for two of the three periods studied and of IgG2 for the last period studied. Moreover, IgG3 and IgG1 reactivities to b-type flagellin and IgG3 to a-type flagellin were also increased significantly (p < 0.05) in group 1 patients between the first and the last period studied. These patients also showed a significant (p < 0.05) time-dependent increase in IgG3 and IgG1 antibody concentrations. These data demonstrate that cystic fibrosis patients with poorer pulmonary status have higher IgG3 levels to flagellin than other cystic fibrosis patients. High concentrations of strong opsonic IgG3 and, to a lesser degree, of IgG1 antibodies may increase pulmonary inflammation and induce heightened pulmonary deterioration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21099593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Neonatal outcomes after demonstrated fetal lung maturity before 39 weeks of gestation.\nTo compare outcomes among neonates delivered after documentation of fetal lung maturity before 39 weeks and those delivered at 39 or 40 weeks. This was a retrospective cohort study of women with singleton pregnancy delivered at 36 0\/7 to 38 6\/7 weeks after positive fetal lung maturity testing (based on amniotic fluid lecithin to sphingomyelin ratio) or at 39 0\/7 to 40 6\/7 weeks (without maturity testing) at our center from 1999 to 2008. Women with fetuses with major congenital anomalies, cord prolapse, nonreassuring antepartum testing, placental abruption, or oligohydramnios were excluded. A primary composite neonatal outcome included death, adverse respiratory outcomes, hypoglycemia, treated hyperbilirubinemia, generalized seizures, necrotizing enterocolitis, hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, periventricular leukomalacia, and suspected or proven sepsis. There were 459 neonates delivered at 36 to 38 weeks and 13,339 delivered at 39 to 40 weeks; mean birth weight was 3,107\u00b1548 g and 3,362\u00b1439 g, respectively. The risk of the composite adverse neonatal outcome was 6.1% for the 36- to 38-week group compared with 2.5% for the 39- to 40-week group (relative risk 2.4; confidence interval [CI] 1.7-3.5). After multivariable adjustment, early delivery remained significantly associated with an increased risk of the composite outcome (adjusted odds ratio [OR]1.7; CI 1.1-2.6) as well as several individual outcomes, including respiratory distress syndrome (adjusted OR 7.6; CI 2.2-26.6), treated hyperbilirubinemia (adjusted OR 11.2; CI 3.6-34), and hypoglycemia (adjusted OR 5.8; CI 2.4-14.3). Neonates delivered at 36 to 38 weeks after confirmed fetal lung maturity are at higher risk of adverse outcomes than those delivered at 39 to 40 weeks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16972733,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Detection of arterial hypertension in school childrens].\nHypertension is a multifactorial desease, with increasingly incidence and prevalence, that is why it is considered a public health issue. To know the prevalence of hypertension in children from 6 to 12 years old, in Cipolletti city. To check if there are differences as regards sex and age. To institutionalizalice blood pressure messurement as part of the rutinary physical examination in the control of a child. This was a cross sectional study. Blood pressure readings were obteined from 1038 students aged between 6 and 12 years old; who belong to 7 public schools of Cipolletti. Mercury sphyngomanometer and cuffs of 7.5 per 15 cm and 12 per 22 cm were used. The auscultatory method was used in phase I and V of Korotkoff. The second Task Force recomendations for blood pressure in children were followed. Blood pressure readings were obteined in 3 visits. Those students who had blood pressure messurement iqual to or higher than those established for hypertension were identified during each visit: boys 115\/75 mmHg (6-8 years) 118\/79 mmHg (9-10 years) and 122\/80 mmHg (11-12 yars); girls 113\/74 mmHg (6-8 years) 118\/79 mmHg (9-10 years) and 122\/79 mmHg (11-12). The prevalence of hypertension is 3.37%, being more frecuent in the range of ages that go from between 6 to 8 years, which corresponds to a 74.29% of the hypertensed children. The hypertense group messurements of blood pressure are: a)Boys: 122.92 mmHg +\/- 4.11\/78.43mmHg +\/- 5.19; b)Girls: 123.63 mmHg +\/- 7.43\/80.22mmHg +\/- 2. There were not significant differences between sexs at the 5% (a=0.05) level. The blood pressure has never been messurered to 597 students (58%). The prevalence of hypertension in Cipolletti is similar to international statistics. There is a number of children with hypertension that is not detected during medical examination due to lack of blood pressure messurement institutionalization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37747308,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Precisely Inhibiting Excessive Intestinal Epithelial Cell Apoptosis to Efficiently Treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Oral Pifithrin-\u03b1 Embedded Nanomedicine (OPEN).\nThe increased incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has seriously affected the life quality of patients. IBD develops due to excessive intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) apoptosis, disrupting the gut barrier, colonizing harmful bacteria, and initiating persistent inflammation. The current therapeutic approaches that reduce inflammation are limited. Although IBD can be treated significantly by directly preventing IEC apoptosis, achieving this therapeutic approach remains challenging. Accordingly, the authors are the first to develop an oral pifithrin-\u03b1 (PFT\u03b1, a highly specific p53 inhibitor) embedded nanomedicine (OPEN) to effectively treat IBD by inhibiting excessive IEC apoptosis. As a major hub for various stressors, p53 is a central determinant of cell fate, and its inhibition can effectively reduce excessive IEC apoptosis. The tailored OPEN can precisely inhibit the off-target and inactivation resulting from PFT\u03b1 entry into the bloodstream. Subsequently, it persistently targets IBD lesions with high specificity to inhibit the pathological events caused by excessive IEC apoptosis. Eventually, OPEN exerts a significant curative effect compared with the clinical first-line drugs 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) and dexamethasone (DEX). Consequently, the OPEN therapeutic strategy provides new insights into comprehensive IBD therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3765523,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[3-HAA-antigen and immunoreactivity indices in patients with bladder tumors].\nImmunologic vigor and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA)-antigen level were studied in patients with urinary bladder cancer. Leukocyte migration inhibition test demonstrated the inhibitory effect of the said antigen on leukocyte migration in patients with early stage cancer. As tumor advanced, the process accelerated. The 3-HAA-antigen-containing blood serum of bladder cancer patients inhibited the synthesis of rosette-forming cells and antibodies to sheep erythrocytes. A correlation was established between the suppressive effect and tumor stage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9635805,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Survival following pancreaticoduodenectomy with resection of the superior mesenteric-portal vein confluence for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head.\nThe survival of patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy with or without en bloc resection of the superior mesenteric-portal vein (SMPV) confluence for adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head was compared. To be considered for surgery, patients were required to fulfil the following computed tomography criteria for resectability: (1) absence of extrapancreatic disease, (2) no evidence of tumour extension to the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) or coeliac axis, and (3) a patent SMPV confluence. Tumour adherence to the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) or SMPV confluence was assessed at operation and en bloc venous resection was performed when necessary to achieve complete tumour extirpation. Seventy-five consecutive patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy, 44 without venous resection and 31 with en bloc resection of the SMPV confluence. There were no perioperative deaths in either group; late (more than 6 months) occlusion of the reconstructed SMPV confluence contributed to the death of two patients. Median survival in the 31 patients who required venous resection at the time of pancreaticoduodenectomy was 22 months, and that for the 44 control patients was 20 months (P = 0.25). Patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreatic head who require venous resection during pancreaticoduodenectomy for isolated tumour extension to the SMV or SMPV confluence (in the absence of tumour extension to the SMA or coeliac axis) have a duration of survival no different from that of patients who undergo standard pancreaticoduodenectomy. These data suggest that venous involvement is a function of tumour location rather than an indicator of aggressive tumour biology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17781473,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Neutron activation analysis of milligram quantifies of lunar rocks and soils.\nA neuttron activation scheme for determining 25 elements in lunar samples weighing 20 milligrams is described and applied to a suite of Apollo 11 lunar materials. Concentrations of titanium, chromium, scandium, tantalum, hafnium, and rare earths are higher than in avercage basalt, whereas cobalt, nickel, and copper are lower. Chemical variations show groupings of elements possibly associated with the major phases, pyroxene, plagioclase, and ilmenite. The high concentration of \"refractory oxides\" and low volatile content implies that the raw material for the Apollo 11 samples was condensed from the primitive solar nebula at high temperatures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10390722,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Evidence of altered energy metabolism in autistic children.\n1. In this pilot study, the authors investigated the hypotheses there are increased concentrations of lactate in brain and plasma and reduced brain concentrations of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in autistic children. 2. NAA and lactate levels in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe and the cerebellum of 9 autistic children were compared to 5 sibling controls using MRS. Plasma lactate levels were measured in 15 autistic children compared to 15 children with epilepsy. 3. Preliminary results show lower levels of NAA cerebellum in autistic children (p = 0.043). Lactate was detected in the frontal lobe in one autistic boy, but was not detected any of the other autistic subjects or siblings. 4. Plasma lactate levels were higher in the 15 autistic children compared to 15 children with epilepsy (p = 0.0003). 5. Higher plasma lactate in the autistic group is consistent with metabolic changes in some autistic children. The findings of altered brain NAA and lactate in autistic children suggest that MRS may be useful characterizing regional neurochemical and metabolic abnormalities in autistic children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8565600,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Botryomycosis in a patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.\nBotryomycosis is a bacterial infection of either the skin alone or in combination with visceral organs. It resembles a deep fungal infection. A histologic evaluation of cutaneous lesions reveals the characteristic Splendore-Hoepple phenomena and assists with management. Patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) tend to have uncharacteristic lesions resembling common conditions such as prurigo nodularis and lichen simplex chronicus. Diagnosis in these cases can be challenging. We report the case of a patient with AIDS who was successfully treated with Augmentin (amoxicillin, clavulanate potassium). Complete resolution of the lesion occurred after the causative agent, Staphylococcus aureus, was identified.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37501066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Early sexual debut is associated with drug use and decreased educational attainment among males and females in Kisumu County, Kenya.\nDiffering global sociocultural contexts of sexual relationships influence age at first sexual intercourse with potentially long-lasting region-specific effects such as increased risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In these cross-sectional analyses of data from the screening and enrollment visits for an HIV incidence study in Kisumu County, Kenya, we evaluated factors associated with having experienced an early sexual debut (ESD) among males and females aged 18-35 years. Clinical evaluation was performed and sexual behaviors were assessed via questionnaire. ESD was defined as self-reported age 15 years or younger at first sexual intercourse. Robust Poisson regression was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for factors associated with ESD. Of 1057 participants, 542 (51.3%) were female. Participants' median age at study screening was 25 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 22-29), and at sexual debut was 16 years (IQR: 14-17). Five hundred and four participants (47.7%) reported ESD. ESD was less common among females (PR 0.78, CI 0.67-0.90) and participants with more than primary education (PR 0.56, CI 0.47-0.66). ESD was more common in participants with a history of drug use (PR 1.28, CI 1.10-1.49). Drug use removed the protective effect of education (some secondary education or less, no drug use: PR 0.72, CI 0.61-0.85; some secondary education or less, drug use: PR 0.94, CI 0.74-1.18). ESD was common in our study and associated with lower educational attainment and increased likelihood of drug use. Interventions are needed early in life, well before 15 years of age, to encourage engagement in schooling and prevent drug use. Comprehensive sexual education and interventions to prevent drug use may be beneficial before the age of 15 years.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30208124,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Gastrointestinal and ectoparasites of plumbeous rail, Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Aves: Rallidae) in Central Chile.\nWith the aim to identify the parasite fauna of plumbeous rail, Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Aves: Rallidae) in Chile, 26 carcasses were parasitologically necropsied. The present study revealed the presence of 14 species of parasites (inverse Simpson index = 4.64; evenness = 0.332), including ectoparasites: feather mites: Analloptes megnini , Grallobia sp., Grallolichus sp., Megniniella sp., and Metanalges sp.; the feather lice Pseudomenopon meinertzhageni, Rallicola andinus, and Fulicoffula sp.; and six species of gastrointestinal helminths: Heterakis psophiae, Porrocaecum ardeae, Tetrameres sp., Capillaria sp., Diorchis sp., and Plagiorhynchus sp. The relatively high parasite richness that was found could be attributed to the highly favorable conditions of wetlands for parasite development. All parasites found, except feather lice, are new records for plumbeous rail. A checklist of parasites for plumbeous rail is presented.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17802389,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"BALANTIDIA FROM PIGS AND GUINEA-PIGS: THEIR VIABILITY, CYST PRODUCTION AND CULTIVATION.\nIt has been shown that trophozoites of balantidia from the pig are normal in appearance and reactions when the medium is cooled to room temperature. They may live at room temperature for ten days. Trophozoites that infect the pig may pass through the stomach of the guinea-pig and reach the cecum, where they are normal after eighteen hours. Trophozoites are frequently passed in feces by the pig but cyst production is irregular and determined by unknown factors as in monkeys, guinea-pigs and man. The fluid of pig feces from the cecum is slightly hypertonic to blood serum. The method of Barret and Yarbrough for the cultivation of Balantidium coli has been found practicable for Balantidium from the pig and guinea-pig. The addition of rice starch improves the medium and Ringer's solution without dextrose was found more suitable than 0.5 per cent. NaCl solution. Loeffler's beef blood serum may be substituted for human serum or horse serum. H(2)S appears non-toxic to Balantidium from the pig when passed into culture tubes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20453425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Venous hemangioma of the anterior mediastinum.\nWe report a rare case of venous hemangioma (VH) of the anterior mediastinum in a 56-year-old man admitted to our hospital because of hematemesis. Systemic examinations were performed and chest computer tomography (CT) revealed a 1.5-cm sized small nodule with contrast enhancement in the thymus. Both CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suggested a solid tumor such as a thymoma or neurogenic tumor rather than a vascular neoplasm. A partial thymectomy including this nodule by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) was performed. Histological examination showed VH. There was no recurrence with no further treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2333739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of formula protein level and ratio on infant growth, plasma amino acids and serum trace elements. I. Cow's milk formula.\nThe optimum level and ratios of protein to be used in cow's milk formula has recently been under discussion. Healthy term infants were fed from birth exclusively human milk or a formula that varied in protein level or whey: casein ratio: (A) 1.4 g\/dl; 55:45, (B) 1.5 g\/dl; 55:45, (C) 1.3 g\/dl; 55:45, (D) 1.4 g\/dl; 60:40, (E) 1.4 g\/dl; 20:80. Infants were followed for 12 weeks and blood samples were taken at 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Anthropometric indices did not show any significant differences among groups. Plasma amino acid and BUN levels of the C group were closest to the breast-fed group, while the formula with the highest protein level (B) resulted in high values for some amino acids. When comparing the formulas with 1.4 g protein\/dl, the high casein group had the lowest plasma tryptophan levels. Taurine was added to all formulas at a level similar to that of breast milk; plasma taurine levels were similar for all groups. All formulas contained 0.7 mg iron and 0.7 mg zinc\/dl; no differences were found among the groups in hematological indices or serum trace elements. These data show that feeding a formula with 1.3 g protein\/dl and 55:45 whey: casein ratio from birth will result in growth and metabolic indices similar to those of breast-fed infants, although some plasma amino acid levels are not identical, 1990.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25403347,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cost-effectiveness of early interventions for non-specific low back pain: a randomized controlled study investigating medical yoga, exercise therapy and self-care advice.\nTo evaluate the cost-effectiveness of medical yoga as an early intervention compared with evidence-based exercise therapy and self-care advice for non-specific low back pain. Randomized controlled trial with a cost-effectiveness analysis. A total of 159 participants randomized into the medical yoga group (n = 52), the exercise therapy group (n = 52) and the self-care advice group (n = 55). The health outcome measure EQ-5D was applied to measure quality of life data combined with cost data collected from treatment groups from baseline to 12 months follow-up. Outcome measure was health-related quality of life (HRQL). Incremental cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) was also calculated. Cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted primarily from the societal and employer perspectives. Medical yoga is cost-effective compared with self-care advice if an employer considers the significant improvement in the HRQL of an employee with low back pain justifies the additional cost of treatment (i.e. in this study EUR 150). From a societal perspective, medical yoga is a cost-effective treatment compared with exercise therapy and self-care advice if an additional QALY is worth EUR 11,500. Sensitivity analysis suggests that medical yoga is more cost-effective than its alternatives. Six weeks of uninterrupted medical yoga thera-py is a cost-effective early intervention for non-specific low back pain, when treatment recommendations are adhered to.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20204243,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Antipoliomyelitic vaccination in children living in Buenos Aires City].\nFollowing the presentation of a confirmed case of paralytic polio Sabin-derived virus (VSD) in a child of 15 months we analyzed the coverage of poliomyelitis vaccination in children living in the City of Buenos Aires, in the 2006\/2008 triennium. There was an improvement over the period analyzed, but values above 95% were reached only for the first dose. The proportion of inactivated vaccine (IPV) increased at the expense of live oral vaccine (OPV); in 2008, the first dose IPV coverage was 37.64% and 19.48% for the school entrance. The lack of intestinal immunity that occurs in children immunized with IPV, plus a poor coverage with OPV, allows the circulation of wild virus or VSD favoring the occurrence of paralytic poliomyelitis in unvaccinated or immunocompromised children.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15102690,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Clinical significance of dysadherin expression in gastric cancer patients.\nDysadherin, a cancer-associated cell membrane glycoprotein, has been reported to down-regulate E-cadherin expression and promote metastasis. To evaluate the role of dysadherin in gastric cancer, we examined dysadherin and E-cadherin expression in gastric cancer patients. Dysadherin and E-cadherin expression were evaluated in 276 gastric cancer patients by immunohistochemistry, and the results were compared with the clinicopathological findings of the subjects. Dysadherin was not expressed in normal gastric epithelium. Both dysadherin and E-cadherin were localized to the cell membrane. Dysadherin expression was sometimes largely localized to infiltrating tumor cells or cells dissociating. Ninety gastric cancer patients (32.6%) were positive for dysadherin, and 151 patients (54.7%) showed preservation of E-cadherin expression. Expression of dysadherin was associated with moderately differentiated carcinoma and hematogenous metastasis, whereas reduced expression of E-cadherin showed an association with poorly differentiated carcinoma and peritoneal dissemination. As a result, dysadherin positivity and reduced E-cadherin expression were associated with a poor prognosis. In addition, patients with both dysadherin positivity and reduced E-cadherin had the worst prognosis. Multivariate analysis revealed that reduced E-cadherin expression was an independent prognostic factor, but dysadherin expression was not. Combined analysis of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression may help to predict the prognosis and the mode of metastasis in gastric cancer patients. Patients with dysadherin positivity have a higher risk of hematogenous metastasis, whereas patients with reduced E-cadherin expression have an increased risk of peritoneal dissemination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9638931,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Acquisition of linguistic and cognitive skills by children with cleft palate.\nThis study compared the early cognitive and linguistic development of young children with cleft palate (N = 28) to that of noncleft children (N = 29). Measures included the Mental scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Minnesota Child Development Inventory, Mean Length of Utterance, and words acquired by 24 months. Children with cleft palate, although well within the normal range, performed significantly below the children in the control group on the Mental Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, some subscales of the Minnesota Child Development Inventory, and words acquired by 24 months. Differences observed in the cognitive development of children with and without cleft palate were verbal as opposed to nonverbal (i.e., linguistic in nature) and were related to hearing status at 12 months and velopharyngeal adequacy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17230269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Shear Properties of Brain Tissue over a Frequency Range Relevant for Automotive Impact Situations: New Experimental Results.\nThis research aims at improving the definition of the shear linear material properties of brain tissue. A comparison between human and porcine white and gray matter samples was carried out over a new large frequency range associated with both traffic road and non-penetrating ballistic impacts. Oscillatory experiments were performed by using an original custom-designed oscillatory shear testing device. The findings revealed that no significant difference occured between the linear viscoelastic behavior of the porcine and the human brain tissue. On the average, the storage modulus (G') and the loss modulus (G\") of the white matter increased respectively from 2.1 +\/- 0.9 kPa to 16.8 +\/- 2.0 kPa and from 0.4 +\/- 0.2 kPa to 18.7 +\/- 2.3 kPa between 0.1 and 6300 Hz at 37 degrees C. In addition, the gray and white matter behaviors seemed to be similar at small strains. The reliability of the data and the robustness of the experimental protocol were checked using a standard rheometer (Bohlin C-VOR 150). A good agreement was found between the data obtained in the frequency and time field. As a result, the linear relaxation modulus was determined over an extensive time range (from 10(-5) s to 300 s). In a first approach, the nonlinear behavior of brain tissue was studied using stress relaxation tests. Brain tissue showed significant shear softening for strains above 1% and the time relaxation behavior was independent of the applied strain. On this basis, a visco-hyperelastic model was proposed using the generalized Maxwell model and the Ogden hyperelastic model. These models respectively describe the linear relaxation modulus and the strain dependence of the shear stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20449856,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Using a threading-followed-by-swelling approach to synthesize [2]rotaxanes.\nWe have developed a \"threading-followed-by-swelling\" protocol to synthesize [2]rotaxanes efficiently and atom economically. Our protocol employs cis-1-[(Z)-alk-1'-enyl]-2-vinylcyclopropane units as the termini of the threadlike components; these end groups are converted into more-sizable cycloheptadiene motifs, which function as stopper units, through Cope rearrangements at elevated temperature. We used this approach to synthesize [2]rotaxanes in good yield from [2]pseudorotaxanes featuring either one or two swellable termini to interlock three different types of macrocycle. The chiral centers created by the swelling process were \"erased\" by hydrogenating the cycloheptadiene termini into the corresponding cycloheptane units, affording achiral molecular [2]rotaxanes as the only final products.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6655639,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pregnancy and maternal proximal focal femoral deficiency. A case report.\nProximal focal femoral deficiency is a rare form of disproportionate dwarfism. This case report illustrates the common complications associated with it: ambulatory difficulty, abdominal and back pain and absolute cephalopelvic disproportion. The common findings of pelvic contraction in disproportionate dwarfs generally requires delivery by cesarean section.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31634902,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Search-and-replace genome editing without double-strand breaks or donor DNA.\nMost genetic variants that contribute to disease1 are challenging to correct efficiently and without excess byproducts2-5. Here we describe prime editing, a versatile and precise genome editing method that directly writes new genetic information into a specified DNA site using a catalytically impaired Cas9 endonuclease fused to an engineered reverse transcriptase, programmed with a prime editing guide RNA (pegRNA) that both specifies the target site and encodes the desired edit. We performed more than 175 edits in human cells, including targeted insertions, deletions, and all 12 types of point mutation, without requiring double-strand breaks or donor DNA templates. We used prime editing in human cells to correct, efficiently and with few byproducts, the primary genetic causes of sickle cell disease (requiring a transversion in HBB) and Tay-Sachs disease (requiring a deletion in HEXA); to install a protective transversion in PRNP; and to insert various tags and epitopes precisely into target loci. Four human cell lines and primary post-mitotic mouse cortical neurons support prime editing with varying efficiencies. Prime editing shows higher or similar efficiency and fewer byproducts than homology-directed repair, has complementary strengths and weaknesses compared to base editing, and induces much lower off-target editing than Cas9 nuclease at known Cas9 off-target sites. Prime editing substantially expands the scope and capabilities of genome editing, and in principle could correct up to 89% of known genetic variants associated with human diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21104497,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":1,"2015-06":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Influence of process parameters on the photodegradation of synthesized azo pyridone dye in TiO2 water suspension under simulated sunlight.\nPhotocatalytic degradation of synthesized azo pyridone dye (5-(4-sulpho phenylazo)-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-3-cyano-2-pyridone), in aqueous solutions by simulated sunlight in the presence of commercial TiO(2), Aeroxide P25, was studied. The reaction kinetics analysis showed that photodegradation exhibits pseudo first-order kinetics according to Langmuir-Hinshelwood model. The effects of various process parameters on the photocatalytic degradation were investigated. The optimal catalyst content and pH were determined. A decrease in the reaction rate was observed upon the increase of the initial dye concentration. Degradation of the dye was enhanced by hydrogen peroxide, but it was inhibited by ethanol. The influence of temperature was studied, and the energy of activation was determined. According to total organic carbon (TOC) analysis, 54% of TOC remained when 100% of the dye was decolorized. Although the intermediates were not determined in this study, the TOC results clearly indicate their presence during the reaction. In addition, photocatalytic degradation of simulated dyehouse effluents, containing tested azo pyridone dye and associated auxiliary chemicals was investigated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18923927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Diagnosing idiopathic learning disability: a cost-effectiveness analysis of microarray technology in the National Health Service of the United Kingdom.\nArray based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH) is a powerful technique for detecting clinically relevant genome imbalance and can offer 40 to > 1000 times the resolution of karyotyping. Indeed, idiopathic learning disability (ILD) studies suggest that a genome-wide aCGH approach makes 10-15% more diagnoses involving genome imbalance than karyotyping. Despite this, aCGH has yet to be implemented as a routine NHS service. One significant obstacle is the perception that the technology is prohibitively expensive for most standard NHS clinical cytogenetics laboratories. To address this, we investigated the cost-effectiveness of aCGH versus standard cytogenetic analysis for diagnosing idiopathic learning disability (ILD) in the NHS. Cost data from four participating genetics centres were collected and analysed. In a single test comparison, the average cost of aCGH was pound442 and the average cost of karyotyping was pound117 with array costs contributing most to the cost difference. This difference was not a key barrier when the context of follow up diagnostic tests was considered. Indeed, in a hypothetical cohort of 100 ILD children, aCGH was found to cost less per diagnosis ( pound3,118) than a karyotyping and multi-telomere FISH approach ( pound4,957). We conclude that testing for genomic imbalances in ILD using microarray technology is likely to be cost-effective because long-term savings can be made regardless of a positive (diagnosis) or negative result. Earlier diagnoses save costs of additional diagnostic tests. Negative results are cost-effective in minimising follow-up test choice. The use of aCGH in routine clinical practice warrants serious consideration by healthcare providers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25423962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Percutaneous microwave ablation of benign thyroid nodules. Functional imaging in comparison to nodular volume reduction at a 3-month follow-up.\nThyroid nodules represent a common clinical issue. Amongst other minimally invasive procedures, percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) poses a promising new approach. The goal of this retrospective study is to find out if there is a correlation between volume reduction after 3 months and 99mTc-uptake reduction of treated thyroid nodules. 14 patients with 18 nodules were treated with MWA. Pre-ablative assessment included sonographical and functional imaging of the thyroid with 99mTc-pertechnetate and 99mTc-MIBI. Additionally, patients underwent thyroid scintigraphy 24 hours after ablation in order to evaluate the impact of the treatment on a functional level and to ensure sufficient ablation of the targeted area. At a 3-month follow-up, ultrasound examination was performed to assess nodular volume reduction. Mean relative nodular volume reduction after three months was 55.4 \u00b1 17.9% (p < 0.05). 99mTc-uptake 24 hours after treatment was 45.2 \u00b1 31.9% (99mTc-MIBI) and 35.7 \u00b1 20.3% (99mTc-pertechnetate) lower than prior to ablation (p < 0.05). Correlating reduction of volume and 99mTc-uptake, Pearson's r was 0.41 (p < 0.05) for nodules imaged with 99mTc-MIBI and -0.98 (p < 0.05) for 99mTc-pertechnetate. According to scintigraphy 99.6 \u00b1 22.6% of the determined target area could be successfully ablated. MWA can be considered as an efficient, low-risk and convenient new approach to the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. Furthermore, scintigraphy seems to serve as a potential prognostic tool for the later morphological outcome, allowing rapid evaluation of the targeted area in post-ablative examination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37363488,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Differences in treatment and outcomes among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with and without standard modifiable risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nThere are limited data available on outcomes and pathophysiology behind ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in populations without standard modifiable risk factors (SMuRFs). The authors carried out this meta-analysis to understand the differences in treatment and outcomes of STEMI patients with and without SMuRFs. A systematic database search was performed for relevant studies. Studies reporting desired outcomes among STEMI patients with and without SMuRFs were selected based on predefined criteria in the study protocol (PROSPERO: CRD42022341389). Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts using Covidence. Full texts of the selected studies were independently reviewed to confirm eligibility. Data were extracted from all eligible studies via a full-text review of the primary article for qualitative and quantitative analysis. In-hospital mortality following the first episode of STEMI was the primary outcome, with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), repeat myocardial infarction (MI), cardiogenic shock, heart failure, and stroke as secondary outcomes of interest. Odds ratio (OR) with a 95% CI was used to estimate the effect. A total of 2135 studies were identified from database search, six studies with 521 150 patients with the first STEMI episode were included in the analysis. The authors found higher in-hospital mortality (OR: 1.43; CI: 1.40-1.47) and cardiogenic shock (OR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.55-1.63) in the SMuRF-less group with no differences in MACE, recurrent MI, major bleeding, heart failure, and stroke. There were lower prescriptions of statin (OR: 0.62; CI: 0.42-0.91) and Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor \/Angiotensin II receptor blocker (OR: 0.49; CI: 0.28-0.87) at discharge in SMuRF-less patients. There was no difference in procedures like coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, and thrombolysis. In the SMuRF-less STEMI patients, higher in-hospital mortality and treatment discrepancies were noted at discharge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10612557,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Measurement and stability of plasma reduced, oxidized and total coenzyme Q10 in humans.\nThere are findings indicating that a decreased ratio of plasma coenzyme Q10 (Q10) to LDL cholesterol could be associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Furthermore, the proportion of plasma Q10H2 (reduced Q10, ubiquinol) of total Q10 has been shown to be attenuated in major diseases, such as hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease. These observations suggest that measurement of plasma total Q10 and the proportion of plasma Q10H2 of total Q10 would be of clinical significance. However, epidemiological studies addressing this issue require large numbers of subjects, and measurements from unfrozen samples are unfeasible. For this reason, we evaluated the stability of Q10 samples during sample storage and processing. We also compared solid phase and hexane pre-treatments prior to high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of Q10. Our results indicate that samples for plasma total Q10 measurement can be pre-treated in normal laboratory lighting conditions, thawed and frozen several times, and stored deep frozen for a couple of years without changes in measured Q10 values. If purification of the samples by silica and C18 is needed, the best reproducibility tends to be achieved with powder treatment (not with cartridges). However, to measure successfully the proportion of plasma ubiquinol of total Q10, samples must be thawed, extracted, and analysed one at a time and quickly to ensure minimal ubiquinol oxidation during the measurement process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3502748,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Complicated orbital fractures.\nA method for the clinical evaluation of patients with orbital and midfacial fractures is presented. Pertinent anatomic relations, classification of fractures, and significant associated injuries are reviewed. Principles of treatment are offered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27570258,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Supporting local diversity of habitats and species on farmland: a comparison of three wildlife-friendly schemes.\nRestoration and maintenance of habitat diversity have been suggested as conservation priorities in farmed landscapes, but how this should be achieved and at what scale are unclear. This study makes a novel comparison of the effectiveness of three wildlife-friendly farming schemes for supporting local habitat diversity and species richness on 12 farms in England.The schemes were: (i) Conservation Grade (Conservation Grade: a prescriptive, non-organic, biodiversity-focused scheme), (ii) organic agriculture and (iii) a baseline of Entry Level Stewardship (Entry Level Stewardship: a flexible widespread government scheme). Conservation Grade farms supported a quarter higher habitat diversity at the 100-m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Conservation Grade and organic farms both supported a fifth higher habitat diversity at the 250-m radius scale compared to Entry Level Stewardship farms. Habitat diversity at the 100-m and 250-m scales significantly predicted species richness of butterflies and plants. Habitat diversity at the 100-m scale also significantly predicted species richness of birds in winter and solitary bees. There were no significant relationships between habitat diversity and species richness for bumblebees or birds in summer.Butterfly species richness was significantly higher on organic farms (50% higher) and marginally higher on Conservation Grade farms (20% higher), compared with farms in Entry Level Stewardship. Organic farms supported significantly more plant species than Entry Level Stewardship farms (70% higher) but Conservation Grade farms did not (10% higher). There were no significant differences between the three schemes for species richness of bumblebees, solitary bees or birds. Policy implications. The wildlife-friendly farming schemes which included compulsory changes in management, Conservation Grade and organic, were more effective at increasing local habitat diversity and species richness compared with the less prescriptive Entry Level Stewardship scheme. We recommend that wildlife-friendly farming schemes should aim to enhance and maintain high local habitat diversity, through mechanisms such as option packages, where farmers are required to deliver a combination of several habitats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24300605,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The analysis of perioperative period in patients with lung cancer stage III, receiving the combined treatment].\nThe intra- and postoperative period was analyzed in 202 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma, treated with the combined therapy and intraoperative radiotherapy. There were no intraoperative complications registered, in spite of complex antitumor treatment. 18.8% of patients developed postoperative complications, which has no substantial influence on the outcome and were determined by the volume of the operation. The postoperative lethality rate was 3.0%.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15389693,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Calcium-induced calcium release contributes to somatic secretion of serotonin in leech Retzius neurons.\nWe analyzed the contribution of calcium (Ca2+)-induced Ca2+ release to somatic secretion in serotonergic Retzius neurons of the leech. Somatic secretion was studied by the incorporation of fluorescent dye FM1-43 upon electrical stimulation with trains of 10 impulses and by electron microscopy. Quantification of secretion with FM1-43 was made in cultured neurons to improve optical resolution. Stimulation in the presence of FM1-43 produced a frequency-dependent number of fluorescent spots. While a 1-Hz train produced 19.5+\/-5.0 spots\/soma, a 10-Hz train produced 146.7+\/-20.2 spots\/soma. Incubation with caffeine (10 mM) to induce Ca2+ release from intracellular stores without electrical stimulation and external Ca2+, produced 168+\/-21.7 spots\/soma. This staining was reduced by 49% if neurons were preincubated with the Ca2+- ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin (200 nM). Moreover, in neurons stimulated at 10 Hz in the presence of ryanodine (100 microM) to block Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, FM1-43 staining was reduced by 42%. In electron micrographs of neurons at rest or stimulated at 1 Hz in the ganglion, endoplasmic reticulum lay between clusters of dense core vesicles and the plasma membrane. In contrast, in neurons stimulated at 20 Hz, the vesicle clusters were apposed to the plasma membrane and flanked by the endoplasmic reticulum. These results suggest that Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release produces vesicle mobilization and fusion in the soma of Retzius neurons, and supports the idea that neuronal somatic secretion shares common mechanisms with secretion by excitable endocrine cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18952434,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":5,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2017-13":1}}},"text":"Hitting a support surface at unexpected height during walking induces loading transients.\nThe impact phase during walking is sometimes characterised by an early loading peak, termed 'transient', followed by a brief decline in the force profile, termed 'unloading phase'. It was hypothesized that transients occur more frequently when subjects are unaware of the landing condition, and that the unloading phase represents a yield of the leg. This was tested experimentally by introducing an unexpectedly lowered or level support surface height during walking. Furthermore, associations between the unloading phase and type of foot placement, load-rate, kinesiology and centre of pressure were investigated. The transient occurred more frequently when subjects were unaware of the surface height. The amplitude of unloading was higher in flatfooted (combined), as compared to heel and toe landings. The percentage of combined landings, as well as the amplitude and duration of unloading were highest in the first unexpected level trials (UL1) and gradually decreased in the subsequent level trials, when subjects adapted to the situation. Following the UL1 unloading phase, the foot roll-off was halted, the ipsilateral knee flexed, the onset of the contralateral swing phase was delayed, and the double support phase increased. The unloading amplitude correlated significantly with the load-rate and knee flexion. It is concluded that an unexpected surface height frequently induces an early stance transient that is followed by an unloading phase, flexion response and halt in foot roll-off. These characteristics deserve further study in the context of the frequent falls induced by uneven surfaces during walking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21106112,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"The hemodynamic tolerability and feasibility of sustained low efficiency dialysis in the management of critically ill patients with acute kidney injury.\nMinimization of hemodynamic instability during renal replacement therapy (RRT) in patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) is often challenging. We examined the relative hemodynamic tolerability of sustained low efficiency dialysis (SLED) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) in critically ill patients with AKI. We also compared the feasibility of SLED administration with that of CRRT and intermittent hemodialysis (IHD). This cohort study encompassed four critical care units within a single university-affiliated medical centre. 77 consecutive critically ill patients with AKI who were treated with CRRT (n = 30), SLED (n = 13) or IHD (n = 34) and completed at least two RRT sessions were included in the study. Overall, 223 RRT sessions were analyzed. Hemodynamic instability during a given session was defined as the composite of a > 20% reduction in mean arterial pressure or any escalation in pressor requirements. Treatment feasibility was evaluated based on the fraction of the prescribed therapy time that was delivered. An interrupted session was designated if < 90% of the prescribed time was administered. Generalized estimating equations were used to compare the hemodynamic tolerability of SLED vs CRRT while accounting for within-patient clustering of repeated sessions and key confounders. Hemodynamic instability occurred during 22 (56.4%) SLED and 43 (50.0%) CRRT sessions (p = 0.51). In a multivariable analysis that accounted for clustering of multiple sessions within the same patient, the odds ratio for hemodynamic instability with SLED was 1.20 (95% CI 0.58-2.47), as compared to CRRT. Session interruption occurred in 16 (16.3), 30 (34.9) and 11 (28.2) of IHD, CRRT and SLED therapies, respectively. In critically ill patients with AKI, the administration of SLED is feasible and provides comparable hemodynamic control to CRRT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8091345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Cardiovascular pathology and magnesium].\nThere is no univocal clinical cardiovascular pattern associated with magnesium deficiency. Only an acute hypomagnesaemia gives the evidence of a real magnesium deficiency. Arrhythmias corrected by magnesium are associated with potassium deficiency. Magnesium deficiency appears to be one risk factor of arrhythmias and coronary spasms. The influence of intravenous magnesium salts was clearly evaluated on cardiovascular electrophysiology allowing protocols infusion. The major beneficial effect of magnesium on total incidence of arrhythmias appears to have been due to a reduction in supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and especially in \"torsade de pointes\". Antiarrhythmic mechanisms still remain to be clarified. It is likely that magnesium influences cardiac conduction and refractoriness by affecting calcium dependent processes as if acting as an indirect inactivator of slow inward calcium current, probably secondary to an inward shift of the background potassium mediated current. Recent studies demonstrated beneficial effect of intravenous magnesium treatment in acute myocardial infraction, both as to mortality and to early cardiac insufficiency. Beside antiarrhythmic and vasodilatator effects, magnesium seems to show cardiac cells protective action against ischaemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10611841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Digital subtraction angiography with carbon dioxide--basic principles, technique and clinical application].\nCarbon dioxide digital subtraction angiography Carbon dioxide (CO2) digital subtraction angiography offers the possibility for diagnostic and interventional angiographic procedures in high risk patients for ionidated contrast material. As a gaseous contrast agent its physicochemical properties have special requirements concerning the radiologists knowledge, the X-ray equipment, the injector and the catheters. This article reviews the current literature concerning the history, physics and physiology, indications and contraindications, clinical use, adverse effects and possible complications of carbon dioxide digital subtraction angiography.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26055914,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Molecular cloning, characterization and expression of the energy homeostasis-associated gene in piglet.\nThe energy homeostasis-associated (Enho) gene encodes a secreted protein, adropin, which regulates the expression of hepatic lipogenic genes and adipose tissue peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor \u03b3, a major regulator of lipogenesis. In the present study, the porcine (Sus scrofa) homologue of the Enho gene, which was named pEnho, was amplified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using oligonucleotide primers derived from in silico sequences. The gene sequence was submitted into the GenBank of NCBI, and the access number is GQ414763. The pEnho encodes a protein of 76 amino acids which shows 75% similarity to Homo sapiens adropin. The expression profile of pEnho in tissues (liver, muscle, anterior jejunum, posterior jejunum, and ileum) was determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. pEnho was localized on porcine chromosome 10 and no introns were found. In conclusion, pEnho was cloned and analysed with the aim of increasing knowledge about glucose and lipid metabolism in piglets and helping to promote the health and growth of piglets through adropin regulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38132227,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Traumatic Anterior Cervical Disc Herniation Presenting as Severe Dysphagia.\nDue to the anatomical characteristics of the cervical spine, few cases of traumatic anterior cervical disc herniation have been reported in the literature. Here, we present a rare case of a traumatic anterior cervical disc herniation presenting as severe dysphagia. A 75-year-old male patient presented with severe dysphagia following an accident three days prior when he fell from a height of stairs. Cervical magnetic resonance (MR) imaging revealed a 1.3 \u00d7 1.0 cm extruded disc in the anterior aspect of the C4 level with the base at the C3-4 disc, which displaced the esophagus anteriorly. Esophagography revealed an extrinsic esophageal lesion that was considered to be responsible for the obstruction of the airway at the same level. He underwent a ruptured disc removal via the anterior approach. Preoperative dysphagia was resolved gradually after surgery, and he remained asymptomatic six months after surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33035560,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Effect of mobile phone signal radiation on epigenetic modulation in the hippocampus of Wistar rat.\nExponential increase in mobile phone uses, given rise to public concern regarding the alleged deleterious health hazards as a consequence of prolonged exposure. In 2018, the U.S. National toxicology program reported, two year toxicological studies for potential health hazards from exposure to cell phone radiations. Epigenetic modulations play a critical regulatory role in many cellular functions and pathological conditions. In this study, we assessed the dose-dependent and frequency-dependent epigenetic modulation (DNA and Histone methylation) in the hippocampus of Wistar rats. A Total of 96 male Wistar rats were segregated into 12 groups exposed to 900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2450 MHz RF-MW at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 5.84 \u00d7 10-4 W\/kg, 5.94 \u00d7 10-4 W\/kg and 6.4 \u00d7 10-4 W\/kg respectively for 2 h per day for 1-month, 3-month and 6-month periods. At the end of the exposure duration, animals were sacrificed to collect the hippocampus. Global hippocampal DNA methylation and histone methylation were estimated by ELISA. However, DNA methylating enzymes, DNA methyltransferase1 (DNMT1) and histone methylating enzymes euchromatic histone methylthransferase1 (EHMT1) expression was evaluated by real-time PCR, as well as further validated with Western blot. Alteration in epigenetic modulation was observed in the hippocampus. Global DNA methylation was decreased and histone methylation was increased in the hippocampus. We observed that microwave exposure led to significant epigenetic modulations in the hippocampus with increasing frequency and duration of exposure. Microwave exposure with increasing frequency and exposure duration brings significant (p < 0.05) epigenetic modulations which alters gene expression in the hippocampus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21433308,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Sp1 upregulates survivin expression in adenocarcinoma of lung cell line A549.\nSurvivin has been implicated in tumor genesis, progression, and resistance to anticancer agents. However, the precise regulatory mechanism for survivin expression is not thoroughly defined. In this study, we showed that Sp1 was co-overexpressed with survivin in adenocarcinoma of lung cells A549, but not in differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells 4F0439 or small airway epithelial cells 3F1584. Subsequently, transfection experiments demonstrated that the inhibition of Sp1 signaling suppressed survivin expression in A549 cells, whereas Sp1 overexpression increased the level of survivin protein as well as its mRNA. We also found that Sp1 could decrease capase-9 activity, which is shown to be suppressed by survivin during apoptosis inhibition. Finally, Luciferase activity and ChIP assays revealed that Sp1 activated survivin promoter by direct interaction with it. Taken together, our data suggest Sp1 plays a potent role in the upregulation of survivin expression in lung cancer cells at the transcriptional level.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24824314,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Modifiers of cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: systematic review and meta-analysis.\nThere is substantial variability in cancer risk in women who have inherited a BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA1\/2) mutation. Numerous factors have been hypothesized to modify these risks, but studies are of variable quality, and it remains unclear which of these may be of value in clinical risk assessment. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for articles published through September 2013. Fixed effects meta-analysis was done using the hazard ratios and\/or odds ratios to estimate the pooled effect estimates (ES) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to identify factors that are associated with cancer risk modification in BRCA1\/2 mutation carriers. We identified 44 nonoverlapping studies that met predefined quality criteria. Sufficient evidence is available to make clinically relevant inferences about a number of cancer risk modifiers. The only variable examined that produced a probable association was late age at first live birth, a meta-analysis showed a decrease in the risk of breast cancer in BRCA1 mutation carriers with women aged 30 years or older vs. women younger than 30 years (ES = 0.65; 95% CI =0.42 to 0.99). The same was shown for women aged 25 to 29 years versus those aged less than 25 years (ES = 0.69; 95% CI = 0.48 to 0.99). Breastfeeding and tubal ligation were associated with reduced ovarian cancer risk in BRCA1 mutation carriers; oral contraceptives were associated with reduced risk among BRCA1\/2 mutation carriers. Smoking was associated with increased breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers only. Data assessing many potential risk modifiers are inadequate, and many have not been externally validated. Although additional studies are required to confirm some associations, sufficient information is available for some risk factors to be used in risk counseling or lifestyle modification to minimize cancer risk in BRCA1\/2 mutation carriers","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27466793,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Histopathology of IgG4-Related Autoimmune Hepatitis and IgG4-Related Hepatopathy in IgG4-Related Disease.\nImmunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic disease involving many organs; it includes IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis and inflammatory pseudotumor in the hepatobiliary system. Two types of hepatic parenchymal involvement have been reported in IgG4-RD: IgG4-related autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and IgG4-hepatopathy. Moreover, only three cases of IgG4-related AIH have been reported. Immunoglobulin G4-related AIH is clinicopathologically similar to AIH, except for an elevated serum IgG4 level and heavy infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells in the liver tissue. Interestingly, IgG4-related AIH can be complicated by well-known IgG4-RD(s). Immunoglobulin G4-hepatopathy, which includes various histopathological lesions encountered in the liver of patients with type I autoimmune pancreatitis, is classified into five histological categories: portal inflammation, large bile duct damage, portal sclerosis, lobular hepatitis, and cholestasis. Immunoglobulin G4-hepatopathy is currently a collective term covering hepatic lesions primarily or secondarily related to IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis and type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis. In conclusion, the liver is not immune to IgG4-RD, and at least two types of hepatic involvement in IgG4-RD have been reported: IgG4-related AIH and IgG4-hepatopathy. Additional studies are required to clarify their precise clinical significance with respect to IgG4-RD and inherent liver diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27793994,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Genetic Risk Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation.\nAtrial fibrillation (AF) has a substantial genetic basis. Identification of individuals at greatest AF risk could minimize the incidence of cardioembolic stroke. To determine whether genetic data can stratify risk for development of AF, we examined associations between AF genetic risk scores and incident AF in 5 prospective studies comprising 18 919 individuals of European ancestry. We examined associations between AF genetic risk scores and ischemic stroke in a separate study of 509 ischemic stroke cases (202 cardioembolic [40%]) and 3028 referents. Scores were based on 11 to 719 common variants (\u22655%) associated with AF at P values ranging from <1\u00d710-3 to <1\u00d710-8 in a prior independent genetic association study. Incident AF occurred in 1032 individuals (5.5%). AF genetic risk scores were associated with new-onset AF after adjustment for clinical risk factors. The pooled hazard ratio for incident AF for the highest versus lowest quartile of genetic risk scores ranged from 1.28 (719 variants; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-1.46; P=1.5\u00d710-4) to 1.67 (25 variants; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-1.90; P=9.3\u00d710-15). Discrimination of combined clinical and genetic risk scores varied across studies and scores (maximum C statistic, 0.629-0.811; maximum \u0394C statistic from clinical score alone, 0.009-0.017). AF genetic risk was associated with stroke in age- and sex-adjusted models. For example, individuals in the highest versus lowest quartile of a 127-variant score had a 2.49-fold increased odds of cardioembolic stroke (95% confidence interval, 1.39-4.58; P=2.7\u00d710-3). The effect persisted after the exclusion of individuals (n=70) with known AF (odds ratio, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.20-4.40; P=0.01). Comprehensive AF genetic risk scores were associated with incident AF beyond associations for clinical AF risk factors but offered small improvements in discrimination. AF genetic risk was also associated with cardioembolic stroke in age- and sex-adjusted analyses. Efforts are warranted to determine whether AF genetic risk may improve identification of subclinical AF or help distinguish between stroke mechanisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9712580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dimensionality-driven insulator-to-metal transition in the bechgaard salts\nOptical experiments were conducted on a series of organic linear chain conductors with different values of the interchain single-electron transfer integral tb, which quantifies the degree of anisotropy. Electron-electron interactions together with Umklapp scattering resulted in a correlation gap and an insulating state for small tb. An insulator-to-metal transition was observed when tb exceeded a critical value, on the order of the correlation gap Egap. The absence of a plasma edge on the insulator side of the transition for polarization perpendicular to the chains suggests that the electrons are confined to the chains. The optical features of the metallic state, when contrasted with the magnetic properties, are suggestive of spin-charge separation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28333052,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"PMMA-titania floating macrospheres for the photocatalytic remediation of agro-pharmaceutical wastewater.\nAntibiotics such as tetracycline are used on a large scale in agriculture, and can become concentrated in wastewater lagoons that are used in conjunction with confined animal feeding operations. Solar-illuminated titanium dioxide can be used to photocatalytically degrade aqueous tetracycline, but its application in a lagoon environment requires that the photocatalyst be supported on a macroscopic support material to prevent loss of the nanoscale photocatalyst into the environment. In this work, titanium dioxide was deposited within a porous poly(methyl methacrylate) film on the surface of floating 7.0 cm diameter acrylic spheres. Six of these floating spheres removed over 96% of the tetracycline in 3.5 L of 60 mg\/L tetracycline in natural pond water during 24 hours of solar illumination. The durability of these spheres under long-term solar exposure was also investigated along with the amount of photocatalyst lost from the sphere surface during use. These macroscale floating composite spheres provide a new method for removing tetracycline from wastewater lagoons with minimal risk of being displaced in the environment due to the large size of the spheres.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10853243,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The developmental characteristics of speech-motor areas 44 and 45 in the left and right hemispheres of the human brain in early postnatal development].\nCytoarchitecture of speech areas 44 and 45 of human brain was studied on frontal series of sections of brain of a newborn, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years old child. Sections were stained with cresyl violet after Nissl. Density of neurons and gliocytes location as well as fraction of satellite gliocytes and surrounded by the latter, glia index were determined by quantitative methods. General principles of cortical areas 44 and 45 were distinguished as well as peculiarities of their formation if left and right hemispheres of human brain in postnatal ontogenesis. Heterochronia of postnatal development of areas 44 and 45 was demonstrated. A hypothesis on different activity of right and left hemispheres speech areas in different periods of speech development of the child was discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21954361,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Microwave-assisted extraction of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid from Ligustrum lucidum Ait.\nOleanolic acid and ursolic acid are the main active components in fruit of Ligustrum lucidum Ait, and possess anticancer, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antiprotozoal activities. In this study, microwave-assisted extraction of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid from Ligustrum lucidum was investigated with HPLC-photodiode array detection. Effects of several experimental parameters, such as type and concentration of extraction solvent, ratio of liquid to material, microwave power, extraction temperature and microwave time, on the extraction efficiencies of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid from Ligustrum lucidum were evaluated. The influence of experimental parameters on the extraction efficiency of ursolic acid was more significant than that of oleanolic acid (p < 0.05). The optimal extraction conditions were 80% ethanol aqueous solution, the ratio of material to liquid was 1:15, and extraction for 30 min at 70 \u00b0C under microwave irradiation of 500 W. Under optimal conditions, the yields of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid were 4.4 \u00b1 0.20 mg\/g and 5.8 \u00b1 0.15 mg\/g, respectively. The results obtained are helpful for the full utilization of Ligustrum lucidum, which also indicated that microwave-assisted extraction is a very useful method for extraction of oleanolic acid and ursolic acid from plant materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30597563,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The effect of red blood cell transfusion on iron metabolism in critically ill patients.\nAnemia of inflammation (AI) has a high prevalence in critically ill patients. In AI, iron metabolism is altered, as high levels of inflammation-induced hepcidin reduce the amount of iron available for erythropoiesis. AI is treated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. The effect of RBC transfusion on iron metabolism during inflammatory processes in adults is unknown. We investigated the effect of RBC transfusion on iron metabolism in critically ill patients. In a prospective cohort study in 61 critically ill patients who received 1 RBC unit, levels of iron variables were determined before, directly after, and 24 hours after transfusion in septic and nonseptic patients. Serum iron levels were low and increased after transfusion (p = 0.02). However, RBC transfusion had no effect on transferrin saturation (p = 0.14) and ferritin levels (p = 0.74). Hepcidin levels increased after RBC transfusion (p = 0.01), while interleukin-6 levels decreased (p = 0.03). In septic patients, RBC transfusion induced a decrease in haptoglobin levels compared to baseline, which did not occur in nonseptic patients (p = 0.01). The effect of RBC transfusion on other iron variables did not differ between septic and nonseptic patients. Transfusion of a RBC unit transiently increases serum iron levels in intensive care unit patients. The increase in hepcidin levels after transfusion can further decrease iron release from intracellular storage making it available for erythropoiesis. RBC transfusion is associated with a decrease in haptoglobin levels in septic compared to nonseptic patients, but did not affect other markers of hemolysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24113342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Investigating the cross-cultural validity of DSM-5 autism spectrum disorder: evidence from Finnish and UK samples.\nThe recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5) reformulation of autism spectrum disorder has received empirical support from North American and UK samples. Autism spectrum disorder is an increasingly global diagnosis, and research is needed to discover how well it generalises beyond North America and the United Kingdom. We tested the applicability of the DSM-5 model to a sample of Finnish young people with autism spectrum disorder (n = 130) or the broader autism phenotype (n = 110). Confirmatory factor analysis tested the DSM-5 model in Finland and compared the fit of this model between Finnish and UK participants (autism spectrum disorder, n = 488; broader autism phenotype, n = 220). In both countries, autistic symptoms were measured using the Developmental, Diagnostic and Dimensional Interview. Replicating findings from English-speaking samples, the DSM-5 model fitted well in Finnish autism spectrum disorder participants, outperforming a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) model. The DSM-5 model fitted equally well in Finnish and UK autism spectrum disorder samples. Among broader autism phenotype participants, this model fitted well in the United Kingdom but poorly in Finland, suggesting that cross-cultural variability may be greatest for milder autistic characteristics. We encourage researchers with data from other cultures to emulate our methodological approach, to map any cultural variability in the manifestation of autism spectrum disorder and the broader autism phenotype. This would be especially valuable given the ongoing revision of the International Classification of Diseases-11th Edition, the most global of the diagnostic manuals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3222762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Comparison of arm and leg ergometry in patients with moderate chronic obstructive lung disease.\nExercise testing is traditionally performed with leg exercise on either a treadmill or a bicycle ergometer. Many of these tests are terminated before dyspnoea occurs because of leg fatigue, arthritic pain, or claudication. A study was carried out to determine whether arm ergometry testing might serve as an alternative method to leg testing in eight patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. The patients had mild to moderate dyspnoea on exertion and required bronchodilator treatment. They had smoked an average of 62 pack years and had a mean FEV1 of 1.88 l. Arm and leg ergometry yielded similar levels of maximum ventilation (arm 47.2, leg 48.6 l\/min), maximum heart rates (126 v 124 beats\/min), maximum tidal volume (1.5 v 1.6 l), and respiratory rate (30 v 29 breaths\/min); but maximum oxygen consumption (1120 v 966 ml\/min), maximum power output (62 v 26 w), and oxygen pulse (9.1 v 7.8 ml\/beat) were all higher with leg than with arm ergometry. In addition, ventilation and heart rate at a given level of oxygen consumption were higher for arm than for leg work during both submaximal and maximal exercise. It is concluded that arm ergometry offers an alternative testing method to leg testing in patients with moderate chronic obstructive lung disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1722037,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effective integration of pain management into comprehensive cancer care.\nPain management is an integral component of comprehensive cancer care. The combined goals of optimal comfort and optimal function require a working understanding of how pain therapy interacts with cancer and cancer therapy. The two main aspects of cancer which affect pain management are the cancer's treatability and its non-pain pathophysiology. Cancer treatability determines the importance of pain management and the appropriateness of invasive pain-blocking procedures. Cancer non-pain pathophysiology often hinders pain control by preventing oral administration of medications, narrowing a patient's therapeutic window for opioid analgesics, limiting psychological therapies, and interfering with invasive pain relieving procedures. Cancer therapy can impair or enhance pain therapy and vice versa. Cancer therapy can impair pain therapy by its production of adverse effects or by its direct causation of pain. Cancer therapy can enhance pain therapy by reducing the amount of cancer, by including drugs which act as coanalgesics, and by providing intravenous access devices for parenteral opioid administration. Pain therapy can impair cancer therapy by augmenting or complicating cancer therapy's adverse effects. Pain therapy can enhance cancer therapy by improving organ function and patient performance status permitting previously limited or contraindicated cancer therapies to be given. Five case studies are presented to illustrate how effective integration of pain management into comprehensive cancer care is mandatory for optimal care of cancer patients and their families.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26374344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Prenatal antidepressant exposure and child behavioural outcomes at 7 years of age: a study within the Danish National Birth Cohort.\nTo investigate the impact of prenatal antidepressant exposure on behavioural problems in children at 7 years of age. Nationwide population-based study. Danish National Birth Cohort. A cohort of 49 178 pregnant women recruited between 1996 and 2002. Data obtained from computer-assisted telephone interviews twice during pregnancy were used to identify children born to: (i) depressed women who took antidepressants during pregnancy (n = 210); (ii) depressed women who did not take any antidepressants during pregnancy (n = 231); and (iii) healthy women who were not depressed (n = 48 737). Childhood behavioural problems at 7 years of age were examined using the validated Danish parent-report version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). SDQ scores. No associations were observed between prenatal antidepressant exposure and abnormal SDQ scores for overall problem behaviour (adjusted relative risk, aRR 1.00; 95% confidence interval, 95% CI 0.49-2.05), hyperactivity\/inattention (aRR 0.99; 95% CI 0.56-1.75), or peer problems (aRR 1.04; 95% CI 0.57-1.91). Although prenatal antidepressant exposure appeared to be associated with abnormal SDQ scores on the subscales of emotional symptoms (aRR 1.68; 95% CI 1.18-2.38) and conduct problems (aRR 1.58; 95% CI 1.03-2.42), these associations were significantly attenuated following adjustment for antenatal mood status (aRR 1.20; 95% CI 0.85-1.70 and aRR 1.19; 95% CI 0.77 1.83, respectively). Untreated prenatal depression was associated with an increased risk of all behavioural outcomes evaluated, compared with unexposed children, with significant attenuation following adjustment for antenatal mood status. The results of this study suggest that independent of maternal illness, prenatal antidepressant exposure is not associated with an increased risk of behavioural problems in children at 7 years of age. Prenatal antidepressant exposure is not associated with an increased risk of child behavioural problems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28220494,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Mortality outcomes in patients transfused with fresher versus older red blood cells: a meta-analysis.\nAmong transfused patients, the effect of the duration of red blood cell storage on mortality remains unclear. This study aims to compare the mortality of patients who were transfused with fresher versus older red blood cells. We performed an updated systematic search in the CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL databases, from January 2015 to October 2016. RCTs of hospitalized patients of any age comparing transfusion of fresher versus older red blood cells were eligible. We used a random-effects model to calculate pooled risk ratios (RRs) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). We identified 14 randomized trials that enrolled 26 374 participants. All-cause mortality occurred in 1219 of 9531 (12\u00b78%) patients who received a transfusion of fresher red blood cells and 1810 of 16 843 (10\u00b77%) in those who received older red blood cells (RR: 1\u00b704, 95% CI: 0\u00b798-1\u00b712, P = 0\u00b790, I2 = 0%, high certainty for ruling out benefit of fresh blood, moderate certainty for ruling out harm of fresh blood). In six studies, in-hospital death occurred in 691 of 7479 (9\u00b72%) patients receiving fresher red cells and 1291 of 14 757 (8\u00b78%) receiving older red cells (RR: 1\u00b706, 95% CI: 0\u00b797-1\u00b715, P = 0\u00b781, I2 = 0%, high certainty for ruling out benefit of fresh blood, moderate certainty for ruling out harm of fresh blood). Transfusion of fresher red blood cells does not reduce overall or in-hospital mortality when compared with older red blood cells. Our results support the practice of transfusing patients with the oldest red blood cells available in the blood bank.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27341054,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Re-irradiation stereotactic body radiotherapy for spinal metastases: a multi-institutional outcome analysis.\nOBJECTIVE This study is a multi-institutional pooled analysis specific to imaging-based local control of spinal metastases in patients previously treated with conventional external beam radiation therapy (cEBRT) and then treated with re-irradiation stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to the spine as salvage therapy, the largest such study to date. METHODS The authors reviewed cases involving 215 patients with 247 spinal target volumes treated at 7 institutions. Overall survival was calculated on a patient basis, while local control was calculated based on the spinal target volume treated, both using the Kaplan-Meier method. Local control was defined as imaging-based progression within the SBRT target volume. Equivalent dose in 2-Gy fractions (EQD2) was calculated for the cEBRT and SBRT course using an \u03b1\/\u03b2 of 10 for tumor and 2 for both spinal cord and cauda equina. RESULTS The median total dose\/number of fractions of the initial cEBRT was 30 Gy\/10. The median SBRT total dose and number of fractions were 18 Gy and 1, respectively. Sixty percent of spinal target volumes were treated with single-fraction SBRT (median, 16.6 Gy and EQD2\/10 = 36.8 Gy), and 40% with multiple-fraction SBRT (median 24 Gy in 3 fractions, EQD2\/10 = 36 Gy). The median time interval from cEBRT to re-irradiation SBRT was 13.5 months, and the median duration of patient follow-up was 8.1 months. Kaplan-Meier estimates of 6- and 12-month overall survival rates were 64% and 48%, respectively; 13% of patients suffered a local failure, and the 6- and 12-month local control rates were 93% and 83%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) < 70 as a significant prognostic factor for worse overall survival, and single-fraction SBRT as a significant predictive factor for better local control. There were no cases of radiation myelopathy, and the vertebral compression fracture rate was 4.5%. CONCLUSIONS Re-irradiation spine SBRT is effective in yielding imaging-based local control with a clinically acceptable safety profile. A randomized trial would be required to determine the optimal fractionation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31879548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cytogenetic and molecular characteristics of rye genome in octoploid triticale (\u00d7 Triticosecale Wittmack).\nAlloploidization resulting from remote (interspecific or intergeneric) hybridization is one of the main factors in plant evolution, leading to the formation of new species. Triticale (\u00d7 Triticosecale Wittmack, 1889) is the first artificial species created by crossing wheat (Triticum spp.) and rye (Secale cereale Linnaeus, 1753) and has a great potential as a grain and forage crop. Remote hybridization is a stress factor that causes a rapid reorganization of the parental genomes in hybrid progeny (\"genomic shock\") and is accompanied by abnormalities in the chromosome set of hybrids. The formation of the hybrid genome and its subsequent stabilization are directly related to the normalization of meiosis and the correct chromosome segregation. The aim of this work was to cytogenetically characterize triticale (\u00d7 Triticosecale rimpaui Wittmack, 1899, AABBDDRR) obtained by crossing Triticum aestivum Linnaeus, 1753. Triple Dirk D \u00d7 Secale cereale L. Korotkostebel'naya 69 in F3-F6 generations of hybrids, and to trace the process of genetic stabilization of hybrid genomes. Also, a comparative analysis of the nucleotide sequences of the centromeric histone CENH3 genes was performed in wheat-rye allopolyploids of various ploidy as well as their parental forms. In the hybrid genomes of octoploid triticale an increased expression of the rye CENH3 variants was detected. The octoploid triticale plants contain complete chromosome sets of the parental subgenomes maintaining the chromosome balance and meiotic stability. For three generations the percentage of aneuploids in the progeny of such plants has been gradually decreasing, and they maintain a complete set of the paternal rye chromosomes. However, the emergence of hexaploid and new aneuploid plants in F5 and F6 generations indicates that stabilization of the hybrid genome is not complete yet. This conclusion was confirmed by the analysis of morphological features in hybrid plants: the progeny of one plant having the whole chromosome sets of parental subgenomes showed significant morphological variations in awn length and spike density. Thus, we expect that the results of our karyotyping of octoploid triticales obtained by crossing hexaploid wheat to diploid rye supplemented by comparative analysis of CENH3 sequences will be applicable to targeted breeding of stable octo- and hexaploid hybrids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21103287,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The society for gastrointestinal intervention. Are we, as an organization of disparate disciplines, cooperative or competitive?\nThis is the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Society for Gastrointestinal Intervention, a multi-disciplinary group of practitioners committed to a minimally invasive approach to both the diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders. The key concepts are minimally invasive and multi-disciplinary which can be construed as practicing in parallel with occasional lines of procedural and clinical interaction or inter-disciplinary in which patients are acutely cared for by a team, with treatments tailored to the patient and not the discipline that touches the patient first. In reality, many of us exist in both worlds. Most universities and large clinics are structured in departments along traditional training lines. As such, Interventional Radiology is housed in the Radiology Department, Laparoscopic Surgery (and potentially NOTES), as a component of the General Surgery Division, and Therapeutic Endoscopy usually resides within a gastroenterology structural framework. These divisions have historically been kept separate by multiple forces: salaries and budgets usually reside in a larger division. As a group, the amount of practice devoted to GI disorders is variable (for instance, minimally invasive surgeons may approach the adrenal glands or lung lesions in some institutions and interventional radiologists often sample tissue in multiple areas outside the GI tract, and by virtue of access to the vascular tree, can stent, embolize, or TPA almost any area of the body), as well as inherent differences in our individual abilities to access organs. I have already mentioned that angiographic capabilities allow the interventional radiologist access to virtually every GI organ and those capabilities allow therapeutic options for bleeding, tumor embolization, stenting of stenotic lesions, and formation of intravascular shunts. As such, there is very limited interdisciplinary competition here although capsule endoscopy as well as double and single balloon enteroscopy have improved the endoscopist's diagnostic and potential therapeutic reach. However, many of these diagnostic triumphs for obscure or massive GI bleed are simply to tattoo lesions that require surgical removal by laparoscopic or traditional surgery. Cooperation. However, there are potential competitive areas in the treatment of GI vascular lesions also. Whereas endoscopic band ligation has supplanted EVS, splenic devascularization, and most shunting procedures for patients with esophageal varices, endoscopic techniques have had less long-term success with glue injection for gastric varices. Multiple randomized, prospective trials have suggested therapeutic primacy of TIPS with embolization of recalcitrant vessels as an option or back-up. Despite this, therapeutic endoscopists have learned valuable lesions from our IR colleagues and studies are underway using endoscopically injected coils in addition to cyanoacrylate in an attempt to improve acute and long-term bleeding control. Nor is there any major competition in the treatment of primary or metastatic liver tumors by chemoembolization, RF current, or other thermal modalities, although selected patients with single lesions or multiple lesions isolated to a single lobe may be better handled surgically if there is curative intent. Finally, there is little IR, and progressively less, surgical competition for the treatment of high-grade dysplasia or superficial malignancies in the setting of Barrett's esophagus which are adequately treated in most patients by mucosectomy, RF ablation, or cryotherapy but require direct mucosal visualization to direct this therapy. The same has proven true for many years for colorectal polyps, superficial gastric cancers, and ampullary adenomas that had historically all been treated with major surgical resections. Still, there are many patients with advanced lesions who are good operative candidates who should be approached with conventional or minimally invasive surgery with the intent of operative cure. Cooperative, not competitive. The potential for competition between disciplines comes in mundane situations and clinical settings that have historically been \"owned\" by a single discipline. On the one hand, placement of PEGS and PEJs, initially done endoscopically, can be done with equal facility and occasional failure, by endoscopists and interventional radiologists, reserving failed attempts for minimally invasive surgery. What resources are utilized with these three methods? Are there advantages to defining the mucosa of the gut lumen in all, or even a subset of patients? By way of contrast, acute cholecystectomy tubes in high surgical risk patients have usually been the domain of the radiologist, although I described transcystic duct gallbladder decompression endoscopically 2\u00bd decades ago. With the advent of new devices delivered under EUS control, the gallbladder will now be readily accessible endoscopically. What does this mean both for the acutely ill patient without a window to approach their gallbladder radiologically? Will this play a bit part and a cooperative technique to expand our therapeutic armamentarium or will it become competitive therapeutically not only for IR but for minimally invasive surgeons? The same may be said for EUS's ability to inject genes, caustics, or chemo-therapeutic agents into organs adjacent to the lumen. What is the role of TNFerade injection into unresectable pancreatic cancers and the role of absolute alcohol or Taxitol to treat cystic neoplasms of the pancreas? The real issue of competition or cooperation between the disciplines comes when treating patients with unresectable and obstructing GI neoplasms, from my perspective. The latter may occur almost anywhere in the GI tract but, of course, are more commonly noted proximally (esophagus, stomach, duodenum) and distally (left colon) as well as proximal and distal biliary obstructions. Recognizing that the occasional mid-small bowel and many proximal colon lesions are better handled with an endoscopic approach because of loss of vector force and difficulty pushing a catheter through large diameter, acutely angulated lumens, all others are fair game from my perspective. To my knowledge, although there are studies demonstrating the superiority of SEMS over open or laparoscopic bypass for malignant gastric outlet obstruction insofar as return of gut function, hospitalization time, and resource utilization, there are no studies demonstrating the superiority of one discipline or another in the placement of SEMS. Nor have cost data emerged suggesting the superiority of one technique over another from a cost standpoint. Unless or until we have such studies, this suggests to me that institutional interest and expertise should play a major role in how these unfortunate patients have continuity of their GI tract re-established. The situation is a bit more complex in pancreaticobiliary malignancy. There are 2 prospective randomized trials (level 1 evidence) that suggest that patients with proximal strictures (Bismuth II-IV) in conjunction with bile duct and gallbladder cancer, respectively, may be more successfully stented percutaneously and certainly it is easier to deliver brachytherapy or PDT under protocol to these patients who have indwelling external drains. In contrast, there are no data, positive or negative, to suggest that PTBD is a preferable treatment for distal biliary malignant obstruction, and in most parts of the world, the endoscopic approach has supplanted the percutaneous one just as metal stents have replaced plastic prostheses to preclude recurrent bouts of stent dysfunction and need for additional ERCP. The question posed at the beginning of this syllabus contribution: Are we competitive or cooperative? The answer is obviously both but, hopefully, our choice of treatment should depend less on who touches the patient first and more on skill sets within an institution and what is the best treatment for this particular individual. The importance of the SGI is technical and informational cross-fertilization. If your university or clinic will not allow blurring of training barriers to put therapeutic endoscopists, minimally invasive surgeons, and interventional radiologists together as a department or institute, you can nevertheless work together as a team in the best interest of your patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20639989,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Spectral phase retrieval from interferometric autocorrelation by a combination of graduated optimization and genetic algorithms.\nWe describe a method for retrieving spectral phase information from second harmonic interferometric autocorrelation measurements supplemented by the use of the observed spectral intensity. By applying a combination of graduated optimization and genetic algorithms, accurate phase retrieval of laser pulses as short as a few optical cycles was obtained from the measured autocorrelation and spectral intensity. The effectiveness of the combined algorithms is demonstrated on a set of significantly different femtosecond pulse shapes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11554443,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Oxidation of zinc finger transcription factors: physiological consequences.\nRedox-sensitive cysteine residues are present in the interaction domains of many protein complexes. There are examples in all of the major categories of transcription factors, including basic region, leucine zipper, helix-loop-helix, and zinc finger. Zinc finger structures require at least two zinc-coordinated cysteine sulfhydryl groups, and oxidation or alkylation of these can eliminate DNA-binding and transcriptional functions. We review here the evidence for oxidation of zinc finger cysteines, the pathways and reactive oxygen intermediates involved, and the functional and physiological consequences of these reactions. Despite skepticism that the strongly reducing intracellular environment would permit significant oxidation of cysteine residues within zinc finger transcription factors, there is compelling evidence that oxidation occurs both in vitro and in vivo. Early reports demonstrating reversible oxidation of zinc-coordinated cysteines with loss of binding function in vitro were shown to reflect accurately the changes in intact cells, and these in turn have been shown to correlate with physiological changes. In particular, the accumulation of oxidized Spl zinc fingers during aging, and estrogen receptors in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancers are dramatic examples of what may be a general sensitivity of zinc finger factors to changes in the redox state of the cell.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2305320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Idiopathic acute myelopathy.\nThe clinical spectrum of acute intrinsic spinal cord disease remains uncertain because of varying criteria used in different studies. The characteristics of 17 patients with idiopathic acute myelopathy drawn from a larger group of 34 with acute intrinsic myelopathies of varying aetiology are reported. Results, which differ from previous studies, include the finding of a high proportion of patients with evidence of predominantly unilateral cord disease (47%). A higher percentage of patients (24%) than previously reported later developed multiple sclerosis, possibly related to broader inclusion criteria. A rise in protein concentration of the cerebrospinal fluid on repeat lumbar puncture was observed in patients with spinal shock on presentation, and a poor outcome was most clearly associated with these cases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16441686,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The developmental origins of adult disease (Barker) hypothesis.\nMany studies have provided evidence for the hypothesis that size at birth is related to the risk of developing disease in later life. In particular, links are well established between reduced birthweight and increased risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and stroke in adulthood. These relationships are modified by patterns of postnatal growth. The most widely accepted mechanisms thought to underlie these relationships are those of fetal programming by nutritional stimuli or excess fetal glucocorticoid exposure. It is suggested that the fetus makes physiological adaptations in response to changes in its environment to prepare itself for postnatal life. These changes may include epigenetic modification of gene expression. Less clear at this time are the relevance of fetal programming phenomena to twins and preterm babies, and whether any of these effects can be reversed after birth. Much current active research in this field will be of direct relevance to future obstetric practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11559534,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Lung tumor KRAS and TP53 mutations in nonsmokers reflect exposure to PAH-rich coal combustion emissions.\nWe determined the TP53 and codon 12 KRAS mutations in lung tumors from 24 nonsmokers whose tumors were associated with exposure to smoky coal. Among any tumors studied previously, these showed the highest percentage of mutations that (a) were G --> T transversions at either KRAS (86%) or TP53 (76%), (b) clustered at the G-rich codons 153-158 of TP53 (33%), and (c) had 100% of the guanines of the G --> T transversions on the nontranscribed strand. This mutation spectrum is consistent with an exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are the primary component of the smoky coal emissions. These results show that mutations in the TP53 and KRAS genes can reflect a specific environmental exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19015707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fourth-order dispersion mediated solitonic radiations in HC-PCF cladding.\nWe observe experimentally, for the first time to our knowledge, the simultaneous emission of two strong conjugate resonant dispersive waves by optical solitons. The effect is observed in a small waveguiding glass feature within the cladding of a Kagome hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. We demonstrate theoretically that the phenomenon is attributed to the unusually high fourth-order dispersion coefficient of the waveguiding feature.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15930633,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparison of the crystallization and crystal packing of two Fab single-site mutant protein L complexes.\nProtein L from Peptostreptococcus magnus (PpL) is a multidomain protein composed of four or five immunoglobulin-binding domains that target the kappa light chain of a large repertoire of human and murine antibodies. Thus, a single domain of this protein can be used to aid the crystallization of Fab, free or complexed to their antigen when it is not possible to obtain crystals without it. Each wild-type PpL domain has two light-chain binding sites that target the same region of the light chain and can thus bring together two Fab-antigen complexes within the crystal lattice. In this context the small PpL domain is sandwiched between two Fab and cannot participate in crystal contacts, thus mutants are unlikely to increase the chances of crystallizing a particular complex. However, it is possible to design mutants that can bind at only one site by making use of the crystal structures obtained so far. Such mutants will have a free surface that can participate in crystal contacts and that can be modified to improve its crystal contact-forming properties. Here, a comparison of two single-site mutants that differ at three different positions is reported. In both mutants two different tryptophan residues participate in crystal-packing interactions, suggesting that this residue may be particularly interesting for enhancing crystal-contact formation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6773425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"In vitro primate gastric mucosa: electrical characteristics.\nIon transport by the resting, isolated, rhesus gastric mucosa was assessed under conditions of minimal diffusion limitation to oxygen by 1) the substitution of Na+ and Cl- of the bathing solutions with less permeant ions, 2) the drugs amiloride and ouabain, and 3) estimation of net fluxes of 22Na by methods designed to circumvent the problem of poorly matched tissues. The mucosae developed potential differences of 51.3 +\/ 3.5 mV, serosal side positive and had conductances of 5.56 +\/- 0.30 mS x cm-2. The permeabilities of the tissues to D-mannitol were between 7.80 x 10(-7) and 3.15 x 10(-7) cm x s-1. The relatively high conductance of this epithelium in the absence of significant edge damage and a low (32%) paracellular conductance stems mainly from a passive permeability to Cl-; active absorption of Na+ and active secretion of Cl- contribute equally to the short-circuit current. The mucosal entry step for Na+ is amiloride sensitive, whereas the serosal exit step can be inhibited by ouabain. The entry step for Cl- at the serosal membrane is possibly sodium dependent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34633000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Regression and clustering algorithms for AgCu nanoalloys: from mixing energy predictions to structure recognition.\nThe lowest-energy structures of AgCu nanoalloys are searched for by global optimization algorithms for sizes 100 and 200 atoms depending on composition. Even though the AgCu system is very weakly miscible in macroscopic samples, the mixing energy for these nanoalloys turns out to be clearly negative for both sizes, a result which is attributed to the stabilization of non-crystalline Cu@Ag core-shell structures at the nanoscale. The mixing energy is a quantity nowadays unknown in its functional form, so that its prediction may take advantage of machine learning techniques. A support vector regressor is then implemented to successfully predict the mixing energy of AgCu nanoalloys of both sizes. Moreover, with the help of unsupervised learning algorithms, it is shown that the automatic classification of such nanoalloys into different physically meaningful structural families is indeed possible. Finally, thanks to the harmonic superposition approximation, the temperature-dependent probabilities of such structural families are calculated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33218544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pain knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Australian osteopaths drawn from a nationally representative sample of the profession.\nPain has been identified as a global health issue with substantial effects on individuals and society. Health professionals managing pain complaints must have appropriate knowledge of pain neurophysiology, and attitudes and beliefs towards pain management that align with current practice guidelines. Evaluate Australian osteopaths' current level of knowledge of pain neurophysiology and their beliefs and attitudes towards pain, and explore associations with demographic variables. Australian osteopaths drawn from a nationally representative practice-based research network received the questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT) and the Attitudes to Back Pain Scale in Musculoskeletal Practitioners (ABS-mp). Complete responses were received from 211 osteopaths (21.3% response rate). The mean total NPQ score was equivalent to 72.2% correct responses. The PABS-PT Biomedical scale mean score was 38.8 ( \u00b19.1, \u03b1 = 0.81) and the Biopsychosocial scale was 22.3 ( \u00b13.3, \u03b1 = 0.38). ABS-mp mean factor scores suggest osteopaths support psychological approaches (22.1, \u00b13.3, \u03b1 = 0.71) but endorsed more treatment sessions for those with back pain (15.9, \u00b14.7, \u03b1 = 0.71). Trivial correlations between measures and most demographic variables were observed. Osteopaths who undertook further studies in pain had higher mean NPQ scores, with moderate negative correlations with a lower PABS-PT Biomedical subscale score (\u03c1 = -0.45, p < 0.01). Australian osteopaths demonstrate a range of pain neurophysiology knowledge, and beliefs and attitudes towards pain. The findings support the positive impact of professional development for improving pain knowledge in this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2287974,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Incidence of extracranial injuries in fatal head injury patients.\nThe clinical notes of 148 patients who were admitted with head injuries and died were studied retrospectively and compared with the results of a postmortem examination. Risk factors predicting the presence of extracranial injuries were sought. Fourteen per cent of patients admitted with head injuries died. Two risk factors predicted the presence of extracranial injuries: 67% of the patients with an associated injury had been involved in a motor vehicle accident (MVA), compared with 32% of those with a head injury only. Shock was five times as common in the group with associated injuries than in those without. Associated injuries were present in 45% of patients, and 37% of these injuries were not diagnosed on admission. In 7% these injuries were the final cause of death. This study re-emphasises the fact that multi-organ trauma is common after MVA, and shock due to hypovolaemia is an unusual complication of head injury. Searching for associated injuries is mandatory in the head-injured patient. Since clinical examination is inaccurate, special investigations, such as peritoneal lavage or computed tomography, should be utilised for this purpose.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27792531,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Physiological Stress Responses in Amphibian Larvae to Multiple Stressors Reveal Marked Anthropogenic Effects even below Lethal Levels.\nNatural and anthropogenic disturbances cause profound alterations in organisms, inducing physiological adjustments to avoid, reduce, or remedy the impact of disturbances. In vertebrates, the stress response is regulated via neuroendocrine pathways, including the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis that regulates the secretion of glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids have cascading effects on multiple physiological pathways, affecting the metabolic rate, reactive oxygen species production, or immune system. Determining the extent to which natural and anthropogenic environmental factors induce stress responses in vertebrates is of great importance in ecology and conservation biology. Here we study the physiological stress response in spadefoot toad tadpoles (Pelobates cultripes) against three levels of a series of natural and anthropogenic stressors common to many aquatic systems: salinity (0, 6, and 9 ppt), herbicide (0, 1, and 2 mg\/L acid equivalent of glyphosate), water acidity (pH 4.5, 7.0, and 9.5), predators (absent, native, and invasive), and temperature (21\u00b0, 25\u00b0, and 29\u00b0C). The physiological stress response was assessed examining corticosterone levels, standard metabolic rate, activity of antioxidant enzymes, oxidative cellular damage in lipids, and immunological status. We found that common stressors substantially altered the physiological state of tadpoles. In particular, salinity and herbicides cause dramatic physiological changes in tadpoles. Moreover, tadpoles reduced corticosterone levels in the presence of natural predators but did not do so against invasive predators, indicating a lack of innate recognition. Corticosterone and the antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase were the most sensitive parameters to stress in this study. Anthropogenic perturbations of aquatic systems pose serious threats to larval amphibians even at nonlethal concentrations, judging from the marked physiological stress responses generated, and reveal the importance of incorporating physiological information onto conservation, ecological, and evolutionary studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35618893,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Chronotherapy based on modified-release hydrocortisone to restore the physiological cortisol diurnal rhythm.\nIn this inspirational note, we describe the development of an endocrine chronotherapy to restore the physiological rhythm of the essential adrenal stress hormone, cortisol. The challenges included demonstrating the circadian rhythm of the drug target, creating a drug formulation that replicated that rhythm and then proving benefit in clinical trials. The physiological cortisol circadian rhythm is well defined with cortisol levels high on waking and low on going to sleep. We experimented with different formulation technologies including modified-release tablets and multi-particulates to replicate the cortisol rhythm where absent through disease. We describe the development of Efmody\u00ae, a modified-release formulation of hydrocortisone, which replicates the cortisol diurnal rhythm and improves the disease control of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, the commonest hereditary form of adrenal insufficiency. This program shows it is possible, through modified-release technology, to treat chronic endocrine diseases with physiological replacement to preserve health for life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16401618,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"What best differentiates Lewy body from Alzheimer's disease in early-stage dementia?\nTo determine which clinical feature(s) [among visual hallucinations (VH), extrapyramidal signs (EPS) and visuospatial impairment] in the earliest stages of disease best predicted a diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) at autopsy, first-visit data of 23 pathologically proven DLB and 94 Alzheimer's disease cases were compared. There were no group differences with regard to age, gender, education or global severity of dementia at presentation (mean Mini-Mental State Examination: 24.0 versus 25.0, mean Dementia Rating Scale: 123.6 versus 125.7). DLB patients at initial presentation displayed an increased frequency of VH (P = 0.001), but not EPS (P = 0.3), compared to Alzheimer's disease patients. However, only a minority of DLB cases had either VH (22%), EPS (26%) or both (13%). In contrast, although not a core feature, visuospatial\/constructional impairment was observed in most of the DLB cases (74%). Among clinical variables, presence\/recent history of VH was the most specific to DLB (99%), and visuospatial impairment was the most sensitive (74%). As a result, VH at presentation were the best positive predictor of DLB at autopsy (positive predictive value: 83% versus 32% or less for all other variables), while lack of visuospatial impairment was the best negative predictor (negative predictive value: 90%). We conclude that the best model for differentiating DLB from Alzheimer's disease in the earliest stages of disease includes VH and visuospatial\/constructional dysfunction, but not spontaneous EPS, as predictors. This suggests that clinical history plus a brief assessment of visuospatial function may be of the greatest value in correctly identifying DLB early during the course of disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14974649,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Patient with partial trisomy 9q and learning disability but no pyloric stenosis.\nPartial trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 9 represents a very rare and heterogeneous group of chromosomal aberrations. Associated clinical features include learning disability and pyloric stenosis. We present the first patient to be reported with a duplication of the chromosome region 9q22.1-->q33. The patient (female, age 17 years) presented with growth retardation, microcephaly, facial dysmorphia, oesophageal atresia, aortic stenosis, ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect II, hypothyroidism, and learning disability, but no pyloric stenosis. A review of all cases of partial trisomy 9q reported in the literature demonstrates that learning disability is a characteristic feature of this group of chromosomal aberrations. However, there are cases of duplications of the same chromosome 9 material, with and without pyloric stenosis. This study provides new information for future genetic counselling, especially in cases of prenatal diagnosis of partial trisomy 9q.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34077947,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Qi Ling Inhibits Progression of Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer via Negative Regulation of TRIM66\/HP1\u03b3\/AR Axis.\nThis study aimed to understand the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of Qi Ling (QL) against androgen-independent prostate cancer. The relative expression of TRIM66 in prostate tumor was interrogated by microarray. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were performed to determine the transcript abundances and protein expressions of TRIM66, HP1\u03b3, AR, c-Myc, and GAPDH. Cell proliferation and apoptosis were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 method and flow cytometry. The regulatory action of c-Myc on TRIM66 was interrogated with luciferase reporter plasmid and the direct binding was demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation. The secretory prostate-specific antigen was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. TRIM66 was aberrantly overexpressed in prostate cancer and associated with unfavorable prognosis. TRIM66\/HP1\u03b3\/AR was upregulated during the androgen-independent transition in hormone-deprived medium. The TRIM66 level positively linked to cell proliferation and negatively linked to cell apoptosis in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. QL treatment specifically inhibited c-Myc and therefore directly downregulated TRIM66 via binding to its promoter. Ectopic introduction of TRIM66 significantly reversed the anti-tumor effects of QL against androgen-independent prostate cancer. Our study uncovered the importance of downregulated TRIM66\/HP1\u03b3\/AR signaling in mediating the anti-tumor properties of QL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27709072,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hirayama's disease: an Italian single center experience and review of the literature.\nHirayama's disease (HD), is a benign, self-limited, motor neuron disease, characterized by asymmetric weakness and atrophy of one or both distal upper extremities. In the present study we report the clinical, electrophysiological and MRI features of a group of Italian patients, with review of the literature. Moreover we propose an optimized MRI protocol for patients with suspected or diagnosed HD in order to make an early diagnosis and a standardized follow up. Eight patients with clinical suspicion of Hirayama disease underwent evaluation between January 2007 and November 2013. All patients underwent standard nerve conduction studies (NCS), electromyography (EMG) and motor\/sensory evoked potentials (MEP\/SEP). Cervical spine MRI studies were conducted with a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner in neutral and flexion position, including sagittal T1-weighted sequences and sagittal and axial T2-weighted sequences. The following diagnostic features were evaluated: abnormal cervical curvature, localized cervical cord atrophy in the lower tract (C4-C7), presence of cord flattening (CF), intramedullary signal hyperintensity on T2 weighted sequences, anterior shifting of the posterior wall of the cervical dural sac (ASD) and presence of flow voids (EFV) in the posterior epidural space during flexion. All patients complained of weakness in hand muscles as initial symptoms, associated with hand tremor in three of them and abnormal sweating of the hand palm in two of them. No sensory deficits and weakness at lower limbs were reported by any patients. Distal deep tendon reflexes at upper limbs were absent in all patients with the absence of the right tricipital reflex in one of them. Deep tendon reflexes at lower limbs were normal and no signs of pyramidal tract involvement were present. The clinical involvement at onset was unilateral in six patients (three left-sided and three right-sided) and bilateral asymmetric in two of them, with the right side more affected. With the progression of the disease all patients but one experienced weakness and wasting of hand muscles and forearm bilaterally, but still asymmetric. The duration of the progression phase of the disease ranged from eight months to three years. In all patients, NCS and EMG findings were consistent with a spinal metameric disorder involving the C7-T1 myotomes bilaterally; sensory conduction and electrophysiologic features at lower limbs were normal. MEP and SEP were normal and we did not observe the disappearance of the spinal potential during the neck flexion in any of the patients. MRI is the best diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of HD; it can confirm clinical diagnosis and exclude other conditions responsible for the neurological deficits leading to a correct patient management and therapy, limiting arm impairment. On MRI all patients had loss of the normal cervical lordosis (100%). Five patients had loss of attachment of posterior dural sac and anterior dural shift on flexion MRI with presence of flow voids from venous plexus congestion (62.5%); three patients had no anterior dislocation of the dural sac and no epidural vein congestion. Two patients showed localized cord atrophy, one at C5-C6 and the other at C6-C7 level (25%). Three patients had T2 intramedullary hyperintensities (37.5%) and cord flattening (CF) was present in 5 patients of 8 (62.5%). HD is a rare entity and a self-limited condition, but it has to be early differentiated from other diseases that may determine myelopathy and amyotrophy to establish a correct therapy and limit arm impairment. MRI is very important to confirm the clinical suspect of HD and a standardized MRI protocol using axial and sagittal images in both neutral and flexing position is needed, in order to diagnose and follow up affected patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34157595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Proposal of Carbonactinosporaceae fam. nov. within the class Actinomycetia. Reclassification of Streptomyces thermoautotrophicus as Carbonactinospora thermoautotrophica gen. nov., comb. nov.\nStreptomyces thermoautotrophicus UBT1T has been suggested to merit generic status due to its phylogenetic placement and distinctive phenotypes among Actinomycetia. To evaluate whether 'S. thermoautotrophicus' represents a higher taxonomic rank, 'S. thermoautotrophicus' strains UBT1T and H1 were compared to Actinomycetia using 16S rRNA gene sequences and comparative genome analyses. The UBT1T and H1 genomes each contain at least two different 16S rRNA sequences, which are closely related to those of Acidothermus cellulolyticus (order Acidothermales). In multigene-based phylogenomic trees, UBT1T and H1 typically formed a sister group to the Streptosporangiales-Acidothermales clade. The Average Amino Acid Identity, Percentage of Conserved Proteins, and whole-genome Average Nucleotide Identity (Alignment Fraction) values were \u226458.5%, \u226448%, \u226475.5% (0.3) between 'S. thermoautotrophicus' and Streptosporangiales members, all below the respective thresholds for delineating genera. The values for genomics comparisons between strains UBT1T and H1 with Acidothermales, as well as members of the genus Streptomyces, were even lower. A review of the 'S. thermoautotrophicus' proteomic profiles and KEGG orthology demonstrated that UBT1T and H1 present pronounced differences, both tested and predicted, in phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics compared to its sister clades and Streptomyces. The distinct phylogenetic position and the combination of genotypic and phenotypic characteristics justify the proposal of Carbonactinospora gen. nov., with the type species Carbonactinospora thermoautotrophica comb. nov. (type strain UBT1T, = DSM 100163T = KCTC 49540T) belonging to Carbonactinosporaceae fam. nov. within Actinomycetia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38132975,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization versus Surgery in Patients with Chronic Subdural Hematoma-No More Fence Sitting?\nEndovascular treatment of patients with chronic subdural hematoma using middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization could become an alternative to surgical hematoma evacuation. The aim of the study was to compare methods and identify parameters to help determine the correct treatment modality. We retrospectively reviewed 142 cases conducted internally; 78 were treated surgically and 64 were treated using MMA embolization. We analyzed the treatment failure rate and complications, and using a binary logistic regression model, we identified treatment failure risk factors. We found a comparable treatment failure rate of 23.1% for the surgery group and 21.9% for the MMA embolization group. However, in the MMA embolization group, 11 cases showed treatment failure due to early neurological worsening with a need for concomitant surgery. We also found a recurrence of hematoma in 15.4% of cases in the surgery group and 6.3% of cases in the MMA embolization group. Both modalities have their advantages; however, correct identification is crucial for treatment success. According to our findings, hematomas with a maximal width of <18 mm, a midline shift of <5 mm, and no acute or subacute (hyperdense) hematoma could be treated with MMA embolization. Hematomas with a maximal width of >18 mm, a midline shift of >5 mm, and no membranous segmentation could have better outcomes after surgical treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12171136,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dynamic use of tactile afferent signals in control of dexterous manipulation.\nDuring object manipulation, humans select and activate neural action programs acquired during ontogenetic development. A basic issue in understanding the control of dexterous manipulation is to learn how people use sensory information to adapt the output of these neural programs such that the fingertip actions matches the requirements imposed by the physical properties of the manipulated object, e.g., weight (mass), slipperiness, shape, and mass distribution. Although visually based identification processes contribute to predictions of required fingertip actions, the digital tactile sensors provide critical information for the control of fingertip forces. The present account deals with the tactile afferent signals from the digits during manipulation and focuses on some specific issues that the neural controller has to deal with to make use of tactile information.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":87304,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Cancer of the colon: clinical and morphological aspects of local cryosurgery (author's transl)].\nUsing strict indications, local cryosurgery was performed in 86 patients with cancer of the colon. Survival time was longer both for patients with advanced tumour growth and distant metastases and those with potentially curable tumour but in too poor a general condition for operation. Other advantages of cryosurgery are the low complication and mortality rates, the possibility of out-patient treatment without anaesthesia, and thus a general reduction in cost. Indications for colostomy as final palliation can therefore be more narrowly defined than previously customary.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33035353,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Concordance of tumour characteristics and survival clustering among pairs of first-degree relatives with breast cancer.\nFamily history is a known risk factor for breast cancer, but its prognostic value and the prognostic value of tumour characteristics in relation to family history has not been clearly established. In addition, studies of intra-familial tumour characteristics and prognosis in population-based settings are very rare. Two previous studies have suggested that breast cancer prognosis clusters within families. However, both studies lack information on HER2 expression status, which is a strong prognostic factor and could contribute to the observed results. We conducted a population-based study on 145 mother-daughter and sister-sister affected pairs using data extracted from the Geneva Cancer Registry. Histopathological characteristics were determined in archived tumour blocks by immunochemistry techniques. Breast cancer survival among family members was studied according to patient and tumour characteristics. No significant intra-familial agreement of pathological characteristic features was observed. We found that relatives of breast cancer patients experienced a much higher risk of breast cancer death compared to the general population. However, we did not find significant concordance in good and poor breast cancer-specific survival between pairs. The small number of family pairs and deaths from breast cancer may partly explain our results. Large-scale studies with accurate data on strong prognosticators are still needed to confirm the possibility of familial inheritance of breast cancer prognosis.  .","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10849869,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chromium yeast affects growth performance and plasma traits but not carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs depending on the glycemic index.\nForty Swiss Large White pigs (barrows with 31.7 kg initial to 103.7 kg final BW) were equally and randomly assigned to one of four treatments (H0, H200, L0, L200) involving a combination of chromium supplementation (0 or 200 micrograms\/kg) and glycemic index (high GI (H) or low GI (L)). Growth performance, energy and protein digestibility, carcass composition, and some plasma traits were investigated. The data indicated, that the substitution of dietary carbohydrates with fat and crude fibre (low GI) resulted in lower growth performance due to impaired energy digestibility. Moreover, the strong stimulation of insulin secretion due to the high and rapid availability of carbohydrates of the diets H0 and H200 caused increased carcass fat deposition. Chromium supplementation also affected plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations. Depending on glycemic index, chromium affected the growth performance. Daily gain was reduced in pigs of the L200 treatment compared to the L0 group. This finding indicated that the energy availability expressed as GI is one of several nutritional factors, which determine the efficacy of dietary chromium. We could not corroborate evidences that dietary chromium modifies the chemical composition of the whole carcass, but depending on GI, chemical composition of the longissimus muscle was affected.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31829952,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Immune response and gene therapy with adenoassociated viral vectors].\nIn recent years, gene therapy has been positioned as a real and safe option in the development of therapeutic alternatives for the cure and prevention of different diseases. It consists in the insertion of genetic material in a defective tissue or cell, through the use of a vector. There are several considerations for selecting the most appropriate vector, including the potential for binding and entry to the target cell, the ability of the genetic material to transfer to the nucleus, the ability to express the insert, and the absence of toxicity. In the current scenario, the most commonly used viral vectors are those derived from adeno-associated viruses (AAV). Characteristics such as biosafety, low toxicity and selective tropism have enabled its evaluation as a therapeutic option in many monogenic or complex diseases. Despite their advantages, AAV vectors have drawbacks, the most important being the patient's immune response to the vector, especially the response mediated by neutralizing antibodies (NAb). NAbs decrease the transduction of the vector and prevent the expression of the gene it transports, limiting its clinical application. Therefore, identifying and quantifying the presence and activity of NAbs is the first step in any gene therapy protocol with AAV vectors. The presence of NAbs depends mainly on exposure to the virus in nature and varies drastically according to age, geographic location and health status of the person evaluated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23129760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"HIV incidence determination in the United States: a multiassay approach.\nAccurate testing algorithms are needed for estimating human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence from cross-sectional surveys. We developed a multiassay algorithm (MAA) for HIV incidence that includes the BED capture enzyme immunoassay (BED-CEIA), an antibody avidity assay, HIV load, and CD4(+) T-cell count. We analyzed 1782 samples from 709 individuals in the United States who had a known duration of HIV infection (range, 0 to >8 years). Logistic regression with cubic splines was used to compare the performance of the MAA to the BED-CEIA and to determine the window period of the MAA. We compared the annual incidence estimated with the MAA to the annual incidence based on HIV seroconversion in a longitudinal cohort. The MAA had a window period of 141 days (95% confidence interval [CI], 94-150) and a very low false-recent misclassification rate (only 0.4% of 1474 samples from subjects infected for >1 year were misclassified as indicative of recent infection). In a cohort study, annual incidence based on HIV seroconversion was 1.04% (95% CI, .70%-1.55%). The incidence estimate obtained using the MAA was essentially identical: 0.97% (95% CI, .51%-1.71%). The MAA is as sensitive for detecting recent HIV infection as the BED-CEIA and has a very low rate of false-recent misclassification. It provides a powerful tool for cross-sectional HIV incidence determination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24608364,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Periodic layered inverse micelle multilayers with tunable photonic band gap: fabrication and application in dye-sensitized solar cells.\nPeriodic organic-inorganic multilayer films are constructed by stepwise alternate build-up of UV-stabilized poly(styrene-block-vinylpyridine) block copolymer inverse micelles and poly(styrene-block-ethylene oxide) block copolymer layers containing inorganic moieties at the polar core blocks. The layered block copolymer inverse micelle films show strong reflective color and well-defined photonic stop bands in the entire wavelength region from visible to near IR, which can be fine-tuned by controlling the inner architectures, i.e., the periodic size of the layered structure. The layered block copolymer films are integrated into the back-side of counter electrodes as a light reflection layer and thereby an enhancement ratio of \u223c11% in the cell efficiency is achieved, which can be attributed to the increased light harvesting by the sensitized dye molecules. Tailoring the inner structure of the photonic band gap multilayers, the wavelength of reflected light can be adjusted to the wavelength of dye absorption, leading to a noticeable enhancement in photocurrent and power conversion efficiency.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8064706,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Detecting premalignant cervical lesions. Contribution of screening colposcopy to cytology.\nThe combination of parallel cytology and screening colposcopy was found to increase the detection of premalignant cervical lesions from 8.2% in a group of patients (based on cytology alone) to 15.3% in that group (based on the combination). The combination of the two methods used in parallel increased the sensitivity, negative predictive value and efficiency of cervical cancer screening over cytology alone while having only a small negative impact on the positive predictive value of a positive test. The addition of screening colposcopy to cytology produces a significant improvement over current uniphasic screening protocols.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34279180,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"\"It's Crazy What Meth Can Help You Do\": Lay Beliefs, Practices, and Experiences of Using Methamphetamine to Self-Treat Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal.\nAcross the U.S., methamphetamine use is expanding among people who use illicit opioids (PWUIO). Motives for methamphetamine use must be contextualized within the experiences of PWUIO, who may use methamphetamine not only to achieve euphoria, but also as a tactic of self-management. The overall aim of this study is to contextualize lay beliefs, practices, and experiences of methamphetamine use as a form of self-treatment of symptoms related to chronic opioid use among PWUIO in the Dayton Metro Area of Southwest Ohio, an epicenter of the ongoing opioid crisis. This paper draws on two phases of interviews conducted with 38 individuals who use both heroin\/fentanyl and methamphetamine. This paper primarily analyzes qualitative data but includes supplementary information from the structured interview component. Qualitative interview sections were transcribed in their entirety and thematically analyzed. Participants described learning about methamphetamine as a tactic to treat opioid withdrawal symptoms through social networks and through personal experimentation. Many participants suggested that methamphetamine was helpful in relieving exhaustion, alleviating some acute physical symptoms of opioid withdrawal, and providing a psychological distraction, although some admitted that methamphetamine use could incur additional health risks. To effectively use methamphetamine as a tactic of self-treatment, participants emphasized the importance of timing and dosing. Among PWUIO in the Dayton area, methamphetamine use as a tactic to self-manage opioid withdrawal must be studied in relation to historical and evolving patterns of illicit opioid use and associated risks. More research is needed to understand the long-term health impacts of this emergent practice of polydrug use.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8132718,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fluorescent actin analogs with a high affinity for profilin in vitro exhibit an enhanced gradient of assembly in living cells.\nConstitutive centripetal transport of the actin-based cytoskeleton has been detected in cells spreading on a substrate, locomoting fibroblasts and keratocytes, and non-locomoting serum-deprived fibroblasts. These results suggest a gradient of actin assembly, highest in the cortex at the cytoplasm-membrane interface and lowest in the non-cortical perinuclear cytoplasm. We predicted that such a gradient would be maintained in part by phosphoinositide-regulated actin binding proteins because the intracellular free Ca2+ and pH are low and spatially constant in serum-deprived cells. The cytoplasm-membrane interface presents one surface where the assembly of actin is differentially regulated relative to the non-cortical cytoplasm. Several models, based on in vitro biochemistry, propose that phosphoinositide-regulated actin binding proteins are involved in local actin assembly. To test these models in living cells using imaging techniques, we prepared a new fluorescent analog of actin that bound profilin, a protein that interacts with phosphoinositides and actin-monomers in a mutually exclusive manner, with an order of magnitude greater affinity (Kd = 3.6 microM) than cys-374-labeled actin (Kd > 30 microM), yet retained the ability to inhibit DNase I. Hence, we were able to directly compare the distribution and activity of a biochemical mutant of actin with an analog possessing closer to wild-type activity. Three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy of the fluorescent analog of actin with a high affinity for profilin revealed that it incorporated into cortical cytoplasmic fibers and was also distributed diffusely in the non-cortical cytoplasm consistent with a bias of actin assembly near the surface of the cell. Fluorescence ratio imaging revealed that serum-deprived and migrating fibroblasts concentrated the new actin analog into fibers up to four-fold in the periphery and leading edge of these cells, respectively, relative to a soluble fluorescent dextran volume marker, consistent with the formation of a gradient of actin filament density relative to cell volume. Comparison of these gradients in the same living cell using analogs of actin with high and low affinities for profilin demonstrated that increased profilin binding enhanced the gradient. Profilin and related proteins may therefore function in part to bias the assembly of actin at the membrane-cytoplasm interface.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3435057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Bilateral cancer of the kidney and cancer of a solitary kidney].\nThe analysis of a series of 31 cases of bilateral renal cancers and cancers of solitary kidneys revealed the following findings: 1) conservative in situ surgery with clamping of the renal pedicle and dopamine, when it is possible, appears to be by far the most logical and simplest solution (17 cases); 2) ex-vivo surgery with auto-grafting represents an extreme solution (2 cases); 3) cases of technical impossibility, in the absence of distant metastases, require radical nephrectomy followed by dialysis (3 cases); 4) in advanced forms, surgical abstention followed by hormone therapy (8 cases) or highly selective embolisation (1 case) sometimes provides surprising survivals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34236503,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Variance Reduction with Array-RQMC for Tau-Leaping Simulation of Stochastic Biological and Chemical Reaction Networks.\nWe explore the use of Array-RQMC, a randomized quasi-Monte Carlo method designed for the simulation of Markov chains, to reduce the variance when simulating stochastic biological or chemical reaction networks with [Formula: see text]-leaping. The task is to estimate the expectation of a function of molecule copy numbers at a given future time T by the sample average over n sample paths, and the goal is to reduce the variance of this sample-average estimator. We find that when the method is properly applied, variance reductions by factors in the thousands can be obtained. These factors are much larger than those observed previously by other authors who tried RQMC methods for the same examples. Array-RQMC simulates an array of realizations of the Markov chain and requires a sorting function to reorder these chains according to their states, after each step. The choice of sorting function is a key ingredient for the efficiency of the method, although in our experiments, Array-RQMC was never worse than ordinary Monte Carlo, regardless of the sorting method. The expected number of reactions of each type per step also has an impact on the efficiency gain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29107375,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Tracing of particulate organic C sources across the terrestrial-aquatic continuum, a case study at the catchment scale (Carminowe Creek, southwest England).\nSoils deliver crucial ecosystem services, such as climate regulation through carbon (C) storage and food security, both of which are threatened by climate and land use change. While soils are important stores of terrestrial C, anthropogenic impact on the lateral fluxes of C from land to water remains poorly quantified and not well represented in Earth system models. In this study, we tested a novel framework for tracing and quantifying lateral C fluxes from the terrestrial to the aquatic environment at a catchment scale. The combined use of conservative plant-derived geochemical biomarkers n-alkanes and bulk stable \u03b413C and \u03b415N isotopes of soils and sediments allowed us to distinguish between particulate organic C sources from different land uses (i.e. arable and temporary grassland vs. permanent grassland vs. riparian woodland vs. river bed sediments) (p<0.001), showing an enhanced ability to distinguish between land use sources as compared to using just n-alkanes alone. The terrestrial-aquatic proxy (TAR) ratio derived from n-alkane signatures indicated an increased input of terrestrial-derived organic matter (OM) to lake sediments over the past 60years, with an increasing contribution of woody vegetation shown by the C27\/C31 ratio. This may be related to agricultural intensification, leading to enhanced soil erosion, but also an increase in riparian woodland that may disconnect OM inputs from arable land uses in the upper parts of the study catchment. Spatial variability of geochemical proxies showed a close coupling between OM provenance and riparian land use, supporting the new conceptualization of river corridors (active river channel and riparian zone) as critical zones linking the terrestrial and aquatic C fluxes. Further testing of this novel tracing technique shows promise in terms of quantification of lateral C fluxes as well as targeting of effective land management measures to reduce soil erosion and promote OM conservation in river catchments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29457746,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cardiac rupture caused by traffic accident: Case reports and a literature review.\nThe commonest cause of blunt cardiac injuries is from traffic accidents followed by violent falls, sport activities, accidents or a fight but rupture of the heart is rare and lethal. The precise incidence of cardiac injury after a blunt chest trauma is unknown as rates vary greatly in the literature from between 7% and 76% of cases. Autopsy studies have shown that the right ventricle is the most frequently ruptured, followed by the left ventricle, right atrium, intraventricular septum, left atrium and interatrial septum with decreasing frequency. Post-mortem imaging is a rapidly advancing field of post-mortem investigations of trauma victims. The available literature dealing with the comparison of post-mortem computed tomography results with forensic autopsy indicates that conventional autopsy remains superior for the detection of organ and soft tissue injuries in all body regions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23124115,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Biomolecular mechanism of urinary stone formation involving osteopontin.\nUrinary stones consist of two phases-an inorganic (mineral) phase and an organic (matrix) phase. Studies on the organic components of kidney stones have been undertaken later than those on the inorganic components. After osteopontin was identified as one of the matrix components, the biomolecular mechanism of urinary stone formation became clearer. It also triggered the development of new preventive treatments. Osteopontin expression is sporadically observed in normal distal tubular cells and is markedly increased in stone-forming kidneys. Calcium oxalate crystals adhering to renal tubular cells are incorporated into cells by the involvement of osteopontin. Stimulation of crystal-cell adhesion impairs the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pores (mPTP) in tubular cells and produces oxidative stress, apoptosis, and osteopontin expression. Macrophages phagocytose and digest a small amount of crystals, but many crystals aggregate into a mass containing osteopontin and epithelial cell debris and are excreted into the renal tubular lumen, becoming nuclei of urinary stones. This biomolecular mechanism is similar to atherosclerotic calcification. Based on these findings, new preventive treatments have been developed. Dietary control such as low-cholesterol intake and the ingestion of antioxidative foods and vegetables have successfully reduced the 5-year recurrence rate. Osteopontin antibodies and cyclosporine A, which blocks the opening of mPTP, have markedly inhibited the expression of osteopontin and urinary stone formation in animal models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19856211,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Criticality in a non-equilibrium, driven system: charged colloidal rods (fd-viruses) in electric fields.\nExperiments on suspensions of charged colloidal rods (fd-virus particles) in external electric fields are performed, which show that a non-equilibrium critical point can be identified. Several transition lines of field-induced phases and states meet at this point and it is shown that there is a length- and time-scale which diverge at the non-equilibrium critical point. The off-critical and critical behavior is characterized, with both power law and logarithmic divergencies. These experiments show that analogous features of the classical, critical divergence of correlation lengths and relaxation times in equilibrium systems are also exhibited by driven systems that are far out of equilibrium, related to phases\/states that do not exist in the absence of the external field.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26371686,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Measurement of Stress Redistribution in Flowing Emulsions.\nWe study how local rearrangements alter droplet stresses within flowing dense quasi-two-dimensional emulsions at area fractions \u03d5\u22650.88. Using microscopy, we measure droplet positions while simultaneously using their deformed shape to measure droplet stresses. We find that rearrangements alter nearby stresses in a quadrupolar pattern: stresses on neighboring droplets tend to either decrease or increase depending on location. The stress redistribution is more anisotropic with increasing \u03d5. The spatial character of the stress redistribution influences where subsequent rearrangements occur. Our results provide direct quantitative support for rheological theories of dense amorphous materials that connect local rearrangements to changes in nearby stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36629370,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Factors associated with past-year medication use and psychotherapy in adults with suicidal ideation in France.\nThe objective of the study is to assess the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with past-year medication use and\/or psychotherapy among adults with suicidal ideation in the past 12 months. Data were drawn from the 2017 Health Barometer survey, a large computer-assisted telephone survey on a representative sample of the general population aged 18 to 75 years living in metropolitan France (n = 25,319). Logistic and multinomial regression analyses were used to study past-year medication use and\/or psychotherapy as a function of sociodemographic and clinical factors. Analyses were restricted to individuals reporting suicidal ideation in the past year (n = 1,148). Overall, 43.6% of adults with suicidal ideation reported no treatment for a mental health reason in the past year; 36.6% reported using medication only, 4.8% psychotherapy only, and 15.0% both. Sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with increased probability of treatment varied as a function of the type of treatment received. Adjusting for key factors including clinical factors, older adults with suicidal ideation were more likely than younger adults to receive medication only. The findings point to differential inequalities in access to medication and psychotherapy among adults with suicidal ideation in the general population of France.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":628142,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Radioisotope studies in the practice of an intensive therapy department].\nThe article discusses the 10-year experience in the use of radioisotop diagnosis in the practice of an intensive therapy department. The results of the examination of over 300 patients who had been operated on under conditions of extracorporeal circulation are analyzed. With the use of radioactive indicators some new aspects of the pathophysiology of acute circulatory disorders were revealed, among others those related to the problem of blood deposition, the correlation between the functioning of the right and left parts of the heart; the diagnostic possibilities in appraising the causes of the disorders of circulation, functioning of the parenchymatous organs, and tissue blood flow were widened; the therapeutic tactics in the development of hypovolemia, acute cardiac failure, and disturbances in tissue perfusion could be elaborated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31639668,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"\"Rainbow Draws\" in the Emergency Department: Clinical Utility and Staff Perceptions.\nCollecting a predefined set of blood tubes (the \"rainbow draw\") is a common but controversial practice in many emergency departments (EDs), with limited data to support it. We determined the actual utilization of rainbow draw tubes at a single facility and evaluated the perceptions of ED staff regarding the utility of rainbow draws. We analyzed 2 weeks of ED visits (1326 visits by 1240 unique patients) to determine blood tube utilization for initial and add-on testing, as well as the incidence of additional venipunctures. We also surveyed ED staff regarding aspects of ED phlebotomy and test ordering. Utilization data analysis was structured to satisfy specific concerns addressed in the ED staff survey. Observed tube utilization data showed that fluoride\/oxalate, citrate, and serum separator tubes were frequently discarded unused, and that the actual utility of the rainbow draw for add-on testing and avoiding additional venipunctures was low. ED staff perceived that the rainbow draw was highly valuable, both to expedite add-on testing and to avoid additional venipunctures. Contrasting the objective (utilization data) and subjective (survey results) to drive changes in the standard ED blood collection reduced the estimated waste blood by 175 L\/year. Comparison of perceptions and objective utilization data drove process changes that were mutually agreeable to ED and laboratory staff. Although specifics of ED and laboratory work flows vary between institutions, the principles and strategy of this study are widely applicable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1729374,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"IFN-gamma-induced L-arginine-dependent toxoplasmastatic activity in murine peritoneal macrophages is mediated by endogenous tumor necrosis factor-alpha.\nActivated murine peritoneal macrophages inhibit the intracellular proliferation of Toxoplasma gondii and produce a number of cytokines, such as TNF-alpha and IL-1. Both TNF-alpha and IL-1 have been reported to be involved in the immune response against various microorganisms, but the mechanisms responsible for these effects are not known. In the present study it was investigated whether endogenously produced TNF-alpha and IL-1 are involved in the activation of peritoneal macrophages by rIFN-gamma leading to toxoplasmastatic activity and the production of reactive nitrogen intermediates. The rIFN-gamma-induced toxoplasmastatic activity was inhibited by neutralizing antibodies against mouse TNF-alpha in a dose-dependent and time-dependent way, but neutralizing antibodies against mouse IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta did not affect this activity. Involvement of TNF-alpha in the induction of toxoplasmastatic activity was confirmed by our finding that rTNF-alpha in combination with a nonactivating concentration of rIFN-gamma inhibited the intracellular proliferation of T. gondii. No synergistic activity of rIL-1 and rIFN-gamma on the inhibition of T. gondii proliferation was found. Both rTNF-alpha and rIL-1 alpha alone inhibited the intracellular proliferation of T. gondii only slightly. Because it has been reported recently that activated macrophages produce reactive nitrogen intermediates that are essential in the induction of toxoplasmastatic activity, we investigated whether these intermediates are involved in the TNF-dependent induction of toxoplasmastatic activity. Neutralizing antibodies against mouse TNF-alpha inhibited also the release of NO2- by rIFN-gamma-activated macrophages almost completely. Macrophages incubated with rTNF-alpha in combination with a nonactivating concentration of rIFN-gamma released substantial amounts of NO2-, but rTNF-alpha and rIL-1 alpha alone, and the combination of rIL-1 alpha and a nonactivating concentration of rIFN-gamma induced only little NO2(-)-release by macrophages. To assess whether reactive nitrogen intermediates act directly or indirectly on the intracellular proliferation of T. gondii, macrophages were incubated with the L-arginine analog NG-monomethyl-L-arginine or the NADPH-inhibitor diphenylene iodonium, both inhibitors of the generation of reactive nitrogen intermediates. Good correlation was found between toxoplasmastatic activity and the release of NO2- during the 24-h activation period before infection of the macrophages with T. gondii, but no correlation was found between toxoplasmastatic activity and the release of NO2- during infection of the macrophages.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1765975,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Clinical course of patients with anti-RNP antibodies. A prospective study of 32 patients.\nThirty-two patients with high and low anti-RNP antibody titers were followed prospectively during a mean observation of 65 months. The following 4 titer patterns were observed: persistently high, low increasing to high, high decreasing to low and persistently low titers. At first admission, 17 of the 23 patients with high anti-RNP titers did not fulfill the criteria of defined connective tissue diseases (CTD). The clinical courses were characterized by the appearance of new organ manifestations and at the end of the study 17\/23 fulfilled the criteria for mixed CTD (MCTD). A development towards systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was seen in one, concomitant with decreasing anti-RNP titer. None developed symptoms compatible with progressive systemic sclerosis. The 9 patients with a low anti-RNP titer were characterized by a stable clinical course, including 4 with SLE, 2 with Raynaud's phenomenon, and one each with Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome, discoid lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis + Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome. The most frequently occurring clinical manifestations among the patients with MCTD were Raynaud's phenomenon, puffy hands, arthritis, myalgias, and sicca symptoms. Myositis and impaired pulmonary function were also seen, but glomerulonephritis was not. The symptoms were fluctuating and the manifestations clinically different from other well defined CTD. The morbidity was moderate and the mortality low. High anti-RNP titer observed at any time seems associated with a clinical syndrome phenotypically different from other CTD favoring the notion of MCTD being a distinctive clinical syndrome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1719212,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Cloning, sequence and overexpression of NADH peroxidase from Streptococcus faecalis 10C1. Structural relationship with the flavoprotein disulfide reductases.\nDNA fragments encoding streptococcal NADH peroxidase (NPXase) have been amplified, cloned and sequenced from the genome of Streptococcus (Enterococcus) faecalis 10C1 (ATCC 11700). The NPXase gene (npr) comprises 1341 base-pairs and is preceded by a typical ribosome binding site. Upstream from the structural gene, putative -10 and -35 promoter regions have been identified, as has a possible factor-independent terminator that occurs in 3'-flanking sequences. The deduced relative molecular mass (Mr = 49,551), amino acid composition and isoelectric point of NPXase are in good agreement with previous values obtained with the purified enzyme. In addition, three sequenced peptides totaling approximately 20% of the protein were located in the npr gene product. From the sequencing data the deduced NPXase sequence shares low but significant homology with the flavoprotein disulfide reductase class of enzymes ranging from 21% for glutathione reductase (GRase) to 28% for thioredoxin reductase. Alignment of NPXase to Escherichia coli GRase allowed the identification of three previously reported fingerprints for the FAD, NADP+ and central domains of GRase, in the peroxidase sequence. In addition, Cys42 of NPXase, which is present as an unusual stabilized cysteine-sulfenic acid in the oxidized enzyme, aligns favorably with the charge-transfer cysteine in E. coli GRase, and both residues closely follow FAD-binding folds found near their respective amino termini. Such sequence characteristics can also be seen in mercuric reductase, lipoamide dehydrogenase and trypanothione reductase, suggesting that all these enzymes may have originally diverged from a common ancestor. Sequences that are on average 50% identical with three previously reported peptides of the related streptococcal NADH oxidase were also identified in the NPXase primary structure, suggesting a strong similarity between these flavoenzymes. Using the E. coli phage T7 expression system the npr gene has now been overexpressed in an E. coli genetic background. The resultant overexpressing clone produced a recombinant NPXase that was catalytically active and immunoreactive to NPXase antisera.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27554105,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Study to Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes in high-risk older patieNts (ICON1) with acute coronary syndrome: study design and protocol of a prospective observational study.\nThe ICON1 study (a study to Improve Cardiovascular Outcomes in high-risk older patieNts with acute coronary syndrome) is a prospective observational study of older patients (\u226575 years old) with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome managed by contemporary treatment (pharmacological and invasive). The aim of the study was to determine the predictors of poor cardiovascular outcomes in this age group and to generate a risk prediction tool. Participants are recruited from 2 tertiary hospitals in the UK. Baseline evaluation includes frailty, comorbidity, cognition and quality-of-life measures, inflammatory status assessed by a biomarker panel, including microRNAs, senescence assessed by telomere length and telomerase activity, cardiovascular status assessed by arterial stiffness, endothelial function, carotid intima media thickness and left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, and coronary plaque assessed by virtual histology intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. The patients are followed-up at 30 days and at 1 year for primary outcome measures of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, unplanned revascularisation, bleeding and rehospitalisation. The study has been approved by the regional ethics committee (REC 12\/NE\/016). Findings of the study will be presented in scientific sessions and will be published in peer-reviewed journals. NCT01933581: Pre-results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16409108,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Differences in management of older women influence breast cancer survival: results from a population-based database in Sweden.\nSeveral reports have shown that less aggressive patterns of diagnostic activity and care are provided to elderly breast carcinoma patients. We sought to investigate whether differences in the management of older women with breast cancer are associated with survival. In an observational study using a population-based clinical breast cancer register of one health-care region in Sweden, we identified 9,059 women aged 50-84 y diagnosed with primary breast cancer between 1992 and 2002. The 5-y relative survival ratio was estimated for patients classified by age group, diagnostic activity, tumor characteristics, and treatment. The 5-y relative survival for breast cancer patients was lower (up to 13%) in women 70-84 y of age compared to women aged 50-69 y, and the difference was most pronounced in stage IIB-III and in the unstaged. Significant differences in disease management were found, as older women had larger tumors, had fewer nodes examined, and did not receive treatment by radiotherapy or by chemotherapy as often as the younger women. Adjustment for diagnostic activity, tumor characteristics, and treatment diminished the relative excess mortality in stages III and in the unstaged, whereas the excess mortality was only marginally affected in stage IIB. Less diagnostic activity, less aggressive treatment, and later diagnosis in older women are associated with poorer survival. The large differences in treatment of older women are difficult to explain by co-morbidity alone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26503025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Identification of Inflammatory, Metabolic, and Cell Survival Pathways Contributing to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease by Postmortem Gene Expression Microarray.\nCerebral small-vessel disease (SVD) is characterized by periventricular white matter (WM) changes and general brain atrophy. SVD is prevalent in elderly individuals and is frequently associated with the development of vascular dementia (VaD). Studies of the molecular basis of SVD are sparse. We have to gain further insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of SVD. Therefore, we compared gene expression patterns in the brains of SVD and control patients, in order to identify cellular pathways changed in diseased brains. We compared the expression of mRNA transcripts in postmortem, macroscopically normal-appearing human brain tissues isolated from frontal, temporal and occipital cortical and subcortical regions in 5 SVD and 5 non-SVD control patients. Significant expression changes were determined by fold change F>1.2 in either direction, and p<0.05. We identified 228 genes differentially expressed in cortex (89 up-, 139 down-regulated) and 555 genes in WM (223 up-, 332 down-regulated) in SVD patients. Pathway analyses revealed that upregulated genes were associated with inflammation and apoptosis in WM, suggesting active cell death. Downregulated genes were associated with coagulation and fatty and amino acids metabolisms. In the cortex, down-regulated genes were principally associated with neuronal functions. Our data revealed widespread changes in the transcriptome profiles in the cortex and WM of human SVD brains, with a predominance of changes in WM. We provide for the first time a comprehensive view of the molecular alterations in human SVD brains that seem to contribute to the neuropathogenesis of SVD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12761046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Low conservation of alternative splicing patterns in the human and mouse genomes.\nAlternative splicing has recently emerged as a major mechanism of generating protein diversity in higher eukaryotes. We compared alternative splicing isoforms of 166 pairs of orthologous human and mouse genes. As the mRNA and EST libraries of human and mouse are not complete and thus cannot be compared directly, we instead analyzed whether known cassette exons or alternative splicing sites from one genome are conserved in the other genome. We demonstrate that about half of the analyzed genes have species-specific isoforms, and about a quarter of elementary alternatives are not conserved between the human and mouse genomes. The detailed results of this study are available at www.ig-msk.ru:8005\/HMG_paper.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11493674,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A novel mammalian receptor for the evolutionarily conserved type II GnRH.\nMammalian gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH I: pGlu-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-Gly-Leu-Arg-Pro-Gly-NH2) stimulates pituitary gonadotropin secretion, which in turn stimulates the gonads. Whereas a hypothalamic form of GnRH of variable structure (designated type I) had been shown to regulate reproduction through a cognate type I receptor, it has recently become evident that most vertebrates have one or two other forms of GnRH. One of these, designated type II GnRH (GnRH II: pGlu-His-Ser-His-Gly-Trp-Tyr-Pro-Gly-NH2), is conserved from fish to man and is widely distributed in the brain, suggesting important neuromodulatory functions such as regulating K+ channels and stimulating sexual arousal. We now report the cloning of a type II GnRH receptor from marmoset cDNA. The receptor has only 41% identity with the type I receptor and, unlike the type I receptor, has a carboxyl-terminal tail. The receptor is highly selective for GnRH II. As with the type I receptor, it couples to G(alpha)q\/11 and also activates extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1\/2) but differs in activating p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase. The type II receptor is more widely distributed than the type I receptor and is expressed throughout the brain, including areas associated with sexual arousal, and in diverse non-neural and reproductive tissues, suggesting a variety of functions. Surprisingly, the type II receptor is expressed in the majority of gonadotropes. The presence of two GnRH receptors in gonadotropes, together with the differences in their signaling, suggests different roles in gonadotrope functioning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27366423,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Surgical Excision of Postintubation Granuloma Under Jet Ventilation.\nFollowing the use of an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube, circumferential lesions, stenosis, or granulomatous lesions at the cuff level or tip of the tube may be observed on the tracheal wall. This injury mainly occurs due to excessive pressure of the cuff on the tracheal wall and may be prevented by a high-volume, low-pressure cuff and a carefully monitored tracheostomy tube. Although there is an overall improvement in the design of high-volume cuffs, hyperinflation of these cuffs may still contribute to tracheal injuries. If the size of the granuloma is limited, the lesion is treated by excision (microlaryngeal surgery) under general anaesthesia. Using jet ventilation during the operation minimizes the trauma caused by intubation and reduces the risk of oedema and the risk of barotrauma, as it provides ventilation over a possible stenosis. In addition to providing better visualization of the surgical field and superior surgeon comfort, jet ventilation also increases the success of the operation. In this case report, we aimed to present a successful anaesthesia technique performed by jet ventilation in a patient with a postintubation granuloma, which was excised by microlaryngeal surgery without the need for reintubation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15730033,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The practice guideline 'Miscarriage' (second revision) from the Dutch College of General Practitioners; a response from the perspective of gynaecology].\nIn March 2004, the Dutch College of General Practitioners issued its revised guideline on the management of miscarriage. The older version of the guideline advised expectant management of all patients with first-trimester vaginal bleeding without ultrasonographic evaluation. In contrast, the new version has accepted the importance of ultrasonographic assessment, which offers insight into the patient's prognosis. This enables GPs to discuss the further management options with women in whom a non-vital pregnancy has been diagnosed: expectant management or referral to a unit for removal of the products of conception by means of vacuum curettage. Since the patient's management preferences have now also been acknowledged, the new guideline is better for all parties involved in this common clinical problem.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35607429,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"FLG Is a Potential Biomarker of Prognosis and Immunotherapy in Skin Cutaneous Melanoma.\nSkin cutaneous melanoma is one of most aggressive type of cancers worldwide. Therefore, the identification of SKCM biomarkers is of great importance. FLG gene is one of the genes that encode proteins involved in epidermal formation. This was the first time to study the role of FLG in the prognosis and immune infiltrates of skin cutaneous melanoma. We downloaded the somatic mutation data of 471 SKCM patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and analyzed the mutation profiles with \"MafTools\" package. The expression of FLG and the overall survival in SKCM were analyzed by GEPIA. Additionally, univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to compare several clinical features with survival rates. We used TIMER to investigate FLG expression and collection of immune infiltration levels in SKCM, as well as cumulative survival in SKCM. Meanwhile, we also used CIBERSORT to investigate the association between FLG and cancer immune infiltration. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed using the TCGA dataset. Furthermore, data from GEO and HPA was used to validate the results. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) happened more frequently than insertion or deletion, and C > T was the most common of SNV in SKCM. We selected the first 15 mutated genes by analyzing 471 melanoma samples, and the prognosis analysis showed that only the high expression of mutated FLG gene was significantly correlated with the poor prognosis of SKCM. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that age, the worse tumor status, less lymph node metastasis, and FLG expression were independent factors for prognosis. Specifically, lower infiltration levels of B cell, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, and dendritic cells correlated with poor survival outcomes in SKCM. GSEA revealed that FLG is closely related to cancer pathways and epidermal cell proliferation. In addition, the previous conclusions can be verified from external data from GEO and HPA. The discovery of mutant gene FLG as a biomarker of SKCM helps elucidate how changes in the immune environment promote the occurrence of cutaneous melanoma. Further analysis suggested that FLG might be a new predictor of SKCM prognosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19469787,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Extra-mitochondrial localization and likely reproductive function of a female-transmitted cytochrome c oxidase subunit II protein.\nOur previous study documented a reproductive function for the male-transmitted mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (MCOX2) protein in a unionoid bivalve. Here, immunoblotting, immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy analyses demonstrate that the female-transmitted protein (FCOX2) is: (i) expressed in both male and female gonads; (ii) maximally expressed in ovaries just prior to the time of the annual fertilization event; (iii) displayed in the cytoplasm and more strongly in the plasma membrane (microvilli), vitelline matrix and vitelline envelope of mature ovarian eggs; and (iv) strongly localized to the vitelline matrix of some eggs just prior to fertilization. These findings represent evidence for the extra-mitochondrial localization of an mtDNA-encoded gene product and are consistent with multifunctionality for FCOX2 in eggs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":478560,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"On the population genetics of beta2-glycoprotein I.\nBeta2-glycoprotein I typings on 152 healthy Germans and 150 patients with atopic diseases did not show any differences in the serum protein concentrations or in the phenotype and gene frequencies. Compared to these German samples, Philippinos (n = 88) as well as healthy Negroes from South Africa (n = 192) revealed statistically significant lower concentrations of this serum protein. They differ also from the Germans with regard to phenotype and gene frequencies. A most striking result was found in the comparison of healthy and leprous Negroes (n = 250) from South Africa. In these, quite different and statistically significant beta 2-Glycoprotein I concentrations, respectively, phenotype and gene frequencies were seen, which may be due to this disease. The possible reasons for these observations as well as for the observed population differences are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34179511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Prevention Committee review: Family Justice Centers-a not-so-novel, but unknown gem.\nThe American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma requires that trauma centers demonstrate adequate financial support for an injury prevention program as part of the verification process. With the ongoing challenges that arise with important social determinants of health, trauma centers have the important task of navigating a patient through the complex process of obtaining services and tools for success. This summary from the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Prevention Committee focuses on a model that has been present for several years, but has not been brought to full awareness in the trauma world. It highlights the importance of the Family Justice Center concept that brings a multitude of organizations under one roof, thus eliminating the hurdles encompassed by trauma patients, seeking life-changing resources necessary to mitigate the impact of both community violence exposure and intimate partner\/domestic violence. It discusses the potential benefits of a partnership between trauma centers and Family Justice Centers and similar models. Finally, it also raises awareness of important programmatic evaluation research required in the arena of injury prevention targeting a population whose outcomes are difficult to measure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12175072,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Identification, structure, and differential expression of members of a BURP domain containing protein family in soybean.\nExpressed sequence tags (ESTs) exhibiting homology to a BURP domain containing gene family were identified from the Glycine max (L.) Merr. EST database. These ESTs were assembled into 16 contigs of variable sizes and lengths. Consistent with the structure of known BURP domain containing proteins, the translation products exhibit a modular structure consisting of a C-terminal BURP domain, an N-terminal signal sequence, and a variable internal region. The soybean family members exhibit 35-98% similarity in a -100-amino-acid C-terminal region, and a phylogenetic tree constructed using this region shows that some soybean family members group together in closely related pairs, triplets, and quartets, whereas others remain as singletons. The structure of these groups suggests that multiple gene duplication events occurred during the evolutionary history of this family. The depth and diversity of G. max EST libraries allowed tissue-specific expression patterns of the putative soybean BURPs to be examined. Consistent with known BURP proteins, the newly identified soybean BURPs have diverse expression patterns. Furthermore, putative paralogs can have both spatially and quantitatively distinct expression patterns. We discuss the functional and evolutionary implications of these findings, as well as the utility of EST-based analyses for identifying and characterizing gene families.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21126244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Graph analysis of epileptogenic networks in human partial epilepsy.\nThe current gold standard for the localization of the cortical regions responsible for the initiation and propagation of the ictal activity is through the use of invasive electrocorticography (ECoG). This method is utilized to guide surgical intervention in cases of medically intractable epilepsy by identifying the location and extent of the epileptogenic focus. Recent studies have proposed mechanisms in which the activity of epileptogenic cortical networks, rather than discrete focal sources, contributes to the generation of the ictal state. If true, selective modulation of key network components could be employed for the prevention and termination of the ictal state. Here, we have applied graph theory methods as a means to identify critical network nodes in cortical networks during both ictal and interictal states. ECoG recordings were obtained from a cohort of 25 patients undergoing presurgical monitoring for the treatment of intractable epilepsy at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, U.S.A.). One graph measure, the betweenness centrality, was found to correlate with the location of the resected cortical regions in patients who were seizure-free following surgical intervention. Furthermore, these network interactions were also observed during random nonictal periods as well as during interictal spike activity. These network characteristics were found to be frequency dependent, with high frequency gamma band activity most closely correlated with improved postsurgical outcome as has been reported in previous literature. These findings could lead to improved understanding of epileptogenesis. In addition, this theoretically allows for more targeted therapeutic interventions through the selected modulation or disruption of these epileptogenic networks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33818438,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Crystal structure refinements of stoichiometric Ni3Se2 and NiSe.\nSingle crystals of Ni3Se2 (trinickel diselenide) and NiSe (nickel selenide) with stoichiometric chemical compositions were grown in evacuated silica-glass tubes. The chemical compositions of the single crystals of Ni3Se2 and NiSe were determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM\/EDS). The crystal structures of Ni3Se2 [rhombohedral, space group R32, a = 6.02813 (13), c = 7.24883 (16) \u00c5, Z = 3] and NiSe [hexagonal, space group P63\/mmc, a = 3.66147 (10), c = 5.35766 (16) \u00c5, Z = 2] were analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and refined to yield R values of 0.020 and 0.018 for 117 and 85 unique reflections, respectively, with Fo > 4\u03c3(Fo). R32 is a Sohncke type of space group where enantiomeric structures can exist; the single-domain structure obtained by the refinement was confirmed to be correct by a Flack parameter of -0.05 (2). The existence of Ni-Ni bonds was confirmed in both compounds, in addition to the Ni-Se bonds. The value of the atomic displacement parameter (mean-square displacement) of each atom in NiSe was larger than that in Ni3Se2. The larger amplitude of the atoms in NiSe corresponds to longer Ni-Se and Ni-Ni bond lengths in NiSe than in Ni3Se2. The Debye temperatures, \u03b8D, estimated from observed mean-square displacements for Ni and Se in Ni3Se2, were 322 and 298 K, respectively, while those for Ni and Se in NiSe were 246 and 241 K, respectively. The existence of large cavities in the structure and the weak bonding force are likely responsible for the brittle and soft nature of the NiSe crystal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27878128,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Epidemilogical Characteristics of Motorcyclists Associated Injuries in Road Traffics Accidents; A Hospital-Based Study.\nTo determine the epidemiology of injuries of the motorcyclists in road traffic accidents (RTIs) between 2008 and 2014 in East Azarbayejan province of Iran. A cross-sectional study was performed in East Azerbaijan province in Imam Reza hospital on motorcyclists subjected to injuries in RTIs between 2008 and 2014. Demographic characteristics (age, sex), duration of hospitalization, final status of injured people after discharge from the hospital, admission ward, number of admissions due to injuries in RTIs, nature of injury, and the clinical services provided to injured people were gathered from hospital information system (HIS). Demographic characteristics (age, sex), duration of hospitalization, final status of injured people after discharge from the hospital, admission ward, number of admissions due to injuries in RTIs, injured site of the body, nature of injury, and the clinical services provided injured people were gathered from HIS. Standardized data collection form was used for uniform handling of the data. Most of the victims (94.4%) were male. The most frequent injuries pertained to the age group of 18-30 with 1676 (51.4%) injuries. Head, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine, and pelvis, were the most common injured sites, respectively. Reduction of fracture and dislocation and cranial puncture were the most common provided services. The lowest survival time belonged to the age group over 60 years old. Injuries to the head are the most prevalent injuries among motorcyclists in RTIs. So it is suggested that proper interventions be implemented to ensure wearing helmet by motorcyclist and pillion passengers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10036777,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A relic S-RNase is expressed in the styles of self-compatible Nicotiana sylvestris.\nWe surveyed ribonuclease activity in the styles of Nicotiana spp. and found little or no activity in self-compatible species and in a self-compatible accession of a self-incompatible species. All self-incompatible species had high levels of ribonuclease activity in their style. Interestingly, one self-compatible species, N. sylvestris, had a level of stylar ribonuclease activity comparable to that of some self-incompatible Nicotiana species. A ribonuclease with biochemical properties similar to those of the self-incompatibility (S-)RNases of N. alata was purified from N. sylvestris styles. The N-terminal sequence of this protein was used to confirm the identity of a cDNA corresponding to the stylar RNase. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA was related to those of the S-RNases and included the five conserved regions characteristic of these proteins. It appears that the N. sylvestris RNase may have evolved from the S-RNases and is an example of a 'relic S-RNase'. A number of features distinguish the N. sylvestris RNase from the S-RNases, and the role these may have played in the presumed loss of the self-incompatibility response during the evolution of this species are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30882081,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparative Efficacy of Synthetic and Natural Tenderizers on Quality Characteristics of Restructured Spent Hen Meat Slices (RSHS).\nIn the present study, comparative efficacy of natural as well as synthetic tenderizers on the quality characteristics of restructured spent hen meat slices (RSHS) was studied. Four different batches of RSHS viz. Control (without any tenderizer), T1 (1.25% calcium chloride replacing salt in formulation), T2 and T3 (1.5% each of pineapple rind and fig powder, replacing binder in the formulation) were developed in pre-standardized formulation. Vacuum tumbling was performed for 2.5 h and cooked product (RSHS) was assayed for quality attributes. Samples were packaged in aerobic conditions, stored for 21 days under refrigeration (4\u00b11\u00b0C) and were evaluated for pH, oxidative and microbial quality parameters at regular interval of 7 days. Water holding capacity of T2 was recorded the highest and significantly higher (p<0.05) than all other samples. The textural attributes of T2 were comparable to T1 but significantly higher (p<0.05) than C and T3. The colour attributes (L*, a*, and b* value) of T2 and T3 were improved due to use of natural tenderizers. During sensory evaluation, tenderness scores for T2 samples were recorded the highest. Throughout storage period, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), free fatty acids (FFA) and peroxide value (PV) followed an increasing trend for control as well as treated products; however, T2 showed a significantly (p<0.05) lower value than control and other treated samples. It can be concluded that good quality RSHS with better storage stability could be prepared by utilizing 1.5% pineapple rind powder as natural tenderizer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2310284,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The effect of patient-carried reminder cards on the performance of health maintenance measures.\nWe designed a card that patients carried and showed to their physicians at scheduled appointments to remind them to perform six health maintenance procedures: influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination, rectal examination and hemoccult test, Papanicolaou's smear, physician breast examination, and mammography. Prompt sheets were also attached to all charts to remind physicians to perform these same procedures. One hundred seventy-five patients received the card and the physician prompt sheets on their charts. Two hundred forty-eight patients received only physician's prompt sheet. The card group had significant increases in the performance of influenza vaccinations (47% vs 29%), rectal examination and hemoccult tests (59% vs 46%), Papanicolaou's smears, (30% vs 20%), and physician breast examinations (52% vs 29%). There was not a significant increase in the performance of pneumococcal vaccines (22% vs 24%) or mammography (18% vs 19%). We conclude that patient-carried health maintenance reminder cards are useful in increasing the physician performance of influenza vaccinations, rectal examinations and hemoccult tests, Papanicolaou's smears, and breast examinations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11549371,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Genetic linkage and transmission disequilibrium of marker haplotypes at chromosome 1q41 in human systemic lupus erythematosus.\nSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the production of autoantibodies to a wide range of self-antigens. Recent genome screens have implicated numerous chromosomal regions as potential SLE susceptibility loci. Among these, the 1q41 locus is of particular interest, because evidence for linkage has been found in several independent SLE family collections. Additionally, the 1q41 locus appears to be syntenic with a susceptibility interval identified in the NZM2410 mouse model for SLE. Here, we report the results of genotyping of 11 microsatellite markers within the 1q41 region in 210 SLE sibpair and 122 SLE trio families. These data confirm the modest evidence for linkage at 1q41 in our family collection (LOD = 1.21 at marker D1S2616). Evidence for significant linkage disequilibrium in this interval was also found. Multiple markers in the region exhibit transmission disequilibrium, with the peak single marker multiallelic linkage disequilibrium noted at D1S490 (pedigree disequilibrium test [PDT] global P value = 0.0091). Two- and three-marker haplotypes from the 1q41 region similarly showed strong transmission distortion in the collection of 332 SLE families. The finding of linkage together with significant transmission disequilibrium provides strong evidence for a susceptibility locus at 1q41 in human SLE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11431887,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"[Active life expectancy: factors influencing regional and gender differences].\nActive life expectancy (ALE) is defined as an expected duration to be spent with a certain level of physical\/mental function. The objectives of this article are to indicate ALE values based on our prospective observation, and to discuss factors influencing regional and gender differences in ALE values. We estimated ALE without disability in basic activities of daily living (ADL) on a 5% random sample (n = 3,459) of the residents aged 65 years and over in Sendai City between 1988 and 1991. At the age 65, ALE was 14.7 years for men and 17.7 years for women. ALE occupied 91% of the total life expectancy for men and 87% for women. As compared with the reports for the American elderly, ALE was longer in Sendai than in the United States. The duration to be spent with disability was shorter among the subjects in Sendai. We estimated ALEs in three functional areas: basic ADL, instrumental ADL, and mobility, on all the residents aged 65 years and over (n = 3,590) at Wakuya Town between 1994 and 1996. For both sexes, ALE in IADL was shorter than those in basic ADL and mobility. The development and progression of disability were different between sexes: men experienced disability at a younger age and progressed at a faster rate than women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18673297,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Using service-learning to develop health promotion and research skills in nursing students.\nHealth promotion skills are a key component of most nursing education programs. While many curricula center around a singular health promotion project contained in one course, this nursing program saw the opportunity to use service-learning as a vehicle for developing a range of both health promotion and research skills. This report details a service-learning research program involving second and third year nursing students. Students conducted a community needs assessment, and designed, implemented, and evaluated health promotion programs that were developed as a result of the community needs assessment. Students collected data on the effectiveness of their programs through pre- and post-test design. Once in their statistics and research courses, students analyzed the data and prepared the data for presentation, developing their research skills. Results from the community on pre- and post-tests indicated significant gains in knowledge regarding hypertension and diabetes risk factors, prevention strategies, and intent to change behavior. Student outcome data was also collected and showed students perceived they had increases in the following skill sets: health promotion, assessment, civic engagement, and research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15917373,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Longitudinal profiling of health care units based on continuous and discrete patient outcomes.\nMonitoring health care quality involves combining continuous and discrete outcomes measured on subjects across health care units over time. This article describes a Bayesian approach to jointly modeling multilevel multidimensional continuous and discrete outcomes with serial dependence. The overall goal is to characterize trajectories of traits of each unit. Underlying normal regression models for each outcome are used and dependence among different outcomes is induced through latent variables. Serial dependence is accommodated through modeling the pairwise correlations of the latent variables. Methods are illustrated to assess trends in quality of health care units using continuous and discrete outcomes from a sample of adult veterans discharged from 1 of 22 Veterans Integrated Service Networks with a psychiatric diagnosis between 1993 and 1998.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20419241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2024-18":1}}},"text":"Assessment of adaptive focused acoustics versus manual vortex\/freeze-thaw for intracellular metabolite extraction from Streptomyces lividans producing recombinant proteins using GC-MS and multi-block principal component analysis.\nWe compared the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolite profiles of mouse tumour necrosis factor alpha (mTNF-alpha) secreting Streptomyces lividans TK24 to the non-secreting wild type and the wild type harbouring the empty pIJ486 plasmid by multi-block principal component analysis (PCA). The multi-block PCA model successfully identified peaks that were statistically different between the protein secreting and non-secreting strains, and at the same time also uncovered the efficiency of intracellular metabolite extraction by an ultrasonic adaptive focused acoustics (AFA) technique compared to a manual vortex\/freeze-thaw method. Fifty-one metabolites were significantly different between the three biological strains and 17 of these were abundant in the mTNF-alpha secreting strain compared to the non-secreting strains. No significant differences in the number of detected metabolite peaks were observed between the two extraction techniques. However, from the loadings of the multi-block PCA model, as well as univariate statistical analysis, we observed that the relative peak response ratios to the internal standard of 10 metabolites were higher for the AFA extraction, suggesting a more efficient recovery of these metabolites than achieved with the manual vortex\/freeze thaw method.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3435018,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of acute anal sepsis, and anterior horseshoe fistula.\nA technique is described for examining patients with perianal sepsis in the acute stage in which with an anal retractor in place the abscess is pressed to watch for pus coming out of the anal canal. The fistulous tract if present can be diagnosed and satisfactorily treated. As a result of these and other studies a number of anterior horseshoe fistulae have been found both in acute and non acute patients. Anterior horseshoe fistulae should be suspected to exist if a patient with an opening of the fistula anterior to the line drawn coronally through anal canal has such an opening more than 2.5 cm away from the anal verge or if there are multiple openings. In recurrent apparently straight forward anterior fistulae, anterior horseshoe fistula should be suspected to exist.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17940244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Rate of head circumference growth as a function of autism diagnosis and history of autistic regression.\nSeveral reports indicate that autism spectrum disorder is associated with increased rate of head growth in early childhood. Increased rate of growth may index aberrant processes during early development, may precede the onset of symptoms, and may predict severity of the disease course. We examined rate of change in occipitofrontal circumference measurements (abstracted from medical records) in 28 boys with autism spectrum disorder and in 8 boys with developmental delay without autism from birth to age 36 months. Only children who had more than 3 occipitofrontal circumference measurements available during this age period were included. All data were converted to z scores based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention norms. Rate of growth from birth to age 36 months was statistically significantly higher for the autism spectrum disorder group than the developmental delay group, with children with autism spectrum disorder showing a statistically significant increase in occipitofrontal circumference relative to norms between 7 and 10 months; this group difference in rate of growth was more robust when height was used as a covariate. Rate of growth was not found to be different for children with autism spectrum disorder whose parents reported a history of loss of skills (regression) vs those whose parents reported early onset of autism symptoms. Findings from this study suggest that the aberrant growth is present in the first year of life and precedes the onset and diagnosis in children with autism spectrum disorder with and without a history of autistic regression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17810865,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The interdiffision of polymers.\nIn contrast to interdiffusion in simple liquids, interdiffusion of polymeric chains is dominated by their intertanglement and their large size. These properties profoundly reduce both the molecular mobilities and the role of entropy in driving the mixing. The resulting diffusional processes have only recently been studied. Such studies reveal a wide spectrum of behavior ranging from accelerated interdiffusion (for strongly compatible chains) to its suppression below the critical point for phase separation. Effects that are still poorly understood include the initial disposition at interfaces of the chains' ends (through which diffusion proceeds by reptation) and the need for cooperative motion, which can strongly magnify local friction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21432643,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Memory for affectively valenced and neutral stimuli in depression: evidence from a novel matching task.\nDepressed persons have better memory for affectively negative than positive stimuli, a pattern generally not exhibited by non-depressed individuals. The mechanisms underlying this differential memory are not clear. In this study we examined memory for valenced and neutral stimuli in depressed and non-depressed individuals under conditions of relatively unconstrained encoding. We developed a novel task based on the game, Concentration, in which participants tried to match pairs of positive and negative words, and pairs of neutral words, hidden under squares in as few turns as possible. Whereas non-depressed participants selected and turned over positive squares more frequently than they did negative squares, depressed participants selected and turned over positive and negative squares equally often. Depressed participants also matched fewer positive word pairs within the first five minutes of the task than did non-depressed participants, and they exhibited poorer learning of positive words. Depressed and non-depressed participants did not differ in their matching of neutral words. These findings add to a growing literature indicating that depression is characterised by difficulties in the processing of positive stimuli.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":543156,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Occurrence of pyruvic acid in capsular polysaccharides (K antigens) of klebsiellas].\nThe capsular polysaccharides of 77 Klebsiella K-types were analysed for the presence of pyruvic acid. One half of the polysaccharides investigated were found to contain between 1.3 and 12% of the keto acid. A comparison between the analyses performed and the calculated values from some pyruvic acid containing polysaccharides of known structure showed that there is only in 5 out of 10 cases a good correlation with a regular substitution of the oligosaccharide repeating units.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29097799,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Dual targeting improves capture of ultrasound microbubbles towards activated platelets but yields no additional benefit for imaging of arterial thrombosis.\nPlatelets can be found on the surface of inflamed and ruptured atherosclerotic plaques. Thus, targeting of activated platelets may allow for molecular imaging of vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions. We here investigated microbubbles (MB) functionalized with the selectin ligand sialyl Lewisa individually (MBsLea) or dually with sLea and an antibody targeting ligand-induced binding sites of the activated GPIIb\/IIIa receptor (MBDual). Assessed by in vitro flow chamber, targeted MB exhibited increased adhesion to platelets as compared to MBControl. While MBsLea rolled slowly on the platelets' surface, MBDual enhanced the percentage of firm adhesion. In vivo, MB were investigated by ultrasound in a model of ferric chloride induced non-occlusive carotid artery thrombosis. MBsLea and MBDual revealed a higher ultrasound mean acoustic intensity than MBControl (p < 0.05), however MBDual demonstrated no additional increase in mean signal intensity as compared to MBsLea. The degree of carotid artery stenosis on histology correlated well with the ultrasound acoustic intensity of targeted MB (p < 0.05). While dual targeting of MB using fast binding carbohydrate polymers and specific antibodies is a promising strategy to support adhesion to activated platelets under arterial shear stress, these advantages seem not readily translatable to in vivo models.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26355032,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"The mitotic kinesin KIF11 is a driver of invasion, proliferation, and self-renewal in glioblastoma.\nThe proliferative and invasive nature of malignant cancers drives lethality. In glioblastoma, these two processes are presumed mutually exclusive and hence termed \"go or grow.\" We identified a molecular target that shuttles between these disparate cellular processes-the molecular motor KIF11. Inhibition of KIF11 with a highly specific small-molecule inhibitor stopped the growth of the more treatment-resistant glioblastoma tumor-initiating cells (TICs, or cancer stem cells) as well as non-TICs and impeded tumor initiation and self-renewal of the TIC population. Targeting KIF11 also hit the other arm of the \"go or grow\" cell fate decision by reducing glioma cell invasion. Administration of a KIF11 inhibitor to mice bearing orthotopic glioblastoma prolonged their survival. In its role as a shared molecular regulator of cell growth and motility across intratumoral heterogeneity, KIF11 is a compelling therapeutic target for glioblastoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21096913,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prototype of a wearable system for remote fetal monitoring during pregnancy.\nFetal Heart Rate (FHR) monitoring gives important information about the fetus health state during pregnancy. This paper presents a new prototype for remote fetal monitoring. The device will allow to monitor FHR in a domiciliary context and to send fetal ECG traces to a hospital facility, where clinicians can interpret them. In this way the mother could receive prompt feedback about fetal wellbeing. The system is characterized by two units: (i) a wearable unit endowed with textile electrodes for abdominal ECG recordings and with a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) board for fetal heart rate (FHR) extraction; (ii) a dock station for the transmission of the data through the telephone line. The system will allow to reduce costs in fetal monitoring, improving the assessment of fetal conditions. The device is actually in development state. In this paper, the most crucial aspects behind its fulfillment are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20442190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Sulforaphane- and phenethyl isothiocyanate-induced inhibition of aflatoxin B1-mediated genotoxicity in human hepatocytes: role of GSTM1 genotype and CYP3A4 gene expression.\nPrimary cultures of human hepatocytes were used to investigate whether the dietary isothiocyanates, sulforaphane (SFN), and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) can reduce DNA adduct formation of the hepatocarcinogen aflatoxin B(1) (AFB). Following 48 h of pretreatment, 10 and 50 microM SFN greatly decreased AFB-DNA adduct levels, whereas 25muM PEITC decreased AFB-DNA adducts in some but not all hepatocyte preparations. Microarray and quantitative reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR analyses of gene expression in SFN and PEITC-treated hepatocytes demonstrated that SFN greatly decreased cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 mRNA but did not induce the expression of either glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 or GSTT1. The protective effects of SFN required pretreatment; cotreatment of hepatocytes with SFN and AFB in the absence of pretreatment had no effect on AFB-DNA adduct formation. When AFB-DNA adduct formation was evaluated by GST genotype, the presence of one or two functional alleles of GSTM1 was associated with a 75% reduction in AFB-DNA adducts, compared with GSTM1 null. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that the inhibition of AFB-DNA adduct formation by SFN is dependent on changes in gene expression rather than direct inhibition of catalytic activity. Transcriptional repression of genes involved in AFB bioactivation (CYP3A4 and CYP1A2), but not transcriptional activation of GSTs, may be responsible for the protective effects of SFN. Although GSTM1 expression was not induced by SFN, the presence of a functional GSTM1 allele can afford substantial protection against AFB-DNA damage in human liver. The downregulation of CYP3A4 by SFN may have important implications for drug interactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36084112,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cross-Contamination to Surfaces in Consumer Kitchens with MS2 as a Tracer Organism in Ground Turkey Patties.\nIt is estimated that one in five cases of foodborne illnesses is acquired in the home. However, how pathogens move throughout a kitchen environment when consumers are preparing food is not well characterized. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and degree of cross-contamination across a variety of kitchen surfaces during a consumer meal preparation event. Consumers (n = 371) prepared a meal consisting of turkey patties containing the bacteriophage MS2 as a tracer organism and a ready-to-eat lettuce salad. Half were shown a video on proper thermometer use before the trial. After meal preparation, environmental sampling and detection were performed to assess cross-contamination with MS2. For most surfaces, positivity did not exceed 20%, with the exception of spice containers, for which 48% of the samples showed evidence of MS2 cross-contamination. Spice containers also had the highest MS2 concentrations, at a mean exceeding 6 log viral genome equivalent copies per surface. The high level of MS2 on spice containers drove the significant differences between surfaces, suggesting the significance of spice containers as a vehicle for cross-contamination, despite the absence of previous reports to this effect. The thermometer safety intervention did not affect cross-contamination. The efficiency of MS2 transfer, when expressed as a percentage, was relatively low, ranging from an average of 0.002 to 0.07%. Quantitative risk assessment work using these data would aid in further understanding the significance of cross-contamination frequency and efficiency. Overall, these data will help create more targeted consumer messaging to better influence consumer cross-contamination behaviors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28066345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Genome-Wide Identification of Antimicrobial Intrinsic Resistance Determinants in Staphylococcus aureus.\nThe emergence of antimicrobial resistance severely threatens our ability to treat bacterial infections. While acquired resistance has received considerable attention, relatively little is known of intrinsic resistance that allows bacteria to naturally withstand antimicrobials. Gene products that confer intrinsic resistance to antimicrobial agents may be explored for alternative antimicrobial therapies, by potentiating the efficacy of existing antimicrobials. In this study, we identified the intrinsic resistome to a broad spectrum of antimicrobials in the human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus. We screened the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library of 1920 single-gene inactivations in S. aureus strain JE2, for increased susceptibility to the anti-staphylococcal antimicrobials (ciprofloxacin, oxacillin, linezolid, fosfomycin, daptomycin, mupirocin, vancomycin, and gentamicin). Sixty-eight mutants were confirmed by E-test to display at least twofold increased susceptibility to one or more antimicrobial agents. The majority of the identified genes have not previously been associated with antimicrobial susceptibility in S. aureus. For example, inactivation of genes encoding for subunits of the ATP synthase, atpA, atpB, atpG and atpH, reduced the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of gentamicin 16-fold. To elucidate the potential of the screen, we examined treatment efficacy in the Galleria mellonella infection model. Gentamicin efficacy was significantly improved, when treating larvae infected with the atpA mutant compared to wild type cells with gentamicin at a clinically relevant concentration. Our results demonstrate that many gene products contribute to the intrinsic antimicrobial resistance of S. aureus. Knowledge of these intrinsic resistance determinants provides alternative targets for compounds that may potentiate the efficacy of existing antimicrobial agents against this important pathogen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2330549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Why are hospital admission and mortality rates for childhood asthma higher in New Zealand than in the United Kingdom?\nNew Zealand has higher mortality and hospital admission rates for asthma than England and Wales. To determine the reasons for this the available data on asthma mortality and hospital admissions from the Auckland region of New Zealand were compared with data from the South West Thames Region of England for 1979-86 and data from previous surveys on prevalence of wheeze (Auckland 1985, Croydon 1978). In addition, a survey of general practitioners was carried out to determine their approach to the management of asthma, patient simulations being used. Asthma mortality in children of European descent aged 5-14 years was 2.5 times higher in Auckland than in South West Thames. The reported lifetime, 12 month, and one month prevalences of wheeze were also higher in Auckland (by 18.5%, 32.1%, and 87.5%). Unexpectedly, the hospital admission rate for asthma in children of European descent aged 5-14 years was 5% less in Auckland than in South West Thames. Comparative studies of hospital case notes and of the replies from general practitioners showed that in Auckland the duration of illness before admission was greater and that general practitioners were less likely to admit patients with acute asthma. The overall standard of general practitioner care in Auckland was, if anything, higher than in South West Thames but in both areas there was considerable variation. On balance it was concluded that the higher mortality rate in New Zealand is explained by higher levels of morbidity rather than relative deficiencies in care. Nevertheless, the implications of the lesser use of hospital care for acute asthma observed in Auckland need further consideration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9657589,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Guidelines for mineral fibre analyses in biological samples: report of the ERS Working Group. European Respiratory Society.\nMicroscopic techniques for analysing asbestos fibres in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage have provided major information in the understanding of asbestos-related diseases. These analyses are increasingly applied for clinical work and medicolegal problems. Differences in sampling, preparation and counting techniques, definitions of reference populations and expression of results have caused major difficulties in comparing results from different laboratories. Therefore it appeared necessary to set a goal to harmonize these analyses between the European laboratories active in this field. This article summarizes the work of a European Respiratory Society working group with participation from nine European laboratories. The five main issues touched upon are: 1) definitions of control populations and reference levels; 2) sampling, preparation and analytical techniques; 3) asbestos fibres in lung tissues in different pathologies; 4) asbestos bodies in lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage and sputum; and 5) basis for the interpretation of fibres and asbestos bodies in biological samples. These guidelines indicate the crucial importance of several factors for the interpretation of the results; namely, adequate sampling, comparable analytical procedures and expression of the results, the use of well-defined reference populations, and a comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting the fibre retention and the dose-responses associated with the different asbestos-related diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32859874,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Is emotional intelligence related to objective parameters of academic performance in medical, dental, and nursing students: A systematic review.\nCurrent research in medical education is increasingly exploring the relevance of emotional intelligence (EI) in the successful performance of health-care people. As assessments of core domains are markers of actual performance of the student when he or she is not observed, this systematic review was aimed to answer the question \"what is the influence of EI on objective parameters of academic performance in undergraduate medical, dental, and nursing students aged 18-30 years?\" Databases were systematically searched for empirical studies which measured EI of medical, nursing, or dental undergraduate students and compared it with academic performance during graduation years from January 1, 2000, to August 30, 2016. Quality appraisal and data abstraction was done by two independent authors. Six hundred and twenty-three articles were retrieved from systematic search. Of these, 25 articles were selected. Quality appraisal further led to exclusion of two studies which did not meet ethical criterion. Medical undergraduates were included in 12, dental in 4, and nursing in 7 studies. Four studies examined the relationship of EI with clinical skills, 8 with communication skills, and 18 with overall academic performance. The findings of review show that EI has a greater role in academic success of clinical year medical and dental students. Although the review has addressed different rungs of the health-care profession separately, it preludes that better EI skills of health-care team will have a holistic impact on health-care improvement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9644907,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The nature of the circahoralian (ultradian) intracellular rhythms. Similarity to fractals].\nThe properties and possible origin of circahoralian intracellular rhythms are discussed. Irregularity of these oscillations, as expressed in different time scales, determination, and resistance to external influences, including changes in the environmental temperature, are noted. No pacemaker of circahoralian rhythms was found. These specific features and analysis of the structure of circahoralian rhythms (Herst equation) suggest their similarity to fractals, chaotic but determined forms with a certain internal structure. Determination of circahoralian rhythms in a cell-free system and their possible fractal nature characterizes the rhythms as an imminent property of the cytoplasm, that does not require special regulation. Modulations of the frequency and amplitude of oscillation under the influence of external influences are described. It is proposed that the circahoralian rhythms are a protective factor for the cell and organ functions and a mechanism of adaptations under varying life conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36647329,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"COVID-19's immuno-pathology and cardiovascular diseases.\nThe pandemic of COVID-19 in worldwide causes recent millions of morbidity and mortality in all countries and is the most important challenge in the world in recent years. Coronavirus is a single-stranded RNA virus and infection with COVID-19 leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome, lung inflammation, cytokine storm, and death. The other complications include endothelial dysfunction, activation of coagulation, thromboembolic events, and vascular disease. Cardiovascular complications such as myocardial and stroke ischemia, pulmonary thromboembolism, systemic arterial, and deep vein thrombosis were reported. In this review, we presented immuno-pathological mechanisms and the effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system, heart, vessels, coagulation system, and molecular glance of immuno-inflammation to the COVID-19's pathology on the cardiovascular system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27882317,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bacterial RNA Polymerase-DNA Interaction-The Driving Force of Gene Expression and the Target for Drug Action.\nDNA-dependent multisubunit RNA polymerase (RNAP) is the key enzyme of gene expression and a target of regulation in all kingdoms of life. It is a complex multifunctional molecular machine which, unlike other DNA-binding proteins, engages in extensive and dynamic interactions (both specific and nonspecific) with DNA, and maintains them over a distance. These interactions are controlled by DNA sequences, DNA topology, and a host of regulatory factors. Here, we summarize key recent structural and biochemical studies that elucidate the fine details of RNAP-DNA interactions during initiation. The findings of these studies help unravel the molecular mechanisms of promoter recognition and open complex formation, initiation of transcript synthesis and promoter escape. We also discuss most current advances in the studies of drugs that specifically target RNAP-DNA interactions during transcription initiation and elongation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10628762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Changes in patterns of 24-hr heart rate variability after kidney and kidney-pancreas transplant.\nTransplantation has been shown to improve cardiorespiratory reflex measures of autonomic function. However, there are limited data on how kidney or kidney-pancreas transplantation influence continuous autonomic modulation of heart rate and the clinical utility of 24-hr heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring. Ninety nondiabetic kidney and 30 diabetic kidney-pancreas transplant recipients underwent 24-hr Holter monitoring before and again at 6 and 12 months posttransplantation. Tapes were submitted for determination of HRV including interbeat variability (the proportion of adjacent R-R intervals having a difference <50 msec, the SD of all R-R intervals for the entire recording, and the SD of the averages of R-R intervals calculated over 5-min blocks for the entire recording) which is associated with vagal function, sudden death, and circadian function, respectively. Power spectral analysis quantified total neural, sympathetic, and parasympathetic modulation of the heart in ln(msec2). Nondiabetic kidney recipients showed improvement (P< or =0.05) in the SD of the averages of R-R intervals calculated over 5-min blocks (83.2 vs. 95.7 msec) and the SD of all R-R intervals (94.5 vs. 104.4 msec) by 6 months and all groups showed improvement by 12 months. Kidney-pancreas recipients also showed improved total neural (4.35 vs. 4.64) and sympathetic modulation (2.70 vs. 3.13). Kidney-pancreas recipients had significantly poorer values for each measure (P< or =0.05) at all time points. Cardiac autonomic neuropathy arises in the presence of uremia and diabetes, with severe dysfunction seen when these conditions occur concomitantly. Improvement in cardiac autonomic function follows both kidney and kidney-pancreas transplantation with more pronounced improvement in the circadian measures. Therefore, circadian measures of 24-hr HRV could be used to monitor the restoration of cardiac autonomic function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8112858,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Vaccine-specific T cells in human peripheral blood after oral immunization with an inactivated enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli vaccine.\nWe have examined whether oral immunization of adult Swedish volunteers with a prototype enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli vaccine would induce antigen-specific T-cell responses in blood. Volunteers were given one to three doses of the whole-cell component of the vaccine, which consisted of formalin-inactivated bacteria expressing the fimbrial colonization factor antigens I and II. Following immunization, in vitro stimulation of blood mononuclear cells with the colonization factor antigens resulted in modest proliferative responses which were accounted for mainly by CD4+ T cells and, to a lesser extent, by CD8+ T cells. A main finding of this study was that a majority of the orally immunized volunteers had circulating T cells capable of producing large quantities of gamma interferon following in vitro exposure to either of the colonization factor antigens. No interleukin 2 production could be detected in the cell cultures. These results suggest that oral immunization of humans induces the migration of specific mucosal T immunocytes from the intestine into peripheral blood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32339368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"EMA Review of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Yescarta) for the Treatment of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.\nOn June 28, 2018, the Committee for Advanced Therapies and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Yescarta for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, after two or more lines of systemic therapy. Yescarta, which was designated as an orphan medicinal product and included in the European Medicines Agency's Priority Medicines scheme, was granted an accelerated review timetable. The active substance of Yescarta is axicabtagene ciloleucel, an engineered autologous T-cell immunotherapy product whereby a patient's own T cells are harvested and genetically modified ex vivo by retroviral transduction using a retroviral vector to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprising an anti-CD19 single chain variable fragment linked to CD28 costimulatory domain and CD3-zeta signaling domain. The transduced anti-CD19 CAR T cells are expanded ex vivo and infused back into the patient, where they can recognize and eliminate CD19-expressing cells. The benefits of Yescarta as studied in ZUMA-1 phase II (NCT02348216) were an overall response rate per central review of 66% (95% confidence interval, 56%-75%) at a median follow-up of 15.1 months in the intention to treat population and a complete response rate of 47% with a significant duration. The most common adverse events were cytokine release syndrome, neurological adverse events, infections, pyrexia, diarrhea, nausea, hypotension, and fatigue. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) was the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy to be submitted for evaluation to the European Medicines Agency and admitted into the \"priority medicine\" scheme; it was granted accelerated assessment on the basis of anticipated clinical benefit in relapsed\/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a condition of unmet medical need. Indeed, Yescarta showed an overall response rate of 66% and a complete response rate of 47% with a significant duration and a manageable toxicity that compared very favorably with historical controls. Here the analysis of benefits and risks is presented, and specific challenges with this important novel product are highlighted, providing further insights and reflections for future medical research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17785753,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Articular cartilage restoration in load-bearing osteochondral defects by implantation of autologous chondrocyte-fibrin constructs: an experimental study in sheep.\nOvine articular chondrocytes were isolated from cartilage biopsy and culture expanded in vitro. Approximately 30 million cells per ml of cultured chondrocytes were incorporated with autologous plasma-derived fibrin to form a three-dimensional construct. Full-thickness punch hole defects were created in the lateral and medial femoral condyles. The defects were implanted with either an autologous 'chondrocyte-fibrin' construct (ACFC), autologous chondrocytes (ACI) or fibrin blanks (AF) as controls. Animals were killed after 12 weeks. The gross appearance of the treated defects was inspected and photographed. The repaired tissues were studied histologically and by scanning electron microscopy analysis. All defects were assessed using the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) classification. Those treated with ACFC, ACI and AF exhibited median scores which correspond to a nearly-normal appearance. On the basis of the modified O'Driscoll histological scoring scale, ACFC implantation significantly enhanced cartilage repair compared to ACI and AF. Using scanning electron microscopy, ACFC and ACI showed characteristic organisation of chondrocytes and matrices, which were relatively similar to the surrounding adjacent cartilage. Implantation of ACFC resulted in superior hyaline-like cartilage regeneration when compared with ACI. If this result is applicable to humans, a better outcome would be obtained than by using conventional ACI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24124194,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evidence for sexually dimorphic associations between maternal characteristics and anogenital distance, a marker of reproductive development.\nData from animal models, historical cohorts, and modern epidemiologic studies have suggested that maternal characteristics can affect reproductive health of offspring; however, distinguishing between prenatal and postnatal contributions is difficult. Anogenital distance (AGD), the distance from the anus to the genitals, is believed to be a biomarker of prenatal androgen exposure in many species, and in humans it has been associated with several adult reproductive health outcomes. We used data from a pregnancy cohort study conducted in 4 US cities from 1999-2005 to examine whether AGD measurements in infants were associated with maternal self-reported age at conception, age at menarche, age at first birth, parity, and gravidity. AGD was measured in 289 infants (140 male, 149 female) born to study participants. After adjustment for relevant covariates, in linear regression models stratified by infant sex, maternal age was positively associated with AGD in male infants (AGD, anus to penis: \u03b2 = 0.50, P = 0.002; AGD, anus to scrotum: \u03b2 = 0.29, P = 0.02) but not female infants. Parity was inversely associated with AGD (anus to scrotum; \u03b2 = -1.68, P = 0.03) in male infants. No other maternal characteristic predicted AGD in either sex. The mechanism underlying the unexpected relationship between maternal characteristics and AGD is unknown; however, we suggest several possibilities for future study.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33778148,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Predicting amyloid risk by machine learning algorithms based on the A4 screen data: Application to the Japanese Trial-Ready Cohort study.\nSelecting cognitively normal elderly individuals with higher risk of brain amyloid deposition is critical to the success of prevention trials for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Based on the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease study data, we built machine-learning models and applied them to our ongoing Japanese Trial-Ready Cohort (J-TRC) webstudy participants registered within the first 9 months (n = 3081) of launch to predict standard uptake value ratio (SUVr) of amyloid positron emission tomography. Age, family history, online Cognitive Function Instrument and CogState scores were important predictors. In a subgroup of J-TRC webstudy participants with known amyloid status (n = 37), the predicted SUVr corresponded well with the self-reported amyloid test results (area under the curve = 0.806 [0.619-0.992]). Our algorithms may be usable for automatic prioritization of candidate participants with higher amyloid risks to be preferentially recruited from the J-TRC webstudy to in-person study, maximizing efficiency for the identification of preclinical AD participants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32867208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antibiotic Tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm in Periprosthetic Joint Infections and Antibiofilm Strategies.\nThe need for bone and joint prostheses is currently growing due to population aging, leading to an increase in prosthetic joint infection cases. Biofilms represent an adaptive and quite common bacterial response to several stress factors which confer an important protection to bacteria. Biofilm formation starts with bacterial adhesion on a surface, such as an orthopedic prosthesis, further reinforced by matrix synthesis. The biofilm formation and structure depend on the immediate environment of the bacteria. In the case of infection, the periprosthetic joint environment represents a particular interface between bacteria, host cells, and the implant, favoring biofilm initiation and maturation. Treating such an infection represents a huge challenge because of the biofilm-specific high tolerance to antibiotics and its ability to evade the immune system. It is crucial to understand these mechanisms in order to find new and adapted strategies to prevent and eradicate implant-associated infections. Therefore, adapted models mimicking the infectious site are of utmost importance to recreate a relevant environment in order to test potential antibiofilm molecules. In periprosthetic joint infections, Staphylococcus aureus is mainly involved because of its high adaptation to the human physiology. The current review deals with the mechanisms involved in the antibiotic resistance and tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus in the particular periprosthetic joint infection context, and exposes different strategies to manage these infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23143465,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"CD44 expression in intraoral salivary ductal papillomas and oral papillary squamous cell carcinoma.\nCD44 is a transmembrane adhesion molecule which has been previously shown to be useful in the differentiation of benign papillary lesions from invasive carcinoma in several different areas including sinonasal mucosa and breast tissue. CD44 expression has previously been shown to be lost in invasive carcinoma and retained in benign papillary lesions in both of the above locations. In addition, studies have evaluated oral mucosal lesions for CD44 expression and found a loss with invasive squamous cell carcinoma when compared to normal epithelium, hyperplasia, and squamous papillomas, which stained particularly strongly. To the best of our knowledge, no study has evaluated CD44 expression when comparing salivary ductal papillomas in comparison to oral papillary SCCA. In this study 18 cases of intraductal papilloma were compared to 19 cases of oral papillary SCCA. Within the ductal papilloma group, all cases stained either absent (6%), weakly (33%), or moderately (61%) with 76% expressing the stain diffusely and 24% focally. In comparison, the papillary squamous cell carcinoma cases expressed the CD44 moderately (26%) or strongly (74%) with 100 % showing diffuse staining. Thus, the CD44 expression was contrary to expectation based on previous studies, which we hypothesize is due to the extremely well differentiated nature of papillary SCCA which expressed CD44 staining compatible with levels previously reported with oral squamous papillomas than invasive carcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8114859,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Surveillance scanning of children with medulloblastoma.\nThe standard follow-up care for children with medulloblastoma includes regular clinical evaluations and surveillance scanning of the central nervous system with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The evaluations and scanning assess the response of the tumor to treatment, detect any recurrence of disease, and monitor any complications of treatment. We compared the effectiveness of a periodic history taking and physical examination with that of surveillance scanning in detecting recurrent tumors. We reviewed the medical records, including 794 scanning reports or scans, of 86 children with posterior fossa medulloblastoma who were followed regularly between 1980 and 1991. Recurrent tumors were classified as symptomatic if neuroimaging studies had been prompted by clinical symptoms or signs and as radiographic if the tumor had been detected by imaging in an asymptomatic patient. Twenty-three of the 86 children (27 percent) had a recurrence of tumor. Four recurrences (17 percent) were detected on scanning only, and 19 (83 percent) were associated with symptoms arising a median of four months after the previous scan. The median and range of survival after a recurrence of the tumor were 5 months and < 1 to 38 months, respectively, for a symptomatic recurrence and 20 months and 10 to 32 months, respectively, for a radiographic recurrence (P = 0.03). No patient survived after a recurrence. The longer survival of patients with recurrent tumors detected by scanning most likely reflects the small number of patients and lead-time and length biases associated with screening. Among children with medulloblastoma, surveillance scanning is of little clinical value. Scanning detected a minority of recurrences, and no patient who had a recurrence survived.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6654199,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Baldness surgery--reduction versus flap.\nOften when confronted with extensive bald areas on the superior and frontal regions of the scalp, we need to elevate very large and long temporo-parieto-occipital flaps (TPO). Even when generous undermining is undertaken to close the donor site, we frequently finish with hypertrophic scars and absence of hair follicules. In order to prevent this complication we have previously reduced the bald area by resecting hairless portions and covering, posterior in one single stage, the anterior area with a small flap.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15105099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The trypanocide diminazene aceturate is accumulated predominantly through the TbAT1 purine transporter: additional insights on diamidine resistance in african trypanosomes.\nResistance to diminazene aceturate (Berenil) is a severe problem in the control of African trypanosomiasis in domestic animals. It has been speculated that resistance may be the result of reduced diminazene uptake by the parasite. We describe here the mechanisms by which [(3)H]diminazene is transported by Trypanosoma brucei brucei bloodstream forms. Diminazene was rapidly accumulated through a single transporter, with a K(m) of 0.45 +\/- 0.11 micro M, which was dose dependently inhibited by pentamidine and adenosine. The K(i) values for these inhibitors were consistent with this transporter being the P2\/TbAT1 adenosine transporter. Yeast expressing TbAT1 acquired the ability to take up [(3)H]diminazene and [(3)H]pentamidine. TbAT1-null mutants had lost almost all capacity for [(3)H]diminazene transport. However, this cell line still displayed a small but detectable rate of [(3)H]diminazene accumulation, in a nonsaturable manner. We conclude that TbAT1 mediates [(3)H]diminazene transport almost exclusively and that this explains the observed diminazene resistance phenotypes of TbAT1-null mutants and field isolates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34625469,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Changes in exposure to ambient fine particulate matter after relocating and long term survival in Canada: quasi-experimental study.\nTo investigate the association between changes in long term residential exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and premature mortality in Canada. Population based quasi-experimental study. Canada. 663 100 respondents to the 1996, 2001, and 2006 Canadian censuses aged 25-89 years who had consistently lived in areas with either high or low PM2.5 levels over five years preceding census day and moved during the ensuing five years. Changes in long term exposure to PM2.5 arising from residential mobility. The primary outcome was deaths from natural causes. Secondary outcomes were deaths from any cardiometabolic cause, any respiratory cause, and any cancer cause. All outcomes were obtained from the national vital statistics database. Using a propensity score matching technique with numerous personal, socioeconomic, health, and environment related covariates, each participant who moved to a different PM2.5 area was matched with up to three participants who moved within the same PM2.5 area. In the matched groups that moved from high to intermediate or low PM2.5 areas, residential mobility was associated with a decline in annual PM2.5 exposure from 10.6 \u03bcg\/m3 to 7.4 and 5.0 \u03bcg\/m3, respectively. Conversely, in the matched groups that moved from low to intermediate or high PM2.5 areas, annual PM2.5 increased from 4.6 \u03bcg\/m3 to 6.7 and 9.2 \u03bcg\/m3. Five years after moving, individuals who experienced a reduction in exposure to PM2.5 from high to intermediate levels showed a 6.8% (95% confidence interval 1.7% to 11.7%) reduction in mortality (2510 deaths in 56 025 v 4925 deaths in 101 960). A greater decline in mortality occurred among those exposed to a larger reduction in PM2.5. Increased mortality was found with exposure to PM2.5 from low to high levels, and to a lesser degree from low to intermediate levels. Furthermore, the decreases in PM2.5 exposure were most strongly associated with reductions in cardiometabolic deaths, whereas the increases in PM2.5 exposure were mostly related to respiratory deaths. No strong evidence was found for the changes in PM2.5 exposure with cancer related deaths. In Canada, decreases in PM2.5 were associated with lower mortality, whereas increases in PM2.5 were associated with higher mortality. These results were observed at PM2.5 levels considerably lower than many other countries, providing support for continuously improving air quality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31997589,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Advanced Medical Use of Three-Dimensional Imaging in Congenital Heart Disease: Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Virtual Reality, and Three-Dimensional Printing.\nThree-dimensional (3D) imaging and image reconstruction play a prominent role in the diagnosis, treatment planning, and post-therapeutic monitoring of patients with congenital heart disease. More interactive and realistic medical experiences take advantage of advanced visualization techniques like augmented, mixed, and virtual reality. Further, 3D printing is now used in medicine. All these technologies improve the understanding of the complex morphologies of congenital heart disease. In this review article, we describe the technical advantages and disadvantages of various advanced visualization techniques and their medical applications in the field of congenital heart disease. In addition, unresolved issues and future perspectives of these evolving techniques are described.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30759736,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Associations of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D with Physical Performance and Bone Health in Overweight and Obese Older Adults.\nLow vitamin D status commonly accompanies obesity, and both vitamin D deficiency and obesity have been associated with falls and fracture risk in older adults. We aimed to determine the associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations with physical performance and bone health in community-dwelling, overweight and obese older men and women. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were measured in 84 participants with body mass index \u226525 kg\/m\u00b2 (mean \u00b1 SD age 62.4 \u00b1 7.9 years; 55% women). Physical function was determined by short physical performance battery, hand grip and quadriceps strength, and stair climb power tests. Body composition and bone structure were assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and peripheral quantitative computed tomography, respectively. Mean \u00b1 SD 25(OH)D was 49.6 \u00b1 17.7 nmol\/L, and 50% of participants had low 25(OH)D (<50 nmol\/L) levels. 25(OH)D concentrations were positively associated with quadricep strength and stair climb power in women (B = 0.15; 95% CI 0.02\u207b0.27 kg and B = 1.07; 95% CI 0.12\u207b2.03 W, respectively) but not in men. There were no associations between 25(OH)D and bone parameters in either sex after multivariable adjustment (all p > 0.05). Lower 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with poorer quadricep strength and muscle power in overweight and obese older women but not men.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12756379,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Intrapartum antibiotics and neonatal invasive infections caused by organisms other than group B streptococcus.\nAdministration of group B streptococcal (GBS) antibiotic prophylaxis to women in labor has dramatically reduced the incidence of GBS neonatal disease, but there is little information on its impact on neonatal infections caused by other organisms. We conducted a nested case-control study to define the association between maternal intrapartum antibiotics and risk of neonatal non-GBS infection. In our study population, 114 of 13,224 infants had 115 non-GBS infections. The incidence of non-GBS neonatal infections fell during the study period, ranging from an attack rate of 9.6 per 1000 infants in 1990 to 1992 to 8.0 per 1000 infants in 1996 to 1998, although this trend was not statistically significant (P >.05). The unadjusted association between neonatal infection and GBS prophylaxis was 0.89 (95% CI, 0.29, 2.6) and between neonatal infection and maternal intrapartum antibiotic due to any cause was 1.3 (95% CI, 0.65, 2.8). The current policy of GBS maternal prophylaxis does not appear to convey excess risk of non-GBS infection to neonates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19796271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improving cord blood transplantation in children.\nUmbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) is widely used to treat children affected by many disorders. In comparison to bone marrow transplantation, the advantages of UCBT are represented by lower incidence and severity of graft-versus-host disease, easier procurement and prompter availability of cord blood cells, and by the possibility of using donors showing human leucocyte antigen disparities with the recipient. Despite these advantages, the large experience gained over the last decade has clearly demonstrated that UCBT patients may be exposed to an increased risk of early fatal complications, due to the lower engraftment rate of donor haematopoiesis, delayed kinetics of neutrophil recovery and lack of adoptive transfer of pathogen-specific memory T-cells. An inverse correlation between the number of nucleated cord blood cells infused per kilogramme recipient body weight and the risk of dying from transplantation-related causes exists. Thus, it is not surprising that strategies aimed at increasing the number of cord blood progenitors, favouring stem cell homing, and transferring pathogen-specific lymphocytes, have been recently investigated. In particular, selection of the richest cord blood units, infusion of 2 units in the same recipient, intrabone injection of cord blood cells, and transplantation of ex-vivo expanded progenitors can contribute to improve the results of UCBT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36621005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"NANOGP1, a tandem duplicate of NANOG, exhibits partial functional conservation in human na\u00efve pluripotent stem cells.\nGene duplication events can drive evolution by providing genetic material for new gene functions, and they create opportunities for diverse developmental strategies to emerge between species. To study the contribution of duplicated genes to human early development, we examined the evolution and function of NANOGP1, a tandem duplicate of the transcription factor NANOG. We found that NANOGP1 and NANOG have overlapping but distinct expression profiles, with high NANOGP1 expression restricted to early epiblast cells and na\u00efve-state pluripotent stem cells. Sequence analysis and epitope-tagging revealed that NANOGP1 is protein coding with an intact homeobox domain. The duplication that created NANOGP1 occurred earlier in primate evolution than previously thought and has been retained only in great apes, whereas Old World monkeys have disabled the gene in different ways, including homeodomain point mutations. NANOGP1 is a strong inducer of na\u00efve pluripotency; however, unlike NANOG, it is not required to maintain the undifferentiated status of human na\u00efve pluripotent cells. By retaining expression, sequence and partial functional conservation with its ancestral copy, NANOGP1 exemplifies how gene duplication and subfunctionalisation can contribute to transcription factor activity in human pluripotency and development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16197786,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Effect on gastric emptying and weight reduction of botulinum toxin-A injection into the gastric antral layer: an experimental study in the obese rat model.\nWe investigated the effects of Botox-A on weight loss and gastric emptying in an experimental obese rat model. Although there is evidence of weight loss in normal-weight rats after Botox-A injection, there are no studies indicating the effect of Botox-A injection on weight loss and gastric emptying time in obese rats. 37 female Wistar Albino rats were given high calorie diet for 90 days. They were separated into 3 groups. The first group (Botox group) consisted of 15 obese rats whose gastric antrum was injected with 20 U of Botulinum Toxin Type A. The second group (Saline group) consisted of 15 obese rats whose gastric antrum was injected with 20 U of saline. The third group (Control group) had no surgical intervention. Gastric scintigraphy was performed in the 3 groups pre- and postoperatively. The saline group had a weight reduction in the early postoperative days but began to gain weight thereafter. The mean weight of the Botox group between the 16th and 28th days postoperatively was significantly lower than the mean weights of the control and the saline groups (P<0.05, P<0.001). The results of gastric emptying scintigraphy in all 3 groups at day 20 revealed significantly higher T1\/2 values in the Botox-A group when compared to the results of the control and saline groups (P<0.001). Botox-A application to the gastric antrum in obese rats leads to weight loss by increasing the gastric emptying time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3499609,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Recombinant hydrophilic region of murine retroviral protein p15E inhibits stimulated T-lymphocyte proliferation.\nRetroviral envelope protein p15E and antigenically related proteins have been implicated as potential mediators of immune dysfunction associated with retroviral infections and with neoplasia. Due to its extreme hydrophobicity, purified p15E has not been available in a nondenatured form or in sufficient quantities for detailed studies on the mechanisms of its immunosuppressive effects. Therefore, a plasmid was constructed to direct the synthesis in Escherichia coli of the major hydrophilic region of murine p15E. The purified recombinant p15E derivative, soluble under physiological conditions, inhibited by up to 60% (EC50 = 7.5 nM) the anti-CD3-driven proliferation of human T lymphocytes but had no effect on the proliferation of the transformed T-cell line Jurkat. The recombinant protein also inhibited, by up to an average of 92% (EC50 = 2.1 microM), the proliferation of the murine T-cell line CTLL-2. These data (i) provide direct evidence that a retroviral envelope protein can itself inhibit lymphoproliferative function and (ii) map the inhibitory activity to a specific region of p15E. The availability of soluble, recombinant p15E should facilitate studies of the pathogenesis of the immunosuppression accompanying retroviral infections and neoplastic diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30881370,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Transient Stability of Epigenetic Population Differentiation in a Clonal Invader.\nEpigenetic variation may play an important role in how plants cope with novel environments. While significant epigenetic differences among plants from contrasting habitats have often been observed in the field, the stability of these differences remains little understood. Here, we combined field monitoring with a multi-generation common garden approach to study the dynamics of DNA methylation variation in invasive Chinese populations of the clonal alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides). Using AFLP and MSAP markers, we found little variation in DNA sequence but substantial epigenetic population differentiation. In the field, these differences remained stable across multiple years, whereas in a common environment they were maintained at first but then progressively eroded. However, some epigenetic differentiation remained even after 10 asexual generations. Our data indicate that epigenetic variation in alligator weed most likely results from a combination of environmental induction and spontaneous epimutation, and that much of it is neither rapidly reversible (phenotypic plasticity) nor long-term stable, but instead displays an intermediate level of stability. Such transient epigenetic stability could be a beneficial mechanism in novel and heterogeneous environments, particularly in a genetically impoverished invader.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32347047,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Effect of Arbutin on The Expression of Tumor Suppressor P53, BAX\/BCL-2 Ratio and Oxidative Stress Induced by Tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide in Fibroblast and LNcap Cell Lines.\nArbutin (p-hydroxyphenyl-\u03b2-D-glucopyranoside) possesses beneficial functions including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and anti-tumoral activities. Due to the important role of oxidative stress and apoptosis in the successful treatment of cancer, understanding mechanisms that lead to apoptosis in cancer cells, is essential. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of arbutin on tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP)-induced oxidative stress and the related mechanisms in fibroblast and Lymph Node Carcinoma of the Prostate (LNCaP) cells. In this experimental study, the LNCaP and fibroblast cell lines were pre-treated with arbutin (50, 250 and 1000 \u03bcM). After 24 hours, t-BHP (30 and 35 \u03bcM) was added to the cells. Viability was measured (at 24 and 48 hours) using MTT assay. The antioxidant effect of arbutin was measured by FRAP assay. The mRNA expression of P53 and BAX\/BCL-2 ratio were measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The percentage of apoptotic or necrotic cells was determined using a double staining annexin V fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) apoptosis detection kit. Arbutin pre-treatment increased the total antioxidative power and cell viability in the MTT assay and reduced BAX\/BCL-2 ratio, P53 mRNA expression and necrosis in fibroblasts exposed to the oxidative agent (P<0.001). In addition, our results showed that arbutin can decrease cell viability, induce apoptosis and increase BAX\/BCL-2 ratio in LNCaP cells at some specific concentrations (P<0.001). Arbutin as a potential functional \u03b2-D-glucopyranoside has strong ability to selectively protect fibroblasts against t-BHP-induced cell damage and induce apoptosis in LNCaP cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2278476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Serum levels of iron and proteins in oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF).\nSerum proteins, serum iron and total iron binding capacity were estimated in 50 patients with oral submucous fibrosis and 50 patients with oral leukoplakia. The values were compared with that of 50 age- and sex-matched controls. A significant depression in hemoglobin and serum iron was observed in both groups of patients, whereas total iron binding capacity showed significant change only in the oral submucous fibrosis patients. Serum protein values were significantly lower in all the patients. The role of iron deficiency anemia in the causation of this premalignant lesion is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7788705,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Nomenclature and classification of membrane receptors and their subtypes].\nPresent rapid growth of information about receptors for endogenous ligands and drugs requires changes in definitions, nomenclature and classifications of receptors and their subtypes. Receptors are defined as such membrane structures for which we have sufficiently reliable characterization of their structure, transducing mechanisms (mediation of intracellular effects), and selectively acting drugs (operational criterion). This characterization is based on the integrated approach to classification that relies on all three essential criteria. The current classification of membrane receptors is organized by International Union of Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification (NC-IUPHAR). Their conclusions about receptor classifications are regularly published in pharmacological journals and in special publications. List of presently known membrane receptors and their subtypes is provided in this review.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2332119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of streptozocin-induced diabetes on insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase activity in obese Zucker rats.\nWe examined insulin binding, insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation, and phosphorylation of poly(Glu.Na,Tyr)4:1 by liver and skeletal muscle insulin receptor from lean, obese, and obese streptozocin-induced diabetic Zucker rats. Induction of diabetes with streptozocin (30 mg\/kg) lowered the lasting insulin level from 11.4 to 3.8 ng\/ml, which was not significantly greater than the lean control level. Autophosphorylation and tyrosine kinase activity of liver insulin receptors were increased 70-100% in the obese control group (relative to lean rats), but diabetes reversed this hyperresponsiveness to insulin. In muscle, obesity was associated with a 40-50% decrease in autophosphorylation and tyrosine kinase activity, which was also reversed in the diabetic state. Autophosphorylation and tyrosine kinase activity were significantly correlated in liver and muscle and were also correlated with fasting insulin levels. These data suggest that insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase activity is regulated differently in liver and muscle and that the abnormalities in kinase activity associated with the obese Zucker rat are at least partly secondary to hyperinsulinemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33029930,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Correlation of metabolic syndrome with serum omentin-1 and visfatin levels and disease severity in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.\nPsoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have been linked to metabolic syndrome (MS). The impact of adipokines on psoriasis, PsA, and MS pathogenesis has recently received investigative attention. A total of 80 subjects with psoriasis, 40 subjects with PsA, and 60 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum omentin and visfatin levels were measured, and MS presence was determined. PASI and DAS28 were used to measure disease severity for psoriasis and PsA, respectively. The prevalence of MS was determined to be 49% in psoriasis, 48% in PsA, and 28% in control groups. Rates were similar in psoriasis and PsA groups and was significantly greater when compared to control (P = .028). Diastolic blood pressure and waist circumference were significantly greater in the psoriasis group. Although the presence of MS positively correlated with age and disease duration in the psoriasis group, no significant relationships with PASI and DAS28 were found. Among all groups combined, there was no significant relationship with omentin and visfatin levels. In the psoriasis group, omentin and visfatin levels were greater in those with MS compared to those without MS. The relationships between omentin and visfatin levels with MS in patients with psoriasis and PsA has not yet been fully elucidated. These results suggest that elevated omentin and visfatin levels seen in psoriasis may be linked to MS rather than psoriasis itself. Additional research is needed to investigate the utility of these measurements as indicators of MS in patients with psoriasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35977946,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An evaluation of temporal and club angle parameters during golf swings using low cost video analyses packages.\nThe purpose of this study was to compare swing time and golf club angle parameters during golf swings using three, two dimensional (2D) low cost, Augmented-Video-based-Portable-Systems (AVPS) (Kinovea, SiliconCoach Pro, SiliconCoach Live). Twelve right-handed golfers performed three golf swings whilst being recorded by a high-speed 2D video camera. Footage was then analysed using AVPS-software and the results compared using both descriptive and inferential statistics. There were no significant differences for swing time and the golf phase measurements between the 2D and 3D software comparisons. In general, the results showed a high Intra class Correlation Coefficient (ICC > 0.929) and Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha (CCA > 0.924) reliability for both the kinematic and temporal parameters. The inter-rater reliability test for the swing time and kinematic golf phase measurements on average were strong. Irrespective of the AVPS software investigated, the cost effective AVPS can produce reliable output measures that benefit golf analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20220742,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pott disease mimics postsurgical pyogenic spondylodiscitis.\nPostsurgical pyogenic spondylodiscitis is a well known complication of lumbar microdiscectomy. However; Pott disease after the early period of lumbar microdiscectomy has not been reported so far. Pott disease may mimic infectious complications of surgery and may be a reason of misdiagnosis. The author reports a 51 years old case nonresponsive to nonspecific antibiotic administration with diagnostic difficulty. To the author's knowledge this is the first Pott case that mimics postsurgical pyogenic spondylodiscitis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24841674,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mechanical loading in osteocytes induces formation of a Src\/Pyk2\/MBD2 complex that suppresses anabolic gene expression.\nMechanical stimulation of the skeleton promotes bone gain and suppresses bone loss, ultimately resulting in improved bone strength and fracture resistance. The molecular mechanisms directing anabolic and\/or anti-catabolic actions on the skeleton during loading are not fully understood. Identifying molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction (MTD) signaling cascades could identify new therapeutic targets. Most research into MTD mechanisms is typically focused on understanding the signaling pathways that stimulate new bone formation in response to load. However, we investigated the structural, signaling and transcriptional molecules that suppress the stimulatory effects of loading. The high bone mass phenotype of mice with global deletion of either Pyk2 or Src suggests a role for these tyrosine kinases in repression of bone formation. We used fluid shear stress as a MTD stimulus to identify a novel Pyk2\/Src-mediated MTD pathway that represses mechanically-induced bone formation. Our results suggest Pyk2 and Src function as molecular switches that inhibit MTD in our mechanically stimulated osteocyte culture experiments. Once activated by oscillatory fluid shear stress (OFSS), Pyk2 and Src translocate to and accumulate in the nucleus, where they associate with a protein involved in DNA methylation and the interpretation of DNA methylation patterns -methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 2 (MBD2). OFSS-induced Cox-2 and osteopontin expression was enhanced in Pyk2 KO osteoblasts, while inhibition of Src enhanced osteocalcin expression in response to OFSS. We found that Src kinase activity increased in the nucleus of osteocytes in response to OFSS and an interaction activated between Src (Y418) and Pyk2 (Y402) increased in response to OFSS. Thus, as a mechanism to prevent an over-reaction to physical stimulation, mechanical loading may induce the formation of a Src\/Pyk2\/MBD2 complex in the nucleus that functions to suppress anabolic gene expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8468299,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Rhodobacter capsulatus chlorin reductase-encoding locus, bchA, consists of three genes, bchX, bchY, and bchZ.\nThe bchA locus of Rhodobacter capsulatus codes for the chlorin reductase enzyme in the bacteriochlorophyll synthesis pathway. Previous work has suggested that this locus might encompass a single gene. We have sequenced the bchA locus and found it to contain three coding segments, which we designate bchX, bchY, and bchZ. Each coding segment contains its own translational initiation sequence and follows codon utilization patterns consistent with those of previously published R. capsulatus genes. When various regions of the bchA locus and flanking sequences were subcloned into an expression vector and expressed in Escherichia coli, the three coding segments were all expressed as separate peptides. Finally, conservation of amino acid sequences between bchX and a subunit of the protochlorophyllide reductase (bchL, 34% identity) and the nitrogenase Fe protein (nifH, 30 to 37% identity) suggests structural and mechanistic commonalities among all three proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26154385,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Primary multifocal myxopapillary ependymoma of the filum terminale.\nMyxopapillary ependymoma (MPE) is a rare variant of ependymoma usually occurring in the conus medullaris or the filum terminale. It is usually a single encapsulated lesion. The aim of this study was to describe patients with primary multifocal MPE of the filum terminale. In this retrospective study, medical records of 22 patients with spinal MPE who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital between January 2003 and January 2010 were enrolled. The study included 14 males and 8 females with age range from 11 to 66 years. There were 14 adult patients and 8 pediatric patients. The clinical presentation was low back pain (LBP), radiculopathy, focal neurological deficit and cranial nerve palsy. Four cases presented with primary multifocal MPE at the filum terminale. All of them had chronic LBP for at least 2-3 years. Three patients had lower extremity radiculopathy and one had urinary incontinence upon presentation. On magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), three patients presented with two lesions and one patient presented with three lesions at different spinal levels (a total of 9 MPEs). All lesions showed enhancement following gadolinium administration on MRI. For 6 tumors en bloc resection was performed. Three lesions were removed gross totally in a piece-meal fashion. Following the surgical management, no postoperative complication occurred. Three patients underwent radiotherapy (RT. On an average follow-up of 6 years with clinical and MRI imaging, no recurrence was detected and symptoms of LBP and neurologic findings improved after 2 months. Primary multifocal MPE is an extremely rare event occurring in the conus medullaris or filum terminale. The exact pathogenesis of this condition is unclear. Multifocal MPE may be due to multifocal growth of tumors, early stage of growth of a giant tumor or drop metastasis of tumor in the subarachnoid space. En bloc resection or piecemeal resection with radiotherapy were associated with satisfactory outcome without recurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24611577,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Exploring plant defense theory in tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima.\nUnderstanding the evolutionary reasons for patterns of chemical defense in plants is an ongoing theoretical and empirical challenge. The goal is to develop a model that can reliably predict how defenses are distributed within the plant over space and time. This is difficult given that evolutionary, ecological, and physiological processes and tradeoffs can operate over different spatial and temporal scales. We evaluated the major predictions of two leading defense theories, the growth-differentiation balance hypothesis (GDBH) and optimal defense theory (ODT). To achieve this, enemies, fitness components, terpenoids, and protease inhibitors were measured in Solidago altissima and used to construct conventional univariate and structural equation models (SEMs). Leaf-tissue value indices extracted from an SEM revealed a strong correlation between tissue value and terpenoid defense that supports ODT. A tradeoff between serine protease inhibition and growth as well as an indirect tradeoff between growth and terpenoids manifested through galling insects supported the GDBH. Interestingly, there was a strong direct effect of terpenoids on rhizome mass, suggesting service to both storage and defense. The results support established theories but unknown genotypic traits explained much of the variation in defense, confirming the need to integrate emerging theories such as pollination constraints, defense syndromes, tolerance, mutualisms, and facilitation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22037068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Retrobulbar versus subconjunctival anesthesia for cataract surgery.\nTo compare the effectiveness, in terms of pain relief and akinesia of retrobulbar and subconjunctival an aesthesia during cataract surgery and also to compare the degree of postoperative ptosis associated with each technique. Consecutive adult patients undergoing cataract surgery between March and June 2008 at the Guinness Eye Center Onitsha, were randomized into retrobulbar and subconjunctival an aesthesia by simple random sampling. Patients' subjective perception of pain was graded into none, mild, moderate and severe; eyeball movement during surgery was graded into none, slight, moderate excessive. Two weeks after surgery, the palpebral fissure width was measured with the metre rule to determine the degree of post-operative ptosis. Of the 90 patients studied, 55 (61.1%) patients had subconjunctival an anesthesia while 35(38.9%) had retrobulbar injection. In the retrobulbar injection group 25 (71.4%) patients had none or mild pains compared to 44 (80.0%) in the subconjunctival injection group; while 10 (28.6%) patients in the retrobulbar group experienced moderate to severe pains, 11 (20%) patients in the subconjunctival group had moderate pains and none experienced severe pains. But the difference in the degree of pain perception between the 2 groups is not statistically significant (\u03c72 = 0.01; df - 1; P>0.05 ). In the retrobulbar injection group, there was none or slight movement of the globe in 30 (85.7%) patients compared to 49 (89.1%) patients in the subconjunctival group. While 5 (14.3%) patients in the retrobulbar injection group had moderate globe movement, no patient in this group had excessive movement. In the subconjunctival injection group, 5 (9.1%) patients had moderate movement and 1 (1.8%) patient had excessive eyeball movement. The difference in the movement of the eyeball between the retrobulbar and the subconjunctival injections group was not significant (\u03c72 = 0.004; df - 1; P>0.05 ). In the retrobulbar injection group, the palpebral fissure width was within \u2265 10mm in 18 (51.0%) patients compared with 29 (53.0%) patients in the subconjunctival group. This difference was not statistically significant (\u03c72 = 0.0006; df - 1; P>0.05 ). Both retrobulbar and subconjunctival an aesthetic techniques are effective and safe for cataract surgery although the pain experience may be slightly more for patients being operated upon under retrobulbar anaesthesia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31984510,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Neural Substrates Underlying Eyeblink Classical Conditioning in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorders.\nExcessive alcohol consumption produces changes in the brain that often lead to cognitive impairments. One fundamental form of learning, eyeblink classical conditioning (EBC), has been widely used to study the neurobiology of learning and memory. Participants with alcohol use disorders (AUD) have consistently shown a behavioral deficit in EBC. The present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study is the first to examine brain function during conditioning in abstinent AUD participants and healthy participants. AUD participants met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence, had at least a 10-year history of heavy drinking, and were abstinent from alcohol for at least 30 days. During fMRI, participants received auditory tones that predicted the occurrence of corneal airpuffs. Anticipatory eyeblink responses to these tones were monitored during the experiment to assess learning-related changes. Behavioral results indicate that AUD participants showed significant conditioning deficits and that their history of lifetime drinks corresponded to these deficits. Despite this learning impairment, AUD participants showed hyperactivation in several key cerebellar structures (including lobule VI) during conditioning. For all participants, history of lifetime drinks corresponded with their lobule VI activity. These findings suggest that excessive alcohol consumption is associated with abnormal cerebellar hyperactivation and conditioning impairments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20192553,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: a meta-analytic review.\nMeta-analytic procedures were used to test the effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, empathy\/desensitization, and prosocial behavior. Unique features of this meta-analytic review include (a) more restrictive methodological quality inclusion criteria than in past meta-analyses; (b) cross-cultural comparisons; (c) longitudinal studies for all outcomes except physiological arousal; (d) conservative statistical controls; (e) multiple moderator analyses; and (f) sensitivity analyses. Social-cognitive models and cultural differences between Japan and Western countries were used to generate theory-based predictions. Meta-analyses yielded significant effects for all 6 outcome variables. The pattern of results for different outcomes and research designs (experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal) fit theoretical predictions well. The evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior. Moderator analyses revealed significant research design effects, weak evidence of cultural differences in susceptibility and type of measurement effects, and no evidence of sex differences in susceptibility. Results of various sensitivity analyses revealed these effects to be robust, with little evidence of selection (publication) bias.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943029,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Multiple citrus viroids in citrus from Japan and their ability to produce exocortis-like symptoms in citron.\nABSTRACT Sequential polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analyses showed many viroid-like RNAs in samples collected from citrus trees in Japan. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and sequencing analyses of the amplified fragments verified that they were derived from variants of six citrus viroids, Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), Citrus bent leaf viroid (CBLVd) including CVd-I-LSS (a distinct variant of CBLVd), Hop stunt viroid, Citrus viroid III, Citrus viroid IV, and Citrus viroid OS. The samples induced symptoms with variable severity in Arizona 861-S1 'Etrog' citrons (Citrus medica L.) likely due to the varying accumulation patterns produced by the different viroids. Some of the symptoms caused by the samples harboring the citrus viroids other than CEVd were as severe as those caused by CEVd. Some source citrus trees showing the severe bark scaling characteristic of exocortis disease in trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf.) rootstocks contained only citrus viroids other than CEVd in complex. This indicates that certain exocortis-like diseases in Japan were caused by some combination of citrus viroids not including CEVd.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9724718,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Crystal structures of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A from Methanococcus jannaschii at 1.8 A resolution.\nEukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) is a ubiquitous protein found in all eukaryotic cells. The protein is closely associated with cell proliferation in the G1-S stage of the cell cycle. Recent findings show that the eIF-5A proteins are highly expressed in tumor cells and act as a cofactor of the Rev protein in HIV-1-infected cells. The mature eIF is the only protein known to have the unusual amino acid hypusine, a post-translationally modified lysine. The crystal structure of eIF-5A from Methanococcus jannaschii (MJ eIF-5A) has been determined at 1.9 A and 1.8 A resolution in two crystal forms by using the multiple isomorphous replacement method and the multiwavelength anomalous diffraction method for the first crystal form and the molecular replacement method for the second crystal form. The structure consists of two folding domains, one of which is similar to the oligonucleotide-binding domain found in the prokaryotic cold shock protein and the translation initiation factor IF1 despite the absence of any significant sequence similarities. The 12 highly conserved amino acid residues found among eIF-5As include the hypusine site and form a long protruding loop at one end of the elongated molecule.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23610393,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Immune-responsive gene 1 protein links metabolism to immunity by catalyzing itaconic acid production.\nImmunoresponsive gene 1 (Irg1) is highly expressed in mammalian macrophages during inflammation, but its biological function has not yet been elucidated. Here, we identify Irg1 as the gene coding for an enzyme producing itaconic acid (also known as methylenesuccinic acid) through the decarboxylation of cis-aconitate, a tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate. Using a gain-and-loss-of-function approach in both mouse and human immune cells, we found Irg1 expression levels correlating with the amounts of itaconic acid, a metabolite previously proposed to have an antimicrobial effect. We purified IRG1 protein and identified its cis-aconitate decarboxylating activity in an enzymatic assay. Itaconic acid is an organic compound that inhibits isocitrate lyase, the key enzyme of the glyoxylate shunt, a pathway essential for bacterial growth under specific conditions. Here we show that itaconic acid inhibits the growth of bacteria expressing isocitrate lyase, such as Salmonella enterica and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Furthermore, Irg1 gene silencing in macrophages resulted in significantly decreased intracellular itaconic acid levels as well as significantly reduced antimicrobial activity during bacterial infections. Taken together, our results demonstrate that IRG1 links cellular metabolism with immune defense by catalyzing itaconic acid production.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15923843,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Surgical management of groin lymphatic complications after arterial bypass surgery.\nThe authors undertook a retrospective study to define the incidence of groin wound lymphatic complications at their institution and to review their experience with treatment of the complications. Operating room records and patient databases of the two primary vascular surgeons at an academic teaching institution were reviewed retrospectively. Groin lymphatic complications were diagnosed by clinical presentation and confirmed with noninvasive imaging. Surgical management included percutaneous methods, ligation of leaking lymphatics, excision, and\/or muscle flap coverage. From June of 1989 to June of 2002, 538 patients had arterial revascularization procedures involving the groin. Twenty-seven patients with groin wound lymphatic complications were identified; seven of them had bilateral complications, for a total of 34 complication sites. Common comorbidities included hypertension, coronary artery disease, chronic renal insufficiency, and tobacco use. The majority (85 percent) had artificial material in the bypass graft, and 10 patients had undergone a previous operation at the same site. The mean time to identification of groin lymphatic complications after vascular surgery was 14 days. Common presentations included swelling (n = 16), drainage (n = 13), erythema (n = 4), and leg edema (n = 1). At presentation, 17 patients (63 percent) were receiving antibiotics and 21 (78 percent) were receiving anticoagulation or antiplatelet therapy. Of the 34 complication sites, 12 were managed with drainage or excision and 22 with muscle flap surgery, 10 of which failed less aggressive therapy. Muscle flaps included the gracilis (n = 19), sartorius (n = 1), rectus abdominis (n = 1), and rectus femoris muscles (n = 1). Operative cultures were positive in 23 of the 34 groin lymphatic complication sites. A biopsy specimen of a healed gracilis flap obtained at 1 year demonstrated notable lymphatic channels, possibly supporting theories that rotated muscle becomes a lymphatic conduit. The authors found that muscle flap surgery provides single-intervention therapy for successful resolution of lymphoceles, with a low complication rate and fairly rapid recovery in a high-risk patient population. Flaps also salvage cases that have failed conservative therapy and provide hardy coverage for a wound bed that is often infected.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28699851,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dynamics of CD4 cell count among HIV-infected individuals in Lagos, Nigeria.\nHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection leads to progressive loss of CD4 T cells. Antiretroviral therapy has been able to inhibit this process, resulting in significant level of immune recovery and function. Our aim is to investigate the dynamics of CD4 recovery among HIV patients in Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 213 HIV-positive individuals were enrolled between October 2007 and May 2008, and followed up for 9 months based on CD4 count. CD4 analysis was done by flow cytometry at enrollment and after every 3 months. Data were grouped according to age range, antiretroviral treatment (ART), and time between infection and diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used for data analysis. There was a significant difference in CD4 count between antiretroviral (ART) na\u00efve and ART experienced subjects (P < 0.001). About 50% of the ART experienced population was identified to show poor CD4 reconstitution unable to achieve a CD4 of 500 cells\/\u00b5l after 9 months of therapy. Time interval between infection and therapy was also identified to contribute to poor CD4 restoration. Further studies need to be done to classify immunological nonresponders among HIV patients in Nigeria. We also recommend introduction of programs that will facilitate early detection of HIV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944851,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Diversity Within Streptomyces ipomoeae Based on Inhibitory Interactions, rep-PCR, and Plasmid Profiles.\nABSTRACT Streptomyces soil rot is a destructive disease of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) that causes yield loss resulting from decay of the feeder root system and reduced quality due to the presence of necrotic lesions on the storage roots. It is managed by the use of resistant cultivars, but variability of the pathogen has not been previously assessed. This study compared 36 strains of the pathogen Streptomyces ipomoeae from different locations in the United States and Japan. The strains could be separated into three groups on the basis of their ability to inhibit the growth of one another in in vitro assays. Although some strains contained plasmids of approximately 18, 42, or 270 kb in size, plasmid profiles did not correspond to inhibition grouping. Fingerprinting by repetitive element-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) using outwardly facing primers for the BOX, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC), and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) sequences indicated relatively high genomic homogeneity within S. ipomoeae. However, cluster analysis of similarity coefficients among strains using rep-PCR data revealed clusters that correlated with the inhibition grouping. The neotype strain of S. ipomoeae had lower similarity values by rep-PCR than any of the other strains and could not be grouped by inhibitory interactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9817016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The current course and treatment of infectious endocarditis].\nClinical study of 172 patients treated in the Burdenko Military Hospital for subacute infectious endocarditis in 1980-1996 compared with 192 cases in 1950-1979. Contemporary course of the disease is attended by a few symptoms, primordiality and single-valve affection. On the grounds of antibiotics sensitivity of the most prevalent infection agents discovered in 1996, the article develops some schemes of antibacterial therapy for Streptococcus, Enterococcus and staphylococcal etiology of disease. Rational antibiotic therapy together with surgery measures reduced lethality to 14.3% for Streptococcus endocarditis, to 16.7%--for Enterococcus and to 34.4%--for Staphylococcus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28688190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improvement of glycemic state among responders to Sofosbuvir-based treatment regimens: Single center experience.\nChronic HCV infection has emerged as a complex multifaceted disease with manifestations extending beyond the liver. HCV plays a direct role in glucose metabolism leading to both insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. To evaluate the changes in the glycemic state following Sofosbuvir-based treatment regimens in diabetic HCV patients. Four hundred chronic hepatitis C patients who underwent Sofosbuvir-based treatment regimens were retrospectively screened. Sixty-five diabetic HCV patients only enrolled in our analysis. Baseline demographic and laboratory data were recorded. Pretreatment Transient elastography was performed. At 24-week post EOT (SVR24), Fasting Plasma glucose, and Hemoglobin A1c were re-evaluated and compared with baseline. All enrolled diabetic patients were responders. They showed statistically significant decline in Fasting Plasma glucose and Hemoglobin A1c values at SVR24. Whatever the degree of hepatic fibrosis, the level of Fasting Plasma glucose and Hemoglobin A1c decreased at SVR24 in comparison to baseline level. Fifty-one patients showed improvement in their Hemoglobin A1c values at SVR24 and this improvement was more likely to occur among patients with low Body mass index. The reduction in Fasting Plasma glucose >20 mg\/dL (>1.1 mmol\/L) and Hemoglobin A1c \u22650.5% was not associated with age, gender or hepatic fibrosis stage. Sofosbuvir-based regimens are a highly efficient antiviral therapy for diabetic chronic HCV patients resulted in improvement in Fasting Plasma glucose and Hemoglobin A1c.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26357355,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Property and Lighting Manipulations for Static Volume Stylization Using a Painting Metaphor.\nAlthough volumetric phenomena are important for realistic rendering and can even be a crucial component in the image, the artistic control of the volume's appearance is challenging. Appropriate tools to edit volume properties are missing, which can make it necessary to use simulation results directly. Alternatively, high-level modifications that are rarely intuitive, e.g., the tweaking of noise function parameters, can be utilized. Our work introduces a solution to stylize single-scattering volumetric effects in static volumes. Hereby, an artistic and intuitive control of emission, scattering and extinction becomes possible, while ensuring a smooth and coherent appearance when changing the viewpoint. Our method is based on tomographic reconstruction, which we link to the volumetric rendering equation. It analyzes a number of target views provided by the artist and adapts the volume properties to match the appearance for the given perspectives. Additionally, we describe how we can optimize for the environmental lighting to match a desired scene appearance, while keeping volume properties constant. Finally, both techniques can be combined. We demonstrate several use cases of our approach and illustrate its effectiveness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17094699,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Campylobacter in primary animal production and control strategies to reduce the burden of human campylobacteriosis.\nCampylobacteriosis is one of the most important bacterial food-borne illnesses in humans. One significant source of infection is the handling and consumption of poultry meat, although other sources also contribute considerably. Controlling Campylobacter in broilers reduces the human burden of illness. Broilers can easily become colonised with Campylobacter and preventive measures in primary production have a limited and unpredictable effect. Vaccination, competitive exclusion, bacteriophage therapy and the use of bacteriocins are not yet commercially available. However, measures in the slaughterhouse can reduce contamination in the final product. At present, the most promising control strategy is to keep colonised and non-colonised flocks separate during slaughter ('scheduled processing'). The virtually Campylobacter-free meat can supply the fresh poultry meat market, while the meat from infected flocks can be treated to reduce the Campylobacter concentration. Meat from infected flocks can be treated by freezing but chemical decontamination appears to be more cost effective. A variant of this scenario is to treat only highly contaminated meat. The authors conclude that, until new techniques become commercially available, scheduled processing is the most cost-effective approach. Finally, the authors describe trends in antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3767972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Presence of met-enkephalin in bovine pituitary intraglandular colloid of intermediate lobe origin.\nMet-enkephalin, and opioid peptide present in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland, is herein demonstrated, for the first time, in bovine pituitary intraglandular colloid. Colloid samples were taken from the glands of freshly slaughtered cattle, pooled, lyophilized, extracted on octadecylsilyl-silica and assessed by radioimmunoassay. Met-enkephalin was indeed present in this colloid extract at levels varying from 0.40 to 0.85 nanograms per milligram dry weight. Locating an intermediate lobe peptide in intraglandular colloid is a significant finding since this implies that colloid, housed in the intraglandular lumen, may serve as a transport medium. Intermediate lobe peptides which, because the intermediate lobe is avascular, are otherwise denied the vascular transport routes available to the anterior and posterior lobe hormones.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26529344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Novel Electrophilic and Photoaffinity Covalent Probes for Mapping the Cannabinoid 1 Receptor Allosteric Site(s).\nUndesirable side effects associated with orthosteric agonists\/antagonists of cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R), a tractable target for treating several pathologies affecting humans, have greatly limited their translational potential. Recent discovery of CB1R negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) has renewed interest in CB1R by offering a potentially safer therapeutic avenue. To elucidate the CB1R allosteric binding motif and thereby facilitate rational drug discovery, we report the synthesis and biochemical characterization of first covalent ligands designed to bind irreversibly to the CB1R allosteric site. Either an electrophilic or a photoactivatable group was introduced at key positions of two classical CB1R NAMs: Org27569 (1) and PSNCBAM-1 (2). Among these, 20 (GAT100) emerged as the most potent NAM in functional assays, did not exhibit inverse agonism, and behaved as a robust positive allosteric modulator of binding of orthosteric agonist CP55,940. This novel covalent probe can serve as a useful tool for characterizing CB1R allosteric ligand-binding motifs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10388814,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"DNA sequence and functional analysis of homologous ARS elements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and S. carlsbergensis.\nARS elements of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are the cis-acting sequences required for the initiation of chromosomal DNA replication. Comparisons of the DNA sequences of unrelated ARS elements from different regions of the genome have revealed no significant DNA sequence conservation. We have compared the sequences of seven pairs of homologous ARS elements from two Saccharomyces species, S. cerevisiae and S. carlsbergensis. In all but one case, the ARS308-ARS308(carl) pair, significant blocks of homology were detected. In the cases of ARS305, ARS307, and ARS309, previously identified functional elements were found to be conserved in their S. carlsbergensis homologs. Mutation of the conserved sequences in the S. carlsbergensis ARS elements revealed that the homologous sequences are required for function. These observations suggested that the sequences important for ARS function would be conserved in other ARS elements. Sequence comparisons aided in the identification of the essential matches to the ARS consensus sequence (ACS) of ARS304, ARS306, and ARS310(carl), though not of ARS310.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17224916,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2013-20":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Identification of tightly regulated groups of genes during Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis.\nTime-series analysis of whole-genome expression data during Drosophila melanogaster development indicates that up to 86% of its genes change their relative transcript level during embryogenesis. By applying conservative filtering criteria and requiring 'sharp' transcript changes, we identified 1534 maternal genes, 792 transient zygotic genes, and 1053 genes whose transcript levels increase during embryogenesis. Each of these three categories is dominated by groups of genes where all transcript levels increase and\/or decrease at similar times, suggesting a common mode of regulation. For example, 34% of the transiently expressed genes fall into three groups, with increased transcript levels between 2.5-12, 11-20, and 15-20 h of development, respectively. We highlight common and distinctive functional features of these expression groups and identify a coupling between downregulation of transcript levels and targeted protein degradation. By mapping the groups to the protein network, we also predict and experimentally confirm new functional associations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14976205,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The coxsackievirus 2B protein suppresses apoptotic host cell responses by manipulating intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis.\nEnteroviruses, small cytolytic RNA viruses, confer an antiapoptotic state to infected cells in order to suppress infection-limiting apoptotic host cell responses. This antiapoptotic state also lends protection against cell death induced by metabolic inhibitors like actinomycin D and cycloheximide. The identity of the viral antiapoptotic protein and the underlying mechanism are unknown. Here, we provide evidence that the coxsackievirus 2B protein modulates apoptosis by manipulating intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. Using fluorescent Ca(2+) indicators and organelle-targeted aequorins, we demonstrate that ectopic expression of 2B in HeLa cells decreases the Ca(2+) content of both the endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi, resulting in down-regulation of Ca(2+) signaling between these stores and the mitochondria, and increases the influx of extracellular Ca(2+). In our studies of the physiological importance of the 2B-induced alterations in Ca(2+) signaling, we found that the expression of 2B suppressed caspase activation and apoptotic cell death induced by various stimuli, including actinomycin D and cycloheximide. Mutants of 2B that were defective in reducing the Ca(2+) content of the stores failed to suppress apoptosis. These data implicate a functional role of the perturbation of intracellular Ca(2+) compartmentalization in the enteroviral strategy to suppress intrinsic apoptotic host cell responses. The putative down-regulation of an endoplasmic reticulum-dependent apoptotic pathway is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7780151,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prognostic value of cellular proliferation and histologic grade in follicular lymphoma.\nThe clinical usefulness of histologic grading in follicular lymphoma (FL) is controversial and is further compromised by the subjective nature and poor reproducibility of most systems in current use. Therefore, we decided to objectively evaluate the importance of cellular proliferation in FL, along with the current grading systems. We studied 106 patients with FL who were uniformly staged and aggressively treated. A proliferative index (PI) was determined quantitatively using an automated image analyzer and a new Ki-67 antibody that stains archival paraffin tissues. The cases were also subclassified according to the Berard, Rappaport, Luke-Collins, and Jaffe methods, and survival analysis was performed. Patients with a low PI (< 40%) had a significantly longer overall survival (OS) than those with a high PI (> or = 40%), but the PI did not predict failure-free survival (FFS). The mean PI correlated well with the subgroups in each of the various classifications. All four of the classification methods were predictive of OS, but only the Berard method appeared to predict FFS and suggest that a proportion of patients with FL may be curable. In multivariate analysis, histologic classification was the only independent predictor of OS (Berard method: relative risk, 3.1) and the International Prognostic Index was the only independent predictor of FFS (relative risk, 2.3). We conclude that the Berard method for grading of FL is clinically useful and, along with the International Prognostic Index, should be included in future clinical studies of FL. The measurement of cellular proliferation does not appear to add additional useful information in FL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8551558,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ras complements the carboxyl terminus of v-Abl protein in lymphoid transformation.\nAbelson murine leukemia virus (Ab-MLV) mutants expressing v-Abl proteins lacking the carboxyl terminus are compromised in the ability to transform lymphoid but not NIH 3T3 cells. This feature correlates with the presence of low levels of phosphotyrosine in lymphoid cells infected with carboxyl-terminal truncation mutants. In contrast, high levels of phosphotyrosine are observed in NIH 3T3 cells infected with wild-type and mutant Ab-MLV. Two downstream targets affected in lymphoid transformants are the GTPase-activating protein and GTPase-activating protein-associated protein p62, molecules which are heavily tyrosine phosphorylated in lymphoid cells transformed by wild-type Ab-MLV but not carboxyl-terminal truncation mutants of Ab-MLV. This difference suggested that signaling mediated via the Ras pathway may be compromised in lymphoid cells expressing the carboxyl-terminal truncation mutants. Consistent with this idea, expression of v-Ha-ras complemented these mutants in primary bone marrow transformation assays and increased transformation frequencies obtained with the Ab-MLV mutants 8- to 20-fold. These data suggest that a biologically important link exists between the carboxyl terminus of v-Abl protein and the Ras pathway. Signals transmitted via this connection may enhance those mediated via other regions of the v-Abl protein and facilitate transformation of primary, nonimmortalized cells such as pre-B lymphocytes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10611333,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"A subset of skin tumor modifier loci determines survival time of tumor-bearing mice.\nStudies of mouse models of human cancer have established the existence of multiple tumor modifiers that influence parameters of cancer susceptibility such as tumor multiplicity, tumor size, or the probability of malignant progression. We have carried out an analysis of skin tumor susceptibility in interspecific Mus musculus\/Mus spretus hybrid mice and have identified another seven loci showing either significant (six loci) or suggestive (one locus) linkage to tumor susceptibility or resistance. A specific search was carried out for skin tumor modifier loci associated with time of survival after development of a malignant tumor. A combination of resistance alleles at three markers [D6Mit15 (Skts12), D7Mit12 (Skts2), and D17Mit7 (Skts10)], all of which are close to or the same as loci associated with carcinoma incidence and\/or papilloma multiplicity, is significantly associated with increased survival of mice with carcinomas, whereas the reverse combination of susceptibility alleles is significantly linked to early mortality caused by rapid carcinoma growth (chi(2) = 25.22; P = 5.1 x 10(-8)). These data indicate that host genetic factors may be used to predict carcinoma growth rate and\/or survival of individual backcross mice exposed to the same carcinogenic stimulus and suggest that mouse models may provide an approach to the identification of genetic modifiers of cancer survival in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34178763,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparing of the First Electrocardiographic Variables in Patients with Newly Diagnosed COVID-19 with Healthy Men Volunteer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.\nWe aimed to report the findings of the first Electrocardiography (ECG), before therapy initiation and receiving medication in COVID-19 patients, and to compare them with the ECG findings of healthy men. A comprehensive and regular search was performed through the keywords (\"Electrocardiographic\" OR \"ECG\" OR; \"COVID-19\" OR \"Coronavirus Disease 2019\") without time and language restrictions in the Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Medline, PubMed and Google Scholar. After evaluating the quality and reviewing the biases, 27 studies were finally enrolled. In 27 studies with a total number of 3994 COVID-19 patients, and mean age of 62.7 yr, 1993 subjects were male. The most common type of arrhythmia in them, especially in severe and critical cases, was 7% based on 10 studies (Atrial Fibrillation); while in 7 studies, QTc interval prolong (\u2265 460 msec) was 15% and in 5 studies, QTc interval prolong (\u2265 500 msec) was 18%. In COVID-19 patients at the time of admission and healthy men, HR (b per \/ min) was 85, 61.7 and PR interval (msec) was 285.4, 156 and QRS duration (msec) was 95, 94.3 and QT (msec) was 380. 384.1 and QTc (msec) (Bazett's formula) was 437, 387.1, respectively. In most cases, the variables were higher for COVID-19 patients. ECG abnormalities at the time of admission and prior to the initiation of medication that cause arrhythmic may have a clinically substantial effect on the course of the disease and confirm the effect of COVID-19 on increased cardiovascular risk in long-term.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16049170,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Functional recovery in traumatic spinal cord injury after transplantation of multineurotrophin-expressing glial-restricted precursor cells.\nDemyelination contributes to the physiological and behavioral deficits after contusive spinal cord injury (SCI). Therefore, remyelination may be an important strategy to facilitate repair after SCI. We show here that rat embryonic day 14 spinal cord-derived glial-restricted precursor cells (GRPs), which differentiate into both oligodendrocytes and astrocytes, formed normal-appearing central myelin around axons of cultured DRG neurons and had enhanced proliferation and survival in the presence of neurotrophin 3 (NT3) and brain-derived neurotrophin factor (BDNF). We infected GRPs with retroviruses expressing the multineurotrophin D15A (with both BDNF and NT3 activities) and then transplanted them into the contused adult thoracic spinal cord at 9 d after injury. Expression of D15A in the injured spinal cord is five times higher in animals receiving D15A-GRP grafts than ones receiving enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-GRP or DMEM grafts. Six weeks after transplantation, the grafted GRPs differentiated into mature oligodendrocytes expressing both myelin basic protein (MBP) and adenomatus polyposis coli (APC). Ultrastructural analysis showed that the grafted GRPs formed morphologically normal-appearing myelin sheaths around the axons in the ventrolateral funiculus (VLF) of spinal cord. Expression of D15A significantly increased the percentage of APC+ oligodendrocytes of grafted GRPs (15-30%). Most importantly, 8 of 12 rats receiving grafts of D15A-GRPs recovered transcranial magnetic motor-evoked potential responses, indicating that conduction through the demyelinated VLF axons was restored. Such electrophysiological recovery was not observed in rats receiving grafts of EGFP-GRPs, D15A-NIH3T3 cells, or an injection of an adenovirus expressing D15A. Recovery of hindlimb locomotor function was also significantly enhanced only in the D15A-GRP-grafted animals at 4 and 5 weeks after transplantation. Therefore, combined treatment with neurotrophins and GRP grafts can facilitate functional recovery after traumatic SCI and may prove to be a useful therapeutic strategy to repair the injured spinal cord.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26497466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The CreC Regulator of Escherichia coli, a New Target for Metabolic Manipulations.\nThe CreBC (carbon source-responsive) two-component regulation system of Escherichia coli affects a number of functions, including intermediary carbon catabolism. The impacts of different creC mutations (a \u0394creC mutant and a mutant carrying the constitutive creC510 allele) on bacterial physiology were analyzed in glucose cultures under three oxygen availability conditions. Differences in the amounts of extracellular metabolites produced were observed in the null mutant compared to the wild-type strain and the mutant carrying creC510 and shown to be affected by oxygen availability. The \u0394creC strain secreted more formate, succinate, and acetate but less lactate under low aeration. These metabolic changes were associated with differences in AckA and LdhA activities, both of which were affected by CreC. Measurement of the NAD(P)H\/NAD(P)(+) ratios showed that the creC510 strain had a more reduced intracellular redox state, while the opposite was observed for the \u0394creC mutant, particularly under intermediate oxygen availability conditions, indicating that CreC affects redox balance. The null mutant formed more succinate than the wild-type strain under both low aeration and no aeration. Overexpression of the genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from E. coli and a NADH-forming formate dehydrogenase from Candida boidinii in the \u0394creC mutant further increased the yield of succinate on glucose. Interestingly, the elimination of ackA and adhE did not significantly improve the production of succinate. The diverse metabolic effects of this regulator on the central biochemical network of E. coli make it a good candidate for metabolic-engineering manipulations to enhance the formation of bioproducts, such as succinate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12965884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Wine, liquor, beer, and mortality.\nA substantially increased risk for heavy drinkers and a slightly reduced risk for lighter drinkers results in the J-shaped alcohol-mortality curve. Limited data suggest a more favorable mortality experience for drinkers of wine than for drinkers of liquor or beer. To examine these relations, the authors performed a cohort study of participants in a large Northern California prepaid health care program. Demographic and history data were collected from 128,934 adults undergoing health evaluations in 1978-1985, with subsequent death ascertained by an automated linkage system. Cox proportional hazards models with eight covariates were used to determine relative risk estimates according to total alcohol intake and days per week of drinking wine, wine types, beer, or liquor. The J-shaped alcohol-mortality relation was stable for 20 years. Independently, frequency of wine drinking was associated with lower mortality risk (p<0.001) largely because of lower coronary disease risk. Similar risk reductions were associated with red wine, white wine, other types of wine, and combinations of wine types. Much of the lower risk associated with light drinking was related to wine drinking. The authors conclude that drinkers of any type of wine have a lower mortality risk than do beer or liquor drinkers, but it remains unclear whether this reduced risk is due to nonalcoholic wine ingredients, drinking pattern, or associated traits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30730860,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"A Randomized Trial of Topical Epinephrine and Rectal Indomethacin for Preventing Post-Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Pancreatitis in High-Risk Patients.\nRectal indomethacin and topical spray of epinephrine have separately shown efficacy in the prevention of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) in randomized controlled trials. We hypothesized that the combination of indomethacin and topical spray of epinephrine on the duodenal papillae would further reduce PEP than when indomethacin was used alone. We conducted a comparative effectiveness, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized trial of rectal indomethacin alone vs a combination of rectal indomethacin and topical spray of epinephrine for the prevention of PEP in high-risk patients. The primary outcome was the incidence of PEP and the secondary outcome was the severity of PEP. A 2-tailed Fisher's exact test was used to analyze the difference in the proportion of patients with PEP in the indomethacin alone vs the combination group. A total of 960 patients (mean age 52.33 \u00b1 14.96 years; 551 [57.4%] females) were randomized and 959 completed follow-up. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were similar between the 2 groups. Women <50 years of age (25.4%) and difficult cannulation (84.9%) were the most common PEP risk factors. The incidence of PEP was 6.4% in the indomethacin alone group (n = 482) compared to 6.7% in the combination group (n = 477; P = 0.87). Severe PEP was found in 5 (12%) and 7 (16%) patients in the indomethacin alone and combination groups, respectively (P = 0.88). The overall mortality was 0.6%, which was unrelated to the primary outcome. The combination of rectal indomethacin and topical spray of epinephrine does not reduce the incidence of PEP compared to rectal indomethacin alone in high-risk patients; https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/ct2\/show\/NCT02116309.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34800977,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Predictive genotype-phenotype relations using genetic diversity in African yam bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst. ex. A. Rich) Harms).\nAfrican Yam Bean (AYB) is an understudied and underutilized tuberous legume of tropical West and Central African origin. In these geographical regions, both seeds and tubers of AYB are important components of people's diets and a potential target as a nutritional security crop. The understanding of the genetic diversity among AYB accessions is thus an important component for both conservation and potential breeding programs. In this study, 93 AYB accessions were obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) genebank and genotyped using 3722 SNP markers based on Restriction site-Associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq). Genetic data was analysed using multiple clustering methods for better understanding the distribution of genetic diversity across the population. Substantial genetic variability was observed in the present set of AYB accessions and different methodologies demonstrated that these accessions are divided into three to four main groups. The accessions were also analysed for important agronomic traits and successfully associated with their genetic clusters where great majority of accessions shared a similar phenotype. To our knowledge, this is the first study on predicting genotypic-phenotypic diversity relationship analysis in AYB. From a breeding perspective, we were able to identify specific diverse groups with precise phenotype such as seed or both seed and tuber yield purpose accessions. These results provide novel and important insights to support the utilization of this germplasm in AYB breeding programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32864785,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Efficient gene-environment interaction tests for large biobank-scale sequencing studies.\nComplex human diseases are affected by genetic and environmental risk factors and their interactions. Gene-environment interaction (GEI) tests for aggregate genetic variant sets have been developed in recent years. However, existing statistical methods become rate limiting for large biobank-scale sequencing studies with correlated samples. We propose efficient Mixed-model Association tests for GEne-Environment interactions (MAGEE), for testing GEI between an aggregate variant set and environmental exposures on quantitative and binary traits in large-scale sequencing studies with related individuals. Joint tests for the aggregate genetic main effects and GEI effects are also developed. A null generalized linear mixed model adjusting for covariates but without any genetic effects is fit only once in a whole genome GEI analysis, thereby vastly reducing the overall computational burden. Score tests for variant sets are performed as a combination of genetic burden and variance component tests by accounting for the genetic main effects using matrix projections. The computational complexity is dramatically reduced in a whole genome GEI analysis, which makes MAGEE scalable to hundreds of thousands of individuals. We applied MAGEE to the exome sequencing data of 41,144 related individuals from the UK Biobank, and the analysis of 18,970 protein coding genes finished within 10.4 CPU hours.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19021659,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pulp and periodontal healing of laterally luxated permanent teeth: results after 4 years.\nTo evaluate the pulp and periodontal healing of laterally luxated permanent teeth. Patients presenting with lateral luxation of permanent teeth during 2001-2002 were enrolled in this clinical study. Laterally luxated teeth were repositioned and splinted with a TTS\/composite resin splint for 4 weeks. Immediate (prophylactic) root-canal treatment was performed in severely luxated teeth with radiographically closed apices. All patients received tetracycline for 10 days. Re-examinations were performed after 1, 2, 3, 6, 12 and 48 months. All 47 laterally luxated permanent teeth that could be followed over the entire study period survived. In 10 teeth (21.3%), a prophylactic root-canal treatment was performed within 2 weeks following injury. The remaining 37 teeth showed the following characteristics at the 4-year re-examination: 19 teeth (51.4%) had pulp survival (no clinical or radiographic signs or symptoms), nine teeth (24.3%) presented with pulp canal calcification, and pulp necrosis was seen in another nine teeth (24.3%), within the first year after trauma. None of the teeth with a radiographically open apex at the time of lateral luxation showed complications. External root resorption was only seen in one tooth. Laterally luxated permanent teeth with incomplete root formation have a good prognosis, with all teeth surviving in this study. The most frequent complication was pulp necrosis that was only seen in teeth with closed apices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15104862,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Dissatisfaction with relationship power and dating violence perpetration by men and women.\nThis study focuses on the relationship between an individual's dissatisfaction with the level of power they have in their dating relationships, parental violence they experienced during their childhoods, and their dating violence perpetration. A sample of 352 male and 296 female undergraduate college students completed a dating violence survey, including selected subscales from the Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) and the Relationship Power Scale. Findings show that relationship power dissatisfaction is associated with the use of violence in dating relationships for both men and women. However, parental violence emerged as an even stronger predictor of dating violence perpetration. Findings also indicate that male perpetration of dating violence is related to mother's violence, whereas female perpetration of dating violence is related to father's violence. The results indicate the importance of including gender in the study of dating violence perpetration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28052138,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Time-Dependent Structural Alteration of Rituximab Analyzed by LC\/TOF-MS after a Systemic Administration to Rats.\nTherapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have heterogeneities in their structures. Multiple studies have reported that the variety of post-translational modifications could affect the pharmacokinetic profiles or pharmacological potencies of therapeutic mAbs. Taking into the account that the structural modification of mAbs would affect the efficacy, it is worth investigating the structural alteration of therapeutic mAbs in the blood and the relationship between their structures and pharmacological effects. Herein, we have developed the method to isolate rituximab from plasma in which endogenous IgGs interfere the detection of rituximab, and successfully developed the analytical method with a liquid chromatograph time-of-flight mass spectrometer to detect the structure of rituximab in plasma with errors less than 30 parts per millions. Eight types of carbohydrate chains in rituximab were detected by this method. Interestingly, time-dependent changes in carbohydrate chains such as AAF (G2F) and GnGn (G0) were observed in rats, although the amino acids were stable. Additionally, these structural changes were observed via incubation in plasma as in the rat experiment, suggesting that a certain type of enzyme in plasma caused the alterations of the carbohydrate chains. The present analytical methods could clarify the actual pharmacokinetics of therapeutic mAbs, and help to evaluate the interindividual variations in pharmacokinetics and efficacy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26038993,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Non-invasive diagnostic methods of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus infection: their role in treatment indication, follow-up and assessment of prognosis].\nChronic hepatitis C virus infection associated with necroinflammation predisposes to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, which lead to severe end-stage complications. Staging of fibrosis is of basic importance for the indication of antiviral treatment, for monitoring the response and predicting the prognosis of patients with hepatitis C virus related liver disease. Since liver biopsy, the \"gold standard\" diagnosis of fibrosis is invasive and it has some other limitations, non-invasive methods have been developed and widely used in the clinical practice. Serum biomarkers and physical approaches measuring liver stiffness by elastography as well as combination algorithms have been gradually been integrated into guidelines resulting in a reduction of the need for liver biopsy. The authors review these non-invasive fibrosis markers and discuss their role in the indication of treatment, follow-up, and assessment of prognosis of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6753111,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cholinergic control of gastric acid secretion in man.\nIn this report I briefly review the neural mechanisms of gastric acid secretion in man focussing particularly on muscarinic control of the oxyntic glands and the G-cells during the cephalic and gastric phases. Cephalic phase which is mediated by vagal nerves appears to be almost entirely due to cholinergic activation of the oxyntic glands without significant role of vagally released gastrin. Distention, which is a major component of gastric phase activates cholinergic reflexes with afferents to both oxyntic glands and the G-cells. Using highly selective antimuscarinic agent, pirenzepine, the evidence is presented that gastrin release during vagal activation or gastric distention is exerted by cholinergic transmission without involvement of cholinergic inhibitory pathway suggested previously. The possible role of histamine in neural control of gastric secretion is also discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30721610,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[(INFESTATION OF FISHES OF THE FAMILY CYPRINIDAE IN THE FOCI OF TREMATODES OF THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE BELAYA RIVER (THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN)].\nIn the ecosystem of the Belaya River, fishes of the family Cyprinidae were infected with three epidemically important species oftrematodes of the family Opisthorchidae: Opisthorchisfelineus, Metorchis bilis, and Pseudamphistomum truncatumn. No biotopes of mollusks of the genus Codiella were detected. The contamination of underyearlings with-Ofelineus and M.bilis metacercariae indicates that there are cores of opisthorchiasis and metorchiasis (M.bifis) foci in the ecosystem of the lower course of the river. The presence of biotopes of the genus Bithynia mollusks, the first intermediate host.for P. truncatum, in the waters, but the absence of fishes infected with P.truncatum metacercariae among the examined under- yearlings may lead to the conclusion that there are no cores of pseudamphistomiasis foci. Infestation of onein 97 older individual muvarica (Albumus alburnus) with trematode metacercariae is evidence of its infection outside the floodplain river ecosystems of the Belaya River and subsequent migration of the fish into the lowerreaches of the river, where a barren zone of a pseudamphistomiass focus is formed. In this ecosystem there is a risk of human infection with epidemically important species of trematodes of the family Opisthorchidae (O.felineus, M.bifis, and P.truncatum)-when eating the fish caught in the river, its tributaries, and floodplain waterbodies. When identifying the metacercariae and detecting the natural foci of trematodes, it is necessary to take into account the fact that the fishes of the family Cyprinidae in the river ecosystem have four types of Opisthorchis metacercariae (after D.A.Razmashkin).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17080942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"High expression in leaves of the zinc hyperaccumulator Arabidopsis halleri of AhMHX, a homolog of an Arabidopsis thaliana vacuolar metal\/proton exchanger.\nZn hyperaccumulator plants sequester Zn into their shoot vacuoles. To date, the only transporters implicated in Zn sequestration into the vacuoles of hyperaccumulator plants are cation diffusion facilitators (CDFs). We investigated the expression in Arabidopsis halleri of a homolog of AtMHX, an A. thaliana tonoplast transporter that exchanges protons with Mg, Zn and Fe ions. A. halleri has a single copy of a homologous gene, encoding a protein that shares 98% sequence identity with AtMHX. Western blot analysis with vacuolar-enriched membrane fractions suggests localization of AhMHX in the tonoplast. The levels of MHX proteins are much higher in leaves of A. halleri than in leaves of the non-accumulator plant A. thaliana. At the same time, the levels of MHX transcripts are similar in leaves of the two species. This suggests that the difference in MHX levels is regulated at the post-transcriptional level. In vitro translation studies indicated that the difference between AhMHX and AtMHX expression is not likely to result from the variations in the sequence of their 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs). The high expression of AhMHX in A. halleri leaves is constitutive and not significantly affected by the metal status of the plants. In both species, MHX transcript levels are higher in leaves than in roots, but the difference is higher in A. halleri. Metal sequestration into root vacuoles was suggested to inhibit hyperaccumulation in the shoot. Our data implicate AhMHX as a candidate gene in metal accumulation or tolerance in A. halleri.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":465176,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Bronchial asthma in children under 2 years of age].\nBronchial asthma is defined and some basic physiopathological phenomena are quoted. The most important facts leading to the investigation and the possibility of establishing the diagnosis of bronchial asthma in infants are mentioned. 61 children under 2 years of age who had been taken for consultation to the Bronchial Pulmonary Disease Department of the Exequiel Gonz\u00e1lez Cort\u00e9s Hospital and the Child Medical Institute were analyzed in connection with the contribution of the anamnesis, physical check-up and the laboratory test to the diagnosis of the bronchial asthma. The following items are emphasized: value of the clinical history, the clinical test of total reversability of bronchial obstruction to (towards) adrenaline and the esoinophil count in bronchial secretion, and the skin test in children over 12 months of age. The conclusion is that it is possible to diagnose bronchial asthma in the child under two years old through simple, specific methods in any medical center with minimal equipment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3455606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Increase in neuronotrophic activity during the period of smooth muscle innervation.\nThe expansor secundariorum is a unique smooth muscle of the avian wing that receives a dense sympathetic innervation and contains high concentrations of survival factors for sympathetic neurons. In the present study it has been possible to simultaneously examine the appearance of the neuronotrophic activity and the arrival of nerve fibres during the period of innervation. The results show that catecholamine containing nerve fibres can first be detected within the muscle on the fourteenth day of incubation (stage 40) followed by a rapid increase in the density of fibres during the next few days until the adult pattern is reached shortly before hatch. Biochemical estimation of the innervation process by measurement of dopamine beta-hydroxylase activity was supported by the histochemical findings. Estimation of neuronotrophic activity revealed that muscle from stage 40 embryos contains only low levels of activity which increases rapidly as innervation proceeds and further, that this increase in neuronotrophic activity was directly correlated with the dopamine beta-hydroxylase activities. Possible mechanisms regulating this dramatic increase in the specific activity of trophic factors are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":618973,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Age perceptions and evaluative reactions toward adult speakers.\nThis study was designed to assess listeners' ability to judge a taped speaker's age and to measure the extent to which personality ratings are affected by perceived age. In two experiments, undergraduate subjects demonstrated that speaker age can be reliably estimated over a wide range for both female and male voices. Furthermore, female speakers perceived to be older were viewed to be more reserved, passive, out-of-it, and inflexible than younger ones; males sounding older were viewed as less flexible than those sounding younger. In the light of these results, the experimental procedure employed appears to provide a promising approach to the indirect assessment of age stereotypes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17947507,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Bortezomib down-regulates the cell-surface expression of HLA class I and enhances natural killer cell-mediated lysis of myeloma.\nHuman leukocyte antigen class I molecules expressed by tumor cells play a central role in the regulation of natural killer (NK) cell-mediated immune responses. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib has demonstrated significant activity in multiple myeloma (MM). We hypothesized that treatment of MM with bortezomib results in the reduction of cell-surface expression of class I and thereby sensitizes MM to NK cell-mediated lysis. Here we report that bortezomib down-regulates class I in a time- and dose-dependent fashion on all MM cell lines and patient MM cells tested. Downregulation of class I can also be induced in vivo after a single dose of 1.0 mg\/m(2) bortezomib. Bortezomib significantly enhances the sensitivity of patient myeloma to allogeneic and autologous NK cell-mediated lysis. Further, the level of decrease in class I expression correlates with increased susceptibility to lysis by NK cells. Clinically relevant bortezomib concentrations do not affect NK-cell function. Our findings have clear therapeutic implications for MM and other NK cell-sensitive malignancies in the context of both allogeneic and autologous adoptively transferred NK cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30915454,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Molecular profiling demonstrates modulation of immune cell function and matrix remodeling during luteal rescue\u2020.\nThe corpus luteum (CL) is essential for maintenance of pregnancy in all mammals and luteal rescue, which occurs around day 16-19 in the cow, is necessary to maintain luteal progesterone production. Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling were performed to compare the day 17 bovine CL of the estrous cycle and pregnancy. Among mRNA and proteins measured, 140 differentially abundant mRNA and 24 differentially abundant proteins were identified. Pathway analysis was performed using four programs. Modulated pathways included T cell receptor signaling, vascular stability, cytokine signaling, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Two mRNA that were less in pregnancy were regulated by prostaglandin F2A in culture, while two mRNA that were greater in pregnancy were regulated by interferon tau. To identify mRNA that could be critical regulators of luteal fate, the mRNA that were differentially abundant during early pregnancy were compared to mRNA that were differentially abundant during luteal regression. Eight mRNA were common to both datasets, including mRNA related to regulation of steroidogenesis and gene transcription. A subset of differentially abundant mRNA and proteins, including those associated with extracellular matrix functions, were predicted targets of differentially abundant microRNA (miRNA). Integration of miRNA and protein data, using miRPath, revealed pathways such as extracellular matrix-receptor interactions, abundance of glutathione, and cellular metabolism and energy balance. Overall, this study has provided a comprehensive profile of molecular changes in the corpus luteum during maternal recognition of pregnancy and has indicated that some of these functions may be miRNA-regulated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1778329,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The epidemiological situation of pertussis in the Federal Republic of Germany.\nWhooping cough continues to be a major childhood disease in parts of West Germany. At age six, more than one third of the children in our area have had pertussis according to parental information, whereas only 12% received a specific vaccination. During a four-year period from 1984 to 1987, a total of 2,881 clinically diagnosed cases of whooping cough were investigated. The children had a mean age of 4.1 years, 11% of all patients were younger than one year and 6% of the patients were adults with a mean age of 35.8 years. No sex difference was observed in children (less than 20 years) with clinically overt whooping cough. The seasonal distribution showed that whooping cough was present throughout the year, peaking in early winter. In relation to clinical symptoms, the isolation rate of Bordetella pertussis or Bordetella parapertussis from nasopharyngeal swabs continuously decreased with the duration of paroxysms, starting with 56% positive swabs on day 1. Titers (greater than or equal to 1:100) of IgA-antibodies to B. pertussis antigens increased with the duration of paroxysmal coughing. B. pertussis, however, was also isolated from 152 of 964 patients without the clinical signs of whooping cough. IgA-antibodies were also found in 522 patients with non-typical respiratory symptoms, but not in healthy blood donors. Children with clinically diagnosed whooping cough were compared to a group of children showing the symptoms but without any clinical or laboratory signs of whooping cough. We can assume from our data that the incidence and duration of non-paroxysmal coughing, the nocturnal increase in coughing, fever, auscultatory findings and a contact anamnesis occurred with a similar frequency in the whooping cough group and the control group. Apart from the typical paroxysmal fits, whooping and vomiting were found significantly more often in the pertussis group. At least 19% of patients with a recent infection with B. pertussis, however, were not diagnosed by clinical symptoms. The leukocyte count differed only marginally between the three groups and was of no great diagnostic value. A relative lymphocytosis, however, was found significantly more often in whooping cough patients and in patients with laboratory-diagnosed infection with B. pertussis. Our study indicates that part of the symptomatology and some laboratory findings in whooping cough patients in endemic areas of West Germany may differ from the classical form of the disease. Furthermore, our data stress the importance of an accurate procedure in diagnosing B. pertussis infection, and this can be facilitated by a combination of bacteriological and serological tests.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12958367,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Essential roles for ecdysone signaling during Drosophila mid-embryonic development.\nAlthough functions for the steroid hormone ecdysone during Drosophila metamorphosis have been well established, roles for the embryonic ecdysone pulse remain poorly understood. We show that the EcR-USP ecdysone receptor is first activated in the extraembryonic amnioserosa, implicating this tissue as a source of active ecdysteroids in the early embryo. Ecdysone signaling is required for germ band retraction and head involution, morphogenetic movements that shape the first instar larva. This mechanism for coordinating morphogenesis during Drosophila embryonic development parallels the role of ecdysone during metamorphosis. It also provides an intriguing parallel with the role of mammalian extraembryonic tissues as a critical source of steroid hormones during embryonic development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16482743,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Sense of coherence and its impact on quality of life of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.\nThe sense of coherence (SOC) construct refers to a global orientation, which significantly determines the link between stressors, coping with disease and health. The aim of this work was to assess possible associations between SOC and quality of life (QOL) scores among women with SLE. Sixty consecutive SLE women and 88 healthy women were included in the study. QOL was assessed using the SF-36 and the WHO QOL-Bref scales. The SOC has three main sub-scales: comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Regression analyses were used to study associations between various parameters of SF-36, WHO QOL-Bref, SOC, SLEDAI, indices of end organ damage (SDI), and demographic variables. Mean SLEDAI and SDI scores were 4.5 (SD = 5.6) and 1.29 (SD=2). SLE patients had significantly lower scores for all individual and summary sub-scales in the two QOL questionnaires compared with controls. SLE patients had significantly lower scores for the general, comprehensibility and meaningfulness sub-scales of SOC. No significant correlation was seen between SOC scores and measures of disease activity or end-organ damage. A strong linear correlation was seen between the scores of SOC, general WHO QOL-Bref, and the mental and physical component summary (MCS & PCS) scores of SF36. Age, SOC and SDI significantly affected the PCS score. SOC was the only variable independently associated with MCS. Education and SOC were significantly associated with the general WHO QOL-Bref. Age, education, SDI and SOC were independently associated with QOL of women with SLE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36819324,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Case of Lepromatous Leprosy With Erythema Nodosum Leprosum.\nErythema nodosum leprosum is an immunologic reaction that occurs in patients with lepromatous leprosy. We present the case of a 23-year-old female with a one-week history of fever and painful erythematous nodules along her upper and lower extremities. The patient had immigrated to the United States from Micronesia, where she was partially treated for leprosy two years prior. Histological examination from a punch biopsy demonstrated noncaseating granulomatous inflammation with numerous bacilli highlighted by the Fite stain. The acid-fast bacilli smear was positive. Given the patient's clinical, laboratory, and histological findings, a diagnosis of lepromatous leprosy with a type 2 erythema nodosum leprosum reaction was established. Multidrug antibiotic therapy with rifampin, dapsone, minocycline, and prednisone was initiated, following the addition of clofazimine. Early recognition and treatment of leprosy are crucial to preventing chronic and disabling complications, especially in instances of systemic inflammatory responses such as erythema nodosum leprosum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20202980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Geographical access to healthcare in Northern England and post-mortem diagnosis of cancer.\nThere is some previous evidence that diagnosis of cancer at death, recorded as registry death certificate only records, is associated with problems of access to care. Records from the Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry for patients registered with breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian or prostate cancer between 1994 and 2002 were supplemented with measures of travel time to general practitioner and hospital services, and social deprivation. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of records where diagnosis was at death. There was no association between the odds diagnosis at death and access to primary care. For all sites except breast, the highest odds of being a cancer diagnosed at death fell among those living in the highest quartile of hospital travel time, although it was only statistically significant for colorectal and ovary tumours. Those in the most deprived and furthest travel time to hospital quartile were 2.6 times more likely to be a diagnosis at death case compared with those in the most affluent and proximal areas. There is some evidence that poorer geographical access to tertiary care, in particular when coupled with social disadvantages, may be associated with increased odds of diagnosis at death.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2460013,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Quantitative rose bengal staining technique for external ocular diseases.\nA new technique for quantitative assessment of rose bengal staining in ocular surface disorders is described. The globe is divided into 16 quadrants which represent clinically important regions of the eye. Each quadrant is graded numerically for intensity and area of rose bengal staining. This simple grading system facilitates mathematical study and computer analysis of ocular surface disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31693083,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effect of Stellate Ganglion Block Treatment on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial.\nThis is the first multisite, randomized clinical trial of stellate ganglion block (SGB) outcomes on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. To determine whether paired SGB treatments at 0 and 2 weeks would result in improvement in mean Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) total symptom severity scores from baseline to 8 weeks. This multisite, blinded, sham-procedure, randomized clinical trial used a 2:1 SGB:sham ratio and was conducted from May 2016 through March 2018 in 3 US Army Interdisciplinary Pain Management Centers. Only physicians performing the procedures and the procedure nurses were aware of the intervention (but not the participants or assessors); their interactions with the participants were scripted and limited to the 2 interventions. Active-duty service members on stable psychotropic medication dosages who had a PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) score of 32 or more at screening were included. Key exclusion criteria included a prior SGB treatment, selected psychiatric disorders or substance use disorders, moderate or severe traumatic brain injury, or suicidal ideation in the prior 2 months. Paired right-sided SGB or sham procedures at weeks 0 and 2. Improvement of 10 or more points on mean CAPS-5 total symptom severity scores from baseline to 8 weeks, adjusted for site and baseline total symptom severity scores (planned a priori). Of 190 screened individuals, 113 (59.5%; 100 male and 13 female participants; mean [SD] age, 37.3 [6.7] years) were eligible and randomized (74 to SGB and 39 to sham treatment), and 108 (95.6% of 113) completed the study. Baseline characteristics were similar in the SGB and sham treatment groups, with mean (SD) CAPS-5 scores of 37.6 (11.2) and 39.8 (14.4), respectively (on a scale of 0-80); 91 (80.0%) met CAPS-5 PTSD criteria. In an intent-to-treat analysis, adjusted mean total symptom severity score change was -12.6 points (95% CI, -15.5 to -9.7 points) for the group receiving SGB treatments, compared with -6.1 points (95% CI, -9.8 to -2.3 points) for those receiving sham treatment (P = .01). In this trial of active-duty service members with PTSD symptoms (at a clinical threshold and subthreshold), 2 SGB treatments 2 weeks apart were effective in reducing CAPS-5 total symptom severity scores over 8 weeks. The mild-moderate baseline level of PTSD symptom severity and short follow-up time limit the generalizability of these findings, but the study suggests that SGB merits further trials as a PTSD treatment adjunct. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03077919.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33065876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Severe dengue : from pathogenicity hypotheses to pronostic tools.\nDengue is an endemic viral disease present in inter-tropical countries. If dengue is usually benign, more severe forms (severe dengue [SD]) may lead to serious complications. The prognosis of SD is currently unreliable. To improve the prognosis, it could be necessary to know the key elements of the pathogenicity of the SD. Many hypotheses have been developed to explain a higher pathogenicity in SD patients. Numerous studies have highlighted the role of the host immune response and of the infecting virus strain. The development of these hypothesis allows to have a better understanding of the pathogenesis and consequently, to provide prognostic candidate-markers of SD, these markers being either associated with the host or with the virus. The present review proposes to paint a non-exhaustive picture of the most important hypothesis of dengue pathogenicity as well as potential prognostic markers of severe forms of dengue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22228417,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Perceived discrimination predicts longer time to be accepted for kidney transplant.\nAlthough end-stage kidney disease in African Americans (AAs) is four times greater than in whites, AAs are less than one half as likely to undergo kidney transplantation (KT). This racial disparity has been found even after controlling for clinical factors such as comorbid conditions, dialysis vintage and type, and availability of potential living donors. Therefore, studying nonmedical factors is critical to understanding disparities in KT. We conducted a longitudinal cohort study with 127 AA and white patients with end-stage kidney disease undergoing evaluation for KT (December 2006 to July 2007) to determine whether, after controlling for medical factors, differences in time to acceptance for transplant is explained by patients' cultural factors (e.g., perceived racism and discrimination, medical mistrust, religious objections to living donor KT), psychosocial characteristics (e.g., social support, anxiety, depression), or transplant knowledge. Participants completed two telephone interviews (shortly after initiation of transplant evaluation and after being accepted or found ineligible for transplant). Results indicated that AA patients reported higher levels of the cultural factors than did whites. We found no differences in comorbidity or availability of potential living donors. AAs took significantly longer to get accepted for transplant than did whites (hazard ratio=1.49, P=0.005). After adjustment for demographic, psychosocial, and cultural factors, the association of race with longer time for listing was no longer significant. We suggest that interventions to address racial disparities in KT incorporate key nonmedical risk factors in patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11400849,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Use of a murine xenograft model for canine transmissible venereal tumor.\nTo develop a murine model for canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT). Thirty-three 6-week-old NOD\/LtSz-scid (NOD\/SCID) mice and seven 6-week-old C57BL\/6J mice. Samples of CTVT were excised from a 3-year-old dog and inoculated SC into ten 6-week-old NOD\/SCID mice to induce growth of xenograft transmissible venereal tumor (XTVT). To establish mouse-to-mouse transmission, samples of XTVT were removed and inoculated SC into 4 groups of 6-week-old NOD\/SCID mice and into a control group. Samples of CTVT were also inoculated into immunocompetent C57BL\/6J mice for a mouse antibody production (MAP) test. The canine and xenografted tumors were evaluated cytologically and histologically, and polymerase chain reaction was performed for detection of the rearranged LINE\/c-MYC junction. 8 of 10 NOD\/SCID mice that were inoculated with CTVT developed tumors 3 to 10 weeks after inoculation. In the second-generation xenograft, all mice developed tumors by postinoculation day 47; 1 X 10(6) of XTVT cells were enough to create a xenograft. Metastases developed in 4 of 20 mice. Xenografted and metastatic tumors retained cytologic, histologic, and molecular characteristics of CTVT. Results of the MAP test were negative for all pathogens. We established an NOD\/SCID murine model for XTVT and metastasis of CTVT. This model should facilitate study of tumor transplantation, progression, and metastasis and should decrease or eliminate the need for maintaining allogenic transfer in dogs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19580524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Estimation of gene induction enables a relevance-based ranking of gene sets.\nIn order to handle and interpret the vast amounts of data produced by microarray experiments, the analysis of sets of genes with a common biological functionality has been shown to be advantageous compared to single gene analyses. Some statistical methods have been proposed to analyse the differential gene expression of gene sets in microarray experiments. However, most of these methods either require threshhold values to be chosen for the analysis, or they need some reference set for the determination of significance. We present a method that estimates the number of differentially expressed genes in a gene set without requiring a threshold value for significance of genes. The method is self-contained (i.e., it does not require a reference set for comparison). In contrast to other methods which are focused on significance, our approach emphasizes the relevance of the regulation of gene sets. The presented method measures the degree of regulation of a gene set and is a useful tool to compare the induction of different gene sets and place the results of microarray experiments into the biological context. An R-package is available.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23262846,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Generation and transmission of DPSK signals using a directly modulated passive feedback laser.\nThe generation of differential-phase-shift keying (DPSK) signals is demonstrated using a directly modulated passive feedback laser at 10.709-Gb\/s, 14-Gb\/s and 16-Gb\/s. The quality of the DPSK signals is assessed using both noncoherent detection for a bit rate of 10.709-Gb\/s and coherent detection with digital signal processing involving a look-up table pattern-dependent distortion compensator. Transmission over a passive link consisting of 100 km of single mode fiber at a bit rate of 10.709-Gb\/s is achieved with a received optical power of -45 dBm at a bit-error-ratio of 3.8 \u00d7 10(-3) and a 49 dB loss margin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19793013,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Bronchial abnormalities found in a consecutive series of 40 brachycephalic dogs.\nTo detect abnormalities of the lower respiratory tract (trachea, principal bronchi, and lobar bronchi) in brachycephalic dogs by use of endoscopy, evaluate the correlation between laryngeal collapse and bronchial abnormalities, and determine whether dogs with bronchial abnormalities have a less favorable postsurgical long-term outcome following correction of brachycephalic syndrome. Prospective case series study. 40 client-owned brachycephalic dogs with stertorous breathing and clinical signs of respiratory distress. Brachycephalic dogs anesthetized for pharyngoscopy and laryngoscopy between January 2007 and June 2008 underwent flexible bronchoscopy for systematic evaluation of the principal and lobar bronchi. For dogs that underwent surgical correction of any component of brachycephalic syndrome, owners rated surgical outcome during a follow-up telephone survey. Correlation between laryngeal collapse and bronchial abnormalities and association between bronchial abnormalities and long-term outcome were assessed. Pugs (n = 20), English Bulldogs (13), and French Bulldogs (7) were affected. A fixed bronchial collapse was recognized in 35 of 40 dogs with a total of 94 bronchial stenoses. Abnormalities were irregularly distributed between hemithoraces; 15 of 94 bronchial abnormalities were detected in the right bronchial system, and 79 of 94 were detected in the left. The left cranial bronchus was the most commonly affected structure, and Pugs were the most severely affected breed. Laryngeal collapse was significantly correlated with severe bronchial collapse; no significant correlation was found between severity of bronchial abnormalities and postsurgical outcome. Bronchial collapse was a common finding in brachycephalic dogs, and long-term postsurgical outcome was not affected by bronchial stenosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34070524,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Noble Metal Organometallic Complexes Display Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2.\nSARS-CoV-2 emerged in 2019 as a devastating viral pathogen with no available preventative or treatment to control what led to the current global pandemic. The continued spread of the virus and increasing death toll necessitate the development of effective antiviral treatments to combat this virus. To this end, we evaluated a new class of organometallic complexes as potential antivirals. Our findings demonstrate that two pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) rhodium piano stool complexes, Cp*Rh(1,3-dicyclohexylimidazol-2-ylidene)Cl2 (complex 2) and Cp*Rh(dipivaloylmethanato)Cl (complex 4), have direct virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2. Subsequent in vitro testing suggests that complex 4 is the more stable and effective complex and demonstrates that both 2 and 4 have low toxicity in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells. The results presented here highlight the potential application of organometallic complexes as antivirals and support further investigation into their activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33229566,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Distemper, extinction, and vaccination of the Amur tiger.\nCanine distemper virus (CDV) has recently emerged as an extinction threat for the endangered Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). CDV is vaccine-preventable, and control strategies could require vaccination of domestic dogs and\/or wildlife populations. However, vaccination of endangered wildlife remains controversial, which has led to a focus on interventions in domestic dogs, often assumed to be the source of infection. Effective decision making requires an understanding of the true reservoir dynamics, which poses substantial challenges in remote areas with diverse host communities. We carried out serological, demographic, and phylogenetic studies of dog and wildlife populations in the Russian Far East to show that a number of wildlife species are more important than dogs, both in maintaining CDV and as sources of infection for tigers. Critically, therefore, because CDV circulates among multiple wildlife sources, dog vaccination alone would not be effective at protecting tigers. We show, however, that low-coverage vaccination of tigers themselves is feasible and would produce substantive reductions in extinction risks. Vaccination of endangered wildlife provides a valuable component of conservation strategies for endangered species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7783728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Renal physiology Part 1: Structure and function.\nTo assess, plan, and implement care of the critically ill neonate, the nurse must have a thorough understanding of renal embryology and physiology. This articles focuses on the developmental and anatomical structure of the kidney and the general physiological activities of the renal components. Renal embryological development begins during the 1st week of gestation and continues until around the 36th week of gestation. Functional capacity, although not mature, begins around the 6th week of gestation. Infants born premature have underdeveloped structures and decreased renal function. Comprehending renal anatomy and physiology requires a complete understanding of a single nephron, the functional unit of the kidney. Each nephron consists of a glomerulus, Bowman's capsule, and tubules, which work together to maintain ion balance for cellular function and elimination of unwanted substances from the plasma. Renal blood flow, controlled by either autoregulation or hormonal control, must remain both rapid and constant for glomerular filtration to occur. Alterations in any of these components of renal anatomy and physiology will alter the condition of the neonate. Renal evaluations are done based on output, urine chemistries, and serum chemistries. These evaluations lead to a diagnosis on which the nurse can base her plan of care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6768693,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The effect of dehydration on the elimination of aqueous contrast media from the subarachnoid space.\nThe frequency of side effects and complications from aqueous myelography is increased by dehydration. To study the effect of dehydration on the elimination of water-soluble contrast medium from the lumbar subarachnoid space, we measured iodine concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid, serum, and urine for 24 hours after myelography in \"hydrated\" and \"dehydrated\" monkeys. Dehydrated animals were fasted for 12 hours prior to and 24 hours after myelography; hydrated animals received oral fluids ad libitum and 300 ml of intravenous fluids. Dehydrated animals had a lower concentration of contrast medium in the blood than hydrated animals. Dehydration slows the elimination of aqueous contrast medium from the lumbar subarachnoid space.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3116776,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[Prostaglandin synthesis in stomach and duodenal mucosa of the human: effect of aspirin with and without antacid].\nA decreased PG E2 content in gastric mucosa of humans receiving a longterm antirheumatic therapy has been reported to be partially reversed after a one week treatment with an antacid (Reimann et al., Fortschr Med 102 [1984], 25-26). Therefore the effect of an Aspirin treatment of healthy volunteers with or without an antacid on the prostaglandin synthesis in gastric or duodenal mucosa was investigated. 14C-labelled arachidonic acid was used as substrate during in vitro incubation of the mucosal homogenate for determination of the endogenous formation of prostaglandins. Aspirin suppressed the total prostaglandin synthesis to less than 10% of control after one week treatment. The addition of a high dose antacid did not influence this inhibition, and no significant effect on the prostaglandin profile was detectable. It is concluded that antacids do not influence the suppression of the endogenous prostaglandin synthesis by NOSAC's, however another effect, eg a prolonged stability of PG E2 in a less acidic environment is more likely.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2265241,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Induction of human monocyte to macrophage maturation in vitro by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.\nCells of the mononuclear phagocyte system arise from circulating blood monocytes (MO) that undergo further maturation on leaving the vasculature and migration into the various tissues and body cavities. This terminal differentiation step is also observed in vitro when blood MO are cultured in the presence of serum. Yet, the inducing signals present in serum are not defined. We have established primary cultures from elutriation-purified blood MO and found that the active metabolite of vitamin D3 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) could induce maturation of MO to macrophages (MAC) in the absence of any serum proteins. Cells were cultured for 7 days with AB-group serum or 1,25(OH)2D3, respectively, and MO maturation analyzed by morphology, functional activity, and the expression of lineage-restricted maturation-associated antigens (MAX.1, MAX.3). At an optimal concentration of 10(-8) mol\/L, 1,25(OH)2D3 promoted the development of fully differentiated MAC whose phenotype and functional competence in terms of cytokine release (tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, fibronectin, and lysozyme) was comparable with MAC grown in serum. In conclusion, our data may add to the immunoregulatory potential of 1,25(OH)2D3, which may play an essential role in the ontogeny of the mononuclear phagocyte system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27780002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Bordetella pseudohinzii as a Confounding Organism in Murine Models of Pulmonary Disease.\nA group studying acute lung injury observed an increased percentage of neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of mice. BAL was performed, and lung samples were collected sterilely from 5 C57BL\/6 mice that had been bred inhouse. Pure colonies of bacteria, initially identified as Bordetella hinzii were cultured from 2 of the 5 mice which had the highest percentages of neutrophils (21% and 26%) in the BAL fluid. Subsequent sequencing of a portion of the ompA gene from this isolate demonstrated 100% homology with the published B. pseudohinzii sequence. We then selected 10 mice from the investigator's colony to determine the best test to screen for B. pseudohinzii in the facility. BAL was performed, the left lung lobe was collected for culture and PCR analysis, the right lung lobe and nasal passages were collected for histopathology, an oral swab was collected for culture, and an oral swab and fecal pellets were collected for PCR analysis. B. pseudohinzii was cultured from the oral cavity, lung, or both in 8 of the 10 mice analyzed. All 8 of these mice were fecal PCR positive for B. pseudohinzii; 7 had increased neutrophils (5% to 20%) in the BAL fluid, whereas the 8th mouse had a normal neutrophil percentage (2%). Active bronchopneumonia was not observed, but some infected mice had mild to moderate rhinitis. B. pseudohinzii appears to be a microbial agent of importance in mouse colonies that can confound pulmonary research. Commercial vendors and institutions should consider colony screening, routine reporting, and exclusion of B. pseudohinzii.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28230099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Pairing mechanism in the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe.\nSuperconductivity is a unique manifestation of quantum mechanics on a macroscopic scale, and one of the rare examples of many-body phenomena that can be explained by predictive, quantitative theories. The superconducting ground state is described as a condensate of Cooper pairs, and a major challenge has been to understand which mechanisms could lead to a bound state between two electrons, despite the large Coulomb repulsion. An even bigger challenge is to identify experimentally this pairing mechanism, notably in unconventional superconductors dominated by strong electronic correlations, like in high-Tc cuprates, iron pnictides or heavy-fermion compounds. Here we show that in the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe, the field dependence of the pairing strength influences dramatically its macroscopic properties like the superconducting upper critical field, in a way that can be quantitatively understood. This provides a simple demonstration of the dominant role of ferromagnetic spin fluctuations in the pairing mechanism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11541677,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Effects of light intensity and air velocity on air temperature, water vapor pressure, and CO2 concentration inside a plant canopy under an artificial lighting condition.\nIn order to characterize environmental variables inside a plant canopy under artificial lighting in the CELSS, we investigated the effects of light intensity and air velocity on air temperature, water vapor pressure, and CO2 concentration inside a plant canopy. Under a PPF of 500 micromoles m-2 s-1, air temperature was 2-3 degrees C higher, water vapor pressure was 0.6 kPa higher, and CO2 concentration was 25-35 micromoles mol-1 lower at heights ranging from 0 to 30 mm below the canopy than at a height 60 mm above the canopy. Increasing the PPF increased air temperature and water vapor pressure and decreased CO2 concentration inside the canopy. The air temperature was lower and the CO2 concentration was higher inside the canopy at an air velocity of 0.3 m s-1 than at an air velocity of 0.1 m s-1. The environmental variables inside the canopy under a high light intensity were characterized by higher air temperature, higher vapor pressure, and lower CO2 concentration than those outside the canopy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12151307,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Activation of bone morphogenetic protein\/Smad signaling in bronchial epithelial cells during airway inflammation.\nBone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are pleiotropic secreted proteins, structurally related to transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta and activins. BMPs play pivotal roles in the regulation of embryonic lung development and branching of airways and have recently been considered to influence inflammatory processes in adults due to their chemotactic activity on fibroblasts, myocytes, and inflammatory cells. In this study, we have investigated the possible involvement of BMPs in a model of experimental allergic-airway inflammation in situ using antibodies that detect activated Smad proteins, and have monitored the modulation of BMP ligands during the inflammatory response. Inflamed bronchial epithelial cells and a few scattered alveolar cells expressed levels of phosphorylated Smad1 (pSmad1\/5), indicative of active BMP\/Smad signaling. This was in contrast to healthy epithelium, which was devoid of immunoreactivity. A mechanistic explanation for increased pSmad1\/5 staining during inflammation was provided by the upregulated expression of all the BMP type I receptors, i.e., activin receptor-like kinase (ALK)2, ALK3, and ALK6, in the inflamed bronchial epithelial cells. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein profiles for BMP ligands were significantly altered during airway inflammation with induction of BMP2, BMP4, and BMP6, and downregulation of BMP5 and BMP7. Collectively, our data demonstrate for the first time active BMP\/Smad signaling during airway inflammation in bronchial epithelial cells and thus raise the possibility that BMPs could play a determining role in respiratory pathophysiology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17949236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Down-regulation of vinculin upon MK886-induced apoptosis in LN18 glioblastoma cells.\nGlioblastomas are a type of malignant brain tumor and are among the most difficult cancers to treat. One strategy to treat aggressive cancers is the use of drugs that target multiple signaling pathways. MK886 is a drug known to inhibit both 5- lipoxygenase-activating-protein (FLAP) and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha). The objectives of this study were to investigate the ability of MK886 to induce apoptotic cell death in LN18 glioblastoma cells and to characterize the cell death mechanisms. MK886 induced massive apoptotic LN18 cell death that was manifested by the release of nucleosomes, annexinV binding to phosphatidylserine in the absence of nuclear staining, and changes in the fluorescent intensity of Mito Tracker Deep Red 633 indicating changes in mitochondrial oxidative function and mass. The alteration of the mitochondrial function implied that MK886 induced apoptosis in LN18 cells via a mitochondrial pathway. The broad caspases inhibitor ZVAD-FMK inhibited MK886-induced nucleosome release, but not annexinV binding or MK886-altered mitochondrial function. Real time RT-PCR demonstrated that LN18 cells expressed significant levels of FLAP and PPAR- alpha mRNAs. A low level of arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX-5) mRNA was detected, but little, if any, arachidonate 12- lipoxygenase (ALOX-12) mRNA was present. In addition, MK886-induced apoptosis in LN18 cells was accompanied by a decrease in the protein and mRNA levels of vinculin, but not other focal adhesion proteins. In summary, the data presented here indicate that disruption of the actin-vinculin-cell-cytoskeleton matrix of the LN18 glioblastoma is a component of the MK886 induced apoptosis. In addition, MK886 treated LN18 cells could provide one model in which to investigate drugs that target lipoxygenase and PPAR-alpha pathways in the chemotherapeutic treatment of glioblastomas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29463104,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Momordica charantia Inhibits Inflammatory Responses in Murine Macrophages via Suppression of TAK1.\nMomordica charantia known as bitter melon is a representative medicinal plant reported to exhibit numerous pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antitumor, and hypoglycemic actions. Although this plant has high ethnopharmacological value for treating inflammatory diseases, the molecular mechanisms by which it inhibits the inflammatory response are not fully understood. In this study, we aim to identify the anti-inflammatory mechanism of this plant. To this end, we studied the effects of its methanol extract (Mc-ME) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Specifically, we evaluated nitric oxide (NO) production, mRNA expression of inflammatory genes, luciferase reporter gene activity, and putative molecular targets. Mc-ME blocked NO production in a dose-dependent manner in RAW264.7 cells; importantly, no cytotoxicity was observed. Moreover, the mRNA expression levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 were decreased by Mc-ME treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Luciferase assays and nuclear lysate immunoblotting analyses strongly indicated that Mc-ME decreases the levels of p65 [a nuclear factor (NF)-[Formula: see text]B subunit] and c-Fos [an activator protein (AP)-1 subunit]. Whole lysate immunoblotting assays, luciferase assays, and overexpression experiments suggested that transforming growth factor [Formula: see text]-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is targeted by Mc-ME, thereby suppressing NF-[Formula: see text]B and AP-1 activity via downregulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and AKT. These results strongly suggest that Mc-ME exerts its anti-inflammatory activity by reducing the action of TAK1, which also affects the activation of NF-[Formula: see text]B and AP-1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15734911,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Aquaporins of the PIP2 class are required for efficient anther dehiscence in tobacco.\nSeveral processes during sexual reproduction in higher plants involve the movement of water between cells or tissues. Before flower anthesis, anther and pollen dehydration takes place before the release of mature pollen at dehiscence. Aquaporins represent a class of proteins that mediates the movement of water over cellular membranes. Aquaporins of the plasmamembrane PIP2 family are expressed in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) anthers and may therefore be involved in the movement of water in this organ. To gain more insight into the role these proteins may play in this process, we have analyzed their localization using immunolocalizations and generated plants displaying RNA interference of PIP2 aquaporins. Our results indicate that PIP2 protein expression is modulated during anther development. Furthermore, in tobacco PIP2 RNA interference plants, anther dehydration was slower, and dehiscence occurred later when compared with control plants. Together, our results suggest that aquaporins of the PIP2 class are required for efficient anther dehydration prior to dehiscence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22573393,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling: a historical contextual perspective to the 2010 Nobel Prize.\nIn 2010, Richard Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi, and Akira Suzuki joined the prestigious circle of Nobel Laureate chemists for their roles in discovering and developing highly practical methodologies for C-C bond construction. From their original contributions in the early 1970s the landscape of the strategies and methods of organic synthesis irreversibly changed for the modern chemist, both in academia and in industry. In this Review, we attempt to trace the historical origin of these powerful reactions, and outline the developments from the seminal discoveries leading to their eminent position as appreciated and applied today.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15877800,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Blood glutathione as a marker of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in heart transplant recipients.\nCardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits survival after heart transplantation (HTx). Between immunologic and non-immunologic factors, reactive oxygen species generation has been proposed as pathogenetic mechanism. This study was aimed at evaluating redox status in HTx recipients and verifying whether it could be independently associated with CAV. Fifty-five consecutive male HTx recipients, median [interquartile range] age 60 yr [50, 64], underwent angiography 67 months [21, 97] after HTx to assess CAV, defined as significant stenosis in >or=1 epicardial vessel or any distal vessel attenuation. All patients underwent blood sampling 89 months [67, 119] after HTx for biochemical (glucose, creatinine, total and LDL cholesterol, and cyclosporin levels) and redox evaluation [plasma reduced and total homocysteine, cysteine, cysteinylglycine, glutathione, blood reduced glutathione (GSH(bl)) and vitamin E]. Univariate Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI, highest vs. lowest quartile) were estimated on the basis of a logistic regression analysis between clinical, conventional biochemical and redox data. Only the significant variables at univariate entered into multivariate analysis. CAV was documented in 15 (27%) patients. Univariate analysis showed that time from HTx to angiography (OR 3.97, 95% CI 1.15-14, p = 0.03) and GSH(bl) (OR 0.31, 95% CI: 0.14-0.70, p = 0.005) were significantly associated with CAV. However, multivariate analysis revealed GSH(bl) as the only independent predictor of CAV (OR 0.31, 95% CI: 0.13-0.74, p = 0.008). In HTx recipients reduced levels of GSH(bl) are independently associated with CAV. Given its potent intracellular scavenger properties, GSH(bl) may serve as a marker of antioxidant defence consumption, favouring CAV development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18045508,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"An exploration of the use of simple statistics to measure consensus and stability in Delphi studies.\nThe criteria for stopping Delphi studies are often subjective. This study aimed to examine whether consensus and stability in the Delphi process can be ascertained by descriptive evaluation of trends in participants' views. A three round email-based Delphi required participants (n = 12) to verify their level of agreement with 8 statements, write comments on each if they considered it necessary and rank the statements for importance. Each statement was analysed quantitatively by the percentage of agreement ratings, importance rankings and the amount of comments made for each statement, and qualitatively using thematic analysis. Importance rankings between rounds were compared by calculating Kappa values to observe trends in how the process impacts on subject's views. Evolution of consensus was shown by increase in agreement percentages, convergence of range with standard deviations of importance ratings, and a decrease in the number of comments made. Stability was demonstrated by a trend of increasing Kappa values. Following the original use of Delphi in social sciences, Delphi is suggested to be an effective way to gain and measure group consensus in healthcare. However, the proposed analytical process should be followed to ensure maximum validity of results in Delphi methodology for improved evidence of consensual decision-making.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24489832,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"He votes or she votes? Female and male discursive strategies in Twitter political hashtags.\nIn this paper, we conduct a study about differences between female and male discursive strategies when posting in the microblogging service Twitter, with a particular focus on the hashtag designation process during political debate. The fact that men and women use language in distinct ways, reverberating practices linked to their expected roles in the social groups, is a linguistic phenomenon known to happen in several cultures and that can now be studied on the Web and on online social networks in a large scale enabled by computing power. Here, for instance, after analyzing tweets with political content posted during Brazilian presidential campaign,we found out that male Twitter users, when expressing their attitude toward a given candidate, are more prone to use imperative verbal forms in hashtags, while female users tend to employ declarative forms. This difference can be interpreted as a sign of distinct approaches in relation to other network members: for example, if political hashtags are seen as strategies of persuasion in Twitter, imperative tags could be understood as more overt ways of persuading and declarative tags as more indirect ones. Our findings help to understand human gendered behavior in social networks and contribute to research on the new fields of computer-enabled Internet linguistics and social computing, besides being useful for several computational tasks such as developing tag recommendation systems based on users' collective preferences and tailoring targeted advertising strategies, among others.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36636537,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Retrospective Comparative Study of Long-Term Outcomes Following Cervical Total Disc Replacement Versus Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.\nIntroduction The traditional treatment for patients with radiculopathy and myelopathy caused by degenerative disc disease was anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). However, a documented complication of ACDF is adjacent segment degeneration (ASD). An alternative that was developed was total disc replacement (TDR). The aim of this study was to determine and compare the short- and medium-to-long-term outcomes after a TDR or ACDF. Methods A retrospective review of 154 patients who had single and two-level ACDFs and 90 TDRs performed by a single surgeon between 2011 and 2017 was conducted. Parameters for comparisons include both radiological evaluation and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMS) at six weeks, one year, and two years postoperatively. The Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for neck and arm pain are used to evaluate pain, function, patient satisfaction, and overall clinical success. Results TDR and ACDF showed significant improvement in NDI and VAS when compared to pre- and post-operatively at both six weeks (p<0.05 & P=0.032, respectively) and two years (p<0.05 & 0=0.026, respectively). TDR vs. ACDF showed no significant difference (p<0.05). VAS scores after ACDF showed improvement from 13.41 to 3.94 at two years (p<0.001). TDR showed similar scores of 12.5 to 3.55 (p<0.001). The radiological fusion rate at 12 or 24 months showed no significant difference between the two groups. There were two cases that required re-operation after ACDF (1.2%), and two that required TDR (2.2%). Conclusion Both TDR and ACDF lead to clinically significant improvements in pain and function scores. We did not find a statistically significant difference in NDI and VAS in the neck and arm. The results are in agreement with others' assessments of these two treatment modalities. Our conclusions supplement the literature about these operative options for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine and are a useful addition to the armamentarium in the assessment of patients with degenerative pathology of the c-spine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14615545,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Inflammatory blockade restores adult hippocampal neurogenesis.\nCranial radiation therapy causes a progressive decline in cognitive function that is linked to impaired neurogenesis. Chronic inflammation accompanies radiation injury, suggesting that inflammatory processes may contribute to neural stem cell dysfunction. Here, we show that neuroinflammation alone inhibits neurogenesis and that inflammatory blockade with indomethacin, a common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, restores neurogenesis after endotoxin-induced inflammation and augments neurogenesis after cranial irradiation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15348169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"pH-metric study of the setting reaction of monocalcium phosphate monohydrate\/calcium oxide-based cements.\nHydraulic calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) that are used as osseous substitutes, set by an acid-base reaction between an acid calcium phosphate and a basic calcium salt (often a phosphate). In order to gain a better understanding of the setting of the monocalcium phosphate monohydrate-calcium oxide cement that we developed and in the aim to improve its mechanical properties, the setting reaction was studied by pH-metry. The two methods described in the literature were used. In the first, cement samples were prepared then crushed after different storage periods at 37 degrees C, 100% RH. The powder was then immersed in pure water with stirring and the pH was measured after equilibration. In the second technique, the starting materials were poured into water while stirring and the pH were followed over time. The two methods gave different results. The first procedure provided information concerning the pH of the surrounding liquid following the partial dissolution of the cement components, rather than any information about pH changes during setting. The second method is more appropriate to follow the pH variations during setting. In this second procedure, the effects of different parameters such as crushing time, stirring rate, liquid-to-powder (L\/P) ratio and temperature were investigated. These parameters may impact substantially on the shape and position of the pH=f(t) curves. One or three pH jumps were observed during the setting depending on the composition of the liquid phase. The time at which these pH jumps occurred depended on the pH of the liquid phase, the concentration of the buffer, the crushing of starting materials, the L\/P ratio and the temperature. Good linear correlations were obtained (i) between the time of the pH jumps and the L\/P ratio and the temperature and (ii) between the time of the first pH jump and the compressive strength and the final setting time of the cements prepared with different liquid phases. It may be assumed in view of these correlations that the results obtained in dilute solution may be extrapolated to the conditions of cement sample preparation and that the mechanical properties of the cement are directly related to the phenomena that occur at the first pH jump which corresponds to precipitation of dicalcium phosphate dihydrate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33077119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Low caffeine dose improves intermittent sprint performance in hot and humid environments.\nWhile the effects of caffeine have been evaluated in relation to endurance exercise, few studies have assessed the ergogenic effects of low caffeine doses on intermittent exercise performance in hot and humid environments. Thus, we aimed to determine the effects of low-dose caffeine supplementation on intermittent exercise performance under these conditions. Eight male soccer players (age, 19.9 \u00b1 0.3 years; height, 173.7 \u00b1 6.3 cm; body mass, 65.1 \u00b1 5.5 kg; V\u02d9O2max, 50.0 \u00b1 3.1 mL \u22c5 kg-1\u22c5 min-1) participated in this double-blind, randomized, cross-over study. Caffeine was orally administered at 60 min before exercise (dosage, 3 mg \u22c5 kg-1). The participants completed a 90-min intermittent sprint cycling protocol under two conditions (after receiving caffeine and placebo) at 32 \u00b0C and at 70% relative humidity. A significant improvement in the total amount of work was observed in the caffeine condition compared to the placebo condition (155.0 \u00b1 15.8 vs 150.8 \u00b1 14.5 kJ, respectively; p < 0.05, d = 0.28). In contrast, the rectal temperature measured at the end of exercise showed no significant difference between the conditions (38.9 \u00b1 0.4 \u00b0C and 38.7 \u00b1 0.5 \u00b0C in the caffeine and placebo conditions, respectively; p > 0.05, d = 0.57). Other thermal responses, such as the mean skin temperature, heart rate, or sweat volume, were not significantly different between these conditions. These results suggested that a low caffeine dose improved the intermittent sprint performance and the reasons could be explained by the fact that a low caffeine dose ingestion did not affect the thermoregulatory responses compared to the placebo condition and, thus, did not attenuate its ergogenic effect on exercise in hot and humid environments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1715740,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Overview of FK506 in transplantation.\nFK506 is a potent immunosuppressive agent which is undergoing clinical testing in liver, kidney, heart, and bone marrow transplantation. It has been shown to effectively prevent and reverse ongoing rejection in these models. From the outset, FK506 was used with low-dose steroids to treat 110 primary liver, 30 heart, and 66 kidney graft recipients. FK506 was also used in the setting of complications related to CsA or to ongoing chronic or acute rejection. One hundred seventy-three liver, 21 kidney, 10 heart, and 11 bone marrow recipients were converted to FK506 and low-dose steroids, from a combination of CsA, steroids, and\/or Aza. A randomized, prospective trial comparing FK506 with CsA in primary liver transplantation has verified the lower incidence of rejection and greater ease in treating rejection episodes, with fewer adverse effects. In summary, FK506 has proven to be an effective baseline immunosuppressive agent, as well as a dose-adjustable agent for the treatment of rejection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27882288,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Using Benefit-Cost Analysis to Scale Up Early Childhood Programs through Pay-for-Success Financing.\nIncreasing access to high-quality preschool programs is a high priority at local, state, and federal levels. Recently, two initiatives to expand preschool programming in Illinois and Utah have used funds from private investors to scale up existing programs. Private-sector social impact investors provide funding to nonprofit or public preschool providers to increase the number of children served. If the measured outcomes from preschool participation meet pre-determined goals, then the estimated government cost savings arising from these preschool interventions are used to repay the investors. Social impact investing with a \"Pay for Success\" contract can help budget-constrained governments expand proven or promising preventive interventions without the need to increase taxes. Cost-benefit analysis plays a crucial role in helping to identify which social, educational or health interventions are suitable for this type of innovative financing. Cost-benefit analysts are needed to design the structure of the success payments that the government will make to the private investors. This paper describes social impact borrowing as a new method for financing public services, outlines the contribution of cost-benefit analysis, and discusses the innovative use of social impact financing to promote scaling up of the evidence-based Child Parent Centers and other early childhood programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30070960,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Perceived Barriers to HIV Prevention Services for Transgender Youth.\nMany transgender youth lack access to transgender affirming care, which may put them at risk for HIV. This study explored transgender youth's perceptions regarding encounters with primary care providers (PCPs) related to gender and sexual minority (GSM) identity and sexual health. Youth ages 14-21 (N = 228; 45% trans masculine, 41% trans feminine, 14% gender nonbinary) completed a survey on GSM identity disclosure and acceptance, gender-affirming services, sexual health attitudes and behaviors, and interactions with PCPs involving GSM identity and concerns about stigma and confidentiality. A factor analysis yielded three scales: GSM Stigma, Confidentiality Concerns, and GSM-Sexual Health Information. Items from the GSM Stigma scale showed that nearly half of respondents had not disclosed their GSM identity to their PCP due to concern about an unaccepting PCP. One-quarter of youth were less inclined to discuss GSM identity and sexual health with their PCP due to concern that their provider would disclose this information to parents; these concerns were greater among adolescents <18 and those not out to parents about their gender identity. Only 25% felt their PCP was helpful about GSM-specific sexual health issues. Youth who were out to parents about their gender identity and had received gender-affirming hormone therapy were more likely to report receiving GSM-specific sexual health information. Transgender youth may not discuss their GSM identity or sexual health with PCPs because they anticipate GSM stigma and fear being \"outed\" to parents. PCPs should receive transgender-inclusive training to adequately address youths' sexual health needs and privacy concerns.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35505122,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improved microvascular reactivity after aged garlic extract intake is not mediated by hydrogen sulfide in older adults at risk for cardiovascular disease: a randomized clinical trial.\nThis study aimed to investigate the effects of AGE on microvascular reactivity, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in older individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Urinary thiosulfate was also investigated as an indirect marker of endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) synthesis. The study was conducted in a randomized, double-blind, crossover, and placebo-controlled way. Twenty-eight participants (14 male), 67 \u00b1 6 years old with CVD risk factors, ingested 2.4 g of AGE or placebo (PLA). Near-infrared spectroscopy evaluated tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) during a vascular occlusion test (30 s baseline, 5 min occlusion, and 2 min reperfusion). The upslope of StO2 signal after cuff release was calculated to measure microvascular reactivity. Urinary thiosulfate levels were measured using a high-performance liquid chromatography system. The upslope of StO2 was significantly faster after AGE (1.01 \u00b1 0.37% s-1) intake compared to PLA (0.83 \u00b1 0.35% s-1; P < 0.001; d = 0.50). Relative changes in \u0394% SBP from pre- to post-AGE intake (- 5.17 \u00b1 5.77%) was significantly different compared to \u0394% PLA (0.32 \u00b1 5.99%; P = 0.001; d = 0.93). No significant changes in urinary thiosulfate concentrations were observed between interventions. Moreover, no significant gender effect in any parameter assessed was found. This study demonstrated that a single dose of AGE improved microvascular reactivity in older adults at risk of CVD despite such an effect was not linked with urinary thiosulfate levels. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04008693 (May 19, 2020).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25392068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Multigene knockout utilizing off-target mutations of the CRISPR\/Cas9 system in rice.\nThe clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-associated endonuclease 9 (CRISPR\/Cas9) system has been demonstrated to be a robust genome engineering tool in a variety of organisms including plants. However, it has been shown that the CRISPR\/Cas9 system cleaves genomic DNA sequences containing mismatches to the guide RNA strand. We expected that this low specificity could be exploited to induce multihomeologous and multiparalogous gene knockouts. In the case of polyploid plants, simultaneous modification of multiple homeologous genes, i.e. genes with similar but not identical DNA sequences, is often needed to obtain a desired phenotype. Even in diploid plants, disruption of multiparalogous genes, which have functional redundancy, is often needed. To validate the applicability of the CRISPR\/Cas9 system to target mutagenesis of paralogous genes in rice, we designed a single-guide RNA (sgRNA) that recognized 20 bp sequences of cyclin-dependent kinase B2 (CDKB2) as an on-target locus. These 20 bp possess similarity to other rice CDK genes (CDKA1, CDKA2 and CDKB1) with different numbers of mismatches. We analyzed mutations in these four CDK genes in plants regenerated from Cas9\/sgRNA-transformed calli and revealed that single, double and triple mutants of CDKA2, CDKB1 and CDKB2 can be created by a single sgRNA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2332803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Localization of the MARCKS (87 kDa) protein, a major specific substrate for protein kinase C, in rat brain.\nThe localization of MARCKS (myristoylated, alanine-rich C-kinase substrate), a major specific substrate for protein kinase C, has been studied in the rat brain. Light microscopic immunocytochemistry and biochemical analysis demonstrated that the protein is widespread throughout the brain and enriched in certain regions, including the piriform and entorhinal cortices, portions of the amygdaloid complex, the intralaminar thalamic nuclei, the hypothalamus, the nucleus of the solitary tract, nucleus ambiguus, and many catecholaminergic and serotonergic nuclei. Electron microscopic analysis revealed immunoreactivity in axons, axon terminals, small dendritic branches, and occasionally in dendritic spines. In neuronal processes, immunoreactivity was particularly prominent in association with microtubules, but reaction product was also seen in cytosol and adjacent to plasma membranes. No reaction product was observed in large dendrites, somata, or nuclei. A population of strongly immunoreactive glial cells was also observed. Many of these glial cells were morphologically similar to microglial cells, although some resembled astrocytes. In glial cells, both cytoplasm and plasma membranes were heavily labeled. The distribution of the MARCKS protein did not coincide precisely with the distribution of any of the subspecies of protein kinase C. The results indicate that the MARCKS protein is expressed in the majority of cell types in the CNS, and they suggest that the protein may be involved both in glial cell functions and in neuronal functions involving cytoskeletal elements in small dendritic branches and axon terminals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21128786,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Dissemination and sustainability of a hospital-wide hand hygiene program emphasizing positive reinforcement.\nTo increase and sustain hospital-wide compliance with hand hygiene through a long-term ongoing multidimensional improvement program emphasizing behavioral factors. Quasi-experimental short study (August 2000-November 2001) and descriptive time series (April 2003-December 2006). A 450-bed teaching tertiary-care hospital. An initial intervention bundle was introduced in pilot locations that addressed cognitive behavioral factors, which included access to alcohol sanitizer, education, and ongoing audit and feedback. The bundle was subsequently disseminated hospital-wide, along with a novel approach focused on behavior modification through positive reinforcement and annually changing incentives. A total of 36,123 hand hygiene opportunities involving all categories of healthcare workers from 12 inpatient units were observed from October 2000 to October 2006. The rate of compliance with hand hygiene significantly improved after the intervention in 2 cohorts over the first year (from 40% to 64% of opportunities and from 34% to 49% of opportunities;P <.001, compared with the control group). Mean compliance rates ranged from 19% to 41% of 4174 opportunities (at baseline), increased to the highest levels of 73%-84% of 6,420 opportunities 2 years after hospital-wide dissemination, and remained improved at 59%-81% of 4,990 opportunities during year 6 of the program. This interventional cohort study used a behavioral change approach and is one of the earliest and largest institution-wide programs promoting alcohol sanitizer from the United States that has shown significant and sustained improvements in hand hygiene compliance. This creative campaign used ongoing frequent audit and feedback with novel use of immediate positive reinforcement at an acceptable cost to the institution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28955940,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Short-term nicotine exposure induces long-lasting modulation of gustatory plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans.\nNicotine administration induces many effects on animal behavior. In wild-type Caenorhabditis elegans, gustatory plasticity results in reduced chemotaxis toward NaCl of otherwise attractive concentrations after pre-exposure to 100 mM NaCl in the absence of food. However, acute nicotine administration during a 15 min pre-exposure period inhibits gustatory plasticity, whereas chronic nicotine administration during worm development facilitates the plasticity. To investigate the relationship between the duration of nicotine administration and its effects, we exposed worms to nicotine for various periods during development. The modulatory effect of nicotine on gustatory plasticity was gradually switched from inhibition to facilitation with increased duration of nicotine administration. Moreover, inhibition of plasticity was sustained after relatively short-term chronic administration, with effects lasting for 45 h after the removal of nicotine. Similar to the acute inhibitory effect after 15 min nicotine pre-exposure, the inhibitory effect after short-term chronic administration was dependent on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit genes lev-1 and unc-29, and genes involved in serotonin biosynthesis bas-1 and tph-1. The impaired inhibition in bas-1 and tph-1mutants was recovered by exogenous serotonin, demonstrating that serotonin plays an important role in the long-lasting inhibitory effects of short-term chronic nicotine exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32839275,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mind the methods of determining minimal important differences: three critical issues to consider.\nClinical trialists, meta-analysts and clinical guideline developers are increasingly using minimal important differences (MIDs) to enhance the interpretability of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Here, we elucidate three critical issues of which MID users should be aware. Improved understanding of MID concepts and awareness of common pitfalls in methodology and reporting will better inform the application of MIDs in clinical research and decision-making. We conducted a systematic review to inform the development of an inventory of anchor-based MID estimates for PROMs. We searched four electronic databases to identify primary studies empirically calculating an anchor-based MID estimate for any PROM in adolescent or adult populations across all clinical areas. Our findings are based on information from 338 studies reporting 3389 MIDs for 358 PROMs published between 1989 and 2015. We identified three key issues in the MID literature that demand attention. (1) The profusion of terms representing the MID concept adds unnecessary complexity to users' task in identifying relevant MIDs, requiring meticulous inspection of methodology to ensure estimates offered truly reflect the MID. (2) A multitude of diverse methods for MID estimation that will yield different estimates exist, and whether there are superior options remains unresolved. (3) There are serious issues of incomplete presentation and reporting of key aspects of the design, methodology and results of studies providing anchor-based MIDs, which threatens the optimal use of these estimates for interpretation of intervention effects on PROMs. Although the MID represents a powerful tool for enhancing the interpretability of PROMs, realising its full value will require improved understanding and reporting of its measurement fundamentals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7786929,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Evaluation of the effectiveness of EEG neurofeedback training for ADHD in a clinical setting as measured by changes in T.O.V.A. scores, behavioral ratings, and WISC-R performance.\nA study with three component parts was performed to assess the effectiveness of neurofeedback treatment for Attention Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The subject pool consisted of 23 children and adolescents ranging in age from 8 to 19 years with a mean of 11.4 years who participated in a 2- to 3-month summer program of intensive neurofeedback training. Feedback was contingent on the production of 16-20 hertz (beta) activity in the absence of 4-8 hertz (theta) activity. Posttraining changes in EEG activity, T.O.V.A. performance, (ADDES) behavior ratings, and WISC-R performance were assessed. Part I indicated that subjects who successfully decreased theta activity showed significant improvement in T.O.V.A. performance; Part II revealed significant improvement in parent ratings following neurofeedback training; and Part III indicated significant increases in WISC-R scores following neurofeedback training. This study is significant in that it examines the effects of neurofeedback training on both objective and subjective measures under relatively controlled conditions. Our findings corroborate and extend previous research, indicating that neurofeedback training can be an appropriate and efficacious treatment for children with ADHD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26550544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":1,"2017-13":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The use of dynamic nuclear polarization (13)C-pyruvate MRS in cancer.\nIn recent years there has been an immense development of new targeted anti-cancer drugs. For practicing precision medicine, a sensitive method imaging for non-invasive, assessment of early treatment response and for assisting in developing new drugs is warranted. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a potent technique for non-invasive in vivo investigation of tissue chemistry and cellular metabolism. Hyperpolarization by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) is capable of creating solutions of molecules with polarized nuclear spins in a range of biological molecules and has enabled the real-time investigation of in vivo metabolism. The development of this new method has been demonstrated to enhance the nuclear polarization more than 10,000-fold, thereby significantly increasing the sensitivity of the MRS with a spatial resolution to the millimeters and a temporal resolution at the subsecond range. Furthermore, the method enables measuring kinetics of conversion of substrates into cell metabolites and can be integrated with anatomical proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Many nuclei and substrates have been hyperpolarized using the DNP method. Currently, the most widely used compound is (13)C-pyruvate due to favoring technicalities. Intravenous injection of the hyperpolarized (13)C-pyruvate results in appearance of (13)C-lactate, (13)C-alanine and (13)C-bicarbonate resonance peaks depending on the tissue, disease and the metabolic state probed. In cancer, the lactate level is increased due to increased glycolysis. The use of DNP enhanced (13)C-pyruvate has in preclinical studies shown to be a sensitive method for detecting cancer and for assessment of early treatment response in a variety of cancers. Recently, a first-in-man 31-patient study was conducted with the primary objective to assess the safety of hyperpolarized (13)C-pyruvate in healthy subjects and prostate cancer patients. The study showed an elevated (13)C-lactate\/(13)C-pyruvate ratio in regions of biopsy-proven prostate cancer compared to noncancerous tissue. However, more studies are needed in order to establish use of hyperpolarized (13)C MRS imaging of cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19603003,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Vesicular stomatitis virus as a novel cancer vaccine vector to prime antitumor immunity amenable to rapid boosting with adenovirus.\nVesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has proven to be an effective vaccine vector for immunization against viral infection, but its potential to induce an immune response to a self-tumor antigen has not been investigated. We constructed a recombinant VSV expressing human dopachrome tautomerase (hDCT) and evaluated its immunogenicity in a murine melanoma model. Intranasal delivery of VSV-hDCT activated both CD4(+) and CD8(+) DCT-specific T-cell responses. The magnitude of these responses could be significantly increased by booster immunization with recombinant adenovirus (Ad)-hDCT, which led to enhanced efficacy against B16-F10 melanoma in both prophylactic and therapeutic settings. Notably, the interval of VSV\/Ad heterologous vaccination could be shortened to as few as 4 days, making it a potential regimen to rapidly expand antigen-specific effector cells. Furthermore, VSV-hDCT could increase DCT-specific T-cell responses primed by Ad-hDCT, suggesting VSV is efficient for both priming and boosting of the immune response against a self-tumor antigen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16486998,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Flow correlated percolation during vascular remodeling in growing tumors.\nA theoretical model based on the molecular interactions between a growing tumor and a dynamically evolving blood vessel network describes the transformation of the regular vasculature in normal tissues into a highly inhomogeneous tumor specific capillary network. The emerging morphology, characterized by the compartmentalization of the tumor into several regions differing in vessel density, diameter, and necrosis, is in accordance with experimental data for human melanoma. Vessel collapse due to a combination of severely reduced blood flow and solid stress exerted by the tumor leads to a correlated percolation process that is driven towards criticality by the mechanism of hydrodynamic vessel stabilization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15733333,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Chronic neuropathic pain. Mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment.\nThe management of chronic pain represents a significant public health issue in the United States. It is both costly to our health care system and devastating to the patient's quality of life. The need to improve pain outcomes is reflected by the congressional declaration of the present decade as the \"Decade of Pain Control and Research,\" and the acknowledgment in January 2001 of pain as the \"fifth vital sign\" by the Joint Commission of Healthcare Organizations. At present, therapeutic options are largely limited to drugs approved for other conditions, including anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antiarrhythmics, and opioids. However, treatment based on the underlying disease state (eg, postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy) may be less than optimal, in that 2 patients with the same neuropathic pain syndrome may have different symptomatology and thus respond differently to the same treatment. Increases in our understanding of the function of the neurologic system over the last few years have led to new insights into the mechanisms underlying pain symptoms, especially chronic and neuropathic pain. The rapidly evolving symptom- and mechanism-based approach to the treatment of neuropathic pain holds promise for improving the quality of life of our patients with neuropathic pain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29464069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Determination of candidate metabolite biomarkers associated with recurrence of HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma.\nHepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a high risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and HCC recurrence remains the primary threat to outcomes after curative therapy. In this study, we compared recurrent and non-recurrent HCC patients treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in order to identify characteristic metabolic profile variations associated with HCC recurrence. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) -based metabolomic analyses were conducted on serum samples obtained before and after RFA therapy. Significant variations were observed in metabolites in the glycerolipid, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid, and amino acid pathways between recurrent and non-recurrent patients. Observed differences in metabolites associated with recurrence did not coincide before and after treatment except for fatty acids. Based on the comparison of serum metabolomes between recurrent and non-recurrent patients, key discriminatory metabolites were defined by a random forest (RF) test. Two combinations of these metabolites before and after RFA treatment showed outstanding performance in predicting HCV-related HCC recurrence, they were further confirmed by an external validation set. Our study showed that the determined combination of metabolites may be potential biomarkers for the prediction of HCC recurrence before and after RFA treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24988193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Tunable stability of monodisperse secondary O\/W nano-emulsions.\nStable and biodegradable oil in water (O\/W) nano-emulsions can have a huge impact on a wide range of bio-applications, from food to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Emulsions, however, are immiscible systems unstable over time; polymer coatings are known to be helpful, but an effective procedure to stabilize monodisperse and biodegradable O\/W nano-emulsions is yet to be designed. Here, we coat biodegradable O\/W nano-emulsions with a molecular layer of biodegradable polyelectrolytes such as polysaccharides--like chitosan--and polypeptides--like polylysine--and effectively re-disperse and densify the polymer coating at high pressure, thus obtaining monodisperse and stable systems. In particular, focusing on chitosan, our tests show that it is possible to obtain unprecedented ultra-stable O\/W secondary nano-emulsions (diameter sizes tunable from \u223c 80 to 160 nm and polydispersion indices below 0.1) by combining this process with high concentrations of polymers. Depending on the polymer concentration, it is possible to control the level of coating that results in a tunable stability ranging from a few weeks to several months. The above range of concentrations has been investigated using a fluorescence-based approach with new insights into the coating evolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22211199,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Energy expenditure in brass and woodwind instrumentalists: the effect of body posture.\nBody posture appears to influence fatigue and musculoskeletal complaints in musicians. Our aim was to determine energy expenditure and to investigate whether energy expenditure is affected by body posture in brass and woodwind instrumentalists. Eighteen musicians (10 women, 8 men; 6 brass, 12 woodwinds), with a mean age of 39 \u00b1 14 years and mean body mass index of 23.8 \u00b1 4.9 kg\/m\u00b2, played their instruments for 30 minutes twice: once in nonoptimized body posture (posture A), and once in a posture according to the postural exercise therapy method Mensendieck (posture B). Patients were randomized to the order of postures in a crossover design AB\/BA. Playing sessions were preceded and followed by 60 minutes of rest. Energy expenditure was measured in a respiration chamber with indirect calorimetry. Basal metabolic rate was measured with a ventilated hood. Mean metabolic equivalents (MET) for playing a wind instrument in the sitting position in a nonoptimized posture and posture according postural exercise therapy were 1.69 (SD 0.18) and 1.80 (SD 0.22), respectively. Percent change between resting metabolic rate and total energy expenditure while playing was 32% (95% CI 25-39%) in posture B and 23% (95% CI 17-30%) in posture A (p = 0.021). Average physical activity while playing a wind instrument approximates 1.8 MET. Our data show an association between energy expenditure and body posture while playing a brass or woodwind instrument: playing a musical instrument in a posture according to postural exercise therapy leads to higher energy expenditure as compared to a nonoptimized body posture. These results suggest that fatigue and the general feeling of lack of energy after playing a musical instrument are not related to actual higher energy expenditure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30764570,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Virus-Based Immunotherapy of Glioblastoma.\nGlioblastoma (GBM) is the most common type of primary brain tumor in adults. Despite recent advances in cancer therapy, including the breakthrough of immunotherapy, the prognosis of GBM patients remains dismal. One of the new promising ways to therapeutically tackle the immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment is the use of engineered viruses that kill tumor cells via direct oncolysis and via stimulation of antitumor immune responses. In this review, we focus on recently published results of phase I\/II clinical trials with different oncolytic viruses and the new interesting findings in preclinical models. From syngeneic preclinical GBM models, it seems evident that oncolytic virus-mediated destruction of GBM tissue coupled with strong adjuvant effect, provided by the robust stimulation of innate antiviral immune responses and adaptive anti-tumor T cell responses, can be harnessed as potent immunotherapy against GBM. Although clinical testing of oncolytic viruses against GBM is at an early stage, the promising results from these trials give hope for the effective treatment of GBM in the near future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38114240,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Predictive value of the National Early Warning Score 2 for hospitalised patients with viral respiratory illness is improved by the addition of inspired oxygen fraction as a weighted variable.\nThe National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) is validated for predicting acute deterioration, however, the binary grading of inspired oxygen fraction (FiO2) may limit performance. We evaluated the incorporation of FiO2 as a weighted categorical variable on NEWS2 prediction of patient deterioration. Two hospitals at a single medical centre, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Retrospective cohort of all ward admissions, with a viral respiratory infection (SARS-CoV-2\/influenza). 3704 adult ward admissions were analysed between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2021. The NEWS-FiO2 score transformed FiO2 into a weighted categorical variable, from 0 to 3 points, substituting the original 0\/2 points. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiac arrest, unplanned critical care admission or death within 24 hours of the observation. Sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV), number needed to evaluate (NNE) and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) were calculated. Failure analysis for the time from trigger to outcome was compared by log-rank test. The mean age was 60.4\u00b119.4 years, 52.6% were men, with a median Charlson Comorbidity of 0 (IQR 3). The primary outcome occurred in 493 (13.3%) patients, and the weighted FiO2 score was strongly associated with the outcome (p=<0.001). In patients receiving supplemental oxygen, 78.5% of scores were reclassified correctly and the AUROC was 0.81 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.81) for NEWS-FiO2 versus 0.77 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.77) for NEWS2. This improvement persisted in the whole cohort with a significantly higher failure rate for NEWS-FiO2 (p=<0.001). At the 5-point threshold, the PPV increased by 22.0% (NNE 6.7) for only a 3.9% decrease in sensitivity. Transforming FiO2 into a weighted categorical variable improved NEWS2 prediction for patient deterioration, significantly improving the PPV. Prospective external validation is required before institutional implementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7743492,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Insulin-like growth factor I overexpression in human pancreatic cancer: evidence for autocrine and paracrine roles.\nWe assessed the potential roles of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) in human pancreatic cancer. IGF-I enhanced the growth of ASPC-1 and COLO-357 human pancreatic cancer cells, and this effect was significantly inhibited by a highly specific monoclonal anti-IGF-IR antibody (alpha IR3). Both cell lines expressed mRNA transcripts for IGF-IR, and basal cell growth was significantly reduced by an IGF-IR antisense oligodeoxynucleotide. IGF-I mRNA transcripts were not detected in either cell line or in two additional pancreatic cancer cell lines. In contrast, analysis of 12 pancreatic cancers revealed a 32-fold increase (P < 0.01) in IGF-I mRNA levels by comparison with the low levels observed in the normal pancreas. By in situ hybridization, IGF-I mRNA grains were present in both the cancer cells and in the surrounding connective tissue. Six of the cancers exhibited a 4.4-fold increase in IGF-IR mRNA levels. These findings suggest that IGF-I may participate in aberrant autocrine and paracrine activation of IGF-IR in pancreatic cancer in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22046035,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The optomotor maze: a population assay for visual perception in Drosophila.\nVision is a major sensory modality in Drosophila behavior, with more than one-half of the Drosophila brain devoted to visual processing. The mechanisms of vision in Drosophila can now be studied in individuals and in populations of flies by using various paradigms. The optomotor maze, described here, is a novel and efficient approach for querying visual perception in Drosophila populations. The optomotor maze setup is very simple: An eight-choice maze consisting of 3-mm paths grooved into a transparent Plexiglas or acrylic slab is placed over an upturned cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor on which visuals are displayed. The placement or movement of the visuals on the CRT, which the flies can see through the flat bottom of the maze, influences their turning behavior at each choice point. This paradigm can be adapted for visual learning by simply rerunning flies in the maze (habituation) or as a more sophisticated version of the aversive phototaxic suppression (APS) paradigm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17953392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Synaptosome proteomics.\nOur knowledge of the complex synaptic proteome and its relationship to physiological or pathological conditions is rapidly expanding. This has been greatly accelerated by the application of various evolving proteomic techniques, enabling more efficient protein resolution, more accurate protein identification, and more comprehensive characterization of proteins undergoing quantitative and qualitative changes. More recently, the combination of the classical subcellular fractionation techniques for the isolation of synaptosomes from the brain with the various proteomic analyses has facilitated this effort. This has resulted from the enrichment of many low abundant proteins comprising the fundamental structure and molecular machinery of brain neurotransmission and neuroplasticity. The analysis of various subproteomes obtained from the synapse, such as synaptic vesicles, synaptic membranes, presynaptic particles, synaptodendrosomes, and postsynaptic densities (PSD) holds great promise for improving our understanding of the temporal and spatial processes that coordinate synaptic proteins in closely related complexes under both normal and diseased states. This chapter will summarize a selection of recent studies that have drawn upon established and emerging proteomic technologies, along with fractionation techniques that are essential to the isolation and analysis of specific synaptic components, in an effort to understand the complexity and plasticity of the synapse proteome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21435031,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Life without the essential bacterial tRNA Ile2-lysidine synthetase TilS: a case of tRNA gene recruitment in Bacillus subtilis.\nIn eubacteria, the post-transcriptional modification of the wobble cytidine of the CAU anticodon in a precursor tRNA(Ile2) to a lysidine residue (2-lysyl-cytidine, abbreviated as L) allows the amino acid specificity to change from methionine to isoleucine and the codon decoding specificity to shift from AUG to AUA. The tilS gene encoding the enzyme that catalyses this modification is widely distributed. However, some microbial species lack a tilS gene, indicating that an alternative strategy exists to accurately translate the AUA codon into Ile. To determine whether a TilS-dependent bacterium, such as Bacillus subtilis, can overcome the absence of lysidine in its tRNA(Ile2) (CAU), we analysed the suppressor mutants of a tilS-thermosensitive allele. These tilS-suppressor mutants carry a substitution of the wobble guanosine into thymidine in one of the tRNA(Ile1) genes (the original GAT anticodon is changed to a TAT). In absence of TilS activity, the AUA codons are translated into isoleucine by the suppressor tRNA(Ile1), although a low level of AUA codons is also mistranslated into methionine. Results are in agreement with rare cases of eubacteria (and archaea), which naturally lack the tilS gene (or tiaS in archaea) but contain a tRNA(Ile2) gene containing a TAT instead of a CAT anticodon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19842502,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Infrared spectroscopy of 'forbidden' peptide sequences.\nCertain pentapeptide sequences are absent from all known universal protein primary structures, even though they are found in the non-coding regions of DNA. These 'forbidden' sequences may have been rejected by evolution because they disrupt the formation of functional secondary protein structures. The uncapped pentapeptides FFMCT and WCFNL, which model the two 'most forbidden' sequences, were studied in a cold molecular beam using IR\/UV holeburning spectroscopy, and DFT calculations were carried out to help reveal their inherent conformational preferences. Computed IR spectra for different structures were compared to the experimental IR spectra in the Amide I\/II and Amide A vibrational band regions. The conformational assignments based on this analysis provide preliminary clues for understanding how these peptides may form structures that hinder the desired protein folding process. For FFMCT the structural analysis indicates a strong preference for a beta-turn conformation, where the C-terminal OH binds to the N-terminal F side chain. The WCFNL results show that the peptide adopts a 3(10)-helical conformation with free N- and C-termini, and less backbone hydrogen bonding than in FFMCT. Both structural motifs could drastically disturb the overall folding process when being part of a peptide or protein.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38115295,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid levels for ALOX5, S100B, DEFA1, and GFAP in infectious meningitis.\nThe aim of this study was to determine how the levels of peptide and protein-based biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid change in bacterial, tuberculous, and aseptic meningitis, and to determine the success of these agents in distinguishing between different types of infectious meningitis. The levels of arachidonate-5-lipoxygenase, S100 calcium-binding protein B, defensin-\u03b1 1, and glial fibrillary acidic protein in cerebrospinal fluid samples from 20 tuberculosis, 40 bacterial, 25 aseptic meningitis patients, and 55 control groups were measured and compared using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The mean age of the patients was 37.9 \u00b1 14.4 years. The parameter that contributed the most to the differential diagnosis of the infectious meningitis groups was S100 calcium-binding protein B. The S100 calcium-binding protein B levels were significantly higher in the tuberculous meningitis group than in the other groups, and arachidonate-5-lipoxygenase levels were significantly higher in the tuberculous meningitis and bacterial meningitis groups (P < .05). This study showed that cerebrospinal fluid arachidonate-5-lipoxygenase, and S100 calcium-binding protein B levels may differ in bacterial, aseptic, and tuberculous meningitis, and the results obtained may be quite effective as important potential biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of different types of meningitis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27384418,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Derivatization coupled to headspace programmed-temperature vaporizer gas chromatography with mass spectrometry for the determination of amino acids: Application to urine samples.\nA new method based on headspace programmed-temperature vaporizer gas chromatography with mass spectrometry has been developed and validated for the determination of amino acids (alanine, sarcosine, ethylglycine, valine, leucine, and proline) in human urine samples. Derivatization with ethyl chloroformate was employed successfully to determine the amino acids. The derivatization reaction conditions as well as the variables of the headspace sampling were optimized. The existence of a matrix effect was checked and the analytical characteristics of the method were determined. The limits of detection were 0.15-2.89 mg\/L, and the limits of quantification were 0.46-8.67 mg\/L. The instrumental repeatability was 1.6-11.5%. The quantification of the amino acids in six urine samples from healthy subjects was performed with the method developed with the one-point standard additions protocol, with norleucine as the internal standard.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32866322,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hydrogen-Bond Structure and Low-Frequency Dynamics of Electrolyte Solutions: Hydration Numbers from ab Initio Water Reorientation Dynamics and Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy.\nWe present an atomistic simulation scheme for the determination of the hydration number (h) of aqueous electrolyte solutions based on the calculation of the water dipole reorientation dynamics. In this methodology, the time evolution of an aqueous electrolyte solution generated from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations is used to compute the reorientation time of different water subpopulations. The value of h is determined by considering whether the reorientation time of the water subpopulations is retarded with respect to bulk-like behavior. The application of this computational protocol to magnesium chloride (MgCl2 ) solutions at different concentrations (0.6-2.8 mol kg-1 ) gives h values in excellent agreement with experimental hydration numbers obtained using GHz-to-THz dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. This methodology is attractive because it is based on a well-defined criterion for the definition of hydration number and provides a link with the molecular-level processes responsible for affecting bulk solution behavior. Analysis of the ab initio molecular dynamics trajectories using radial distribution functions, hydrogen bonding statistics, vibrational density of states, water-water hydrogen bonding lifetimes, and water dipole reorientation reveals that MgCl2 has a considerable influence on the hydrogen bond network compared with bulk water. These effects have been assigned to the specific strong Mg-water interaction rather than the Cl-water interaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28230409,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale to assess depression in women with HIV and women at risk for HIV: Are somatic items invariant?\nThe prevalence of depression among women living with HIV\/AIDS is elevated, compared with women in the general population and men diagnosed with HIV\/AIDS. Although symptoms of HIV may overlap with somatic symptoms of depression, little research has explored how well screening tools accurately assess depression rather than symptoms of HIV\/AIDS among women. The present study examined the utility of a widely used tool for assessing depression symptoms among women living with HIV\/AIDS. Data are from the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), a multisite, longitudinal cohort study of women living with HIV\/AIDS (n = 1,329) and seronegative women (n = 541) matched on key risk factors for HIV\/AIDS. Confirmatory factor analysis-based measurement invariance tests of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were conducted to determine whether women with HIV and those without HIV responded to the scale similarly. Results supported measurement invariance of CES-D scores. Findings suggest that the CES-D can be used to assess for burden of depression symptoms among women diagnosed with HIV\/AIDS. (PsycINFO Database Record","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24826196,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Integrating forest inventory and analysis data into a LIDAR-based carbon monitoring system.\nForest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data may be a valuable component of a LIDAR-based carbon monitoring system, but integration of the two observation systems is not without challenges. To explore integration methods, two wall-to-wall LIDAR-derived biomass maps were compared to FIA data at both the plot and county levels in Anne Arundel and Howard Counties in Maryland. Allometric model-related errors were also considered. In areas of medium to dense biomass, the FIA data were valuable for evaluating map accuracy by comparing plot biomass to pixel values. However, at plots that were defined as \"nonforest\", FIA plots had limited value because tree data was not collected even though trees may be present. When the FIA data were combined with a previous inventory that included sampling of nonforest plots, 21 to 27% of the total biomass of all trees was accounted for in nonforest conditions, resulting in a more accurate benchmark for comparing to total biomass derived from the LIDAR maps. Allometric model error was relatively small, but there was as much as 31% difference in mean biomass based on local diameter-based equations compared to regional volume-based equations, suggesting that the choice of allometric model is important. To be successfully integrated with LIDAR, FIA sampling would need to be enhanced to include measurements of all trees in a landscape, not just those on land defined as \"forest\". Improved GPS accuracy of plot locations, intensifying data collection in small areas with few FIA plots, and other enhancements are also recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19579899,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Eosinophilic cystitis: review and two case reports].\nEosinophilic cystitis is a low frequency disease, with less than 200 reported cases in the world. It is characterized by a bladder wall inflammation, mainly by eosinophils, with fibrosis and muscle necrosis areas. Its origin seems to be immunological, although the triggers are not well known. Several predispose factor have been described such as allergic diseases, bladder injuries, drugs, infections, etc. It affects patient of all ages, mainly adults. It presents with frecuency, haematuria and suprapubic pain. Other less frequent symptoms are disuria, urinary retention, nicturia, and enuresis. The laboratory study (urinalysis, urinalysis and haemogram) and radiology (ultrasound, intravenous pyelography, computed tomography and nuclear magnetic resonance) are non specific. The lesions observed in the cystoscopy could emulate other diseases, that why the proper diagnostic is the histological analysis. The management could be observation o antihistaminic, anti-inflammatory and corticoid treatment. In refractory cases, surgery is an alternative. In this work, two male adult cases are reported with their symptoms, studies and management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8119245,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Medical hypothesis: xenoestrogens as preventable causes of breast cancer.\nChanges in documented risk factors for breast cancer and rates of screening cannot completely explain recent increases in incidence or mortality. Established risk factors for breast cancer, including genetics, account for at best 30% of cases. Most of these risk factors can be linked to total lifetime exposure to bioavailable estrogens. Experimental evidence reveals that compounds such as some chlorinated organics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), triazine herbicides, and pharmaceuticals affect estrogen production and metabolism and thus function as xenoestrogens. Many of these xenoestrogenic compounds also experimentally induce mammary carcinogenesis. Recent epidemiologic studies have found that breast fat and serum lipids of women with breast cancer contain significantly elevated levels of some chlorinated organics compared with noncancer controls. As the proportion of inherited breast cancer in the population is small, most breast cancers are due to acquired mutations. Thus, the induction of breast cancer in the majority of cases stems from interactions between host factors, including genetics and environmental carcinogens. We hypothesize that substances such as xenoestrogens increase the risk of breast cancer by mechanisms which include interaction with breast-cancer susceptibility genes. A series of major epidemiologic studies need to be developed to evaluate this hypothesis, including studies of estrogen metabolism, the role of specific xenoestrogenic substances in breast cancer, and relevant genetic-environmental interactions. In addition, experimental studies are needed to evaluate biologic markers of suspect xenoestrogens and biologic markers of host susceptibility and identify pathways of estrogenicity that affect the development of breast cancer. If xenoestrogens do play a role in breast cancer, reductions in exposure will provide an opportunity for primary prevention of this growing disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10050612,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Neurologic development of children at age two who had been treated at a neonatal intensive care unit].\nThe principal objective of this study was to evaluate, at 2 years of age, the neurological development of a group of children who had been treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the National Institute of Perinatology of Mexico. All the children born between 1 January 1992 and 31 December 1993 who had entered the NICU and stayed for 3 or more days were studied from the neurological, psychological, auditory, linguistic, motor, and neuromuscular standpoint. This group included 134 patients, who had had an average gestational age of 32 weeks and an average birth-weight of 1,677 g. They had stayed in the hospital an average of 51 days, and 75% of them had undergone artificial respiration. In the examination done at age 2, 66.5% of the children were normal and 8.2% had serious impairments. There were statistically significant associations between their neurological condition and the days of artificial respiration (P < 0.0001), the days spent in the NICU (P < 0.000004), and the gestational age in weeks (P < 0.03). There was no association between the children's sex and the results of the assessments. The study results showed a decrease in neural abnormalities in comparison with the results obtained in similar studies 10 years earlier.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11481699,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Familial paroxysmal exercise-induced dyskinesia, epilepsy, and mental retardation in a family with autosomal dominant inheritance.\nOnly few sporadic and familial cases of paroxysmal exercise-induced dyskinesia (PED) have been described in literature. PED associated with familial epilepsy has been rarely reported. We describe a family in which six members in different generations were affected by a long-lasting PED, with childhood onset in five cases. Fasting and stress were also precipitating factors. All the subjects, moreover, showed epileptic seizures during childhood and adolescence. In addition, in all cases a condition of mild mental retardation was also documented, associated in some cases, with irritable and impulsive behaviour. Clinical, neurophysiological, neuroimaging and neuropsychological findings were reported. The homogeneous recurrence of this particular clinical picture in members of three generations emphasised a common genetic basis. In our patients, PED is transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait, with age-dependent penetrance, without evidence of genetic anticipation. The neurophysiological findings suggest a condition of hyperexcitability in the muscular and brain membrane, due to a ion channels disorder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23186002,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Novel and high volume use flame retardants in US couches reflective of the 2005 PentaBDE phase out.\nCalifornia's furniture flammability standard Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) is believed to be a major driver of chemical flame retardant (FR) use in residential furniture in the United States. With the phase-out of the polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) FR mixture PentaBDE in 2005, alternative FRs are increasingly being used to meet TB 117; however, it was unclear which chemicals were being used and how frequently. To address this data gap, we collected and analyzed 102 samples of polyurethane foam from residential couches purchased in the United States from 1985 to 2010. Overall, we detected chemical flame retardants in 85% of the couches. In samples purchased prior to 2005 (n = 41) PBDEs associated with the PentaBDE mixture including BDEs 47, 99, and 100 (PentaBDE) were the most common FR detected (39%), followed by tris(1,3-dichloroisopropyl) phosphate (TDCPP; 24%), which is a suspected human carcinogen. In samples purchased in 2005 or later (n = 61) the most common FRs detected were TDCPP (52%) and components associated with the Firemaster550 (FM 550) mixture (18%). Since the 2005 phase-out of PentaBDE, the use of TDCPP increased significantly. In addition, a mixture of nonhalogenated organophosphate FRs that included triphenyl phosphate (TPP), tris(4-butylphenyl) phosphate (TBPP), and a mix of butylphenyl phosphate isomers were observed in 13% of the couch samples purchased in 2005 or later. Overall the prevalence of flame retardants (and PentaBDE) was higher in couches bought in California compared to elsewhere, although the difference was not quite significant (p = 0.054 for PentaBDE). The difference was greater before 2005 than after, suggesting that TB 117 is becoming a de facto standard across the U.S. We determined that the presence of a TB 117 label did predict the presence of a FR; however, lack of a label did not predict the absence of a flame retardant. Following the PentaBDE phase out, we also found an increased number of flame retardants on the market. Given these results, and the potential for human exposure to FRs, health studies should be conducted on the types of FRs identified here.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16415461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dose-response relation between sulfonylurea drugs and mortality in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a population-based cohort study.\nOver the past 30 years, the relation between use of sulfonylureas to treat type 2 diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular events has been vigorously debated. The purpose of this study was to determine if the risk of death changes with level of exposure to sulfonylurea drugs. This was a retrospective, inception cohort study using administrative data from Saskatchewan Health (1991-1999). The 5795 subjects, identified by their first-ever dispensation for an oral antidiabetic agent, were grouped according to their use of such agents during follow-up. Potential subjects using insulin or combination therapy were excluded. Exposure level was defined by daily dose and degree of adherence. Separate multivariate Cox proportional-hazard models were constructed for each monotherapy group and used to calculate the risk of death associated with higher versus lower exposure category. Disease severity indicators were identified among the administrative data and entered as covariates in each model. The main outcomes were all-cause mortality and death from an acute ischemic event. The mean age of the cohort members was 66.3 (standard deviation [SD] 13.4) years; 43.4% were female; and their mean duration of follow-up was 4.6 (SD 2.1) years. First-generation sulfonylureas were used exclusively by 120 subjects; glyburide, by 4138; and metformin, by 1537. A greater risk of death was associated with higher daily doses of the first-generation sulfonylureas (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-4.7) and glyburide (HR 1.3, 95% CI 1.2-1.4), but not metformin (HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-1.1). Similar associations were observed for death caused by an acute ischemic event. Higher exposure to sulfonylureas was associated with increased mortality among patients newly treated for type 2 diabetes. The same relation was not observed with metformin. This implies that the manner in which blood glucose concentration is lowered may be as important as achieving recommended glucose targets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26141678,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cardiovascular risk with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer: potential mechanisms.\nAndrogen deprivation therapy (ADT) is frequently used for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. ADT is associated with numerous side effects related to its mode of action, namely the suppression of testosterone to castrate levels. Recently, several large retrospective studies have also reported an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in men receiving ADT, although these risks have not been confirmed by prospective randomized trials. We review the literature to consider the risk of cardiovascular disease with different forms of ADT and examine in detail potential mechanisms by which any such risk could be mediated. Mechanisms discussed include the metabolic syndrome resulting from low testosterone level and the potential roles of testosterone flare, gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptors outside the pituitary gland, and altered levels of follicle-stimulating hormone. Finally, the clinical implications for men prescribed ADT for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer are considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8296008,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Renal angiomyolipomas: atypical aspects in ultrasonography and computerized tomography].\nAs a rule, renal angiomyolipomas (AML) present with characteristic patterns on US and CT images. However, in a limited number of cases US and CT findings are atypical, so that no diagnosis can be made on their basis. The authors reviewed their personal series of renal tumors and now report the US and CT findings of 5 cases with atypical features on one or both examinations. Two patients had hyperechoic lesions with typical AML patterns, but no fatty densities were visible with CT. Both patients underwent surgery and histology which showed two AMLs with muscular and vascular components and very few fatty cells. Two cases were observed in patients with Bourneville disease. Even though the cases exhibited atypical features on US and CT images, the diagnosis was suspected on the basis of the well-known association of tuberous sclerosis with AML. One case presented with a complex cystic mass on US; CT showed a bleeding tumor. Even though no unquestionable diagnosis of AML could be made in this case, the hypothesis of a bleeding AML was considered in the differential diagnosis. Such atypical imaging features were related to low fatty content inside the lesion and to bleeding complications. Absent\/low fatty component represented a cause of atypical lesion appearance on CT which showed a mass with soft-tissue density which could not be differentiated from a solid tumor. In these cases, AMLs remained typically hyperechoic on US images. Bleeding represented a cause of error mainly on US since the typical hyperechoic pattern was replaced by a iso-hypoechoic pattern. CT is helpful in these cases because it shows both the bleeding and possible low-density fatty areas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35594156,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mild motor impairment as prodromal state in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a new diagnostic entity.\nAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis, when viewed as a biological entity rather than a clinical syndrome, probably evolves along a continuum, with the initial clinically silent phase eventually evolving into clinically manifest amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Since motor neuron degeneration is incremental and cumulative over time, it stands to reason that the clinical syndrome of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is probably preceded by a prodromal state characterized by minor motor abnormalities that are initially insufficient to permit a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This prodromal period, however, is usually missed, given the invariably long delays between symptom onset and diagnostic evaluation. The Pre-Symptomatic Familial ALS Study, a cohort study of pre-symptomatic gene mutation carriers, offers a unique opportunity to observe what is typically unseen. Here we describe the clinical characterization of 20 pre-symptomatic mutation carriers (in SOD1, FUS and C9orf72) whose phenoconversion to clinically manifest disease has been prospectively studied. In so doing, we observed a prodromal phase of mild motor impairment in 11 of 20 phenoconverters. Among the n = 12 SOD1 A4V mutation carriers, phenoconversion was characterized by abrupt onset of weakness, with a short (1-3.5 months) prodromal period observable in a small minority (n = 3); the observable prodrome invariably involved the lower motor neuron axis. By contrast, in all n = 3 SOD1 I113T mutation carriers, diffuse lower motor neuron and upper motor neuron signs evolved insidiously during a prodromal period that extended over a period of many years; prodromal manifestations eventually coalesced into a clinical syndrome that is recognizable as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Similarly, in all n = 3 C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion mutation carriers, focal or multifocal manifestations of disease evolved gradually over a prodromal period of 1-2 years. Clinically manifest ALS also emerged following a prodromal period of mild motor impairment, lasting >4 years and \u223c9 months, respectively, in n = 2 with other gene mutations (SOD1 L106V and FUS c.521del6). On the basis of this empirical evidence, we conclude that mild motor impairment is an observable state that precedes clinically manifest disease in three of the most common genetic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SOD1, FUS, C9orf72), and perhaps in all genetic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; we also propose that this might be true of non-genetic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. As a diagnostic label, mild motor impairment provides the language to describe the indeterminate (and sometimes intermediate) transition between the unaffected state and clinically manifest amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Recognizing mild motor impairment as a distinct clinical entity should generate fresh urgency for developing biomarkers reflecting the earliest events in the degenerative cascade, with potential to reduce the diagnostic delay and to permit earlier therapeutic intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18196882,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Breaking bad news--parents' experience of learning that their child has leukaemia.\nThis study aimed to seek parents' experiences of how they learned their child had leukaemia and therefore identify ways of improving this process. To achieve this task a questionnaire was designed to ask parents about specific elements of the initial interview and give them opportunity to add their thoughts and feelings on the subject. All children with a diagnosis of leukaemia over an eighteen-year period were identified and parents of those children still alive were invited to partake in the study. 49 out of 50 families agreed to participate of which 35 (72%) returned completed questionnaires. The majority 29 (83%) expressed overall satisfaction. Their replies confirmed some findings of previous studies, and also offered some new insights. Examples of new findings or expansion on previous findings include observations on the presence of young children at the initial interview; the importance of the language used in conveying the diagnosis and prognostic information, and a preference for actuarial terms when discussing prognosis. Telling parents their child has leukaemia is a challenging and important task. The experience of parents gives us valuable insights into our own communication skills and highlights areas of possible improvement in this difficult area.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33068669,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on food craving, reward and appetite in a healthy population.\nThe ability to control hedonic appetite is associated with executive functioning, originating in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). These rewarding components of food can override homeostatic mechanisms, potentiating obesogenic behaviours. Indeed, those susceptible to overconsumption appear to have PFC hypo-activation. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) has been shown to reduce food craving and consumption, potentially via attenuating this reward response. We examined the effects of stimulation on food reward and craving using a healthy-weight cohort. This study is amongst the first to explore the effects of tDCS on explicit and implicit components of reward for different food categories. Twenty-one healthy-weight participants (24 \u00b1 7 years, 22.8 \u00b1 2.3 kg m-2) completed two sessions involving double-blind, randomised and counterbalanced anodal or sham tDCS over the right DLPFC, at 2 mA for 20 min. Food craving (Food Craving Questionnaire-State), reward (Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire), and subjective appetite (100 mm visual analogue scales) were measured pre- and post-tDCS. Eating behaviour trait susceptibility was assessed using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-Short Form, Control of Eating Questionnaire, and Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait-reduced. Stimulation did not alter food craving, reward or appetite in healthy-weight participants who displayed low susceptibility to overconsumption, with low trait craving, good craving control, and low uncontrolled eating and emotional eating behaviour. Implicit and explicit reward were reliable measures of hedonic appetite, suggesting these are robust targets for future tDCS research. These findings suggest that applying tDCS over the DLPFC does not change food reward response in individuals not at risk for overconsumption, and future work should focus on those at risk of overconsumption who may be more responsive to the effects of tDCS on hedonic appetite.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8088612,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Expression of transforming growth factor-beta 1 and -beta 2 in human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated lesions of the uterine cervix.\nHuman papillomaviruses (HPV) are implicated in the multistep process of cervical carcinogenesis. Transforming growth factor beta(TGF-beta) inhibits the proliferation of epithelial cells, and it has also been found to inhibit HPV gene expression in nontumorigenic epithelial cell lines. In the present study, we examined the expression of TGF-beta 1 and TGF-beta 2 protein immunohistochemically (IHC) in a series of 95 HPV-positive and HPV-negative lesions of the uterine cervix, with special emphasis on HPV type, grade of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and the clinical course of the disease. Expression of TGF-beta 1 was found in 56\/95 (59%) and that of TGF-beta 2 in 87\/95 (92%) of the specimens. Cytoplasmic TGF-beta 2 staining was localized in the epithelial layers higher than that of TGF-beta 1, which showed also some nuclear staining and was located in the basal cells of the epithelium as well. TGF-beta 1 was expressed in 36\/68 (53%) of HPV-positive samples and in 16\/21 (76%) of HPV-negative samples; TGF-beta 2 expression was detectable in 63\/68 (93%) and 18\/21 (86%), respectively. TGF-beta 1 was present slightly more frequently in HPV-CIN lesions (23\/41, 56%) than in HPV-NCIN (HPV without CIN) specimens (13\/27, 48%). TGF-beta 2 expression was detected in 39\/41 (95%) of HPV-CIN and in 24\/27 (89%) of HPV-NCIN specimens. TGF-beta 2 expression was not related to the clinical course of the disease. TGF-beta 1 expression was most frequent in regressed and persistent lesions (> 60%), compared to 45% in progressed and 33% in the recurred lesions. The results suggest that TGF-beta (especially TGF-beta 2) expression is common in CIN lesions, but the pattern and intensity of TGF-beta expression examined by IHC are not clearly related to the grade of the lesions or their clinical course. Assessment of the biological activity of TGF-beta s and their influence on HPV genes may shed more light on HPV-associated carcinogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14624230,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Pharmacology of valproate.\nValproate has been in clinical use for nearly 40 years for the treatment of a variety of neuropsychiatric illnesses, including bipolar disorder and epilepsy. Early reports linked its biochemical mechanism of action to alterations in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic function. The definitive mechanism(s) mediating the clinical efficacy of this relatively simple molecule remain obscure. Although valproate does not directly interact with postsynaptic GABA receptors, it does increase regional neuronal concentrations of GABA by both inhibiting its metabolism and increasing its synthesis. The relevance of these effects to the clinical efficacy of valproate is unclear. Results of preclinical research, largely in rodents, have implicated ion channels, monoamines, corticotropin-releasing factor, and intracellular signaling proteins in the mechanism of action of valproate. This relative dearth of data in the area of valproate neuropharmacology is also evident when discussing the mechanism( s) of action of other mood stabilizers and anticonvulsants. Modern tools of basic and clinical neuroscience (eg, genomics, proteomics, functional brain imaging) will rapidly provide valuable insights into the precise mechanism(s) of action of valproate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16469948,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pericellular proteases in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.\nPericellular proteases play an important role in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. They comprise (membrane-type) matrix metalloproteinases [(MT-)MMPs], serine proteases, cysteine cathepsins, and membrane-bound aminopeptidases. Specific inhibitors regulate them. Major roles in initiating angiogenesis have been attributed to MT1-matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), MMP-2, and MMP-9. Whereas MT-MMPs are membrane-bound by nature, MMP-2 and MMP-9 can localize to the membrane by binding to alphavbeta3-integrin and CD44, respectively. Proteases switch on neovascularization by activation, liberation, and modification of angiogenic growth factors and degradation of the endothelial and interstitial matrix. They also modify the properties of angiogenic growth factors and cytokines. Neovascularization requires cell migration, which depends on the assembly of protease-protein complexes at the migrating cell front. MT1-MMP and urokinase (u-PA) form multiprotein complexes in the lamellipodia and focal adhesions of migrating cells, facilitating proteolysis and sufficient support for endothelial cell migration and survival. Excessive proteolysis causes loss of endothelial cell-matrix interaction and impairs angiogenesis. MMP-9 and cathepsin L stimulate the recruitment and action of blood- or bone-marrow-derived accessory cells that enhance angiogenesis. Proteases also generate fragments of extracellular matrix and hemostasis factors that have anti-angiogenic properties. Understanding the complexity of protease activities in angiogenesis contributes to recognizing new targets for stimulation or inhibition of neovascularization in disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27364773,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Outcome of two-muscle surgery for large-angle intermittent exotropia in children.\nTo evaluate the surgical outcomes of two-muscle surgery for childhood intermittent exotropia comparing large angles with moderate angles. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 178 children who had undergone bilateral lateral rectus recession (BLR) or unilateral recess-resect (RR) for large-angle (\u226540 prism dioptres (PD); group A) or moderate-angle (\u226520 and <30 PD; group B) intermittent exotropia with a postoperative follow-up period of 6 months or more. The main outcome measures were postoperative deviation angle and surgical success rate, and the secondary outcome measure was effect\/dose ratio. The effect\/dose ratio was defined as the corrected angle of deviation at postoperative 6 months divided by the sum of the amount of lateral rectus recession in each eye in BLR and by the sum of the amount of lateral rectus recession and medial rectus resection in RR. Surgical success was defined as alignment between 10 PD of exodeviation and 5 PD of esodeviation both at distance and at near. There was a significant difference in mean angle of deviation at distance throughout the postoperative period (p<0.05). The final surgical success rate was significantly lower in group A than in group B (p<0.05). The effect\/dose ratio for both BLR and unilateral RR was significantly greater in group A than in group B (p<0.05). The patients with childhood intermittent exotropia with large angles showed significantly higher rates of undercorrection, though they also showed greater effects of BLR or RR per millimetre (the effect\/dose ratio), compared with moderate-angle exotropia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19013235,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"20-HETE and F2-isoprostanes in the metabolic syndrome: the effect of weight reduction.\n20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) is a cytochrome P450 metabolite of arachidonic acid that regulates vascular function and sodium homeostasis. Studies showing an association between 20-HETE excretion, raised BMI, and oxidative stress suggest that 20-HETE may be important in the development of cardiovascular disease in the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We investigated whether 20-HETE and F(2)-isoprostanes (markers of oxidative stress) were altered in the MetS before and after weight reduction. A case-controlled comparison of 30 participants with the MetS and matched controls showed that plasma and urinary 20-HETE and F(2)-isoprostanes were significantly elevated in the MetS group. There was a significant gender x group interaction such that women with the MetS had higher urinary 20-HETE and F(2)-isoprostanes compared to controls (p<0.0001). In a randomized controlled trial, 42 participants with the MetS were assigned to 16 weeks of weight maintenance or a 12-week weight-loss program followed by 4 weeks weight stabilization. Relative to the weight-maintenance group, a 4-kg loss in weight resulted in a 2-mm Hg fall in blood pressure (BP) but did not alter urinary or plasma 20-HETE or F(2)-isoprostanes. 20-HETE and oxidative stress may be important mediators of cardiovascular disease risk in the MetS. Although a 4% reduction in body weight reduced BP, there were no changes in plasma or urinary 20-HETE or F(2)-isoprostanes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38166808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Metal interference screw fixation combinations show high revision rates in primary hamstring tendon ACL reconstruction.\nDifferent fixation methods in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) have been associated with different revision rates, specifically in the early postoperative period. However, most previous research has either grouped together different fixation types or evaluated femoral-sided fixation or tibial-sided fixation separately. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine ACL revision rates for specific combinations of femoral and tibial fixation methods within 2 years of primary hamstring tendon autograft ACLR based on data from the Swedish National Knee Ligament Registry (SNKLR). Patients that underwent primary hamstring tendon autograft ACLR between 2005 and 2018 in the SNKLR were included. The collected data included patient characteristics (age, sex, body mass index [BMI]), activity at time of injury, surgical information (concomitant injuries, time from injury to surgery, fixation types at the femur and tibia), and subsequent revision ACLR. Revision rate within 2 years of the index procedure was chosen, as ACLR fixation is most likely to contribute to ACLR revision within the first 2 years, during graft maturation. Of the 23,238 included patients undergoing primary hamstring ACLR, 581 (2.5%) underwent revision ACLR within 2 years of the index procedure. Among the combinations used for > 300 patients, the femoral metal interference screw\/tibial metal interference screw fixation combination had the highest revision rate followed by metal interference screw\/resorbable screw and Endobutton\/AO screw fixation combinations, with respective revision rates of 4.0, 3.0, and 3.0%. The lowest revision rate within 2 years of ACLR was found in the Endobutton\/metal interference screw with backup Osteosuture fixation combination, used in 433 cases, with a failure rate of 0.9%. Different early ACL revision rates were found across different combinations of femoral and tibial fixation devices within 2 years of primary hamstring tendon autograft ACLR. Metal interference screw fixation, particularly when performed on both the femoral and tibial sides, most frequently resulted in revision ACLR. These findings may be helpful for surgeons in selecting appropriate fixation devices for hamstring ACLR. IV.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944905,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Herbicide Effects on Sugarcane Growth, Pythium Root Rot, and Pythium arrhenomanes.\nABSTRACT Six herbicides were evaluated for their effects on Pythium root rot and growth of sugarcane in greenhouse experiments and on in vitro mycelial growth rate of Pythium arrhenomanes. Pendimethalin and atrazine were most inhibitory to mycelial growth, but neither reduced root rot severity. Asulam, atrazine, and metribuzin were not phytotoxic to sugarcane and did not affect root rot symptom severity in clay loam or silt loam field soils. Atrazine and metribuzin increased shoot number, and atrazine increased total shoot weight for treated plants in silt loam soil. Glyphosate, pendimethalin, and terbacil were phytotoxic to sugarcane. These herbicides increased root rot severity, but the extent to which growth reductions resulted from increased disease severity or from direct herbicide injury was not clear. Adverse effects on plant growth and root rot severity were greater in clay loam than in silt loam soil. The results suggest that sugarcane injury from some herbicides is compounded by increased severity of root rot.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30596704,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Trends in South Korean antimicrobial use and association with changes in Escherichia coli resistance rates: 12-year ecological study using a nationwide surveillance and antimicrobial prescription database.\nThe purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between use of antimicrobials, such as fluoroquinolone, cefoxitin, and cefotaxime, and Escherichia coli resistance using a nationwide database. Nationwide data on antimicrobial consumption for 12 years (2002 to 2013) were acquired from a database of subjects (n = 1,025,340) included in the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. National antimicrobial resistance rates of E. coli were obtained from the Korean Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, which has been administered by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since 2002. Fluoroquinolone-resistance rates of E. coli isolated from general hospitals have continuously increased since 2002 and were correlated with nationwide fluoroquinolone use (r = 0.82, P = 0.0012) or ciprofloxacin use (r = 0.90, P<0.0001). Cefotaxime-resistance rates of E. coli isolated from general hospitals markedly increased since 2008 and were correlated with nationwide cefotaxime use (r = 0.94, P<0.0001) or third-generation cephalosporin use (r = 0.96, P<0.0001). Cefoxitin-resistance rates of E. coli isolated from general hospitals peaked in 2010 and significantly correlated with cephamycin use at a two-year interval (r = 0.64, P = 0.0256). In conclusion, consumption of antimicrobials such as fluoroquinolone, cefoxitin, and cefotaxime is well correlated with the resistance rates of E. coli to these agents. This study provides background data for national antimicrobial management policies to reduce antimicrobial resistance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27187804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Model of Yeast Cell-Cycle Regulation Based on a Standard Component Modeling Strategy for Protein Regulatory Networks.\nTo understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell cycle progression in eukaryotes, a variety of mathematical modeling approaches have been employed, ranging from Boolean networks and differential equations to stochastic simulations. Each approach has its own characteristic strengths and weaknesses. In this paper, we propose a \"standard component\" modeling strategy that combines advantageous features of Boolean networks, differential equations and stochastic simulations in a framework that acknowledges the typical sorts of reactions found in protein regulatory networks. Applying this strategy to a comprehensive mechanism of the budding yeast cell cycle, we illustrate the potential value of standard component modeling. The deterministic version of our model reproduces the phenotypic properties of wild-type cells and of 125 mutant strains. The stochastic version of our model reproduces the cell-to-cell variability of wild-type cells and the partial viability of the CLB2-db\u0394 clb5\u0394 mutant strain. Our simulations show that mathematical modeling with \"standard components\" can capture in quantitative detail many essential properties of cell cycle control in budding yeast.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8098044,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Tumor necrosis factor-alpha modifies adhesion properties of rat islet B cells.\nThe characteristic three-dimensional cell type organization of islets of Langerhans is perturbed in animal models of diabetes, suggesting that it may be important for islet function. Rat islet cells in culture are able to form aggregates with an architecture similar to native islets (pseudoislets), thus providing a good model to study the molecular basis of islet architecture and its role in islet function. Sorted islet B cells and non-B cells were permanently labeled with two different fluorescent dyes (DiO and DiI), mixed, and allowed to form aggregates during a 5-d culture in the presence or absence of TNF-alpha (100 U\/ml), a cytokine suggested to be implicated in the early physiological events leading to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Confocal microscopy of aggregates revealed that TNF-alpha reversibly perturbs the typical segregation between B and non-B cells. Insulin secretion, was altered in the disorganized aggregates, and returned towards normal when pseudoislets had regained their typical architecture. The homotypic adhesion properties of sorted B and non-B cells cultured for 20 h in the presence or absence of TNF-alpha were studied in a short term aggregation assay. TNF-alpha induced a significant rise in Ca(2+)-independent adhesion of B cells (from 24 +\/- 1.1% to 44.3 +\/- 1.2%; n = 4, P < 0.001). These findings raise the possibility that the increased expression of Ca(2+)-independent adhesion molecules on B cells leads to altered islet architecture, which might be a factor in the perturbation of islet function induced by TNF-alpha.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1323173,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Magnetism in biology and medicine].\nIn the paper is made an excursion into the history of foundation of electrobiology as a science with its two main trends--magnitobiology and biomagnetism. The main experimental results are given, which became a basis of a widespread application of the electromagnetic fields of different biotropic parameters in the therapy of many diseases. The possibilities are revealed of the application of the methods of recording the magnetic fields of the human brain and heart for the diagnostics of human functional and pathological states.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36160713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antidepressant Effect of Ketamine on Inflammation-Mediated Cytokine Dysregulation in Adults with Treatment-Resistant Depression: Rapid Systematic Review.\nMajor depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) represent a global source of societal and health burden. To advise proper management of inflammation-related depression among TRD patients, it is important to identify therapeutic clinical treatments. A key factor is related to proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin- (IL-) 1\u03b2, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) \u03b1 which have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depressive symptoms in MDD patients. Ketamine may provide an anti-inflammatory therapeutic strategy by targeting proinflammatory pathways associated with depressive disorders, which may be exacerbated in the ageing population with TRD. Despite a burgeoning body of literature demonstrating that inflammation is linked to TRD, there is still a lack of comprehensive research on the relationship between proinflammatory biomarkers and ketamine's antidepressant effect on TRD patients. The Cochrane Library and PubMed\/MEDLINE databases were systematically searched from inception up to February 1, 2022, adopting broad inclusion criteria to assess clinical topics related to the impact of ketamine on inflammatory cytokines in TRD patients. The present work is in compliance with the World Health Organization Rapid Review Guide. Five out of the seven studies examined in this review show that ketamine infusion may reduce depressive symptoms with a quick start of effect on TRD patients. Based on the Montgomery-\u00c5sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) scores, the overall response rate for ketamine was 56%; that is, 56% of those treated with ketamine had MADRS\/HAM-D scores decreased by at least 50%. While the anti-inflammatory effects of ketamine modulate specific proinflammatory cytokines, its rapid antidepressant effect on TRD patients remains inconsistent. However, our study findings can provide a reliable basis for future research on how to improve systemic inflammatory immune disorders and mental health. We suggest that ketamine infusion may be part of a comprehensive treatment approach in TRD patients with elevated levels of depression-specific inflammatory biomarkers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31683476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Abnormalities of DYRK1A-Cytoskeleton Complexes in the Blood Cells as Potential Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease.\nDYRK1A is implicated in mental retardation and Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia of Down syndrome (DS) individuals. The protein is associated with cytoskeleton and altered expression has been shown to impair the cytoskeletal network via dosage effect. Our original observations of marked reduction of cytoskeletal proteins associated with DYRK1A in brains and lymphoblastoid cell lines from DS and AD prompted an investigation whether cytoskeleton abnormalities could potentially be used as biomarkers of AD. Our assay relied on quantification of co-immunoprecipitated cytoskeletal proteins with DYRK1A (co-IP assay) and analysis of the profile of G- and F-actin fractions obtained by high-speed centrifugations (spin-down assay). In co-IP assay, both DS and AD samples displayed reduced abundance of associated cytoskeletal proteins. In spin-down assay, G-actin fractions of controls displayed two closely spaced bands of actin in SDS-PAGE; while in AD and DS, only the upper band of the doublet was present. In both assays, alterations of actin cytoskeleton were present in DS, sporadic and familial AD cases, and in asymptomatic persons who later progressed to confirmed AD, but not in non-AD donors. In blind testing involving six AD and six controls, the above tests positively identified ten cases. Analysis of blood samples revealed the diversity of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) cases regarding the presence of the AD biomarker allowing distinction between likely prodromal AD and non-AD MCI cases. Both brain tissue and lymphocytes from DS and AD displayed similar semi-quantitative and qualitative alterations of actin cytoskeleton. Their specificity for AD-type dementia and the presence before clinical onset of the disease make them suitable biomarker candidates for early and definite diagnosis of AD. The presence of alterations in peripheral tissue points to systemic underlying mechanisms and suggests that early dysfunction of cytoskeleton may be a predisposing factor in the development of AD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26779274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Tramadol overdose and apnea in hospitalized children, a review of 20 cases.\nWe aimed to determine the clinical manifestations of tramadol intoxication in children and to find its potential poor prognostic factors. In a retrospective study, from 1363 cases of admitted pediatric poisoning, all tramadol-exposed hospitalized patients younger than 12 years were included in the study. They were hospitalized between March 2010 and April 2012 to the only referral hospital for pediatric poisoned patients in Tehran, Iran. Data including age, weight, gender, ingested dose (determined by history), pupil size, seizure, apnea, treatment interventions, and laboratory results was collected using chart review of the hospitalized intoxicated children. Twenty children with a mean age of 3.7 \u00b1 2.9 years were identified amongst children during this 26-month period of whom, 14 (70%) had a decreased level of consciousness, 3 (15%) experienced apnea, and four (20%) had nausea and vomiting. Witnessed seizure did not occur in any of these patients. All patients were referred to hospital within 10.5 h of the exposure. The mean ingested dose was 9.6 \u00b1 5.5 mg\/kg. There was no significant relation between apnea and the estimated toxic dose. Apnea was more common in children who had presented with respiratory acidosis (Relative risk = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.6, 8.7, P = 0.043). All patients survived. Patients with apnea were managed conservatively by naloxone and recovered without need for intubation. Respiratory depression might occur at doses just above the therapeutic dose. We recommend an observation time of 12 h for all asymptomatic children who have ingested any dose greater than the therapeutic one.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36711714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Local Administration of Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Using a Hydrogel Carrier for Robust Bone Regeneration in a Large Animal Model of Legg-Calv\u00e9-Perthes disease.\nLegg-Calv\u00e9-Perthes disease is juvenile idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) that has no effective clinical resolutions. Previously, local injection of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) for ONFH treatment showed a heterogeneous bone repair and a high incidence of heterotopic ossification (HO) due to the BMP2 leakage. Here, we developed a BMP2-hydrogel treatment via a transphyseal bone wash and subsequential injection of BMP2-loaded hydrogel. In vivo studies showed that a hydrogel of gelatin-heparin-tyramine retained the BMP2 for four weeks. The injection of the hydrogel can efficiently prevent leakage. With the bone wash, the injected hydrogel had a broad distribution in the head. In vivo studies on pigs revealed that the BMP2-hydrogel treatment produced a homogeneous bone regeneration without HO. It preserved the subchondral contour and restored the subchondral endochondral ossification, although it increased growth plate fusions. In summary, the study demonstrated a promising BMP2-hydrogel treatment for ONFH treatment, especially for teenagers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16079213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hospitalization and development of dependence in activities of daily living in a cohort of disabled older women: the Women's Health and Aging Study I.\nChanges in self-reported function in older adults are known to occur in the 2 weeks prior to, during, and in the first few months after hospitalization. The long-term outcome of hospitalization on functional status in disabled older adults is not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether hospitalization predicts long-term Activities of Daily Living (ADL) dependence in previously ADL independent, although disabled, older women. The Women's Health and Aging Study I is a population-based, prospective cohort study of disabled, community-dwelling women > or =65 years old. We evaluated participants who were independent in ADLs at baseline and excluded women with incident stroke, lower extremity joint surgery, amputation, or hip fracture. We examined the association between self-reported incident hospitalization at three consecutive 6-month intervals and incident dependence in at least one ADL at 18 months (n = 595). Of 595 women evaluated, 32% had at least one hospitalization. Women who were hospitalized were more likely to become dependent in ADLs than were women who were not hospitalized (17% vs 8%, p =.001). In a multivariate model, hospitalization was independently predictive of development of ADL dependence that persisted at 18 months after baseline (odds ratio [OR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-5.8), adjusting for age, race, education, baseline walking speed, difficulty with ADLs, self-reported health status, depressive symptoms, cognitive status, and presence of congestive heart failure, diabetes, or pulmonary disease. Increasing numbers of 6-month intervals with hospitalizations were independently predictive of higher risk in an adjusted model: one (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1-4.6), two (OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 2.4-14.4), and three (OR, 12.5; 95% CI, 2.7-57.6). These results suggest that hospitalization has an independent and dose-response effect on loss of ADL independence in disabled older women over an 18-month period.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20415745,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Bcl-2 expression in mycosis fungoides before and after PUVA therapy.\nPUVA is the first therapeutic choice in early stages of mycosis fungoides (MF). In this study the effect of PUVA on bcl-2 expression in MF was assessed in 15 patients (three stage Ia and 12 stage Ib) and 10 controls. Two biopsies were taken from each patient before and after 24 sessions of PUVA therapy. Histopathological assessment and immunohistochemical staining for bcl-2 was performed and showed positive bcl-2 staining of lymphocytes in 53% of MF cases (8\/15) before PUVA, with no statistically significant difference in the bcl-2 level before and after PUVA therapy (P value 0.3). A statistically significant difference was found in the bcl-2 level between control samples and MF patients' biopsies before (P value 0.02) and after PUVA therapy (P value 0.011). In conclusion, a lack of decline in the bcl-2 level and the absence of clinical or histopathological correlation with the bcl-2 level before and after PUVA therapy in MF patients suggest that PUVA-induced apoptosis in MF cases may occur through pathways other than bcl-2 inhibition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12959428,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The aspect ratio (dome\/neck) of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms.\nIn this retrospective study the authors examined the aspect ratio (AR; the maximum dimension of the dome\/width of the neck of an aneurysm) and compared the distribution of this ratio in a group of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. A similar comparison was performed in relation to the maximum dimension of the aneurysm alone. The authors sought to evaluate the utility of these measures for differentiating ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Measurements were made of 774 aneurysms in 532 patients at three medical centers. One hundred twenty-seven patients harbored only unruptured lesions, 290 only ruptured lesions, and 115 both ruptured and unruptured lesions. Cases were included if angiograms were available for measurement and the status of the individual patient's aneurysm(s) was known. The odds of a lesion falling in the ruptured aneurysm group increased with both the lesion's maximum size and the AR. The odds ratio for rupture rose progressively only for the AR. The distribution curves showed that ruptured aneurysms were larger and had greater ARs. The mean size of unruptured aneurysms was 7 mm and that of ruptured ones was 8 mm; the corresponding mean ARs were 1.8 and 3.4, respectively. The odds of rupture were 20-fold greater when the AR was larger than 3.47 compared with an AR less than or equal to 1.38. Only 7% of ruptured aneurysms had an AR less than 1.38 compared with 45% of unruptured lesions. The AR is probably a useful index to calculate. A high AR might reasonably influence the decision to treat actively an unruptured aneurysm independent of its maximum size. Prospective studies are warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33558392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"EloR interacts with the lytic transglycosylase MltG at midcell in Streptococcus pneumoniae R6.\nThe ellipsoid shape of Streptococcus pneumoniae is determined by the synchronized actions of the elongasome and the divisome, which have the task of creating a protective layer of peptidoglycan (PG) enveloping the cell membrane. The elongasome is necessary for expanding PG in the longitudinal direction whereas the divisome synthesizes the PG that divides one cell into two. Although there is still little knowledge about how these two modes of PG synthesis are coordinated, it was recently discovered that two RNA-binding proteins called EloR and KhpA are part of a novel regulatory pathway controlling elongation in S. pneumoniae EloR and KhpA form a complex that work closely with the Ser\/Thr kinase StkP to regulate cell elongation. Here, we have further explored how this regulation occur. EloR\/KhpA is found at midcell, a localization fully dependent on EloR. Using a bacterial two-hybrid assay we probed EloR against several elongasome proteins and found an interaction with the lytic transglycosylase homolog MltG. By using EloR as bait in immunoprecipitation assays, MltG was pulled down confirming that they are part of the same protein complex. Fluorescent microscopy demonstrated that the Jag domain of EloR is essential for EloR's midcell localization and its interaction with MltG. Since MltG is found at midcell independent of EloR, our results suggest that MltG is responsible for recruitment of the EloR\/KhpA complex to the division zone to regulate cell elongation.Importance Bacterial cell division has been a successful target for antimicrobial agents for decades. How different pathogens regulate cell division is, however, poorly understood. To fully exploit the potential for future antibiotics targeting cell division, we need to understand the details of how the bacteria regulate and construct cell wall during this process. Here we have revealed that the newly identified EloR\/KhpA complex, regulating cell elongation in S. pneumoniae, forms a complex with the essential peptidoglycan transglycosylase MltG at midcell. EloR, KhpA and MltG are conserved among many bacterial species and the EloR\/KhpA\/MltG regulatory pathway is most likely a common mechanism employed by many Gram-positive bacteria to coordinate cell elongation and septation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27390722,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of Apium graveolens Extract on the Oxidative Stress in the Liver of Adjuvant-Induced Arthritic Rats.\nApium graveolens Linn. (Apiaceae) is an indigenous plant of the North and South Americas, Southern Europe, and Asia and has been widely used as a food or a traditional medicine for treatment of inflammation and arthritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of a methanolic extract of A. graveolens (AGE) against liver oxidative stress in an adjuvant-induced arthritic rat model. The AGE (250, 500, and 1,000 mg\/kg) was given orally for 24 consecutive days after induction by injecting complete Freund's adjuvant. Liver and spleen weights were recorded. The superoxide anion level, total peroxide (TP), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, total antioxidant status, and oxidative stress index (OSI) were also measured. AGE treatment significantly decreased the levels of the superoxide anion, TP, and OSI whereas the GPx and SOD activities significantly increased in the liver of the arthritic rats. These results indicated that AGE showed an ameliorative effect against liver oxidative stress in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats by reducing the generation of liver free radicals and increasing the liver antioxidant enzyme activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20198320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"HIF1-positive and HIF1-negative glioblastoma cells compete in vitro but cooperate in tumor growth in vivo.\nGlioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is characterized by extensive angiogenesis that is mostly orchestrated by the hypoxia inducible factor HIF-1. Deregulation of HIF-1 is believed to contribute to cancer initiation and progression. However, instances have been described in which loss of HIF-1 leads to more aggressive tumors. Here we investigated the consequences of downregulating HIF-1 function in the human GBM cell line TB10, both on cell proliferation in vitro and on tumor growth in vivo. RNA interference targeting the O2-regulated HIF-1alpha subunit efficiently reduced HIF-1alpha expression and transcriptional induction of HIF-1-responsive genes without affecting cell growth. Thus, singularly grown wild-type and HIF-1alpha-inhibited GBM cell populations did not significantly differ in proliferation rate. However, when the two populations were co-cultured, wild-type cells overgrew the HIF-1alpha-inhibited cells. Subcutaneous grafting in nude mice of wild-type and HIF-1alpha-inhibited GBM cells lead to comparable tumor formation and growth. Interestingly, cografting of wt and HIF-1alpha- inhibited GBM cells in nude mice resulted in more aggressive tumors, both in terms of tumor appearance and tumor growth. This suggests that cellular populations that differ in their ability to mount a response to hypoxia may compete in vitro but cooperate in vivo resulting in increased tumor aggressiveness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1773945,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Relations among autonomic nerve dysfunction, oesophageal motility, and gastric emptying in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.\nRecent studies suggest that vagal nerve dysfunction may be important in the aetiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Delayed oesophageal transit and slowed gastric emptying occur frequently and may also be of pathogenic importance. In 48 patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease we studied the prevalence of and relations between autonomic nerve dysfunction (as assessed by cardiovascular reflex tests) and oesophageal transit, oesophageal motility, gastric emptying, and endoscopic grade of oesophagitis. Of the 48 patients, 21 (44%) had abnormal autonomic nerve function, which was predominantly parasympathetic. Oesophageal transit was delayed in 28% of the patients and gastric emptying of the solid component of the meal was delayed in 46%. Oesophageal transit was significantly (p less than 0.007) slower in patients with abnormal autonomic nerve function. The percentage of synchronous oesophageal contractions was related to the score for autonomic nerve dysfunction (r = 0.40, p less than 0.05). There was no significant relation of autonomic nerve dysfunction to either delayed gastric emptying or endoscopic grade of oesophagitis. We conclude that in gastro-oesophageal reflux disease there is a high prevalence of parasympathetic nerve dysfunction which relates to delayed oesophageal transit and abnormal peristalsis and may therefore be of pathogenic importance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32842295,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[A prospective cohort study on blood pressure control and risk of ischemic stroke in patients with hypertension].\nObjective: To explore the association between blood pressure control and risk of ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 5 488 patients with hypertension from 60 communities were randomly selected from 101 communities in 8 streets of Nanshan District in Shenzhen City by using two-stage sampling method. The social demographic characteristics, behavior and life style, coronary heart disease and diabetes were collected and the physical condition, blood pressure and blood biochemical indexes were measured. From April 1, 2010 to August 31, 2017 as the follow-up period, the incidence of IS was annually collected by using telephone survey. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to analyze the relationship between blood pressure control, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and the risk of IS. Results: The age of all patients was (58.50\u00b112.14) years old, including 2 712 males (49.42%) and 3 112 patients with well-controlled blood pressure (56.71%). During the follow-up period, 358 new cases of IS were confirmed, and the incidence density was 1 346.27\/100 000 person-years. Cox proportional hazard regression model analysis showed after adjusting for confounding factors, unstable blood pressure control, SBP\u2265150 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa; compared with SBP<120 mmHg), and DBP\u226595 mmHg (compared with DBP<80 mmHg) were associated with risk of IS. The HR (95%CI) was 1.29 (1.04, 1.59), 2.00 (1.26, 3.17) and 1.52 (1.01, 2.64), respectively. Subgroup analyses showed these associations only existed in female patients with hypertension. The HR (95%CI) was 1.39 (1.05, 1.85), 2.53 (1.41, 4.56) and 1.73 (1.00, 3.36), respectively. Conclusion: Unstable blood pressure control increases the risk of IS in female patients with hypertension.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8291734,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An objective methodology for task analysis and workload assessment in anesthesia providers.\nAdministering anesthesia is a complex task in which either human or equipment failure can have disastrous consequences. An improved understanding of the nature of the anesthesiologist's job could provide a more rational basis for improvements in provider training as well as the design of anesthesia equipment. The objective of this study was to develop a set of techniques to evaluate anesthesiologist performance and to determine what information could be obtained from performing real-time task assessment and workload analysis tests in the operating room. The methodology used included time-motion analysis, secondary task probing, and subjective workload assessment. The time-motion data was subjected to subsequent analysis to generate quantitative measures such as task duration (time spent focused on an individual task) and task density (the number of tasks initiated per minute). The latency of response to a \"vigilance light\" was used as a secondary task probe. Finally, both the observer and the subjects themselves scored workload at 10-15-min intervals throughout the case. Two groups of anesthesia providers performing general endotracheal anesthesia for simple ambulatory surgical cases (1-4 h duration) were examined using this methodology. In the first group, 3rd-yr anesthesia residents and experienced certified registered nurse anesthetists (n = 11) performed cases under limited supervision by an attending anesthesiologist. In the second group, novice residents in their first 8 weeks of training (n = 11) performed similar cases under nearly constant attending supervision. The two groups seemed to manifest different patterns of task behavior, task density, subjective workload, and latency of response to the vigilance task. Response latency to the vigilance task increased at times of increased workload (e.g., during induction of anesthesia). The experienced (less supervised) providers spent significant amounts of time observing the monitors and the surgical field, whereas the novice subjects spent more time conversing with the supervising attending. Despite performing fewer tasks per minute (lower task densities), the novice subjects exhibited longer latencies of response to the vigilance light and increased subjective workload. Novice subjects also had longer task duration values. For example, postintubation, novices focused on their monitors for an average of twice as long as did experienced subjects (13 +\/- 2 vs. 7 +\/- 1 s) before moving on to another task. These techniques permitted an objective description of task characteristics, workload, and vigilance in anesthesia personnel under actual work conditions. This methodology could aid in understanding the factors that affect anesthesiologists' performance and may prove useful in assessing the progress of training.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7369743,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The correlation of disease activity and antibody titers in pemphigus.\nTwenty cases of pemphigus extracted from the literature and 19 patients from UCLA with pemphigus were studied in detail regarding the possible correlation of pemphigus titer and disease activity. A statistically significant relationship between titer and disease activity, as well as change in titer and change in disease activity, was found. However, in spite of this relationship, serial titers were not found to be consistent enough to be used reliably as a guide to therapy or prognosis in pemphigus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26353867,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors of chlamydia, gonorrhoea and syphilis: a national multicentre STI survey in New Caledonia, 2012.\nTo estimate prevalence and identify sociodemographic risk factors for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Treponema pallidum infections in New Caledonia. A national cross-sectional survey was undertaken using a three-stage random sampling of general practice surgeries and public dispensaries. Participants were included through opportunistic screening and using a systematic step for selection. The study sample was weighted to the general population aged 18-49 years. Prevalence and risk factors were calculated by logistic regression. CT was the most common sexually transmitted infection, with a prevalence of 9% (95% CI 6.6% to %11.4), followed by NG 3.5% (95% CI 1.9% to 5.1%), previous or latent syphilis 3% (95% CI 1.7% to 4.3%), NG and CT co-infection 2.1% (95% CI 0.8% to 3.3%) and active syphilis 0.4% (95% CI 0.0% to 0.9%). Being from a young age group (18-25 years), being single, having a low level of education and province of residence were all associated with higher prevalence of all three STIs. Being of Melanesian origin was associated with higher prevalence of both CT and NG. There was a significant interaction between ethnic group and province of residence for prevalence of CT. Female gender was associated with higher prevalence of CT. The prevalence of CT was similar to estimates from other healthcare-based surveys from the Pacific, but higher for NG and lower for active syphilis infection. All sexually transmitted infections estimates were much higher than those found in population-based surveys from Europe and the USA. The sociodemographic risk factors identified in this study will help guide targeted prevention and control strategies in New Caledonia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30210120,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia with SMAD4 Mutations Is Associated with Fatty Degeneration of the Left Ventricle, Coronary Artery Aneurysm, and Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.\nA 52-year-old man with recurrent epistaxis and palpebral conjunctival telangiectasia visited our hospital for a follow-up checkup for gastrointestinal polyposis. At 48 years of age, he underwent Y-graft replacement for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Arteriovenous malformation was detected in his lungs, and a genetic test revealed an SMAD4 mutation. Eventually, he was diagnosed with juvenile polyposis-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (JP-HHT) syndrome. In addition, fatty degeneration of the left ventricle and a coronary aneurysm were detected. This is the first report suggesting the possibility of an association between these manifestations and JP-HHT due to SMAD4 mutations. Examining cardiovascular disorders in JP-HHT patients is imperative.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28340041,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Intrathecal Drug Delivery System Implantation.\nIntrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDSs) have dramatically improved analgesia and the functional status of cancer patients and those with chronic pain states. However, given the close proximity to the neuraxis and frequent concomitant use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant medications, this intervention is not without risk. The goal of this investigation was to determine the incidence of bleeding complications following IDDS placement. This is a retrospective review from 2005 through 2014 of adult patients undergoing IDDS implantation or revision at a tertiary care center. The primary outcome was a bleeding-related neurological complication requiring emergency medicine, neurology, or neurosurgical evaluation within 31 days. A total of 247 procedures were performed on 216 unique patients. Patients received aspirin or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) within seven days of needle placement for 64 procedures (25.9%). A preprocedural platelet count or international normalized ratio (INR) was available within 30 days for 138 procedures (55.9%). Of these, two patients had a platelet count lower than 100 x 109\/L and one patient had an INR of 1.5 or higher at the time of the procedure. One neurological complication was identified (0.4%) that was not related to procedural bleeding. Similarly, three patients (1.2%) received a periprocedural red blood cell transfusion, none of which were related to procedural bleeding. No cases of bleeding-related neurological complications were identified following IDDS placement or revision, including in those receiving aspirin or NSAIDs. Future investigations with larger numbers are needed to further explore the safety of antithrombotic therapy continuation or discontinuation periprocedurally.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25391140,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"House dust mite induced lung inflammation does not alter circulating vitamin D levels.\nLow circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] are associated with chronic lung diseases such as asthma. However, it is unclear whether vitamin D is involved in disease pathogenesis or is modified by the inflammation associated with the disease process. We hypothesized that allergic inflammation decreases the level of circulating 25(OH)D and tested this using a mice model of house dust mite (HDM) induced allergic airway inflammation. Cellular influx was measured in bronchoalvelar lavage (BAL) fluid, and allergic sensitization and 25(OH)D levels were measured in serum. Exposure to HDM caused a robust inflammatory response in the lung that was enhanced by prior influenza infection. These responses were not associated with any change in circulating levels of 25(OH)D. These data suggest that alterations in circulating 25(OH)D levels induced by Th-2 driven inflammation are unlikely to explain the cross-sectional epidemiological association between vitamin D deficiency and asthma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15110992,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Tumour metabolites regulate tissue kallikrein in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.\nAngiogenesis, the sprouting of new blood vessels, is tightly mediated via a myriad of endogenous factors. A pro-angiogenic alteration facilitates the formation of neovascular tumour networks, thereby providing mechanisms for uncontrolled growth. The kallikrein-kinin system is postulated to be pro-angiogenic since its components have been detected in both endothelial cells and tumour tissue. No studies have, however, focussed on the role of tissue kallikrein (TK) in human angiogenic endothelial cell-tumour interactions. This study has optimised a challenge model whereby endothelial cells are presented with neuroblastoma metabolites, and vice versa. Image analysis of immunoreactive TK revealed a dose-dependant, significant reduction of TK localisation within endothelial cells, while gene expression remained unchanged, the latter determined by in situ RT-PCR. Neuroblastoma cells, when challenged with endothelial cell metabolites, displayed no change in TK synthesis or localisation. Alterations in TK synthesis and\/or storage by angiogenic endothelial cells may be mediated by tumour-released signals and possibly indicate a shift from a proteolytic to a mitogenic function of TK. The challenge model provides a relatively simple experimental system to study angiogenic factors in tumour-endothelial cell interaction, and is the first to localise both TK and its mRNA within angiogenic endothelial and tumour cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19451015,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Evaluation of gastric emptying in familial and sporadic Parkinson disease.\nTo assess for the presence of gastric dysmotility in familial and sporadic Parkinson disease (PD). 10 subjects with familial Parkinson disease (fPD), 35 subjects with sporadic Parkinson disease (sPD), and 15 controls, all from academic tertiary care movement disorders centers, were studied. fPD was defined as the presence of at least 2 affected individuals within 2-3 consecutive generations in a family. Molecular genetic analysis has not revealed, thus far, any known genomic abnormality in these families. Gastric emptying was assessed by dynamic abdominal scintigraphy over 92 min following ingestion of a solid meal containing 99mTc-labeled colloid of 40 MBq activity. The main outcome measures were gastric emptying half-time and radiotracer activity over the gastric area at 46 and at 92 min. Gastric emptying time was delayed in 60% of subjects with PD. In comparison to mean t(1\/2) of 38 +\/- 7 min in controls, mean t(1\/2) was 58 +\/- 25 min in fPD (p = 0.02) and 46 +\/- 25 min in sPD (p = 0.10). Both fPD and sPD groups included subjects with delayed gastric emptying at an early stage of disease. Patients with fPD showed significantly delayed gastric emptying in comparison to normal age-matched individuals. Further studies of gastrointestinal dysfunction in PD, particularly fPD, are warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30917843,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The European guideline on management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following trauma: fifth edition.\nSevere traumatic injury continues to present challenges to healthcare systems around the world, and post-traumatic bleeding remains a leading cause of potentially preventable death among injured patients. Now in its fifth edition, this document aims to provide guidance on the management of major bleeding and coagulopathy following traumatic injury and encourages adaptation of the guiding principles described here to individual institutional circumstances and resources. The pan-European, multidisciplinary Task Force for Advanced Bleeding Care in Trauma was founded in 2004, and the current author group included representatives of six relevant European professional societies. The group applied a structured, evidence-based consensus approach to address scientific queries that served as the basis for each recommendation and supporting rationale. Expert opinion and current clinical practice were also considered, particularly in areas in which randomised clinical trials have not or cannot be performed. Existing recommendations were re-examined and revised based on scientific evidence that has emerged since the previous edition and observed shifts in clinical practice. New recommendations were formulated to reflect current clinical concerns and areas in which new research data have been generated. Advances in our understanding of the pathophysiology of post-traumatic coagulopathy have supported improved management strategies, including evidence that early, individualised goal-directed treatment improves the outcome of severely injured patients. The overall organisation of the current guideline has been designed to reflect the clinical decision-making process along the patient pathway in an approximate temporal sequence. Recommendations are grouped behind the rationale for key decision points, which are patient- or problem-oriented rather than related to specific treatment modalities. While these recommendations provide guidance for the diagnosis and treatment of major bleeding and coagulopathy, emerging evidence supports the author group's belief that the greatest outcome improvement can be achieved through education and the establishment of and adherence to local clinical management algorithms. A multidisciplinary approach and adherence to evidence-based guidance are key to improving patient outcomes. If incorporated into local practice, these clinical practice guidelines have the potential to ensure a uniform standard of care across Europe and beyond and better outcomes for the severely bleeding trauma patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31410064,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"High dose vs low dose irradiation of the subventricular zone in patients with glioblastoma-a systematic review and meta-analysis.\nThe published data indicate that the irradiation of the subventricular zone (SVZ) might play a role in the treatment of patients with glioblastoma (GBM). We aimed to determine whether radiation treatment doses (high vs low) applied to the SVZ can lead to an increase in progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the PICOS research criteria of patients with glioblastoma which received high doses compared to low doses in order to determine if they have a better survival in observational and experimental studies. Our survey of the literature yielded 2573 unique records. After screening, 17 were assessed for eligibility, and in the end 8 were included in the qualitative and 4 in the quantitative analysis. Subjects who received higher doses of ipsilateral SVZ (iSVZ) irradiation had a statistically significant better PFS than those receiving lower doses (HR 0.58 [95% CI 0.42-0.82], p=0.002). Subjects receiving higher doses of contralateral SVZ (cSVZ) irradiation did not have a statistically significant better PFS than those receiving lower doses (HR =0.89 [95% CI 0.35-2.26], p=0.81). Also for OS the subjects receiving higher doses to the iSVZ did not have a statistically significant better survival than those receiving lower doses (HR =0.75 [95% CI 0.51-1.11], p=0.15). The data indicate a possible involvement of the SVZ in the onset and progression of the GBM, as well as a possible role of the SVZ in radiation therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38167461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Association study between genetic polymorphisms in MTHFR and stroke susceptibility in Egyptian population: a case-control study.\nStroke is a major global disability cause, and genetic variables for multifactorial illnesses like stroke are crucial for precision medicine. The purpose of this study is to see if genetic variants in the MTHFR gene are associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke among the Egyptian population. A case-control study was conducted at Mansoura University Hospital, involving 100 stroke patients and 150 healthy volunteers as the control group. Peripheral blood genomic DNA was isolated and single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped using ARMS-PCR. The CT and TT genotypes of the C677T gene polymorphism exhibited substantial risks for having stroke disease [(OR 3.856; P \u2264 0.001); (OR 4.026; P \u2264 0.001), respectively]. The T allele was significantly more prevalent among patients compared to controls. (OR 2.517; (P = 0.001)). The over-dominant and dominant models demonstrated a substantial relationship between stroke groups at risk of developing stroke but not the Recessive model. An extensive connection was found between the MTHFR A1298C and stroke danger in three different inheritance models: dominant (CC + CA vs. AA), over-dominant (AA + CC vs AC), and allelic (C allele) (P < 0.001). A highly significant difference in blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglycerides levels was found between patients and control. While there was no meaningful link discovered between genetic polymorphism with SBP, DBP, TG, LDL, VLDL among stroke group (P > 0.05 for each) except the CC genotype that was significantly associated with lower levels of TC and HDL when compared to CT + TT genotypes. The study evaluates a strong link among MTHFR mutations in genes and the probability to get stroke. The research significantly supports the use of MTHFR ((rs1801133) and (rs1801131) variations in stroke prediction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17100296,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in human colorectal carcinoma].\nNa+,K(+)-ATPase activities in macroscopically unchanged mucosa (conditionally normal tissue) and human colorectal carcinoma (mainly low-grade and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas) have been investigated. Microsomal fractions are similar by dimensions of the membrane fragments detected by photon correlation spectroscopy analysis. The activation optima under digitonin pretreatment of the membrane fractions differ significantly for Na+,K(+)-ATPase and concomitant Mg(2+)-ATPase activity, but are the same in conditionally normal and cancerous tissues. This allows to detect correctly total levels of the Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity in the detergent-pretreated preparations. The moderate decrease of the Na+,K(+)-ATPase activity is revealed in carcinomas. It is concluded that a decrease of activity of the ouabain-sensitive human Na+,K(+)-ATPase is characteristic of colorectal carcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16854357,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Urinary tract infection in pregnancy].\nUrinary tract infections, asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB), acute cystitis (AC) and acute pyelonephritis (AP), are favored by the morphological and functional changes involved in pregnancy. AB increases the risk of preterm labor, low birth weight and AP. AB should be detected by uroculture (other methods are not sufficiently effective) and treated early. Approximately 80% of cases are caused by Escherichia coli. The risks and effectiveness of the distinct antibiotic regimens should be evaluated: fosfomycin trometamol in monotherapy or as short course therapy is safe and effective for the treatment of AB and AC. AP is the most frequent cause of hospital admission for medical reasons in pregnant women and can lead to complications in 10% of cases, putting the lives of the mother and fetus at risk. Currently outpatient treatment of AP is recommended in selected cases. Adequate follow-up of pregnant women with urinary tract infections is required due to frequent recurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21119189,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Changing demographics of pulmonary arterial hypertension in congenital heart disease.\nPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a serious complication of congenital heart disease (CHD). Without early surgical repair, around one-third of paediatric CHD patients develop significant PAH. Recent data from the Netherlands suggest that >4% of adult CHD patients have PAH, with higher rates in those with septal defects. A spectrum of cardiac defects is associated with PAH-CHD, although most cases develop as a consequence of large systemic-to-pulmonary shunts. Eisenmenger's syndrome, characterised by reversed pulmonary-to-systemic (right-to-left) shunt, represents the most advanced form of PAH-CHD and affects as many as 50% of those with PAH and left-to-right shunts. It is associated with the poorest outcome among patients with PAH-CHD. 40 yrs ago, \u223c50% of children with CHD requiring intervention died within the first year, and <15% survived to adulthood. Subsequent advances in paediatric cardiology have seen most patients with CHD survive to adulthood, with resulting shifts in the demographics of CHD and PAH-CHD. The number of adults presenting with CHD is increasing and, although mortality is decreasing, morbidity is increasing as older patients are at increased risk of arrhythmia, heart failure, valve regurgitation and PAH. Data show that probability of PAH increases with age in patients with cardiac defects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16197580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Day-to-day variation in iron-status measures in young iron-deplete women.\nIn intervention and observational studies, it is necessary to determine the number of blood samples required to estimate the true value of Fe-status measures. The aim of the present study was to determine the number of days for blood sampling required in order to measure the 'true value' of five Fe-status parameters in young Fe-depleted women and to investigate the effect of menstrual cycle on these measures. Twelve women (aged 23-30 years), non-anaemic but with low Fe stores, participated in the study. Venous blood samples were collected under standardised conditions on fifteen non-consecutive days during a 5-week period. All blood samples were analysed for Hb, serum ferritin (SF), serum transferrin receptors (sTfR), red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW) and reticulocytes (RET), and body Fe stores were calculated as the ratio between sTfR and SF. No systematic changes were found in the investigated parameters during the study. When analytical variations were accounted for, the day-to-day variations (CV%) were as follows: Hb 2.9 %, SF 8.2 %, RET 26.0 %, RDW 2.4 % and sTfR 8.1 %. Calculating the 'true value' with a 5 % significance level and 80 % power showed that one blood sample was sufficient for Hb, SF, sTfR and RDW, whereas seven blood-sampling days were needed for RET. In this study, no significant differences in Fe status were found across the menstrual cycle. The conclusions from this study are valid for studies conducted under similar strict conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21121949,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Staff perceptions and experiences of implementing the Baby Friendly Initiative in neonatal intensive care units in Australia.\nTo explore the perceptions, understandings, and experiences of maternity service staff toward the World Health Organization\/United Nations Children's Fund (WHO\/UNICEF) Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) and its implementation in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). An exploratory study using naturalistic methods of inquiry. Participants were recruited from a total of four Australian metropolitan maternity hospitals of which two included a NICU. Focus groups and individual interviews were undertaken in the participants' choice of location, usually hospital. Forty-seven participants included nursing and midwifery staff and one pediatrician. Data from focus groups and interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis used to identify themes related to implementation and perceptions of staff regarding BFHI. Major themes identified focused on the differences in NICUs relative to maternity units, separate worlds of mother and infant, the hard work involved in implementing the BFHI, and the positive attitude that BFHI can be achieved. There were misconceptions by participants on the nature of the BFHI as it applied to NICUs. Factors hindering and supporting BFHI implementation were also identified. Motivated staff, educational support, and clear guidelines are essential to support implementation of the BFHI in NICUs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33037623,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SynaptoPAC, an optogenetic tool for induction of presynaptic plasticity.\nOptogenetic manipulations have transformed neuroscience in recent years. While sophisticated tools now exist for controlling the firing patterns of neurons, it remains challenging to optogenetically define the plasticity state of individual synapses. A variety of synapses in the mammalian brain express presynaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) upon elevation of presynaptic cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), but the molecular expression mechanisms as well as the impact of presynaptic LTP on network activity and behavior are not fully understood. In order to establish optogenetic control of presynaptic cAMP levels and thereby presynaptic potentiation, we developed synaptoPAC, a presynaptically targeted version of the photoactivated adenylyl cyclase bPAC. In cultures of hippocampal granule cells of Wistar rats, activation of synaptoPAC with blue light increased action potential-evoked transmission, an effect not seen in hippocampal cultures of non-granule cells. In acute brain slices of C57BL\/6N mice, synaptoPAC activation immediately triggered a strong presynaptic potentiation at mossy fiber synapses in CA3, but not at Schaffer collateral synapses in CA1. Following light-triggered potentiation, mossy fiber transmission decreased within 20 min, but remained enhanced still after 30 min. The optogenetic potentiation altered the short-term plasticity dynamics of release, reminiscent of presynaptic LTP. Our work establishes synaptoPAC as an optogenetic tool that enables acute light-controlled potentiation of transmitter release at specific synapses in the brain, facilitating studies of the role of presynaptic potentiation in network function and animal behavior in an unprecedented manner. Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on page 270.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23269294,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Making July safer: simulation-based mastery learning during intern boot camp.\nPatient care quality worsens during academic year turnover. Incoming interns' uneven clinical skills likely contribute to this phenomenon, known as the \"July effect.\" The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) boot camp on internal medicine interns' clinical skills. This was a cohort study of an SBML intervention at Northwestern University. In 2011, 47 interns completed boot camp; 109 interns (from 2009 and 2010) who did not participate in boot camp were historical controls. Boot-camp-trained interns participated in three days of small-group teaching sessions, deliberate practice, and individualized feedback. Primary outcome measures were performance of boot-camp-trained interns and historical controls on five parts of a clinical skills examination (CSE). Assessments included recognition of physical examination findings (cardiac auscultation), performance of procedures (paracentesis and lumbar puncture), management of critically ill patients (intensive care unit skills), and communication with patients (code status discussion). Boot camp participants were required to meet or exceed a minimum passing standard (MPS) before beginning their internship. Boot-camp-trained interns all eventually met or exceeded the MPS and performed significantly better than historical control interns on all skills (P < .01), even after controlling for age, gender, and USMLE Step 1 and 2 scores (P < .001). The authors detected no relationship between CSE scores and age, gender, prior experience, self-confidence, or USMLE Step 1 and 2 scores. An SBML boot camp allows for individualized training, assessment, and documentation of competence before interns begin providing medical care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27445093,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Where You Live Matters: The Impact of Place of Residence on Severe Sepsis Incidence and Mortality.\nMedically underserved areas are composed of vulnerable populations with reduced access to ambulatory care services. Our goal was to determine the association between residence in a medically underserved area and severe sepsis incidence and mortality. Using administrative data, we identified adults admitted with severe sepsis to nonfederal hospitals in South Carolina. We determined whether each resident lived in a medically underserved area or nonmedically underserved area from US Census and Department of Health and Human Services data. Age-adjusted severe sepsis incidence and mortality rates were calculated and compared between both residential classifications. Multivariate logistic regression measured the association between residence in a medically underserved area and mortality while adjusting for confounders. In 2010, 24,395 adults were admitted with severe sepsis and 1,446,987 (43%) adults lived in a medically underserved area. Residents of medically underserved areas were admitted more frequently with severe sepsis (8.6 vs 6.8 cases\/1,000 people, P < .01) and were more likely to die (15.5 vs 11.9 deaths\/10,000 people, P < .01), with increased odds of severe sepsis-related death (OR, 1.12) after adjustment for age, race, and severity of illness. ZIP code-based surrogates of socioeconomic status, including median income, proportion below poverty level, and educational attainment, however, had minimal association with sepsis mortality. Residence in a medically underserved area is associated with higher incidence and mortality rates of severe sepsis and represents a novel method of access-to-care adjustment. Traditional access-to-care surrogates, however, are poorly associated with sepsis mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26788621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Prevalence of Inpatients at 33 U.S. Hospitals Appropriate for and Receiving Referral to Palliative Care.\nThe extent of unmet need for palliative care in U.S. hospitals remains largely unknown. We conducted a multisite cross-sectional, retrospective point prevalence analysis to determine the size and characteristics of the population of inpatients at 33 U.S. hospitals who were appropriate for palliative care referral, as well as the percentage of these patients who were referred for and\/or received palliative care services. We also conducted a qualitative assessment of barriers and facilitators to referral, focusing on organizational characteristics that might influence palliative care referral practices. Patients appropriate for palliative care referral were defined as adult (\u226518 years) patients with any diagnosis of a poor-prognosis cancer, New York Heart Association class IV congestive heart failure, or oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who had inpatient status in 1 of 33 hospitals on May 13, 2014. Qualitative assessment involved interviews of palliative care team members and nonpalliative care frontline providers. Nearly 19% of inpatients on the point prevalence day were deemed appropriate for palliative care referral. Of these, approximately 39% received a palliative care referral or services. Delivery of palliative care services to these patients varied widely among participating hospitals, ranging from approximately 12% to more than 90%. Factors influencing differences in referral practices included nonstandardized perceptions of referral criteria and variation in palliative care service structures. This study provides useful information to guide providers, administrators, researchers, and policy experts in planning for optimal provision of palliative care services to those in need.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8992862,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pericardial hydatid cyst with a fatal course.\nCases with cardiac hydatid cyst disease are uncommon, being approximately 0.2-2% of all cases. Most cardiac hydatid cysts are located in the interventricular septum or left ventricular wall. Pericardial location is very rare. We report on a 12 year old girl with pericardial hydatid cyst disease who was otherwise asymptomatic, having no cardiac symptomatology. Unfortunately the course of her disease was fatal. This is the first report of uncommon localized hydatid disease with a fatal outcome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19466458,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Change your diet or die: predator-induced shifts in insectivorous lizard feeding ecology.\nAnimal feeding ecology and diet are influenced by the fear of predation. While the mechanistic bases for such changes are well understood, technical difficulties often prevent testing how these mechanisms interact to affect a mesopredator's diet in natural environments. Here, we compared the insectivorous lizard Acanthodactylus beershebensis' feeding ecology and diet between high- and low-risk environments, using focal observations, intensive trapping effort and fecal pellet analysis. To create spatial variation in predation risk, we planted \"artificial trees\" in a scrubland habitat that lacks natural perches, allowing avian predators to hunt for lizards in patches that were previously unavailable to them. Lizards in elevated-risk environments became less mobile but did not change their microhabitat use or temporal activity. These lizards changed their diet, consuming smaller prey and less plant material. We suggest that diet shifts were mainly because lizards from risky environments consumed prey items that required shorter handling time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26006306,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The use of captisol (SBE7-\u03b2-CD) in oral solubility-enabling formulations: Comparison to HP\u03b2CD and the solubility-permeability interplay.\nThe aim of this research was to study the interaction of sulfobutyl ether7 \u03b2-cyclodextrin (captisol) and 2-hydroxypropyl-\u03b2-cyclodextrin (HP\u03b2CD) with the poorly soluble antiarrhythmic drug amiodarone, and to investigate the consequent solubility-permeability interplay. Phase-solubility studies of amiodarone with the two cyclodextrins, followed by PAMPA and rat intestinal permeability experiments, were carried out, and the solubility-permeability interplay was then illustrated as a function of increasing cyclodextrin content. Equimolar levels of captisol allowed \u223c10-fold higher amiodarone solubility than HP\u03b2CD, as well as binding constant. With both captisol and HP\u03b2CD, decreased in vitro and in vivo amiodarone apparent permeability was evident with increasing CD levels and increased apparent solubility. A theoretical model assuming direct proportionality between the apparent solubility increase allowed by the CD and permeability decrease was able to accurately predict the solubility-permeability tradeoff as a function of CD levels. In conclusion, the addition of ionic interactions (e.g. amiodarone-captisol) to hydrophobic interactions of the inclusion complex formation may result in synergic effect on solubilization; however, it is not merely the solubility that should be examined when formulating an oral poorly soluble compound, but the solubility-permeability balance, in order to maximize the overall drug exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10207354,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Site selection by intestinal helminths of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana).\nDigestive tract helminths of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) were examined for site specificity and interspecific interactions. Thirty opossums were live-trapped at 2 localities in Georgia, killed, and their digestive tracts removed and divided into the following sections; esophagus, stomach, small intestine (20 equal sections), cecum, and large intestine (5 equal sections). Helminths present in each section were identified and counted. Three trematode, 1 cestode, 2 acanthocephala, and 6 nematode species were found. Two parasites (the acanthocephalan Centrorhynchus spinosus and the nematode Viannaia hamata) are new state records for Georgia and this is the first report of C. spinosus from an opossum. There was considerable overlap between the spatial distributions of many of the helminth species found in the small intestine though most species had different modal locations. Helminth species locations were unaffected by host sex or trapping locality. There was no evidence that the presence, absence, or intensity of any helminth species affected the location or intensity of other helminth species in the digestive tract.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8566046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Perforin dependence of natural killer cell-mediated tumor control in vivo.\nAdaptive immune surveillance by T cells against infections and tumors depends on the presence of antigenic peptides presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. If antigenic tumor-specific peptides or MHC class I molecules are absent, the adaptive T cell immune response fails. Natural killer (NK) cells seem to complement the specific T cells by recognizing target cells lacking MHC class I (e.g. RMA-S). The role of perforin, which is crucially involved in T cell and NK cell-mediated target cell lysis, was evaluated in mice lacking perforin with respect to their capacity to eliminate a syngeneic lymphoid tumor. Here, we show that growth of MHC class I RMA-S tumor cells in unprimed mice was controlled by NK cells through perforin-dependent cytotoxicity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31849698,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cardiopulmonary Capacity in Children During Exercise Testing: The Differences Between Treadmill and Upright and Supine Cycle Ergometry.\nBackground\/Hypothesis: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is used in the assessment of function and prognosis of cardiopulmonary health in children with cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Techniques, such as cardiac MRi, and PET-scan, can be performed simultaneously with exercise testing. Thus, it is desirable to have a broader knowledge about children's normal cardiopulmonary function in different body postures and exercise modalities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different body positions on cardiopulmonary function in healthy subjects performing CPETs. Materials and Methods: Thirty-one healthy children aged 9, 12, and 15 years did four CPETs: one treadmill test with a modified Bruce protocol and three different bicycle tests with different body postures, sitting, tilted 45\u00b0, and lying flat (0\u00b0). For the bicycle tests, a 20-watt ramp protocol with a pedal frequency of 60 \u00b1 5 rotations per minute was used. Continous ECG and breath-by-breath V . O 2 measurements was done throughout the tests. Cardiac structure and function including aortic diameter were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography prior to the tests. Doppler measurements of the blood velocity in the ascending aorta were measured prior to and during the test. Prior to every test, the participants performed pulmonary function tests with maximum voluntary ventilation test. Results: There is a significantly (p < 0.05) lower peak V . O 2 in all bicycle tests compared with the treadmill test. There is lower corrected peak V . O 2 (ml kg-0.67 min-1), but not relative peak V . O 2 (ml kg-1 min-1), in the supine compared with the upright bicycle test. There are no differences in peak stroke volume or cardiac output between the bicycle modalities when calculated from aortic blood flow. Peak heart rate decreases from both treadmill to upright bicycle and from upright bicycle to the supine test (0\u00b0). Conclusion: There are no differences in peak cardiac output between the upright bicycle test and supine bicycle tests. Heart rate and corrected peak V . O 2 are lower in the supine test (0\u00b0) than the upright bicycle test. In the treadmill test, it is a higher absolute and relative peak V . O 2 . Despite the latter differences, we are convinced that both upright and supine bicycle tests are apt in the clinical setting when needed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12777597,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Proceedings of a symposium on pediatric food allergy. April 20, 2002.\nFood allergy seems to be increasing in prevalence, significantly decreases the quality of life for patients and their families, and has become a common diagnostic and management issue for the pediatrician. Studies now a decade old showed that 6% to 8% of children younger than 3 years experience documented adverse reactions to foods. Several studies have defined the prevalence of allergy to specific foods in childhood. Population-based studies document a prevalence of cow milk allergy in 1.9% to 3.2% of infants and young children, egg allergy in 2.6% of children by age 2.5 years, and peanut allergy in 0.4% to 0.6% of those younger than 18 years. Overall, the typical allergens of infancy and early childhood are egg, milk, peanut, wheat, and soy, whereas allergens that are responsible for severe reactions in older children and adults are primarily caused by peanut, tree nuts, and seafood. Allergy to fruits and vegetables are prominent but usually not severe. For diagnostic purposes, it is instructive to consider the prevalence of food allergy as a cause of specific disorders. For example, food allergy accounts for 20% of acute urticaria, is present in 37% of children with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and approximately 5% with atopic asthma, and is the most frequent cause of anaphylaxis outside the hospital setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26365435,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Structure of HCMV glycoprotein B in the postfusion conformation bound to a neutralizing human antibody.\nHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) poses a significant threat to immunocompromised individuals and neonates infected in utero. Glycoprotein B (gB), the herpesvirus fusion protein, is a target for neutralizing antibodies and a vaccine candidate due to its indispensable role in infection. Here we show the crystal structure of the HCMV gB ectodomain bound to the Fab fragment of 1G2, a neutralizing human monoclonal antibody isolated from a seropositive subject. The gB\/1G2 interaction is dominated by aromatic residues in the 1G2 heavy chain CDR3 protruding into a hydrophobic cleft in the gB antigenic domain 5 (AD-5). Structural analysis and comparison with HSV gB suggest the location of additional neutralizing antibody binding sites on HCMV gB. Finally, immunoprecipitation experiments reveal that 1G2 can bind to HCMV virion gB suggesting that its epitope is exposed and accessible on the virus surface. Our data will support the development of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies against HCMV infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28231064,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Three-dimensional ultrasound for prenatal assessment of conjoined twins: additional advantages?\nConjoined twins are a rare, but serious, complication of monozygotic twins. Early prenatal diagnosis of conjoined twins is increasingly made with transvaginal ultrasound and color Doppler studies. Most prenatally diagnosed conjoined twins are terminated due to the high perinatal mortality, but advancement in pediatric surgery has allowed for successful postnatal separation in a small number of cases, and some parents may consider this option over termination of pregnancy. It is important to get a detailed prenatal ultrasound for the site and extent of fusion for an accurate categorization. Three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) provides images that can facilitate counselling for the parents. Additional information that impacts on diagnosis, prognostication, and perinatal management of conjoined twins could be obtained from selective use of 3DUS, particularly those with atypical fetal union. Most of the proposed additional benefits of 3DUS are based on case reports. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been increasingly used for the purpose of identifying intricate organ sharing. Because of the rarity of this condition, and the heterogeneity of fetal fusion, added benefits of either 3DUS or MRI for prenatal diagnosis and perinatal management of conjoined twins have not been demonstrated by well-conducted clinical trials. This article aims to review clinical application of various 3DUS display modes in prenatal assessment of conjoined twins, focusing on their potential additional benefits, risks and misuses. 3DUS may help detecting additional findings that are not possible with 2DUS, but, it has not been scientifically shown to improve the survival rate of the twins or reduce maternal morbidity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24500547,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"[Factors associated with overall functional disability one year after traumatic brain injury].\nThe prevalence of factors associated with functional disability was estimated six and twelve months after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in patients initially treated in the emergency unit of reference for the Metropolitan Region of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. A prospective cohort study was performed, including 307 individuals with TBI between the ages of 15 and 65 years whose diagnosis was confirmed via neuroimaging. Using data from the period of hospitalization, 242 patients were contacted six months after the injury and 222 patients after twelve months. Functional impairment was evaluated with the Disability Rating Scale. The overall prevalence of functional disability (60.3% in the first evaluation and 40.5% in the second) was significantly associated with age, the initial gravity of the TBI and the duration of the patient's hospitalization, as well as with: fatigue; aphasia; memory, attention and concentration disorders; balance disorders; paresis; and lack of medical consultations with specialists. The high frequency of overall functional disability in the six or twelve-month follow-up period, even for patients with mild traumas, shows the relevance of TBI as a cause of disability and impairment, as well as the need for follow-up services.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11550985,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Etanercept in the treatment of macrophage activation syndrome.\nMacrophage activation syndrome (MAS), a recognized complication of systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (sJRA), has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Dysregulation of macrophage-lymphocyte interactions leading to uncontrolled proliferation of highly activated macrophages and massive release of proinflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) appears to be central to the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Until now the mainstay of therapy has been corticosteroids and cyclosporin A. We describe a patient with MAS and sJRA successfully treated with the anti-TNF agent etanercept. The outcome in this patient suggests etanercept might be an effective therapeutic agent in MAS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32402066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Loss of SIRT1 in diabetes accelerates DNA damage-induced vascular calcification.\nVascular calcification is a recognized predictor of cardiovascular risk in the diabetic patient, with DNA damage and accelerated senescence linked to oxidative stress-associated pathological calcification. Having previously shown that systemic SIRT1 is reduced in diabetes, the aim was to establish whether SIRT1 is protective against a DNA damage-induced senescent and calcified phenotype in diabetic vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs). Immunohistochemistry revealed decreased SIRT1 and increased DNA damage marker expression in diabetic calcified arteries compared to non-diabetic and non-calcified controls, strengthened by findings that vSMCs isolated from diabetic patients show elevated DNA damage and senescence, assessed by the Comet assay and telomere length. Hyperglycaemic conditions were used and induced DNA damage and enhanced senescence in vSMCs in vitro. Using H2O2 as a model of oxidative stress-induced DNA damage, pharmacological activation of SIRT1 reduced H2O2 DNA damage-induced calcification, prevented not only DNA damage, as shown by reduced comet tail length, but also decreased yH2AX foci formation, and attenuated calcification. While Ataxia Telanglectasia Mutated (ATM) expression was reduced following DNA damage, in contrast, SIRT1 activation significantly increased ATM expression, phosphorylating both MRE11 and NBS1, thus allowing formation of the MRN complex and increasing activation of the DNA repair pathway. DNA damage-induced calcification is accelerated within a diabetic environment and can be attenuated in vitro by SIRT1 activation. This occurs through enhancement of the MRN repair complex within vSMCs and has therapeutic potential within the diabetic patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28067195,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Combined erythropoietin and iron therapy for anaemic patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: the EPICURE randomised clinical trial.\nThe aim of this study was to evaluate, in anaemic patients, the efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) in reducing red cell (RC) transfusion rates post TAVI. This was a randomised double-blind trial. Patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis and concomitant anaemia with an indication for TAVI were randomised (1:1) to receive two weight-based doses of EPO (darbepoetin alfa)+iron or placebo at days 10 (\u00b14 days) and 1 (\u00b11 day) pre TAVI. The primary outcome was the rate of RC transfusions at 30 days. A total of 100 patients (mean age 81\u00b17 years, male 49%) were included: 48 patients received EPO (+iron) and 52 patients received placebo. Baseline characteristics and procedural findings were well balanced between groups except for baseline haemoglobin levels, which were lower in those patients receiving EPO (10.7\u00b11.2 vs. 11.3\u00b11.1 g\/dl, p=0.01). The rate of 30-day RC transfusion was similar in both groups (27.1 vs. 25.0% in the EPO and placebo groups, respectively; adjusted odds ratio 1.05, 95% CI: 0.42-2.64, p=0.92), and no differences were observed in the number of RC units per transfused patient (1 [1-3] vs. 2 [1-2] in the EPO and placebo groups, respectively, adjusted p=0.99). Rates of 30-day mortality, stroke, new-onset atrial fibrillation, acute kidney injury, and troponin peak were also similar between groups (p>0.20 for all). EPO (+iron) administration failed to reduce RC transfusion rates or the per-patient number of transfusion units in anaemic patients undergoing TAVI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36122390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of Solvent Removal Rate and Annealing on the Interface Properties in a Blend of a Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Polymer with Fullerene.\nWe study the effect of solvent-free annealing and explicit solvent evaporation protocols in classical molecular dynamics simulations on the interface properties of a blend of a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) polymer with conjugated substituents (DPP2Py2T) and PCBM[60]. We specifically analyze the intramolecular segmental mobility of the different polymer building blocks as well as intermolecular radial and angular distribution functions between donor and acceptor. The annealing simulations reveal an increase of the glass-transition temperature of 45 K in the polymer-fullerene blend compared to that of pure DPP2Py2T. Our results show that the effective solvent evaporation rates at room temperature only have a minor influence on the segmental mobility and intermolecular orientation, characterized in all cases by a preferential arrangement of PCBM[60] close to the electron-donating substituents in DPP2Py2T. In contrast, solvent-free annealing from a liquid yields clustering of the fullerene close to the electron-withdrawing DPP, generally considered to be detrimental for application in organic solar cells. We find that the difference can be attributed to differences in the behavior of 2-hexyldecyl side-chains, which collapse toward DPP when solvent is explicitly removed, thereby blocking access of PCBM[60].","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16442271,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Synaptic remodeling induced by axotomy of superior cervical ganglion neurons: Involvement of metalloproteinase-2.\nWe previously demonstrated the involvement of the dystrophin-dystroglycan (Dys-DG) complex in the stabilization of intraganglionic synapses in rodent superior cervical ganglion (SCG) by investigating changes in the organization of their post-synaptic apparatus induced either by ganglionic neuron axotomy or by the lack of Dys in genetically dystrophic mdx mice, or by the combination of the two. A role of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the degradation of DG and, hence, in disrupting the connection between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the cortical cytoskeleton, has recently been proposed. We hypothesized that the degradation by MMPs of ECM proteins and DG in ganglionic neurons may be involved in injury-induced synaptic detachment observed in rodent SCG. In this review, we report changes in MMP-2 and in the proteins involved in one of the enzymatic cascades of activation induced by axotomy of rat SCG neurons. This will be preceded by a description of our previous observations that led to investigate the role of MMP-2 in this experimental model.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28552924,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Drilling resistance: A method to investigate bone quality.\nBone drilling is a major part of orthopaedic surgery performed during the internal fixation of fractured bones. At present, information related to drilling force, drilling torque, rate of drill-bit penetration and drill-bit rotational speed is not available to orthopaedic surgeons, clinicians and researchers as bone drilling is performed manually. This study demonstrates that bone drilling force data if recorded in-vivo, during the repair of bone fractures, can provide information about the quality of the bone. To understand the variability and anisotropic behaviour of cortical bone tissue, specimens cut from three anatomic positions of pig and bovine were investigated at the same drilling speed and feed rate. The experimental results showed that the drilling force does not only vary from one animal bone to another, but also vary within the same bone due to its changing microstructure. Drilling force does not give a direct indication of bone quality; therefore it has been correlated with screw pull-out force to provide a realistic estimation of the bone quality. A significantly high value of correlation (r2 = 0.93 for pig bones and r2 = 0.88 for bovine bones) between maximum drilling force and normalised screw pull-out strength was found. The results show that drilling data can be used to indicate bone quality during orthopaedic surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34963338,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Emergency department visits for self-harm in adolescents after release of the Netflix series '13 Reasons Why'.\nTo determine whether the release of the first season of the Netflix series '13 Reasons Why' was associated with changes in emergency department presentations for self-harm. Healthcare utilization databases were used to identify emergency department and outpatient presentations according to age and sex for residents of Ontario, Canada. Data from 2007 to 2018 were used in autoregressive integrated moving average models for time series forecasting with a pre-specified hypothesis that rates of emergency department presentations for self-harm would increase in the 3-month period following the release of 13 Reasons Why (1 April 2017 to 30 June 2017). Chi-square and t tests were used to identify demographic and health service use differences between those presenting to emergency department with self-harm during this epoch compared to a control period (1 April 2016 to 30 June 2016). There was a significant estimated excess of 75 self-harm-related emergency department visits (+6.4%) in the 3 months after 13 Reasons Why above what was predicted by the autoregressive integrated moving average model (standard error = 32.4; p = 0.02); adolescents aged 10-19 years had 60 excess visits (standard error = 30.7; p = 0.048), whereas adults demonstrated no significant change. Sex-stratified analyses demonstrated that these findings were largely driven by significant increases in females. There were no differences in demographic or health service use characteristics between those who presented to emergency department with self-harm in April to June 2017 vs April to June 2016. This study demonstrated a significant increase in self-harm emergency department visits associated with the release of 13 Reasons Why. It adds to previously published mortality, survey and helpline data collectively demonstrating negative mental health outcomes associated with 13 Reasons Why.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36086574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Wearable In-home Tremor Assessment System via Virtual Reality Environment for the Activities in Daily Lives (ADLs).\nCurrently available diagnostic methods for tremor movements are mostly subjective measurements, and clinicians and researchers typically diagnose patients' symptoms with provocative maneuvers, and the inter-rater and intra-rater variabilities of those methods have been always reported. Even though various sensor-based quantitative approaches have been explored, most of the tools are limited to the tremor metrics (i.e., severity and frequency). A consistent environment that can provide a test setup to evaluate how their performance is affected by the tremor movement for activities of daily living would be needed for a smart tremor diagnosis. Therefore, we developed a virtual reality environment with a custom designed wearable sensor module to quantify tremor characteristics with performance-based assessment while they perform the activities of daily living, and correlated the performance to existing tremor scores (i.e., The Essential Tremor Rating Assessment Scale (TETRAS)). We evaluated this approach with five healthy participants (no tremor), and applied an artificial tremor using a vibration motor to mimic tremor movements as a pilot study. We analyzed three categorized tremor scenarios: resting, postural, and kinetic tremor tasks using six different tasks in virtual 3D space. All the artificial tremor was score as TETRAS=1, and we successfully analyzed the tremor metrics for different tasks by comparing them with TETRAS score, and verified the different tremor characteristics with the artificial tremor. Additionally, we analyzed the performance of 3D spiral drawing on the virtual reality track using \"outside area\" and \"completion time\" as the accuracy and speed of the performance. Clinical Relevance- This can be applied to quantify and track the tremor symptom at the patients' home, and ultimately this method can be synchronized with their current treatment parameters (i.e., dosage of medication, and parameters of the stimulation) to optimize\/maximize the effect of treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31950959,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of high hydrostatic pressure extraction on biological activities of stinging nettle extracts.\nStinging nettle is traditionally used as a therapeutic herb. In the present work, the biological properties and toxicity of novel nettle leaf extracts obtained by high pressure assisted extraction (HPE) were studied and compared with similar extracts obtained with the same solvent under atmospheric pressure conditions. The studied extracts were obtained at pressure levels of 200 and 500 MPa, \u224810 min, 0 to 70% ethanol : water (v\/v). Each extract was characterized for its individual compound profile and different biological properties, such as antioxidant activity, pro-oxidant activity (DNA degradation capacity) and antihypertensive activity, as well as cytotoxicity against Caco-2 and HaCat cell cultures. The main results indicate that in addition to the antioxidant and antihypertensive activities observed for the control extracts, a clear improvement of all the biological activities of the extracts obtained by HPE was observed. The extracts obtained at 200 MPa, 10 min, 35 and 70% ethanol were the ones presenting higher concentrations of phenolic acids and flavonoids, such as chlorogenic acid, isoferulic acid, and rutin; besides, they showed better results concerning all the studied biological activities. Those extracts also showed potential for DNA protection, since they were able not only to cause less damage in the DNA molecule than the controls, but also showed no pro-oxidant activity. Concerning cytotoxicity, it was observed that HPE extracts, at a concentration up to 1.0 mg mL-1, presented a metabolism inhibition below 10 and 15% for Caco-2 and HaCat cell lines, respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23193426,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical efficacy and safety of buyang huanwu decoction for acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials.\nBuyang Huanwu Decoction (BHD) is a well-known traditional Chinese herbal prescription for treating stroke-induced disability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BHD for acute ischemic stroke. A systematic literature search was performed in 6 databases until February 2012. Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluate efficacy and safety of BHD for acute ischemic stroke were included. Nineteen RCTs with 1580 individuals were identified. The studies were generally of low methodological quality. Only one of the trial included death or dependency as a primary outcome measure. Only 4 trials reported adverse events. Meta-analysis showed the clinical effective rate of neurological deficit improvement favoring BHD when compared with western conventional medicines (WCM), P < 0.001. There is significant difference in the neurologic deficit score between the BHD treatment group and the WCM control group, P < 0.001. In Conclusion, BHD appears to improve neurological deficit and seems generally safe in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the current evidence is insufficient to support a routine use of BHD for acute ischemic stroke due to the poor methodological quality and lack of adequate safety data of the included studies. Further rigorously designed trials are required.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2284784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Intensive chemotherapy regimens in pulmonary tuberculosis with concomitant diabetes mellitus].\nThe author studied the tolerability of modern intensive regimens of tuberculosis chemotherapy in patients with concomitant diabetes mellitus as compared with a traditional three-drug treatment. The number of side-effects with these treatment methods did not essentially differ. Neurological disorders were among the most frequent in patients with this associated pathology receiving chemotherapy and their frequency increases in the presence of diabetic complications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12530599,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Passive smoking, excretion of metabolites, and health effects: results of the Leipzig's Allergy Risk Study (LARS).\nOver a 5-yr period, the Leipzig's Allergy Risk Study (LARS) investigated the influence of typical indoor-contaminant burdens on the development of allergies and upper respiratory tract infections in allergy-prone children. Typical indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and excretion of certain VOC metabolites in urine were measured in children 3 yr of age. Data analyses were based on parent-completed questionnaires, exposure measurements, and medical examinations. Evaluation of passive smoking was of special interest. Generally, residences with a high burden of passive smoking had higher benzene concentrations than residences inhabited by nonsmokers. Obstructive bronchitis was observed more frequently in children exposed to increased concentrations of benzene, as well as toluene, styrene, and m,p-xylene. In addition, atopic symptoms were associated with excretion of certain VOC metabolites. For example, the authors found an association between eczema and exposure to toluene and between eczema and increased excretion of the toluene metabolite S-benzylmercapturic acid. The results suggest that if an association with certain health effects is to be demonstrated, evaluation of external exposures should be supplemented with evaluations of internal exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27557848,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Solvent-Triggered Cis\/Trans Isomerism in Cobalt Dioxolene Chemistry: Distinguishing Effects of Packing on Valence Tautomerism.\nIn this article, the synthesis and X-ray crystal structures of two cis\/trans isomers of valence tautomeric (VT) cobalt dioxolene compounds are reported. The cis isomer (1) was isolated from the polar protic methanol solvent as a kinetic product, whereas the less polar nonprotic solvent acetone yielded the trans isomer (2). It should be noted that, although some coordination polymers involving cobalt bis(dioxolene) with the cis disposition are known for bridging ancillary ligands, such an arrangement is unprecedented for mononuclear compounds. A careful study of intermocular interactions revealed that the methanol solvent does not have much influence on the crystal growth in 1, whereas acetone forms strong halogen-bonding interactions that are crucial in the solid-state architecture of 2. This behavior can likely be used in crystal engineering to design new organic-inorganic hybrid materials. The energy difference between the two isomers was examined using DFT calculations, confirming that the trans form is in the thermodynamic state whereas the cis isomer is a kinetic product that can be converted into the trans isomer with time. Finally, both isomers exhibit solvent loss at elevated temperatures that is accompanied by a change in magnetic properties, associated with an irreversible valence tautomerism. Our results highlight the crucial role of the solvents for the isolation of cis\/trans isomers in cobalt dioxolene chemistry, as well as the distinguishing effects of intermolecular forces and the solid-state packing on VT behavior.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27366009,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Febrile Urinary Tract Infection after Radical Cystectomy and Ileal Neobladder in Patients with Bladder Cancer.\nUrinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common complications after radical cystectomy and orthotopic neobladder reconstruction. This study investigated the incidence and implicated pathogen of febrile UTI after ileal neobladder reconstruction and identify clinical and urodynamic parameters associated with febrile UTI. From January 2001 to May 2015, 236 patients who underwent radical cystectomy and ileal neobladder were included in this study. Fifty-five episodes of febrile UTI were identified in 46 patients (19.4%). The probability of febrile UTI was 17.6% and 19.8% at 6 months and 24 months after surgery, respectively. While, Escherichia coli was the most common implicated pathogen (22\/55, 40.0%), Enterococcus spp. were the most common pathogen during the first month after surgery (18\/33, 54.5%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, ureteral stricture was an independent risk factor associated with febrile UTI (OR 5.93, P = 0.023). However, ureteral stricture accounted for only 6 episodes (10.9%, 6\/55) of febrile UTI. Most episodes of febrile UTI occurred within 6 months after surgery. Thus, to identify risk factors associated with febrile UTI in the initial postoperative period, we assessed videourodynamics within 6 months after surgery in 38 patients. On videourodyamic examination, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was identified in 16 patients (42.1%). The rate of VUR presence in patients who had febrile UTI was not significantly different from those in patients without febrile UTI (50% vs. 39.3%, P = 0.556). Patients with febrile UTI had significantly larger residual urine volume (212.0 \u00b1 193.7 vs. 90.5 \u00b1 148.2, P = 0.048) than those without. E. coli and Enterococcus spp. are common pathogens and ureteral stricture and residual urine are risk factors for UTI after ileal neobladder reconstruction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33791516,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Cloacal Microbiome Changes with the Breeding Season in a Wild Bird.\nThe symbiotic microbial communities, or \"microbiomes,\" that reside on animals are dynamic, and can be affected by the behavior and physiology of the host. These communities provide many critical beneficial functions for their hosts, but they can also include potential pathogens. In birds, bacteria residing in the cloaca form a complex community, including both gut and sexually-transmitted bacteria. Transmission of cloacal bacteria among individuals is likely during the breeding season, when there is direct cloacal contact between individuals. In addition, the major energetic investment in reproduction can draw resources away from immune responses that might otherwise prevent the successful establishment of microbes. We assessed dynamic variation in the cloacal microbiome of free-living rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) through sequential breeding and non-breeding seasons. We found that the cloacal bacterial communities differed between the sexes when they were in breeding condition. Further, in males, but not in females, the bacterial community became more diverse with the onset of reproduction, and then decreased in diversity as males transitioned to non-breeding condition. Individuals sampled across sequential breeding seasons did not accumulate more bacterial taxa over seasons, but bacterial community composition did change. Our results suggest that the cloacal microbiome in birds is dynamic and, especially in males, responsive to breeding condition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22533446,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Setbacks in diet adherence and emotional distress: a study of older patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses.\nWe investigated patients' difficulties in managing their diet (i.e. diet setbacks) and associations with change in disease-specific and general emotional distress (diabetes distress and depressive symptoms) among patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses. Data for this study were collected in couples' homes (N=115 couples) using structured interviews and self-administered questionnaires at three time points: baseline (T1), six months after baseline (T2) and 12 months after baseline (T3). Patients' diet setbacks were associated with an increase in their diabetes distress in the shorter-term (over six months). Patients' diet setbacks were not associated with longer-term change in diabetes distress or with change in depressive symptoms at either time point (six months or one year). In contrast, spouses' perceptions of patients' diet setbacks were associated with increases in their own diabetes distress at both time points (over six months and one year), and also with an increase in their depressive symptoms in the longer-term (over one year). Findings reveal detrimental consequences of patients' diet nonadherence for emotional well-being that extend to the well-being of their spouses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22198159,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Medical errors and complaints in emergency department care in Sweden as reported by care providers, healthcare staff, and patients - a national review.\nDespite an increase in research, there is still a lack of knowledge about patient safety in emergency departments (EDs) in many European countries. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the incidence and types of reported medical errors and complaints in ED care in Sweden. Data reported in 2009 were gathered from national authorities, including the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Medical Responsibility Board, the Patients Advisory Committees, and local incident-reporting systems. Data were analyzed by content analysis. Among 428 cases reported by care providers to the National Board of Health and Welfare, 64 (15.0%) were related to ED care. As several cases contained more than one medical error, 92 errors were identified, out of which 39 (42.4%) were related to diagnostic procedures. Among the 4628 cases of complaints reported by patients to the Medical Responsibility Board, 306 (6.6%) were related to ED care. In total, 437 complaints regarding perceived medical errors were identified (several cases contained more than one error), with 189 (43.2%) pertaining to diagnostic procedures. A total of 1341 complaints about ED care were made by patients to the Patients Advisory Committees (n=21), of which 655 (48.8%) were related to care and treatment. There were 7434 medical errors reported to local incident-reporting systems at the EDs (n=45). Of these, 1450 (19.5%) referred to care and treatment. Medical errors and complaints at Swedish EDs, as reported by both patients and care providers, were related mainly to diagnostic procedures and treatments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22558085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lymphocyte modulation with FTY720 improves hemorrhagic shock survival in swine.\nThe inflammatory response to severe traumatic injury results in significant morbidity and mortality. Lymphocytes have recently been identified as critical mediators of the early innate immune response to ischemia-reperfusion injury. Experimental manipulation of lymphocytes following hemorrhagic shock may prevent secondary immunologic injury in surgical and trauma patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate the lymphocyte sequestration agent FTY720 as an immunomodulator following experimental hemorrhagic shock in a swine liver injury model. Yorkshire swine were anesthetized and underwent a grade III liver injury with uncontrolled hemorrhage to induce hemorrhagic shock. Experimental groups were treated with a lymphocyte sequestration agent, FTY720, (n = 9) and compared to a vehicle control group (n = 9). Animals were observed over a 3 day survival period after hemorrhage. Circulating total leukocyte and neutrophil counts were measured. Central lymphocytes were evaluated with mesenteric lymph node and spleen immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining for CD3. Lung tissue infiltrating neutrophils were analyzed with myeloperoxidase (MPO) IHC staining. Relevant immune-related gene expression from liver tissue was quantified using RT-PCR. The overall survival was 22.2% in the vehicle control and 66.7% in the FTY720 groups (p = 0.081), and reperfusion survival (period after hemorrhage) was 25% in the vehicle control and 75% in the FTY720 groups (p = 0.047). CD3(+) lymphocytes were significantly increased in mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen in the FTY720 group compared to vehicle control, indicating central lymphocyte sequestration. Lymphocyte disruption significantly decreased circulating and lung tissue infiltrating neutrophils, and decreased expression of liver immune-related gene expression in the FTY720 treated group. There were no observed infectious or wound healing complications. Lymphocyte sequestration with FTY720 improves survival in experimental hemorrhagic shock using a porcine liver injury model. These results support a novel and clinically relevant lymphocyte immunomodulation strategy to ameliorate secondary immune injury in hemorrhagic shock.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7304326,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The effect of pH of resuscitative fluids in treatment of severe hemorrhagic shock.\nCommercially available Ringer's lactate solution has a pH of approximately 6.5. In a situation such as shock, which is normally accompanied by a metabolic acidosis, this additional acid load could have an adverse effect on resuscitation when massive amounts of fluid are required. We prepared a similar solution with a pH of 7.4 and compared the two solutions. Fourteen dogs were shocked according to a Wiggers' hemorrhagic shock model. Six dogs (43%) died during shock, 8 dogs survived the model, 4 were resuscitated over a 150-minute observation period to a pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) of 8-12 mmHg with Ringer's lactate with a pH of 7.4. The cardiac output, lactate levels, amount of fluid required to maintain the PCWP, and arterial and mixed venous pH were measured at 30, 60, 90, 120, and 150 minutes. No significant differences were found except for occasionally higher arterial pH values in the group treated with Ringer's lactate with a pH of 7.4. There was no difference between the groups in any measurement at the end of the observation period or in survival. All dogs died within 12 hours of the end of the shock period. Our data indicate that the somewhat acidic pH of standard Ringer's lactate does not adversely affect the adequacy of resuscitation. There is no advantage to using Ringer's lactate with a pH of 7.4.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11400745,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pilot neonatal screening program for lysosomal storage disorders, using lamp-1.\nWe have demonstrated that the lysosome associated membrane protein (LAMP-1) is elevated in plasma from approximately 70% of lysosomal storage disorder patients. As part of the development of a newborn screening program for lysosomal storage disorders we have developed a first tier screening assay based upon the level of LAMP-I in blood spots taken from newborn Guthrie cards. To determine the effectiveness of the first-tier marker a prospective pilot Guthrie neonatal screening program for the identification of LSD was commenced in April 1998. Prior to commencement of the pilot program ethical approval was obtained and information leaflets regarding the neonatal screening of LSD were distributed to parents at the time of their infant's Guthrie collection. The LAMP-1 assay utilizes a chicken polyclonal and a mouse monoclonal in a sandwich time resolved fluorescent immunoassay. LAMP-1 blood-spot calibrators and quality control specimens were developed and shown to be stable and reproducible. To date 11,183 infants have been screened using LAMP-1. The population distribution is described with a median and 98th percentile of 220pg\/l whole blood and 483microg\/l whole blood respectively. Acceptable CV% for intra and inter assay of 8.9% and 10% respectively were obtained.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30895380,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Endoscopic third ventriculostomy prior to resection of posterior fossa tumors in children.\nHydrocephalus is a common presenting symptom of pediatric posterior fossa tumors and often requires permanent cerebrospinal fluid diversion even after resection. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is a well-established treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus in children. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that ETV prior to posterior fossa tumor resection decreases the rate of postoperative ventriculoperitonal shunt (VPS) placement. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who presented with hydrocephalus and underwent posterior fossa tumor resection between 2005 and 2016 excluding pineal and tectal tumors. The rate of postoperative VPS placement was compared in patients who underwent resection and had a VPS placed perioperatively (historical controls) with patients who underwent ETV prior to resection. The two groups were matched for demographics, tumor histology, and tumor location. We also performed a literature review of prior studies that examined the role of ETV in pediatric posterior fossa tumors. Thirty-six patients in the control group were compared to 38 patients in our study. The patients were matched across all variables (age, gender, tumor histology, and tumor locations). The rate of postoperative VPS placement was 31% in the control group compared to 16% in the ETV group. No complications were encountered during ETV. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy prior to posterior fossa tumor resection in children appears to decrease the rate of postoperative VPS placement. Given its efficacy and safety, ETV should be considered prior to tumor resection in these patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8298836,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Screening and psychological debriefing of adolescent survivors of life-threatening events.\nThere is a perceived need for schools and casualty departments to receive appropriate information and guidelines in order to minimise the effect of PTSD. A recommended screening battery for PTSD was administered at the start of a two-session debriefing group and again three months later to a group of seven young survivors of a minibus accident. No studies using this screen other than those of shipping disasters have been reported to date. Screen scores were compared with those of survivors of the cruise ship Jupiter. No significant differences were found between minibus survivors when assessed at six months (before intervention), and Jupiter survivors, who when assessed at five months had already undergone debriefing. Post-debriefing assessment of minibus survivors demonstrated significant reductions on all measures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28065493,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dietary Protein Sources and Risk for Incident Chronic Kidney Disease: Results From the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.\nDietary protein restriction is recommended for patients with moderate to severe renal insufficiency. Long-term data on the relationship between dietary protein sources and risk for incident kidney disease in individuals with normal kidney function are largely missing. This study aimed to assess the association between dietary protein sources and incident chronic kidney disease (CKD). Prospective cohort. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study participants from 4 US communities. A total of 11,952 adults aged 44-66 years in 1987-1989 who were free of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \u2265 60 mL\/minute\/1.73 m2. A 66-item food frequency questionnaire was used to assess food intake. CKD stage 3 was defined as a decrease in eGFR of \u226525% from baseline resulting in an eGFR of less than 60 mL\/minute\/1.73 m2; CKD-related hospitalization; CKD-related death; or end-stage renal disease. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression. During a median follow-up of 23 years, there were 2,632 incident CKD cases. Red and processed meat consumption was associated with increased CKD risk (HRQ5 vs. Q1: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.06-1.42, ptrend = 0.01). In contrast, higher dietary intake of nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products was associated with lower CKD risk (nuts: HRQ5 vs. Q1: 0.81, 95% CI: 0.72-0.92, ptrend <0.001; low-fat dairy products: HRQ5 vs. Q1: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.65-0.85, ptrend <0.001; legumes: HRQ5 vs. Q1: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.72-0.95, ptrend = 0.03). There were varied associations of specific dietary protein sources with risk of incident CKD; with red and processed meat being adversely associated with CKD risk; and nuts, low-fat dairy products, and legumes being protective against the development of CKD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23212008,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Retrospective analysis of a listeria monocytogenes contamination episode in raw milk goat cheese using quantitative microbial risk assessment tools.\nIn 2005, the Belgian authorities reported a Listeria monocytogenes contamination episode in cheese made from raw goat's milk. The presence of an asymptomatic shedder goat in the herd caused this contamination. On the basis of data collected at the time of the episode, a retrospective study was performed using an exposure assessment model covering the production chain from the milking of goats up to delivery of cheese to the market. Predictive microbiology models were used to simulate the growth of L. monocytogenes during the cheese process in relation with temperature, pH, and water activity. The model showed significant growth of L. monocytogenes during chilling and storage of the milk collected the day before the cheese production (median increase of 2.2 log CFU\/ml) and during the addition of starter and rennet to milk (median increase of 1.2 log CFU\/ml). The L. monocytogenes concentration in the fresh unripened cheese was estimated to be 3.8 log CFU\/g (median). This result is consistent with the number of L. monocytogenes in the fresh cheese (3.6 log CFU\/g) reported during the cheese contamination episode. A variance-based method sensitivity analysis identified the most important factors impacting the cheese contamination, and a scenario analysis then evaluated several options for risk mitigation. Thus, by using quantitative microbial risk assessment tools, this study provides reliable information to identify and control critical steps in a local production chain of cheese made from raw goat's milk.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20666732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Self-association and domain rearrangements between complement C3 and C3u provide insight into the activation mechanism of C3.\nComponent C3 is the central protein of the complement system. During complement activation, the thioester group in C3 is slowly hydrolysed to form C3u, then the presence of C3u enables the rapid conversion of C3 into functionally active C3b. C3u shows functional similarities to C3b. To clarify this mechanism, the self-association properties and solution structures of C3 and C3u were determined using analytical ultracentrifugation and X-ray scattering. Sedimentation coefficients identified two different dimerization events in both proteins. A fast dimerization was observed in 50 mM NaCl but not in 137 mM NaCl. Low amounts of a slow dimerization was observed for C3u and C3 in both buffers. The X-ray radius of gyration RG values were unchanged for both C3 and C3u in 137 mM NaCl, but depend on concentration in 50 mM NaCl. The C3 crystal structure gave good X-ray fits for C3 in 137 mM NaCl. By randomization of the TED (thioester-containing domain)\/CUB (for complement protein subcomponents C1r\/C1s, urchin embryonic growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein 1) domains in the C3b crystal structure, X-ray fits showed that the TED\/CUB domains in C3u are extended and differ from the more compact arrangement of C3b. This TED\/CUB conformation is intermediate between those of C3 and C3b. The greater exposure of the TED domain in C3u (which possesses the hydrolysed reactive thioester) accounts for the greater self-association of C3u in low-salt conditions. This conformational variability of the TED\/CUB domains would facilitate their interactions with a broad range of antigenic surfaces. The second dimerization of C3 and C3u may correspond to a dimer observed in one of the crystal structures of C3b.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8387991,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Generation of a proton motive force by histidine decarboxylation and electrogenic histidine\/histamine antiport in Lactobacillus buchneri.\nLactobacillus buchneri ST2A vigorously decarboxylates histidine to the biogenic amine histamine, which is excreted into the medium. Cells grown in the presence of histidine generate both a transmembrane pH gradient, inside alkaline, and an electrical potential (delta psi), inside negative, upon addition of histidine. Studies of the mechanism of histidine uptake and histamine excretion in membrane vesicles and proteoliposomes devoid of cytosolic histidine decarboxylase activity demonstrate that histidine uptake, histamine efflux, and histidine\/histamine exchange are electrogenic processes. Histidine\/histamine exchange is much faster than the unidirectional fluxes of these substrates, is inhibited by an inside-negative delta psi and is stimulated by an inside positive delta psi. These data suggest that the generation of metabolic energy from histidine decarboxylation results from an electrogenic histidine\/histamine exchange and indirect proton extrusion due to the combined action of the decarboxylase and carrier-mediated exchange. The abundance of amino acid decarboxylation reactions among bacteria suggests that this mechanism of metabolic energy generation and\/or pH regulation is widespread.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33803735,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The Entire Intestinal Tract Surveillance Using Capsule Endoscopy after Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Administration: A Prospective Observational Study.\nDespite the proven efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) against various types of malignancies, they have been found to induce immune-related adverse events, such as enterocolitis; however, the clinical features of ICI-induced enterocolitis remain to be sufficiently elucidated, which is significant, considering the importance of early detection in the appropriate management and treatment of ICI-induced enterocolitis. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the utility of capsule endoscopy as a screening tool for ICI-induced enterocolitis. This single-center, prospective, observational study was conducted on patients with malignancy who received any ICI between April 2016 and July 2020 at Keio University Hospital. Next, second-generation capsule endoscopy (CCE-2) was performed on day 60 after ICI initiation to explore the entire gastrointestinal tract. Among the 30 patients enrolled herein, 23 underwent CCE-2. Accordingly, a total of 23 findings were observed in 14 (60.8%) patients at any portion of the gastrointestinal tract (7 patients in the colon, 4 patients in the small intestine, 2 patients in both the colon and the small intestine, and 1 patient in the stomach). After capsule endoscopy, 2 patients (8.7%) developed ICI-induced enterocolitis: both had significantly higher Capsule Scoring of Ulcerative Colitis than those who had not developed ICI-induced enterocolitis (p = 0.0455). No adverse events related to CCE-2 were observed. CCE-2 might be a safe and useful entire intestinal tract screening method for the early detection of ICI-induced enterocolitis in patients with malignancies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31992527,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effect of soil organic matter on petroleum hydrocarbon degradation in diesel\/fuel oil-contaminated soil.\nThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of soil organic matter (SOM) content levels on the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). Batch experiments were conducted with soils with 2% or 10% organic matter that had been contaminated by diesel or fuel oil. In addition to the TPH (diesel or fuel oil) degradation efficiency, a comprehensive investigation was conducted on the TPH-degrading microbial community using molecular tools including oligonucleotide microarray technique and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (T-RFLP). TPH was reduced from 10,000 mg\/kg to 1849-4352 mg\/kg dry weight soil. Higher biodegradation efficiencies and kinetic rate constants were observed in higher SOM contents. Hydrocarbon fractional analyses were conducted to explain the optimal operation with relatively low resin and aromatic fractions detected at the end of the remediation. The bacterial and fungal counts in the 10% SOM were approximately 10 CFU\/g to 102 CFU\/g above those in the 2% SOM, and the lowest fungal level was found when the least TPH degradability was measured. The internal transcribed spacer microarray identified the microorganisms that were introduced and proved their survival. The associated growth pattern confirmed that different kinds of contamination oils affected the microbial community diversity over time. Both the microarray and T-RFLP profiles indicated that Gordonia alkanivorans, G. desulfuricans, and Rhodococcus erythoropolis were the dominant bacteria, while Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus versicolor were the dominant fungi. The T-RFLP-derived nonmetric multidimensional scaling concluded that the dynamics of the microbial communities were impacted by the TPH degradation stages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25373349,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ingenol derivates promising for HIV eradication.\nThe eradication of HIV is at this moment one of the greatest challenges in the fight against HIV\/AIDS. Despite the prolonged effectiveness of current anti-HIV therapies, capable of keeping patients with undetectable viremia for long periods of time, HIV-infected patients cannot be cured due to the establishment of HIV latent reservoirs. Therefore, several therapeutic strategies are being evaluated to eliminate these viral reservoirs. One of these strategies, termed \"shock and kill\", aims to attack the latent reservoir by simultaneous treatment with HIV-activating agents to stimulate viral replication in latently infected cells and antiretroviral therapy to block new infections. A number of compounds have been suggested for the shock and kill strategy including histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACI), histone methyltransferases (HMT), DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTI), and protein kinase C (PKC) activators.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33765804,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Generating coherence-constrained multisensor signals using balanced mixing and spectrally smooth filters.\nThe spatial properties of a noise field can be described by a spatial coherence function. Synthetic multichannel noise signals exhibiting a specific spatial coherence can be generated by properly mixing a set of uncorrelated, possibly non-stationary, signals. The mixing matrix can be obtained by decomposing the spatial coherence matrix. As proposed in a widely used method, the factorization can be performed by means of a Choleski or eigenvalue decomposition. In this work, the limitations of these two methods are discussed and addressed. In particular, specific properties of the mixing matrix are analyzed, namely, the spectral smoothness and the mix balance. The first quantifies the mixing matrix-filters variation across frequency and the second quantifies the number of input signals that contribute to each output signal. Three methods based on the unitary Procrustes solution are proposed to enhance the spectral smoothness, the mix balance, and both properties jointly. A performance evaluation confirms the improvements of the mixing matrix in terms of objective measures. Furthermore, the evaluation results show that the error between the target and the generated coherence is lowered by increasing the spectral smoothness of the mixing matrix.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30615803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of High-Fat Diet and Body Mass on Bone Morphology and Mechanical Properties in 1100 Advanced Intercross Mice.\nObesity is generally protective against osteoporosis and bone fracture. However, recent studies indicate that the influence of obesity on the skeleton is complex and can be detrimental. We evaluated the effects of a high-fat, obesogenic diet on the femur and radius of 1100 mice (males and females) from the Large-by-Small advanced intercross line (F34 generation). At age 5 months, bone morphology was assessed by microCT and mechanical properties by three-point bending. Mice raised on a high-fat diet had modestly greater cortical area, bending stiffness, and strength. Size-independent material properties were unaffected by a high-fat diet, indicating that diet influenced bone quantity but not quality. Bone size and mechanical properties were strongly correlated with body mass. However, the increases in many bone traits per unit increase in body mass were less in high-fat diet mice than low-fat diet mice. Thus, although mice raised on a high-fat diet have, on average, bigger and stronger bones than low-fat-fed mice, a high-fat diet diminished the positive relationship between body mass and bone size and whole-bone strength. The findings support the concept that there are diminishing benefits to skeletal health with increasing obesity. \u00a9 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31235621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Elevated Prevalence of Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in Urban versus Rural Environments in the United Kingdom.\nAzole resistance in the opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is increasing, dominated primarily by the following two environmentally associated resistance alleles: TR34\/L98H and TR46\/Y121F\/T289A. By sampling soils across the South of England, we assess the prevalence of azole-resistant A. fumigatus (ARAf) in samples collected in both urban and rural locations. We characterize the susceptibility profiles of the resistant isolates to three medical azoles, identify the underlying genetic basis of resistance, and investigate their genetic relationships. ARAf was detected in 6.7% of the soil samples, with a higher prevalence in urban (13.8%) than rural (1.1%) locations. Twenty isolates were confirmed to exhibit clinical breakpoints for resistance to at least one of three medical azoles, with 18 isolates exhibiting resistance to itraconazole, 6 to voriconazole, and 2 showing elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations to posaconazole. Thirteen of the resistant isolates harbored the TR34\/L98H resistance allele, and six isolates carried the TR46\/Y121F\/T289A allele. The 20 azole-resistant isolates were spread across five csp1 genetic subtypes, t01, t02, t04B, t09, and t18 with t02 being the predominant subtype. Our study demonstrates that ARAf can be easily isolated in the South of England, especially in urban city centers, which appear to play an important role in the epidemiology of environmentally linked drug-resistant A. fumigatus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34064865,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Analysis of Bio-Risk Management System Implementation in Indonesian Higher Education Laboratory.\nDeveloping countries face various challenges in implementing bio-risk management systems in the laboratory. In addition, educational settings are considered as workplaces with biohazard risks. Every activity in a laboratory facility carries many potential hazards that can impact human health and the environment and may cause laboratory incidents, including Laboratory Acquired Infections (LAIs). In an effort to minimize the impact and occurrence of these incidents, it is necessary to evaluate the implementation of a bio-risk management system in every activity that involves handling biological agents. This study was conducted in an Indonesian higher-education institution, herein coded as University Y. This is a descriptive, semi-quantitative study aimed at analysing and evaluating the implementation of the bio-risk management systems used in laboratories by analysing the achievements obtained by each laboratory. The study used primary data that were collected using a checklist which referred to ISO 35001:2019 on Laboratory Bio-risk Management. The checklist consisted of 202 items forming seven main elements. In addition, secondary data obtained from literature and document review were also used. The results show that out of 11 laboratories examined, only 2 laboratories met 50% of the requirements, which were Laboratory A and B, achieving good performance. Regarding the clauses of standards, a gap analysis identified leadership, performance evaluation, and support as elements with the lowest achievement. Therefore, corrective action should be developed by enhancing the commitment from management as well as improving documentation, policy, education and training.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17623669,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2014-10":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Role of a tRNA base modification and its precursors in frameshifting in eukaryotes.\nLittle is known about the role of specific base modifications of transfer RNAs. Wyosine bases are tRNA(Phe)-specific modifications that are distinguished by differentiated, lateral side chains and base methylations appended to the core ring structure of a universally conserved G37, adjacent to the anticodon of Phe tRNAs. Based on previous data, we hypothesized that this modification was needed for -1 frameshifting. Using a reporter system incorporating a SCV-LA yeast virus slippery site for detecting -1 frameshifts in vivo, yeast strains were created that enabled chemical-genetic dissection of the role of different functional groups of wyebutosine that are added in a three-step post-transcriptional set of reactions. With this system, hypomodification increased Phe-specific frameshifting, with incremental changes in frameshift efficiency after specific intermediates in the progression of wyebutosine synthesis. These data combined with investigations of wild-type and hypomodified tRNA binding to ribosomes suggest that frameshift efficiency is kinetically and not thermodynamically controlled. The progressive nature of frameshift efficiency with the stage of modification is consistent with a stepwise evolution and tuning of frameshift potential. The stepwise tuning of frameshift efficiency could explain why tRNA(Phe) in some eukaryotes is not fully modified but, rather, hypomodified to capture a specific frameshift potential.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12753658,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"TNF-alpha polymorphisms and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Taiwanese patients.\nType 2 diabetic mellitus (type 2 DM) comprises more than 95% of all Taiwanese patients with DM. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression is linked with insulin resistance, and is under strong genetic control. The correlation between TNF promoter genotypes and type 2 DM is still controversial, because discrepancies among different studies exist. Ethnic differences play certain roles in these conflicting results, because the distribution of TNF promoter polymorphisms is different among study subjects with different racial origins. Therefore, we examined the relationship between the incidence of type 2 diabetes in Taiwanese and two polymorphisms of the TNF-alpha promoter region (positions -238 and -308) as well as the correlation between these polymorphisms and the patients' biochemical manifestations. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells of 261 Taiwanese patients with type 2 DM and 189 non-diabetic control study subjects, and their TNF promoter G-238A and G-308A polymorphisms were analyzed by PCR-RFLP analysis. No significant association between TNF-alpha G-238A and G-308A polymorphisms with type 2 diabetic incidence was observed. However, associations between TNF-alpha G-238A and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and between G-308A promoter polymorphism and high-fasting plasma glucose levels, using multiple linear regression analysis with adjustment for the subjects' age, sex, body mass index and diabetic status, were found. Our results suggested that though TNF-alpha G-238A and G-308A polymorphisms were not involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 DM, type 2 diabetic patients carrying TNFA-A or TNF-308*2 genotype might be more susceptible to diabetic complications such as atherosclerosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21120378,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparative reproductive biology of the social parasite Acromyrmex ameliae de Souza, Soares & Della Lucia and of its host Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus Forel (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).\nSocial parasites exhibit several characteristics that allow them to exploit their host species efficiently. The smaller size of parasite species is a trait commonly found in ants. In this work, we investigated several aspects of the reproductive biology of Acromyrmex ameliae De Souza, Soares & Della Lucia, a recently discovered parasite of Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus Forel. Sexuals of A. ameliae are substantially smaller than those from host species. Parasite queens laid significantly less worker eggs than host queens and inhibit sexual production of the host. The sex ratio of parasite species is highly female biased. Interestingly, we have observed parasite coupling on the laboratory, inside the nests and in the ground, opening the possibility to use controlled mating to study genetic approaches of parasitism in the ants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17492907,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Distal support and community living among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.\nCommunity integration for individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia is essential to successful community tenure. Most of the research and clinical emphasis on the process of integration has been focused on the successes in normative goals (e.g., employment, support networks). Little research has focused on how individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder integrate in the realm of public life involving the casual routine interactions with other community members, termed \"distal support\" in this study. This was a cross-sectional study specifically designed to develop a measure of distal support and to identify clinical and sociodemographic factors associated with fostering distal supports. Findings suggest that personality factors, specifically extroversion and openness, play a role in the process of fostering community distal supports. It was also found that a greater number of distal supports were associated with higher quality of life satisfaction ratings and sense of belonging scores with the participants who were diagnosed with schizophrenia. A greater number of distal supports were associated with higher hospitalization rates and emergency contacts among the participants diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, but not among those diagnosed with schizophrenia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24482982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Initiating therapy or switching to biphasic insulin aspart improves glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: an Indian experience from the A1chieve study.\nBiphasic insulin aspart 30 (BIAsp 30) has been used in patients for almost a decade; There is a wealth of knowledge from clinical trials to document its efficacy and safety and suggest that BIAsp 30 is an option for initiation and intensification of insulin therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The A1chieve was a non-interventional study that explored the safety and effectiveness of initiating or switching to insulin analogues in routine clinical practice in more than 60,000 patients from 28 different countries. In this manuscript, we discuss the findings from the subgroup of the Indian cohort who were treated with BIAsp 30. In a cohort of 15287 who were on BIAsp 30, 12645 (83%) were insulin naive and 2642 (17%) had been on insulin therapy earlier. Glycaemic parameters were high at baseline. Mean (SD) HbA1c was 9.2% (1.3) in the these and was comparable in the insulin naive and insulin experienced groups. After 24 weeks of therapy with BIAsp 30, there were reductions in HbA1c in both the insulin naive group, [-1.8 (1.3)] and insulin experienced group [-1.6 (1.3)]. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) levels were also reduced significantly from baseline [-3.4 (2.7) and -4.8 (3.8) mmol\/L, respectively, p < 0.05). Overall, hypoglycaemia decreased from 1.33 events\/patient years at baseline to 0.19 events\/patient years at 24 weeks. There was also an increase in quality of life score as evaluated by EQ-5D questionnaire. Initiating insulin therapy with or switching to BIAsp 30 in patients with poor glycaemic control leads to an improvement in glycaemic profile with no major hypoglycaemia or clinically significant weight gain. Therapy with BIAsp 30 also improves the quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24521289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Reduced vascular endothelial growth factor and capillary density in the occipital cortex in dementia with Lewy bodies.\nIn dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), blood flow tends to be reduced in the occipital cortex. We previously showed elevated activity of the endothelin and angiotensin pathways in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have measured endothelin-1 (ET-1) level and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity in the occipital cortex in DLB and control brains. We also measured vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); factor VIII-related antigen (FVIIIRA) to indicate microvessel density; myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), a marker of ante-mortem hypoperfusion; total \u03b1-synuclein (\u03b1-syn) and \u03b1-synuclein phosphorylated at Ser129 (\u03b1-syn-p129). In contrast to findings in AD, ACE activity and ET-1 level were unchanged in DLB compared with controls. VEGF and FVIIIRA levels were, however, significantly lower in DLB. VEGF correlated positively with MAG concentration (in keeping with a relationship between reduction in VEGF and hypoperfusion), and negatively with \u03b1-syn and \u03b1-syn-p129 levels. Both \u03b1-syn and \u03b1-syn-p129 levels increased in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), and VEGF level was reduced in SH-SY5Y cells overexpressing \u03b1-syn. Taken together, our findings suggest that reduced microvessel density rather than vasoconstriction is responsible for lower occipital blood flow in DLB, and that the loss of microvessels may result from VEGF deficiency, possible secondary to the accumulation of \u03b1-syn.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8993513,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Topoisomerase I inhibition by the camptothecin analog Gl147211C. From the laboratory to the clinic.\nThe development of camptothecin-like compounds as inhibitors of DNA topoisomerase I for the treatment of solid tumors has generated clinical excitement in this new class of drugs. We have discovered, developed, and entered into clinical trial a novel, potent, and water-soluble camptothecin analog with significant antitumor activity. This compound, Gl147211C [7-(4-methylpiperaziinomethylene)-10, 11-ethylenedioxy-20(S)-camptothecin hydrochloride] is a specific inhibitor of DNA topoisomerase I. Compared to topotecan, Gl147211C is approximately three times as potent in the cleavable complex assay and approximately twice as soluble in aqueous medium. Human tumor cell line cytotoxicity assays indicated that Gl147211C was approximately 3- to 5-fold more potent than topotecan, while both compounds were relatively insensitive to the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein. The in vivo preclinical antitumor activity of Gl147211C was compared to topotecan in an array of human tumor xenograft models in nude mice. In general, Gl147211C was able to induce regression of established tumors whereas topotecan was not. Microscopic evaluation of necropsied tissues indicated that drug-induced toxicity was mild, primarily limited to the gastrointestinal tract, and was comparable for both Gl147211C and topotecan. Based on these observations, Gl147211C moved through preclinical development and subsequently into Phase I clinical trial. A summary of Phase I trial results to date is provided.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29463843,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prostaglandin D2 amplifies lupus disease through basophil accumulation in lymphoid organs.\nIn systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), autoantibody production can lead to kidney damage and failure, known as lupus nephritis. Basophils amplify the synthesis of autoantibodies by accumulating in secondary lymphoid organs. Here, we show a role for prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) in the pathophysiology of SLE. Patients with SLE have increased expression of PGD2 receptors (PTGDR) on blood basophils and increased concentration of PGD2 metabolites in plasma. Through an autocrine mechanism dependent on both PTGDRs, PGD2 induces the externalization of CXCR4 on basophils, both in humans and mice, driving accumulation in secondary lymphoid organs. Although PGD2 can accelerate basophil-dependent disease, antagonizing PTGDRs in mice reduces lupus-like disease in spontaneous and induced mouse models. Our study identifies the PGD2\/PTGDR axis as a ready-to-use therapeutic modality in SLE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11130232,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Updated treatment for influenza A and B.\nInfluenza causes significant morbidity and mortality and is responsible for considerable medical expenditures. Vaccination is the most effective public health measure to combat this illness. Amantadine and rimantadine are older antiviral agents that have been important adjuncts in the prevention and treatment of influenza A outbreaks. Zanamivir and oseltamivir are newer agents indicated for the treatment of both influenza A and B. For antiviral agents to be effective, they must be used within 48 hours of the onset of influenza symptoms. Antiviral agents reduce the duration of fever and illness by one to two and one-half days and also reduce the severity of some symptoms. Use of amantadine or rimantadine is appropriate if influenza virus A is known to be the predominant agent in a particular year or location. Data need to be evaluated on the development of resistance and use of the newer antiviral agents in geriatric patients, high-risk patients and children. For optimal use of antiviral agents, patients with influenza symptoms must present early, and family physicians must accurately and rapidly diagnose the illness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27188901,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"\u03b2-Hydroxy-\u03b2-methylbutyrate attenuates cytokine response during sustained military training.\nThis study tested the hypothesis that of 23 days of \u03b2-hydroxy-\u03b2-methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation can maintain muscle mass and attenuate the immune and inflammatory response in combat soldiers during highly intense military training. Soldiers were randomly assigned to either a HMB (n = 6) or placebo (PL; n = 7) group and provided with 3 g \u00b7 day(-1) of either HMB or PL. During the final week of supplementation soldiers participated in extreme physical training, which included night navigation of 6-8 hours across difficult terrain carrying heavy loads combined with sleep deprivation (3.8 \u00b1 3.0 h per night). Blood draws were performed prior to and following the supplementation period. Magnetic resonance imaging, which included diffusion tensor imaging sequence, was used for muscle fiber tracking analysis. Data was analyzed using a two-way mixed factorial analysis of variance. Magnitude-based inferences were used to provide inferences on the true effects that HMB may have had on the dependent variables compared to PL, calculated from 90% confidence intervals. Changes in tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1 for HMB (-3.9 \u00b1 8.2 pg \u00b7 mL(-1)) were significantly lower (P = .043) compared to the change in PL (+4.0 \u00b1 3.7 pg \u00b7 mL(-1)). HMB ingestion was also very likely (92%-95% Likelihood) to lower granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin 10 compared to PL. In addition, HMB supplementation was likely (78%-87% likelihood) to reduce interferon-\u03b3, interleukin 8, CX3CL1, and increase muscle volume for the adductor magnus (77% likelihood) compared to PL. In summary, the results of this study provides evidence that HMB supplementation may attenuate the inflammatory response to high intense military training, and maintain muscle quality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36142353,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"CRISPR\/Cas9 Technology and Its Utility for Crop Improvement.\nThe rapid growth of the global population has resulted in a considerable increase in the demand for food crops. However, traditional crop breeding methods will not be able to satisfy the worldwide demand for food in the future. New gene-editing technologies, the most widely used of which is CRISPR\/Cas9, may enable the rapid improvement of crop traits. Specifically, CRISPR\/Cas9 genome-editing technology involves the use of a guide RNA and a Cas9 protein that can cleave the genome at specific loci. Due to its simplicity and efficiency, the CRISPR\/Cas9 system has rapidly become the most widely used tool for editing animal and plant genomes. It is ideal for modifying the traits of many plants, including food crops, and for creating new germplasm materials. In this review, the development of the CRISPR\/Cas9 system, the underlying mechanism, and examples of its use for editing genes in important crops are discussed. Furthermore, certain limitations of the CRISPR\/Cas9 system and potential solutions are described. This article will provide researchers with important information regarding the use of CRISPR\/Cas9 gene-editing technology for crop improvement, plant breeding, and gene functional analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3968845,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of danazol on coagulation parameters and bleeding in hemophilia.\nDanazol was given orally at a dose of 600 mg\/day to six hemophiliacs for eight to 14 weeks. All patients showed a significant decrease in activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) beginning with the first measurement (two weeks) and persisting until use of the drug was discontinued. However, a corresponding increase in the deficient factor activity could not be consistently demonstrated. Despite the shortened APTT, bleeding episodes continued in the severe hemophiliacs and the patient with Christmas disease. In four patients, bleeding appeared to increase in severity or change in pattern, and in two cases the bleeding manifestations did not respond to usual factor infusions but responded to discontinuation of the drug therapy and further factor replacement. Euglobulin lysis times were measured in five patients (one hemophiliac and four with nonhemophilic conditions) who were receiving danazol. The lysis times were markedly shortened. Increased fibrinolytic activity may be responsible for the increased bleeding manifestations in danazol-treated hemophiliacs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33875620,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pentraxin-3-mediated complement activation in a swine model of renal ischemia\/reperfusion injury.\nPentraxins are a family of evolutionarily conserved pattern recognition molecules with pivotal roles in innate immunity and inflammation, such as opsonization of pathogens during bacterial and viral infections. In particular, the long Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has been shown to regulate several aspects of vascular and tissue inflammation during solid organ transplantation. Our study investigated the role of PTX3 as possible modulator of Complement activation in a swine model of renal ischemia\/reperfusion (I\/R) injury. We demonstrated that I\/R injury induced early PTX3 deposits at peritubular and glomerular capillary levels. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed PTX3 deposits co-localizing with CD31+ endothelial cells. In addition, PTX3 was associated with infiltrating macrophages (CD163), dendritic cells (SWC3a) and myofibroblasts (FSP1). In particular, we demonstrated a significant PTX3-mediated activation of classical (C1q-mediated) and lectin (MBL-mediated) pathways of Complement. Interestingly, PTX3 deposits co-localized with activation of the terminal Complement complex (C5b-9) on endothelial cells, indicating that PTX3-mediated Complement activation occurred mainly at the renal vascular level. In conclusion, these data indicate that PTX3 might be a potential therapeutic target to prevent Complement-induced I\/R injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37768817,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of crocin supplementation during in vitro culture of intact and half-destroyed four-cell mouse embryos.\nWe evaluated the effects of crocin supplementation during culture of intact and half-destroyed four-cell mouse embryos. Outcomes measured included rate of cleavage arrest, blastocyst formation, and blastocyst cell number. We used laser to create two zonal holes without blastomere destruction in Groups 1 (n=100) and 2 (n=100), and to destroy two of the four blastomeres in Groups 3 (n=150) and 4 (n=150). Embryos were cultured in groups of ten in drops of medium without (Groups 1 and 3) or with 20 \u03bcg\/ml of crocin supplementation (Groups 2 and 4). Embryos in Groups 1 and 2 had no difference in the rate of cleavage arrest (6.0% vs. 7.0%, respectively; p=0.774) or blastocyst formation (89.0% vs. 86.0%, respectively; p=0.521). Neither was there a difference in the number of cells in the blastocysts (99.6\u00b123.5 vs. 95.6\u00b1 8.2, respectively, p=0.83). Half-destroyed embryos cultured in crocin-supplemented medium (Group 4) had a lower rate of cleavage arrest (14.7% vs. 30.0%, p=0.001), and a higher rate of blastocyst formation (51.3% vs. 37.3%, p=0.015), than those in non-supplemented medium (Group 3). In blastocysts derived from half-destroyed embryos, there was no difference in the number of cells in ICM (14.5\u00b13.9 vs. 13.7\u00b12.9, p=0.285), TE (45.2\u00b112.3 vs. 46.0\u00b113.3, p=0.764), or total cells (59.7\u00b112.2 vs. 59.7\u00b114.8, respectively, p=0.990) among the two groups. Crocin supplementation during in vitro development of impaired embryos improved their development, but had no effect on intact embryos.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23599486,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pervasive externalities at the population, consumption, and environment nexus.\nGrowing concerns that contemporary patterns of economic development are unsustainable have given rise to an extensive empirical literature on population growth, consumption increases, and our growing use of nature's products and services. However, far less has been done to reach a theoretical understanding of the socio-ecological processes at work at the population-consumption-environment nexus. In this Research Article, we highlight the ubiquity of externalities (which are the unaccounted for consequences for others, including future people) of decisions made by each of us on reproduction, consumption, and the use of our natural environment. Externalities, of which the \"tragedy of the commons\" remains the most widely discussed illustration, are a cause of inefficiency in the allocation of resources across space, time, and contingencies; in many situations, externalities accentuate inequity as well. Here, we identify and classify externalities in consumption and reproductive decisions and use of the natural environment so as to construct a unified theoretical framework for the study of data drawn from the nexus. We show that externalities at the nexus are not self-correcting in the marketplace. We also show that fundamental nonlinearities, built into several categories of externalities, amplify the socio-ecological processes operating at the nexus. Eliminating the externalities would, therefore, require urgent collective action at both local and global levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10611567,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-20":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Preliminary evaluation of the effect of an attenuation correction method in myocardial perfusion SPECT].\nWe propose a method to assess an attenuation correction method in myocardial perfusion SPECT. Three types of images are obtained: one resulting from a classic acquisition and filtered back-projection (classic), and those resulting from acquisition with a transmission source and an iterative reconstruction, with (music) or without (hybrid) the attenuation correction factored in to compare the three types of images and classify them as normal or abnormal, a three dimensional inter-patient quantitative comparison method was used. Differences were computed as fractions of the myocardial volume in which density differences are significant by population standards. In 7 cases the cumulative difference between prone and supine in hybrid images was 124 and 45 in music images. In 10 cases the cumulative difference between classic vs music images was 279, and between classic and hybrid 86. The AC changed 4\/12 cases from abnormal to normal. The attenuation correction effect was concentrated on the septal and inferior walls, but neither exclusively nor evenly among patients. The attenuation correction effectively minimizes attenuation effects by a factor of 2.7, due to a correction of at least 69%. The correction has a small but substantial effect on the results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30806146,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Dopaminergic gene methylation is associated with cognitive performance in a childhood monozygotic twin study.\nIndividual differences in cognitive function are due to a combination of heritable and non-heritable factors. A large body of evidence from clinical, cognitive, and pharmacological neuroscience implicates dopaminergic gene variants as modulators of cognitive functions. Neuroepigenetic studies demonstrate environmental factors also influence complex phenotypes by affecting gene expression regulation. To evaluate the mechanism of environmental influence on cognitive abilities, we examined if epigenetic regulation of dopaminergic genes plays a role in cognition. Using a DNA methylation profiling microarray, we used a monozygotic (MZ) twin difference design to evaluate if co-twin differences in methylation of CpG sites near six dopaminergic genes predicted differences in response inhibition and memory performance. Studying MZ twins allows us to assess if environmentally driven differences in methylation affect differences in phenotype while controlling for the influence of genotype and shared family environment. Response inhibition was assessed with the flanker task and short-term and working memory were assessed with digit span recall. We found MZ co-twin differences in DRD4 gene methylation predicted differences in short-term memory. MZ differences in COMT, DBH, DAT1, DRD1, and DRD2 gene methylation predicted differences in response inhibition. Taken together, findings suggest methylation status of dopaminergic genes may influence cognitive functions in a dissociable manner. Our results highlight the importance of the epigenome and environment, over and above the influence of genotype, in supporting complex cognitive functions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24128366,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Are object affordances fully automatic? A case of covert attention.\nInspired in part by Gibson's (1979) ecological approach to perception, current neurocognitive theories of action suggest that the simple viewing of an object can automatically elicit motor programs for specific acts. However, the degree to which such affordances should be considered truly automatic is unknown. Here we explored the generation of motor plans afforded by pairs of cue objects that were viewed peripherally under different attentional states. Participants focused centrally while attending to just one of two peripheral cue objects that together had a strong significance for pinching, grasping, or both. They were instructed to ignore the objects and instead give power or precision grip responses to subsequent changes in background color. The data showed a significant interaction between type of response and type of object, indicating that object affordances are perceived even in nonfoveal vision. Critically, the generation of affordances was modulated by the locus of attention: Motor preparation was biased toward the attended object when two different categories of object appeared in the same trial, but the generation of affordances was also influenced by unattended stimuli. This finding demonstrates that object-action priming is not completely automatic, instead being constrained by processes of perceptual selection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36156003,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Clonal Evolution in the Tumor Microenvironment].\nCancer immunotherapy has shown efficacy in many types of cancer. However, there are many challenges, such as the difficulty in predicting therapeutic efficacy. In the tumor microenvironment, tumor cells evolve to escape the anti-tumor immune response and have capacity of proliferation, whereas immune cells also evolve along with tumor cells. Elucidating the detailed clonal evolution is helpful for the development of biomarkers for prediction of therapeutic effects and novel therapies. To elucidate clonal evolution in the tumor microenvironment, analyses at the single-cell level, rather than in bulks, is necessary for heterogeneous and highly diverse cell populations. Recently, single-cell sequencing can be used to analyze comprehensive gene expression, or it is possible to focus on specific regions, such as T-cell or B-cell receptor sequences. In addition, technologies have been developed that allow spatial analyses by a single-cell level while preserving tissue location information. Recently, new findings have been clarified using pre- and post-treatment samples from same patients to analyze the clonal progression of the tumor cells themselves and immune cells based on sequential changes in the tumor microenvironment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33810750,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Two-community noisy Kuramoto model with general interaction strengths. I.\nWe generalize the study of the noisy Kuramoto model, considered on a network of two interacting communities, to the case where the interaction strengths within and across communities are taken to be different in general. By developing a geometric interpretation of the self-consistency equations, we are able to separate the parameter space into ten regions in which we identify the maximum number of solutions in the steady state. Furthermore, we prove that in the steady state, only the angles 0 and \u03c0 are possible between the average phases of the two communities and derive the solution boundary for the unsynchronized solution. Last, we identify the equivalence class relation in the parameter space corresponding to the symmetrically synchronized solution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27341454,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Treatment Patterns with Antidementia Drugs in the United States: Medicare Cohort Study.\nTo evaluate frequency of use of two anti-dementia drug classes approved for treatment of symptoms, whether populations most likely to benefit are treated, and correlates of treatment initiation. Nationally representative cohort study. Fee-for-service Medicare. Elderly adults with dementia enrolled in Medicare Parts A, B, and D in 2009 (N = 433,559) and a subset with incident dementia (n = 185,449). Main outcome was any prescription fill for antidementia drugs (cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEIs) or memantine) within 1 year. Treatment with antidementia drugs occurred in 55.8% of all participants with dementia and 49.3% of those with incident dementia. There was no difference between ChEIs and memantine use according to dementia severity (measured as death within first year or living in residential care vs in a community setting) even though memantine is not indicated in mild disease. In incident cases, initiation of treatment was lower in residential care (relative risk (RR) = 0.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.81-0.83) and with more comorbidities (RR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.96-0.96). Sixty percent of participants were managed in primary care alone. Seeing a neurologist (RR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.06-1.09) or psychiatrist (RR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.16-1.19) was associated with higher likelihood of treatment than seeing a primary care provider alone, and seeing geriatrician was associated with with lower likelihood (RR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.93-0.99). Across the United States, the proportion of newly diagnosed individuals started on antidementia treatment varied from 32% to 66% across hospital referral regions. Antidementia drugs are used less often in people with late disease, but there is no differentiation in medication choice. Although primary care providers most often prescribe antidementia medication without specialty support, differences in practice between specialties are evident.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23595730,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Drosophila TRPA1 functions in temperature control of circadian rhythm in pacemaker neurons.\nMost animals from flies to humans count on circadian clocks to synchronize their physiology and behaviors. Daily light cycles are well known environmental cues for setting circadian rhythms. Warmer and cooler temperatures that mimic day and night are also effective in entraining circadian activity in most animals. Even vertebrate organisms can be induced to show circadian responses through exposure to temperature cycles. In poikilothermic animals such as Drosophila, temperature differences of only 2-3\u00b0C are sufficient to synchronize locomotor rhythms. However, the molecular sensors that participate in temperature regulation of circadian activity in fruit flies or other animals are enigmatic. It is also unclear whether such detectors are limited to the periphery or may be in the central brain. Here, we showed that Drosophila TRPA1 (transient receptor potential cation channel A1) was necessary for normal activity patterns during temperature cycles. The trpA1 gene was expressed in a subset of pacemaker neurons in the central brain. In response to temperature entrainment, loss of trpA1 impaired activity, and altered expression of the circadian clock protein period (Per) in a subset of pacemaker neurons. These findings underscore a role for a thermoTRP in temperature regulation that extends beyond avoidance of noxious or suboptimal temperatures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34887,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Azulfidine therapy for ulcerative colitis in infancy.\nThe reported patient represents an example of extensive colonic disease at an uncommon age of involvement. The significant response to salicylazosulfapyridine therapy with this degree of involvement at this age is uncommon. This case suggests the value of an initial trial of medical therapy with salicylazosulfapyridine before the use of steroids or colectomy is contemplated in infants with ulcerative colitis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16050288,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":3,"2024-10":1,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of methimazole on thyroid gland uptake of 99mTC-pertechnetate in 19 hyperthyroid cats.\nNineteen cats with abnormally high serum T4 concentrations underwent thyroid scintigraphy using technetium-99m pertechnetate (99mTcO4) before and after 36 +\/- 6 days of methimazole administration (approximately 2.5mg PO q 12 h). Thyroid-to-salivary gland ratios (T:S ratios) and percentage thyroidal uptake of injected radioactivity at 20 and 60min after injection of 99mTcO4 were compared before and after methimazole treatment. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration was measured before and after methimazole treatment. Quantitatively, there was a positive association between the thyroid uptake of 99mTcO4 and the serum T4 before treatment (r = 0.74-0.83). TSH suppression was present when cats were first evaluated for hyperthyroidism. Methimazole treatment did not relieve TSH suppression in 17 cats. Two cats with unilateral thyroid uptake developed bilateral, asymmetric thyroid uptake of 99mTcO4 after treatment and had the greatest increase in TSH concentration after treatment. Quantitatively, thyroid scintigraphy did not significantly change after methimazole treatment (P>0.1). Evaluation of serum TSH concentration may be helpful in identifying methimazole-induced changes in the scintigraphic features of hyperthyroidism in mildly hyperthyroid cats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31226063,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Multimodal Integrated Sensor Platform for Rapid Biomarker Detection.\nPrecision metabolomics and quantification for cost-effective rapid diagnosis of disease are the key goals in personalized medicine and point-of-care testing. At present, patients are subjected to multiple test procedures requiring large laboratory equipment. Microelectronics has already made modern computing and communications possible by integration of complex functions within a single chip. As More than Moore technology increases in importance, integrated circuits for densely patterned sensor chips have grown in significance. Here, we present a versatile single complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor chip forming a platform to address personalized needs through on-chip multimodal optical and electrochemical detection that will reduce the number of tests that patients must take. The chip integrates interleaved sensing subsystems for quadruple-mode colorimetric, chemiluminescent, surface plasmon resonance, and hydrogen ion measurements. These subsystems include a photodiode array and a single photon avalanche diode array with some elements functionalized to introduce a surface plasmon resonance mode. The chip also includes an array of ion sensitive field-effect transistors. The sensor arrays are distributed uniformly over an active area on the chip surface in a scalable and modular design. Bio-functionalization of the physical sensors yields a highly selective simultaneous multiple-assay platform in a disposable format. We demonstrate its versatile capabilities through quantified bio-assays performed on-chip for glucose, cholesterol, urea, and urate, each within their naturally occurring physiological range.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24478091,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"G proteins G\u03b1i1\/3 are critical targets for Bordetella pertussis toxin-induced vasoactive amine sensitization.\nPertussis toxin (PTX) is an AB5-type exotoxin produced by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough. In vivo intoxication with PTX elicits a variety of immunologic and inflammatory responses, including vasoactive amine sensitization (VAAS) to histamine (HA), serotonin (5-HT), and bradykinin (BDK). Previously, by using a forward genetic approach, we identified the HA H1 receptor (Hrh1\/H1R) as the gene in mice that controls differential susceptibility to B. pertussis PTX-induced HA sensitization (Bphs). Here we show, by using inbred strains of mice, F1 hybrids, and segregating populations, that, unlike Bphs, PTX-induced 5-HT sensitivity (Bpss) and BDK sensitivity (Bpbs) are recessive traits and are separately controlled by multiple loci unlinked to 5-HT and BDK receptors, respectively. Furthermore, we found that PTX sensitizes mice to HA independently of Toll-like receptor 4, a purported receptor for PTX, and that the VAAS properties of PTX are not dependent upon endothelial caveolae or endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Finally, by using mice deficient in individual G\u03b1i\/o G-protein subunits, we demonstrate that G\u03b1i1 and G\u03b1i3 are the critical in vivo targets of ADP-ribosylation underlying VAAS elicited by PTX exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2312725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":4,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Amplification of T cell blastogenic responses in healthy individuals and patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.\nHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with a profound impairment of T cell function. Hence, enhancement of T cell reactivity to viral and bacterial antigens is important in the treatment of patients with AIDS. To develop tools for amplifying T cell reactivity, we have immunized mice with human helper T cell clones and selected monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that enhance in vitro blastogenic responses. MAb NDA5, which recognizes the leukocyte common antigen CD45, amplifies human T cell responses to mitogens and soluble antigens including HIV-1 glycoprotein (gp)-120 and peptides derived from the HIV-1 gp-120 sequence. In the presence of MAb NDA5, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy, HIV-1-seronegative individual displayed augmented blastogenic responses to HIV-1 gp-120 and to HIV-1 gp-120 synthetic peptides. In vitro memory responses to various vaccines and to alloantigens were also enhanced in cultures with MAb. Similarly, the response of PBMC from AIDS patients to pokeweed mitogen, HIV-1 gp-120, and tetanus toxoid was enhanced with MAb NDA5. The finding that the in vitro immune response of patients with AIDS can be amplified with MAb NDA5, suggests that the in vivo immune response of immunodeficient individuals can also be enhanced.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28957940,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Comparison of acute and convalescent biomarkers of inflammation in patients with acute pulmonary embolism treated with systemic fibrinolysis vs. placebo.\n: Previous studies have associated biomarkers indicative of acute inflammation with pulmonary embolism, which may amplify coagulation, inhibit fibrinolysis and increase risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence. The aim of this study was to measure inflammatory and hemostatic biomarkers in acute submassive pulmonary embolism at diagnosis and 3-month follow-up and to test the impact of treatment with fibrinolysis. Secondary analysis of a multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial including patients with submassive pulmonary embolism. Blood samples were obtained within 24 h of diagnosis and prior to bolus-dose tenecteplase (TNK) or placebo; all patients received standard anticoagulation and blood was redrawn 3 months later. Plasma concentrations of inflammatory [Interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), myeloperoxidase (MPO)] and hemostatic [plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), fibrinogen, thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor and D-dimer] biomarkers were quantified. The median values of the biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6, CRP, MPO) were all significantly decreased at 3-month follow-up, ranging from a 60 to 91% reduction over this time period. Concentrations of PAI-1 and fibrinogen did not change significantly. D-dimer concentration at 3-month follow-up was lower in patients treated with fibrinolysis vs. placebo and appeared to have a trend toward significance (placebo 310 vs. TNK 220 ng\/ml, P = 0.051). Acute pulmonary embolism causes marked but transient inflammation, as demonstrated by the significant elevation in the inflammatory biomarkers at diagnosis, followed by their reduction in more than 80% of patients at 3-month follow-up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17618281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Dynamic BDNF activity in nucleus accumbens with cocaine use increases self-administration and relapse.\nA single exposure to cocaine rapidly induces the brief activation of several immediate early genes, but the role of such short-term regulation in the enduring consequences of cocaine use is poorly understood. We found that 4 h of intravenous cocaine self-administration in rats induced a transient increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and activation of TrkB-mediated signaling in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Augmenting this dynamic regulation with five daily NAc BDNF infusions caused enduring increases in cocaine self-administration, and facilitated relapse to cocaine seeking in withdrawal. In contrast, neutralizing endogenous BDNF regulation with intra-NAc infusions of antibody to BDNF subsequently reduced cocaine self-administration and attenuated relapse. Using localized inducible BDNF knockout in mice, we found that BDNF originating from NAc neurons was necessary for maintaining increased cocaine self-administration. These findings suggest that dynamic induction and release of BDNF from NAc neurons during cocaine use promotes the development and persistence of addictive behavior.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8074297,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Fractionation of heparin, dermatan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate by sequential precipitation: a method to purify a single glycosaminoglycan species from a mixture.\nPurified heparin, dermatan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfate in mixtures were fractionated by sequential precipitation with increasing volumes of acetone and analyzed by agarose-gel electrophoresis and for M(r), charge density, constituent disaccharides, and anticoagulant activity (for heparin). Purified glycosaminoglycans are generally utilized for pharmaceutical purposes and show physicochemical properties of glycosaminoglycans used as drugs. Heparin is the first glycosaminoglycan to precipitate at low percentages of acetone. The relative amount of slow moving and fast moving components, the M(r) and charge density, and the disaccharide pattern of fractionated heparin depend on the percentage of solvent. The activated partial thromboplastin time activity of fractions composed of heparin decreases with the charge density and M(r). Dermatan sulfate is precipitated by acetone over a narrow range (0.6-0.7 vol, 37-41%), and one of these fractions is constituted by 100% of this polysaccharide. These species of dermatan sulfate have different percentages of constituent disaccharides compared to the native polysaccharide. Nonsulfated disaccharide and disaccharide-6-sulfate are enriched. The dermatan sulfate species precipitated by acetone are also enriched in disaccharide-4,6-disulfated. Chondroitin sulfate is the most soluble glycosaminoglycan in mixed acetone\/water solvent. It begins to precipitate at 0.8 vol (44%) of acetone. Different species of chondroitin sulfate can be recovered by precipitation at different percentages of solvent, and they show a decrease in M(r) and charge density depending on the percentage of acetone. The chondroitin sulfate species fractionated are also enriched in disulfated disaccharides compared to native polysaccharide. A different distribution of the three disulfated disaccharides can be pointed out in the fractionated chondroitin sulfate. Sequential precipitation performed by carefully increasing acetone percentages can help obtain purified species of glycosaminoglycan with desired properties from a mixture and tissue extracts, and achieve savings in time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8562004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Results of a model AIDS prevention program for high school students in the Philippines.\nTo describe the sexual practices of high school students; to describe the process of development of a school-based AIDS prevention program; and to evaluate the effect of this program on students' AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and AIDS-preventive behaviors. A cluster-randomized, controlled trial with pretest\/post-test evaluation was conducted in four demographically similar public high schools in a semi-urban district of Metro Manila, the Philippines. Of 845 high school students who participated in the baseline survey, 804 (95%) completed a postintervention questionnaire. An AIDS prevention program was developed by public high school teachers together with local AIDS experts, social scientists and health educators. The teacher-led AIDS program was designed to provide students with accurate information about AIDS, particularly in dispelling misconceptions about casual contagion, to foster positive attitudes towards people with AIDS and to develop skills aimed at clarifying values and assessing intended behavior. At baseline, 11% of students (20% of males and 4% of females) reported ever having had sexual intercourse (mean age 14 years). Among these, condom use was low (24%). After implementation of the AIDS prevention program, statistically significant effects favoring the intervention group were observed in knowledge and attitudes towards people with AIDS. While there was no statistically significant overall effect on intended preventive behavior, the program appeared to delay the students' intended onset of sexual activity. A sizable number of Filipino high school students are sexually active but condom use is low. School-based AIDS prevention programs can be developed and implemented in developing countries with the assistance of school personnel to address sexual issues. Our program was successful in increasing AIDS-related knowledge and improving attitudes towards people with AIDS. Supplementation with other preventive activities may be needed to achieve lasting changes in students' risk-taking behavior.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16493623,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Diamond-Blackfan anemia associated with beta-thalassemia trait.\nA 14-month-old boy was referred to our hospital for evaluation of severe anemia. In the bone marrow aspiration smear, normal cellularity with severe erythroblastopenia (3%) was observed. The hemoglobin electrophoresis of the patient and his father were compatible with the beta-thalassemia trait. Because macrocytosis of Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is masked by microcytosis of beta-thalassemia trait, the diagnosis of DBA co-existing with beta-thalassemia trait might be challenging. We report herein a case of DBA co-existing with beta-thalassemia trait in a Turkish boy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23115613,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"In Vivo Fluorescent Labeling of Tumor Cells with the HaloTag\u00ae Technology.\nMany fluorescent sensors are currently available for in vitro bio-physiological microscopic imaging. The ability to label cells in living animals with these fluorescent sensors would help translate some of these assays into in vivo applications. To achieve this goal, the first step is to establish a method for selectively labeling target cells with exogenous fluorophores. Here we tested whether the HaloTag\u00ae protein tagging system provides specific labeling of xenograft tumors in living animals. After systemic delivery of fluorophore-conjugated ligands, we performed whole animal planar fluorescent imaging to determine uptake in tag-expressing HCT116 xenografts. Our results demonstrate that HaloTag ligands containing red or near-infrared fluorophores have enhanced tumor uptake and are suitable for non-invasive in vivo imaging. Our proof-of-concept results establish feasibility for using HaloTag technology for bio-physiological imaging in living animals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30207700,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Optoelectronic Nose: Colorimetric and Fluorometric Sensor Arrays.\nA comprehensive review on the development and state of the art of colorimetric and fluorometric sensor arrays is presented. Chemical sensing aims to detect subtle changes in the chemical environment by transforming relevant chemical or physical properties of molecular or ionic species (i.e., analytes) into an analytically useful output. Optical arrays based on chemoresponsive colorants (dyes and nanoporous pigments) probe the chemical reactivity of analytes, rather than their physical properties (e.g., mass). The chemical specificity of the olfactory system does not come from specific receptors for specific analytes (e.g., the traditional lock-and-key model of substrate-enzyme interactions), but rather olfaction makes use of pattern recognition of the combined response of several hundred olfactory receptors. In a similar fashion, arrays of chemoresponsive colorants provide high-dimensional data from the color or fluorescence changes of the dyes in these arrays as they are exposed to analytes. This provides chemical sensing with high sensitivity (often down to parts per billion levels), impressive discrimination among very similar analytes, and exquisite fingerprinting of extremely similar mixtures over a wide range of analyte types, in both the gas and liquid phases. Design of both sensor arrays and instrumentation for their analysis are discussed. In addition, the various chemometric and statistical analyses of high-dimensional data (including hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), support vector machines (SVMs), and artificial neural networks (ANNs)) are presented and critiqued in reference to their use in chemical sensing. A variety of applications are also discussed, including personal dosimetry of toxic industrial chemical, detection of explosives or accelerants, quality control of foods and beverages, biosensing intracellularly, identification of bacteria and fungi, and detection of cancer and disease biomarkers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19601997,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Higher risk of AIDS or death in patients with lower CD4 cell counts after virally suppressive HAART.\nThe clinical implications of a failure to achieve high CD4 cell counts while receiving virally suppressive highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are uncertain. We analysed data from HIV-infected men participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) to elucidate associations between CD4 cell counts achieved during virally suppressive HAART and risks of AIDS or death. Inclusion criteria were: CD4 cell count <200 cells\/microL before HAART initiation; >or=2 viral load (VL) determinations after HAART initiation; and sustained viral suppression, defined as all VL <50 HIV-1 RNA copies\/mL, but allowing a single VL of 50-1000 copies\/mL. One hundred and twenty-one men were included; median age was 42 years. After first VL <50 copies\/mL, six participants had a new AIDS diagnosis and seven died. The median CD4 cell count change\/year (cells\/microL) after first VL <50 copies\/mL was zero among patients who either developed AIDS or died vs. 39 among those who did not meet either endpoint (P=0.119). After controlling for time from HAART initiation to first VL <50 copies\/mL, age at first VL <50 copies\/mL, history of AIDS and antiretroviral therapy (ART) experience before HAART, the hazard ratio for AIDS or death at CD4 cell count of 350 cells\/microL was 10.7 (P=0.013), and at CD4 cell count of 201-350 vs. >350 cells\/microL was 8.54 (P=0.014). In this cohort, lower CD4 cell count at the time of viral suppression was associated with increased risk of AIDS or death.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27370166,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Association between state school nutrition laws and subsequent child obesity.\nMany states have enacted laws to improve school nutrition. We tested whether stronger state nutrition laws are associated with subsequently decreased obesity. We conducted a retrospective national multi-year panel data study (analyzed 2014-2016 at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). The predictors were 2010 laws regarding 9 nutrition categories from the Classification of Laws Associated with School Students, which grades the strength of state laws (none, weak, or strong). The outcome was weight status (healthy weight, overweight, or obese) in elementary, middle, and high school from the 2011\/2012 National Survey of Children's Health. We tested the association between the strength of laws and weight using multinomial logistic regression. To further evaluate our main results, we conducted state-level longitudinal analyses testing the association between competitive food and beverage laws on the change in obesity from 2003-2011. In main analyses of 40,177 children ages 10-17years, we found strong state laws restricting the sale of competitive food and beverages in elementary school (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.48, 0.96) and strong advertising laws across all grades (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.86) were associated with reduced odds of obesity. In longitudinal analyses, states with strong competitive food and beverage laws from 2003-2010 had small but significant decreases in obesity, compared to states with no laws. Although further research is needed to determine the causal effect of these laws, this study suggests that strong state laws limiting the sale and advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages in schools are associated with decreased obesity rates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31209334,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Farm-like indoor microbiota in non-farm homes protects children from asthma development.\nAsthma prevalence has increased in epidemic proportions with urbanization, but growing up on traditional farms offers protection even today1. The asthma-protective effect of farms appears to be associated with rich home dust microbiota2,3, which could be used to model a health-promoting indoor microbiome. Here we show by modeling differences in house dust microbiota composition between farm and non-farm homes of Finnish birth cohorts4 that in children who grow up in non-farm homes, asthma risk decreases as the similarity of their home bacterial microbiota composition to that of farm homes increases. The protective microbiota had a low abundance of Streptococcaceae relative to outdoor-associated bacterial taxa. The protective effect was independent of richness and total bacterial load and was associated with reduced proinflammatory cytokine responses against bacterial cell wall components ex vivo. We were able to reproduce these findings in a study among rural German children2 and showed that children living in German non-farm homes with an indoor microbiota more similar to Finnish farm homes have decreased asthma risk. The indoor dust microbiota composition appears to be a definable, reproducible predictor of asthma risk and a potential modifiable target for asthma prevention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23124244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Bifidobacterial succession and correlation networks in a large unselected cohort of mothers and their children.\nBifidobacteria are a major microbial component of infant gut microbiota, which is believed to promote health benefits for the host and stimulate maturation of the immune system. Despite their perceived importance, very little is known about the natural development of and possible correlations between bifidobacteria in human populations. To address this knowledge gap, we analyzed stool samples from a randomly selected healthy cohort of 87 infants and their mothers with >90% of vaginal delivery and nearly 100% breast-feeding at 4 months. Fecal material was sampled during pregnancy, at 3 and 10 days, at 4 months, and at 1 and 2 years after birth. Stool samples were predicted to be rich in the species Bifidobacterium adolescentis, B. bifidum, B. dentium, B. breve, and B. longum. Due to high variation, we did not identify a clear age-related structure at the individual level. Within the population as a whole, however, there were clear age-related successions. Negative correlations between the B. longum group and B. adolescentis were detected in adults and in 1- and 2-year-old children, whereas negative correlations between B. longum and B. breve were characteristic for newborns and 4-month-old infants. The highly structured age-related development of and correlation networks between bifidobacterial species during the first 2 years of life mirrors their different or competing nutritional requirements, which in turn may be associated with specific biological functions in the development of healthy gut.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33209279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Aquatic beetles influence colonization of disparate taxa in small lentic systems.\nStructure of natural communities is shaped by both abiotic characteristics and the ongoing processes of community assembly. Important to this process are the habitat selection behaviors and subsequent survival of colonists, both in the context of temporal changes in the abiotic characteristics and priority effects driven by earlier colonists. Aquatic beetles are prevalent in temporary freshwater systems, form speciose assemblages, and are often early colonists of temporary ponds. While beetles have the potential to influence community structure through post-colonization interactions (predation and competition), our goal was to determine whether the presence of beetle assemblages (versus patches without beetles) influences the colonization and oviposition of a diverse group of animals in a naturally colonized experimental landscape. We established mesocosms that either contained existing beetle assemblages or contained no beetles and assessed abundances of subsequent colonists. Treefrogs, Hyla chrysoscelis, and mosquitoes, Culex restuans, both deposited fewer eggs in patches containing beetle assemblages, while two beetles, Copelatus glyphicus and Paracymus, colonized those patches at lower rates. One beetle, Helophorus linearis, colonized patches containing beetle assemblages at higher rates, while two beetles, Berosus infuscatus and Tropisternus lateralis, exhibited no colonization differences between treatments. Overall, there were no differences in the assemblage structure or richness of beetles that colonized patches. Our results illustrate the importance of species-specific habitat selection behavior in determining the species composition of habitat patches, while emphasizing the role of priority effects in influencing patterns of community assembly. Habitat selection in response to abiotic and biotic characteristics of habitat patches can potentially create greater spatiotemporal niche separation among the numerous, often closely related species (phylogenetically and trophically), that can be simultaneously found in similar patches across landscapes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12149583,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Studies on Japanese botryllid ascidians. II. A new species of the genus Botryllus from the vicinity of Shimoda.\nMorphology and life history of a new species of the genus Botryllus belonging to the family Botryllidae were described in detail. This ascidian was collected from the stony shore in the vicinity of Shimoda (Shizuoka prefecture, Japan). The arrangement of ovary and testis in this ascidian was the same as that in other species of the genus Botryllus, while the embryo developed in a brood pouch formed from the invagination of peribranchial epithelium, as in the other genus Botrylloides. The processes and features of the allorecognition reaction of this ascidian were observed. The reaction showed the same processes as that in the species of the genus Botrylloides. Therefore, this ascidian has both features of the two genera of the family Botryllidae, which strongly suggests the necessity of reconsidering on the classificatory criteria of botryllid ascidians.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36108161,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Development of a Standardized Simulation: Advance Care Planning Conversations for Nurses.\nAdvance care planning conversations focus on articulating and documenting patients' healthcare goals. These conversations should occur early and iteratively but are often not completed. Clinicians, specifically registered nurses, lack the needed training in advance care planning to have effective conversations; hands-on teaching modalities are necessary to enhance these communication skills. The aim of this study was to increase knowledge and comfort in communication about advance care planning; therefore, a validated and standardized simulation was developed and tested among registered nurses. We examined the feasibility of an advance care planning simulation called Conversations Had at Trying Times to explore changes in knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy among registered nurses. The National League of Nursing Jeffries simulation theory and Bandura's self-efficacy theory framed the study, which consisted of two stages: (a) simulation development and (b) simulation testing. Construct and content validity guided simulation development; standardization was achieved through International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning standards. Testing consisted of a pilot one-group pretest\/posttest. Conversations Had at Trying Times, a researcher-designed high-fidelity validated simulation, enhanced nurses' communication skills. Thirty-six registered nurses completed the simulation; knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy increased pre- to posttest. Postsimulation evaluations confirmed the feasibility of the simulation. The greatest variation in results was among registered nurses with less than a year of experience. The study findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of the Conversations Had at Trying Times simulation in its development and outcome measurements of knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy in advance care planning. Simulation is an educational modality underutilized, and Conversations Had at Trying Times is one of the few validated simulations for nurses. Further analysis showed that years of experience was a significant factor. Younger, inexperienced nurses had positive outcomes, but not to the extent of other practicing nurses, which suggests that simulation tailoring is necessary for newer nurses or alternative education modalities need to be explored. In addition, more training in advance care planning communication is needed for newer nurses through nurse residency programs, staff development, and mentorship. Finally, advance care planning communication needs to be addressed in undergraduate education to better prepare new graduate nurses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2466532,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Differential regulation of calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P in cultured neonatal rat vagal sensory neurons.\nNodose (inferior vagal sensory) ganglia were removed from neonatal rats, enzymatically dispersed using neutral protease, and maintained on previously dispersed rat atriacytes. After 7-10 days in culture, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was present in 1-3 times the molar amount of substance P (SP). The content of SP was doubled by the addition of nerve growth factor (NGF) whereas CGRP was significantly less increased by 50% or less. The addition of forskolin increased SP and CGRP levels in cultures with or without NGF by 60-80 percent. Phorbol ester (PMA) did not alter SP content but significantly raised CGRP content by 40% in NGF supplemented cultures (P less than 0.001). Corticosterone, 0.01-0.1 microM, reduced SP content by 30% independently of NGF but had no effect on CGRP. These studies demonstrate that SP in vagal sensory neurons is more sensitive than CGRP to the effects of NGF or corticosterone. Both peptides are up-regulated by presumed increases in intracellular cyclic AMP, while CGRP (or CGRP neurons) may be independently regulated by protein kinase C.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35506755,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Probing the mechanisms of enhanced crystallisation of APS in the presence of ultrasound.\nUnderstanding the origins of the enhancement of crystallisation of a lipid (all-purpose shortening, APS) through the application of ultrasound is a fundamental pre-requisite for the exploitation of this technique in a wider context. To this end, we show here a number of measurements designed to probe the mechanisms responsible for this effect. For example, we show how the type of bubble cluster, produced at the sound source, alters the bubble population and residency time. In addition, to probe the various contributions to the enhanced crystallisation rate, isolation of the cluster environment below the piston like emitter (PLE) used as the ultrasonic source was shown to reduce the enhancement observed, but did not remove it entirely. This implied that the exposure of the liquid to pressure shocks and the environment around the cluster has a positive effect on the crystallisation kinetics. In turn the addition of extra seed crystals and mechanical agitation also enhances the rate of crystallisation. Finally, the time at which ultrasonic irradiation of the fluid is applied is shown to alter the kinetics observed. These observations suggest that two components are important: large bubble populations and mechanical effects on pre-existing crystals. These findings suggest that maximising these effects could be an eloquent way to enhance and control the material characteristics of materials produced in this manner.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38103176,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Switchable Decarboxylation by Energy- or Electron-Transfer Photocatalysis.\nKolbe dimerization and Hofer-Moest reactions are well-investigated carboxylic acid transformations, wherein new carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds are constructed via electrochemical decarboxylation. These transformations can be switched by choosing an electrode that allows control of the reactive intermediate, such as carbon radical or carbocation. However, the requirement of a high current density diminishes the functional group compatibility with these electrochemical reactions. Here, we demonstrate the photocatalytic decarboxylative transformation of activated carboxylic acids in a switchable and functional group-compatible manner. We discovered that switching between Kolbe-type or Hofer-Moest-type reactions can be accomplished with suitable photocatalysts by controlling the reaction pathways: energy transfer (EnT) and single-electron transfer (SET). The EnT pathway promoted by an organo-photocatalyst yielded 1,2-diarylethane from arylacetic acids, whereas the ruthenium photoredox catalyst allows the construction of an ester scaffold with two arylmethyl moieties via the SET pathway. The resulting radical intermediates were coupled to olefins to realize multicomponent reactions. Consequently, four different products were selectively obtained from a simple carboxylic acid. This discovery offers new opportunities for selectively synthesizing multiple products via switchable reactions using identical substrates with minimal cost and effort.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29375797,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"De novo assembly and characterization of the Hucho taimen transcriptome.\nTaimen (Hucho taimen) is an important ecological and economic species that is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species; however, limited genomic information is available on this species. RNA-Seq is a useful tool for obtaining genetic information and developing genetic markers for nonmodel species in addition to its application in gene expression profiling. In this study, we performed a comprehensive RNA-Seq analysis of taimen. We obtained 157 M clean reads (14.7 Gb) and used them to de novo assemble a high-quality transcriptome with a N50 size of 1,060 bp. In the assembly, 82% of the transcripts were annotated using several databases, and 14,666 of the transcripts contained a full open reading frame. The assembly covered 75% of the transcripts of Atlantic salmon and 57.3% of the protein-coding genes of rainbow trout. To learn about the genome evolution, we performed a systematic comparative analysis across 11 teleosts including eight salmonids and found 313 unique gene families in taimen. Using Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout transcriptomes as the background, we identified 250 positive selection transcripts. The pathway enrichment analysis revealed a unique characteristic of taimen: It possesses more immune-related genes than Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout; moreover, some genes have undergone strong positive selection. We also developed a pipeline for identifying microsatellite marker genotypes in samples and successfully identified 24 polymorphic microsatellite markers for taimen. These data and tools are useful for studying conservation genetics, phylogenetics, evolution among salmonids, and selective breeding for threatened taimen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24129289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Evaluation of new antimicrobials for the hospital formulary. Policies restricting antibiotic use in hospitals.\nIn Spain, the inclusion of new antibiotics in hospital formularies is performed by the Infection Policy Committee or the Pharmacy and Therapeutic Committee, although now the decision is moving to a regional level. Criteria for the evaluation of new drugs include efficacy, safety and cost. For antimicrobial drugs evaluation it is necessary to consider local sensibility and impact in bacterial resistance to determinate the therapeutic positioning. There is compelling evidence that the use of antibiotics is associated with increasing bacterial resistance, and a great number of antibiotics are used incorrectly. In order to decrease the inappropriate use of antibiotics, several approaches have been proposed. Limiting the use of antimicrobials through formulary restrictions, often aimed at drugs with a specific resistance profile, shows benefits in improving antimicrobial susceptibilities and decreasing colonization by drug-resistant organisms. However, the restriction of one agent may result in the increased utilization of other agents. By using antibiotic cycling, the amount of antibiotics is maintained below the threshold where bacterial resistance develops, thus preserving highly efficient antibiotics. Unfortunately, cumulative evidence to date suggests that antibiotic cycling has limited efficacy in preventing antibiotic resistance. Finally, although there is still little clinical evidence available on antibiotic heterogeneity, the use of most of the existing antimicrobial classes could limit the emergence of resistance. This review summarizes information regarding antibiotic evaluation and available restrictive strategies to limit the use of antibiotics at hospitals with the aim of curtailing increasing antibiotic resistance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30154725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Gaussian Process Regressions for Inverse Problems and Parameter Searches in Models of Ventricular Mechanics.\nPatient specific models of ventricular mechanics require the optimization of their many parameters under the uncertainties associated with imaging of cardiac function. We present a strategy to reduce the complexity of parametric searches for 3-D FE models of left ventricular contraction. The study employs automatic image segmentation and analysis of an image database to gain geometric features for several classes of patients. Statistical distributions of geometric parameters are then used to design parametric studies investigating the effects of: (1) passive material properties during ventricular filling, and (2) infarct geometry on ventricular contraction in patients after a heart attack. Gaussian Process regression is used in both cases to build statistical models trained on the results of biophysical FEM simulations. The first statistical model estimates unloaded configurations based on either the intraventricular pressure or the end-diastolic fiber strain. The technique provides an alternative to the standard fixed-point iteration algorithm, which is more computationally expensive when used to unload more than 10 ventricles. The second statistical model captures the effects of varying infarct geometries on cardiac output. For training, we designed high resolution models of non-transmural infarcts including refinements of the border zone around the lesion. This study is a first effort in developing a platform combining HPC models and machine learning to investigate cardiac function in heart failure patients with the goal of assisting clinical diagnostics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27554922,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Anticancer, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Potential of Thymol in vitro Brain Tumor Cell Model.\nThymol (THY), which is a monocyclic monoterpene, found in oil of thyme various other kinds of plants. Until today, although different biological properties of THY have been indicated, its neurological toxicity has never been investigated. In this study, in vitro antiproliferative (by 3-(4,5 dimetylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenlytetrazolium bromide (MTT) test), genotoxic (by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE)) and oxidative effects (by total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidative status (TOS) analysis) of THY (0-400 mg\/L) were assessed on cultured primary rat neurons (CPRNs) and N2a neuroblastoma cells. The obtained data from MTT analysis revealed that THY (only at 400 mg\/L) led to significant (p<0.05) decreases of the cell viability in cultured primary rat neurons. And, THY was found to inhibit cell growth in N2a cells at concentrations of 200 and 400 mg\/L. Again, DNA damage rates were statistically indifferent (p>0.05) in both treated cell type as compared to control group. The present results also showed that 10, 25 and 50 mg\/L of THY application into the cell cultures supported antioxidant capacity in primary rat neurons but not in N2a cells. In a conclusion, these results confirm that THY may have antiproliferative potential against brain tumor cells involving oxidative alteration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27184924,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2017-13":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Catheter-based Intramyocardial Injection of FGF1 or NRG1-loaded MPs Improves Cardiac Function in a Preclinical Model of Ischemia-Reperfusion.\nCardiovascular protein therapeutics such as neuregulin (NRG1) and acidic-fibroblast growth factor (FGF1) requires new formulation strategies that allow for sustained bioavailability of the drug in the infarcted myocardium. However, there is no FDA-approved injectable protein delivery platform due to translational concerns about biomaterial administration through cardiac catheters. We therefore sought to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous intramyocardial injection of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) microparticles (MPs) loaded with NRG1 and FGF1 using the NOGA MYOSTAR injection catheter in a porcine model of ischemia-reperfusion. NRG1- and FGF1-loaded MPs were prepared using a multiple emulsion solvent-evaporation technique. Infarcted pigs were treated one week after ischemia-reperfusion with MPs containing NRG1, FGF1 or non-loaded MPs delivered via clinically-translatable percutaneous transendocardial-injection. Three months post-treatment, echocardiography indicated a significant improvement in systolic and diastolic cardiac function. Moreover, improvement in bipolar voltage and decrease in transmural infarct progression was demonstrated by electromechanical NOGA-mapping. Functional benefit was associated with an increase in myocardial vascularization and remodeling. These findings in a large animal model of ischemia-reperfusion demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of using MPs as a delivery system for growth factors and provide strong evidence to move forward with clinical studies using therapeutic proteins combined with catheter-compatible biomaterials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38100192,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluating the Effectiveness of School Closure in COVID-19-Related Syndromes From Community-Based Syndromic Surveillance: Longitudinal Observational Study.\nDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, a school closure policy was adopted to prevent cluster transmission in schools and subsequent household transmission. However, the effectiveness of school closure is not consistent in studies conducted in different countries. This study aimed to explore the association between school closure and the daily standardized incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes in an outpatient syndromic surveillance system. We calculated the incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes derived from a community-based syndromic surveillance system between the first week of January and the second or fourth weeks after school closure in 2021 and 2022 in Taipei City, Taiwan. The effect of school closure on the standardized incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes was evaluated by interrupted time series analysis using an autoregressive integrated moving average with a distributed lag function. The exogenous variables were changes in human mobility measured by Google COVID-19 community mobility reports. Furthermore, the models quantified the influence of different age groups and the hierarchy of medical facilities, such as clinics or community hospitals. School closure was only negatively and significantly associated with the overall standardized incidence of COVID-19-related syndromes in 2021 for 2 weeks after the intervention (coefficient -1.24, 95% CI -2.40 to -0.08). However, in different age groups, school closure had a significantly negative association with the standardized incidence among people aged 13-18 years and \u226565 years for 2 weeks after the intervention in clinics in 2021. In community hospitals, school closure was significantly positively associated with the standardized incidence among people aged 19-24 years in 2021. In 2022, 2 weeks after the intervention, school closure had a significantly negative association with the standardized incidence among people aged 0-6, 7-12, and 19-24 years in community hospitals and aged >45 years in clinics. Furthermore, the standardized incidence was positively associated with movement change toward grocery and pharmacy stores in all age groups in 2022. In addition, movement changes toward residences were significantly positively associated with the standardized incidence among all age groups. Overall, school closure effectively suppresses COVID-19-related syndromes in students owing to the reduction of physical contact. In addition, school closure has a spillover effect on elderly people who stay at home.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25377919,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Application of a novel regulatable Cre recombinase system to define the role of liver and gut metabolism in drug oral bioavailability.\nThe relative contribution of hepatic compared with intestinal oxidative metabolism is a crucial factor in drug oral bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. Oxidative metabolism is mediated by the cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase system to which cytochrome P450 reductase (POR) is the essential electron donor. In order to study the relative importance of these pathways in drug disposition, we have generated a novel mouse line where Cre recombinase is driven off the endogenous Cyp1a1 gene promoter; this line was then crossed on to a floxed POR mouse. A 40 mg\/kg dose of the Cyp1a1 inducer 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC) eliminated POR expression in both liver and small intestine, whereas treatment at 4 mg\/kg led to a more targeted deletion in the liver. Using this approach, we have studied the pharmacokinetics of three probe drugs--paroxetine, midazolam, nelfinavir--and show that intestinal metabolism is a determinant of oral bioavailability for the two latter compounds. The Endogenous Reductase Locus (ERL) mouse represents a significant advance on previous POR deletion models as it allows direct comparison of hepatic and intestinal effects on drug and xenobiotic clearance using lower doses of a single Cre inducing agent, and in addition minimizes any cytotoxic effects, which may compromise interpretation of the experimental data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12148790,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ethical, logical and scientific problems with the new ICRP proposals.\nLast year the ICRP proposed a new system of radiation protection designed to be simpler, more oriented toward individual protection and reflective of important ethical standards. This article argues that the proposal violates important norms of scientific simplicity, is in fact less protective of individuals than the current system and makes a number of ethical errors. After outlining 12 ethical errors, five logical errors and two scientific problems with the new ICRP proposal, the present authors suggest possible ways to remedy these deficiencies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8546552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lack of usefulness of radiographic screening for pulmonary disease in asymptomatic HIV-infected adults. Pulmonary Complications of HIV Infection Study Group.\nTo determine the use of chest radiographs in the screening of asymptomatic adults infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A prospective, multicenter study of the pulmonary complications of HIV infection in a community-based cohort of persons with and without HIV infection. The subjects included 1065 HIV-seropositive subjects without the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome at the time of enrollment: 790 homosexual men, 226 injection drug users, and 49 women with heterosexually acquired infection. Frontal and lateral chest radiographs were performed at 3-, 6-, and 12-month intervals, CD4 lymphocyte measurements at 3- and 6-month intervals, tuberculin and mumps skin tests at 12-month intervals, and medical histories and physical examinations at 3- and 6-month intervals. Pulmonary diagnoses that occurred within 2 months following each radiograph were analyzed and correlated with the radiographic results. Evaluable screening chest radiographs (5263) were performed in HIV-seropositive subjects while they were asymptomatic; of these, 5140 (98%) were classified as normal and 123 (2%) as abnormal. A new pulmonary diagnosis was identified within 2 months following a screening radiograph in 55 subjects. Only 11 of these subjects had abnormal radiographs; the sensitivity of the radiograph was 20%. The sensitivity was similarly low at baseline, within each transmission category, and in subjects whose CD4 lymphocyte counts were less than 0.2 x 10(9)\/L (200\/microL). The types of pulmonary diseases that occurred were similar in the subjects with normal and abnormal screening radiographs. Screening chest radiography in asymptomatic HIV-infected adults is unwarranted because the diagnostic yield is low.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30605204,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Self-assembling nanoprobes that display two-dimensional fluorescent signals for identification of surfactants and bacteria.\nThe imidazolium-pyrene self-assembling nanoprobes can rapidly discriminate four types of surfactants. The surfactants disassembled the probes to turn on significant fluorescence and transform between a pyrene monomer and an excimer, generating a two-dimensional analysis map. The probes were further used to identify different bacterial species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7571208,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Methods for estimation of subsample time delays of digitized echo signals.\nTime delay estimation (TDE) is commonly performed in practice by crosscorrelation of digitized echo signals. Since time delays are generally not integral multiples of the sampling period, the location of the largest sample of the crosscorrelation function (ccf) is an inexact estimator of the location of the peak. Therefore, one must interpolate between the samples of the ccf to improve the estimation precision. Using theory and simulations, we review and compare the performance of several methods for interpolation of the ccf. The maximum likelihood approach to interpolation is the application of a reconstruction filter to the discrete ccf. However, this method can only be approximated in practice and can be computationally intensive. For these reasons, a simple method is widely used that involves fitting a parabola (or other curve) to samples of the ccf in the neighborhood of its peak. We describe and compare two curve-fitting methods: parabolic and cosine interpolation. Curve-fitting interpolation can yield biased time-delay estimates, which may preclude the use of these methods in some applications. The artifactual effect of these bias errors on elasticity imaging by elastography is discussed. We demonstrate that reconstructive interpolation is unbiased. An iterative implementation of the reconstruction procedure is proposed that can reduce the computation time significantly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18941613,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Expansion of HIV laboratory diagnostic services in Chennai, India 2001-2006: is the growth commensurate with the need?\nTo describe the changes in HIV services provided and the patient population utilizing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services at private testing laboratories in Chennai, India in 2001 and 2006. In 2001, a cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted to assess the services provided and client population of 1,031 private laboratories. A subset of labs (9%) that had been surveyed in 2001 were also studied in 2006. In 2001, significantly more high volume labs (>10 HIV tests per month) offered HIV diagnostic tests than low volume labs (<10 HIV test per month) (p<0.001). More high volume labs (20.0%) provided pre-test counseling as part of HIV testing than low volume labs (11.1%) (p = 0.003). Between 2001 and 2006, the number of labs that provided HIV diagnostic tests significantly increased, including ELISA (87.8% vs. 40.0%), Western Blot (84.4% vs. 13.3%), and Tridot (98.9% vs. 72.2%) (p<0.001). Also the number of labs that reported greater than 10 women seeking HIV testing per month significantly increased from 14.5% to 79.0% (p = 0.006). More labs provided pre-test counseling in 2006 (34.4%) than in 2001 (21.1%) (p = 0.046). Though HIV diagnostic testing services have increasingly become available, counseling services have not expanded commensurately. Further outreach and education is necessary to expand comprehensive HIV VCT services in both urban and rural India.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6651329,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Metabolic response to carnitine in methylmalonic aciduria. An effective strategy for elimination of propionyl groups.\nPatients with methylmalonic aciduria have an excessive intramitochondrial accumulation of acylcoenzyme A compounds that may reduce the availability of free coenzyme A (CoA) for normal metabolic requirements, producing profound metabolic disturbances. Giving carnitine to a patient with methylmalonic aciduria produced an increase in hippurate excretion (an index of intramitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and CoA availability), a large increase in short chain urinary acylcarnitines, and a reduction in excretion of methylmalonate and methylcitrate. These acylcarnitines were shown by fast atom bombardment and B\/E linked scan mass spectrometry to be propionylcarnitine and acetylcarnitine. Carnitine acts by removing (detoxifying) propionyl groups, thereby releasing CoA and restoring ATP biosynthesis and concentrations towards normal. L-carnitine may play a central role in maintenance of mitochondrial and cellular homoeostasis in methylmalonic aciduria and propionic acidaemia. These principles may provide an approach to the treatment of this and other disorders, inherited and acquired, in which accumulation of acyl CoA metabolites results in sequestration of free CoA, thereby perturbing metabolic homoeostasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18673122,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Strategies for effective naked-DNA vaccination against infectious diseases.\nTo date, vaccination is an active area of investigation for its application to a great variety of human diseases including infections and cancer. In particular, naked-DNA vaccination has arisen as effective strategy in the preventive medicine field with promising future prospects. The ability of plasmid DNA to activate the humoural and the cellular arms of the immune system against the encoded antigen have resulted in intensive study of new strategies aimed at increasing the DNA vaccine immunogenicity. Nevertheless, plasmid-based vaccines emerged as a safer and advantageous alternative with respect to viral vector vaccines. Recent advances in both the immunological and biotechnological research field made it possible to enhance significantly the DNA vaccine potency. Most of these approaches are based on both the discovery of novel delivery systems and the implementation of plasmid constructs, achieved through genetic engineering. In this review, we will describe some of the most relevant patents issued in the last ten years, supporting the progress made in naked-DNA vaccination against infectious diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28053218,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Singleton Sequence Type 382, an Emerging Clonal Group of Listeria monocytogenes Associated with Three Multistate Outbreaks Linked to Contaminated Stone Fruit, Caramel Apples, and Leafy Green Salad.\nThree multistate outbreaks between 2014 and 2016, involving case patients in and outside the United States, were linked to stone fruit, caramel apples, and packaged leafy green salad contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes singleton sequence type 382 (ST382), a serotype IVb-v1 clone with limited genomic divergence. Isolates from these outbreaks and other ST382 isolates not associated with these outbreaks were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. The primary differences among ST382 strains were single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). WGS analysis differentiated ST382 from a clonal complex 1 outbreak strain co-contaminating the caramel apples. WGS clustered food, environmental, and clinical isolates within each outbreak, and also differentiated among the three outbreak strains and epidemiologically unrelated ST382 isolates, which were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. ST382 appeared to be an emerging clone that began to diverge from its ancestor approximately 32 years before 2016. We estimated that there was 1.29 nucleotide substitution per genome (2.94 Mbp) per year for this clone.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10226058,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Pseudomonas aeruginosa internalization by human epithelial respiratory cells depends on cell differentiation, polarity, and junctional complex integrity.\nInternalization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by epithelial respiratory cell lines has been suggested to be dependent on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein. Because we have observed intracellular (IC) P. aeruginosa only in cells that do not express apical CFTR, we addressed the question of whether bacterial internalization by epithelial cells depends on the degree of cell differentiation and polarity. Internalization of piliated P. aeruginosa PAO-1 and PAK by human epithelial respiratory cells in primary culture and by the 16 human bronchial epithelial 14o- cell line cultured either on thick collagen gels or on thin collagen films was evaluated by the gentamicin exclusion assay. Cells cultured on thick gels were differentiated, polarized, and tight. They exhibited CFTR at their apical membranes, expressed beta1 integrins at their basal membranes, excluded lanthanum nitrate, and uniformly expressed ZO-1 protein. In contrast, in cells cultured on thin films, CFTR was present mainly in the cytoplasm, whereas beta1 integrins were detected at apical membranes. Most cells cultured on thin films did not exclude lanthanum nitrate and rarely expressed ZO-1 protein. Cells grown on thick and thin collagen substrates differed markedly in bacterial internalization: no IC bacteria could be detected in cells cultured on gels, whereas high IC bacterial concentrations were isolated from cells cultured on thin films. Treatment of cells cultured on thin films with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, to disrupt intercellular junctions further, significantly enhanced P. aeruginosa internalization. Our results suggest that P. aeruginosa internalization by epithelial respiratory cells does not depend on CFTR protein expression at the epithelial cell surface but rather on cell polarity and junctional complex integrity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28954794,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The effectiveness of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in common lower limb conditions: a systematic review including quantification of patient-rated pain reduction.\nTo evaluate extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) in treating Achilles tendinopathy (AT), greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), patellar tendinopathy (PT) and proximal hamstring tendinopathy (PHT). Systematic review. Randomised and non-randomised studies assessing ESWT in patients with AT, GTPS, MTSS, PT and PHT were included. Risk of bias and quality of studies were evaluated. Moderate-level evidence suggests (1) no difference between focused ESWT and placebo ESWT at short and mid-term in PT and (2) radial ESWT is superior to conservative treatment at short, mid and long term in PHT. Low-level evidence suggests that ESWT (1) is comparable to eccentric training, but superior to wait-and-see policy at 4 months in mid-portion AT; (2) is superior to eccentric training at 4 months in insertional AT; (3) less effective than corticosteroid injection at short term, but ESWT produced superior results at mid and long term in GTPS; (4) produced comparable results to control treatment at long term in GTPS; and (5) is superior to control conservative treatment at long term in PT. Regarding the rest of the results, there was only very low or no level of evidence. 13 studies showed high risk of bias largely due to methodology, blinding and reporting. Low level of evidence suggests that ESWT may be effective for some lower limb conditions in all phases of the rehabilitation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26147123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characterization of ST14A Cells for Studying Modulation of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels.\nIn medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the striatum, dopamine D2 receptors (D2Rs) specifically inhibit the Ca(v)1.3 subtype of L-type Ca(2+) channels (LTCs). MSNs are heterogeneous in their expression of dopamine receptors making the study of D2R pathways difficult in primary neurons. Here, we employed the ST14A cell line, derived from embryonic striatum and characterized to have properties of MSNs, to study Ca(v)1.3 current and its modulation by neurotransmitters. Round, undifferentiated ST14A cells exhibited little to no endogenous Ca(2+) current while differentiated ST14A cells expressed endogenous Ca(2+) current. Transfection with LTC subunits produced functional Ca(v)1.3 current from round cells, providing a homogeneous model system compared to native MSNs for studying D(2)R pathways. However, neither endogenous nor recombinant Ca(v)1.3 current was modulated by the D(2)R agonist quinpirole. We confirmed D(2)R expression in ST14A cells and also detected D(1)Rs, D(4)Rs, D(5)Rs, G(q), calcineurin and phospholipase A2 using RT-PCR and\/or Western blot analysis. Phospholipase C \u03b2-1 (PLC\u03b2-1) expression was not detected by Western blot analysis which may account for the lack of LTC modulation by D2Rs. These findings raise caution about the assumption that the presence of G-protein coupled receptors in cell lines indicates the presence of complete signaling cascades. However, exogenous arachidonic acid inhibited recombinant Ca(v)1.3 current indicating that channels expressed in ST14A cells are capable of modulation since they respond to a known signaling molecule downstream of D(2)Rs. Thus, ST14A cells provide a MSN-like cell line for studying channel modulation and signaling pathways that do not involve activation of PLC\u03b2-1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26047468,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Abdominal Functional Electrical Stimulation to Assist Ventilator Weaning in Acute Tetraplegia: A Cohort Study.\nSevere impairment of the major respiratory muscles resulting from tetraplegia reduces respiratory function, causing many people with tetraplegia to require mechanical ventilation during the acute stage of injury. Abdominal Functional Electrical Stimulation (AFES) can improve respiratory function in non-ventilated patients with sub-acute and chronic tetraplegia. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical feasibility of using an AFES training program to improve respiratory function and assist ventilator weaning in acute tetraplegia. AFES was applied for between 20 and 40 minutes per day, five times per week on four alternate weeks, with 10 acute ventilator dependent tetraplegic participants. Each participant was matched retrospectively with a ventilator dependent tetraplegic control, based on injury level, age and sex. Tidal Volume (VT) and Vital Capacity (VC) were measured weekly, with weaning progress compared to the controls. Compliance to training sessions was 96.7%. Stimulated VT was significantly greater than unstimulated VT. VT and VC increased throughout the study, with mean VC increasing significantly (VT: 6.2 mL\/kg to 7.8 mL\/kg VC: 12.6 mL\/kg to 18.7 mL\/kg). Intervention participants weaned from mechanical ventilation on average 11 (sd: \u00b1 23) days faster than their matched controls. The results of this study indicate that AFES is a clinically feasible technique for acute ventilator dependent tetraplegic patients and that this intervention may improve respiratory function and enable faster weaning from mechanical ventilation. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02200393.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25411231,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Proteome-wide analysis reveals an age-associated cellular phenotype of in situ aged human fibroblasts.\nWe analyzed an ex vivo model of in situ aged human dermal fibroblasts, obtained from 15 adult healthy donors from three different age groups using an unbiased quantitative proteome-wide approach applying label-free mass spectrometry. Thereby, we identified 2409 proteins, including 43 proteins with an age-associated abundance change. Most of the differentially abundant proteins have not been described in the context of fibroblasts' aging before, but the deduced biological processes confirmed known hallmarks of aging and led to a consistent picture of eight biological categories involved in fibroblast aging, namely proteostasis, cell cycle and proliferation, development and differentiation, cell death, cell organization and cytoskeleton, response to stress, cell communication and signal transduction, as well as RNA metabolism and translation. The exhaustive analysis of protein and mRNA data revealed that 77 % of the age-associated proteins were not linked to expression changes of the corresponding transcripts. This is in line with an associated miRNA study and led us to the conclusion that most of the age-associated alterations detected at the proteome level are likely caused post-transcriptionally rather than by differential gene expression. In summary, our findings led to the characterization of novel proteins potentially associated with fibroblast aging and revealed that primary cultures of in situ aged fibroblasts are characterized by moderate age-related proteomic changes comprising the multifactorial process of aging.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29463058,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Biosorption: An Interplay between Marine Algae and Potentially Toxic Elements-A Review.\nIn recent decades, environmental pollution has emerged as a core issue, around the globe, rendering it of fundamental concern to eco-toxicologists, environmental biologists, eco-chemists, pathologists, and researchers from other fields. The dissolution of polluting agents is a leading cause of environmental pollution of all key spheres including the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere, among others. The widespread occurrence of various pollutants including toxic heavy metals and other emerging hazardous contaminants is a serious concern. With increasing scientific knowledge, socioeconomic awareness, human health problems, and ecological apprehensions, people are more concerned about adverse health outcomes. Against this background, several removal methods have been proposed and implemented with the aim of addressing environmental pollution and sustainable and eco-friendly development. Among them, the biosorption of pollutants using naturally inspired sources, e.g., marine algae, has considerable advantages. In the past few years, marine algae have been extensively studied due to their natural origin, overall cost-effective ratio, and effectiveness against a broader pollutant range; thus, they are considered a potential alternative to the conventional methods used for environmental decontamination. Herein, an effort has been made to highlight the importance of marine algae as naturally inspired biosorbents and their role in biosorption. Biosorption mechanisms and factors affecting biosorption activities are also discussed in this review. The utilization of marine algae as a biosorbent for the removal of numerous potentially toxic elements has also been reviewed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9022955,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Protein metabolism and liver disease.\nIn health, the liver orchestrates the metabolism of proteins and amino acids. When the liver is diseased, the regulation of protein metabolism is frequently disturbed. The manifestations of disturbed protein metabolism in liver disease are varied and change with disease aetiology and severity. The hallmarks of protein and amino acid metabolism in liver disease are lowered concentrations of circulating branched-chain and increased concentrations of circulating aromatic amino acids with concomitantly altered amino acid kinetics. The changes in amino acid kinetics in liver disease are characterized by increased endogenous leucine flux, an indicator of protein breakdown, and leucine oxidation in the post-absorptive state (when calculated using a reciprocal-pool model and normalized for body cell mass). In addition, the increase in whole-body protein synthesis in response to an amino acid infusion may be attenuated in patients with cirrhosis. These changes are often accompanied by clinically apparent muscle wasting, manifest as protein-calorie malnutrition, and associated low levels of hepatically synthesized plasma proteins. While the pathogenesis of these changes in protein and amino acid metabolism has not been elucidated, altered levels of circulating hormones, known to affect protein metabolism, are probably important. Lowered levels of micronutrients and trace metals and elevated levels of cytokines may also play a role.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34951390,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Potential Roles of \u03b1-amylase in Alzheimer's Disease: Biomarker and Drug Target.\nAlzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is pathologically characterized by the deposition of amyloid-\u03b2 plaques and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. In a neurodegenerative brain, glucose metabolism is also impaired and considered as one of the key features in AD patients. The impairment causes a reduction in glucose transporters and the uptake of glucose as well as alterations in the specific activity of glycolytic enzymes. Recently, it has been reported that \u03b1-amylase, a polysaccharide-degrading enzyme, is present in the human brain. The enzyme is known to be associated with various diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperamylasaemia. With this information at hand, we hypothesize that \u03b1-amylase could have a vital role in the demented brains of AD patients. This review aims to shed insight into the possible link between the expression levels of \u03b1-amylase and AD. Lastly, we also cover the diverse role of amylase inhibitors and how they could serve as a therapeutic agent to manage or stop AD progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25425714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Sports injury and illness epidemiology: Great Britain Olympic Team (TeamGB) surveillance during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.\nSports injury and illness surveillance is the first step in injury and illness prevention, and is important for the protection of both athlete health and performance in major competitions. To identify the prevalence, severity nature and causes of athlete injuries and illnesses in the Great Britain Olympic Team (TeamGB) during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. The observational prospective cohort study followed the Great Britain Injury\/Illness Performance Project surveillance methodology and obtained information on injuries and illnesses that occurred during the Games between 30 January and 23 February 2014 in TeamGB athletes (n=56). Among the 56 TeamGB athletes, there were 27 injuries and 11 illnesses during the Olympic Games period. This equated to 39% sustaining at least one injury and 18% at least one illness, with an incidence of 48.2 injuries and 19.6 illnesses per 100 athletes, respectively. Of all injuries and illnesses, 9% and 7%, respectively, resulted in time loss. The risk of sustaining an injury was highest for freestyle skiing, skeleton and snowboarding; and lowest for curling, biathlon and Alpine skiing (with no reported injuries); with the lower limb being the most commonly injured location. Respiratory system illnesses were most frequently reported overall, and older female athletes were the ones most affected by illness. The risk of injury was double the risk of illness for TeamGB athletes. Overall, the rate of time-loss issues was low. Methodological considerations are important when interpreting data, and prevention strategies should focus on those issues causing the greatest risk, in terms of prevalence and severity, to athlete health and performance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27473004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antidepressant efficacy of high and low frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation in the FSL\/FRL genetic rat model of depression.\nRepetitive Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) has appeared to be a potential non-invasive antidepressant method, which implies non-convulsive focal stimulation of the brain through a time varying magnetic field. The antidepressant potential of rTMS has been supported by animal studies showing a number of interesting similarities between magnetic stimulation and electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS). Despite these positive results, this method still contains many unknown issues. Importantly, there are fundamental uncertainties concerning the optimal combination of stimulus parameters (frequency, intensity, duration, and number of pulses) to obtain an antidepressant effect. Therefore, the present study aimed to qualify the choice of rTMS stimulus frequency in a well-validated genetic animal model of depression, the FSL\/FRL rats. We compared the antidepressant effect of low frequency, high frequency rTMS and ECS to sham treatment in FRL and FSL rats using 6 parallel groups. We used the Forced Swim Test and the Open Field Test to screen the depression-like state in rats. We found that both the high frequency and the low frequency rTMS resulted in a significant antidepressant effect. However, this effect was inferior to the effect of ECS. The low frequency and high frequency groups, which received the same total impulse load and stimulus intensity, did not differ with respect to antidepressant efficacy in this study. In conclusion, this study provides robust evidence that both rTMS interventions are efficacious, although not as efficient as ECS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27776673,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"READY or Not: Findings From a School-Based MI Intervention for Adolescent Substance Use.\nWe aimed to examine the impact of a school-based Motivational Interviewing (MI) intervention, Project READY, on reducing adolescent substance use. We randomly assigned students (N = 244) to receive the intervention immediately (READY First) or to be in a waitlist control group (WLC). Those in WLC received the intervention once those in READY First had completed the intervention. Our hypotheses were: (1) adolescents in READY First would make greater initial reductions in their alcohol and marijuana use compared to adolescents assigned to WLC, (2) adolescents in READY First would make greater initial reductions in their alcohol and marijuana-related consequences compared to adolescents assigned to WLC, and (3) upon completing treatment, adolescents assigned to WLC would yield substance-related outcomes comparable to their peers in the READY First group. We found that those in READY First made greater initial decreases in their marijuana use and substance-related consequences upon completing treatment than participants in WLC, during the first phase of the study. Once both groups had completed the active intervention, those in the WLC had comparable marijuana use to those in READY First. At enrollment, daily marijuana users were equally represented in both groups. Post-treatment, significantly fewer participants reported daily marijuana use in the READY First group, prior to treatment initiation for WLC. Comparable reductions were observed once WLC began treatment. Those in WLC were observed to make reductions in their alcohol use at the same rate as those in READY First, prior to treatment initiation. Participants were not observed to make differential reductions in alcohol use based on group assignment. The findings from this study support the effectiveness of school-based MI interventions for adolescent marijuana use and provide evidence that MI is a critical and effective component within such interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26011796,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Grape seed proanthocyanidins prevent DOCA-salt hypertension-induced renal injury and its mechanisms in rats.\nRenal dysfunction is one of the major effects of DOCA (deoxycorticosterone acetate)-salt hypertension and there is an increasing amount of evidence that oxidative stress damages the function of the kidney. Grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPE) have been reported to be potent anti-oxidants and free radical scavengers. The present study sought to investigate the ability of GSPE to prevent renal injury in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats and to explore the molecular mechanisms underlying its protective effects. A total of 54 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 7 groups: Sham group (n = 7), UnX-sham group (n = 8), DOCA-salt group (n = 8), GSPE150 group (150 mg kg(-1), n = 7), GSPE240 group (240 mg kg(-1), n = 8), GSPE384 group (384 mg kg(-1), n = 8) and ALM (amlodipine besylate tablets) group (5 mg kg(-1), n = 8), and treated for 4 weeks. Compared to sham group rats, renal injury was observed in DOCA-salt hypertensive group rats as the urine protein, KW\/BW (kidney weight\/body weight), degree of renal fibrosis, renal MDA (malondialdehyde) and Hyp (hydroxyproline) contents significantly increased (P < 0.01). Moreover, SOD (Superoxide Dismutase) activities decreased in the model group (P < 0.01). In contrast, DOCA-salt hypertensive rats treated with different dose of GSPE or ALM showed a significant improvement of renal injury with decreased urine protein, KW\/BW, degree of renal fibrosis, renal total MDA and Hyp contents compared to the untreated group. In addition, SOD activities increased in the treatment group. Since the experimental modeling time was short, kidney damage occurs to a lesser extent. BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen), Scr (Serum Creatinine) and UA (Uric Acid) contents did not appear significantly changed in all groups. Finally, the activation of JNK and p38 kinases in the kidney was suppressed in rats treated with GSPEs or ALM compared to the untreated group, suggesting that the inhibition of these kinase pathways by GSPE contributes to the improvement of renal function. Taking these results together, we conclude that the anti-hypertensive and anti-oxidative stress beneficial effects of GSPE on renal injury in rats with DOCA-salt hypertension occur via the attenuation of JNK and p38 activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27386084,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The oceanic concordance of phylogeography and biogeography: a case study in Notochthamalus.\nDispersal and adaptation are the two primary mechanisms that set the range distributions for a population or species. As such, understanding how these mechanisms interact in marine organisms in particular - with capacity for long-range dispersal and a poor understanding of what selective environments species are responding to - can provide useful insights for the exploration of biogeographic patterns. Previously, the barnacle Notochthamalus scabrosus has revealed two evolutionarily distinct lineages with a joint distribution that suggests an association with one of the two major biogeographic boundaries (~30\u00b0S) along the coast of Chile. However, spatial and genomic sampling of this system has been limited until now. We hypothesized that given the strong oceanographic and environmental shifts associated with the other major biogeographic boundary (~42\u00b0S) for Chilean coastal invertebrates, the southern mitochondrial lineage would dominate or go to fixation in locations further to the south. We also evaluated nuclear polymorphism data from 130 single nucleotide polymorphisms to evaluate the concordance of the signal from the nuclear genome with that of the mitochondrial sample. Through the application of standard population genetic approaches along with a Lagrangian ocean connectivity model, we describe the codistribution of these lineages through a simultaneous evaluation of coastal lineage frequencies, an approximation of larval behavior, and current-driven dispersal. Our results show that this pattern could not persist without the two lineages having distinct environmental optima. We suggest that a more thorough integration of larval dynamics, explicit dispersal models, and near-shore environmental analysis can explain much of the coastal biogeography of Chile.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14966087,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Impact of body mass index on outcomes and treatment-related toxicity in patients with stage II and III rectal cancer: findings from Intergroup Trial 0114.\nTo study the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and rates of sphincter-preserving operations, overall survival, cancer recurrence, and treatment-related toxicities in patients with rectal cancer. We evaluated a nested cohort of 1,688 patients with stage II and III rectal cancer participating in a randomized trial of postoperative fluorouracil-based chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Obese patients were more likely to undergo an abdominoperineal resection (APR) than normal-weight patients (odds ratio, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.27 to 2.46). When analyzed by sex, increasing adiposity in men was a strong predictor of having an APR (P <.0001). Obese men with rectal cancer were also more likely than normal-weight men to have a local recurrence (hazard ratio [HR], 1.61; 95% CI, 1.00 to 2.59). In contrast, obesity was not predictive of cancer recurrence in women, nor was BMI predictive of overall mortality in either men or women. Underweight patients had an increased risk of death (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.89) compared with normal-weight patients but no increase in cancer recurrences. Among all study participants, obese patients had a significantly lower rate of grade 3 to 4 leukopenia, neutropenia, and stomatitis and a lower rate of any grade 3 or worse toxicity when compared with normal-weight individuals. Increasing BMI in male patients with rectal cancer is associated with a decreased likelihood of sphincter preservation and a higher chance of local recurrence. For both men and women, overweight and obese patients experience less toxicity associated with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, suggesting that actual body weight dosing of fluorouracil for obese patients is justified.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32620026,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Analysis of lncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs networks in periodontal ligament stem cells under mechanical force.\nOur study aims to analyze the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and investigate the potential regulatory networks among lncRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and mRNAs in periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) under mechanical force (MF). PDLSCs were isolated from human periodontal ligament tissues and identified by flow cytometry analysis. Multidirectional differentiation potential of PDLSCs was obtained by osteogenic and adipogenic induction. High-throughput RNA sequencing was used to identify the expression patterns of lncRNAs and mRNAs in PDLSCs under MF. MF-responsive miRNAs were obtained from the previous microarray data. LncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs networks were constructed by Cytoscape. PDLSCs cultured from the periodontal ligament tissues were positive for STRO-1, CD146 and negative for CD45, CD34. Alizarin red staining and Oil Red O staining showed that PDLSCs had the ability of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. Then, a total of 1,339 and 1,426 differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were identified, respectively, in PDLSCs under MF. Based on the previous miRNA microarray analysis, the potential interaction networks of lncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs were constructed. It was found that lncRNAs and mRNAs could competitively interact with the same miRNA. LncRNAs-miRNAs-mRNAs networks were involved in PDLSCs under MF, which might provide a novel mechanism in the regulation of clinical orthodontic tooth movement process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8063264,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prevalence of high serum and red cell ferritin levels in HIV-infected patients.\nWe report a high prevalence of elevated serum and red cell ferritin (SF and RCF) levels in 168 patients with HIV infection. SF levels increase with clinical worsening of infection and with decreasing CD4+ lymphocyte counts (ANOVA, p < 0.001) while RCF is significantly higher in asymptomatic AIDS patients (ANOVA, p < 0.001) and in those treated with zidovudine (AZT) (ANOVA, p < 0.001). It is suggested that, although inflammatory processes may explain high SF levels, if we also take in account RCF levels a possible association between iron overload and HIV infection might exist, and this may be worsened by AZT treatment. The significance of these high ferritin levels and their effects on immune system suppression and susceptibility to infectious and neoplastic complications in these patients merits further investigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10625657,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Expression, purification, and characterization of natural mutants of human aldolase B. Role of quaternary structure in catalysis.\nFructaldolases (EC 18.104.22.168) are ancient enzymes of glycolysis that catalyze the reversible cleavage of phosphofructose esters into cognate triose (phosphates). Three vertebrate isozymes of Class I aldolase have arisen by gene duplication and display distinct activity profiles with fructose 1,6-bisphosphate and with fructose 1-phosphate. We describe the biochemical and biophysical characterization of seven natural human aldolase B variants, identified in patients suffering from hereditary fructose intolerance and expressed as recombinant proteins in E. coli, from which they were purified to homogeneity. The mutant aldolases were all missense variants and could be classified into two principal groups: catalytic mutants, with retained tetrameric structure but altered kinetic properties (W147R, R303W, and A337V), and structural mutants, in which the homotetramers readily dissociate into subunits with greatly impaired enzymatic activity (A149P, A174D, L256P, and N334K). Investigation of these two classes of mutant enzyme suggests that the integrity of the quaternary structure of aldolase B is critical for maintaining its full catalytic function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26510595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"[Antitumor effect of mIFN-\u03bb3 in C57BL\/6 mice model for papilloma tumors].\nAlthough several years have passed since the determination of the human papilloma virus (HPV) as the causative agent for cervical cancer, a definitive treatment has not yet been found. Interferon-alpha (IFN-\u03b1) immunotherapy is one of the promising methods for tumor treatment, although numerous side effects were observed in clinical trials. Recently, a new type of interferon, lambda-interferon (IFN-\u03bb), has been discovered with fewer side effects than IFN-\u03b1 since its receptor repertoire is limited. IFN-\u03bb has a series of activities including antiviral, anti-proliferative and anti-tumor actions. In the present study, the effects of IFN-\u03b1 and IFN-\u03bb on the TC1 papilloma tumor model in C57BL\/6 mice were evaluated. TC1 cells were injected into the mice subcutaneously. Upon tumor formation, murine IFN, mIFN-\u03b1 and mIFN-\u03bb, expression plasmids were injected intratumorally in combination or alone. The survival time and tumor size as well as apoptosis in tumors and NK cytoxicity were measured after three injections. As compared with the control group, the remarkable results especially in the group which received mIFN-\u03b1 and mIFN-\u03bb together were obtained for all of the measured parameters. Although IFN-\u03bb is a new member of the interferon family and its properties should be studied in detail, the data obtained suggests that the use of IFN-\u03bb especially in combination with IFN-\u03b1 could be considered as an effective strategy for papilloma cervical cancer immunotherapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26031226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Brief Report: Human Mesenchymal Stem-Like Cells Facilitate Floating Tumorigenic Cell Growth via Glutamine-Ammonium Cycle.\nHow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promote tumor growth remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that mesenchymal stem-like cells (MSLCs) are commonly present in malignant pleural effusion or ascites of cancer patients, where they directly interact with tumor cells. Chemokines and chemokine receptors, especially the CCL2\/CCR2 pathway, are involved in this interaction. As a result, MSLCs exert tumor-promoting effects by enhancing the proliferation and colony formation of tumor-repopulating cells. The underlying molecular basis involves MSLC release of glutamine to tumorigenic cells. Inhibition of glutamine uptake impedes MSC-mediated tumor-promoting effects. More intriguingly, MSLCs take up tumor cell-released ammonium that, in turn, favors MSLC growth. Thus, glutamine and ammonium form a vicious cycle between MSLCs and tumorigenic cells. These findings suggest a potential clinical application by targeting MSLCs in patients with malignant pleural effusions or ascites.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8133192,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Choice of controls in case-control studies.\nThis paper will explore the concepts of the choice of controls in observational analytic epidemiological case-control studies. An overview of the objects and basic concepts of case-control methodology along with a brief review of its historical development are presented. The definition and purpose of the control group are reviewed. The control's opportunity of exposure to the study variables is examined. Major sources of bias are reviewed and some solutions, emphasizing the control, are offered. Examples of case-control studies from neuromusculoskeletal literature are evaluated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24833897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Corticosteroids in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.\nChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic and progressive disease that affects an estimated 10% of the world's population over the age of 40 years. Worldwide, COPD ranks in the top ten for causes of disability and death. Given the significant impact of this disease, it is important to note that acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) are by far the most costly and devastating aspect of disease management. Systemic steroids have long been a standard for the treatment of AECOPD; however, the optimal strategy for dosing and administration of these medications continues to be debated. To review the use of corticosteroids in the treatment of acute exacerbations of COPD. Literature was identified through PubMed Medline (1950-February 2014) and Embase (1950-February 2014) utilizing the search terms corticosteroids, COPD, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and exacerbation. All reference citations from identified publications were reviewed for possible inclusion. All identified randomized, placebo-controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews evaluating the efficacy of systemic corticosteroids in the treatment of AECOPD were reviewed and summarized. The administration of corticosteroids in the treatment of AECOPD was assessed. In comparison to placebo, systemic corticosteroids improve airflow, decrease the rate of treatment failure and risk of relapse, and may improve symptoms and decrease the length of hospital stay. Therefore, corticosteroids are recommended by all major guidelines in the treatment of AECOPD. Existing literature suggests that low-dose oral corticosteroids are as efficacious as high-dose, intravenous corticosteroid regimens, while minimizing adverse effects. Recent data suggest that shorter durations of corticosteroid therapy are as efficacious as the traditional treatment durations currently recommended by guidelines. Systemic corticosteroids are efficacious in the treatment of AECOPD and considered a standard of care for patients experiencing an AECOPD. Therefore, systemic corticosteroids should be administered to all patients experiencing AECOPD severe enough to seek emergent medical care. The lowest effective dose and shortest duration of therapy should be considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36091626,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prognostic Comparison between cTACE and H101-TACE in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): A Propensity-Score Matching Analysis.\nTransarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most common treatment for patients with HCC who are unsuitable for radical therapies. Conventional TACE (cTACE) takes advantage of the preferential hepatic arterial supply of HCC for the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents suspended in lipiodol, followed by embolization or reduction of arterial flow using various types of particles while sparing the surrounding liver parenchyma. Aims and Objectives. The current study is aimed at comparing the efficacy and safety profiles of transarterial infusion of recombinant human type-5 adenovirus (H101-TACE) with conventional transarterial chemoembolization (cTACE) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Unresectable HCC patients that received H101-based TACE or cTACE from August 2018 to September 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Propensity score matching (PSM) has a 1 : 1 ratio to eliminate possible confounder imbalances across cohorts. The main outcome was overall survival (OS), while secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and tumor response. This study included 111 patients classified across two cohorts: the H101-TACE cohort (n = 37) and the cTACE cohort (n = 74). Median OS within the H101-TACE cohort was 9.0 months longer than within the cTACE cohort before PSM (22.1 vs. 13.1 months, P = 0.043) and 9.3 months longer following PSM (22.1 vs. 12.8 months, P = 0.004). The median PFS within the H101-TACE cohort was 3.2 months longer compared to the cTACE cohort before PSM (6.5 vs. 3.3 months, P = 0.046) and 2.5 months after PSM (6.5 vs. 4.0 months, P = 0.012). The disease control rate for H101 and control cohorts was 81.1% and 59.5%, accordingly (P = 0.039). The present study demonstrated that the H101-TACE is safe and efficient and can considerably enhance prognostic results for unresectable HCC compared to cTACE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36137526,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A 2-Year, Single-Center Study to Assess the Safety and Effectiveness of the MicroShunt in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.\nTo assess the effectiveness and safety of the MicroShunt (formerly known as the MIDI-Arrow or InnFocus MicroShunt\u00ae), an 8.5-mm-long, 70-\u00b5m lumen controlled ab-externo glaucoma filtration surgery device made from poly(styrene-block-isobutylene-block-styrene) (SIBS), in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). A 2-year, single-center, single-surgeon, non-randomized, adaptive feasibility clinical study (NCT01563237) was conducted in France from June 2011 to November 2016. Eligible patients were aged 18-85 years and had POAG inadequately controlled on maximum tolerated medical therapy with intraocular pressure (IOP) \u226518 and \u226440 mmHg. The MicroShunt was implanted ab externo with adjunctive use of Mitomycin C (0.2-0.4 mg\/mL applied for 2-3 minutes), alone or in combination with cataract surgery. The primary effectiveness endpoints were the reduction in IOP relative to the preoperative value assessed at each postoperative visit and the measurement of success at years 1 and 2. The primary safety endpoint was the incidence of all procedure- and\/or device-related adverse events (AEs) during the study. The secondary effectiveness endpoint was the mean number of glaucoma medications per patient, and the secondary safety endpoint was the incidence of glaucoma reoperation. Sixty-one eyes from 61 patients underwent MicroShunt implantation. Mean IOP \u00b1 standard deviation (SD) was significantly reduced from 25.7 \u00b1 6.1 mmHg at baseline (N = 61) to 15.8 \u00b1 4.7 mmHg at year 1 (n = 58) and 16.5 \u00b1 6.0 mmHg at year 2 (n = 52) (both p < 0.001). Overall success rates for patients achieving IOP \u22656 mmHg and <21 mmHg at year 1 and year 2 were 80.3% and 75.4%, respectively. Mean \u00b1 SD number of glaucoma medications per patient decreased significantly from 2.9 \u00b1 1.1 at baseline to 0.6 \u00b1 1.0 at year 1 (n = 58) and 1.0 \u00b1 1.3 at year 2 (n = 52) (both p < 0.001). The most common procedure- and\/or device-related AEs were investigator-reported increased IOP and hyphema. Four patients required reoperation. In this study, sustained reductions in mean IOP and number of glaucoma medications from baseline were observed up to 2 years post surgery. No long-term, sight-threatening AEs were observed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31235802,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Sperm RNA code programmes the metabolic health of offspring.\nMammalian sperm RNA is increasingly recognized as an additional source of paternal hereditary information beyond DNA. Environmental inputs, including an unhealthy diet, mental stresses and toxin exposure, can reshape the sperm RNA signature and induce offspring phenotypes that relate to paternal environmental stressors. Our understanding of the categories of sperm RNAs (such as tRNA-derived small RNAs, microRNAs, ribosomal RNA-derived small RNAs and long non-coding RNAs) and associated RNA modifications is expanding and has begun to reveal the functional diversity and information capacity of these molecules. However, the coding mechanism endowed by sperm RNA structures and by RNA interactions with DNA and other epigenetic factors remains unknown. How sperm RNA-encoded information is decoded in early embryos to control offspring phenotypes also remains unclear. Complete deciphering of the 'sperm RNA code' with regard to metabolic control could move the field towards translational applications and precision medicine, and this may lead to prevention of intergenerational transmission of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10231383,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (Erk1 and Erk2) cascade results in phosphorylation of NF-M tail domains in transfected NIH 3T3 cells.\nNeurofilaments (NFs) are neuron-specific intermediate filaments, and are the major cytoskeletal component in large myelinated axons. Lysine-serine-proline (KSP) repeats in the tail domains of high molecular weight NF proteins (NF-M and NF-H) are extensively phosphorylated in vivo in the axon. This phosphorylation in the tail domain has been postulated to play an important role in mediating neuron-specific properties, including axonal caliber and conduction velocity. Recent studies have shown that the mitogen-activated protein kinases (extracellular signal-regulated kinases, Erk1 and Erk2) phosphorylate KSP motifs in peptide substrates derived from the NF-M and NF-H tail domains in vitro. However, it is not clear whether activation of the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway is able to phosphorylate these domains in vivo. To answer this question, a constitutively active form of mitogen-activated Erk activating kinase (MEK1) was cotransfected with an NF-M expression construct into NIH 3T3 cells. The activated mutant, but not the dominant negative mutant, induced phosphorylation of NF-M. In addition, it was shown that epidermal growth factor, which induces the MAP kinase cascade in NIH 3T3 cells, also activated endogenous Erk1 and Erk2 and NF-M tail domain phosphorylation in the transfected cells. These results present direct evidence that in-vivo activation of Erk1 and Erk 2 is sufficient for NF-M tail domain phosphorylation in transfected cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34064068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Photodegradation of Ciprofloxacin, Clarithromycin and Trimethoprim: Influence of pH and Humic Acids.\nIn view of the rising relevance of emerging pollutants in the environment, this work studies the photodegradation of three antibiotics, evaluating the effects of the pH of the medium and the concentration of dissolved organic matter. Simulated light (with a spectrum similar to that of natural sunlight) was applied to the antibiotics Ciprofloxacin (Cip), Clarithromycin (Cla) and Trimethoprim (Tri), at three different pH, and in the presence of different concentrations of humic acids. The sensitivity to light followed the sequence: Cip > Cla > Tri, which was inverse for the half-life (Tri > Cla > Cip). As the pH increased, the half-life generally decreased, except for Cla. Regarding the kinetic constant k, in the case of Cip and Tri it increased with the rise of pH, while decreased for Cla. The results corresponding to total organic carbon (TOC) indicate that the complete mineralization of the antibiotics was not achieved. The effect of humic acids was not marked, slightly increasing the degradation of Cip, and slightly decreasing it for Tri, while no effect was detected for Cla. These results may be relevant in terms of understanding the evolution of these antibiotics, especially when they reach different environmental compartments and receive sunlight radiation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7573561,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Na-D-glucose cotransport in renal brush-border membrane vesicles of an early teleost (Oncorhynchus mykiss).\nBrush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) enriched with alkaline phosphatase (8.1-fold) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (11.5-fold) were prepared from the rainbow trout kidney. D-[3H]glucose uptake was stimulated by inward Na gradients but not by K, choline, Li, N-methyl-D-glucamine, or mannitol gradients. Na-dependent glucose uptake displayed overshoot in voltage-polarized vesicles (VPV; negative inside) but not in short-circuited vesicles (SCV). Recognition of carbons 2 and 3 of the glucopyranose ring was essential for glucose uptake. Phlorizin inhibited Na-dependent D-glucose uptake with an inhibition constant of 11.4 microM. The Michaelis-Menten constant of glucose was 0.58 mM in VPV and increased to 1.49 mM in SCV, whereas that for sodium was 193 mM in VPV and similar in SCV. Maximum velocity of Na was reduced in SCV. The Hill coefficient was 1 for both Na and glucose in VPV and SCV. Our studies indicate a single Na-D-glucose cotransporter that transports Na and glucose with a 1:1 stoichiometry and voltage-dependent kinetics. The transporter shares functional properties with both mammalian transporters SGLT1 and SGLT2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35156097,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"100 years post-insulin: immunotherapy as the next frontier in type 1 diabetes.\nType 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterised by T cell-mediated destruction of the insulin-producing \u03b2 cells in the pancreas. Similar to other autoimmune diseases, the incidence of T1D is increasing globally. The discovery of insulin 100 years ago dramatically changed the outlook for people with T1D, preventing this from being a fatal condition. As we celebrate the centenary of this milestone, therapeutic options for T1D are once more at a turning point. Years of effort directed at developing immunotherapies are finally starting to pay off, with signs of progress in new onset and even preventative settings. Here, we review a selection of immunotherapies that have shown promise in preserving \u03b2 cell function and highlight future considerations for immunotherapy in the T1D setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27199171,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"\"It's like a puzzle\": Pregnant women's perceptions of professional support in midwifery care.\nPregnant women are not always satisfied with the professional support they receive during their midwifery care. More knowledge is needed to understand what professional support pregnant women need for childbirth and parenting. Childbearing and the transition to becoming a parent is a sensitive period in one's life during which one should have the opportunity to receive professional support. Professional support does not always correspond to pregnant women's needs. To understand pregnant women's needs for professional support within midwifery care, it is crucial to further illuminate women's experiences of this support. To explore pregnant women's perceptions of professional support in midwifery care. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Fifteen women were interviewed during gestational weeks 36-38. Data was analysed using phenomenography. The women perceived professional support in midwifery care to be reassuring and emotional, to consist of reliable information, and to be mediated with pedagogical creativity. The professional support facilitated new social contacts, partner involvement and contributed to mental preparedness. The findings of the study were presented in six categories and the category Professional support contributes to mental preparedness was influenced by the five other categories. Pregnant women prepare for childbirth and parenting by using several different types of professional support in midwifery care: a strategy that could be described as piecing together a puzzle. When the women put the puzzle together, each type of professional support works as a valuable piece in the whole puzzle. Through this, professional support could contribute to women's mental preparedness for childbirth and parenting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26478869,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of iron oxide nanoparticles coating type on the relationship between nanoparticles concentration and signal intensity in inversion recovery T1-weighted MRI.\nUltrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticles are used as blood pool contrast agent for magnetic resonance angiography and perfusion imaging. Our aim in this study was to investigate the effect of the two coating types of iron oxide nanoparticles on the relationship between nanoparticles concentration and signal intensity (SI) in T1-weighted MR images. Different concentrations of the polyethylene glycol (PEG), and carboxydextran-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were imaged using inversion recovery Turbo-FLASH (Turbo fast low-angle shot) pulse sequence with inversion times (TIs) of 300-900 ms (interval of 100 ms). The maximum non-linear and linear relationship between the corrected SI (after non-uniformity correction) and the concentration of the two coated nanoparticles were calculated in T1-weighted images. The maximum non-linear relationship between the corrected SI and the concentration of the PEG, and carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles were obtained at concentrations of 400 and 200 \u03bcmol Fe\/L at a TI of 900 ms, respectively. In addition, the maximum linear relationship between the corrected SI and the concentration of the PEG, and carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles (R2=0.99) appeared at 228.184 and 205.654 \u03bcmolFe\/L with a TI of 300 ms, respectively. The maximum non-linear corrected SI of the carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles was slightly higher than that of the PEG-coated nanoparticles at similar TIs. However, the PEG-coated nanoparticles were better than the carboxydextran-coated nanoparticles as a T1 contrast agent for perfusion measurements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22203636,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"State employment protection statutes for victims of domestic violence: public policy's response to domestic violence as an employment matter.\nEvidence indicates that domestic violence has negative consequences on victims' employment; yet employers lag in recognizing this as a workplace issue. To address the problem, some states have established several policy solutions. To understand the scope of the public sector's response to domestic violence as a workplace issue, a content analysis of state-level employment protection policies for domestic violence victims (N = 369) was conducted. Results indicate three broad policy categories: (a) policies that offer work leave for victims; (b) policies that aim to reduce employment discrimination of domestic violence victims; and (c) policies that aim to increase awareness and safety in the workplace. Subcategories emerged within each of these three categories. Implementation of employment protection policies varies significantly across states. Implications for workplaces, practitioners, and policy leaders are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10234446,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Synthesis of Neu5Ac(alpha2-->6)[Gal(alpha1-->3)]GalNAcalpha and Neu5Ac(alpha2-->6)[Gal(beta1-->3)]GalNAcalpha trisaccharides as protected trifluoroacetamidopropyl glycosides].\nProtected sialo-containing trisaccharides, fragments of oligosaccharide chains of mucin glycoproteins, were synthesized. Regioselective sialylation of the primary hydroxyl group of (3-fluoroacetamidopropyl)-2-azido-2-deoxy-3-O-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-ben zyl)-alpha -D-galactopyranosyl)-alpha-D-galactopyranoside with methyl ester of peracetyl-beta-ethylthioglycoside of N-acetylneuraminic acid in the presence of N-iodosuccinimide and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (or its trimethylsilyl ester) yielded 39 and 25% of alpha- and beta-sialyl-(2-->6)biosides, respectively. Catalytic hydrogenolysis of the azide and benzyl groups of the alpha-anomer followed by N- and O-acetylation gave target trifluoroacetamidopropyl glycoside, Neu5Ac(alpha 2-->6)[Gal(alpha 1-->3)]GalNAc alpha-OSp, as a peracetate. An analogous coupling of the sialyl donor with (3-fluoroacetamidopropyl)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O- (2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl)-alpha-D-galactopyranos ide affords acetylated trifluoroacetamidopropyl glycoside Neu5Ac(alpha 2-->6)[Gal(beta 1-->3)]GalNAc alpha-OSp in a yield of 15% and the corresponding Neu5Ac(beta 2-->6)-anomer in a yield of 12%. After O-deacetylation and N-detrifluoroacetylation, these sialylbiosides can be used as ligands in preparing neoglycoconjugates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27445607,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Successful Treatment of Lower Limb Complex Regional Pain Syndrome following Three Weeks of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.\nHyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a treatment that delivers 100% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressures. The efficacy of HBOT for treating pain has been described in various animal pain models and may have clinical efficacy in the treatment of human chronic pain syndromes. We present our experience with posttraumatic Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) type 2 in a patient who underwent 15 sessions of HBOT. A 41-year-old male with one-year history of CRPS of left foot followed by left ankle fracture demonstrated less pain, decreased swelling, less allodynia, and improvement in skin color and range of motion of the lower limb after 3 weeks of HBOT. Patient was back to work for the first time in over a year. HBOT may be considered as a valuable therapeutic tool in the treatment of long-standing CRPS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3223936,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The O2-dependence of respiration and H2O2 production in the parasitic nematode Ascaridia galli.\n1. Respiration in the parasitic nematode worm Ascaridia galli was inhibited at O2 concentrations in excess of 255 microM, and an apparent Km,O2 of 174 microM was determined. 2. Mitochondria-enriched fractions isolated from the tissues of A. galli have much lower apparent Km,O2 values (approx. 5 microM). They produce H2O2 in the energized state; higher rates of H2O2 production were observed in the presence of the uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. 3. Antimycin A inhibited respiration in muscle tissue mitochondria by 10%, but had no effect on respiration in gut + reproductive tissue mitochondria; the major portion of respiration in both types of mitochondria could be attributed to an alternative electron-transport pathway. 4. o-Hydroxydiphenyl, an inhibitor of alternative electron-transport pathways, inhibits respiration by 98% and completely inhibits the production of H2O2 in gut-plus-reproductive-tissue mitochondria; respiration and H2O2 production in muscle tissue mitochondria were inhibited by 90 and 86% respectively. 5. Another inhibitor of alternative electron transport, salicylhydroxamic acid, had the same effect as o-hydroxydiphenyl on H2O2 production and respiration in gut-plus-reproductive-tissue mitochondria. However, its effect on muscle tissue mitochondria was complex; a low concentration (0.35 mM) stimulated H2O2 production, whereas 3 mM inhibited respiration by 87% and prevented H2O2 production completely. 6. The similarities between the apparent Km,O2 values for H2O2 production and respiration in muscle mitochondria and in gut-plus-reproductive-tissue mitochondria suggests that the site of H2O2 production on the alternative electron-transport chain is cytochrome 'o'. 7. These results are discussed in relation to potential O2 toxicity in A. galli.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3960386,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Lateralized and compulsive exteroceptive orientation in rats treated with apomorphine.\nA new behavioral test afforded the original demonstration of a compulsive and extremely lateralized taxis for edges in a minority (16%) of rats treated with the dopamine (DA) receptor agonist apomorphine (APO) (1.25 mg\/kg, s.c.). APO also induced a reliable lateralization of locomotor direction in a rotometer in 29% of rats. The lateralizing effects of the drug on taxis for edges and rotational direction were not reliably associated, however, suggesting that these effects of APO are independent of each other. Interhemispheric asymmetries of DA receptors in functionally distinctive brain regions may underlie the diverse lateralizing effects of APO in subpopulations of rats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15100454,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The effects of Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax infections on placental histopathology in an area of low malaria transmission.\nPlacental histopathology was studied in a cohort of 204 women living in an area of low Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria transmission. Detection of malaria antenatally was active, by weekly peripheral blood smears, and all infections were treated. Significant histopathologic placental malaria changes (increased malaria pigment, cytotrophoblastic prominence, and presence of parasites) were found only in a minority of women who had P. falciparum infections in pregnancy. These changes were significantly more frequent in women with evidence of peripheral blood infection close to delivery and only in these cases were placental inflammatory cells increased. Antenatal P. vivax infection was associated only with the presence of malaria pigment in the placenta. All placental infections diagnosed by blood smear and 32.4% (12 of 37) diagnosed by histopathology were associated with patent peripheral parasitemia. This study indicates that prompt treatment of peripheral parasitemias during pregnancy limits placental pathology. The effect on birth weight reduction may not result from irreversible placental changes but from the acute insult of infection. These findings emphasize the importance of treating malaria in pregnancy promptly with effective antimalarial drugs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9724449,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Relevant radiological anatomy of the pig as a training model in interventional radiology.\nThe use of swine for teaching purposes in medicine and surgery has largely increased in recent years. Detailed knowledge of the porcine anatomy and physiology is a prerequisite for proper use of pigs as a teaching or an experimental model in interventional radiology. A systematic study of the radiological anatomy was undertaken in more than 100 female pigs aged 6-8 weeks. All studies were performed under general anesthesia in a single session. Animals were sacrificed at the end of the study. Selective angiographies were systematically obtained in all anatomical territories. In other animals CT and MRI examinations were performed and were correlated to anatomical sections and acrylic casts of the vascular structures. Endoscopical examinations of the upper gastrointestinal tract, including retrograde opacification of the biliary and pancreatic ducts, were added in selected animals. The main angiographic aspects of the brain, head and neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis were recorded. Similarities and differences in comparison with human anatomy are stressed. Potential applications in interventional radiology are indicated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27451463,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Vascular Function at Baseline in the Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation Study.\nEnd-stage renal disease is accompanied by functional and structural vascular abnormalities. The objective of this study was to characterize vascular function in a large cohort of patients with end-stage renal disease, using noninvasive physiological measurements, and to correlate function with demographic and clinical factors. We analyzed cross-sectional baseline data from the Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation Study, a multicenter prospective observational cohort study of 602 patients with end-stage renal disease from 7 centers. Brachial artery flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation, carotid-femoral and -radial pulse wave velocity, and venous occlusion plethysmography were performed prior to arteriovenous fistula creation. Relationships of these vascular function measures with demographic, clinical, and laboratory factors were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models. Arterial function, as assessed by flow- and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation and carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity, worsened with increasing age and diabetes mellitus. Venous capacitance decreased with diabetes mellitus but not with age. Flow-mediated dilation was higher among patients undergoing maintenance dialysis than for those at predialysis, and a U-shaped relationship between serum phosphorus concentration and flow-mediated dilation was evident. Partial correlations among different measures of vascular function, adjusting for demographic factors, diabetes mellitus, and clinical center, were modest or essentially nonexistent. Multiple demographic and clinical factors were associated with the functions of vessels of different sizes and types in this large cohort of patients with end-stage renal disease. Low correlations between the different measures, controlling for demographic factors, diabetes mellitus, and center, indicated that these different types of vascular function otherwise vary heterogeneously across patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23220838,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-18":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":1,"2013-20":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"De-differentiation of papillary thyroid carcinoma into squamous cell carcinoma. A case of coexistence within an excised neck lesion.\nAn 80-year-old man with papillary thyroid carcinoma of the neck underwent surgery and radioiodide therapy. He presented 11 years later with a lesion adjudged from fine needle aspiration to be a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Histological analysis of the excised mass revealed a lymph node overwhelmed with papillary thyroid carcinoma and moderately differentiated SCC thought to have transformed from papillary cells. A very small number of similar transformations specifically involving the 'tall cell variant' of papillary carcinoma transforming to spindle cell carcinoma have been reported previously. This case report demonstrates clear images of this rare occurrence and briefly considers factors leading to de-differentiation. The clinician should consider possible transformation from papillary thyroid cancer in cases of SCC of the head and neck as this variation may be more aggressive.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17588801,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Combined networks regulating seed maturation.\nSeed maturation is an important phase of seed development during which embryo growth ceases, storage products accumulate, the protective tegument differentiates and tolerance to desiccation develops, leading to seed dormancy. The spatial and temporal regulation of all these processes requires the concerted action of several signaling pathways that integrate information from genetic programs, and both hormonal and metabolic signals. Recent genetic studies have identified some of the interactions that occur between four master regulators in Arabidopsis, increasing our knowledge of the control of the transcriptional program involved in seed maturation. Moreover, several recent breakthroughs have led to a better understanding of the role of abscisic acid signal modulation and the importance of metabolic regulation in the maternal to filial switch leading to the maturation phase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37750710,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Gut microbiota of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) exhibits distinct responses to pathogenic and non-pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus.\nAcute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), a high-mortality-rate shrimp disease, is caused by specific Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) strains with a plasmid encoding the PirABVp toxins. As a bacterial pathogen, the invasion of AHPND-causing Vp might impose pressure on commensal microbiota in the shrimp gut, while the relationship between the pathogenesis of AHPND and the dysbiosis of gut bacterial communities remains unclear. Here we explored the temporal changes of shrimp gut microbiota in response to AHPND-causing and non-AHPND-causing Vp strains, with the non-infected controls as a baseline of the shrimp gut microbiota. The diversity and composition of bacterial communities from 168 gut samples (covering three treatments at seven time points with eight individuals per set) were investigated using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding with high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that (i) species diversity of gut bacterial communities declined in Vp-infected shrimp, independent of the strain pathogenicity; (ii) taxonomic compositions of gut bacterial communities were significantly different between shrimp infected by AHPND-causing and non-AHPND-causing Vp strains; (iii) short-term (within 6 hours) compositional shifts in the gut microbiota were found only in AHPND-causing Vp-infected shrimp; (iv) the gut microbiota of AHPND-causing Vp-infected shrimp was enriched with genera Photobacterium and Vibrio, with a decline in Candidatus Bacilliplasma; and (v) functional predictions suggested the loss of normal metabolism due to compositional shifts in the gut microbiota. Our work reveals distinct features of community dynamics in shrimp gut microbiota, associated with pathogenic versus non-pathogenic Vibrio infections, providing a new perspective of the pathogenesis of AHPND. IMPORTANCE Shrimp production is continually threatened by newly emerging diseases, such as AHPND, which is caused by specific Vp strains. Previous studies on the pathogenesis of AHPND have mainly focused on the histopathology and immune responses of the host. However, more attention needs to be paid to the gut microbiota, which acts as the first barrier to pathogen colonization. In this study, we revealed that shrimp gut microbiota responded differently to pathogenic and non-pathogenic Vp strains, with bacterial genera Photobacterium and Vibrio enriched in pathogenic Vp-infected shrimp, and Candidatus Bacilliplasma enriched in non-pathogenic Vp-infected shrimp. Moreover, functional predictions suggested that changes in taxonomic compositions would further affect normal metabolic functions, emphasizing the importance of sustaining an equilibrium in the gut microbiota. Several biomarkers associated with specific microbial taxa and functional pathways were identified in our data sets, which help predict the incidence of disease outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34969006,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bilateral Throw Execution in Young Judokas for a Maximum All Year Round Result.\nThis study investigates bilateral performance with the Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) and its associations with competition performance (CP) and competition volume (CV) in judo. The SJFT compared movement patterns of the dominant (D) and nondominant (ND) sides on a sample of 27 youth judoka. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to determine differences in SJFT execution to the D and ND side, and for associations, the Pearson correlation was used (P < .05). The total number of throws is significantly higher on the D side, with better performance in the final SJFT index. The CP showed positive correlations with the D side of SJFT executions in the second part of SJFT (P = .042) and the total number of throws (P = .036). On the ND side, the CP showed a positive correlation with the second part of the SJFT (P = .014), a negative correlation with the third part of the SJFT (P = .035), and a positive correlation in the total number of throws (P = .027). CV shows significant correlations with all parameters of the SJFT in the D and ND sides, with stronger correlations on the ND side. The study presents significantly better performance in judokas' D side in SJFT. Associations between CP and CV with the SJFT were significant in connection to both body sides. It highlights the importance of bilateral movement development and good execution of the throwing techniques for the D and ND body sides of youth judoka to achieve greater CP all year round.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23597686,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Occupational therapy interventions to improve the reading ability of older adults with low vision: a systematic review.\nThis systematic review of the literature examined available evidence regarding the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for improving the reading performance of older adults with low vision. We reviewed 32 studies and found strong evidence supporting low vision programs that included occupational therapy and moderately strong evidence supporting the use of electronic magnification. Moderate evidence supported the influence of illumination on reading ability. Limited evidence was found to support eccentric viewing training and optical magnification. More evidence of higher quality is needed to validate the effectiveness of optical magnifiers, text eccentric viewing, characteristic preferences, and line guides within optical magnification. Additionally, further research is needed to develop a standard low vision rehabilitation program. The results of this review support the need for occupational therapy to be included in low vision rehabilitation. The implications of the findings for occupational therapy practice, research, and education are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30922326,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Detection of movement onset using EMG signals for upper-limb exoskeletons in reaching tasks.\nTo assist people with disabilities, exoskeletons must be provided with human-robot interfaces and smart algorithms capable to identify the user's movement intentions. Surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals could be suitable for this purpose, but their applicability in shared control schemes for real-time operation of assistive devices in daily-life activities is limited due to high inter-subject variability, which requires custom calibrations and training. Here, we developed a machine-learning-based algorithm for detecting the user's motion intention based on electromyographic signals, and discussed its applicability for controlling an upper-limb exoskeleton for people with severe arm disabilities. Ten healthy participants, sitting in front of a screen while wearing the exoskeleton, were asked to perform several reaching movements toward three LEDs, presented in a random order. EMG signals from seven upper-limb muscles were recorded. Data were analyzed offline and used to develop an algorithm that identifies the onset of the movement across two different events: moving from a resting position toward the LED (Go-forward), and going back to resting position (Go-backward). A set of subject-independent time-domain EMG features was selected according to information theory and their probability distributions corresponding to rest and movement phases were modeled by means of a two-component Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM). The detection of movement onset by two types of detectors was tested: the first type based on features extracted from single muscles, whereas the second from multiple muscles. Their performances in terms of sensitivity, specificity and latency were assessed for the two events with a leave one-subject out test method. The onset of movement was detected with a maximum sensitivity of 89.3% for Go-forward and 60.9% for Go-backward events. Best performances in terms of specificity were 96.2 and 94.3% respectively. For both events the algorithm was able to detect the onset before the actual movement, while computational load was compatible with real-time applications. The detection performances and the low computational load make the proposed algorithm promising for the control of upper-limb exoskeletons in real-time applications. Fast initial calibration makes it also suitable for helping people with severe arm disabilities in performing assisted functional tasks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20195244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Protein pathway biomarker analysis of human cancer reveals requirement for upfront cellular-enrichment processing.\nTissues are complex structures composed of different cell types, each of which present specific functions and characteristics. To better understand and measure the effect of tumor cell enrichment on protein pathway profiling and drug target activation measurements, the signaling activation portraits of laser capture microdissected (LCM) cancer epithelium and tumor stroma were compared with patient-matched whole-tissue specimens from 53 primary colorectal cancer samples. Microdissected material and whole-tissue lysate from contiguous cryostat sections were subjected to reverse-phase protein microarray analysis to determine the level of phopshorylation and expression of 75 different proteins known to be involved in cancer progression. The results revealed distinct differences in the protein activation portraits of cancer epithelium and stroma. Moreover, we found that the signaling activation profiles of the undissected whole-tissue specimens are profoundly different from the matched LCM material. Attempts to rescale the undissected pathway information based on percent endogenous tumor epithelium content were unsuccessful in recapitulating the LCM tumor epithelial signatures. Analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylation and COX2 expression in these same sample sets revealed wholesale differences in the rank ordering of patient determination when LCM was compared with undissected samples. On the basis of these data, we conclude that accurate protein pathway activation status, which is under evaluation as a basis for patient selection and stratification for personalized therapy, must include upfront cellular-enrichment techniques such as LCM to generate accurate drug target activation status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26505223,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Physical activity intensity can be accurately monitored by smartphone global positioning system 'app'.\nMonitoring physical activity is important to better individualise health and fitness benefits. This study assessed the concurrent validity of a smartphone global positioning system (GPS) 'app' and a sport-specific GPS device with a similar sampling rate, to measure physical activity components of speed and distance, compared to a higher sampling sport-specific GPS device. Thirty-eight (21 female, 17 male) participants, mean age of 24.68, s = 6.46 years, completed two 2.400 km trials around an all-weather athletics track wearing GPSports Pro\u2122 (PRO), GPSports WiSpi\u2122 (WISPI) and an iPhone\u2122 with a Motion X GPS\u2122 'app' (MOTIONX). Statistical agreement, assessed using t-tests and Bland-Altman plots, indicated an (mean; 95% LOA) underestimation of 2% for average speed (0.126 km\u00b7h(-1); -0.389 to 0.642; p < .001), 1.7% for maximal speed (0.442 km\u00b7h(-1); -2.676 to 3.561; p = .018) and 1.9% for distance (0.045 km; -0.140 to 0.232; p < .001) by MOTIONX compared to that measured by PRO. In contrast, compared to PRO, WISPI overestimated average speed (0.232 km\u00b7h(-1); -0.376 to 0.088; p < .001) and distance (0.083 km; -0.129 to -0.038; p < .001) by 3.5% whilst underestimating maximal speed by 2.5% (0.474 km\u00b7h(-1); -1.152 to 2.099; p < .001). Despite the statistically significant difference, the MOTIONX measures intensity of physical activity, with a similar error as WISPI, to an acceptable level for population-based monitoring in unimpeded open-air environments. This presents a low-cost, minimal burden opportunity to remotely monitor physical activity participation to improve the prescription of exercise as medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2481679,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Patterns of expression of keratin 17 in human epithelia: dependency on cell position.\nBy immunomorphology, using keratin 17-specific monoclonal antibody, it has been shown that this keratin is expressed only in the basal cells of a group of complex epithelia: glandular epithelium with myoepithelial component, transitional and pseudostratified epithelia. Immunolocalization of keratin 17 provides evidence that the expression of this keratin strongly depends on the cell position within epithelial structures. The topographical character of the keratin expression suggests that these proteins may be implicated in the generation of spatial organization of epithelial tissues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36156703,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Top Surgery and Chest Dysphoria Among Transmasculine and Nonbinary Adolescents and Young Adults.\nTransgender and nonbinary (TGNB) adolescents and young adults (AYA) designated female at birth (DFAB) experience chest dysphoria, which is associated with depression and anxiety. Top surgery may be performed to treat chest dysphoria. To determine whether top surgery improves chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image in TGNB DFAB AYA. This is a nonrandomized prospective cohort study of patients who underwent top surgery between December 2019 and April 2021 and a matched control group who did not receive surgery. Patients completed outcomes measures preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. This study took place across 3 institutions in a single, large metropolitan city. Patients aged 13 to 24 years who presented for gender-affirming top surgery were recruited into the treatment arm. Patients in the treatment arm were matched with individuals in the control arm based on age and duration of testosterone therapy. Patients in the surgical cohort underwent gender-affirming mastectomy; surgical technique was at the discretion of the surgeon. Patient-reported outcomes were collected at enrollment and 3 months postoperatively or 3 months postbaseline for the control cohort. The primary outcome was the Chest Dysphoria Measure (CDM). Secondary outcomes included the Transgender Congruence Scale (TCS) and Body Image Scale (BIS). Baseline demographic and surgical variables were collected, and descriptive statistics were calculated. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate the association of top surgery with outcomes. Probability of treatment was estimated using gradient-boosted machines with the following covariates: baseline outcome score, age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, insurance type, body mass index, testosterone use duration, chest binding, and parental support. Overall, 81 patients were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 18.6 [2.7] years); 11 were lost to follow-up. Thirty-six surgical patients and 34 matched control patients completed the outcomes measures. Weighted absolute standardized mean differences were acceptable between groups with respect to body mass index, but were not comparable with respect to the remaining demographic variables baseline outcome measures. Surgical complications were minimal. IPTW analyses suggest an association between surgery and substantial improvements in CDM (-25.58 points; 95% CI, -29.18 to -21.98), TCS (7.78 points; 95% CI, 6.06-9.50), and BIS (-7.20 points; 95% CI, -11.68 to -2.72) scores. Top surgery in TGNB DFAB AYA is associated with low complication rates. Top surgery is associated with improved chest dysphoria, gender congruence, and body image satisfaction in this age group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8107027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Successful intrauterine insemination of Eld's deer (Cervus eldi thamin) with frozen-thawed spermatozoa.\nThis study tested the efficacy of assisted reproduction (synchronization of oestrus and intrauterine artificial insemination (AI)) in contributing to the captive propagation of an endangered species, the Eld's deer (Cervus eldi thamin). Semen was collected from males preselected on the basis of under-represented genotype. Motility of spermatozoa after thawing from ejaculates diluted with BF5F extender (8% glycerol), frozen on dry ice in 0.5 ml straws and stored in liquid nitrogen was 60-70%. Intravaginal progesterone-releasing devices (controlled internal drug release, CIDR-type G) were inserted into 20 adult Eld's deer hinds for 14 days. In all hinds, semen (7.5-10 x 10(6) motile spermatozoa per uterine horn) was deposited by laparoscopy performed 70 h after removal of the CIDR device. Ovarian activity, before and after AI, was monitored by analysing pregnanediol-3 alpha-glucuronide (PdG) concentrations in voided urine collected three to seven times per week. During the period of CIDR device insertion, urinary PdG profiles were equal to, or above, normal luteal phase concentrations in all hinds. Within 48 h of device withdrawal, PdG concentrations returned to baseline values in 17 of the 20 females, and the onset of behavioural oestrus occurred at this time in 12 hinds. On the basis of sustained increases in urinary PdG, 9 of the 20 hinds were diagnosed as pregnant by 90 days after AI, all of which delivered offspring after a mean gestation of 241.1 days (range, 235-245). Seven singletons (two females, five males) were born alive and survived, and one singleton and one set of twins were stillborn (three females).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34216752,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Decreasing Prevalence of Benign Etiology in Resected Lung Nodules Suspicious for Lung Cancer over the Last Decade.\nThis study investigated treatment strategy for suspicious lung cancer with postoperatively proven benign etiology. In this retrospective study, we collected patients who underwent pulmonary resection for radiologically suspected lung cancer from 2010 to 2019 at Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC). Radiological features, preoperative follow-up time, preoperative pathology and postoperative pathology of these patients were documented. We classified resected benign lesions based on paraffin section and compared the therapy management performed on indeterminate lung nodules of 2 time periods (2010-2014 vs 2015-2019). 17,188 patients were included in this cohort and 1,381 (8.03%) cases were postoperatively proved to be benign lesions. Resected benign lesions proportion significantly decreased by years, from 14.5-6.2%. The respective resected benign lesions proportions for pure GGO nodules, part solid nodules and solid nodules were 5.3%, 3.0% and 11.7%. The resected benign lesions rate for patients with longer preoperative follow-up time was much lower (p < 0.001). Among the benign lesions, 14.2% were benign tumors, 25.7% were granulomatous, 30.2% were pneumonia, 18.0% were fibrosis and 11.9% were other types. If we consider that resections for granulomatous and pneumonia radiologically featured as solid nodules exceeding 2 cm, benign tumor and inflammatory pseudotumor are therapeutic, the nontherapeutic pulmonary resection rate is 4.26%. For patients with GGO nodules, the median preoperative follow-up time increased with the time being and the resected benign rate in period 2 (2015-2019) was significantly lower than that in period 1 (2010-2014). Wedge resection was the most common surgery strategy especially for small nodules and no matter for small or large nodules, the frequency of sublobar resection in period 2 was higher than that in period 1. The resected benign lesions rate at our department was relatively low and decreasing over the last decade. Meanwhile, our follow-up and surgical strategy improved over time. For patients with GGO nodules, 4-6months preoperative follow-up is recommended to avoid surgical intervention for benign lesions. For solid nodules with inconclusive diagnosis, limited resection should be first considered to maintain the balance between reducing the risk of cancer progressing and minimizing the resection for benign lesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7328386,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of storage at 20 degrees C on the concentration of amino acids in plasma.\nAmino acids were determined in whole and deproteinized plasma from six subjects, before and after storage at -20 degrees C over a period of four weeks. When the native plasma was stored the following changes were observed after four weeks (fractions, mean +\/- SEM): increase of glutamic acid (to 1.30 +\/- 0.11), decrease of glutamine (to 0.91 +\/- 0.03), half-cystine (to 0.24 +\/- 0.09) and arginine (to 0.94 +\/- 0.02). In stored deproteinized plasma, only glutamine decreased slightly (to 0.96 +\/- 0.02) in four weeks. The concentration of 22 other amino acids remained unchanged irrespective of the type of storage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7573556,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Thermal dehydration-induced thirst in rats: role of body temperature.\nMale Sprague-Dawley rats were used to study the possible role of hyperthermia in the thirst associated with thermal dehydration. Rats were exposed to 40 degrees C for 4 h and then allowed access to water at different times after they were transferred to 25 degrees C. Delaying the time prior to allowing the rats to drink did not significantly alter either water intake or percent rehydration even though core temperature decreased during the first 1.5 h after removal from the heat. Exposing thermally dehydrated rats to 5 degrees C for 30 min prior to allowing them access to water also failed to significantly affect water intake or percent rehydration. Thermally dehydrated rats allowed to drink while remaining in the heat did not show a significant increase in water intake during the first hour or percent rehydration over rats drinking at 25 degrees C. Nondehydrated rats did show significant increases in water intake and percent rehydration when allowed to drink in the heat. Hyperthermia does not play a role in drinking in thermally dehydrated rats but can stimulate drinking in water-replete rats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12779570,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Open problems in active chaotic flows: Competition between chaos and order in granular materials.\nThere are many systems where interaction among the elementary building blocks-no matter how well understood-does not even give a glimpse of the behavior of the global system itself. Characteristic for these systems is the ability to display structure without any external organizing principle being applied. They self-organize as a consequence of synthesis and collective phenomena and the behavior cannot be understood in terms of the systems' constitutive elements alone. A simple example is flowing granular materials, i.e., systems composed of particles or grains. How the grains interact with each other is reasonably well understood; as to how particles move, the governing law is Newton's second law. There are no surprises at this level. However, when the particles are many and the material is vibrated or tumbled, surprising behavior emerges. Systems self-organize in complex patterns that cannot be deduced from the behavior of the particles alone. Self-organization is often the result of competing effects; flowing granular matter displays both mixing and segregation. Small differences in either size or density lead to flow-induced segregation and order; similar to fluids, noncohesive granular materials can display chaotic mixing and disorder. Competition gives rise to a wealth of experimental outcomes. Equilibrium structures, obtained experimentally in quasi-two-dimensional systems, display organization in the presence of disorder, and are captured by a continuum flow model incorporating collisional diffusion and density-driven segregation. Several open issues remain to be addressed. These include analysis of segregating chaotic systems from a dynamical systems viewpoint, and understanding three-dimensional systems and wet granular systems (slurries). General aspects of the competition between chaos-enhanced mixing and properties-induced de-mixing go beyond granular materials and may offer a paradigm for other kinds of physical systems. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12324546,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Sexual maturation and reproductive zinc physiology in the female squirrelfish.\nFemale squirrelfish (Holocentridae) accumulate higher concentrations of hepatic zinc than any other known organism. In the liver cells, up to 70% of zinc is bound to metallothionein (MT), which is expressed at extremely high levels. These attributes are related to reproduction in ways that have not been fully characterized. In the present study, we have demonstrated that female-specific zinc and MT accumulation and distribution are strongly correlated to the onset of sexual maturity in Holocentrus adsenscionis. Sexual maturation not only resulted in increased concentrations of zinc in the liver and plasma, but also increased levels of hepatic MT mRNA. Furthermore, mature female squirrelfish exhibited greater proportions of MT protein in the nuclear liver cell fractions. To characterize the physiology further, we have examined the influence of the female sex hormone 17 beta-estradiol (E(2)). E(2) was not sufficient to elicit an increase in hepatic zinc concentrations or MT mRNA levels. E(2) administration did, however, result in increased levels of MT in the nuclear fraction as well as overall hepatic MT protein. E(2) also increased concentrations of zinc in the plasma. The changes in zinc concentration in the bloodstream followed the same time course as vitellogenin (VTG) transport from the liver. However, the high ratio of molar concentrations of zinc to VTG in the bloodstream suggest that VTG may not be the primary vehicle for hepato-ovarian zinc transport in squirrelfish.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31681184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Classification of Multiple DNA Dyes Based on Inhibition Effects on Real-Time Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP): Prospect for Point of Care Setting.\nLAMP has received great interest and is widely utilized in life sciences for nucleic acid analysis. To monitor a real-time LAMP assay, a fluorescence DNA dye is an indispensable component and therefore the selection of a suitable dye for real-time LAMP is a need. To aid this selection, we investigated the inhibition effects of twenty-three DNA dyes on real-time LAMP. Threshold time (Tt) values of each real-time LAMP were determined and used as an indicator of the inhibition effect. Based on the inhibition effects, the dyes were classified into four groups: (1) non-inhibition effect, (2) medium inhibition effect, (3) high inhibition effect, and (4) very high inhibition effect. The signal to noise ratio (SNR) and the limit of detection (LOD) of the dyes in groups 1, 2, and 3 were further investigated, and possible inhibition mechanisms of the DNA dyes on the real-time LAMP are suggested and discussed. Furthermore, a comparison of SYTO 9 in different LAMP reactions and different systems is presented. Of the 23 dyes tested, SYTO 9, SYTO 82, SYTO 16, SYTO 13, and Miami Yellow were the best dyes with no inhibitory effect, low LOD and high SNR in the real-time LAMP reactions. The present classification of the dyes will simplify the selection of fluorescence dye for real-time LAMP assays in point of care setting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26139448,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"A Decision Analysis of Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion Relative to Novel and Traditional Oral Anticoagulation for Stroke Prevention in Patients with New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation.\nPercutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a nonpharmacologic approach for stroke prevention in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). No direct comparisons to novel oral anticoagulants (OACs) exists, limiting decision making on the optimal strategy for stroke prevention in NVAF patients. Addressing this gap in knowledge is timely given the recent debate by the US Food and Drug Administration regarding the effectiveness of LAAO. To assess the cost-effectiveness of LAAO and novel OACs relative to warfarin in patients with new-onset NVAF without contraindications to OAC. A cost-utility analysis using a patient-level Markov micro-simulation decision analytic model was undertaken to determine the lifetime costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of LAAO and all novel OACs relative to warfarin. Effectiveness and utility data were obtained from the published literature and cost from the Ontario Drug Benefits Formulary and Case Costing Initiative. Warfarin had the lowest discounted QALY (5.13 QALYs), followed by dabigatran (5.18 QALYs), rivaroxaban and LAAO (5.21 QALYs), and apixaban (5.25 QALYs). The average discounted lifetime costs were $15 776 for warfarin, $18 280 for rivaroxaban, $19 156 for apixaban, $20 794 for dabigatran, and $21 789 for LAAO. Apixaban dominated dabigatran and LAAO and demonstrated extended dominance over rivaroxaban. The ICER for apixaban relative to warfarin was $28 167\/QALY. Apixaban was preferred in 40.2% of simulations at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $50 000\/QALY. Assumptions regarding clinical and methodological differences between published studies of each therapy were minimized. Apixaban is the most cost-effective therapy for stroke prevention in patients with new-onset NVAF without contraindications to OAC. Uncertainty around this conclusion exists, highlighting the need for further research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18154381,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The far-infrared spectra of neutral and cationic niobium clusters: Nb5 0\/+ to Nb9 0+.\nFar-infrared absorption spectra of small neutral and cationic niobium clusters containing five to nine Nb atoms have been obtained by multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of their argon complexes. The experimental far-IR spectra are recorded in the 85-600 cm(-1) region and cover the range of the structure-specific vibrational fundamentals, i.e., the finger-print range, for these metal clusters. The experiments are accompanied by quantum chemical calculations employing the density-functional theory. A comparison of the experimental and calculated far-IR spectra allows to identify the cluster structures. Although the experimental spectra for clusters containing five, six, eight, and nine Nb atoms are very different for cationic and neutral clusters, the comparison with theory reveals that, nevertheless, the overall geometries for cations and neutrals are very similar, except for Nb(6) (0+).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30986372,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Call to Action to Reduce Tobacco Use During Pregnancy.\nTobacco use is a leading preventable cause of adverse maternal and child health outcomes. However, many women in the United States still report smoking during the third trimester of pregnancy. Smoking rates during pregnancy are particularly high among vulnerable women, such as those who experience mental illness, substance use disorder, homelessness, or interpersonal violence. The Tobacco Control Vaccine is a model based on population-level, evidence-based practices to reduce tobacco use. The four elements of the Tobacco Control Vaccine are access to treatment for tobacco dependence, smoke-free policies, increased tobacco taxes, and media campaigns. The purpose of this commentary is a call to action for health care providers to advocate for increased access to treatment for tobacco dependence; stay up-to-date on innovative, tailored treatment practices; and advocate for comprehensive, smoke-free policies, higher tobacco taxes, and media campaigns to help pregnant women quit smoking and avoid relapse in the postpartum period.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37530629,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Morphological study of the placenta in deliveries with pre-eclampsia: Results from a prospective, observational study in India and Pakistan (PURPOSe).\nTo compare placental findings in women with and without pre-eclampsia. The PURPOSe study included women with stillbirths, women with preterm births and women at term as controls. The placenta of each case was evaluated using the Amsterdam criteria. Two sites and five tertiary care hospitals of south Asia (Three in India and two in Pakistan). Pregnancies in India and Pakistan with placental histology including women with documented hypertension and documented proteinuria and women with neither hypertension nor proteinuria. We compared the placental findings of the two groups using the Amsterdam criteria and further evaluated the placental findings in women with and without pre-eclampsia who had a stillbirth, preterm live birth, or term live birth (control). The main outcome measures were the frequency of maternal and fetal vascular malperfusion and the frequency of placental inflammation and its components, chorioamnionitis, funisitis, villitis and intervillitis in women with and without pre-eclampsia. A total of 733 women had pre-eclampsia and 2334 women had neither hypertension nor proteinuria. In the placentas of women with pre-eclampsia, 57.3% had maternal vascular malperfusion compared with 37.1% in women without pre-eclampsia (p < 0.0001). There was not a significant difference in the prevalence of fetal vascular hypertension between mothers with (17.1%) and without (14.8%, p = 0.6118) pre-eclampsia. When placentas were classified as 'histologically normal' or not, 61.3% of those from pre-eclamptic pregnancies were classified as abnormal, whereas if there was no pre-eclampsia, only 45.0% were classified as histologically abnormal (p < 0.0001). We also considered rates of placental maternal vascular malperfusion in women with and without pre-eclampsia with stillbirth, preterm neonatal death, and term live birth. In women at term with no pre-eclampsia, 16.7% of the placentas had features of maternal vascular malperfusion. This occurred in 79.9% of women with stillbirths with pre-eclampsia compared with 51.8% of those without pre-eclampsia. Maternal vascular malperfusion was present in 49.7% of preterm live births with pre-eclampsia compared with 33.8% without pre-eclampsia. We also evaluated the inflammatory lesions by whether the mother had or did not have pre-eclampsia. When all inflammatory lesions were considered, women with pre-eclampsia had significantly fewer inflammatory lesions than those women without pre-eclampsia (17.1% versus 23.6% p = 0.001). Each of the specific inflammatory lesions was less common in placentas of women with pre-eclampsia than those with chorioamnionitis (16.1% versus 21.9%, p = 0.004) and funisitis (1.5% versus. 5.1%, p = 0.0004). Of placental lesions in women with pre-eclampsia, maternal vascular malperfusion was the most common. Inflammatory lesions were less common in women with pre-eclampsia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3975260,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Does nitrous oxide induce release of brain opioid peptides?\nIncreased concentrations of immunoreactive methionine-enkephalin but not leucine-enkephalin were measured in fractions of cerebrospinal fluid perfusate collected from ventricular-cisternally perfused, urethane-anesthetized rats exposed to a mixture of 75% nitrous oxide\/25% oxygen for 60 min. These findings suggest that nitrous oxide might be capable of inducing the release of methionine-enkephalin in the central nervous system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36719145,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Base (HCO3-\/CO32-) Transport Properties of SLC4 Proteins: New Insights in Acid-Base Kidney Physiology.\nH+ or base transporters and channels in the mammalian genome play important roles in the maintenance of numerous cellular biochemical and physiologic processes throughout the body. Among the known base transporters, those within the SLC4 and SLC26 gene families are involved in cell, transepithelial, and whole organ function. Whether the functional properties of these transporters involve HCO3-, CO32-, or HCO3-\/CO32- stimulated H+ (or OH-) transport has not received widespread attention in the literature. Accordingly, \"bicarbonate\" is the term typically used in most textbooks without greater specificity. Moreover, clinicians and physiologists have historically focused on the blood HCO3- concentration as the base term in the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation in the analysis of clinical acid-base abnormalities, thus, bicarbonate has been assumed to be the species reabsorbed along the nephron as required to maintain the blood [HCO3-] at approximately 25 mM. However, accumulating data in the literature suggest that carbonate, rather than bicarbonate, is the species absorbed across the proximal tubule basolateral membrane, whereas in the collecting duct, bicarbonate is indeed transported. Various experimental approaches leading to this new concept are herein reviewed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":5318095,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Lymphocytes of small mammals: spontaneous transformation in culture to blastoids.\nSmall lynmphocytes froni rabbit and guinea pig, grown in tissue culture in the absence of phytohemagglutinin, can transform spontaneously into cytologically immature cells that are indistinguishable morphologically from blast cells. The transformation occurs in 38 to 75 percent of peripheral lymphocytes and 55 to 75 percent of splenic lymphocytes on the 5th day of culture. The altered cells can synthesize RNA and DNA and show mitotic division; synthesis of DNA occurs after the 5th day of culture, whereas RNA is synthesized throughout the duration of culture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25023798,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of meloxicam administration on physiological and performance responses of transported feeder cattle.\nThis experiment evaluated the effects of meloxicam administration on physiological and performance responses of transported cattle during feedlot receiving. Eighty-four Angus \u00d7 Hereford steers were ranked by BW on d -10 and assigned to 21 dry lot pens. From d -10 to 0, pens were fed alfalfa-grass hay ad libitum and 2.4 kg\/steer daily (DM basis) of a corn-based concentrate. On d 0, pens were randomly assigned to 1) transport for 1,440 km in a livestock trailer and oral administration of meloxicam (1 mg\/kg of BW) at loading (d 0), unloading (d 1), and daily from d 2 to 7 of feedlot receiving (MEL; n = 7); 2) the same transportation and treatment schedule of MEL but oral administration of lactose monohydrate (1 mg\/kg of BW) instead of meloxicam (TRANS; n = 7); or 3) no transport and oral administration of lactose monohydrate (1 mg\/kg of BW) concurrently with treatment administration to MEL and TRANS (CON; n = 7). Upon arrival (d 1), MEL and TRANS steers returned to their pens for a 21-d feedlot receiving with the same diet offered from d -10 to 0. Treatments were administered to steers via oral drench on d 0 and 1 or mixed daily with the concentrate from d 2 to 7. Full BW was recorded before (d -2, -1, and 0) treatment application and at the end of experiment (d 20, 21, and 22) for ADG calculation. Daily DMI was recorded from d 1 to 21. Blood samples were collected on d 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21. During the initial 7 d of feedlot receiving, hay and total DMI were reduced (P \u2264 0.03) in TRANS vs. CON and MEL and similar between CON and MEL (P \u2265 0.26), whereas concentrate DMI did not differ (P = 0.16) among treatments. Mean ADG was reduced (P \u2264 0.03) in TRANS vs. MEL and CON but similar (P = 0.82) between MEL and CON. Moreover, TRANS had reduced G:F vs. CON (P = 0.01) and MEL (P = 0.05), whereas G:F was similar (P = 0.39) between CON and MEL. Serum NEFA concentrations were greater (P < 0.01) for TRANS and MEL vs. CON on d 1. Plasma haptoglobin concentrations were greater (P \u2264 0.03) for TRANS vs. CON and MEL on d 5 and greater (P \u2264 0.03) for CON vs. TRANS on d 10. Plasma ceruloplasmin concentrations were greater (P \u2264 0.04) for TRANS vs. CON on d 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14, greater (P \u2264 0.03) for TRANS vs. MEL on d 5 and 7, and also greater (P = 0.05) for MEL vs. CON on d 3. In conclusion, meloxicam administration to feeder steers modulated the haptoglobin and ceruloplasmin responses and prevented the performance losses caused by long-distance transportation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9714051,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Characteristics of mutations in the p53 gene of oral squamous-cell carcinomas associated with betel-quid chewing in Sri Lanka.\nOral squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common neoplasm in Sri Lanka, accounting for approximately 30% of all cancers in males. Epidemiologic evidence indicates that there is an unequivocal relationship between betel chewing and oral carcinogenesis, suggesting that there may be specific genetic targets of betel-quid ingredients. The p53 gene has been indicated to be a tumor-suppressor gene that is found in mutated form in common human cancers; however, there are few reports about \"carcinogen-specific\" p53 mutation. Because of this background, primary resected specimens from 23 oral SCCs, 7 leukoplakias and 2 oral submucous fibrosis were collected from oral SCC patients in Sri Lanka and were used for p53 mutation analysis. Exons 5 through 8 of the p53 gene were examined by polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and direct sequencing. Mutations in the p53 gene were frequent (10\/23) in oral SCC specimens from Sri Lanka. Moreover, the mutations clustered significantly in exon 5 (7\/10) of the p53 gene, and small deletions and inclusions other than point mutations were observed. These results indicate that 1) betel-quid chewing may cause specific genetic changes, including mutation in the p53 gene; 2) mutations in the p53 gene are not rare events in SCC patients who are betel-quid chewers, which contrasts with other reports; 3) exon 5 of the p53 gene could be one of the specific targets for some betel-quid ingredients; and 4) betel-quid chewing may be a critical environmental factor in the development of oral SCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2529848,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Delta-elimination in the repair of AP (apurinic\/apyrimidinic) sites in DNA.\n[5'-32P]pdT8d(-)dT7, containing an AP (apurinic\/apyrimidinic) site in the ninth position, and [d(-)-1',2'-3H, 5'-32P]DNA, containing AP sites labelled with 3H in the 1' and 2' positions of the base-free deoxyribose [d(-)] and with 32P 5' to this deoxyribose, were used to investigate the yields of the beta-elimination and delta-elimination reactions catalysed by spermine, and also the yield of hydrolysis, by the 3'-phosphatase activity of T4 polynucleotide kinase, of the 3'-phosphate resulting from the beta delta-elimination. Phage-phi X174 RF (replicative form)-I DNA containing AP (apurinic) sites has been repaired in five steps: beta-elimination, delta-elimination, hydrolysis of 3'-phosphate, DNA polymerization and ligation. Spermine, in one experiment, and Escherichia coli formamidopyrimidine: DNA glycosylase, in another experiment, were used to catalyse the first and second steps (beta-elimination and delta-elimination). These repair pathways, involving a delta-elimination step, may be operational not only in E. coli repairing its DNA containing a formamido-pyrimidine lesion, but also in mammalian cells repairing their nuclear DNA containing AP sites.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26537944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Acute load-dependent effects of oral whey protein on gastric emptying, gut hormone release, glycemia, appetite, and energy intake in healthy men.\nIn healthy individuals, intraduodenal whey protein load-dependently modulates gastrointestinal motor and hormonal functions and suppresses energy intake. The effect of oral whey, particularly the impact of load, has not been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to quantify gastric emptying of 30 and 70 g of oral whey protein loads and their relation to gastrointestinal hormone, glycemic, and appetitive responses. On 3 separate occasions in a randomized, double-blind order, 18 lean men [mean \u00b1 SEM age: 24.8 \u00b1 1.4 y; body mass index (in kg\/m(2)): 21.6 \u00b1 0.5] received iso-osmolar, equally palatable drinks (\u223c450 mL) containing 30 g pure whey protein isolate (L), 70 g pure whey protein isolate (H), or saline (control). Gastric emptying (with the use of 3-dimensional ultrasound), plasma cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide 1, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide, insulin, glucagon, total amino acids, and blood glucose were measured for 180 min after consumption of the drinks, and energy intake at a buffet-style lunch was quantified. Gastric emptying of the L and H drinks was comparable when expressed in kilocalories per minute (L: 2.6 \u00b1 0.2 kcal\/min; H: 2.9 \u00b1 0.3 kcal\/min) and related between individuals (r = 0.54, P < 0.01). Gastrointestinal hormone, insulin, and glucagon responses to the L and H drinks were comparable until \u223c45-60 min after ingestion, after which time the responses became more differentiated. Blood glucose was modestly reduced after the H drink between t = 45 and 150 min when compared with the L drink (all P < 0.05). Energy intake was suppressed by both L and H drinks compared with control (P < 0.05) (control: 1174 \u00b1 91 kcal; L: 1027 \u00b1 81 kcal; and H: 997 \u00b1 71 kcal). These findings indicate that, in healthy lean men, the rate of gastric emptying of whey protein is independent of load and determines the initial gastrointestinal hormone response. This study was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as 12611000706976.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21940459,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Surface traffic of dendritic CaV1.2 calcium channels in hippocampal neurons.\nIn neurons L-type calcium currents function in gene regulation and synaptic plasticity, while excessive calcium influx leads to excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. The major neuronal Ca(V)1.2 L-type channels are localized in clusters in dendritic shafts and spines. Whereas Ca(V)1.2 clusters remain stable during NMDA-induced synaptic depression, L-type calcium currents are rapidly downregulated during strong excitatory stimulation. Here we used fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), live cell-labeling protocols, and single particle tracking (SPT) to analyze the turnover and surface traffic of Ca(V)1.2 in dendrites of mature cultured mouse and rat hippocampal neurons, respectively. FRAP analysis of channels extracellularly tagged with superecliptic pHluorin (Ca(V)1.2-SEP) demonstrated \u223c20% recovery within 2 min without reappearance of clusters. Pulse-chase labeling showed that membrane-expressed Ca(V)1.2-HA is not internalized within1 h, while blocking dynamin-dependent endocytosis resulted in increased cluster density after 30 min. Together, these results suggest a turnover rate of clustered Ca(V)1.2s on the hour time scale. Direct recording of the lateral movement in the membrane using SPT demonstrated that dendritic Ca(V)1.2s show highly confined mobility with diffusion coefficients of \u223c0.005 \u03bcm\u00b2 s\u207b\u00b9. Consistent with the mobile Ca(V)1.2 fraction observed in FRAP, a \u223c30% subpopulation of channels reversibly exchanged between confined and diffusive states. Remarkably, high potassium depolarization did not alter the recovery rates in FRAP or the diffusion coefficients in SPT analyses. Thus, an equilibrium of clustered and dynamic Ca(V)1.2s maintains stable calcium channel complexes involved in activity-dependent cell signaling, whereas the minor mobile channel pool in mature neurons allows limited capacity for short-term adaptations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6649020,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Nursing homes: a source of increasing concern. Behavior assessment by the nursing staff].\nIn recent times the need for physical care of residents of Dutch old people's homes has clearly increased. This is strongly related to the ageing of the population of these homes as well as to the introduction of legal measures concerning the admission of new residents. Staff members have also noted an increase in the mental and social problems of residents. In this article we describe a rating scale devised for the assessment of psychosocial problems in a home for the aged. The staff completed this scale and an ADL scale four times at three-month intervals. The prevailing problems appear to be loneliness, isolation and depression. Longitudinal analysis indicates that the number of residents with physical and psychosocial problems is increasing. The relationship between these two domains however is relatively weak. This development requires a new orientation of management and staff and adaptation of education and training of personnel.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7789198,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Meeting goals and confronting conflict: children's changing perceptions of social comparison.\nIt was proposed that previously observed grade-related changes in children's social comparison behavior could be explained by the changing goals and meanings children assign to this behavior. Specifically, it was suggested that, as children progress through the school system, they become increasingly aware of the negative and positive aspects of social comparison and adjust their behavior in response to this awareness, as well as to increasingly salient self-evaluation goals. To examine these propositions, 106 elementary school children were observed in their classrooms and interviewed once a year for 3 years. Consistent with previous research, overt forms of social comparison were most frequent among younger children, whereas subtle forms of social comparison were most frequent among older children. Furthermore, with increasing grade children were likely to view overt forms of social comparison negatively and subtle forms as useful in meeting self-evaluation goals. Additional analyses revealed little association between perceptions of social comparison and actual social comparison behavior, except that perceiving subtle social comparison as useful for self-evaluative goals predicted engagement in such behavior 2 years later.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21206024,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic characterization of three peptidic inhibitors in complex with \u03b1-thrombin.\nThe serine protease thrombin plays a major role in thrombosis and haemostasis. This has driven interest in thrombin inhibitors as potential antithrombotic drugs. Here, the crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of human \u03b1-thrombin in complex with three noncovalent peptide inhibitors of the general sequence D-Phe-Pro-D-Arg-P1'-CONH2 are reported. The crystals belonged to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) and diffracted to beyond 1.3 \u00c5 resolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12533615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Neutral amino acid transporter ASCT1 is preferentially expressed in L-Ser-synthetic\/storing glial cells in the mouse brain with transient expression in developing capillaries.\nNonessential amino acid L-Ser plays an essential role in neuronal survival and differentiation, through preferential expression of the L-Ser biosynthetic enzyme 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3PGDH), in particular in glial cells but not in neurons. To seek the molecular candidates responsible for glia-borne L-Ser transport, we performed histochemical analyses on amino acid transporter ASCT1, which prefers small neutral amino acids, such as Ala, Ser, Cys, and Thr, and mediates their obligatory exchange. At early developmental stages, neuroepithelial cells constituting the ventricular zone expressed ASCT1 mRNA and protein ubiquitously. Thereafter, ASCT1 expression was gradually downregulated in neuronal populations during the late embryonic and neonatal periods, whereas its high expression was transmitted to radial glial cells and then to astrocytes. High levels of ASCT1 were also detected in the olfactory ensheathing glia. The preferential glial expression of ASCT1 was consistent with that of 3PGDH, and their extensive colocalization was demonstrated at the cellular level. Moreover, high cellular contents of L-Ser were revealed in these glial cells by using a specific antibody to L-Ser. These results strongly suggest that a large amount of L-Ser is synthesized and stored in these glial cells and is released through ASCT1 in exchange for other extracellular substrates. In addition, we observed prominent expression of ASCT1 in capillary endothelial cells of embryonic and neonatal brains. Therefore, ASCT1 appears to be regulated to meet metabolic demands by differentiating and mature neurons through the transport of glia- and blood-borne small neutral amino acids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25393704,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Immediate effects of transcutaneous electrical stimulation on physiological swallowing effort in older versus young adults.\nThis study compared the immediate impact of different transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) amplitudes on physiological swallowing effort in healthy older adults versus young adults. Swallowing physiology changes with age. Reduced physiological swallowing effort in older adults including lower lingua-palatal and pharyngeal pressures may increase risk for swallowing dysfunction (i.e. dysphagia). Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) has been advocated as an adjunctive modality to enhance outcomes in exercise-based therapy for individuals with dysphagia. However, significant variation in how TES is applied during therapy remains and the physiological swallowing response to TES is poorly studied, especially in older adults. Physiological change in swallowing associated with no stimulation, sensory stimulation and motor stimulation was compared in 20 young adults versus 14 older adults. Lingua-palatal and pharyngeal manometric pressures assessed physiological swallowing effort. Multivariate analyses identified interactions between age and stimulation amplitude on lingual and pharyngeal functions. Motor stimulation reduced anterior tongue pressure in both age groups but selectively reduced posterior lingua-palatal pressures in young adults only. Sensory stimulation increased base of tongue (BOT) pressures in older adults but decreased BOT pressures in young adults. Motor stimulation increased hypopharyngeal pressures in both groups. Age and TES level interact in determining immediate physiological responses on swallow performance. A one-size-fit-all approach to TES in dysphagia rehabilitation may be misdirected.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27717410,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Metabolic effects of quail eggs in diabetes-induced rats: comparison with chicken eggs.\nQuail eggs as a food item have recently been introduced into the diet of some Cameroonians. These eggs are being sold in local markets, but with many unfounded health claims. One claim is that quail eggs can reduce blood glucose levels in diabetics. It was therefore necessary to evaluate the effect of consuming quail eggs on blood glucose levels, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress parameters in diabetes-induced rats. Twenty Wistar rats weighing, on average, 250 g were divided into four groups of five rats each. Group 1 consisted of rats with normal blood glucose, and the other three groups (2, 3, and 4) consisted of diabetes-induced rats achieved by intravenous injection of streptozotocin. During 16 days, rats in groups 1 and 2 received distilled water; and rats in groups 3 and 4 received quail and chicken eggs, respectively, with gastroesophageal probe at a dose of 1 mL\/200 g body weight. Fasting blood glucose levels were determined in all the groups on the 1st, 7th, 14th, and 17th days after induction of diabetes. On the 17th day, the fasting rats were sacrificed, and blood and liver samples were collected for biochemical analyses. In 17 days, the consumption of quail and chicken eggs had no effect on blood glucose levels of diabetic rats. Total cholesterol levels were higher in groups 3 (75.59 mg\/dL) and 4 (59.41 mg\/dL) compared to group 2 (55.67 mg\/dl), although these differences were not significant (all p>0.05). Triglyceride levels were significantly higher (p<0.05) in groups 3 (106.52 mg\/dL) and 4 (109.65 mg\/dL) compared to group 2 (65.82 mg\/dL). Quail eggs had no effect on oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde, hydroperoxides, and catalase). The consumption of quail eggs by diabetic rats at the tested dose had no effect on blood glucose level and oxidative stress parameters and may have a negative effect on lipid profile.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23600582,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Plate fixation in the cervical spine: traditional paramedian screw configuration compared with unique unilateral configuration.\nThis study compared the fixing strength and stability achieved by a unilateral plate and screw configuration against a standard cervical fixation plate using a single-level corpectomy and allograft strut graft model. Multidirectional in vitro flexibility tests were performed using a robotic spine testing system. Human cadaveric spines were assessed for spinal stability after vertebral corpectomy and anterior instrumentation. Specimens were mounted cranially and caudally on custom jigs that were then attached to load cells on the robotic system's end effector and base pedestal. C2-T1 spine specimens (n = 6) were tested intact; then after C-5 corpectomy (the vertebral body was excised), allograft placement and anterior plate fixation were performed. The surgeons performed a uniform corpectomy and reconstruction of each specimen in a protocol fashion. Two plates were compared: a unilateral 4-hole cervical plate designed to obtain rigid fixation using 4 convergent fixation screws all placed unilateral to the vertebral midline, and a standard cervical plate with bilateral plate screw configuration. The plate testing sequence was selected at random to limit bias. Fixation screws were matched for length and diameter. Pure moments were applied under load control (maximum 1.8 Nm) in flexion, extension, left\/right lateral bending, and left\/right axial rotation. Vertebral motion was measured using an optoelectronic system. The mean relative range of motion between C-4 and C-6 was compared among groups using repeated-measures ANOVA (significance level of 0.05). In comparing the intact construct and 2 different plates in all planes of motion, only motion in extension (intact vs. unilateral plate, p = 0.003; intact vs. standard plate, p = 0.001) and left axial rotation (intact vs unilateral plate, p = 0.019) were significantly affected. In terms of immediate cervical stability after 1-level corpectomy and placement of an allograft reconstruction, the unilateral plate showed comparable stiffness to the standard plate in all 3 motion planes (flexion [p = 0.993], extension [p = 0.732], left lateral bending [p = 0.683], right lateral bending [p = 0.546], left axial rotation [p = 0.082], and right axial rotation [p = 0.489]). The unilateral plate showed a trend toward improved stiffness in axial rotation. In no direction did the unilateral configuration prove significantly less stiff than the traditional configuration. The unilateral plate design proposed here requires minimal dissection and retraction beyond the midline of tissues susceptible to scar, postoperative pain, and swelling. The authors' study suggests that a unilateral plate can be configured to provide comparable fixation strength and torsional stiffness compared with traditional, widely accepted plate designs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36644626,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"British Cardiovascular Interventional Society Consensus Position Statement on Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest 1: Pathway of Care.\nOut-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) affects 80,000 patients per year in the UK; despite improvements in care, survival to discharge remains lower than 10%. NHS England and several societies recommend all resuscitated OHCA patients be directly transferred to a cardiac arrest centre (CAC). However, evidence is limited that all patients benefit from transfer to a CAC, and there are significant organisational, logistic and financial implications associated with such change in policies. Furthermore, there is significant variability in interventional cardiovascular practices for OHCA. Accordingly, the British Cardiovascular Interventional Society established a multidisciplinary group to address variability in practice and provide recommendations for the development of cardiac networks. In this position statement, we recommend: the formal establishment of dedicated CACs; a pathway of conveyance to CACs; and interventional practice to standardise our approach. Further research is needed to understand the role of CACs and which interventions benefit patients with OHCA to support wide-scale changes in networks of care across the UK.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24296758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"ROS1 and ALK fusions in colorectal cancer, with evidence of intratumoral heterogeneity for molecular drivers.\nActivated anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and ROS1 tyrosine kinases, through gene fusions, have been found in lung adenocarcinomas and are highly sensitive to selective kinase inhibitors. This study aimed at identifying the presence of these rearrangements in human colorectal adenocarcinoma specimens using a 4-target, 4-color break-apart FISH assay to simultaneously determine the genomic status of ALK and ROS1. Among the clinical colorectal cancer specimens analyzed, rearrangement-positive cases for both ALK and ROS1 were observed. The fusion partner for ALK was identified as EML4 and the fusion partner for one of the ROS1-positive cases was SLC34A2, the partner for the other ROS1-positive case remains to be identified. A small fraction of specimens presented duplicated or clustered copies of native ALK and ROS1. In addition, rearrangements were detected in samples that also harbored KRAS and BRAF mutations in two of the three cases. Interestingly, the ALK-positive specimen displayed marked intratumoral heterogeneity and rearrangement was also identified in regions of high-grade dysplasia. Despite the additional oncogenic events and tumor heterogeneity observed, elucidation of the first cases of ROS1 rearrangements and confirmation of ALK rearrangements support further evaluation of these genomic fusions as potential therapeutic targets in colorectal cancer. ROS1 and ALK fusions occur in colorectal cancer and may have substantial impact in therapy selection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33024717,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Current status of COVID-19 treatment: An opinion review.\nThe pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has garnered the attention of scientists worldwide in the search for an effective treatment while also focusing on vaccine development. Several drugs have been used for the management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has affected many hospitals and health centers worldwide. Statistically significant results are lacking on the effectiveness of the experimented drugs in reducing COVID-19 morbidity or mortality, as there are very few published randomized clinical trials. Despite this, the literature offers some material for study and reflection. This opinion review attempts to address three burning questions on COVID-19 treatment options. (1) What kind of studies are currently published or ongoing in the treatment of patients with COVID-19? (2) What drugs are currently described in the literature as options of treatment for patients affected by the infection? And (3) Are there specific clinical manifestations related to COVID-19 that can be treated with a customized and targeted therapy? By answering these questions, we wish to create a summary of current COVID-19 treatments and the anti-COVID-19 treatments proposed in the recent clinical trials developed in the last 3 mo, and to describe examples of clinical manifestations of the SARS-CoV-2 infection with a cause-related treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27226168,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Genetic Architecture of Resistance to Stripe Rust in a Global Winter Wheat Germplasm Collection.\nVirulence shifts in populations of Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), the causal pathogen of wheat stripe rust, are a major challenge to resistance breeding. The majority of known resistance genes are already ineffective against current races of Pst, necessitating the identification and introgression of new sources of resistance. Germplasm core collections that reflect the range of genetic and phenotypic diversity of crop species are ideal platforms for examining the genetic architecture of complex traits such as resistance to stripe rust. We report the results of genetic characterization and genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) for resistance to stripe rust in a core subset of 1175 accessions in the National Small Grains Collection (NSGC) winter wheat germplasm collection, based on genotyping with the wheat 9K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) iSelect assay and phenotyping of seedling and adult plants under natural disease epidemics in four environments. High correlations among the field data translated into high heritability values within and across locations. Population structure was evident when accessions were grouped by stripe rust reaction. GWAS identified 127 resistance loci that were effective across at least two environments, including 20 with significant genome-wide adjusted P-values. Based on relative map positions of previously reported genes and QTL, five of the QTL with significant genome-wide adjusted P-values in this study represent potentially new loci. This study provides an overview of the diversity of Pst resistance in the NSGC winter wheat germplasm core collection, which can be exploited for diversification of stripe rust resistance in breeding programs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3760893,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Anticysticercous antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in patients with cerebral cysticercosis.\nFifty-one cases of cerebral cysticercosis proved by surgery or CT scanning were studied prospectively with the ELISA test in order to detect anticysticercous antibodies in blood and CSF. The ELISA test was also performed for detection of antibodies in 20 control patients who had CSF withdrawn during a myelogram and in 119 serum samples of asymptomatic subjects. We found an overall sensitivity of the ELISA test in the blood of 87% with a specificity of 90%. In the CSF we found a sensitivity of 87% with a specificity of 100%. However, when we compared patients with cerebral cysticercosis of a benign type with patients with cerebral cysticercosis of a malignant type we found a serum sensitivity of 75% for the benign group as compared to 93% of the malignant group. The CSF sensitivity was 80% in the benign group and 93% in the malignant group. This difference was statistically significant.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33809600,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Accuracy of Computer-Assisted Surgery in Maxillary Reconstruction: A Systematic Review.\nComputer-assisted surgery (CAS) in maxillary reconstruction has proven its value regarding more predictable postoperative results. However, the accuracy evaluation methods differ between studies, and no meta-analysis has been performed yet. A systematic review was performed in the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases, using a Patient, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome (PICO) method: (P) patients in need of maxillary reconstruction using free osteocutaneous tissue transfer, (I) reconstructed according to a virtual plan in CAS software, (C) compared to the actual postoperative result, and (O) postoperatively measured by a quantitative accuracy assessment) search strategy, and was reported according to the PRISMA statement. We reviewed all of the studies that quantitatively assessed the accuracy of maxillary reconstructions using CAS. Twelve studies matched the inclusion criteria, reporting 67 maxillary reconstructions. All of the included studies compared postoperative 3D models to preoperative 3D models (revised to the virtual plan). The postoperative accuracy measurements mainly focused on the position of the fibular bony segments. Only approximate comparisons of postoperative accuracy between studies were feasible because of small differences in the postoperative measurement methods; the accuracy of the bony segment positioning ranged between 0.44 mm and 7.8 mm, and between 2.90\u00b0 and 6.96\u00b0. A postoperative evaluation guideline to create uniformity in evaluation methods needs to be considered so as to allow for valid comparisons of postoperative results and to facilitate meta-analyses in the future. With the proper validation of the postoperative results, future research might explore more definitive evidence regarding the management and superiority of CAS in maxillary and midface reconstruction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33852321,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"MS Annika: A New Cross-Linking Search Engine.\nCross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has become a powerful technique that enables insights into protein structures and protein interactions. The development of cleavable cross-linkers has further promoted XL-MS through search space reduction, thereby allowing for proteome-wide studies. These new analysis possibilities foster the development of new cross-linkers, which not every search engine can deal with out of the box. In addition, some search engines for XL-MS data also struggle with the validation of identified cross-linked peptides, that is, false discovery rate (FDR) estimation, as FDR calculation is hampered by the fact that not only one but two peptides in a single spectrum have to be correct. We here present our new search engine, MS Annika, which can identify cross-linked peptides in MS2 spectra from a wide variety of cleavable cross-linkers. We show that MS Annika provides realistic estimates of FDRs without the need of arbitrary score cutoffs, being able to provide on average 44% more identifications at a similar or better true FDR than comparable tools. In addition, MS Annika can be used on proteome-wide studies due to fast, parallelized processing and provides a way to visualize the identified cross-links in protein 3D structures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33793054,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Sarco-Model: A score to predict the dropout risk in the perspective of organ allocation in patients awaiting liver transplantation.\nSarcopenia in liver transplantation (LT) cirrhotic candidates has been connected with higher dropouts and graft losses after transplant. The study aims to create an 'urgency' model combining sarcopenia and Model for End-stage Liver Disease Sodium (MELDNa) to predict the risk of dropout and identify an appropriate threshold of post-LT futility. A total of 1087 adult cirrhotic patients were listed for a first LT during January 2012 to December 2018. The study population was split into a training (n = 855) and a validation set (n = 232). Using a competing-risk analysis of cause-specific hazards, we created the Sarco-Model2 . According to the model, one extra point of MELDNa was added for each 0.5 cm2 \/m2 reduction of total psoas area (TPA) < 6.0 cm2 \/m2 . At external validation, the Sarco-Model2 showed the best diagnostic ability for predicting the risk of 3-month dropout in patients with MELDNa < 20 (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.93; P = .003). Using the net reclassification improvement, 14.3% of dropped-out patients were correctly reclassified using the Sarco-Model2 . As for the futility threshold, transplanted patients with TPA < 6.0 cm2 \/m2 and MELDNa 35-40 (n = 16\/833, 1.9%) had the worse results (6-month graft loss = 25.5%). In sarcopenic patients with MELDNa < 20, the 'urgency' Sarco-Model2 should be used to prioritize the list, while MELDNa value should be preferred in patients with MELDNa \u2265 20. The Sarco-Model2 played a role in more than 30% of the cases in the investigated allocation scenario. In sarcopenic patients with a MELDNa value of 35-40, 'futile' transplantation should be considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22578247,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Antibody-mediated rejection of single class I MHC-disparate cardiac allografts.\nMurine CCR5(-\/-) recipients produce high titers of antibody to complete MHC-mismatched heart and renal allografts. To study mechanisms of class I MHC antibody-mediated allograft injury, we tested the rejection of heart allografts transgenically expressing a single class I MHC disparity in wild-type C57BL\/6 (H-2(b)) and B6.CCR5(-\/-) recipients. Donor-specific antibody titers in CCR5(-\/-) recipients were 30-fold higher than in wild-type recipients. B6.K(d) allografts survived longer than 60 days in wild-type recipients whereas CCR5(-\/-) recipients rejected all allografts within 14 days. Rejection was accompanied by infiltration of CD8 T cells, neutrophils and macrophages, and C4d deposition in the graft capillaries. B6.K(d) allografts were rejected by CD8(-\/-)\/CCR5(-\/-), but not \u03bcMT(-\/-)\/CCR5(-\/-), recipients indicating the need for antibody but not CD8 T cells. Grafts recovered at day 10 from CCR5(-\/-) and CD8(-\/-)\/CCR5(-\/-) recipients and from RAG-1(-\/-) allograft recipients injected with anti-K(d) antibodies expressed high levels of perforin, myeloperoxidase and CCL5 mRNA. These studies indicate that the continual production of antidonor class I MHC antibody can mediate allograft rejection, that donor-reactive CD8 T cells synergize with the antibody to contribute to rejection, and that expression of three biomarkers during rejection can occur in the absence of this CD8 T cell activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37747946,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Fluorine Mass Balance, including Total Fluorine, Extractable Organic Fluorine, Oxidizable Precursors, and Target Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, in Pooled Human Serum from the Troms\u00f8 Population in 1986, 2007, and 2015.\nOf the thousands of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known to exist, only a small fraction (\u22641%) are commonly monitored in humans. This discrepancy has led to concerns that human exposure may be underestimated. Here, we address this problem by applying a comprehensive fluorine mass balance (FMB) approach, including total fluorine (TF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF), total oxidizable precursors (TOP), and selected target PFAS, to human serum samples collected over a period of 28 years (1986, 2007, and 2015) in Troms\u00f8, Norway. While concentrations of TF did not change between sampling years, EOF was significantly higher in 1986 compared to 2007 and 2015. The \u221112PFAS concentrations were highest in 2007 compared to 1986 and 2015, and unidentified EOF (UEOF) decreased from 1986 (46%) to 2007 (10%) and then increased in 2015 (37%). While TF and EOF were not influenced by sex, women had higher UEOF compared to men, opposite to target PFAS. This is the first FMB in human serum to include TOP, and it suggests that precursors with >4 perfluorinated carbon atoms make a minor contribution to EOF (0-4%). Additional tools are therefore needed to identify substances contributing to the UEOF in human serum.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17476066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Multi-centric universal pseudonymisation for secondary use of the EHR.\nThis paper discusses the importance of protecting the privacy of patient data kept in an Electronic Health Record (EHR) in the case, where it leaves the control- and protection-sphere of the health care realm for secondary uses such as clinical or epidemiological research projects, health care research, assessment of treatment quality or economic assessments. The paper focuses on multi-centric studies, where various data sources are linked together using Grid technologies. It introduces a pseudonymisation system which enables a multi-centric universal pseudonymisation, meaning that a patient's identity will result in the same pseudonym, regardless of which participating study center the patient data is collected.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24480606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Cord blood biomarkers of vascular endothelial growth (VEGF and sFlt-1) and postnatal growth: a preterm birth cohort study.\nPreterm infants are at risk for postnatal growth failure (PGF). Identification of biomarkers that are associated with neonatal growth may help reduce PGF and associated long-term morbidity. To investigate the associations between cord blood vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its soluble receptor (sFlt-1) with birth weight (BW) and postnatal growth in premature infants. From an ongoing birth cohort, 123 premature infants from 23 to 36 weeks gestational age (GA) were studied. Cord blood plasma VEGF and sFlt-1 were measured via enzyme-linked immunoassay. Growth parameters and nutritional information were evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the associations of VEGF and sFlt-1 on PGF, defined as weight <10th percentile at 36 weeks corrected age or discharge. VEGF was positively correlated, and sFlt-1 was negatively correlated with BW and BW-for-GA percentiles. Higher cord blood VEGF levels were associated with reduced risk of PGF (OR=0.7; 95% CI=0.5-0.9), while higher sFlt-1 levels appeared to increase the risk of PGF (OR=1.6; 95% CI=1.1-2.4). The above biomarker associations were attenuated after adjustment for maternal preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction and related neonatal characteristics, and when taking into account placental vascular pathologies. Longitudinal growth patterns by mean weight and length percentiles were consistently lower among infants with low VEGF\/sFlt-1 ratios. Our data support that intrauterine regulation of angiogenesis is an important mechanism of fetal and postnatal growth. Cord blood VEGF and sFlt-1 are useful in elucidating how intrauterine processes may have long-standing effects on developing premature infants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32336772,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Declining winter survival and fitness implications associated with latitudinal distribution in Norwegian Greylag Geese Anser anser.\nThe Norwegian Greylag Goose Anser anser population has been increasing steadily over the past few decades, causing increasing nuisance in terms of agricultural crop damage. This, in combination with the importance of Greylags as a hunting target, has called for demographic estimates for the population to assist in management decisions. To this end, we analysed long-term mark-recapture data using Cormack-Jolly-Seber models embedded in program MARK to obtain survival estimates for the population. No sex-specific difference, or age effect on survival after juveniles had completed their first migration (3 months of age), was evident. Mean first-year survival was reported as 0.485 and annual survival of older birds as 0.700. On a monthly basis, survival in Greylags during summer and winter was very similar over the study period. A significant linear decline in winter survival from 0.909 to 0.807 was, however, apparent during the study period. Over the second half of the study (1994-2002), summer survival was about 3% lower than in the first half (1986-94) but no linear relationship was evident. We found a significant inverse relationship between Greylag survival during summer and latitudinal distribution in Norway. A similar relationship was evident between survival and annual bag numbers. The changes in adult survival observed in this study are likely to have had a substantial impact on the growth rate of the Norwegian Greylag population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2318583,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Corneal epithelial barrier function after oxybuprocaine provocation in diabetics.\nCorneal epithelial permeability for fluorescein was determined after provocation by a local anesthetic in 18 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients, 23 insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) patients, and 22 healthy controls to evaluate the corneal epithelial barrier function in diabetes. All volunteers had Oxybuprocaine instilled into one eye and saline into the other eye. The epithelial permeability values were determined by fluorophotometry, and the ratio between both eyes was calculated for each individual. The mean permeability values of the saline-instilled eyes in the diabetic patients did not differ significantly from those in the healthy controls (P greater than 0.2). The individual ratios between Oxybuprocaine- and saline-instilled eyes in the NIDDM and IDDM patients differed significantly from those in the healthy controls (mean ratios: 2.6, 1.9, and 1.0, respectively; P less than 0.002). The permeability ratios and the percentage glycosylated hemoglobin (HbAlc) were linearly correlated in the NIDDM patients but not in the IDDM patients (r = 0.73, P less than 0.001, and r = 0.09, P greater than 0.68, respectively). The results showed that the corneal epithelial barrier function in the diabetic patients was not impaired compared with that in the healthy controls. After provocation by a local anesthetic, the barrier function was impaired in the diabetic patients only.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33828297,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Genome-wide enhancer maps link risk variants to disease genes.\nGenome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of noncoding loci that are associated with human diseases and complex traits, each of which could reveal insights into the mechanisms of disease1. Many of the underlying causal variants may affect enhancers2,3, but we lack accurate maps of enhancers and their target genes to interpret such variants. We recently developed the activity-by-contact (ABC) model to predict which enhancers regulate which genes and validated the model using CRISPR perturbations in several cell types4. Here we apply this ABC model to create enhancer-gene maps in 131 human cell types and tissues, and use these maps to interpret the functions of GWAS variants. Across 72 diseases and complex traits, ABC links 5,036 GWAS signals to 2,249 unique genes, including a class of 577 genes that appear to influence multiple phenotypes through variants in enhancers that act in different cell types. In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), causal variants are enriched in predicted enhancers by more than 20-fold in particular cell types such as dendritic cells, and ABC achieves higher precision than other regulatory methods at connecting noncoding variants to target genes. These variant-to-function maps reveal an enhancer that contains an IBD risk variant and that regulates the expression of PPIF to alter the membrane potential of mitochondria in macrophages. Our study reveals principles of genome regulation, identifies genes that affect IBD and provides a resource and generalizable strategy to connect risk variants of common diseases to their molecular and cellular functions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17891424,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Inter-trial and test-retest reliability of kinematic and kinetic gait parameters among subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.\nGait analysis is actually used in subjects with scoliosis to determine the change in lower limb parameters after surgery, but the reliability of these parameters still remained unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the repeatability of traditional gait parameters in subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and to estimate the associated standard error of measurement (SEM). A test-retest design was used to assess the reliability of gait parameters at self-selected and fast speeds. A convenience sample of 20 girls aged from 12 to 17 years, with an idiopathic scoliosis (King classification: types I, II or III; Cobb angle 17-50 degrees) participated in the study. Five good trials were recorded on two occasions. The time-distance, kinematic, and kinetic gait parameters were recorded using foot-switches in combination with a three-dimensional motion analysis system (Optotrak) and Advanced Mechanical Technologies Inc., (AMTI) Watertown, MA, USA; force plates. The coefficients of dependability and SEM derived from the generalizability theory were used to assess the reliability. Inter-trial reliability was good for time-distance, kinematic, and kinetic (absolute and normalized) gait parameters except for the medio-lateral ground reaction force (GRF) component and the ankle dorsiflexor moment (phi = 0.60-0.77). Test-retest reliability was higher for the kinetic than for the kinematic parameters. These coefficients ranged from 0.42 to 0.58 for the time-distance parameters; from 0.55 to 0.88 for the angular displacements and from 0.25 to 0.99 for the kinetic parameters. The SEMs were lower than 3.3 degrees for the angular displacements and lower than 8 Nm (0.15 Nm\/kg) and 36 W (0.54 W\/Kg) for the joint moments and powers regardless of the speed. Several gait parameters are reliable among subjects with AIS and can be used to assess the evolution of the spinal modifications and the impact of treatment on their lower limb gait pattern.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10862716,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"High resolution analysis of interphase chromosome domains.\nChromosome territories need to be well defined at high resolution before functional aspects of chromosome organization in interphase can be explored. To visualize chromosomes by electron microscopy (EM), the DNA of Chinese hamster fibroblasts was labeled in vivo with thymidine analogue BrdU. Labeled chromosomes were then segregated during several cell cycles to obtain nuclei containing only 2 to 3 labeled chromosomes. Subsequent immunocytochemical detection of BrdU allowed analysis by EM of chromosome territories and subchromosomal domains in well preserved nuclei. Our results provide the first high resolution visualization of chromosomes in interphase nuclei. We show that chromosome domains are either separated from one another by interchromatin space or are in close contact with no or little intermingling of their DNA. This demonstrates that, while chromosomes form discrete territories, chromatin of adjacent chromosomes may be in contact in limited regions, thus implying chromosome-chromosome interactions. Chromosomes are organized as condensed chromatin with dispersed chromatin extending into the interchromatin space that is largely devoid of DNA. The interchromatin space, which is known to be involved in various nuclear functions, forms interconnecting channels running through and around chromosome territories. Functional implications of this organization are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":470613,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Studies on conformational changes in F-actin of glycerinated muscle fibers during relaxation by means of polarized ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy.\nBy means of polarized ultraviolet fluorescence microscopy the conformational changes of F-actin occuring in glycerinated muscle fibers of rabbit and barnacle (Balanus rostratus Hock.) under the influence of adenosine triphosphate in the presence of ethylene glycol bis(beta-amino-ethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid were discovered. These changes seem to be located near the surface of the globules thus hampering the penetration of univalent iones and neutral molecules into the F-actin macromolecule. It is suggested that similar changes of F-actin take place in thin myofilaments of living muscle fiber during the contraction-relaxation process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26549041,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"The Theory of Value-Based Payment Incentives and Their Application to Health Care.\nTo present the implications of agency theory in microeconomics, augmented by behavioral economics, for different methods of value-based payment in health care; and to derive a set of future research questions and policy recommendations based on that conceptual analysis. Original literature of agency theory, and secondarily behavioral economics, combined with applied research and empirical evidence on the application of those principles to value-based payment. Conceptual analysis and targeted review of theoretical research and empirical literature relevant to value-based payment in health care. Agency theory and secondarily behavioral economics have powerful implications for design of value-based payment in health care. To achieve improved value-better patient experience, clinical quality, health outcomes, and lower costs of care-high-powered incentives should directly target improved care processes, enhanced patient experience, and create achievable benchmarks for improved outcomes. Differing forms of value-based payment (e.g., shared savings and risk, reference pricing, capitation, and bundled payment), coupled with adjunct incentives for quality and efficiency, can be tailored to different market conditions and organizational settings. Payment contracts that are \"incentive compatible\"-which directly encourage better care and reduced cost, mitigate gaming, and selectively induce clinically efficient providers to participate-will focus differentially on evidence-based care processes, will right-size and structure incentives to avoid crowd-out of providers' intrinsic motivation, and will align patient incentives with value. Future research should address the details of putting these and related principles into practice; further, by deploying these insights in payment design, policy makers will improve health care value for patients and purchasers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21950094,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Central mechanisms of sleep-wakefulness cycle].\nBrief anatomical, physiological and neurochemical basics of the regulation of wakefulness, slow wave (NREM) sleep and paradoxical (REM) sleep are regarded as representing by the end of the first decade of the second millennium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35167178,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The ring-legged earwig Euborellia annulipes as a new model for oogenesis and development studies in insects.\nInsects are the dominant group of animals on Earth. Despite this abundance, most of our knowledge about many aspects of their biology and development come from a unique model, the vinegar fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Nevertheless, in the last years, the advances in molecular tools and imaging techniques have allowed the emergence of new insect models, adding valuable information to decipher the morphogenetic bases behind the formation and evolution of the vast diversity of shapes, sizes, and patterns that characterize them. Earwigs belong to Dermaptera which is a small order clustered in the Polyneopteran group. They are hemimetabolous insects with a flattened body, characteristic abdominal pincers, and maternal care behavior. This last feature and their role in agroecosystems have been studied in cosmopolitan species such as Forficula auricularia and Euborellia annulipes; however, their reproduction and embryonic development have been poorly addressed in laboratory conditions. In response, here we describe the ring-legged earwig Euborellia annulipes embryogenesis and life cycle from nymphal to adult stages, its reproduction, and essential morphological and behavioral characters. Additionally, using confocal and transmission electron microscopy we analyzed in detail the morphogenesis of its peculiar meroistic polytrophic ovary. Our aim is to provide an emerging model system to perform comparative studies on insect oogenesis, development, and morphological evolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18158331,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"PR-Set7-dependent lysine methylation ensures genome replication and stability through S phase.\nPR-Set7\/SET8 is a histone H4-lysine 20 methyltransferase required for normal cell proliferation. However, the exact functions of this enzyme remain to be determined. In this study, we show that human PR-Set7 functions during S phase to regulate cellular proliferation. PR-Set7 associates with replication foci and maintains the bulk of H4-K20 mono- and trimethylation. Consistent with a function in chromosome dynamics during S phase, inhibition of PR-Set7 methyltransferase activity by small hairpin RNA causes a replicative stress characterized by alterations in replication fork velocity and origin firing. This stress is accompanied by massive induction of DNA strand breaks followed by a robust DNA damage response. The DNA damage response includes the activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated and ataxia telangiectasia related kinase-mediated pathways, which, in turn, leads to p53-mediated growth arrest to avoid aberrant chromosome behavior after improper DNA replication. Collectively, these data indicate that PR-Set7-dependent lysine methylation during S phase is an essential posttranslational mechanism that ensures genome replication and stability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31984413,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Chimeric \u03b3PNA-Invader probes: using intercalator-functionalized oligonucleotides to enhance the DNA-targeting properties of \u03b3PNA.\nGamma peptide nucleic acids (\u03b3PNAs), i.e., single-stranded PNA strands that are modified at the \u03b3-position with (R)-diethylene glycol, and Invader probes, i.e., DNA duplexes with +1 interstrand zipper arrangements of 2'-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-RNA monomers, are two types of nucleic acid mimics that are showing promise for sequence-unrestricted recognition of double-stranded (ds) DNA targets. We recently demonstrated that recognition of dsDNA targets with self-complementary regions is challenging for single-stranded high-affinity probes like \u03b3PNAs due to their proclivity for secondary structure formation, but not so for Invader probes, which are engineered to form readily denaturing duplexes irrespective of the target sequence context. In the present study, we describe an approach that mitigates these limitations and improves the dsDNA-recognition properties of \u03b3PNAs in partially self-complementary target contexts. Chimeric probes between \u03b3PNAs and individual Invader strands are shown to form metastable duplexes that (i) are energetically activated for recognition of complementary mixed-sequence dsDNA target regions, (ii) reduce \u03b3PNA dimerization, and (iii) substantially improve the fidelity of the dsDNA-recognition process. Chimeric \u03b3PNA-Invader probes are characterized with respect to thermal denaturation properties, thermodynamic parameters associated with duplex formation, UV-Vis and fluorescence trends to establish pyrene binding modes, and dsDNA-recognition properties using DNA hairpin model targets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8922175,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Technique for securing guide wires in cannulated screw systems.\nCannulated screw guide wires may be inadvertently removed while using the cannulated drill or tap. We describe a simple technique for securing the guide wire during drilling and tapping.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3501069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Hydroquinone inhibits bone marrow pre-B cell maturation in vitro.\nEnvironmental exposure to benzene results in both myelotoxicity and immunotoxicity. Although benzene-induced immunotoxicity has been well documented, no studies to date have addressed the possibility that benzene toxicity is due in part to altered differentiation of marrow lymphoid cells. We investigated the effect of acute exposure to the benzene metabolite, hydroquinone, on murine bone marrow B-lymphopoiesis. Bone marrow cell suspensions from B6C3F1 (C57BL\/6J x C3H\/HeJ) mice were depleted of mature surface IgM+ (sIgM+) B cells and cultured for 0, 24, 48, or 72 hr and production of newly formed B cells was assayed both by sIgM expression and colony formation in soft agar cultures. One hr exposure of bone marrow cells to hydroquinone before culture reduced the number of sIgM+ cells generated in liquid cultures. Small pre-B cells (cytoplasmic mu heavy chain+, sIgM-) were numerically elevated as compared with control cultures. Hydroquinone exposure also decreased the number of adherent cells found in cultures of bone marrow cells. These results suggest that short-term exposure to hydroquinone, an oxidative metabolite of benzene, may in some way block the final maturation stages of B cell differentiation. This apparent differentiation block resulted in reduced numbers of B cells generated in culture and a corresponding accumulation of pre-B cells. Reduction of adherent cells in treated cultures may also suggest that toxicity to regulatory cells for the B lineage may be in part responsible for this aspect of hydroquinone myelotoxicity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12269505,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Categorization and deductive reasoning: predictors of instrumental activities of daily living performance in adults with brain injury.\nThe purpose of this study was to examine the predictive relationship of categorization and deductive reasoning abilities to performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) among adults with brain injury. A correlational research design was used to examine the performance of 19 patients from a neurosurgery acute care unit on Toglia's Category Assessment (TCA), the Deductive Reasoning test (DR), and the Observed Tasks of Daily Living-Revised. Multiple regression analysis indicated that categorization and deductive reasoning accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in IADL performance scores, with deductive reasoning making the greater contribution. Demographic characteristics such as age and education reduced the power of the previous variables, especially of the categorization. The results of this study indicate that assessments of categorization and deductive reasoning abilities of persons with brain injury may be good predictors of IADL functional performance. Results support the use of the TCA and DR as quick measures of a person's cognitive and functional abilities. Furthermore, this study provides preliminary results to support that categorization and deductive reasoning abilities are fundamental for the performance of IADL skills.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3755613,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Sexual activity in girls under 16 years of age.\nData on pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted disease and cervical dysplasia in girls under the age of 16 years were collected from British and American publications. Over half the pregnancies in girls under 16 ended in induced abortion, and those that continued had increased maternal and perinatal mortality, partly due to failure to attend for care. A prospective study in young teenagers found a high rate of fetal loss in pregnancies that followed abortions. Apart from an increased risk of cervical injury, abortion in girls under 20 carried the same risk of complications as for the American population as a whole. The risk of developing carcinoma of the cervix was doubled in women who began sexual activity before the age of 17 and a large survey found that 1.9% of the girls aged between 15 and 19 years had abnormal cervical cytology. Discouraging sexual activity before the age of consent seems to have a medical as well as a moral basis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20448769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"2015-18":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Anisotropic reflectance from turbid media. I. Theory.\nIt is shown that the intensity of light reflected from plane-parallel turbid media is anisotropic in all situations encountered in practice. The anisotropy, in the form of higher intensity at large polar angles, increases when the amount of near-surface bulk scattering is increased, which dominates in optically thin and highly absorbing media. The only situation with isotropic intensity is when a non-absorbing infinitely thick medium is illuminated diffusely. This is the only case where the Kubelka-Munk model gives exact results and there exists an exact translation between Kubelka-Munk and general radiative transfer. This also means that a bulk scattering perfect diffusor does not exist. Angle-resolved models are thus crucial for a correct understanding of light scattering in turbid media. The results are derived using simulations and analytical calculations. It is also shown that there exists an optimal angle for directional detection that minimizes the error introduced when using the Kubelka-Munk model to interpret reflectance measurements with diffuse illumination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37531389,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Association between level of compliance with COVID-19 public health measures and depressive symptoms: A cross-sectional survey of young adults in Canada and France.\nWhile compliance with preventive measures remains central to limit the spread of COVID-19, these measures critically affected mental health of young adults. We therefore investigated the association between the level of compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures and depressive symptoms among young adults in Canada and France. From October to December 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional online survey of young adults ages 18-29 years in Canada (n = 3246) and France (n = 2680) to collect demographic data, experiences with COVID-19 preventive measures, and mental health. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Compliance profiles were built using cluster analysis. Weighted multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate associations between compliance level and major depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 score\u226515) in each country. One third of respondents reported major depressive symptoms (Canada: 36.4%, France: 23.4%). Four compliance profiles were identified: high (42.5%), medium-high (21.7%), medium-low (18.1%), and low (17.7%), with high levels more frequently observed in Canada compared to France. In both countries, participants in low compliance profile (Canada: Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) [95% Confidence Interval] 0.75 [0.58, 0.98], France: AOR 0.60 [0.46, 0.75]), in the medium-low (Canada: AOR 0.58 [0.48, 0.72], France: AOR 0.81 [0.66, 1.01]), and medium-high compliance profiles (Canada: AOR 0.78 [0.65, 0.93], France: AOR 0.77 [0.63, 0.93]) were less likely to report major depressive symptoms compared to the high compliance profile. Ethno-racial minorities, sexual and gender minority, and unemployed young adults had higher odds of reporting such symptoms. Major depressive symptoms were associated with high compliance with COVID-19 preventive measures among young adults. The implementation of socially-isolating measures should be coupled with mental health interventions to address mental health needs of young adults, with enhanced supports for sub-groups who are structurally disadvantaged (e.g., racialized, unemployed, sexual and gender minority).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27880982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib in splanchnic vein thrombosis associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms.\nSplanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) is one of the vascular complications of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). We designed a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate safety and efficacy of ruxolitinib in reducing splenomegaly and improving disease-related symptoms in patients with MPN-associated SVT. Patients diagnosed with myelofibrosis (12 cases), polycythemia vera (5 cases) and essential thrombocythemia (4 cases) received ruxolitinib for 24 weeks in the core study period. Spleen volume was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and splanchnic vein circulation by echo-Doppler analysis. Nineteen patients carried JAK2V617F, one had MPLW515L, and one CALRL367fs*46 mutation. Eighteen patients had spleno-portal-mesenteric thrombosis, two had Budd-Chiari syndrome, and one had both sites involved; 16 patients had esophageal varices. Ruxolitinib was well tolerated with hematological toxicities consistent with those of patients without SVT and no hemorrhagic adverse events were recorded. After 24 weeks of treatment, spleen volume reduction \u226535% by MRI was achieved by 6\/21 (29%) patients, and a \u226550% spleen length reduction by palpation at any time up to week 24 was obtained by 13\/21 (62%) patients. At week 72, 8 of the 13 (62%) patients maintained the spleen response by palpation. No significant effect of treatment on esophageal varices or in splanchnic circulation was observed. MPN-related symptoms, evaluated by MPN-symptom assessment form (SAF) TSS questionnaire, improved significantly during the first 4 weeks and remained stable up to week 24. In conclusion, this trial shows that ruxolitinib is safe in patients with MPN-associated SVT, and effective in reducing spleen size and disease-related symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19802185,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Phase locking in a two-element laser array: a test of the coupled-oscillator model.\nThe steady-state and transient dynamics of phase locking in a two-element Nd:YAG laser array have been studied. By creating two evanescent-coupled lasers in a Nd:YAG \u00e9talon using diode end pumping, the coupling strength between the laser elements in the array can be continuously varied by adjusting the positions of the pumping beams. This allows the observation of the phase-locking process over a wide range of coupling strength. We have found that the development of the phase-locked state is as fast as the onset of lasing without an evolutionary process. The instantaneous locking is also independent of the coupling strength once the coupling is strong enough to ensure phase locking. These phenomena disagree with the predictions based on the time-dependent coupled-mode theory of laser-array dynamics. Our experimental study and theoretical analysis have led to the conclusion that all predictions of optical instability in laser arrays need to be reexamined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24842927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Eosinophils are recruited in response to chitin exposure and enhance Th2-mediated immune pathology in Aspergillus fumigatus infection.\nIn patients infected with the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, Th1 responses are considered protective, while Th2 responses are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. How host-pathogen interactions influence the development of these protective or detrimental immune responses is not clear. We compared lung immune responses to conidia from two fungal isolates that expressed different levels of the fungal cell wall component chitin. We observed that repeated aspirations of the high-chitin-expressing isolate Af5517 induced increased airway eosinophilia in the lungs of recipient mice compared to the level of eosinophilia induced by isolate Af293. CD4(+) T cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of Af5517-aspirated mice displayed decreased gamma interferon secretion and increased interleukin-4 transcription. In addition, repeated aspirations of Af5517 induced lung transcription of the Th2-associated chemokines CCL11 (eotaxin-1) and CCL22 (macrophage-derived chemokine). Eosinophil recruitment in response to conidial aspiration was correlated with the level of chitin exposure during germination and was decreased by constitutive lung chitinase expression. Moreover, eosinophil-deficient mice subjected to multiple aspirations of Af5517 prior to neutrophil depletion and infection exhibited decreased morbidity and fungal burden compared to the levels of morbidity and fungal burden found in wild-type mice. These results suggest that exposure of chitin in germinating conidia promotes eosinophil recruitment and ultimately induces Th2-skewed immune responses after repeated aspiration. Furthermore, our results suggest that eosinophils should be examined as a potential therapeutic target in patients that mount poorly protective Th2 responses to A. fumigatus infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6169739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison of different antinucleic acid antibody spectrotypes in spontaneous, induced, and murine lupus.\nSera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and from mice spontaneously developing lupus were subjected to isoelectric focusing by a microsucrose gradient method. The spectrotypes of human antibodies to native DNA, denatured DNA, and polyriboadenylic acid (poly A) were compared. Antibodies to native DNA and denatured DNA focused into two regions whose boundaries were pH 5.0-7.0 and pH 8.5-10.0. Antinative DNA antibodies were more homogeneous than antidenatured DNA antibodies. Anti-DNA antibodies in cryoglobulins showed more restriction than those present in serum. There was no relationship between spectrotype and pattern of disease expression. Murine antibodies to native DNA were more heterogeneous than human anti-DNA antibodies. The spectrotypes of antidenatured DNA antibodies from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or drug induced lupus, or from an immunized rabbit, were similar. Likewise, antibodies to poly A were similar in both human and murine lupus. In contrast to anti-DNA, antibodies to poly A were restricted and focused only in the alkaline range (pH 9.5-10.0). The spectrotype of antipoly A antibodies induced by lipopolysaccharide were comparable but had an additional small band at pH 6.2. Our results suggest unique antibody spectrotypes with varying degrees of restriction for different nucleic acid antigens. Furthermore, spontaneous and induced autoantibodies have similar spectrotypes. Thus, the B cell clones producing antinucleic acid antibodies may be similar whether they are activated spontaneously, following immunization, or as a consequence of polyclonal stimulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8282758,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Phorbol ester-induced scattering of HT-29 human intestinal cancer cells is associated with down-modulation of E-cadherin.\nThe effects of tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the growth characteristics of the colon cancer cell line HT-29 M6 were studied. TPA induced the scattering of proliferative HT-29 M6 cells: in the presence of the phorbol ester, HT-29 M6 colonies scattered and the cells acquired a flatter aspect with diminished cell-cell contacts. This effect of TPA required a persistent activation of PK-C and was accompanied by a slight decrease (30%) in the growth rate. Modifications by TPA of two scattering associated properties of these cells were also detected: TPA decreased cell-to-cell aggregation and enhanced the cellular attachment to matrix substrata (collagen, laminin). The decrease in cell-to-cell adhesion was correlated with a loss of cellular E-cadherin as evidenced by immunofluorescence or immunoblotting with a specific monoclonal antibody. Cell scattering was dependent on the extracellular concentration of Ca2+; an increase from 1.6 to 10 mM in the concentration of this ion completely blocked the morphological effects of TPA as well as its action on cell aggregation. This high concentration of Ca2+ also prevented the down modulation of E-cadherin as determined by immunofluorescence. However, the TPA-induced increase in cell attachment to the matrix was not affected by high calcium. These findings support the importance of altered cell-cell adhesion in the process of scattering and provide a good system for the study of down modulation of E-cadherin, a protein involved in the control of cell growth, differentiation and invasion of epithelial cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37747056,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Promotores' perspectives on the virtual adaptation of a hereditary breast cancer education program.\nBreast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States (U.S.) and the leading cause of cancer related death among U.S. Hispanics\/Latinas (H\/Ls). H\/Ls have lower rates of screening and longer time to follow up after an abnormal mammogram. We developed a comprehensive community health educator (promotores)-led education and risk identification program for Spanish-speaking H\/Ls in California to increase mammography screening, genetic testing, and the understanding of the impact of family history on cancer risk. Due to COVID-19, we adapted the program to a virtual platform. The experience of transforming the program to a virtual platform provided unique opportunities for collaboration between researchers, community partners, and participants. Promotores are major partners in community based participatory research and in the provision of health care services, but their voices are often excluded from scientific reports. This commentary is an effort to provide a platform for promotores to share their experiences and for the readers to understand their approach in bridging the gap between health care services and communities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8086605,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Model-based time extrapolation for quantal response studies.\nIt is often desired to compare chemicals with respect to toxicity for purposes of priority setting in regulation. Long-term carcinogenicity studies are frequently used as the basic data for such exercises. When the results of these studies for different chemicals are compared, many confounders potentially arise. One confounder is that these studies may have been conducted for different study lengths. In this case, converting the results of these studies to a common \"standard\" time length would be of interest. We propose an adjustment to modify the results of a study with a particular study length to a standard time length. This adjustment is based on a simple stochastic model for carcinogenicity studies. We illustrate the application of this adjustment with an example of a chemical that has been studied by the National Toxicology Program.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17087938,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A molecular signature to discriminate dysplastic nodules from early hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV cirrhosis.\nSmall liver nodules approximately 2 cm are difficult to characterize by radiologic or pathologic examination. Our aim was to identify a molecular signature to diagnose early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The transcriptional profiles of 55 candidate genes were assessed by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 17 dysplastic nodules (diameter, 10 mm) and 20 early HCC (diameter, 18 mm) from HCV cirrhotic patients undergoing resection\/transplantation and 10 nontumoral cirrhotic tissues and 10 normal liver tissues. Candidate genes were confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR in 20 advanced HCCs and by immunohistochemistry in 75 samples and validated in an independent set of 29 samples (dysplastic nodules [10] and small HCC [19; diameter, 20 mm]). Twelve genes were significantly, differentially expressed in early HCCs compared with dysplastic nodules (>2-fold change; area under the receiver operating characteristic curve > or =0.8): this included TERT, GPC3, gankyrin, survivin, TOP2A, LYVE1, E-cadherin, IGFBP3, PDGFRA, TGFA, cyclin D1, and HGF. Logistic regression analysis identified a 3-gene set including GPC3 (18-fold increase in HCC, P = .01), LYVE1 (12-fold decrease in HCC, P = .0001), and survivin (2.2-fold increase in HCC, P = .02), which had a discriminative accuracy of 94%. The validity of the gene signature was confirmed in a prospective testing set. GPC3 immunostaining was positive in all HCCs and negative in dysplastic nodules (22\/22 vs 0\/14, respectively, P < .001). Nuclear staining for survivin was positive in 12 of 13 advanced HCC cases and in 1 of 9 early tumors. Molecular data based on gene transcriptional profiles of a 3-gene set allow a reliable diagnosis of early HCC. Immunostaining of GPC3 confirms the diagnosis of HCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31979068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Effects of Lycium barbarum L. Polysaccharides on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress Markers in a Pressure Overload-Induced Heart Failure Rat Model.\nDespite recent advances in disease management and prevention, heart failure (HF) prevalence is still high. Hypertension, inflammation and oxidative stress are being investigated as important causative processes in HF. L. barbarum L. polysaccharides (LBPs) are widely used for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of LBPs on inflammation and oxidative stress markers in a pressure overload-induced HF rat model, surgically induced by abdominal aorta banding in Wistar rats (AAB) (n = 28). Also, control rats (n = 10) were subjected to a sham operation. After echocardiographic confirmation of HF (week 24), AAB rats were divided into three groups: rats treated with LBPs for 12 weeks: 100 mg\/kg body weight \/day (AAB_100, n = 9), 200 mg\/kg body weight \/day (AAB_200, n = 7) and no-treatment group (control AAB, n = 12). After 12 weeks of treatment with LBPs, the decline of cardiac function was prevented compared to the control AAB rats. Treatment with 200 mg\/kg body weight \/day LBPs significantly reduced the inflammation as seen by cytokine levels (IL-6 and TNF-\u03b1) and the plasma lipid peroxidation, as seen by malondialdehyde levels. These results suggest that LBPs present anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects with utility in a HF animal model and encourage further investigation of the cardioprotective effects of these polysaccharides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26779096,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Subjective Well-Being, Test Anxiety, Academic Achievement: Testing for Reciprocal Effects.\nIn the context of adolescents' subjective well-being (SWB), research has recently focused on a number of different school variables. The direction of the relationships between adolescents' SWB, academic achievement, and test anxiety is, however, still open although reciprocal causation has been hypothesized. The present study set out to investigate to what extent SWB, academic achievement, and test anxiety influence each other over time. A sample of N = 290 11th grade students (n = 138 female; age: M = 16.54 years, SD = 0.57) completed measures of SWB and test anxiety in the time span of 1 year. Grade point average (GPA) indicated students' academic achievement. We analyzed the reciprocal relations using cross-lagged structural equation modeling. The model fit was satisfactory for all computed models. Results indicated that the worry component of test anxiety negatively and GPA positively predicted changes in the cognitive component of SWB (life satisfaction). Worry also negatively predicted changes in the affective component of SWB. Moreover, worry negatively predicted changes in students' GPA. Directions for future research and the differential predictive influences of academic achievement and test anxiety on adolescents' SWB are discussed with regard to potential underlying processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":548252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Phenol derivatives are immunodepressive in mice.\nMice exposed to a compound containing three phenol derivatives by being housed in cages washed with dilute solutions of the compound, developed considerable depression of the ability to generate plaque forming cells (PFC) in response to sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) in vitro after a four week exposure. The depression became more severe with continued exposure up to fourteen weeks. Administration of orthophenylphenol (OPP), the most abundant derivative in the mixture, resulted in a similar immunodepression at 10 ppm and a slight depression at 1 ppm. Numbers of FcR+ lymphocytes and of macrophages did not appear to be affected by this treatment. The response to a T-dependent and a T-independent antigen were affected similarly, although the latter was depressed less markedly than the former. While these data are only preliminary, they suggest that studies should be performed in detail to elucidate the immunodepressive effects of compounds which are in wide use as household and institutional disinfectants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21107256,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Treatment of limited small cell lung cancer: an old or new challenge?\nThis review highlights how progress has been made in treating limited small cell lung cancer and outlines current challenges to overcome for improved cure rates. There is a rationale for the tumour, node, metastasis staging system to replace the current convention of limited versus extensive stage. Positron emission tomography may aid in staging but prospective validation in larger series of patients is needed. Cisplatin and etoposide chemotherapy has yet to be superseded by either newer cytotoxic drugs or targeted agents. More progress has been made for radiotherapy but questions of optimal dose, schedule, timing and treatment volume remain unanswered. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is associated with a one in four chance of cure. Two ongoing phase III trials have been designed to address the optimal radiotherapy regimen to combine with cisplatin and etoposide. Close collaboration between radiation and medical oncologists is needed to make further progress and to improve patient access to curative intent concurrent chemoradiotherapy regimens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27440843,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Unique expression of chronic Lyme disease and Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction to doxycycline therapy in a young adult.\nI am a 24-year-old male who was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease after 4 years of multiple, non-specific symptoms. I have written this case as first author with my faculty mentor listed as the coauthor. The objective of this report is to highlight the experience with doxycycline treatment. In 2007, at around age 19 years, I had an acute onset of sore throat, tonsillitis, low-grade fever, stiff upper back and neck muscles, migraines and severely stiff, cracking jaw joints. This led to >24 medical visits, multitudes of tests and examinations, and exploratory surgery over the next 3 years. In 2011, a Lyme-literate medical doctor (LLMD) diagnosed me with chronic Lyme disease. I started taking doxycycline 100 mg by mouth every 12 hours, leading to atypical sequences of events deemed a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction by a LLMD. This case highlights the unique clinical expression of chronic Lyme disease and the Jarisch-Herxheimer response to doxycycline.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15721970,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Promoting physical activity in Australian general practices: a randomised trial of health promotion advice versus hypertension management.\nA randomised controlled trial was conducted to determine if physicians' advice to promote physical activity to patients was more effective if the advice was tailored to the management of hypertension, compared with more general health promotion advice. Participants included inactive 40- to 70-year-old patients visiting the physicians' during study recruitment period. Physicians provided verbal physical activity advice and written materials, both tailored to either general health promotion messages or specifically as a means for treating or managing hypertension. Seventy-five physicians and 98% (767\/780) of screened eligible patients participated in the study. Differences between intervention and control groups self-reported physical activity were assessed over 6 months. Follow-up response rates were 92 and 84% at the 2- and 6-month assessments. There were no consistent, significant differences between groups at the 2- or 6-month assessments. Thus, neither intervention strategy resulted in significant changes in patients self-reported physical activity, regardless of the whether the advice was tailored to hypertension management or general health promotion advice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35111236,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Artificial Intelligence Algorithm-Based MRI in Evaluating the Treatment Effect of Acute Cerebral Infarction.\nThe study is aimed at exploring the application of artificial intelligence algorithm-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction, expected to provide a reference for diagnosis and effect evaluation of acute cerebral infarction. In this study, 80 patients diagnosed with suspected acute cerebral infarction per Diagnostic Criteria for Cerebral Infarction were selected as the research subjects. MRI images were reconstructed by deep dictionary learning to improve their recognition ability. At the same time, the same diagnostic operation was performed by Computed Tomography (CT) images to compare with MRI. The results of the interalgorithm comparison showed the image reconstruction effect of the deep dictionary learning model is significantly better than SAE reconstruction, single-layer dictionary reconstruction model, and KAVD reconstruction. After comparison, the results of MRI based on artificial intelligence algorithm and CT evaluation were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the lesion image, the diameter of MRI lesions (3.81 \u00b1 0.77 cm) based on artificial intelligence algorithm and the diameter of lesions in CT (3.66 \u00b1 1.65 cm) also had significant statistical significance (P < 0.05). The results showed that MRI based on deep learning was more sensitive than CT imaging for diagnosis and evaluation of patients with acute cerebral infarction, with only 1 case misdiagnosed. The rate of disease detection and lesion image quality had a higher improvement. The results can provide effective support for the clinical application of MRI based on artificial intelligence algorithm in the diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34063258,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Signal Detection of Adverse Drug Reactions of Cephalosporins Using Data from a National Pharmacovigilance Database.\nThis case-non-case study aims to detect signals not currently listed on cephalosporin drug labels. From 2009 to 2018, adverse event (AE) reports concerning antibacterial drugs (anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) code J01) in the Korea Adverse Events Reporting System (KAERS) database were examined. For signal detection, three indices of disproportionality, proportional reporting ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratio (ROR), and information component (IC), were calculated. The list of signals was compared with ADRs on the drug labels from the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and South Korea. A total of 163,800 cephalosporin-AE combinations and 72,265 all other J01-AE combinations were analyzed. This study detected 472 signals and 114 new signals that are not included on the drug labels. Cefatrizine-corneal edema (PRR, 440.64; ROR, 481.67; IC, 3.84) and cefatrizine-corneal ulceration (PRR, 346.22; ROR, 399.70; IC, 4.40) had the highest PRR, ROR, and IC among all signals. Additionally, six serious AEs that were not listed on drug labels such as cefaclor-induced stupor (ten cases) and cefaclor-induced respiratory depression (four cases) were found. Detecting signals using a national pharmacovigilance database is useful for identifying unknown ADRs. This study identified signals of cephalosporins that warrant further investigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17490430,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Malolactic fermentation by Streptococcus mutans.\nStreptococcus mutans and certain other oral lactic-acid bacteria were found to have the ability to carry out malolactic fermentation involving decarboxylation of L-malate to yield L-lactic acid and concomitant reduction in acidity. The activity was inducible by L-malate in S. mutans UA159 growing in suspensions or biofilms. The optimal pH for the fermentation was c. 4.0 for both suspensions and biofilms, although the pH optimum for malolactic enzyme in permeabilized cells of S. mutans UA159 was close to 5.5. Although malate did not serve as a catabolite for growth of S. mutans, it did serve to protect the organism against acid killing and to maintain ATP pool levels during starvation. Alkalinization associated with malolactic fermentation resulted in pH rise or increased need to add standardized HCl solution to maintain a set pH value in pH-stat experiments. The net conclusion is that malate has the potential to be effective for alkalinization of dental plaque, although the fermentation is sensitive to fluoride and triclosan, which are commonly added to oral care products.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2579554,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Brief clinical report: interstitial deletion of the long arm of chromosome 10: del(10)(q11.2q21).\nA de novo interstitial deletion of part of the long arm of chromosome 10 [del(10)(q11.2q21)] was identified by GTG (G-bands by trypsin using Giemsa) banding in a 9-year-old girl with mental retardation and minor anomalies. Only one other case of a similar deletion has been reported [Ray et al, 1980] and the phenotypic findings of the two cases are compared.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30161008,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Noninvasive allergic sinus congestion and resolution assessments using microcomputed tomography imaging.\nSinus congestion resultant of allergic rhinosinusitis is associated with development and worsening of asthma and can result in difficulty breathing, headaches, and missed days of school and work. Quantification of sinus congestion is important in the understanding of allergic rhinosinusitis and the development of new drugs for its treatment. Noninvasive microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) was investigated in a guinea pig model of allergic rhinosinusitis to determine its utility to determine accurately the degree of sinus congestion and resolution with anti-inflammatory drug administration. Three-dimensional sinus air-space volume, two-dimensional sinus width, sinus image air-space area, and sinus image sinus perimeter were measured in guinea pigs administered ragweed pollen (RWP), intranasally (i.n.), followed by administration of fluticasone, i.n. To determine their relative accuracy in assessing sinus congestion, the micro-CT image results were compared with the \"gold-standard\" method of sinus fluid fill-volume (SFFV) measurements. As measured by SFFV method, RWP increased sinus congestion in a RWP concentration-dependent fashion, approaching near-total sinus blockage with concentrations \u226522 \u00b5g of RWP. At this level of congestion, fluticasone (25-100 \u00b5g) progressively decreased sinus congestion in a concentration-dependent fashion. The noninvasive micro-CT methods were found to accurately determine the amount of sinus congestion and resolution, with patterns of increases and decreases of congestion that were nearly identical to the SFFV method. We conclude that noninvasive micro-CT measurements of allergic sinus congestion can be useful as an investigative tool in the assessment of congestion intensity and the development of new drug therapies for its treatment. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Allergic rhinosinusitis afflicts significant portions of the world population, resulting in loss of work productivity and decreased quality of life. Thus the development of methodological approaches, which incorporate accurate and reproducible noninvasive assessments of sinus congestion, are desirable. Microcomputed tomography of the guinea pig sinuses offers a noninvasive evaluation tool in an animal model of IgE-dependent allergy similar to that in humans, with potential relevance toward development of therapeutics for human sinus diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26028102,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Somatostatin receptor 2 and 5 expressions in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in Turkey.\nGastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GNs) are slow growing and although their incidence has increased in recent years, they are relatively rarely seen. Somatostatin analogues are used in the treatment of GNs that express somatostatin receptor (SR). We aimed to investigate the expression of SR2 and SR5 in GNs. In this study the expression of SR2 and SR5 was investigated immunohistochemically in 49 cases (26 males, 23 females) diagnosed and graded with GN according to the World Health Organization classification 2010. The percentage of SR2 staining was 91.0% in grade 1, 82.8% in grade 2 and 100% in grade 3. On the other hand, the percentage of SR5 staining was 81.8% % in grade 1, 60.0% in grade 2 and 0% in grade 3. According to the tumor localization, the percentages of SR2 expression were as follows: pancreas 85.7%, stomach 100%, small bowel 70%, appendix 85.7% and rectum 100%. The percentages of SR5 expression were: pancreas 61,9%, stomach 37.5%, small bowel 70%, appendix 71.5% and rectum 66.6%. There was a significant negative correlation between ki67 percentage and SR5 expression (r=-0.341, p=0.016). In this study, GNs were found to highly express SR2 and SR5. Although the expression of SR2 and SR5 changed according to tumor localization, the expression of SR2 was higher than the expression of SR5 in GN. There was a significant negative correlation between ki67 and SR5. Accordingly, SR5 may be a prognostic indicator of GN.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17229910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Molecular control of iron transport.\nThe iron-regulatory hormone hepcidin is a 25-amino acid peptide that is synthesized in hepatocytes. Hepcidin binds to the cellular iron export channel ferroportin and causes its internalization and degradation and thereby decreases iron efflux from iron exporting tissues into plasma. By this mechanism, hepcidin inhibits dietary iron absorption, the efflux of recycled iron from splenic and hepatic macrophages, and the release of iron from storage in hepatocytes. Hepcidin synthesis is stimulated by plasma iron and iron stores and is inhibited by erythropoietic activity, ensuring that extracellular plasma iron concentrations and iron stores remain stable and the erythropoietic demand for iron is met. During inflammation, increased hepcidin concentrations cause iron sequestration in macrophages, resulting in hypoferremia and eventually anemia of inflammation. Hepcidin deficiency plays a central role in most iron overload disorders. The role of hepcidin abnormalities in anemias that are associated with renal disease and in resistance to erythropoietic therapies remains to be elucidated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12500092,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"In vivo excitotoxicity induced by ouabain, a Na+\/K+-ATPase inhibitor.\nThe susceptibility of immature rat brain to neurotoxicity of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) has provided a widely used paradigm to study excitotoxicity relevant to acute neurodegenerative diseases such as cerebral ischemia. In this study, excitotoxicity was induced via injection of ouabain (1 mM\/0.5 microL), a Na+\/K+ -ATPase-inhibitor, into neonatal rat brain and compared with NMDA injection. The aim of the study was to induce excitotoxicity secondary to cellular membrane depolarization, thereby more closely mimicking the pathophysiologic processes of ischemia-induced brain injury where NMDA-receptor overstimulation by glutamate follows, not precedes, membrane depolarization. Na+\/K+ -ATPase-inhibition caused an acute, 40% +\/- 8% decrease of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water, as measured using diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and resulted in infarctlike lesions as measured using T2-weighted MRI and histology up to 2 weeks later. Localized one- and two-dimensional 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) demonstrated that the early excitotoxic diffusion changes were not accompanied by an overall metabolic disturbance. Furthermore, 31P-MRS demonstrated that energy depletion is not a prerequisite for ADC decrease or excitotoxic cell death. Treatment with the NMDA-antagonist MK-801 (1 mg\/kg) attenuated the volume of tissue exhibiting a decreased ADC (P < 0.005), demonstrating that the ouabain-induced injury is indeed excitotoxic in nature. The authors argue that, compared with NMDA-injection, ouabain-induced excitotoxicity elicits more appropriate glutamate-receptor overstimulation and is better suited to detect relevant neuroprotection in that it is more sensitive to attenuation of synaptic glutamate levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3492925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Endothelium-derived relaxant factor inhibits effects of nitrocompounds in isolated arteries.\nWe investigated the influence of endothelial cells on the smooth muscle vasodilator effects to sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or Teopranitol (an organic mononitrate) in isolated segments of rabbit aorta and femoral artery. In the femoral artery, the vasodilator responses to both nitrocompounds were significantly higher in the absence of endothelial cells or after pretreatment with the endothelium-derived relaxant factor (EDRF) inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA; 10 microM). Moreover, under conditions of stimulated EDRF release (induced by acetylcholine; 30-100 nM) the vasodilator responses to SNP were further attenuated in vessels with intact endothelium. By contrast, in the rabbit aorta, the vasodilator responses to the nitrocompounds were not significantly altered by either endothelium removal or treatment with NDGA. However, in the presence of the EDRF stimulator acetylcholine, the dose-response curve to SNP was shifted to right in the aorta as well. The role of EDRF in the endothelium-mediated attenuation of the dilator potency of SNP was further investigated by using EDRF released from cultured (bovine aortic) endothelial cells. The dilator effects of SNP were compared in endothelium denuded femoral or aortic segments in the presence or absence of EDRF. The vasodilator effects of SNP in both types of arteries were significantly reduced in the presence of EDRF. We conclude that EDRF attenuates the arterial vasodilation induced by SNP and Teopranitol. The results further suggest that endothelial cells exhibit a greater basal release of EDRF in the femoral artery than in the aorta, since under unstimulated conditions an EDRF-induced attenuation was seen only in femoral and not in aortic segments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36819738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Tailoring electrode surface charge to achieve discrimination and quantification of chemically similar small molecules with electrochemical aptamers.\nElectrochemical biosensors based on structure-switching aptamers offer many advantages because they can operate directly in complex samples and offer the potential to integrate with miniaturized electronics. Unfortunately, these biosensors often suffer from cross-reactivity problems when measuring a target in samples containing other chemically similar molecules, such as precursors or metabolites. While some progress has been made in selecting highly specific aptamers, the discovery of these reagents remains slow and costly. In this work, we demonstrate a novel strategy to distinguish molecules with miniscule difference in chemical composition (such as a single hydroxyl group) - with cross reactive aptamer probes - by tuning the charge state of the surface on which the aptamer probes are immobilized. As an exemplar, we show that our strategy can distinguish between DOX and many structurally similar analytes, including its primary metabolite doxorubicinol (DOXol). We then demonstrate the ability to accurately quantify mixtures of these two molecules based on their differential response to sensors with different surface-charge properties. We believe this methodology is general and can be extended to a broad range of applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31964474,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"'\u2026If I don't have that sort of money again, what happens?': adapting a qualitative model to conceptualise the consequences of out-of-pocket expenses for cancer patients in mixed health systems.\nObjective The aim of this study was to explore Western Australian cancer patients' experiences of out-of-pocket expenses (OOPE) during diagnosis and cancer treatment using a phenomenological approach. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive convenience sample of 40 Western Australian cancer patients diagnosed with breast, lung, prostate or colorectal cancer. Participants were asked about the impact of their diagnosis, the associated costs and their experience within the health system. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results Three key themes influencing participant OOPE experiences were identified: (1) personal circumstances; (2) communication with health providers; and (3) coping strategies. Despite Australia's public healthcare system, several participants found the costs affected their financial security and resorted to coping strategies including medication rationing and restrictive household budgeting. The key themes had a complex and interrelated effect on patient OOPE experiences and were used to adapt Carrera et al.'s model of economic consequences of cancer treatment on the patient and patient coping to describe these relationships in a mixed healthcare system. Conclusion Organised efforts must be implemented to mitigate maladaptive coping strategies being used by cancer patients: (1) health providers should seek informed financial consent from patients before commencing treatment; and (2) financial aid and support schemes for cancer patients should be reviewed to ensure they are delivered equitably. What is known on this topic? The financial cost of cancer can have significant adverse effects on cancer patients. Although financial transparency is desired by cancer patients, its implementation in practice is not clear. What does this paper add? This study adapts a conceptual model for the economic consequences of a cancer diagnosis and repurposes it for a mixed public-private health system, providing a framework for understanding downstream consequences of cancer costs and highlighting opportunities for intervention. What are the implications for health practitioners? Health practitioners need to initiate discussions concerning treatment costs earlier with cancer patients. There are several resources and guides available to assist and facilitate financial transparency. Without urgent attention to the financial consequences of cancer treatment and related expenses, we continue to leave patients at risk of resorting to maladaptive coping strategies, such as medication rationing and restrictive household budgeting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30729619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Catalytic, Enantioselective \u03b1-Alkylation of Azlactones with Nonconjugated Alkenes by Directed Nucleopalladation.\nA palladium(II)-catalyzed enantioselective \u03b1-alkylation of azlactones with nonconjugated alkenes is described. The reaction employs a chiral BINOL-derived phosphoric acid as the source of stereoinduction, and a cleavable bidentate directing group appended to the alkene to control the regioselectivity and stabilize the nucleopalladated alkylpalladium(II) intermediate in the catalytic cycle. A wide range of azlactones were found to be compatible under the optimal reaction conditions to afford products bearing \u03b1,\u03b1-disubstituted \u03b1-amino-acid derivatives with high yields and high enantioselectivity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35973476,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Labor epidural analgesia and subsequent risk of offspring autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder: a cross-national cohort study of 4.5 million individuals and their siblings.\nA recent study has suggested that labor epidural analgesia may be associated with increased rates of offspring autism spectrum disorder. Subsequent replication attempts have lacked sufficient power to confidently exclude the possibility of a small effect, and the causal nature of this association remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which exposure to labor epidural analgesia is associated with offspring autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder following adjustments for unmeasured familial confounding. We identified 4,498,462 singletons and their parents using the Medical Birth Registers in Finland (cohorts born from 1987-2005), Norway (1999-2015), and Sweden (1987-2011) linked with population and patient registries. These cohorts were followed from birth until they either had the outcomes of interest, emigrated, died, or reached the end of the follow-up (at mean ages 13.6-16.8 years), whichever occurred first. Cox regression models were used to estimate country-specific associations between labor epidural analgesia recorded at birth and outcomes (eg, at least 1 secondary care diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder or at least 1 dispensed prescription of medication used for the treatment of attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder). The models were adjusted for sex, birth year, birth order, and unmeasured familial confounders via sibling comparisons. Pooled estimates across all the 3 countries were estimated using inverse variance weighted fixed-effects meta-analysis models. A total of 4,498,462 individuals (48.7% female) were included, 1,091,846 (24.3%) of which were exposed to labor epidural analgesia. Of these, 1.2% were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 4.0% with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder. On the population level, pooled estimates showed that labor epidural analgesia was associated with increased risk of offspring autism spectrum disorder (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.14, absolute risks, 1.20% vs 1.07%) and attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.21; absolute risks, 3.95% vs 3.32%). However, when comparing full siblings who were differentially exposed to labor epidural analgesia, the associations were fully attenuated for both conditions with narrow confidence intervals (adjusted hazard ratio [autism spectrum disorder], 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.93-1.03; adjusted hazard ratio attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder, 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.96-1.02). In this large cross-national study, we found no support for the hypothesis that exposure to labor epidural analgesia causes either offspring autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8468344,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A cytoplasmically anchored nuclear protein interferes specifically with the import of nuclear proteins but not U1 snRNA.\nA cytoplasmically anchored mutant SV40 T antigen, FS T antigen, was shown previously to interfere specifically with the nuclear import of a heterologous nuclear protein, adenovirus 5 fiber protein, in cultured monkey cells (Schneider, J., C. Schindewolf, K. van Zee, and E. Fanning. 1988. Cell. 54:117-125; van Zee, K., F. Appel, and E. Fanning. 1991. Mol. Cell. Biol. 11:5137-5146). In this report, we demonstrate that FS T antigen also interferes with the nuclear import of adenovirus E1A and a peptide-albumin conjugate bearing multiple copies of the T antigen nuclear localization signal, but not with the import of U1 snRNA. A kinetic analysis indicates that nuclear import of the albumin-peptide conjugate is inhibited only when high intracellular concentrations of FS T antigen are reached. After microinjection into the cytoplasm of cultured cells, purified FS T antigen protein does not accumulate at the nuclear periphery, but rather is distributed in a punctate pattern throughout the cytoplasm. These data support a model in which cytoplasmic anchoring of FS T antigen enables the mutant protein to sequester and titrate out a cellular factor which is required for nuclear protein but not U1 snRNA import.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30973764,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Lokomat guided gait in hemiparetic stroke patients: the effects of training parameters on muscle activity and temporal symmetry.\nPurpose: The Lokomat is a commercially available robotic gait trainer, applied for gait rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients. Selective and well-dosed clinical use of the Lokomat training parameters, i.e. guidance, speed and bodyweight support, requires a good understanding of how these parameters affect the neuromuscular control of post-stroke hemiparetic gait.Materials and methods: Ten stroke patients (unilateral paresis, 7 females, 64.5 \u00b1 6.4 years, >3months post-stroke, FAC scores 2-4)) walked in the Lokomat under varying parameter settings: 50% or 100% guidance, 0.28 or 0.56m\/s, 0% or 50% bodyweight support. Electromyography was recorded bilaterally from Gluteus Medius, Biceps Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Medial Gastrocnemius, and Tibialis Anterior. Pressure sensors placed under the feet were used to determine the level of temporal gait symmetry.Results: Varying guidance and bodyweight support had little effect on muscle activity, but increasing treadmill speed led to increased activity in both the affected (Biceps Femoris, Medial Gastrocnemius, Tibialis Anterior) and unaffected leg (all muscles). The level of temporal symmetry was unaffected by the parameter settings.Conclusions: The Lokomat training parameters are generally ineffective in shaping short term muscle activity and step symmetry patients with hemiparetic stroke, as speed is the only parameter that significantly affects muscular amplitude.Trial Registration: d.n.a.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe Lokomat is a commercially available gait trainer that can be used for gait rehabilitation in post-stroke hemiparetic patients.This study shows that muscle amplitude is generally low during Lokomat guided walking, and that treadmill Speed is the main training parameter to influence muscular output in stroke patients during Lokomat walking.Varying Guidance and Bodyweight Support within a clinical relevant range barely affected muscle activity, and temporal step symmetry was unaffected by variation in any of the training parameters.Based on the findings it is advised to increase speed as early as possible during Lokomat therapy, or use other means (e.g. feedback or instructions) to stimulate active involvement of patients during training.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8390539,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Molecular, biochemical, and functional characteristics of tumor necrosis factor-alpha produced by human placental cytotrophoblastic cells.\nPrevious studies have shown that the TNF-alpha gene is transcribed and translated in fully differentiated human placental syncytiotrophoblast. In this study, TNF transcripts were identified by in situ hybridization in cytotrophoblastic cells, a progenitor subpopulation that proliferates rapidly in early gestation tissues. To establish molecular and biochemical characteristics of cytotrophoblastic TNF and to evaluate potential utilization, experiments were conducted on two cytotrophoblastic cell lines, Jar and JEG-3. Northern blot hybridization and immunocytochemical tests showed that Jar and JEG-3 cells contained TNF mRNA and specific protein. Enzyme immunoassays demonstrated production of TNF, and immunoprecipitation experiments showed that Jar cell TNF protein was the same molecular mass as macrophage TNF. DNA synthesis in both lines was promoted by rTNF, and experiments employing 17-mer TNF antisense and sense oligonucleotides showed specific inhibition of DNA synthesis by antisense sequences. Both p60 and p80 TNF-R mRNA were present in the choriocarcinoma cell lines, and DNA synthesis was inhibited by antibody to the p60 TNF-R. Although the two lines were similar in many respects, Jar cells produced more TNF and demonstrated a greater reliance on TNF for their growth. Collectively, the results indicate that: 1) the TNF gene is expressed in both normal and malignant cytotrophoblast; 2) certain molecular, immunologic, and biochemical characteristics of trophoblast-derived TNF are similar to macrophage TNF; and 3) the p60 TNF-R facilitates utilization of TNF as an autocrine growth factor by choriocarcinoma cells. Although TNF apparently serves important functions in cytotrophoblast during the course of placental development that might include promotion of proliferation and invasion, constitutive expression of this gene in neoplastic cells could account in part for the remarkable ability of trophoblastic tumors to overcome host defenses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24524893,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A comparison of clutching movements of freely adjusted and imposed pedal configurations for identifying discomfort assessment criteria.\nThis paper focuses on the effects of the free pedal position adjustment on clutching movements of the left lower limb as well as on the perceived discomfort. Six automotive clutch pedal configurations were tested by 20 subjects (5 young females, 5 young males, 5 older females, 5 older males) using a multi-adjustable experimental mock-up. Results showed that the pedal position was adjusted to ensure a good starting pedal position allowing a less flexed ankle and avoiding unnecessary leg displacement from the foot rest to the position at start depression. Pedal position adjustment seemed not motivated by reducing joint torque though discomfort ratings were found significantly correlated with knee and ankle torques at the end of depression. The present work also illustrates that the less-constrained motion concept is helpful for a better understanding of people preference and useful for identifying motion-related biomechanical parameters to be considered for defining assessment criteria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12519782,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Nuclear receptor coactivator thyroid hormone receptor-binding protein (TRBP) interacts with and stimulates its associated DNA-dependent protein kinase.\nNuclear receptors mediate gene activation through ligand-dependent interaction with coactivators. We previously cloned and characterized thyroid hormone receptor-binding protein, TRBP (NcoA6: AIB3\/ASC-2\/RAP250\/PRIP\/TRBP\/NRC), as an LXXLL-containing coactivator that associates with coactivator complexes through its C terminus. To search for protein factors involved in TRBP action, we identified a distinct set of proteins from HeLa nuclear extract that interacts with the C terminus of TRBP. Analysis by mass spectrometric protein sequencing revealed a DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) complex including its catalytic subunit and regulatory subunits, Ku70 and Ku86. DNA-PK is a heterotrimeric nuclear phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase that functions in DNA repair, recombination, and transcriptional regulation. DNA-PK phosphorylates TRBP at its C-terminal region, which directly interacts with Ku70 but not Ku86 in vitro. In addition, in the absence of DNA, TRBP itself activates DNA-PK, and the TRBP-stimulated DNA-PK activity has an altered phosphorylation pattern from DNA-stimulated activity. An anti-TRBP antibody inhibits TRBP-induced kinase activity, suggesting that protein content of TRBP is responsible for the stimulation of DNA-independent kinase activity. Furthermore, in DNA-PK-deficient scid cells, TRBP-mediated transactivation is significantly impaired, and nuclear localization of TRBP is altered. The activation of DNA-PK in the absence of DNA ends by the coactivator TRBP suggests a novel mechanism of coactivator-stimulated DNA-PK phosphorylation in transcriptional regulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34633083,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 by anatomical embalming solutions.\nTeaching and learning anatomy by using human cadaveric specimens has been a foundation of medical and biomedical teaching for hundreds of years. Therefore, the majority of institutions that teach topographical anatomy rely on body donation programmes to provide specimens for both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching of gross anatomy. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to anatomy teaching because of the suspension of donor acceptance at most institutions. This was largely due to concerns about the potential transmissibility of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the absence of data about the ability of embalming solutions to neutralise the virus. Twenty embalming solutions commonly used in institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland were tested for their ability to neutralise SARS-CoV-2, using an established cytotoxicity assay. All embalming solutions tested neutralised SARS-CoV-2, with the majority of solutions being effective at high-working dilutions. These results suggest that successful embalming with the tested solutions can neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby facilitating the safe resumption of body donation programmes and cadaveric anatomy teaching.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24141777,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The age- and shorter telomere-dependent TERT promoter mutation in follicular thyroid cell-derived carcinomas.\nTelomerase activation through induction of its catalytic component telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression is essential for malignant transformation. TERT promoter mutations namely C228T and C250T that stimulate TERT transcription and telomerase activation have recently been identified in many human malignancies. We thus determined these mutations and their biological and clinical implications in thyroid carcinomas in the present study. The TERT promoter was sequenced in 10 thyroid cancer cell lines and 144 tumors from 20 patients with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), 51 with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 36 with follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), and 37 with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). We identified C228T or C250T mutation in 6\/8 of ATC cell lines, as well as in tumor tissue from 10\/20, 13\/51, 8\/36 and 0\/37 patients with ATC, PTC, FTC and MTC, respectively. In PTC patients, these mutations were exclusively present in the group with age >45 years (P<0.0001), and highly correlated shorter telomeres (P<0.0001) and distant metastasis (P=0.028). The previous radioactivity exposure did not induce the mutation. The presence of C228T or C250T was an independent predictor associated with shorter disease-related survival (DRS) in the entire cohort (P<0.0001), as well as among patients >45 years (P=0.021). ATC patients carrying the mutation survived shorter than those without mutations, although not statistically significant (P=0.129). The TERT promoter mutation was associated with overall survival (P=0.038) and DRS (P=0.058) of FTC patients. Taken together, age- and shorter telomere-dependent TERT promoter mutations occur frequently in follicular cell-derived thyroid carcinoma (ATC, PTC and FTC) but not in parafollicular cell-originated MTC, and may serve as a marker for aggressive disease and poor outcome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24497057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Pre-operative intra-articular hip injection as a predictor of short-term outcome following arthroscopic management of femoroacetabular impingement.\nDiagnostic hip injections are often used to confirm intra-articular pathology prior to arthroscopic treatment for femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). However, little is known whether the type of response correlates with the post-operative functional outcomes. The purpose of this study is to document the ability of a diagnostic hip injection to predict short-term functional outcomes following arthroscopic surgical management. A prospective cohort of 52 patients diagnosed with FAI who had an intra-articular hip injection prior to arthroscopic surgery was evaluated. A pain diary was used during the 2 weeks after hip injection to document response. In addition, the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) was administered preoperatively and 6 months post-operatively to assess functional outcomes. The relationship between response to an intra-articular hip injection and mHHS scores 6 months after FAI surgery was evaluated. Overall, 42 of 52 (81 %) patients diagnosed with FAI achieved pain relief from the hip injection. Outcomes according to mHHS scores improved significantly at the 6-month follow-up visit (19 points, 95 % CI 15-24, p = 0.001). The therapeutic utility of the hip injection suggested that lack of pain relief predicted a lack of functional improvement following arthroscopic surgery. In this study, the data suggests that a positive response from an intra-articular hip injection is not a strong predictor of short-term functional outcomes following arthroscopic management of FAI. However, a negative response from an intra-articular hip injection may predict a higher likelihood of having a negative result from surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23209967,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Obesity in pregnancy in southeast Nigeria.\nObesity in pregnancy has continued to attract global attention due to its contribution to maternal morbidity and mortality. However, this attention appears to be concentrated on developed countries with little or no attention to developing countries, resulting in very little statistics from developing countries on the subject matter. To determine the prevalence and characteristics of obesity during pregnancy, in South-east Nigeria. Women who registered for antenatal care in their first trimester of pregnancy were interviewed and requisite data collected. Fischer exact test, t-test and bivariate correlation analysis were carried out as appropriate at the 95% confidence level. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. A total of 3,167 pregnant women were recruited. The prevalence of obesity in pregnancy was 10.7%. Obesity was significantly more prevalent amongst women residing in urban areas. Only 15.1% of participants knew their pre-pregnancy weight. Education, employment, parity and age did not have significant relations with obesity in pregnancy. Obesity in pregnancy exists in appreciable proportion in south-eastern Nigeria and majority of women in this setting do not know their pre-pregnancy weights. There is need to begin to consider obesity in pregnancy as a problem that does exist in resource-poor settings and specific guidelines on the management of obese pregnant women in resource-poor settings would be needed. Nigerian women need to be encouraged to check their weights periodically especially before planning pregnancy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8918555,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The extracellular domain of La Crosse virus G1 forms oligomers and undergoes pH-dependent conformational changes.\nThe La Crosse virus G1 glycoprotein plays a critical role in virus binding to susceptible cells and in the subsequent fusion of viral and cellular membranes. A soluble form of the G1 glycoprotein (sG1) prepared in a recombinant baculovirus system mimics the cell-binding pattern of La Crosse virus and inhibits La Crosse virus infection (A. Pekosz et al., Virology 214, 339-348, 1995), presumably by competing for a cellular receptor, a finding that implies that sG1 can perform some functions absent G2, the smaller of the two bunyavirus glycoproteins. We have performed experiments to determine whether sG1 is present as an oligomer and whether it undergoes the conformational changes associated with fusion (F. Gonzalez-Scarano, Virology 140, 209-216, 1985). Our results indicate that both sG1 and native G1 undergo similar changes in conformation after exposure to an acidic environment, as detected by reactivity with monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, using chemical cross-linking, both proteins were detected as oligomers (most likely dimers). Sucrose density gradient analysis of sG1 verified that it was present in monomeric and oligomeric forms. These results demonstrate that the isolated G1 glycoprotein can undergo a pH-dependent change in conformation in the absence of its transmembrane and cytoplasmic tall domains and that the extracellular portion of the glycoprotein can oligomerize.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32396784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Experience shapes accuracy in territorial decision-making in a poison frog.\nThe trade-off between speed and accuracy affects many behavioural processes like predator avoidance, foraging and nest-site selection, but little is known about this trade-off relative to territorial behaviour. Some poison frogs are highly territorial and fiercely repel calling male intruders. However, attacks need to be conducted cautiously, as they are energetically costly and bear the risk of own injury or accidentally targeting the wrong individual. In this study, we investigated the speed-accuracy trade-off in the context of male territoriality during the breeding season in the brilliant-thighed poison frog, Allobates femoralis. In our experiment, we presented the call of an invisible 'threatening' intruder together with a visible 'non-threatening' intruder, using acoustic playback and a frog model, respectively. Contrary to our prediction, neither reaction time nor approach speed of the tested frogs determined the likelihood of erroneous attacks. However, younger individuals were more likely to attack the non-threatening model than older ones, suggesting that experience plays an essential role in identifying and distinguishing rivalling individuals in a territorial context.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34276926,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Directing transition metal-based oxygen-functionalization catalysis.\nThis review presents the recent progress of oxygen functionalization reactions based on non-electrochemical (conventional organic synthesis) and electrochemical methods. Although both methods have their advantages and limitations, the former approach has been used to synthesize a broader range of organic substances as the latter is limited by several factors, such as poor selectivity and high energy cost. However, because electrochemical methods can replace harmful terminal oxidizers with external voltage, organic electrosynthesis has emerged as greener and more eco-friendly compared to conventional organic synthesis. The progress of electrochemical methods toward oxygen functionalization is presented by an in-depth discussion of different types of electrically driven-chemical organic synthesis, with particular attention to recently developed electrochemical systems and catalyst designs. We hope to direct the attention of readers to the latest breakthroughs of traditional oxygen functionalization reactions and to the potential of electrochemistry for the transformation of organic substrates to useful end products.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10036235,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"ARF6 requirement for Rac ruffling suggests a role for membrane trafficking in cortical actin rearrangements.\nThe ARF6 GTPase regulates a novel endosomal-plasma membrane recycling pathway and influences cortical actin remodeling. Here we examined the relationship between ARF6 and Rac1, a Rho family GTPase, implicated in cortical actin rearrangements. Endogenous Rac1 colocalized with ARF6 at the plasma membrane and on the ARF6 recycling endosome in untransfected HeLa and primary human fibroblast cells. In transfected HeLa cells Rac1 and ARF6 also colocalized. Cells expressing wild-type ARF6 or Rac1 formed actin-containing surface protrusions and membrane ruffles, respectively, upon treatment with the G protein activator aluminum fluoride. Aluminum fluoride-treatment of cells transfected with equivalent amounts of plasmid resulted in enhanced membrane ruffling, with protrusions appearing as Rac expression was lowered. Co-expression of the dominant negative, GTP binding-defective ARF6 T27N mutant inhibited the aluminum fluoride-induced ruffling observed in cells expressing Rac1, and the constitutive ruffling observed in cells expressing the activated Rac1 Q61L mutant. In contrast, co-expression of the GTP-binding-defective, T17N mutant of either Rac1 or Cdc42 with ARF6 did not inhibit the aluminum fluoride-induced surface protrusions, nor did inactivation of Rho with C3-transferase. These observations suggest that ARF6, a non-Rho family GTPase, can, by itself, alter cortical actin and can influence the ability of Rac1 to form lamellipodia, in part, by regulating its trafficking to the plasma membrane.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9392391,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Glutaric aciduria type 1 (glutaryl-CoA-dehydrogenase deficiency): advances and unanswered questions. Report from an international meeting.\nInfants with macrocephaly, young children with acute disease resembling encephalitis, and children with truncal hypotonia, ataxia, or dystonia may be affected by glutaric aciduria type I (GA 1, glutaryl-CoA-dehydrogenase deficiency), a not-so-rare autosomal recessive neurometabolic disease. Well-known features of GA1 are fronto-temporal brain atrophy with macrocephaly and acute encephalopathic episodes with striatal necrosis followed by dystonia, but some patients develop motor disease without overt crises and other biochemically affected individuals remain asymptomatic. Biochemical and molecular characterization is available and allows post- and prenatal diagnosis. The pathogenesis of fronto-temporal atrophy, macrocephaly, and basal ganglia necrosis is still not understood, and there is no close correlation between biochemical parameters and clinical outcome. There is, however, evidence suggesting that carnitine supplementation and anticatabolic treatment of intercurrent illness may arrest or prevent neurological deterioration, while the role of limitation of dietary lysine and tryptophane is not yet clear. Although pathogenetic aspects are poorly understood, the natural course of glutaric aciduria type 1 can be changed by early diagnosis and treatment. Coordinated research is needed to understand the pathogenesis of brain toxicity, to define the role of dietary therapy, and to explore the possibility of neonatal screening.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19457366,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Space-time event sparse penalization for magneto-\/electroencephalography.\nThis article presents a new spatio-temporal method for M\/EEG source reconstruction based on the assumption that only a small number of events, localized in space and\/or time, are responsible for the measured signal. Each space-time event is represented using a basis function expansion which reflects the most relevant (or measurable) features of the signal. This model of neural activity leads naturally to a Bayesian likelihood function which balances the model fit to the data with the complexity of the model, where the complexity is related to the number of included events. A novel Expectation-Maximization algorithm which maximizes the likelihood function is presented. The new method is shown to be effective on several MEG simulations of neurological activity as well as data from a self-paced finger tapping experiment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6168982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Activation by stress of the habenulo-interpeduncular substance P neurons in the rat.\nSubstance P levels were significantly decreased in the ventro-tegmental area and the interpeduncular nucleus of rats submitted for 20 min to electric foot-shocks. Substance P levels in the substantia nigra and in the prefrontal cortex were not affected. These results are discussed in light of the selective activation of the mesocortico-prefrontal dopaminergic neurons induced by this stress situation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24980808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effect of high-impact targeted trap-neuter-return and adoption of community cats on cat intake to a shelter.\nApproximately 2-3 million cats enter animal shelters annually in the United States. A large proportion of these are unowned community cats that have no one to reclaim them and may be too unsocialized for adoption. More than half of impounded cats are euthanased due to shelter crowding, shelter-acquired disease or feral behavior. Trap-neuter-return (TNR), an alternative to shelter impoundment, improves cat welfare and reduces the size of cat colonies, but has been regarded as too impractical to reduce cat populations on a larger scale or to limit shelter cat intake. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of TNR concentrated in a region of historically high cat impoundments in a Florida community. A 2-year program was implemented to capture and neuter at least 50% of the estimated community cats in a single 11.9 km(2) zip code area, followed by return to the neighborhood or adoption. Trends in shelter cat intake from the target zip code were compared to the rest of the county. A total of 2366 cats, representing approximately 54% of the projected community cat population in the targeted area, were captured for the TNR program over the 2-year study period. After 2 years, per capita shelter intake was 3.5-fold higher and per capita shelter euthanasia was 17.5-fold higher in the non-target area than in the target area. Shelter cat impoundment from the target area where 60 cats\/1000 residents were neutered annually decreased by 66% during the 2-year study period, compared to a decrease of 12% in the non-target area, where only 12 cats\/1000 residents were neutered annually. High-impact TNR combined with the adoption of socialized cats and nuisance resolution counseling for residents is an effective tool for reducing shelter cat intake.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36261518,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Semi-automated assembly of high-quality diploid human reference genomes.\nThe current human reference genome, GRCh38, represents over 20 years of effort to generate a high-quality assembly, which has benefitted society1,2. However, it still has many gaps and errors, and does not represent a biological genome as it is a blend of multiple individuals3,4. Recently, a high-quality telomere-to-telomere reference, CHM13, was generated with the latest long-read technologies, but it was derived from a hydatidiform mole cell line with a nearly homozygous genome5. To address these limitations, the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium formed with the goal of creating high-quality, cost-effective, diploid genome assemblies for a pangenome reference that represents human genetic diversity6. Here, in our first scientific report, we determined which combination of current genome sequencing and assembly approaches yield the most complete and accurate diploid genome assembly with minimal manual curation. Approaches that used highly accurate long reads and parent-child data with graph-based haplotype phasing during assembly outperformed those that did not. Developing a combination of the top-performing methods, we generated our first high-quality diploid reference assembly, containing only approximately four gaps per chromosome on average, with most chromosomes within \u00b11% of the length of CHM13. Nearly 48% of protein-coding genes have non-synonymous amino acid changes between haplotypes, and centromeric regions showed the highest diversity. Our findings serve as a foundation for assembling near-complete diploid human genomes at scale for a pangenome reference to capture global genetic variation from single nucleotides to structural rearrangements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":618755,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Monitoring trends in food utilization: application of an archaeologcial method.\nArchaeological methods were utilized to monitor trends in food purchase and utilization behavior in Tucson, Arizona households through the analysis of household refuse. As a supplement to traditional methods of collecting data on food consumption, the study of household refuse can provide information on short-term trends in behavior and on food discard. Between 1973 and 1975, households studied decreased the amount of food brought into the home and decreased their purchase of selected animal protein foods. Lower-income tracts, in addition, increased their purchase of grain products, substituted cheaper for more expensive food intems, and decreased food discard. While these data do not reflect nutritional status, they provide a unique view of the socioeconomic and behavioral patterns that in large part determine nutritional status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29451927,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A Retrospective Tomographic and Histologic Analysis of Horizontal Bone Augmentation in Maxillary Atrophic Ridges Using Resorbable Membrane with Anorganic Bovine Bone-Derived Mineral and Plasma Rich in Growth Factors.\nA total of six patients treated from 2010 to 2014, having a knife-edge ridge (Cawood-Howell Class IV resorbed ridges) and requiring an implant-prosthetic rehabilitation, were selected. Tomographic measurement of the edentulous ridges was performed before grafting and after implant placement. At 6 months postgraft, a total of 41 implants had been inserted, 17 in the posterior region, 12 in the central region, and 12 in the anterior region. No surgical or healing complications were recorded, and the prostheses were loaded 6 to 9 months after implant placement. The tomographic measurements demonstrated an increased area in all the sites where bone augmentation had been performed, corresponding to 11.1% in the anterior region, 94.7% in the central region, and 760.2% in the posterior region. Histology was performed in 2 patients, one at 1 year and the other at 5 years postgrafting, and demonstrated the presence of mature lamellar bone tissue and newly formed bone without morphologic signs of necrosis or inflammation and a reduction of 50% to 30% of the grafted material. Although this study included a small number of clinical cases, it demonstrated how management of the atrophic maxillary ridge, with the goal of implant placement, may be handled using a technique that requires a single anorganic bovine bone-derived mineral treatment combined with a plasma rich in growth factors and resorbable collagen membrane.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22558919,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Miscarriage, and TNF-\u03b1 and osteopontin relationship in women patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.\nInfertility and reproductive impairment can be compromised by abnormalities in both endocrine and immune system. TNF-\u03b1 promotes apoptotic cell death in fetal membrane tissues and pro-inflammatory, proapoptotic, and procoagulant properties of TNF-\u03b1 probably contribute to widely accepted abortogenic profile of this cytokine. The aim of this study was to assess the alteration in the levels of TSH, FT3, FT4, TNF-\u03b1, osteopontin in pregnant and controls. Study subjects were 28 pregnant women, 28 non-pregnant women, and 28 healthy controls. All subjects underwent venous blood drawing for levels of TNF-\u03b1, osteopontin, and also hormonal assays including the levels of anti-TPO, anti-TG antibodies, TSH, FT3, FT4. Both patient and control groups are similar in terms of age. Pregnancy age in conceived patients is 23.64 \u00b1 2.040. No statistically meaningful relation was found in correlation analysis between TNF-\u03b1 and osteopontin among the groups (p = 0.963). Anti-thyroglobuline antibody and anti-microsomal antibody levels were found to be higher in patients with non-pregnant patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis than the control group (p < 0.001). No statistically meaningful relation was found in terms of TNF-\u03b1 (p = 0.66) and osteopontin serum levels (p = 0.50) in patient groups with or without miscarriage history. In our study, no statistically meaningful relation was found in terms of TNF-\u03b1 and osteopontin serum levels in patient groups with and without miscarriage history.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29368243,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Influence of culture media, pH and temperature on growth and bacteriocin production of bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria.\nThere has been continued interest in bacteriocins research from an applied perspective as bacteriocins have potential to be used as natural preservative. Four bacteriocinogenic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains of Lactobacillus curvatus (Arla-10), Enterococcus faecium (JFR-1), Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei (JFR-5) and Streptococcus thermophilus (TSB-8) were previously isolated and identified in our lab. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal growth conditions for both LAB growth and bacteriocins production. In this study, various growth conditions including culture media (MRS and BHI), initial pH of culture media (4.5, 5.5, 6.2, 7.4 and 8.5), and incubation temperatures (20, 37 and 44 \u00b0C) were investigated for LAB growth measured as optical density (OD), bacteriocin activity determined as arbitrary unit and viability of LAB expressed as log CFU ml-1. Growth curves of the bacteriocinogenic LAB were generated using a Bioscreen C. Our results indicated that Arla-10, JFR-1, and JFR-5 strains grew well on both MRS and BHI media at growth temperature tested whereas TSB-8 strain, unable to grow at 20 \u00b0C. LAB growth was significantly affected by the initial pH of culture media (p < 0.001) and the optimal pH was found ranging from 6.2 to 8.5. Bacteriocin activity was significantly different in MRS versus BHI (p < 0.001), and the optimal condition for LAB to produce bacteriocins was determined in MRS broth, pH 6.2 at 37 \u00b0C. This study provides useful information on potential application of bacteriocinogenic LAB in food fermentation processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17956842,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"A long-term association between global temperature and biodiversity, origination and extinction in the fossil record.\nThe past relationship between global temperature and levels of biological diversity is of increasing concern due to anthropogenic climate warming. However, no consistent link between these variables has yet been demonstrated. We analysed the fossil record for the last 520 Myr against estimates of low latitude sea surface temperature for the same period. We found that global biodiversity (the richness of families and genera) is related to temperature and has been relatively low during warm 'greenhouse' phases, while during the same phases extinction and origination rates of taxonomic lineages have been relatively high. These findings are consistent for terrestrial and marine environments and are robust to a number of alternative assumptions and potential biases. Our results provide the first clear evidence that global climate may explain substantial variation in the fossil record in a simple and consistent manner. Our findings may have implications for extinction and biodiversity change under future climate warming.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30204767,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Metagenomics reveals niche partitioning within the phototrophic zone of a microbial mat.\nHypersaline photosynthetic microbial mats are stratified microbial communities known for their taxonomic and metabolic diversity and strong light-driven day-night environmental gradients. In this study of the upper photosynthetic zone of hypersaline microbial mats of Elkhorn Slough, California (USA), we show how metagenome sequencing can be used to meaningfully assess microbial ecology and genetic partitioning in these complex microbial systems. Mapping of metagenome reads to the dominant Cyanobacteria observed in the system, Coleofasciculus (Microcoleus) chthonoplastes, was used to examine strain variants within these metagenomes. Highly conserved gene subsystems indicated a core genome for the species, and a number of variant genes and subsystems suggested strain level differentiation, especially for nutrient utilization and stress response. Metagenome sequence coverage binning was used to assess ecosystem partitioning of remaining microbes to both reconstruct the model organisms in silico and identify their ecosystem functions as well as to identify novel clades and propose their role in the biogeochemical cycling of mats. Functional gene annotation of these bins (primarily of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Cyanobacteria) recapitulated the known biogeochemical functions in microbial mats using a genetic basis, and revealed significant diversity in the Bacteroidetes, presumably in heterotrophic cycling. This analysis also revealed evidence of putative phototrophs within the Gemmatimonadetes and Gammaproteobacteria residing in microbial mats. This study shows that metagenomic analysis can produce insights into the systems biology of microbial ecosystems from a genetic perspective and to suggest further studies of novel microbes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16408902,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"New zirconium-mediated approach toward regio- and stereocontrolled synthesis of trans-enediynes.\n[reaction: see text] The coupling reactions of alpha-alkynylated zirconacyclopentene based on 1,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1,3-butadiyne with unsaturated compounds are described, which provide an efficient, regio- and stereocontrollable synthesis of trans-enediynes in a one-pot procedure. An interesting alkynyl group shift from alpha- to beta-position of the zirconium center during the reaction was observed, which was accountable for the novel transformations to trans-enediynes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11408605,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The use of a novel taxane-based P-glycoprotein inhibitor to identify mutations that alter the interaction of the protein with paclitaxel.\nMurine thymoma cell lines expressing mutated forms of the mdr1b P-glycoprotein were isolated using a novel taxane-based P-glycoprotein inhibitor tRA-96023 (SB-RA-31012). The selection strategy required resistance to a combination of tRA-96023 and colchicine. Five mutations were identified (N350I, I862F, L865F, L868W, and A933T) that reduce the capacity of tRA-96023 to inhibit P-glycoprotein-dependent drug resistance. These mutations also result in a loss of paclitaxel resistance ranging from 47 to 100%. Four mutations are located in the second half of the protein, within or near the proposed transmembrane segment (TMS) 10--11 regions. The fifth mutation (N350I) is within the first half of the protein, proximal (cytoplasmic) to TMS 6. The variant cell line expressing the L868W mutation was subjected to a second round of selection involving tRA-96023 and the toxic drug puromycin. This resulted in the isolation of a cell line expressing a P-glycoprotein with a double mutation. The additional mutation (N988D) is located within TMS 12 and conveys further decreases in resistance to paclitaxel and the capacity of tRA-96023 to inhibit drug resistance. Taken together, the results indicate a significant contribution by the TMS 10--12 portion of the protein to the recognition and transport of taxanes and give evidence that the cytoplasmic region proximal to TMS 6 also plays a role in taxane interactions with P-glycoproteins. Interestingly, mutations within TMS 6 and 12 were found to cause a partial loss of PSC-833 inhibitor activity, suggesting that these regions participate in the interactions with cyclosporin and its derivatives.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18205774,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Call divergence is correlated with geographic and genetic distance in greenish warblers (Phylloscopus trochiloides): a strong role for stochasticity in signal evolution?\nDivergence in signalling systems might play a central role in speciation. To assess the importance of possible causes of signal divergence, we examine two types of vocalizations within a geographically variable species complex, the greenish warblers (Phylloscopus trochiloides Sundevall). Calls, which are used by both sexes throughout the year, and songs, which are sung primarily by breeding males, differ distinctly between two distinct Siberian forms. Through a ring of southern populations that connect the northern forms, signal divergence is correlated with both geographic distance and genetic divergence. Calls and songs differ in their particular patterns of geographic variation, probably because of the larger influence of sexual selection on songs than on calls. These patterns are supportive of neither acoustic adaptation nor morphology being major drivers of divergence in vocalizations. Rather, these results support the importance of stochastic evolution of communication systems in the evolution of new species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26538579,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Systematic discovery of linear binding motifs targeting an ancient protein interaction surface on MAP kinases.\nMitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) are broadly used regulators of cellular signaling. However, how these enzymes can be involved in such a broad spectrum of physiological functions is not understood. Systematic discovery of MAPK networks both experimentally and in silico has been hindered because MAPKs bind to other proteins with low affinity and mostly in less-characterized disordered regions. We used a structurally consistent model on kinase-docking motif interactions to facilitate the discovery of short functional sites in the structurally flexible and functionally under-explored part of the human proteome and applied experimental tools specifically tailored to detect low-affinity protein-protein interactions for their validation in vitro and in cell-based assays. The combined computational and experimental approach enabled the identification of many novel MAPK-docking motifs that were elusive for other large-scale protein-protein interaction screens. The analysis produced an extensive list of independently evolved linear binding motifs from a functionally diverse set of proteins. These all target, with characteristic binding specificity, an ancient protein interaction surface on evolutionarily related but physiologically clearly distinct three MAPKs (JNK, ERK, and p38). This inventory of human protein kinase binding sites was compared with that of other organisms to examine how kinase-mediated partnerships evolved over time. The analysis suggests that most human MAPK-binding motifs are surprisingly new evolutionarily inventions and newly found links highlight (previously hidden) roles of MAPKs. We propose that short MAPK-binding stretches are created in disordered protein segments through a variety of ways and they represent a major resource for ancient signaling enzymes to acquire new regulatory roles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37479684,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"p53 restoration in small cell lung cancer identifies a latent cyclophilin-dependent necrosis mechanism.\nThe p53 tumor suppressor regulates multiple context-dependent tumor suppressive programs. Although p53 is mutated in ~90% of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tumors, how p53 mediates tumor suppression in this context is unknown. Here, using a mouse model of SCLC in which endogenous p53 expression can be conditionally and temporally regulated, we show that SCLC tumors maintain a requirement for p53 inactivation. However, we identify tumor subtype heterogeneity between SCLC tumors such that p53 reactivation induces senescence in a subset of tumors, while in others, p53 induces necrosis. We pinpoint cyclophilins as critical determinants of a p53-induced transcriptional program that is specific to SCLC tumors and cell lines poised to undergo p53-mediated necrosis. Importantly, inhibition of cyclophilin isomerase activity, or genetic ablation of specific cyclophilin genes, suppresses p53-mediated necrosis by limiting p53 transcriptional output without impacting p53 chromatin binding. Our study demonstrates that intertumoral heterogeneity in SCLC influences the biological response to p53 restoration, describes a cyclophilin-dependent mechanism of p53-regulated cell death, and uncovers putative mechanisms for the treatment of this most-recalcitrant tumor type.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11134068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"p53 binding protein 1 (53BP1) is an early participant in the cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks.\np53 binding protein 1 (53BP1), a protein proposed to function as a transcriptional coactivator of the p53 tumor suppressor, has BRCT domains with high homology to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Rad9p DNA damage checkpoint protein. To examine whether 53BP1 has a role in the cellular response to DNA damage, we probed its intracellular localization by immunofluorescence. In untreated primary cells and U2OS osteosarcoma cells, 53BP1 exhibited diffuse nuclear staining; whereas, within 5-15 min after exposure to ionizing radiation (IR), 53BP1 localized at discreet nuclear foci. We propose that these foci represent sites of processing of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), because they were induced by IR and chemicals that cause DSBs, but not by ultraviolet light; their peak number approximated the number of DSBs induced by IR and decreased over time with kinetics that parallel the rate of DNA repair; and they colocalized with IR-induced Mre11\/NBS and gamma-H2AX foci, which have been previously shown to localize at sites of DSBs. Formation of 53BP1 foci after irradiation was not dependent on ataxia-telangiectasia mutated (ATM), Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS1), or wild-type p53. Thus, the fast kinetics of 53BP1 focus formation after irradiation and the lack of dependency on ATM and NBS1 suggest that 53BP1 functions early in the cellular response to DNA DSBs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26024669,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Close To You? How Parent-Adult Child Contact Is Influenced by Family Patterns.\nIntergenerational contacts occur in the context of other family relationships. We examine how in-person contacts among parents and all adult children affect each other, focusing on proximity and other predictors to assess whether and how visiting is correlated across adult children. We use a modeling approach derived from an adaptation of multilevel models to provide a convenient mechanism by which to write child-specific equations, each with its own set of predictors, and wherein one child's attribute values can be attached to other children's records. We find that parent-adult child visiting is positively correlated across siblings, but the frequency of visiting within families is not directly reciprocated. Rather, visiting responds to common family factors. Visiting declines with distance, but there are strong discontinuities in the effect. Distance between parents and a focal child is positively associated with visiting with other children. The empirical patterns we report can be framed within enhancement and compensation models. Positive correlations and cross-sibling interactions that juxtapose levels of visiting against not seeing a child in last 12 months are consistent with the enhancement model. The cross-sibling interaction for distance, whereby one child's farther distance leads to more visits reported with others, provides evidence of a countervailing, though, weaker, pattern of compensation for proximity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8930113,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"3,4-Dimethoxy cinnamic acid tertiary amides: synthesis and evaluation of antiinflammatory and analgesic activities.\nIn this study, eight compounds with cinnamoyl amide structure have been synthesized by dicyclohexylcarbodiimide\/hydroxybenzotriazol method. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by UV, IR, 1H-NMR, mass spectroscopy and the elementary analysis. The antiinflammatory activities of the synthesized compounds were determined by carrageenan-induced hind paw edema test in mice and the most active compounds were found to be the dimethyl, diethyl and morpholine amide derivatives. Analgesic activities were determined by the modified \"Koster\" test; diisopentyl and morpholine amide derivatives have shown the highest activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20473638,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Stress-mediated quality of life outcomes in parents of childhood cancer and brain tumor survivors: a case-control study.\nTo determine if caring for a child with cancer or a brain tumor affects parental health and mental health and if and to what extent stress mediates the relationship between case status and parental quality of life. In person interviewer-assisted surveys were administered to 74 case dyads (children diagnosed with cancer or a brain tumor and their parents) and 129 control dyads (children without health problems and their parents from a community sample) to assess health-related quality of life and perceived levels of stress. Parents of children with cancer or a brain tumor had significantly worse health-related quality of life, including worse overall mental health. Overall physical health was no different between cases and controls. Staged multivariate analysis revealed that worse health-related quality of life is completely mediated by perceived stress in these parents. The experience of caring for a child with cancer is not in itself related to poor quality of life, but is related to an increased level of stress that may adversely impact parental mental health and quality of life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19601883,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mechanism of action of flavonoids as anti-inflammatory agents: a review.\nFlavonoids are polyphenolic compounds that occur ubiquitously in plants having a variety of biological effects both in vitro and in vivo. They have been found to have antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-ulcerogenic, cytotoxic, anti-neoplastic, mutagenic, antioxidant, antihepatotoxic, antihypertensive, hypolipidemic, antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory activities. Flavonoids also have biochemical effects, which inhibit a number of enzymes such as aldose reductase, xanthine oxidase, phosphodiesterase, Ca(+2)-ATPase, lipoxygenase, cycloxygenase, etc. They also have a regulatory role on different hormones like estrogens, androgens and thyroid hormone. They have been found to have anti-inflammatory activity in both proliferative and exudative phases of inflammation. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed to explain anti-inflammatory action of flavonoids. The aim of the present review is to give an overview of the mechanism of action of potential anti-inflammatory flavonoids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33542669,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Prevalence of Diabetes Related Distress and Associated Factors Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients Attending Hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020: A Cross-Sectional Study.\nDiabetes related distress is the most common psychological co-morbid condition among type 2 diabetes patients. However, although the number of people living with diabetes has continued to increase over the last 10 years, information regarding diabetes related distress is limited in Ethiopia. The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of diabetes related distress and associated factors among type 2 diabetes patients attending hospitals in Southwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was employed on 360 type 2 diabetes patients attending hospitals from January 1 to March 30, 2020. Convenient sampling technique was used to select study participants. Data were entered into EpiData manager version 4.2.2 and exported to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions. The statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Out of a total 360 patients recruited, 321 (89.2%) patients (201 male and 120 female) were involved in the study. The mean age of the participants was 41.3 (SD = 12.8) years. The prevalence of diabetes related distress was 118 (36.8%) in which emotional distress was the most prevalent (43.6%) domain. Level of education [AOR 4.55; 95% CI: 1.28-16.19], family or social support [AOR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.33-1.06], duration of diabetes [AOR 0.75; 95% CI: 0.35-1.55], having diabetes complications [AOR 1.98; 95% CI: 1.0-3.86], smoking status [AOR 1.6; 95% CI: 1.12-2.97] and alcohol consumption status [AOR 1.4; 95% CI: 1.07-2.53] were the identified factors of diabetes related distress. Diabetes related distress was highly prevalent in type 2 diabetes patients. Healthcare providers need to address this through integrating psychosocial care with collaborative medical care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30980326,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"2024-18":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Considerations for Identifying Endogenous Protein Complexes from Tissue via Immunoaffinity Purification and Quantitative Mass Spectrometry.\nProtein complexes perform key roles in nearly all aspects of biology. Identification of the composition of these complexes offers insights into how different cellular processes are carried out. The use of affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry has become a method of choice for identifying protein-protein interactions, but has been most frequently applied to cell model systems using tagged and overexpressed bait proteins. Although valuable, this approach can create several potential artifacts due to the presence of a tag on a protein and the higher abundance of the protein of interest (bait). The isolation of endogenous proteins using antibodies raised against the proteins of interest instead of an epitope tag offers a means to examine protein interactions in any cellular or animal model system and without the caveats of overexpressed, tagged proteins. Although conceptually simple, the limited use of this approach has been primarily driven by challenges associated with finding adequate antibodies and experimental conditions for effective isolations. In this chapter, we present a protocol for the optimization of lysis conditions, antibody evaluation, affinity purification, and ultimately identification of protein complexes from endogenous immunoaffinity purifications using quantitative mass spectrometry. We also highlight the increased use of targeted mass spectrometry analyses, such as parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) for orthogonal validation of protein isolation and interactions initially identified via data-dependent mass spectrometry analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18208420,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Left lobe living donor liver transplantation in an adult patient with situs inversus: technical considerations.\nSitus inversus (SI) is a rare congenital disorder involving a complete mirror image of the thoracic and abdominal organs. Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) in SI cases poses particular challenges on account of its technical complexity, and only a few cases have been reported. Here, we present an adult with SI who was managed successfully by LDLT using a left lobe graft. Some technical modifications, including triangulated anastomosis of the hepatic vein, were required but no vascular graft was necessary. Graft function and vascular integrity were excellent throughout the postoperative course, although sepsis secondary to wound infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus developed. In conclusion, LDLT using a left lobe graft is a feasible procedure for patients with SI, even for adults. Therefore, this condition, while rare, should not be a contraindication for LDLT. Meticulous preoperative simulation and planning of the vascular reconstruction are important steps in LDLT for this rare anomaly.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11496729,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Clinical study of the month. Prevention of type 2 diabetes in overweight patients with impaired glucose tolerance: efficiency of lifestyle changes].\nThe \"Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study\" is a prospective controlled study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine which compared the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among 265 high-risk patients treated by changes in lifestyle to that of 257 matched controlled patients. This intervention trial demonstrated that the risk of type 2 diabetes could be reduced by 58% (p < 0.001) after a mean follow-up of 3.2 years with changes in lifestyle of high-risk overweight subjects with impaired glucose tolerance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22213290,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mutated in colorectal cancer protein modulates the NF\u03baB pathway.\nThe tumour suppressor gene 'mutated in colorectal cancer' (MCC) is silenced through promoter methylation in colorectal cancer and has been implicated as a regulator of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF\u03baB) pathway. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether MCC modulates NF\u03baB activation in colorectal cancer. NF\u03baB activation was assessed using luciferase reporter assays in colorectal cancer cells in vitro. MCC methylation was analysed in primary tumour specimens from patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Re-expression of MCC reduced NF\u03baB-dependent transcription in tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF\u03b1)- or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated cells. Conversely, knockdown of MCC resulted in accumulation of the inhibitor of kappa B alpha (I\u03baB\u03b1) protein, encoded by NFKBIA, a first response gene specifically and rapidly regulated by NF\u03baB pathway activation. The MCC gene is methylated in up to 6\/16 of inflammatory bowel disease-associated tissue specimens, and myosin-10 and valosin-containing protein were identified as MCC-interacting proteins. These findings suggest that MCC modulates NF\u03baB pathway signalling indirectly in colorectal cancer cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19021548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Albumin as a zinc carrier: properties of its high-affinity zinc-binding site.\nAlthough details of the molecular mechanisms for the uptake of the essential nutrient zinc into the bloodstream and its subsequent delivery to zinc-requiring organs and cells are poorly understood, it is clear that in vertebrates the majority of plasma zinc (9-14 microM; approx. 75-85%) is bound to serum albumin, constituting part of the so-called exchangeable pool. The binding of metal ions to serum albumins has been the subject of decades of studies, employing a multitude of techniques, but only recently has the identity and putative structure of the major zinc site on albumin been reported. Intriguingly, this site is located at the interface between two domains, and involves two residues from each of domains I and II. Comparisons of X-ray crystal structures of free and fatty-acid bound human serum albumin suggest that zinc binding to this site and fatty acid binding to one of the five major sites may be interdependent. Interactive binding of zinc and long-chain fatty acids to albumin may therefore have physiological implications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16424332,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Phospholipid nonwoven electrospun membranes.\nNonwoven fibrous membranes were formed from electrospinning lecithin solutions in a single processing step. As the concentration of lecithin increased, the micellar morphology evolved from spherical to cylindrical, and at higher concentrations the cylindrical micelles overlapped and entangled in a fashion similar to polymers in semi-dilute or concentrated solutions. At concentrations above the onset of entanglements of the wormlike micelles, electrospun fibers were fabricated with diameters on the order of 1 to 5 micrometers. The electrospun phospholipid fibers offer the potential for direct fabrication of biologically based, high-surface-area membranes without the use of multiple synthetic steps, complicated electrospinning designs, or postprocessing surface treatments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31210237,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Switchable dielectrophoresis of defect-free droplets in an anisotropic liquid crystal medium.\nDielectrophoresis (DEP) is widely used in nanoscience and biology to control small particles but its applicability is significantly limited by its one-way impetus characteristics along the square field gradient (\u2207E2) direction, that is, DEP force, FDEP \u223c \u2207E2. Here, switchable DEP (SDEP) using the anisotropic property of a nematic medium is demonstrated; FDEP does not need to be parallel to \u2207E2 but is arbitrarily changeable depending on the permittivity tensor orientation of the medium. To effectively demonstrate the SDEP phenomenon, isotropic droplets with infinitesimal surface anchoring in a nematic medium are introduced, in which topological defects of the nematic medium around dispersed objects are effectively eliminated. The experimental behaviours are well explained by theoretical and simulation results. To emphasize the applicability of SDEP, switchable arrays of isotropic droplets and an isotropic pocket carrier system containing micro-particles are demonstrated. The results reveal a new dimension of DEP and provide a novel approach for manipulating nano- or micro-materials in colloids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36481597,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Factors that influence the impact of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain on daily life: A partial least squares modelling approach.\nChronic Non-Cancer Pain is pain of more than three months' duration and is not associated with an oncological condition. There is ample literature that recognises that Chronic Non-Cancer Pain impacts numerous areas of the life of the person who suffers from it. This impact is difficult to determine and quantify because Chronic Pain is a subjective experience. The objective of this study was to test a recursive model of hypothesised factors that comprise the concept of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Impact on daily life using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling. A cross-sectional study was carried out. The sample size was calculated using G*Power V.220.127.116.11 with five parameters (two-tailed, large effect size (f2 = 0.35), power of 0.95, statistical significance of 95% (\u03b1 = 0.05) and 36 predictors). The minimum number of subjects was considered to be 137. A recursive model was built based on data from a sample of 395 people over 18 years of age with Chronic Non-Cancer Pain. Data collection was conducted between January and March 2020 at Pain Units and Primary Healthcare Centres belonging to the Spanish Public Health System in the province of Seville (Spain). Analyses were based on Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling. The internal consistency, convergent validity and discriminant validity of the internal measurement model were assessed. For the external measurement model, global model adjustment and structural validity were assessed. The predictive capacity of the final model was also evaluated. All analyses were performed using SmartPLS version 3.3.2 in consistent mode. Findings showed an adequate validity of the proposed model, which comprised nine factors: pain catastrophising, hopelessness due to pain, support network, proactivity, treatment compliance, self-care, mobility, resilience, and sleep. The internal validity of the model (Cronbach's alpha and rho_A > 0.70; Average Variance Extracted>0.50; standardised outer loadings>0.60; Heterotrait-Monotrait-Ratio < 0.85), goodness of fit (Standardised Root Mean Square Residuals<0.08; Geodesic and Euclidean distance p-value<0.05) and predictive power with out-of-sample values (Stone-Geisser test>0.5) were adequate. The hypothesised structure of the instrument has also been confirmed (path coefficients>0.3; R2 > 0.1; f2 > 0.2). The results have shown an adequate internal consistency, convergent validity and discriminant validity of the model. Likewise, the model has shown an adequate goodness of fit, and the validity of its structure and the hypothesis have been confirmed. However, more research is needed in this regard as the possible interaction between the different factors evaluated in the model with the confounding or moderating variables that may exist.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10624532,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Accumulation of methylene blue by erythrocytes and determination of its maximum sensitivity to cell damage].\nThe accumulation of methylene blue in native and damaged erythrocytes treated by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide at different initial concentrations (c0) of methylene blue and different volume ratios between external solution and cells (Vs\/Vc) was studied. It was shown that at low methylene blue concentrations (c0 < 200 microM), the sorption of the dye by cells made the main contribution to its accumulation. As a result, the internal concentration of methylene blue exceeded manifold its external concentration and their ratio Q was 4-6 for native and 6-9 for damaged cells. As Vs\/Vc decreased and especially as c0 increased, the diffusion of methylene blue inward the cells increased concentration gradient, and Q sharply fell to 0.9-1.0. The optimal values of c0 and Vs\/Vc that provide the maximum sensitivity of Q to cell damage were determined. The advantages of using Q over other parameters of methylene blue accumulation were shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30727393,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"First Report of the Crucifer Pathogen Pseudomonas cannabina pv. alisalensis Causing Bacterial Blight on Radish (Raphanus sativus) in Germany.\nIn 2008, a bacterial blight was observed on Raphanus sativus in the Pfalz region in Germany. Disease was sporadic but severe when present within R. sativus fields, which resulted in unmarketable crops. Symptoms consisted of small, angular, water-soaked flecks that often were surrounded by chlorotic haloes. Lesions were visible from adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces and generally retained chlorotic borders. A gram-negative, bluefluorescing bacterium was isolated from surface-disinfested leaf tissue on King's medium B agar. The radish isolate was levan positive, oxidase negative, and arginine dihydrolase negative. The isolate did not rot potato slices but induced a hypersensitive reaction in tobacco. These reactions corresponded to Lelliot's LOPAT group 1 (2). Repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence (rep)-PCR assays using the BOXA1R primer resulted in different DNA fragment banding patterns between the radish isolate and the pathotype strain of Pseudomonas syringae pv. maculicola (CFBP 1657), but identical DNA fragment banding patterns between the radish isolate and the pathotype strain of P. cannabina pv. alisalensis (CFBP 6866). Unlike P. syringae pv. maculicola, P. cannabina pv. alisalensis and the radish isolate were lysed by bacteriophage PBS1 (1). Pathogenicity was evaluated on two hosts, radish (R. sativus cv. Comet) and broccoli raab (Brassica rapa cv. Sorrento). In each of two independent experiments, 3-week-old radish and broccoli raab plants were inoculated with either the radish isolate, P. cannabina pv. alisalensis, or P. syringae pv. maculicola. Inoculum was prepared by growing the bacteria on nutrient agar for 48 h at 27\u00b0C, suspending the bacteria in 0.01 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), and adjusting each suspension to 0.6 OD at 600 nm (approximately 1 \u00d7 108 CFU\/ml). All plants were inoculated by spraying until runoff, incubated in a humidity chamber for 48 h, then placed in a greenhouse at 20 to 25\u00b0C for symptom development. Plants inoculated with P. cannabina pv. alisalensis or sprayed with buffer served as positive and negative control treatments, respectively. Seven to ten days postinoculation, the development of symptoms similar to those originally observed in the field were observed on plants inoculated with the radish isolate. In addition, symptoms on radish and broccoli raab plants caused by the radish isolate were similar to symptoms caused by P. cannabina pv. alisalensis in contrast to the lack of symptoms on plants inoculated with P. syringae pv. maculicola. Bacteria isolated from symptomatic tissue and surface-disinfested with sodium hypochlorite (0.525%) had identical characteristics to the radish isolate used to inoculate plants and to the P. cannabina pv. alisalensis pathotype for LOPAT reactions, rep-PCR DNA fragment banding pattern analysis, and sensitivity to phage PBS1, thus fulfilling Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. cannabina pv. alisalensis isolated from diseased crucifers in Germany. Verification of P. cannabina pv. alisalensis in Germany indicates that German crucifer growers should differentiate between outbreaks caused by P. cannabina pv. alisalensis and P. syringae pv. maculicola and apply appropriate, specific management strategies. References: (1) C. T. Bull et al. Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 33:105, 2010. (2) R. A. Lelliott. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 29:470, 1966.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36122214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Multilevel development of cognitive abilities in an artificial neural network.\nSeveral neuronal mechanisms have been proposed to account for the formation of cognitive abilities through postnatal interactions with the physical and sociocultural environment. Here, we introduce a three-level computational model of information processing and acquisition of cognitive abilities. We propose minimal architectural requirements to build these levels, and how the parameters affect their performance and relationships. The first sensorimotor level handles local nonconscious processing, here during a visual classification task. The second level or cognitive level globally integrates the information from multiple local processors via long-ranged connections and synthesizes it in a global, but still nonconscious, manner. The third and cognitively highest level handles the information globally and consciously. It is based on the global neuronal workspace (GNW) theory and is referred to as the conscious level. We use the trace and delay conditioning tasks to, respectively, challenge the second and third levels. Results first highlight the necessity of epigenesis through the selection and stabilization of synapses at both local and global scales to allow the network to solve the first two tasks. At the global scale, dopamine appears necessary to properly provide credit assignment despite the temporal delay between perception and reward. At the third level, the presence of interneurons becomes necessary to maintain a self-sustained representation within the GNW in the absence of sensory input. Finally, while balanced spontaneous intrinsic activity facilitates epigenesis at both local and global scales, the balanced excitatory\/inhibitory ratio increases performance. We discuss the plausibility of the model in both neurodevelopmental and artificial intelligence terms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7338704,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The limitations of case-control studies in the detection of environmental carcinogens.\nThe ability of the case-control study to detect human carcinogens has been investigated theoretically for varying fractions of the population exposed to hazards carrying different relative risks. The method is shown to be useful for the investigation of factors to which exposure is widespread (for example, common foods or beverages) but it is of limited use for the study of uncommon types of exposure, such as those associated with occupation. The case-control study is unable to detect very small relative risks (less than 1.5) even where exposure is widespread and large numbers of cases of cancer are occurring in the population. The principal limitation of the method is the maximum number of cases which can be recruited and analysed. It will only be through large-scale collaborative multicentre or international studies that important risk factors will be detected.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31960101,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Associations between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotypes at rs4818 and rs4680 and gene expression in human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.\nHaving reported associations between catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genotypes at SNPs rs4818 and rs4680 with levels of soluble COMT (S-COMT) in human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), we postulated that changes in the levels of cortical S-COMT could impact on behavioural abilities associated with COMT genotype through S-COMT-mediated changes in gene expression. To test this hypothesis, we have examined the relationships between COMT genotypes and gene expression measured using the Affymetrix\u2122 Human Exon 1.0 ST Array in the DLPFC from 141 individuals, some of whom had had a psychiatric disorder. There were significant differences in levels of expression of 15 genes between individuals with a homozygous genotype at rs4818 (GG vs CC), compared to differences in levels of expression of 6 genes between homozygotes at rs4680 (GG vs AA); levels of expression of CEP128, EFCAB13, and FAM133A differed between homozygotes at both SNPs. Fourteen of the genes differentially expressed in the DLPFC according to COMT genotypes have oestrogen receptor elements and their expression could, therefore, be regulated by catecholestrogens, which are substrates for COMT that occupy and activate oestrogen receptors. In addition, the changes in gene expression between the homozygotes at rs4818 or rs4680 would be expected to impact on neuronal function, synaptic plasticity, cognition, and attention. These data would support a hypothesis that the mechanism underlying the association between COMT genotype and cognition involves differential changes in cortical gene expression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12356698,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Patient trust in the physician: relationship to patient requests.\nPatient trust is a key component of the patient-physician relationship. A previous qualitative study has suggested that a low level of trust is associated with unfulfilled requests. Our aim was to test the hypothesis that patients with a low level of trust will be more likely to report that requested or needed services were not provided during an office visit. An observational study was carried out of office visits by 732 patients of 45 physicians (16 family physicians, 18 general internists and 11 cardiologists), within two managed care settings. Participants were consecutive, English-speaking patients, age 18 and older who had a significant health concern. Visit questionnaires were completed by 68% of patients known to be eligible. Post-visit measures included services requested (information, examination, prescription, test or referral); services provided; and requested or needed services not provided during the visit. Measures at 2-week follow-up included patient satisfaction, intended adherence to advice, interval contacts with the health system and symptom improvement. After adjustment for patient and physician characteristics, patient trust in the physician was not associated with the likelihood that a service was requested or provided during the visit, with the exception that prescription of a new medication was more frequent among patients with higher trust. In contrast, patients with low trust prior to the visit consistently were more likely to report that a needed or requested service was not provided (P < 0.001 for all services). Patients with a low level of trust were less satisfied with their care (P < 0.001), were less likely to intend to follow the doctor's advice (P < 0.001) and were less likely to report symptom improvement at 2 weeks (P = 0.03). Patients with a lower level of trust in their physician are more likely to report that requested or needed services are not provided. Understanding this relationship may lead to better ways of responding to patient requests that preserve or enhance patient trust, leading to better outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2454943,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Association of viridans group streptococci from pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis and upper genital tract infection.\nThe prevalence and role of viridans group streptococci in the female genital tract have not been well described. In this study of 482 pregnant women, 147 (30%) were culture positive for viridans group streptococci. Of 392 women with predominant Lactobacillus morphotypes by Gram stain (normal), 110 (28%) were colonized with viridans group streptococci, compared with 37 (41%) of 90 women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) (P = 0.02). To determine whether any species were associated with BV, 177 consecutively isolated viridans group streptococci from the vagina were identified to the species level by using the Facklam scheme. The most frequently isolated species from the vagina was Streptococcus intermedius (13%), followed by Streptococcus acidominimus (6%), Streptococcus constellatus (5%), Streptococcus sanguis II (4%), Streptococcus mitis (2%), Streptococcus salivarius (2%), Streptococcus morbillorum (2%), Streptococcus sanguis I (1%), Streptococcus mutans (0.2%), and Streptococcus uberis (0.2%) with an average of 1.2 species per woman. The distribution of the species among women with BV compared with normal women was not significantly different, with the exception of two species which were associated with BV: S. acidominimus (18% versus 3%, P less than 0.001) and S. morbillorum (6% versus 0.7%, P = 0.005). Amniotic fluid and placenta cultures yielded 54 isolates: S. sanguis II (13 isolates), S. acidominimus (9 isolates), S. intermedius (10 isolates), S. constellatus (3 isolates), S. mitis (4 isolates), S. sanguis I (4 isolates), S. morbillorum (5 isolates), S. mutans (2 isolates), S. uberis (1 isolate), mannitol-positive S. intermedius (1 isolate), and 2 isolates which were not classified. The distribution of species isolated from the upper genital tract was not a reflection of the distribution in the lower genital tract. Dextran-producing species of viridans group streptococci may have a greater pathogenic potential in the placenta than the non-dextran-producing species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17622580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A mouse model for studying the interaction of bisdioxopiperazines with topoisomerase IIalpha in vivo.\nThe bisdioxopiperazines such as (+)-(S)-4,4'-propylenedi-2,6-piperazinedione (dexrazoxane; ICRF-187), 1,2-bis(3,5-dioxopiperazin-1-yl)ethane (ICRF-154), and 4,4'-(1,2-dimethyl-1,2-ethanediyl)bis-2,6-piperazinedione (ICRF-193) are agents that inhibit eukaryotic topoisomerase II, whereas their ring-opened hydrolysis products are strong iron chelator. The clinically approved analog ICRF-187 is a pharmacological modulator of topoisomerase II poisons such as etoposide in preclinical animal models. ICRF-187 is also used to protect against anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy and has recently been approved as an antidote for alleviating tissue damage and necrosis after accidental anthracycline extravasation. This dual modality of bisdioxopiperazines, including ICRF-187, raises the question of whether their pharmacological in vivo effects are mediated through interaction with topoisomerase II or via their intracellular iron chelating activity. In an attempt to distinguish between these possibilities, we here present a transgenic mouse model aimed at identifying the contribution of topoisomerase IIalpha to the effects of bisdioxopiperazines. A tyrosine 165 to serine mutation (Y165S) in topoisomerase IIalpha, demonstrated previously to render the human ortholog of this enzyme highly resistant toward bisdioxopiperazines, was introduced at the TOP2A locus in mouse embryonic stem cells by targeted homologous recombination. These cells were used for the generation of transgenic TOP2A(Y165S\/+) mice, which were demonstrated to be resistant toward the general toxicity of both ICRF-187 and ICRF-193. Hematological measurements indicate that this is most likely caused by a decreased ability of these agents to induce myelosuppression in TOP2A(Y165S\/+) mice, highlighting the role of topoisomerase IIalpha in this process. The biological and pharmacological implications of these findings are discussed, and areas for further investigations are proposed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31985729,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"HOUSES Index as an Innovative Socioeconomic Measure Predicts Graft Failure Among Kidney Transplant Recipients.\nDespite extensive evaluation processes to determine candidacy for kidney transplantation, variability in graft failure exists. The role of patient socioeconomic status (SES) in transplantation outcomes is poorly understood because of limitations of conventional SES measures. This population-based retrospective cohort study assessed whether a validated objective and individual-level housing-based SES index (HOUSES) would serve as a predictive tool for graft failure in patients (n = 181) who received a kidney transplant in Olmsted County, MN (January 1, 1998 to December 8, 2016). Associations were assessed between HOUSES (quartiles: Q1 [lowest] to Q4 [highest]) and graft failure until last follow-up date (December 31, 2016) using Cox proportional hazards. The mean age (SD) was 46.1 (17.2) years, 109 (60.2%) were male, 113 (62.4%) received a living kidney donor transplant, and 40 (22.1%) had a graft failure event. Compared with Q1, patients with higher HOUSES (Q2-Q4) had significantly lower graft failure rates (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.92; P < 0.029), controlling for age, sex, race, previous kidney transplantation, and donor type. Although criteria for kidney transplant recipients are selective, patients with higher HOUSES had lower graft failure rates. Thus, HOUSES may enable transplantation programs to identify a target group for improving kidney transplantation outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3119565,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Translocation of capsular polysaccharides in pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli requires a 60-kilodalton periplasmic protein.\nAn 11.6-kilobase (kb) region of a 34-kb fragment of Escherichia coli DNA that encodes the K1 capsular polysaccharide genes is necessary for translocation of the K1 polysaccharide to the bacterial cell surface. This 11.6-kb region contains a gene, kpsD, encoding a 60-kilodalton protein. The kpsD gene was localized to a 2.4-kb PstI-BamHI fragment. Cells harboring a Tn1000 insertion in kpsD did not synthesize the 60-kilodalton protein and did not express polysaccharide on the cell surface. Immunodiffusion and rocket immunoelectrophoresis of cell extracts, however, demonstrated that K1 polysaccharide was synthesized by these cells. We present evidence that the kpsD gene product is synthesized as a precursor and that the processed form is located in the periplasmic space. Analysis of alkaline phosphatase activity of a kpsD-phoA fusion demonstrated that kpsD expression was under positive regulation. A 260-base-pair AluI fragment located within the kpsD coding sequence was used as a probe and was found to hybridize to chromosomal DNA from E. coli that synthesizes the K2, K5, K7, K12, and K13 capsular polysaccharides but not K3 and K100. These results suggest that the kpsD gene product may be required for export not only of K1 but for other K antigens as well.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34215564,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Assessing the utility of deep neural networks in predicting postoperative surgical complications: a retrospective study.\nEarly detection of postoperative complications, including organ failure, is pivotal in the initiation of targeted treatment strategies aimed at attenuating organ damage. In an era of increasing health-care costs and limited financial resources, identifying surgical patients at a high risk of postoperative complications and providing personalised precision medicine-based treatment strategies provides an obvious pathway for reducing patient morbidity and mortality. We aimed to leverage deep learning to create, through training on structured electronic health-care data, a multilabel deep neural network to predict surgical postoperative complications that would outperform available models in surgical risk prediction. In this retrospective study, we used data on 58 input features, including demographics, laboratory values, and 30-day postoperative complications, from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, which collects data from 722 hospitals from around 15 countries. We queried the entire adult (\u226518 years) database for patients who had surgery between Jan 1, 2012, and Dec 31, 2018. We then identified all patients who were treated at a large midwestern US academic medical centre, excluded them from the base dataset, and reserved this independent group for final model testing. We then randomly created a training set and a validation set from the remaining cases. We developed three deep neural network models with increasing numbers of input variables and so increasing levels of complexity. Output variables comprised mortality and 18 different postoperative complications. Overall morbidity was defined as any of 16 postoperative complications. Model performance was evaluated on the test set using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared with previous metrics from the ACS-Surgical Risk Calculator (ACS-SRC). We evaluated resistance to changes in the underlying patient population on a subset of the test set, comprising only patients who had emergency surgery. Results were also compared with the Predictive OpTimal Trees in Emergency Surgery Risk (POTTER) calculator. 5 881 881 surgical patients, with 2941 unique Current Procedural Terminology codes, were included in this study, with 4 694 488 in the training set, 1 173 622 in the validation set, and 13 771 in the test set. The mean AUCs for the validation set were 0\u00b7864 (SD 0\u00b7053) for model 1, 0\u00b7871 (0\u00b7055) for model 2, and 0\u00b7882 (0\u00b7053) for model 3. The mean AUCs for the test set were 0\u00b7859 (SD 0\u00b7063) for model 1, 0\u00b7863 (0\u00b7064) for model 2, and 0\u00b7874 (0\u00b7061) for model 3. The mean AUCs of each model outperformed previously published performance metrics from the ACS-SRC, with a direct correlation between increasing model complexity and performance. Additionally, when tested on a subgroup of patients who had emergency surgery, our models outperformed previously published POTTER metrics. We have developed unified prediction models, based on deep neural networks, for predicting surgical postoperative complications. The models were generally superior to previously published surgical risk prediction tools and appeared robust to changes in the underlying patient population. Deep learning could offer superior approaches to surgical risk prediction in clinical practice. The Novo Nordisk Foundation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20459090,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Targeting SDF-1\/CXCL12 with a ligand that prevents activation of CXCR4 through structure-based drug design.\nCXCL12 is an attractive target for clinical therapy because of its involvement in autoimmune diseases, cancer growth, metastasis, and neovascularization. Tyrosine sulfation at three positions in the CXCR4 N-terminus is crucial for specific, high-affinity CXCL12 binding. An NMR structure of the complex between the CXCL12 dimer and a sulfotyrosine-containing CXCR4 fragment enabled high-throughput in silico screening for inhibitors of the chemokine-receptor interface. A total of 1.4 million compounds from the ZINC database were docked into a cleft on the CXCL12 surface normally occupied by sulfotyrosine 21 (sY21), and five were selected for experimental screening. NMR titrations with CXCL12 revealed that four of the compounds occupy the sY21 site, one of which binds with a K(d) of 64 microM. This compound selectively inhibits SDF1-induced CXCR4 signaling in THP1 cells. Our results suggest that sulfotyrosine recognition sites can be targeted for the development of novel chemokine inhibitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30869944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Coherence between subjective experience and physiology in emotion: Individual differences and implications for well-being.\nEmotion theorists have characterized emotions as involving coherent responding across various emotion response systems (e.g., covariation of subjective experience and physiology). Greater response system coherence has been theorized to promote well-being, yet very little research has tested this assumption. The current study examined whether individuals with greater coherence between physiology and subjective experience of emotion report greater well-being. We also examined factors that may predict the magnitude of coherence, such as emotion intensity, cognitive reappraisal, and expressive suppression. Participants (N = 63) completed self-report measures of well-being, expressive suppression, and cognitive reappraisal. They then watched a series of emotionally evocative film clips designed to elicit positive and negative emotion. During the films, participants continuously rated their emotional experience using a rating dial, and their autonomic physiological responses were recorded. Time-lagged cross-correlations were used to calculate within-participant coherence between intensity of emotional experience (ranging from neutral to very negative or very positive) and physiology (composite of cardiac interbeat interval, skin conductance, ear pulse transit time, finger pulse transit time and amplitude, systolic and diastolic blood pressure). Results indicated that individuals with greater coherence reported greater well-being. Coherence was highest during the most emotionally intense film and among individuals who reported lower expressive suppression. However, coherence was not associated with reappraisal. These findings provide support for the idea that greater emotion coherence promotes well-being and also shed light on factors that are associated with the magnitude of coherence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33758769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"STELAR: Spatio-temporal Tensor Factorization with Latent Epidemiological Regularization.\nAccurate prediction of the transmission of epidemic diseases such as COVID-19 is crucial for implementing effective mitigation measures. In this work, we develop a tensor method to predict the evolution of epidemic trends for many regions simultaneously. We construct a 3-way spatio-temporal tensor (location, attribute, time) of case counts and propose a nonnegative tensor factorization with latent epidemiological model regularization named STELAR. Unlike standard tensor factorization methods which cannot predict slabs ahead, STELAR enables long-term prediction by incorporating latent temporal regularization through a system of discrete-time difference equations of a widely adopted epidemiological model. We use latent instead of location\/attribute-level epidemiological dynamics to capture common epidemic profile sub-types and improve collaborative learning and prediction. We conduct experiments using both county- and state-level COVID-19 data and show that our model can identify interesting latent patterns of the epidemic. Finally, we evaluate the predictive ability of our method and show superior performance compared to the baselines, achieving up to 21% lower root mean square error and 25% lower mean absolute error for county-level prediction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26546517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cross talk of tyrosine kinases with the DNA damage signaling pathways.\nTyrosine kinases respond to extracellular and intracellular cues by activating specific cellular signaling cascades to regulate cell cycle, growth, proliferation, differentiation and survival. Likewise, DNA damage response proteins (DDR) activated by DNA lesions or chromatin alterations recruit the DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint machinery to restore genome integrity and cellular homeostasis. Several new examples have been uncovered in recent studies which reveal novel epigenetic and non-epigenetic mechanisms by which tyrosine kinases interact with DDR proteins to dictate cell fate, i.e. survival or apoptosis, following DNA damage. These studies reveal the ability of tyrosine kinases to directly regulate the activity of DNA repair and cell cycle check point proteins by tyrosine phosphorylation. In addition, tyrosine kinases epigenetically regulate DNA damage signaling pathways by modifying the core histones as well as chromatin modifiers at critical tyrosine residues. Thus, deregulated tyrosine kinase driven epigenomic alterations have profound implications in cancer, aging and genetic disorders. Consequently, targeting oncogenic tyrosine kinase induced epigenetic alterations has gained significant traction in overcoming cancer cell resistance to various therapies. This review discusses mechanisms by which tyrosine kinases interact with DDR pathways to regulate processes critical for maintaining genome integrity as well as clinical strategies for targeted cancer therapies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944076,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Polymerase chain reaction fingerprinting of Erwinia amylovora has a limited phylogenetic value but allows the design of highly specific molecular markers.\nErwinia amylovora, the causal agent of fire blight, is genetically very homogeneous, and current methodologies provide insufficient or contradictory information about the probable dispersal routes of the pathogen. With the final aim to obtain specific and reliable molecular markers for different lineages of the pathogen, we studied the molecular basis of rep-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) polymorphism using seven different arbitrary primers to fingerprint 93 E. amylovora strains from different countries, including Spain. Polymorphism was very low, and was displayed by only 11 E. amylovora strains, which produced 22 polymorphic bands. Five of 11 polymorphic bands cloned contained DNA that was present in more than 85% of the strains, whereas six bands were due to DNA present exclusively in the strains producing the rep-PCR polymorphism. Also, five of the polymorphic bands were due to the possession of either the ubiquitous plasmid pEA29, of plasmid pEU30, which was exclusively found in strains from North America, or of a 35-kb cryptic plasmid, present only in 28 strains from Northern Spain. We designed primer pairs from several cloned polymorphic bands that allowed the specific identification of the strains producing the polymorphism. Our results indicate that rep-PCR is not adequate for constructing genealogies of E. amylovora, although the strategy illustrated here, as well as the designed primers, can be used effectively in epidemiological studies with this pathogen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26215716,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"The significance of NTR1 expression and its correlation with \u03b2-catenin and EGFR in gastric cancer.\nSeveral reports indicate the high-affinity receptor of NT (neurotensin), NTR1 (neurotensin receptor 1), in numerous detrimental functions linked to neoplastic progression of several cancer types. Recently, it has also been shown that NTR1 gene is a target of the Wnt\/APC oncogenic pathways connected with the \u03b2-catenin\/Tcf transcriptional complex and NT can stimulate cancer proliferation in an EGFR-dependent mechanism. In this study, we explored NTR1, \u03b2-catenin and EGFR expression in gastric cancer. The possible associations of NTR1 expression with clinicopathological factors, prognosis, \u03b2-catenin and EGFR were analyzed. NTR1, \u03b2-catenin and EGFR expression in gastric cancer tissues and the adjacent normal tissues of 210 cases was detected by Immunohistochemistry. The possible associations of NTR1 expression with clinicopathological data, prognosis, \u03b2-catenin and EGFR were analyzed. 1. NTR1 expression in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (P <0 .01). 2. Its expression was positively correlated with pathological grade, T stage, N stage and TNM stage and was not correlated with sex, age, tumor size and Lauren's classification. 3. A co-expression of NTR1 and nuclear \u03b2-catenin was in 53 (25.2 %) of cases and NTR1 expression was positively correlated with \u03b2-catenin nuclear translocation. NTR1 expression was not correlated with EGFR expression, but at a critical value (P = 0.05). 4. By log-rank test, higher expression of NTR1, higher pathological grade, diffusion Lauren's classification and advanced TNM stage showed worse prognosis (P <0 .05). Age, sex, tumor size, \u03b2-catenin and EGFR had no prognostic significance. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that NTR1 expression and TNM clinical stage (P <0 .05) were the independent prognostic factors for patients with GC. By immunohistochemistry, we found that a high expression of NTR1 in GC specimens, which showed a bad prognosis, besides, NTR1 expression was related to invasion and migration of GC. These findings provide new and important information on the progression of GC. This study indicated that NTR1 may play an important role in tumor progression of GC and have its potential to be a predictive biomarker or a therapeutic molecular target in GC. The interaction between NTR1 and \u03b2-catenin may participate in the development of GC. However, the relationship between NTR1 and EGFR needs to be further investigated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23255466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cooperative effects in catalytic hydrogenation regulated by both the cation and anion of an ionic liquid.\nThe use of transition-metal nanoparticles\/ionic liquid (IL) as a thermoregulated and recyclable catalytic system for hydrogenation has been investigated under mild conditions. The functionalized ionic liquid was composed of poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized alkylimidazolium as the cation and tris(meta-sulfonatophenyl)phosphine ([P(C(6)H(4)-m-SO(3))(3)](3-)) as the anion. Ethyl acetate was chosen as the thermomorphic solvent to avoid the use of toxic organic solvents. Due to a cooperative effect regulated by both the cation and anion of the ionic liquid, the nanocatalysts displayed distinguished temperature-dependent phase behavior and excellent catalytic activity and selectivity, coupled with high stability. In the hydrogenation of \u03b1,\u03b2-unsaturated aldehydes, the ionic-liquid-stabilized palladium and rhodium nanoparticles exhibited higher selectivity for the hydrogenation of the C=C bonds than commercially available catalysts (Pd\/C and Rh\/C). We believe that the anion of the ionic liquid, [P(C(6)H(4)-m-SO(3))(3)](3-), plays a role in changing the surrounding electronic characteristics of the nanoparticles through its coordination capacity, whereas the poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized alkylimidazolium cation is responsible for the thermomorphic properties of the nanocatalyst in ethyl acetate. The present catalytic systems can be employed for the hydrogenation of a wide range of substrates bearing different functional groups. The catalysts could be easily separated from the products by thermoregulated phase separation and efficiently recycled ten times without significant changes in their catalytic activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27555380,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Dynamic Alterations of Rat Nucleus Accumbens Dendritic Spines over 2 Months of Abstinence from Extended-Access Cocaine Self-Administration.\nChronic cocaine exposure influences the density and morphology of dendritic spines on medium spiny neurons (MSNs) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a critical brain region for cocaine craving. However, the relationship between spine plasticity and craving remains unclear. To study this relationship, we trained rats to self-administer cocaine using an extended-access regimen (6 h per day, 10 days); controls self-administered saline. Previously, a time-dependent intensification (incubation) of cue-induced cocaine craving has been demonstrated after withdrawal from this regimen; furthermore, Ca2+-permeable AMPA receptors (CP-AMPARs) increase in the NAc core after ~1 month of withdrawal and thereafter mediate the expression of incubated craving. Although neither craving nor CP-AMPAR levels were measured in the present study, we killed rats at four withdrawal day (WD) time-points (WD14, WD25, WD36, or WD60) selected to span the rising phase of incubation and the transition from low to high CP-AMPAR levels. MSNs were iontophoretically filled with Lucifer yellow and spines were analyzed with NeuronStudio software. Compared with saline controls, cocaine rats showed no changes in spine density or morphology in the NAc core on WD14 or WD25. On WD36, approximately the withdrawal time when stable elevation of CP-AMPAR levels is detected, the cocaine group exhibited increased density of thin spines in the NAc core. By WD60, however, this effect had reversed: the density of thin spines was lower in cocaine rats compared with saline rats. In contrast, craving and CP-AMPAR levels remain high on WD60. We also assessed spine density on WD36 in the dorsolateral striatum, a region that is not implicated in incubation of cocaine craving and does not undergo CP-AMPAR plasticity. Here, the cocaine group exhibited a small leftward shift in the distribution of spine densities plotted as a cumulative distribution, opposite to the effect found in the NAc core. Overall, our results demonstrate changes in NAc core spines over 2 months of withdrawal but no simple relationship between the time dependency of these spine changes and the previously demonstrated time course of incubation of cocaine craving. However, they raise the possibility that CP-AMPAR accumulation in the NAc core occurs in a population of thin spines that emerges after ~1 month of withdrawal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9658228,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Self-inflicted violence: a sociological concern and a public health problem\nThis paper has two objectives. The first is to reflect on the meaning of suicide as a sociological issue, commenting on an article by E.D. Nunes (1988) on the famous work by Durkheim. The second is to discuss the same issue within the field of public health, analyzing the contributions by the father of sociology and approaches by the fields of epidemiology, psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis, highlighting the work of Brazilian authors. The paper presents information on the Brazilian epidemiological context and concludes by demonstrating that only from an analytical point of view can violent causes as a whole can be studied separately. Thus, they constantly require epistemological and epidemiological surveillance to construct indicators capable of contributing to change. This is all the more true because data on current violence need to be viewed within the context of the social crisis and changes Brazil is undergoing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30594708,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Characterization of M1 and M2 polarization phenotypes in peritoneal macrophages after treatment with graphene oxide nanosheets.\nMacrophages play a key role in nanoparticle removal and are primarily responsible for their uptake and trafficking in vivo. Due to their functional plasticity, macrophages display a spectrum of phenotypes between two extremes indentified as pro-inflammatory M1 and reparative M2 macrophages, characterized by the expression of specific cell surface markers and the secretion of different cytokines. The influence of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol-amine) and labelled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-PEG-GO) on polarization of murine peritoneal macrophages towards M1 and M2 phenotypes was evaluated in basal and stimulated conditions by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy through the expression of different cell markers: CD80 and iNOS as M1 markers, and CD206 and CD163 as M2 markers. Although FITC-PEG-GO did not induce M1 or M2 macrophage polarization after 24 and 48 h in basal conditions, this nanomaterial decreased the percentage of M2 reparative macrophages. We have also compared control macrophages with macrophages that have or have not taken up FITC-PEG-GO after treatment with these nanosheets (GO+ and GO- cells, respectively). The CD80 expression diminished in GO+ macrophages after 48 h of GO treatment but the CD206 expression in GO+ population showed higher values than in both GO- population and control macrophages. In the presence of pro-inflammatory stimuli (LPS and IFN-\u03b3), a significant decrease of CD80+ cells was observed after treatment with GO. This nanomaterial also induced significant decreases of CD206+ and CD163+ cells in the presence of reparative stimulus (IL-4). The CD80, iNOS and CD206 expression was lower in both GO- and GO+ cells than in control macrophages. However, higher CD163 expression was obtained in both GO- and GO+ cells in comparison with control macrophages. All these facts suggest that FITC-PEG-GO uptake did not induce the macrophage polarization towards the M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype, promoting the control of the M1\/M2 balance with a slight shift towards M2 reparative phenotype involved in tissue repair, ensuring an appropriate immune response to these nanosheets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15126392,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The selective values of alleles in a molecular network model are context dependent.\nClassical quantitative genetics has applied linear modeling to the problem of mapping genotypic to phenotypic variation. Much of this theory was developed prior to the availability of molecular biology. The current understanding of the mechanisms of gene expression indicates the importance of nonlinear effects resulting from gene interactions. We provide a bridge between genetics and gene network theories by relating key concepts from quantitative genetics to the parameters, variables, and performance functions of genetic networks. We illustrate this methodology by simulating the genetic switch controlling galactose metabolism in yeast and its response to selection for a population of individuals. Results indicate that genes have heterogeneous contributions to phenotypes and that additive and nonadditive effects are context dependent. Early cycles of selection suggest strong additive effects attributed to some genes. Later cycles suggest the presence of strong context-dependent nonadditive effects that are conditional on the outcomes of earlier selection cycles. A single favorable allele cannot be consistently identified for most loci. These results highlight the complications that can arise with the presence of nonlinear effects associated with genes acting in networks when selection is conducted on a population of individuals segregating for the genes contributing to the network.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26138088,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT\u00ae) speech therapy in progressive supranuclear palsy.\nThe Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT\u00ae) was specifically created and tested to comply with the needs of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and other neurological problems. This is a high effort intensive treatment that aims at increasing vocal intensity through the increase of subglottal air pressure, i.e. respiratory effort, for a better cordal adduction and vibration, following the motto \"think loud\". The main goal of this study is to inspect the efficacy of LSVT\u00ae treatment in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients. Longitudinal study. Rehabilitative inpatient unit. Sixteen patients with PSP and 23 patients with idiopathic PD as control were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a training consisting in16 sessions of speech therapy following the LSVT\u00ae protocol. Initially the two groups of patients had similar voice problems, i.e. low volume and bad articulation of speech. A statistically significant improvement was found among the data collected before and after treatment in the PSP and Parkinson groups. Increase in maximum phonation duration and volume of voice in reading were similar in the two groups. Improvement in quality of voice and articulation were more significant in the PD group as compared to the PSP group. These results, along with previous findings, add further support to the generalized therapeutic impact of intensive voice treatment on respiratory and laryngeal functions in individuals with PSP. The positive results, the absence of dropout and collateral effect following this clinical treatments with LSVT technique encouraged to use this technique in PSP patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22564993,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Dual effect of metformin on breast cancer proliferation in a randomized presurgical trial.\nMetformin is associated with reduced breast cancer risk in observational studies in patients with diabetes, but clinical evidence for antitumor activity is unclear. The change in Ki-67 between pretreatment biopsy and post-treatment surgical specimen has prognostic value and may predict antitumor activity in breast cancer. After tumor biopsy, we randomly allocated 200 nondiabetic women with operable breast cancer to either metformin 850 mg\/twice per day (n = 100) or placebo (n = 100). The primary outcome measure was the difference between arms in Ki-67 after 4 weeks adjusted for baseline values. Overall, the metformin effect on Ki-67 change relative to placebo was not statistically significant, with a mean proportional increase of 4.0% (95% CI, -5.6% to 14.4%) 4 weeks apart. However, there was a different drug effect depending on insulin resistance (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA] index > 2.8, fasting glucose [mmol\/L] \u00d7 insulin [mU\/L]\/22.5; P(interaction) = .045), with a nonsignificant mean proportional decrease in Ki-67 of 10.5% (95% CI, -26.1% to 8.4%) in women with HOMA more than 2.8 and a nonsignificant increase of 11.1% (95% CI, -0.6% to 24.2%) with HOMA less than or equal to 2.8. A different effect of metformin according to HOMA index was noted also in luminal B tumors (P(interaction) = .05). Similar trends to drug effect modifications were observed according to body mass index (P = .143), waist\/hip girth-ratio (P = .058), moderate alcohol consumption (P = .005), and C-reactive protein (P = .080). Metformin before surgery did not significantly affect Ki-67 overall, but showed significantly different effects according to insulin resistance, particularly in luminal B tumors. Our findings warrant further studies of metformin in breast cancer with careful consideration to the metabolic characteristics of the study population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26363748,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A rare coronary anomaly with masked diagnosis: Anomalous left circumflex artery from right pulmonary artery.\nAnomalous origin of the circumflex coronary artery from the pulmonary artery is a rare congenital coronary anomaly. While it generally follows an asymptomatic course, if undiagnosed it may lead to severe clinical outcomes, including sudden death. The condition can be masked by associated defects, so when it is clinically suspected, diagnosis must be confirmed by conventional and\/or magnetic resonance angiography, even if echocardiography clearly shows coronary roots. This report describes a patient who underwent neonatal surgery for aortic coarctation and was diagnosed with coronary artery anomaly at 15 months old.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31464807,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Variability of Consecutive Lumbar Puncture Opening Pressures.\nLumbar puncture (LP) opening pressures (OPs) are known to fluctuate based on diurnal, environmental, and pathologic conditions. Despite their dynamic nature, single OPs are often deemed sufficient for diagnosis of elevated intracranial pressures (ICPs) in nonspecialists' hands. The purpose of this study was to determine the variability of consecutive LP OPs at a large referral center to determine the potential range of variability for a given LP OP. In this retrospective cohort study, medical records of all patients seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, from January 1, 2001, through June 1, 2016, were screened for \u22652 LP OPs within 30 days of each other. Patients with pathologic conditions known to influence ICP were excluded. There were 148 eligible patients (39.2% female) with mean age of 63.5 \u00b1 15.5 years and mean body mass index (BMI) 28.0 \u00b1 6.0. The LPs were a mean of 10 \u00b1 9 days apart. Mean OP for the first and second LP was 149 \u00b1 51 mm H2O and 148 \u00b1 48 mm H2O (P = 0.78), respectively, with a mean difference of 1 mm H2O, providing an overall coefficient of repeatability (CR) of 86.4 between consecutive LPs. There was a significant correlation between initial OP and BMI (r = 0.39, P < 0.001). OP >200 mm H2O had a significantly higher CR of 111.4, compared to OP <200 mm H2O, with CR 74.6 (P = 0.006). CRs were also higher for patients with diagnoses of headache (P = 0.002) or anxiety (P = 0.03). Higher initial LP OP, headache, and anxiety were associated with greater variability on subsequent LPs. OPs that are not consistent with the patients' clinical signs and symptoms should therefore be interpreted with caution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9391129,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Polyclonal structure of intestinal adenomas in ApcMin\/+ mice with concomitant loss of Apc+ from all tumor lineages.\nWhen tumors form in intestinal epithelia, it is important to know whether they involve single initiated somatic clones. Advanced carcinomas in humans and mice are known to be monoclonal. However, earlier stages of tumorigenesis may instead involve an interaction between cells that belong to separate somatic clones within the epithelium. The clonality of early tumors has been investigated in mice with an inherited predisposition to intestinal tumors. Analysis of Min (multiple intestinal neoplasia) mice chimeric for a ubiquitously expressed cell lineage marker revealed that normal intestinal crypts are monoclonal, but intestinal adenomas frequently have a polyclonal structure, presenting even when very small as single, focal adenomas composed of at least two somatic lineages. Furthermore, within these polyclonal adenomas, all tumor lineages frequently lose the wild-type Apc allele. These observations can be interpreted by several models for clonal interaction within the epithelium, ranging from passive fusion within regions of high neoplastic potential to a requirement for active clonal cooperation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34239372,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":3,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Association of Alopecia Areata With Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder Stimulant Medication: A Case-Control Study.\nBackground: Both psychiatric disorders and diverse medications used to treat them have been associated with alopecia. The objective of our study was to investigate the existence of an association between attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) stimulant medication (ASM) and various types of alopecia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective case-control medical record review of patients between the ages of 6 and 18 years seen in dermatology clinics during a 10-year period. Cases included patients diagnosed with alopecia areata (AA), alopecia totalis (AT), or alopecia universalis (AU). We matched 3 controls on age and sex to each case. We reviewed patients' medical records for the following medications: lisdexamfetamine, amphetamine\/dextroamphetamine, dexmethylphenidate, and methylphenidate. We examined the association between medications used to treat ADHD and diagnoses of AA, AT, and\/or AU by calculating a series of odds ratios and 95% CIs. Results: We identified 124 cases (110 with AA, 11 with AT, and 3 with AU) and 372 controls. We found a strong association between AU and ASM use (P<0.0071). No relationship between ASM use and other types of hair loss was found. Conclusion: Although the sample size of cases with AU was small, we found a significant association between AU and ASM. While further study is needed, practitioners may consider close monitoring of patients with AA who use ASM for the development of worsening disease and discontinue the medication if the patient experiences an increase in hair loss that appears to be progressing to AU.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":66952,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Several structural characteristics of vital dyes].\nLymphocytes and macrophages of normal rats, cells of lymphosarcoma and ovarian carcinoma of rats (CC strain), cells of sarcoma 37 and lymphosarcoma Nk\/Ly of mice were investigated for their capacity for vital staining by 86 days in concentrations within the range of 10(-5)--3-10(-2) M. It was found that alkylation of amino groups of the basic dyes increased their capacity for penetrating the living cells and depositing in their cytoplasm in cases of thiazine, oxazine, acridine, xanthene, diazine, and triphenylmethane compounds. The acid radicals decreased the capacity of the dye to vital staining of the cells considerably. The degree of basicity of the dye molecule and its amino groups played no decisive role in the process of vital staining.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12779423,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Experimental investigation of high-quality synchronization of coupled oscillators.\nWe describe two experiments in which we investigate the synchronization of coupled periodic oscillators. Each experimental system consists of two identical coupled electronic periodic oscillators that display bursts of desynchronization events similar to those observed previously in coupled chaotic systems. We measure the degree of synchronization as a function of coupling strength. In the first experiment, high-quality synchronization is achieved for all coupling strengths above a critical value. In the second experiment, no high-quality synchronization is observed. We compare our results to the predictions of the several proposed criteria for synchronization. We find that none of the criteria accurately predict the range of coupling strengths over which high-quality synchronization is observed. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33822422,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Artificial Intelligence and Liability in Medicine: Balancing Safety and Innovation.\nPolicy Points With increasing integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in medicine, there are concerns that algorithm inaccuracy could lead to patient injury and medical liability. While prior work has focused on medical malpractice, the artificial intelligence ecosystem consists of multiple stakeholders beyond clinicians. Current liability frameworks are inadequate to encourage both safe clinical implementation and disruptive innovation of artificial intelligence. Several policy options could ensure a more balanced liability system, including altering the standard of care, insurance, indemnification, special\/no-fault adjudication systems, and regulation. Such liability frameworks could facilitate safe and expedient implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning in clinical care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30169689,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Parasitizing Passerine Birds in Turkey With New Records and New Tick-Host Associations.\nIn 2016 spring and autumn migration seasons, 7,992 birds belonging to 83 species, 51 genera, 34 families, and 12 orders were examined for tick (Acari: Ixodidae) infestation in the K\u0131z\u0131l\u0131rmak Delta, Samsun, Turkey. A total of 1,229 (649 larvae, 536 nymphs, 40 females, 4 males) ticks were collected from 349 (4.36%) birds belonging to 33 (39.75%) species within 16 families in the order Passeriformes. Nine tick species were identified belonging to the family Ixodidae, namely Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzago, Haemaphysalis sulcata Canestrini & Fanzago, Hyalomma marginatum gr., Ixodes eldaricus Djaparidze, Ixodes festai Tonelli-Rondelli, Ixodes frontalis (Panzer), Ixodes redikorzevi Olenev, and Ixodes ricinus (L.). The present study also reports 78 different avian (resident, migratory or partially migratory) hosts for documented tick species; 63 (80.76%) of them were new tick-host records for Turkey. In addition, the presence of I. eldaricus and I. festai ticks were documented in Turkey for the first time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19018188,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The intravenous cannula for newborn infants requiring only intravenous medication: continuous infusion or intermittent flushing?\nIn August 2003, the practice in the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital neonatal unit changed to the use of intermittent flushing of intravenous cannulas (instead of running a continuous infusion) for infants who only required an intravenous cannula for medications. In this historical cohort comparison study, the authors determined that the duration of cannula use and the numbers of cannulas needing removal were similar before and after the change. The authors conclude that the use of intermittent flushing for intravenous cannulas is a safe and viable alternative to continuous infusion for well term infants who only require intermittent intravenous antibiotics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29801119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Primary vs Secondary Endosseous Implantation After Fibular Free Tissue Reconstruction of the Mandible for Osteoradionecrosis.\nThe clinical and financial implications of the timing of dental rehabilitation after a fibula free tissue transfer (FFTT) for osteoradionecrosis (ORN) and osteonecrosis (ON) of the mandible have yet to be established. To compare the outcomes of primary implantation vs secondary implantation after FFTT for ORN and ON of the mandible. A retrospective review was conducted of 23 patients at a single tertiary academic referral center undergoing primary implantation or secondary implantation after FFTT for ORN and ON from January 1, 2006, to November 10, 2015. All patients underwent FFTT with primary implantation (n = 12) or secondary implantation (n = 11). Outcomes of FFTT, dental implantation, implant use, diet, speech, and disease-free survival were reviewed. Fixed unit costs were estimated based on the mean cost analysis. Twenty-three patients (7 women and 16 men; mean [SD] age, 62.4 [8.2] years [range, 24-81 years]) met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 18 had ORN and 5 had ON. Dental implantation was performed at the time of FFTT for 12 patients and was performed secondarily for 11 patients. There were a mean of 5.2 implants per patient performed, for a total of 121 implants. There was 1 complete flap failure in the primary implantation group. Neither flap nor implant complications were affected by the timing of the implantation. Overall, the implant survival rate was 95% (55 of 58) in the primary implantation group and 98% (62 of 63) in the secondary implantation group. Time from FFTT to abutment placement (primary implantation, 19.6 weeks; secondary implantation, 61.0 weeks) was significantly shorter after primary implantation (P < .001). There was no clinical difference in postoperative complications and implant outcomes for ORN vs ON. Improvement in speech and oral competence in the primary implantation group vs the secondary implantation group was not statistically significant, given an experiment-adjusted P = .001 set as significant (normal speech, 9 vs 3; P = .02; and normal oral competence, 9 vs 3; P = .02). Disease-free survival was 91% (20 of 22 patients) overall. Fixed unit (U) costs were 1.0 U for primary implantation and 1.24 U for secondary implantation. Patients undergoing primary implantation after FFTT for ORN and ON had a similar rate of complications compared with those undergoing secondary implantation. However, primary implantation allowed a faster return than secondary implantation to oral nutrition and prosthesis use. The fixed unit cost was reduced for those undergoing primary implantation. Although dental implantation was safe and effective in both groups, the decreased time to use and the decreased overall cost should prompt surgeons to consider primary implantation after FFTT for ORN and ON. 3.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15722287,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Biomechanical measures of neuromuscular control and valgus loading of the knee predict anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female athletes: a prospective study.\nFemale athletes participating in high-risk sports suffer anterior cruciate ligament injury at a 4- to 6-fold greater rate than do male athletes. Prescreened female athletes with subsequent anterior cruciate ligament injury will demonstrate decreased neuromuscular control and increased valgus joint loading, predicting anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. There were 205 female athletes in the high-risk sports of soccer, basketball, and volleyball prospectively measured for neuromuscular control using 3-dimensional kinematics (joint angles) and joint loads using kinetics (joint moments) during a jump-landing task. Analysis of variance as well as linear and logistic regression were used to isolate predictors of risk in athletes who subsequently ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament. Nine athletes had a confirmed anterior cruciate ligament rupture; these 9 had significantly different knee posture and loading compared to the 196 who did not have anterior cruciate ligament rupture. Knee abduction angle (P<.05) at landing was 8 degrees greater in anterior cruciate ligament-injured than in uninjured athletes. Anterior cruciate ligament-injured athletes had a 2.5 times greater knee abduction moment (P<.001) and 20% higher ground reaction force (P<.05), whereas stance time was 16% shorter; hence, increased motion, force, and moments occurred more quickly. Knee abduction moment predicted anterior cruciate ligament injury status with 73% specificity and 78% sensitivity; dynamic valgus measures showed a predictive r2 of 0.88. Knee motion and knee loading during a landing task are predictors of anterior cruciate ligament injury risk in female athletes. Female athletes with increased dynamic valgus and high abduction loads are at increased risk of anterior cruciate ligament injury. The methods developed may be used to monitor neuromuscular control of the knee joint and may help develop simpler measures of neuromuscular control that can be used to direct female athletes to more effective, targeted interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19904433,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Enhancement of photocatalytic activity of zinc-germanium oxynitride solid solution for overall water splitting under visible irradiation.\nOverall water splitting to form hydrogen and oxygen over a heterogeneous photocatalyst using solar energy is a promising process for clean and renewable hydrogen production on a large-scale. The ZnGeN2-ZnO solid solution photocatalyst shows photocatalytic activity under visible irradiation. This paper deals with results of photocatalytic reactions over the (Zn(1+x)Ge)(N2O(x)) photocatalyst for overall water splitting. The photocatalyst shows high rates for overall water splitting under visible irradiation, with notable deactivation with time. This study focuses on measuring rates for H2 and O2 evolution to elucidate the cause of the deactivation. Our results showed negligible changes in the structure and the composition of the photocatalyst after the photocatalytic reaction, and thus the changes undetectable by the techniques employed should be the cause of deactivation. This paper also discusses two strategies to improve the photocatalytic activity: metal doping in the oxynitride formulation and post-calcination after nitridation. Several characterization carried out in this study led us to conclude, at the current point, that the improvement of photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the reduction in the number of defects in the photocatalyst materials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19456383,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Neuropeptides modulate the heart of the stick insect Baculum extradentatum.\nThe dorsal vessel of the stick insect Baculum extradentatum consists of a tubular heart and an aorta that extends anteriorly into the head. Alary muscles, associated with the heart, are anchored to the body wall with attachments to the dorsal diaphragm. Alary muscle contraction draws hemolymph into the heart through incurrent ostia. Hemolymph exits the heart through the excurrent ostia present on the dorsal vessel in thoracic and abdominal segments. FMRFamide-related peptides are present in axons of the segmental nerves that project to the dorsal vessel and in processes extending over the heart and alary muscles. Immunoreactive processes are also localized to the valves of the incurrent ostia and excurrent ostia and to the lateral cardiac nerve and lateral cardiac neurons.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35966469,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Ketamine as a prophylactic resilience-enhancing agent.\nStress exposure is one of the greatest risk factors for psychiatric illnesses, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Enhancing stress resilience could potentially protect against the development of stress-induced psychiatric disorders, yet no resilience-enhancing pharmaceuticals have been developed to date. This review serves to consider the existing evidence for a potential pro-resilience effect of ketamine in rodents as well as the preliminary evidence of ketamine as a prophylactic treatment for postpartum depression (PPD) in humans. Several animal studies have demonstrated that ketamine administered 1 week prior to a stressor (e.g., chronic social defeat and learned helplessness) may protect against depressive-like behavior. A similar protective effect has been demonstrated against PTSD-like behavior following Contextual Fear Conditioning (CFC). Recent work has sought to explore if the administration of ketamine prevented the development of postpartum depression (PPD) in humans. Researchers administered ketamine immediately following caesarian-section and found a significantly reduced prevalence of PPD in the ketamine-treated groups compared to the control groups. Utilizing ketamine as a resilience-enhancing treatment may have unique applications, including leading to a deeper understanding of the neurobiological mechanism underlying resilience. Future trials aiming to translate and replicate these findings with humans are warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30914693,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Parasite detection in the ornamental fish trade using environmental DNA.\nEffective border control relies on stringent biosecurity protocols to detect and prevent introductions of exotic pests and diseases. Detection of pathogens and parasites in the live ornamental fish trade using environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques has the potential to improve current biosecurity practices. We examined water samples from 11 target consignments (cyprinids susceptible to Dactylogyrus spp. infections) and seven non-target fish consignments (non-cyprinids, not susceptible to Dactylogyrus spp. infections) imported from Southeast Asia to Australia for the presence of eDNA from five Dactylogyrus species (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae). A four-step predictive framework was used to predict putative positive and putative negative detections from quantitative PCR assays. Both target and non-target consignments were positive for Dactylogyrus spp. eDNA as confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Positive detections for Dactylogyrus spp. eDNA in non-target fish consignments demonstrates the possibility of source water contamination, limiting the applicability of eDNA screening methods at border control. This study suggests that screening for parasite eDNA within ornamental fish consignments should be tested during pre-export quarantine periods to avoid false positive detections at border control. Lastly, the proposed predictive framework has a broad utility for minimizing false positive and false negative eDNA detections of aquatic organisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11401763,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Data quality in predictive toxicology: reproducibility of rodent carcinogenicity experiments.\nWe compared 121 replicate rodent carcinogenicity assays from the two parts (National Cancer Institute\/National Toxicology Program and literature) of the Carcinogenic Potency Database (CPDB) to estimate the reliability of these experiments. We estimated a concordance of 57% between the overall rodent carcinogenicity classifications from both sources. This value did not improve substantially when additional biologic information (species, sex, strain, target organs) was considered. These results indicate that rodent carcinogenicity assays are much less reproducible than previously expected, an effect that should be considered in the development of structure-activity relationship models and the risk assessment process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26058007,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Decontamination of Pangasius fish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) with chlorine or peracetic acid in the laboratory and in a Vietnamese processing company.\nThis study evaluated the decontamination of Pangasius fillets in chlorine or peracetic acid treated wash water. First, the decontamination efficacy of the washing step with chlorinated water applied by a Vietnamese processing company during trimming of Pangasius fillets was evaluated and used as the basis for the experiments performed on a laboratory scale. As chlorine was only added at the beginning of the batch and used continuously without renewal for 239min; a rapid increase of the bacterial counts and a fast decrease of chlorine in the wash water were found. This could be explained by the rapid accumulation of organic matter (ca. 400mg O2\/L of COD after only 24min). Secondly, for the experiments performed on a laboratory scale, a single batch approach (one batch of wash water for treating a fillet) was used. Chlorine and PAA were evaluated at 10, 20, 50 and 150ppm at contact times of 10, 20 and 240s. Washing with chlorine and PAA wash water resulted in a reduction of Escherichia coli on Pangasius fish which ranged from 0-1.0 and 0.4-1.4logCFU\/g, respectively while less to no reduction of total psychrotrophic counts, lactic acid bacteria and coliforms on Pangasius fish was observed. However, in comparison to PAA, chlorine was lost rapidly. As an example, 53-83% of chlorine and 15-17% of PAA were lost after washing for 40s (COD=238.2\u00b166.3mg O2\/L). Peracetic acid can therefore be an alternative sanitizer. However, its higher cost will have to be taken into consideration. Where (cheaper) chlorine is used, the processors have to pay close attention to the residual chlorine level, pH and COD level during treatment for optimal efficacy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8107193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Herpes simplex virus type 1 DNA replication and gene expression during explant-induced reactivation of latently infected murine sensory ganglia.\nInfectious virus assays and PCR amplification of DNA and RNA were used to investigate herpes simplex virus DNA replication and gene expression in two murine in vitro models for virus reactivation. We examined latent infections with wild-type (wt), precisely defined latency-associated transcript-negative (LAT-) mutants, and LAT+ rescuants of these mutants of the 17syn+ strain of virus in both murine trigeminal and lumbosacral ganglia and of the KOS(M) strain in the latter. In explants of ganglia latently infected with the LAT- mutant of strain 17syn+ virus, a reduction in number of cultures exhibiting cytopathic effects due to virus reactivation and measurable delays in virus recovery were observed compared with wt or the LAT+ rescuant. This LAT-specific effect was not seen in explants of lumbosacral ganglia latently infected with mutants derived from the KOS(M) strain of virus. Although there was appreciable variation between individual animals, no significant difference between LAT+ and LAT- virus in time of onset of viral DNA replication in explanted ganglia was seen with use of either virus strain. There was a slight decrease in the relative amount of viral DNA recovered compared with internal cellular controls in latently infected ganglia harboring the LAT- mutant of 17syn+ compared with the wt virus or the LAT+ rescuant. This reduced relative amount ranged from 0 to as much as 50% but averaged 20%. Such differences were not seen in infections with KOS(M)-derived mutants. In contrast, although expression of productive-cycle transcripts could be detected within 4 h following explant cultivation of latently infected ganglia, no differences between LAT+ and LAT- viruses could be seen. As discussed, these data place specific constraints on possible models for the role of LAT expression in in vitro reactivation systems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36852265,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Codesign of Biobased Cellulose-Filled Filaments and Mesostructures for 4D Printing Humidity Responsive Smart Structures.\nHygromorphic smart structures are advantageous as passively actuated systems for generating movement, with applications ranging from weather-responsive architectural building skins to adaptive wearables and microrobotics. Four-dimensional (4D) printing is a valuable method for multiscale fabrication and physical programming of such structures. However, material limitations in terms of printability, responsiveness, and mechanical properties are major bottlenecks in achieving reliable and repeatable humidity-responsive actuation. We propose a codesign method for 4D printing hygromorphic structures through fused filament fabrication, incorporating parallel development of (1) biobased cellulose-filled filaments with varying stiffness and hygroresponsiveness, and (2) designed mesoscale structuring in printed elements. We first describe the design of a pallet of filaments produced by compounding cellulose powder in mass ratios of 0-30% within two matrix polymers with high and low stiffness. We then present the design, fabrication, and testing of a series of 4D-printed prototypes tuned to change shape, that is, open and close, in response to relative humidity (RH). The structures can fully transform in conditions of 35-90% RH, which corresponds to naturally occurring shifts in RH in daily and seasonal weather cycles. Furthermore, their motion is fast (within the range of minutes), fully reversible, and repeatable in numerous cycles. These results open new opportunities for the utilization of 4D printing and natural resources for the development of functional humidity-responsive smart structures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31960258,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Clinical Considerations When Initiating and Titrating Insulin Degludec\/Liraglutide (IDegLira) in People with Type 2 Diabetes.\nTherapeutic inertia is a substantial obstacle to the initiation of insulin therapy in people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D). This effect has in part been perpetuated by concerns over the impact of a burdensome regimen and the increased risk of hypoglycemia and body weight gain often associated with insulin use. An effective, yet simple, less burdensome regimen with a lower risk of body weight gain and hypoglycemia compared with an insulin-only regimen, may help to address these concerns more effectively. We review the available clinical and real-world data on IDegLira, a once-daily, injectable, fixed-ratio combination of insulin degludec (degludec) and the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) liraglutide, in people with T2D. Evidence from the comprehensive DUAL clinical trial program suggests an advantage of IDegLira over traditional insulin therapies in a number of clinical outcomes, including maintenance of glycemic control, achievement of glycemic targets, reducing the risk of hypoglycemia, and body weight loss. These findings were demonstrated in participants with T2D irrespective of prior GLP-1RA and insulin use. Furthermore, the individual components of IDegLira have confirmed safety (degludec) or significant benefit in terms of improvement of cardiovascular risk (liraglutide). As an injectable therapy that is simple to titrate, IDegLira has the potential to optimize the ability to achieve relevant glycemic targets, and offers a suitable treatment option for people with T2D requiring insulin therapy who are at risk of hypoglycemia or weight gain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18944543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus from the Sudan and Iran: Sequence Comparisons and Identification of a Whitefly-Transmission Determinant.\nABSTRACT The genomes of two Watermelon chlorotic stunt virus (WmCSV) isolates, one from the Sudan and one from Iran, were cloned and sequenced. Sequence relationship with other geminiviruses characterizes WmCSV as a typical Eastern Hemisphere geminivirus with a bipartite genome. The two geographically distant WmCSV isolates from Africa and the Middle East share a very high overall sequence similarity: 98% between their DNA-A and 96% between their DNA-B components, and their respective capsid proteins are identical. A single amino acid change in the capsid protein (N131D) renders WmCSV whitefly nontransmissible. This region of the capsid is also implicated in transmission by Bemisia tabaci of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10872356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The anterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament. Assessment of its permanent deformation and the anatomy of its glenoid attachment.\nSurgical treatment for traumatic, anterior glenohumeral instability requires repair of the anterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament, usually at the site of glenoid insertion, often combined with capsuloligamentous plication. In this study, we determined the mechanical properties of this ligament and the precise anatomy of its insertion into the glenoid in fresh-frozen glenohumeral joints of cadavers. Strength was measured by tensile testing of the glenoid-soft-tissue-humerus (G-ST-H) complex. Two other specimens of the complex were frozen in the position of apprehension, serially sectioned perpendicular to the plane containing the anterior and posterior rims of the glenoid, and stained with Toluidine Blue. On tensile testing, eight G-ST-H complexes failed at the site of the glenoid insertion, representing a Bankart lesion, two at the insertion into the humerus, and two at the midsubstance. For those which failed at the glenoid attachment the mean yield load was 491.0 N and the mean ultimate load, 585.0 N. At the glenoid region, stress at yield was 7.8 +\/- 1.3 MPa and stress at failure, 9.2 +\/- 1.5 MPa. The permanent deformation, defined as the difference between yield and ultimate deformation, was only 2.3 +\/- 0.8 mm. The strain at yield was 13.0 +\/- 0.7% and at failure, 15.4 +\/- 1.2%; therefore permanent strain was only 2.4 +\/- 1.1%. Histological examination showed that there were two attachments of the anterior band of the inferior glenohumeral ligament at the site of the glenoid insertion. In one, poorly organised collagen fibres inserted into the labrum. In the other, dense collagen fibres were attached to the front of the neck of the glenoid.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17947624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Identifying patient smoking status from medical discharge records.\nThe authors organized a Natural Language Processing (NLP) challenge on automatically determining the smoking status of patients from information found in their discharge records. This challenge was issued as a part of the i2b2 (Informatics for Integrating Biology to the Bedside) project, to survey, facilitate, and examine studies in medical language understanding for clinical narratives. This article describes the smoking challenge, details the data and the annotation process, explains the evaluation metrics, discusses the characteristics of the systems developed for the challenge, presents an analysis of the results of received system runs, draws conclusions about the state of the art, and identifies directions for future research. A total of 11 teams participated in the smoking challenge. Each team submitted up to three system runs, providing a total of 23 submissions. The submitted system runs were evaluated with microaveraged and macroaveraged precision, recall, and F-measure. The systems submitted to the smoking challenge represented a variety of machine learning and rule-based algorithms. Despite the differences in their approaches to smoking status identification, many of these systems provided good results. There were 12 system runs with microaveraged F-measures above 0.84. Analysis of the results highlighted the fact that discharge summaries express smoking status using a limited number of textual features (e.g., \"smok\", \"tobac\", \"cigar\", Social History, etc.). Many of the effective smoking status identifiers benefit from these features.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30959926,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Supervised Pattern Analysis of the Length of Stay for Hip Replacement Admissions.\nHip replacement is the most common surgical procedure among Medicare patients in the US and worldwide. The hospital length of stay (LOS) for hip replacement admissions is therefore important to be controlled, contributing to savings for hospitals. This study combined medical claims and hospital structure and service data to examine LOS fluctuations and trends, and admission distribution patterns, during weekdays, for hip replacement cases. The study furthermore examined associations of these patterns with the LOS performance. Most hospitals were found to admit hip replacement cases at the start of the week (Monday through Wednesday). There is an upward LOS trend as we approach late weekday admissions. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that LOS weekday inconsistencies, a large proportion of hip replacement admissions on Thursday and Friday, the government ownership status, the bed size, and the critical access status are associated with an increased LOS. On the other hand, the rate of hip replacement admissions over total ones, and the hospital being accredited, are associated with a lower LOS. Findings stress out the need for hospitals to maintain an effective and balanced distribution of hip replacement admissions, evenly during the week, and the need for standardized case management, to avoid practice variability and, therefore, LOS fluctuations for their hip replacement cases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31823275,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Comparing the interobserver reproducibility of different regions of interest on multi-parametric renal magnetic resonance imaging in healthy volunteers, patients with heart failure and renal transplant recipients.\nTo assess interobserver reproducibility of different regions of interest (ROIs) on multi-parametric renal MRI using commercially available software. Healthy volunteers (HV), patients with heart failure (HF) and renal transplant recipients (Tx) were recruited. Localiser scans, T1 mapping and pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (pCASL) were performed. HV and Tx also underwent diffusion-weighted imaging to allow calculation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). For T1, pCASL and ADC, ROIs were drawn for whole kidney (WK), cortex (Cx), user-defined representative cortex (rep-Cx) and medulla. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CoV) were assessed. Forty participants were included (10 HV, 10 HF and 20 Tx). The ICC for renal volume was 0.97 and CoV 6.5%. For T1 and ADC, WK, Cx, and rep-Cx were highly reproducible with ICC \u2265 0.76 and CoV < 5%. However, cortical pCASL results were more variable (ICC > 0.86, but CoV up to 14.2%). While reproducible, WK values were derived from a wide spread of data (ROI standard deviation 17% to 55% of the mean value for ADC and pCASL, respectively). Renal volume differed between groups (p < 0.001), while mean cortical T1 values were greater in Tx compared to HV (p = 0.009) and HF (p = 0.02). Medullary T1 values were also higher in Tx than HV (p = 0.03), while medullary pCASL values were significantly lower in Tx compared to HV and HF (p = 0.03 for both). Kidney volume calculated by manually contouring a localiser scan was highly reproducible between observers and detected significant differences across patient groups. For T1, pCASL and ADC, Cx and rep-Cx ROIs are generally reproducible with advantages over WK values.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27450159,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Attenuated IGF-1 predicts all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in a Black population: A five-year prospective study.\nInconsistent findings are reported on whether insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is protective or harmful in predicting hypertension, carotid wall thickness and mortality. We determined the five-year prognostic value of IGF-1 for these outcomes in a large Black population prone to hypertension and cardiovascular disease. A longitudinal study as part of the PURE (Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology) study, North West Province, South Africa. We measured IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in 1038 HIV-uninfected participants (age range 32-94 years) and assessed blood pressure, carotid intima-media thickness and mortality. Over five years 116 deaths occurred. Baseline IGF-1 was similar in survivors and non-survivors (p = 0.50), but tended to be higher in survivors upon adjustment for IGFBP-3 and covariates (p = 0.061). Normotensives and hypertensives (p = 0.072), and those with carotid intima-media thickness < 0.9 mm and \u2265 0.9 mm also displayed similar baseline IGF-1 (p = 0.55). Multivariable-adjusted Cox-regression indicated high IGF-1 predicting lower risk for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 0.45; 0.23-0.88) and cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio 0.26; 0.08-0.83) when also adjusting for IGFBP-3. When including normo- and hypertensives at baseline, high IGF-1 was related to normotension at follow-up (hazard ratio 0.68; 0.49-0.95). We found no association with carotid intima-media thickness (hazard ratio 0.59; 0.31-1.14). In a Black South African population with low socio-economic status and harmful health behaviours, we found a protective independent association between IGF-1 and hypertension, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, with no association with carotid wall thickness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":534499,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Counteraction of urea destabilization of protein structure by methylamine osmoregulatory compounds of elasmobranch fishes.\nIntracellular fluids of marine elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays), holocephalans and the coelacanth contain urea at concentrations averaging 0.4m, high enough to significantly affect the structural and functional properties of many proteins. Also present in the cells of these fishes are a family of methylamine compounds, largely trimethylamine N-oxide with some betaine and sarcosine, and certain free amino acids, mainly beta-alanine and taurine, whose total concentration is approx. 0.2m. These methylamine compounds and amino acids have been found to be effective stabilizers of protein structure, and, at a 1:2 molar concentration ratio of these compounds to urea, perturbations of protein structure by urea are largely or fully offset. These counteracting effects of solutes on proteins are seen for: (1) thermal stability of protein secondary and tertiary structure (bovine ribonuclease); (2) the rate and extent of enzyme renaturation after acid denaturation (rabbit and shark lactate dehydrogenases); and (3) the reactivity of thiol groups of an enzyme (bovine glutamate dehydrogenase). Attaining osmotic equilibrium with seawater by these fishes has thus involved the selective accumulation of certain nitrogenous metabolites that individually have significant effects on protein structure, but that have virtually no net effects on proteins when these solutes are present at elasmobranch physiological concentrations. These experiments indicate that evolutionary changes in intracellular solute compositions as well as in protein amino acid sequences can have important roles in intracellular protein function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17485707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prospective, randomized study of single compared with double autologous stem-cell transplantation for multiple myeloma: Bologna 96 clinical study.\nWe performed a prospective, randomized study of single (arm A) versus double (arm B) autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for younger patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). A total of 321 patients were enrolled onto the study and were randomly assigned to receive either a single course of high-dose melphalan at 200 mg\/m2 (arm A) or melphalan at 200 mg\/m2 followed, after 3 to 6 months, by melphalan at 120 mg\/m2 and busulfan at 12 mg\/kilogram (arm B). As compared with assignment to the single-transplantation group (n = 163 patients), random assignment to receive double ASCT (n = 158 patients) significantly increased the probability to attain at least a near complete response (nCR; 33% v 47%, respectively; P = .008), prolonged relapse-free survival (RFS) duration of 18 months (median, 24 v 42 months, respectively; P < .001), and significantly extended event-free survival (EFS; median, 23 v 35 months, respectively; P = .001). Administration of a second transplantation and of novel agents for treating sequential relapses in up to 50% of patients randomly assigned to receive a single ASCT likely contributed to prolong the survival duration of the whole group, whose 7-year rate (46%) was similar to that of the double-transplantation group (43%; P = .90). Transplantation-related mortality was 3% in arm A and 4% in arm B (P = .70). In comparison with a single ASCT as up-front therapy for newly diagnosed MM, double ASCT effected superior CR or nCR rate, RFS, and EFS, but failed to significantly prolong overall survival. Benefits offered by double ASCT were particularly evident among patients who failed at least nCR after one autotransplantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16191594,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Environmental-induced acquisition of nuptial plumage expression: a role of denaturation of feather carotenoproteins?\nSeveral avian species show a bright carotenoid-based coloration during spring and following a period of duller coloration during the previous winter, despite carotenoids presumably being fully deposited in feathers during the autumn moult. Carotenoid-based breast feathers of male linnets (Carduelis cannabina) increased in hue (redness), saturation and brightness after exposing them to outdoor conditions from winter to spring. This represents the first experimental evidence showing that carotenoid-based plumage coloration may increase towards a colourful expression due to biotic or abiotic environmental factors acting directly on full-grown feathers when carotenoids may be fully functional. Sunlight ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was hypothesized to denature keratin and other proteins that might protect pigments from degradation by this and other environmental factors, suggesting that sunlight UV irradiation is a major factor in the colour increase from winter to spring. Feather proteins and other binding molecules, if existing in the follicles, may be linked to carotenoids since their deposition into feathers to protect colourful features of associated carotenoids during the non-breeding season when its main signalling function may be relaxed. Progress towards uncovering the significance of concealment and subsequent display of colour expression should consider the potential binding and protecting nature of feather proteins associated with carotenoids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15357659,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Protective effect of N-acetyl-serotonin on the nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation in rat testicular microsomes and mitochondria.\nN-acetyl-serotonin, the immediate precursor of melatonin in the tryptophan metabolic pathway in the pineal gland, has been reported to be an antioxidant. The aim of this study was to test the in vitro protective effect of N-acetyl-serotonin on the ascorbate-Fe(++) induced lipid peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) located in testis microsomes and mitochondria. We assayed increasing concentrations (0-10 mM) of N-acetyl-serotonin in testis microsomes and (0-1 mM) of N-acetyl-serotonin in testis mitochondria. Control experiments were performed by incubating microsomal and mitochondrial membranes with N-acetyl-serotonin in the absence of lipid peroxidation-inducing drugs. Special attention was paid to the changes produced on the highly PUFAs C20:4 n6 and C22:5 n6. The light emission (chemiluminescence) used as a marker of lipid peroxidation was similar in both organelles when the control and peroxidized groups were compared. N-acetyl-serotonin reduced lipid peroxidation in testicular microsomes or mitochondria for both C20:4 n6 and C22:5 n6. Both long chain PUFAs were protected when N-acetyl-serotonin was incorporated either into microsomes or mitochondria. The N-acetyl-serotonin concentration required to inhibit by approximately 70% lipid peroxidation process was 10 mM in microsomes and between 0.50 and 1 mM in mitochondria. IC 50 values calculated from the inhibition curve of N-acetyl-serotonin on the chemiluminescence rates were higher in microsomes (4.50 mM) than in mitochondria (0.25 mM). In these experimental conditions, N-acetyl-serotonin was about 18 times more potent in testicular mitochondria in inhibiting the oxidative processes than it was in testicular microsomes. These results suggest that the protective role of N-acetyl-serotonin in preserving the long PUFAs may be related to its ability to reduce lipid peroxidation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22047880,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Structural invariance of multiple intelligences, based on the level of execution.\nThe independence of multiple intelligences (MI) of Gardner's theory has been debated since its conception. This article examines whether the one- factor structure of the MI theory tested in previous studies is invariant for low and high ability students. Two hundred ninety-four children (aged 5 to 7) participated in this study. A set of Gardner's Multiple Intelligence assessment tasks based on the Spectrum Project was used. To analyze the invariance of a general dimension of intelligence, the different models of behaviours were studied in samples of participants with different performance on the Spectrum Project tasks with Multi-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA). Results suggest an absence of structural invariance in Gardner's tasks. Exploratory analyses suggest a three-factor structure for individuals with higher performance levels and a two-factor structure for individuals with lower performance levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6330083,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Protein-primed replication of plasmids containing the terminus of the adenovirus genome. II. Purification and characterization of a host protein required for the replication of DNA templates devoid of the terminal protein.\nA host protein, which is required for the replication of a plasmid DNA (pLA1), has been purified from extracts of uninfected HeLa nuclei. This plasmid DNA contains the origin of adenovirus DNA replication but lacks the 55,000-dalton terminal proteins. The purified host protein has been designated factor pL. Factor pL is essential for the initiation of DNA replication of EcoRI-digested pLA1 DNA, which proceeds via the formation of a covalent complex between the 80,000-dalton adenovirus coded preterminal protein and 5' dCMP. Factor pL has been purified approximately 120-fold to greater than 75% homogeneity. It is a heat labile and N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive protein with a native Mr = 39,000 (+\/- 2,000). Initiation of DNA replication using EcoRI-digested pLA1 DNA as the template requires the 80,000-dalton preterminal protein and the 140,000-dalton adenovirus DNA polymerase, in addition to factor pL, and is stimulated as much as 10-fold by nuclear factor I ( Nagata , K., Guggenheimer , R. A., Enomoto , T., Lichy , J. H., and Hurwitz , J. (1982) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 79, 6438-6442). Factor pL has no effect on in vitro DNA replication when adenovirus DNA covalently linked to the 55,000-dalton terminal protein is used as the template, however the replication of adenovirus DNA treated with Pronase, becomes totally dependent upon the addition of factor pL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8107220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Genomic cloning and complete sequence analysis of a highly divergent African human immunodeficiency virus isolate.\nAnalysis of the complete sequence of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) isolate (Ant70) obtained from a Cameroonian patient indicates that this virus is the most divergent strain within the HIV-1 family hitherto described. Comparison of the Pol protein, usually highly conserved within the HIV-1 family, shows only about 73% similarity with the HIVmm isolate, whereas for the more variable proteins such as envelope, similarities of 50% or lower are found. The principal neutralizing determinant (V3 loop) and the immunodominant region within gp41 also contain some unusual substitutions, which may have implications for protein function as well as for serological assays based on these regions. Phylogenetic analyses show that this isolate occupies a unique position relative to the human HIV-1 isolates and the recently described SIVcpz virus, indicating that this Cameroonian isolate may provide us with new insights into the origins of the HIV-1 family.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23716923,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Purple urine bag syndrome: A case report and review of literature.\nPurple urine bag syndrome (PUBS) is an infrequent condition, seen mostly in elderly female patients, characterized by an intense purple discoloration of contents of urine bag following long-term indwelling urinary catheterization. The purple discoloration is most often due to the presence of indigo and indirubin pigments which are metabolites of tryptophan. Urinary bacteria with indoxyl sulphatase activity metabolize indoxyl sulphate to produce indigo and indirubin, particularly in alkaline urine. We report an elderly woman with a urinary tract infection and constipation who presented with PUBS. The purple urine disappeared after antibiotic therapy and change of the urine bag. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of PUBS reported from this region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24505391,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Bacillus subtilis TRAP protein can induce transcription termination in the leader region of the tryptophan biosynthetic (trp) operon independent of the trp attenuator RNA.\nIn Bacillus subtilis, transcription of the tryptophan biosynthetic operon is regulated by an attenuation mechanism. When intracellular tryptophan levels are high, the TRAP protein binds to the 5' leader region of the nascent trp mRNA and induces transcription termination prior to the structural genes. In limiting tryptophan, TRAP does not bind and the operon is transcribed. Two competing RNA secondary structures termed the antiterminator and terminator (attenuator) can form in the leader region RNA. In prior attenuation models, the only role of TRAP binding was to alter the RNA secondary structure to allow formation of the attenuator, which has been thought function as an intrinsic transcription terminator. However, recent studies have shown that the attenuator is not an effective intrinsic terminator. From these studies it was not clear whether TRAP functions independently or requires the presence of the attenuator RNA structure. Hence we have further examined the role of the attenuator RNA in TRAP-mediated transcription termination. TRAP was found to cause efficient transcription termination in the trp leader region in vivo when the attenuator was mutated or deleted. However, TRAP failed to induce transcription termination at these mutant attenuators in a minimal in vitro transcription system with B. subtilis RNA polymerase. Further studies using this system showed that NusA as well as the timing of TRAP binding to RNA play a role in the observed differences in vivo and in vitro.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38130648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Pathogenetic mechanism and therapeutic target.\nChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common inflammatory airway disease characterized by enhanced inflammation. Recent studies suggest that mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) may play an important role in the regulation of inflammation and are involved in a serial of inflammatory diseases, and they may also be involved in COPD. This review highlights the potential role of mitochondrial DAMPs during COPD pathogenesis and discusses the therapeutic potential of targeting mitochondrial DAMPs and their related signaling pathways and receptors for COPD. Research progress on mitochondrial DAMPs may enhance our understanding of COPD inflammation and provide novel therapeutic targets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33670207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Relationship between Urban Green Spaces and Cancer: A Scoping Review.\nThis scoping study aims to explore the relationships between urban green spaces (UGSs) and the onset, remission and recovery of cancer. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews (protocol published in 2018). Eligibility criteria for papers were: (1) to be concerned with UGSs, (2) reporting effects of UGSs on cancer-related outcomes including direct or indirect measures, (3) reporting randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, case studies, observational studies, non-comparative studies, (4) in English or French. The search covered primary studies in the published and unpublished (grey) literatures searching by hand and electronic databases (MEDLINE, Green File, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and ScienceDirect). Among 1703 records screened by two reviewers independently, 29 were included for qualitative synthesis. We classify the cancers concerned and the effects reported i.e., protective effect, risk or without association. The most investigated cancers are bladder, breast and lung cancer. Our study also identified contributing factors and their mediating effects between UGSs and cancer. Even though the strength of the evidence of the associations between UGSs and cancer is still weak due to the low number of studies and their design, results highlight the wide variety of possible mediating factors between the use of green spaces and cancer occurrence, remission and\/or prevention. Knowledge gaps and future research perspectives should be oriented to qualitative research on protective factors with an attention to equity in UGS access and use.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2296496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Different high-frequency ventilator strategies: effect on the propagation of tracheobronchial histopathologic changes.\nTo assess the role of high-frequency ventilator strategy in the propagation of airway injury, we compared the tracheobronchial histologic alterations in 20 newborn piglets ventilated for 8 hours with high-frequency flow interruption (HFFI). Ten animals were assigned to HFFI with a strategy of continuous pulsations at a frequency of 10 Hz and a mean airway pressure of 16 cm H2O. Ten piglets were treated at identical settings except for 10 one-second baseline pauses per minute to a positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cm H2O. A semiquantitative scoring system was used to grade light microscopic tissue alterations in the trachea, carina, and mainstem bronchi. Ultrastructural changes were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy. The HFFI-continuous-treated piglets had significantly more damage in all areas than the HFFI-baseline pause group (P less than .001). The upper tracheas of animals in both groups were altered to a greater extent than the lower tracheas (P less than .007). In addition, numerous \"skip\" areas of injury were noted throughout the tracheas. High-frequency ventilator strategy is a determinant of the severity of airway histologic changes. Factors that adversely affect tissue oxygenation or cause direct mechanical trauma may also influence the degree of injury. Optimal operating characteristics and limitations of different high-frequency devices must be assessed before their use in human neonates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9637294,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Epitope mapping of bovine leukemia virus transactivator protein Tax.\nThe immunogenicity of the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) transactivator protein (tax) was studied by mapping its B-cell and T-cell epitopes. Peptides (18 to 20-mer) overlapping by 10 amino acids, spanning whole amino acid sequence of BLVtax were synthesized. Recombinant BLVtax protein was used to immunize two different strains of mice, C57BL\/6 and BALB\/c. B-cell and T-cell epitopes of recombinant BLVtax protein was determined by screening all the 30 synthetic peptides, against immune serum in ELISA for antibody reactivity, and against immune spleen cells in lymphocyte proliferation assay for T-cell stimulation. Peptides with amino acids at position 111-130 and 131-150 were T-cell epitopes for C57BL\/6 and BALB\/c mice immune cells, respectively. B-cell epitope was mapped to amino acid sequence at 261-280 in both strains of mice. These results imply that BLVtax protein contains some of BLV- immunodominant epitopes and this information may be applied for designing an effective peptide vaccine capable of inducing neutralizing antibodies as well as cellular immunity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23207743,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Understanding stalking behaviors by individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and recommended prevention strategies for school settings.\nStalking behavior among some students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) is of concern both for the individual being stalked as well as the student with ASDs. This manuscript reviews effective interventions based upon functional assessment and appropriate positive behavior supports. Specific interventions for addressing staking behavior by students with ASDs are analyzed and evaluated with suggestions for best practice for instructional procedures. Interventions covered are social skills groups, video modeling, self-management, video feedback, rule governed behavior, scripts, visual supports, counseling, psychopharmacology and reducing the amount of isolating interests and activities while increasing more opportunities for integration. Recommendations for future research are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8935031,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hard-copy provisional appliances in the rehabilitation of the edentulous patient.\nA technique is described whereby a diagnostic appliance simulating an implant-supported fixed prosthesis for the edentulous patient can be made quickly and relatively inexpensively. Such an appliance gives the patient an understanding of the physical limitations of various modalities of prosthodontic restoration. It is a tool that permits both the patient and the dentist to assess functional, esthetic, and phonetic criteria in the realistic setting of everyday usage. Important decisions regarding future treatment can thus be finalized before a huge financial commitment is made. It is a highly cost-effective technique, both financially and emotionally.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26220850,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Partnering with Indigenous student co-researchers: improving research processes and outcomes.\nTo examine the contribution of student co-researchers to a community-based participatory Photovoice investigation of Indigenous children's food-related lived experience. We examine co-researchers' contributions to the research process, their role in knowledge co-generation and dissemination, and factors that fostered research partnership with the teenage co-researchers. High school students attending a First Nation community school in Canada were trained as research partners. They contributed to aspects of research design, conducted interviews with grades 3 and 4 Photovoice participants, and participated in data analysis and the development of a culturally relevant photobook. The study was initiated by the community's research committee. It is informed by critical consciousness theory and the positive youth development framework. Student co-researchers incorporated culturally appropriate strategies as they interviewed participants. Co-researchers adopted conversational approaches, built rapport by articulating personal and cultural connections, and engaged in mentoring and health promotion as they interviewed participants. They made critical contributions to dissemination by developing photobook content that promoted the importance of traditional foods and the vital role of family and community in healthy eating practices. Relationships and \"dialogic\" space were important to building partnership with and promoting capacity development among youth co-researchers. Partnership between university researchers and Indigenous student co-researchers holds great promise for health promotion in communities. Co-researchers developed research and leadership skills, gained understanding of health challenges facing their community, and initiated health and cultural promotion through the project's Photobook. This investigation supports the powerful potential of student co-researchers to meaningfully contribute to research processes and to build knowledge that is relevant and credible both within and outside of their communities. Findings have implications for youth, communities and researchers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1209211,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pulmonary artery pressure measurements in surgical patients.\nIn 23 patients, Swan-Ganz catheters for the measurement of the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) were introduced on the day before elective vascular surgery. The following parameters were measured: pulmonary artery mean pressure (PAMP), pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), pulmonary artery end-diastolic pressure (PAED), central venous pressure (CVP), arterial blood pressure (BP), pulse, plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) and blood volume. Pre-operatively, resting pressures and pressures during exercise and fluid infusion were measured. Continuous pressure measurements were made during induction of anaesthesia and operation and during the first 24 postoperative hours. The pre-operative PAP was an important parameter among those contra-indicating operation, particularly so in 5 patients, in 3 of whom the ultimate decision was made as a direct consequence of PAP. In one case, a sudden marked increase in PAP preceded all other signs of severe deterioration in the patient's condition by some 7 hours. In the period of apnoea immediately prior to and during endotracheal intubation, PAP and CVP rises were as marked as during the pre-operative exercise test. This exercise was strenuous, and the exercise PAP is thought to give perhaps the most reliable expression of the cardiac reserve. Finally, PAP was found to be a substantially more sensitive parameter of blood loss and adequacy of replacement than CVP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27219275,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Corticosteroids Are Essential for Maintaining Cardiovascular Function in Male Mice.\nActivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis results in the release of hormones from the adrenal glands, including glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. The physiological association between corticosteroids and cardiac disease is becoming increasingly recognized; however, the mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. To determine the biological effects of corticosteroids on the heart, we investigated the impact of adrenalectomy in C57BL\/6 male mice. Animals were adrenalectomized (ADX) at 1 month of age and maintained for 3-6 months after surgery to evaluate the effects of long-term adrenalectomy on cardiac function. Morphological evaluation suggested that ADX mice showed significantly enlarged hearts compared with age-matched intact controls. These changes in morphology correlated with deficits in left ventricular (LV) function and electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities in ADX mice. Correlating with these functional defects, gene expression analysis of ADX hearts revealed aberrant expression of a large cohort of genes associated with cardiac hypertrophy and arrhythmia. Combined corticosterone and aldosterone replacement treatment prevented the emergence of cardiac abnormalities in ADX mice, whereas corticosterone replacement prevented the effects of adrenalectomy on LV function but did not block the emergence of ECG alterations. Aldosterone replacement did not preserve the LV function but prevented ECG abnormalities. Together, the data indicate that adrenal glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids either directly or indirectly have selective effects in the heart and their signaling pathways are essential in maintaining normal cardiac function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36805245,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Adaptive Design Optimization as a Promising Tool for Reliable and Efficient Computational Fingerprinting.\nA key challenge in understanding mental (dys)functions is their etiological and functional heterogeneity, and several multidimensional assessments have been proposed for their comprehensive characterization. However, such assessments require lengthy testing, which may hinder reliable and efficient characterization of individual differences due to increased fatigue and distraction, especially in clinical populations. Computational modeling may address this challenge as it often provides more reliable measures of latent neurocognitive processes underlying observed behaviors and captures individual differences better than traditional assessments. However, even with a state-of-the-art hierarchical modeling approach, reliable estimation of model parameters still requires a large number of trials. Recent work suggests that Bayesian adaptive design optimization (ADO) is a promising way to address these challenges. With ADO, experimental design is optimized adaptively from trial to trial to extract the maximum amount of information about an individual's characteristics. In this review, we first describe the ADO methodology and then summarize recent work demonstrating that ADO increases the reliability and efficiency of latent neurocognitive measures. We conclude by discussing the challenges and future directions of ADO and proposing development of ADO-based computational fingerprints to reliably and efficiently characterize the heterogeneous profiles of psychiatric disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8383010,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Identification and characterization of a novel matrix-degrading protease from hormone-dependent human breast cancer cells.\nA novel matrix-degrading enzyme was identified from human breast cancer cells. This enzyme appears as major gelatinase in hormone-dependent breast cancer cell lines and has as an apparent molecular mass of 80 kDa on gelatin zymography. The 80-kDa enzyme has a unique metal ion specificity. In addition to calcium ions, the gelatinolytic activity can be supported by manganese and\/or magnesium. Unlike 92- and 72-kDa gelatinases and other known members of the metalloproteinase family, the 80-kDa protease is not activated by p-aminophenylmercuric acetate and its gelatinolytic activity is not inhibited by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2. It is active over the pH range 7.5-9.5 with an optimum at pH 8.5. The enzyme degrades gelatin and type IV collagen. The proteolytic activity of the enzyme is inhibited by EDTA and leupeptin. These unique features clearly distinguish the 80-kDa protease from the known 92-and 72-kDa gelatinases. The expression of 80-kDa enzyme can be detected in hormone-dependent human breast cancer cell lines in vitro and in tumors grown from these cells in athymic nude mice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9662497,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of wheat germ agglutinin and colchicine on microtubules of the mitochondria-rich cells and Ca2+ uptake in tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) larvae.\nThe organization of the microtubules and actin filaments in the gills of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) larvae was revealed by confocal microscopy. The fluorescence intensity of the microtubules in the gills was increased by adding wheat germ agglutinin (WGA, 40 ng ml-1) to the ambient water for 30 min, but the staining pattern of the actin filaments was not changed. The fluorescence intensity of the microtubules in the gills was decreased by treatment with the microtubule-disrupting reagent colchicine at 0.2 mmol l-1 for 4 h. WGA treatment concurrently raised Ca2+ influx rates, and the increase was particularly large when the larvae were kept in water with extremely low Ca2+ levels ([Ca2+]=0.002 mmol l-1). Colchicine treatment, in contrast, reduced the Ca2+ influx rate. These results indicate that the microtubule network in tilapia gills, particularly in mitochondria-rich cells, could play a critical role in the uptake of Ca2+ in tilapia larvae.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2321620,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Magnetic field exposure from electric appliances and childhood cancer.\nThe effect on childhood cancer of prolonged exposure to 60-H magnetic fields from electric appliances was examined using interview data from a recently completed case-control study. Exposures of children aged 0-14 years whose incident cancers were diagnosed between 1976 and 1983 and who resided in the Denver, Colorado, Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area were compared with those of controls selected by random digit dialing, matched on age, sex, and telephone exchange area. Parents of 252 cases and 222 controls were interviewed at home about the use of electric appliances by the mother during pregnancy (prenatal exposure) and by the child (postnatal exposure). After adjustment for income, prenatal electric blanket exposure was associated with a small increase in the incidence of childhood cancers (odds ratio (OR) = 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-2.2) that was more pronounced for leukemia (OR = 1.7, 95% CI 0.8-3.6) and brain cancer (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.1-5.5). Postnatal exposure to electric blankets was also weakly associated with childhood cancer (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 0.6-3.4), with a larger but imprecise association with acute lymphocytic leukemia (OR = 1.9, 95% CI 0.6-6.5). Water beds and bedside electric clocks were unrelated to childhood cancer incidence. Results are limited by nonresponse and imprecision resulting from the rarity of appliance use, especially for subgroups of cases. Nonetheless, electric blankets, one of the principal sources of prolonged magnetic field exposure, were weakly associated with childhood cancer and warrant a more thorough evaluation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27895568,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Feasibility of a Mobile Cognitive Intervention in Childhood Absence Epilepsy.\nChildren with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) frequently present with cognitive comorbidities and school performance concerns. The present study evaluated the feasibility of an intervention for such comorbidities using a mobile cognitive therapy application on an iPad. Eight children with CAE and school concerns aged 7-11 participated in a 4-week intervention. They were asked to use the application for 80 min per week (20 min\/day, 4 times\/week). Parents and children completed satisfaction surveys regarding the application. Participants were evaluated before and after the intervention using the Cognitive Domain of the NIH Toolbox and by parental completion of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function. All eight patients completed the study, using the iPad for an average of 78 min\/week. Children and parents reported high satisfaction with the application. Though a demonstration of efficacy was not the focus of the study, performance improvements were noted on a processing speed task and on a measure of fluid intelligence. An iPad based cognitive therapy was found to be a feasible intervention for children with CAE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27869049,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Exclusion of overlapping symptoms in DSM-5 mixed features specifier: heuristic diagnostic and treatment implications.\nThis article focuses on the controversial decision to exclude the overlapping symptoms of distractibility, irritability, and psychomotor agitation (DIP) with the introduction of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) mixed features specifier. In order to understand the placement of mixed states within the current classification system, we first review the evolution of mixed states. Then, using Kraepelin's original classification of mixed states, we compare and contrast his conceptualization with modern day definitions. The DSM-5 workgroup excluded DIP symptoms, arguing that they lack the ability to differentiate between manic and depressive states; however, accumulating evidence suggests that DIP symptoms may be core features of mixed states. We suggest a return to a Kraepelinian approach to classification-with mood, ideation, and activity as key axes-and reintegration of DIP symptoms as features that are expressed across presentations. An inclusive definition of mixed states is urgently needed to resolve confusion in clinical practice and to redirect future research efforts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30904399,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Sentinel lymph node detection using fluorescein and blue light-emitting diodes in patients with breast carcinoma: A single-center prospective study.\nSentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy is an essential procedure for lymph node staging in patients with breast carcinoma. Technetium-99m-labelled nanocolloid (99mTc) is the most accurate and widely used lymphatic mapping agent; however, there are concerns pertaining to the associated exposure to radiation. Studies focusing on new agents are required. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of SLN detection using fluorescein and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in breast carcinoma patients. In this prospective study, a total of 61 patients with breast carcinoma, requiring SLN biopsy, were enrolled. Both fluorescein and 99mTc were intradermally injected into the areola of the affected breast of each patient. SLNs stained with fluorescein were detected using blue LED light first, and then, any remaining SLNs were detected using a gamma detection probe. The detection rate was analyzed, and the presence of complications was investigated. SLNs dyed with fluorescein using blue LED light were visualized in 57 of 61 patients (93.4%). None of the patients experienced complications related to the use of fluorescein or blue LED light. The detection of SLNs using fluorescein and blue LED light was feasible and safe in patients with breast carcinoma. This technique involves the use of visible light, allowing for SLNs to be viewed with the naked eye, and is quantifiable, easy to use, and economical.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22322672,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"A shared MHC supertype motif emerges by convergent evolution in macaques and mice, but is totally absent in human MHC molecules.\nThe SIV-infected rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the most established model of AIDS disease systems, providing insight into pathogenesis and a model system for testing novel vaccines. The understanding of cellular immune responses based on the identification and study of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, including their MHC:peptide-binding motif, provides valuable information to decipher outcomes of infection and vaccine efficacy. Detailed characterization of Mamu-B*039:01, a common allele expressed in Chinese rhesus macaques, revealed a unique MHC:peptide-binding preference consisting of glycine at the second position. Peptides containing a glycine at the second position were shown to be antigenic from animals positive for Mamu-B*039:01. A similar motif was previously described for the D(d) mouse MHC allele, but for none of the human HLA molecules for which a motif is known. Further investigation showed that one additional macaque allele, present in Indian rhesus macaques, Mamu-B*052:01, shares this same motif. These \"G2\" alleles were associated with the presence of specific residues in their B pocket. This pocket structure was found in 6% of macaque sequences but none of 950 human HLA class I alleles. Evolutionary studies using the \"G2\" alleles points to common ancestry for the macaque sequences, while convergent evolution is suggested when murine and macaque sequences are considered. This is the first detailed characterization of the pocket residues yielding this specific motif in nonhuman primates and mice, revealing a new supertype motif not present in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11719876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lipoblastoma and lipoblastomatosis: a report of two cases and review of the literature.\nLipoblastoma and lipoblastomatosis are rare benign neoplasms of foetal white fat tissue that occur almost exclusively in infants and children. Two cases are reported and a review of the literature is given. An almost one-year-old girl and a full-term male infant were brought to our hospital with a solid mass in the right thigh. Nine months after total excision of the lipoblastoma, the little girl developed tumour recurrence, with unexpected histopathological maturation. In the case of the little boy, lipoblastomatosis with infiltration of the surrounding muscles, together with involvement of the sciatic and posterior femoral cutaneous nerves was found. Histologically, the tumour showed an unusual inflammatory reaction. The diagnosis of this tumour was made by the pathologist, but the histopathological picture bears a striking similarity to myxoid liposarcoma, and may be indistinguishable. Recent studies describe rearrangements of chromosome 8 q11-q13 region as a new discriminative marker that distinguishes lipoblastoma and lipoblastomatosis from myxoid liposarcoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6173100,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Intracellular plasma proteins in human fetal choroid plexus during development. II. The distribution of prealbumin, albumin, alpha-fetoprotein, transferrin, IgG, IgA, IgM, and alpha 1-antitrypsin.\nIndividual choroid plexuses of human fetal brain at different developmental stages were investigated by an indirect immunoperoxidase technique. The number and distribution of prealbumin-, albumin-, alpha-fetoprotein-, transferrin-, IgG-, IgA-, IgM- and alpha 1-antitrypsin-containing choroid plexus epithelial cells were recorded. The distribution of prealbumin in choroid plexus epithelial cells differed from that of other plasma proteins identified in these cells. Prealbumin was present in more than 90% of the cells at all ages examined in contrast to albumin, alpha-fetoprotein, transferrin and IgG, which were found in less than 40% of the cells, and this proportion declined later in gestation to only a few per cent. The telencephalic plexus exhibited a staining pattern for the proteins, except for prealbumin, which was different from that of the diencephalic and myelencephalic plexuses. Double-staining and staining with polyvalent antiserum indicated that the same epithelial cells showed positive reaction for albumin, alpha-fetoprotein, transferrin and IgG. The results are related to the observation of a high concentration of plasma protein in fetal CSF which may result from transcellular transfer from blood to CSF across the choroid plexus epithelial cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12356766,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Structural requirements for mutational lutropin\/choriogonadotropin receptor activation.\nDifferent activation mechanisms of glycoprotein hormone receptors, which are members of the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily, have been proposed. For example, the large ectodomain of glycoprotein hormone receptors may function as an inverse agonist keeping the transmembrane domain in an inactive conformation. To provide support for this hypothesis, we have generated different lutropin\/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHR) constructs lacking the ectodomain. Although some ectodomain-deficient LHR constructs were targeted to the cell surface, cAMP levels remained unchanged under basal conditions and agonist application but could be increased by a mutation within the transmembrane domain 6 (D578H). Taking advantage of a constitutive activating mutation (S277N) located in the extracellular domain, we showed that the intact leucine-rich repeat-containing ectodomain is essential for constitutive activation of the LHR by mutation of the hinge region. Our findings support an activation scenario in which agonist binding or mutational alterations expose a structure within the ectodomain, which then activates the transmembrane core.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22537610,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Regional plantar pressure during walking, stair ascent and descent.\nRegional plantar pressures during stair walking may be injurious in at risk populations. However, limited data are available examining the reliability of plantar pressure data collected during stair walking. The aims of this study were three fold; to assess the reliability of the plantar pressure data recorded during stair walking, to assess the effects of level ground and stair walking on plantar loading, and to develop regression equations to predict regional plantar pressures in stair walking from those collected on level ground. Fifteen subjects without conditions affecting their ability to walk on level surfaces or stairs were recruited. Each participant performed at least 10 steps in level ground and stair walking while plantar pressure data were recorded in six foot regions. Reliability was assessed using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to assess the effect of activity on plantar pressure, and a linear regression was used to predict forefoot loading during stair walking. A reliability of 0.9 was achieved within 10 steps in all foot regions, with the forefoot requiring fewer steps. Plantar pressures were influenced by both, foot region and activity, with the heel and forefoot regions generally experiencing lower peak pressures and maximal forces during stair walking than level ground walking. The regression equations predicting peak pressure during stair walking accounted for between 37% and 70% of the variance of the stair walking data. These findings establish the reliability of plantar pressure data collected during stair walking. Future studies should investigate these parameters in clinical populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1209204,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Surgical correction of aortic valve stenosis with persistent ductus arterious and servere pulmonary hypertension.\nThis is a report of a case in which the unusual association of severe aortic valve stenosis with persistent ductus arteriosus complicated by severe pulmonary hypertension, was diagnosed and correction of the anatomical lesions carried out in one stage. Re-investigation after one year showed that the duct was closed, the pulmonary artery pressure was lower than before the operation and the gradient across the aortic valve reduced. A modern approach to treatment based on full cardiac assessment is stressed. Problems arising during the operation are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23716920,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intracranial hypertension: An unusual presentation of mucormycosis in a kidney transplant recipient.\nIdiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), once called pseudotumor cerebri, presents with nonspecific signs and symptoms of increased intracranial pressure and papilledema, and is associated with high risk of loss of vision. Zygomycosis is a rare but serious fungal infection seen occasionally among renal transplant recipients in the late transplant period with high mortality risk. Early diagnosis coupled with multidisciplinary care can salvage the patient from the risk of death. We present an unusual case of adult renal transplant recipient with IIH followed by rhinocerebral zygomycosis secondary to amplified immunosuppression that was managed successfully.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27568868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Enhanced oral delivery of risperidone through a novel self-nanoemulsifying powder (SNEP) formulations: in-vitro and ex-vivo assessment.\nThe oral delivery of risperidone encounters a number of problems, such as pH dependent solubility and low bioavailability, due to its lipophilicity and aqueous insolubility. To improve the solubility, dissolution and intestinal permeation thereby bioavailability of risperidone through a novel self-nanoemulsifying powder (SNEP) formulations. Oleic acid, Tween\u00ae 20, PEG 600 and Aerosil\u00ae 200 were chosen as oil, surfactant, co-surfactant and carrier, respectively from solubility and emulsification studies. Ternary phase diagram was constructed to determine emulsifying region. The Z-average and polydispersity Index of developed formulation was 83.1 nm and 0.306, respectively. Ex vivo permeation studies on isolated rat intestine indicated that the amount of risperidone permeated from SNEP formulation was increased around 4- and 1.8-fold than that of pure drug and marketed formulation, respectively. This developed SNEP formulations can be regarded as novel and commercially feasible alternative to the current risperidone formulations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38172648,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The regulatory relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and noncoding RNA.\nSignal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), as a key node in numerous carcinogenic signaling pathways, is activated in various tumor tissues and plays important roles in tumor formation, metastasis, and drug resistance. STAT3 is considered a potential subtarget for tumor therapy. Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) is a special type of RNA transcript. Transforming from \"junk\" transcripts into key molecules involved in cell apoptosis, growth, and functional regulation, ncRNA has been proven to be closely related to various epithelial-mesenchymal transition and drug resistance processes in tumor cells over the past few decades. Research on the relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and ncRNAs has attracted increased attention. To date, existing reviews have mainly focused on the regulation by ncRNAs on the transcription factor STAT3; there has been no review of the regulation by STAT3 on ncRNAs. However, understanding the regulation of ncRNAs by STAT3 and its mechanism is important to comprehensively understand the mutual regulatory relationship between STAT3 and ncRNAs. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the regulation by transcription factor STAT3 on long noncoding RNA, microRNA, and circular RNA and its possible mechanisms. In addition, we provide an update on research progress on the regulation of STAT3 by ncRNAs. This will provide a new perspective to comprehensively understand the regulatory relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and ncRNAs, as well as targeting STAT3 or ncRNAs to treat diseases such as tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23717200,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prolonged influenza virus shedding and emergence of antiviral resistance in immunocompromised patients and ferrets.\nImmunocompromised individuals tend to suffer from influenza longer with more serious complications than otherwise healthy patients. Little is known about the impact of prolonged infection and the efficacy of antiviral therapy in these patients. Among all 189 influenza A virus infected immunocompromised patients admitted to ErasmusMC, 71 were hospitalized, since the start of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. We identified 11 (15%) cases with prolonged 2009 pandemic virus replication (longer than 14 days), despite antiviral therapy. In 5 out of these 11 (45%) cases oseltamivir resistant H275Y viruses emerged. Given the inherent difficulties in studying antiviral efficacy in immunocompromised patients, we have infected immunocompromised ferrets with either wild-type, or oseltamivir-resistant (H275Y) 2009 pandemic virus. All ferrets showed prolonged virus shedding. In wild-type virus infected animals treated with oseltamivir, H275Y resistant variants emerged within a week after infection. Unexpectedly, oseltamivir therapy still proved to be partially protective in animals infected with resistant virus. Immunocompromised ferrets offer an attractive alternative to study efficacy of novel antiviral therapies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17804504,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"High fidelity of murine hepatitis virus replication is decreased in nsp14 exoribonuclease mutants.\nReplication fidelity of RNA virus genomes is constrained by the opposing necessities of generating sufficient diversity for adaptation and maintaining genetic stability, but it is unclear how the largest viral RNA genomes have evolved and are maintained under these constraints. A coronavirus (CoV) nonstructural protein, nsp14, contains conserved active-site motifs of cellular exonucleases, including DNA proofreading enzymes, and the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV) nsp14 has 3'-to-5' exoribonuclease (ExoN) activity in vitro. Here, we show that nsp14 ExoN remarkably increases replication fidelity of the CoV murine hepatitis virus (MHV). Replacement of conserved MHV ExoN active-site residues with alanines resulted in viable mutant viruses with growth and RNA synthesis defects that during passage accumulated 15-fold more mutations than wild-type virus without changes in growth fitness. The estimated mutation rate for ExoN mutants was similar to that reported for other RNA viruses, whereas that of wild-type MHV was less than the established rates for RNA viruses in general, suggesting that CoVs with intact ExoN replicate with unusually high fidelity. Our results indicate that nsp14 ExoN plays a critical role in prevention or repair of nucleotide incorporation errors during genome replication. The established mutants are unique tools to test the hypothesis that high replication fidelity is required for the evolution and stability of large RNA genomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35974478,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Plant growth regulators control ozone damage to wheat yield.\n\u2022 Tropospheric ozone (O3 ) is damaging to plants and decreases crop yields. This study investigated the role of two plant growth regulators in affecting wheat-yield responses to elevated [O3 ]. In a controlled factorial experiment, wheat plants were treated with combinations of Ethephon, which releases ethene, Chlormequat, which blocks gibberellin synthesis, and elevated [O3 ]. \u2022 Spring-wheat plants were subjected to lifelong exposures to ambient or moderately elevated [O3 ]. At flag-leaf emergence, the plants were treated with Ethephon and\/or Chlormequat, or untreated (controls). Gas-exchange measurements were made at anthesis; morphology, biomass, and yield components were recorded at harvest. \u2022 Elevated [O3 ] accelerated development and decreased the number of grains per ear and ears per plant. Chlormequat abolished these O3 effects, protecting against yield reduction though not biomass loss. Ethephon treatment partially protected against O3 -induced biomass loss though not yield reduction. \u2022 This study suggests that the effects of elevated [O3 ] on development and allocation are more important in determining the yield response of wheat than the accompanying decline in photosynthesis and biomass accumulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21956406,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Current cigarette smoking prevalence among working adults--United States, 2004-2010.\nCigarette smoking is among the most important modifiable risk factors for adverse health outcomes and a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Current cigarette smoking prevalence among all adults aged \u226518 years has decreased 42.4% since 1965, but declines in current smoking prevalence have slowed during the past 5 years (declining from 20.9% in 2005 to 19.3% in 2010) and did not meet the Healthy People 2010 (HP2010) objective to reduce cigarette smoking among adults to \u226412%. Targeted workplace tobacco control interventions have been effective in reducing smoking prevalence and exposure to secondhand smoke; therefore, CDC analyzed National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data for 2004-2010 to describe current cigarette smoking prevalence among currently working U.S. adults by industry and occupation. This report describes the results of that analysis, which found that, overall, age-adjusted cigarette smoking prevalence among working adults was 19.6% and was highest among those with less than a high school education (28.4%), those with no health insurance (28.6%), those living below the federal poverty level (27.7%), and those aged 18-24 years (23.8%). Substantial differences in smoking prevalence were observed across industry and occupation groups. By industry, age-adjusted cigarette smoking prevalence among working adults ranged from 9.7% in education services to 30.0% in mining; by occupation group, prevalence ranged from 8.7% in education, training, and library to 31.4% in construction and extraction. Although some progress has been made in reducing smoking prevalence among working adults, additional effective employer interventions need to be implemented, including health insurance coverage for cessation treatments, easily accessible help for those who want to quit, and smoke-free workplace policies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30087287,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"PGC-1\u03b1 Protects RPE Cells of the Aging Retina against Oxidative Stress-Induced Degeneration through the Regulation of Senescence and Mitochondrial Quality Control. The Significance for AMD Pathogenesis.\nPGC-1\u03b1 (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha) is a transcriptional coactivator of many genes involved in energy management and mitochondrial biogenesis. PGC-1\u03b1 expression is associated with cellular senescence, organismal aging, and many age-related diseases, including AMD (age-related macular degeneration), an important global issue concerning vision loss. We and others have developed a model of AMD pathogenesis, in which stress-induced senescence of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells leads to AMD-related pathological changes. PGC-1\u03b1 can decrease oxidative stress, a key factor of AMD pathogenesis related to senescence, through upregulation of antioxidant enzymes and DNA damage response. PGC-1\u03b1 is an important regulator of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), which is targeted in the therapy of wet AMD, the most devastating form of AMD. Dysfunction of mitochondria induces cellular senescence associated with AMD pathogenesis. PGC-1\u03b1 can improve mitochondrial biogenesis and negatively regulate senescence, although this function of PGC-1\u03b1 in AMD needs further studies. Post-translational modifications of PGC-1\u03b1 by AMPK (AMP kinase) and SIRT1 (sirtuin 1) are crucial for its activation and important in AMD pathogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19594244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Neuroticism and locus of control as moderators of the relationships of charismatic and autocratic leadership with burnout.\nThis study examined the moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between leader behavior and burnout. In two samples, employees (N = 91; N = 190) filled out the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and rated their leader's autocratic and charismatic leader behavior and their own neuroticism and internal work locus of control. As expected, neuroticism and internal work locus of control moderated the relationship between leader behavior and burnout. Charisma was associated with lower burnout, particularly for individuals low on internal locus. The relationship between autocratic leadership and burnout was positive for neurotic individuals, whereas for emotionally stable individuals this relationship weakened. These results were consistent across two independent samples: one with individual employee ratings of manager's leadership styles and the other with aggregate ratings of manager's leadership styles among employees in diverse organizations. Thus, although charismatic and autocratic leader behavior may respectively act to hinder or enhance overload and stress, the relationship between these leadership styles and burnout differs for followers with different traits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11405082,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A comparison of views of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus and diabetes educators about barriers to diet and exercise.\nDiet and exercise are the cornerstones of treatment for persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus, yet patients find these areas of self-management to be the most difficult. Considerable research has indicated that barriers to diet and exercise are critical influences determining adherence to diet and exercise plans. Standards of practice require educators to assess patient barriers to self-management. However, little research has investigated whether patients and educators perceive these barriers similarly. This project's objectives were to compare and contrast patients' and educators' perspectives of patient barriers to following a meal or exercise plan, and to identify differences in patients' perceived barriers as related to patient characteristics. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (n = 97) from three eastern Washington area hospitals and diabetes educators (n = 143) from the Washington Association of Diabetes Educators (WADE) were recruited for a mail survey. From the patient survey, the proportion of patients on meal plan (52%) or exercise plan (26%) was low. Certain barriers were prominent for both patients and educators relative to diet (difficulty maintaining a diet away from home, liking foods not in the meal plan) and exercise (not a high priority, weather). However, multivariate analyses indicated that patients and educators view barriers differently. Similarities and differences between educators and patients in response to barriers are discussed relative to enhancing diabetes counseling and education, and overall communication between educators and patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30198457,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Dysphagia characteristics in Huntington's disease patients: insights from the Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing and the Swallowing Disturbances Questionnaire.\nHuntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by increasing dysphagia as the disease progresses. Specific characteristics of the HD dysphagia are not well defined. To characterize the swallowing disturbances of HD patients, to evaluate the feasibility of Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) in assessing dysphagia in HD patients, and to discern the relation between FEES findings and patients' self-report on dysphagia symptoms and swallowing related quality of life (SWAL-QOL). A retrospective case series in a tertiary referral center. All recruited HD patients underwent Bed Side Swallowing Evaluation (BSE), FEES, the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). All completed the Swallowing Disturbances Questionnaire (SDQ) and the SWAL-QOL questionnaire. Fourteen HD patients were recruited. All were able to complete the FEES study. The FEES demonstrated delayed swallowing reflex, solid food residues, and pre\/post swallowing spillage in most patients (50%, 53.5%, 83.3%, and 87.5%, respectively). The mean SDQ score was 13.2. Significant correlations were found between the SWAL-QOL fear of eating score; the SDQ oral, pharyngeal, and total scores; and the FEES parameters of pureed and solid food bolus flow time. Significant correlations were also found between the total UHDRS score, the volitional cough score, and the SWAL-QOL disease burden score. HD patients exhibit prominent unique oropharyngeal dysphagia features that may serve as a marker of disease progression. The FEES and the SDQ are valuable tools for detecting these features in HD patients with swallowing disturbance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1319289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural classification of peripheral neuropathies with onion-bulbs.\nBy immunochemically and ultrastructurally identifying cellular components of onion-bulbs (Obs), this study attempts to delineate and classify types of hypertrophic neuropathies which are otherwise obscured by proliferation of the morphologically similar cells forming Obs. Fourteen cases with different forms of chronic localized or generalized hypertrophic neuropathy with Obs were retrospectively studied to include: one Dejerine-Sottas (D-S); two Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT); three chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP); one inflammatory localized hypertrophic mononeuritis (LHM); two perineuriomas (PNM); one traumatic amputation neuroma (TAN); one chronic diabetic neuropathy (CDN); two neurofibromas (NF); and one chronic arsenic polyneuropathy (AsPN). By immunostaining with 7 selected antibodies, we can distinguish at least 4 nosologically distinct types of neuropathy by identifying cellular components of given Obs: 1) primarily Schwann cells with no perineurial cells or macrophages in CMT or D-S, 2) predominantly Schwann cells, activated macrophages and a few fibroblasts in CIDP and LHM, 3) primarily perineurial and a few central Schwann cells with no macrophages in PNM and TAN, and 4) exclusively perineurial cells in the hamartomatous PNM associated with NF.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3979654,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Changes in histological differentiation of human tumors transplanted to athymic nude mice: a morphometric study.\nDiffering conclusions have been reached regarding the phenotypic stability of human tumors transplanted to athymic nude mice. Since previous conflicting studies of tumor histology have been largely subjective, quantitative methodology was applied to an analysis of 13 human adenocarcinoma tumor lines that were originally derived directly from surgical specimens. Glandular differentiation was quantitated, both in the original human tumor (OHT) and in a minimum of 6 serial passages of the nude mouse-grown tumors (MGT), by means of point counting. A significant change in differentiation was noted in 12 lines, with 9 showing a decrease. Variance from the OHT was most commonly noted in the initial MGT, but additional changes were also noted in 8 lines during subsequent passages. Most of the lines also showed increased necrosis in the MGTs. Since histological differentiation and necrosis are related to tumor aggressiveness, it would appear that the predominant tendency was to evolve toward a more malignant phenotype. These changes may mimic those seen in human tumor metastases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7291143,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Circadian rhythm of cortisol levels and its precursors in different phases of the menstrual cycle in baboons].\nRadioimmunoassays were used to study in experiments on sacred baboons the circadian rhythms of dehydrocortisone, 11-deoxycortisol, progesterone, pregnenolone and 17-hydroxypregnenolone in the folliculin and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. The circadian rhythms of dehydrocortisone and 11-deoxycortisol secretion were seen in both phases of the cycle. The maximum content of the plasma steroids were recorded in the morning while the minimum one in the evening and at night. The circadian rhythm of the progesterone level in the folliculin phase correlated with the time course of changes in dehydrocortisone concentration. In the luteal phase, the maximum hormonal levels were seen in the evening and at night. The circadian rhythms of pregnenolone and 17-hydroxypregnenolone secretion were not pronounced in the folliculin phase. However, in the second half of the cycle, the amplitude of circadian rhythms increased, correlating with the dehydrocortisone level rhythm. The daily average concentration of the adrenal steroids tended to decrease in the luteal phase of the baboon menstrual cycle.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31543086,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Associations of Lipid Levels and Cognition: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study\/Study of Latinos.\nHispanics\/Latinos in the United States are less aware of their cholesterol levels and have a higher burden of associated adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular outcomes than non-Latino whites. Investigations of the associations between cholesterol levels and cognition in this population have often occurred within the context of metabolic syndrome and are limited to select lipids despite the fact that triglycerides (TGs) may be more relevant to the health of Hispanics\/Latinos. Baseline data from the Hispanic Community Health Study\/Study of Latinos, collected from 2008 to 2011, was used to investigate the associations of lipid levels (i.e., TG, total cholesterol, TC; low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C) with cognition (i.e., learning, memory, verbal fluency, and digit symbol substitution, DSS), adjusting for relevant confounders. In 7413 participants ages 45 to 74 years from Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American backgrounds, separate, fully adjusted linear regression models revealed that TG levels were inversely associated with DSS performance; however, this relationship was no longer significant once additional cardiovascular disease risk factors were added to the model (p = .06). TC and LDL-C levels (separately) were positively associated with learning and verbal fluency regardless of adjustments (p-values < .05). Separate analyses investigating the effect modification by background and sex revealed a particularly robust association between TC levels and DSS performance for Puerto Ricans and Central Americans (albeit in opposite directions) and an inverse relationship between TG levels and DSS performance for women (p-values < .02). It is important to consider individual lipid levels and demographic characteristics when investigating associations between cholesterol levels and cognition in Hispanics\/Latinos.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11415958,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Commentary: practical advantages of Bayesian analysis of epidemiologic data.\nIn the past decade, there have been enormous advances in the use of Bayesian methodology for analysis of epidemiologic data, and there are now many practical advantages to the Bayesian approach. Bayesian models can easily accommodate unobserved variables such as an individual's true disease status in the presence of diagnostic error. The use of prior probability distributions represents a powerful mechanism for incorporating information from previous studies and for controlling confounding. Posterior probabilities can be used as easily interpretable alternatives to p values. Recent developments in Markov chain Monte Carlo methodology facilitate the implementation of Bayesian analyses of complex data sets containing missing observations and multidimensional outcomes. Tools are now available that allow epidemiologists to take advantage of this powerful approach to assessment of exposure-disease relations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15349805,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Immunologic mechanisms of alcoholic liver injury.\nClinically, the association of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) with circulating autoantibodies, hypergammaglobulinemia, antibodies to unique hepatic proteins, and cytotoxic lymphocytes reacting against autologous hepatocytes strongly suggests altered immune regulation with an increased activity toward normal self-proteins (loss of tolerance). Experimentally, there are several immune responses generated specifically recognizing self-proteins that are modified by metabolites of alcohol. These data strongly suggest that immune reactions may play a significant role in inducing and sustaining an inflammatory cascade of tissue damage to the liver. Additional support for this comes from the observation that the histological appearance of livers with ALD is that of a chronic active hepatitis-like inflammatory disease. Therefore, the hypothesis that immune mechanisms are involved in recurrent alcoholic hepatitis, although not summarily proven, is reasonable, supported by clinical and experimental evidence, and the subject of this article.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26573797,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"p53: Protection against Tumor Growth beyond Effects on Cell Cycle and Apoptosis.\nThe tumor suppressor p53 has established functions in cancer. Specifically, it has been shown to cause cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in response to DNA damage. It is also one of the most commonly mutated or silenced genes in cancer and for this reason has been extensively studied. Recently, the role of p53 has been shown to go beyond its effects on cell cycle and apoptosis, with effects on metabolism emerging as a key contributor to cancer growth in situations where p53 is lost. Beyond this, the role of p53 in the tumor microenvironment is poorly understood. The publication by Wang and colleagues demonstrates for the first time that p53 is a key negative regulator of aromatase and, hence, estrogen production in the breast tumor microenvironment. It goes further by demonstrating that an important regulator of aromatase, the obesity-associated and tumor-derived factor prostaglandin E2, inhibits p53 in the breast adipose stroma. This review presents these findings in the context of established and emerging roles of p53 and discusses possible implications for the treatment of breast cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1733285,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Ammonium and bicarbonate transport in rat outer medullary collecting ducts.\nPrevious in vitro studies have demonstrated spontaneous bicarbonate absorption in the outer stripe portion of the rat outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD) and inner medullary collecting duct, but net acid transport has not been studied in the inner stripe of the rat OMCD (OMCDIS). When we perfused isolated OMCDIS segments with identical bath and perfusate solutions containing HCO-3 and NH4Cl, HCO-3 was spontaneously absorbed, and total ammonia was spontaneously secreted at rapid rates in tubules from both deoxycorticosterone (DOC)-treated and untreated rats. We next measured the NH3 flux due to imposed NH3 concentration gradients. Carbonic anhydrase (CA), when added to the lumen, enhanced the NH3 flux, implying an absence of endogenous CA. The NH3 permeability was 0.0042 +\/- 0.0007 cm\/s. By measuring the luminal pH in perfused OMCDIS segments with an imposed lumen-to-bath NH3 gradient, we determined the pH at the end of the lumen to be 0.23 units below the equilibrium pH calculated from the simultaneously measured total CO2 concentration in collected fluid, confirming the lack of luminal CA. These results are consistent with the view that ammonium secretion in the OMCDIS occurs predominantly by H+ secretion and parallel NH3 diffusion. A luminal disequilibrium pH due to H+ secretion in the absence of endogenous luminal CA enhances the NH3 entry rate. Spontaneous net acid secretion appears to occur more rapidly in the OMCD than in other parts of the rat collecting duct system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1410187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Psychometric properties of resting anterior EEG asymmetry: temporal stability and internal consistency.\nWe examined whether resting anterior electroencephalographic (EEG) asymmetry in the alpha frequency band has psychometric properties that would be expected of a measure assessing individual differences. In each of two experimental sessions, separated by three weeks, resting EEG in midfrontal and anterior temporal sites was recorded from 85 female adults during eight 60-s baselines. Resting alpha asymmetry demonstrated acceptable test-retest stability and excellent internal consistency reliability. Analyses including other frequency bands indicated that degree of stability varied somewhat as a function of band and region. In addition, asymmetry was less stable than absolute power. Discussion focuses on the implications of the present findings for the measurement and conceptualization of resting anterior asymmetry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24280647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Restoration of intrahepatic regulatory T cells through MMP-9\/13-dependent activation of TGF-\u03b2 is critical for immune homeostasis following acute liver injury.\nDuring the acute liver injury, immune responses are provoked into eliciting inflammation in the acute phase. In the healing phase, the inflammation is terminated for wound healing and restoration of immune homeostasis. In this study, we sought to address how regulatory T cells (Tregs) are involved in the progression of liver injury and repair. In the acute phase, intrahepatic Tregs (CD4(+)FoxP3(+)Helios(+)) diminished promptly through apoptosis, which was followed by inflammation and tissue injury. In the healing phase, a new subset of Tregs (CD4(+)Foxp3(+)Helios(-)) was generated in correlation with the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) cascade and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-\u03b2) activation that were manifested mainly by hepatic stellate cells. Moreover, the induction of induced Tregs and wound healing were both impaired in mice lacking TGF-\u03b2 signaling or MMPs. The depletion of induced Tregs also impeded wound healing for tissue repair. Together, this study demonstrates the mechanism that the loss of nTregs through apoptosis in the acute phase may facilitate inflammation, while regenerated Tregs through MMP9\/13-dependent activation of TGF-\u03b2 in the healing phase are critical to terminate inflammation and allow for wound healing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20461025,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"S100A12 on circulating endothelial cells surface in children with Kawasaki disease.\nThe purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of S100A12 on the surface of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD) and the correlations between S100A12 and coronary artery lesions (CALs). The ratio of CECs to mononuclear cells (CECs\/MNC), the positive rate of S100A12 on CECs surface (CECs-S100A12\/CECs), and the fluorescence intensity of S100A12 on CECs surface (FI-S100A12-CECs) were evaluated respectively in 42 patients with acute stage (A-KD), subacute stage (SA-KD) and convalescent stage KD (C-KD). The CECs\/MNC ratio increased significantly in patients with A-KD and SA-KD with CALs. The CECs-S100A12\/CECs rate and FI-S100A12-CECs level were significantly higher in patients with KD than in the controls. The FI-S100A12-CECs level decreased to near half levels in patients with SA-KD and C-KD without CALs, but increased continuously in patients with SA-KD with CALs. The CECs\/MNC ratio and FI-S100A12-CECs level in patients with SA-KD with CALs were significantly higher than in patients with SA-KD without CALs. The FI-S100A12-CECs level was significantly higher in patients with C-KD with CALs than in C-KD without CALs. The S100A12 expression on the CECs surface increased significantly in patients with KD and persisted for a longer time in patients with CALs, suggesting that the S100A12 expression on CECs may be involved in the development of CALs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16946252,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The effect of penicillin on Chlamydia trachomatis DNA replication.\nChlamydia trachomatis L2 was used to infect BGMK cells at an m.o.i. of 1.0, and the developmental cycle was followed by transmission electron microscopy and quantitative PCR (QPCR) for both chromosomal and plasmid DNA. Samples were taken at sequential 6 h time points. Subsequent analysis by QPCR showed that there was an initial slow replication period (0-18 h), followed by a rapid phase (18-36 h) coinciding with exponential division when the DNA doubling time was 4.6 h. Chromosomal DNA was amplified 100-200-fold corresponding to 7-8 generations for the complete developmental cycle. Penicillin (10 and 100 units ml(-1)) was added to cultures at 20 h post-infection (p.i.). This blocked binary fission and also prevented reticulate body (RB) to elementary body transition. However, exposure to penicillin did not prevent chromosomal or plasmid DNA replication. After a short lag period, following the addition of penicillin, chlamydial chromosomal DNA replication resumed at the same rate as in control C. trachomatis-infected cells. C. trachomatis-infected host cells exposed to penicillin did not lyse, but instead harboured large, aberrant RBs in massive inclusions that completely filled the cell cytoplasm. In these RBs, the DNA continued to replicate well beyond the end of the normal developmental cycle. At 60 h p.i. each aberrant RB contained a minimum of 16 chromosomal copies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28557866,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Imaging adult patients with discrete subvalvar aortic stenosis.\nDistinction between discrete subvalvar aortic stenosis and other causes of left ventricular outflow obstruction has important implications for predicting natural history and guiding the timing and type of intervention. Imaging, primarily transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and management of adults with subvalvar aortic stenosis. Most systematic research on imaging of subvalvar aortic stenosis has focused on echocardiography. TTE, especially two-dimensional imaging with color and spectral Doppler, remains the main modality for delineation of the anatomic and hemodynamic features of subvalvar stenosis, associated anomalies and involvement of accessory mitral valve attachments to the subaortic septum or abnormally placed papillary muscles. Transesophageal echocardiography may provide more detailed definition of left ventricular outflow tract anatomy, including the presence and extension of the obstructive subaortic fibroelastic tissue onto the aortic or mitral valve, especially in patients with poor transthoracic windows. The clinical role for advanced imaging technologies, including three-dimensional echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography, is evolving but, largely because of the adequacy of established imaging with TTE, remains relatively limited. In the absence of other congenital heart defects or alternative indications (e.g. coronary angiography), TTE is usually adequate for the assessment of discrete subvalvar aortic stenosis in the adult. In specific clinical situations, supplemental imaging modalities can play an integral role in clinical decision making.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26008662,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Use of N-acetylcysteine in children with fulminant hepatic failure caused by acute viral hepatitis.\nTo determine the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in children aged > 1 month to 16 years admitted with Fulminant Hepatic Failure (FHF) secondary to Acute Viral Hepatitis (AVH) in a tertiary care center of a developing country. Analytical study. Department of Paediatrics, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan, from January 2007 to December 2011. Medical records of children (> 1 month - 16 years) with FHF admitted with AVH of known etiology who received NAC were reviewed retrospectively. Liver function tests (mean \u00b1 SD) at baseline, 24 hours after NAC and before or at the time of discharge\/death were recorded and compared via using repeated measures ANOVA(r-ANOVA). Efficacy of NAC is defined in improvement in biochemical markers, liver function test and discharge disposition (survived or died). Mortality associated risk factors were identified by using logistic regression analysis. P-value and 95% confidence interval were recorded. Forty children (mean age was 80 \u00b1 40 months) with FHF secondary to AVH received NAC. Majority were males (n=25; 63%). Vomiting (75%) and jaundice (65%) were the main presenting symptoms, one-third had hypoglycemic, while 40% had altered sensorium at the time of admission. There was significant statistical difference in liver enzymes and prothrombin time on admission comparing at discharge in children received NAC (p < 0.001). Fifteen (38%) children died. Severe vomiting {Odds Ratio (OR) 0.22, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.05 - 0.8}, jaundice (OR 9.3, CI 1.1 - 82.6), inotropic support (OR 20.6, CI 3.5 - 118.3) and mechanical ventilation (OR 4.3, CI 1.1 - 16.6) at the time of admission are associated with risk factors for mortality in children with FHF secondary to AVH. NAC used in children with FHF secondary to AVH is associated with markedly improved liver function tests and recovery. FHF with complications is high risk for mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33276717,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A rapid, cost-effective tailed amplicon method for sequencing SARS-CoV-2.\nThe global COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent need for scalable methods for clinical diagnostics and viral tracking. Next generation sequencing technologies have enabled large-scale genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 as thousands of isolates are being sequenced around the world and deposited in public data repositories. A number of methods using both short- and long-read technologies are currently being applied for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing, including amplicon approaches, metagenomic methods, and sequence capture or enrichment methods. Given the small genome size, the ability to sequence SARS-CoV-2 at scale is limited by the cost and labor associated with making sequencing libraries. Here we describe a low-cost, streamlined, all amplicon-based method for sequencing SARS-CoV-2, which bypasses costly and time-consuming library preparation steps. We benchmark this tailed amplicon method against both the ARTIC amplicon protocol and sequence capture approaches and show that an optimized tailed amplicon approach achieves comparable amplicon balance, coverage metrics, and variant calls to the ARTIC v3 approach. The tailed amplicon method we describe represents a cost-effective and highly scalable method for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37762432,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Overexpressing GmCGS2 Improves Total Amino Acid and Protein Content in Soybean Seed.\nSoybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important source of plant protein, the nutritional quality of which is considerably affected by the content of the sulfur-containing amino acid, methionine (Met). To improve the quality of soybean protein and increase the Met content in seeds, soybean cystathionine \u03b3-synthase 2 (GmCGS2), the first unique enzyme in Met biosynthesis, was overexpressed in the soybean cultivar \"Jack\", producing three transgenic lines (OE3, OE4, and OE10). We detected a considerable increase in the content of free Met and other free amino acids in the developing seeds of the three transgenic lines at the 15th and 75th days after flowering (15D and 75D). In addition, transcriptome analysis showed that the expression of genes related to Met biosynthesis from the aspartate-family pathway and S-methyl Met cycle was promoted in developing green seeds of OE10. Ultimately, the accumulation of total amino acids and soluble proteins in transgenic mature seeds was promoted. Altogether, these results indicated that GmCGS2 plays an important role in Met biosynthesis, by providing a basis for improving the nutritional quality of soybean seeds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32776939,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The effects of tissue fixation on sequencing and transcript abundance of nucleic acids from microdissected liver samples of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu).\nThere is an increasing emphasis on effects-based monitoring to document responses associated with exposure to complex mixtures of chemicals, climate change, pathogens, parasites and other environmental stressors in fish populations. For decades aquatic monitoring programs have included the collection of tissues preserved for microscopic pathology. Consequently, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue can be an important reservoir of nucleic acids as technologies emerge that utilize molecular endpoints. Despite the cross-linking effects of formalin, its impact on nucleic acid quality and concentration, amplification, and sequencing are not well described. While fresh-frozen tissue is optimal for working with nucleic acids, FFPE samples have been shown to be conducive for molecular studies. Laser capture microdissection (LCM) is one technology which allows for collection of specific regions or cell populations from fresh or preserved specimens with pathological alterations, pathogens, or parasites. In this study, smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) liver was preserved in three different fixatives, including 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), Z-Fix\u00ae (ZF), and PAXgene\u00ae (PG) for four time periods (24 hr, 48 hr, seven days, and 14 days). Controls consisted of pieces of liver preserved in RNALater\u00ae or 95% ethanol. Smallmouth bass were chosen as they are an economically important sportfish and have been utilized as indicators of exposure to endocrine disruptors and other environmental stressors. Small liver sections were cut out with laser microdissection and DNA and RNA were purified and analyzed for nucleic acid concentration and quality. Sanger sequencing and the NanoString nCounter\u00ae technology were used to assess the suitability of these samples in downstream molecular techniques. The results revealed that of the formalin fixatives, NBF samples fixed for 24 and 48 hr were superior to ZF samples for both Sanger sequencing and the Nanostring nCounter\u00ae. The non-formalin PAXgene\u00ae samples were equally successful and they showed greater stability in nucleic acid quality and concentration over longer fixation times. This study demonstrated that small quantities of preserved tissue from smallmouth bass can be utilized in downstream molecular techniques; however, future studies will need to optimize the methods presented here for different tissue types, fish species, and pathological conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29382028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Intraoperative conversion of artificial cervical disc replacement to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for iatrogenic fracture: A rare case report.\nArtificial cervical disc replacement (ACDR) has been reported to be an effective and safe surgical treatment for cervical spondylosis. However, iatrogenic fracture during ACDR surgery has rarely been reported. Considering its infrequency, we report a rare clinical case, with the aim of sharing our experience and exploring when to convert ACDR to fusion intraoperatively. A 47-year-old woman felt neck pain with weakness and numbness in both upper limbs for 5 months. The patient had received discectomy and fusion procedure on C3\/4 and C5\/6 to relieve her radicular pain nearly 4 years prior. Neurologic examination revealed a diminished sensation at the C6-C8 skin areas and level Grade-4 power in the left wrist extensor and grip muscle strength. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed disc herniation compressing the spinal cord at C6\/7. Computed tomography (CT) scans showed intervertebral fusion in both the C3\/4 and C5\/6 segments. Surgery was performed to remove the plate and replace C6\/7 with an artificial disc, but a transverse cleavage endplate cortical fracture was detected after cutting the blades. Thus, we terminated artificial cervical disc replacement intraoperatively and changed to discectomy and fusion in C6\/7. The patient's symptoms were remarkably relieved. Postoperative CT scans showed a transverse cleavage fracture in the backside of the C6 caudal endplate. Good fusion was achieved after 6 months. Iatrogenic fracture during ACDR is rare but does occur in clinic practice. Complete examination and an alternative approach determined before surgery are important for operative safety. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is recommended as a feasible remedial surgical strategy if ACDR fails intraoperatively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17094718,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Transient enol isomers of dibenzoylmethane and avobenzone as efficient hydrogen donors toward a nitroxide pre-fluorescent probe.\nDibenzoylmethane and avobenzone photochemistry involves the formation of transient enol isomers (Z and E). Conjugation of the OH group with the carbonyl group in these transient isomers reduces the OH bond energy. A fast reduction of the pre-fluorescent probe (C343T) was observed after addition to photolysed DBM samples in nonpolar solvents. This can be attributed to a hydrogen transfer reaction from the transient E accumulated. While no quenching for Z by TEMPO was detected in the laser flash photolysis timescale. Theoretical calculations of spin densities distribution of the radical formed from Z and E showed a more delocalized distribution that would indicate a low reactivity towards oxygen. Our results suggest that DBM and avobenzone can effectively behave as photoantioxidants or photoactivated antioxidants under conditions where its enol isomers can be accumulated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6651709,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pathophysiologic effects of acceleration stress in the miniature swine.\nFour groups of six animals each were exposed to simulated +Gz aerial combat maneuvers (SACM). The first group was exposed to 5 SACM\/d for 1 d. The other three groups were exposed to 5 SACM\/d three times per week for 1 week, 1 month, and 6 months, respectively. The SACM was 100 s long and contained two 5-s +9Gz peaks. A control group of four animals was exposed to 1 d of five 100-s +1Gz exposures. All animals were unanesthetized. The animals were necropsied and the hearts were examined macro- and microscopically within 48 h of their respective acceleration regimen. Eight transmural samples were taken from each heart for hydroxyproline analysis. Subendocardial hemorrhage (scale = 0-4) and myocyte damage (damaged cells per tissue section), respectively, were greatest in the control (2.08 and 0.87) and the 1-d (2.39 and 0.84) exposure groups, declining thereafter to the lowest values in the 6-month (0.33 and 0.06) group. Hydroxyproline concentration, as an indicator of possible scar-tissue development, showed a significant positive trend with increasing time at several sample sites on the left ventricular free wall. Heart rate (HR) and ventricular ectopy were highest during the early + Gz exposures and decreased with time thereafter. Seven additional swine were chronically instrumented with an arterial catheter for blood collection during the SACM to determine hematocrit and plasma levels of catecholamines, cortisol, and protein. The animals were exposed to the same 5 SACMs\/d, 3 times\/week for 4 months. Plasma norepinephrine (norepi), epinephrine (epi), and cortisol increased, respectively, from mean pre-G values of 0.9 ng\/ml, 0.8 ng\/ml, and 10.8 micrograms\/dl to mean high values of 53.8 ng\/ml, 58.1 ng\/ml, and 34.0 micrograms\/dl during 1-d and 1-week +Gz exposure; then declined to high values of 8.6 ng\/ml, 4.3 ng\/ml, and 18.8 micrograms\/dl after 4 months of +Gz. The decline in macro- and microscopic myocardial damage during the approximate time frame of the decline in HR, arrhythmias, norepi, epi, and cortisol suggests a causative relationship. This decline also suggests that the injury observed during +Gz exposures is the result of the emotional stress of handling, restraint, and the unfamiliar environment of the centrifuge and +Gz, to which the animal becomes accustomed with time. However, the hydroxyproline and histologic data also suggest that myocardial scar-tissue may develop as a result of multiple +Gz exposures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29372360,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Ranking composite Cancer Burden Indices for geographic regions: point and interval estimates.\nTo develop a composite Cancer Burden Index and produce 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as measures of uncertainties for the index. The Kentucky Cancer Registry has developed a cancer burden Rank Sum Index (RSI) to guide statewide comprehensive cancer control activities. However, lack of interval estimates for RSI limits its applications. RSI also weights individual measures with little inherent variability equally as ones with large variability. To address these issues, a Modified Sum Index (MSI) was developed to take into account of magnitudes of observed values. A simulation approach was used to generate individual and simultaneous 95% CIs for the rank MSI. An uncertainty measure was also calculated. At the Area Development Districts (ADDs) level, the ranks of the RSI and the MSI were almost identical, while larger variation was found at the county level. The widths of the CIs at the ADD level were considerably shorter than those at the county level. The measures developed for estimating composite cancer burden indices and the simulated CIs provide valuable information to guide cancer prevention and control effort. Caution should be taken when interpreting ranks from small population geographic units where the CIs for the ranks overlap considerably.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28417649,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Internal dysregulation of the renin system in patients with stable liver cirrhosis.\nSodium retention in cirrhosis is associated with changes in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). We hypothesized that in cirrhosis the acute reactions of RAAS and SNS to volume expansion are qualitatively intact, but occurring from elevated baseline levels. Acute cardiovascular, neurohumoral and renal responses to central blood volume changes were studied in cirrhotic patients and healthy controls. In patients, baseline plasma renin concentration (PRC) was elevated 5-fold compared to controls (p < .001); it increased during standing (+144%, p < .001) and remained elevated during subsequent sitting (+118%, p < .001). At baseline, plasma angiotensin II (pANGII) was not elevated significantly (14 \u00b1 2 vs. 9 \u00b1 2 pg\/mL) in contrast to plasma aldosterone (pAldo, +160%, p < .001). During orthostatic RAAS activation, the rise in pAngII per unit increase in PRC was 0.04 pg AngII\/mIU and 0.48 pg AngII\/mIU in patients and controls, respectively (p < .001); similarly, the change in pAldo per unit change in pANGII was 3.6 in patients and 14.5 pg\/pg in controls (p < .001). Plasma noradrenaline was elevated in the patients, but the dynamic changes were virtually identical to those of controls. During standing, abrupt decreases in renal blood flow (-63%, p < .001) and GFR (-42% p < .04) occurred only in patients. In conclusion, in stable cirrhosis, static and dynamic dysregulation exists within the RAAS; in the supine position pAngII levels are inappropriately low, and the AngII-mediated regulation of aldosterone secretion is severely impeded. In cirrhotic patients, profound reductions in renal blood flow and GFR occur during standing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28221061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone app for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.\nPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent in the population, but relatively few affected individuals receive treatment for it. Smartphone applications (apps) could help address this unmet need by offering sound psychoeducational information and evidence-based cognitive behavioral coping tools. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a free, publicly available smartphone app (PTSD Coach) for self-management of PTSD symptoms. One hundred 20 participants who were an average of 39 years old, mostly women (69.2%) and White (66.7%), recruited primarily through online advertisements, were randomized to either a PTSD Coach (n = 62) or a waitlist condition (n = 58) for 3 months. Web-administered self-report measures of PTSD, PTSD symptom coping self-efficacy, depression, and psychosocial functioning were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and 3 months following treatment. Following the intent-to-treat principle, repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that at posttreatment, PTSD Coach participants had significantly greater improvements in PTSD symptoms (p = .035), depression symptoms (p = .005), and psychosocial functioning (p = .007) than did waitlist participants; however, at posttreatment, there were no significant mean differences in outcomes between conditions. A greater proportion of PTSD Coach participants achieved clinically significant PTSD symptom improvement (p = .018) than waitlist participants. PTSD Coach use resulted in significantly greater improvements in PTSD symptoms and other outcomes relative to a waitlist condition. Given the ubiquity of smartphones, PTSD Coach may provide a wide-reaching, convenient public health intervention for individuals with PTSD symptoms who are not receiving care. (PsycINFO Database Record","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33862860,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-11":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The effects of elevated CO2 and light environment on growth and reproductive performance of four annual species.\nTo predict changes in the range and density of plant species as a consequence of elevated atmospheric CO2 , it is essential to characterize the effect of elevated CO2 on key components of plant life history stages such as rate of establishment and maturation of individuals, reproductive output and offspring fitness. We measured vegetative response, phenology, reproductive output and seed quality of four annual C3 plant species, grown from seed to senescence under ambient and elevated (ambient+200 ppm) CO2 and ambient and reduced (33% shade) light. Few previous studies have included all stages of a plant's life as well as characteristics of the next generation. Elevated CO2 had no effect on the vegetative attributes of Cardamine hirsuta, Spergula arvensis or Poa annua whereas Senecio vulgaris produced longer leaves and greater biomass. Both Senecio and Poa had faster maturation times. The vegetative response of Senecio was not translated into increased seed output, although seed mass and carbon\u2236nitrogen ratios were significantly increased. By contrast, Poa showed no vegetative response to elevated CO2 , but had significantly increased seed production. Thus we found no evidence for a simple translation from vegetative response to elevated CO2 into reproductive response. There was also no consistent light-mediated response to elevated CO2 among the four species. However, the effect of reduced light (33% shade) on vegetative and reproductive output was consistent across the four species and significantly stronger than the effect of elevated CO2 . On the basis of this glasshouse study, we predict that Poa would be most likely of the four species to show significant increases in population size and migration potential, as a result of increased reproductive output, under elevated atmospheric CO2 . However, this response may be relatively small compared with variation in growth and reproduction as a result of environmental heterogeneity in resources such as light.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":597264,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The mode of action of 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-D-xyloside on the synthesis of chondroitin sulphate in embryonic-chicken sternum.\n1. Embryonic-chicken sterna, incubated in medium containing 0.1mm-4-methylumbelliferyl beta-d-xyloside (4-methylcoumarin 7-beta-d-xyloside), synthesize proteochondroitin sulphate that is significantly undersulphated and shorter than usual [Gibson, Segen & Audhya (1977) Biochem. J.162, 217-233]. 2. Neither the beta-d-galactoside nor the beta-d-glucuronide of 4-methylumbelliferone, nor 4-methylumbelliferone itself, produced the effects. The only metabolites of 4-methylumbelliferone that were detected in cartilages exposed to 4-methylumbelliferyl beta-d-xyloside were unchanged xyloside and chondroitin sulphate covalently attached to 4-methylumbelliferone. 3. Gel filtration of salt extracts of sterna incubated in medium containing the xyloside showed that there were two pools of chondroitin sulphate in the tissue. One pool was identified, on the basis of its elution pattern and the linear kinetics of incorporation of sulphate into it, as proteochondroitin sulphate. Incorporation into the other pool, whose properties suggested that it was methylumbelliferyl-chondroitin sulphate, indicated that it underwent partial turnover. The molecular weight of this chondroitin sulphate was about 19000, and it appeared to be about 70% sulphated. 4. When sterna were incubated in medium containing the xyloside, there was a very large incorporation of sulphate and glucose into glycosaminoglycans that were released into the incubation medium. This contrasts with incubations of sterna in the absence of the xyloside, in which less than 5% of the sulphate incorporated could be recovered from the medium. The glycosaminoglycan released into the medium was 4-methylumbelliferyl-chondroitin sulphate, whose average molecular weight was 7000-8000 and degree of sulphation more than 95%. 5. Incorporation of sulphate into proteochondroitin sulphate was stimulated more than 3-fold by addition of 20% (v\/v) human serum and 10nm-l-3,3',5-tri-iodothyronine. Incorporation into methylumbelliferyl-chondroitin sulphate, in either the tissue or the medium, was not significantly altered. 6. The decrease in chain length and degree of sulphation of proteochondroitin sulphate is explained in terms of competition between peptide-linked primers and methylumbelliferone-containing primers at the intracellular sites of polysaccharidechain elongation and sulphation. The implications of the results for the mechanism of stimulation of proteoglycan synthesis by serum factors are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38108234,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"New insights into the structure of the Ag(111)-p(4 \u00d7 4)-O phase: high-resolution STM and DFT study.\nThe atomic structure of the Ag(111)-p(4 \u00d7 4)-O phase was reexamined with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory. We discovered two different phases with the same (4 \u00d7 4) periodicity and demonstrated that the accepted Ag6 model is incompatible with high-resolution oxygen-sensitive STM images. Using bias dependencies of the STM images, we have shown that the p(4 \u00d7 4) phase is highly nonuniform, with local oxygen coverage varying from 1\/8 ML up to 1\/2 ML.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27231214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Diagnostic Classification of ADHD Versus Control: Support Vector Machine Classification Using Brief Neuropsychological Assessment.\nObjective: Common methods for clinical diagnosis include clinical interview, behavioral questionnaires, and neuropsychological assessment. These methods rely on clinical interpretation and have variable reliability, sensitivity, and specificity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the utility of machine learning in the prediction and classification of children with ADHD-Combined presentation (ADHD-C) using brief neuropsychological measures (d2 Test of Attention, Children with ADHD-C and typically developing control children completed semi-structured clinical interviews and measures of attention\/concentration and parents completed symptom severity questionnaires. Method: We used a forward feature selection method to identify the most informative neuropsychological features for support vector machine (SVM) classification and a decision tree model to derive a rule-based model. Results: The SVM model yielded excellent classification accuracy (100%) of individual children with and without ADHD (1.0). Decision tree algorithms identified individuals with and without ADHD-C with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion:This study observed highly accurate statistical diagnostic classification, at the individual level, in a sample of children with ADHD-C. The findings suggest data-driven behavioral algorithms based on brief neuropsychological data may present an efficient and accurate diagnostic tool for clinicians.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26513770,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The impact of deep vein thrombosis in critically ill patients: a meta-analysis of major clinical outcomes.\nCritically ill patients appear to be at high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, little is known about the clinical course of venous thromboembolism in the ICU setting. We therefore evaluated, through a systematic review of the literature, the available data on the impact of a diagnosis of DVT on hospital and ICU stay, duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality in critically ill patients. We also tried to determine whether currently adopted prophylactic measures need to be revised and improved in the ICU setting. MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched up to week 4 of June 2012. Two reviewers selected studies and extracted data. Pooled results are reported as relative risks and weighted mean differences and are presented with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Seven studies for a total of 1,783 patients were included. A diagnosis of DVT was frequent in these patients with a mean rate of 12.7% (95% CI: 8.7-17.5%). DVT patients had longer ICU and hospital stays compared to those without DVT (7.28 days; 95% CI: 1.4-13.15; and 11.2 days; 95% CI: 3.82-18.63 days, respectively). The duration of mechanical ventilation was significantly increased in DVT patients (weighted mean difference: 4.85 days; 95% CI: 2.07-7.63). DVT patients had a marginally significant increase in the risk of hospital mortality (relative risk 1.31; 95% CI: 0.99-1.74; p=0.06), and a not statistically significant increase in the risk of ICU mortality (RR 1.64; 95% CI: 0.91-2.93; p=0.10). A diagnosis of DVT upon ICU admission appears to affect clinically important outcomes including duration of ICU and hospital stay and hospital mortality. Larger, prospective studies are warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32396077,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intrinsic Tradeoffs in Multi-Covariate Imaging of Sub-Resolution Targets.\nMulti-covariate Imaging of Sub-resolution Targets (MIST) is an estimation-based method of imaging the statistics of diffuse scattering targets. MIST estimates the contributions of a set of covariance models to the echo data covariance matrix. Models are defined based on a spatial decomposition of the theoretical transmit intensity distribution into ON-axis and OFF-axis contributions, delineated by a user-specified spatial cutoff. We define this cutoff as the region of interest width (ROI width). In our previous work, we selected the ROI width as the first zero crossing separating the mainlobe from the sidelobe regions. This article explores the effects of varying two key parameters on MIST image quality: 1) ROI width and 2) the degree of spatial averaging of the measured echo data covariance matrix. These results demonstrate a fundamental tradeoff between resolution and speckle texture. We characterize MIST imaging performance across these tunable parameters in a number of simulated, phantom, and in vivo liver applications. We consider performance in noise, fidelity to native contrast, resolution, and speckle texture. MIST is also compared with varying levels of spatial and frequency compounding, demonstrating quantitative improvements in image quality at comparable levels of speckle reduction. In an in vivo example, optimized MIST images demonstrated 20.2% and 13.4% improvements in contrast-to-noise ratio over optimized spatial and frequency compounding images, respectively. These results present a framework for selecting MIST parameters to maximize speckle signal-to-noise ratio without an appreciable loss in resolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7572212,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Interaction between 17 beta-oestradiol and 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnane-20-one in the control of neuronal excitability in slices from the CA1 hippocampus in vitro of guinea-pigs and rats.\nThe effect of 17 beta-oestradiol and 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnane-20-one (allopregnanolone) on the action potentials in the Schaffer collateral pathway was investigated in hippocampus CA1. Slices from male and female guinea-pigs and female rats were used. In the rat three groups were studied: (a) untreated prepubertal rats at day 25 after partus; (b) rats injected on day 26 with 10 IU of equine serum gonadotropin studied on day 28, when in the pro-oestrus follicular phase; and (c) on day 32 when in the luteal phase. The allopregnanolone (12.6 microM, 0.5 nL) was applied locally in stratum orienspyramidale. the 17 beta-oestradiol (0.7 nM) was perfused (4 mL min-1) or applied locally. The amplitude of the population spike in stratum pyramidale was increased by oestradiol in guinea-pigs of both sexes and in all the three groups of rats. Allopregnanolone decreased the amplitude of the population spike in the guinea-pigs and in the luteal phase rats. The effect appeared within seconds after the application of the drugs. The allopregnanolone inhibition of the population spike was increased by perfusion with oestradiol in the guinea-pigs and in the luteal phase rats. This effect appeared within 7 min, and improved with increasing length of the perfusion (7-71 min). It remained for 55 min after return to perfusion with artificial cerebrospinal fluid. In prepubertal and follicular phase rats the allopregnanolone inhibition was seen only after perfusion with oestradiol for more than 15 min. The results show that 17 beta-oestradiol increases the allopregnanolone inhibition and that this inhibition is most efficient during the luteal phase of the rat.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18945891,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Synapsin IIa controls the reserve pool of glutamatergic synaptic vesicles.\nSynapsins regulate synaptic transmission by controlling the reserve pool of synaptic vesicles. Each of the three mammalian synapsin genes is subject to alternative splicing, yielding several isoforms whose roles are unknown. To investigate the function of these isoforms, we examined the synaptic effects of introducing each isoform into glutamatergic cultured hippocampal neurons from synapsin triple knock-out mice. Remarkably, we found that synapsin IIa was the only isoform that could rescue the synaptic depression phenotype of the triple knock-out mice; other isoforms examined, including the well-studied synapsin Ia isoform, had no significant effect on the kinetics of synaptic depression. The slowing of synaptic depression by synapsin IIa was quantitatively paralleled by an increase in the density of reserve pool synaptic vesicles, as measured either by fluorescent tagging of the vesicle protein synaptobrevin-2 or by staining with the styryl dye FM4-64 [N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(6-(4-diethylamino)phenyl)-hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide]. Our results provide further support for the hypothesis that synapsins define the kinetics of synaptic depression at glutamatergic synapses by controlling the size of the vesicular reserve pool and identify synapsin IIa as the isoform primarily responsible for this task.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23013727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Spontaneous intramural hematoma of rectum in a patient on anticoagulant therapy: case report and review of literature.\nGastrointestinal spontaneous hematomas (GSHs) represent 5-10% of patients with acute abdomen. Conservative treatment is the most common approach but the bowel perforation can be a fatal complication. In patients with spontaneous rectal wall hematoma, high comorbidity and abdominal signs of acute abdomen but without radiological signs of intestinal perforation, an early exploratory laparotomy should be considered. A 70-year-old man with severe dilatative cardiomyopathy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on anticoagulant therapy was admitted with acute abdominal pain and anemia. An abdominal CT scan showed a perihepatic, perisplenic and parietocolic effusion associated with a retro-rectal hematoma measuring 6 \u00d7 6 \u00d7 14 cm without signs of active bleeding. Because of sudden onset of signs of peritonitis, a laparotomy was performed which showed an ischemic perforation of the sigmoid-rectal junction. We performed a recto-sigmoid resection (Hartmann operation) but the patient died twelve days later for septic shock. In patients with GSH the main problem is represented by the choice between conservative and surgical treatment. In case of complications, such as active and persistent intra-abdominal bleeding, wall ischemia with or without bowel perforation and peritonitis, surgical treatment is mandatory. The absence of radiological signs of perforation can cause a delay of surgical treatment with unfavourable outcome especially in patient with rectal hematoma and severe comorbidity. GSHs of rectum are uncommon but a strict clinical monitoring is crucial because the extraperitoneal position make it possible a late clinical or radiological identification of perforation and a late laparotomy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28068803,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Artefactual 25-OH vitamin D concentration in multiple myeloma.\nThe most commonly used techniques to measure vitamin D are automated immunoassays which are known to be affected by interferences, especially from immunoglobulins present in the patient's serum. We present a case of a patient with myeloma in whom interference with the vitamin D assay was identified. An 83-year-old female, known to have IgG myeloma, was found to have a high concentration of 25-OH vitamin D on a routine test without any signs of vitamin D toxicity. She was not taking vitamin D supplements or any other multivitamin preparation and had minimal sun exposure. The initial and subsequent samples run by the ARCHITECT 25-OH vitamin D assay (chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay technology, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL) showed a high concentration of 25-OH vitamin D of 281 nmol\/L and 327 nmol\/L, respectively. Further fresh samples taken for 25-OH vitamin D and analysed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS\/MS) and ARCHITECT analysis showed results of 49 nmol\/L and 289 nmol\/L, respectively. Our patient had high concentrations of circulating IgG paraproteins and had a long history of rheumatoid arthritis; paraproteins and rheumatoid factor may interfere in the assay. In conclusion, we report a case of a patient with IgG myeloma and rheumatoid arthritis with high concentrations of 25-OH vitamin D detected by the Abbott ARCHITECT, but not by a reference method (LC-MS\/MS). The most likely cause of the discordant results is interference in the immunoassay by the paraprotein but interference from rheumatoid factor remains a possibility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30079165,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Methanol poisoning in South- South Nigeria: Reflections on the outbreak response.\nThe methanol poisoning outbreak in Rivers State in May 2015, involved 84 persons in five local government areas. An incident management system comprised of an Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) committee and the Local Government Area Rapid Response Teams in an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The EOC teams conducted case finding activities, line listing, and descriptive analysis, a retrospective cohort study and collection of local gin samples for laboratory investigation. They also coordinated community mobilization and sensitization activities, intervention meetings with local gin sellers, trace back activities and case management. Those affected were male (72; 85.7%) aged between 20 and 79 years. Of the 55 persons whose socio-demographics were obtained, forty-one persons (74.6%) were married, and 23 (41.8%) had primary education. Case fatality rate was 83.3% with an attack rate of 16 per 100,000 persons. Those exposed to ingestion of adulterated gin were six times more likely to develop methanol poisoning than those not exposed RR=6 (1.0-38.5); P=0.0078. It is hoped that this experience has positioned the state for better preparedness towards future outbreaks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38108145,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Intracellular self-aggregation of biomimetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles for enhanced ferroptosis-inducing therapy of breast cancer.\nNanomedicines based on ferroptosis may be effective strategies for cancer therapy due to their unique inducing mechanism. However, the challenges, including non-target distribution, poor accumulation and retention of nanomedicine, have a profound impact on the effectiveness of drug delivery. Here, we developed cancer cell membrane (CCM)-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) modified with supramolecular precursors and loaded with sulfasalazine (SAS) for breast cancer therapy. Benefiting from the coating of the CCM, these NPs can be specifically recognized and internalized by tumor cells rapidly after being administered and form aggregates via the host-guest interaction between adamantane (ADA) and cyclodextrins (CD), which in turn effectively reduces the exocytosis of tumor cells and prolongs the retention time. In vitro and in vivo studies showed that Fe3O4 NPs possessed effective cellular uptake and precise specific accumulation in tumor cells and tissues through CCM-targeted supramolecular in situ aggregation, demonstrating enhanced ferroptosis-inducing therapy of breast cancer. Overall, this work provided a supramolecular biomimetic platform to achieve targeted delivery of Fe3O4 NPs with high efficiency and precise self-assembly for improved cancer therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23621606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Structure and flexibility of nanoscale protein cages designed by symmetric self-assembly.\nDesigning protein molecules that self-assemble into complex architectures is an outstanding goal in the area of nanobiotechnology. One design strategy for doing this involves genetically fusing together two natural proteins, each of which is known to form a simple oligomer on its own (e.g., a dimer or trimer). If two such components can be fused in a geometrically predefined configuration, that designed subunit can, in principle, assemble into highly symmetric architectures. Initial experiments showed that a 12-subunit tetrahedral cage, 16 nm in diameter, could be constructed following such a procedure [Padilla, J. E.; et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2001, 98, 2217; Lai, Y. T.; et al. Science 2012, 336, 1129]. Here we characterize multiple crystal structures of protein cages constructed in this way, including cages assembled from two mutant forms of the same basic protein subunit. The flexibilities of the designed assemblies and their deviations from the target model are described, along with implications for further design developments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12224269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Human parasitizing echinostomatata (Trematoda, Fasciolidae) in mammals in Belorussian forest zone].\nDomestic and wild mammals in Byelorussian Polesye have been found to have 3 species of echinostomatates known as human parasites: Echinochasmus perfoliatus (Ratz, 1908), Echinostoma revolutum (Froelich, 1802) and Isthmiophora (= Euraryphium) melis (Schrank, 1788). Human beings may be infected on ingestion of mollusks, fish, and Amphibia (frogs) invaded with larvae of these helminths. Although, cases of human invasion have not been recorded in Byelarus, there is an infection risk group, this should be borne in mind by medical workers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35514921,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparative study of young shoots and the mature red headed cabbage as antioxidant food resources with antiproliferative effect on prostate cancer cells.\nThe increasing knowledge on health benefit properties of plant origin food ingredients supports recommendations for the use of edible plants in the prevention of diet related diseases, including cancer. The beneficial effects of young shoots of red cabbage can be attributed to their mixture of phytochemicals possessing antioxidant and potential anticancer activity. The objective of this study was to compare the content of bioactive compounds, including HPLC analysis of polyphenols and antioxidant activity of young shoots of red cabbage and the vegetable at full maturity. The content of vitamin C and polyphenols in juices obtained from young shoots and the mature vegetable were also determined. The other aim of this study was to confirm the hypothesis that juice of young shoots more effectively, compared to juice of the mature vegetable, reduces the proliferation of prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and LNCaP in vitro. A significantly higher content of vitamin C and carotenoids, as well as a higher antioxidant activity were found in edible young shoots in comparison to the mature vegetable. In addition, studies have shown higher amount of vitamin C in the juice of young shoots than in the juice of the mature vegetable and similar content of polyphenolic compounds. The level of total polyphenol content in the studied plant samples did not differ significantly. Flavonoids were the main polyphenols in young shoots and juice obtained from them, while phenolic acids were dominant in the mature vegetable and in juice obtained from it. The juice of young shoots has shown stronger in vitro anti-proliferation effect against prostate cancer cells than juice of the mature vegetable.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36264882,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Data resource: vasopressin-regulated protein phosphorylation sites in the collecting duct.\nVasopressin controls renal water excretion through actions to regulate aquaporin-2 (AQP2) trafficking, transcription, and degradation. These actions are in part dependent on vasopressin-induced phosphorylation changes in collecting duct cells. Although most efforts have focused on the phosphorylation of AQP2 itself, phosphoproteomic studies have identified many vasopressin-regulated phosphorylation sites in proteins other than AQP2. The goal of this bioinformatics-based review is to create a compendium of vasopressin-regulated phosphorylation sites with a focus on those that are seen in both native rat inner medullary collecting ducts and cultured collecting duct cells from the mouse (mpkCCD), arguing that these sites are the best candidates for roles in AQP2 regulation. This analysis identified 51 vasopressin-regulated phosphorylation sites in 45 proteins. We provide resource web pages at https:\/\/esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov\/Databases\/AVP-Phos\/ and https:\/\/esbl.nhlbi.nih.gov\/AVP-Network\/, listing the phosphorylation sites and describing annotated functions of each of the vasopressin-targeted phosphoproteins. Among these sites are 23 consensus protein kinase A (PKA) sites that are increased in response to vasopressin, consistent with a central role for PKA in vasopressin signaling. The remaining sites are predicted to be phosphorylated by other kinases, most notably ERK1\/2, which accounts for decreased phosphorylation at sites with a X-p(S\/T)-P-X motif. Additional protein kinases that undergo vasopressin-induced changes in phosphorylation are Camkk2, Cdk18, Erbb3, Mink1, and Src, which also may be activated directly or indirectly by PKA. The regulated phosphoproteins are mapped to processes that hypothetically can account for vasopressin-mediated control of AQP2 trafficking, cytoskeletal alterations, and Aqp2 gene expression, providing grist for future studies.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Vasopressin regulates renal water excretion through control of the aquaporin-2 water channel in collecting duct cells. Studies of vasopressin-induced protein phosphorylation have focused mainly on the phosphorylation of aquaporin-2. This study describes 44 phosphoproteins other than aquaporin-2 that undergo vasopressin-mediated phosphorylation changes and summarizes potential physiological roles of each.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24065693,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An integrative review: work environment factors associated with physical activity among white-collar workers.\nThe purpose of this review is to synthesize the research evidence for the role of the work environment-workplace physical activity policies and resources and job strain factors-in explaining physical activity in white-collar workers. White-collar workers are at risk for developing a sedentary lifestyle, which contributes to all-cause mortality. Understanding how work environment can influence worker physical activity is important for the development of effective interventions. We reviewed 15 research articles that describe the relationship between work environment factors and physical activity in predominantly white-collar workers. Relatively consistent evidence was found for the effects of supportive workplace policies and resources. Weak evidence was found for the effects of job strain. Both work environment factors have the potential to influence physical activity but require further exploration to fully understand their contribution to physical activity in white-collar workers. Limitations and implications are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18217619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Electronic properties of molecular memory circuits on a nanoscale scaffold.\nSignificant challenges exist in assembling and interconnecting the building blocks of a nanoscale device and being able to electronically address or measure responses at the molecular level. Here we demonstrate the usefulness of engineered proteins as scaffolds for bottom-up self-assembly for building nanoscale devices out of multiple components. Using genetically engineered cowpea mosaic virus, modified to express cysteine residues on the capsid exterior, gold nanoparticles were attached to the viral scaffold in a specific predetermined pattern to produce specific interparticle distances. The nanoparticles were then interconnected using thiol-terminated conjugated organic molecules, resulting in a three-dimensional network. Network properties were engineered by using molecular components with different I-V characteristics. Networks consisting of molecular wires alone were compared with networks containing voltage controlled molecular switches with two stable conductance states. Using such bistable molecules enabled the formation of switchable molecular networks that could be used in nanoscale memory circuits.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20308700,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Elite athletes: are the genes the champions?\nRecent research has analyzed the genetic factors that influence world-class athletic status. Much of what we know comes from association studies, with the ACE I\/D and ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms having been extensively studied. The association between the ACTN3 R577X variation and elite athlete status in power sports is strongly documented, yet whether the current body of knowledge on other variants can be extrapolated to athletic champion status remains to be determined. Athletic champion status is a complex polygenic trait in which numerous candidate genes, complex gene-gene interactions, and environment-gene interactions are involved. Besides the need for more studies and new approaches taking into account the complexity of the problem, we believe that factors beyond genetic endowment are likely to have a stronger influence in the attainment of athletic champion status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32399470,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Role of PTEN in Neurodevelopment.\nPTEN is a lipid and protein phosphatase that regulates cell growth and survival. Mutations to PTEN are highly penetrant for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we briefly review the evidence linking PTEN mutations to ASD and the mouse models that have been used to study the role of PTEN in neurodevelopment. We then focus on the cellular phenotypes associated with PTEN loss in neurons, highlighting the role PTEN plays in neuronal proliferation, migration, survival, morphology, and plasticity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29371527,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Candida Species Biofilms' Antifungal Resistance.\nCandida infections (candidiasis) are the most prevalent opportunistic fungal infection on humans and, as such, a major public health problem. In recent decades, candidiasis has been associated to Candida species other than Candida albicans. Moreover, biofilms have been considered the most prevalent growth form of Candida cells and a strong causative agent of the intensification of antifungal resistance. As yet, no specific resistance factor has been identified as the sole responsible for the increased recalcitrance to antifungal agents exhibited by biofilms. Instead, biofilm antifungal resistance is a complex multifactorial phenomenon, which still remains to be fully elucidated and understood. The different mechanisms, which may be responsible for the intrinsic resistance of Candida species biofilms, include the high density of cells within the biofilm, the growth and nutrient limitation, the effects of the biofilm matrix, the presence of persister cells, the antifungal resistance gene expression and the increase of sterols on the membrane of biofilm cells. Thus, this review intends to provide information on the recent advances about Candida species biofilm antifungal resistance and its implication on intensification of the candidiasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26063829,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Warburg Micro syndrome is caused by RAB18 deficiency or dysregulation.\nRAB18, RAB3GAP1, RAB3GAP2 and TBC1D20 are each mutated in Warburg Micro syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive multisystem disorder. RAB3GAP1 and RAB3GAP2 form a binary 'RAB3GAP' complex that functions as a guanine-nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for RAB18, whereas TBC1D20 shows modest RAB18 GTPase-activating (GAP) activity in vitro. Here, we show that in the absence of functional RAB3GAP or TBC1D20, the level, localization and dynamics of cellular RAB18 is altered. In cell lines where TBC1D20 is absent from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), RAB18 becomes more stably ER-associated and less cytosolic than in control cells. These data suggest that RAB18 is a physiological substrate of TBC1D20 and contribute to a model in which a Rab-GAP can be essential for the activity of a target Rab. Together with previous reports, this indicates that Warburg Micro syndrome can be caused directly by loss of RAB18, or indirectly through loss of RAB18 regulators RAB3GAP or TBC1D20.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27336312,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Improving the Outcome of Acute Pancreatitis.\nAcute pancreatitis (AP) is the most common indication for hospital admission and its incidence is rising. It has a variable prognosis, which is mainly dependent upon the development of persistent organ failure and infected necrotizing pancreatitis. In the past few years, based on large-scale multicenter randomized trials, some novel insights regarding clinical management have emerged. In patients with infected pancreatic necrosis, a step-up approach of percutaneous catheter drainage followed by necrosectomy only when the patient does not improve, reduces new-onset organ failure and prevents the need for necrosectomy in about a third of patients. A randomized pilot study comparing surgical to endoscopic necrosectomy in patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis showed a striking reduction of the pro-inflammatory response following endoscopic necrosectomy. These promising results have recently been tested in a large multicenter randomized trial whose results are eagerly awaited. Contrary to earlier data from uncontrolled studies, a large multicenter randomized trial comparing early (within 24 h) nasoenteric tube feeding compared with an oral diet after 72 h, did not show that early nasoenteric tube feeding was superior in reducing the rate of infection or death in patients with AP at high risk for complications. Although early ERCP does not have a role in the treatment of predicted mild pancreatitis, except in the case of concomitant cholangitis, it may ameliorate the disease course in patients with predicted severe pancreatitis. Currently, a large-scale randomized study is underway and results are expected in 2017.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24983204,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Highly selective fluorogenic multianalyte biosensors constructed via enzyme-catalyzed coupling and aggregation-induced emission.\nThe development of a highly selective and fast responsive fluorogenic biosensor for diverse analytes ranging from bioactive small molecules to specific antigens is highly desirable but remains a considerable challenge. We herein propose a new approach by integrating substrate-selective enzymatic reactions with fluorogens exhibiting aggregation-induced emission feature. Tyrosine-functionalized tetraphenylethene, TPE-Tyr, molecularly dissolves in aqueous media with negligible fluorescence emission; upon addition of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and H2O2, effective cross-linking occurs due to HRP-catalyzed oxidative coupling of tyrosine moieties in TPE-Tyr. This leads to fluorescence emission turn-on and fast detection of H2O2 with high sensitivity and selectivity. As a validation of the new strategy's generality, we further configure it into the biosensor design for glucose through cascade enzymatic reactions and for pathologically relevant antigens (e.g., human carcinoembryonic antigen) by combining with the ELISA kit.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22043325,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Refining docetaxel-containing therapy for gastric cancer.\nGastric cancer-the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide-is a global health problem. Most cases present at advanced stages and are incurable due to locally advanced or metastatic disease. Although advanced gastric cancer is relatively chemosensitive, a gold standard chemotherapy regimen has yet to emerge, and response rates are of short duration. Cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (CF) have emerged as the backbone agents in treating this disease. The pivotal V325 trial demonstrated the efficacy benefit of adding docetaxel to CF (DCF). DCF, however, is associated with significant toxicity, making it less tolerable to patients. As a result, docetaxel-containing regimens have been extensively studied and improved upon to mitigate toxicity while maintaining efficacy. Various dosing and scheduling permutations of the original DCF regimen have emerged, and substitutions with other 5-fluorouraci and platinum analogs have been studied. In this review we highlight some of these studies using docetaxel-based regimens as well as new approaches using targeted therapy, including monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Continuing efforts to improve the efficacy and tolerability of docetaxel-based chemotherapy, combining pharmacokinetic parameters and pharmacogenetic correlates, will further assist in developing optimized regimens. Emerging data using targeted therapy and biologics in combination with chemotherapy are promising, but results of ongoing studies are required to establish the safety and efficacy of these regimens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23606765,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A review of the Ustilago-Sporisorium-Macalpinomyces complex.\nThe fungal genera Ustilago, Sporisorium and Macalpinomyces represent an unresolved complex. Taxa within the complex often possess characters that occur in more than one genus, creating uncertainty for species placement. Previous studies have indicated that the genera cannot be separated based on morphology alone. Here we chronologically review the history of the Ustilago-Sporisorium-Macalpinomyces complex, argue for its resolution and suggest methods to accomplish a stable taxonomy. A combined molecular and morphological approach is required to identify synapomorphic characters that underpin a new classification. Ustilago, Sporisorium and Macalpinomyces require explicit re-description and new genera, based on monophyletic groups, are needed to accommodate taxa that no longer fit the emended descriptions. A resolved classification will end the taxonomic confusion that surrounds generic placement of these smut fungi.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27325546,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Repeated exposure to noise increases tolerance in a coral reef fish.\nSome anthropogenic noise is now considered pollution, with evidence building that noise from human activities such as transportation, construction and exploration can impact behaviour and physiology in a broad range of taxa. However, relatively little research has considered the effects of repeated or chronic noise; extended exposures may result in habituation or sensitisation, and thus changes in response. We conducted a field-based experiment at Moorea Island to investigate how repeated exposure to playback of motorboat noise affected a coral reef fish (Dascyllus trimaculatus). We found that juvenile D. trimaculatus increased hiding behaviour during motorboat noise after two days of repeated exposure, but no longer did so after one and two weeks of exposure. We also found that na\u00efve individuals responded to playback of motorboat noise with elevated ventilation rates, but that this response was diminished after one and two weeks of repeated exposure. We found no strong evidence that baseline blood cortisol levels, growth or body condition were affected by three weeks of repeated motorboat-noise playback. Our study reveals the importance of considering how tolerance levels may change over time, rather than simply extrapolating from results of short-term studies, if we are to make decisions about regulation and mitigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32851947,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Understanding the Obstacles to Uptake of Intervention Programmes and Services for Persons with Dementia.\nUtilisation of intervention programmes and services for Persons with Dementia (PWD) has been generally modest despite the growing numbers. One reason has been the lack of knowledge about dementia and information on such services. We sought to close this gap by providing caregivers with an information session about dementia and the importance and availability of related services. We explored the uptake of intervention programmes and services and reasons for non-uptake thereafter. Two hundred and seventy-five PWD and caregiver dyads attended the Dyad Education and Empowerment Programme (DEEP). At the DEEP, while caregivers underwent an information session, PWD were assessed by a multidisciplinary team on their need and suitability for programmes and services such as daycare, cognitive engagement programmes and physical rehabilitation. The dyads then received individualized recommendations on the appropriate services, if any. Follow-up through medical records review and phone calls was conducted one month after DEEP to ascertain if the dyads had acted upon the recommendations and if not, what difficulties they encountered. One hundred and eleven PWD received recommendations, of which 40 (36.0%) agreed and enrolled in the services while 71 (64%) declined. Thematic analysis of the reasons for non-uptake revealed 3 themes: PWD-related factors (e.g., refusal, functional improvement or decline), caregiverrelated factors (adequacy of care at home, other care arrangements), and service-related factors (e.g., cost, timing). Despite adequate information, there are other reasons for non-uptake of dementia- related services, some of which should be addressed to improve service updates and to provide better care for PWD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33025505,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"The effect of vitamin E and selenium combination in repairing fluoride-induced DNA damage to NRK-52E cells.\nProlonged and excessive fluoride exposure can lead to fluorosis. The kidney is one of the organs that are injured mostly due to fluoride-induced damage. Fluoride can induce DNA damage at cytotoxic concentrations. This study aims to determine the extent of NaF-induced DNA damage and to investigate the effect of vitamin E and selenium combination (ES) in preventing and repairing this damage. For this purpose, we administered different combinations of NaF and ES to NRK-52E cells and determined the effective concentrations of ES and the NaF IC50 values associated with different incubation times (3, 12, and 24 h) by using the MTT assay. The determined quantities of NaF IC50 in association with time and the NaF IC50 + ES combination were administered to the cells. The extent of DNA damage was determined with the comet assay and the expression levels of the Ku70\/80 and PARP-1 genes were determined with the RT-qPCR method. DNA damage significantly increased in all experimental groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). It was found out that the NaF and ES combination statistically reduced the DNA damage compared to the damage observed in the NaF-treated groups (p < 0.05). Treatment of the ES combination significantly increased the expressions of Ku70 and Ku80 genes involved in DNA repair (p < 0.05). We concluded that vitamin E and selenium can potentially be effective in the repair of fluoride-induced DNA damage based on the results of this in vitro study. Our results may shed light on the prevention of DNA damage associated with fluorosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6272203,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Transcription of the beta-like globin genes and pseudogenes of the goat in a cell-free system.\nWe have examined the transcription in a cell-free system of all the members of a highly regulated gene family, the beta-like hemoglobin genes of the goat. These five genes, which code for embryonic, fetal, juvenile, and adult beta-globin proteins, are all transcribed to roughly the same extent in the in vitro system. In all cases initiation of transcription is accurate. However, two goat beta-globin pseudogenes, as well as several artificially constructed deletion mutants, are not transcribed in vitro. A common feature of the transcriptionally inactive genes is the lack of an AT-rich consensus sequence just upstream of the presumptive initiation site.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22532701,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of normalization methods in mammalian microRNA-Seq data.\nSimple total tag count normalization is inadequate for microRNA sequencing data generated from the next generation sequencing technology. However, so far systematic evaluation of normalization methods on microRNA sequencing data is lacking. We comprehensively evaluate seven commonly used normalization methods including global normalization, Lowess normalization, Trimmed Mean Method (TMM), quantile normalization, scaling normalization, variance stabilization, and invariant method. We assess these methods on two individual experimental data sets with the empirical statistical metrics of mean square error (MSE) and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) statistic. Additionally, we evaluate the methods with results from quantitative PCR validation. Our results consistently show that Lowess normalization and quantile normalization perform the best, whereas TMM, a method applied to the RNA-Sequencing normalization, performs the worst. The poor performance of TMM normalization is further evidenced by abnormal results from the test of differential expression (DE) of microRNA-Seq data. Comparing with the models used for DE, the choice of normalization method is the primary factor that affects the results of DE. In summary, Lowess normalization and quantile normalization are recommended for normalizing microRNA-Seq data, whereas the TMM method should be used with caution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16053250,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The evolution of flea-borne transmission in Yersinia pestis.\nTransmission by fleabite is a recent evolutionary adaptation that distinguishes Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and all other enteric bacteria. The very close genetic relationship between Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis indicates that just a few discrete genetic changes were sufficient to give rise to flea-borne transmission. Y. pestis exhibits a distinct infection phenotype in its flea vector, and a transmissible infection depends on genes that are specifically required in the flea, but not the mammal. Transmission factors identified to date suggest that the rapid evolutionary transition of Y. pestis to flea-borne transmission within the last 1,500 to 20,000 years involved at least three steps: acquisition of the two Y. pestis-specific plasmids by horizontal gene transfer; and recruitment of endogenous chromosomal genes for new functions. Perhaps reflective of the recent adaptation, transmission of Y. pestis by fleas is inefficient, and this likely imposed selective pressure favoring the evolution of increased virulence in this pathogen.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17805091,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Plasma volume response to 30-s cycle ergometry: influence on lipid and lipoprotein.\nIt has been suggested that exercise-induced changes in plasma volume (PV) confound the interpretation of biochemical data obtained during the recovery period from exercise. No studies have sought to assess the effect of short-duration, high-intensity exercise on PV change and plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations. The purpose of this study was to compare power profiles, changes in PV, and plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations immediately after and 24 h after exercise. Subjects undertook two 30-s, high-intensity cycle ergometer protocols after optimization of resistive loads calculated from total body mass (TBM) and fat-free mass (FFM). Power output indices were recorded and blood samples were analyzed before, immediately after, and 24 h after exercise. Peak power outputs were significantly greater in FFM (1020+\/-134 vs 953+\/-114 W for FFM and TBM, respectively, P<0.05). No differences were found between TBM and FFM for mean power output, fatigue index, or work done. Significant decreases (P<0.05) in PV of 12.0+\/-5.7 and 12.3+\/-6.7% were recorded immediately after exercise for both TBM and FFM, respectively. At 24 h after exercise, a significant (P<0.05) increase in PV of 4.2+\/-10.3% was recorded for TBM only. Significant increases (P<0.01) were recorded for serum triglyceride, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol immediately after exercise for both TBM and FFM. These increases disappeared when corrected for PV changes, with the exception of LDL cholesterol in TBM, which still displayed a significant increase compared with the preexercise values (2.50+\/-0.74 mM (before) vs 2.72+\/-0.84 mM (immediately after)). Our data show that short-duration, high-intensity cycle ergometer exercise tests can induce significant plasma volume decreases in untrained subjects, which may affect the interpretation of bloodborne biochemical parameters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36082303,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Antinutritional factors, nutritional improvement, and future food use of common beans: A perspective.\nCommon bean seeds are an excellent source of protein as well as of carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, and bioactive compounds reducing, when in the diet, the risks of diseases. The presence of bioactive compounds with antinutritional properties (e.g., phytic acid, lectins, raffinosaccharides, protease inhibitors) limits, however, the bean's nutritional value and its wider use in food preparations. In the last decades, concerted efforts have been, therefore, made to develop new common bean genotypes with reduced antinutritional compounds by exploiting the natural genetic variability of common bean and also applying induced mutagenesis. However, possible negative, or positive, pleiotropic effects due to these modifications, in terms of plant performance in response to stresses or in the resulting technological properties of the developed mutant genotypes, have yet not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of the perspective paper is to first highlight the current advances, which have been already made in mutant bean characterization. A view will be further provided on future research directions to specifically explore further advantages and disadvantages of these bean mutants, their potential use in innovative foods and representing a valuable genetic reservoir of combinations to assess the true functional role of specific seed bioactive components directly in the food matrix.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1768268,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Muscarinic receptors in diabetic rat prostate.\nTo investigate the effects of experimentally-induced diabetes on prostatic muscarinic cholinergic receptors, the binding characteristics of [3H]quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]QNB) to prostatic membrane particulates were examined in four groups of rats: control, diabetic, diabetic insulin treated, and diabetic myo-inositol treated. Diabetes was induced by i.v. injection of streptozotocin (STZ), 65 mg\/kg. Diabetic and diabetic myo-inositol-treated rats had hyperglycemia, hypoinsulinemia, glucosuria, polydipsia, and polyuria as well as significantly smaller prostates and lower body weights compared to control and diabetic insulin-treated animals. The densities of muscarinic receptors (Bmax) as determined by saturation studies with [3H]QNB in the prostatic plasma membranes of control, diabetic, diabetic insulin-treated and diabetic myo-inositol-treated rats were 80 +\/- 8, 51 +\/- 5, 78 +\/- 3, and 47 +\/- 7 fmol\/mg of protein, respectively. [3H]QNB binding to muscarinic receptors was inhibited by muscarinic antagonists with the following rank order of Ki values: atropine much less than pirenzepine less than AF-DX 116. The pharmacological profile of the muscarinic receptors was similar in all groups examined and was consistent with the predominance of the M3 muscarinic receptor subtype in prostatic membrane particulates. Our data indicate that STZ-induced diabetes caused a variety of abnormalities including a down-regulation in the density of M3 muscarinic receptors in the rat prostate and that insulin, but not myo-inositol could prevent the development of these abnormalities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35118930,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Eliciting false auditory perceptions using speech frequencies and semantic priming: a signal detection approach.\nIndividuals experiencing auditory hallucinations (AH) tend to perceive voices when exposed to random noise. However, the factors driving this tendency remain unclear. The present study examined the interaction of a top-down (expectations) and bottom-up (type of noise) process to better understand the mechanisms that underlie AH. Fifty-two healthy individuals (29 with high proneness and 23 with low proneness to AH) completed a signal detection task, in which they listened to pre-recorded sentences. The last word was either masked by noise or only noise was presented without the word. Two types of noise existed (speech-related versus speech-unrelated frequencies) and words were characterised by either high or low levels of semantic expectation. Participants with high proneness to AH showed a more liberal decision bias (i.e., they were more likely to report having heard a word) and poorer discrimination ability as compared to participants with low proneness to AH - but only when the word was masked by speech-related noises and the level of expectation was high. Further, the more liberal decision bias correlated negatively with the tendency to experience AH. This novel paradigm demonstrated an interaction between top-down (level of expectation) and bottom-up (type of noise) processes, supporting current theoretical models of AH.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17588352,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Cancer-related constipation.\nCancer-related constipation is common and a significant detractor from patient quality of life. It has many possible causes and is still not well understood. Information is lacking on therapies for cancer-related constipation among current medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Most agents have only been formally tested in comparison with placebo in chronic idiopathic constipation if at all. Few comparative studies of laxatives have been performed to establish superiority or synergy. As we understand more about the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract, new targeted therapies have become available. These include a selective chloride channel activator, lubiprostone, and a selective 5HT4 serotonin receptor agonist, tegaserod, both of which have been FDA approved for chronic idiopathic constipation. The role of these agents in cancer-related constipation remains to be seen. On the horizon are two investigational peripherally acting opioid receptor antagonists, alvimopan and methylnaltrexone. Preliminary results in cancer-related constipation suggest that these agents may be important additions to our treatment repertoire.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30759535,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"First Report of Tomato torrado virus in Tomato Crops in France.\nIn June 2008, tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants cv. Fer De Lance (De Ruiter Seeds, Bergschenhoek, the Netherlands) grown in greenhouses near Perpignan (southern France) showed growth reduction and necrotic lesions on fruits, stems, and basal parts of the leaves. Tomato torrado virus (ToTV) was suspected on the basis of symptoms and its recent description in Spain (4). Primer set A (3), designed to ToTV RNA-2, was used for reverse transcription (RT)-PCR experiments on RNA extracted from four infected plants and allowed the amplification of a 493-bp fragment. No amplification was observed from healthy plant extracts. The RT-PCR product was directly sequenced (GQ303330) and a BLAST search in GenBank revealed 99.8- and 99.5%-nt identity with Polish (EU563947) and Spanish type strain (DQ388880) isolates of ToTV, respectively. Double-antibody sandwich-ELISA tests were conducted on these four samples to check for the presence of other viruses commonly found in tomato crops in France. Tomato spotted wilt virus, Parietaria mottle virus, Cucumber mosaic virus, Tomato mosaic virus, and Potato virus Y were not detected but Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV) was detected in all samples. ToTV was mechanically transmitted to Physalis floridana but PepMV was not. This plant was used to inoculate healthy tomatoes that served as a ToTV source for further experiments. Mechanical inoculation to test plants showed that Nicotiana benthamiana, N. clevelandii, N. debneyi, N. glutinosa, Capsicum annuum, Solanum melongena, and some tomato cultivars (including Fer De Lance), in which typical necrotic symptoms were observed, were systemically infected by the virus. Isometric particles ~28 nm in diameter were observed by electron microscopy in crude extracts of infected plants negatively stained with 1% ammonium molybdate, pH 7. To confirm ToTV identification, whitefly transmission experiments were performed with Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia tabaci. Adult whiteflies were placed in cages with infected tomato plants for 1-, 24-, or 48-h acquisition access periods (AAP) before transferring them by groups of ~50 on susceptible tomato plantlets placed under small containers (six plants per AAP). Forty-eight hours later, plants were treated with an insecticide and transferred to an insect-proof containment growth room. Ten days later, RNA preparation from all plants was tested by RT-PCR for the presence of ToTV. No transmission was observed with a 1-h AAP. With a 24-h AAP, transmission to four of six test plants was observed with both whitefly species, while at 48 h, AAP transmission to three and four plants of six was observed with T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci, respectively. Noninoculated control plants were all negative by RT-PCR. These experiments confirm T. vaporariorum and B. tabaci as natural vectors of ToTV as previously described (1,2). ToTV has been already reported in Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Australia, but to our knowledge, this is the first report of ToTV in France. Our detection of ToTV in April 2009 from the same area revealed 7 positive tomato plants of 17 tested. This observation suggests the persistence of the disease in the Perpignan Region. References: (1) K. Amari et al. Plant Dis. 92:1139, 2008. (2) H. Pospieszny et al. Plant Dis. 91:1364, 2007 (3) J. Van der Heuvel et al. Plant Virus Designated Tomato Torrado Virus. Online publication. World Intellectual Property Organization WO\/2006\/085749, 2006. (4) M. Verbeek et al. Arch. Virol. 152:881, 2007.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26041080,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Paeoniflorin selectively inhibits LPS-provoked B-cell function.\nB cells are important in the development of autoimmune disorders through mechanisms involving dysregulated polyclonal B-cell activation, production of pathogenic antibodies, and targeting which reduces inflammation and tissue damage effectively but often leads to patients suffering from secondary infection. Paeoniflorin (PF) is the main substance of the Total glucosides of peony and has been widely used to treat autoimmune diseases for years. However, whether PF affects B cell activity remains unknown. In this study, using purified murine spleen B cells, we analyzed the effects of PF on B-cell function in vitro. We found that PF inhibited the expression of CD69\/CD86 and the proliferation of B cells stimulated by LPS. In addition, PF reduced the B-cell differentiation and immunoglobulin production that was stimulated by LPS. Interestingly, PF did not alter B-cell activation and proliferation provoked by anti-CD40 or IL-4. These results indicated for the first time that PF inhibits B-cell activation, proliferation and differentiation by selectively blocking the LPS\/TLR4 signaling pathway. Furthermore, our data suggest that PF selectively inhibits inflammation and tissue damage mediated by LPS-activated B cells but does not alter CD40\/CD40L- or IL-4-provoked B-cell function in autoimmune diseases treatment, which might aid in protecting patients from secondary infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26141946,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Antitumor Effects of MEHD7945A, a Dual-Specific Antibody against EGFR and HER3, in Combination with Radiation in Lung and Head and Neck Cancers.\nHuman epidermal growth factor receptor family members (EGFR, HER2, HER3, and HER4) play important roles in tumorigenesis and response to cancer therapeutics. In this study, we evaluated the capacity of the dual-target antibody MEHD7945A that simultaneously targets EGFR and HER3 to modulate radiation response in lung and head and neck cancer models. Antitumor effects of MEHD7945A in combination with radiation were evaluated in cell culture and tumor xenograft models. Mechanisms that may contribute to increased radiation killing by MEHD7945A, including DNA damage and inhibition of EGFR-HER signaling pathways, were analyzed. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor xenografts was conducted to evaluate the effect of MEHD7945A in combination with radiation on tumor growth and microenvironment. MEHD7945A inhibited basal and radiation-induced EGFR and HER3 activation resulting in the inhibition of tumor cell growth and enhanced radiosensitivity. MEHD7945A was more effective in augmenting radiation response than treatment with individual anti-EGFR or anti-HER3 antibodies. An increase in DNA double-strand breaks associated \u03b3-H2AX was observed in cells receiving combined treatment with MEHD7945A and radiation. Immunohistochemical staining evaluation in human tumor xenografts showed that MEHD7945A combined with radiation significantly reduced the expression of markers of tumor proliferation and tumor vasculature. These findings reveal the capacity of MEHD7945A to augment radiation response in lung and head and neck cancers. The dual EGFR\/HER3-targeting action of MEHD7945A merits further investigation and clinical trial evaluation as a radiation sensitizer in cancer therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22539569,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Early thalamic lesions in patients with sleep-potentiated epileptiform activity.\nTo compare the prevalence and type of early developmental lesions in patients with a clinical presentation consistent with electrical status epilepticus in sleep either with or without prominent sleep-potentiated epileptiform activity (PSPEA). We performed a case-control study and enrolled patients with 1) clinical features consistent with electrical status epilepticus in sleep, 2) \u22651 brain MRI scan, and 3) \u22651 overnight EEG recording. We quantified epileptiform activity using spike percentage, the percentage of 1-second bins in the EEG tracing containing at least 1 spike. PSPEA was present when spike percentage during non-REM sleep was \u226550% than spike percentage during wakefulness. One hundred patients with PSPEA (cases) and 47 patients without PSPEA (controls) met the inclusion criteria during a 14-year period. Both groups were comparable in terms of clinical and epidemiologic features. Early developmental lesions were more frequent in cases (48% vs 19.2%, p = 0.002). Thalamic lesions were more frequent in cases (14% vs 2.1%, p = 0.037). The main types of early developmental lesions found in cases were vascular lesions (14%), periventricular leukomalacia (9%), and malformation of cortical development (5%). Vascular lesions were the only type of early developmental lesions that were more frequent in cases (14% vs 0%, p = 0.005). Patients with PSPEA have a higher frequency of early developmental lesions and thalamic lesions than a comparable population of patients without PSPEA. Vascular lesions were the type of early developmental lesions most related to PSPEA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38131839,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Interaction between Congruency and Numerical Ratio Effects in the Nonsymbolic Comparison Test.\nThe nonsymbolic comparison task is used to investigate the precision of the Approximate Number Sense, the ability to process discrete numerosity without counting and symbols. There is an ongoing debate regarding the extent to which the ANS is influenced by the processing of non-numerical visual cues. To address this question, we assessed the congruency effect in a nonsymbolic comparison task, examining its variability across different stimulus presentation formats and numerical proportions. Additionally, we examined the variability of the numerical ratio effect with the format and congruency. Utilizing generalized linear mixed-effects models with a sample of 290 students (89% female, mean age 19.33 years), we estimated the congruency effect and numerical ratio effect for separated and intermixed formats of stimulus presentation, and for small and large numerical proportions. The findings indicated that the congruency effect increased in large numerical proportion conditions, but this pattern was observed only in the separated format. In the intermixed format, the congruency effect was insignificant for both types of numerical proportion. Notably, the numerical ratio effect varied for congruent and incongruent trials in different formats. The results may suggest that the processing of visual non-numerical parameters may be crucial when numerosity processing becomes noisier, specifically when numerical proportion becomes larger. The implications of these findings for refining the ANS theory are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33668583,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pancreatic Tumorigenesis: Oncogenic KRAS and the Vulnerability of the Pancreas to Obesity.\nPancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies and KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma 2 viral oncogene homolog) mutations have been considered a critical driver of PDAC initiation and progression. However, the effects of mutant KRAS alone do not recapitulate the full spectrum of pancreatic pathologies associated with PDAC development in adults. Historically, mutant KRAS was regarded as constitutively active; however, recent studies have shown that endogenous levels of mutant KRAS are not constitutively fully active and its activity is still subject to up-regulation by upstream stimuli. Obesity is a metabolic disease that induces a chronic, low-grade inflammation called meta-inflammation and has long been recognized clinically as a major modifiable risk factor for pancreatic cancer. It has been shown in different animal models that obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD) and pancreatic inflammation promote the rapid development of mutant KRAS-mediated PDAC with high penetrance. However, it is not clear why the pancreas with endogenous levels of mutant KRAS is vulnerable to chronic HFD and inflammatory challenges. Recently, the discovery of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) as a novel anti-obesity and anti-inflammatory factor and as a downstream target of mutant KRAS has shed new light on this problem. This review is intended to provide an update on our knowledge of the vulnerability of the pancreas to KRAS-mediated invasive PDAC in the context of challenges engendered by obesity and associated inflammation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27365387,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Antibodies to Toxin B Are Protective Against Clostridium difficile Infection Recurrence.\nAlthough newer studies have evaluated risk factors for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), the vast majority did not measure important biomarkers such as endogenous anti-toxin A and anti-toxin B antibody levels. Data from the placebo group of a phase 2 trial testing monoclonal antibodies to C. difficile toxins A and B for preventing CDI recurrence (rCDI) were analyzed to assess risk factors associated with rCDI. Patients with symptomatic CDI taking metronidazole or vancomycin were enrolled. The primary outcome was rCDI within 84 days of treatment start. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to examine associations between potential risk factors and rCDI. At baseline, demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded; endogenous antibody levels were assessed using 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A predictor of recurrence was age \u226565 years, and an antibody-mediated immune response to toxin B appears to be protective against rCDI. Our findings demonstrate the importance of clinical as well as immunological risk factors in rCDI and provide more robust evidence for the protective effects of antibody to toxin B in the prevention of rCDI. NCT00350298.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1601621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Myocardial volume perfused by coronary artery branches. A three-dimensional X-ray computed tomographic evaluation in pigs.\nThe authors tested the hypothesis that the cumulative length of arterial branches is related to the volume of tissue they perfuse. This experiment investigates the potential value of this approach for assessing the volume of myocardium at risk in cases of coronary occlusion. The volume of myocardium perfused by coronary arterial branches and the cumulative length of the main feeder branches perfusing that volume were measured in vivo in pig hearts from multislice computed tomographic (CT) images of the heart, recorded during an aortic root injection of nonionic contrast agent. The relationship between the volume (V, in milliliters) of perfused myocardium and the length (L, in millimeters) of the left anterior descending artery was V = 42.4 x 10(-0.011L) (r = -0.892); for the right coronary artery, V = 37.0 x 10(-0.008L) (r = -0.888); and for the left circumflex coronary artery, V = 27.7 x 10(-0.011L) (r = -0.883). These results suggest that the maximum volume of myocardium at risk of infarction due to blockage along a coronary artery could possibly be estimated from the three-dimensional geometry of the epicardial coronary arterial tree.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25426950,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Triazatriangulene as binding group for molecular electronics.\nThe triazatriangulene (TATA) ring system was investigated as a binding group for tunnel junctions of molecular wires on gold surfaces. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of TATA platforms with three different lengths of phenylene wires were fabricated, and their electrical conductance was recorded by both conducting probe-atomic force microscopy (CP-AFM) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Similar measurements were performed for phenylene SAMs with thiol anchoring groups as references. It was found that, despite the presence of a sp(3) hybridized carbon atom in the conduction path, the TATA platform displays a contact resistance only slightly larger than the thiols. This surprising finding has not been reported before and was analyzed by theoretical computations of the transmission functions of the TATA anchored molecular wires. The relatively low contact resistance of the TATA platform along with its high stability and directionality make this binding group very attractive for molecular electronic measurements and devices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33030292,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Bipolar disorder: Trimodal age-at-onset distribution.\nBipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mental health disorder with significant morbidity and mortality. Age at onset (AAO) may be a key variable in delineating more homogeneous subgroups of BD patients. However, no known research has systematically assessed how BD age-at-onset subgroups should be defined. We systematically searched the following databases: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Proquest Dissertations and Theses, Google Scholar and BIOSIS Previews. Original quantitative English language studies investigating AAO in BD were sought. A total of 9454 unique publications were identified. Twenty-one of these were included in data analysis (n = 22981 BD participants). Fourteen of these studies (67%, n = 13626 participants) found a trimodal AAO distribution: early-onset (\u00b5 = 17.3, \u03c3 = 1.19, 45% of sample), mid-onset (\u00b5 = 26.0, \u03c3 = 1.72, 35%), and late-onset (\u00b5 = 41.9, \u03c3 = 6.16, 20%). Five studies (24%, n = 1422 participants) described a bimodal AAO distribution: early-onset (\u00b5 = 24.3, \u03c3 = 6.57, 66% of sample) and late-onset (\u00b5 = 46.3, \u03c3 = 14.15, 34%). Two studies investigated cohort effects on BD AAO and found that when the sample was not split by cohort, a trimodal AAO was the winning model, but when separated by cohort a bimodal distribution fit the data better. We propose that the field conceptualises bipolar disorder age-at-onset subgroups as referring broadly to life stages. Demarcating BD AAO groups can inform treatment and provide a framework for future research to continue to investigate potential mechanisms of disease onset.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23720071,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Active surveillance, radiofrequency ablation, or cryoablation for the nonsurgical management of a small renal mass: a cost-utility analysis.\nPatients with a cortical small (\u22644 cm) renal mass often are not candidates for or choose not to undergo surgery. The optimal management strategy for such patients is unclear. A decision-analytic Markov model was developed from the perspective of a third party payer to compare the quality-adjusted life expectancy and lifetime costs for 67-year-old patients with a small renal mass undergoing premanagement decision biopsy, immediate percutaneous radiofrequency ablation or percutaneous cryoablation (without premanagement biopsy), or active surveillance with serial imaging and subsequent ablation if needed. The dominant strategy (most effective and least costly) was active surveillance with subsequent cryoablation if needed. On a quality-adjusted and discounted basis, immediate cryoablation resulted in a similar life expectancy (3 days fewer) but cost $3,010 more. This result was sensitive to the relative rate of progression to metastatic disease. Strategies that employed radiofrequency ablation had decreased quality-adjusted life expectancies (82-87 days fewer than the dominant strategy) and higher costs ($3,231-$6,398 more). Active surveillance with delayed percutaneous cryoablation, if needed, may be a safe and cost-effective alternative to immediate cryoablation. The uncertainty in the relative long-term rate of progression to metastatic disease in patients managed with active surveillance versus immediate cryoablation needs to be weighed against the higher cost of immediate cryoablation. A randomized trial is needed directly to evaluate the nonsurgical management of patients with a small renal mass, and could be limited to the most promising strategies identified in this analysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17235033,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Comparison of visual and electronic identification devices in pigs: slaughterhouse performance.\nTraceability during slaughter was studied in 1,581 pigs identified by different devices. Treatments were visual ear tags (n = 1,300), electronic ear tags of different technologies (half-duplex, n = 636; full-duplex, n = 632), and intraperitoneally injected transponders of different technologies (half-duplex 32 mm, n = 645; full-duplex 34 mm, n = 642). Piglets were individually identified at weaning and intensively fed until 100 kg of BW. Pigs were slaughtered in 2 commercial slaughterhouses (including scalding, flaming, and peeling) at different throughputs (450 and 550 pigs\/h). Readability during slaughtering was checked visually and using standardized hand-held transceivers. No effect of slaughterhouse was detected (P > 0.05). Ear tag losses in the slaughtering line were similar for visual (3.7%) and half-duplex (3.5%) but were increased for full-duplex (11.5%; P < 0.05). Moreover, electronic failures during slaughtering did not differ (P > 0.05) between ear tags (half-duplex, 1.1%; full-duplex, 0.6%). Intraperitoneally injected transponders were not affected by slaughtering (retention 100%, no failures), and 89.0% of the transponders were manually recovered from the abdominal viscera in the offal trays. The remaining transponders (11.0%) were lost on the floor, but none were found in the carcasses. No differences (P > 0.05) in recovery were observed between intraperitoneal transponders. Considering on-farm and slaughterhouse data, total traceability from farm to carcass release was greater (P < 0.05) for intraperitoneally injected transponders (98.2%) than for ear tags. Between ear tags, the greatest traceability was obtained with visual tags (95.7%), which differed (P < 0.05) from electronic tags (half-duplex, 91.4%; full-duplex, 84.5%; P < 0.05). Intraperitoneally injected transponders were an efficient and reliable identification system for tracing pigs from farm to the end of the slaughter line, allowing the transfer of pig identification to the carcass. Adherence of intraperitoneally injected transponders to the viscera should be improved to reduce risks of loss in the meat chain. A dual system based on intraperitoneally injected transponders and plastic ear tags would allow a redundant and automatic reading system that is efficient and reliable for data management and traceability in the swine industry.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17077685,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Current worldwide practice of dialysis dose prescription in acute renal failure.\nThe practice of renal replacement therapy for acute renal failure varies greatly around the world. This is especially true for the dose of renal replacement therapy. This review describes the epidemiology of dialysis prescription and delivery around the world based on recent observational studies and international surveys. Furthermore, a brief speculation on the concept of adequacy of therapy is provided. Following the publication of the first large prospective randomized trial on the effects of treatment dose on outcome of patients with acute renal failure a certain consensus has been achieved on the adequacy of 35 ml\/kg\/h of clearance in continuous therapies. Surveys conducted in 1998 had demonstrated that such adequate therapy was only prescribed in a minority of patients. Recent observations based on questionnaires and surveys confirm that the number of centers prescribing adequate dialysis dose is increasing, but there is still a large number of institutions where prescription is made with no specific adequacy targets and effective delivery is not measured. Several barriers have been identified to reach adequacy targets including logistics, costs, personnel and others. The analysis of the epidemiology of dialysis dose around the world shows a complex picture. Wide variations in practice are present although a significant effort has been made to standardize the prescription and delivery of therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20466841,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Antagonism and synergism in Gardnerella vaginalis strains isolated from women with bacterial vaginosis.\nAntagonistic and synergistic substances are important for interactions between micro-organisms associated with human body surfaces, either in healthy or in diseased conditions. In the present study, such compounds produced by Gardnerella vaginalis strains isolated from women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) were detected in vitro and the antagonistic ones were partially characterized. Among 11 G. vaginalis strains tested, all showed antagonistic activity against at least one of the 22 indicator bacteria assayed. Interestingly, for some of these strains, antagonism reverted to synergism, favouring one of the indicator strains (Peptostreptococcus anaerobius) when the growth medium was changed. Partial characterization of antagonistic substances suggested a bacteriocin-like chemical nature. Depending on growth conditions, G. vaginalis isolated from women with BV produced antagonistic or synergistic compounds for other bacterial components of the vaginal ecosystem. This is the first report to our knowledge of the production of antagonistic and\/or synergistic substances by G. vaginalis. This ability may be a pivotal factor in understanding BV and the ecological role of this bacterium in the vaginal environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34164808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Colorectal cancer survival in sub-Saharan Africa by age, stage at diagnosis and Human Development Index: A population-based registry study.\nThere are limited population-based survival data for colorectal cancer (CRC) in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, 1707 persons diagnosed with CRC from 2005 to 2015 were randomly selected from 13 population-based cancer registries operating in 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Vital status was ascertained from medical charts or through next of kin. 1-, 3- and 5-year overall and relative survival rates for all registries and for each registry were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Multivariable analysis was used to examine the associations of 5-year relative survival with age at diagnosis, stage and country-level Human Development Index (HDI). Observed survival for 1448 patients with CRC across all registries combined was 72.0% (95% CI 69.5-74.4%) at 1 year, 50.4% (95% CI 47.6-53.2%) at 3 years and 43.5% (95% CI 40.6-46.3%) at 5 years. We estimate that relative survival at 5 years in these registry populations is 48.2%. Factors associated with poorer survival included living in a country with lower HDI, late stage at diagnosis and younger or older age at diagnosis (<50 or \u226570 years). For example, the risk of death was 1.6 (95% CI 1.2-2.1) times higher for patients residing in medium-HDI and 2.7 (95% CI 2.2-3.4) times higher for patients residing in low-HDI compared to those residing in high-HDI countries. Survival for CRC remains low in sub-Saharan African countries, though estimates vary considerably by HDI. Strengthening health systems to ensure access to prevention, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is critical in improving outcomes of CRC in the region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31673308,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Dissecting the allosteric FXR modulation: a chemical biology approach using guggulsterone as a chemical tool.\nGuggulsterone is a promiscuous ligand for endocrine and metabolic lipid receptors traditionally used to treat a number of diseases including diabesity, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, and osteoarthritis. Although relatively weak, its activity at the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) is particularly intriguing as guggulsterone acts as an antagonist with a peculiar ability of gene selective modulation. We report here a chemical biology study with the aim to further characterize the biological action of guggulsterone at the FXR and to obtain further insights into the functional role played by noncanonical FXR binding pockets S2 and S3. Our results suggest that the FXR accessory pockets might act as potential targets for small molecules able to modulate the metabolic activation of the receptor without affecting the anti-inflammatory activity thus revealing a new approach for disclosing selective FXR modulators that might bypass potential side-effects from chronic treatments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7749099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Umbilical cord blood transplantation: overview of the clinical experience.\nIn an attempt to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, clinical investigators in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America have evaluated umbilical cord and placental blood as an alternate source of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for transplantation. To date, umbilical cord blood has been used to reconstitute hematopoiesis in 34 patients with a variety of malignant and nonmalignant diseases treated with myeloablative therapy. Although the median number of nucleated cells infused was only 4.0 x 10(7)\/kg of the recipient's body weight (range, 0.1-33.0 x 10(7)), the median time to hematopoietic recovery was 25.0 days for neutrophils (i.e., absolute neutrophil count > 500\/microL, range, 12-46) and 43.5 days for platelets (i.e., absolute platelet count > 50,000\/microL, range: 15-105+). Except in three patients who failed to demonstrate any evidence of hematopoietic recovery and one patient who had prompt autologous recovery, engraftment of donor cells was documented in all patients, including recipients of HLA-mismatched grafts. Of 23 evaluable patients with HLA-identical or HLA-1 antigen-mismatched donors, none had grade 2-4 acute graft vs. host disease (GVHD). In summary, these data suggest that umbilical cord blood is an acceptable source of transplantable hematopoietic stem cells, at least in recipients < 40 kg and that the risk of acute GVHD is low.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7525116,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Variance function as basis for assessment of test performance: methodological studies with two assays of prostate-specific antigen.\nWe evaluated the usefulness of a recently described procedure to assess the analytical performance of an assay. To demonstrate the advantages of this approach, we compared the performance of two analytical systems for determining prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Triplicate measurements of PSA with the IMx (Abbott) and the ACS 180 (Ciba Corning) were used to calculate the variance function. This function was the basis for the derivation of the critical limit (LC), the limit of detection (LD), the power of definition (PD), and the lower limit of the quantification interval. The standard deviation of the blank was extrapolated by means of the variance function. LC was calculated as the concentration at which the normal distribution of the blank intersects an adjacent normal distribution (with a defined overlap, e.g., 5%). The mean of the adjacent normal distribution represents the LD. The PD is a new mathematical approach to describe the analytical sensitivity of an assay in different ranges of the quantification interval. The procedure is statistically well defined and allows one to obtain the data on the test performance directly from patients' samples, without artificial zero controls. Therefore, use of the variance function could be a general model for the assessment of the analytical performance of an assay.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":80828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Biological properties of virus-induced interferons.\nBoth mouse and human cells elaborate more than one molecular species of interferon. Mouse interferon consists of a number of polypeptides which all probably have antiviral activity. Human fibroblast interferon is a single polypeptide, but other human cells produce special species of interferons, which show different physical and biological properties. The human interferons certainly differ in their extent of glycosylation and hydrophobicity, and may have different amino-acid sequences, since it has recently been reported that when the messenger RNAs extracted from fibroblast and lymphoblastoid cells are translated in Xenopus oocytes, the products are antigenically distinguishable (26,29,40). If the polypeptide sequences are different, then there may be at least two structural genes for human interferon. Both the antiviral and anticellular activities of mouse and human interferon probably reside in the same molecule.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7296546,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Glucocorticoid receptors and in vitro responses to glucocorticoid in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia.\nEarly clinical studies in which glucocorticoids were used alone in the treatment of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) reported a wide range of responses from remission in some patients to dramatic aggravation of the disease in others. In the hopes of identifying those patients likely to derive therapeutic benefit from glucocorticoids, we have studied glucocorticoid receptors and in vitro responses to glucocorticoids in 36 previously untreated adults with ANLL. The leukemic blasts of all patients contained glucocorticoid receptors (range, 4,300 to 28,400 total receptor sites per cell; median, 8,800). These receptors were similar in all respects studied to those from a variety of other normal and malignant tissues. There was little difference between receptor levels among the various French-American-British categories. In vitro responses to glucocorticoid were observed in leukemic blasts of 26 of 28 cases studied. These responses varied from near complete cell killing to stimulation of proliferation. Since the cells of patients with ANLL have about the same number of receptors as do cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and these receptors are capable of mediating physiological responses in vitro, it is unlikely that qualitative or quantitative receptor defects underlie the relative resistance to glucocorticoid therapy of ALL compared to acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, the broad range of in vitro responses and receptor levels suggests that these studies might be useful in identifying those patients with ANLL likely to derive benefit from steroid therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27874957,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2017-13":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Restoration of microRNA-373 suppresses growth of human T-cell lymphoma cells by repressing CCND1.\nAdult T cell lymphoma is a highly aggressive T-cell malignancy. This study was designed to explore the expression and functional significance of microRNA (miR)-373 in T cell lymphoma. We analyzed the levels of CCND1 and miR-373 in T cell lymphoma tissue and the relationship of miR-373 levels with patients' prognosis. We then overexpressed miR-373 by miRNA mimics transfection and inhibited miR-373 by miRNA antisense transfection in T cell lymphoma cells. Cell survival and growth were analyzed by CCK-8 assay and MTT assay, respectively. Cell proliferation was analyzed by flow cytometry. Bioinformatics analyses were applied to predict miR-373 targets, which were then confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. We detected significantly higher levels of CCND1, and significantly lower levels of miR-373 in T cell lymphoma tissue, compared to the adjacent non-tumor tissue. Moreover, the low miR-373 levels were associated with poor survival of the patients. Overexpression of miR-373 significantly inhibited cell growth, while depletion of miR-373 increased cell growth in T cell lymphoma cells. Moreover, the effects of miR-373 on cell growth appeared to result from an alteration in cell proliferation. Finally, miR-373 was found to bind to the 3'-UTR of CCND1 mRNA to inhibit its translation in T cell lymphoma cells. Our study suggests that reduced miR-373 levels in T cell lymphoma tissue may promote T cell lymphoma growth, possibly through CCND1-mediated cell proliferation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34222451,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cutaneous myiasis with eosinophilic pleural effusion: A case report.\nCutaneous myiasis is frequently observed; however, eosinophilic pleural effusion induced by this condition is rare. We report the case of a 65-year-old female Tibetan patient from Qinghai Province, who presented to West China Hospital of Sichuan University around mid-November 2011 with a chief complaint of recurrent cough, occasional hemoptysis, and right chest pain. There was no past medical and surgical history of note, except for occasional dietary habit of eating raw meat. Clinical examination revealed a left lung collapse and diminished breathing sounds in her left lung, with moist rales heard in both lungs. Chest X-rays demonstrated a left hydropneumothorax and a right lung infection. Chest computed tomography revealed a left hydropneumothorax with partial compressive atelectasis and patchy consolidation on the right lung. Laboratory data revealed peripheral blood eosinophilia of 37.2%, with a white blood cell count of 10.4 \u00d7 109\/L. Serum immunoglobulin E levels were elevated (1650 unit\/mL). Serum parasite antibodies were negative except for cysticercosis immunoglobulin G. Bone marrow aspirates were hypercellular, with a marked increase in the number of mature eosinophils and eosinophilic myelocytes. An ultrasound-guided left-sided thoracentesis produced a yellow-cloudy exudative fluid. Failure to respond to antibiotic treatment during hospitalization for her symptoms and persistent blood eosinophilia led the team to start oral albendazole (400 mg\/d) for presumed parasitic infestation for three consecutive days after the ninth day of hospitalization. Intermittent migratory stabbing pain and swelling sensation on both her upper arms and shoulders were reported; tender nodules and worm-like live organisms were observed in the responding sites 1 wk later. After the removal of the live organisms, they were subsequently identified as first stage hypodermal larvae by the Sichuan Institute of Parasites. The patient's symptoms were relieved soon afterwards. Telephonic follow-up 1 mo later indicated that the blood eosinophilia and pleural effusion were resolved. Eosinophilic pleural fluid can be present in a wide array of disorders. Myiasis should be an important consideration for the differential diagnosis when eosinophilic pleural effusion with blood eosinophilia is observed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21454226,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Medical care of girls with Turner Syndrome: where are we lacking?\nTo characterize the medical care of a large cohort of girls with Turner syndrome with a focus on changes in management since establishment of international consensus guidelines in 2007. We reviewed medical records of patients followed up for Turner syndrome between 2000 and 2010. A total of 128 girls aged 13.2 \u00b1 0.5 years were identified. Average age at diagnosis was 4.1 \u00b1 5.1 years. Overall, medical assessments performed included a hearing test in 56%, thyroid screening in 95%, renal ultrasonography in 100%, and echocardiography in 100%. Before 2007, none of the patients had screening performed for celiac disease, dyslipidemia, or liver dysfunction, and none had routine electrocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Since 2007, 63% were screened for celiac disease, 54% for liver abnormalities, and 38% for dyslipidemia. Electrocardiography was performed in 23%, while cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 39%. Although conjugated equine oral estrogen was the main mode of estrogen replacement, a significant increase was noted in the use of transdermal estrogen during the past 2 years compared with that observed in the earlier interval (78% vs 10%, respectively). Although changes in medical practice have occurred since establishment of the international Turner syndrome guidelines, screening for associated comorbidities was deficient in greater than 50% of the patients in our study. This is the first study evaluating medical care in a large cohort of pediatric patients with Turner syndrome, and our findings emphasize the need for continual education of all physicians involved in the care of this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34182775,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Diverse Humoral Immune Responses in Younger and Older Adult COVID-19 Patients.\nWe sought to discover links between antibody responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and patient clinical variables, cytokine profiles, and antibodies to endemic coronaviruses. Serum samples from 30 patients of younger (26 to 39 years) and older (69 to 83 years) age groups and with varying clinical severities ranging from outpatient to mechanically ventilated were collected and used to probe a novel multi-coronavirus protein microarray. This microarray contained variable-length overlapping fragments of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), nucleocapsid (N), and open reading frame (ORF) proteins created through in vitro transcription and translation (IVTT). The array also contained SARS-CoV, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43), and HCoV-NL63 proteins. IgG antibody responses to specific epitopes within the S1 protein region spanning amino acids (aa) 500 to 650 and within the N protein region spanning aa 201 to 300 were found to be significantly higher in older patients and further significantly elevated in those older patients who were ventilated. Additionally, there was a noticeable overlap between antigenic regions and known mutation locations in selected emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of current clinical consequence (B.1.1.7, B1.351, P.1, CAL20.C, and B.1.526). Moreover, the older age group displayed more consistent correlations of antibody reactivity with systemic cytokine and chemokine responses than the younger adult group. A subset of patients, however, had little or no response to SARS-CoV-2 antigens and disproportionately severe clinical outcomes. Further characterization of these slow-low-responding individuals with cytokine analysis revealed significantly higher interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-15, and interferon gamma-induced protein 10 (IP-10) levels and lower epidermal growth factor (EGF) and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) levels than those of seroreactive patients in the cohort. IMPORTANCE As numerous viral variants continue to emerge in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, determining antibody reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 epitopes becomes essential in discerning changes in the immune response to infection over time. This study enabled us to identify specific areas of antigenicity within the SARS-CoV-2 proteome, allowing us to detect correlations of epitopes with clinical metadata and immunological signals to gain holistic insight into SARS-CoV-2 infection. This work also emphasized the risk of mutation accumulation in viral variants and the potential for evasion of the adaptive immune responses in the event of reinfection. We additionally highlighted the correlation of antigenicity between structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and endemic HCoVs, raising the possibility of cross-protection between homologous lineages. Finally, we identified a subset of patients with minimal antibody reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 infection, prompting discussion of the potential consequences of this alternative immune response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20421998,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A novel endogenous indole protects rodent mitochondria and extends rotifer lifespan.\nAging is a multi-factorial process, however, it is generally accepted that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are significant contributors. Mitochondria are important players in the aging process because they produce most of the cellular ROS. Despite the strength of the free-radical hypothesis, the use of free radical scavengers to delay aging has generated mixed results in vertebrate models, and clinical evidence of efficacy is lacking. This is in part due to the production of pro-oxidant metabolites by many antioxidants while scavenging ROS, which counteract their potentially beneficial effects. As such, a more effective approach is to enhance mitochondrial metabolism by reducing electron leakage with attendant reduction of ROS generation. Here, we report on the actions of a novel endogenous indole derivative, indolepropionamide (IPAM), which is similar in structure to melatonin. Our results suggest that IPAM binds to the rate-limiting component of oxidative phosphorylation in complex I of the respiratory chain and acts as a stabilizer of energy metabolism, thereby reducing ROS production. IPAM reversed the age-dependent decline of mitochondrial energetic capacity and increased rotifer lifespan, and it may, in fact, constitute a novel endogenous anti-aging substance of physiological importance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15729733,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Klinefelter's syndrome (XXY) as a genetic model for psychotic disorders.\nMales with an extra-X chromosome (Klinefelter's syndrome) frequently, although not always, have an increased prevalence of psychiatric disturbances that range from attention deficit disorder in childhood to schizophrenia or severe affective disorders during adulthood. In addition, they frequently have characteristic verbal deficits. Thus, examining brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of these individuals may yield clues to the influence of X chromosome genes on brain structural variation corresponding to psychiatric and cognitive disorders. Eleven adult XXY and 11 age matched XY male controls were examined with a structured psychiatric interview, battery of cognitive tests, and an MRI scan. Ten of eleven of the XXY men had some form of psychiatric disturbance, four of whom had auditory hallucinations compared with none of the XY controls. Significantly smaller frontal lobe, temporal lobe, and superior temporal gyrus (STG) cortical volumes were observed bilaterally in the XXY men. In addition, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of white matter integrity resulted in four regions of reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in XXY men compared with controls, three in the left hemisphere, and one on the right. These correspond to the left posterior limb of the internal capsule, bilateral anterior cingulate, and left arcuate bundle. Specific cognitive deficits in executive functioning attributable to frontal lobe integrity and verbal comprehension were noted. Thus, excess expression of one or more X chromosome genes influences both gray and white matter development in frontal and temporal lobes, as well as white matter tracts leading to them, and may in this way contribute to the executive and language deficits observed in these adults. Future prospective studies are needed to determine which gene or genes are involved and whether their expression could be modified with appropriate treatments early in life. Brain expressed genes that are known to escape inactivation on extra-X chromosomes would be prime candidates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33545035,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A pan-cancer single-cell transcriptional atlas of tumor infiltrating myeloid cells.\nTumor-infiltrating myeloid cells (TIMs) are key regulators in tumor progression, but the similarity and distinction of their fundamental properties across different tumors remain elusive. Here, by performing a pan-cancer analysis of single myeloid cells from 210 patients across 15 human cancer types, we identified distinct features of TIMs across cancer types. Mast cells in nasopharyngeal cancer were found to be associated with better prognosis and exhibited an anti-tumor phenotype with a high ratio of TNF+\/VEGFA+ cells. Systematic comparison between cDC1- and cDC2-derived LAMP3+ cDCs revealed their differences in transcription factors and external stimulus. Additionally, pro-angiogenic tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) were characterized with diverse markers across different cancer types, and the composition of TIMs appeared to be associated with certain features of somatic mutations and gene expressions. Our results provide a systematic view of the highly heterogeneous TIMs and suggest future avenues for rational, targeted immunotherapies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36851021,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"High-Dose Primaquine Induces Proximal Tubular Degeneration and Ventricular Cardiomyopathy Linked to Host Cells Mitochondrial Dysregulation.\nPrimaquine (PQ) is the only antimalarial medication used to eradicate many species of Plasmodium gametocytes and prevent relapse in vivax and ovale malarias. PQ metabolites induce oxidative stress and impair parasitic mitochondria, leading to protozoal growth retardation and death. Collateral damage is also presented in mammalian host cells, particularly erythrocytes, resulting in hemolysis and tissue destruction. However, the underlying mechanisms of these complications, particularly the mitochondria-mediated cell death of the host, are poorly understood. In the present study, toxicopathological studies were conducted on a rat model to determine the effect of PQ on affected tissues and mitochondrial toxicity. The results indicated that the LD50 for PQ is 200 mg\/kg. A high dose of PQ induced hemolytic anemia, elevated a hepatic enzyme (SGPT), and induced proximal tubular degeneration, ventricular cardiomyopathy, and mitochondrial dysregulation. In addition, PQ induced the upregulation of apoptosis-related proteins Drp-1 and caspase-3, with a positive correlation, as well as the pro-apoptotic mitochondrial gene expression of Bax, reflecting the toxic effect of high doses of PQ on cellular damage and mitochondrial apoptosis in terms of hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, and cardiotoxicity. Regarding the risk\/benefit ratio of drug administration, our research provides caution for the use of PQ in the treatment of malaria based on its toxicopathological effects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26790027,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Blood-Brain Barrier Deterioration and Hippocampal Gene Expression in Polymicrobial Sepsis: An Evaluation of Endothelial MyD88 and the Vagus Nerve.\nSystemic infection can initiate or exacerbate central nervous system (CNS) pathology, even in the absence of overt invasion of bacteria into the CNS. Recent epidemiological studies have demonstrated that human survivors of sepsis have an increased risk of long-term neurocognitive decline. There is thus a need for improved understanding of the physiological mechanisms whereby acute sepsis affects the CNS. In particular, MyD88-dependent activation of brain microvascular endothelial cells and a resulting loss of blood-brain barrier integrity have been proposed to play an important role in the effects of systemic inflammation on the CNS. Signaling through the vagus nerve has also been considered to be an important component of CNS responses to systemic infection. Here, we demonstrate that blood-brain barrier permeabilization and hippocampal transcriptional responses during polymicrobial sepsis occur even in the absence of MyD88-dependent signaling in cerebrovascular endothelial cells. We further demonstrate that these transcriptional responses can occur without vagus nerve input. These results suggest that redundant signals mediate CNS responses in sepsis. Either endothelial or vagus nerve activation may be individually sufficient to transmit systemic inflammation to the central nervous system. Transcriptional activation in the forebrain in sepsis may be mediated by MyD88-independent endothelial mechanisms or by non-vagal neuronal pathways.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6270178,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Corticotropin\/beta-lipotropin biosynthesis, processing, and release in Nelson's syndrome.\nBiosynthesis and processing of ACTH\/beta-lipotropin was studied in Nelson's syndrome pituitary tumor tissue grown in monolayer culture. Radiolabeled peptides were immunoprecipitated and fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS\/PAGE). Important findings include: 1) a virtual absence of 13K ACTH or 3.5K beta-endorphin production; 2) evidence indicating the presence of a 24-26K ACTH and beta-LPH containing intermediate (which implies a different order of processing from that reported in the mouse); 3) An extremely rapid rate of turnover and release of ACTH and beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) similar to that of the mouse AtT20\/D16v pituitary tumors. The latter finding is consistent with an intrinsic pituitary cell defect in the pathogenesis of this disorder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12534463,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Complete genome sequence and comparative analysis of the metabolically versatile Pseudomonas putida KT2440.\nPseudomonas putida is a metabolically versatile saprophytic soil bacterium that has been certified as a biosafety host for the cloning of foreign genes. The bacterium also has considerable potential for biotechnological applications. Sequence analysis of the 6.18 Mb genome of strain KT2440 reveals diverse transport and metabolic systems. Although there is a high level of genome conservation with the pathogenic Pseudomonad Pseudomonas aeruginosa (85% of the predicted coding regions are shared), key virulence factors including exotoxin A and type III secretion systems are absent. Analysis of the genome gives insight into the non-pathogenic nature of P. putida and points to potential new applications in agriculture, biocatalysis, bioremediation and bioplastic production.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30730192,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Formulation of a measurement model for the boldness construct of psychopathy.\nWe describe efforts to formulate a quantitative measurement model for boldness, a construct that has been intensively discussed and investigated in the psychopathy literature in recent years. Although the Fearless Dominance factor of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI-FD) has served as a major referent for studying this dispositional construct, boldness was not explicitly targeted in developing the PPI, creating the need for a formal measurement model for this construct. Using an exploratory approach to test construction and multiple waves of data collection and analysis involving 1,791 participants, we created nine unidimensional scales (comprising a total of 130 items) for assessing correlated but thematically distinct facets of boldness, and characterized their higher-order structure. Overall scores on this new Boldness Inventory correlated highly with PPI-FD (positively) and dispositional fear (negatively), and negligibly with disinhibitory proclivities, in validation samples consisting of undergraduates (N = 767) and male prisoners (N = 326). The structural model of this new inventory, encompassing a general factor on which all facet scales loaded and two subordinate factors defined by residual variances of certain scales, effectively accommodated the constituent scales of PPI-FD. The model development work reported here establishes a valuable foundation for further, more fine-grained investigation of boldness as it relates to psychopathy and other clinical conditions as well as to adaptive functioning and performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36824553,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Patient and Healthcare Professional Priorities for a Mobile Phone Application for Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease.\nIntroduction Supervised exercise therapy (SET) is the first-line treatment for the peripheral arterial disease (PAD), however, access and compliance are low. An alternative method of delivering this therapy is through mobile health applications, which can be more accessible and convenient for patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate patient, public and healthcare professional (HCP) priorities with regard to a dedicated mobile phone application to deliver remote SET. Methods Bespoke questionnaires were designed for patients and HCPs to assess app functionality and prioritisations for development. These were distributed through social media and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. Results Functionality questionnaires were completed by 62 patients and 44 HCPs. Eighty-four per cent of patients wanted their therapy to be monitored by their vascular team with the majority (78%) interested in measuring walking distances. Most patients (76%) were interested in watching exercise videos. These views were shared by HCPs. A communication platform was prioritised for messaging and pictures by the patient (74% and 68% respectively), but not so by HCPs (40%). Documenting other forms of physical activity and the use of wearable technology was less valuable to patients but favoured by HCPs (50%). The ability to interact with other users was not prioritised by either group. Conclusion Delivery of a mobile phone application to deliver health programmes for SET in patients with PAD is an acceptable method for patients and HCPs. This data will enable the next stages of mobile phone application development to be appropriately prioritised, focusing on building exercise videos, a communication platform and further walking tests.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18195328,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Early events in the pathogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer.\nOvarian carcinogenesis, as in most cancers, involves multiple genetic alterations. A great deal has been learned about proteins and pathways important in the early stages of malignant transformation and metastasis, as derived from studies of individual tumors, microarray data, animal models, and inherited disorders that confer susceptibility. However, a full understanding of the earliest recognizable events in epithelial ovarian carcinogenesis is limited by the lack of a well-defined premalignant state common to all ovarian subtypes and by the paucity of data from early-stage cancers. Evidence suggests that ovarian cancers can progress both through a stepwise mutation process (low-grade pathway) and through greater genetic instability that leads to rapid metastasis without an identifiable precursor lesion (high-grade pathway). In this review, we discuss many of the genetic and molecular disorders in each key process that is altered in cancer cells, and we present a model of ovarian pathogenesis that incorporates the role of tumor cell mutations and factors in the host microenvironment important to tumor initiation and progression.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14629601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Continuous peritoneal dialysis-associated peritonitis: a review and current concepts.\nThe percentage of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in the United States maintained on continuous peritoneal dialysis (CPD) therapy is decreasing. Complications from CPD therapy, including peritonitis, may be the reason for the decline. Improvements in CPD technology and a better understanding of the risk factors that predispose patients to the development of peritonitis have been responsible for a decline in the rate of peritonitis. Yet peritonitis remains a significant cause of patient morbidity and mortality and the overall outcome of peritonitis is not acceptable. Factors that have limited our ability to lessen the impact of peritonitis include a lack of data on dosing antibiotics in patients on continuous cycling peritoneal dialysis (CCPD) therapy, a lack of knowledge concerning the biology of bacterial biofilm, and the development of resistance to the current prophylactic antibiotic protocols. Further studies are needed concerning the optimal management of the peritoneal catheter and whether it is feasible to resume CPD therapy after catheter removal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24599220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"The issue of 'molecular radiators' in microwave-assisted reactions. Computational calculations on ring closing metathesis (RCM).\nA DFT computational mechanistic study of the ring closing metathesis (RCM) reaction of diallyl ether or N,N-diallyl-p-toluenesulfonamide catalyzed by a second generation Grubbs-type ruthenium carbene complex has been carried out. This study was performed at the PCM(CH2Cl2)-B3LYP\/6-311+G(2d,p)\/\/B3LYP\/SDD theory level. The aim of this work was to shed light on the influence that microwave irradiation has on these reactions and to gain insight into the so-called 'molecular radiator' effect. The outcomes obtained indicate that thermal effects induced by microwave irradiation decrease the catalytic induction period. The presence of a polar reagent and\/or polar species in the reaction that increases the polarity of the medium may enhance this thermal effect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28232458,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"HLA genotyping as first-line screening tool for coeliac disease in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.\nCoeliac disease (CD) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) often coexist. This association warrants assessment for CD in patients with JIA. We evaluated the clinical relevance and cost-effectiveness of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genotyping in first-line screening for development of CD in children with JIA. 95 patients with JIA were screened for CD using CD-specific antibodies. In case of positivity, a small intestinal biopsy was performed to confirm diagnosis. In addition, HLA genotyping was performed. 110 age-matched and sex-matched Caucasian children from the same geographical area served as controls. CD was diagnosed in 4 of 95 patients with JIA (4.2%), a rate significantly higher compared with controls (p<0.02) and 14 times higher than in the general population. Twenty-six patients (27.4%) had one of the variants of the risk genotypes. All four patients diagnosed with CD had a HLA-DQ2.5 genotype: one was homozygote, the remainder heterozygote. Twenty-two patients are, judging by their HLA genotypes, at risk of developing CD and require repeated serological screening. None of the 69 patients without HLA-DQ2\/DQ8 genotypes had CD-specific antibodies. Screening with HLA genotyping becomes cheaper than screening without after the second determination. In our cohort of patients with JIA, lack of HLA-DQ2\/DQ8 genotypes identified a majority not at risk of CD in whom repeated serological testing is unnecessary. Genotyping is nowadays the most efficient and cost-effective way to screen for CD risk in JIA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22210015,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Diffusion tensor imaging in pediatric spinal cord injury: preliminary examination of reliability and clinical correlation.\nThe design was a nonexperimental, repeated measures design. To examine the reliability of repeated diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) values of the pediatric cord and to compare DTI values with values obtained on the clinical examination and findings from conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). DTI quantifies the diffusion of water molecules in directions parallel and transverse to the plane of neuronal axons. The unique characteristic architecture of the spinal cord allows DTI to examine the white matter and potentially separate white matter from gray matter and assess structural damage of the cord. Ten youths with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) were evaluated using the International Standards for Neurological Classification of SCI (ISNCSCI) and had 2 scans using a 3.0T Siemens Verio MR scanner. The imaging protocol consisted of conventional sagittal fast spin echo T1- and T2-weighted scans, axial fast spin echo T2-weighted scans, and axial DTI acquisition. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and 95% confidence interval were calculated for mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, RD, respectively) and fractional anisotropy (FA). Relationships among DTI, MRI, and ISNCSCI were evaluated using Spearman correlation coefficients (rs) and differences were tested using Cohen's method. There was moderate-to-strong reliability (ICC = 0.75-0.95) for MD, AD, and RD for all spinal levels. Reliability for FA for mid-C4 and between C5-C6 and C7-T1 was moderate (ICC = 0.75-0.80). Diffusivity values demonstrated moderate-to-good negative relationships (rs = -0.30 to -0.59), with 4 ISNCSCI values. FA values had a moderate-to-good (rs = 0.33-0.53) positive relationship, with 5 ISNCSCI values. Compared with MRI, DTI values had significantly stronger correlations (P \u2264 0.0001) with the majority of ISNCSCI values. DTI values had good-to-strong reliability on repeated scans and moderate-to-good concurrent validity with clinical scores. When compared with conventional MRI, DTI values had statistically stronger correlations with the majority of values from the clinical examination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20436562,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":3,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Optical spectroscopy of bismuth-doped pure silica fiber preform.\nWe report on the optical spectroscopy of monolithic fiber preform prepared from nanoporous bismuth-doped silica glass. The experiments reveal the existence of at least two different types of active centers and clearly demonstrate that the presence in the glass matrix of other dopant is not necessary to obtain the near-IR photoluminescence connected to Bismuth.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23268866,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Association of daily physical performance with muscle volume and strength].\nSarcopenia disturbs the daily life of elderly people, and hinders healthy aging. We studied the association of daily physical performance with muscle volume and muscle strength in a randomly selected community-living population. Grip power and leg muscle strength decreased about 1% per year after age 40 in both men and women. Muscle strength was greater in men than in women at every age by decade, and muscle strength in men in their 80s was similar to that in women in their 40s. Therefore, the effect of a decrease in muscle strength on daily physical performance was greater in women than men. On the other hand, the muscle volume of all limbs decreased with age in men, but there was almost no decrease in muscle volume in women. These results indicate that qualitative change in muscle was more significant than quantitative change in muscle in women. Daily physical performance was influenced by muscle performance and could be assessed based on grip power and walking speed. To prevent frailty, it may be important to determine the high-risk group for frailty using these assessments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17800842,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Solar neutrino production of long-lived isotopes and secular variations in the sun.\nLong-lived isotopes produced in the earth's crust by solar neutrinos may provide a method of probing secular variations in the rate of energy production in the sun's core. Only one isotope, calcium-41, appears to be suitable from the dual stand-points of reliable nuclear physics and manageable backgrounds. The proposed measurement also may be interesting in view of recent evidence for neutrino oscillations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32338183,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"LINC01128 resisted acute myeloid leukemia through regulating miR-4260\/NR3C2.\nAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a prevalent class of blood disease with a high occurrence rate and relapse rate. The role of dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) in AML is emerging. MiR-4260 was identified to be a carcinogenic miRNA in colorectal cancer, but never has it been reported in AML. We aimed to study the function and mechanism of miR-4260 in AML. The miR-4260 level was higher in AML cell lines than the normal cell lines. Inhibition of miR-4260 hindered proliferation and increased apoptosis of AML cells. Mechanistically, long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1128 (LINC01128) competed with nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 (NR3C2) for miR-4260 so as to upregulate NR3C2. We identified the reduced levels of LINC01128 and NR3C2 in AML and it was suggested through rescue assays that LINC01128 repressed AML progression through regulating miR-4260\/NR3C2 axis. In conclusion, we firstly uncovered that LINC01128 resisted acute myeloid leukemia through regulating miR-4260\/NR3C2, providing novel clues for the treatment improvement of AML.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18195121,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Drug-eluting stents: a critique.\nDespite advances in the design of balloons and stents, restenosis remains a major drawback of coronary angioplasty. Multiple randomised trials have demonstrated that drug-eluting stents (DES) can significantly reduce rates of restenosis by 60-75% across both lesion and patient subsets. In recent years there has been an exponential increase in the worldwide use of DES. This expansion has occurred as a result of an enthusiastic extrapolation of results from randomised trials leading to \"off-label\" use of DES in anatomical or clinical high-risk scenarios, or both. However, emerging medium- to long-term follow-up data have raised concerns about the safety of DES. A number of analyses have recently shown increased rates of late stent thrombosis in patients with DES. The exact mechanisms leading to stent thrombosis remain unclear. This article critically reviews the available efficacy and safety data on DES and discusses the factors influencing our current practice and perception of the net value of DES.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30280793,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An analysis of the iatrogenic biliary injury after robotic cholecystectomy. Current data and future considerations.\nMinimally invasive techniques are the gold standard in surgery. Since conventional laparoscopic approach has been widely adopted, surgeons in their effort to further improve their skills passed to the era of the robotic assistance. The widespread adoption of robotics has led to the inevitable usage of robotic technology both in simple, as well as in more complicated procedures. Cholecystectomy is the \"simple\" surgical procedure to which every surgeon from the beginning of his career and besides specialization or subspecialization is exposed to, but the ran complications have a dramatic impact both for patient and doctor. The elimination of bile duct injury is crucial and robotics in the new era of surgery has to be the gold standard to a safe cholecystectomy. A comprehensive search of PubMed Database was conducted for English-language studies using the MeSH terms [Robotic cholecystectomy, bile duct injury]. We reviewed references of all reports for additional cases from 2000 to nowadays. We used the related articles link and searched the citations of reports in the ISI Science Citation Index to identify additional reports. A total of 16 studies, including 2.264 patients that underwent robotic cholecystectomy were analyzed. Postoperative data and complications were collected from these studies. Bile duct injuries were more likely to be discovered during the first postoperative days as a bile leakage (8\/2.264). One major bile duct injury was noticed, and most injuries were definitively treated at the hospital where the injury occurred with postoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and stenting. Robotic cholecystectomy is a safe and adequate alternative to conventional laparoscopic or open approach in term of safety. Furthermore, surgeons must be already experienced and familiar with robotic techniques, so as to overcome the problem of the bile duct injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38101835,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Non-pharmacological fatigue interventions for patients with a primary brain tumour: a scoping review protocol.\nFatigue is the most prevalent symptom for patients with a primary brain tumour (PBT), significantly reducing quality of life and limiting daily activities. Currently, there are limited options for managing cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with a PBT, using non-pharmacological methods. The objective of this scoping review is to identify current and emerging evidence in relation to non-pharmacological CRF interventions for patients with a PBT. Electronic databases OVID and EBSCO platforms: MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL will be searched. In addition, PROSPERO, The Cochrane Library and ISI Web of Science will be searched. Trials registries CENTRAL and the International Clinical Trials Registry platform will also be searched for ongoing research. studies from 2006 onwards, primary research on non-pharmacological interventions in patients with a PBT (>18 years). A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flow diagram will be utilised to summarise the screening process and results.Quantitative data will be analysed descriptively, while content analysis will be used for qualitative data.Findings will map the existing and emerging evidence on non-pharmacological interventions for CRF in patients with PBTs. This will provide insights into the extent and nature of the evidence in this evolving field, identifying gaps in knowledge and research priorities, and guide further investigations in this area. Ethical approval is not required for this scoping review. Findings will be disseminated via relevant peer-reviewed journals, PhD thesis, conference presentations, and shared with relevant charities and health professionals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10172755,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Battling drug use in pregnancy.\nHoly Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill, PA, established the Capital Region Maternal Assistance Program (MAP) to reduce the incidence of substance abuse in pregnant women and new mothers by creating a bridge between perinatal and substance abuse services in the community. Two nurses at Holy Spirit developed the idea of setting up a program in the community and obtained permission from the hospital administrators to pursue the project. They drew in staff from an inner-city obstetrical clinic in nearby Harrisburg, PA, and formed a work group to plan and build a consortium of agencies. Another hospital joined the consortium within a year. With several grants, the team hired an MAP coordinator, who in turn hired care managers, leased vans, and started the MAP in an office on the campus of Holy Spirit Hospital. The program focuses on case management (facilitating access to available community (resources) as opposed to direct service delivery. Referrals come from a variety of healthcare providers, county courts, probation and parole offices, and Children and Youth Services. Care managers visit clients weekly in their homes; coordinate services provided by multiple hospitals, clinics, and agencies; help clients set goals and become self-reliant; and address problems with transportation and babysitting.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19017589,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Motivational enhancement therapy with and without cognitive behavior therapy to treat type 1 diabetes: a randomized trial.\nAlthough psychological issues can interfere with diabetes care, the effectiveness of psychological treatments in improving diabetes outcomes is uncertain. To determine whether motivational enhancement therapy with or without cognitive behavior therapy improves glycemic control in type 1 diabetes compared with usual care. Randomized, controlled trial. 8 diabetes centers in London and Manchester, United Kingdom. 344 adults with type 1 diabetes for longer than 2 years, with hemoglobin A(1c) levels of 8.2% to 15%, and without complications or severe comorbid disease. Nurse-delivered motivational enhancement therapy (4 sessions over 2 months), motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behavior therapy (12 sessions over 6 months), or usual care. 12-month change in hemoglobin A(1c) levels (primary outcome), hypoglycemic events, depression, quality of life, fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes self-care activities, and body mass index (secondary outcomes). In an analysis including all randomly assigned patients, the 12-month change in hemoglobin A(1c) levels compared with usual care was -0.46% (95% CI, -0.81% to -0.11%) in the motivational enhancement therapy plus cognitive behavior therapy group and -0.19% (CI, -0.53% to 0.16%) in the motivational enhancement therapy group alone. There was no evidence of treatment effects on secondary outcomes. Of 1659 screened patients, only 507 were eligible and 344 participated. Data on the primary outcome were unavailable for 11.3% of the participants. Study design did not permit distinction of the additive effect of cognitive behavior therapy plus motivational enhancement therapy from the effect of greater intensity and duration of the combined intervention compared with the motivational enhancement therapy alone. Nurse-delivered motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive behavior therapy is feasible for adults with poorly controlled type 1 diabetes. Combined therapy results in modest 12-month improvement in hemoglobin A(1c) levels compared with usual care, but motivational enhancement therapy alone does not.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29465367,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Proprotein convertase enzyme FURIN is upregulated in primary Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome.\nThe proprotein convertase enzyme FURIN is a critical regulator of the anti-inflammatory TGF\u03b2-1 cytokine and peripheral immune tolerance. In T cells, FURIN is co-regulated with IFN-\u03b3 and thus highly expressed in T helper 1 type cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that FURIN is upregulated in inflammatory conditions, including atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Here, we evaluated the levels of FURIN in the plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with primary Sj\u00f6gren's syndrome (pSS) and in healthy controls. FURIN plasma levels were determined by ELISA, and the mRNA expression in PBMCs was quantitated using qPCR. FURIN levels in the plasma were correlated with the clinical and demographic characteristics of the patients. FURIN was found to be significantly upregulated at both the protein and mRNA level in pSS patients compared to healthy controls. In pSS patients, high FURIN protein levels were significantly associated with elevated IFN-\u03b3 levels in the plasma as well as a longer duration of sicca symptoms in the eyes. pSS patients with high FURIN levels in their plasma showed a trend towards lower levels of serum beta-2 microglobulin, ESR and a lower systemic disease activity index ESSDAI. The proprotein convertase FURIN is significantly upregulated in pSS. Elevated FURIN levels associate with high levels of the Th1 type cytokine IFN-\u03b3 and long duration of dry eye symptoms. Patients with high FURIN levels show signs of lower disease activity suggesting that FURIN might have a protective role in pSS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26223895,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The Medical Cost Attributable to Obesity and Overweight in China: Estimation Based on Longitudinal Surveys.\nWith its rapid economic growth and fast changing lifestyle, China witnessed expansionary prevalence of obesity and overweight during the recent decades. This paper provides the first nationally representative estimate of the medical cost attributable to obesity and overweight in China. We improve upon the traditional estimation methodology (two-part model) by jointly adopting the instrumental variable approach and the panel data methods in order to correct for the potential endogeneity of body size and the individual heterogeneity in medical expenditure. Using longitudinal data from 2000-2009 China Health and Nutrition Surveys, we find that body size has a significant impact on the individual expected medical expenditure and the per capita medical cost attributable to obesity and overweight in a single medical event is estimated to be 6.18 Yuan, or 5.29% of the total personal medical expenditure. This translates to 24.35 billion Yuan annual cost on the national scale, accounting for 2.46% of China's national health care expenditure. The subsample analyses also show that such cost is higher for the urban, women, and better educated people and increases over time. Our results contribute to the literature on the economic impact of obesity in developing countries and bear policy implications on controlling the rising health care costs in China. Copyright \u00a9 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12144620,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"HLA-A and HLA-B in Kenya, Africa: allele frequencies and identification of HLA-B*1567 and HLA-B*4426.\nHLA-A and HLA-B alleles of a population from Kenya, Africa were examined by sequencing exon 2 and exon 3 DNA and typing using a Taxonomy-based Sequence-analysis (TBSA) method. Extensive diversities were observed at both HLA-A and HLA-B loci in this population. Forty-one HLA-A alleles were identified from 159 unrelated individuals. The most frequently observed alleles were A*6802 (11.64%), A*02011\/09 (9.75%), A*7401\/02 (9.43%), A*3001 (7.86%), A*3002 (7.23%) and A*3601 (6.6%). Forty-nine HLA-B alleles were identified in 161 unrelated individuals, including two novel alleles, B*1567 and B*4426. The most frequently observed HLA-B alleles were B*5301 (9.01%), B*5801 (8.38%), B*4201 (7.76%), B*1503 (7.14%), B*1801 (6.21%), and B*5802 (5.90%). The most frequently observed HLA-A-B haplotypes were A*3601-B*5301 (3.55%) and A*3001-B*4201 (3.19%), followed by A*7401\/02-B*5801 (2.84%), A*7401\/02-B*5802 (2.84%) and A*02011\/09-B*1503 (2.13%). Linkage disequilibrium and chi2 analysis showed the association of these HLA-A-B haplotypes at the antigen level to be significant. The frequencies of HLA-A and HLA-B alleles from the Kenyan population were compared with that of a population from Cameroon. The difference in allele and haplotype frequency distributions partly reflected the different ethnic composition of these two African populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15879554,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lozenge directly activates argos and klumpfuss to regulate programmed cell death.\nWe show that reducing the activity of the Drosophila Runx protein Lozenge (Lz) during pupal development causes a decrease in cell death in the eye. We identified Lz-binding sites in introns of argos (aos) and klumpfuss (klu) and demonstrate that these genes are directly activated targets of Lz. Loss of either aos or klu reduces cell death, suggesting that Lz promotes apoptosis at least in part by regulating aos and klu. These results provide novel insights into the control of programmed cell death (PCD) by Lz during Drosophila eye development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10037369,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"NMP22 is a sensitive, cost-effective test in patients at risk for bladder cancer.\nThe early diagnosis of bladder cancer is central to its effective treatment. This study was designed to determine the clinical use of NMP22 as a urinary marker for the early detection of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in patients with hematuria or other indications at risk for malignancy. The sensitivity and specificity of the NMP22 test were compared with urinary cytology, and the results of both tests were then compared to cystoscopic findings. We also determined if NMP22 provided a cost advantage over our current modalities in our patient population. Each patient submitted a single voided urine which was divided in 2 parts, of which 1 was stabilized with the NMP22 urine collection kit and 1 was preserved in the appropriate cytology medium for cytopathological testing. All patients provided the urine samples before cystoscopic examination. Of the 330 patients 114 (34.5%) presented with microscopic hematuria and 66 (20.4%) with gross hematuria. Other indications for cystoscopy included atypical cytology or unexplained voiding symptoms refractory to medical therapy. There were 18 patients with biopsy confirmed bladder cancer and 312 with benign conditions of the bladder. Median NMP22 value for the malignant bladder tumors was 31.6 units per ml. (95% confidence interval 13.4 to 90.9) and 4.3 units per ml. (3.8 to 4.8) for benign conditions of the bladder. The urinary NMP22 values in the bladder cancer group were significantly higher than those in the benign condition group (p <0.001). The sensitivity of NMP22 was 100% with a specificity of 85% at a reference value of 10.0 units per ml., while cytology had a sensitivity of only 33% and specificity of 100%. Given a negative predictive value of 100% for NMP22, a cost savings of $28,302 to $111,072 (depending on the type of insurance carrier) would have been achieved if it was used alone as the indication for cystoscopy. This study indicates that urinary NMP22 is a simple, noninvasive, cost-effective marker for the detection of bladder cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12226357,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Role of the Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase in K+ Transport.\nThe role of the plant plasma membrane H+-ATPase in K+ uptake was examined using red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) plasma membrane vesicles and a partially purified preparation of the red beet plasma membrane H+-ATPase reconstituted in proteoliposomes and planar bilayers. For plasma membrane vesicles, ATP-dependent K+ efflux was only partially inhibited by 100 [mu]M vanadate or 10 [mu]M carbonyl cyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone. However, full inhibition of ATP-dependent K+ efflux by these reagents occurred when the red beet plasma membrane H+-ATPase was partially purified and reconstituted in proteoliposomes. When reconstituted in a planar bilayer membrane, the current\/voltage relationship for the plasma membrane H+-ATPase showed little effect of K+ gradients imposed across the bilayer membrane. When taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that the plant plasma membrane H+-ATPase does not mediate direct K+ transport chemically linked to ATP hydrolysis. Rather, this enzyme provides a driving force for cellular K+ uptake by secondary mechanisms, such as K+ channels or H+\/K+ symporters. Although the presence of a small, protonophore-insensitive component of ATP-dependent K+ transport in a plasma membrane fraction might be mediated by an ATP-activated K+ channel, the possibility of direct K+ transport by other ATPases (i.e. K+-ATPases) associated with either the plasma membrane or other cellular membranes cannot be ruled out.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7307312,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Familial isolated growth hormone deficiency.\nA family is reported with isolated growth hormone deficiency in two children, their mother and, presumably, also in two maternal uncles and their maternal grandmother. Autosomal dominant inheritance is the best explanation. Isolated growth hormone deficiency is apparently a heterogeneous condition, including autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive as well as non-genetic diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12173551,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"New finding on immune response to HIV Tat may contribute to vaccine, treatment.\nA study in monkeys has provided important information on how the immune response to HIV develops, why it is usually not sufficient, and how vaccine approaches might be tested more effectively in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20668527,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Defining the functional domain of programmed cell death 10 through its interactions with phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate.\nCerebral cavernous malformations (CCM) are vascular abnormalities of the central nervous system predisposing blood vessels to leakage, leading to hemorrhagic stroke. Three genes, Krit1 (CCM1), OSM (CCM2), and PDCD10 (CCM3) are involved in CCM development. PDCD10 binds specifically to PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and OSM. Using threading analysis and multi-template modeling, we constructed a three-dimensional model of PDCD10. PDCD10 appears to be a six-helical-bundle protein formed by two heptad-repeat-hairpin structures (alpha1-3 and alpha4-6) sharing the closest 3D homology with the bacterial phosphate transporter, PhoU. We identified a stretch of five lysines forming an amphipathic helix, a potential PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 binding site, in the alpha5 helix. We generated a recombinant wild-type (WT) and three PDCD10 mutants that have two (Delta2KA), three (Delta3KA), and five (Delta5KA) K to A mutations. Delta2KA and Delta3KA mutants hypothetically lack binding residues to PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 at the beginning and the end of predicted helix, while Delta5KA completely lacks all predicted binding residues. The WT, Delta2KA, and Delta3KA mutants maintain their binding to PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. Only the Delta5KA abolishes binding to PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. Both Delta5KA and WT show similar secondary and tertiary structures; however, Delta5KA does not bind to OSM. When WT and Delta5KA are co-expressed with membrane-bound constitutively-active PI3 kinase (p110-CAAX), the majority of the WT is co-localized with p110-CAAX at the plasma membrane where PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 is presumably abundant. In contrast, the Delta5KA remains in the cytoplasm and is not present in the plasma membrane. Combining computational modeling and biological data, we propose that the CCM protein complex functions in the PI3K signaling pathway through the interaction between PDCD10 and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3488401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mediator and target cell variability in proliferative response of human adherent synovial cells in culture.\nThe proliferation of cultures of adherent synovial cells was studied in response to mediators generated from several sources. Monocyte enriched cultures produced factors in the 70-80,000 and 12-16,000 molecular weight range. Both of these areas of activity also stimulate prostaglandin (PGE) from adherent synovial cells and have interleukin 1 (IL-1) activity. The 70-80,000 region appears to be the 12-16,000 molecular weight activity bound to serum components. When stimulated with the same concentration of a single preparation of this monocyte derived factor, cell lines showed great variability, with inhibition of proliferation in 2 cell lines and the remaining exhibiting stimulation. There was no correlation of proliferation with the PGE producing capacity of the cells. The proliferation response showed no correlation to PGE production by particular cell lines. Lymphocyte enriched cultures produced a factor of 36-40,000 daltons that stimulates adherent synovial cell proliferation but does not have PGE stimulating or IL-1 activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8122704,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prelingually deafened children's performance with the nucleus multichannel cochlear implant.\nThe speech perception abilities of 19 children with onset of deafness before age 3 years was examined after they received the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implant. The children were divided into two groups based on age at onset of deafness: children with congenital deafness (n = 8) and children with onset of deafness after birth but before age 3 (n = 11). There was no statistically significant difference between the scores of the two groups of subjects on 12 of the 13 speech perception tests administered. This finding suggests that children who are born deaf have the potential to derive the same benefit from cochlear implants as do children who have had some exposure to spoken language before the onset of their deafness. Examination of performance in terms of communication mode revealed that prelingually deafened children with implants who used oral communication obtained significantly higher scores on only 2 of the 13 speech perception measures than did children who used total communication. The data suggest that communication mode does not appear to account for large differences in speech perception performance among prelingually deafened children with multichannel cochlear implants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33036439,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Conversion of Germ Cells to Somatic Cell Types in C. elegans.\nThe potential of a cell to produce all types of differentiated cells in an organism is termed totipotency. Totipotency is an essential property of germ cells, which constitute the germline and pass on the parental genetic material to the progeny. The potential of germ cells to give rise to a whole organism has been the subject of intense research for decades and remains important in order to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying totipotency. A better understanding of the principles of totipotency in germ cells could also help to generate this potential in somatic cell lineages. Strategies such as transcription factor-mediated reprogramming of differentiated cells to stem cell-like states could benefit from this knowledge. Ensuring pluripotency or even totipotency of reprogrammed stem cells are critical improvements for future regenerative medicine applications. The C. elegans germline provides a unique possibility to study molecular mechanisms that maintain totipotency and the germ cell fate with its unique property of giving rise to meiotic cells Studies that focused on these aspects led to the identification of prominent chromatin-repressing factors such as the C. elegans members of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). In this review, we summarize different factors that were recently identified, which use molecular mechanisms such as control of protein translation or chromatin repression to ensure maintenance of totipotency and the germline fate. Additionally, we focus on recently identified factors involved in preventing transcription-factor-mediated conversion of germ cells to somatic lineages. These so-called reprogramming barriers have been shown in some instances to be conserved with regard to their function as a cell fate safeguarding factor in mammals. Overall, continued studies assessing the different aspects of molecular pathways involved in maintaining the germ cell fate in C. elegans may provide more insight into cell fate safeguarding mechanisms also in other species.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16870060,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":3,"2017-13":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Physical activity and self-rated health: interactive effects of activity in work and leisure domains.\nThis longitudinal study examined the effects of physical activity on self-rated health (SRH); specifically, predicted interactions between leisure activity and job activity, and between leisure activity and age, were evaluated in relation to SRH. Survey data on age and leisure activity together with relevant covariates (education, body mass index, smoking and negative affectivity) were collected from oil industry employees. Three job activity levels were identified (sedentary, active and strenuous). At 5-year follow-up, SRH, body mass index and smoking were reassessed. Hierarchical regression was used to analyse the longitudinal data (N=314). The job activity x leisure activity interaction (controlled for baseline SRH and covariates) predicted follow-up SRH (p<.025). Individuals in sedentary jobs benefited disproportionately from leisure activity; active and strenuous jobs were associated with lower SRH, irrespective of leisure activity. The age x leisure activity interaction was also significant (p<.025); leisure activity was significantly and positively associated with SRH only among younger individuals. Changes in body mass index and smoking contributed additively to the model, but did not mediate physical activity effects. These findings highlight the importance of leisure physical activity for employees in sedentary jobs, but suggest that other factors (such as adverse environmental conditions) may underlie the lower SRH associated with physically demanding work. The results also indicate that, irrespective of job activity level, younger individuals benefit more from leisure physical activity than older ones. Thus, the study informs interventions designed to improve the health of employees through increased physical activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36259419,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Spleen size in homozygous sickle cell disease: trends in a birth cohort using ultrasound.\nTo provide ultrasound baselines for spleen length in homozygous sickle cell disease (HbSS) and in normal controls with a HbAA genotype. The Jamaican cohort study identified 311 babies with HbSS and 246 matched HbAA controls during the screening of 100,000 consecutive deliveries in Kingston, Jamaica from 1973 to 1981. Ultrasonography commenced in 1988 when the youngest patients were aged 6 years at which time deaths, emigrations and default had reduced the numbers to 206 HbSS and 89 controls. It continued annually until 2000. The spleen was visualized in all HbAA controls but in only 1103\/2138 (52%) scans in HbSS. Where available, mean splenic lengths were significantly lower in HbSS (77-103 mm in males, 70-83 mm in females) compared to normal controls (89-101 mm in males, 86-95 mm in females). Assessed by statistical modelling after adjusting for body height, the splenic ratio (splenic length\/body height) declined over the age range 12-20 years in HbSS, consistent with progressive splenic fibrosis. Genetic factors known to inhibit sickling, \u03b1 thalassemia and fetal hemoglobin level (HbF) significantly reduced the decline in splenic ratio. Clinical splenomegaly was an insensitive measure of splenic enlargement as only 50% of patients aged 18 years and above with spleens measuring \u2265150 mm on ultrasonography had palpable spleens. An age-related decline in splenic length occurred in HbSS and occurred more slowly with genetic factors known to inhibit sickling. The standards provided may be of value in assessing minor degrees of subclinical acute splenic sequestration. These are the first standards available for splenic length in HbSS. They may be useful in detecting red cell sequestration, not apparent from clinical splenomegaly and also provide a model for identifying factors inhibiting vaso-occlusion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6649279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Indirect functional dynamic lymphography of the lower extremities in phlebologic practice].\nThe method of indirect dynamic lymphography with 131J albumin was used in 32 patients for examining the lymph flow. Three stages of disturbances of the lymph flow were distinguished: compensation, subcompensation and decompensation. The significance of this method for the assessment of results of the operative treatment of lymphostasis is shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9712816,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Role of CR4 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-human macrophages binding and signal transduction in the absence of serum.\nThe beta2 integrin CR4 is involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagocytosis by human mononuclear phagocytes through the opsonin C3bi. In this study, we demonstrate that M. tuberculosis can bind directly to monocyte-derived macrophages via CR4 in the absence of any opsonins. CR4-transfected CHO cells gave similar results, suggesting recognition by CR4 of bacterial structure. Furthermore, binding of M. tuberculosis transduced a potent signal, resulting in tyrosine phosphorylation of macrophage proteins, which was in part mediated by CR4.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16489144,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Isolation by distance in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in Chesapeake Bay.\nIntensive efforts are underway to restore depleted stocks of Crassostrea virginica in Chesapeake Bay. However, the extent of gene flow among local populations, an important force mediating the success of these endeavors, is poorly understood. Spatial and temporal population structures were examined in C. virginica from Chesapeake Bay using eight microsatellite loci. Deficits in heterozygosity relative to Hardy-Weinberg expectations were seen at all loci and were best explained by null alleles. Permutation tests indicated that heterozygote deficiency reduced power in tests of differentiation. Nonetheless, genotypic exact tests demonstrated significant levels of geographic differentiation overall, and a subtle pattern of isolation by distance (IBD) was observed. Comparisons between age classes failed to show differences in genotype frequencies, allelic richness, gene diversity, or differentiation as measured by F(ST), contrary to predictions made by the sweepstakes hypothesis. The IBD pattern could reflect an evolutionary equilibrium established because local gene flow predominates, or be influenced in either direction by recent anthropogenic activities. An evolutionary interpretation appears justified as more parsimonious, implying that local efforts to restore oyster populations will have local demographic payoffs, perhaps at the scale of tributaries or regional subestuaries within Chesapeake Bay.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6335884,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cellular binding and\/or uptake of nickel(II) ions.\nL-Histidine (L-His) and human serum albumin (HSA) at physiological concentrations, like the exogenous ligands D-penicillamine (D-PEN) and EDTA, are shown to inhibit the uptake of physiological levels of Ni2+ by B-lymphoblasts of human origin, human erythrocytes and rabbit alveolar macrophages. Evidence is also presented that illustrates the ability of these ligands to sequester Ni2+ from cells preloaded with this ion. The experimental observations are interpreted to indicate that serum concentrations of HSA and amino acids (especially L-His) exert a controlling influence on the cellular accumulation of Ni2+ in vitro, and further suggest the necessity to standardize the concentrations of these and related constituents in cell-culture media for meaningful comparisons of cellular uptake and toxicity of Ni2+ and other metal ions. Cells were lysed and the fractional distribution of 63Ni2+ in the lysate and residual pellet were assessed. About 60% of the radiolabel occurred in the pellet and 40% in the lysate for B-lymphoblasts, compared to 70 and 30% respectively for the alveolar macrophages. Diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC), unlike the other complexing agents, enhanced the cellular uptake of Ni2+ and prevented its removal from loaded cells. DDC also induced a transfer of the 63Ni2+ from the lysate to the residual pellet, suggesting that it promotes the deposition of Ni2+ in the lipid-rich components of cells (tissues). It is concluded that cellular association of Ni2+ is favoured by ligands forming lipophilic complexes, and extracellular localization by those giving hydrophilic complex compounds. The relevance of these contrasting roles in nickel detoxification by endogenous ligands and chelating drugs is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11402065,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Functional analysis of kinetochore assembly in Caenorhabditis elegans.\nIn all eukaryotes, segregation of mitotic chromosomes requires their interaction with spindle microtubules. To dissect this interaction, we use live and fixed assays in the one-cell stage Caenorhabditis elegans embryo. We compare the consequences of depleting homologues of the centromeric histone CENP-A, the kinetochore structural component CENP-C, and the chromosomal passenger protein INCENP. Depletion of either CeCENP-A or CeCENP-C results in an identical \"kinetochore null\" phenotype, characterized by complete failure of mitotic chromosome segregation as well as failure to recruit other kinetochore components and to assemble a mechanically stable spindle. The similarity of their depletion phenotypes, combined with a requirement for CeCENP-A to localize CeCENP-C but not vice versa, suggest that a key step in kinetochore assembly is the recruitment of CENP-C by CENP-A-containing chromatin. Parallel analysis of CeINCENP-depleted embryos revealed mitotic chromosome segregation defects different from those observed in the absence of CeCENP-A\/C. Defects are observed before and during anaphase, but the chromatin separates into two equivalently sized masses. Mechanically stable spindles assemble that show defects later in anaphase and telophase. Furthermore, kinetochore assembly and the recruitment of CeINCENP to chromosomes are independent. These results suggest distinct roles for the kinetochore and the chromosomal passengers in mitotic chromosome segregation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31819289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Use of rectal artesunate for severe malaria at the community level, Zambia.\nTo determine whether the administration of rectal artesunate by trained community health volunteers before referral to a health-care facility reduces the case fatality rate of severe malaria in young children in hard-to-reach communities in Zambia. We implemented a pilot project in Serenje District between July 2017 and July 2018. The project involved: (i) training community health volunteers to administer rectal artesunate to children with suspected severe malaria and refer them to a health facility; (ii) ensuring emergency transport with bicycle ambulances was available; (iii) ensuring adequate drug supplies; and (iv) ensuring health-care workers could treat severe malaria with injectable artesunate. Surveys of health facilities, volunteers and bicycle ambulance riders were performed near the beginning and end of the intervention period. In addition, data on severe malaria cases and associated deaths were obtained from health facilities and a community monitoring system. In the year before the intervention, 18 deaths occurred in 224 cases of confirmed severe malaria among children younger than 5 years seen at intervention health facilities (case fatality rate: 8%); during the intervention, 3 of 619 comparable children with severe malaria died (case fatality rate: 0.5%). The administration of pre-referral rectal artesunate treatment to young children with severe malaria by community health volunteers was feasible, safe and effective in hard-to-reach communities in Zambia and was associated with a substantial decrease in the case fatality rate. The project's approach is highly adaptable and could be used in other countries with a high malaria burden.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15745714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The diabetic lung: relevance of alveolar microangiopathy for the use of inhaled insulin.\nThe alveolar-capillary network receives the entire cardiac output and constitutes the largest microvascular organ in the body, making it highly susceptible to systemic microangiopathy. Owing to its large reserves, symptoms and disability develop later in the lung than in smaller microvasculature such as the kidney or retina despite a comparable severity of anatomic involvement. Hence, pulmonary impairment in diabetes mellitus is under-recognized. Nonetheless, respiratory autonomic neuropathy and structural derangement of the thorax and lung parenchyma develop in many asymptomatic diabetic patients; the pathophysiology parallels that in other target organs. Even subclinical loss of alveolar microvascular reserves can be quantified noninvasively from lung diffusing capacity and its components (membrane diffusing capacity and alveolar-capillary blood volume) measured at a given cardiac output at rest or during exercise. The alveolar diffusion-perfusion relation tracks the recruitment of microvascular reserves in a manner independent of physical fitness. This article addresses the importance and pathophysiologic basis of diabetic pulmonary involvement, the assessment of diabetic alveolar microangiopathy, and the relevance of this understanding for the emerging use of inhaled insulin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24119593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Assessing the relationship between serum resistin and nasal obstruction in children with allergic rhinitis.\nNasal obstruction has been reported as a \"key symptom\" of allergic rhinitis (AR) because it is deeply associated with impaired quality of life and it reflects more directly the allergic inflammation in the nasal mucosa. Resistin is known to be involved in inflammatory processes exerting an important role in the regulation of cytokine production even though its effective proinflammatory activity at nasal level has never been fully established. This study investigates the relationship between resistin levels and nasal obstruction assessed by an objective method such as active anterior rhinomanometry. Fifty-three children between 4 and 10 years of age affected by persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) were enrolled and subdivided in two groups. Serum resistin levels were detected in all children. The same day patients underwent rhinomanometry, which was considered negative (no nasal obstruction) when the fraction of predicted values (p.v.'s) was between 71 and 100% and it was considered positive when the fraction of p.v. was \u226470%. The serum resistin levels were significantly higher in children with moderate-severe PAR than in patients with mild PAR (p < 0.03). Furthermore, serum resistin levels were significantly higher in children with positive rhinomanometry compared with negative rhinomanometry (p < 0.03). The fraction of p.v.'s of nasal flows in patients with nasal obstruction had a significant negative correlation with serum resistin levels (p < 0.001). This study provides evidence that resistin levels are increased in children with severe nasal obstruction measured by an objective and quantitative approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6439147,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Genesis of myocardial infarction].\nThe causes of myocardial infarction (MI) are complex and multiple and may eventually be associated. Two main types of mechanism are thought to be implicated: Functional mechanisms: these are operative in prolonged angina: the difference between MI and angina pectoris is related to the duration of these phenomena and to the resistance of the myocardial cells to anoxia: unsatisfied increase in myocardial oxygen demand, as for example in exercise-induced myocardial infarction; sudden reduction in oxygen supply due to an excessive fall in coronary flow, inadequate vasodilatation, platelet aggregation or coronary spasm. Priviledged cases are presented to demonstrate the reality of these phenomena. These mechanisms can sometimes cause MI by themselves, even when the coronary arteries are normal (5% of cases), and nearly always complicate and aggravate obstruction due to an atheromatous plaque. Organic obstructive lesions: coronary obstruction observed in about 2\/3 of cases, sometimes caused by rupture of an atheromatous plaque, is usually the result of coronary thrombosis. The predominance of this mechanism is an argument in favour of it being the principal cause of MI. However, other workers believe that thrombosis is a secondary phenomenon induced by stasis, functional mechanisms or severe stenosis. The clot itself would then cause obstruction even if the primary cause were to regress. Irrespective of the roles of each of these factors it would appear logical to treat the functional mechanisms assumed to be responsible and the coronary thrombosis before the myocardial cells are destroyed by the anoxia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16189194,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Fetal tracheal occlusion in lambs with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: role of exogenous surfactant at birth.\nFetal tracheal occlusion (TO) has been used to reverse the lung hypoplasia associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). However, TO has a detrimental effect on type II pneumocyte function and surfactant production. Previously, we have shown that in surgically created CDH lambs, TO improved markedly the response to resuscitation even though the lungs remain surfactant deficient. The goal of this investigation was to assess the effects of exogenous surfactant administered at birth to CDH lambs with or without fetal TO during 8 h of resuscitation. Lambs were divided into five groups: CDH, CDH+surfactant (SURF), CDH+TO, CDH+TO+SURF, and nonoperated controls. A left-sided CDH was created in fetal lambs at 80 d gestation. TO was performed at 108 d, and the lambs were delivered by hysterotomy at 136 d. Bovine lipid extract surfactant was administered before the first breath and again at 4 h of life. All CDH+SURF lambs, but only three of five CDH lambs, survived up to 8 h. When compared with the corresponding nonsurfactant-treated group, surfactant-treated CDH and CDH+TO lambs did not demonstrate improved alveolar-arterial oxygen gradients, pH, or Pco(2). In fact, in the CDH+TO group, surfactant treatment significantly worsened ventilation efficiency as measured by the ventilation efficiency index. The observed improvement in pulmonary compliance secondary to surfactant treatment was not significant. This investigation demonstrates that prophylactic surfactant treatment at birth does not improve gas exchange or ventilation efficiency in CDH lambs with or without TO.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7789622,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"HLA-DQB1*0602 is associated with dominant protection from diabetes even among islet cell antibody-positive first-degree relatives of patients with IDDM.\nHLA-DQB1 alleles confer susceptibility and resistance to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). We investigated whether the susceptibility alleles DQB1*0302 and DQB1*0201 affect progression to diabetes among islet cell antibody-positive (ICA+) first-degree relatives of IDDM patients and whether the protective allele DQB1*0602 can be found and is still protective among such relatives. We human leukocyte antigen-typed and periodically tested beta-cell function (first-phase insulin release [FPIR] during the intravenous glucose tolerance test) in 72 ICA+ relatives, of whom 30 became diabetic on follow-up (longest follow-up 12 years); 54 (75%) relatives carried DQB1*0302 and\/or DQB1*0201. The frequency of DQB1*0302 and DQB1*0201 and of the high-risk genotype DQB1*0302\/DQB1*0201 did not differ significantly between diabetic relatives and those remaining nondiabetic. On follow-up, progression to IDDM was not statistically different for relatives with or without the DQB1*0302\/DQB1*0201 genotype. However, those relatives with the DQB1*0302\/DQB1*0201 genotype had a tendency to develop diabetes at an earlier age (log-rank P = 0.02). We found DQB1*0602 in 8 of 72 (11.1%) ICA+ relatives. Relatives with DQB1*0602 did not develop diabetes or show any decline of FPIR versus 28 of 64 DQB1*0602- relatives who developed IDDM (log-rank P = 0.006; Wilcoxon's P = 0.02). The protective allele DQB1*0602 is found in ICA+ relatives who have minimal risk of progression to IDDM. Therefore, DQB1*0602 is associated with protection from IDDM both in population studies and among relatives with evidence of autoimmunity who should not enter prevention trials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24113989,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The behaviour of preschool children receiving fluoride varnish application in a community setting.\nThe behaviour of young children receiving mildly invasive dental preventive procedures in a community setting warrants more extensive research due to limitations in the literature.Objectives To document the behavioural profile of preschool children undergoing a preventive oral health intervention (fluoride varnish application) and to investigate this behaviour across children with different previous experience of the procedure, ages and initial anxiety states. Nurse-child interactions were video recorded and child behaviours coded and analysed using a specially developed coding scheme (SABICS). Behaviour frequency was measured and presented diagrammatically, followed by independent sample non-parametric tests to distinguish behavioural group differences. Three hundred and three interactions were coded out of 456 recorded application sessions. 'Nonverbal agreement' behaviour was observed most frequently compared to disruptive behaviours. Younger preschool children tended to exhibit 'interact with instrument' behaviour more frequently than older children regardless of whether they had had previous application experience. Children who showed signs of initial anxiety were likely to display more disruptive behaviours during the later stage of the procedure compared with non-anxious children. Dental staff working with preschool children are recommended to use encouragement-centred strategies to promote nonverbal cooperative behaviours in children. In addition, procedure instruments could be considered as a tool to gain child cooperation. Evidence of an autocorrelation effect of child behaviour was found, indicating that the early presentation of child behaviour predicted the behaviour of the child at later stages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22053846,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"End point prick test: could this new test be used to predict the outcome of oral food challenge in children with cow's milk allergy?\nCow's milk allergy (CMA) is the most frequent food allergy in childhood; the trend of CMA is often characterized by a progressive improvement to achieve tolerance in the first 4 to 5 years of life.It has been observed that specific IgE (sIgE) towards cow's milk proteins decrease when the age increases.Although food allergy can be easily diagnosed, it is difficult to predict the outcome of the oral food challenge (OFC), that remains the gold standard in the diagnosis of food allergy, by allergometric tests. We considered 44 children with CMA diagnosed through OFC who returned to our Allergy and Immunology Pediatric Department between January to December 2010 to evaluate the persistence of allergy or the achievement of tolerance.On the basis of the history, we performed both allergometric skin tests and OFC in children that were still following a milk-free diet, whereas only allergometric skin tests those that had already undergone spontaneous introduction of milk protein at home without presenting symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the persistence of CMA or the acquisition of tolerance and the results of the end point prick test (EPT). The OFC with cow's milk was performed on 30 children, 4 children were excluded because of a history of severe reactions to cow's milk, and 10 because they had spontaneously already taken milk food derivates at home without problems. 16\/30 (53%) children showed clinical reactions and the challenge was stopped, 14\/30 (47%) did not have any reaction.Comparing the mean wheal diameter of every EPT's dilution between the group of allergic children and the tolerant ones, we obtained a significant difference (p < 0.05) for the first 4 dilutions.We have also calculated sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) for each EPT dilution. EPT is a safe and cheap test, easy to be executed and that could provide good prediction of the outcome of OFC; so it might be used to avoid OFC-induced anaphylaxis in children affected by CMA. It can also help avoiding dietetic restrictions in tolerant children who show sensitization towards cow's milk proteins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3477281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Production of thymine glycols in DNA by radiation and chemical carcinogens as detected by a monoclonal antibody.\nIn order to understand the role in carcinogenesis of damage indirectly induced by chemical carcinogens, it is important to identify the primary DNA lesions. We have measured the formation and repair of one type of DNA modification, 5,6-dihydroxydihydrothymine (thymine glycol), following exposure of cultured human cells to the carcinogens N-hydroxy-2-naphthylamine or benzo(a)pyrene. The efficiency of production of thymine glycols in DNA by these carcinogens was compared to that by ionizing radiation and ultraviolet light. Thymine glycols were detected using a monoclonal antibody against this product in a sensitive immunoassay. We found that thymine glycols were produced in DNA in a dose dependent manner after exposure to the carcinogens and that their production was reduced if either catalase or superoxide dismutase or both were present at the time of treatment. The efficiency of thymine glycol production following exposure to the chemical carcinogens was greater than that following equi-toxic doses of radiation. Thymine glycols were efficiently removed from the DNA of human cells following treatment with either the chemical carcinogens, ionizing radiation or ultraviolet light.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3502739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Penetrating injuries to the orbit.\nAlthough penetrating orbital wounds are an uncommon entity they are often associated with vision and life-threatening complications. By careful attention to the history and physical signs of the injured patient and the use of modern computed tomography (CT) scan imaging, the physician will be better able to make an accurate analysis and prognosis of the problem at hand as well as a well-planned therapeutic approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34225157,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Close proximity risk assessment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.\nAlthough the interpersonal distance represents an important parameter affecting the risk of infection due to respiratory viruses, the mechanism of exposure to exhaled droplets remains insufficiently characterized. In this study, an integrated risk assessment is presented for SARS-CoV-2 close proximity exposure between a speaking infectious subject and a susceptible subject. It is based on a three-dimensional transient numerical model for the description of exhaled droplet spread once emitted by a speaking person, coupled with a recently proposed SARS-CoV-2 emission approach. Particle image velocimetry measurements were conducted to validate the numerical model. The contribution of the large droplets to the risk is barely noticeable only for distances well below 0.6 m, whereas it drops to zero for greater distances where it depends only on airborne droplets. In particular, for short exposures (10 s) a minimum safety distance of 0.75 m should be maintained to lower the risk below 0.1%; for exposures of 1 and 15 min this distance increases to about 1.1 and 1.5 m, respectively. Based on the interpersonal distances across countries reported as a function of interacting individuals, cultural differences, and environmental and sociopsychological factors, the approach presented here revealed that, in addition to intimate and personal distances, particular attention must be paid to exposures longer than 1 min within social distances (of about 1 m).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15911339,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Clinical perspectives of PARP inhibitors.\nPoly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation plays a role in the pathogenesis of various cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. At the same time, PARP activation is also relevant for the ability of cells to repair injured DNA. Thus, depending on the circumstances, pharmacological inhibitors of PARP may be able to attenuate ischemic and inflammatory cell and organ injury or may be able to enhance the cytotoxicity of antitumor agents. Both aspects of the \"double-edged sword\" role of PARP can be exploited for the experimental therapy of disease. As several classes of PARP inhibitors move towards clinical development, or have already entered the stage of clinical trials, we expect that in the upcoming few years, clinical proof of PARP inhibitors' therapeutic effect will be obtained in human disease. In the current short overview, we summarize the pros and cons and challenges with respect to the clinical use of PARP inhibitors, the expected clinical outcomes and potential risks. It appears that on the cytoprotective aspect of PARP, acute, life-threatening diseases (myocardial infarction, cardiopulmonary bypass in high-risk patients, and other, severe forms of ischemia-reperfusion to other organs including stroke and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair) may represent some of the prime development indications. In the context of inhibition of DNA repair, combination of PARP inhibitors with certain antitumor agents (for example temozolomide) in patients with tumors with extremely poor prognosis are expected to provide the initial clinical results. Development of PARP inhibitors for additional indications (e.g. chronic use for the therapy of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, or diabetic complications) may be more challenging because of the unknown potential long-term side effects of PARP inhibitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9416899,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Summary measures of the insulin resistance syndrome are adverse among Mexican-American versus non-Hispanic white children: the Corpus Christi Child Heart Study.\nMexican-American (MA) adults are known to have a greater burden of diabetes and insulin resistance than non-Hispanic white (NHW) people. In this report, we examined data obtained from MA and NHW third-grade children for evidence of a pattern consistent with the insulin resistance syndrome. In addition, we developed two summary measures characterizing insulin resistance syndrome to compare measures of this syndrome among our population. Data regarding fasting insulin, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI) were available for 403 third-grade children. Median levels of insulin and glucose were significantly higher in MA boys and girls than in NHW boys and girls. Risk factors characterizing insulin resistance, including levels of insulin, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and BMI were categorized as above or below the total population median. MA children were more likely than NHW children to have three or more adverse risk factors (55% versus 37%). When risk factors were converted to Z scores, and the five Z scores were summed for each individual, MA boys and girls had higher mean scores than NHW boys and girls (means for boys, 0.65 versus -0.97, P<.0001; girls, 0.52 versus -0.30, P<.04). Principal components analysis was used to create a summary score or index representing the insulin resistance syndrome. This summary score was significantly higher among MA boys and girls than NHW boys and girls (means for boys, 0.34 versus -0.72, P<.0001; girls, 0.35 versus -0.04, P=.056). Our results support the hypothesis that MA children exhibit a greater degree of the insulin resistance syndrome than NHW children, especially among boys. We conclude that some of the factors responsible for the increased risk of NIDDM seen among MA adults are demonstrable in childhood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8561928,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Role of oxidative stress in non-genotoxic carcinogenesis with special reference to liver tumors induced by peroxisome proliferators.\nPeroxisome proliferators (POPs), such as hypolipidemic drugs or industrial phthalate ester plasticizers, are widely known as non-genotoxic hepatocarcinogens in rodents. As one of the possible mechanisms of POP-induced carcinogenesis, the \"Oxidative Stress\" theory has been postulated. In this review, in order to reconsider the significance of \"Oxidative Stress\" to POP-induced carcinogenesis, we focus on in vivo studies examining formation of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG), a marker of oxidative DNA damage with mutagenic potential, after treatment of rodents with POPs. Some studies clearly demonstrated that 8-OH-dG levels in the liver DNA were increased by POP-treatments. These findings suggest that \"Oxidative Stress\" could contribute as one factor to POP-induced carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we refer to other multiple biological changes caused by POP-treatment presumably contributing to the carcinogenic mechanisms, and consider possible roles of \"Oxidative Stress\" in the carcinogenesis process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28071834,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Molecular Profiling of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hypothalamic Neurones Provides Developmental Insights into Genetic Loci for Body Weight Regulation.\nRecent data suggest that common genetic risks for metabolic disorders such as obesity may be human-specific and exert effects via the central nervous system. To overcome the limitation of human tissue access for study, we have generated induced human pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neuronal cultures that recapture many features of hypothalamic neurones within the arcuate nucleus. In the present study, we have comprehensively characterised this model across development, benchmarked these neurones to in vivo events, and demonstrate a link between obesity risk variants and hypothalamic development. The dynamic transcriptome across neuronal maturation was examined using microarray and RNA sequencing methods at nine time points. K-means clustering of the longitudinal data was conducted to identify co-regulation and microRNA control of biological processes. The transcriptomes were compared with those of 103 samples from 13 brain regions reported in the Genotype-Tissue Expression database (GTEx) using principal components analysis. Genes with proximity to body mass index (BMI)-associated genetic variants were mapped to the developmentally expressed genesets, and enrichment significance was assessed with Fisher's exact test. The human neuronal cultures have a transcriptional and physiological profile of neuropeptide Y\/agouti-related peptide arcuate nucleus neurones. The neuronal transcriptomes were highly correlated with adult hypothalamus compared to any other brain region from the GTEx. Also, approximately 25% of the transcripts showed substantial changes in expression across neuronal development and potential co-regulation of biological processes that mirror neuronal development in vivo. These developmentally expressed genes were significantly enriched for genes in proximity to BMI-associated variants. We confirmed the utility of this in vitro human model for studying the development of key hypothalamic neurones involved in energy balance and show that genes at loci associated with body weight regulation may share a pattern of developmental regulation. These data support the need to investigate early development to elucidate the human-specific central nervous system pathophysiology underlying obesity susceptibility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22201710,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Chemical and radiochemical considerations in radiolabeling with \u03b1-emitting radionuclides.\nA review of chemical and radiochemical factors that must be considered when radiolabeling targeting agents with radionuclides is presented. The review discusses factors that are important in choice of radionuclide and choice of chelation or bonding reagents to use in the development of an \u03b1-emitting radiopharmaceutical. Chemical parameters, such as physical properties and pendant groups for radiolabeling, are reviewed. A major portion of the review outlines the development of chelates and labeling conditions for radiometals, and application of these reagents\/conditions to radiometals. Acyclic and macrocyclic chelates containing amine and carboxylic acid coordination groups are highlighted, with examples of bifunctional chelates for biomolecule conjugation. Information is presented on over 60 radiometal-binding chelates. 211At radiolabeling is separated from that of radiometals, and the various reagents used for radiolabeling have been reviewed. Although not all 211At-labeling reagents are reviewed (due to another recent review), nearly 50 reagents studied in the development of pendant groups for labeling with 211At are described. The review also discusses how therapeutic doses of \u03b1-emitting radiopharmaceuticals can be affected by the radionuclide used and how radiation damage to the radiopharmaceutical can be minimized.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24846309,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Habitat availability is a more plausible explanation than insecticide acute toxicity for U.S. grassland bird species declines.\nGrassland bird species have experienced substantial declines in North America. These declines have been largely attributed to habitat loss and degradation, especially from agricultural practices and intensification (the habitat-availability hypothesis). A recent analysis of North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) \"grassland breeding\" bird trends reported the surprising conclusion that insecticide acute toxicity was a better correlate of grassland bird declines in North America from 1980-2003 (the insecticide-acute-toxicity hypothesis) than was habitat loss through agricultural intensification. In this paper we reached the opposite conclusion. We used an alternative statistical approach with additional habitat covariates to analyze the same grassland bird trends over the same time frame. Grassland bird trends were positively associated with increases in area of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands and cropland used as pasture, whereas the effect of insecticide acute toxicity on bird trends was uncertain. Our models suggested that acute insecticide risk potentially has a detrimental effect on grassland bird trends, but models representing the habitat-availability hypothesis were 1.3-21.0 times better supported than models representing the insecticide-acute-toxicity hypothesis. Based on point estimates of effect sizes, CRP area and agricultural intensification had approximately 3.6 and 1.6 times more effect on grassland bird trends than lethal insecticide risk, respectively. Our findings suggest that preserving remaining grasslands is crucial to conserving grassland bird populations. The amount of grassland that has been lost in North America since 1980 is well documented, continuing, and staggering whereas insecticide use greatly declined prior to the 1990s. Grassland birds will likely benefit from the de-intensification of agricultural practices and the interspersion of pastures, Conservation Reserve Program lands, rangelands and other grassland habitats into existing agricultural landscapes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31640053,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Kinetic simulations of fusion ignition with hot-spot ablator mix.\nInertial confinement fusion fuel suffers increased x-ray radiation losses when carbon from the capsule ablator mixes into the hot-spot. Here, we present one- and two-dimensional ion Vlasov-Fokker-Planck simulations that resolve hot-spot self-heating in the presence of a localized spike of carbon mix, totalling 1.9% of the hot-spot mass. The mix region cools and contracts over tens of picoseconds, increasing its \u03b1 particle stopping power and radiative losses. This makes a localized mix region more severe than an equal amount of uniformly distributed mix. There is also a purely kinetic effect that reduces fusion reactivity by several percent, since faster ions in the tail of the distribution are absorbed by the mix region. Radiative cooling and contraction of the spike induces fluid motion, causing neutron spectrum broadening. This artificially increases the inferred experimental ion temperatures and gives line of sight variations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17956356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Inhibitory effect of lycopene on PDGF-BB-induced signalling and migration in human dermal fibroblasts: a possible target for cancer.\nTumours are complex tissues composed of both matrix proteins and stromal cells such as fibroblasts and inflammatory cells. Tumour progression is often the result of dynamic interactions between the tumour cells and their surroundings. Lycopene, a natural carotenoid that is abundant in tomato, has been shown to inhibit proliferation of several types of cancer cells through arrest of tumour cell-cycle progression, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1) signalling transduction, induction of apoptosis etc. However, in our recent study, we found that lycopene inhibited PDGF-BB (platelet-derived growth factor-BB)-induced signalling and cell migration in human cultured skin fibroblasts through a novel mechanism of action, i.e. direct binding to PDGF-BB. Trapping of PDGF by lycopene also compromised melanoma-induced fibroblast migration and attenuated signalling transduction in fibroblasts simulated by melanoma-derived conditioned medium, suggesting that lycopene may interfere with tumour-stroma interactions. The trapping activity of lycopene on PDGF suggests that it may act as an inhibitor on stromal cells, tumour cells and their interactions, which may contribute to its anti-tumour activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9409140,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Outcomes of regular vs. extended alcohol\/drug outpatient treatment: I. Relapse, aftercare, and treatment re-entry.\nAlcohol and drug patients were randomized into two groups, one receiving three months and the other six months of outpatient treatment to determine differences in treatment outcomes. Most clients had received prior 30 days of inpatient treatment. Patients were contacted after the first 70 days of outpatient treatment and 12 refused participation. Consenters were randomized and assigned into control (n = 103) and experimental (n = 127) groups, and interviewed at discharge, and three and six months later. A gratuity of $10.00 was offered after a completed phone interview. Data were analyzed using chi-square, t-test, and multivariate logistic regression techniques. Controls had lower treatment drop-out and higher follow-up attrition rates than experimentals. There were no major differences in reported subsequent alcohol\/drug use, or attendance to aftercare, Alcohol Anonymous (AA) and support groups during the 3 and 6 months follow-up surveys. More controls re-entered treatment than experimentals at 3 months post-treatment, but there was no such difference at 6 months post-treatment. In terms of ancillary effects, experimentals had slightly more desirable outcomes with respect to abstinence at time of discharge, and use of cocaine at 3 months follow-up. Controls were more likely to use cocaine and less likely to re-enter inpatient treatment or attend aftercare than experimentals. At six months the few who reported using painkillers were controls. Relapse was predictably influenced both at 3 and 6 months by pretreatment use of cocaine as primary drug, and by duration of abstinence from all chemicals. The predictive influence of cocaine was greater at 3 than at 6 months post-discharge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12966290,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Explicit finite element simulation of eccentric loading in total knee replacement.\nIn vivo kinematic data indicate that unicondylar or edge loading occurs during normal activities in well-aligned and malpositioned knee replacements. Using a validated explicit finite element model of a knee replacement, the effects of eccentric loading of a total knee replacement are simulated. Only minor variations were observed in the kinematics with a medial offset of the vertical load of as much as 15 mm (representing a medial:lateral loading ratio of 86:14), although the polyethylene stresses did increase by approximately 3 MPa throughout the stance phase of gait. There was a significant change in the kinematics and stresses when unicondylar loading occurred (95:5 medial:lateral loading ratio). Even for the unicondylar load case, contact always was maintained within the lateral compartment. This raises the question whether lift-off often observed in fluoroscopy studies really occurs. The model predicted regions of plastic deformation that closely resemble those observed in retrieved specimens of catastrophic wear. The explicit finite element model offers considerable insight into the kinematics and stresses generated by total knee replacement during different and varied loading conditions that occur during normal usage.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30928268,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of experimental design on responses to 2 concentrations of metabolizable protein in multiparous dairy cows.\nThe objective of this research was to characterize the implications of changing between diets formulated to be adequate (ADMP) or low (LOMP) in metabolizable protein in a Latin square (LSq) design or of feeding the same diets continuously in a randomized complete block experimental design (RCBD). Fifty-four multiparous early-lactation cows (initial average \u00b1 SD; parity 2.8 \u00b1 0.9, 85.8 \u00b1 31 d in milk, 715 \u00b1 63 kg of body weight, 29.1 \u00b1 2.7 kg of dry matter intake\/d, and 57.7 \u00b1 5.7 kg of milk yield\/d) were blocked by parity and days in milk and were then randomly assigned to experimental design, with 16 cows assigned to LSq and 38 cows assigned to RCBD. Cows within blocks in LSq were randomly assigned to sequence in a 4-sequence, 4-period, 2-treatment LSq balanced for the effects of previous treatment carryover. Cows within blocks in RCBD were randomly assigned to dietary treatment, which was fed over the same four 28-d periods as the cows in LSq. Treatment diets were formulated to be similar in composition with the exception of exchanging an equal quantity of expeller soybean meal from ADMP (16.5% crude protein; 28.4% ash-free, amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber organic matter) for soybean hulls in LOMP (14.6% crude protein; 31.1% ash-free, amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber organic matter). Cows were individually fed treatment diets in a tiestall barn once daily for ad libitum consumption, milked 3 times daily, and administered recombinant bovine somatotropin every 14 d. Milk yield and feed offered and refused were measured daily; BW was recorded on 2 consecutive days each week; milk composition was measured at 6 consecutive milkings each week; and spot samples of feces, urine, and blood were collected during the last week of each period and a covariate period. Experimental designs were analyzed separately using results from wk 4 of each period with mixed effects modeling. Dry matter intake and milk fat yield were not affected by diet in either design, whereas milk and protein yields were greater for cows fed ADMP in both designs. Milk fat and protein percentage responses and milk energy output inferences were different between designs. Milk fat yield and percentage responses were affected by previous treatment carryover in LSq. Metabolic and digestibility inferences were very similar between designs. Under the conditions of this experiment, inferences on N metabolism and the majority of production measurements were not affected by experimental design, with the principal exceptions of milk fat and protein percentage and milk energy output.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38133001,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Hole-Doping-Induced Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy and High Curie Temperature in a CrSX (X = Cl, Br, I) Semiconductor Monolayer.\nA large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and a high Curie temperature (TC) are crucial for the application of two-dimensional (2D) intrinsic ferromagnets to spintronic devices. Here, we investigated the electronic and magnetic properties of carrier-doped Van der Waals layered CrSX (X = Cl, Br, I) ferromagnets using first-principles calculations. It was found that hole doping can increase the magnitude of the magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE) and change the orientation of the easy magnetization axis at small doping amounts of 2.37 \u00d7 1013, 3.98 \u00d7 1012, and 3.33 \u00d7 1012\/cm2 for CrSCl, CrSBr, and CrSI monolayers, respectively. The maximum values of the MAE reach 57, 133, and 1597 \u03bceV\/u.c. for the critical hole-doped CrSCl, CrSBr, and CrSI with spin orientation along the (001) direction, respectively. Furthermore, the Fermi energy level of lightly hole-doped CrSX (X = Cl, Br, I) moves into the spin-up valence band, leading to the CrSX (X = Cl, Br, I) magnetic semiconductor monolayer becoming first a half-metal and then a metal. In addition, the TC can also be increased up to 305, 317, and 345 K for CrSCl, CrSBr, and CrSI monolayers at doping amounts of 5.94 \u00d7 1014, 5.78 \u00d7 1014, and 5.55 \u00d7 1014\/cm2, respectively. These properties suggest that the hole-doping process can render 2D CrSX (X = Cl, Br, I) monolayers remarkable materials for application to electrically controlled spintronic devices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15108264,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mitochondrial toxicity associated with HAART following liver transplantation in an HIV-infected recipient.\nAntiretroviral therapy is not uncommonly associated with drug toxicities, and hepatotoxicity occurs in approximately 20% of individuals prescribed antiretroviral therapy. Mitochondrial toxicity causing lactic acidosis is a rare but fatal complication that has been described in some HIV-infected patients treated with nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors. In this report, we describe the course of an HIV-infected patient receiving antiretroviral therapy who developed lactic acidosis after liver transplantation for HCV-induced liver disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26498143,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Allele frequencies of BRAFV600 mutations in primary melanomas and matched metastases and their relevance for BRAF inhibitor therapy in metastatic melanoma.\nThe detection of BRAFV600 mutations in patients with metastatic melanoma is important because of the availability of BRAF inhibitor therapy. However, the clinical relevance of the frequency of BRAFV600 mutant alleles is unclear. Allele frequencies of BRAFV600 mutations were analyzed by ultra-deep next-generation sequencing in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded melanoma tissue (75 primary melanomas and 88 matched metastases). In a second study, pretreatment specimens from 76 patients who received BRAF inhibitors were retrospectively analyzed, and BRAFV600 allele frequencies were correlated with therapeutic results. Thirty-five patients had concordantly BRAF-positive and 36 (48%) patients had concordantly BRAF-negative primary melanomas and matched metastases, and four patients had discordant samples with low allele frequencies (3.4-5.2%). Twenty-six of 35 patients with concordant samples had BRAFV600E mutations, three of whom had additional mutations (V600K in two patients and V600R in one) and nine patients had exclusively non-V600E mutations (V600K in eight patients and V600E -c.1799_1800TG > AA- in one patient). The frequency of mutated BRAFV600 alleles was similar in the primary melanoma and matched metastasis in 27\/35 patients, but differed by >3-fold in 8\/35 of samples. BRAFV600E allele frequencies in pretreatment tumor specimens were not significantly correlated with treatment outcomes in 76 patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with BRAF inhibitors. BRAFV600 mutation status and allele frequency is consistent in the majority of primary melanomas and matched metastases. A small subgroup of patients has double mutations. BRAFV600 allele frequencies are not correlated with the response to BRAF inhibitors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7572962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Biologic sex as a risk factor for Helicobacter pylori infection in healthy young adults.\nDiseases associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, such as peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer, afflict men more frequently than women. No study, however, has demonstrated any difference in sex-specific rates of H. pylori infection. In a healthy population undergoing multiphasic health evaluations in 1992-1993 as members of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program of Northern California, adults aged 20-39 years were screened for antibodies to H. pylori infection using a serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and were surveyed with regard to their demographic characteristics and health practices. Among 556 African-American, Hispanic, and white men and women, male sex was a significant risk factor for infection. Other risk factors included African-American race and Hispanic ethnicity, increasing age, living with children, birth in a developing country, and lower levels of income and education. Men consistently had a higher prevalence of antibodies across all strata of race\/ethnicity, age, education, and income, and in multivariate analysis male sex remained significantly associated with infection (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.2-3.1). African-American race, Hispanic ethnicity, increasing age, lower levels of education, and birth in a developing country were also associated with infection in multivariate analysis. Data from previously reported seroprevalence studies support a tendency for men to have a higher risk of infection. The higher prevalence of infection among young males as observed in Northern California may account in part for the increased incidence of H. pylori-related diseases among men in later decades of life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29089317,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Diagnostic accuracy of three clinical dehydration scales: a systematic review.\nTo systematically assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Clinical Dehydration Scale (CDS), the WHO Scale and the Gorelick Scale in identifying dehydration in children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Three databases, two registers of clinical trials and the reference lists from identified articles were searched for diagnostic accuracy studies in children with AGE. The index tests were the CDS, WHO Scale and Gorelick Scale, and reference standard was the percentage loss of body weight. The main analysed outcomes were the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR) and negative LR. Ten studies were included. In high-income countries, the CDS provided a moderate-to-large increase in the post-test probability of predicting moderate to severe (\u22656%) dehydration (positive LR 3.9-11.79), but it was of limited value for ruling it out (negative LR 0.55-0.71). In low-income countries, the CDS showed limited value both for ruling in and ruling out moderate-to-severe dehydration. In both settings, the CDS showed poor diagnostic accuracy for ruling in or out no dehydration (<3%) or some dehydration (3%-6%). The WHO Scale showed no or limited value in assessing dehydration in children with diarrhoea. With one exception, the included studies did not confirm the diagnostic accuracy of the Gorelick Scale. Limited evidence suggests that the CDS can help in ruling in moderate-to-severe dehydration (\u22656%) in high-income settings only. The WHO and Gorelick Scales are not helpful for assessing dehydration in children with AGE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17227544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-06":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Isolation and characterization of the RAD54 gene from Arabidopsis thaliana.\nHomologous recombination (HR) is an essential process in maintaining genome integrity and variability. In eukaryotes, the Rad52 epistasis group proteins are involved in meiotic recombination and\/or HR repair. One member of this group, Rad54, belongs to the SWI2\/SNF2 family of DNA-stimulated ATPases. Recent studies indicate that Rad54 has important functions in HR, both as a chromatin remodelling factor and as a mediator of the Rad51 nucleoprotein filament. Despite the importance of Rad54 in HR, no study of Rad54 from plants has yet been performed. Here, we cloned the full-length AtRAD54 cDNA sequence; an open reading frame of 910 amino acids encodes a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 101.9 kDa. Western blotting analysis showed that the AtRad54 protein was indeed expressed as a protein of approximately 110 kDa in Arabidopsis. The predicted protein sequence of AtRAD54 contains seven helicase domains, which are conserved in all other Rad54s. Yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed an interaction between Arabidopsis Rad51 and Rad54. AtRAD54 transcripts were found in all tissues examined, with the highest levels of expression in flower buds. Expression of AtRAD54 was induced by gamma-irradiation. A T-DNA insertion mutant of AtRAD54 devoid of full-length AtRAD54 expression was viable and fertile; however, it showed increased sensitivity to gamma-irradiation and the cross-linking reagent cisplatin. In addition, the efficiency of somatic HR in the mutant plants was reduced relative to that in wild-type plants. Our findings point to an important role for Rad54 in HR repair in higher plants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33079866,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Exposure to General Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery and Odds of Severe Postpartum Depression Requiring Hospitalization.\nPrevious research suggests that, compared with regional anesthesia, general anesthesia is associated with increased odds of postoperative depressive disorders. No study has specifically evaluated the possible protective effect of neuraxial anesthesia for cesarean delivery on maternal mental health compared with general anesthesia. This exploratory study was designed to test the hypothesis that general anesthesia for cesarean delivery is associated with increased odds of severe postpartum depression (PPD) requiring hospitalization compared with neuraxial anesthesia. This retrospective cohort study included cesarean delivery cases performed in New York State hospitals between January 2006 and December 2013. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) having >1 cesarean delivery during the study period; (2) residing outside of New York State; (3) having a general anesthetic for other surgery or delivery in the previous year or in the year after the index case. The primary outcome was the occurrence of PPD, and the secondary outcomes were: (1) the composite of suicidal ideation or self-inflicted injury (ie, suicidality); (2) anxiety disorders; and (3) posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD). Primary and secondary outcomes were identified during the delivery hospitalization and up to 1 year after delivery. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of adverse psychiatric outcomes associated with general anesthesia were estimated using propensity score matching. Of the 428,204 cesarean delivery cases included, 34,356 had general anesthesia (8.0%). Severe PPD requiring hospitalization was recorded in 1158 women (2.7\/1000; 95% CI, 2.5-2.9); of them, 60% were identified during readmission, with a median of 164 days after discharge. Relative to neuraxial anesthesia, general anesthesia in cesarean delivery was associated with a 54% increased odds of PPD (aOR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.21-1.95) and a 91% increased odds of suicidal ideation or self-inflicted injury (aOR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.12-3.25). There was insufficient evidence in these data that general anesthesia was associated with anxiety disorders (aOR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.97-1.95) or PTSD (aOR, 1.50; 95% CI, 0.50-4.47). General anesthesia for cesarean delivery is associated with increased odds of severe PPD requiring hospitalization, suicidal ideation, and self-inflicted injury. If confirmed, these preliminary findings underscore the need to avoid the use of general anesthesia for cesarean delivery whenever possible, and to provide mental health screening, counseling, and other follow-up services to obstetric patients exposed to general anesthesia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30210837,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The role of the multidisciplinary emphysema team meeting in the provision of lung volume reduction.\nDespite a positive result in favour of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS), from one of the largest randomized controlled trial in thoracic surgery, the identification of poor outcome in certain high-risk groups has resulted in a worldwide decrease in its utilization. Patient selection is the key to successful lung volume reduction which, with the advent of a range of less invasive techniques, has become more complex. The greater variety of potential therapeutic options will inevitably lead to debate amongst treating clinicians. Therefore, to be able to make an informed decision on the best treatment for an individual patient, discussion between clinicians in a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting is advisable. The membership of this MDT must include all specialists involved in assessment and subsequent treatment of the patient including non-medical input. There must be robust administrative organization and record of decisions together with inter-disciplinary communication of decisions. Whilst ultimately it is the patient who will benefit from the MDT, individual participants will enhance their continued professional development. The referral pathway into the MDT must be clearly defined and disseminated. Which investigations are to be performed by referrers and which by the specialist centre need to be in an agreed protocol. Specialist input may be required to interpret the results of the latest assessment tools. The decision-making process of the MDT begins with confirmation of basic selection criteria but addresses three main areas of discussion: the definition of target areas of lung for reduction; the presence of collateral, interlobar ventilation and an assessment of individualized risk and benefit. The emphysema or lung volume reduction MDT has been established in several specialist units and its benefits include an increase in referrals overall for LVR. The establishment of an MDT approach to lung volume reduction has now been incorporated into several national guidelines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12175967,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evidence for carrier-mediated transport of unconjugated bilirubin across plasma membrane vesicles from human placental trophoblast.\nUnconjugated bilirubin (UCB) is currently believed to cross the placenta only by passive diffusion. To assess whether carrier-mediated transport might be involved, the uptake of [(3)H]-UCB by basal (bTPM) and apical (aTPM) plasma membrane vesicles from human placental trophoblast at term was investigated. In both types of vesicles, the uptake of [(3)H]-UCB into an osmotically sensitive space was temperature-dependent, independent of the presence of Na(+), and not affected by changes in membrane potential. The uptake of [(3)H]-UCB by aTPM, but not bTPM, was activated by ATP hydrolysis and inhibited by vanadate. Thus, the exact contribution of both inside out and right-side out bTPM to UCB uptake could not be distinguished, while only inverted aTPM were expected to carry out ATP-dependent UCB uptake. In bTPM and aTPM, uptake of free (unbound) [(3)H]-UCB (B(f)) consisted of a dominant, saturable, presumably carrier-mediated process and a diffusional component that became predominant only at B(f) near or above aqueous solubility limit for UCB (70 nM ). For bTPM, K(m)=7.2 nM; V(max)=9.8 pmol\/20s\/mg protein; and diffusion coefficient (K(D))=0.14 ml\/20s\/mg protein. For aTPM in the presence of 9.5m M ATP, K(m)=18 n M; V(max)=131 pmol\/20s\/mg protein; and K(D)=0.47 ml\/20s\/mg protein. The uptake of [(3)H]-UCB by bTPM was cis-inhibited by estrone-3-sulfate and estradiol-17 beta-glucuronide and trans-stimulated by unlabelled UCB and bromosulphopthalein. ATP-dependent UCB uptake by aTPM was cis-inhibited by doxorubicin, cholic acid, methotrexate and pronenecid. These findings suggest the presence of distinct transporters in the two domains of human placental trophoblast that could cooperate to transfer UCB from the foetus to the maternal circulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26054517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Spatial abundance and human biting rate of Anopheles arabiensis and Anopheles funestus in savannah and rice agro-ecosystems of Central Tanzania.\nThis study was carried out to determine the spatial variations in malaria mosquito abundance and human biting rate in five villages representing rice-irrigation and savannah ecosystems in Kilosa District, central Tanzania. The study involved five villages namely Tindiga and Malui (wetland\/rice irrigation), Twatwatwa and Mbwade (dry savannah) and Kimamba (wet savannah). Indoor mosquitoes were sampled using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention light traps in three houses in each village. Anopheles gambiae s.l. molecular identification was carried out using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total of 936 female mosquitoes were collected. About half (46.9%) were malaria mosquitoes (Anopheles gambiae s.l.=28.6%; An. funestus= 18.3%). A total of 161 (60.1%) of the morphologically identified An. gambiae s.l. (268) and subjected to PCR analysis for speciation were genotyped as An. arabiensis. The An. funestus complex mosquitoes were composed of An. funestus funestus and An. rivulorum at the 5:1 ratio. On average, 17.9 Anopheles mosquitoes were collected per village per day. Two-thirds (62.8%) of the malaria mosquitoes were collected in Malui (rice agro-ecosystem) and the lowest number (2.3%) in Twatwatwa (dry savannah ecosystem). The biting rate per person per night for An. arabiensis+An. funestus s.s. was highest in Malui (46.0) and lowest in Twatwatwa (1.67). The parity rate of the An. funestus mosquitoes was lower compared to that of An. arabiensis and none of the mosquitoes was infected with malaria sporozoites. In conclusion, An. arabiensis is the most abundant malaria vector in Kilosa district and its variation is related to the ecological system. The heterogeneity in malaria mosquito abundance and human biting rate could be used to guide selection of locally appropriated control interventions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18939932,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Combined mutations in pre-s\/surface and core promoter\/precore regions of hepatitis B virus increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-control study.\nWe sought to investigate the role of sequence variations in pre-S\/surface and basal core promoter (BCP)\/precore regions of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The direct sequencing in pre-S\/surface and BCP\/precore regions of HBV was determined for 80 patients with HCC and 160 control patients with HBV infection. Compared with control patients, patients with HCC had higher frequencies of pre-S deletions and amino acid substitutions at codon 4, 7, and 81 in pre-S1 genes; at the start codon in pre-S2 genes; and at codon 68 in surface genes. Patients also had a lower frequency of amino acid substitution at codon 2 in pre-S2 genes, compared with control patients. In BCP\/precore regions, patients with HCC had higher frequencies of C or G1753, A1762\/T1764, T1846, and A1899. Multivariate analysis showed that pre-S deletions, I68T surface gene, T1762\/A1764, and A1899 were independent factors associated with the development of HCC. The HBV strain with a complex mutation pattern rather than a single mutation was associated with HCC, and the HCC risks increased for patients having these factors in combination. Pre-S deletions, I68T in surface gene, T1762\/A1764, and A1899 were independent risk factors for HCC. Combination of these viral mutations appeared to increase the risk of HCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34234818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Networks of Networks: An Essay on Multi-Level Biological Organization.\nThe multi-level organization of nature is self-evident: proteins do interact among them to give rise to an organized metabolism, while in the same time each protein (a single node of such interaction network) is itself a network of interacting amino-acid residues allowing coordinated motion of the macromolecule and systemic effect as allosteric behavior. Similar pictures can be drawn for structure and function of cells, organs, tissues, and ecological systems. The majority of biologists are used to think that causally relevant events originate from the lower level (the molecular one) in the form of perturbations, that \"climb up\" the hierarchy reaching the ultimate layer of macroscopic behavior (e.g., causing a specific disease). Such causative model, stemming from the usual genotype-phenotype distinction, is not the only one. As a matter of fact, one can observe top-down, bottom-up, as well as middle-out perturbation\/control trajectories. The recent complex network studies allow to go further the pure qualitative observation of the existence of both non-linear and non-bottom-up processes and to uncover the deep nature of multi-level organization. Here, taking as paradigm protein structural and interaction networks, we review some of the most relevant results dealing with between networks communication shedding light on the basic principles of complex system control and dynamics and offering a more realistic frame of causation in biology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30725362,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"A Longitudinal Study of the Neurologic Safety of Acute Baclofen Use After Spinal Cord Injury.\nThe objective of our study was to determine whether treatment with baclofen is neurologically safe with respect to exposure during recovery from spinal cord injury. We performed a secondary longitudinal analysis of a cohort of adult patients with traumatic acute spinal cord injury. Cumulative baclofen dose was computed over the first 4 weeks following injury from concomitant medication information from a completed clinical trial. The main outcome measure was neurologic status, which was assessed over 52 weeks with \"marked recovery\" defined as the conversion to higher sensory and motor function. To complete the drug safety profile, drug toxicity was assessed with assays from standard blood work. Multivariable Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Of the cohort (n = 651), 18% (n = 115) received baclofen within 4 weeks post injury. Baclofen use was associated with higher rates of marked neurologic recovery, even after adjustment for injury severity (HR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.5-3.0 for high dose vs none). Baclofen exposure was not associated with liver or renal side effects. The use of other medications indicated for spasticity was not associated with neurological outcomes. Overall, this longitudinal analysis provides level 3 evidence on the neurologic safety of baclofen and potential beneficial effects on recovery in the early days after acute traumatic spinal cord injury. The usefulness of concomitant medication files from completed clinical trials is highlighted. We also highlight the importance of incorporating logical patient questions and neurological outcomes into research addressing drug safety.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6157432,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Production of heterologous antibodies to T-killers of mice immunized against H-2 antigens].\nRabbit antisera were obtained against cytotoxic small peritoneal lymphocytes (IPEL) of CBA (H-2k) mice immune to alloantigens C57BL\/6 (H-2b) and to the enriched 5-day MLC cytotoxic blast lymphocytes (MLC--CL). After appropriate absorption by cells and tissues of intact mice the cytotoxicity of the sera was lost relative to normal lymphoid cells. The absorbed anti-CPL serum inhibited, in the presence of complement, the cytotoxic effect of CPL but not that of MLC--CL on 51Cr-labeled allogeneic macrophages. This inhibition was restricted by idiotypic and strain specificity. Conversely, the absorbed anti-MLC--CL serum inhibited the cytotoxic effect of both CPL and MLC--CL of various mouse strains, irrespective of their immunologic specificity. It is supposed that the effect of the anti-CPL serum is mainly caused by antibodies againts idiotypic determinants of the killer T receptors, whereas the effect of the anti-MLC--CL serum is due to antibodies against differentiation antigens of the proliferating lymphocytes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12960722,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The impact of B(12) treatment on gastric emptying time in patients with Helicobacter pylori infection.\nThe role that vitamin B12 deficiency plays in upper gastrointestinal motor dysfunction is not clear. The aim of this study was to determine whether B12 replacement therapy improves prolonged gastric emptying time in dyspeptic patients with Helicobacter pylori infection. The study included 34 H. pylori-positive patients who had low serum levels of B12 but had no other factors associated with altered gastric motility. Each patient underwent a radionuclide gastric emptying study before and after 3 months of B12 replacement therapy. Dyspepsia scores were calculated pretherapy and posttherapy using a semiquantitative scale. A vitamin B12 preparation (1000 microg\/d) was given intramuscularly for the first 10 days and then orally for 80 days. H. pylori eradication therapy was delayed for 3 months until the posttreatment radionuclide study was completed. The mean gastric emptying time before B12 treatment was significantly longer than that after treatment (230 +\/- 190 minutes vs. 98 +\/- 29 minutes, respectively; P < 0.0001). The mean dyspepsia score was also significantly improved by treatment (5.4 +\/- 1.0 vs. 1.2 +\/- 1.0, respectively; P < 0.0001). Vitamin B12 deficiency appears to play an important role in the development of gastric dysmotility and its clinical consequences. Replacement therapy will improve gastric emptying in some patients with dyspepsia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30868652,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Multiple imputation for discrete data: Evaluation of the joint latent normal model.\nMissing data are ubiquitous in clinical and social research, and multiple imputation (MI) is increasingly the methodology of choice for practitioners. Two principal strategies for imputation have been proposed in the literature: joint modelling multiple imputation (JM-MI) and full conditional specification multiple imputation (FCS-MI). While JM-MI is arguably a preferable approach, because it involves specification of an explicit imputation model, FCS-MI is pragmatically appealing, because of its flexibility in handling different types of variables. JM-MI has developed from the multivariate normal model, and latent normal variables have been proposed as a natural way to extend this model to handle categorical variables. In this article, we evaluate the latent normal model through an extensive simulation study and an application on data from the German Breast Cancer Study Group, comparing the results with FCS-MI. We divide our investigation in four sections, focusing on (i) binary, (ii) categorical, (iii) ordinal, and (iv) count data. Using data simulated from both the latent normal model and the general location model, we find that in all but one extreme general location model setting JM-MI works very well, and sometimes outperforms FCS-MI. We conclude the latent normal model, implemented in the R package jomo, can be used with confidence by researchers, both for single and multilevel multiple imputation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24130170,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SH3RF2 functions as an oncogene by mediating PAK4 protein stability.\nSH3RF (SH3-domain-containing RING finger protein) family members, SH3RF1-3, are multidomain scaffold proteins involved in promoting cell survival and apoptosis. In this report, we show that SH3RF2 is an oncogene product that is overexpressed in human cancers and regulates p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) protein stability. Immunohistochemical analysis of 159 colon cancer tissues showed that SH3RF2 expression levels are frequently elevated in cancer tissues and significantly correlate with poor prognostic indicators, including increased invasion, early recurrence and poor survival rates. We also demonstrated that PAK4 protein is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system and that SH3RF2 inhibits PAK4 ubiquitination via physical interaction-mediated steric hindrance, which results in the upregulation of PAK4 protein. Moreover, ablation of SH3RF2 expression attenuates TRADD (TNFR-associated death domain) recruitment to tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1 (TNF-\u03b1) receptor 1 and hinders downstream signals, thereby inhibiting NF-\u03baB (nuclear factor-kappaB) activity and enhancing caspase-8 activity, in the context of TNF-\u03b1 treatment. Notably, ectopic expression of SH3RF2 effectively prevents apoptosis in cancer cells and enhances cell migration, colony formation and tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that SH3RF2 is an oncogene that may be a definitive regulator of PAK4. Therefore, SH3RF2 may represent an effective therapeutic target for cancer treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37228790,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The geographic, environmental and phylogenetic evolution of the Alveolinoidea from the Cretaceous to the present day.\nThe superfamily Alveolinoidea is a member of the Order Miliolida, and comprises three main families, the Alveolinidae, the Fabulariidae and the Rhapydioninidae. They are examples of Larger benthic foraminifera (LBF), which are single-celled organisms with specific characteristic endoskeletons. Alveolinoids are found globally from the Cretaceous to the present day, and are important biostratigraphic index fossils in shallow-marine carbonates. They are often associated with hydrocarbon reservoirs, and exhibit provincialism with characteristic genera often confined to one of the American, Tethyan or Indo-Pacific provinces. Previously, the systematic study of the global interrelationship between the various alveolinoid lineages has not been possible because of the absence of biostratigraphic correlation between the geographically scattered assemblages, and the scarcity of described material from the Indo-Pacific province. Here we use the literature and new material from the Americas, the French Alps, Iran, Tibet, India and South East Asia, coupled with the use of the planktonic foraminiferal zonal (PZ) correlation scheme to propose a comprehensive, global, systematic analysis of the biostratigraphic, phylogenetic and paleogeographic evolution of the alveolinoids. The alveolinoids originated in the Cretaceous in the Tethyan province. During a global sea-level low stand, a westward migration of some alveolinoids species to the Americas occurred, a behaviour previously reported in contemporaneous orbitolinid LBF. After the Cretaceous\/Palaeogene (K-P) event, which saw the extinction of all Cretaceous alveolinoids, rare new forms of alveolinoids evolved again, first in the Americas and later independently in Tethys. As was found in previous studies of rotalid LBF, sea-level low stands in the Paleocene also allowed some alveolinoid forms to migrate, but this time in an eastward direction from the Americas to Tethys, and from Tethys on to the Indo-Pacific province. Alveolinoids still exist today (Borelis and Alveolinella), the former of which is cosmopolitan, while the latter is restricted to the Indo-Pacific province. Throughout their phylogenetic history, alveolinoids characteristically exhibit convergent evolution, with the repeated re-occurrence of certain morphological features. Understanding this propensity to homoplasy is essential in understanding and constructing the phylogenetic relationships within the alveolinoid superfamily.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24721953,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Recurrence rate of Helicobacter pylori infection two years after successful eradication in Peruvian patients presenting with postprandial distress syndrome].\nThe general reported recurrence rate of H. pylori infection in Peru is high, implying that the long term effectiveness of anti H. pylori therapy is lower than expected. This would lead to an increase in the prevalence of gastric cancer and other associated pathologies. This is a prospective cohort study including Peruvian patients with postprandial distress and H. pylori infection confirmed by gastric biopsy who recieved treatment and achieved bacterial eradication. Two years after the initial diagnosis, patients were contacted to determine the recurrence rate of H. pylori infection through the Urea breath test. 101 \/129 of the patients that were infected with H. pylori had a successful eradication of the infection and 28\/129 failed to eradicate the bacteria. The effectiveness rate of treatment was 77.2%. Two years after successful eradication we were able to contact 65\/101 participants, 5 of them presented positive urea breath tests (recurrence rate of infection of 7.7%) (IC 1.5%-13.5%, \u03b1 = 0.05). The annual recurrence rate was 3.85% per year\/ patient. 94% of the patients in the cohort came from poor city areas, 95.4% had drinking water at home and 90.8% drank boiled drinking water on a daily basis. The recurrence rate of H. pylori in some populations of Peru is lower than expected and comparable with developed countries.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18922487,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Stockpiling prepandemic influenza vaccines: a new cornerstone of pandemic preparedness plans.\nThe history of pandemic influenza, along with the evolving epizootic of the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus and the severity of associated human infections, serve as a warning to the world of the threat of another influenza pandemic. Conservative estimates suggest that up to 350 million people could die and many more would be affected, causing disruption to health-care systems, society, and the world's economy. WHO has encouraged countries to prepare in advance by developing influenza pandemic preparedness plans that involve public-health and pharmaceutical interventions. Vaccination is a cornerstone of these plans; however, a pandemic vaccine cannot be manufactured in advance because the next pandemic virus cannot be predicted. The concepts of vaccine stockpiling and prepandemic vaccination have thus become attractive. Human H5N1 vaccines are currently available and can induce heterotypic immunity. WHO and governments should give urgent consideration to the use of these vaccines for the priming of individuals or communities who would be at greatest risk of infection if an H5N1 influenza pandemic were to emerge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15358893,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Quantifying the impact of participation in local tobacco control groups on the psychological empowerment of involved youth.\nA core component of Legacy's Statewide Youth Movement Against Tobacco Use is the ability of state and local initiatives to empower youth to effect change in their communities. The authors' conceptual framework proposes that youth empowerment is an outcome of the process by which youths become active participants in local efforts. Youths are proposed to attain specific skills (e.g., assertiveness, advocacy), attitudes (e.g., domain-specific self-efficacy, perceived sociopolitical control, participatory competence), and knowledge of relevant resources. All are proposed outcomes of their individual participation in these local efforts. Data collected in fall 2002 through a tested survey instrument designed to obtain data on key components of empowerment are presented. Regression modeling was used to examine the extent to which characteristics of empowerment are an outcome of individual participation in these groups. A summary of lessons learned pertaining to effectively measuring empowerment and enhancing the empowerment process through local initiatives is provided.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18056700,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Evidence that a mutation in the MLH1 3'-untranslated region confers a mutator phenotype and mismatch repair deficiency in patients with relapsed leukemia.\nDefects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) are the molecular basis of certain cancers, including hematological malignancies. The defects are often caused by mutations in coding regions of MMR genes or promoter methylation of the genes. However, in many cases, despite that a hypermutable phenotype is detected in a patient, no mutations\/hypermethylations of MMR genes can be detected. We report here a novel mechanism that a mutation in the MLH1 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) leads to MMR deficiency. A relapsed leukemia patient displayed microsatellite instability, but no genetic and epigenetic alterations in key MMR genes were identifiable. Instead, a 3-nucleotide (TTC) deletion in the MLH1 3'-UTR was found in the patient's blood sample. The mutant MLH1 3'-UTR was found to significantly reduce the expressions of both a firefly luciferase reporter gene and an ectopic MLH1 gene in model cell lines. Consistent with these observations, a significant reduction in the steady-state level of MLH1 mRNA was observed in white blood cells of the patient. These findings suggest that the mutant MLH1 3'-UTR can cause a severely reduced\/defective MMR activity conferring leukemia relapse, likely by down-regulating MLH1 expression at the mRNA level. Although the exact mechanism by which the mutant 3'-UTR down-regulates the MLH1 mRNA is not known, our findings provide a novel marker for cancers with MMR defects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12174229,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of some plant extracts and antibiotics on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from various burn cases.\nTo determine the major groups of bacteria associated with burn infections, isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from burn cases, and the testing of antibacterial activity of some plant extracts in comparison with the standard antibiotics. A total of 92 burn cases, covered with tetracycline (40 cases) and non-covered with tetracycline (52 cases) from both sex and various ages, were collected from various hospitals in Basrah City, Iraq on the year 2001. Bacteriological investigation for isolation of bacterial pathogens especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa was carried out. Two methods were used to evaluate the anti-bacterial activity of various concentrations of aqueous extracts of leaves of Myrtus communis and Eucalyptus with comparison to 6 antibiotics, these methods were to determine the growth inhibition zones and minimal inhibitory concentration. From a total 92 cases, 78 (84.8%) gave positive cultures. One hundred and fifty eight isolates were identified as bacterial pathogens. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant bacterial pathogen from 35.9% of the tetracycline covered burns and 42.3% of the non-tetracycline covered burns followed by other bacterial types in various percentages. Aqueous leaves extracts of myrtus communis and eucalyptus gave an excellent effect on bacterial growth and their effects were located within the limits of antibiotic effects. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the predominant bacterial isolate followed by Staphylococcus aureus, then other type of bacterial was isolated in various percentage from each tetracycline covered burns and non-tetracycline covered burns. Most concentrations of the extracts of the studied plants showed a high antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and showed significant differences between susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from each tetracycline covered burn and non-tetracycline covered burn.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8112850,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Immunological and molecular characterization of Helicobacter felis urease.\nUrease activity has recently been shown to be an important virulence determinant for Helicobacter pylori, allowing it to survive the low pH of the stomach during colonization. Experimental murine infection with Helicobacter felis is now being used as a model for H. pylori infection to study the effects of vaccines, antibiotics, and urease inhibitors on colonization. However, little information comparing the ureases of H. felis and H. pylori is available. Urease was partially purified from the cell surface of H. felis ATCC 49179 by A-5M agarose chromatography, resulting in an eightfold increase in specific activity over that of crude urease. The apparent Km for urea for the partially purified urease was 0.4 mM, and the enzyme was inhibited in a competitive manner by flurofamide (50% inhibitory concentration = 0.12 microM). Antiserum to whole cells of H. pylori recognized both H. pylori and H. felis urease B subunits. Antiserum raised against H. felis whole cells recognized the large and small autologous urease subunits and the cpn60 heat shock molecule in both H. felis and H. pylori. However, this antiserum showed only a weak reaction with the B subunit of H. pylori urease. Two oligomeric DNA sequences were used as probes to evaluate the relatedness of H. felis and H. pylori urease gene sequences. One 30-mer from the ureA sequence, which had been shown previously to be specific for H. pylori, failed to hybridize to H. felis genomic DNA. A probe to the putative coding sequence for the active site of the H. pylori ureB subunit hybridized at low intensity to a 2.8-kb fragment of BamHI-HindIII-digested H. felis DNA, suggesting that the sequences were homologous but not identical, a result confirmed from the recently published sequences of ureA and ureB from H. felis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20301904,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Effect of combined exposure to ethanol and tobacco smoke on lipid peroxidation in rats].\nUsually, alcohol addicted persons smokes cigarettes. In the study, the effect of combined exposure to alcohol and tobacco smoke in alcohol addicted rats on liver peroxidation was evaluated. Alcohol abuse and its presence in blood did not influence the cotinine level, what indicates the lack of the importance of this factor in nicotine metabolism. Similarly, enzymatic markers of liver damage (AspAT, AIAT, ALP) did not change, what showed lack of hepatotoxic effect studied compounds in applied model of alcohol addiction and tobacco smoke exposure. Combined exposure to alcohol and tobacco smoke increases the level of lipid peroxidation in brain, liver and lungs however decreases in serum. In kidneys the results are not unambiguous.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35602181,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Characterization of a 30 \u00b5m pixel size CLIP-based 3D printer and its enhancement through dynamic printing optimization.\nResolving microscopic and complex 3D polymeric structures while maintaining high print speeds in additive manufacturing has been challenging. To achieve print precision at micrometer length scales for polymeric materials, most 3D printing technologies utilize the serial voxel printing approach that has a relatively slow print speed. Here, a 30-\u00b5m-resolution continuous liquid interface production (CLIP)-based 3D printing system for printing polymeric microstructures is described. This technology combines the high-resolution from projection microstereolithography and the fast print speed from CLIP, thereby achieving micrometer print resolution at x103 times faster than other high-resolution 3D printing technologies. Print resolutions in both lateral and vertical directions were characterized, and the printability of minimum 30 \u00b5m features in 2D and 3D has been demonstrated. Through dynamic printing optimization, a method that varies the print parameters (e.g. exposure time, UV intensity, and dark time) for each print layer, overhanging struts at various thicknesses spanning 1 order of magnitude (25 \u00b5m - 200 \u00b5m) in a single print are resolvable. Taken together, this work illustrates that the micro-CLIP 3D printing technology, in combination with dynamic printing optimization, has the high resolution needed to enable manufacturing of exquisitely detailed and gradient 3D structures, such as terraced microneedle arrays and micro-lattice structures, while maintaining high print speeds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24111982,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Associations among obesity, acute weight gain, and response to treatment with olanzapine in adolescent schizophrenia.\nThe purpose of this study was to investigate associations between body weight and illness characteristics, including weight gain and therapeutic efficacy, in adolescents with schizophrenia. Adolescents ages 13-17 years (n = 107) with American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) schizophrenia enrolled in a 6 week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing olanzapine and placebo. Therapeutic response was assessed by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale for Children (BPRS-C). Secondary outcomes included the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) scale and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Obesity was defined as sex-\/age-adjusted body mass index (BMI) \u2265 95th percentile. Linear regression was used to analyze the relationship between weight gain and psychiatric symptom improvement; logistic regression was conducted to identify predictors of baseline obesity. Weight gain was significantly correlated with greater BPRS-C reduction among olanzapine-treated subjects (r = -0.31, p<0.01), whereas a trend was observed among placebo-treated subjects (r = -0.31, p = 0.08). However, this relationship became nonsignificant when analyses were controlled for duration of olanzapine treatment (p=0.12), and a treatment by weight gain interaction did not emerge in a repeated-measures mixed model analysis that included time in the study (t = 1.27, p = 0.21). Additionally, weight gain \u2265 7% was not significantly associated with response or remission. Among 17 adolescents (16%) with obesity at study entry, obesity was not significantly associated with endpoint BPRS-C illness severity. However, girls (p = 0.03), individuals hospitalized within the past year (p = 0.02), and those with less severe overall (p = 0.03) and negative symptoms (p = 0.003) according to the CGI-S and PANSS negative subscale, respectively, were more likely to be obese at baseline. Baseline obesity was associated with lower illness severity, which could be mediated by greater treatment adherence, leading to more weight gain. Olanzapine-related weight gain was not independently associated with symptomatic outcome when controlling for treatment duration. Additional studies are needed to extend these findings to other disorders and medications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25394363,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Decoupling of evolutionary changes in transcription factor binding and gene expression in mammals.\nTo understand the evolutionary dynamics between transcription factor (TF) binding and gene expression in mammals, we compared transcriptional output and the binding intensities for three tissue-specific TFs in livers from four closely related mouse species. For each transcription factor, TF-dependent genes and the TF binding sites most likely to influence mRNA expression were identified by comparing mRNA expression levels between wild-type and TF knockout mice. Independent evolution was observed genome-wide between the rate of change in TF binding and the rate of change in mRNA expression across taxa, with the exception of a small number of TF-dependent genes. We also found that binding intensities are preferentially conserved near genes whose expression is dependent on the TF, and the conservation is shared among binding peaks in close proximity to each other near the TSS. Expression of TF-dependent genes typically showed an increased sensitivity to changes in binding levels as measured by mRNA abundance. Taken together, these results highlight a significant tolerance to evolutionary changes in TF binding intensity in mammalian transcriptional networks and suggest that some TF-dependent genes may be largely regulated by a single TF across evolution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35966651,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A Lactobacilli diet that confers MRSA resistance causes amino acid depletion and increased antioxidant levels in the C. elegans host.\nProbiotic bacteria are increasingly popular as dietary supplements and have the potential as alternatives to traditional antibiotics. We have recently shown that pretreatment with Lactobacillus spp. Lb21 increases the life span of C. elegans and results in resistance toward pathogenic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The Lb21-mediated MRSA resistance is dependent on the DBL-1 ligand of the TGF-\u03b2 signaling pathway. However, the underlying changes at the metabolite level are not understood which limits the application of probiotic bacteria as timely alternatives to traditional antibiotics. In this study, we have performed untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolic profiling. We report the metabolomes of Lactobacillus spp. Lb21 and control E. coli OP50 bacteria as well as the nematode-host metabolomes after feeding with these diets. We identify 48 metabolites in the bacteria samples and 51 metabolites in the nematode samples and 63 across all samples. Compared to the control diet, the Lactobacilli pretreatment significantly alters the metabolic profile of the worms. Through sparse Partial Least Squares discriminant analyses, we identify the 20 most important metabolites distinguishing probiotics from the regular OP50 food and worms fed the two different bacterial diets, respectively. Among the changed metabolites, we find lower levels of essential amino acids as well as increased levels of the antioxidants, ascorbate, and glutathione. Since the probiotic diet offers significant protection against MRSA, these metabolites could provide novel ways of combatting MRSA infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26059349,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Evaluation of headache service quality indicators: pilot implementation in two specialist-care centres.\nEvaluating quality of health care is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to the advancement of health-care delivery. We recently developed a set of quality indicators for headache care, intended to be applicable across countries, cultures and settings so that deficiencies in headache care worldwide might be recognized and rectified. These indicators themselves require evaluation and proof of fitness for purpose. This pilot study begins this process. We tested the quality indicators in the tertiary headache centres of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany, and the Hospital da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal. Using seven previously-developed enquiry instruments, we interrogated health-care providers (HCPs), including doctors, nurses, psychologists and physiotherapists, as well as consecutive patients and their medical records. The questionnaires were easily understood by both HCPs and patients and were not unduly time-consuming. The results from the two headache centres were comparable despite their differences in structure, staffing and language. These findings met the purpose of the study. Diagnoses were made according to ICHD criteria and critically evaluated during follow-up. However, diagnostic diaries and instruments assessing burden and response to treatment were not always in place or routinely utilised. Triage systems adjusted waiting times to urgency of need. Treatment plans included pathways to other specialities. Patients felt welcomed, reassured and educated, and were mostly satisfied. Discussion points arose over inclusion of psychological therapies in treatment plans; over recording of outcomes; over indicators of efficiency and equitability (protocols to limit wastage of resources, systems to measure input costs and means of ensuring equal access to the services); and over protocols for reporting serious adverse events. This pilot study to assess feasibility of the methods and acceptability of the instruments of headache service quality evaluation was successful. The project is ready to be taken into its next stages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9362979,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Quality of neurological care. Balancing cost control and ethics.\nAs the quality of neurological care becomes a mutual objective of physicians, patients, and health planners, increased demands on cost savings will create conflicts that could threaten the ethical basis of medical practice. Physicians will see increasing ethical conflicts between their fiduciary duties to make treatment decisions in the best interest of their patients and their justice-based duties to conserve societal resources. These conflicts can be best mitigated if physicians maintain their orientation as patient advocates but practice cost-conscious clinical behaviors that consider the cost-effectiveness of tests and treatments and do not squander society's finite resources by ordering medical tests and treatments of zero or marginal utility. Health system planners should resolve their conflicting objectives of quality and cost control by rigorously defining and measuring quality through physician leadership and by implementing cost-control measures that enhance the quality of medical care. Managed care organizations voluntarily should forsake financially successful but blatantly unethical cost-saving schemes, such as gag clauses and end-of-year kickback payments to physicians, because these schemes diminish patients' trust in physicians and degrade the integrity of the patient-physician relationship. State and federal laws should prudently regulate these unethical cost-saving schemes to the same extent as they have for the harmful conflicts in fee-for-service medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34088821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Examining Variations in Action Plan Quality Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care.\nCollaborative goal setting and action-planning are key elements of self-management support for people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), however little is known regarding action plan quality or correlation of quality in primary T2DM care. T2DM patients from 12 primary care sites participated in either: Connection to Health (CTH; 6 practices), consisting of a health survey followed by collaborative action planning, or Enhanced Engagement CTH (EE-CTH; 6 practices), including additional training in relationship building promoting patient engagement. Action plan quality was rated using an adapted version of the Goal-Setting Evaluation Tool for Diabetes (GET-D) (dual coding of 20%, inter-rater reliability [IRR] >80%). Associations with patient characteristics were examined using generalized linear mixed models adjusting for clustering by clinic and intervention arm. With a mean score \u00b1 standard deviation (SD) of 14.62 \u00b1 3.87 on a 0 to 20 scale (n = 725), overall action plan quality was moderate-high. Higher health literacy (\u03b2 = 1.184, 95% CI, 0.326-2.041; P = .007), and having no social risks (\u03b2 = 0.416; 95% CI, 0.062-0.770; P = .021) were associated with higher action plan quality, whereas sex, age, language, education level, depression, stress, and health distress were unrelated to quality (P value not significant). Higher quality was associated with greater patient confidence in the plan (\u03b2 = 0.050; 95% CI, 0.016-0.084, P = .004). Although there was a considerable difference in action plan quality ratings, ratings did not systematically differ based on most patient demographic or mental health measures. Results suggest that action planning should be tailored to health literacy and social risks. Further research should examine associations between quality and longer-term clinical outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22315356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Validation of a thoracoscopic lobectomy simulator.\nAlthough simulation is considered integral to general surgery training, its role has only recently been recognized in thoracic surgical education, perhaps due to a lack of widely available, validated simulators for advanced thoracic procedures. This study evaluates the construct, content and face validity of an inexpensive, easily reproducible simulator for teaching thoracoscopic lobectomy. Construct validity (ability of the simulator to discriminate between users of different skill levels) was assessed by having surgical trainees perform a lobectomy on the simulator. Participants were divided into three groups (experienced, intermediate and novice) based on self-reported experience with minimally invasive surgery. After instruction and practice time to limit the effect of any simulator-specific learning curve, each performed a left upper lobectomy that was scored using a standardized assessment tool incorporating total time plus weighted penalty minutes assigned for errors. Content validity (simulator requires same steps and decision-making as a clinical lobectomy) was assessed using a Likert scale by those participants who had previously seen a thoracoscopic lobectomy in a patient. Thirty-one residents participated in the study (12 experienced, 6 intermediate and 13 novice). All 12 experienced participants completed the lobectomy. The other groups were less successful with 4 of 6 in the intermediate group and 5 of 13 in the novice group completing the lobectomy (P = 0.004). The mean times for lobectomy + penalty minutes were 35 + 6.8 (experienced), 50 + 13 (intermediate) and 54 + 20 (novice). Differences between groups were statistically significant for experienced vs. novice (P < 0.001) and experienced vs. intermediate (P < 0.04). Content validity was assessed by the 18 participants who had previously seen a thoracoscopic lobectomy with a mean of 9.2 of 10 possible points. The thoracoscopic lobectomy simulator used in this study demonstrates acceptable validity and can be a useful tool for teaching thoracoscopic lobectomy to trainees or experienced surgeons.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30085948,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Fully Automated 10-Minute 3D CAIPIRINHA SPACE TSE MRI of the Knee in Adults: A Multicenter, Multireader, Multifield-Strength Validation Study.\nThe aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee with 10-minute 3-dimensional (3D) controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA) sampling perfection with application optimized contrast using different flip angle evolutions (SPACE) turbo spin echo (TSE) protocols can replace 20-minute 2-dimensional (2D) TSE standard-of-reference protocols for the diagnosis of internal derangement. After internal review board approval and prospective informed consent, 100 symptomatic subjects underwent MRI of the knee at 3 T and 50 symptomatic subjects at 1.5 T, consisting of 10-minute 3D CAIPIRINHA SPACE TSE and 20-minute standard-of-reference 2D TSE protocols. Two fellowship-trained musculoskeletal radiologists assessed the studies in an anonymized and randomized fashion for structural abnormalities. Descriptive statistics, interreader reliability, intermethod concordance, diagnostic definitiveness, and interchangeability tests were applied. P values equal to or smaller than 0.01 were considered significant. The interchangeability analysis showed that the 3D MRI can replace the 2D MRI protocols, whereas a superiority of 3D MRI was suggested statistically for the detection of medial and lateral meniscal tears, cartilage defects, and bone marrow edema by significantly higher common pair exact match proportions of readers (P < 0.01, respectively).The overall interreader reliabilities were 89% of exact matches for 2D TSE (\u03ba, 0.842) and 96% of exact matches for 3D TSE (\u03ba, 0.941) (P < 0.01). There was good intermethod concordance (\u03ba, 0.736; range, 0.579-1.000). The interreader reliability (2D TSE: \u03ba, 0.748 [0.603-1.000]; 3D TSE: \u03ba, 0.901 [0.797-1.000]) and diagnostic definitiveness were significantly higher for the 3D than 2D MRI (P < 0.01). 10-minute 3D CAIPIRINHA SPACE TSE MRI protocols can replace 20-minute 2D TSE standard-of-reference MRI protocols for the evaluation of internal derangement of the knee by producing similar results in individual patient diagnoses, whereas interpretations of 3D CAIPIRINHA SPACE TSE MRI examinations resulted in an overall higher interreader reliability, intermethod concordance, and reader definitiveness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30132202,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Oridonin Ameliorates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Endometritis in Mice via Inhibition of the TLR-4\/NF-\u03baBpathway.\nEndometritis is a health threat to both humans and animals and poses a huge economic burden. Oridonin (Ori) is a natural diterpenoid isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Rabdosiarubescens (R. rubescens) and has multiple health-promoting effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor effects. There is little evidence showing that Ori can effectively treat endometritis, and the relevant mechanisms need to be further clarified. In this study, we investigated the effects of Ori on LPS-induced endometritis in vivo. Additionally, we examined the effects of Ori on LPS-stimulated mouse endometrial epithelial cells (mEECs). The results showed that Ori treatment significantly alleviated LPS-induced endometritis and reduced the activity of myeloperoxidase. ELISA and qPCR results indicated that Ori dose-dependently decreased the expression of TNF-\u03b1, IL-1\u03b2, and IL-6 both in tissues and in mEECs. In addition, Ori was found to inhibit LPS-induced TLR4\/NF-\u03baB signaling pathway activation. These results suggest that Ori effectively attenuates LPS-induced endometritis by inhibiting the TLR4\/NF-\u03baB signaling pathway and that Ori might be an effective drug for the prevention and treatment of LPS-induced endometritis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36622828,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Needle stick injuries among nurses in Italy: a review.\nBackground. Needle stick injuries (NSI) are a frequent problem among the medical and nurse population: NIS can cause blood exposure pathologies like HCV or HIV. Aim of this study is to determinate an incidence rate and causes of NSI. Methods. A search was conducted on the main international databases, only studies conducted in Italian nurse are considered. Results. The incidence rate of NSI varies from 2.2 to 10.77 per 100 nurses per year. The major causes can be traced back to a large night shift, working in the operating block and in the medical departments, and the failure to use adequate devices. Conclusions. It is important to work on training, on the use of safety devices and on a better night shift.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23621909,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Neurofibromatosis type 1 in two siblings due to maternal germline mosaicism.\nNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is caused by loss of function mutations of the NF1 gene, which are de novo in 50% of cases. Although this gene shows one of the highest mutation rates in the human genome, germline mosaicism is very rare in this condition. We describe the molecular analysis of a family in which neurofibromatosis type 1 occurred in two out of four siblings born to unaffected parents. Molecular analysis of the NF1 gene identified in both patients the same splicing mutation c.1392+1G>A, which was absent in parental lymphocytes. Microsatellite analysis showed that the two affected siblings shared the same maternal allele, however a specific PCR-RFLP assay excluded the presence of the NF1 splicing mutation in multiple maternal tissues. Our molecular and clinical findings are consistent with a germline mosaicism for the NF1 splicing mutation. This is the first case of maternal germline mosaicism for a NF1 mutation characterized so far at the molecular level. Our data confirm that germline mosaicism is rare in neurofibromatosis 1, but it has important implications for genetic counseling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18957370,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Spatial analysis of intracerebral electroencephalographic signals in the time and frequency domain: identification of epileptogenic networks in partial epilepsy.\nElectroencephalography (EEG) occupies an important place for studying human brain activity in general, and epileptic processes in particular, with appropriate time resolution. Scalp EEG or intracerebral EEG signals recorded in patients with drug-resistant partial epilepsy convey important information about epileptogenic networks that must be localized and understood prior to subsequent therapeutic procedures. However, this information, often subtle, is 'hidden' in the signals. It is precisely the role of signal processing to extract this information and to put it into a 'coherent and interpretable picture' that can participate in the therapeutic strategy. Nowadays, the panel of available methods is very wide depending on the objectives such as, for instance, the detection of transient epileptiform events, the detection and\/or prediction of seizures, the recognition and\/or the classification of EEG patterns, the localization of epileptic neuronal sources, the characterization of neural synchrony, the determination of functional connectivity, among others. The intent of this paper is to focus on a specific category of methods providing relevant information about epileptogenic networks from the analysis of spatial properties of EEG signals in the time and frequency domain. These methods apply to either interictal or ictal recordings and share the common objective of localizing the subsets of brain structures involved in both types of paroxysmal activity. Most of these methods were developed by our group and are routinely used during pre-surgical evaluation. Examples are detailed. Results, as well as limitations of the methods, are also discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15908428,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"The highly selective production of 2-arachidonoyl lysophosphatidylcholine catalyzed by purified calcium-independent phospholipase A2gamma: identification of a novel enzymatic mediator for the generation of a key branch point intermediate in eicosanoid signaling.\nHerein, we report the heterologous expression of the human peroxisomal 63-kDa calcium-independent phospholipase A2gamma (iPLA2gamma) isoform in Sf9 cells, purification of the N-terminal His-tagged enzyme by affinity chromatography, and the identification of its remarkable substrate selectivity that results in the highly selective generation of 2-arachidonoyl lysophosphatidylcholine. Mass spectrometric analyses demonstrated that purified iPLA2gamma hydrolyzed saturated or monounsaturated aliphatic groups readily from either the sn-1 or sn-2 positions of phospholipids. In addition, purified iPLA2gamma effectively liberated arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of plasmenylcholine substrates. In contrast, incubation of iPLA2gamma with 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine resulted in the rapid release of palmitic acid and the selective accumulation of 2-arachidonoyl lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), which was not metabolized further by iPLA2gamma. The putative regiospecificity of the 2-arachidonoyl LPC product was authenticated by its diagnostic fragmentation pattern during tandem mass spectrometric analysis. To identify the physiological relevance of iPLA2gamma-mediated 2-arachidonoyl LPC production utilizing naturally occurring membranes, we incubated purified rat hepatic peroxisomes with iPLA2gamma and similarly identified the selective accumulation of 2-arachidonoyl LPC. Furthermore, tandem mass spectrometric analysis demonstrated that 2-arachidonoyl LPC is a natural product in human myocardium, a tissue in which iPLA2gamma expression is robust. Because 2-arachidonoyl LPC represents a key branch point intermediate that can potentially lead to a variety of bioactive molecules in eicosanoid signaling (e.g. arachidonic acid, 2-arachidonoylglycerol), these results have uncovered a novel eicosanoid selective pathway through iPLA2gamma-mediated 2-arachidonoyl LPC production to amplify and diversify the repertoire of biologic lipid second messengers in response to cellular stimulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26061570,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Antioxidant Opuntia ficus-indica Extract Activates AHR-NRF2 Signaling and Upregulates Filaggrin and Loricrin Expression in Human Keratinocytes.\nOpuntia ficus-indica (OFI) is a cactus species widely used as an anti-inflammatory, antilipidemic, and hypoglycemic agent. It has been shown that OFI extract (OFIE) inhibits oxidative stress in animal models of diabetes and hepatic disease; however, its antioxidant mechanism remains largely unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that OFIE exhibited potent antioxidant activity through the activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) and the downstream antioxidant enzyme quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), which inhibited the generation of reactive oxygen species in keratinocytes challenged with tumor necrosis factor \u03b1 or benzo[\u03b1]pyrene. The antioxidant capacity of OFIE was canceled in NRF2 knockdown keratinocytes. OFIE exerted this NRF2-NQO1 upregulation through activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Moreover, the ligation of AHR by OFIE upregulated the expression of epidermal barrier proteins: filaggrin and loricrin. OFIE also prevented TH2 cytokine-mediated downregulation of filaggrin and loricrin expression in an AHR-dependent manner because it was canceled in AHR knockdown keratinocytes. Antioxidant OFIE is a potent activator of AHR-NRF2-NQO1 signaling and may be beneficial in treating barrier-disrupted skin disorders.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34276511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Impact of Acute and Chronic Cannabis Use on Stress Response Regulation: Challenging the Belief That Cannabis Is an Effective Method for Coping.\nAlthough research has only recently started to examine the impact of cannabis use on stress response, there is some evidence that indicates acute and chronic impacts of cannabis on these processes. In this paper, we review processes involved in regulating the stress response and we review the influence of acute and chronic exposure to cannabis on patterns and regulation of the stress response. We also highlight the role of stress as a risk factor for initiation and maintenance of cannabis use. In this context, we examine moderating variables, including sex and life adversity. In light of recent observations indicating increasing prevalence of cannabis use during pregnancy, we provide additional focus on cannabis use in this vulnerable population, including how acute and chronic stress may predispose some individuals to use cannabis during pregnancy. While this line of research is in its infancy, we review available articles that focus on the perinatal period and that examined the association between cannabis use and various life stressors, including partner violence, job loss, and lack of housing. We also review psychiatric co-morbidities (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety). A better understanding of the way stress and cannabis use relate within the general population, as well as within certain subgroups that may be at a greater risk of using and\/or at greater risk for adverse outcomes of use, may lead to the development of novel prevention and intervention approaches.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23259448,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Stroke risk stratification scores in atrial fibrillation: current recommendations for clinical practice and future perspectives.\nAtrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke. This additional risk varies depending on the presence of various clinical risk factors. The contribution of some risk factors, for example vascular disease and female gender, has been disputed. Stroke risk stratification scores (RSS) incorporate these risk factors to identify patients at different levels of stroke risk. These RSS enable the targeting of oral anticoagulants (OAC) at high-risk patients, who stand to gain the most in terms of stroke risk reduction, and avoidance of their use in low-risk patients, in whom the harms of OAC (increased risk of bleeding) may outweigh their stroke prevention capabilities. Guidelines on the management of AF have used and adapted various RSS for this purpose, and have tailored their therapeutic recommendations around the different risk categories. Current guidelines advocate the use of the CHA\u2082DS\u2082-VASc RSS to assess stroke risk in AF patients, to identify truly low-risk patients (men and women aged <65 years with no risk factors) who may not require antithrombotic therapy, with consideration of OAC for all other patients. The recent development of novel OACs is changing the risk threshold at which it is acceptable to treat AF patients. However, consideration of OAC therapy for stroke prevention also requires assessment of the associated bleeding risk and incorporation of patients' preferences when making treatment decisions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22046331,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Sialome of a generalist lepidopteran herbivore: identification of transcripts and proteins from Helicoverpa armigera labial salivary glands.\nAlthough the importance of insect saliva in insect-host plant interactions has been acknowledged, there is very limited information on the nature and complexity of the salivary proteome in lepidopteran herbivores. We inspected the labial salivary transcriptome and proteome of Helicoverpa armigera, an important polyphagous pest species. To identify the majority of the salivary proteins we have randomly sequenced 19,389 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a normalized cDNA library of salivary glands. In parallel, a non-cytosolic enriched protein fraction was obtained from labial salivary glands and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and de novo peptide sequencing. This procedure allowed comparison of peptides and EST sequences and enabled us to identify 65 protein spots from the secreted labial saliva 2DE proteome. The mass spectrometry analysis revealed ecdysone, glucose oxidase, fructosidase, carboxyl\/cholinesterase and an uncharacterized protein previously detected in H. armigera midgut proteome. Consistently, their corresponding transcripts are among the most abundant in our cDNA library. We did find redundancy of sequence identification of saliva-secreted proteins suggesting multiple isoforms. As expected, we found several enzymes responsible for digestion and plant offense. In addition, we identified non-digestive proteins such as an arginine kinase and abundant proteins of unknown function. This identification of secreted salivary gland proteins allows a more comprehensive understanding of insect feeding and poses new challenges for the elucidation of protein function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31415983,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Human macrophages and osteoclasts resorb \u03b2-tricalcium phosphate in vitro but not mouse macrophages.\n\u03b2-TCP is a resorbable bony biomaterial but its biodegradation mechanisms in vivo remains unclear. Osteoclast can resorb \u03b2-TCP but a role for macrophages has also been suggested by in vivo studies. However no in vitro study has clearly evidenced the action of macrophages in the resorption process. We prepared flat \u03b2-TCP tablets with a smooth surface to investigate the in vitro capability of murine (RAW 264.7) and human macrophage cells (PBMCs) to resorb the biomaterial. In parallel, these cells were differentiated into multinucleated osteoclasts with M-CSF and RANK-L. The action of these cells was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and Raman microspectroscopy after a 21 day culture on the tablets. Human macrophages and osteoclasts derived from PBMCs appeared able to resorb \u03b2-TCP by forming resorption pits at the surface of the flat tablets. RAW macrophages were unable to resorb \u03b2-TCP but they exhibited this possibility when they have been differentiated into osteoclasts. These cells can engulf \u03b2-TCP grains in their cytoplasm as evidenced by light and TEM microscopy with production of carbonic anhydrase (revealed by the immunogold technique in TEM). The resorbed areas were characterized by severe degradation of the grains showing speckled and stick-like aspects indicating a chemical corrosion. The effect was maximal at the grain boundaries which have a slightly different chemical composition. Changes in the Raman spectrum were observed between the resorbed and un-resorbed \u03b2-TCP suggesting crystal modifications. In contrast, un-differentiated murine macrophages were not able to chemically attack \u03b2-TCP and no resorption pit was observed. RAW cell is not a representative model of the macrophage-biomaterial interactions that occur in human. This in vitro study evidences that both human osteoclasts and macrophages represent active cell populations capable to resorb \u03b2-TCP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36140039,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Microbiological Characterization of Cutibacterium acnes Strains Isolated from Prosthetic Joint Infections.\nAims: This study aimed to characterize 79 Cutibacterium acnes strains isolated from prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) originated from eight European hospitals. Methods: Isolates were phylotyped according to the single-locus sequence typing (SLST) scheme. We evaluated the ability of the biofilm formation of C. acnes strains isolated from PJIs and 84 isolates recovered from healthy skin. Antibiotic susceptibility testing of planktonic and biofilm cells of PJI isolates and skin isolates was performed. Results: Most of the isolates from PJIs belonged to the SLST class H\/phylotype IB (34.2%), followed by class D\/phylotype IA1 (21.5%), class A\/phylotype IA1 (18.9%), and class K\/phylotype II (13.9%). All tested isolates were biofilm producers; no difference in biofilm formation was observed between the healthy skin group and the PJI group of strains. Planktonic and sessile cells of C. acnes remained highly susceptible to a broad spectrum of antibiotics, including beta-lactams, clindamycin, fluoroquinolones, linezolid, rifampin, and vancomycin. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for planktonic and biofilm states coincided in most cases. However, the minimal biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) was high for all antimicrobial drugs tested (>32 mg\/L), except for rifampin (2 mg\/L). Conclusions: C. acnes strains isolated from healthy skin were able to produce biofilm to the same extent as isolates recovered from PJIs. All C. acnes strains in planktonic and sessile states were susceptible to most antibiotics commonly used for PJI treatment, although rifampin was the only antimicrobial agent able to eradicate C. acnes embedded in biofilm.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":745610,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Kinetics and equilibrium of reactions between nucleotides and methylol derivatives of beta-alanine].\nThe rate constants of forward and reverse reactions between methylol derivatives of beta-alanine and deoxycytidine 5'-phosphate, deoxyadenosine 5'phosphate and deoxyguanosine 5'phosphate and the equilibrium constants of these reactions were determined by the spectrophotometric method at 39,5 degrees C and pH 6,95. Besides, the equilibrium constant of the reaction between beta-alanine and formaldehyde was determined. Unlike deoxycytidine and deoxyadenosine 5'-phosphates, interaction of deoxyguanosine 5'phosphate with methylol derivatives is more complicated. A model proposed for the interaction of deoxyguanosine 5'phosphate with methylol derivatives explains the behavior of this nucleotide in the reaction. The kinetic and equilibrium constants of the interaction of methylol derivatives with nucleotides investigated exceed by two or three orders of magnitude the corresponding constants of the interaction of formaldehyde with these nucleotides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11710714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Preferential recognition of a fragment species of osteoarthritic synovial fluid fibronectin by antibodies to the alternatively spliced EIIIA segment.\nTo characterize the species of synovial fluid (SF) fibronectin (FN) bearing the alternatively spliced EIIIA segment. SF from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as corresponding affinity isolation products, were subjected to 1-dimensional and 2-dimensional electrophoresis followed by Western blot analysis. Regardless of the clinical type of arthritis, a polyclonal antibody that recognizes antigenic determinants throughout the FN molecule produced staining of predominantly approximately 200+ and approximately 170-kd species in reduced 1-dimensional electrophoresis. Despite the overall prevalence of the larger species, 4 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) reactive with sequences lying near the center of the EIIIA segment exhibited a relative failure to recognize the larger of these 2 species in OA, but not RA, SF. The absence of recognition of EIIIA sequences within the approximately 200+ kd forms of OA SF FN was unrelated to their derivation from dimers, since anti-EIIIA mAb recognized the smaller fragment species in preference to both monomeric and dimeric forms. The approximately 170-kd EIIIA+ fragments were observed to have minimal gelatin-binding capacity and appeared on 2-dimensional electrophoresis to extend from the N-terminus of FN through at least the center of the EIIIA segment. Similar results were obtained for samples obtained by needle aspiration or arthroscopic lavage, suggesting a widespread applicability of these findings. The approximately 170-kd EIIIA+ species of FN could potentially constitute a soluble \"vehicle\" by which chondrocyte-regulating EIIIA sequences, liberated from inhibitory flanking C-terminal sequences, could reach cells in the arthritic joint. Additionally, \"FN species-specific\" recognition of this segment within OA SF could constitute a marker by which to gauge the activity of the OA disease process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21449151,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Posture-dependent refractory hypoxemia].\nPatent foramen ovate is a common finding in the general population. However, interatrial right to left shunt causing severe hypoxemia in the absence of pulmonary hypertension is a rare finding. The authors describe two such patients suffering from severe hypoxemia refractory to oxygen supplementation. The first, a 57-year-old mate, developed severe hypoxemia several months after right pneumonectomy. The second patient, an 83 year old lady was found with severe hypoxemia after an unrelated fall and the degree of hypoxemia was posture related. Regular transthoracic Doppler echocardiography did not explain the hypoxemia in either patient. One hundred percent oxygen breathing test suggested large right to Left anatomic shunt in both patients. Doppler echocardiography with intravenous agitated saline injection demonstrated the existence of interatrial right to left blood shunting in both patients in the absence of elevated systolic pulmonary artery pressure. Both patients underwent right heart catheterization. Pulmonary arterial hypertension was ruled out and the interatrial shunt was successfully occluded percutaneously by an Amplatzer device. In both patients, hypoxemia resolved immediately after the occlusion of the interatrial shunt and their quality of life improved remarkably. In cases of unexplained refractory hypoxemia, in the absence of acute lung disease, and especially if related to upright posture, one should consider platypnea-orthodeoxia syndrome and its most common cause, a right to left interatrial shunt. This can nowadays be successfully treated percutaneously.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31230565,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Public perceptions of who counts as a scientist for controversial science.\nIn an era where expertise is increasingly critiqued, this study draws from the research on expertise and scientist stereotyping to explore who the public considers to be a scientist in the context of media coverage about climate change and genetically modified organisms. Using survey data from the United States, we find that political ideology and science knowledge affect who the US public believes is a scientist in these domains. Our results suggest important differences in the role of science media attention and science media selection in the publics \"scientist\" labeling. In addition, we replicate previous work and find that compared to other people who work in science, those with PhDs in Biology and Chemistry are most commonly seen as scientists.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17623057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"A 100%-complete sequence reveals unusually simple genomic features in the hot-spring red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae.\nAll previously reported eukaryotic nuclear genome sequences have been incomplete, especially in highly repeated units and chromosomal ends. Because repetitive DNA is important for many aspects of biology, complete chromosomal structures are fundamental for understanding eukaryotic cells. Our earlier, nearly complete genome sequence of the hot-spring red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae revealed several unique features, including just three ribosomal DNA copies, very few introns, and a small total number of genes. However, because the exact structures of certain functionally important repeated elements remained ambiguous, that sequence was not complete. Obviously, those ambiguities needed to be resolved before the unique features of the C. merolae genome could be summarized, and the ambiguities could only be resolved by completing the sequence. Therefore, we aimed to complete all previous gaps and sequence all remaining chromosomal ends, and now report the first nuclear-genome sequence for any eukaryote that is 100% complete. Our present complete sequence consists of 16546747 nucleotides covering 100% of the 20 linear chromosomes from telomere to telomere, representing the simple and unique chromosomal structures of the eukaryotic cell. We have unambiguously established that the C. merolae genome contains the smallest known histone-gene cluster, a unique telomeric repeat for all chromosomal ends, and an extremely low number of transposons. By virtue of these attributes and others that we had discovered previously, C. merolae appears to have the simplest nuclear genome of the non-symbiotic eukaryotes. These unusually simple genomic features in the 100% complete genome sequence of C. merolae are extremely useful for further studies of eukaryotic cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38105278,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Novel waves structures for the nonclassical Sobolev-type equation in unipolar semiconductor with its stability analysis.\nIn this study, the Sobolev-type equation is considered analytically to investigate the solitary wave solutions. The Sobolev-type equations are found in a broad range of fields, such as ecology, fluid dynamics, soil mechanics, and thermodynamics. There are two novel techniques used to explore the solitary wave structures namely as; generalized Riccati equation mapping and modified auxiliary equation (MAE) methods. The different types of abundant families of solutions in the form of dark soliton, bright soliton, solitary wave solutions, mixed singular soliton, mixed dark-bright soliton, periodic wave, and mixed periodic solutions. The linearized stability of the model has been investigated. Solitons behave differently in different circumstances, and their behaviour can be better understood by building unique physical problems with particular boundary conditions (BCs) and starting conditions (ICs) based on accurate soliton solutions. So, the choice of unique physical problems from various solutions is also carried out. The 3D, line graphs and corresponding contours are drawn with the help of the Mathematica software that explains the physical behavior of the state variable. This information can help the researchers in their understanding of the physical conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27715404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Severe pediatric Graves orbitopathy in adolescents of African origin.\nThis article reports on two cases of severe pediatric Graves orbitopathy (GO) in two adolescents of African origin. Two black male adolescents presented with highly active GO and signs of beginning compressive optic neuropathy. Neither of them were smokers nor had a family history of GO. Besides urgent referral to pediatric endocrinologists, intravenous methylprednisolon pulse therapy was initiated. In spite of the fluctuating thyroid hormone levels in the initial phase of antithyroid therapy, intravenous steroid administration stopped the progression of malignant GO rapidly in both of our patients without any considerable side effects. Although the course of GO during childhood is considered to be mild, severe, sight threatening GO-requiring immunosuppression-may occur at young age, as in the reported adolescent patients of African descent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12270713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"NMR structures of 36 and 73-residue fragments of the calreticulin P-domain.\nCalreticulin (CRT) is an abundant, soluble molecular chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum. Similar to its membrane-bound homolog calnexin (CNX), it is a lectin that promotes the folding of proteins carrying N-linked glycans. Both proteins cooperate with an associated co-chaperone, the thiol-disulfide oxidoreductase ERp57. This enzyme catalyzes the formation of disulfide bonds in CNX and CRT-bound glycoprotein substrates. Previously, we solved the NMR structure of the central proline-rich P-domain of CRT comprising residues 189-288. This structure shows an extended hairpin topology, with three short anti-parallel beta-sheets, three small hydrophobic clusters, and one helical turn at the tip of the hairpin. We further demonstrated that the residues 225-251 at the tip of the CRT P-domain are involved in direct contacts with ERp57. Here, we show that the CRT P-domain fragment CRT(221-256) constitutes an autonomous folding unit, and has a structure highly similar to that of the corresponding region in CRT(189-288). Of the 36 residues present in CRT(221-256), 32 form a well-structured core, making this fragment one of the smallest known natural sequences to form a stable non-helical fold in the absence of disulfide bonds or tightly bound metal ions. CRT(221-256) comprises all the residues of the intact P-domain that were shown to interact with ERp57. Isothermal titration microcalorimetry (ITC) now showed affinity of this fragment for ERp57 similar to that of the intact P-domain, demonstrating that CRT(221-256) may be used as a low molecular mass mimic of CRT for further investigations of the interaction with ERp57. We also solved the NMR structure of the 73-residue fragment CRT(189-261), in which the tip of the hairpin and the first beta-sheet are well structured, but the residues 189-213 are disordered, presumably due to lack of stabilizing interactions across the hairpin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19901113,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Care for imminently dying cancer patients: family members' experiences and recommendations.\nPURPOSE The aim of this study was to clarify the level of emotional distress experienced by bereaved family members and the perceived necessity for improvement in the care for imminently dying patients and to explore possible causes of distress and alleviating measures. METHODS A cross-sectional nationwide survey was performed in 2007 of bereaved families of cancer patients at 95 palliative care units across Japan. Results Questionnaires were sent to 670 families, and 76% responded. Families reported their experiences as very distressing in 45% of cases. Regarding care, 1.2% of respondents believed that a lot of improvement was needed, compared with 58% who believed no improvement was needed. Determinants of high-level distress were a younger patient age, being a spouse, and overhearing conversations between the medical staff outside the room at the time of the patient's death; those reporting high-level necessity of improvement were less likely to have encountered attempts to ensure the patient's comfort, received less family coaching on how to care for the patient, and felt that insufficient time was allowed for the family to grieve after the patient's death. CONCLUSION A considerable number of families experienced severe emotional distress when their family member died. Thus, we propose that a desirable care concept for imminently dying cancer patients should include relief of patient suffering, family advisement on how to care for the patient, allowance of enough time for the family to grieve, and ensuring that family members cannot overhear medical staff conversations at the time of the patient's death.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20469000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Common problems of the esophagus.\nA brief review of common neuromuscular abnormality of the esophagus is given, with particular attention to the incompetent gastroesophageal sphincter and disordered motor activity of the esophageal body. There are a few simple messages to be emphasized and remembered. 1. The esophagus does not cause vague symptoms; they are definite and well-defined. 2. Dysphagia is an organic symptom unless proved otherwise. 3. Gastroesophageal reflux is caused by a poorly functioning physiological gastroesophageal sphincter. Gastroesophageal reflux and hiatus hernia are not directly related. 4. Gastroesophageal reflux is common but rarely serious. 5. Antacid has a sound physiological basis for its effectiveness in treating gastroesophageal reflux. 6. Anticholinergic medication is bad for gastroesophageal reflux. 7. Disordered esophageal motor activity is a common occurrence and may cause symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9026395,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The activity of the enkephalinergic systems of the brain and hypophysis in experimental hypocorticism].\nChanges in activity of basic components of enkephalinergic system, leu-enkephalin contents, activity of enkephalin-hydrolysing enzymes (enkephalinases A and B, enkephalin aminopeptidases) and 3H-leu-enkephalin specific binding to opioid receptor in rat anterior and mediobasal hypothalamus, striatum, medulla oblongata and adenohypophysis have been analysed on experimental models of hypocorticoidism. No changes in brain and pituitary body leu-enkephalin contents following unilateral hypocorticoidism. No changes in brain and pituitary body leu-enkephalin contents following unilateral adrenalectomy were shown. Bilateral adrenalectomy resulted in two-phase character of neuropeptide level: a decrease of leu-enkephalin contents in hypothalamus, striatum and adenohypophysis on the 7th day and its increase to the normal level on the 10th day after the operation were revealed. A decrease of leu-enkephalin contents in rat brain on the 7th day following adrenalectomy occurred simultaneously with a decrease in enkephalin aminopeptidase activity and specific binding of labeled leu-enkephalin testifying to strengthening of enkephalin release form neurosecretory granules of brain structures following adrenalectomy. Important changes in leu-enkephalin contents, reception and inactive processes on the level of adenohypophysis and on the level of hypothalamus, striatum and medulla oblongata were detected by cortisol and ACTH administration in adrenalectomised animals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24127098,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Self-efficacy and physical activity in adolescents in Curitiba, Paran\u00e1 State, Brazil].\nThis study aimed to examine the association between physical activity and self-efficacy in adolescents. A school-based survey was conducted with 1,698 adolescents from Curitiba, Paran\u00e1 State, Brazil. Physical activity was evaluated as weekly frequency (days per week) of moderate or vigorous physical activity. Self-efficacy was analyzed as the sum of a 10-item scale. The association between self-efficacy and physical activity was tested by Poisson regression (p < 0.05), stratified by gender. Among boys, only high self-efficacy was associated with all categories of physical activity (p < 0.001), while for girls moderate and high levels of self-efficacy were associated with all categories of physical activity (p < 0.001). In conclusion, self-efficacy showed a positive association with physical activity in adolescents, although the relationship was more consistent in girls. The finding is important for designing interventions to promote physical activity in this age group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34968337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Healthcare Workers' Experiences and Views of Using Surgical Masks and Respirators, and Their Attitudes on the Sustainability: A Semi-Structured Survey Study during COVID-19.\nA universal mask use was instituted in healthcare during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The extensive growth in the consumption of surgical masks and respirators brought new challenges. Healthcare workers had to get accustomed to wearing the facemasks continuously, raising concerns on the patient, occupational, and environmental safety. The aim of this study is to describe frontline healthcare workers and other authorities' views and experiences on continuous use of surgical masks and respirators (facemasks) and their attitudes towards environmental and sustainability issues. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted in Finland during the COVID-19 pandemic in autumn 2020. The respondents(N = 120) were recruited via social media, and the data were collected using a purpose-designed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and inductive content analysis were used to analyze the quantitative data and qualitative data, respectively. The healthcare workers perceived their own and patient safety, and comfortability of facemasks as important, but according to their experiences, these properties were not evident with the current facemasks. They considered protection properties more important than environmental values. However, biodegradability and biobased material were seen as desired properties in facemasks. Based on the results, the current facemasks do not meet users' expectations well enough. Especially the design, breathability, and sustainability issues should be taken more into account.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27210588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Exogenous neurotensin modulates sperm function in Japanese Black cattle.\nRecently, the conception rates after artificial insemination have been pointed out to decline continuously. To overcome this problem, the control of frozen and thawed sperm quality is required. However, the mechanism of bovine sperm functional regulation is still largely unknown. In mammals, the ejaculated sperm are capable of showing fertilizing ability during migration in the female reproductive organs. It is well known that these female organs secrete several factors contributing to sperm capacitation. We previously reported that neurotensin (NT) secreted from the oviduct and cumulus cells enhanced sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction in mice. In this study, we confirmed the expression of the NT receptor (NTR1) in the bovine sperm neck region and the secretion of NT in the bovine uterus and oviduct. The similar expression patterns of NT and NTR1 suggests a conserved mechanism of sperm functional regulation between mouse and cattle. Thus, we examined the effects of exogenous NT on the bovine sperm functions. First, we showed that NT induced sperm protein tyrosine phosphorylation in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that NT enhances sperm capacitation. Second, we showed that NT induced acrosome reactions of capacitated sperm in a dose-dependent manner, suggesting that NT facilitates acrosome reaction. Finally, we used a computer-aided sperm analysis system to show that NT did not have a great effect on sperm motility. These results suggest that NT acts as a facilitator of sperm capacitation and acrosome reaction in the female reproductive tracts in cattle, highlighting the importance of NT-mediated signaling to regulate sperm functions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26513574,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement in Clinical Dermatological Practice: Relevance and Feasibility of a Web-Based Portal.\nPatient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly considered important. We developed a web-based application to electronically assess PROs in routine dermatological practice. We assessed (1) the relevance of PRO measurement according to health care providers and patients, (2) the feasibility of our application in routine practice according to health care providers, supporting staff and patients, and (3) barriers\/facilitators for implementation according to health care providers and supporting staff. Health care providers, supporting staff and patients completed study-specific questionnaires. Also, website statistics were analysed. 3\/6 clinics participated, including 9 professionals and 80 patients. Both health care providers and patients rated PRO measurement as relevant. However, implementation was only moderately feasible. Time constraints and logistical problems were mentioned as barriers, and motivated patients and supportive staff as facilitators. Electronic PRO assessment in routine practice is not self-evident. Adjustments in logistics are recommended to optimize implementation, using a plan-do-study-act approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35098179,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The emergence of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis: a review of cases from 18 countries.\nReports of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis have been increasing in frequency since early 2021, particularly among patients with uncontrolled diabetes. Patients with diabetes and hyperglycaemia often have an inflammatory state that could be potentiated by the activation of antiviral immunity to SARS-CoV2, which might favour secondary infections. In this Review, we analysed 80 published and unpublished cases of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis. Uncontrolled diabetes, as well as systemic corticosteroid treatment, were present in most patients with COVID-19-associated mucormycosis, and rhino-orbital cerebral mucormycosis was the most frequent disease. Mortality was high at 49%, which was particularly due to patients with pulmonary or disseminated mucormycosis or cerebral involvement. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of patients who survived had life-changing morbidities (eg, loss of vision in 46% of survivors). Our Review indicates that COVID-19-associated mucormycosis is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis is particularly challenging, and might be frequently missed in India.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12962555,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The effect of eIF-5A on the G1-S in cell cycle regulation].\nEukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) contains an unusual amino acid, hypusine, which is formed post-translationally. Although eIF-5A and its hypusine modification are essential for eukaryotic cell viability, the precise physiological function of it has remained elusive. The aim of the study is to investigate how hypusine formation modulate the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis in leukaemia cells. The effects of 1,7-diaminoheptane (DAH), a potent inhibitor of deoxyhypusine synthase, on proliferation and cell viability of leukemia cell lines (Mo7e, TF-1 and THP-1) and MCF-7 cells, were investigated. eIF-5A expression level was detected after cell synchronization. The results showed that inhibition of cell proliferation by DAH was in a concentration-dependent manner while apoptosis was also induced at the same time. Upon treatment of the cell lines with DAH, cell growth was inhibited. Cell cycle analysis showed that DAH induced cell growth arrest at the G(1)-S boundary of the cell cycle. In synchronized MCF-7 cells, the expression level of eIF-5A peaked at G(1) phase but very low at S and G(2)\/M phases. It is concluded that hypusine formation of eIF-5A exits in the regulation of cell cycle and the results suggest that eIF-5A is involved in the expression of proteins regulating transition of G(1)-S phase of cell cycle.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33796278,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Clash of the pandemics - At least 150'000 adults in Switzerland suffer from obesity grades 2 or 3 and are thus at elevated risk for severe COVID-19.\nBackground: Grade 2 and 3 obesity, alongside with other relevant risk factors, are substantially and independently associated with adverse outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, for Switzerland, due to the lack of synthesis studies, it is currently unknown how many people are affected by obesity at all. This knowledge may help to better estimate the relevance and size of this group at elevated risk, which could be incorporated into strategies to protect risk groups during the still unfolding COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to provide a first overall estimation of how many people in Switzerland are currently affected by grade 2 or 3 obesity. Methods: Five representative national population-based studies were accessed which were conducted between 2012 and 2017 and which include data on height and weight of adult men and women in Switzerland. Results: In Switzerland in 2012-2017, among the 11.20% adults who were obese (body mass index (BMI) \u226530.0kg\/m2), 1.76% (95% CI 1.50-2.02) suffered from grade 2 obesity (BMI 35.0-39.9 kg\/m2), and 0.58% (95% CI 0.50-0.66) from grade severe 3 obesity (BMI \u226540.0 kg\/m2). Converted into estimated absolute population numbers, this corresponds to a total of approximately n=154,515 people who suffer from grade 2 or 3 obesity (n=116,216 and n=38,298, respectively). Conclusions: This risk group includes many younger people in Switzerland. The number of people with obesity-related risk becomes 3.8 to 13.6 times higher if grade 1 obesity and overweight people are also included in this risk group, for which there are arguments arising in the latest literature. In general, this large group at risk for severe COVID-19 should be given more attention and support. If it is confirmed that obesity plays a major role in severe COVID-19 courses, then every kilo of body weight that is not gained or that is lost in lockdown counts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12761336,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Diazonamide A and a synthetic structural analog: disruptive effects on mitosis and cellular microtubules and analysis of their interactions with tubulin.\nThe marine ascidian Diazona angulata was the source organism for the complex cytotoxic peptide diazonamide A. The molecular structure of this peptide was recently revised after synthesis of a biologically active analog of diazonamide A in which a single nitrogen atom was replaced by an oxygen atom. Diazonamide A causes cells to arrest in mitosis, and, after exposure to the drug, treated cells lose both interphase and spindle microtubules. Both diazonamide A and the oxygen analog are potent inhibitors of microtubule assembly, equivalent in activity to dolastatin 10 and therefore far more potent than dolastatin 15. This inhibition of microtubule assembly is accompanied by potent inhibition of tubulin-dependent GTP hydrolysis, also comparable with the effects observed with dolastatin 10. However, the remaining biochemical properties of diazonamide A and its analog differ markedly from those of dolastatin 10 and closely resemble the properties of dolastatin 15. Neither diazonamide A nor the analog inhibited the binding of [3H]vinblastine, [3H]dolastatin 10, or [8-14C]GTP to tubulin. Nor were they able to stabilize the colchicine binding activity of tubulin. These observations indicate either that diazonamide A and the analog have a unique binding site on tubulin differing from the vinca alkaloid and dolastatin 10 binding sites, or that diazonamide A and the analog bind weakly to unpolymerized tubulin but strongly to microtubule ends. If the latter is correct, diazonamide A and its oxygen analog should have uniquely potent inhibitory effects on the dynamic properties of microtubules.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30619182,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of Acidic Industrial Effluent Release on Microbial Diversity and Trace Metal Dynamics During Resuspension of Coastal Sediment.\nBoth industrial effluent discharge and the resuspension of contaminated marine sediments are important sources of trace metals in seawater which potentially affect marine ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the industrial wastewaters having acidic pH (2-3) and containing trace metals on microbial diversity in the coastal ecosystem of the Gulf of Gab\u00e8s (Tunisia, southern Mediterranean Sea) subjected to resuspension events of marine sediments. Four trace elements (As, Cd, U, and V) were monitored during 10-day sediment resuspension experiments. The highest enrichment in the seawater dissolved phase was observed for Cd followed by U, V, and As. Cd remobilization was improved by indigenous microbial community, while U release was mainly abiotic. Acidic effluent addition impacted both trace metal distribution and microbial diversity, particularly that of the abundant phylum Bacteroidetes. Members of the order Saprospirales were enriched from sediment in natural seawater (initial pH > 8), while the family Flavobacteriaceae was favored by acidified seawater (initial pH < 8). Some Flavobacteriaceae members were identified as dominant species in both initial sediment and experiments with acidic wastewater, in which their relative abundance increased with increasing dissolved Cd levels. It could be therefore possible to consider them as bioindicators of metal pollution and\/or acidification in marine ecosystems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38096779,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Amorphous 1-D nanowires of calcium phosphate\/pyrophosphate: A demonstration of oriented self-growth of amorphous minerals.\nAmorphous inorganic solids are traditionally isotropic, thus, it is believed that they only grow in a non-preferential way without the assistance of regulators, leading to the morphologies of nanospheres or irregular aggregates of nanoparticles. However, in the presence of (ortho)phosphate (Pi) and pyrophosphate ions (PPi) which have synergistic roles in biomineralization, the highly elongated amorphous nanowires (denoted ACPPNs) form in a regulator-free aqueous solution (without templates, additives, organics, etc). Based on thorough characterization and tracking of the formation process (e.g., Cryo-TEM, spherical aberration correction high resolution TEM, solid state NMR, high energy resolution monochromated STEM-EELS), the microstructure and its preferential growth behavior are elucidated. In ACPPNs, amorphous calcium orthophosphate and amorphous calcium pyrophosphate are distributed at separated but close sites. The ACPPNs grow via either the preferential attachment of \u223c2 nm nanoclusters in a 1-dimension way, or the transformation of bigger nanoparticles, indicating an inherent driving force-governed process. We propose that the anisotropy of ACPPNs microstructure, which is corroborated experimentally, causes their oriented growth. This study proves that, unlike the conventional view, amorphous minerals can form via oriented growth without external regulation, demonstrating a novel insight into the structures and growth behaviors of amorphous minerals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20645897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Barriers and solutions to implementing metabolic risk assessment in a secondary mental health service.\nThe aim of this study is to understand the barriers and resulting solutions encountered by mental health service staff during the implementation of a metabolic risk assessment programme. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with key programme staff. Thematic analysis was performed on the resulting data. Barriers identified included an existing mindset that care of service users' physical health is not part of Mental Health Service 'core business'; the lack of processes that ensure consistent implementation of risk assessment; and lack of resources in terms of equipment and staff time\/manpower. Solutions identified were categorized as: systems and process issues; staff training or education issues; issues requiring attention at an organizational level; and issues relating to service users, their family and communities. A valuable programme that contributes to the improved physical health of service users has been developed and implemented. However, a number of barriers to wider adoption were identified. Solutions to a number of these barriers were identified during implementation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19868652,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SURFACE TENSION OF SERUM : III. RECOVERY AFTER LOWERING BY SURFACE-ACTIVE SUBSTANCES.\n1. The equilibrium of the serum corresponding to its normal minimal surface tension is as stable and difficult to break, under ordinary conditions, as the osmotic tension equilibrium. The addition of a strong surface-active substance (sodium oleate, glycocholate, or taurocholate), will not lower it definitely, unless the substance is present in large amounts and in solution. After the first rapid drop has occurred, a process of recovery takes place, which brings back the normal surface tension in a short time (from 2 to 6 minutes in the case of pure serum). As a drop in the surface tension of the serum of animals may be very injurious to the red cells, this process of recovery is a normal one of defense in all cases in which surface-active substances (bile) are set free in the blood. 2. When diluted, the serum shows the same phenomenon to a smaller extent; the time of recovery is very much longer and the final surface tension is always lower than the original value. At a dilution of 1\/10,000, no recovery takes place, the dilution being too high to overcome the lowering action of 1\/10,000 of sodium oleate. 3. The recovery is stronger when the surface-active substance is added powdered or in a highly concentrated solution, and not stirred. 4. The recovery does not seem to be inversely proportional to the concentration of sodium oleate, when added superficially. Doubling the concentration at 1\/2,000, for example, gives the same curve of recovery. This happens under certain conditions; namely, when the liquid is not stirred after the addition of sodium oleate. 5. This recovery is due to a purely physical phenomenon, namely adsorption, and is not specific for the serum. Other colloidal solutions, such as gum arabic, egg albumin, gelatin, and silver and gold sols, show it, only to a smaller degree. The process of recovery follows a logarithmic law in all cases, expressed by an equation of the form See PDF for Equation 6. Temperature affects this phenomenon. At first it enhances it, but finally decreases it. This would seem to connect the loss of the property of the serum known as complement in a serum with a modification of the physical properties of this serum. This phenomenon is being investigated further.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30854727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effects of feeding condensed barley distillers soluble on growth rate, ruminal fermentation, plasma metabolites, and myofiber properties of the longissimus thoracis muscle in Japanese Black calves.\nThis study evaluated the effects of condensed barley distillers soluble (CBDS) on growth rate, rumen fermentation, plasma metabolite, and myofiber properties, and gene expression related to metabolism in the skeletal muscles of Japanese Black calves, compared with soybean meal and corn. Twenty-four calves were divided into four groups: fed 5% CBDS based on the hay dry matter weight (low CBDS) and fed soybean meal and corn at the same nutrition level (control); and fed 15% CBDS based on the hay dry matter weight (high CBDS) and fed soybean meal and corn at the same nutrition level (high soy). The daily gain was larger in the low (p = 0.08) and high (p < 0.05) CBDS groups compared with the control group. In the CBDS-fed groups, plasma \u03b2-hydroxybutyric acid concentrations were significantly higher at 6 months of age (p < 0.05), the percentage of type I myofibers was significantly lower and their diameters were significantly larger at 9 months of age (p < 0.05), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1b mRNA expression was significantly lower (p < 0.05) and citrate synthase mRNA expression tended to be lower (low; p = 0.06, high; p = 0.05) compared with control group. Thus, feeding CBDS promotes growth and leads to animals with more glycolytic and less oxidative muscle metabolism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31961320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Tgf\u03b2 signaling is critical for maintenance of the tendon cell fate.\nStudies of cell fate focus on specification, but little is known about maintenance of the differentiated state. In this study, we find that the mouse tendon cell fate requires continuous maintenance in vivo and identify an essential role for TGF\u03b2 signaling in maintenance of the tendon cell fate. To examine the role of TGF\u03b2 signaling in tenocyte function the TGF\u03b2 type II receptor (Tgfbr2) was targeted in the Scleraxis-expressing cell lineage using the ScxCre deletor. Tendon development was not disrupted in mutant embryos, but shortly after birth tenocytes lost differentiation markers and reverted to a more stem\/progenitor state. Viral reintroduction of Tgfbr2 to mutants prevented and even rescued tenocyte dedifferentiation suggesting a continuous and cell autonomous role for TGF\u03b2 signaling in cell fate maintenance. These results uncover the critical importance of molecular pathways that maintain the differentiated cell fate and a key role for TGF\u03b2 signaling in these processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30969466,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Decision Tree-PLS (DT-PLS) algorithm for the development of process: Specific local prediction models.\nThis work presents a novel multivariate statistical algorithm, Decision Tree-PLS (DT-PLS), to improve the prediction and understanding of dynamic processes based on local partial least square regression (PLSR) models for characteristic process groups defined based on Decision Tree (DT) analysis. The DT-PLS algorithm is successfully applied to two different cell culture data sets, one obtained from bioreactors of 3.5 L lab scale and the other obtained from the 15 ml ambr microbioreactor system. Substantial improvement in the predictive capabilities of the model can be achieved based on the localization compared to the classical PLSR approach, which is implemented in the commercially available packages. Additionally, the differences in the model parameters of the local models suggest that the governing process variables vary for the different process regimes indicating the different states of the cell under different process conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17462607,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Failure of estradiol to ameliorate global ischemia-induced CA1 sector injury in middle-aged female gerbils.\nGlobal forebrain ischemia arising from brief occlusion of the carotid arteries in gerbils produces selective hippocampal CA1 neuronal loss. Pre-treatment with 17beta-estradiol ameliorates, in part, ischemia-induced damage in young animals. Because stroke and cardiac arrest are more likely to occur among elderly individuals, neuroprotective studies in older animals have compelling clinical relevance. We investigated whether estradiol would attenuate ischemia-induced hippocampal neuronal injury in middle-aged (12-14 months) male, intact female, ovariectomized (OVX) female and OVX females treated for 14 days with estradiol. Core temperature telemetry probes were also implanted at the time that estradiol was initiated. Ischemia was induced by bilateral occlusion of the common carotid arteries (5 min), during which time skull temperature was maintained under normothermic conditions. Estradiol blocked the modest spontaneous hyperthermia that normally follows ischemia. However, all four groups exhibited substantial neuronal cell loss in the CA1, assessed at 7 after ischemia. These findings indicate that estradiol pre-treatment under conditions that produce neuroprotection in young animals does not protect against ischemia-induced CA1 cell loss in middle-aged female gerbils.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24488890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Addition of acute care nurse practitioners to medical and surgical rapid response teams: a pilot project.\nBackground Vanderbilt University Hospital's original rapid response team included a critical care charge nurse and a respiratory therapist. A frequently identified barrier to care was the time delay between arrival of the rapid response team and arrival of the primary health care team. Objective To assess the impact of adding an acute care nurse practitioner to the rapid response team. Methods Acute care nurse practitioners were added to surgical and medical rapid response teams in January 2011 to diagnose and order treatments on rapid response calls. Results In 2011, the new teams responded to 898 calls, averaging 31.8 minutes per call. The most frequent diagnoses were respiratory distress (18%), postoperative pain (13%), hypotension (12%), and tachyarrhythmia (10%). The teams facilitated 360 transfers to intensive care and provided 3056 diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Communication with the primary team was documented on 97% of the calls. Opportunities for process improvement were identified on 18% of the calls. After implementation, charge nurses were surveyed, with 96% expressing high satisfaction associated with enhanced service and quality. Conclusions Teams led by nurse practitioners provide diagnostic expertise and treatment, facilitation of transfers, team communication, and education.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26529732,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Visualization and Analysis of Rotating Stall for Transonic Jet Engine Simulation.\nIdentification of early signs of rotating stall is essential for the study of turbine engine stability. With recent advancements of high performance computing, high-resolution unsteady flow fields allow in depth exploration of rotating stall and its possible causes. Performing stall analysis, however, involves Significant effort to process large amounts of simulation data, especially when investigating abnormalities across many time steps. In order to assist scientists during the exploration process, we present a visual analytics framework to identify suspected spatiotemporal regions through a comparative visualization so that scientists are able to focus on relevant data in more detail. To achieve this, we propose efficient stall analysis algorithms derived from domain knowledge and convey the analysis results through juxtaposed interactive plots. Using our integrated visualization system, scientists can visually investigate the detected regions for potential stall initiation and further explore these regions to enhance the understanding of this phenomenon. Positive feedback from scientists demonstrate the efficacy of our system in analyzing rotating stall.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3225244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effect of confinement method on physiology and production of gestating gilts.\nFour replicates of 12 Dekalb crossbred gilts were blocked by breeding dates and randomly allotted to four treatments: tethers, crates, loose stalls and dirtlot. Ear vein cannulas were established and blood samples obtained from each gilt on d 2, 9 and 65 of treatment Blood cell counts, blood chemistry profile (12 items), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), basal cortisol and cortisol in response to administration of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (CR-ACTH) were determined. Tethered gilts had depressed CR-ACTH at d 2, probably related to their active struggles against the tethers during the initial period following restraint. Triiodothyronine was greatest in gilts housed loose with access to stalls, probably reflecting the fighting that often occurred among those gilts, and was lowest in gilts on dirtlot on d 2. Glutamic pyruvate transaminase was elevated in gilts on dirtlot at d 9 and 65, probably a result of their increased exercise. Behaviors indicative of \"restlessness\" were negatively correlated with CR-ACTH at d 9 and 65. Gilts were initially stressed when restrained in tethers, but their CR-ACTH became equivalent to that of gilts in other housing by 9 d. Housing had no effect on production.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25036170,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Accuracy of low-field MRI on meniscal tears.\nThis study aimed to verify the accuracy of low-field-intensity magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in diagnosing meniscus tears. A total of 171 patients were examined through low-field-intensity MRI to detect meniscus injuries. These patients were then diagnosed through arthroscopy. Examination results were recorded and compared. The accuracy of the diagnosis for internal and external meniscus tears through low-field-intensity MRI was 95.91% and 95.91%, respectively, the sensitivities were 95.60% and 96.47%, respectively, and the specificities were 96.25% and 95.35%, respectively. Low-field-intensity MRI is an accurate and cost-effective method for diagnosing meniscus tears.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26026713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"On the biosynthesis of 15-HETE and eoxin C4 by human airway epithelial cells.\nSeveral lines of evidence indicate that 15-lipoxygenase type 1 (15-LO-1) plays a pathophysiological role in asthma. The aim for this study was to investigate the 15-LO-1 expression and activity in primary human airway epithelial cells cultivated on micro-porous filters at air-liquid interface. Incubation of human airway epithelial cells with arachidonic acid led to the formation of 15(S)-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) and exposing the cells to bacteria or physical injury markedly increased their production of 15-HETE. The cells were also found to convert arachidonic acid to eoxin C4 (EXC4). Subcellular fractionation revealed that the conversion of EXA4 to EXC4 was catalyzed by a soluble glutathione transferase (GST). The GST P1-1 enzyme was found to possess the highest activity of the investigated soluble GSTs. Following IL-4 treatment of airway epithelial cells, microarray analysis confirmed high expression of 15-LO-1 and GST P1-1, and immunohistochemical staining of bronchial biopsies revealed co-localization of 15-LO-1 and GST P1-1 in airway epithelial cells. These results indicate that respiratory infection and cell injury may activate the 15-LO pathway in airway epithelial cells. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that airway epithelial cells have the capacity to produce EXC4.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10226448,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":5,"unknown":5}}},"text":"New York-Tidewater Chapters' History of Military Medicine Award. The military odyssey of Norman Bethune.\nWhile visiting the Peoples Republic of China in 1982, I became aware of the work of the Canadian, Norman Bethune, as a military surgeon. Bethune first served as a stretcher-bearer in an ambulance unit and later as a medical officer with the Allies during the First World War. He also participated in the Spanish Civil War as a military physician. He died in China while serving with Mao Tse-tung's 8th Route Army, fighting the Japanese invaders in Yenan. Bethune pioneered the use of whole blood transfusions in combat areas, first in Spain and then in China. In the annals of Chinese military history, he has been given an honored place as a military surgeon and a martyr. He is also credited in China with improving the practice of battlefield medicine, as an organizer, teacher, and innovator. Bethune's fame in China is now spreading to Canada.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30076681,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Health workers' knowledge of zoonotic diseases in an endemic region of Western Uganda.\nMany factors, including lack of knowledge, influence diagnosis and reporting of disease in Sub-Saharan Africa. Health Care workers (HCWs) are in constant interaction with communities and play an important role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases, including zoonoses. We determined knowledge of HCWs regarding cause, vector, transmission, diagnosis and clinical symptoms of five zoonotic diseases: anthrax, brucellosis, rabies as well as Ebola and marburg haemorrhagic fevers in endemic western Uganda. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among HCWs based at health centres in and around Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area, Western Uganda. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure knowledge of these five most common zoonoses recently recorded in the area. Data were captured as true if the responses were correct or false if incorrect. Analyses were in STATA and inferential statistics by cross-tabulation, and a chi-square P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. A majority (114\/140; 81.4%) of the respondents had heard about zoonoses. The most accurately identified zoonoses were anthrax (128\/140; 91.4%) closely followed by rabies (126\/140; 90%), while only 21 (15%) respondents knew that cryptosporidiosis was zoonotic. Up to 20% (28\/140) and 12.8% (18\/140) thought that malaria and HIV, respectively, were zoonotic. There was poor overall knowledge of the endemic diseases brucellosis among all the participants, where only 1.4% (2\/140) knew its causative agent, clinical symptoms and transmission. There was a total lack of knowledge (0%) about anthrax and Ebola whereby none of the 140 HCWs knew all the three above aspects required to be knowledgeable for each of the two diseases. Generally, there was poor knowledge of the five zoonoses. We recommend that medical curricula incorporate training on zoonotic and other emerging diseases, and continuing medical education regarding zoonoses should be designed for the HCWs practicing in hotspot zones.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15116856,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Characteristics of trapping copper ions with scrolled ferritin reactor in the flowing seawater.\nNative liver ferritin of Dasyatis akajei (DALF), apoDALF, and reconstituted DALF were employed to construct a ferritin reactor, respectively. An apparatus consisting of a mixer, a ferritin reactor, and a magnetic stirrer was constructed to study capacity and feasibility of trapping Cu2+ in the flowing seawater. The experimental results showed that the numbers of trapping Cu2+ with DALF reactor were higher than these with the reactors of apoDALF and reconstituted DALF, respectively, giving the maximal numbers of 98 +\/- 5 Cu2+ per molecular DALF in 120 h. We found that the iron layer with a high ratio of phosphate to ion on the surface of the ferritin core played an important role in increasing numbers of trapping Cu2+. In addition, we found two positive relations of dependence of trapping Cu2+ numbers with the reactor on the incubation time and on the Cu2+ concentration in the flowing seawater. Another apparatus consisting of a buoyage, an isolation basket equipped with griddling, and a scrolled ferritin reactor was constructed to study the feasibility of trapping Cu2+ in the sea area. Moreover, the present studies indicated that this apparatus had been used to not only analyze and evaluate the concentration variety of various heavy metal ions such as Cu2+ and Pb2+ diluting by the seawater but also monitor the formation of pollution degree by various small organic molecules during the climax and the neap.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9720269,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Deleterious mutation accumulation in organelle genomes.\nIt is well established on theoretical grounds that the accumulation of mildly deleterious mutations in nonrecombining genomes is a major extinction risk in obligately asexual populations. Sexual populations can also incur mutational deterioration in genomic regions that experience little or no recombination, i.e., autosomal regions near centromeres, Y chromosomes, and organelle genomes. Our results suggest, for a wide array of genes (transfer RNAs, ribosomal RNAs, and proteins) in a diverse collection of species (animals, plants, and fungi), an almost universal increase in the fixation probabilities of mildly deleterious mutations arising in mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes relative to those arising in the recombining nuclear genome. This enhanced width of the selective sieve in organelle genomes does not appear to be a consequence of relaxed selection, but can be explained by the decline in the efficiency of selection that results from the reduction of effective population size induced by uniparental inheritance. Because of the very low mutation rates of organelle genomes (on the order of 10(-4) per genome per year), the reduction in fitness resulting from mutation accumulation in such genomes is a very long-term process, not likely to imperil many species on time scales of less than a million years, but perhaps playing some role in phylogenetic lineage sorting on time scales of 10 to 100 million years.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3122724,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"ADP-ribosylation of a 21-24 kDa eukaryotic protein(s) by C3, a novel botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase, is regulated by guanine nucleotide.\nBesides botulinum C2 toxin, Clostridium botulinum type C produces another ADP-ribosyltransferase, which we termed 'C3'. ADP-ribosyltransferase C3 has a molecular mass of 25 kDa and modifies 21-24 kDa protein(s) in platelet and brain membranes. C3 was about 1000 times more potent than botulinum C1 toxin in ADP-ribosylation of membrane proteins. C3-catalysed ADP-ribosylation of the 21-24 kDa protein(s) was decreased by stable guanosine triphosphates, with the potency order GTP[S] much greater than p[NH]ppG greater than p[CH2]ppG. GTP[S] inhibited the ADP-ribosylation caused by C3 by maximally 70-80%, with half-maximal and maximal effects occurring at 0.3 and 10 microM-GTP[S] respectively. The concomitant addition of GTP decreased the inhibitory effect of GTP[S]. GTP[S]-induced inhibition of ADP-ribosylation was resistant to washing of pretreated platelet membranes. The data suggest that the novel botulinum ADP-ribosyltransferase C3 modifies eukaryotic 21-24 kDa guanine nucleotide-binding protein(s).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27196097,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bimodal Winter Haul-Out Patterns of Adult Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in the Southern Weddell Sea.\nHauling out is an essential component of pinniped life-history. Haul-out behaviour may be affected by biological (e.g. sex, age and condition) and physical factors (e.g. food availability and environmental conditions), and identifying these factors may help explain the spatio-temporal distribution and habitat use of pinnipeds. The aim of this study is to describe observed winter haul-out patterns of adult Weddell seals in the Weddell Sea and investigate the role of potential predictors to gain insight into the way these animals interact with the physical environment in this region. We examined the haul-out behaviour in relation to available biological (i.e., diving effort, sex) and physical information (i.e., sun angle). Thirty-three satellite telemetry tags were deployed on adult Weddell seals in the southern Weddell Sea during February 2007, 2009 and 2011, following their annual moult recording information on the behavioural mode of the animal: at surface, hauled out or diving. At the end of the austral summer Weddell seals spent, on average, more than 40% of their time hauled out on the ice. Under constant light conditions, it appears that physiological factors drive sex differences in the timing and duration of haul-out behaviour, with females spending on average more time hauled out than males during daylight hours. This time spent hauled-out declined to around 15% in both sexes by the beginning of autumn and remained at this level with a clear nocturnal haul-out pattern during the winter. The time spent diving increased during this period, indicating an increase in foraging effort during the winter months, and led to a common haul-out pattern in both sexes over winter. We found a positive relationship between haul-out duration and the percentage of time spent diving prior to a haul-out in both sexes, with the exception of female daytime haul-outs early in the year.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30734807,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Configurable multi-state non-volatile memory behaviors in Ti3C2 nanosheets.\nMXenes have drawn considerable attention in both academia and industry due to their attractive properties, such as a combination of metallic conductivity and surface hydrophilicity. However, to the best of our knowledge, the potential use of MXenes in non-volatile resistive random access memories (RRAMs) has rarely been reported. In this paper, we first demonstrated a RRAM device with MXene (Ti3C2) as the active component. The Ti3C2-based RRAM exhibited typical bipolar switching behavior, long retention characteristics, low SET voltage, good mechanical stability and excellent reliability. By adjusting different compliance currents in the SET process, multi-state information storage was achieved. The charge trapping assisting hopping process is considered to be the main mechanism of resistive switching for this fabricated Ti3C2-based RRAM, which was verified by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Moreover, this flexible Ti3C2-based RRAM, with good mechanical stability and long retention properties, was successfully fabricated on a plastic substrate. Ti3C2-based RRAMs may open the door to additional applications and functionalities, with high potential for application in flexible electronics.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23182063,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Short- and long-term outcomes of 34 patients with drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome in a single institution.\nDrug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS)\/drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) is a severe systemic hypersensitivity reaction caused by specific drugs, in which herpesvirus reactivations and organ dysfunction occur during the course of the disease. Although recent reports have documented the development of autoimmune disease after complete resolution of DIHS\/DRESS, relatively little is known about long-term outcomes after complete resolution of the disease. The aim of this study was to retrospectively analyze complications and sequelae in the early and late phases of DIHS\/DRESS according to treatment. In all, 34 patients were classified into 2 groups: 14 patients with oral corticosteroid treatment; and 20 with noncorticosteroid treatment. The disease time course was divided into 2 periods: the first 6 months after onset of the drug reaction (early phase); and the period thereafter (late phase). Investigations to detect the presence of viral\/bacterial infectious diseases, organ dysfunction, and autoantibodies were performed in both early and late phases. Herpesvirus infections and pneumonia were detected in 6 and 2 patients, respectively, in the corticosteroid treatment group in the early phase. In the noncorticosteroid treatment group, 2 patients developed autoimmune diseases, namely lupus erythematosus and autoimmune thyroiditis. Autoantibodies were detected in 44.4% of patients examined in the late phase of the disease. This study only evaluated a small number of autoantibodies. The need for anti-inflammatory effects from systemic corticosteroids should be balanced with the risk of infectious diseases and the benefits of preventing the appearance of later autoimmune conditions in patients with DIHS\/DRESS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1416868,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"In vitro susceptibilities of Borrelia burgdorferi to five oral cephalosporins and ceftriaxone.\nWe determined the in vitro susceptibilities of eight Borrelia burgdorferi isolates to five oral cephalosporins. MICs for B. burgdorferi 297 were 23 micrograms\/ml (cephalexin), 45 micrograms\/ml (cefadroxil), 91 micrograms\/ml (cefaclor), 0.13 microgram\/ml (cefuroxime), 0.8 microgram\/ml (cefixime), and 0.02 microgram\/ml (ceftriaxone). When B. burgdorferi isolates were exposed to concentrations twice the MIC of cefuroxime, cefixime, or ceftriaxone, at least 72 h of incubation was required to kill 99% of the organisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20420957,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The impact of home-based physiotherapy interventions on breathlessness during activities of daily living in severe COPD: a systematic review.\nTo conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the impact of home-based physiotherapy interventions on breathlessness during activities of daily living (ADL) in severe chronic obstructive disease (COPD). The electronic databases AMED, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Medline and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) were searched from their inception to Week 20 2008. Bibliographies of all potentially relevant retrieved studies, identified relevant systematic reviews and international guidelines were searched by hand. Inclusion criteria consisted of individuals over 18 years of age with severe COPD (defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 second < or = 50% predicted) without cardiovascular co-morbidities, home-based interventions and valid, reliable breathlessness ADL outcome measures. The PEDro scale assessed methodological quality. Data extraction included baseline characteristics, treatment intervention, frequency of training, level of supervision, breathlessness ADL outcome measure and results. Where possible, a random-effects meta-analysis was applied to appropriate trial data to produce overall quantitative results. Seven studies, providing nine data sets, met the inclusion criteria. Trial PEDro scores ranged from 4 to 7 out of 10. Studies were homogenous at baseline regarding age and COPD severity, although subjects were predominantly male. Five studies investigated inspiratory or expiratory muscle training, and two studies investigated exercises. Statistically significant breathlessness ADL outcome improvements were reported for all interventions except expiratory muscle training. Five studies demonstrated clinical significance (four for inspiratory muscle training and one for exercise). However, due to heterogeneity among study interventions and outcomes, meta-analysis was only considered clinically appropriate on one occasion to pool three inspiratory muscle training studies in relation to breathlessness score. The random-effects meta-analysis indicated that, on average, inspiratory muscle training improved the breathlessness score significantly by 2.36 (95% confidence interval 0.76 to 3.96) compared with controls. Inspiratory muscle training and exercise are home-based physiotherapy interventions that may improve breathlessness during ADL in severe COPD. Administration can only be advocated tentatively in outpatient services and primary care at this stage because further higher quality, more homogeneous research with larger sample sizes is required to substantiate the current findings.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22225581,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Trends of the genetic connectedness measures among Nelore beef cattle herds.\nValidity of comparisons between expected breeding values obtained from best linear unbiased prediction procedures in genetic evaluations is dependent on genetic connectedness among herds. Different cattle breeding programmes have their own particular features that distinguish their database structure and can affect connectedness. Thus, the evolution of these programmes can also alter the connectedness measures. This study analysed the evolution of the genetic connectedness measures among Brazilian Nelore cattle herds from 1999 to 2008, using the French Criterion of Admission to the group of Connected Herds (CACO) method, based on coefficients of determination (CD) of contrasts. Genetic connectedness levels were analysed by using simple and multiple regression analyses on herd descriptors to understand their relationship and their temporal trends from the 1999-2003 to the 2004-2008 period. The results showed a high level of genetic connectedness, with CACO estimates higher than 0.4 for the majority of them. Evaluation of the last 5-year period showed only a small increase in average CACO measures compared with the first 5 years, from 0.77 to 0.80. The percentage of herds with CACO estimates lower than 0.7 decreased from 27.5% in the first period to 16.2% in the last one. The connectedness measures were correlated with percentage of progeny from connecting sires, and the artificial insemination spread among Brazilian herds in recent years. But changes in connectedness levels were shown to be more complex, and their complete explanation cannot consider only herd descriptors. They involve more comprehensive changes in the relationship matrix, which can be only fully expressed by the CD of contrasts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32402231,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"MOLECULAR INVESTIGATION OF VECTOR-BORNE PATHOGENS IN RED FOXES (VULPES VULPES) FROM SOUTHERN FRANCE.\nBecause of their free-ranging nature, the probability of wild animals being exposed to vector-borne pathogens is likely higher than that of humans and pets. Recently, the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been suspected as being a reservoir or host of several pathogens of veterinary and public health importance. We conducted a molecular survey on 93 red foxes hunted in 2008-18, in the departments of Bouches-du-Rh\u00f4ne and Var, in southeastern France, for pathogens including Leishmania infantum, Piroplasmida, Hepatozoon spp., nematodes, Coxiella burnetii, Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasmataceae. Spleen samples were screened for the presence of vector-borne pathogens by PCR followed by sequencing. Pathogens were detected in 94% (87\/93) of red foxes, and coinfections were identified in 24% (22\/93) of foxes. We identified DNA from Hepatozoon canis, L. infantum, and Babesia vogeli in 92% (86\/93), 15% (14\/93), and 3% (3\/93) of red foxes, respectively. We also found DNA of nematodes in 3% (3\/93) of foxes; Spirocerca vulpis was identified in one fox and Dirofilaria immitis in the two others. Interestingly, C. burnetii genotype 3, previously described in humans from the same region, was identified in 3% (3\/93) of foxes and Anaplasma platys in 2% (2\/93) of foxes. We did not detect DNA of Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., or Rickettsia spp. In our study, the prevalence of pathogens did not vary by fox origin, sex, or tick carriage. Molecular evidence of B. vogeli, H. canis, S. vulpis, D. immitis, C. burnetii, and A. platys in red foxes has not previously, to our knowledge, been reported from southern France. We propose that red foxes are potential reservoirs for several pathogens, including major zoonotic agents such as L. infantum. They could be incidental hosts for pathogens, such C. burnetii. The high prevalence for H. canis suggests an important role of foxes in domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) infection. These animals may pose a threat to human and animal health.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15743606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Aftereffect of adaptation to Glass patterns.\nOur visual systems constantly adapt their representation of the environment to match the prevailing input. Adaptation phenomena provide striking examples of perceptual plasticity and offer valuable insight into the mechanisms of sensory coding. Here, we describe an aftereffect of adaptation to a spatially structured image whereby an unstructured test stimulus takes on illusory structure locally perpendicular to that of the adaptor. Objective measurement of the strength of the aftereffect for different patterns suggests a neural locus of adaptation prior to the extraction of complex form in the visual processing hierarchy, probably at the level of primary visual cortex. This view is supported by further experiments showing that the aftereffect exhibits partial interocular transfer but complete transfer across opposite contrast polarities. However, the aftereffect does show weak position invariance, suggesting that adaptation at higher levels of the visual system may also contribute to the effect.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33063999,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Ratiometric Turn-On Fluorophore Displacement Ensembles for Nitroaromatic Explosives Detection.\nThere is a recognized need in the area of explosives detection for fluorescence-based sensing systems that are capable of not only producing a turn-on response but also generating a distinctive spectral signature for a given analyte. Here, we report several supramolecular ensembles displaying efficient fluorophore displacement that give rise to an increase in fluorescence intensity upon exposure to various nitroaromatic compounds. The synthetic supramolecular constructs in question consist of a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based pyrrolic macrocycle, benzo-TTF-calix[4]pyrrole (Bz-TTF-C4P), and fluorescent dyes, monomeric or dimeric naphthalenediimide (NDI) and perylenediimide (PDI) derivatives, as well as chloride or hexafluorophosphate (PF6-) salts of rhodamine 6G (Rh-6G). In chloroform solution, these assemblies exist in the form of discrete supramolecular complexes or oligomeric aggregates depending on the specific dye combinations in question. Each ensemble was tested as a potential explosive-responsive fluorescence indicator displacement assay (FIDA) by challenging it with a series of di- and trinitroaromatic compounds and examining the change in fluorescence spectral characteristics. Upon addition of nitroaromatic compounds (NACs), either a \"turn-on\" or a \"turn-off\" fluorescent response was observed depending on the nature of the constituent fluorophore and, where applicable, the counteranion. The FIDAs based on the PDI derivatives were found to display not only a ratiometric fluorescence enhancement but also analyte-dependent spectral changes when treated with NACs. The NAC-induced fluorescence spectral response of each ensemble was rationalized on the basis of various solution-phase spectroscopic studies, as well as single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28332056,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Allelopathic interference of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genotypes to annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum).\nAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genotypes at varying densities were investigated for allelopathic impact using annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) as the target species in a laboratory bioassay. Three densities (15, 30, and 50 seedlings\/beaker) and 40 alfalfa genotypes were evaluated by the equal compartment agar method (ECAM). Alfalfa genotypes displayed a range of allelopathic interference in ryegrass seedlings, reducing root length from 5 to 65%. The growth of ryegrass decreased in response to increasing density of alfalfa seedlings. At the lowest density, Q75 and Titan9 were the least allelopathic genotypes. An overall inhibition index was calculated to rank each alfalfa genotype. Reduction in seed germination of annual ryegrass occurred in the presence of several alfalfa genotypes including Force 10, Haymaster7 and SARDI Five. A comprehensive metabolomic analysis using Quadruple Time of Flight (Q-TOF), was conducted to compare six alfalfa genotypes. Variation in chemical compounds was found between alfalfa root extracts and exudates and also between genotypes. Further individual compound assessments and quantitative study at greater chemical concentrations are needed to clarify the allelopathic activity. Considerable genetic variation exists among alfalfa genotypes for allelopathic activity creating the opportunity for its use in weed suppression through selection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11473333,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Colonoscopic manifestations of primary colorectal lymphoma.\nLittle is known about the colonoscopic manifestation of colorectal lymphoma. This article describes the use of colonoscopy for diagnosis of primary colorectal lymphoma. We analyzed colonoscopic findings in 13 retrospectively collected cases of primary colorectal lymphoma diagnosed between 1990 and 1999 at our hospital. The primary colorectal tymphomas were distinguished into three colonoscopic types: a) the mucosal type, which included six lymphomas (46%), which were classified into two subtypes, erosive (two lymphomas) and ulcerative (four tymphomas); b) the polypoid type, which included three tymphomas (23%); and c) the massive type, which included four (31%). The proportion of patients with T-cell lineage lymphoma (5 of 12, 42%) was higher than in previous studies. Three cases were diagnosed as enteropathy-associated T-cell (EAT)-like lymphoma: one presenting with multicentric ulcerations, one as a massive type and another as a polypoid type. Of those with B-cell lineage lymphoma (7 of 12, 58%), three presented as massive type, two as polypoid type and two as erosive subtype. Based on the analysis of colonoscopic records, we have proposed three main types of primary colorectal lymphoma. An unusually high proportion of T-cell lineage lymphomas was noted, but as the number of cases was low, further study is still needed for confirmation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3959970,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The Tasmanian Insulin-treated Diabetes Register. Inception and progress in the first 12 months.\nA Statewide register of insulin-treated diabetic patients has been established in Tasmania. The register is the first of its kind in Australasia. Insulin treatment was chosen as the criterion for admission to the register because it was a suitably \"hard\" end-point, and because the completeness of the register could be validated easily by insulin prescription statistics. Both subjects with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (who happened to be treated with insulin as of the prevalence date, May l, 1984) are eligible for registration in the prevalent population. Furthermore, no age restrictions have been placed upon entry. It is to be hoped that this all-inclusive policy will assist in the development of an epidemiological definition of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Access to cases has been by hospital records, general practitioners, lay bodies and general publicity. Of over 600 diabetic subjects who were contacted during the first 12 months of the study (approximately one-half of the estimated prevalent population), only three declined to join the register. Once fully established and validated, the register will be used to test aetiological hypotheses in addition to providing descriptive cross-sectional information about diabetes in Tasmania. It is intended that a longitudinal study of insulin-treated diabetes will follow once the cross-sectional information is complete.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6343420,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Value of routine aerobic subculturing of unvented blood culture bottles.\nThe value of performing routine aerobic subcultures of both vented and unvented blood culture bottles has not been evaluated critically. We studied 4,954 pairs of blood culture bottles consisting of one vented biphasic tryptic soy broth bottle (Roche Diagnostics) and one unvented Thiol broth bottle (Difco Laboratories). A total of 736 isolates were detected, of which 124 (17%) were in the Thiol broth bottle only. Some 15 isolates were detected only by subculturing the Thiol broth, and 13 of these isolates either were contaminants or were detected in previous positive cultures. Similar results were obtained when the unvented Thiol broth bottle was paired with a vented Difco tryptic soy broth bottle. Analysis of these pairs revealed a total of 360 isolates detected in 2,669 pairs of bottles, of which 83 isolates (23%) were in the Thiol broth bottle only. There were 11 isolates seen only in subcultures of the Thiol broth bottle, and 8 of these were probable contaminants. Thus, routine subculturing of unvented Thiol broth bottles had limited value. These results may differ with the use of other culture media or subculturing procedures. We recommend that each laboratory evaluate critically its experience with aerobic subcultures from unvented bottles.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12509624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Elevated plasma concentrations of nitric oxide, soluble thrombomodulin and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.\nTo investigate the correlations among plasma concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) and vascular cell adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1), and whether these three molecules are associated with renal involvement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Plasma NO concentrations of 73 SLE patients (35 with renal disease, RSLE patients; 38 without renal disease, SLE patients) and 28 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were measured by the non-enzymatic Griess assay, and sTM and sVCAM-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In RSLE patients, plasma nitrite concentrations were significantly higher than in control subjects (P=0.009) and correlated positively with plasma sTM, plasma creatinine and urea (all P<0.05). Plasma sTM and sVCAM-1 concentrations were significantly elevated in RSLE and SLE patients (both P<0.0001) compared with controls. Plasma sTM was significantly correlated with plasma sVCAM-1, and both were correlated with plasma creatinine and urea and the SLE Disease Activity Index (all P<0.05). Elevated plasma NO, sTM, and sVCAM-1 concentrations have significant intercorrelations and are strongly associated with renal involvement in SLE.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24519674,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Neonatal care practices in a tribal community of Odisha, India: a cultural perspective.\nNeonatal care practices have been shown to vary across tribal communities. This cross-sectional study was conducted in tribal block in Nabarangpur district of Odisha, India, to measure perinatal and antenatal practices by qualitative inquiries of 55 mothers who had babies aged <60 days and from 11 traditional birth attendants. Reasons for home deliveries were cited as easy availability of traditional birth attendants and family preferences. Application of indigenously made substances on umbilical stump and skin of the baby, bathing baby immediately after birth, late initiation of breast-feeding and 'Budu practices' were common. Cultural issues, decision of family members and traditional beliefs still play a crucial role in shaping neonatal care practice in tribal communities. Awareness on child care, ethnographic understanding of health-seeking behavior of tribal community and mobilization of community by health workers can be useful in improving health status of mothers and newborn babies in tribal population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10872352,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Soft-tissue interposition after closed reduction in developmental dysplasia of the hip. The long-term effect on acetabular development and avascular necrosis.\nWe reviewed 98 children (133 hips) with developmental dysplasia of the hip who underwent arthrography immediately after closed reduction by overhead traction. We followed the patients to skeletal maturity to investigate whether soft-tissue interposition influences acetabular development and avascular necrosis over the long term. The shape of the limbus and the thickness of the soft-tissue interposition at the acetabular floor, as shown on arthrograms at the time of reduction, were not directly related to the final radiological results or to the incidence of avascular necrosis. Even if marked soft-tissue interposition was found on the initial arthrogram, spontaneous disappearance was noted in 71% up to the age of five years. The final radiological results showed no difference between those in which the interposition disappeared and those with none at the time of closed reduction. However, the requirement for secondary surgery at the age of five years was significantly higher in those with more than 3.5 mm of soft-tissue interposition. In the no-disappearance group (group C) further operation was necessary in 100% and the results were significantly worse at maturity according to Severin's classification. We suggest that the indications for open reduction should not be based solely on the arthrographic findings at the time of closed reduction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15376910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Methods for automatic microarray image segmentation.\nThis paper describes image processing methods for automatic spotted microarray image analysis. Automatic gridding is important to achieve constant data quality and is, therefore, especially interesting for large-scale experiments as well as for integration of microarray expression data from different sources. We propose a Markov random field (MRF) based approach to high-level grid segmentation, which is robust to common problems encountered with array images and does not require calibration. We also propose an active contour method for single-spot segmentation. Active contour models describe objects in images by properties of their boundaries. Both MRFs and active contour models have been used in various other computer vision applications. The traditional active contour model must be generalized for successful application to microarray spot segmentation. Our active contour model is employed for spot detection in the MRF score functions as well as for spot signal segmentation in quantitative array image analysis. An evaluation using several image series from different sources shows the robustness of our methods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17235290,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Species differences in transgene DNA uptake in hepatocytes after adenoviral transfer correlate with the size of endothelial fenestrae.\nSinusoidal fenestrae may restrict the transport of gene transfer vectors according to their size. Using Vitrobot technology and cryo-electron microscopy, we show that the diameter of human adenoviral serotype 5 vectors is 93 nm with protruding fibers of 30 nm. Thus, a diameter of fenestrae of 150 nm or more is likely to be sufficient for passage of vectors from the sinusoidal lumen to the space of Disse and subsequent uptake of vectors in hepatocytes. The average diameter of fenestrae in New Zealand White rabbits (103+\/-1.3 nm) was 1.4-fold (P<0.0001) lower than in C57BL\/6 mice (141+\/-5.4 nm). The percentage of sinusoidal fenestrae with a diameter larger than 150 nm was 10-fold (P<0.01) lower in rabbits (3.2+\/-0.24%) than in C57BL\/6 mice (32+\/-5%), and this resulted in 8.8-fold (P=0.01) lower transgene DNA levels in hepatocytes in rabbits after adenoviral transfer. Injection of N-acetylcysteine combined with transient liver ischemia preceding intraportal transfer in rabbits increased the percentage of sinusoidal fenestrae above 150 nm 2.0-fold (P<0.001) and increased transgene DNA levels in hepatocytes 6.6-fold (P<0.05). In conclusion, species differences in transgene DNA uptake in hepatocytes after adenoviral transfer correlate with the diameter of fenestrae.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26364396,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[The number needed to treat (NNT) and the number needed to harm (NNH)].\nIn our previous articles we introduced the relative and absolute expressions of risk: baseline risk, relative risk (RR), relative risk reduction (RRR), absolute risk reduction (ARR), or risk difference (RD). The \"number needed to xy\" is another concept to describe the results of a clinical trial. Depending on the investigated problem the \"number needed to xy\" is the \"number needed to treat\", the \"number needed to harm\", the \"number needed to vaccinate\", or the \"number needed to screen\". In this article of our series we introduce the number needed to treat (NNT) and the number needed to harm (NNH) as a method to characterize the difference of two compared therapy options. As the other effect sizes the NNT and NNH can be used to inform patients about the expected benefit (or harm) of different therapy options.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19792547,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Scaling laws of turbulence and heating of fast solar wind: the role of density fluctuations.\nIncompressible and isotropic magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in plasmas can be described by an exact relation for the energy flux through the scales. This Yaglom-like scaling law has been recently observed in the solar wind above the solar poles observed by the Ulysses spacecraft, where the turbulence is in an Alfv\u00e9nic state. An analogous phenomenological scaling law, suitably modified to take into account compressible fluctuations, is observed more frequently in the same data set. Large-scale density fluctuations, despite their low amplitude, thus play a crucial role in the basic scaling properties of turbulence. The turbulent cascade rate in the compressive case can, moreover, supply the energy dissipation needed to account for the local heating of the nonadiabatic solar wind.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16421250,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The F-box protein Dia2 regulates DNA replication.\nUbiquitin-mediated proteolysis plays a key role in many pathways inside the cell and is particularly important in regulating cell cycle transitions. SCF (Skp1\/Cul1\/F-box protein) complexes are modular ubiquitin ligases whose specificity is determined by a substrate-binding F-box protein. Dia2 is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae F-box protein previously described to play a role in invasive growth and pheromone response pathways. We find that deletion of DIA2 renders cells cold-sensitive and subject to defects in cell cycle progression, including premature S-phase entry. Consistent with a role in regulating DNA replication, the Dia2 protein binds replication origins. Furthermore, the dia2 mutant accumulates DNA damage in both S and G2\/M phases of the cell cycle. These defects are likely a result of the absence of SCF(Dia2) activity, as a Dia2 DeltaF-box mutant shows similar phenotypes. Interestingly, prolonging G1-phase in dia2 cells prevents the accumulation of DNA damage in S-phase. We propose that Dia2 is an origin-binding protein that plays a role in regulating DNA replication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7320117,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Liquid chromatography of demoxepam and phenothiazines using a post-column photochemical reactor and fluorescence detection.\nUpon irradiation with short-wavelength UV light the tranquillizer demoxepam is converted into a highly fluorescent product. This reaction serves as a sensitive and selective means of detection of low levels of demoxepam in e.g., serum after separation by means of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The effect of mobile phase composition and time of irradiation on the intensity of the fluorescence signal has been studied. A residence time of about 2 min in the post-column photochemical reactor is optimal, band broadening being efficiently suppressed (delta t ca. 1 sec) by means of air segmentation. Linear calibration graphs are obtained over a three-orders of magnitude concentration range; the detection limit for demoxepam is about 100 pg. Further work has demonstrated that detection limits of between 40 and 100 pg can also be obtained for the photoproducts of the phenothiazines fenergan, largactil, levopromazine and nedaltran. The calibration graphs show good linearity and the analysis of spiked serum samples was successful.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24482230,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Structural insights into the interaction between a potent anti-inflammatory protein, viral CC chemokine inhibitor (vCCI), and the human CC chemokine, Eotaxin-1.\nChemokines play important roles in the immune system, not only recruiting leukocytes to the site of infection and inflammation but also guiding cell homing and cell development. The soluble poxvirus-encoded protein viral CC chemokine inhibitor (vCCI), a CC chemokine inhibitor, can bind to human CC chemokines tightly to impair the host immune defense. This protein has no known homologs in eukaryotes and may represent a potent method to stop inflammation. Previously, our structure of the vCCI\u00b7MIP-1\u03b2 (macrophage inflammatory protein-1\u03b2) complex indicated that vCCI uses negatively charged residues in \u03b2-sheet II to interact with positively charged residues in the MIP-1\u03b2 N terminus, 20s region and 40s loop. However, the interactions between vCCI and other CC chemokines have not yet been fully explored. Here, we used NMR and fluorescence anisotropy to study the interaction between vCCI and eotaxin-1 (CCL11), a CC chemokine that is an important factor in the asthma response. NMR results reveal that the binding pattern is very similar to the vCCI\u00b7MIP-1\u03b2 complex and suggest that electrostatic interactions provide a major contribution to binding. Fluorescence anisotropy results on variants of eotaxin-1 further confirm the critical roles of the charged residues in eotaxin-1. In addition, the binding affinity between vCCI and other wild type CC chemokines, MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), MIP-1\u03b2, and RANTES (regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted), were determined as 1.1, 1.2, and 0.22 nm, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first work quantitatively measuring the binding affinity between vCCI and multiple CC chemokines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23597179,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Three-dimensional X-ray photoelectron tomography on the nanoscale: limits of data processing by principal component analysis.\nIn a previous article, we studied the influence of spectral noise on a new method for three-dimensional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (3D XPS) imaging, which is based on analysis of the XPS peak shape [Hajati, S., Tougaard, S., Walton, J. & Fairley, N. (2008). Surf Sci 602, 3064-3070]. Here, we study in more detail the influence of noise reduction by principal component analysis (PCA) on 3D XPS images of carbon contamination of a patterned oxidized silicon sample and on 3D XPS images of Ag covered by a nanoscale patterned octadiene layer. PCA is very efficient for noise reduction, and using only the three most significant PCA factors to reconstruct the spectra restores essentially all physical information in both the intensity and shape of the XPS spectra. The corresponding signal-to-noise improvement was estimated to be equivalent to a reduction by a factor of 200 in the required data acquisition time. A small additional amount of information is obtained by using up to five PCA factors, but due to the increased noise level, this information can only be extracted if the intensity of the start and end points for each spectrum are obtained as averages over several energy points.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11826422,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Interferon and amantadine in naive chronic hepatitis C: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.\nRecent controlled trials on the efficacy of an amantadine\/interferon combination in treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C yielded contradictory results. We therefore conducted a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in naive patients with chronic hepatitis C: 246 patients were randomized to receive interferon alfa-2a (6 MIU sc thrice weekly for 20 weeks, then 3 MIU sc thrice weekly) and either amantadine sulphate (2 x 100 mg p.o. QD) or placebo. Treatment continued for a total of 52 weeks, if HCV-RNA in serum polymerase chain reaction (PCR) had fallen below detection limit (1,000 copies\/mL) at treatment week 10, and stopped otherwise. All patients were followed for 24 weeks off therapy. After 10 weeks of treatment, 66\/121 patients treated with amantadine (55%) and 78\/125 treated with placebo (62%) had lost HCV-RNA (n.s.). After 24 weeks of follow-up, 25 patients in the amantadine (21%) and 17 (14%) in the placebo group remained HCV-RNA negative (n.s.). During therapy, virologic breakthroughs occurred less often in the amantadine than in the placebo group [14 (12%) vs. 27 (22%) patients; P =.04]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed genotype, viremia level, age, and amantadine therapy [risk ratio 0.4 (95%CI 0.2-1.0), P =.05] as predictors of sustained virologic response. Adverse events and impact of therapy on quality of life were similar in amantadine and placebo treated patients. Compared with current standard treatment (interferon\/ribavirin), the interferon\/amantadine combination was not cost-effective. In conclusion, amantadine does not add to a clinically relevant extent to the treatment of naive patients with chronic hepatitis C.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23123786,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Speech-induced modulation of interhemispheric inhibition.\nThis study aimed to determine the effects of speech and mastication on interhemispheric inhibition between the right and left primary motor areas (M1s) by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the first dorsal interossei (FDIs) of each hand of 10 healthy right-handed subjects under 3 conditions: at rest (control), during mastication (non-verbal oral movement), and during speech (reading aloud). Test TMS was delivered following conditioning TMS of the contralateral M1 at various interstimulus intervals. Under all conditions, the MEPs in the left FDIs were significantly inhibited after conditioning of the left M1 (i.e. inhibition of the right M1 by TMS of the left hemisphere). In contrast, the left M1 was significantly inhibited by the right hemisphere only during the control and mastication tasks, but not speech task. These results suggest that speech may facilitate the activity of the dominant M1 via functional connectivity between the speech area and the left M1, or may modify the balance of interhemispheric interactions, by suppressing inhibition of the dominant hemisphere by the non-dominant hemisphere. Our findings show a novel aspect of interhemispheric dominance and may improve therapeutic strategies for recovery from stroke.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10168250,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Project planning in the diagnostic imaging department.\nCertain common steps in the planning process are necessary to ensure the success of any construction project in a diagnostic imaging department. Determining the need for the project, analyzing requirements for equipment, space and personnel, and budgeting for the project are necessary steps. They are followed by scheduling and designing the various aspects of the project. Engineering the construction phase and implementation with follow-up are the last steps. Determining whether a proposed project is necessary is the essential first step. Doing a cost-benefit analysis and determining if the return on the investment will be positive are important for a project's success. Good planning and communication with key staff members of the healthcare institution and the members of the design and construction team will help ensure successful implementation of any project. The role of the facility engineer is often critical in the early planning stages of a project to determine what utilities may be needed, any need for plumbing or electric work, power sources, building code requirements, the need for medical gasses and suction and so forth. Analysis of a potential project's equipment, space and personnel needs is also critical. Gathering the necessary information from various sources within the healthcare institution is essential. The steps for scheduling and designing an entire project should include finalizing the design and developing a schedule for its implementation. Keeping accurate minutes and documenting action items from all project meetings can serve to protect the budget. By following the steps outlined, budgeting time efficiently and delegating some tasks to others, the radiology administrator can continue to perform tasks involved in the day-to-day management of a radiology department.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31231279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Assessment of Basic Motions and Technique Identification in Classical Cross-Country Skiing.\nCross-country skiing is a popular Olympic winter sport, which is also used extensively as a recreational activity. While cross-country skiing primarily is regarded as a demanding endurance activity it is also technically challenging, as it contains two main styles (classical and skating) and many sub-techniques within these styles. To further understand the physiological demands and technical challenges of cross-country skiing it is imperative to identify sub-techniques and basic motion features during training and competitions. Therefore, this paper presents features for identification and assessment of the basic motion patterns used during classical-style cross-country skiing. The main motivation for this work is to contribute to the development of a more detailed platform for comparing and communicating results from technique analysis methods, to prevent unambiguous definitions and to allow more precise discussions and quality assessments of an athlete's technical ability. To achieve this, our paper proposes formal motion components and classical style technique definitions as well as sub-technique classifiers. This structure is general and can be used directly for other cyclic activities with clearly defined and distinguishable sub-techniques, such as the skating style in cross country skiing. The motion component features suggested in our approach are arm synchronization, leg kick, leg kick direction, leg kick rotation, foot\/ski orientation and energy like measures of the arm, and leg motion. By direct measurement, estimation, and the combination of these components, the traditional sub-techniques of diagonal stride, double poling, double poling kick, herringbone, as well as turning techniques can be identified. By assuming that the proposed definitions of the classical XC skiing sub-techniques are accepted, the presented classifier is proven to map measures from the motion component definitions to a unique representation of the sub-techniques. This formalization and structure may be used on new motion components, measurement principles, and classifiers, and therefore provides a framework for comparing different methodologies. Pilot data from a group of high-level cross-country skiers employing inertial measurement sensors placed on the athlete's arms and skis are used to demonstrate the approach. The results show how detailed sub-technique information can be coupled with physical, track, and environmental data to analyze the effects of specific motion patterns, to develop useful debriefing tools for coaches and athletes in training and competition settings, and to explore new research hypotheses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28690265,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Raman Imaging Analysis of Local Crystal Structures in LiCoO2 Thin Films Calcined at Different Temperatures.\nLocal crystalline structures of LiCoO2 nanothin film cathodes in a lithium ion battery have been spectroscopically elucidated through confocal Raman imaging analysis at high spatial resolution of several hundred nanometers. A significant difference in the crystalline structure is found between the nanometric thin films and bulk powders. Thermally induced local decomposition of LiCoO2 into an impurity phase on the films has also been revealed along with the mechanism of the temperature-triggered decomposition process. Moreover, frequency-based Raman imaging enables us to locally probe spatial separation between stoichiometric (LiCoO2) and non-stoichiometric (Li1-xCoO2, 0 < x < 1) crystal phases on the thin films. Such local crystalline analysis is a promising approach to provide new insights into the degradation mechanism of lithium-ion batteries, which would result in improving the performance of thin film-based lithium ion batteries.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11537661,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Defective secretion of mucilage is the cellular basis for agravitropism in primary roots of Zea mays cv. Ageotropic.\nRoot caps of primary, secondary, and seminal roots of Z. mays cv. Kys secrete large amounts of mucilage and are in close contact with the root all along the root apex. These roots are strongly graviresponsive. Secondary and seminal roots of Z. mays cv. Ageotropic are also strongly graviresponsive. Similarly, their caps secrete mucilage and closely appress the root all along the root apex. However, primary roots of Z. mays cv. Ageotropic are non-responsive to gravity. Their caps secrete negligible amounts of mucilage and contact the root only at the extreme apex of the root along the calyptrogen. These roots become graviresponsive when their tips are coated with mucilage or mucilage-like materials. Peripheral cells of root caps of roots of Z. mays cv. Kys contain many dictyosomes associated with vesicles that migrate to and fuse with the plasmalemma. Root-cap cells of secondary and seminal (i.e. graviresponsive) roots of Z. mays cv. Ageotropic are similar to those of primary roots of Z. mays cv. Kys. However, root-cap cells of primary (i.e. non-graviresponsive) roots of Z. mays cv. Ageotropic have distended dictyosomal cisternae filled with an electron-dense, granular material. Large vesicles full of this material populate the cells and apparently do not fuse with the plasmalemma. Taken together, these results suggest that non-graviresponsiveness of primary roots of Z. mays cv. Ageotropic results from the lack of apoplastic continuity between the root and the periphery of the root cap. This is a result of negligible secretion of mucilage by cells along the edge of the root cap which, in turn, appears to be due to the malfunctioning of dictyosomes in these cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3128869,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Interferon-gamma: the major mediator of resistance against Toxoplasma gondii.\nMice were injected with a monoclonal antibody to interferon-gamma to examine the importance of endogenous production of this lymphokine in resistance against infection with the sporozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. Mice with intraperitoneal infections of T. gondii that received no antibody survived and developed chronic T. gondii infection, whereas the infected mice that received the monoclonal antibody died of toxoplasmosis. The activation of macrophages, which kill T. gondii in vivo, was inhibited by administration of the monoclonal antibody, but the production of antibodies to T. gondii was not suppressed. The fact that an antibody to interferon-gamma can eliminate resistance to acute Toxoplasma infection in mice suggests that this lymphokine is an important mediator of host resistance to this parasite.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1728044,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Lower-extremity surgery for children with cerebral palsy: physical therapy management.\nThe purpose of this article is to discuss physical therapy for children with cerebral palsy who undergo orthopedic surgery. Children with spasticity (increased tone) often undergo surgical procedures to increase the length of the hip, knee, and ankle musculature in an attempt to improve musculoskeletal alignment and functional abilities. Presurgical assessment of posture and movement to determine potential for change in function and postsurgical management are discussed. Intervention immediately following soft tissue surgery at the hips and knees and intervention at the time of cast removal for those children immobilized in a hip spica cast are reviewed. Specific postsurgical management protocols related to immobilization in splints\/casts, positioning, and treatment activities are presented.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19451890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Strategies to enhance the efficacy of intravescical therapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.\nTransitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the second most common urologic malignancy, and 70% of patients present with superficial, or non-muscle invasive disease (NMIBC). Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), currently the most effective intravesical agent at preventing disease recurrence, is the only therapy shown to inhibit disease progression. Unfortunately, approximately 20% of patients discontinue BCG due to local and systemic toxicity and more than 30% show evidence of recurrence; this has led to increased interest in alternate chemotherapeutic agents. Induction intravesical chemotherapy has shown comparable efficacy to BCG in select patients and the immediate perioperative instillation of chemotherapeutic agents has become standard of care. Clinical trial evidence demonstrating the efficacy of BCG plus interferon 2B, gemcitabine and anthracyclines (doxorubicin, epirubicin, valrubicin) in patients refractory or intolerant to BCG is accumulating. Phase I trials investigating alternative agents such as apaziquone, taxanes (docetaxel, paclitaxel), and suramin are reporting promising data. Current efforts are also being directed towards optimizing the administration of existing chemotherapeutic regimens, including the use of novel modalities including hyperthermia, photodynamic therapy, magnetically targeted carriers, and liposomes. Despite recent enthusiasm for new intravesical agents, radical cystectomy remains the treatment of choice for patients with NMIBC who have failed intravesical therapy and select patients with naive T1 tumors and aggressive features. Our aim in this report is to provide a comprehensive review of contemporary intravesical therapy options for NMIBC with an emphasis on emerging agents and novel treatment modalities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11385910,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality--a traumatic experience?].\nThe diagnosis of a lethal anomaly of the fetus can affect a pregnant woman in a traumatic way. Almost immediately she has to decide whether she wishes the pregnancy to be terminated or not. Literature shows that such a loss is very difficult to cope with, and can lead to social isolation and depression. Contrary to popular belief the loss felt by the woman is at least the same to that following a stillbirth. Problems arise when the woman has difficulties in expressing her feelings, has a lack of self-esteem or receives very little social support. The prenatal diagnosis evokes an acute grief reaction. Only few studies are available regarding length, course and severity of grief in this case. Although an abortion through a fetal anomaly is a traumatic experience, research is vague on the trauma caused. Present day research of the psychological sequelae after the termination will be summarized. In respect to the current trauma-research lies the question of which psychiatric conditions arise from such a traumatic experience.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24502908,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":3,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Evaluation of a visual biofeedback on the postural control in Parkinson's disease.\nBoth stabilization and orientation components of postural control are affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). These deficits are partly due to proprioceptive impairments, which frequently coexist with a visual dependence. This study aimed to evaluate if a visual biofeedback - i.e. real time anteroposterior trunk and head orientations indicated with a simplified avatar and represented in a head-mounted display - could improve the postural control of PD patients in response to a postural disturbance. The influence of focusing on one specific component of the postural control (stabilization or orientation) was also examined. Seventeen medicated PD patients performed sequences of pull-tests, either with eyes open, eyes closed or visual biofeedback, crossed with the verbal instruction to focus either on the stabilization or on the vertical body orientation. Kinematics data were collected. Backward trunk tilts consequent to the pulls were unchanged across the different conditions. With eyes open and eyes closed, patients did not recover their initial vertical orientation by adopting a slightly tilted backward position. This bias disappeared with the visual biofeedback. Moreover, falls consecutive to the test were significantly less frequent with the visual biofeedback than in the two other visual conditions. These different orientation and stabilization parameters were not affected by the instruction. Unlike a verbal instruction, visualizing in real time their own body's geometry improved both components of postural control of PD patients. This provides evidences in PD about links between impaired vertical orientation, deficits in balance control, and contribution of supplementary sensory cues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30764850,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Implementation capital: merging frameworks of implementation outcomes and social capital to support the use of evidence-based practices.\nAlthough there is growing recognition that the implementation of evidence-based practices is a social process, the conceptualization of social capital in implementation frameworks often conflates bonding and bridging social capital. This conflation makes it difficult to concretely operationalize social capital and limits the concept's utility for explaining implementation outcomes. We propose a new framework of implementation capital that merges an existing conceptual framework of implementation outcomes with an existing operational framework of social capital. First, we review a conceptual framework of implementation outcomes, which includes the acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, feasibility, fidelity, cost, penetration, and sustainability of evidence-based practices. Second, we describe an operational framework of social capital that grounds bonding and bridging social capital in the structure of implementers' social networks. Third, we bring these two frameworks together to create a merged framework of implementation capital that shows how specific aspects of social capital can support specific implementation outcomes. Implementation outcomes of acceptability, appropriateness, and adoption are linked to bonding social capital through mechanisms of trust and norm enforcement, while outcomes of feasibility and fidelity are linked to bridging social capital through mechanisms of increased access to information and resources. Additionally, setting-level implementation outcomes of cost, penetration, and sustainability are associated with small worldliness at the setting level, which simultaneously optimizes both bonding and bridging social capital in a setting. The implementation capital framework is helpful because it separates two distinct forms of social capital-bonding and bridging-that are often conflated in the implementation literature, and offers concrete ways to operationalize them by examining the structure of implementers' social networks and the networks of their settings. This framework offers specific guidance about how individual and setting networks might be shifted to support implementation outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26030216,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Spinal hemangiomas: results of surgical management for local recurrence and mortality in a multicenter study.\nMulticenter, ambispective observational study. To quantify local recurrence and mortality rates after surgical treatment of symptomatic spinal hemangiomas and identify prognostic variables for local disease control. Spinal hemangiomas are the most common primary tumors of the spine and are generally benign and usually asymptomatic. Because of the rarity of symptomatic spinal hemangiomas, optimal surgical treatment remains unclear. AOSpine Knowledge Forum Tumor Investigators created a multicenter database of primary spinal tumors including demographics, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, survival, and recurrence data. Tumors were classified according to Enneking and Weinstein-Boriani-Biagini. Descriptive statistics were summarized and time to mortality and recurrence was determined. Between 1996 and 2012, 68 patients (mean age = 51 yr, SD = 16) underwent surgical treatment of a spinal hemangioma. Epidural disease was present in 55% of patients (n = 33). Pain and neurological compromise were presenting symptoms in 82% (n = 54) and 37% (n = 24) of patients, respectively. Preoperative embolization was performed in 35% of patients (n = 23), 10% (n = 7) had adjuvant radiotherapy, and 81% (n = 55) underwent posterior-alone surgery. The local recurrence rate was 3% (n = 2). Mortality secondary to spinal hemangioma was not observed (mean follow-up = 3.9 yr, SD = 3.8). This is the largest multicenter surgical cohort of spinal hemangiomas. Symptomatic spinal hemangiomas are a benign tumor despite frequently presenting with epidural disease and neurological compromise. Thus, formal en bloc resection is not required, and excellent rates of local control and long-term survival can result from aggressive intralesional resection during index surgery. 3.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31552987,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Tracking the DNA complexation state of pBAE polyplexes in cells with super resolution microscopy.\nThe future of gene therapy relies on the development of efficient and safe delivery vectors. Poly(\u03b2-amino ester)s are promising cationic polymers capable of condensing oligonucleotides into nanoparticles - polyplexes - and deliver them into the cell nucleus, where the gene material would be expressed. The complexation state during the crossing of biological barriers is crucial: polymers should tightly complex DNA before internalization and then release to allow free DNA to reach the nucleus. However, measuring the complexation state in cells is challenging due to the nanometric size of polyplexes and the difficulties to study the two components (polymer and DNA) independently. Here we propose a method to visualize and quantify the two components of a polyplex inside cells, with nanometre scale resolution, using two-colour direct stochastic reconstruction super-resolution microscopy (dSTORM). With our approach, we tracked the complexation state of pBAE polyplexes from cell binding to DNA release and nuclear entry revealing time evolution and the final fate of DNA and pBAE polymers in mammalian cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25012277,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A survey of children's perspectives on pain management in the emergency department.\nChildren's pain is frequently underrecognized and undertreated. This study focuses exclusively on children's perspectives of and satisfaction with their pain management in the emergency department (ED). Specific study objectives were to 1) describe the pain and ED treatment experienced by children, 2) measure the child's satisfaction with pain treatment, and 3) determine factors associated with satisfaction. This prospective, descriptive survey examined a convenience sample of 100 children, aged 7-17 years, who were treated for pain in the pediatric ED of a Canadian hospital. We measured children's pain scores, overall satisfaction with their pain management, and perceptions of health care provider communication. Of the 100 children studied, 53 were male, and the mean age was 12.6 years. The maximum mean pain score was reported as 79 mm (95% confidence interval [CI] 75-82) and the mean score at discharge was reported as 34 mm (95% CI 29-39), using a 100-mm modified visual analog scale. The majority of children (92%) were satisfied; three children (3%) were very unhappy and four (4%) were unhappy with their pain treatment. Satisfaction was correlated with pain resolution (p = 0.018), effective child-provider communication (p = 0.045), and the perception that the medicine worked quickly (p = 0.034). Despite continued pain upon discharge, most children were satisfied with their pain management. However, it is important that emergency physicians not interpret patient satisfaction as equivalent to adequate provision of analgesia. The relationship between children's pain management and self-reported satisfaction needs to be further explored.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15917298,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Doxorubicin requires the sequential activation of caspase-2, protein kinase Cdelta, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase to induce apoptosis.\nHere, we identified caspase-2, protein kinase C (PKC)delta, and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) as key components of the doxorubicin-induced apoptotic cascade. Using cells stably transfected with an antisense construct for caspase-2 (AS2) as well as a chemical caspase-2 inhibitor, we demonstrate that caspase-2 is required in doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. We also identified PKCdelta as a novel caspase-2 substrate. PKCdelta was cleaved\/activated in a caspase-2-dependent manner after doxorubicin treatment both in cells and in vitro. PKCdelta is furthermore required for efficient doxorubicin-induced apoptosis because its chemical inhibition as well as adenoviral expression of a kinase dead (KD) mutant of PKCdelta severely attenuated doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, PKCdelta and JNK inhibition show that PKCdelta lies upstream of JNK in doxorubicin-induced death. Jnk-deficient mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) were highly resistant to doxorubicin compared with wild type (WT), as were WT Jurkat cells treated with SP600125, further supporting the importance of JNK in doxorubicin-induced apoptosis. Chemical inhibitors for PKCdelta and JNK do not synergize and do not function in doxorubicin-treated AS2 cells. Caspase-2, PKCdelta, and JNK were furthermore implicated in doxorubicin-induced apoptosis of primary acute lymphoblastic leukemia blasts. The data thus support a sequential model involving caspase-2, PKCdelta, and JNK signaling in response to doxorubicin, leading to the activation of Bak and execution of apoptosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26491684,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lsh Is Essential for Maintaining Global DNA Methylation Levels in Amphibia and Fish and Interacts Directly with Dnmt1.\nEukaryotic genomes are methylated at cytosine bases in the context of CpG dinucleotides, a pattern which is maintained through cell division by the DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1. Dramatic methylation losses are observed in plant and mouse cells lacking Lsh (lymphoid specific helicase), predominantly at repetitive sequences and gene promoters. However, the mechanism by which Lsh contributes to the maintenance of DNA methylation is unknown. Here we show that DNA methylation is lost in Lsh depleted frog and fish embryos, both of which exhibit developmental delay. Additionally, we show that both Lsh and Dnmt1 are associated with chromatin and that Lsh knockdown leads to a decreased Dnmt1-chromatin association. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments reveal that Lsh and Dnmt1 are found in the same protein complex, and pulldowns show this interaction is direct. Our data indicate that Lsh is usually diffuse in the nucleus but can be recruited to heterochromatin in a HP1\u03b1-dependent manner. These data together (a) show that the role of Lsh in DNA methylation is conserved in plants, amphibian, fish, and mice and (b) support a model in which Lsh contributes to Dnmt1 binding to chromatin, explaining how its loss can potentially lead to perturbations in DNA methylation maintenance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32516475,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Graphene Oxide as a Mediator in Organic Synthesis: a Mechanistic Focus.\nGraphene oxide (GO) is experiencing growing interest by synthetic organic chemists as a promoter of chemical transformations. The synergistic role of the multiple functionalities featuring the nanostructured carbon materials and their \u03c0-domains enables the interplay of specific activation modes towards organic compounds that can explore unprecedented chemical modifications. A detailed comprehension of the mechanistic details that govern the transformations guided by GO is a not fully solved task in the field. In this direction, more sophisticated and diversified techniques are employed, providing insights towards intriguing activation modes exerted by the \u03c0-matrix and the oxygenated\/sulfonate groups decorating the functionalized nano-carbon material. The present Minireview accounts for a critical survey of the most recent developments in the area of GO-mediated organic transformations with a specific focus on mechanist aspects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24142061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Complications of pelvic organ prolapse surgery and methods of prevention.\nThe aim was to review complications associated with pelvic organ prolapse surgery. Every 4 years and as part of the Fifth International Collaboration on Incontinence we reviewed the English-language scientific literature after searching PubMed, Medline, Cochrane library and Cochrane database of systematic reviews, published up to January 2012. Publications were classified as level 1 evidence (randomised controlled trials [RCT] or systematic reviews), level 2 (poor quality RCT, prospective cohort studies), level 3 (case series or retrospective studies) and level 4 (case reports). The highest level of evidence was utilised by the committee to make evidence-based recommendations based upon the Oxford grading system. Grade A recommendation usually depends on consistent level 1 evidence. Grade B recommendation usually depends on consistent level 2 and\/or 3 studies, or \"majority evidence\" from RCTs. Grade C recommendation usually depends on level 4 studies or \"majority evidence from level 2\/3 studies or Delphi processed expert opinion. Grade D \"no recommendation possible\" would be used where the evidence is inadequate or conflicting and when expert opinion is delivered without a formal analytical process, such as by Delphi. Transvaginal mesh has a higher re-operation rate than native tissue vaginal repairs (grade A). If a synthetic mesh is placed via the vaginal route, it is recommended that a macroporous polypropylene monofilament mesh should be used. At sacral colpopexy mesh should not be introduced or sutured via the vaginal route and silicone-coated polyester, porcine dermis, fascia lata and polytetrafluoroethylene meshes are not recommended as grafts. Hysterectomy should also be avoided (grade B). There is no evidence to recommend routine local or systemic oestrogen therapy before or after prolapse surgery using mesh. The first cases should be undertaken with the guidance of an experienced surgeon in the relevant technique (grade C). Expert opinion suggests that by whatever the surgical route pre-operative urinary tract infections are treated, smoking is ceased and antibiotic prophylaxis is undertaken. It is recommended that a non-absorbable synthetic mesh should not be inserted into the rectovaginal septum when a rectal injury occurs. The placement of a non-absorbable synthetic mesh into the vesicovaginal septum may be considered after a bladder injury has been repaired, if the repair is considered to be satisfactory. It is possible to perform a hysterectomy in association with the introduction of a non-absorbable synthetic mesh inserted vaginally, but this is not recommended routinely.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9032093,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Mapping novel pancreatic islet genes to human chromosomes.\nA strategy was developed to generate expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from human pancreatic islet gene products using differential display of mRNA. Screening of over 2,000 cDNA amplification products identified 42 cDNAs that were preferentially expressed in pancreatic islets relative to exocrine tissue. Public database analysis showed that 29 (69%) corresponded to novel genes, in contrast with only 66 of 250 (26.4%) cDNA clones randomly selected from a human islet library. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and\/or Northern analysis of RNA from multiple tissues confirmed that expression was enhanced in human islet cell RNA for 11 of 15 tested cDNAs. Sequence-tagged sites developed from 19 islet cDNAs were used to map these genes to human chromosomes using a combination of monochromosomal somatic-cell hybrids, genome-wide radiation hybrids, and mega-yeast artificial chromosome analysis. These results indicate that this PCR-based cDNA selection strategy yields information on a distinct subset of pancreatic islet transcribed sequences, which complements ongoing human EST identification efforts based on random cDNA selection. These mapped ESTs may be used to assist in the positional cloning of diabetes susceptibility genes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23117903,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Nurse-led intervention to improve surrogate decision making for patients with advanced critical illness.\nProblems persist with surrogate decision making in intensive care units, leading to distress for surrogates and treatment that may not reflect patients' values. To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and perceived effectiveness of a multifaceted, nurse-led intervention to improve surrogate decision making in intensive care units. A single-center, single-arm, interventional study in which 35 surrogates and 15 physicians received the Four Supports Intervention, which involved incorporating a family support specialist into the intensive care team. That specialist maintained a longitudinal relationship with surrogates and provided emotional support, communication support, decision support, and anticipatory grief support. A mixed-methods approach was used to evaluate the intervention. The intervention was implemented successfully in all 15 patients, with a high level of completion of each component of the intervention. The family support specialist devoted a mean of 48 (SD 36) minutes per day to each clinician-patient-family triad. All participants reported that they would recommend the intervention to others. At least 90% of physicians and surrogates reported that the intervention (1) improved the quality and timeliness of communication, (2) facilitated discussion of the patient's values and treatment preferences, and (3) improved the patient-centeredness of care. The Four Supports Intervention is feasible, acceptable, and was perceived by physicians and surrogates to improve the quality of decision making and the patient-centeredness of care. A randomized trial is warranted to determine whether the intervention improves patient, family, and health system outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32619164,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Correlation Between BCL2 and Mcl1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Chemotherapy Response in Jordanian Patients with Colorectal Cancer.\nColorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and a leading cause of death in Jordan. BCL-2 and MCL-1 are anti-apoptotic proteins that inhibit programmed cell death and their over-expression has been shown to be associated with reduced sensitivity to chemotherapy and poor survival in cancer patients. In the present study, three SNPs in the promoter region of antiapoptotic genes were investigated in an effort to inspect the occurrences of SNPs (rs2279115, rs4987852) in the promoter region of BCL2 and SNP (rs9803935) in the promoter region of MCL1 in Jordanian patients with CRC, and investigate correlations between BCL2 and MCL1 SNPs and clinical outcomes. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-based analysis was used for samples genotyping. The BCL2 rs2279115 and MCL1 rs9803935 SNPs showed significant distribution where mutant and hetero genotypes are more prominent in CRC patients. Additionally, the rs2279115 genotypes and alleles were associated with stages of disease, its recurrence and metastasis. The MCL1 rs9803935 genotypes were associated disease metastasis. However, for BCL2 rs4987852 SNP, there was no association of genotypes or alleles with any of the disease variables. The BCL2 SNPs (rs2279115) and MCL1 SNP (rs9803935) present as important determinants of the progress of CRC in Jordanian patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7579018,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Dimensions of social support and social conflict as predictors of caregiver depression.\nThe goal of this research was to examine the relationship of family social support and social conflict to stressors and depression. Fifty-seven caregiving women were interviewed regarding caregiving stressors, social support, and social conflict. Three dimensions of social support and social conflict were assessed: instrumental, informational, and affective. The findings supported the importance of distinguishing between social support and social conflict, and among the three dimensions of support and conflict. Respondents reported higher levels of support than of conflict, but consistent with earlier research, social support was not related as strongly to outcomes as social conflict was. Although instrumental support was related significantly to depression, informational and emotional support was not. Social conflict, however, was significantly related to depression. Both emotional conflict and informational conflict were significant predictors of depression. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18947404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Background correction using dinucleotide affinities improves the performance of GCRMA.\nHigh-density short oligonucleotide microarrays are a primary research tool for assessing global gene expression. Background noise on microarrays comprises a significant portion of the measured raw data, which can have serious implications for the interpretation of the generated data if not estimated correctly. We introduce an approach to calculate probe affinity based on sequence composition, incorporating nearest-neighbor (NN) information. Our model uses position-specific dinucleotide information, instead of the original single nucleotide approach, and adds up to 10% to the total variance explained (R2) when compared to the previously published model. We demonstrate that correcting for background noise using this approach enhances the performance of the GCRMA preprocessing algorithm when applied to control datasets, especially for detecting low intensity targets. Modifying the previously published position-dependent affinity model to incorporate dinucleotide information significantly improves the performance of the model. The dinucleotide affinity model enhances the detection of differentially expressed genes when implemented as a background correction procedure in GeneChip preprocessing algorithms. This is conceptually consistent with physical models of binding affinity, which depend on the nearest-neighbor stacking interactions in addition to base-pairing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19850947,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Targeted injury of type II alveolar epithelial cells induces pulmonary fibrosis.\nIneffective repair of a damaged alveolar epithelium has been postulated to cause pulmonary fibrosis. In support of this theory, epithelial cell abnormalities, including hyperplasia, apoptosis, and persistent denudation of the alveolar basement membrane, are found in the lungs of humans with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in animal models of fibrotic lung disease. Furthermore, mutations in genes that affect regenerative capacity or that cause injury\/apoptosis of type II alveolar epithelial cells have been identified in familial forms of pulmonary fibrosis. Although these findings are compelling, there are no studies that demonstrate a direct role for the alveolar epithelium or, more specifically, type II cells in the scarring process. To determine if a targeted injury to type II cells would result in pulmonary fibrosis. A transgenic mouse was generated to express the human diphtheria toxin receptor on type II alveolar epithelial cells. Diphtheria toxin was administered to these animals to specifically target the type II epithelium for injury. Lung fibrosis was assessed by histology and hydroxyproline measurement. Transgenic mice treated with diphtheria toxin developed an approximately twofold increase in their lung hydroxyproline content on Days 21 and 28 after diphtheria toxin treatment. The fibrosis developed in conjunction with type II cell injury. Histological evaluation revealed diffuse collagen deposition with patchy areas of more confluent scarring and associated alveolar contraction. The development of lung fibrosis in the setting of type II cell injury in our model provides evidence for a causal link between the epithelial defects seen in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and the corresponding areas of scarring.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23116139,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Electronic and magnetic properties of manganese and iron atoms decorated with BO2 superhalogens.\nUsing density functional theory based calculations, we have systematically studied the equilibrium geometries, relative stabilities, and electronic and magnetic properties of Fe and Mn atoms interacting with a varying number of BO(2) moieties. These clusters are found to exhibit hyperhalogen behavior with electron affinities as high as 6.9 eV once the number of BO(2) moieties exceed the nominal valences of these transition metals toms, namely 2 for both Fe and Mn. In all cases the transition metal atoms retain a sizable spin magnetic moment, even exceeding their free atom values at certain compositions. We also note that when more than two BO(2) moieties are bound to neutral Fe and Mn atoms, they tend to dimerize. In the case of negative ions, this process occurs at n \u2265 3, thus leading to different neutral and anionic ground state geometries. The effect of these structural changes in the interpretation of photoelectron spectroscopy experiments is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1728349,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Sexuality, birth control and childbirth in orthodox Jewish tradition.\nThis paper examines some of the traditional texts that deal with sexuality, birth control and childbirth in the orthodox Jewish tradition and presents the rules governing these areas. For instance, a married woman should avoid being alone with a male physician unless other people are in earshot and have access to the room. A husband and wife must separate during the woman's menses and for the first 7 days afterward. Contraception is permitted if childbearing would endanger a woman's life or health. Termination of pregnancy is also permitted to preserve a woman's health, including her mental health. During childbirth the health of the mother is primary and supercedes all other rules or laws, including those of Sabbath observance. In general, orthodox Jewish women try to live as much as possible within the framework of Halacha. These customs are examined as examples of the need for sensitivity to cultural norms that affect the behaviour of different ethnic groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30858234,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Genetics of Variable Disease Expression Conferred by Inverse Gene-For-Gene Interactions in the Wheat-Parastagonospora nodorum Pathosystem.\nThe wheat-Parastagonospora nodorum pathosystem involves the recognition of pathogen-secreted necrotrophic effectors (NEs) by corresponding wheat NE sensitivity genes. This inverse gene-for-gene recognition leads to necrotrophic effector-triggered susceptibility and ultimately septoria nodorum blotch disease. Here, we used multiple pathogen isolates to individually evaluate the effects of the host gene-NE interactions Tan spot necrosis1-Stagonospora nodorum ToxinA (Tsn1-SnToxA), Stagonospora nodorum necrosis1-Stagonospora nodorum Toxin1 (Snn1-SnTox1), and Stagonospora nodorum necrosis3-B genome homeolog1-Stagonospora nodorum Toxin3 (Snn3-B1-SnTox3), alone and in various combinations, to determine the relative importance of these interactions in causing disease. Genetic analysis of a recombinant inbred wheat population inoculated separately with three P. nodorum isolates, all of which produce all three NEs, indicated that the Tsn1-SnToxA and Snn3-B1-SnTox3 interactions contributed to disease caused by all four isolates, but their effects varied and ranged from epistatic to additive. The Snn1-SnTox1 interaction was associated with increased disease for one isolate, but for other isolates, there was evidence that this interaction inhibited the expression of other host gene-NE interactions. RNA sequencing analysis in planta showed that SnTox1 was differentially expressed between these three isolates after infection. Further analysis of NE gene-knockout isolates showed that the effect of some interactions could be masked or inhibited by other compatible interactions, and the regulation of this occurs at the level of NE gene transcription. Collectively, these results show that the inverse gene-for-gene interactions leading to necrotrophic effector-triggered susceptibility in the wheat-P. nodorum pathosystem vary in their effects depending on the genetic backgrounds of the pathogen and host, and interplay among the interactions is complex and intricately regulated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37771747,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Outcomes of high-dose oral beta-lactam definitive therapy compared to fluoroquinolone or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole oral therapy for bacteremia secondary to a urinary tract infection.\nCompare outcomes of patients receiving high-dose oral beta-lactam versus standard oral therapy for Enterobacterales bacteremia from a urinary tract infection (UTI). Retrospective, multicenter, observational cohort. Three Michigan community teaching hospitals. Adult patients admitted between February 1, 2020, and October 1, 2022, with gram-negative bacteremia from a urinary source were evaluated. Patients receiving active empiric intravenous (IV) antibiotics and transitioned to appropriately dosed oral cephalexin, amoxicillin, fluoroquinolone (FQ), or trimethoprim\/sulfamethoxazole (TMP\/SMX) were included. Patients receiving less than 72 hours of oral therapy, diagnosed with renal abscess, lobar nephronia, or expired during admission were excluded. Standard oral therapy was defined as FQ or TMP\/SMX. The primary outcome compared the composite of recurrent bacteremia or mortality within 30 days of therapy between groups. Secondary outcomes compared recurrent UTI, emergency department or hospital readmission, and Clostridioides difficile within 30 days. 194 patients were included (beta-lactam, n = 75 vs standard therapy, n =119). Patients in both groups were treated for a median of 11 days, with 4 days IV and 7 days oral therapy. There was no difference in the primary outcome between groups (beta-lactam 1.3% vs standard therapy 1.7%, OR 1.27 [95% CI 0.11-14.2]). No patients experienced C. difficile in either group (p = 1.0). Infectious disease consultation was independently associated with standard therapy prescribing (OR 4.4 [95% CI 2.24-8.26]). High-dose oral beta-lactams were as safe and effective as oral FQ or TMP\/SMX for the treatment of bacteremia from a urinary source. Most patients received 8-10 days of therapy in both groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16867001,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Wolf's isotopic response: rosacea appearing at the site of healed herpes zoster.\nA 40-year-old man developed an erythematous rash on the right side of his face 3 weeks after a herpes zoster infection at the same location. Examination revealed an erythematous papular eruption and telangiectasias along the ophthalmic and maxillary divisions of the right trigeminal nerve, exactly at the site of the consistent with previous herpes zoster infection, Wolf's isotopic response. Histological examination showed vascular ectatic dilatation and perivascular and perifollicular infiltration of lymphocytes and histiocytes consistent with rosacea. The rash was resistant to oral doxycycline and topical metronidazole 1% cream and resolved with oral isotretinoin therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11489783,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-06":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Upregulation of the cardiac monocarboxylate transporter MCT1 in a rat model of congestive heart failure.\nCardiac metabolism becomes more dependent on carbohydrates in congestive heart failure (CHF), and lactate may be used as an important respiratory substrate. Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) promotes cotransport of lactate and protons into and out of heart cells and conceivably flux of lactate between cells, because it is abundantly present in the intercalated disk. Six weeks after induction of myocardial infarction (MI) in Wistar rats, left ventricular end-diastolic pressures were >15 mm Hg, signifying CHF. MCT1 and connexin43 protein levels in CHF were 260% and 20%, respectively, of those in sham-operated animals (Sham), and the corresponding mRNA signals were 181% and not significantly changed, respectively. Confocal laserscan immunohistochemistry and quantitative immunogold cytochemistry showed that MCT1 density was much higher in CHF than in Sham both at the surface membrane and in the intercalated disk. In CHF, a novel intracellular pool of MCT1 appeared to be associated with cisternae, some close to the T tubules. In contrast, connexin43 particles, seen exclusively at gap junctions, were substantially fewer. Maximum lactate uptake was 107+\/-15 mmol. L(-1). min(-1) in CHF and 42+\/-6 mmol. L(-1). min(-1) in Sham cells (P<0.05). The K(m) values were between 7 and 9 mmol\/L (P=NS). In cardiomyocytes from CHF rats, (1) the amount of functional MCT1 in the sarcolemma, including in the intercalated disk, is increased several-fold; (2) a new intracellular pool of MCT1 appears; (3) another disk protein, connexin43, is much reduced; and (4) increased reliance on lactate and other monocarboxylates (eg, pyruvate) could provide tight metabolic control of high-energy phosphates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24074496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Treatment of acromegaly by endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery: surgical experience in 214 cases and cure rates according to current consensus criteria.\nAcromegaly is a disease that has significant morbidity and mortality related to high levels of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and is usually caused by pituitary adenomas. The goal in this study was to investigate the role of endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery and surgical experience in the treatment of GH adenoma cases in relation to surgical results and hormonal cure rates, and to perform a review of the literature. The authors present a retrospective analysis of 214 GH adenoma cases. Restoration of IGF-I levels to normal for age and sex, suppression of GH levels below 0.4 \u03bcg\/L on the oral glucose tolerance test, and demonstration of the total removal of the tumor on MRI studies obtained after administration of contrast material at the 3-month postoperative follow-up visit were the criteria for cure. In total 214 patients with a mean age of 41.9 \u00b1 12 years (range 17-75 years) and a male\/female ratio of 106\/108 were enrolled in the study. Cure was achieved in 134 (62.6%) of 214 patients. One hundred sixty-nine patients were primary cases, and of these 109 (64.5%) were cured, whereas 61 patients were previously operated cases and of these 25 (41%) were cured. With a 51.1% decrease in the 1st month postoperatively, IGF-I levels were found to be predictive of cure (74.4% sensitivity and 73.7% specificity). Cut-off values for GH levels in predicting cure for the 1st day, 1st week, and 1st month postoperatively were 2.33, 2.05, and 2.25 \u03bcg\/L, respectively. The cut-off value for surgical experience was 57 for primary surgeries (58.5% cure rate before this cut-off value compared with 72.6% after it; p = 0.025) and 108 for all operations (45.8% vs. 79.4%, p = 0.037). Although 28 patients were found to be in remission according to the criteria in 2000, they were not in remission according to the new consensus criteria. Nine of these cases (32.1%) had random GH levels < 1 \u03bcg\/L at the 1-year follow-up. The 1-year IGF-I and GH levels in these 28 patients showed no significant difference when compared with the cases defined as cured according to the current criteria. In acromegaly treatment, transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery performed by an expert senior surgeon and increased surgical experience are important for higher cure rates. Random GH levels < 2.33 \u03bcg\/L after the 1st day postoperatively and a > 50% decrease in IGF-I levels after the 1st month postoperatively are predictive of cure. Moreover, there is no urgency for additional therapy in patients with GH levels of 0.4-1 \u03bcg\/L and MRI sequences showing no tumor at the 3-month follow-up, because for these cases remission can be achieved at the 1-year follow-up.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31209079,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Properties of 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase (MetF1) and Its Role in the Tetrahydrofolate-Dependent Dicamba Demethylation System in Rhizorhabdus dicambivorans Ndbn-20.\nThe herbicide dicamba is initially degraded via the tetrahydrofolate (THF)-dependent demethylation system in Rhizorhabdus dicambivorans Ndbn-20. Two THF-dependent dicamba methyltransferase gene clusters, scaffold 50 and scaffold 66, were found in the genome of strain Ndbn-20. Each cluster contains a dicamba methyltransferase gene and three THF metabolism-related genes, namely, metF (coding for 5,10-CH2-THF reductase), folD (coding for 5,10-CH2-THF dehydrogenase-5,10-methenyl-THF cyclohydrolase), and purU (coding for 10-formyl-THF deformylase). In this study, reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) results showed that only genes in scaffold 66, not those in scaffold 50, were transcribed in dicamba-cultured cells. The metF gene of scaffold 66 (metF1) was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), and the product was purified as a His6-tagged protein. Purified MetF1 was found to be a monomer and exhibited 5-CH3-THF dehydrogenase activity in vitro The kcat and Km for 5-CH3-THF were 0.23 s-1 and 16.48 \u03bcM, respectively. However, 5,10-CH2-THF reductase activity was not detected for MetF1 under the conditions tested. Gene disruption results showed that metF1 is essential for dicamba degradation, whereas folD1 is dispensable.IMPORTANCE There are several THF-dependent methyltransferase genes and THF-metabolic genes in the genome of R. dicambivorans Ndbn-20; however, which genes are involved in dicamba demethylation and the mechanism underlying THF regeneration remain unknown. This study revealed that scaffold 66 is responsible for dicamba demethylation and that MetF1 physiologically catalyzes the dehydrogenation of 5-CH3-THF to 5,10-CH2-THF in the THF-dependent dicamba demethylation system in R. dicambivorans Ndbn-20. Furthermore, the results showed that MetF1 differs from previously characterized MetF in phylogenesis, biochemical properties, and catalytic activity; e.g., MetF1 in vitro did not show 5,10-CH2-THF reductase activity, which is the physiological function of Escherichia coli MetF. This study provides new insights into the mechanism of the THF-dependent methyltransferase system.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17475510,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Single-trial EEG dynamics of object and face visual processing.\nThere has been extensive work using early event-related potentials (ERPs) to study visual object processing. ERP analyses focus traditionally on mean amplitude differences, with the implicit assumption that all of the neuronal activity of interest is evoked by the stimulus in a time-locked manner from trial to trial. However, several recent studies have suggested that visual ERP components might be explained to a large extent by the partial phase resetting of ongoing activity in restricted frequency bands. Here we apply that approach to the neural processing of visual objects. We examine the single-trial dynamics of the EEG signal elicited by the presentation of noise textures, houses and faces. We show that the brain response to those stimuli is best explained by amplitude increase that is maximal in the 5- to 15-Hz frequency band. The results indicate also the presence of a substantial increase in phase coherence in the same frequency band. However, analyses of residual activity, after subtracting the mean from single trials, show that this increase in phase coherence is not due to phase resetting per se, but rather to the presence of the ERP+noise in each trial. In keeping with this idea, a simulation demonstrates that a purely evoked model of the ERP produces quantitatively very similar results. Finally, the stronger response to faces compared to other objects (the 'N170 face effect') can be explained by a pure modulation of amplitude centered in the 5- to 15-Hz band.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33231556,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Assessing the Effect of Training on the Cognition and Brain of Older Adults: Protocol for a Three-Arm Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Trial (ACTOP).\nTo prevent age-related cognitive impairment, many intervention programs offer exercises targeting different central cognitive processes. However, the effects of different process-based training programs are rarely compared within equivalent experimental designs. Using a randomized double-blind controlled trial, this project aims to examine and compare the impact of 2 process-based interventions, inhibition and updating, on the cognition and brain of older adults. A total of 90 healthy older adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 training conditions: (1) inhibition (Stroop-like exercises), (2) updating (N-back-type exercises), and (3) control active (quiz game exercise). Training was provided in 12 half-hour sessions over 4 weeks. First, the performance gain observed will be measured on the trained tasks. We will then determine the extent of transfer of gain on (1) untrained tasks that rely on the same cognitive process, (2) complex working memory (WM) measurements hypothesized to involve 1 of the 2 trained processes, and (3) virtual reality tasks that were designed to mimic real-life situations that require WM. We will assess whether training increases cortical volume given that the volume of the cortex is determined by cortical area and thickness in regions known to be involved in WM or changes task-related brain activation patterns measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Dose effects will be examined by measuring outcomes at different time points during training. We will also determine whether individual characteristics moderate the effect of training on cognitive and cerebral outcomes. Finally, we will evaluate whether training reduces the age-related deficit on transfer and brain outcomes, by comparing study participants to a group of 30 younger adults. The project was funded in January 2017; enrollment began in October 2017 and data collection was completed in April 2019. Data analysis has begun in June 2020 and the first results should be published by the end of 2020 or early 2021. The results of this study will help understand the relative efficacy of 2 attentional control interventions on the cognition and the brain of older adults, as well as the moderating role of individual characteristics on training efficiency and transfer. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03532113; https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/ct2\/show\/NCT03532113. DERR1-10.2196\/20430.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20451611,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"An inverse relationship between cortisol and BDNF levels in schizophrenia: data from human postmortem and animal studies.\nStress and stress-induced glucocorticoids have been implicated in many neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. In addition, the neurotrophin, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to play an important role in stress-mediated changes in neuroplasticity, however, the exact relationship between glucocorticoid and BDNF levels in schizophrenia is unclear. Here, we measured the levels of cortisol (a major glucocorticoid hormone in humans) and BDNF in prefrontal cortex and CSF samples of postmortem schizophrenia subjects. We also assessed the levels of cortisol and BDNF in the frontal cortex and plasma from an animal model (the offspring of prenatally stressed rats), which demonstrates several behavioral and neuroendocrine abnormalities similar to schizophrenia. A significant increase in cortisol levels was found in prefrontal cortex and CSF samples from subjects with schizophrenia. The BDNF levels were significantly lower in prefrontal cortex and CSF samples of subjects with schizophrenia (compared to age-matched controls). Data from animal studies indicated that prenatally stressed offspring have significantly higher plasma and prefrontal cortex cortisol, whereas BDNF levels were significantly lower when compared to control, non-stressed offspring. Moreover, olanzapine treatment for 45 days starting at postnatal day 60 significantly attenuated prenatal stress-induced increase in cortisol levels in prefrontal cortex, but no change in BDNF levels was observed after olanzapine treatment. A significant negative correlation between BDNF and cortisol was observed in both human and animal studies. The above data from human and animal studies suggest that a negative association between stress hormone, cortisol and neuroprotective molecule, BDNF plays an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37683872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Creating new littoral zones in a shallow lake to forward-restore an aquatic food web.\nCurrent rates of habitat loss require science-based predictions on how to restore or newly create lost habitat types. In aquatic ecosystems, littoral zones are key habitats for food web functioning, but they are often replaced by unnatural steep shorelines for water safety. To reverse this trend, knowledge is needed on how to successfully (re)create littoral zones. We quantified the response of an aquatic food web to the large-scale creation of new heterogeneous littoral habitats in shallow lake Markermeer, the Netherlands. Lake Markermeer was formed by dike construction in a former estuary, which created a heavily modified homogeneous 70,000 ha turbid lake lacking littoral habitat. Fish and bird populations declined over the last decades, but classical restoration via return to former marine conditions would compromise water safety and the large spatial scale prohibited biodiversity offsets. Therefore, an innovative \"forward-looking restoration\" approach was adopted: a 1000 ha archipelago called \"Marker Wadden\" was constructed without using a historic reference situation to return to. This aimed bottom-up stimulation of the aquatic food web by adding missing gradual land-water transitions and sheltered waters to the lake. After four years, new sheltered shorelines had become vegetated if they were constructed from nutrient-rich sediments. Exposed and sandy shorelines remained free of vegetation. Zooplankton community diversity increased in sheltered waters due to bottom-up processes, which increased food availability for higher trophic levels, including young fish. The creation of sheltered waters increased macroinvertebrate densities threefold, with sediment type determining the community composition. The archipelago became new nursery habitat for 13 of the 24 fish species known to occur in the lake, with up to 10-fold higher abundances under sheltered conditions. We conclude that modifying abiotic conditions can stimulate multiple trophic levels in aquatic food webs simultaneously, even in heavily modified ecosystems. This provides proof-of-principle for the forward-looking restoration approach.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24472842,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Electrochemical activation of pristine single walled carbon nanotubes: impact on oxygen reduction and other surface sensitive redox processes.\nThe effect of systematic anodic pre-treatments of pristine single walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) forests on the electrochemical response towards a variety of redox processes is investigated. An experimental arrangement is adopted whereby a microcapillary containing the solution of interest and a quasi reference-counter electrode is brought into contact with a small portion of the forest to enable measurements on the surface before and after controlled anodic polarisation (AP). AP of the surface is found to both improve the voltammetric response (faster apparent heterogeneous electron transfer kinetics) of surface sensitive redox processes, such as Fe(2+\/3+), and enhance the electrocatalytic response of the SWNTs towards oxygen reduction; the extent of which can be carefully controlled via the applied anodic potential. AP is expected to remove any trace organic (atmospheric) contaminants that may accumulate on the forest over extended periods as well as allowing the controlled introduction of defects, as confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24988831,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Headaches, neurologists and the emergency department.\nThis study explores the claim that headache management can be improved by evaluating current emergent care. A retrospective chart review investigated primary complaints of headache during a three-month period. Two hundred and twenty seven patients were identified for review and three-month follow-up using fully available records and imaging. A total of 543\/8,759 had a neurological condition. The most common conditions were headaches (42% or 227 cases), cerebrovascular problems (26%) and seizures (17%). No 'usual headache' patterns showed abnormal imaging. In contrast, those with 'sudden-onset' type or clinical findings had an abnormal scan 17% of the time. Of the MRIs ordered, one-quarter changed management. On discharge, 39% of patients left without a specific headache diagnosis. In the discussion, we evaluate how well a tertiary referral ED treats its most common neurological complaint, focusing on the controversial topics of when to investigate and prevention of re-attendance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23710593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Epidemiology and outcomes of deep surgical site infections following lung transplantation.\nWe conducted a retrospective study of deep surgical site infections (SSIs) among consecutive patients who underwent lung transplantation (LTx) at a single center from 2006 through 2010. Thirty-one patients (5%) developed SSIs at median 25 days after LTx. Empyema was most common (42%), followed by surgical wound infections (29%), mediastinitis (16%), sternal osteomyelitis (6%), and pericarditis (6%). Pathogens included Gram-positive bacteria (41%), Gram-negative bacteria (41%), fungi (10%) and Mycobacterium abscessus, Mycoplasma hominis and Lactobacillus sp. (one each). Twenty-three percent of SSIs were due to pathogens colonizing recipients' native lungs at time of LTx, suggesting surgical seeding as a source. Patient-related independent risk factors for SSIs were diabetes and prior cardiothoracic surgery; procedure-related independent risk factors were LTx from a female donor, prolonged ischemic time and number of perioperative red blood cell transfusions. Mediastinitis and sternal infections were not observed among patients undergoing minimally invasive LTx. SSIs were associated with 35% mortality at 1 year post-LTx. Lengths of stay and mortality in-hospital and at 6 months and 1 year were significantly greater for patients with SSIs other than empyema. In conclusion, deep SSIs were uncommon, but important complications in LTx recipients because of their diverse microbiology and association with increased mortality.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10943921,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Artefacts in multi-echo T2 imaging for high-precision gel dosimetry: II. Analysis of B1-field inhomogeneity.\nIn BANG gel dosimetry, the spin-spin relaxation rate, R2 = 1\/T2, is related to radiation dose that has been delivered to a gel phantom. R2 is calculated by fitting the pixel intensities of a set of differently T2-weighted base images. The accuracy that is aimed for in this quantitative MR application is about 5% relative to the maximum dose. In a conventional imaging MR scanner, however, several imaging artefacts may perturb the final dose map. These deviations manifest themselves as either a deformation of the dose map or an inaccuracy of the dose pixel value. Inaccuracies in the dose maps are caused by both spatial and temporal deviations in signal intensities during scanning. This study deals with B1-field inhomogeneities as a source of dose inaccuracy. First, the influence of B1-field inhomogeneities on slice profiles is investigated using a thin-slice phantom. Secondly, a FLASH sequence is used to map the B1-field by assessing the effective flip angle in each voxel of a homogeneous phantom. In addition, both experiments and computer simulations revealed the effects of B1 field inhomogeneities on the measured R2. This work offers a method to correct R2 maps for B1 -field inhomogeneities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18200277,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Quasi-stationary multiple stimulated Raman generation in the visible using optical fibers.\nSeveral orders of stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in monomode and multimode fibers have been observed. The relatively low power in the visible used in the quasi-stationary regime permitted observation of sharply defined Stokes and anti-Stokes spectral lines without any continua. Results of pump-to-Stokes power conversion in a monomode fiber indicate a striking equivalence between pump power and fiber length. The dependence of multiple SRS generation\/amplification with these parameters is investigated up to the limit of near total pump extinction. We propose a qualitative explanation of these facts, although a detailed theory of nonlinear behavior of fibers is wanting. Parametric four-photon mixing is again confirmed to account for the generation of stimulated anti-Stokes radiation in multimode fibers and its absolute absence in monomode fibers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30865411,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Mycobacterium marinum lymphocutaneous infection.\nMycobacterium marinum is a nontuberculous mycobacteria with worldwide distribution that lives in fresh or salt water and is responsible for infections in fish, and sometimes in humans. Human disease consists mainly of cutaneous nodules, but deep structure involvement may also occur. Diagnosis of M. marinum infection remains a challenge, with a considerable time delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. We present a 33-year-old man with no immunosuppressive history who was seen in our department with skin nodules over his hand and forearm, distributed in a sporotrichoid pattern. His hobbies included maintaining an aquarium of tropical fish. Histological examination of the patient's skin biopsy was compatible with the diagnosis of mycobacterial infection, and the Ziehl-Neelsen staining revealed acid-fast bacilli. Molecular techniques confirmed the suspicion of M. marinum infection. A necropsy was performed on one of the patient's fish, more specifically, a Poecilia reticulata, and resulted in identification of M. marinum from its gut. The patient was treated with clarithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampicin for 9 months, with clearance of infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10021319,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Nitric oxide stimulates the stress-activated protein kinase p38 in rat renal mesangial cells.\nNitric oxide (NO) has gained increased attention as a diffusible universal messenger that plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Recently, we reported that exogenous NO is able to activate the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) cascade in mesangial cells. Here, we demonstrate that exposure of glomerular mesangial cells to compounds releasing NO, including spermine-NO and (Z)-1- (N-methyl-N-[6-(N-methylammoniohexyl)amino]diazen)-1-ium-1,2-diolate (MAHMA-NO), results in an activation of the stress-activated p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38-MAPK) cascade as measured by the phosphorylation of the activator of transcription factor-2 (ATF2) in an immunocomplex kinase assay. Activation of the p38-MAPK cascade by a short stimulation (10 min) with the NO donor MAHMA-NO causes a large increase in ATF2 phosphorylation that is several times greater than that observed after stimulation with interleukin-1beta, a well-known activator of the p38-MAPK pathway. Time course studies reveal that MAHMA-NO causes rapid and maximal activation of p38-MAPK after 10 min of stimulation and that activation declines to basal levels within 60 min. The longer-lived NO donor spermine-NO causes a comparable rapid activation of the p38-MAPK pathway; however, the increased activation state of p38-MAPK was maintained for several hours before control values were reattained after 24 h of stimulation. Furthermore, the NO donors also activated the classical extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) p44-MAPK cascade as shown by phosphorylation of the specific substrate cytosolic phospholipase A2 in an immunocomplex kinase reaction. Both MAHMA-NO and spermine-NO cause a rapid activation of p44-MAPK after 10 min of stimulation. Interestingly, there is a second delayed peak of p44-MAPK activation after 4-24 h of stimulation with NO donors. These results suggest that there is a differential activation pattern for stress-activated and mitogen-activated protein kinases by NO and that the integration of these signals may lead to specific cell responses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8290969,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Idarubicin in the therapy of acute myeloid leukemia: final analysis in 57 previously untreated patients.\nFifty-seven previously untreated adult acute myeloid leukemia patients received idarubicin (IDA) in sequential combination with cytarabine as induction therapy; post-remission treatment included two courses of IDA and cytarabine alternating with two courses of VP-16 and cytarabine. As late intensification, patients received either high-dose cytarabine or, in 10 cases, autologous bone marrow transplantation. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 48 patients (84.2%), 41 after one induction course and seven after two courses. Median length of disease-free survival (DFS) was 26 months. Univariate analysis did not identify any of the investigated variables as having prognostic significance in predicting DFS. On the other hand, patients achieving CR after one induction course had a better DFS than those requiring two courses. Furthermore, the analysis of DFS slightly favors autologous bone marrow transplantation. In conclusion, the antileukemic activity of the present IDA protocol is testified by the high CR rate and by the possibility of minimizing the role of prognostic factors. The better outcome of patients achieving CR after one induction course further supports the opinion that the intensity of the induction treatment, offered by an agent as potent as IDA, might significantly influence DFS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29090315,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Illusory motion reveals velocity matching, not foveation, drives smooth pursuit of large objects.\nWhen small objects move in a scene, we keep them foveated with smooth pursuit eye movements. Although large objects such as people and animals are common, it is nonetheless unknown how we pursue them since they cannot be foveated. It might be that the brain calculates an object's centroid, and then centers the eyes on it during pursuit as a foveation mechanism might. Alternatively, the brain merely matches the velocity by motion integration. We test these alternatives with an illusory motion stimulus that translates at a speed different from its retinal motion. The stimulus was a Gabor array that translated at a fixed velocity, with component Gabors that drifted with motion consistent or inconsistent with the translation. Velocity matching predicts different pursuit behaviors across drift conditions, while centroid matching predicts no difference. We also tested whether pursuit can segregate and ignore irrelevant local drifts when motion and centroid information are consistent by surrounding the Gabors with solid frames. Finally, observers judged the global translational speed of the Gabors to determine whether smooth pursuit and motion perception share mechanisms. We found that consistent Gabor motion enhanced pursuit gain while inconsistent, opposite motion diminished it, drawing the eyes away from the center of the stimulus and supporting a motion-based pursuit drive. Catch-up saccades tended to counter the position offset, directing the eyes opposite to the deviation caused by the pursuit gain change. Surrounding the Gabors with visible frames canceled both the gain increase and the compensatory saccades. Perceived speed was modulated analogous to pursuit gain. The results suggest that smooth pursuit of large stimuli depends on the magnitude of integrated retinal motion information, not its retinal location, and that the position system might be unnecessary for generating smooth velocity to large pursuit targets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24594490,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Influence of ZnO nanowire array morphology on field emission characteristics.\nIn this work the growth and field emission properties of vertically aligned and spatially ordered and unordered ZnO nanowires are studied. Spatially ordered nanowire arrays of controlled array density are synthesized by both chemical bath deposition and vapour phase transport using an inverse nanosphere lithography technique, while spatially unordered arrays are synthesized by vapour phase transport without lithography. The field emission characteristics of arrays with 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 \u03bcm inter-wire distances, as well as unordered arrays, are examined, revealing that, within the range of values examined, field emission properties are mainly determined by variations in nanowire height, and show no correlation with nanowire array density. Related to this, we find that a significant variation in nanowire height in an array also leads to a reduction in catastrophic damage observed on samples during field emission because arrays with highly uniform heights are found to suffer significant arcing damage. We discuss these results in light of recent computational studies of comparable nanostructure arrays and find strong qualitative agreement between our results and the computational predictions. Hence the results presented in this work should be useful in informing the design of ZnO nanowire arrays in order to optimize their field emission characteristics generally.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12244936,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[ABC--DER TIP--STIMMT. Primary assessment of consciousness disorders].\nA unconscious patient produces fear for laymen and uncertainty for professionals. Because acute changes in consciousness, that means changes in alertness or thinking, are challenges for every physician. Therefore the assessment of a unconscious patient demand a structural action. In this paper a reliable procedure is proposed in three steps. As a mnemonic serves the sentence \"ABC (1st step)--DER TIP (2nd step)--STIMMT (3rd step)\". The first step contains the ABC, which is usual in emergency medicine. In the second step neurological and other disabilities are noticed. An in the third step one tries, related to the findings from step one and two as well as from further examinations (CCT, lumbal puncture, lab-examines, ...), to find potential reasons for the unconsciousness of a patient.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33770155,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Multimodal Imaging Characteristics of a Migrating Oropharyngeal-Spinal Foreign Body in a Cat.\nA 2.5 yr old female spayed domestic shorthair presented for acute tetraparesis, dull mentation, and fever. MRI and computed tomography identified a thin linear foreign body extending from the caudal nasopharynx through the atlanto-occipital joint and cervicomedullary junction. Signal changes within the musculature were consistent with myositis, edema, and abscessation. Inflammation and edema surrounded the foreign body, and a dorsal cervical myelopathy extended caudally to the level of C6. Computed tomography attenuation values of the foreign body were most consistent with plant material. Euthanasia was performed; postmortem dissection of the soft palate confirmed a plant stem with abscess.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10855991,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Fatal poisoning from Nicotiana glauca leaves: identification of anabasine by gas-chromatography\/mass spectrometry.\nDeath of a worker occurred after ingestion of unknown amounts of Nicotiana glauca G leaves. The leaves were cooked after having been mistakenly considered to be spices of a type which grow in Thailand. After ingestion, two Thai workers collapsed, one with asystolia. Resuscitation efforts were successful only for one of the victims. A GC\/MS method was used for the identification of anabasine as the main constituent in the leaves, food extract, blood, and the urine of the deceased. Lacking a standard, it was necessary to interpret the GC\/MS spectrum to identify anabasine and establish its presence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30165883,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"A systematic review of cognitive functioning in early treated adults with phenylketonuria.\nEven though early dietary management of phenylketonuria (PKU) successfully prevents severe neurological impairments, deficits in cognitive functioning are still observed. These deficits are believed to be the result of elevated levels of phenylalanine throughout life. Research on cognitive functioning in adults with PKU (AwPKU) often focuses on domains shown to be compromised in children with PKU, such as attention and executive functions, whereas other cognitive domains have received less attention. This systematic review aimed to provide an overview of cognitive functioning across domains examined in early treated (ET) AwPKU. A systematic search was performed in Ovid MEDLINE(R), PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scopus, Embase, ScienceDirect, and PubMed for observational studies on cognitive performance in ET AwPKU. Twenty-two peer-reviewed publications, reporting on outcomes from 16 studies were reviewed. Collectively, the results most consistently showed deficits in vigilance, working memory and motor skills. Deficits in other cognitive domains were less consistently observed or were understudied. Furthermore, despite reports of several associations between cognitive performance and phenylalanine (Phe) levels throughout life the relationship remains unclear. Inconsistencies in findings across studies could be explained by the highly heterogeneous nature of study samples, resulting in large inter- and intra-variability in Phe levels, as well as the use of a variety of tests across cognitive domains, which differ in sensitivity. The long-term cognitive outcomes of early and continuous management of PKU remain unclear. To better understand the development of cognitive deficits in ET AwPKU, future research would benefit from 1) (inter)national multicentre-studies; 2) more homogeneous study samples; 3) the inclusion of other nutritional measures that might influence cognitive functioning (e.g. Phe fluctuations, Phe:Tyrosine ratio and micronutrients such as vitamin B12); and 4) careful selection of appropriate cognitive tests.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8530647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Subjects with polycystic ovaries without hyperandrogenaemia exhibit similar disturbances in insulin and lipid profiles as those with polycystic ovary syndrome.\nPolycystic ovaries (PCO) are detected using ultrasonography in a proportion of women who do not have clinical symptoms of the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of this study was to compare the metabolic and endocrine differences between women with such ultrasound-detected PCO and women with PCOS, and to relate these changes to clinical presentation with particular reference to cycle irregularity. A group of 118 women showing PCO on vaginal ultrasound scan was divided into those who had no hyperandrogenaemia (n = 21) and those who had increased androgens and a clinical presentation normally associated with PCOS (n = 97). These were compared with a reference group of 26 normal subjects. Glucose tolerance, lipid concentrations and endocrine profiles were compared between groups. Apart from higher concentrations of androgens in the PCOS group, there were no significant differences between the PCO and PCOS groups in either fasting and stimulated insulin and glucose or in concentrations of sex hormone-binding globulin, gonadotrophins and blood lipids or in ovarian volume. Both PCO and PCOS subjects with cycle irregularity had significantly higher concentrations of serum fasting and stimulated insulin independent of androgens and body mass index than those with normal cycles. It was concluded that: (i) PCO and PCOS patients have equivalent disturbances in relation to insulin and glucose metabolism as well as lipid and lipoprotein disturbances compared to reference subjects; (ii) higher serum insulin values are associated with menstrual irregularity in both groups; (iii) ultrasound evidence for PCO predicts similar metabolic sequelae to PCOS and can therefore be used for studies of the genetics and long term risks for this condition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11148601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Influence of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy on serum levels of anti-beta 4 antibodies in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. A correlation with disease activity. A preliminary study.\nTo determine any correlation between activity of ocular cicatricial pemphigoid and titer of anti-beta 4 antibodies, and any effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy on serum levels of anti-beta 4 antibodies followed over a 12 month period, using the specific immunoblot assay (IBA). Eight patients diagnosed with OCP and treated with IVIg as monotherapy were included in the study. Each patient was treated with at least two immunosuppressive agents prior to the institution of IVIg. The presence of anti-beta 4 antibodies in the patients' sera was detected by IBA using bovine gingival lysate (BGL) or tumor cell line lysate (TCL) as substrates. The activity of OCP was graded based on the conjunctival injection using a scale of zero to four in increments of 0.5 at monthly intervals. To determine the correlation between serum levels of circulating autoantibody and the patients' conjunctival disease activity, the titer of anti-beta 4 antibodies was determined at monthly intervals during the course of IVIg therapy. Blood samples were drawn prior to administration of IVIg infusion. The titer was determined by IBA, using serial dilutions of the patients' sera. The highest dilution at which the binding was visible was considered the titer. The dose of IVIg administered was approximately 2-3 g\/kg\/cycle. The infusion cycles were initially given at monthly intervals, approximately 70 grams daily over four hours for three consecutive days. As clinical improvement was observed, the interval between the cycles was increased, but the dose of IVIg remained the same for each cycle. To study whether the IVIg has an effect on other antibodies, monthly serum levels of antibodies to tetanus toxoid were measured by ELISA. We observed a continuous decrease in mean monthly titer of circulating anti-beta 4 antibodies in the patients' sera during IVIg therapy. A decrease in conjunctival inflammation during the course of IVIg was documented by monthly examination in every patient and paralleled the decrease in titer of anti-beta 4 antibodies. Since the fifth month of IVIg therapy, the mean conjunctival inflammation remained less than 0.5, suggesting a clinical remission of OCP. Titers of antibodies to tetanus toxoid remained unchanged during the study period. This preliminary study demonstrates a correlation between serum titers of anti-beta 4 antibodies and clinical disease activity in patients with OCP. In addition, the study shows that the use of IVIg is associated with a decrease in the serum titer of anti-beta 4 antibodies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31141518,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Spatial registration of serial microscopic brain images to three-dimensional reference atlases with the QuickNII tool.\nModern high throughput brain wide profiling techniques for cells and their morphology, connectivity, and other properties, make the use of reference atlases with 3D coordinate frameworks essential. However, anatomical location of observations made in microscopic sectional images from rodent brains is typically determined by comparison with 2D anatomical reference atlases. A major challenge in this regard is that microscopic sections often are cut with orientations deviating from the standard planes used in the reference atlases, resulting in inaccuracies and a need for tedious correction steps. Overall, efficient tools for registration of large series of section images to reference atlases are currently not widely available. Here we present QuickNII, a stand-alone software tool for semi-automated affine spatial registration of sectional image data to a 3D reference atlas coordinate framework. A key feature in the tool is the capability to generate user defined cut planes through the reference atlas, matching the orientation of the cut plane of the sectional image data. The reference atlas is transformed to match anatomical landmarks in the corresponding experimental images. In this way, the spatial relationship between experimental image and atlas is defined, without introducing distortions in the original experimental images. Following anchoring of a limited number of sections containing key landmarks, transformations are propagated across the entire series of sectional images to reduce the amount of manual steps required. By having coordinates assigned to the experimental images, further analysis of the distribution of features extracted from the images is greatly facilitated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21900069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Vesicoureteral reflux in children: a phantom study of microwave heating and radiometric thermometry of pediatric bladder.\nWe have investigated the use of microwave heating and radiometry to safely heat urine inside a pediatric bladder. The medical application for this research is to create a safe and reliable method to detect vesicoureteral reflux, a pediatric disorder, where urine flow is reversed and flows from the bladder back up into the kidney. Using fat and muscle tissue models, we have performed both experimental and numerical simulations of a pediatric bladder model using planar dual concentric conductor microstrip antennas at 915 MHz for microwave heating. A planar elliptical antenna connected to a 500 MHz bandwidth microwave radiometer centered at 3.5 GHz was used for noninvasive temperature measurement inside tissue. Temperatures were measured in the phantom models at points during the experiment with implanted fiberoptic sensors, and 2-D distributions in cut planes at depth in the phantom with an infrared camera at the end of the experiment. Cycling between 20 s with 20 Watts power for heating, and 10 s without power to allow for undisturbed microwave radiometry measurements, the experimental results show that the target tissue temperature inside the phantom increases fast and that the radiometer provides useful measurements of spatially averaged temperature of the illuminated volume. The presented numerical and experimental results show excellent concordance, which confirms that the proposed system for microwave heating and radiometry is applicable for safe and reliable heating of pediatric bladder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11830837,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Antibiotics and dentistry].\nThe prescription of antibiotics in the dental office should be balanced against the possible side effects. For prophylactic use in selected cases, advice is given with regard to the choice of the antibiotics, the oral dosage and the time period.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19744580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Neuromuscular adaptations to respiratory muscle inactivity.\nCervical spinal cord injury results in significant functional impairment. It is important to understand the neuroplasticity in response to inactivity of respiratory muscles in order to prevent any associated effects that limit functional recovery. Recent studies have examined the mechanisms involved in inactivity-induced neuroplasticity of diaphragm motor units. Both spinal hemisection at C2 (C2HS) and tetrodotoxin (TTX)-induced phrenic nerve blockade result in diaphragm paralysis and inactivity of axon terminals. However, phrenic motoneurons are inactive with C2HS but remain active after TTX. Diaphragm muscle fibers ipsilateral to C2HS display minimal changes post-injury. Neuromuscular transmission is enhanced following C2HS but impaired following TTX. Synaptic vesicle pool size at diaphragm neuromuscular junctions increases after C2HS, but decreases after TTX. Thus, inactivity-induced neuromuscular plasticity reflects specific adaptations that depend on inactivity at the motoneuron rather than at axon terminals or muscle fibers. These results indicate that neuromuscular transmission and functional properties of diaphragm fibers can be maintained after spinal cord injury, providing a substrate for functional recovery and\/or specific therapeutic approaches such as phrenic pacing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21224400,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"MicroRNA 376c enhances ovarian cancer cell survival by targeting activin receptor-like kinase 7: implications for chemoresistance.\nMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that have important roles in gene regulation. We have previously reported that activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7) and its ligand, Nodal, induce apoptosis in human epithelial ovarian cancer cells. In this study, we examined the regulation of ALK7 by miRNAs and demonstrate that miR-376c targets ALK7. Ectopic expression of miR-376c significantly increased cell proliferation and survival, enhanced spheroid formation and blocked Nodal-induced apoptosis. Interestingly, overexpression of miR-376c blocked cisplatin-induced cell death, whereas anti-miR-376c enhanced the effect of cisplatin. These effects of miR-376c were partially compensated by the overexpression of ALK7. Moreover, in serous carcinoma samples taken from ovarian cancer patients who responded well to chemotherapy, strong ALK7 staining and low miR-376c expression was detected. By contrast, ALK7 expression was weak and miR-376c levels were high in samples from patients who responded poorly to chemotherapy. Finally, treatment with cisplatin led to an increase in expression of mRNA encoding Nodal and ALK7 but a decrease in miR-376c levels. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the Nodal-ALK7 pathway is involved in cisplatin-induced cell death in ovarian cancer cells and that miR-376c enhances proliferation, survival and chemoresistance by targeting, at least in part, ALK7.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32849106,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Lucid Dreaming Brain Network Based on Tholey's 7 Klartraum Criteria.\nLucid dreaming refers to a dream state characterized by the dreamers' awareness of being in a dream and being able to volitionally control its content. The aim of this study was to describe and model neurophysiological evidence for the seven awareness criteria of lucid dreaming based on those proposed by Paul Tholey. Each of the awareness criteria was analyzed separately with regard to its underlying neurocircuits. We hypothesized that not one, but several regions are involved in the state of lucid dreaming. Our results have shown a satisfactory overlap of the awareness criteria and the brain regions activated. During lucid dreaming, a brain network seems to emerge, that is something other than the sum of its parts. Further research is needed to understand the psychoneurological underpinnings of lucid dreams.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26788358,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"TNF\u03b1 inhibitor induced lupus-like syndrome (TAILS) in a patient with IBD.\nIn patients with autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel diseases there has been reported a drug-induced lupus like syndrome secondary to TNF\u03b1 inhibitors. clinical case presentation and literature review of patients who develop lupus-like syndrome in relation to TNF\u03b1 antagonists and their future therapeutic options. we report the case of a 27-year old woman with colonic Crohn's disease on combo-therapy (infliximab+azathioprine) for nearly two years who developed peripheral arthritis and malar rash in the context of TAILS. our patient had positive anti-nuclear antibody, arthritis, malar rash, anemia and leukopenia. Her symptomes remited after discontinuation of infliximab and subsequently she started adalimumab for her Crohn's colitis; more than a year after switching between TNF\u03b1 inhibitor molecules and stopping azathioprine she is feeling very well. TAILS is a rare condition described in the literature that can affect 0.5-1% of individuals, more often in association with etanercept and infliximab. Several pathogenic routes have been incriminated in the apparition of this syndrome there is still no definite mechanism up to date. Management options include discontinuation of the drug, corticosteroids, hydroxycloroquine sulfate and switching for other immunosupressives. TAILS can appear even a long time after first exposure to TNF\u03b1 antagonists. In our case, the association with azathioprine was not a primary prophylactic solution.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22053067,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The RCPCH care pathway for children at risk of anaphylaxis: an evidence and consensus based national approach to caring for children with life-threatening allergies.\nNumerous studies have identified shortcomings in the management of children at risk of severe acute allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). The Science and Research Department at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) was commissioned by the Department of Health to develop competence based national care pathways for children with allergies. Anaphylaxis is the first completed pathway. The anaphylaxis pathway was developed by a multidisciplinary working group, reviewed by a broad group of stakeholders and approved by the Allergy Care Pathways Project Board and the RCPCH Clinical Standards Committee. Pathway development is described under five headings: evidence review, mapping, external review, core knowledge documents and key recommendations. The full pathway can be downloaded from www.rcpch.ac.uk\/allergy\/anaphylaxis. This document describes the entry points and the ideal pathway of care from self-care through to follow-up. The five key recommendations focus on: (1) prompt administration of adrenaline by intramuscular injection; (2) referral to specialists with competence in paediatric allergies; (3) risk analysis; (4) provision of a self-management plan; and (5) suggested creation of a national anaphylaxis death register. We present the first national care pathway for anaphylaxis, which is based on a critique of published evidence, expert consensus and multi-stakeholder input including patient representation via the Anaphylaxis Campaign. The Project Board urges health professionals to work together across networks to improve care for children at risk of anaphylaxis, in particular during the period after an acute reaction. Additionally, the Project Board strongly recommends the funding of a national anaphylaxis register.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38132728,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Blood Serum Stimulates the Virulence Potential of Mucorales through Enhancement in Mitochondrial Oxidative Metabolism and Rhizoferrin Production.\nThis study analyzed the role of blood serum in enhancing the mitochondrial metabolism and virulence of Mucorales through rhizoferrin secretion. We observed that the spores of clinically relevant Mucorales produced in the presence of serum exhibited higher virulence in a heterologous infection model of Galleria mellonella. Cell-free supernatants of the culture broth obtained from spores produced in serum showed increased toxicity against Caenorhabditis elegans, which was linked with the enhanced secretion of rhizoferrin. Spores from Mucoralean species produced or germinated in serum showed increased respiration rates and reactive oxygen species levels. The addition of non-lethal concentrations of potassium cyanide and N-acetylcysteine during the aerobic or anaerobic growth of Mucorales decreased the toxicity of the cell-free supernatants of the culture broth, suggesting that mitochondrial metabolism is important for serum-induced virulence. In support of this hypothesis, a mutant strain of Mucor lusitanicus that lacks fermentation and solely relies on oxidative metabolism exhibited virulence levels comparable to those of the wild-type strain under serum-induced conditions. Contrary to the lower virulence observed, even in the serum, the ADP-ribosylation factor-like 2 deletion strain exhibited decreased mitochondrial activity. Moreover, spores produced in the serum of M. lusitanicus and Rhizopus arrhizus that grew in the presence of a mitophagy inducer showed low virulence. These results suggest that serum-induced mitochondrial activity increases rhizoferrin levels, making Mucorales more virulent.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11434281,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The power of size. 1. Rate constants and equilibrium ratios for accumulation of organic substances related to octanol-water partition ratio and species weight.\nMost of the thousands of substances and species that risk assessment has to deal with are not investigated empirically because of financial, practical, and ethical constraints. To facilitate extrapolation, we have developed a model for accumulation kinetics of organic substances as a function of the octanol-water partition ratio (Kow) of the chemical and the weight, lipid content, and trophic level of the species. The ecological parameters were obtained from a previous review on allometric regressions. The chemical parameters, that is, resistances that substances encounter in water and lipid layers of organisms, were calibrated on 1,939 rate constants for absorption from water for assimilation from food and for elimination. Their ratio was validated on 37 laboratory bioconcentration and biomagnification regressions and on 2,700 field bioaccumulation data. The rate constant for absorption increased with the hydrophobicity of the substances with a Kow up to about 1,000 and then leveled off, decreasing with the weight of the species. About 39% of the variation was explained by the model, while deviations of more than a factor of 5 were noted for labile, large, and less hydrophobic molecules as well as for algae, mollusks, and arthropods. The efficiency for assimilation of contaminants from food was determined mainly by the food digestibility and thus by the trophic level of the species. A distinction was made between substances that are stable, that is, with a minimum elimination only, and those that are labile, that is, with an excess elimination probably largely due to biotransformation. The rate constant for minimum elimination decreased with the hydrophobicity of the substance and the weight of the species. About 70% of the variation was explained by the model, while deviations of more than a factor of 5 were noted for algae, terrestrial plants, and benthic animals. Labile substances were eliminated faster than isolipophilic stable compounds, but differences in laboratory elimination and accumulation were small compared with those in field accumulation. Excess elimination by vertebrates was faster than by invertebrates. Differences between terrestrial and aquatic species were attributed to water turnover rates, whereas differences between trophic levels were due to the food digestibility. Food web accumulation, expressed as organism-organic solids and organism-food concentrations ratios could be largely explained by ecological variables only. The model is believed to facilitate various types of scientific interpretation as well as environmental risk assessment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27715056,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Photogeneration and Mobility of Charge Carriers in Atomically Thin Colloidal InSe Nanosheets Probed by Ultrafast Terahertz Spectroscopy.\nThe implementation of next generation ultrathin electronics by applying highly promising dimensionality-dependent physical properties of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors is ever increasing. In this context, the van der Waals layered semiconductor InSe has proven its potential as photodetecting material with high charge carrier mobility. We have determined the photogeneration charge carrier quantum yield and mobility in atomically thin colloidal InSe nanosheets (inorganic layer thickness 0.8-1.7 nm, mono\/double-layers, \u2264 5 nm including ligands) by ultrafast transient terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. A near unity quantum yield of free charge carriers is determined for low photoexcitation density. The charge carrier quantum yield decreases at higher excitation density due to recombination of electrons and holes, leading to the formation of neutral excitons. In the THz frequency domain, we probe a charge mobility as high as 20 \u00b1 2 cm2\/(V s). The THz mobility is similar to field-effect transistor mobilities extracted from unmodified exfoliated thin InSe devices. The current work provides the first results on charge carrier dynamics in ultrathin colloidal InSe nanosheets.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9420045,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Cloning and characterization of a novel macrolide efflux gene, mreA, from Streptococcus agalactiae.\nA strain of Streptococcus agalactiae displayed resistance to 14-, 15-, and 16-membered macrolides. In PCR assays, total genomic DNA from this strain contained neither erm nor mef genes. EcoRI-digested genomic DNA from this strain was cloned into lambda Zap II to construct a library of S. agalactiae genomic DNA. A clone, pAES63, expressing resistance to erythromycin, azithromycin, and spiramycin in Escherichia coli was recovered. Deletion derivatives of pAES63 which defined a functional region on this clone that encoded resistance to 14- and 15-membered, but not 16-membered, macrolides were produced. Studies that determined the levels of incorporation of radiolabelled erythromycin into E. coli were consistent with the presence of a macrolide efflux determinant. This putative efflux determinant was distinct from the recently described Mef pump in Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus pneumoniae and from the multicomponent MsrA pump in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci. Its gene has been designated mreA (for macrolide resistance efflux).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24465438,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"B vitamin and\/or n-3 fatty acid supplementation and health-related quality of life: ancillary findings from the SU.FOL.OM3 randomized trial.\nDespite growing attention to nutrition and quality of life in cardiovascular disease survivors, the impact of dietary factors according to disease type or to quality of life domain is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of B vitamin and\/or n-3 fatty acid supplementation on health-related quality of life among survivors of stroke, myocardial infarction, or unstable angina. We performed ancillary analyses of the SU.FOL.OM3 trial (2003-2009; France). In total, 2,501 men (mean age = 61 y) and women (mean age = 63 y) were randomized in a 2\u00d72 factorial design to: 1) 0.56 mg 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, 3 mg vitamin B6, 0.02 mg vitamin B12; 2) 600 mg eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in a 2\u22361 ratio; 3) B vitamins and n-3 fatty acids combined; or 4) placebo. Health-related quality of life was evaluated at follow-up with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Data from 2,029 individuals were used in this analysis. After 3.1\u00b10.4 y, no effects of supplementation with either B vitamins or n-3 fatty acids on quality of life (physical or mental health domains) were found. However, participants receiving B vitamins had slightly more activity limitations due to emotional problems compared with those not receiving B vitamins (mean difference = 3.8; 95% CI: 0.4, 7.1). A significant interaction of treatment by prior disease revealed an inverse association between n-3 fatty acids and vitality among myocardial infarction survivors (mean difference = 2.9; 95% CI: 0.5, 5.2). There were no beneficial effects of supplementation with relatively low doses of B vitamins or n-3 fatty acids on health-related quality of life in cardiovascular disease survivors. The adverse effects of B vitamins on activity limitations and of n-3 fatty acids on vitality among individuals with prior myocardial infarction merit confirmation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33852990,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Age dependency and lateralization in the three branches of the human superior longitudinal fasciculus.\nThe superior longitudinal fascicle\/fasciculus (SLF) is a major white matter tract connecting the frontal and parietal cortices in humans. Although the SLF has often been analyzed as a single entity, several studies have reported that the SLF is segregated into three distinct branches (SLF I, II, and III). They have also reported the right lateralization of the SLF III volume and discussed its relationship with lateralized cortical functions in the fronto-parietal network. However, to date, the homogeneity or heterogeneity of the age dependency and lateralization properties of SLF branches have not been fully clarified. Through this study, we aimed to clarify the age dependency and lateralization of SLF I-III by analyzing diffusion-weighted MRI (dMRI) and quantitative R1 (qR1) map datasets collected from a wide range of age groups, mostly comprising right-handed children, adolescents, adults, and seniors (6 to 81 years old). The age dependency in dMRI measurement (fractional anisotropy, FA) was heterogeneous among the three SLF branches, suggesting that these branches are regulated by distinct developmental and aging processes. Lateralization analysis on SLF branches revealed that the right SLF III was larger than the left SLF III in adults, replicating previous reports. FA measurement also suggested that, in addition to SLF III, SLF II was lateralized to the right hemisphere in adolescents and adults. We further found a left lateralization of SLF I in qR1 data, a microstructural measurement sensitive to myelin levels, in adults. These findings suggest that the SLF sub-bundles are distinct entities in terms of age dependency and lateralization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27358123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Co-suppression of vitamin C composite nano-drug carrier and its drug delivery to nidus in tumor cells.\nThis study aimed to discuss the co-suppression of vitamin C-contained composite nano-drug carrier and its drug delivery to nidus in tumor cells. Amphiphilic polymers PLA-block-PAAA and block polymer PLA-PEG4000-Maleimide, PLA-block-PAAA and PLA-PEG4000-Maleimide composite nano-micelles were prepared, and, PLA-block-PAAA polymer-coated Nile red nano-micelle, PLA-block-PAA and PLA-PEG4000-Maleimide composite nano-micelles as well as paclitaxel-carrying composite nano-micelle in different molar ratios were given stability tests. Lastly, PLA-block-PAAA and PLA-PEG4000-Maleimide composite nano-micelle cancer cells and paclitaxel-carrying composite nano-micelle cancer cells were given toxicity tests. Stability tests showed that self stability of PLA-block-PAAA (63\/8) nano-micelle was not sufficient; the stability was good when the molar ratio of PLA-block-PAAA and PLA-PEG4000-Maleimide composite nano-micelle was 3:1; paclitaxel-carrying composite nano-micelle had good stability within 48 hours; PAAA segment had an inhibiting effect on C6 cancer cells and paclitaxel-carrying composite nano-micelle had a strong inhibiting effect also on tumors. After 24 hours, with the continuous release of paclitaxel, the tumor inhibiting effect of paclitaxel-carrying composite nano-micelle enhanced gradually, and the controlled-release of drugs had continuous inhibiting effect on tumor cells. Therefore, PAAA segment and paclitaxel had time-postponed synergistic effect. In conclusion, vitamin C-contained composite nanometer drug carrier materials can deliver anti-cancer drugs to nidus and thus inhibit tumor cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32516775,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Clinical Outcome in Patients with Carcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction Treated with Neoadjuvant Radiochemotherapy or Perioperative Chemotherapy: A Two-Center Retrospective Analysis.\nAdenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) is a rare but rising tumor entity in the Western world. Treatment is complex, as multimodality is key to optimal results. However, trials solely including AEG are rare, and the question if neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (NRCT) or neoadjuvant\/perioperative chemotherapy (NACT) is superior remains unanswered. Patients with AEG I-III treated between October 2010 and August 2019 at the Ordensklinikum Linz or the Kepler University Hospital were identified either from a monitored tumor registry or by chart review. Time-to-event data were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier product limit estimation. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Fisher's exact test were used for comparing continuous and categorical data, respectively. A total of 85 patients (median age 63 years; median Charlson Comorbidity Index 3; 98.8% ECOG PS 0-1) were analyzed. Of these, 52 patients received NRCT (81% CROSS protocol) and 33 NACT (65% EOX and 35% FLOT protocol). There was a significantly higher pathological complete response rate in the NRCT group (30 vs. 12%; p = 0.010); distant relapse rates were higher in the NRCT group and local relapse rates were higher in the NACT group (both not significant). These differences, however, did not translate into a different disease-free survival (20 months; 95% CI: 13-34) or overall survival (44 months; 95% CI: 33-NA). Patients >65 years old had the same advantage from treatment as patients <65 years of age. Although treatment of AEG is complex, the progress documented over the last centuries can be reproduced in our real-life setting. Data regarding the superiority of either type of neoadjuvant\/perioperative treatment are sparse. We assume no difference between EOX-based NACT and NRCT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12515931,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Amniotic membrane transplantation in severe corneal epithelial diseases. Preliminary results].\nTo evaluate amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) in severe corneal epithelial diseases. Amniotic membrane transplantation was performed in 14 eyes of 14 patients from four groups: A, five severe ocular burns; B, four cases of cicatricial keratoconjunctivitis; C, three persistent epithelial defects after penetrating keratoplasty; D, two cases of pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. Five patients underwent AMT alone; two patients underwent AMT combined with limbal transplantation; the other three patients had limbal transplantation performed before AMT. Eight patients required combined penetrating keratoplasty. Patients with corneal stable reepithelialization, no corneal neovascularization, and no recurrence of the initial pathology were considered successful. The mean follow-up was 7+\/-3 months. All but three patients underwent corneal reepithelialization within 6 weeks of AMT, with a mean healing time of 31+\/-23 days. The success rate was 75% at 6 months (Kaplan-Meier method). Three of four procedures in group B failed. In eight patients, visual acuity improved, in one it worsened, and in the last five patients it remained unchanged. Visual acuity increased by an average of 7+\/-9 lines. AMT is a useful technique for ocular surface reconstruction, especially in association with limbal transplantation. It could also improve the prognosis of penetrating keratoplasty in patients with severe corneal conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1418273,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The three-group metaphase as a morphologic indicator of high-ploidy cells in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.\nThere is a need for additional morphologic criteria to improve the value of histologic classification for the prediction of the biologic behavior of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Representative slides from 72 cone specimens containing CIN were examined to study the correlation between the presence of three group metaphases (TGMs), a morphologically well defined and light microscopically readily recognizable atypical mitotic figure, and the incidence of aneuploid cells with a nuclear DNA content greater than 5C. The numbers of cells greater than 5C (minus the polyploid cells 8C +\/- 1C) were counted, using LEYTAS image cytometry on Cytospin preparations from the 72 blocks corresponding to the slides searched for TGMs and used for histologic classification of the lesions in classes CIN 1-3. It appeared that large numbers of aneuploid cells greater than 5C were more closely related to the presence of TGM than to a higher CIN class per se, particularly in women older than 35. Since aneuploid CIN has a higher progression rate than euploid CIN, the presence of TGMs will indicate a biologically unfavorable lesion. Thus, TGM deserves further investigation as an additional morphologic parameter for predicting the biologic behavior of CIN.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29375490,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Negative Effects of KPN00353 on Glycerol Kinase and Microaerobic 1,3-Propanediol Production in Klebsiella pneumoniae.\n1,3-Propanediol (1,3-PD) is a valuable chemical intermediate in the synthesis of polyesters, polyethers, and polyurethanes, which have applications in various products such as cloth, bottles, films, tarpaulins, canoes, foam seals, high-resilience foam seating, and surface coatings. Klebsiella pneumoniae can produce 1,3-PD from glycerol. In this study, KPN00353, an EIIA homologue in the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP):carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS), was found to play a negative regulatory role in 1,3-PD production under microaerobic conditions via binding to glycerol kinase (GlpK). The primary sequence of KPN00353 is similar to those of the fructose-mannitol EIIA (EIIFru and EIIAMtl) family. The interaction between KPN00353 and GlpK resulted in inhibition of the synthesis of glycerol-3-phosphate (G3P) and correlated with reductions in glycerol uptake and the production of 1,3-PD. Based on structure modeling, we conclude that residue H65 of KPN00353 plays an important role in the interaction with GlpK. We mutated this histidine residue to aspartate, glutamate, arginine and glutamine to assess the effects of each KPN00353 variant on the interaction with GlpK, on the synthesis of G3P and on the production of 1,3-PD. Our results illuminate the role of KPN00353 in 1,3-PD production by K. pneumoniae under microaerobic conditions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30714078,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Novel Approaches for Treating Pain in Children.\nGood pain management in children, especially those at end of life, is a crucial component of palliative medicine. The current review assesses some of the new and\/or innovative ways to manage pain in children. The article focuses on some recent medications\/pharmaceutical options such as cannabinoids and also innovative ways to administer medication to children, such as intranasal and inhalation. Current approaches to pain management now include (1) new uses of old drugs such as ketamine and lidocaine, (2) use of new drugs\/medications such as cannabinoids, and (3) creative use of old technology such as atomizers, intranasal drops, and inhalation. Typically, novel approaches to care rarely start in pediatrics or palliative care. The current review has presented some new and old drugs being utilized in new and old ways.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8387428,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Cytokine regulation of group II phospholipase A2 expression in glomerular mesangial cells.\nPhospholipase A2 (PLA2) is believed to play an essential role in inflammatory processes by releasing arachidonic acid from membrane phospholipids for synthesis of important lipid mediators, such as prostaglandins, leukotrienes and platelet activating factor. We have used glomerular mesangial cells as a model system to study the regulation of PLA2 under inflammatory conditions. Potent pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 1 (IL-1) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), as well as agents that increase cellular cAMP levels have been found to increase Group II PLA2 gene expression in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In all cases cytokine-induced synthesis of PLA2 occurred in parallel with cytokine-stimulated prostaglandin (PG) E2 synthesis. Three important classes of compounds that potently antagonise the stimulatory effect of IL-1, TNF alpha and cAMP on Group II PLA2 expression in mesangial cells have been identified, namely, glucocorticoids, transforming growth factors (TGF) type-beta and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Those agents may act sequentially to protect the kidney from damage resulting from cytokine-stimulated mediator release and the subsequent inflammatory reactions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30859187,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Vascular access in children requiring maintenance haemodialysis: a consensus document by the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology Dialysis Working Group.\nThere are three principle forms of vascular access available for the treatment of children with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) by haemodialysis: tunnelled catheters placed in a central vein (central venous lines, CVLs), arteriovenous fistulas (AVF), and arteriovenous grafts (AVG) using prosthetic or biological material. Compared with the adult literature, there are few studies in children to provide evidence based guidelines for optimal vascular access type or its management and outcomes in children with ESKD. The European Society for Paediatric Nephrology Dialysis Working Group (ESPN Dialysis WG) have developed recommendations for the choice of access type, pre-operative evaluation, monitoring, and prevention and management of complications of different access types in children with ESKD. For adults with ESKD on haemodialysis, the principle of \"Fistula First\" has been key to changing the attitude to vascular access for haemodialysis. However, data from multiple observational studies and the International Paediatric Haemodialysis Network registry suggest that CVLs are associated with a significantly higher rate of infections and access dysfunction, and need for access replacement. Despite this, AVFs are used in only \u223c25% of children on haemodialysis. It is important to provide the right access for the right patient at the right time in their life-course of renal replacement therapy, with an emphasis on venous preservation at all times. While AVFs may not be suitable in the very young or those with an anticipated short dialysis course before transplantation, many paediatric studies have shown that AVFs are superior to CVLs. Here we present clinical practice recommendations for AVFs and CVLs in children with ESKD. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system has been used to develop and GRADE the recommendations. In the absence of high quality evidence, the opinion of experts from the ESPN Dialysis WG is provided, but is clearly GRADE-ed as such and must be carefully considered by the treating physician, and adapted to local expertise and individual patient needs as appropriate.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24278839,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Kampo Extract of Shinbuto Improved Refractory Diarrhea in Milroy's Disease.\nMilroy's disease is a hereditary congenital lymphedema caused by lymphatic obstruction. The legs are most commonly affected, but impaired intestinal lymphatic flow can cause loose bowel movements. Here, we report the use of the Kampo extract of shinbuto for successful treatment of and abdominal pain in a patient with Milroy's disease. Milroy's disease was diagnosed because of left leg lymph-edema with onset at birth. Conservative therapy with a compression bandage was applied. However, when the patient moved to Manila at 35 years of age, she was exposed to drastic temperature changes between the air-conditioned cold environment in her room and the hot and humid environment outside. She developed a constitutional state of coldness as in hiesho (\u3048). Then sudden lower abdominal pain and diarrhea began to occur 3 times per week and lasted at least 1 hour, sometimes accompanied by vomiting. It happened particularly when she was exposed to the cold environment and was not related to meals. Conventional anti-cholinergic or antidiarrhetic drugs had no therapeutic effect. These attacks continued in the same frequency for 3 years, so the patient visited a Kampo (traditional Japanese medicine) clinic, where her diagnosis of Milroy's disease-associated diarrhea and abdominal pain was augmented by the Kampo diagnosis of hiesho, suitai (body fluid retention). She was prescribed 7.5 g of shinbuto extract per day (TJ-30; Tsumura Co, Tokyo, Japan). The shinbuto extract significantly reduced abdominal pain and refractory diarrhea to about 2 days per month, and it tapered off completely in 3 months. Shinbuto is usually used against cold-induced diarrhea. Rewarming and water movement by shinbuto resulted in significant improvement in symptoms induced by hiesho and suitai triggered by the cold environment, though the patient's leg swelling did not change.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36830784,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Homogeneous Azorean Machado-Joseph Disease Cohort: Characterization and Contributions to Advances in Research.\nMachado-Joseph disease (MJD)\/spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is the most common autosomal dominant ataxia worldwide. MJD is characterized by late-onset progressive cerebellar ataxia associated with variable clinical findings, including pyramidal signs and a dystonic-rigid extrapyramidal syndrome. In the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, the worldwide population cluster for this disorder (prevalence of 39 in 100,000 inhabitants), a cohort of MJD mutation carriers belonging to extensively studied pedigrees has been followed since the late 1990s. Studies of the homogeneous Azorean MJD cohort have been contributing crucial information to the natural history of this disease as well as allowing the identification of novel molecular biomarkers. Moreover, as interventional studies for this globally rare and yet untreatable disease are emerging, this cohort should be even more important for the recruitment of trial participants. In this paper, we profile the Azorean cohort of MJD carriers, constituted at baseline by 20 pre-ataxic carriers and 52 patients, which currently integrates the European spinocerebellar ataxia type 3\/Machado-Joseph disease Initiative (ESMI), a large European longitudinal MJD cohort. Moreover, we summarize the main studies based on this cohort and highlight the contributions made to advances in MJD research. Knowledge of the profile of the Azorean MJD cohort is not only important in the context of emergent interventional trials but is also pertinent for the implementation of adequate interventional measures, constituting relevant information for Lay Associations and providing data to guide healthcare decision makers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17803274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Ruthenium catalyzed decarbonylative arylation at sp3 carbon centers in pyrrolidine and piperidine heterocycles.\nThis paper describes the development of a new catalytic transformation, the ruthenium-catalyzed decarbonylative arylation of cyclic 2-amino esters, which replaces the ester group with an aryl ring at the sp3 carbon center. For example, proline ester amidine 1 is converted to 2-arylpyrrolidine 3 in the presence of arylboronic acids or esters as arene donors and Ru(3)(CO)(12) as the catalyst. This process provides a rapid access to a variety of 2-arylpyrrolidines and piperidines from commercially available proline, hydroxyproline, and pipecolinate esters. The examination of the substrate scope also showed that many arene boronic acids and boronate esters serve as coupling partners. The high chemoselectivity of this process was demonstrated and ascribed to the significant rate difference between the decarbonylative arylation and the C-H arylation. The decarbonylative arylation complements the C-H arylation, since the latter process lacks control over the extent of functionalization, affording a mixture of mono- and bis-arylpyrrolidines. When applied in tandem, these two processes provide 2,5-diarylpyrrolidines in two steps from the corresponding proline esters. It was also demonstrated that the required amidine or iminocarbamate directing group fulfills two major functions: first, it is essential for the ester activation step, which occurs via the coordination-assisted metal insertion into the acyl C-O bond; second, it facilitates the decarbonylation, via the stabilization of a metallacycle intermediate, assuring the formation of the 2-arylated products instead of the corresponding ketones observed before by others.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26483168,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Diabetes diagnosis and nutrition facts label use among US adults, 2005-2010.\nTo assess the role of diabetes diagnosis as a potential teachable moment in nutrition facts label use among US adults. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between diabetes diagnosis status (diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, diagnosed prediabetes, undiagnosed prediabetes, no diabetes or prediabetes) and self-reported nutrition facts label use, adjusted by individual characteristics and survey design. Study sample came from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2010 waves. A total of 5110 US adults aged 20 years and older were included in the analyses. Diabetes\/prediabetes was identified by fasting plasma glucose and glycated Hb testing. People with diagnosed diabetes\/prediabetes were substantially more likely to report nutrition facts label use when making daily food purchase decisions compared with those with undiagnosed diabetes\/prediabetes, whereas the prevalence of nutrition facts label use was similar between people with undiagnosed diabetes\/prediabetes and those without diabetes\/prediabetes. The adjusted prevalence (95 % CI) of any and regular nutrition facts label use was 85\u00b793 (82\u00b791, 88\u00b795) % and 55\u00b760 (50\u00b704, 61\u00b716) % among those with diagnosed diabetes, respectively, in comparison to 71\u00b750 (59\u00b764, 83\u00b737) % and 32\u00b788 (19\u00b711, 46\u00b765) % among those with undiagnosed diabetes. Analogously, the adjusted prevalence (95 % CI) of any and regular nutrition facts label use was 81\u00b716 (75\u00b727, 87\u00b706) % and 45\u00b728 (37\u00b728, 53\u00b729) % among those with diagnosed prediabetes, respectively, in comparison to 72\u00b783 (68\u00b706, 77\u00b759) % and 39\u00b795 (34\u00b702, 45\u00b789) % among those with undiagnosed prediabetes. As a potential teachable moment, diabetes diagnosis may positively impact nutrition facts label use and motivate diabetic patients to manage their condition through making healthier food choices.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36472138,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Adherence With Oral Anticancer Therapies: Clinical Trial vs Real-world Experiences With a Focus on Prostate Cancer.\nIn this review, we address adherence rates in clinical settings, barriers to compliance with dosing schedules, and potential strategies to overcome challenges in maintaining high levels of adherence. Four studies reporting real-world adherence to prostate cancer medications, 52 studies describing barriers to adherence, and 16 studies on methods to minimize poor adherence were reviewed. Mean nonadherence rates of 25% to 51% have been identified in prostate cancer patients prescribed oral therapies, with higher rates in older patients. An extensive review of prostate cancer patients receiving gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone agonist injections found an overall nonadherence rate of over 27%. Patients may encounter barriers to complying with dosing instructions related to the medication (eg, complex dosing schedules, the total burden of medication management, fasting or dietary requirements, high medication costs, adverse effects, and drug-drug interactions). Barriers may also be related to patient-specific factors (eg, suboptimal education regarding the importance of adherence, physical limitations and cognitive decline associated with advancing age, living alone without a care partner, high symptom burden, needle phobia, and comorbid mental disorders). Interventions to improve dosing adherence may include automated reminders, treatment diaries, educational materials, and the involvement of patients, family members, care partners, and health care teams. Many oral anticancer medications improve survival in men with prostate cancer, and therefore it is vital to establish good adherence by understanding the pitfalls that patients may encounter. In situations where both oral and injectable drugs are interchangeable, injections of long-acting drugs lead to fewer opportunities for dosing nonadherence than oral therapies. In contrast, oral medicines do not require scheduling for injections and travel for injection appointments. Therefore, maximizing adherence to all treatment regimens will reduce the chance of efficacy failures and likely lead to improved clinical outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26147342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Stronger Neural Modulation by Visual Motion Intensity in Autism Spectrum Disorders.\nTheories of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have focused on altered perceptual integration of sensory features as a possible core deficit. Yet, there is little understanding of the neuronal processing of elementary sensory features in ASD. For typically developed individuals, we previously established a direct link between frequency-specific neural activity and the intensity of a specific sensory feature: Gamma-band activity in the visual cortex increased approximately linearly with the strength of visual motion. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we investigated whether in individuals with ASD neural activity reflect the coherence, and thus intensity, of visual motion in a similar fashion. Thirteen adult participants with ASD and 14 control participants performed a motion direction discrimination task with increasing levels of motion coherence. A polynomial regression analysis revealed that gamma-band power increased significantly stronger with motion coherence in ASD compared to controls, suggesting excessive visual activation with increasing stimulus intensity originating from motion-responsive visual areas V3, V6 and hMT\/V5. Enhanced neural responses with increasing stimulus intensity suggest an enhanced response gain in ASD. Response gain is controlled by excitatory-inhibitory interactions, which also drive high-frequency oscillations in the gamma-band. Thus, our data suggest that a disturbed excitatory-inhibitory balance underlies enhanced neural responses to coherent motion in ASD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18053056,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Longitudinal diminution of tumor size for basal cell carcinoma suggests shifting referral patterns for Mohs surgery.\nThe Mohs technique for removal of cutaneous malignancies offers tissue-sparing benefits compared with other treatment methods. With wider acceptance and availability of Mohs surgery, referral patterns may be shifting toward the treatment of smaller, lower-risk tumors. The objective was to examine whether referral patterns for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) at an academic Mohs surgery practice have shifted over recent years toward referral for smaller, lower risk tumors. A retrospective longitudinal comparison of tumor characteristics was performed for BCCs treated at our institution from a recent year (2004) and a past year (1996). Statistical analyses were used to identify differences in tumor size, distribution by anatomic site, and primary versus recurrent status. Complete data were available for 603 BCCs treated in 1996 and 1,514 BCCs treated in 2004. A 24% decrease in preoperative tumor surface area was observed from 1996 (1.25 cm2) to 2004 (0.95 cm2). Tumors were twice as likely to be recurrent in 1996 (15.1%) than in 2004 (7.4%). There were no significant differences in the anatomic distribution of lesions in the years compared. Findings at our institution suggest that in recent years, referral patterns have shifted toward a preference for Mohs surgery for the treatment of smaller, primary BCCs. This may be a result of increased awareness by the dermatologic and medical community of the numerous advantages of Mohs surgery and a greater appreciation of its tissue-sparing properties, which may result in less complex and more successful aesthetic reconstructions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19020057,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Development of an oligonucleotide array for direct detection of fungi in sputum samples from patients with cystic fibrosis.\nCystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common inherited genetic disease in Caucasian populations. Besides bacteria, many species of fungi may colonize the respiratory tract of these patients, sometimes leading to true respiratory infections. In this study, an oligonucleotide array capable of identifying 20 fungal species was developed to directly detect fungi in the sputum samples of CF patients. Species-specific oligonucleotide probes were designed from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of the rRNA operon and immobilized on a nylon membrane. The fungal ITS regions were amplified by PCR and hybridized to the array for species identification. The array was validated by testing 182 target strains (strains which we aimed to identify) and 141 nontarget strains (135 species), and a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 99.2% were obtained. The validated array was then used for direct detection of fungi in 57 sputum samples from 39 CF patients, and the results were compared to those obtained by culture. For 16 sputum samples, the results obtained by the array corresponded with those obtained by culture. For 33 samples, the array detected more fungal species than culture did, while the reverse was found for eight samples. The accuracy of the array for fungal detection in sputum samples was confirmed (or partially confirmed) in some samples by cloning and resequencing the amplified ITS fragments. The present array is a useful tool for both the simultaneous detection of multiple fungal species present in the sputa of CF patients and the identification of fungi isolated from these patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27380472,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The Effect of Synovectomy in Total Knee Arthroplasty for Primary Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis.\nThe objective of this study is to assess pain, function, and morbidity in patients undergoing synovectomy during primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) for osteoarthritis (OA). A meta-analysis, which included randomized controlled trials comparing TKA with and without synovectomy for OA, was completed. The primary outcome was postoperative knee pain. Secondary outcomes included performance, perioperative complications, validated functional scores, operation length, and hospitalization length. A literature search produced 487 unique references, of which 3 randomized controlled trials were selected for inclusion. A total of 304 patients (354 knees) were included, with an average age of 67 years. Follow-up intervals between studies ranged from 26 weeks to 12 months. Included studies were of moderate- to high-quality evidence with low risk of bias. There was no significant difference between the two groups in regard to postoperative pain, Knee Society Score, or postoperative range of motion. Postoperative blood loss was significantly lower in synovium-retaining TKA group (MD = 99.41 mL; 95% confidence interval, 45.08-153.75). Based on these results, there is currently no evidence to support the use of synovectomy in TKA for primary OA, as it provides no clinical benefit and increases postoperative blood loss.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21951110,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Rathke's cleft cysts.\nRathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) are benign, sellar and\/or suprasellar lesions originating from the remnants of Rathke's pouch. Although a common finding in routine autopsies (12-33% of normal pituitary glands), symptomatic cases are rare and comprise 5-15% of all surgically resected sellar lesions. Small, asymptomatic RCC do not require surgical intervention, and their natural history is not clear. In series of nonoperated presumed RCCs, 26-94% did not progress during follow-up periods up to 9 years. In symptomatic ones, surgery is indicated, aiming to drain the cyst content and safely remove as much of the capsule as possible. Following surgical intervention, headaches and visual field defects improve or resolve in a significant number of patients (40-100% and 33-100%, respectively) and partial hypopituitarism recovers in 14-50%. Data on relapse rates published in the last 15 years are based on variable follow-up periods and show wide variation (between 0% and 33%). The lowest relapse rates have been described in reports with relatively short mean observation periods (<3 years), whereas in those with longer follow-up the relapse rates increase. Most of the relapses occur within 5-6 years, suggesting that follow-up is required for at least 5 years after surgery. Risk factors for relapse include the presence of squamous metaplasia in the cyst wall, cyst size and the presence of inflammation. Long-term sufficiently powered studies aiming to clarify the natural history of asymptomatic RCCs and of those relapsing postoperatively are required.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16968086,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Soil microbial activity is affected by Roundup WeatherMax and pesticides applied to cotton (Gossypium hirsutum).\nAdoption of glyphosate-based weed control systems has led to increased use of the herbicide with continued use of additional pesticides. Combinations of pesticides may affect soil microbial activity differently than pesticides applied alone. Research was conducted to evaluate the influence of glyphosate-based cotton pest management systems on soil microbial activity. Soil was treated with commercial formulations of trifluralin, aldicarb, and mefenoxam + pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) with or without glyphosate (applied as Roundup WeatherMax). The soil microbial activity was measured by quantifying C and N mineralization. Soil microbial biomass was determined using the chloroform fumigation-incubation method. Soils treated with glyphosate alone exhibited greater cumulative C mineralization 30 days after treatment than all other treatments, which were similar to the untreated control. The addition of Roundup WeatherMax reduced C mineralization in soils treated with fluometuron, aldicarb, or mefenoxam + PCNB formulations. These results indicate that glyphosate-based herbicides alter the soil microbial response to other pesticides.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27453465,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Dissociable relations between amygdala subregional networks and psychopathy trait dimensions in conduct-disordered juvenile offenders.\nPsychopathy is a serious psychiatric phenomenon characterized by a pathological constellation of affective (e.g., callous, unemotional), interpersonal (e.g., manipulative, egocentric), and behavioral (e.g., impulsive, irresponsible) personality traits. Though amygdala subregional defects are suggested in psychopathy, the functionality and connectivity of different amygdala subnuclei is typically disregarded in neurocircuit-level analyses of psychopathic personality. Hence, little is known of how amygdala subregional networks may contribute to psychopathy and its underlying trait assemblies in severely antisocial people. We addressed this important issue by uniquely examining the intrinsic functional connectivity of basolateral (BLA) and centromedial (CMA) amygdala networks in relation to affective, interpersonal, and behavioral traits of psychopathy, in conduct-disordered juveniles with a history of serious delinquency (N = 50, mean age = 16.83 \u00b1 1.32). As predicted, amygdalar connectivity profiles exhibited dissociable relations with different traits of psychopathy. Interpersonal psychopathic traits not only related to increased connectivity of BLA and CMA with a corticostriatal network formation accommodating reward processing, but also predicted stronger CMA connectivity with a network of cortical midline structures supporting sociocognitive processes. In contrast, affective psychopathic traits related to diminished CMA connectivity with a frontolimbic network serving salience processing and affective responding. Finally, behavioral psychopathic traits related to heightened BLA connectivity with a frontoparietal cluster implicated in regulatory executive functioning. We suggest that these trait-specific shifts in amygdalar connectivity could be particularly relevant to the psychopathic phenotype, as they may fuel a self-centered, emotionally cold, and behaviorally disinhibited profile. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4017-4033, 2016. \u00a9 2016 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26492786,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[PREDICTORS OF FORMATION OF NEW FORMS--OF BRONCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA AT THE PRENATAL STAGE].\nThe analysis of history in 116 premature infants, of which 74 children formed a new form of bronchopulmionary dysplasia. The analysis revealed that predictors of the formation of new forms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia are the pregnant woman, accompanied by hypoxia (jeopardy throughout pregnancy, fetoplacental insufficiency, hypotension, pregnancy, anemia) or infectious inflammation (presence of IgG to a pregnant ureaplasma, chorioamnionitis, polyhydramnios).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":13182614,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Lumbar sympathectomy in older patients.\nOf 43 older patients (aged 65 to 83 years) with arteriosclerosis obliterans treated by lumbar sympathectomy for one or both limbs, 19 had excellent result, 13 had fair result and four had poor result. One died postoperatively and six later. Results were better than prognosticated from response to sympathetic block. Thirty-four patients considered the operation worth while and twelve, after unilateral sympathectomy, requested operation for the other limb also. Twenty-four after operation could walk farther without claudication.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":13988637,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Protoplast membrane of Streptococcus faecalis.\nShockman, Gerald D. (Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pa.), Joseph J. Kolb, Bohdan Bakay, Margaret J. Conover, and Gerrit Toennies. Protoplast membrane of Streptococcus faecalis. J. Bacteriol. 85:168-176. 1963.-The membrane fraction of Streptococcus faecalis (ATCC 9790) was isolated and purified, by a variety of procedures, from cultures that were grown under closely controlled conditions of physiological age and nutrition. The most satisfactory method required the use of lysozyme-to-cell ratios below 0.01 and the intermediate formation of protoplasts in osmotically protective media. Amino acid analyses of three of the membrane preparations indicated a characteristic and constant, but not unusual, pattern; 42% of the membranes from threonine-depleted and 49 to 55% of the membranes from log-phase cultures were accounted for as protein. Significant quantities of d-alanine or d-aspartic acid were not detected, indicating the absence of contaminating cell-wall substance. Essentially, all of the nitrogen was accounted for as amino acids. The lipid content of membranes from stationary-phase threonine-depleted (36%) and valine-depleted (40%) cultures was significantly higher than the corresponding fraction of exponential-phase cultures (28%). The phosphorus content of the membrane lipid was relatively constant (2.8 to 3.0%), and the nitrogen content was extremely low (0.12 to 0.26%). Thus, changes in the composition of the membrane fraction occurred during the transition of log-phase cells into threonine- or valine-depleted cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27251595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Synthesis and regioselective functionalization of perhalogenated BODIPYs.\nThree perhalogenated BODIPYs (1b-3b), bearing chloro and bromo groups at all carbon positions, were synthesized and characterized. The reactivity of BODIPY 3b was investigated under Stille cross-coupling reactions, and single crystal X-ray analysis was used to confirm the regioselectivity of the reactions. Further substitution at the boron atom produced nona-functionalized BODIPYs 7a,b, which show 676 and 739 nm emissions with 91 and 100 nm Stokes shifts, respectively.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28430949,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Capturing non-local interactions by long short-term memory bidirectional recurrent neural networks for improving prediction of protein secondary structure, backbone angles, contact numbers and solvent accessibility.\nThe accuracy of predicting protein local and global structural properties such as secondary structure and solvent accessible surface area has been stagnant for many years because of the challenge of accounting for non-local interactions between amino acid residues that are close in three-dimensional structural space but far from each other in their sequence positions. All existing machine-learning techniques relied on a sliding window of 10-20 amino acid residues to capture some 'short to intermediate' non-local interactions. Here, we employed Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) Bidirectional Recurrent Neural Networks (BRNNs) which are capable of capturing long range interactions without using a window. We showed that the application of LSTM-BRNN to the prediction of protein structural properties makes the most significant improvement for residues with the most long-range contacts (|i-j| >19) over a previous window-based, deep-learning method SPIDER2. Capturing long-range interactions allows the accuracy of three-state secondary structure prediction to reach 84% and the correlation coefficient between predicted and actual solvent accessible surface areas to reach 0.80, plus a reduction of 5%, 10%, 5% and 10% in the mean absolute error for backbone \u03d5 , \u03c8 , \u03b8 and \u03c4 angles, respectively, from SPIDER2. More significantly, 27% of 182724 40-residue models directly constructed from predicted C \u03b1 atom-based \u03b8 and \u03c4 have similar structures to their corresponding native structures (6\u00c5 RMSD or less), which is 3% better than models built by \u03d5 and \u03c8 angles. We expect the method to be useful for assisting protein structure and function prediction. The method is available as a SPIDER3 server and standalone package at http:\/\/sparks-lab.org . firstname.lastname@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10207624,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Stress-induced activation of the heat-shock response: cell and molecular biology of heat-shock factors.\nExposure of cells to environmental and physiological stress leads to an imbalance in protein metabolism, which challenges the cell to respond rapidly and precisely to the deleterious effects of stress on protein homoeostasis. The heat-shock response, through activation of heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs) and the elevated expression of heat-shock proteins and molecular chaperones, protects the cell against the accumulation of non-native proteins. Activation of HSF1 involves a complex multi-step pathway in which the inert monomer oligomerizes to a DNA-binding, transcriptionally active, trimer which relocalizes within the the nucleus to form stress-induced HSF1 granules. Attenuation of the heat-shock response involves molecular chaperones which repress the HSF1 transactivation domain and HSF-binding protein 1 (HSBP1), which interacts with the HSF1 oligomerization domain of HSF1 to negatively regulate its activity, thus insuring that the expression of chaperones is precisely determined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14963040,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein is a molten globule under native conditions: implications for its physiological activities.\nThe von-Hippel Lindau tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) is conserved throughout evolution, as its homologues are found in organisms ranging from mammals to the Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae insects and the Caenorhabditis elegans nematode. Although the physiological role of pVHL is not fully understood, it has been shown to interact with a large number of unrelated proteins and was suggested to play a role in protein degradation as an E3 ubiquitin ligase component in the ubiquitin pathway. To gain insight into the molecular basis of pVHL activity, we analyzed its folding and stability in solution under physiologically relevant conditions. Dynamic light-scattering and gel filtration chromatography of the purified pVHL clearly indicated that the Stokes radius of the protein is larger than what would be expected from its crystal structure. However, under these conditions, the protein shows a clear secondary structure as determined by far-UV circular dichroism. Yet, the near-UV CD experiments show an absence of a tertiary structure. Upon the addition of urea, even at very low concentrations, the protein unfolds in a non-reversible manner, leading to the formation of amorphous aggregates. Furthermore, a large increase in fluorescence (>50-fold) is observed upon the addition of pVHL into a solution containing 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid. We therefore conclude that, under native conditions, the non-bound pVHL has a molten globule configuration with marginal stability. Although molten globular structures can be induced in many proteins under extreme conditions, this is one of the few reported cases of such a structure under the physiological conditions of pH, ionic strength, and temperature. The significance of the pVHL structural properties is being discussed in the context of its physiological activities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24130190,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Melusin protects from cardiac rupture and improves functional remodelling after myocardial infarction.\nMelusin is a muscle-specific chaperone protein whose expression is required for a compensatory hypertrophy response to pressure overload. Here, we evaluated the consequences of melusin overexpression in the setting of myocardial infarction (MI) using a comprehensive multicentre approach. Mice overexpressing melusin in the heart (TG) and wild-type controls (WT) were subjected to permanent LAD ligation and both the acute response (Day 3) and subsequent remodelling (2 weeks) were examined. Mortality in wild-type mice was significant between Days 3 and 7, primarily due to cardiac rupture, but melusin's overexpression strongly reduced mortality (43.2% in wild-type vs. 27.3% in melusin-TG, P = 0.005). At Day 3 after MI, a time point preceding the mortality peak, TG hearts had increased heat shock protein 70 expression, increased ERK1\/2 signalling, reduced cardiomyocyte hyper-contractility and inflammatory cell infiltrates, and increased matricellular protein expression in the infarcted area. At 2 weeks after MI, melusin overexpression conferred a favourable adaptive remodelling characterized by reduced left ventricle dilatation and better preserved contractility in the presence of a comparable degree of hypertrophy. Adaptive remodelling in melusin TG mice was characterized by reduced apoptosis and fibrosis as well as increased cardiomyocyte contractility. Consistent with its function as a chaperone protein, melusin overexpression exerts a dual protective action following MI reducing an array of maladaptive processes. In the early phase after MI, reduced inflammation and myocyte remodelling protect against cardiac rupture. Chronically, reduced myocyte loss and matrix remodelling, with preserved myocyte contractility, confer adaptive LV remodelling.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12542805,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Rehabilitation of spasticity and related problems in childhood cerebral palsy.\nSpasticity is one part of the upper motor neuron syndrome, but it is a widespread problem in cerebral palsy; it is debilitating, affects function and can lead to musculoskeletal complications. Significant advances have occurred in antispasticity management (and related musculoskeletal problems) in children with cerebral palsy during the past 5-10 years. Botulinum toxin A has been the most outstanding treatment advance; it is relatively long-lasting, easy to administer, reversible, has a favourable side-effect profile and is highly useful for focal spasticity. There is an emerging role for intrathecal baclofen in Australia. Despite being available and practised in North America for years, selective dorsal rhizotomy has not been popular in Australia. The use of orthopaedic surgery has significantly altered in recent years. There is still a place for oral drug treatment, including some newer agents and the potential for combination treatment with other modalities. The role of physical therapy in defining disability, assessing function, undertaking biomechanical assessment and providing mobility aids\/casting\/orthoses and motor training\/stretching exercises is critical for the success of medical and surgical interventions. From an Australian perspective, the purpose of the present review is to provide a critical review of therapies available for spasticity associated with childhood cerebral palsy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8098870,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Efficient coding of natural time varying images in the early visual system.\nWe investigate the hypothesis that the early visual system efficiently codes natural time varying images, first by tracking part of the image, then by matching the spatiotemporal properties of the neural pathway to those of the tracked image. A representation for the time varying image is formulated which consists of two spatiotemporal components, a velocity field component and a stationary component. We show, using digitized sequences of natural images, that the spatiotemporal spectrum and other attributes of the image markedly differ before and after tracking. The temporal frequency bandwidth and velocity distribution of the velocity field component are diminished in the region of tracking and broaden with increasing eccentricity from this region. On the other hand, the spectrum of the stationary component is unaffected by tracking. Comparison of the properties of the tracked image to those of the M and P pathways suggests that each pathway transmits different attributes of the tracked image. A retinal architecture which varies with eccentricity also matches the properties of the tracked image.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36163071,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":3,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adapting field-mosquito collection techniques in a perspective of near-infrared spectroscopy implementation.\nNear-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has the potential to be a useful tool for assessing key entomological parameters of malaria-transmitting mosquitoes, including age, infectious status and species identity. However, before NIRS can be reliably used in the field at scale, methods for killing mosquitoes and conserving samples prior to NIRS scanning need to be further optimized. Historically, mosquitoes used in studies have been killed with chloroform, although this approach is not without health hazards and should not be used in human dwellings. For the application of NIRS scanning it is also unclear which mosquito preservation method to use. The aim of the study reported here was to investigate the use of pyrethrum spray, a commercially available insecticide spray in Burkina Faso, for killing mosquitoes METHODS: Laboratory-reared Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii were killed using either a pyrethrum insecticide spray routinely used in studies involving indoor mosquito collections (Kaltox Paalga\u00ae; Saphyto, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso) or chloroform (\"gold standard\"). Preservative methods were also investigated to determine their impact on NIRS accuracy in predicting the species of laboratory-reared Anopheles and wild-caught mosquito species. After analysis of fresh samples, mosquitoes were stored in 80% ethanol or in silica gel for 2 weeks and re-analyzed by NIRS. In addition, experimentally infected An. coluzzii and wild-caught An. gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) were scanned as fresh samples to determine whether they contained sporozoites, then stored in the preservatives mentioned above for 2 weeks before being re-analyzed. The difference in the accuracy of NIRS to differentiate between laboratory-reared An. gambiae mosquitoes and An. coluzzii mosquitoes killed with either insecticide (90%) or chloroform (92%) was not substantial. NIRS had an accuracy of 90% in determining mosquito species for mosquitoes killed with chloroform and preserved in ethanol or silica gel. The accuracy was the same when the pyrethrum spray was used to kill mosquitoes followed by preservation in silica gel, but was lower when ethanol was used as a preservative (80%). Regarding infection status, NIRS was able to differentiate between infected and uninfected mosquitoes, with a slightly lower accuracy for both laboratory and wild-caught mosquitoes preserved in silica gel or ethanol. The results show that NIRS can be used to classify An. gambiae s.l. species killed by pyrethrum spray with no loss of accuracy. This insecticide may have practical advantages over chloroform for the killing of mosquitoes in NIRS analysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15115152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Report on blood cholinesterase among vegetable growers.\nWe report our study on serum cholinesterase in vegetable growers, a risk occupation in a rural area of Thailand. In this study, 70 subjects (35 vegetable growers and 35 controls) were studied. The mean blood cholinesterase level in vegetable growers (17.7 +\/- 7.0 U\/ml) was significantly lower than that of the control group (24.7 +\/- 12.4 U\/ml) (p=0.01).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8122403,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Use of monoclonal antibodies for immunosorption of growth hormone from human biological tissues and fluids].\nAn immunosorbent with high binding capacity was developed using monoclonal antibodies specific to human growth hormone. Potential activity of the sorbent was studied in isolation of growth hormone from biological tissues and fluids. The immunosorbent enabled one to isolate the biologically and immunologically active growth hormone with high purity from the hypophyseal extract using only one step of purification. As shown by affinity chromatography and subsequent electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel combined with radioimmunoblotting, together with predominant form of growth hormone, also intact and secreted from hypophysis, two-chain form of the hormone arising after proteolysis and large immunoreactive hormone fragments were detected in human circulation. These derivatives of the hormone may be also excreted with urine in unaltered form.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30865972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Scientific Evidence for Breastfeeding.\nThe global drive to promote breastfeeding targeted at all 134 million infants born\/year on the planet is one of the most pervasive public health interventions. It is, therefore, critical that the breastfeeding field is rooted in sound evidence. Three important scientific pillars of breastfeeding have been: (1) that human milk (HM) is the product of 200 million years of mammalian evolution; (2) that HM composition should be seen as the gold standard for infant nutritional requirements; and (3) that HM has numerous clinical benefits for the infant. I shall look carefully at these areas to help pave the way to a more solid basis for modern breastfeeding medicine. Firstly, I shall look at evolutionary theory for human breastfeeding and consider in general terms the implications for optimal nutritional care of breastfed infants. Secondly, I shall show how HM composition has been incorrectly translated into dietary intake in a large body of past flawed work that resulted in misleading data. Implementing such data as a model for infant formula appears to have increased the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in formula-fed infants. Finally, most studies that examine the benefits of HM are observational and potentially confounded. So, this body of data needs to be backed by experimental evidence. Here, I shall use preterm infants as a model, since numerous RCTs and physiological studies over 40 years have compared exclusive HM feeding versus cow's milk exposure. Unexpectedly diverse immediate beneficial effects span the field of neonatology, and long-term programmed effects have been shown for cognition, brain structure, risk factors for CVD, structural development of the heart and lungs, bone health, and atopy. These data add much weight to the evidence, obtained in full-term infants using observational study designs, that HM feeding in early life may fundamentally and permanently change the biology of the organism. Breastfeeding is emerging as a major evidence-based field of medical and public health practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29382827,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Probability of phenotypically detectable protein damage by ENU-induced mutations in the Mutagenetix database.\nComputational inference of mutation effects is necessary for genetic studies in which many mutations must be considered as etiologic candidates. Programs such as PolyPhen-2 predict the relative severity of damage caused by missense mutations, but not the actual probability that a mutation will reduce\/eliminate protein function. Based on genotype and phenotype data for 116,330 ENU-induced mutations in the Mutagenetix database, we calculate that putative null mutations, and PolyPhen-2-classified \"probably damaging\", \"possibly damaging\", or \"probably benign\" mutations have, respectively, 61%, 17%, 9.8%, and 4.5% probabilities of causing phenotypically detectable damage in the homozygous state. We use these probabilities in the estimation of genome saturation and the probability that individual proteins have been adequately tested for function in specific genetic screens. We estimate the proportion of essential autosomal genes in Mus musculus (C57BL\/6J) and show that viable mutations in essential genes are more likely to induce phenotype than mutations in non-essential genes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21224334,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Older people and 'active ageing': Subjective aspects of ageing actively.\nFollowing a critical overview of the active ageing concept, a thematic decomposition of 42 transcribed interviews with British people aged 72 years and over indicates that active ageing is understood in relation to physical, cognitive, psychological and social factors, but that these co-exist in complex combinations. The notion of activity in active ageing is grasped in relation to an active\/passive distinction which emphasizes the enhancement or diminishment of concrete powers of activity. A 'challenge and response' framework is suggested for future research on active ageing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15375220,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"How do small water clusters bind an excess electron?\nThe arrangement of water molecules around a hydrated electron has eluded explanation for more than 40 years. Here we report sharp vibrational bands for small gas-phase water cluster anions, (H2O)(4-6)- and (D2O)(4-6)-. Analysis of these bands reveals a detailed picture of the diffuse electron-binding site. The electron is closely associated with a single water molecule attached to the supporting network through a double H-bond acceptor motif. The local OH stretching bands of this molecule are dramatically distorted in the pentamer and smaller clusters because the excited vibrational levels are strongly coupled to the electron continuum. The vibration-to-electronic energy transfer rates, as revealed by line shape analysis, are mode-specific and remarkably fast, with the symmetric stretching mode surviving for less than 10 vibrational periods [50 fs in (H2O)4-].","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26361377,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Electronic Structure of Some Cyanohydrins-A Spectroscopically Under-Investigated Family of Compounds.\nCyanohydrins are usually formed by addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes or ketones while the elimination of HCN from cyanohydrins is easily observed upon heating. The low thermal stability of these highly boiling compounds leads to difficult studies in the gas phase where partial or complete decomposition is usually observed. Consequently, the reported physicochemical properties of such compounds in the gas phase are still scarce. Keeping with this, four simple cyanohydrins, the glycolonitrile and methyl, vinyl and ethynyl derivatives, have been selected. These are possible candidates for the Interstellar Medium, where the corresponding aldehydes and HCN have been detected, and could have played an important role in prebiotic chemistry, as already proposed for some of them. Three well-suited spectroscopic techniques, namely, UV photoelectron, infrared, and Raman spectroscopies, in tandem with quantum calculations, have been chosen for the structure analysis. Photoelectron spectroscopy, successfully performed with gaseous compounds, provides the first comparative study on cyanohydrins in the gas phase.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15373637,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Naturally-occurring anti-Jka in infant twins.\nAnti-Jka was detected by solid-phase red cell adherence (SPRCA) antibody detection and identification tests in the plasma of a 9-month-old female infant during a routine presurgical evaluation. The patient and her nonidentical twin sister, who also had anti-Jka in her plasma, were products of an uncomplicated in vitro fertilization, full-term pregnancy, and vaginal delivery. Neither twin had been transfused, recently infected, or treated with medication. Their mother had no prior pregnancies or transfusions. Red blood cells (RBCs) from the patient and her sister typed as Jk(a-b+) by direct hemagglutination, and this phenotype was confirmed by negative adsorption and elution studies. Both infants' plasma samples were strongly reactive with 20 examples of Jk(a+) RBCs and nonreactive with 20 examples of Jk(a-) RBCs by SPRCA assays. Anti-Jka was not detected in either twins' plasma by indirect antiglobulin tests by tube method in low-ionic- strength saline solution or polyethylene glycol, or with ficin- or papain-treated RBCs. Monocyte monolayer assays using Jk(a+) RBCs sensitized by either twins' serum were nonreactive (0%). RBCs from both parents typed as Jk(a+b+). Both parents' antibody detection test results by SPRCA assay were negative. The absence of a history of exposure to allogeneic RBCs or possible passive transfer of maternal or other alloantibody classifies these antibodies as naturally-occurring anti-Jka.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7378561,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Lipoperoxidation in eye tissues exposed to hormones].\nThe effect of hormones of varied action spectrum on lipoperoxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in the eye tissues has been studied. Both antioxidant and prooxidant action of diverse hormones on the sclera, cornea and ciliary body has been demonstrated with respect to the hormonal dose, exposure time and other factors. Potential participation of lipoperoxidation processes in the development of ophthalmopatholody is discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27387786,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effect of Ondansetron on QT Interval in Patients Cared for in the PICU.\nThere is no evidence regarding the effect of ondansetron on the QT interval in pediatric patients in the ICU. This study aimed to describe the effect of ondansetron on the corrected QT interval in patients cared for in the PICU. Retrospective cohort, consecutive enrollment study. Single-center, tertiary-level, medical\/surgical PICU. All patients less than 8 years old who received ondansetron over an 11-month period were included. Exclusion criteria were atrial arrhythmia, bundle-branch block, known congenital long QT syndrome, and concomitant administration of proarrhythmic antiarrhythmic agents. None. Overall, 210 doses of ondansetron were administered to 107 patients, with a mean age 10.5 \u00b1 4.8 years; 49% were men. Corrected QT interval increased to 460-500 ms in 29% and to more than 500 ms in 11% of events of ondansetron administration. The mean baseline corrected QT interval even before ondansetron administration was higher for these groups (460-500 and > 500 ms; 457 \u00b1 33 and 469 \u00b1 45, respectively; p \u2264 0.05). In multivariate analysis, both groups were associated significantly with underlying electrolyte abnormalities (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1-4.4 and odds ratio, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.8-15.7, respectively); the group with corrected QT interval more than 500 ms was also significantly associated with organ dysfunction (odds ratio, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.1-9.4). As the numbers of risk factors increased from only ondansetron to three additional QT aggravating factors (electrolyte abnormalities, administration of other QT-prolonging drugs, and organ dysfunction), the likelihood of being associated with corrected QT interval more than 500 ms increased. Prolonged QT interval is observed commonly in PICUs following the administration of ondansetron. Underlying risk factors, such as electrolyte abnormalities and organ dysfunction, seem to pose the highest risk of prolongation of QT interval in these patients. The awareness of prevalent risk factors for increased corrected QT interval may help identify patients at high risk for arrhythmias.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17593517,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis with aldosterone-producing adenoma.\nWe describe a case of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN), the clinical symptoms of which were exacerbated by aldosterone-producing adenoma (APA). A 45-year-old man, who had had a history of hypertension for several years, presented with renal derangement, with serum creatinine at its upper normal limit and with microhematuria and proteinuria. He also presented with hypokalemia, with a plasma aldosterone concentration at its upper normal limit and plasma renin activity at its lower normal limit. After the administration of spironolactone, we resected his left adrenal gland, which had a nodular lesion as well as aldosterone hypersecretion. The treatment normalized his arterial blood pressure and serum potassium concentration. Although his proteinuria disappeared with the reduction in arterial blood pressure, the microhematuria continued. The administration of losartan because of the histological finding of MesPGN reduced the amount of hematuria. A dissociated response of hematuria and proteinuria to antihypertensive treatment indicated that MesPGN was coincidental with APA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16484912,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Rationing in the intensive care unit.\nCritical care services represent a large and growing proportion of health care expenditures. Limiting the magnitude of these costs while maintaining a just allocation of these services will require rationing. We define rationing as \"the allocation of healthcare resources in the face of limited availability, which necessarily means that beneficial interventions are withheld from some individuals.\" Although some have maintained that rationing of health care is unethical, we argue that rationing is not only unavoidable but essential to ensuring the ethical distribution of medical goods and services. Intensivists have little to guide them in the rationing of critical care services. We have developed a taxonomy of the rationing choices faced by intensivists as a framework for ethical analysis. This taxonomy divides rationing decisions into three categories. First are those rationing decisions that may be justified by external constraints (such as not prescribing a potentially beneficial medication because it is not available on the hospital formulary). Second are those that may be justified by reference to clinical guidelines (as, for example, not prescribing a potentially beneficial medication because a valid guideline recommends treatment with a less expensive alternative). Third are those that are justified by individual clinical judgment (such as choosing which of two patients should be admitted into the last ICU bed, in the absence of any evidence-based guidance). Judgments made on the basis of clinical judgment deserve particular scrutiny, since they may mask unethical prejudices or bias. Although this taxonomy does not by itself determine which decisions are ethical, it does clarify the type of evidence that is appropriate to supporting the decision that is made. Additional work is needed to elucidate how both empirical evidence and ethical analysis can further inform the rationing decisions that arise in the taxonomy described here.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10229721,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Use of nursing home after stroke and dependence on stroke severity: a population-based analysis.\nThere are few population-based data available regarding nursing home use after stroke. This study clarifies the use of a nursing home after stroke, as well as its dependence on stroke severity, in a defined population. All first stroke events among residents of Rochester, Minn, during 1987-1989 were ascertained, subtyped, and assigned Rankin disability scores (RS) before the event, at maximal deficit, and at specified intervals after stroke. Persons were followed from the date of stroke event to death, emigration from Rochester, or December 31, 1994, in complete community-based medical records and Minnesota Case Mix Review Program data tapes to determine nursing home residency before stroke and at 90 days and 1 year after stroke, proportion of survival days in a nursing home, and cumulative risk of admission to a nursing home. There were 251 cases of first cerebral infarction, 24 intracerebral hemorrhages, and 15 subarachnoid hemorrhages among residents of Rochester during 1987-1989. The maximal deficit RS was 1 or 2 for 62 (25%), RS 3 for 72 (29%), and RS 4 or 5 for 117 (47%) of the cerebral infarct patients. Among patients surviving to 90 days or 1 year after cerebral infarction, 25% were in nursing home at 90 days and 22% at 1 year, respectively. Within these maximal deficit RS categories, the percentages of follow-up time spent in a nursing home during the first post-cerebral infarction year are as follows: RS 1 to 2, 4%; RS 3, 10%; and RS 4 to 5, 54%. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that increasing age and RS 4 to 5 at maximal deficit were independent predictors (P<0.0001) of nursing home residency at 90 days and 1 year after stroke, whereas stroke type was not an independent predictor. At 1 year after cerebral infarction, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of proportion of people with at least 1 nursing home admission were 11% for RS 1 to 2, 22% for RS 3, and 68% for RS 4 to 5. This study provides unique population-based data regarding the short- and long-term use of a nursing home after stroke and its dependence on stroke severity. More than 50% of people with a severe cerebral infarction are in a nursing home 90 days and 1 year after the stroke, and by 1 year, nearly 70% will have required some nursing home stay. Age and stroke severity are independent predictors of nursing home residency after stroke.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31671805,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Phospholipids are A Potentially Important Source of Tissue Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Results of a Pilot Study Involving Targeted Metabolomics.\nHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis involves the alteration of multiple liver-specific metabolic pathways. We systematically profiled cancer- and liver-related classes of metabolites in HCC and adjacent liver tissues and applied supervised machine learning to compare their potential yield for HCC biomarkers. Tumor and corresponding liver tissue samples were profiled as follows: Bile acids by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS), phospholipids by LC-MS\/MS, and other small molecules including free fatty acids by gas chromatography-time of flight MS. The overall classification performance of metabolomic signatures derived by support vector machine (SVM) and random forests machine learning algorithms was then compared across classes of metabolite. For each metabolite class, there was a plateau in classification performance with signatures of 10 metabolites. Phospholipid signatures consistently showed the highest discrimination for HCC followed by signatures derived from small molecules, free fatty acids, and bile acids with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values of 0.963, 0.934, 0.895, 0.695, respectively, for SVM-generated signatures comprised of 10 metabolites. Similar classification performance patterns were observed with signatures derived by random forests. Membrane phospholipids are a promising source of tissue biomarkers for discriminating between HCC tumor and liver tissue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11440204,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Kawasaki disease: is it caused by an infectious agent?\nKawasaki disease (KD) is an acute systemic febrile illness of unknown aetiology, predominantly affecting children under five years of age. Initially described in 1967 by Tomisaku Kawasaki, it is now the most common cause of acquired heart disease in children in the developed world. Although normally self-limiting, KD is associated with a range of complications, the most important of which is the development of life-threatening coronary artery abnormalities. Here, we examine the evidence supporting the concept that KD is caused by an infectious agent. Various infectious agents--including bacterial, viral and Rickettsial organisms--have been implicated as potential causes, as have certain immunological agents such as bacterial toxin-mediated superantigens, allergens such as anionic detergents and house-dust mites, and some chemicals (including heavy metals). Following extensive research, however, no links between any of these individual agents and the disease have been established irrefutably. Despite this, most of the epidemiological and immunological evidence currently available indicates that the causative agent is most likely to be infectious in nature; and additional evidence highlights the likelihood that development of KD is multifactorial in nature, requiring certain genetic and immunological factors, and possibly a vector.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26501229,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Sirolimus for Retinal and Uveitic Diseases.\nChronic inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ocular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, uveitis and age-related macular degeneration. Activation and proliferation of na\u00efve T cells may result in pathological changes responsible for significant visual morbidity. Sirolimus (earlier termed rapamycin) is a novel drug that inhibits cellular kinases and, thereby, inhibits T-cell proliferation. Preclinical studies in experimental models have shown promising results with the use of this pharmacological agent in various ocular conditions. Subsequently, early phase I\/II studies have provided encouraging safety and efficacy data. This chapter focuses on the mechanisms of action, preclinical study results and data from human clinical trials of sirolimus in human eye diseases. Key highlights from ongoing phase III clinical trials are also provided. Sirolimus, thus, appears to be an important addition to the armamentarium of steroid-sparing therapeutic agents that act on various steps in the inflammatory pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14733549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characterization of micros-ms dynamics of proteins using a combined analysis of 15N NMR relaxation and chemical shift: conformational exchange in plastocyanin induced by histidine protonations.\nAn approach is presented that allows a detailed, quantitative characterization of conformational exchange processes in proteins on the micros-ms time scale. The approach relies on a combined analysis of NMR relaxation rates and chemical shift changes and requires that the chemical shift of the exchanging species can be determined independently of the relaxation rates. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated by a detailed analysis of the conformational exchange processes previously observed in the reduced form of the blue copper protein, plastocyanin from the cyanobacteria Anabaena variabilis (A.v. PCu) (Ma, L.; Hass, M. A. S.; Vierick, N.; Kristensen, S. M.; Ulstrup, J.; Led, J. J. Biochemistry 2003, 42, 320-330). The R1 and R2 relaxation rates of the backbone 15N nuclei were measured at a series of pH and temperatures on an 15N labeled sample of A.v. PCu, and the 15N chemical shifts were obtained from a series of HSQC spectra recorded in the pH range from 4 to 8. From the R1 and R2 relaxation rates, the contribution, Rex, to the transverse relaxation caused by the exchanges between the different allo-states of the protein were determined. Specifically, it is demonstrated that accurate Rex terms can be obtained from the R1 and R2 rates alone in the case of relatively rigid proteins with a small rotational anisotropy. The Rex terms belonging to the same exchange process were identified on the basis of their pH dependences. Subsequently the identifications were confirmed quantitatively by the correlation between the Rex terms and the corresponding chemical shift differences of the exchanging species. By this approach, the Rex terms of 15N nuclei belonging to contiguous regions in the protein could be assigned to the same exchange process. Furthermore, the analysis of the exchange terms shows that the observed micros-ms dynamics in A.v. PCu are caused primarily by the protonation\/deprotonation of two histidine residues, His92 and His61, His92 being ligated to the Cu(I) ion. Also the exchange rate of the protonation\/deprotonation process of His92 and its pH and temperature dependences were determined, revealing a reaction pathway that is more complex than a simple specific-acid\/base catalysis. Finally, the approach allows a differentiation between two-site and multiple-site exchange processes, thus revealing that the protonation\/deprotonation of His61 is at least a three-site exchange process. Overall, the approach makes it feasible to obtain exchange rates that are sufficiently accurate and versatile for studies of the kinetics and the mechanisms of local protein dynamics on the sub-millisecond time scale.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1407195,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Pain in the forefoot: a support sole is no panacea].\nThree case histories of a painful forefoot due to an uncommon disease are given: Freiberg's disease, Morton's neuroma and metatarsal stress fracture. The differential diagnosis of metatarsalgia should include these diseases, especially if no static deformities are found.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10232956,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Multiphoton near-infrared femtosecond laser pulse-induced DNA damage with and without the photosensitizer proflavine.\nThe excitation of pBr322 supercoiled plasmid DNA with intense near-IR 810 nm fs laser pulses by a simultaneous multiphoton absorption mechanism results in single-strand breaks after treatment of the irradiated samples with Micrococcus luteus UV endonuclease. This enzyme cleaves DNA strands at sites of cyclobutane dimers that are formed by the simultaneous absorption of three (or more) 810 nm IR photons (pulse width approximately 140 fs, 76 MHz pulse repetition, average power output focused through 10x microscope objective is approximately 1.2 MW\/cm2). Direct single-strand breaks (without treatment with M. luteus) were not observed under these conditions. However, in the presence of 6 microM of the intercalator proflavine (PF), both direct single- and double-strand breaks are observed under conditions where substantial fractions of undamaged supercoiled DNA molecules are still present. The fraction of direct double-strand breaks is 30 +\/- 5% of all measurable strand cleavage events, is independent of dosage (up to 6.4 GJ\/cm2) and is proportional to In, where I is the average power\/area of the 810 nm fs laser pulses, and n = 3 +\/- 1. The nicking of two DNA strands in the immediate vicinity of the excited PF molecules gives rise to this double-strand cleavage. In contrast, excitation of the same samples under low-power, single-photon absorption conditions (approximately 400-500 nm) gives rise predominantly to single-strand breaks, but some double-strand breaks are observed at the higher dosages. Thus, single-photon excitation with 400-500 nm light and multiphoton activation of PF by near-IR fs laser pulses produces different distributions of single- and double-strand breaks. These results suggest that DNA strand cleavage originates from unrelaxed, higher excited states when PF is excited by simultaneous IR multiphoton absorption processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24282306,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Human autoimmunity after lymphocyte depletion is caused by homeostatic T-cell proliferation.\nThe association between lymphopenia and autoimmunity is recognized, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood and have not been studied systematically in humans. People with multiple sclerosis treated with the lymphocyte-depleting monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab offer a unique opportunity to study this phenomenon; one in three people develops clinical autoimmunity, and one in three people develops asymptomatic autoantibodies after treatment. Here, we show that T-cell recovery after alemtuzumab is driven by homeostatic proliferation, leading to the generation of chronically activated (CD28(-)CD57(+)), highly proliferative (Ki67(+)), oligoclonal, memory-like CD4 and CD8 T cells (CCR7(-)CD45RA(-) or CCR7(-)CD45RA(+)) capable of producing proinflammatory cytokines. Individuals who develop autoimmunity after treatment are no more lymphopenic than their nonautoimmune counterparts, but they show reduced thymopoiesis and generate a more restricted T-cell repertoire. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that homeostatic proliferation drives lymphopenia-associated autoimmunity in humans.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8558586,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Recent advances in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.\nThe evolving world of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery has, as in any other specialty or subspecialty, seen new trends and experienced tremendous bounds. In this review they will be discussed under two headings: cosmetic surgery and reconstructive surgery. The aim of this paper is to help educate the nonspecialist about the most significant recent advances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12359289,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"An analysis of advanced prehospital airway management.\nConsiderable controversy persists regarding the optimal means and indications for airway management, the utility of paralytic agents to facilitate intubation, and the indications for advanced airway access techniques in the prehospital setting. To describe the use of intubation and advanced airway management in a system with extensive experience with both the use of paralytic agents and surgical airway techniques, a retrospective review was conducted of all prehospital airway procedures from January 1997 through November 1999. Data collected included demographics, airway management techniques, use of paralytic agents, and immediate outcome. The results showed there were 2700 patients intubated out of 50,118 patient encounters (5.4%). The indications for intubation included medical emergency in 82% of patients and traumatic injury in 18%. Fifty percent of patients were intubated with the use of succinylcholine. The overall oral intubation success rate was 98.4% and definitive airway access was achieved in all but 12 patients (0.6%), with 30 patients receiving surgical airway access (1%). The successful intubation rate for patients receiving paralytic agents was 97.8%. Previously published rates of prehospital surgical airway access range from 3.8 to 14.9% of patients. In this study, only 1.1% of patients required a surgical airway. We attribute this low rate to the use of paralytic agents. The availability of paralytic agents also allows expansion of the indications for prehospital airway control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11554699,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Efficacy testing of cosmetic products. A proposal to the European Community by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Environment and Energy.\nRegulations for cosmetic products primarily address safety of the products that may be used by large populations of healthy consumers. Requirements for documentation of efficacy claims are only fragmentary. This synopsis aims to review and conclude a set of standards that may be acceptable to the European Community, and the cosmetic industry, as a legal standard for efficacy documentation in Europe in the future. Ethical, formal, experimental, statistical and other aspects of efficacy testing are described, including validation, quality control and assurance. The importance of user relevant clinical end points, a controlled randomized trial design and evidence-based cosmetic product documentation, validation of methods, statistical power estimation and proper data handling, reporting and archiving is emphasized. The main principles of the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) good clinical practice (GCP) should be followed by the cosmetics industry in a spirit of good documentation standard and scientific soundness, but full GCP is not considered mandatory in the field of cosmetics. Documentation by validated bio-instrumental methods may be acceptable, but efficacy documentation based on information about raw materials, reference to literature and laboratory experiments are only acceptable in exceptional cases. Principles for efficacy substantiation of cosmetic products in Europe, as described in this synopsis, are officially proposed by the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy to the European Community as a basis for an amendment to the Cosmetics Directive or otherwise implemented as a European Community regulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36833544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prevalence and Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Military First Line of Defense against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Second Epidemic Wave in Peru.\nFew studies have evaluated eating disorders in military personnel engaged in defense activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with eating disorders in military personnel from Lambayeque, Peru. A secondary data analysis was performed among 510 military personnel during the second epidemic wave of COVID-19 in Peru. We used the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) to assess eating disorders. We explored associations with insomnia, food insecurity, physical activity, resilience, fear to COVID-19, burnout syndrome, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress and selected sociodemographic variables. Eating disorders were experienced by 10.2% of participants. A higher prevalence of eating disorders was associated with having 7 to 12 months (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.24-7.11) and 19 months or more (PR: 2.62; 95% CI: 1.11-6.17) working in the first line of defense against COVID-19, fear of COVID-19 (PR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.26-3.85), burnout syndrome (PR: 3.73; 95% CI: 1.90-7.33) and post-traumatic stress (PR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.13-7.83). A low prevalence of eating disorders was found in the military personnel. However, prevention of this problem should be focused on at-risk groups that experience mental health burdens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28419279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Primates, Lice and Bacteria: Speciation and Genome Evolution in the Symbionts of Hominid Lice.\nInsects with restricted diets rely on symbiotic bacteria to provide essential metabolites missing in their diet. The blood-sucking lice are obligate, host-specific parasites of mammals and are themselves host to symbiotic bacteria. In human lice, these bacterial symbionts supply the lice with B-vitamins. Here, we sequenced the genomes of symbiotic and heritable bacterial of human, chimpanzee, gorilla, and monkey lice and used phylogenomics to investigate their evolutionary relationships. We find that these symbionts have a phylogenetic history reflecting the louse phylogeny, a finding contrary to previous reports of symbiont replacement. Examination of the highly reduced symbiont genomes (0.53-0.57 Mb) reveals much of the genomes are dedicated to vitamin synthesis. This is unchanged in the smallest symbiont genome and one that appears to have been reorganized. Specifically, symbionts from human lice, chimpanzee lice, and gorilla lice carry a small plasmid that encodes synthesis of vitamin B5, a vitamin critical to the bacteria-louse symbiosis. This plasmid is absent in an old world monkey louse symbiont, where this pathway is on its primary chromosome. This suggests the unique genomic configuration brought about by the plasmid is not essential for symbiosis, but once obtained, it has persisted for up to 25 My. We also find evidence that human, chimpanzee, and gorilla louse endosymbionts have lost a pathway for synthesis of vitamin B1, whereas the monkey louse symbiont has retained this pathway. It is unclear whether these changes are adaptive, but they may point to evolutionary responses of louse symbionts to shifts in primate biology.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8051216,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Structural requirements and sequence motifs for polarized sorting and endocytosis of LDL and Fc receptors in MDCK cells.\nIn MDCK cells, basolateral sorting of most membrane proteins has been shown to depend on distinct cytoplasmic domain determinants. These signals can be divided into those which are related to signals for localization at clathrin-coated pits and those which are unrelated. The LDL receptor bears two tyrosine-containing signals, one of each class, that can independently target receptors from the Golgi complex and from endosomes to the basolateral plasma membrane. We have now investigated the other structural features required for the activity of both determinants. We find that both depend, at least in part, on clusters of 1-3 acidic amino acids located on the COOH-terminal side of each tyrosine. While single residues adjacent to each tyrosine were also found to be critical, the two signals differed in that only the coated pit-unrelated signal could tolerate a phenylalanine in place of its tyrosine residue. We also found that the structural requirements for basolateral targeting of the \"coated pit-related\" signal were distinct from those required for rapid endocytosis. Apart from sharing a common tyrosine residue, no feature of the NPXY motif for coated pit localization was required for basolateral targeting. We also investigated basolateral targeting of the mouse macrophage Fc receptor (FcRII-B2) which contains a tyrosine-independent coated pit localization signal. Basolateral transport and endocytosis were found to depend on a common dileucine-type motif. Thus, basolateral targeting determinants, like coated pit domains, can contain either tyrosine- or di-leucine-containing signals. The amino acids in the vicinity of these motifs determine whether they function as determinants for endocytosis, basolateral targeting, or both.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32398254,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Incidence, Predictors, and Outcomes of Failure of Noninvasive Ventilation in Acute Heart Failure Hospitalization.\nBACKGROUND: Some patients with acute heart failure (AHF) who are treated initially with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) will require endotracheal intubation, which indicates NIV failure. The incidence and prognosis of NIV failure in patients with AHF are not well characterized. METHODS: Using the National In-Patient Sample (NIS), we conducted a retrospective cohort study of subjects hospitalized with AHF between 2008 and 2014 who were treated with NIV within 24 h of hospital admission. We determined predictors of NIV failure and determined the association between NIV failure and in-hospital mortality using Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: Of 279,534 subjects hospitalized with AHF and treated with NIV, 4,257 (1.52%) failed NIV and required intubation. Cardiogenic shock (odds ratio 8.79, 95% CI 6.89-11.2) and in-hospital arrest (odds ratio 24.9, 95% CI 18.71-33.14) were associated with NIV failure. In-hospital mortality was 26.5% for NIV failure compared to 5.6% for those without NIV (P < .001). After adjustment for demographics, comorbidities, cardiogenic shock, and in-hospital arrest, NIV failure was associated with nearly a 2-fold risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.95, 95% CI 1.59-2.40). CONCLUSIONS: Intubation after initial NIV treatment was required in 1.5% of subjects hospitalized with AHF and treated with NIV, and was associated with high in-hospital mortality. These findings can guide future prospective interventional trials and quality improvement ventures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16205859,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Antiphospholipid antibodies in young adults with stroke.\nAntiphospholipid antibodies have been associated with a clinical syndrome consisting thrombosis and recurrent, unexplained fetal loss. The literature pertaining to stroke associated with antiphospholipid antibodies, with emphasis on stroke in young adults, was reviewed. Antiphospholipid antibodies are an independent risk factor for stroke in young adults in five of six studies. Multiple antiphospholipid specificities or the Lupus Anticoagulant were tested in addition to anticardiolipin antibody in these studies. In the single study that found no increased risk for stroke, only anticardiolipin antibody was tested. Only one of these studies evaluated for risk of recurrent stroke in young adults with antiphospholipid antibodies and found it to be increased. No treatment trials have been conducted in young adults with antiphospholipid antibodies and stroke. In the single treatment trial comparing aspirin and low-INR producing doses of warfarin to prevent recurrent stroke, both were found to be equally effective. Antiphospholipid antibodies, particularly Lupus Anticoagulant, is an independent risk factor for first and possibly recurrent ischemic stroke in young adults. The best therapeutic strategy for preventing antiphospholipid antibody-associated recurrent stroke is not clear.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34964709,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The polymorphism L412F in TLR3 inhibits autophagy and is a marker of severe COVID-19 in males.\nThe polymorphism L412F in TLR3 has been associated with several infectious diseases. However, the mechanism underlying this association is still unexplored. Here, we show that the L412F polymorphism in TLR3 is a marker of severity in COVID-19. This association increases in the sub-cohort of males. Impaired macroautophagy\/autophagy and reduced TNF\/TNF\u03b1 production was demonstrated in HEK293 cells transfected with TLR3L412F-encoding plasmid and stimulated with specific agonist poly(I:C). A statistically significant reduced survival at 28 days was shown in L412F COVID-19 patients treated with the autophagy-inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (p = 0.038). An increased frequency of autoimmune disorders such as co-morbidity was found in L412F COVID-19 males with specific class II HLA haplotypes prone to autoantigen presentation. Our analyses indicate that L412F polymorphism makes males at risk of severe COVID-19 and provides a rationale for reinterpreting clinical trials considering autophagy pathways.Abbreviations: AP: autophagosome; AUC: area under the curve; BafA1: bafilomycin A1; COVID-19: coronavirus disease-2019; HCQ: hydroxychloroquine; RAP: rapamycin; ROC: receiver operating characteristic; SARS-CoV-2: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; TLR: toll like receptor; TNF\/TNF-\u03b1: tumor necrosis factor.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17080954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"The effect of gibberellic acid on the response of leaf extension to low temperature.\nThe effect of cooling on leaf extension rate (LER) and on relative elemental growth rate (REGR) was measured in both gibberellic acid (GA)-responsive dwarf barley and in the same barley variety treated with GA. Seedlings were maintained at 20 degrees C while their leaf extension zone (LEZ) temperature was reduced either in steps to -6 degrees C in short-term cooling experiments, or to 10 degrees C for 48 h in long-term cooling experiments. Short-term cooling resulted in a biphasic response in LER, with a clear inflection point identified. Below this point, the activation energy for leaf extension becomes higher. The short-term response of LER to cooling was altered by the application of GA, which resulted in a lower base temperature (Tb), inflection point temperature and activation energy for leaf extension. Both GA-treated and untreated seedlings were less sensitive to cooling maintained for a prolonged period, with LER making a partial recover over the initial 5 h. Although long-term cooling reduced maximum REGR, it resulted in a longer LEZ and an increase in the length of mature interstomatal cells in GA-treated and untreated seedlings. These changes in overall physiology appear to enhance the ability of the leaves to continue expansion at suboptimal temperatures. In both GA-treated and cold-acclimated tissue, the occurrence of a longer LEZ was associated with a lower temperature sensitivity in LER.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21943387,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-18":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Metabolic network modeling of redox balancing and biohydrogen production in purple nonsulfur bacteria.\nPurple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB) are facultative photosynthetic bacteria and exhibit an extremely versatile metabolism. A central focus of research on PNSB dealt with the elucidation of mechanisms by which they manage to balance cellular redox under diverse conditions, in particular under photoheterotrophic growth. Given the complexity of the central metabolism of PNSB, metabolic modeling becomes crucial for an integrated analysis of the accumulated biological knowledge. We reconstructed a stoichiometric model capturing the central metabolism of three important representatives of PNSB (Rhodospirillum rubrum, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas palustris). Using flux variability analysis, the model reveals key metabolic constraints related to redox homeostasis in these bacteria. With the help of the model we can (i) give quantitative explanations for non-intuitive, partially species-specific phenomena of photoheterotrophic growth of PNSB, (ii) reproduce various quantitative experimental data, and (iii) formulate several new hypotheses. For example, model analysis of photoheterotrophic growth reveals that--despite a large number of utilizable catabolic pathways--substrate-specific biomass and CO\u2082 yields are fixed constraints, irrespective of the assumption of optimal growth. Furthermore, our model explains quantitatively why a CO\u2082 fixing pathway such as the Calvin cycle is required by PNSB for many substrates (even if CO\u2082 is released). We also analyze the role of other pathways potentially involved in redox metabolism and how they affect quantitatively the required capacity of the Calvin cycle. Our model also enables us to discriminate between different acetate assimilation pathways that were proposed recently for R. sphaeroides and R. rubrum, both lacking the isocitrate lyase. Finally, we demonstrate the value of the metabolic model also for potential biotechnological applications: we examine the theoretical capabilities of PNSB for photoheterotrophic hydrogen production and identify suitable genetic interventions to increase the hydrogen yield. Taken together, the metabolic model (i) explains various redox-related phenomena of the versatile metabolism of PNSB, (ii) delivers new hypotheses on the operation and relevance of several metabolic pathways, and (iii) holds significant potential as a tool for rational metabolic engineering of PNSB in biotechnological applications.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8111048,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Cytometric detection of DNA amplified with fluorescent primers: applications to analysis of clonal bcl-2 and IgH gene rearrangements in malignant lymphomas.\nFollicular lymphomas comprise almost two thirds of the US adult non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) and are the most common malignancy of B-lineage lymphocytes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocols have been developed to detect the t(14;18) translocation, which juxtaposes the bcl-2 proto-oncogene to the Ig heavy-chain (IgH) gene in 85% of follicular lymphomas and monoclonal rearrangements of the IgH gene in B-cell NHL that lack bcl-2 rearrangements. We used PCR to amplify bcl-2 and IgH rearrangements in DNA from patients with lymphoproliferative disorders and analyzed the products in parallel by gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry, which detected PCR products incorporating fluoresceinated oligonucleotide primers by sequence-specific capture to oligonucleotide-coated magnetic beads. Overall, flow cytometry was superior to electrophoresis of ethidium-bromide-stained agarose gels for detection of products of nested PCR to detect intergenic rearrangements involving bcl-2 and single primer-pair amplification of clonal rearrangement of IgH. Flow cytometric analysis detected bcl-2 translocations in 12 of 13 CD10+ B-cell lymphomas and clonal IgH rearrangements in 14 of 17 monoclonal B-cell populations. In contrast, analysis by gel electrophoresis detected bcl-2 translocations in only 10 of 13 CD10+ and clonal IgH gene rearrangements in only 9 of 17 monoclonal B-cell populations. Flow cytometric analysis was more sensitive than gel electrophoresis and could detect a 16-fold greater dilution of a bcl-2-amplified product than gel electrophoresis. Similarly, flow cytometry could detect an amplification product when template DNA was diluted 10,000-fold, whereas gel electrophoresis only detected amplification products when template was subjected to dilution between 100- and 1,000-fold. This shows the utility of flow cytometry for the analysis of DNA amplification products incorporating fluorochrome-labeled primers as a rapid, objective alternative to conventional strategies. Because current-generation clinical laboratories emphasize automation, flow cytometric analysis of PCR-amplified products shows increased analytic sensitivity and offers a vehicle for automation of DNA amplification tests.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28958075,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers to Assess Substantia Nigra Damage in Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder.\nIdiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is considered to be a prodromal stage of Parkinson's disease (PD). At PD onset, 40 to 70% of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) are already lost. Thus, milder SN damage is expected in participants with iRBD. We aimed to quantify SN damage in participants with iRBD using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to determine biomarker efficacy in preclinical Parkinsonism. Nineteen participants with iRBD and 18 controls underwent 3-Tesla MRI, including diffusion tensor imaging, neuromelanin (NM)-sensitive imaging, and T2* mapping. Regions of interest in the SN area were drawn in NM-sensitive and T2-weighted images. The volume and normalized signal intensity in NM-sensitive images, R2*, and diffusion tensor measures were quantified in the SN. Additionally, two raters performed visual analysis of the SN using the NM-sensitive images. Participants with iRBD showed a reduction in the NM-sensitive volume and signal intensity and a decrease in fractional anisotropy (FA) versus controls, but showed no differences in axial, radial, or mean diffusivity or in R2*. For NM-sensitive volume and signal intensity, the receiver operating characteristic analysis discriminated between participants with iRBD and controls with a diagnostic accuracy of 0.86 and 0.79, respectively, whereas the accuracy was 0.77 for FA. The three biomarkers had a combined accuracy of 0.92. The fraction of participants correctly characterized by visual assessment was 0.81. NM-sensitive imaging and FA allowed for the detection of SN damage in participants with iRBD with good diagnostic accuracy. These measures may represent valuable biomarkers for prodromal Parkinsonism.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8282769,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Recycling of a secretory granule membrane protein after stimulated secretion.\nRecycling of a secretory granule membrane protein, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, was examined in primary cultures of bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. Cells were stimulated to secrete in the presence of antibodies directed against the luminal domain of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase. The location of the antibodies after various times of reincubation and after a second secretory stimulus was assessed using immunofluorescence microscopy. Stimulation led to the exposure of dopamine-beta-hydroxylase at the plasma membrane, which could be detected by a polyclonal antibody in living and fixed cells. The plasma membrane dopamine-beta-hydroxylase, either alone or complexed with antibody, was rapidly internalized after removal of the secretagogue. Internalized protein-antibody complex remained stable for at least 24 hours of reculture. Twenty four hours after stimulation the cells with internalized antibody could respond to further stimulation and some of the antibody was re-exposed at the plasma membrane. These findings were confirmed using FACS analysis. This suggests that the antibody-protein complex had returned to secretory granules that could respond to further secretagogue stimulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34242544,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Stress, anxiety, and sleep among college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic.\nWe categorized levels of self-reported stress, anxiety, worry, and sleep among US college and university students during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an anonymous online survey between May 7 and June 21, 2020. Nearly all participants reported worry about the pandemic. Nearly half (95% CI: 43.3-51.3) reported moderate-to-severe anxiety, and 42.0% (95% CI: 38.0-45.9) reported experiencing poor sleep quality. Those with moderate-to-severe anxiety were more likely (OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 2.4-4.7) to report poor sleep quality than those with less anxiety. Moderate or extreme worry about the pandemic was associated with poor sleep quality (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1). Our survey found high levels of stress, worry, anxiety, and poor sleep among US college and university students during the early months of the pandemic. Universities should prioritize access to resources for healthy coping to help students manage anxiety and improve sleep quality as the pandemic continues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8289201,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"FTIR spectral study of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in thromboxane A2 receptor agonist (U-46619), prostaglandin (PG)E2, PGD2, PGF2 alpha, prostacyclin receptor agonist (carbacyclin), and their related compounds in dilute CCl4 solution: structure-activity relationships.\nFTIR spectra measurements and full optimization curve analysis of their spectra were done to obtain parameters of the OH and C = O stretching vibration bands for intramolecular hydrogen bondings in thromboxane (TX)A2 receptor partial agonist (CTA2), prostaglandin (PG)E2, PGD2, PGF2 alpha, prostacyclin (PGI2) receptor agonist (carbacyclin), and their related compounds in dilute CCl4 solutions. For CTA2, PGE2, PGD2, and PGF2 alpha, cyclic intramolecular hydrogen bonds involving a 15-membered ring similar to that observed for the TXA2 receptor agonist (U-46619) were found between a carboxyl group of the alpha-side chain and a 15-hydroxyl group of the omega-side chain. The arrangement of these side chains was P-shaped, and the percentage of the intramolecular hydrogen-bonded molecules with the 15-membered ring in CCl4 solution showed a high value of ca. 80% for these compounds. In addition, it was found that the cyclic intramolecular hydrogen bonds involving the 13-, 12-, and 12-membered rings in PGE2, PGD2, and PGF2 alpha, respectively, are formed between the carboxyl group of the alpha-side chain and the 11-, 9-, and 9-hydroxyl groups of a cyclopentane ring, respectively, although the percentages of the intramolecular hydrogen-bonded molecules with these membered rings are very small. It was also found that the hydrogen bond is more easily formed in the order of the 11-, 9-, and 15-hydroxyl groups. For carbacyclin, the cyclic intramolecular hydrogen bond involving the 13-membered ring was found between the carboxyl group of the alpha-side chain and the 11-hydroxyl group. The percentage of the intramolecular hydrogen-bonded molecules showed the value of 58% for carbacyclin. On the basis of information on the side-chain conformations in CCl4, we examined the structure-activity relationships for U-46619 in place of TXA2, PGE2, PGD2, PGF2 alpha, and carbacyclin in place of PGI2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19461680,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":2,"2015-18":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Statistical study of single and multiple pulse laser-induced damage in glasses.\nSingle and multiple pulse laser damage studies are performed in Suprasil silica and BK-7 borosilicate glasses. Experiments are made in the bulk of materials at 1.064microm with nanosecond pulses, using an accurate and reliable measurement system. By means of a statistical study on laser damage probabilities, we demonstrate that the same nano-precursors could be involved in the multiple shot and single shot damage process. A damage mechanism with two stages is then proposed to explain the results. Firstly, a pre-damage process, corresponding to material changes at a microscopic level, leads the precursor to a state that can induce a one-pulse damage. And secondly a final damage occurs, with a mechanism identical to the single shot case. For each material, a law is found to predict the precursor life-time. We can then deduce the long term life of optical elements in high-power laser systems submitted to multipulse irradiation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26501453,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"New prospects for PET in prostate cancer imaging: a physicist's viewpoint.\nProstate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among men. Early diagnosis, correct staging, accurate detection of metastasis, and monitoring of the therapy are the key tasks that could greatly benefit from medical imaging. After a review of the main developments in the field of positron emission tomography (PET) tracers for prostate cancer, the impact of improved PET instrumentation with good spatial resolution and high sensitivity is discussed, together with the latest development in PET technology: lutetium oxy-ortho-silicate (LSO) and lutetium-yttrium oxy-ortho-silicate (LYSO) scintillators, resolution recovery, and time-of-flight reconstruction. New directions and multiple approaches in PET instrumentation for prostate cancer are presented and discussed. In particular, improved hardware and noise suppressing reconstruction algorithms allow for higher detectability of small lesions and better spatial resolution in PET\/computerized tomography (CT) and PET\/magnetic resonance (MR). This can be beneficial for guiding biopsy and surgery and for accurate therapy monitoring.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31679451,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Hand Motor Actions of Children With Cerebral Palsy Are Associated With Abnormal Sensorimotor Cortical Oscillations.\nBackground. The neuroimaging literature on cerebral palsy (CP) has predominantly focused on identifying the structural aberrations (eg, fiber track integrity), with very few studies examining neural activity within the key networks that serve the production of hand movements. Objective. We aimed to start to fill this knowledge gap by using magnetoencephalographic brain imaging to quantify the temporal dynamics of the sensorimotor oscillations during a hand motor action. Methods: Children with CP (n = 12; MACS [Manual Abilities Classification System] levels I-III) and typically developing (TD) children (n = 26) performed an arrow-based version of the Eriksen flanker task where a button press was performed with either the second or third digit of the right hand depending on the arrow's direction. Results: Overall, the children with CP were less accurate and had slower reaction times compared with the TD children. These behavioral differences were closely linked with aberrant sensorimotor cortical oscillations seen in the children with CP. Compared with the TD children, the children with CP had a weaker gamma (68-82 Hz) response during motor execution and a weaker post-movement beta rebound (PMBR; 14-26 Hz) response on movement termination. Moreover, we observed a significant correlation between the amplitude of the gamma and PMBR with reaction time, with weaker gamma and PMBR responses being linked with slower reaction times. Conclusions: Overall, these results suggest that aberrations in motor-related gamma and beta cortical oscillations are associated with the impaired hand motor actions seen in children with CP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2584228,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Regulation of ornithine aminotransferase in retinoblastomas.\nOrnithine-delta-aminotransferase (OAT) is a nuclear-encoded, mitochondrial enzyme that converts ornithine to glutamate semialdehyde. Although OAT is expressed in most tissues of the rat, liver, kidney, and retina have the highest levels of OAT activity. Studies of OAT regulation in liver and kidney have indicated transcriptional and translational controls for the enzyme in a tissue-specific manner. Little is known about OAT modulation in retinal tissue, although chorio-retinal degeneration is the predominant feature in a hereditary disorder of OAT deficiency, gyrate atrophy. To characterize OAT regulation in retinal lines, we studied its synthesis in two retinoblastoma strains, Y79 and RB355. Baseline OAT mRNA levels were similar in the two cell lines, yet Y79 expressed 3-fold more immunoreactive OAT protein and enzyme activity than RB355; this finding suggested the presence of a post-transcriptional mechanism for the regulation of steady-state OAT levels. Treatment of the two strains with estradiol or thyroid hormone for 24 h resulted in approximately 5-fold increases in OAT protein and activity. Since similar increases in OAT mRNA levels were observed in both strains after Northern blotting, it is likely that these hormones exert their effects at the transcriptional level. Finally, primer extension analysis revealed two OAT mRNA species in both strains, due to the presence of an additional exon (exon 2) in one of the transcripts. The absence of this exon in other tissues reflects the unique mechanisms which govern OAT in retinoblastomas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23611330,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Breastfeeding intentions among pregnant adolescents and young adults and their partners.\nRates of breastfeeding remain disproportionately low among young mothers in the United States. Although breastfeeding behavior may be most directly related to breastfeeding intention, little is known about breastfeeding intentions among young women who are expecting a baby. Pregnant adolescents and young adults (14-21 years old) and their male partners were recruited for participation. Females were asked if they intended to breastfeed, and their partners were asked if they wanted their partners to breastfeed; participants indicated reasons for their responses. Logistic regression modeling was used to determine the associations between breastfeeding intentions and sociodemographic characteristics, relationship characteristics, and partner's intention to breastfeed. Approximately 73% of females reported intending to breastfeed, and 80% of males reported wanting his partner to breastfeed, most commonly because it is \"healthier for the baby\" and \"a more natural way to feed the baby.\" Sociodemographic and relationship characteristics explained a small amount of variance of breastfeeding intention (15% and 4% among females, respectively, and 8% and 4% among males, respectively). Partner intention explained an additional 23% and 24% of the variance in individual intention for females and males, respectively. Females who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) from their current partner had lower odds of intending to breastfeed (odds ratio=0.37; 95% confidence interval=0.16, 0.84). Race\/ethnicity modified associations among both genders. These findings emphasize the importance of dyadic approaches and suggest strategies for improving breastfeeding intentions and behavior among young couples expecting a baby. These results are also among the first to document the relationship between IPV and breastfeeding intentions among young women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32524549,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Generation of CCM Phenotype by a Human Microvascular Endothelial Model.\nCerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) is a disorder of endothelial cells predominantly localized in the brain. Although a complete inactivation of each CCM protein has been found in the affected endothelium of diseased patients and a necessary and additional role of microenvironment has been demonstrated to determine in vivo the occurrence of vascular lesions, a microvascular endothelial model based on knockdown of a CCM gene represents today a convenient method to study some of critical signaling events regulating pathogenesis of CCM. For these reasons, in our laboratory we developed a microvascular cerebral endothelial model of Krit1 deficiency performing silencing experiments of CCM1 gene (Krit1) with siRNA procedure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25386256,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Telangiectasia macularis eruptiva perstans: more than skin deep.\nSystemic mastocytosis is a rare disease involving the infiltration and accumulation of active mast cells within any organ system. By far, the most common organ affected is the skin. Cutaneous manifestations of mastocytosis, including Urticaria Pigmentosa (UP), cutaneous mastocytoma or telangiectasia macularis eruptive perstans (TMEP), may indicate a more serious and potentially life-threatening underlying disease. The presence of either UP or TMEP in a patient with anaphylactic symptoms should suggest the likelihood of systemic mastocytosis, with the caveat that systemic complications are more likely to occur in patients with UP. TMEP can usually be identified by the typical morphology, but a skin biopsy is confirmative. In patients with elevated tryptase levels or those with frequent systemic manifestations, a bone marrow biopsy is essential in order to demonstrate mast cell infiltration. Further genetic testing for mutations of c-kit gene or the FIP1L1 gene may help with disease classification and\/or therapeutic approaches. Rarely, TMEP has been described with malignancy, radiation therapy, and myeloproliferative disorders. A few familial cases have also been described. In this review, we discuss the clinical features, diagnosis and management of patients with TMEP. We also discuss the possible molecular pathogenesis and the role of genetics in disease classification and treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27716897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Birth and Adoptive Parent Antisocial Behavior and Parenting: A Study of Evocative Gene-Environment Correlation.\nNegative parenting is shaped by the genetically influenced characteristics of children (via evocative rGE) and by parental antisocial behavior; however, it is unclear how these factors jointly impact parenting. This study examined the effects of birth parent and adoptive parent antisocial behavior on negative parenting. Participants included 546 families within a prospective adoption study. Adoptive parent antisocial behavior emerged as a small but significant predictor of negative parenting at 18 months and of change in parenting from 18 to 27 months. Birth parent antisocial behavior predicted change in adoptive father's (but not mother's) parenting over time. These findings highlight the role of parent characteristics and suggest that evocative rGE effects on parenting may be small in magnitude in early childhood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29377815,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of a static magnetic field on the microscopic characteristics of highly efficient oil-removing bacteria.\nTo better understand the microbial oil removal enhancement process by a magnetic field, the effect of a static magnetic field (SMF) on the microscopic characteristics of highly efficient biodegradation oil-removing bacteria was studied. The Acinetobacter sp. B11 strain with a 53.6% oil removal rate was selected as the reference bacteria. The changes in the microscopic characteristics of Acinetobacter sp. B11 such as the cell surface morphology, cell permeability and cell activity of the bacteria were investigated. The results showed that low-intensity magnetic fields (15-35 mT) improved the ability of Acinetobacter sp. B11 to remove oil by 11.9% at 25 mT compared with that of bacteria with no magnetic field. Without destroying the cell membrane, the low-intensity magnetic fields increased the cell membrane permeability and improved the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), which effectively enhanced the oil degradation performance of the bacteria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7525136,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Early outcome determination of low-birth-weight infants using the Neurodevelopmental Risk Examination.\nA neonatal neurodevelopmental assessment, the Neurodevelopmental Risk Examination (NRE), was developed, through adaptation of the scoring of the Allen\/Capute neonatal neurodevelopmental examination, for screening the development of low-birth-weight (LBW) infants in the newborn period. A pilot study was conducted of the NRE and its ability to predict motor and cognitive outcome in LBW infants. The NRE was performed on 92 LBW infants (mean birth weight 1,192 g; mean gestational age 29 weeks) at or near term and included assessments of sensory\/behavioral response, axial tone, extremity tone, deep tendon reflexes, and primitive reflexes. Developmental outcome was assessed at a mean age of 13.7 months by neuromotor examination and by the mental scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The NRE total risk score, reflecting overall neurodevelopmental status, correlated well with motor and cognitive outcomes (r = .50, P = .0001; and r = -.38, P = .0001, respectively). When infants were clustered into risk groups based upon NRE score (69 infants were deemed low-risk, 20 moderate-risk, and three high-risk), a strong relationship to outcome was maintained (motor outcome: chi 2 = 43.6, P < .0001; cognitive outcome: analysis of variance (ANOVA) F = 6.78, df(2.89), P = .002). All subcategories of the examination, except primitive reflexes, were associated with outcome. Therefore, by using a simple method of scoring and interpretation, the NRE can validly predict motor and cognitive outcome in LBW infants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3120595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Restricted passage of insulin across capillary endothelium in perfused rat adipose tissue.\nPassage of insulin across capillary endothelium was monitored in perfused rat parametrial adipose tissue by the effect of intra-arterially infused insulin on oxidation of [U-14C]glucose to CO2. Glucose oxidation was constant at 34 nmol C.g-1.min-1 for 90 min in tissues perfused with 0 or 50 microU\/ml. The rate of oxidation was doubled in 90 min at 100 microU\/ml and maximal (4 X control) in 40 min at 200 microU\/ml and in 20-30 min at 500 microU\/ml. The slow decline in oxidation rate when insulin infusion was stopped suggested that insulin was sequestered in the tissue. Although half-maximal response to insulin occurred in perfused tissues at 100 microU\/ml, it occurred at 8 microU\/ml in incubated adipocytes and at 30 microU\/ml in incubated tissue. In addition, the time required for maximal response to insulin was longer in perfused adipose tissue than in incubated cells and tissues. The data indicate that transfer of insulin from blood to parenchymal cells in perfused tissue was restricted. The minimal amount of insulin needed for a response by adipocytes in perfused tissue was estimated to be less than 1% of that in blood. Our findings are consistent with the concept that insulin is transferred across capillary endothelium by a receptor-mediated process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32346595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Interdisciplinary Approach to Spatiotemporal Population Dynamics: The North Orkney Population History Project.\nThe North Orkney Population History Project is a multidisciplinary data collection, digitization, and analysis effort that aims to reconstruct longitudinal demographic, environmental, and economic change. We describe the motivation, methodological approach, data sources, and some initial findings of the project. Detailed contextual information about a single community allows for the joint analysis of the changing population and changing landscape. The combination of diverse data sources and disciplinary approaches has resulted in findings that would not have been possible if each source had been considered in isolation. The approach adopted by the project offers a way to examine the interaction of a population with its landscape over a period of change.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18938738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Pharmacologic treatment of the ischaemic syndromes].\nThe term acute coronary syndromes includes a phantom of symptomatic clinical pictures that represent the acute occlusion of the coronary arteries by diverse degrees of plate of cholesterol, clot and spasm. They are divided in acute coronary ischemic syndromes without elevation of the ST (instable angina). And with elevation of the ST (acute infarct to the myocardium). The pharmacologic therapy includes a treatment in common for the syndromes before diagnosing the tipe of syndrome, this called therapy attached treatment includes the administration of oxygen, morphine, aspirin, nitrates, betablock, astatines and laxatives. The treatment for the acute coronary ischemic syndromes without elevation of the ST is with a preservative strategy where plaquetary antithrombotic drugs are used, while in the treatment of the acute coronary ischemic syndromes with elevation of the ST the strategy is of repercussion with the fibrinolytic drugs use like streptokinase anda rt-PA. The participation of infirmary is essential during the evolution and treatment of the individual dividing in four sections its interventions according to the clinical situation and time of intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20214588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pharmacogenomics in drug induced liver injury.\nDrug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a severe adverse effect. The majority of DILI cases are idiosyncratic and several mechanisms have been postulated to explain why some subjects develop DILI with drugs that are safe for the majority of individuals. Major mechanisms proposed for DILI are based on the production of reactive metabolites, immune-mediated hepatotoxicity, a \"danger signal\" hypothesis and\/or alterations in mitochondrial function. These mechanisms are compatible with the hypothesis for genetic variability in drug metabolism or bioactivation and are a major determinant for DILI. In this review we summarize present knowledge on underlying mechanisms, and clinical expression as well as genetic and non-genetic factors that modulate the risk of developing DILI. With regard to DILI pharmacogenomics, we summarize current evidence on the role of polymorphisms in genes coding for the drug-metabolizing enzymes CYP1A2, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP2E1, CYP3A4, CYP3A5, NAT2, GSTM1, GSTT1, UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A9 and UGT2B7. Conclusive evidence for association with DILI risk has been obtained for non-mutated CYP2E1, slow NAT2 and slow GSTM1 genotypes. For the rest of the genes additional pharmacogenomics and toxicogenomics studies are required. We identify potential sources of heterogeneity in studies carried out so far as well as new genetic targets which require further investigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15376327,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Sequence and embryonic expression of three zebrafish fringe genes: lunatic fringe, radical fringe, and manic fringe.\nDrosophila fringe and its homologues in vertebrates code for glycosyltransferases that modify Notch, altering the sensitivity of this receptor protein to its ligands Delta and Serrate and, thereby, playing an essential part in the demarcation of tissue boundaries. We describe the isolation and characterization of three zebrafish (Danio rerio) fringe homologues: lunatic fringe (lfng), radical fringe (rfng), and manic fringe (mfng). In addition to the sites previously described (Prince et al. [2001] Mech. Dev. 105:175-180; Leve et al. [ 2001] Dev. Genes Evol. 211:493-500), lfng is also expressed in the sensory patches of the inner ear. The newly described rfng is expressed in adaxial cells, tectum, rhombomere boundaries, and formed somites, but the expression of mfng is only detectable by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and not by whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) during early embryonic development; later, it is expressed in the sensory patches of the ear. In mib mutants, where Notch signaling is defective and rhombomere boundaries fail to form, the rfng expression in hindbrain is almost completely lost. None of the three zebrafish fringe genes is detectably expressed in the posterior presomitic mesoderm, suggesting that, in contrast with chick and mouse, the somitogenesis oscillator in this tissue in the zebrafish does not depend on Fringe activity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1606664,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Three types of naturally occurring modified lipoproteins induce intracellular lipid accumulation due to lipoprotein aggregation.\nLow density lipoprotein (LDL) from patients with coronary atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus as well as in vitro desialylated LDL, glycosylated LDL, and lipoprotein (a) caused a twofold to fourfold rise in cholesteryl ester in cultured human blood monocytes and intimal smooth muscle cells isolated from normal aorta. Native LDL from healthy subjects failed to induce intracellular lipid accumulation. We have demonstrated by laser correlative photometry and gel filtration chromatography that in vivo and in vitro modified lipoproteins form aggregates under cell culture conditions. The degree of modified lipoprotein aggregation directly correlated with the ability of these lipoproteins to elevate the cholesteryl ester content of cultured cells. Modified lipoprotein aggregates isolated by gel filtration induced a threefold to fivefold elevation in cellular cholesteryl ester content. Aggregates of 125I-modified LDL were taken up and degraded fivefold to sevenfold more effectively as compared with nonaggregated lipoproteins. The uptake and degradation of 125I-labeled aggregates were strongly inhibited by unlabeled aggregates, latex beads, and cytochalasin B but not by native or acetylated LDL. These data indicate that uptake of lipoprotein aggregates occurred by phagocytosis. Obtained results suggest that modified lipoprotein aggregation may be the key condition for lipid accumulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11553861,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Severe hypoxia specifically downregulates hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 gene expression in HepG2 human hepatoma cells.\nThe liver is one of the organs in which hypoxia helps to regulate gene expression under normal physiological conditions and in diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer. We postulated that the expression\/activity of some of the 'liver-enriched' transcription factors, which control liver-specific genes, was sensitive to hypoxia. We tested hepatocyte nuclear factor-1 (HNF-1), HNF-3 and HNF-4, which play key roles in differentiation, development and hepatic gene expression, using HepG2 human hepatoma cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. Severe hypoxia\/anoxia downregulated HNF-4 DNA-binding activity while DNA-binding activity of HNF-1 and HNF-3 remained unaffected. These hypoxic conditions also strongly and specifically decreased cell contents of HNF-4 protein, indicating that the decrease in HNF-4 DNA-binding activity was due to the lower amount of protein and not to decreased DNA-binding affinity. Northern analysis indicated that the expression of the hnf-4 gene was also downregulated in HepG2 cells cultured under hypoxic conditions. These results provide evidence that hypoxic stress triggers a cascade of events that inhibits the transactivation potential of HNF-4 in HepG2 cells. This step may be crucial in modulating the expression of a subset of liver genes that are targets for this nuclear receptor. This relationship provides a new route for the investigation of the effects of hypoxia on the liver cell.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18650169,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Fractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy in the treatment of primary, recurrent, and metastatic lung tumors: the role of positron emission tomography\/computed tomography-based treatment planning.\nThe aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of patients treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in patients with primary, recurrent, or metastatic lung lesions, with a focus on positron emission tomography (PET)\/computed tomography (CT)-based management. Fifty-one patients with primary stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n = 26), recurrent lung cancer after definitive treatment (n = 12), or solitary lung metastases (n = 13) were treated with SBRT between 2005 and 2007. Patients were treated with the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System with Synchrony respiratory tracking. A dose of 60 Gy was delivered in 3 fractions. All patients had CT or PET\/CT performed at approximately 3-month intervals after treatment. The median follow-up was 12 months. Local control at median follow-up was 85% in patients with stage I NSCLC, 92% in patients with recurrent lung cancer, and 62% in the patients with solitary lung metastasis. Analysis of the 28 patients with pre- and post-treatment PET\/CT scans demonstrated that those with stable disease (n = 4) had a mean standardized uptake value (SUV) decrease of 28%, partial responders (n = 11) had a decrease of 48%, and patients with a complete response (n = 11) had a decrease of 94%. Patients with progressive disease (n = 2) had an SUV decrease of only 0.4%. Only 2 patients (7%) who had reduced fluorodeoxyglucose avidity later progressed locally. No correlations were found between pretreatment SUV and tumor response, disease progression, or survival. Overall 1-year survival rates were 81%, 67%, and 85% among the patients with primary NSCLC, recurrent lung cancer, and solitary lung metastases, respectively. Stereotactic body radiation therapy with CyberKnife is an effective treatment for patients with medically inoperable recurrent or metastatic lung cancer. Positron emission tomography\/CT is valuable in staging, planning, and evaluating treatment response and might predict long-term outcome.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37773124,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Randomised controlled trial testing effectiveness of feedback about lung age or exhaled CO combined with very brief advice for smoking cessation compared to very brief advice alone in North Macedonia: findings from the Breathe Well group.\nIn 2019, smoking prevalence in North Macedonia was one of the world's highest at around 46% in adults. However, access to smoking cessation treatment is limited and no co-ordinated smoking cessation programmes are provided in primary care. We conducted a three parallel-armed randomised controlled trial (n = 1368) to investigate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of lung age (LA) or exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) feedback combined with very brief advice (VBA) to prompt smoking cessation compared with VBA alone, delivered by GPs in primary care in North Macedonia. All participants who decided to attempt to quit smoking were advised about accessing smoking cessation medications and were also offered behavioural support as part of the \"ACT\" component of VBA. Participants were aged \u2265 35 years, smoked \u2265 10 cigarettes per day, were recruited from 31 GP practices regardless of motivation to quit and were randomised (1:1:1) using a sequence generated before the start of recruitment. The primary outcome was biochemically validated 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 4 weeks (wks). Participants and GPs were not blinded to allocation after randomisation, however outcome assessors were blind to treatment allocation. There was no evidence of a difference in biochemically confirmed quitting between intervention and control at 4wks (VBA + LA RR 0.90 (97.5%CI: 0.35, 2.27); VBA + CO RR 1.04 (97.5%CI: 0.44, 2.44)), however the absolute number of quitters was small (VBA + LA 1.6%, VBA + CO 1.8%, VBA 1.8%). A similar lack of effect was observed at 12 and 26wks, apart from in the VBA + LA arm where the point estimate was significant but the confidence intervals were very wide. In both treatment arms, a larger proportion reported a reduction in cigarettes smoked per day at 4wks (VBA + LA 1.30 (1.10, 1.54); VBA + CO 1.23 (1.03, 1.49)) compared with VBA. The point estimates indicated a similar direction of effect at 12wks and 26wks, but differences were not statistically significant. Quantitative process measures indicated high fidelity to the intervention delivery protocols, but low uptake of behavioural and pharmacological support. VBA was the dominant intervention in the health economic analyses. Overall, there was no evidence that adding LA or CO to VBA increased quit rates. However, a small effect cannot be ruled out as the proportion quitting was low and therefore estimates were imprecise. There was some evidence that participants in the intervention arms were more likely to reduce the amount smoked, at least in the short term. More research is needed to find effective ways to support quitting in settings like North Macedonia where a strong smoking culture persists. The trial was registered at http:\/\/www.isrctn.com (ISRCTN54228638) on the 07\/09\/2018.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":623449,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Properties and stability of tetracycline hydrochloride tablets].\nThree forms of tetracycline hydrochloride tablets were studied, i.e. the uncoated tablets, sugar-coated tablets and the tablets with gastric-soluble film coating. The film-coated tablets had advantages in the main quality characteristics, i.e. the contents of the tetracycline-like admixtures, the active substance and solubility rate. The possibility of the tablet stability investigation by the method of \"accelerated aging\" was shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11488800,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Chronic pain and quality of life following open inguinal hernia repair.\nThe aim was to determine the frequency and characteristics of chronic pain following open inguinal hernia repair and to identify risk factors for its development. This was a questionnaire survey of a historical cohort of patients who underwent inguinal hernia surgery in Aberdeen. The sample comprised all patients (n = 351) who underwent surgery between January 1995 and December 1997, and who were alive and resident in Grampian in October 1999. Outcome measures included self-report of pain persisting for more than 3 months after operation. Pain was characterized by means of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and quality of life was assessed with the Short Form 36 (SF-36). A total of 226 patients (64 per cent) completed the questionnaire, 67 (30 per cent) of whom reported chronic pain. Reported pain was predominantly neuropathic in character. Patients at increased risk of chronic pain were under 40 years old (P < 0.001), had day-case surgery (P = 0.004), had subsequent surgery on the same side (P < 0.005) and recalled pain before operation (P = 0.005). The SF-36 scores were significantly different in the social functioning, mental health and pain dimensions in patients with chronic pain. Chronic pain occurred in 30 per cent of patients after open hernia repair, a higher frequency than has been reported previously. Several risk factors were identified and further prospective research is recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26488612,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Tendon Cell Specific RNAi Screen Reveals Novel Candidates Essential for Muscle Tendon Interaction.\nTendons are fibrous connective tissue which connect muscles to the skeletal elements thus acting as passive transmitters of force during locomotion and provide appropriate body posture. Tendon-derived cues, albeit poorly understood, are necessary for proper muscle guidance and attachment during development. In the present study, we used dorsal longitudinal muscles of Drosophila and their tendon attachment sites to unravel the molecular nature of interactions between muscles and tendons. We performed a genetic screen using RNAi-mediated knockdown in tendon cells to find out molecular players involved in the formation and maintenance of myotendinous junction and found 21 candidates out of 2507 RNAi lines screened. Of these, 19 were novel molecules in context of myotendinous system. Integrin-\u03b2PS and Talin, picked as candidates in this screen, are known to play important role in the cell-cell interaction and myotendinous junction formation validating our screen. We have found candidates with enzymatic function, transcription activity, cell adhesion, protein folding and intracellular transport function. Tango1, an ER exit protein involved in collagen secretion was identified as a candidate molecule involved in the formation of myotendinous junction. Tango1 knockdown was found to affect development of muscle attachment sites and formation of myotendinous junction. Tango1 was also found to be involved in secretion of Viking (Collagen type IV) and BM-40 from hemocytes and fat cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9402085,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A role for P-selectin in neutrophil and platelet infiltration in immune complex glomerulonephritis.\nP-selectin is one of the key early mediators of leukocyte adhesion in inflammatory conditions. This report examines the role of P-selectin in a neutrophil- and platelet-mediated model of glomerulonephritis (the concanavalin A [con A] model). The administration of neutralizing anti-P-selectin antibody (PB 1.3) reduced the platelet influx at 10 min (P < 0.05) and was associated with a 60% reduction in the neutrophil infiltrate and a 50% reduction in the number of oxidant-producing cells at 3 h within glomeruli. No effect on glomerular monocyte-macrophage accumulation was observed, and proteinuria was reduced by 20% but did not reach significance. It is concluded that P-selectin plays an important role in mediating the neutrophil and platelet accumulation in this model and likely has a role in mediating the glomerular injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17464356,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"An improved high throughput protein-protein interaction assay for nuclear hormone receptors.\nThe Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) \"pulldown\" assay has been used extensively to assay protein interactions in vitro. This methodology has been especially useful for investigating the interactions of nuclear hormone receptors with a wide variety of their interacting partners and coregulatory proteins. Unfortunately, the original GST-pulldown technique relies on multiple binding, washing and elution steps performed in individual microfuge tubes, and requires repeated centrifugation, aspiration, and suspension steps. This type of batch processing creates a significant liquid handling bottleneck, limiting the number of sample points that can be incorporated into one experiment and producing inherently less efficient washing and elution than would a flow-through methodology. In this manuscript, we describe the adaptation of this GST-pulldown assay to a 96-well filter plate format. The use of a multi-well filter plate makes it possible to assay more samples in significantly less time using less reagents and more efficient sample processing than does the traditional single tube assay.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26352108,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Mechanism of Copper(I)-Catalyzed 5-Iodo-1,2,3-triazole Formation from Azide and Terminal Alkyne.\n5-Iodo-1,2,3-triazole (iodotriazole) can be prepared from a copper(I)-catalyzed reaction between azide and terminal alkyne in the presence of an iodinating agent, with 5-protio-1,2,3-triazole (protiotriazole) as the side product. The increasing utilities of iodotriazoles in synthetic and supramolecular chemistry drive the efforts in improving their selective syntheses based on a sound mechanistic understanding. A routinely proposed mechanism takes the cue from the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, which includes copper(I) acetylide and triazolide as the early and the late intermediates, respectively. Instead of being protonated to afford protiotriazole, an iodinating agent presumably intercepts the copper(I) triazolide to give iodotriazole. The current work shows that copper(I) triazolide can be iodinated to afford iodotriazoles. However, when the reaction starts from a terminal alkyne as under the practical circumstances, 1-iodoalkyne (iodoalkyne) is an intermediate while copper(I) triazolide is bypassed on the reaction coordinate. The production of protiotriazole commences after almost all of the iodoalkyne is consumed. Using (1)H NMR to follow a homogeneous iodotriazole forming reaction, the rapid formation of an iodoalkyne is shown to dictate the selectivity of an iodotriazole over a protiotriazole. To ensure the exclusive production of iodotriazole, the complete conversion of an alkyne to an iodoalkyne has to, and can be, achieved at the early stage of the reaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15876682,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Production and characterization of amphiploids of Aegilops kotschyi and Ae. biuncialis with Secale cereale, and of backcross hybrids of Ae. biuncialis x S. cereale amphiploids with 2x and 4x S. cereale.\nAmphiploids (2n = 6x = 42) of Ae. kotschyi and Ae. biuncialis with self-compatible S. cereale were produced from F1 sterile hybrids (2n = 3x = 21) through colchicine treatment and callus tissue regeneration. The amphiploids resembled the F1 plants in overall morphology, but were larger in all respects and self-fertile. The spikelets consisted mostly of 3 well-developed florets. Selfed seeds were obtained from some colchicine-doubled sectors and callus regenerates. Most of the produced seeds were well developed. Backcrosses between amphiploids and rye (2x and 4x) resulted in obtaining (Ae. biuncialis x S. cereale amphiploid) x S. cereale hybrids via embryo culture. The BC1 plants (2n = 4x = 28 and 2n = 5x = 35, respectively) were phenotypically intermediate between the parents and vigorous in vegetative growth. Some seeds were obtained only from the 35-chromosome BC1 hybrids.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19007235,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Production of octenyl succinic anhydride-modified waxy corn starch and its characterization.\nThe objective of this work is to investigate the effects of reaction conditions on the synthesis of octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA)-modified starch from waxy corn starch and to study the characteristics of the OSA-modified starch as well as its applications. A mathematical model was developed to investigate the influences of various processing condition factors on the production of the OSA-modified waxy corn starch production and predict the optimum reaction conditions. The maximal degree of substitution (DS) of OSA-modified waxy corn starch (0.0204) was predicted to occur when the starch concentration was 31.2%, the pH was 8.6, the reaction temperature was 33.6 degrees C, and the reaction time was 18.7 h. Repeated reactions for producing OSA-modified waxy corn starch were carried out in a 5 m(3) reactor under the optimized conditions for verification of the model. The characteristics of modified waxy corn starch including infrared spectrum, scanning electron microscopy, and pasting property were tested and emulsification capacity of the OSA-modified starch were evaluated as well.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34073539,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Diagnosis, Investigation and Management of Patients with Acute and Chronic Myocardial Injury.\nThe application of high-sensitivity cardiac troponins in clinical practice has led to an increase in the recognition of elevated concentrations in patients without myocardial ischaemia. The Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction encourages clinicians to classify such patients as having an acute or chronic myocardial injury based on the presence or absence of a rise or a fall in cardiac troponin concentrations. Both conditions may be caused by a variety of cardiac and non-cardiac conditions, and evidence suggests that clinical outcomes are worse than patients with myocardial infarction due to atherosclerotic plaque rupture, with as few as one-third of patients alive at 5 years. Major adverse cardiovascular events are comparable between populations, and up to three-fold higher than healthy individuals. Despite this, no evidence-based strategies exist to guide clinicians in the investigation of non-ischaemic myocardial injury. This review explores the aetiology of myocardial injury and proposes a simple framework to guide clinicians in early assessment to identify those who may benefit from further investigation and treatment for those with cardiovascular disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24061550,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Heteroannulation of arynes with N-aryl-\u03b1-aminoketones for the synthesis of unsymmetrical N-aryl-2,3-disubstituted indoles: an aryne twist of Bischler-M\u00f6hlau indole synthesis.\nReaction of 2-(trimethylsilyl)aryl triflates 1 with N-aryl-\u03b1-amino ketones 2 afforded N-aryl-2,3-disubstituted indoles in good to excellent yields with complete control of the substitution patterns. This methodology allowed for the first time a one-step synthesis of unsymmetrical 2,3-dialkyl substituted indoles in a regiospecific manner.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31992859,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Characterization of a sponge microbiome using an integrative genome-centric approach.\nMarine sponges often host diverse and species-specific communities of microorganisms that are critical for host health. Previous functional genomic investigations of the sponge microbiome have focused primarily on specific symbiont lineages, which frequently make up only a small fraction of the overall community. Here, we undertook genome-centric analysis of the symbiont community in the model species Ircinia ramosa and analyzed 259 unique, high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) that comprised 74% of the I. ramosa microbiome. Addition of these MAGs to genome trees containing all publicly available microbial sponge symbionts increased phylogenetic diversity by 32% within the archaea and 41% within the bacteria. Metabolic reconstruction of the MAGs showed extensive redundancy across taxa for pathways involved in carbon fixation, B-vitamin synthesis, taurine metabolism, sulfite oxidation, and most steps of nitrogen metabolism. Through the acquisition of all major taxa present within the I. ramosa microbiome, we were able to analyze the functional potential of a sponge-associated microbial community in unprecedented detail. Critical functions, such as carbon fixation, which had previously only been assigned to a restricted set of sponge-associated organisms, were actually spread across diverse symbiont taxa, whereas other essential pathways, such as ammonia oxidation, were confined to specific keystone taxa.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20657818,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A spatio-temporal analysis of matrix protein and nucleocapsid trafficking during vesicular stomatitis virus uncoating.\nTo study VSV entry and the fate of incoming matrix (M) protein during virus uncoating we used recombinant viruses encoding M proteins with a C-terminal tetracysteine tag that could be fluorescently labeled using biarsenical (Lumio) compounds. We found that uncoating occurs early in the endocytic pathway and is inhibited by expression of dominant-negative (DN) Rab5, but is not inhibited by DN-Rab7 or DN-Rab11. Uncoating, as defined by the separation of nucleocapsids from M protein, occurred between 15 and 20 minutes post-entry and did not require microtubules or an intact actin cytoskeleton. Unexpectedly, the bulk of M protein remained associated with endosomal membranes after uncoating and was eventually trafficked to recycling endosomes. Another small, but significant fraction of M distributed to nuclear pore complexes, which was also not dependent on microtubules or polymerized actin. Quantification of fluorescence from high-resolution confocal micrographs indicated that after membrane fusion, M protein diffuses across the endosomal membrane with a concomitant increase in fluorescence from the Lumio label which occurred soon after the release of RNPs into the cytoplasm. These data support a new model for VSV uncoating in which RNPs are released from M which remains bound to the endosomal membrane rather than the dissociation of M protein from RNPs after release of the complex into the cytoplasm following membrane fusion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24130137,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Improved detection of silent atrial fibrillation using 72-hour Holter ECG in patients with ischemic stroke: a prospective multicenter cohort study.\nAdequate diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF), including paroxysmal AF, is an important part of stroke workup. Prolonged ECG monitoring may improve the detection of paroxysmal, previously undiagnosed AF (unknown AF). Therefore, we evaluated systematic 72-hour Holter ECG monitoring to detect unknown AF for the workup of patients with stroke. Unselected survivors of a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) without known AF were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter cohort study of 72-hour Holter ECG monitoring in 9 German secondary and tertiary stroke centers between May 2010 and January 2011. In addition to standardized workup of stroke pathogenesis according to the German Stroke Unit protocol, all patients underwent 72-hour Holter ECG monitoring directly after admission. All ECGs were centrally analyzed by 2 independent observers. We determined the proportion of unknown AF and compared the detection rates of 72- and 24-hour monitoring. A total of 1135 patients were enrolled (mean age, 67 years [SD, 13.1 years], 45% women, 29% TIA). Unknown AF was detected in 49 out of 1135 patients (4.3%, [95% confidence interval, 3.4-5.2%]) by 72-hour ECG monitoring. Unknown AF was diagnosed in 29 patients (2.6%) within the first 24 hours of ECG monitoring, and in 20 more patients only by 72 hours of ECG monitoring. The number needed to screen by 72-hour ECG was 55 patients (95% confidence interval [35-123]) for each additional AF diagnosis. Patients with unknown AF were significantly older and had more often a history of previous stroke. Patients with unknown AF were equally distributed within categories of pathogenesis according to Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) classification. In unselected survivors of stroke or TIA, 72-hour ECG monitoring is feasible and improves the detection rate of silent paroxysmal AF.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28328762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A Significant Influence of Metronidazole on Busulfan Pharmacokinetics: A Case Report of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring.\nBusulfan is a cytotoxic agent used in preconditioning for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Therapeutic drug monitoring of busulfan is necessary owing to its narrow therapeutic range. Patients undergoing preconditioning are susceptible to infection and might require coadministration of antibiotics. We present a case study of a 3-year-old girl with precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who received intravenous busulfan before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Metronidazole was coadministered before the third dose of busulfan because of Clostridium difficile infection. The daily pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that the clearance reduced to 57% of that before the coadministration. Although the underlying mechanism is unclear, a significant pharmacokinetic interaction was observed between busulfan and metronidazole, underscoring the importance of therapeutic drug monitoring.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24479762,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-06":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Roles and relationships between health professionals involved in insulin initiation for people with type 2 diabetes in the general practice setting: a qualitative study drawing on relational coordination theory.\nThe majority of care for people with type 2 diabetes occurs in general practice, however when insulin initiation is required it often does not occur in this setting or in a timely manner and this may have implications for the development of complications. Increased insulin initiation in general practice is an important goal given the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and a relative shortage of specialists. Coordination between primary and secondary care, and between medical and nursing personnel, may be important in achieving this. Relational coordination theory identifies key concepts that underpin effective interprofessional work: communication which is problem solving, timely, accurate and frequent and relationships between professional roles which are characterized by shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect. This study explores roles and relationships between health professionals involved in insulin initiation in order to gain an understanding of factors which may impact on this task being carried out in the general practice setting. 21 general practitioners, practice nurses, diabetes nurse educators and physicians were purposively sampled to participate in a semi-structured interview. Transcripts of the interviews were analysed using framework analysis. There were four closely interlinked themes identified which impacted on how health professionals worked together to initiate people with type 2 diabetes on insulin: 1. Ambiguous roles; 2. Uncertain competency and capacity; 3. Varying relationships and communication; and 4. Developing trust and respect. This study has shown that insulin initiation is generally recognised as acceptable in general practice. The role of the DNE and practice nurse in this space and improved communication and relationships between health professionals across organisations and levels of care are factors which need to be addressed to support this clinical work. Relational coordination provides a useful framework for exploring these issues.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23247028,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Ombuin-3-O-\u03b2-D-glucopyranoside from Gynostemma pentaphyllum is a dual agonistic ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors \u03b1 and \u03b4\/\u03b2.\nWe demonstrated that ombuin-3-O-\u03b2-D-glucopyranoside (ombuine), a flavonoid from Gynostemma pentaphyllum, is a dual agonist for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) \u03b1 and \u03b4\/\u03b2. Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses, and reporter gene assays, we showed that ombuine bound directly to PPAR\u03b1 and \u03b4\/\u03b2 but not to PPAR\u03b3 or liver X receptors (LXRs). Cultured HepG2 hepatocytes stimulated with ombuine significantly reduced intracellular concentrations of triglyceride and cholesterol and downregulated the expression of lipogenic genes, including sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP1c) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1), with activation of PPAR\u03b1 and \u03b4\/\u03b2. Activation of LXRs by ombuine was confirmed by reporter gene assays, however, SPR and cell-based FRET assays showed no direct binding of ombuine to either of the LXRs suggesting LXR activation by ombuine may be operated via PPAR\u03b1 stimulation. Ombuine-stimulated macrophages showed significantly induced transcription of ATP binding cassette cholesterol transporter A1 (ABCA1) and G1 (ABCG1), the key genes in reverse cholesterol transport, which led to reduced cellular cholesterol concentrations. These results suggest that ombuine is a dual PPAR ligand for PPAR\u03b1 and \u03b4\/\u03b2 with the ability to decrease lipid concentrations by reducing lipogenic gene expression in hepatocytes and inducing genes involved in cholesterol efflux in macrophages.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33861615,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Hexafluoroisopropyl Sulfamate: A Useful Reagent for the Synthesis of Sulfamates and Sulfamides.\nSulfamates and sulfamides are most often synthesized from alcohols and amines with sulfamoyl chloride, which is an unstable reagent. We have identified hexafluoroisopropyl sulfamate (HFIPS) as a bench-stable solid that reacts readily with a wide variety of alcohols, amines, phenols, and anilines under mild reaction conditions. The sole byproduct of the reaction is hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and reaction products can often be isolated in high purity after an aqueous workup (optional) and removal of solvents by evaporation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34959153,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"More treatment but no less depression: The treatment-prevalence paradox.\nTreatments for depression have improved, and their availability has markedly increased since the 1980s. Mysteriously the general population prevalence of depression has not decreased. This \"treatment-prevalence paradox\" (TPP) raises fundamental questions about the diagnosis and treatment of depression. We propose and evaluate seven explanations for the TPP. First, two explanations assume that improved and more widely available treatments have reduced prevalence, but that the reduction has been offset by an increase in: 1) misdiagnosing distress as depression, yielding more \"false positive\" diagnoses; or 2) an actual increase in depression incidence. Second, the remaining five explanations assume prevalence has not decreased, but suggest that: 3) treatments are less efficacious and 4) less enduring than the literature suggests; 5) trial efficacy doesn't generalize to real-world settings; 6) population-level treatment impact differs for chronic-recurrent versus non-recurrent cases; and 7) treatments have some iatrogenic consequences. Any of these seven explanations could undermine treatment impact on prevalence, thereby helping to explain the TPP. Our analysis reveals that there is little evidence that incidence or prevalence have increased as a result of error or fact (Explanations 1 and 2), and strong evidence that (a) the published literature overestimates short- and long-term treatment efficacy, (b) treatments are considerably less effective as deployed in \"real world\" settings, and (c) treatment impact differs substantially for chronic-recurrent cases relative to non-recurrent cases. Collectively, these a-c explanations likely account for most of the TPP. Lastly, little research exists on iatrogenic effects of current treatments (Explanation 7), but further exploration is critical.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23713706,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Diamond decorated with copper nanoparticles for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide.\nElectrochemical CO2 reduction has been investigated on a planar diamond electrode in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. On a diamond electrode decorated with copper nanoparticles, CO2 reduction starts from -0.1 V versus a normal hydrogen electrode (NHE) when a mixture of water and ionic liquid ([H2O] = 10 \u03bcM) is used. The current density reaches 5.1 \u00b1 0.1 mA cm(-2) for CO2 reduction at a potential of -1.3 V versus NHE. The main products are formic acid and formaldehyde. Moreover, the electrode system is stable and has a long lifetime. It is thus promising to be applied in the future for mass production of industrial chemicals and liquid fuels using CO2 as the source of raw material.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20823760,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist in critically ill postoperative patients: a crossover randomized study.\nNeurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) is a new mode of mechanical ventilation that delivers ventilatory assist in proportion to the electrical activity of the diaphragm. This study aimed to compare the ventilatory and gas exchange effects between NAVA and pressure support ventilation (PSV) during the weaning phase of critically ill patients who required mechanical ventilation subsequent to surgery. Fifteen patients, the majority of whom underwent abdominal surgery, were enrolled. They were ventilated with PSV and NAVA for 24 h each in a randomized crossover order. The ventilatory parameters and gas exchange effects produced by the two ventilation modes were compared. The variability of the ventilatory parameters was also evaluated by the coefficient of variation (SD to mean ratio). Two patients failed to shift to NAVA because of postoperative bilateral diaphragmatic paralysis, and one patient interrupted the study because of worsening of his sickness. In the other 12 cases, the 48 h of the study protocol were completed, using both ventilation modes, with no signs of intolerance or complications. The Pao2\/Fio2 (mean \u00b1 SD) ratio in NAVA was significantly higher than with PSV (264 \u00b1 71 vs. 230 \u00b1 75 mmHg, P < 0.05). Paco2 did not differ significantly between the two modes. The tidal volume (median [interquartile range]) with NAVA was significantly lower than with PSV (7.0 [6.4-8.6] vs. 6.5 [6.3-7.4] ml\/kg predicted body weight, P < 0.05).Variability of insufflation airway pressure, tidal volume, and minute ventilation were significantly higher with NAVA than with PSV. Electrical activity of the diaphragm variability was significantly lower with NAVA than with PSV. Compared with PSV, respiratory parameter variability was greater with NAVA, probably leading in part to the significant improvement in patient oxygenation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36103320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mental illness stigma and employer evaluation in hiring: Stereotypes, discrimination and the role of experience.\nMental illness stigma can constitute a significant barrier to entering employment. Drawing on 20 interviews with Norwegian employers, this article investigates how mental illness stigma affects employer evaluation of jobseekers who disclose a history of mental illness. It also explores how employers use accounts of their previous experience with employees with mental illness in their evaluations. Prior to the interviews, the employers received pairs of fictitious applications in which one of the candidates disclosed a history of mental illness. Thus, the interview data were paired with behavioural data on how the employers responded to mental illness disclosure in a genuine recruitment situation. The analysis reveals common stereotypes of people with mental illness as fragile and unreliable. Furthermore, discriminating and inclusive employers are juxtaposed in their approach to mental health stigma, characterised by either taboo and avoidance or empathetic dialogue. The findings indicate how negative experience is coupled with negative attitudes and behaviour and how positive experience is coupled with positive attitudes and behaviour. A central argument is that experience is something that employers play an active part in constructing by choosing to either engage or not engage in a two-way dialogue with employees struggling with mental illness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3133191,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[Thrombocytopenic purpura caused by Borrelia burgdorferi?].\nIn November 1983 a woman born in 1902 was found to have thrombocytopenic purpura with a platelet count of 14,000\/microliter. Examination of the sternal marrow resulted in a suspected diagnosis of Werlhof's disease. Platelet counts dropped at times to below 7,000\/microliter during immunosuppressive treatment with corticosteroids and azathioprine of three months' duration. When this treatment was discontinued spontaneous remission occurred until July 1984. Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans was diagnosed in August 1987. The IgG antibody titre against Borrelia burgdorferi of 1:2,000 in whole blood and the late manifestation of Lyme disease (chronic acrodermatitis atrophicans) suggest a causal relationship with the previous thrombocytopenic purpura.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23316244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Parkinson's Disease in a Dish: What Patient Specific-Reprogrammed Somatic Cells Can Tell Us about Parkinson's Disease, If Anything?\nTechnologies allowing for the derivation of patient-specific neurons from somatic cells are emerging as powerful in vitro tools to investigate the intrinsic cellular pathological behaviours of the diseases that affect these patients. While the use of patient-derived neurons to model Parkinson's disease (PD) has only just begun, these approaches have allowed us to begin investigating disease pathogenesis in a unique way. In this paper, we discuss the advances made in the field of cellular reprogramming to model PD and discuss the pros and cons associated with the use of such cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33867840,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"MnSOD Lysine 68 acetylation leads to cisplatin and doxorubicin resistance due to aberrant mitochondrial metabolism.\nManganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) acetylation (Ac) has been shown to be a key post-translational modification important in the regulation of detoxification activity in various disease models. We have previously demonstrated that MnSOD lysine-68 (K68) acetylation (K68-Ac) leads to a change in function from a superoxide-scavenging homotetramer to a peroxidase-directed monomer. Here, we found that estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and T47D), selected for continuous growth in cisplatin (CDDP) and doxorubicin (DXR), exhibited an increase in MnSOD-K68-Ac. In addition, MnSOD-K68-Ac, as modeled by the expression of a validated acetylation mimic mutant gene (MnSODK68Q ), also led to therapy resistance to CDDP and DXR, altered mitochondrial structure and morphology, and aberrant cellular metabolism. MnSODK68Q expression in mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) induced an in vitro transformation permissive phenotype. Computerized molecular protein dynamics analysis of both MnSOD-K68-Ac and MnSOD-K68Q exhibited a significant change in charge distribution along the \u03b11 and \u03b12 helices, directly adjacent to the Mn2+ binding site, implying that this decrease in surface charge destabilizes tetrameric MnSOD, leading to an enrichment of the monomer. Finally, monomeric MnSOD, as modeled by amber codon substitution to generate MnSOD-K68-Ac or MnSOD-K68Q expression in mammalian cells, appeared to incorporate Fe to maximally induce its peroxidase activity. In summary, these findings may explain the mechanism behind the observed structural and functional change of MnSOD-K68-Ac.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24503642,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Uterine selection of human embryos at implantation.\nHuman embryos frequently harbor large-scale complex chromosomal errors that impede normal development. Affected embryos may fail to implant although many first breach the endometrial epithelium and embed in the decidualizing stroma before being rejected via mechanisms that are poorly understood. Here we show that developmentally impaired human embryos elicit an endoplasmic stress response in human decidual cells. A stress response was also evident upon in vivo exposure of mouse uteri to culture medium conditioned by low-quality human embryos. By contrast, signals emanating from developmentally competent embryos activated a focused gene network enriched in metabolic enzymes and implantation factors. We further show that trypsin, a serine protease released by pre-implantation embryos, elicits Ca(2+) signaling in endometrial epithelial cells. Competent human embryos triggered short-lived oscillatory Ca(2+) fluxes whereas low-quality embryos caused a heightened and prolonged Ca(2+) response. Thus, distinct positive and negative mechanisms contribute to active selection of human embryos at implantation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27893193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The oil-contaminated soil diazotroph Azoarcus olearius DQS-4T is genetically and phenotypically similar to the model grass endophyte Azoarcus sp. BH72.\nThe genome of Azoarcus olearius DQS-4T , a N2 -fixing Betaproteobacterium isolated from oil-contaminated soil in Taiwan, was sequenced and compared with other Azoarcus strains. The genome sequence showed high synteny with Azoarcus sp. BH72, a model endophytic diazotroph, but low synteny with five non-plant-associated strains (Azoarcus CIB, Azoarcus EBN1, Azoarcus KH32C, A. toluclasticus MF63T and Azoarcus PA01). Average Nucleotide Identity (ANI) revealed that DQS-4T shares 98.98% identity with Azoarcus BH72, which should now be included in the species A. olearius. The genome of DQS-4T contained several genes related to plant colonization and plant growth promotion, such as nitrogen fixation, plant adhesion and root surface colonization. In accordance with the presence of these genes, DQS-4T colonized rice (Oryza sativa) and Setaria viridis, where it was observed within the intercellular spaces and aerenchyma mainly of the roots. Although they promote the growth of grasses, the mechanism(s) of plant growth promotion by A. olearius strains is unknown, as the genomes of DQS-4T and BH72 do not contain genes for indole acetic acid (IAA) synthesis nor phosphate solubilization. In spite of its original source, both the genome and behaviour of DQS-4T suggest that it has the capacity to be an endophytic, nitrogen-fixing plant growth-promoting bacterium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28337325,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Tetrahydroisoquinoline-7-carboxamide Derivatives as New Selective Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1) Inhibitors.\nAcute lung injury (ALI) is a deadly symptom for serious lung inflammation. Discoidin Domain Receptor 1 (DDR1) is a new potential target for anti-inflammatory drug discovery. A new selective tetrahydroisoquinoline-7-carboxamide based DDR1 inhibitor 7ae was discovered to tightly bind the DDR1 protein and potently inhibit its kinase function with a Kd value of 2.2 nM and an IC50 value of 6.6 nM, respectively. The compound dose-dependently inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-\u03b1 (TNF-\u03b1) release in mouse primary peritoneal macrophages (MPMs). In addition, 7ae also exhibited promising in vivo anti-inflammatory effects in a LPS-induced mouse ALI model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first \"proof of concept\" investigation on the potential application of a small molecule DDR1 inhibitor to treat ALI.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16872408,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Diversity of polyketide synthase genes from bacteria associated with the marine sponge Pseudoceratina clavata: culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches.\nDiverse ketosynthase (KS) genes were retrieved from the microbial community associated with the Great Barrier Reef sponge Pseudoceratina clavata. Bacterial isolation and metagenomic approaches were employed. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA of culturable sponge-associated bacterial communities comprised eight groups over four phyla. Ten KS domains were amplified from four genera of isolates and phylogenetics demonstrated that these KS domains were located in three clusters (actinobacterial, cyanobacterial and trans-AT type). Metagenomic DNA of the sponge microbial community was extracted to explore community KS genes by two approaches: direct amplification of KS domains and construction of fosmid libraries for KS domain screening. Five KS domains were retrieved from polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using sponge metagenome DNA as template and five fosmid clones containing KS domains found using multiplex PCR screening. Analysis of selected polyketide synthase (PKS) from one fosmid showed that the PKS consists of two modules. Open reading frames located up- and downstream of the PKS displayed similarity with membrane synthesis-related proteins such as cardiolipin synthase. Metagenome approaches did not detect KS domains found in sponge isolates. All KS domains from both metagenome approaches formed a single cluster with KS domains originating from metagenomes derived from other sponge species from other geographical regions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20654548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Fluorescein cadaverine incorporation as a novel technique for the characterization of terminal differentiation in keratinocytes.\nA novel technique for detecting transglutaminase activity and the production of cornified envelopes in keratinocytes has been devised. This was based on the enzymatic incorporation of fluorescein-labelled cadaverine (FC) into cornified envelopes. The addition of FC (20mum) to the incubation medium served as an amine donor for transglutaminase reactions in place of protein lysine residues. Cells incorporating the label became visible with fluorescence microscopy and were quantified by fluorimetry. There was a significant difference in the level of FC incorporation into cornified envelopes under the various media conditions and time points employed. The greatest incorporation was observed by keratinocytes cultured in Green's medium and fluorescent intensity decreased in the order: Green's> KGM with calcium>KGM. Confocal imaging of keratinocytes dual stained with FC and propidium iodide revealed the presence of distinct layers and demonstrated how FC was incorporated into differentiating cells and not the basal layer. FC incorporation has the potential to serve as a rapid assessment of terminal differentiation in keratinocytes. It is simple and less time-consuming than currently available alternative techniques. This approach also has the advantage of combining microscopic and quantitative data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15910283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Functional reconstitution of the Salmonella typhimurium PhoQ histidine kinase sensor in proteoliposomes.\nTwo-component signal-transduction systems are widespread in bacteria. They are usually composed of a transmembrane histidine kinase sensor and a cytoplasmic response regulator. The PhoP\/PhoQ two-component system of Salmonella typhimurium contributes to virulence by co-ordinating the adaptation to low concentrations of environmental Mg2+. Limiting concentrations of extracellular Mg2+ activate the PhoP\/PhoQ phosphorylation cascade modulating the transcription of PhoP-regulated genes. In contrast, high concentrations of extracellular Mg2+ stimulate the dephosphorylation of the response regulator PhoP by the PhoQ kinase sensor. In the present study, we report the purification and functional reconstitution of PhoQ(His), a PhoQ variant with a C-terminal His tag, into Escherichia coli liposomes. The functionality of PhoQ(His) was essentially similar to that of PhoQ as shown in vivo and in vitro. Purified PhoQ(His) was inserted into liposomes in a unidirectional orientation, with the sensory domain facing the lumen and the catalytic domain facing the extraluminal environment. Reconstituted PhoQ(His) exhibited all the catalytic activities that have been described for histidine kinase sensors. Reconstituted PhoQ(His) was capable of autokinase activity when incubated in the presence of Mg2+-ATP. The phosphoryl group could be transferred from reconstituted PhoQ(His) to PhoP. Reconstituted PhoQ(His) catalysed the dephosphorylation of phospho-PhoP and this activity was stimulated by the addition of extraluminal ADP.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15878887,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Pathways participating in activation of mouse uterine natural killer cells during pregnancy.\nActivated natural killer (NK) cells proliferate in large numbers in murine mesometrial endometrium from Day 6 to Day 12 of gestation (term = 19 gestation days) to become the most abundant uterine lymphocytes. Early human decidua contains analogous CD56+\/CD16- cells. Murine uterine (u)NK cells localize to decidua basalis and mesometrial lymphoid aggregate of pregnancy (MLAp). Decidua and MLAp are transient, pregnancy-associated tissues traversed by maternal arteries to the placentas. Uterine NK cells sensitize these arteries, facilitating their structural changes into high-volume conduits by Gestation Day 10 through release of interleukin (IL)-18, interferon (IFN)-gamma, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and other molecules. Little information exists concerning where, when, or how murine or human uNK cells become activated. In murine lymphoid tissue, three NK cell adaptor-mediated activation pathways are known: FcRgamma\/CD3zeta, DNAX-activating protein (DAP) 10, and DAP12 (genes Fcgr3\/Cd3z, Hcst, and Tyrobp, respectively). Expression of ligands for these receptors was demonstrated in implantation sites of normal C57BL\/6J mice. Then, histological and morphometric analyses of implantation sites in mice with genetic inactivation of each pathway were undertaken. Implantation sites in DAP10-\/- (Hcst deleted) mice appeared normal, spiral artery modification occurred, and concentrations of IFN-gamma in MLAp and decidua basalis were similar to those in time-matched C57BL\/6J. Implantation sites of FcRgamma-\/-\/CD3zeta-\/- (Fcgr3\/Cd3z double knockout), DAP12 (Tyrobp)-loss-of-function-mutant, and FcRgamma-\/-\/DAP12-\/- (Fcgr3\/Tyrobp double knockout) mice differentiated abundant but functionally impaired uNK cells that could not modify spiral arteries. These data reveal key importance of FcRgamma-\/-\/CD3zeta-\/- and thus maternal IgG during activation of mouse uNK cells and assign DAP12 but not DAP10 signaling contributions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8988354,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Preparation, cloning, and high level expression in E. coli of interleukin 2-pseudomonas exotoxin fusion genes.\nUsing PCR and oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, recombinant plasmids which express IL2-PE fusion genes, e.g., IL2-PE40, IL2-PE40 KDEL, IL2-PE66(4Glu), and IL2-PE66(4Glu) KDEL, were constructed and expressed in E. coli at a high level. The fusion proteins were 20-30% of the total soluble bacterial proteins, existing as inclusion bodies in the host cell. In addition, there are single EcoRI, PstI, and SmaI restriction sites at the 5', 3' terminals and the linking region of the fusion genes, respectively, in the constructed expression plasmids so that these vectors could be conveniently converted to other expression vectors containing other cytokines or toxins.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9655279,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Gamma-probe-guided resection of the sentinel lymph node in breast cancer.\nRegional lymph node metastases in patients with breast cancer have fundamental staging, prognostic, and treatment implications. Classically, axillary lymph node sampling requires a dissection under general anesthesia. The concept that a primary, or sentinel, lymph node is the first node to receive drainage from a tumor has been established in patients with malignant melanomas using radiolabeled tracers and vital dyes. This study proposed two hypotheses: (1) radiolabeled sentinel lymph nodes can be identified in most patients with breast cancer, and (2) radiolabeled sentinel lymph node biopsy accurately predicts axillary lymph node metastases in those patients. Patients with operable breast cancer had Tc-99 sulphur colloid injected around their breast tumors 1-6 hours preoperatively. Patients underwent gamma probe identification of sentinel lymph nodes that were biopsied. All patients underwent axillary lymphadenectomy in conjunction with lumpectomy or mastectomy. Fifty female patients ages 26 to 90 years underwent lumpectomies with axillary dissections (40 patients) or modified radical mastectomies (10 patients). Sentinel lymph nodes were identified in 42 of 50 patients (84%). Eight patients (16%) had metastases to the axillary lymph nodes. In 7 patients, sentinel lymph nodes correctly predicted the status of the axillary nodes. There was one false negative result. A total of 550 lymph nodes were resected for an average of 11.2 nodes per patient. Sentinel lymph node scintigraphy and biopsy accurately predicted the axillary lymph node status in 41 of 42 patients (98%). Scintigraphy can identify sentinel lymph nodes in a large majority of patients. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is an accurate predictor of axillary lymphatic metastases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24836029,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[An approach to the thinking of Edmund D. Pellegrino (II)].\nThis second approach to the doctrine and thinking of Edmund D. Pellegrino presents the basics of the author's proposal to reform medical ethics, based on the rehabilitation of beneficence principle in health care. It describes the research and interest of our bioethicist towards the concept of 'good' of the patient and his four components. Pellegrino's classic concepts of 'healing' and 'help' are also analyzed, as distinctive aspects of the new ethics structure. Ultimately, the debate about the identity of Medicine is also introduced, along with the concepts of essentialism and its social constructivism, a capital issue for the author for the future of Medicine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10624606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Expression of the integrin subunits alpha 5, alpha 6 and beta 1 in the testes of the common marmoset.\nIntegrin subunits alpha 5, alpha 6 and beta 1 were localized in the testis of pre-pubertal or adult non-human primates (Callithrix jacchus) by immunofluorescence staining and in situ hybridization. In animals of all ages subunits alpha 5 and beta 1 were localized in cells of the lamina propria of the seminiferous epithelium. In prepubertal animals, the integrin subunits alpha 5, alpha 6, as well as beta 1, were distributed all over the plasma membrane of Sertoli cells. In adult animals the integrin subunits were confined to those plasma membrane regions of Sertoli cells which are assigned to the basal compartment, including the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules. Protein expression of integrin subunits alpha 6 and beta 1 was most pronounced in tubular stages in which elongated spermatids were not yet present in the adluminal compartment of the epithelium, suggesting that these integrin subunits are particularly essential at certain developmental stages of spermatogenesis. Non-radioactive in situ hybridization revealed that the mRNA for integrin subunits alpha 5, alpha 6 and beta 1 was expressed by Sertoli cells. In situ hybridization, together with immunofluorescence data, shows that these integrin subunits were exclusively synthesized in Sertoli cells. As to functional aspects, it is concluded that during primate spermatogenesis. Sertoli cell integrins may be involved in both cell matrix as well as cell-cell interactions, particularly during early spermatogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25425592,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Work ability and work-related stress: A cross-sectional study of obstetrical nurses in urban northeastern Ontario.\nThe aim of this study was to determine: 1) if quality of work life (QWL), location of cross-training, stress variables, and various demographic factors in nurses are associated with work ability, and 2) nursing occupational stress, QWL, and various associated factors are related with nurses' work ability. There is limited research examining the obstetrical nursing environment. Given the amount of time and energy people expend at the workplace, it is crucial for employees to be satisfied with their lives at work. This cross sectional study was conducted in 2012 in four hospitals in northeastern Ontario, Canada. A stratified random sample of registered nurses (n= 111) were selected. The majority of participants were female (94.6%) ranging in age from 24 to 64 years (M = 41.9, s.d. = 10.2). For the stress and QWL model, one variable: QWL (home-work support - see Methods for definition) (p= 0.015), cross-trained (see Methods for definition) nurses (p= 0.048), and having more than 4 patients per shift (p= 0.024) significantly contributed to the variance in work ability scores. In the logistic regression model, the odds of a higher work ability for nurses who received home-work support were estimated to be 1.32 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.66) times the odds of a higher work ability for nurses who did not receive home-work support. Work ability in the work environment of obstetrical nursing is important. To be high functioning, workplaces should maximize the use of their employees' actual and potential skills.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27768303,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Design, Synthesis, and Structural Characterization of a Bisantimony(III) Compound for Anion Binding and the Density Functional Theory Evaluation of Halide Binding through Antimony Secondary Bonding Interactions.\nDensity functional theory calculations were used to design an anion receptor that utilizes antimony(III) secondary bonding interactions. Calculations were performed on promising motifs found in the chemical literature where two antimony sites were found in close proximity to a halide anion. The study was extended to a structurally related class of 1,3,2-benzodioxastibole derivatives to elucidate their potential for binding halide ions. Multiple geometric conformations were evaluated and various ratios of halide anions were considered. According to the computation results, this class of anion receptors shows strong affinities toward charge-dense halides. These 1,3,2-benzodioxastibole derivatives were prepared to evaluate their synthetic accessibility. Structural characterization of one species revealed the ability to bind up to three electron donors through secondary bonding interactions. This gates the future experimental study of these antimony systems for anion binding and recognition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11495663,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Cognitive demand and blood glucose.\nPrevious research has identified that glucose administration can enhance cognitive performance, especially during more intense cognitive processing. There appears to be a reciprocal relationship between falling glucose levels and cognitive performance, particularly under conditions of cognitive demand. The present placebo-controlled, double-blind, balanced, crossover study examined the possibility that a high cognitive load may produce changes in blood glucose levels. A secondary aim was to examine the effects of glucose on tasks of varying cognitive demand load. The effects of a glucose drink on participants' performance of a serial subtraction task (computerised Serial Sevens), a somatically matched control task (key-pressing), a short interval Word Memory task and a Word Retrieval (Verbal Fluency) task were assessed. The change in blood glucose during the demanding computerised Serial Sevens was compared to the change occurring during the key-pressing control. Glucose consumption significantly improved performance on Serial Sevens, with a trend for improved performance on Word Retrieval and no effect on the Word Memory task. Compared with the control task, Serial Sevens resulted in a significant reduction in blood glucose in both drink conditions. This accelerated decay was significantly greater following glucose than placebo. It is suggested that the amount of cognitive load associated with task performance is an index of its sensitivity to enhancement by glucose. Furthermore, a period of intense cognitive processing leads to a measurable decrease in levels of peripherally measured blood glucose, which may be linked to increased neural energy expenditure. However, the relative contribution of central and peripheral (e.g. cardiac) activity to this effect has yet to be determined.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28694665,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Pancreas preserving distal duodenectomy: A versatile operation for a range of infra-papillary pathologies.\nTo investigate the range of pathologies treated by pancreas preserving distal duodenectomy (PPDD) and present the outcome of follow-up. Neoplastic lesions of the duodenum are treated conventionally by pancreaticoduodenectomy. Lesions distal to the major papilla may be suitable for a pancreas-preserving distal duodenectomy, potentially reducing morbidity and mortality. We present our experience with this procedure. Selective intraoperative duodenoscopy assessed the relationship of the papilla to the lesion. After duodenal mobilisation and confirmation of the site of the lesion, the duodenum was transected distal to the papilla and beyond the duodenojejunal flexure and a side-to-side duodeno-jejunal anastomosis was formed. Patients were identified from a prospectively maintained database and outcomes determined from digital health records with a dataset including demographics, co-morbidities, mode of presentation, preoperative imaging and assessment, nutritional support needs, technical operative details, blood transfusion requirements, length of stay, pathology including lymph node yield and lymph node involvement, length of follow-up, complications and outcomes. Related published literature was also reviewed. Twenty-four patients had surgery with the intent of performing PPDD from 2003 to 2016. Nineteen underwent PPDD successfully. Two patients planned for PPDD proceeded to formal pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) while three had unresectable disease. Median post-operative follow-up was 32 mo. Pathologies resected included duodenal adenocarcinoma (n = 6), adenomas (n = 5), gastrointestinal stromal tumours (n = 4) and lipoma, bleeding duodenal diverticulum, locally advanced colonic adenocarcinoma and extrinsic compression (n = 1 each). Median postoperative length of stay (LOS) was 8 d and morbidity was low [pain and nausea\/vomiting (n = 2), anastomotic stricture (n = 1), pneumonia (n = 1), and overwhelming post-splenectomy sepsis (n = 1, asplenic patient)]. PPDD was associated with a significantly shorter LOS than a contemporaneous PD series [PPDD 8 (6-14) d vs PD 11 (10-16) d, median (IQR), P = 0.026]. The 30-d mortality was zero and 16 of 19 patients are alive to date. One patient died of recurrent duodenal adenocarcinoma 18 mo postoperatively and two died of unrelated disease (at 2 mo and at 8 years respectively). PPDD is a versatile operation that can provide definitive treatment for a range of duodenal pathologies including adenocarcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37768424,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Transporting an Evidence-based Youth Development Program to a New Country: A Narrative Description and Analysis of Pre-implementation Adaptation.\nThere is a pressing need to prevent and address youth crime and violence owing to its prevalence, harms and cost to society. Interventions with proven effectiveness in doing this exist. Adopting and adapting them in new contexts is potentially cost-effective. However, more research is needed into how to make adaptations that enhance intervention implementation, effectiveness and maintenance in new settings. This article reports the pre-implementation adaptation work involved in transporting Becoming a Man (BAM) from the US to the UK. BAM is a selective school-based youth development program for 12-18 year-old boys that aims to improve school engagement and reduce interactions with the criminal justice system. We describe the nature of and rationale for adaptations and identify learning for future adaptation efforts. An adaptation team comprising the intervention developers, new providers and the evaluators met weekly for 10 weeks, applying a structured, pragmatic and evidence-informed approach to adapt the BAM curriculum and implementation process. Changes were informed by documentary analysis, group-based discussions and site visits. The group agreed 27 changes to the content of 17\/30 lessons, at both surface (e.g., cultural references) and deep (key mechanisms or concepts) levels. Of 28 contextual factors considered, 15 discrepancies between the US and UK were identified and resolved (e.g., differences in staffing arrangements). Strengths of the process were the blend of expertise on the adaptation team in the program and local context, and constant reference to and ongoing refinement of the program theory of change. Limitations included the lack of involvement of school staff or students. Further research is needed into potential conflicts between stakeholder perspectives during adaptation and whose views to prioritise and when.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10030043,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Sanitary quality of water for human consumption a in rural community of Mexico].\nThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of water for human consumption in B\u00e9cal, rural community of M\u00e9xico. The presence of total and fecal coliforms, as well as aerobic plate counts in differents places of the water distribution network, in intradomiciliary deep pools and rainwater cistern system were investigated. Results from this set of experiments suggest the existance of local social and environmental factors that open the way for water contamination with organic material in the water sources studied. We demonstrated the necessity of performing a careful sanitary control and proper handling of water for human consumption through programs of systematic surveillance of the water supplies in order to provide good quality water to the population of this rural community. Additionally, it is necessary to perform educational programs about procedures for preservation of hygiene with special reference to prevention of gastrointestinal diseases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16858337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Strategy of surgical treatment of ulcer disease].\nResults of treatment of 688 patients who have undergone palliative operations for complicated forms of gastric and duodenal ulcer, and 2,269 patients after radical surgery were analyzed. It is demonstrated that pharmacotherapy is ineffective in 9% patients with uncomplicated ulcer, in 32% patients with previous ulcer bleeding, and in 29% patients after suturing of perforated ulcer. The role of preventive operation is demonstrated: postoperative complications in this group are revealed rarely compared with those operated for complicated forms of the disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12343244,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A study of social classification in age reporting in rural West Bengal.\nThe author examines \"the nature and extent of age misreporting in the various socio-economic classes based on a sample survey conducted by the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta in the villages of the districts around Calcutta in 1978.\" The results show considerable variation among the various social groups, with higher errors reported for Muslims, manual laborers, and women, particularly literate women.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33876032,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Two-photon absorption and excitation spectroscopy of carotenoids, chlorophylls and pigment-protein complexes.\nIn addition to (bacterio)chlorophylls, (B)Chls, photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes bind carotenoids (Cars) that fulfil various important functions which are not fully understood, yet. However, certain excited states of Cars are optically one-photon forbidden (\"dark\") and can potentially undergo excitation energy transfer (EET) to (B)Chls following two-photon absorption (TPA). The amount of EET is reflected by the differences in TPA and two-photon excitation (TPE) spectra of a complex (multi-pigment) system. Since it is technically and analytically demanding to resolve optically forbidden states, different studies reported varying contributions of Cars and Chls to TPE\/TPA spectra. In a study using well-defined 1 : 1 Car-tetrapyrrole dyads TPE contributions of tetrapyrrole molecules, including Chls, and Cars were measured. In these experiments, TPE of Cars dominated over Chl a TPE in a broad wavelength range. Another study suggested only minor contributions of Cars to TPE spectra of pigment-protein complexes such as the plant main light-harvesting complex (LHCII), in particular for wavelengths longer than \u223c600\/1200 nm. By joining forces and a combined analysis of all available data by both teams, we try to resolve this apparent contradiction. Here, we demonstrate that reconstruction of a wide spectral range of TPE for LHCII and photosystem I (PSI) requires both, significant Car and Chl contributions. Direct comparison of TPE spectra obtained in both studies demonstrates a good agreement of the primary data. We conclude that in TPE spectra of LHCII and PSI, the contribution of Chls is dominating above 600\/1200 nm, whereas the contributions of forbidden Car states increase particularly at wavelengths shorter than 600\/1200 nm. Estimates of Car contributions to TPA as well as TPE spectra are given for various wavelengths.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33829984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Polymorphisms in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase gene modify blood glucose response to dietary oils varying in MUFA content in adults with obesity.\nDiets varying in SFA and MUFA content can impact glycaemic control; however, whether underlying differences in genetic make-up can influence blood glucose responses to these dietary fatty acids is unknown. We examined the impact of dietary oils varying in SFA\/MUFA content on changes in blood glucose levels (primary outcome) and whether these changes were modified by variants in the stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene (secondary outcome). Obese men and women participating in the randomised, crossover, isoenergetic, controlled-feeding Canola Oil Multicenter Intervention Trial II consumed three dietary oils for 6 weeks, with washout periods of \u02dc6 weeks between each treatment. Diets studied included a high SFA\/low MUFA Control oil (36\u00b76 % SFA\/28\u00b72 % MUFA), a conventional canola oil (6\u00b72 % SFA\/63\u00b71 % MUFA) and a high-oleic acid canola oil (5\u00b78 % SFA\/74\u00b77 % MUFA). No differences in fasting blood glucose were observed following the consumption of the dietary oils. However, when stratified by SCD genotypes, significant SNP-by-treatment interactions on blood glucose response were found with additive models for rs1502593 (P = 0\u00b701), rs3071 (P = 0\u00b702) and rs522951 (P = 0\u00b703). The interaction for rs3071 remained significant (P = 0\u00b7005) when analysed with a recessive model, where individuals carrying the CC genotype showed an increase (0\u00b714 (sem 0\u00b709) mmol\/l) in blood glucose levels with the Control oil diet, but reductions in blood glucose with both MUFA oil diets. Individuals carrying the AA and AC genotypes experienced reductions in blood glucose in response to all three oils. These findings identify a potential new target for personalised nutrition approaches aimed at improving glycaemic control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31239119,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Resistance training for hot flushes in postmenopausal women: A randomised controlled trial.\nTo investigate the effect of 15 weeks of resistance training on the frequency of moderate to severe hot flushes in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal women with at least 4 moderate or severe hot flushes or night sweats per day day were randomized to a 15-week resistance training intervention or unchanged physical activity. Participants did not exercise regularly at baseline and had not used any therapy for hot flushes two months prior to study entry. The resistance training was performed three times per week and the program contained 8 exercises performed with 8-12 repetitions in 2 sets. Loads were set individually from eight-repetition maximum-strength tests and increased progressively. The primary outcome was change in mean moderate or severe hot flushes per day from baseline to week 15, assessed with symptom diaries. Secondary outcomes included change in hot flush score and time spent on physical activity. Between November 19, 2013, and October 26, 2016, 65 women were enrolled; 58 completed the trial and were included in the analyses. The mean age was 55 and the mean number of moderate or severe hot flushes per day at baseline was 7.1; there were no baseline differences between groups. The frequency of hot flushes decreased more in the intervention group than in the control group (mean difference -2.7, 95% CI -4.2 to -1.3). The mean percentage change was -43.6% (-56.0 to -31.3) in the intervention group and -2.0% (-16.4-12.4) in the control group. A 15-week resistance-training program decreased the frequency of moderate and severe hot flushes among postmenopausal women and could be an effective and safe treatment option to alleviate vasomotor symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20425146,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Leaving against medical advice (AMA): risk of 30-day mortality and hospital readmission.\nWith 1-2% of patients leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA), the potential for these patients to suffer adverse health outcomes is of major concern. To examine 30-day hospital readmission and mortality rates for medical patients who left the hospital AMA and identify independent risk factors associated with these outcomes. A 5-year retrospective cohort of all patients discharged from a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital. The final study sample included 1,930,947 medical admissions to 129 VA hospitals from 2004 to 2008; 32,819 patients (1.70%) were discharged AMA. Primary outcomes of interest were 30-day mortality and 30-day all-cause hospital readmission. Compared to discharges home, AMA patients were more likely to be black, have low income, and have co-morbid alcohol abuse (for all, Chi(2) df = 1, p < 0.001). AMA patients had a higher 30-day readmission rate (17.7% vs. 11.0%, p < 0.001) and higher 30-day mortality rate (0.75% vs. 0.61%, p = 0.001). In Cox proportional hazard modeling controlling for demographics and co-morbidity, the largest hazard for patients having a 30-day readmission is leaving AMA (HR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.32-1.39). Similar modeling for 30-day mortality reveals a nearly significant increased hazard rate for patients discharged AMA (HR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.98-1.24). Due to the higher risk of adverse outcomes, hospitals should target AMA patients for post-discharge interventions, such as phone follow-up, home visits, or mental health counseling to improve outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35702581,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Granulomatosis with polyangiitis in gingiva: A rare case of isolated presentation.\nGranulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by necrotising granulomatous inflammation of upper and lower respiratory tract, vasculitis and glomerulonephritis. This ailment may present with cough, haemoptysis, sinusitis, nasal deformity, skin lesions, malaise, fever, anorexia, and weight loss. Oral manifestation includes strawberry gingivitis, which is a pathognomonic clinical presentation. Here, we present a case of GPA in gingiva as the first manifestation. Clinical examination of the oral cavity revealed granular, erythematous gingival enlargement in the lower anterior teeth region involving papilla, marginal and attached gingiva with shiny and pebbled surface. Histopathological examination showed pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia with vasculitis and inflammation in the connective tissue, neutrophilic infiltration and abscess formation with haemorrhage were noted. Laboratory investigations revealed Proteinase 3 (PR3) antigen and Glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antigen were positive. Clinical, histopathological and laboratory investigations enabled the diagnosis of Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis. We present this rare case report of GPA with primary manifestation in gingiva.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26560611,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy of the solar corona at the Naval Research Laboratory.\nWe review the history of ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy with a specific focus on such activities at the Naval Research Laboratory and on studies of the extended solar corona and solar-wind source regions. We describe the problem of forecasting solar energetic particle events and discuss an observational technique designed to solve this problem by detecting supra-thermal seed particles as extended wings on spectral lines. Such seed particles are believed to be a necessary prerequisite for particle acceleration by heliospheric shock waves driven by a coronal mass ejection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21128821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Incorporating routine survival prediction in a U.S. hospital-based palliative care service.\nPrognostication is a core component of palliative care consultation. We sought to incorporate predicted survival into the routine practice of our hospital-based palliative care team. The predicted survival was determined by the physician and\/or nurse at the time of initial palliative care consultation using categories that parallel the rough time frames often shared with patients and used in planning care: (1) \u22643 days, (2) 4 days to 1 month, (3) >1 month to 6 months, (4) >6 months. One year later, survival status at 6 months was determined using death certificates, the Social Security online database, and other methods. Over 1 year, complete data were obtained for 429 of 450 (95.3%) consecutive new patient consults. Patients' mean and median age was 63, 48.5% had cancer, 83% were Caucasian, and 50% were female. For the 283 patients who were discharged alive, median survival was 18 days and 58 patients were still alive after 6 months. Fifty-eight percent of patients were assigned to the correct survival category, whereas 27% of prognoses were too optimistic and 16% were too pessimistic. In logistic regression analysis, predicted survivals of \u22643 days were much more likely to be accurate than longer predictions. The team recorded a predicted survival in 95% of new patient consults. Fifty-eight percent accuracy is in line with prior literature. Routinely incorporating survival prediction into palliative care consultation raised a number of questions. What decisions were made based on the 42% incorrect prognoses? Did these decisions negatively affect care? Survival prediction accuracy has potential as a quality measure for hospital-based palliative care programs, however to be truly useful it needs to be shown to be \"improveable\" and the downstream effects of predictions need to be better understood.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30848690,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Beyond self-tracking: Exploring and unpacking four emerging labels of patient data work.\nDespite the growing attention of researchers, healthcare managers and policy makers, data gathering and information management practices are largely untheorized areas. In this work are presented and discussed some early-stage conceptualizations: patient-generated health data, observations of daily living, quantified self and personal health information management. As I shall try to demonstrate, these labels are not neutral; rather, they underpin quite different perspectives with respect to health, patient-doctor relationship and the status of data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15910552,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"SLE, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.\nAtherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease and the major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in general. Atherosclerotic plaques are characterized by the presence of activated immune competent cells, but antigens and underlying mechanisms causing this immune activation are not well defined. During recent years and with improved treatment of acute disease manifestations, it has become clear that the risk of CVD is very high in a prototypic autoimmune disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE-related CVD and atherosclerosis are important clinical problems but may in addition also shed light on how immune reactions are related to premature atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis. A combination of traditional and nontraditional risk factors, including dyslipidaemia (and to a varying degree hypertension, diabetes and smoking), inflammation, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) and lipid oxidation are related to CVD in SLE. Premature atherosclerosis in some form leading to atherothrombosis is likely to be a major underlying mechanism, though distinctive features if any, of SLE-related atherosclerosis when compared with 'normal' atherosclerosis are not clear. One interesting possibility is that factors such as inflammation or aPL make atherosclerotic lesions in autoimmune disease more prone to rupture than in 'normal' atherosclerosis. Whether premature atherosclerosis is a general feature of SLE or only affects a subgroup of patients remains to be demonstrated. Treatment of SLE patients should also include a close monitoring of traditional risk factors for CVD. In addition, attention should also be paid to nontraditional risk factors such as inflammation and SLE-related factors such as aPL. Hopefully novel therapeutic principles will be developed that target the causes of the inflammation and immune reactions present in atherosclerotic lesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9655396,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":4,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Evidence for the shikimate pathway in apicomplexan parasites.\nParasites of the phylum Apicomplexa cause substantial morbidity, mortality and economic losses, and new medicines to treat them are needed urgently. The shikimate pathway is an attractive target for herbicides and antimicrobial agents because it is essential in algae, higher plants, bacteria and fungi, but absent from mammals. Here we present biochemical, genetic and chemotherapeutic evidence for the presence of enzymes of the shikimate pathway in apicomplexan parasites. In vitro growth of Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium falciparum (malaria) and Cryptosporidium parvum was inhibited by the herbicide glyphosate, a well-characterized inhibitor of the shikimate pathway enzyme 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate 3-phosphate synthase. This effect on T. gondii and P. falciparum was reversed by treatment with p-aminobenzoate, which suggests that the shikimate pathway supplies folate precursors for their growth. Glyphosate in combination with pyrimethamine limited T. gondii infection in mice. Four shikimate pathway enzymes were detected in extracts of T. gondii and glyphosate inhibited 5-enolpyruvyl shikimate 3-phosphate synthase activity. Genes encoding chorismate synthase, the final shikimate pathway enzyme, were cloned from T. gondii and P. falciparum. This discovery of a functional shikimate pathway in apicomplexan parasites provides several targets for the development of new antiparasite agents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23113593,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Do patients trust their physician? The role of attachment style in the patient-physician relationship within one year after a cancer diagnosis.\nThe degree of trust in and satisfaction with the physician has been shown to have important implications for treatment outcomes. This study aims to examine individual differences in patients' trust, satisfaction and general distress from an attachment theoretical perspective. One hundred and thirty recently diagnosed cancer patients of three medical hospitals were extensively interviewed by trained psychologists to assess attachment style. Patients completed standardized questionnaires three and nine months after diagnosis to assess trust, satisfaction and distress. t-tests and repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine differences between securely and insecurely attached patients and changes over time. A mediation model based on a bootstrapping method was used to examine whether trust mediated between attachment and satisfaction, and attachment and distress. Insecurely attached patients (N = 45, 35%) reported less trust in and satisfaction with their physician, and reported more general distress than securely attached patients three and nine months after diagnosis (p < 0.05). Trust and distress levels did not change over time. Trust mediated between attachment and satisfaction, but not between attachment and distress. Insecurely attached patients trusted their physician less than securely attached patients, and in turn were less satisfied with their physician. Their higher levels of general distress were not related to their lower levels of trust. Attachment theory provides a framework to interpret differences in patients' trust, satisfaction and distress, and may help physicians respond in such a way that their patients feel secure, which in turn is expected to result in better health outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29361525,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Stress-activated MAPKs and CRM1 regulate the subcellular localization of Net1A to control cell motility and invasion.\nThe neuroepithelial cell transforming gene 1A (Net1A, an isoform of Net1) is a RhoA subfamily guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that localizes to the nucleus in the absence of stimulation, preventing it from activating RhoA. Once relocalized in the cytosol, Net1A stimulates cell motility and extracellular matrix invasion. In the present work, we investigated mechanisms responsible for the cytosolic relocalization of Net1A. We demonstrate that inhibition of MAPK pathways blocks Net1A relocalization, with cells being most sensitive to JNK pathway inhibition. Moreover, activation of the JNK or p38 MAPK family pathway is sufficient to elicit Net1A cytosolic localization. Net1A relocalization stimulated by EGF or JNK activation requires nuclear export mediated by CRM1. JNK1 (also known as MAPK8) phosphorylates Net1A on serine 52, and alanine substitution at this site prevents Net1A relocalization caused by EGF or JNK activation. Glutamic acid substitution at this site is sufficient for Net1A relocalization and results in elevated RhoA signaling to stimulate myosin light chain 2 (MLC2, also known as MYL2) phosphorylation and F-actin accumulation. Net1A S52E expression stimulates cell motility, enables Matrigel invasion and promotes invadopodia formation. These data highlight a novel mechanism for controlling the subcellular localization of Net1A to regulate RhoA activation, cell motility, and invasion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7744751,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Kinetic and mechanistic characterization of a mammalian protein-tyrosine phosphatase, PTP1.\nThe kinetic mechanism of the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters catalyzed by a soluble form of rat protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTPase), PTP1, was probed with a variety of steady-state and pre-steady-state kinetic techniques. Product inhibition and 18O exchange experiments are consistent with the enzymatic reaction proceeding through two chemical steps, i.e. formation and breakdown of a covalent phosphoenzyme intermediate. The variation of kcat\/Km with pH indicates that three ionizable groups are involved in enzyme substrate binding and catalysis. The first group must be deprotonated and is attributed to the second ionization of the substrate. The other two groups with pK alpha values of 5.1 and 5.5 correspond to two enzyme active site residues. The kcat-pH profiles for both p-nitrophenyl phosphate and beta-naphthyl phosphate are bell-shaped and are superimposable, with the apparent pK alpha values derived from the acidic limb and the basic limb of the profile being 4.4 and 6.8, respectively. This suggests that the rate-limiting step corresponds to the decomposition of the phosphoenzyme intermediate at all pH values. Results from leaving group dependence of kcat at two different pH values support the above conclusion. Furthermore, burst kinetics have been demonstrated with PTP1 using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as a substrate. The rate constants for the formation and the breakdown of the intermediate are 241 and 12 s-1, respectively, at pH 6.0 and 3.5 degrees C. A normal D2O solvent isotope effect (kcatH\/kcatD = 1.5) is associated with the breakdown of the phosphoenzyme intermediate, indicating a solvent-derived proton in the transition state. The leaving group dependence of kcat\/Km suggests that there is a strong electrophilic interaction between the enzyme and the leaving group oxygen in the transition state of the phosphorylation event. These results are compared with those of the Yersinia PTPase and suggest that the mechanism for PTPase-catalyzed phosphate monoester hydrolysis is conserved from bacterial to mammals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16200248,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Role of esophageal provocative tests in the investigation of patients with chest pain of undetermined origin].\nTraditional methods employed in esophageal investigation of patients with chest pain of undetermined origin includes upper endoscopy, esophageal manometry and pH monitoring. These methods many times disclose abnormalities that can only be enrolled as the possible cause of chest pain. Provocative tests can reproduce pain in the laboratory, establishing its esophageal origin. Determine the positivity of acid perfusion test, edrophonium and balloon distension in patients with chest pain of undetermined origin and compare with results of traditional exams, establishing the gain for the diagnosis of esophageal pain. Forty patients with chest pain of undetermined origin (normal coronary angiography), 80% female, mean age of 54.7 years were submitted to traditional exams and provocative tests. Upper endoscopy disclosed erosive esophagitis in two (5%) and peptic ulcer in one (2.5%), esophageal manometry was abnormal in 60%. pH monitoring was abnormal in 14 (35%) with a positive symptom index in 7. Chest pain was considered of proved esophageal origin by traditional exams in 7 (17.5%) patients with a positive symptom index and of probable esophageal origin in 19 (47.5%) being 8 with gastroesophageal reflux disease and 11 abnormal esophageal motility. In 14 (35%) an esophageal origin could not be demonstrated. The acid perfusion test was positive in 10 (25%), edrophonium test in 8 (20%) and balloon distension test in 15 (37.5%) and at least one provocative test was positive in 23 (57.5%) patients. The introduction of provocative tests allowed the diagnosis of proved esophageal pain in 12 of 19 (63.1%) patients with probable esophageal pain and in 6 of 14 (42.8%) with normal or inconclusive traditional exams what represented a diagnostic gain of 45% (18\/40). Two patients had negative provocative tests and a positive symptom index, making a total of 25 (62.5%) patients with proved esophageal pain.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8928686,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Leiomyosarcoma of the urinary bladder. A little frequent neoformation].\nPresentation of one case of vesical wall leiomyosarcoma found during exploratory laparotomy due to abdominal pain, where partial cystectomy and lymphadenectomy were performed. Due to the singularity of this tumour, drafting of this clinical communication was undertaken including a brief review of the existing literature relative to the diagnosis and treatment of this neoformation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28331992,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"HIV Testing in Men who have Sex with Men: A Follow-up Review of the Qualitative Literature since 2010.\nThe landscape of HIV testing has changed significantly in recent years following the rise in importance of the 'treatment as prevention' strategy and advancements in new HIV testing and prevention technologies. This review provides a synthesis of qualitative research findings published since 2010 on preferences and practices of men who have sex with men (MSM) surrounding HIV testing in high-income settings. MSM are one of the hardest groups to reach with standard or conventional HIV testing approaches. To develop innovative testing strategies for this particular group, a good understanding of their concerns, barriers and facilitators of accessing HIV testing is needed. This updated review provides valuable information for improving existing programs and designing new testing services for MSM.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28067682,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Utilizing a Human Factors Nursing Worksystem Improvement Framework to Increase Nurses' Time at the Bedside and Enhance Safety.\nThe aim of this study is to increase nurses' time for direct patient care and improve safety via a novel human factors framework for nursing worksystem improvement. Time available for direct patient care influences outcomes, yet worksystem barriers prevent nurses adequate time at the bedside. A novel human factors framework was developed for worksystem improvement in 3 units at 2 facilities. Objectives included improving nurse efficiency as measured by time-and-motion studies, reducing missing medications and subsequent trips to medication rooms and improving medication safety. Worksystem improvement resulted in time savings of 16% to 32% per nurse per 12-hour shift. Requests for missing medications dropped from 3.2 to 1.3 per day. Nurse medication room trips were reduced by 30% and nurse-reported medication errors fell from a range of 1.2 to 0.8 and 6.3 to 4.0 per month. An innovative human factors framework for nursing worksystem improvement provided practical and high priority targets for interventions that significantly improved the nursing worksystem.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25023461,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Does nature make provision for backups in the modification of bacterial community structures?\nSelf-balancing is an inherent character in nature in response to community structure modification pressure and modern biotechnology has revolutionized the way such detections are made. Presented here is an overview of the forces and process interactions between released bacteria and indigenous microflora which encompass soil bacterial diversity, community structure, indigenous endorhizosphere micro-organisms, molecular detection methodologies, and transgenic plants and microbes. Issues of soil bacterial diversity and community structure as well as the interpretation of results from various findings are highlighted and discussed as inferred from research articles. An understanding of the factors influencing bio-inoculant modification of bacterial community structure in the colonization of the rhizosphere is essential for improved establishment of biocontrol agents, and is critically reviewed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24842883,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Phase I\/Ib study of olaparib and carboplatin in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation-associated breast or ovarian cancer with biomarker analyses.\nOlaparib has single-agent activity against breast\/ovarian cancer (BrCa\/OvCa) in germline BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers (gBRCAm). We hypothesized addition of olaparib to carboplatin can be administered safely and yield preliminary clinical activity. Eligible patients had measurable or evaluable disease, gBRCAm, and good end-organ function. A 3 + 3 dose escalation tested daily oral capsule olaparib (100 or 200mg every 12 hours; dose level1 or 2) with carboplatin area under the curve (AUC) on day 8 (AUC3 day 8), then every 21 days. For dose levels 3 to 6, patients were given olaparib days 1 to 7 at 200 and 400 mg every 12 hours, with carboplatin AUC3 to 5 on day 1 or 2 every 21 days; a maximum of eight combination cycles were permitted, after which daily maintenance of olaparib 400mg every12 hours continued until progression. Dose-limiting toxicity was defined in the first two cycles. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected for polymorphism analysis and polyADP-ribose incorporation. Paired tumor biopsies (before\/after cycle 1) were obtained for biomarker proteomics and apoptosis endpoints. Forty-five women (37 OvCa\/8 BrCa) were treated. Dose-limiting toxicity was not reached on the intermittent schedule. Expansion proceeded with olaparib 400mg every 12 hours on days 1 to 7\/carboplatin AUC5. Grade 3\/4 adverse events included neutropenia (42.2%), thrombocytopenia (20.0%), and anemia (15.6%). Responses included 1 complete response (1 BrCa; 23 months) and 21 partial responses (50.0%; 15 OvCa; 6 BrCa; median = 16 [4 to >45] in OvCa and 10 [6 to >40] months in BrCa). Proteomic analysis suggests high pretreatment pS209-eIF4E and FOXO3a correlated with duration of response (two-sided P < .001; Pearson's R (2) = 0.94). Olaparib capsules 400mg every 12 hours on days 1 to 7\/carboplatin AUC5 is safe and has activity in gBRCAm BrCa\/OvCa patients. Exploratory translational studies indicate pretreatment tissue FOXO3a expression may be predictive for response to therapy, requiring prospective validation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9013543,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cyclic ADP-ribose binds to FK506-binding protein 12.6 to release Ca2+ from islet microsomes.\nCyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) is a second messenger for Ca2+ mobilization via the ryanodine receptor (RyR) from islet microsomes for insulin secretion (Takasawa, S., Nata, K., Yonekura, H., and Okamoto, H. (1993) Science 259, 370-373). In the present study, FK506, an immunosuppressant that prolongs allograft survival, as well as cADPR were found to induce the release of Ca2+ from islet microsomes. After islet microsomes were treated with FK506, the Ca2+ release by cADPR from microsomes was reduced. cADPR as well as FK506 bound to FK506-binding protein 12.6 (FKBP12.6), which we also found occurs naturally in islet microsomes. When islet microsomes were treated with cADPR, FKBP12.6 dissociated from the microsomes and moved to the supernatant, releasing Ca2+ from the intracellular stores. The microsomes that were then devoid of FKBP12.6 did not show Ca2+ release by cADPR. These results strongly suggest that cADPR may be the ligand for FKBP12.6 in islet RyR and that the binding of cADPR to FKBP12.6 frees the RyR from FKBP12.6, causing it to release Ca2+.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26512359,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intensifying Antiretroviral Therapy With Raltegravir and Maraviroc During Early Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection Does Not Accelerate HIV Reservoir Reduction.\nBackground. Persistent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) within the CD4(+) T-cell reservoir is an obstacle to eradication. We hypothesized that adding raltegravir and maraviroc to standard combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) during early HIV infection could substantially reduce viral reservoirs as a step towards eradication. Methods. A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot trial enrolled 32 participants with documented early (<6 months) HIV infection to either standard cART (emtricitabine\/tenofovir\/lopinavir\/ritonavir) or intensive cART (standard regimen + raltegravir\/maraviroc). Human immunodeficiency virus reservoirs were assessed at baseline and at 48 weeks by (1) proviral DNA, (2) cell-associated RNA, and (3) replication-competent virus, all from purified blood CD4(+) T cells, and (4) gut proviral DNA. A multiassay algorithm (MAA) on baseline sera estimated timing of infection. Results. Thirty individuals completed the study to the 48-week endpoint. The reduction in blood proviral burden was -1.03 log DNA copies\/10(6) CD4(+) T cells versus -.84 log in the standard and intensive groups, respectively (P = .056). Overall, there was no significant difference in the rate of decline of HIV-associated RNA, replication-competent virus in blood CD4(+) T cells, nor proviral gut HIV DNA to 48 weeks. Individuals who presented with more recent HIV infection had significantly lower virus reservoirs, and cART tended to reduce their reservoirs to a greater extent. Conclusions. Intensive cART led to no additional reduction in the blood virus reservoir at 48 weeks compared with standard cART. Human immunodeficiency virus reservoir size is smaller earlier in HIV infection. Other novel treatment strategies in combination with early cART will be needed to eliminate the HIV latent reservoir.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20637134,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Reduction of salt: will iodine intake remain adequate in The Netherlands?\nSalt is the main vehicle for iodine fortification in The Netherlands. A reduction in salt intake may reduce the supply of iodine. Our aim was to quantify the effect of salt reduction on the habitual iodine intake of the Dutch population and the risk of inadequate iodine intake. We used data of the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (1997-8) and an update of the food composition database to estimate habitual salt and iodine intake. To take into account uncertainty about the use of iodised salt (industrial and discretionary) and food supplements, a simulation model was used. Habitual iodine and salt intakes were simulated for scenarios of salt reduction and compared with no salt reduction. With 12, 25 and 50 % salt reduction in industrially processed foods, the iodine intake remained adequate for a large part of the Dutch population. For the extreme scenario of a 50 % reduction in both industrially and discretionary added salt, iodine intake might become inadequate for part of the Dutch population (up to 10 %). An increment of the proportion of industrially processed foods using iodised salt or a small increase in iodine salt content will solve this. Nevertheless, 8-35 % of 1- to 3-year-old children might have iodine intakes below the corresponding estimated average requirement (EAR), depending on the salt intake scenario. This points out the need to review the EAR value for this age group or to suggest the addition of iodine to industrially manufactured complementary foods.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30888907,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Terminally Ill Cancer Patients' Distinct Symptom-Functional Patterns\/States Are Differentially Associated with Their Accurate Prognostic Awareness in the Last Six Months of Life.\nBackground: Terminally ill cancer patients' worsening symptom distress and functional impairment may signal disease deterioration, thus facilitating their accurate prognostic awareness (PA). However, the joint roles played by symptom distress and functional impairment in association with cancer patients' accurate PA remain unexplored. Methods: We used hierarchical generalized linear modeling to assess associations between our five identified worsening conjoint symptom-functional states and accurate PA in a convenience sample of 317 terminally ill cancer patients over their last six months. Results: The majority of our participants (70.1%-76.3%) had accurate PA in their last six months. This proportion did not increase as death approached but varied significantly by the five identified distinct symptom-functional states. Participants in the four worst symptom-functional states (moderate\/profound symptom distress with mild\/profound functional impairment) had a higher likelihood of accurate PA than those in the best state (mild symptom distress with high functioning). Participants with severe or profound symptom distress (states 3 and 5) had a substantially higher likelihood of accurate PA than those with moderate symptom distress (states 2 and 4). Conclusion\/Clinical Implications: Terminally ill cancer patients' five distinct conjoint worsening symptom-functional states were differentially associated with their likelihood of accurate PA. Health care professionals should cultivate these patients' accurate PA when they are still free from severe symptom distress and functional impairment, effectively manage symptoms for those suffering from severe\/profound symptom distress, and facilitate their psychological-spiritual adjustment to acknowledge their poor prognosis and the accompanying challenges of end-of-life care decisions to maximize quality of life and achieve a good death.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22205689,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Molecular pathways: involvement of Helicobacter pylori-triggered inflammation in the formation of an epigenetic field defect, and its usefulness as cancer risk and exposure markers.\nInfection-associated cancers account for a large proportion of human cancers, and gastric cancer, the vast majority of which is associated with Helicobacter pylori infection, is a typical example of such cancers. Epigenetic alterations are known to occur frequently in gastric cancers, and H. pylori infection has now been shown to induce aberrant DNA methylation in gastric mucosae. Accumulation of aberrant methylation in gastric mucosae produces a field for cancerization, and methylation levels correlate with gastric cancer risk. H. pylori infection induces methylation of specific genes, and such specificity is determined by the epigenetic status in normal cells, including the presence of H3K27me3 and RNA polymerase II (active or stalled). Specific types of inflammation, such as that induced by H. pylori infection, are important for methylation induction, and infiltration of monocytes appears to be involved. The presence of an epigenetic field defect is not limited to gastric cancers and is observed in various types of cancers. It provides translational opportunities for cancer risk diagnosis incorporating life history, assessment of past exposure to carcinogenic factors, and cancer prevention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29708221,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Relationships between full-day arm movement characteristics and developmental status in infants with typical development as they learn to reach: An observational study.\nBackground: Advances in wearable sensor technology now allow us to quantify the number, type and kinematic characteristics of bouts of infant arm movement made across a full day in the natural environment. Our aim here was to determine whether the amount and kinematic characteristics of arm movements made across the day in the natural environment were related to developmental status in infants with typical development as they learned to reach for objects using their arms. Methods: We used wearable sensors to measure arm movement across days and months as infants developed arm reaching skills. In total, 22 infants with typical development participated, aged between 38 and 203 days. Of the participants, 2 infants were measured once and the other 20 infants were measured once per month for 3 to 6 visits. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development was used to measure developmental level. Results: Our main findings were: 1) infant arm movement characteristics as measured by full-day wearable sensor data were related to Bayley motor, cognitive and language scores, indicating a relationship between daily movement characteristics and developmental status; 2) infants who moved more had larger increases in language and cognitive scores across visits; and 3) larger changes in movement characteristics across visits were related to higher motor scores. Conclusions: This was a preliminary, exploratory, small study of the potential importance of infant arm movement characteristics as measured by full-day wearable sensor data. Our results support full-day arm movement activity as an area of interest for future study as a biomarker of neurodevelopmental status and as a target for early intervention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24489761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The molecular chaperone binding protein BiP prevents leaf dehydration-induced cellular homeostasis disruption.\nBiP overexpression improves leaf water relations during droughts and delays drought-induced leaf senescence. However, whether BiP controls cellular homeostasis under drought conditions or simply delays dehydration-induced leaf senescence as the primary cause for water stress tolerance remains to be determined. To address this issue, we examined the drought-induced transcriptomes of BiP-overexpressing lines and wild-type (WT) lines under similar leaf water potential (\u03c8w) values. In the WT leaves, a \u03c8w reduction of -1.0 resulted in 1339 up-regulated and 2710 down-regulated genes; in the BiP-overexpressing line 35S::BiP-4, only 334 and 420 genes were induced and repressed, respectively, at a similar leaf \u03c8w = -1.0 MPa. This level of leaf dehydration was low enough to induce a repertory of typical drought-responsive genes in WT leaves but not in 35S::BiP-4 dehydrated leaves. The responders included hormone-related genes, functional and regulatory genes involved in drought protection and senescence-associated genes. The number of differentially expressed genes in the 35S::BiP-4 line approached the wild type number at a leaf \u03c8w = -1.6 MPa. However, N-rich protein (NRP)- mediated cell death signaling genes and unfolded protein response (UPR) genes were induced to a much lower extent in the 35S::BiP-4 line than in the WT even at \u03c8w = -1.6 MPa. The heatmaps for UPR, ERAD (ER-associated degradation protein system), drought-responsive and cell death-associated genes revealed that the leaf transcriptome of 35S::BiP-4 at \u03c8w = -1.0 MPa clustered together with the transcriptome of well-watered leaves and they diverged considerably from the drought-induced transcriptome of the WT (\u03c8w = -1.0, -1.7 and -2.0 MPa) and 35S::BiP-4 leaves at \u03c8w = -1.6 MPa. Taken together, our data revealed that BiP-overexpressing lines requires a much higher level of stress (\u03c8w = -1.6 MPa) to respond to drought than that of WT (\u03c8w = -1.0). Therefore, BiP overexpression maintains cellular homeostasis under water stress conditions and thus ameliorates endogenous osmotic stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3120274,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Use of Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin A in the construction of conjugate vaccines and immunotoxins.\nPseudomonas aeruginosa toxin A was used to construct conjugate vaccines and potent cytotoxic immunotoxins. Nontoxic, serologically active O polysaccharide derived from P. aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was covalently coupled to toxin A via reductive amination. The conjugate was nontoxic, nonpyrogenic, and had a molecular size of 2 X 10(6). The conjugate vaccine was safe when administered to human volunteers and was capable of evoking an immune response to both LPS and toxin A. Native toxin A was coupled to monoclonal antibodies to the human transferrin receptor and the human interleukin 2 receptor to produce immunotoxins active against receptor-bearing cell lines. Antitumor activity was demonstrated when the immunotoxin directed against the transferrin receptor was administered to nude mice bearing human ovarian tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35518443,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Investigation of the process stability of different anammox configurations and assessment of the simulation validity of various anammox-based kinetic models.\nOver the last 30 years, the successful implementation of the anammox process has attracted research interest from all over the world. Various reactor configurations were investigated for the anammox process. However, the construction of the anammox process is a delicate topic in regards to the high sensitivity of the biological reaction. To better understand the effects of configurations on the anammox performance, process-kinetic models and activity kinetic models were critically overviewed, respectively. A significant difference in the denitrification capabilities was observed even with similar dominated functional species of anammox with different configurations. Although the kinetic analysis gained insight into the feasibility of both batch and continuous processes, most models were often applied to match the kinetic data in an unsuitable manner. The validity assessment illustrated that the Grau second-order model and Stover-Kincannon model were the most appropriate and shareable reactor-kinetic models for different anammox configurations. This review plays an important role in the anammox process performance assessment and augmentation of the process control.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16059597,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Effects of Bromazepam in qEEG by type writing].\nThe efficiency with which an information is processed by the brain's neural circuitry can be altered by neuromodulators. The use of Bromazepam in the pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders is due to its anxiolytic property. However, the effects of this benzodiazepine in motor learning tasks are not entirely understood. In this context, the goal of this study was to assess the effects of Bromazepam (6 mg) on psychophysiological, behavioral, and electrophysiological variables, during the process of learning a motor task. The sample consisted of 26 healthy individuals, of both sexes, between 19 and 36 years of age. The control (placebo) and experimental (Bromazepam 6 mg) groups were submitted to a typewriting task, in a randomized, double-blind design. The results did not reveal differences for phychophysiological and behavioral variables between the groups. Statistical tests pointed out to an interaction between condition and moment, and a hemisphere main effect, i.e. a reduction of relative power in the right hemisphere. This reduction suggests a specialization of the neural circuitry in the hemisphere contralateral to the finger used in the task. Such reduction is independent from the drug administration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12244900,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epidural cooling for regional spinal cord hypothermia during most or all of descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.\nHypothermia has some protective effect against ischemia of the spinal cord in thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair. Its method is divided into systemic or regional cooling. Several experimental studies of the regional cooling of the spinal cord have been performed, however, clinical reports are few. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect and safety of perfusion cooling of the epidural space during thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic replacement. Between January 1998 to June 2001 37 patients (True aneurysm: 18 patients, type B aortic dissection: 19 patients) underwent thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic replacement with an aid of epidural perfusion cooling. The age ranged from 23 to 78 years old with a mean age of 61 years old. Separate perfusion of upper and lower body was used in all cases. Temperature was lowered to around a 31 degrees C or 32 degrees C. In cases where proximal cross-clamping was danger, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest was used. Ten patients underwent most or all of descending thoracic aneurysm repair with no spinal cord injury and hospital death. Number of patients of the Crawford type I, type II, and type III were 14, 8 and 5 patients, respectively. One Crawford type II patients was complicated with postoperative spinal cord injury (2.7%). There was one hospital death (2.7%) in Crawford type III. The mean epidural cooling time was 150 minutes, and mean infusion volume of cold saline was 981 cc. The mean lowest cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) temperature was 24.3 degrees C, and mean temperature differences between nasopharynx and CSF was 6.3 degrees C. Perfusion cooling of the epidural space during most or all of the descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair was effective in reducing postoperative spinal cord injury and a safe method in clinical situations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11134342,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The RNase P associated with HeLa cell mitochondria contains an essential RNA component identical in sequence to that of the nuclear RNase P.\nThe mitochondrion-associated RNase P activity (mtRNase P) was extensively purified from HeLa cells and shown to reside in particles with a sedimentation constant ( approximately 17S) very similar to that of the nuclear enzyme (nuRNase P). Furthermore, mtRNase P, like nuRNase P, was found to process a mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(UCN)) precursor [ptRNA(Ser(UCN))] at the correct site. Treatment with micrococcal nuclease of highly purified mtRNase P confirmed earlier observations indicating the presence of an essential RNA component. Furthermore, electrophoretic analysis of 3'-end-labeled nucleic acids extracted from the peak of glycerol gradient-fractionated mtRNase P revealed the presence of a 340-nucleotide RNA component, and the full-length cDNA of this RNA was found to be identical in sequence to the H1 RNA of nuRNase P. The proportions of the cellular H1 RNA recovered in the mitochondrial fractions from HeLa cells purified by different treatments were quantified by Northern blots, corrected on the basis of the yield in the same fractions of four mitochondrial nucleic acid markers, and shown to be 2 orders of magnitude higher than the proportions of contaminating nuclear U2 and U3 RNAs. In particular, these experiments revealed that a small fraction of the cell H1 RNA (of the order of 0.1 to 0.5%), calculated to correspond to approximately 33 to approximately 175 intact molecules per cell, is intrinsically associated with mitochondria and can be removed only by treatments which destroy the integrity of the organelles. In the same experiments, the use of a probe specific for the RNA component of RNase MRP showed the presence in mitochondria of 6 to 15 molecules of this RNA per cell. The available evidence indicates that the levels of mtRNase P detected in HeLa cells should be fully adequate to satisfy the mitochondrial tRNA synthesis requirements of these cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30745812,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Feasible Advantage of Bioactive\/Bioresorbable Devices Made of Forged Composites of Hydroxyapatite Particles and Poly-L-lactide in Alveolar Bone Augmentation: A Preliminary Study.\nPurpose: We aimed to document the clinical usefulness of uncalcined and unsintered hydroxyapatite (u-HA) particles and poly-L-lactide (PLLA) composite materials and their advantageous properties. Methods: Between April 2016 and March 2018, five patients required anterior maxillary alveolar ridge augmentation using fixation with u-HA\/PLLA screws for an onlay block bone graft harvested from the mandibular ramus at our institute. Bone biopsies were obtained from the dental implantation site following bone healing for histomorphometric and immunohistochemical (IHC) measurements. Results: Many stromal cells were positive for Osterix, RUNX2, and SOX9 but were negative for CD68. On cell counting, based on IHC staining for Osterix, RUNX2, SOX9 and CD68 from peripheral u-HA\/PLLA screw or bone areas, both areas consistently showed no significant difference in terms of Osterix, RUNX2, and SOX9. Hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed direct bone connection to the biomaterials, and no inflammatory cells infiltrated the areas surrounding the bone or artificial material. Area between the bone and u-HA\/PLLA screw was seamless with no boundary. Round small cells and immature fibroblasts were noted. The new bone showed the presence of bone lamellae, normal osteocytes, and osteoblasts. Conclusion: The u-HA\/PLLA materials showed excellent biodegradability and bioactive osteoconductivity. In addition, this material induced no apparent inflammatory or foreign body reactions following implantation, and it directly bonded to the human bone. Therefore, this u-HA\/PLLA material seems ideal and most suitable for use as a substitute for osteosynthesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35702070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"SIRT1 ameliorates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury through suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated autophagy.\nRenal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is a therapeutic challenge for surgeons. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is an NAD+-dependent deacetylase that plays a vital role in modulating cellular senescence and aging. In this study, we determined whether SIRT1 upregulation could alleviate renal IR injury and the underlying mechanism. A renal IR model was induced in male C57BL\/6 mice. Blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine were evaluated as markers of kidney function, and renal injury was assessed by pathological examination. The inflammatory milieu was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR and myeloperoxidase immunofluorescence assays. Western blotting was used to quantify SIRT1 protein expression, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and autophagy. SIRT1 was upregulated in renal tissue after IR. Blood analysis and histopathologic examination demonstrated that SIRT1 preserved renal function and reduced renal damage. Further evaluation illustrated that IR induced autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress, while SIRT1 upregulation reduced endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated autophagy levels. SIRT1 upregulation protects the kidney against IR-induced injury by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated autophagy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32002727,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Development and application of oligonucleotide-based chromosome painting for chromosome 4D of Triticum aestivum L.\nChromosome painting is a useful technique for distinguishing specific chromosomes (fragments), elucidating the genetic relationships of different genomes or chromosomes, and identifying chromosomal rearrangements. The development of chromosome- or genome-specific probes is fundamental for chromosome painting. The possibility for developing such probes specifically painting homoeologous chromosomes in allopolyploid species has been questioned since that chromosomes belonging to the same homoeologous group share highly conserved sequences. In the present study, we attempted to construct a wheat chromosome 4D-specific oligo probe library by selecting 4D-specific sequences in reference genome of common wheat cv. Chinese Spring (CS, 2n = 6x = 42, AABBDD). The synthesized library contains 27,392 oligos. Oligo painting using the probe library confirmed its specificity, shown by that only chromosome 4D could be painted in three wheat genotypes and CS nulli-tetrasomic line N4AT4D. Oligo painting was successfully used to define the 4D breakpoints in CS deletion lines involving 4D and two wheat-Haynaldia villosa 4D-4V translocation lines. Thirteen wheat relatives and a Triticum durum-H. villosa amphiploid were used for oligo painting. Except the 4D in two Aegilops tauschii accessions, the 4M in Ae. comosa and 4U in Ae. umbellulata could be painted. In tetraploid Ae. ventricosa, both 4D and 4M could be painted; however, the signal intensity of 4M was less compared with 4D. No painted chromosome was observed for the other alien species. This indicated that the relationship among D\/M\/U was closer than that among D\/A\/B as well as D with genomes H\/R\/Ss\/Sc\/Y\/P\/N\/J. Our successful development of 4D-specific oligo probe library may serve as a model for developing oligo probes specific for other homoeologous chromosomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36100843,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Prevalence and factors associated with the awareness of obstetric fistula among women of reproductive age in The Gambia: a multilevel fixed effects analysis.\nAn obstetric fistula is an inappropriate connection between the vagina, rectum, or bladder that results in faecal or urine incontinence. Young women from rural areas with poor socioeconomic situations and education are the majority of victims, which restricts their access to high-quality healthcare. Obstetric fistulas can have devastating effects on the physical health of affected women if they are not promptly treated. Inadequate awareness of the symptoms delays recognition of the problem, prompt reporting, and treatment. Women with poor awareness of the disorder are also more likely to develop complications, including mental health issues. Using data from a nationally representative survey, this study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with the awareness of obstetric fistula among women of reproductive age in The Gambia. This study used population-based cross-sectional data from the 2019-2020 Gambia Demographic and Health survey. A total of 11823 reproductive-aged women were sampled for this study. Stata software version 16.0 was used for all statistical analyses. Obstetric fistula awareness was the outcome variable. Multilevel logistic regression models were fitted, and the results were presented as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. The prevalence of obstetric fistula awareness was 12.81% (95%CI: 11.69, 14.12). Women aged 45-49 years (aOR = 2.17, 95%CI [1.54, 3.06]), married women (aOR = 1.39, 95%CI [1.04, 1.87]), those with higher education (aOR = 2.80, 95%CI [2.08, 3.79]), and women who worked as professionals or occupied managerial positions (aOR = 2.32, 95%CI [1.74, 3.10]) had higher odds of obstetric fistula awareness. Women who had ever terminated pregnancy (aOR = 1.224, 95%CI [1.06, 1.42]), those who listened to radio at least once a week (aOR = 1.20, 95%CI [1.02, 1.41]), ownership of a mobile phone (aOR = 1.20, 95%CI [1.01, 1.42]) and those who were within the richest wealth index (aOR = 1.39, 95%CI [1.03, 1.86]) had higher odds of obstetric fistula awareness. Our findings have revealed inadequate awareness of obstetric fistula among women of reproductive-age in The Gambia. Obstetric fistulas can be mitigated by implementing well-planned public awareness initiatives at the institutional and community levels. We, therefore, recommend reproductive health education on obstetric fistula beyond the hospital setting to raise reproductive-age women's awareness.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26525972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Telomere homeostasis in mammalian germ cells: a review.\nTelomeres protect against genome instability and participate in chromosomal movements during gametogenesis, especially in meiosis. Thus, maintaining telomere structure and telomeric length is essential to both cell integrity and the production of germ cells. As a result, alteration of telomere homeostasis in the germ line may result in the generation of aneuploid gametes or gametogenesis disruption, triggering fertility problems. In this work, we provide an overview on fundamental aspects of the literature regarding the organization of telomeres in mammalian germ cells, paying special attention to telomere structure and function, as well as the maintenance of telomeric length during gametogenesis. Moreover, we discuss the different roles recently described for telomerase and TERRA in maintaining telomere functionality. Finally, we review how new findings in the field of reproductive biology underscore the role of telomere homeostasis as a potential biomarker for infertility. Overall, we anticipate that the study of telomere stability and equilibrium will contribute to improve diagnoses of patients; assess the risk of infertility in the offspring; and in turn, find new treatments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33809944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Contextualizing Risk Perception and Trust in the Community-Based Response to Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia.\nThe 2014-15 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreaks in Western Africa became widespread in primarily three countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Unlike all previous outbreaks in Central and East Africa, which were confined to rural areas, the virus spread rapidly through West Africa as a result of transmission through high-density urban centres coupled with the effects of public distrust in outbreak response teams and local government officials. Objective: In this study, we examine the EVD epidemic in Liberia, the first country to implement a community-based response that led to changes in the trajectory of the epidemic. The focus on the role of community-based initiatives in outbreak response is often neglected in conventional epidemiological accounts. In this light, we consider the manner in which community-based strategies enabled a more effective response based on the establishment of better trust relations and an enhanced understanding of the risks that EVD posed for the community. Methodology: We conducted qualitative research in five distinct communities in Liberia three years after the outbreaks subsided. Data collection procedures consisted of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with residents. Results: We found that the implementation of a community-based response, which included the participation of Ebola survivors and local leaders, helped curb and ultimately end the EVD epidemic in Liberia. As community members became more directly involved in the EVD response, the level of trust between citizens, local officials, and non-governmental organization response teams increased. In turn, this led to greater acceptance in abiding to safety protocols, greater receptiveness to risk information, and changes in mobility patterns-all of which played a significant role in turning the tide of the epidemic.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15100368,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Evidence of tubular hypoxia in the early phase in the remnant kidney model.\nThe remnant kidney model is a mainstay in the study of progressive renal disease. The earliest changes in this model result from glomerular hemodynamic alterations. Given that progressive renal disease is the result of subsequent interstitial damage initiated by undetermined pathogenic factors, the authors investigated the role of hypoxia as a pathogenic factor in tubulointerstitial damage after renal ablation in rats. Cortical tissue hypoxia in the early phase (4 and 7 d) in remnant kidney rats, sham-operated rats, and animals treated with the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) olmesartan (10 mg\/kg per d) was assessed by uptake of a hypoxic probe, pimonidazole, expression of HIF-1alpha, and by increased transcription of hypoxia-responsive genes. Physiologic perfusion status of the postglomerular peritubular capillary network was evaluated by lectin perfusion and Hoechst 33342 diffusion techniques. Results showed that the number of hypoxic tubules was markedly increased 4 and 7 d after nephron loss. These findings antedated any histologic evidence of tubulointerstitial damage. The hypoxic state persisted until interstitial damage developed. These results were confirmed using HIF-1alpha immunoprecipitation and increase of hypoxia-responsive genes. Pathologic studies of the vasculature demonstrated significant functional changes that generated a hypoxic milieu. ARB treatment prevented vascular changes and ameliorated tubular hypoxia. These results suggest that the initial tubulointerstitial hypoxia in remnant kidney model plays a pathogenic role in the subsequent development of tubulointerstitial injury. The initial hypoxia in this model was dependent on activation of the renin-angiotensin system and hemodynamic alterations after nephron loss.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19906152,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Micro-scale water potential gradients visualized in soil around plant root tips using microbiosensors.\nWater availability and movement in soil are critical determinants of resource availability to, and interactions among, members of the soil community. However, it has been impossible to observe gradients in soil water potential empirically at millimetre spatial scales. Here we describe progress towards that goal using output from two microbial biosensors, Pantoea agglomerans BRT98\/pPProGreen and Pseudomonas putida KT2442\/pPProGreen, engineered with a reporter system based on the osmotically sensitive proU promoter from Escherichia coli. The proU-GFP construct in both microbiosensors produced green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a function total water potential in nonsterile soil. Controlled experiments in liquid culture showed that dramatically different microbiosensor growth rates (resulting from exposure to different salts as osmolytes) did not alter the GFP output as a function of water potential in either sensor, but P. agglomerans' GFP levels at a given water potential were strongly influenced by the type of carbon (energy) source available to the microbes. In non-sterile rhizosphere soil along Zea mays L. roots, though GFP expression was quite variable, microbiosensors reported statistically significantly more negative soil water potentials as a function of axial distance from root tips, reflecting the gradient in soil water potential hypothesized to develop during transpiration.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26549379,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Caffeine intake in pregnancy: Relationship between internal intake and effect on birth weight.\nWe used a physiologically based kinetic model to simulate caffeine blood concentration-time profiles in non-pregnant and pregnant women. The model predicted concentration-time profile was in good accordance with experimental values. With 200 mg, the safe dose per occasion in non-pregnant women, AUC and peak concentration in pregnant women were nearly twice that of non-pregnant women. In order to derive a safe dose for the pregnant women we estimated the dose in the pregnant women model taken at once which would not exceed AUC and peak concentration in the non-pregnant women of 200 mg as single dose. The resulting dose is 100 mg caffeine per occasion which we recommend as safe. The caffeine dose of 200 mg per day is declared as safe for pregnant women with respect to the foetus by EFSA based on results on reduced birth weight in epidemiological studies. We modelled AUC and peak concentration for different caffeine doses to investigate the relationship between internal caffeine exposure and risk measures of reduced birth weight from epidemiological studies. The graphical analysis revealed that the reduction in birth weight was related to AUC and peak concentration up to a dose of 250 mg caffeine.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20657839,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Distinct roles for laminin globular domains in laminin alpha1 chain mediated rescue of murine laminin alpha2 chain deficiency.\nLaminin alpha2 chain mutations cause congenital muscular dystrophy with dysmyelination neuropathy (MDC1A). Previously, we demonstrated that laminin alpha1 chain ameliorates the disease in mice. Dystroglycan and integrins are major laminin receptors. Unlike laminin alpha2 chain, alpha1 chain binds the receptors by separate domains; laminin globular (LG) domains 4 and LG1-3, respectively. Thus, the laminin alpha1 chain is an excellent tool to distinguish between the roles of dystroglycan and integrins in the neuromuscular system. Here, we provide insights into the functions of laminin alpha1LG domains and the division of their roles in MDC1A pathogenesis and rescue. Overexpression of laminin alpha1 chain that lacks the dystroglycan binding LG4-5 domains in alpha2 chain deficient mice resulted in prolonged lifespan and improved health. Importantly, diaphragm and heart muscles were corrected, whereas limb muscles were dystrophic, indicating that different muscles have different requirements for LG4-5 domains. Furthermore, the regenerative capacity of the skeletal muscle did not depend on laminin alpha1LG4-5. However, this domain was crucial for preventing apoptosis in limb muscles, essential for myelination in peripheral nerve and important for basement membrane assembly. These results show that laminin alpha1LG domains and consequently their receptors have disparate functions in the neuromuscular system. Understanding these interactions could contribute to design and optimization of future medical treatment for MDC1A patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3324643,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Leiomyoblastoma of the greater omentum. A case report and review of literature.\nA case of leiomyoblastoma of the greater omentum, occurring in a 36-year-old man was described. Leiomyoblastoma of the omentum is extremely rare and only 6 cases have been reported in the Japanese and English literature up to date. According to the review of these cases, including the present case, 1) females were affected more frequently than males, and the age ranged from 36 to 76 years; 2) leiomyoblastoma was usually a large tumor which caused abdominal fullness and pain, and occasionally complicated with anemia and bloody ascites; 3) mitosis was rare, and there was no sign of metastasis and recurrence. Finally the morphological criteria and clinical parameters of malignancy in leiomyoblastoma were discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11556876,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Review article: managing the dyspeptic patient--an interactive discussion.\nDyspepsia, a common disorder, can present some difficult clinical dilemmas. Physicians should explore some of the more challenging cases of dyspepsia in a setting that fosters interactive dialogue among colleagues, as was the case at the interactive discussion reported below. A panel of experts presented and discussed three case histories. The audience was able to choose from among several options for diagnosis or treatment and recorded their votes by means of an electronic handset. The first case concerned the relationship between continued non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and recurrent upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms without ulcer or Helicobacter pylori infection. The second was a woman with complex upper GI symptoms including heartburn. The last featured a young man with dyspepsia and no alarm symptoms. The first case showed that a standard dose of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is the best treatment for patients with gastritis who continue to use NSAIDs. The second case revealed that 24-h pH monitoring can be used to establish a relationship between symptoms and reflux episodes. The third case demonstrated that it can be difficult to make a definitive diagnosis based on clinical symptoms, and that patients with endoscopy-negative reflux disease usually respond well to PPI therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26372225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"XBP1-Independent UPR Pathways Suppress C\/EBP-\u03b2 Mediated Chondrocyte Differentiation in ER-Stress Related Skeletal Disease.\nSchmid metaphyseal chondrodysplasia (MCDS) involves dwarfism and growth plate cartilage hypertrophic zone expansion resulting from dominant mutations in the hypertrophic zone collagen, Col10a1. Mouse models phenocopying MCDS through the expression of an exogenous misfolding protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in hypertrophic chondrocytes have demonstrated the central importance of ER stress in the pathology of MCDS. The resultant unfolded protein response (UPR) in affected chondrocytes involved activation of canonical ER stress sensors, IRE1, ATF6, and PERK with the downstream effect of disrupted chondrocyte differentiation. Here, we investigated the role of the highly conserved IRE1\/XBP1 pathway in the pathology of MCDS. Mice with a MCDS collagen X p.N617K knock-in mutation (ColXN617K) were crossed with mice in which Xbp1 was inactivated specifically in cartilage (Xbp1Cart\u0394Ex2), generating the compound mutant, C\/X. The severity of dwarfism and hypertrophic zone expansion in C\/X did not differ significantly from ColXN617K, revealing surprising redundancy for the IRE1\/XBP1 UPR pathway in the pathology of MCDS. Transcriptomic analyses of hypertrophic zone cartilage identified differentially expressed gene cohorts in MCDS that are pathologically relevant (XBP1-independent) or pathologically redundant (XBP1-dependent). XBP1-independent gene expression changes included large-scale transcriptional attenuation of genes encoding secreted proteins and disrupted differentiation from proliferative to hypertrophic chondrocytes. Moreover, these changes were consistent with disruption of C\/EBP-\u03b2, a master regulator of chondrocyte differentiation, by CHOP, a transcription factor downstream of PERK that inhibits C\/EBP proteins, and down-regulation of C\/EBP-\u03b2 transcriptional co-factors, GADD45-\u03b2 and RUNX2. Thus we propose that the pathology of MCDS is underpinned by XBP1 independent UPR-induced dysregulation of C\/EBP-\u03b2-mediated chondrocyte differentiation. Our data suggest that modulation of C\/EBP-\u03b2 activity in MCDS chondrocytes may offer therapeutic opportunities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35511917,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Replication of Overall Survival, Progression-Free Survival, and Overall Response in Chemotherapy Arms of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Trials Using Real-World Data.\nThe utility of real-world data (RWD) for use as external controls in drug development is informed by studies that replicate trial control arms for different endpoints. The purpose of this study was to replicate control arms from four non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) randomized controlled trials (RCT) to analyze overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate (ORR) using RWD. This study used RWD from a nationwide de-identified database and a clinico-genomic database to replicate OS, PFS, and ORR endpoints in the chemotherapy control arms of four first-line NSCLC RCTs evaluating atezolizumab [IMpower150-wild-type (WT), IMpower130-WT, IMpower131, and IMpower132]. Additional objectives were to develop a definition of real-world PFS (rwPFS) and to evaluate the real-world response rate (rwRR) endpoint. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics were balanced after application of propensity score weighting methods. For rwPFS and OS, RWD external controls were generally similar to their RCT control counterparts. Across all four trials, the hazard ratio (HR) point estimates comparing trial controls with external controls were closer to 1.0 for the PFS endpoint than for the OS endpoint. An exploratory assessment of rwRR in RWD revealed a slight but nonsignificant overestimation of RCT ORR, which was unconfounded by baseline characteristics. RWD can be used to reasonably replicate the OS and PFS of chemotherapy control arms of first-line NSCLC RCTs. Additional studies can provide greater insight into the utility of RWD in drug development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34073865,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Systematic Review about Imaging and Histopathological Findings for Detecting and Evaluating Electroporation Based Treatments Response.\nImaging methods and the most appropriate criteria to be used for detecting and evaluating response to oncological treatments depend on the pathology and anatomical site to be treated and on the treatment to be performed. This document provides a general overview of the main imaging and histopathological findings of electroporation-based treatments (Electrochemotherapy-ECT and Irreversible electroporation-IRE) compared to thermal approach, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), in deep-seated cancers with a particular attention to pancreatic and liver cancer. Numerous electronic datasets were examined: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The research covered the years from January 1990 to April 2021. All titles and abstracts were analyzed. The inclusion criteria were the following: studies that report imaging or histopathological findings after ablative thermal and not thermal loco-regional treatments (ECT, IRE, RFA) in deep-seated cancers including pancreatic and liver cancer and articles published in the English language. Exclusion criteria were unavailability of full text and congress abstracts or posters and different topic respect to inclusion criteria. 558 potentially relevant references through electronic searches were identified. A total of 38 articles met the inclusion criteria: 20 studies report imaging findings after RFA or ECT or IRE in pancreatic and liver cancer; 17 studies report histopathological findings after RFA or ECT or IRE; 1 study reports both imaging and histopathological findings after RFA or ECT or IRE. Imaging features are related to the type of therapy administrated, to the timing of re-assessment post therapy and to the imaging technique being used to observe the effects. Histological findings after both ECT and IRE show that the treated area becomes necrotic and encapsulated in fibrous tissue, suggesting that the size of the treated lesion cannot be measured as an endpoint to detect response. Moreover, histology frequently reported signs of apoptosis and reduced vital tissue, implying that imaging criteria, which take into account the viability and not the size of the lesion, are more appropriate to evaluate response to treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31675272,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Lesion-Level Response Dynamics to Programmed Cell Death Protein (PD-1) Blockade.\nResponse to programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade is often conceptualized as resulting from reinvigoration of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. However, recruited antitumor immunity from the periphery may also be an important contributor to response. A detailed assessment of the response dynamics of individual metastasis could provide insight to the systemic and local features that mediate response and resistance to immunotherapy. Patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or mismatch repair deficiency (MMRD) carcinoma treated with PD-1 monotherapy were evaluated independently. Absolute and percent change of each target lesion were quantified at each computed tomography scan using RECIST. Patterns of progression were predefined as systemic or mixed and were correlated with clinical outcomes. A total of 761 individual lesions from 214 patients with NSCLC and 290 lesions from 78 patients with MMRD carcinoma were examined. Individual target lesion responses aligned with best overall response of each patient (85% NSCLC and 93% MMRD lesions responded in patients with partial response\/complete response). In responding patients, timing of response was uniform (73% NSCLC and 76% MMRD lesions responded synchronously), and deeper responses were associated with prolonged progression-free survival and overall survival. By contrast, at progression, mixed progression was common (45% of NSCLC and 53% of MMRD) and associated with improved survival compared with those who experienced systemic progression (NSCLC hazard ratio [HR], 0.58; P = .001; MMRD HR, 0.40; P = .07). Organ sites had differential responses, with lymph node and liver metastasis among the most and least responsive, respectively. Temporal-spatial patterns of response across individual metastases tend to be uniform, favoring the role of peripheral, clonally directed antitumor immunity as a key mediator of response to PD-1 blockade. In contrast, progression is more heterogeneous, potentially revealing the clinical importance of local features and intertumoral heterogeneity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29456872,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Accuracy in local staging of prostate cancer by adding a three-dimensional T2-weighted sequence with radial reconstructions in magnetic resonance imaging.\nThe evidence supporting the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in prostate cancer detection has been established, but its accuracy in local staging is questioned. To investigate the additional value of multi-planar radial reconstructions of a three-dimensional (3D) T2-weighted (T2W) MRI sequence, intercepting the prostate capsule perpendicularly, for improving local staging of prostate cancer. Preoperative, bi-parametric prostate MRI examinations in 94 patients operated between June 2014 and January 2015 where retrospectively reviewed by two experienced abdominal radiologists. Each patient was presented in two separate sets including diffusion-weighted imaging, without and with the 3D T2W set that included radial reconstructions. Each set was read at least two months apart. Extraprostatic tumor extension (EPE) was assessed according to a 5-point grading scale. Sensitivity and specificity for EPE was calculated and presented as receiver operating characteristics (ROC) with area under the curve (AUC), using histology from whole-mount prostate specimen as gold standard. Inter-rater agreement was calculated for the two different reading modes using Cohen's kappa. The AUC for detection of EPE for Readers 1 and 2 in the two-dimensional (2D) set was 0.70 and 0.68, respectively, and for the 2D + 3D set 0.62 and 0.65, respectively. Inter-rater agreement (Reader 1 vs. Reader 2) on EPE using Cohen's kappa for the 2D and 2D + 3D set, respectively, was 0.42 and 0.17 (i.e. moderate and poor agreement, respectively). The addition of 3D T2W MRI with radial reconstructions did not improve local staging in prostate cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19465720,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2017-13":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Adsorption of glyphosate on variable-charge, volcanic ash-derived soils.\nGlyphosate (N-phosphonometylglycine) is widely used due to its broad spectrum of activity and nonselective mode of action. In Chile it is the most used herbicide, but its adsorption behavior in the abundant and widespread variable charge soils is not well understood. In this study, three volcanic ash-derived soils were selected, including Andisols (Nueva Braunau and Diguillin) and Ultisols (Collipulli), to evaluate the adsorption kinetics, equilibrium isotherms, and the effect of pH in glyphosate adsorption. The influence of glyphosate on soil phosphorus retention was also studied. Glyphosate was rapidly and strongly adsorbed on the selected soils, and adsorption isotherms were well described by the Freundlich relationship with strong nonlinearity (n(fads) < 0.5). The n(fads) values were consistently higher than n(fdes) values, suggesting strong hysteresis. Adsorption (K(ads)) increased strongly when pH decreased. The presence of glyphosate (3200 mug mL(-1)) changed the adsorption behavior of phosphate at its maximum adsorption capacity. Andisol soils without the addition of glyphosate had similar mean K(ads) values for Nueva Braunau (5.68) and Diguillin (7.38). Collipulli had a mean K(ads) value of 31.58. During the successive desorption steps, glyphosate at the highest level increased K(ads) values for phosphate in the Andisol soils but had little effect in the Ultisol soil. This different behavior was probably due to the irreversible occupation of some adsorption sites by glyphosate in the Ultisol soil attributed to the dominant Kaolinite mineral. Results from this study suggest that in the two types of volcanic soils, different mechanisms are involved in glyphosate and phosphate adsorption and that long-term use of glyphosate may impose different effects on the retention and availability of phosphorus. Volcanic ash-derived soils have a particular environmental behavior in relation to the retention of organic contaminants, representing an environmental substrate that may become highly polluted over time due to intensive agronomic uses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11414970,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Universality and corrections to scaling in the ballistic deposition model.\nIn order to analyze some controversies on the equivalence between ballistic deposition (BD) and the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) theory, we simulated the BD model in one and two dimensions. Effective exponents betaL were obtained in the growth regions, which were rigorously determined for various lengths L. Effective exponents alphaL were obtained from saturation widths in the steady-state regimes. In d=1 we found betaL=beta+AL(-lambda) and alphaL=alpha+BL(-delta), with asymptotic exponents consistent with the KPZ values beta=1\/3 and alpha=1\/2, and correction-to-scaling exponents 0.2 < or approximately = lambda < or approximately = 0.4 and 0.6 < or approximately = delta < or approximately = 0.8. These strong finite-size corrections explain the previous discrepancies between numerical estimates for BD and the exact KPZ results. In d=2 we could only obtain reliable estimates of alphaL, which are consistent with KPZ values if finite-size corrections with delta approximately 0.4 are considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7320070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Histochemical and ultrastructural characteristics of a cell line from human bone-marrow stroma.\nMorphological, enzymic and antigenic data are presented regarding a human bone-marrow stromal cell line maintained for 10 months and subcultured weekly. The main characteristics are a fibroblastoid morphology, diffuse growth in collagen gels, no colony formation in soft gel media, contact inhibition of growth and conversion to adipocytes when treated with hydrocortisone. The cells are non-phagocytic and membrane Fc receptors (i.e. aggregated human immunoglobulin G receptors) are absent, but they show diffuse cytoplasmic non-specific esterase activity, a strong acid phosphatase reaction, and a negative immunofluorescence (direct and indirect) against factor VIII antigen. Other cell lines also have been isolated and maintained in culture and present similar characteristics. These cell lines are thought to be derived from the acid-phosphatase-positive marrow stroma directly associated with bone trabecular matrix and probably represent a component of the haemopoietic inductive microenvironment. As such, they may provide a useful tool for studies in vitro of cell interactions and regulatory processes in the control of human bone-marrow haemopoiesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8573490,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Culture and characteristics of Helicobacter bizzozeronii, a new canine gastric Helicobacter sp.\nOrganisms whose cells were large, tight spirals were isolated from gastric biopsies of dogs. Touch cytology samples from all of the dogs contained large spiral organisms. Characteristics of 10 strains are described. These organisms were 5 to 10 microns long by 0.3 microns wide, and each cell had 10 to 20 sheathed flagella at both ends of the cell. The cells did not have periplasmic fibrils. These organisms were microaerophilic and grew at 37 and 42 degrees C but not at 25 degrees C on brain heart infusion agar containing blood. They did not grow on brucella blood agar. They were catalase and oxidase positive, hydrolyzed urea but not hippurate, reduced nitrate, and were resistant to nalidixic acid but susceptible to cephalothin and metronidazole. In contrast to Helicobacter felis, they hydrolyzed indoxyl acetate. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis protein profiles of all of the strains were similar, and the protein patterns of these organisms differed from those of other Helicobacter spp. Dot blot DNA-DNA hybridization experiments revealed that the new strains were closely related to each other but clearly different from H. felis, Helicobacter pylori, Helicobacter mustelae, and Campylobacter jejuni. The name Helicobacter bizzozeronii sp. nov. is proposed for these organisms. Our results suggest that other \"uncultured\" gastric helicobacters may be cultured if optimal culture conditions are found.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29451848,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"MR Imaging of Atraumatic Muscle Disorders.\nAtraumatic disorders of skeletal muscles include congenital variants; inherited myopathies; acquired inflammatory, infectious, or ischemic disorders; neoplastic diseases; and conditions leading to muscle atrophy. These have overlapping appearances at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and are challenging for the radiologist to differentiate. The authors organize muscle disorders into four MR imaging patterns: (a) abnormal anatomy with normal signal intensity, (b) edema\/inflammation, (c) mass, and (d) atrophy, highlighting each of their key clinical and imaging findings. Anatomic muscle variants, while common, do not produce signal intensity alterations and therefore are easily overlooked. Muscle edema is the most common pattern but is nonspecific, with a broad differential diagnosis. Autoimmune, paraneoplastic, and drug-induced myositis tend to be symmetric, whereas infection, radiation-induced injury, and myonecrosis are focal asymmetric processes. Architectural distortion in the setting of muscle edema suggests one of these latter processes. Intramuscular masses include primary neoplasms, metastases, and several benign masslike lesions that simulate malignancy. Some lesions, such as lipomas, low-flow vascular malformations, fibromatoses, and subacute hematomas, are distinctive, but many intramuscular masses ultimately require a biopsy for definitive diagnosis. Atrophy is the irreversible end result of any muscle disease of sufficient severity and is the dominant finding in disorders such as the muscular dystrophies, denervation myopathy, and sarcopenia. This imaging-based classification, in correlation with clinical and laboratory data, will aid the radiologist in interpreting MR imaging findings in patients with atraumatic muscle disorders. \u00a9RSNA, 2018.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8980434,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Neovascularisation is the principal cause of varicose vein recurrence: results of a randomised trial of stripping the long saphenous vein.\nTo determine whether routine stripping of the long saphenous vein reduces recurrence after varicose vein surgery. Randomised controlled trial. All operations done by a consultant vascular surgeon. Two year follow-up. One hundred patients with primary long saphenous varicose veins (133 legs) were randomised. Two year follow-up in 81 patients (113 legs) with questionnaire, clinical examination and Duplex scanning. Some 89% remained satisfied with the results of their surgery, though 35% had recurrent veins on clinical examination. Recurrence was reduced from 43 to 25% in patients who had their long saphenous vein stripped (p = 0.04, chi 2). Neovascularisation (serpentine tributaries arising from the ligated saphenofemoral junction) was detected in 52% of limbs and was the commonest cause of recurrence. Most tributaries were less than 3 mm in diameter and only caused recurrence if the long saphenous vein or a major thigh vein was intact. Twelve patients had tributaries greater than 3 mm diameter and all had recurrent varicose veins. Recurrence is common after varicose vein surgery and in this study was caused principally by neovascularisation at the ligated saphenofemoral junction. Clinical recurrence is reduced by routine stripping of the long saphenous vein.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18938776,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Initial thrombocytopenia as a simple, valuable predictor for clinical manifestation in acute hepatitis A.\nAlthough acute hepatitis A (AH-A) is usually self-limited, the clinical manifestations can vary from mild to severe liver dysfunction. However, little is known about the simple, valuable predictors for clinical manifestation in AH-A. The objective of this study was to identify the simple clinical predictors for severe liver dysfunction and its clinical course. A total of 162 IgM anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) positive patients were enrolled in the study. Severe AH-A was defined as a prothrombin time <40% of control activity. Various liver-unrelated and liver-related parameters at presentation were compared separately between the severe AH-A group and the non-severe group. Mean age (+\/-SD) was 27.5 (+\/-7.1) years and the proportion of males was 54% (88\/162). Fourteen patients (8.7%) experienced severe AH-A. Of the liver-unrelated parameters, leukopenia (<4000\/microl), thrombocytopenia (<150,000\/microl), and high serum C-reactive protein levels (>8 mg\/l) at presentation were significant predictors for severe AH-A in a univariate analysis (p<0.05). On multivariate analysis, only thrombocytopenia was an independent predictor for severe AH-A (odds ratio (OR) 5.562, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.153-26.834, p=0.033). Of the liver-related parameters, there were no independent predictors, as shown by multivariate analysis. The thrombocytopenia group (33%, 54\/162) not only had a longer recovery time (28 days (range, 14-140) versus 37 days (20-128), p<0.001), but also more frequent complications (OR 4.632, 95% CI 1.886-11.372, p=0.001) than the non-thrombocytopenia group. Initial thrombocytopenia may be a simple, valuable predictor for severity and clinical course in AH-A.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16855098,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Terminal nerve-derived neuropeptide y modulates physiological responses in the olfactory epithelium of hungry axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum).\nThe vertebrate brain actively regulates incoming sensory information, effectively filtering input and focusing attention toward environmental stimuli that are most relevant to the animal's behavioral context or physiological state. Such centrifugal modulation has been shown to play an important role in processing in the retina and cochlea, but has received relatively little attention in olfaction. The terminal nerve, a cranial nerve that extends underneath the lamina propria surrounding the olfactory epithelium, displays anatomical and neurochemical characteristics that suggest that it modulates activity in the olfactory epithelium. Using immunocytochemical techniques, we demonstrate that neuropeptide Y (NPY) is abundantly present in the terminal nerve in the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum), an aquatic salamander. Because NPY plays an important role in regulating appetite and hunger in many vertebrates, we investigated the possibility that NPY modulates activity in the olfactory epithelium in relation to the animal's hunger level. We therefore characterized the full-length NPY gene from axolotls to enable synthesis of authentic axolotl NPY for use in electrophysiological experiments. We find that axolotl NPY modulates olfactory epithelial responses evoked by l-glutamic acid, a food-related odorant, but only in hungry animals. Similarly, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings demonstrate that bath application of axolotl NPY enhances the magnitude of a tetrodotoxin-sensitive inward current, but only in hungry animals. These results suggest that expression or activity of NPY receptors in the olfactory epithelium may change with hunger level, and that terminal nerve-derived peptides modulate activity in the olfactory epithelium in response to an animal's changing behavioral and physiological circumstances.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26156211,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy combined with mild hyperthermia for improving the anti-tumour effects of carboplatin.\nThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) on the enhancement of hyperthermic chemosensitisation to carboplatin at mild temperatures in experimental tumours. SCCVII carcinoma in C3H\/He mice was used to assess tumour growth delay. The mice received intraperitoneal injections of carboplatin. For HBO treatment, the mice were exposed to HBO at 2.0 atmospheres of absolute oxygen for 60 min. For mild hyperthermia (HT), treatment at 41.5 \u00b0C for 30 min was performed. The tumour tissue pO2 levels were measured with a digital pO2 monitor during and immediately after treatment. The average time taken to reach a threefold relative tumour size was significantly longer after treatment with carboplatin combined with mild HT and HBO than after treatment with carboplatin and mild HT. The relative sizes of the tumours after the combined treatment were smallest when the treatment sequence was carboplatin, mild HT, and HBO. The tumour tissue pO2 values were significantly higher immediately after mild HT followed by HBO than immediately after HBO followed by mild HT. The tumour tissue pO2 levels during mild HT and HBO generally increased, although the patterns of the increases varied. The administration of HBO increased the effects of hyperthermic chemosensitisation to carboplatin at mild temperatures on experimental tumours, particularly when given in the sequence of carboplatin, mild HT, and HBO, a finding that supports previous clinical outcomes for a novel combined therapy using carboplatin plus HT and HBO.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":90702,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Avian antigen-binding cells. II. Enrichment of antigen-binding B and T cells.\nAntigen-binding B and T cells from chicken spleens were selected on plates of antigen-derived gelatin. Hapten-specific B cells from DNP-immune normal chicken spleens were selected on DNP-gelatin. As much as 165-fold functional enrichment of precursors of anti-DNP antibody-producing cells, as measured in an adoptive transfer system, was achieved. However, the enrichment of DNP-binding cells assessed by rosette formation and autoradiography was no more than 25-fold. HGG-specific T cells from bursectomized agammaglobulinemic chickens immunized with deaggregated HGG were selected on HGG-gelatin. In the fraction adherent to HGG-gelatin, at least a 20-fold enrichment of suppressors of the antibody response to TNP-HGG, as measured by adoptive transfer, was accomplished. In contrast, no more than 6-fold enrichment of HGG-binding cells was detected by autoradiography. Antigen-specific depletion and enrichment of suppressor T cells and of HGG-binding cells occurred in parallel, suggesting that suppressor cells can bind soluble antigen and can be isolated on antigen coupled to a solid support.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7795380,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Reliability of electron beam computed tomography to detect coronary artery calcification.\nElectron beam computed tomography (CT) provides a safe, rapid, and noninvasive means to detect the presence and quantitate the deposition of calcium in the coronary arteries. To examine the reproducibility of a coronary calcification screen using electron beam CT, 50 subjects underwent two studies, averaging 12 minutes between studies. The number, volume, and calcification scores were determined for each artery as well as a total score of coronary calcification. Thirty-four of the 50 subjects had evidence of coronary calcification. The reliability score for total coronary artery calcification was 0.99. The reliability score for the total number of lesions and total volume was at or above 0.98. There were 8 cases in which a negative calcium score on retest was positive or where a positive calcium score on retest was negative. In both instances, the amount of calcium detected was very small. Therefore, evidence suggests that electron beam CT is reliable in the detection of coronary artery calcification and may be a useful tool for the early detection of coronary atherosclerosis before flow impairment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30845519,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A New Virus on Maize in Nigeria: Maize Mild Mottle Virus.\nMaize (Zea mays) and itch grass (Rottboellia cochinchinensis) plants exhibiting a mild mosaic or mottle were collected from a farmer's field near Mokwa, Nigeria, in 1993. Icosahedral virions (approximately 28 to 30 nm) were purified from symptomatic tissue by differential centrifugation in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.0. The virions are composed of one single-stranded positive-sense RNA of approximately 4,000 nucleotides and, as estimated by 12.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), a capsid protein of approximately 28 kDa. The virus was readily detected in infected plants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot assays with a polyclonal rabbit antibody derived from purified virions. A partial cDNA library was generated with random primers. Sequence analyses of a cDNA clone representing a portion of the putative replicase gene aligned most closely with related sequences of viruses within the Tombusviridae. In particular, a region of 78 predicted amino acids surrounding the \"GDD\" replicase motif shares 73% identity with panicum mosaic virus and 61% identity with maize chlorotic mottle virus. The virus is readily transmitted by mechanical inoculation to sweet and dent corn, millet, and wheat. Currently it is not considered of economic importance in Nigeria. The data suggest that \"maize mild mottle virus\" is a newly identified virus infecting maize.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19846207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"E-waste: an assessment of global production and environmental impacts.\nE-waste comprises discarded electronic appliances, of which computers and mobile telephones are disproportionately abundant because of their short lifespan. The current global production of E-waste is estimated to be 20-25 million tonnes per year, with most E-waste being produced in Europe, the United States and Australasia. China, Eastern Europe and Latin America will become major E-waste producers in the next ten years. Miniaturisation and the development of more efficient cloud computing networks, where computing services are delivered over the internet from remote locations, may offset the increase in E-waste production from global economic growth and the development of pervasive new technologies. E-waste contains valuable metals (Cu, platinum group) as well as potential environmental contaminants, especially Pb, Sb, Hg, Cd, Ni, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Burning E-waste may generate dioxins, furans, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs), and hydrogen chloride. The chemical composition of E-waste changes with the development of new technologies and pressure from environmental organisations on electronics companies to find alternatives to environmentally damaging materials. Most E-waste is disposed in landfills. Effective reprocessing technology, which recovers the valuable materials with minimal environmental impact, is expensive. Consequently, although illegal under the Basel Convention, rich countries export an unknown quantity of E-waste to poor countries, where recycling techniques include burning and dissolution in strong acids with few measures to protect human health and the environment. Such reprocessing initially results in extreme localised contamination followed by migration of the contaminants into receiving waters and food chains. E-waste workers suffer negative health effects through skin contact and inhalation, while the wider community are exposed to the contaminants through smoke, dust, drinking water and food. There is evidence that E-waste associated contaminants may be present in some agricultural or manufactured products for export.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31204496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Evaluating children's handwashing in schools: an integrative review of indicative measures and measurement tools.\nChildren are a key target of handwashing interventions as washing hands reduces the spread of disease and reliance on antibiotics. While there is guidance for evaluating handwashing with adults in other settings, this is lacking for children in schools. An integrative review of 65 studies where handwashing was measured in schools was conducted to establish which indicative measures (what is measured to evaluate the processes and\/or impacts of, handwashing) and measurement tools (data collection instruments) have been applied to evaluate handwashing in schools, and under what circumstances. Further analysis highlighted different challenges when seeking to apply such measures and tools in schools, as opposed to other settings. It was concluded that indicative measures, and measurement tools need to be appropriate to the organizational setting, the study participants, and research objectives. A summative analysis of relevant considerations is presented.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3486948,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Defective development of the thymus and immunological abnormalities in the neurological mouse mutation \"staggerer\".\nThe autosomal recessive mouse mutation \"staggerer\" (sg\/sg), located on chromosome 9, has been recognized as a neurological mutant because of movement abnormalities and defective cerebellar development. We show here that the sg\/sg mutation not only affects the development of the cerebellum, but also causes developmental and regulatory changes of the immune system: We observed, on gross inspection, a marked delay in the development of sg\/sg thymus, generally enlarged lymph nodes, and undersized spleens. When immunized with SRBC, the sg\/sg mouse generated, in normal proportions, helper T-cells in vivo and antibody-forming B-cells in vitro; however, a delay in terminating the response and a deficiency in generating suppressor cells was noted. This suggests the existence of a defect in regulatory feedback mechanisms. The marked delay in the growth of the thymus gland was associated with the prolonged existence of cell-surface carbohydrate patterns characteristic of immature thymocytes. The prolonged expression of embryonal cell-surface phenotypes was observed on the surface of cerebellum and thymus (and, to some extent, spleen) but not in cells from other organs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25369261,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Factors affecting unhappiness at school among Japanese adolescents: an epidemiological study.\nUnhappiness at school is one of the main reasons for truancy among adolescents. In order to assess this problem more thoroughly in the context of Japanese adolescents, the present study examined the associations between feelings of unhappiness at school and lifestyle habits, school life realities, and mental health status. This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. A self-administered questionnaire was provided to students enrolled in randomly selected junior and senior high schools throughout Japan. We calculated the percentages of both junior and senior high school students who felt unhappy at school based on factors related to school life, lifestyle habits, and mental health status. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed in order to examine the associations between those factors and students' feelings of unhappiness at school. A total of 98,867 valid responses were analysed, 7.9% (Boys: 8.4%, Girls: 7.4%) of which came from students who responded that they felt unhappy at school. For both junior and senior high school students, the percentages of those who felt unhappy at school were significantly higher among those who had not yet decided on their future life course, who did not participate in extracurricular activities, did not eat breakfast every day, went to bed late, had used tobacco or alcohol in the previous 30 days, and had poor mental health compared with others. The results of multiple logistic regression analyses indicated that the adjusted odds ratios for feeling unhappy at school with regard to the above-mentioned factors were significantly high for both junior and senior high school students. The present results suggest that school employees and administrators must provide health guidance to students, considering that irregular lifestyle habits, lower school engagement, smoking, drinking alcohol, and poor mental health status are all associated with maladaptation to school among adolescents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30879432,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Differential Impact of Risk Factors on Stroke Occurrence Among Men Versus Women in West Africa.\nBackground and Purpose- The interplay between sex and the dominant risk factors for stroke occurrence in sub-Saharan Africa has not been clearly delineated. We compared the effect sizes of risk factors of stroke by sex among West Africans. Methods- SIREN study (Stroke Investigative Research and Educational Networks) is a case-control study conducted at 15 sites in Ghana and Nigeria. Cases were adults aged >18 years with computerized tomography\/magnetic resonance imaging confirmed stroke, and controls were age- and sex-matched stroke-free adults. Comprehensive evaluation for vascular, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors was performed using validated tools. We used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and reported risk factor specific and composite population attributable risks with 95% CIs. Results- Of the 2118 stroke cases, 1193 (56.3%) were males. The mean\u00b1SD age of males was 58.1\u00b113.2 versus 60.15\u00b114.53 years among females. Shared modifiable risk factors for stroke with adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) among females versus males, respectively, were hypertension [29.95 (12.49-71.77) versus 16.1 0(9.19-28.19)], dyslipidemia [2.08 (1.42-3.06) versus 1.83 (1.29-2.59)], diabetes mellitus [3.18 (2.11-4.78) versus 2.19 (1.53-3.15)], stress [2.34 (1.48-3.67) versus 1.61 (1.07-2.43)], and low consumption of green leafy vegetables [2.92 (1.89-4.50) versus 2.00 (1.33-3.00)]. However, salt intake and income were significantly different between males and females. Six modifiable factors had a combined population attributable risk of 99.1% (98.3%-99.6%) among females with 9 factors accounting for 97.2% (94.9%-98.7%) among males. Hemorrhagic stroke was more common among males (36.0%) than among females (27.6%), but stroke was less severe among males than females. Conclusions- Overall, risk factors for stroke occurrence are commonly shared by both sexes in West Africa favoring concerted interventions for stroke prevention in the region.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35097224,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A population level study of SARS-CoV-2 prevalence amongst people experiencing homelessness in Wales, UK.\nPrior research into the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst people experiencing homelessness (PEH) largely relates to people in communal forms of temporary accommodation in contexts where this type of accommodation remained a major part of the response to homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 amongst PEH more broadly, and in a policy and practice context that favoured self-contained accommodation, such as Wales, UK. Describe the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 amongst PEH in Wales, UK, using routinely collected administrative data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage Databank. Routinely collected data were used to identify PEH in Wales between 1st March 2020 and 1st March 2021. Using SARS-CoV-2 pathology testing data, prevalence rates were generated for PEH and three comparator groups: (1) the not-homeless population; (2) a cohort 'exact matched' for age, sex, local authority and area deprivation; and (3) a matched comparison group created using these same variables and Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Three logistic regressions were run on samples containing each of the comparator groups to explore the effect of experiencing homelessness on testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection amongst PEH was 5.0%, compared to the not-homeless population at 5.6%. For the exact matched and PSM match comparator groups, prevalence was 6.9% and 6.7%, respectively. Logistic regression found that SARS-CoV-2 infection was 0.9 times less likely amongst PEH compared to people not experiencing homelessness from the general population. The odds of SARS-CoV-2 infection for PEH was 0.75 and 0.73 where the 'not-homeless' comparators were from the exact match and PSM samples, respectively. Our analysis revealed that a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 amongst PEH in Wales was lower than the general population. A policy response to homelessness that moved away from communal accommodation may be partly responsible for the reduced SAR-CoV-2 infection amongst PEH.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8375855,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"The occurrence of diversion colitis in patients with a sigmoid neovagina.\nDiversion colitis is an inflammatory process occurring in segments of the colorectum surgically diverted from the fecal stream. Clinical symptoms of this condition are rectal discomfort, pain, discharge, and bleeding. We diverted isolated segments of sigmoid to create neovaginas in patients with aplasia vaginae and in male to female transsexuals. In contrast to what is reported in most studies of diversion colitis, the neovagina consists of an isolated segment not connected to the anus in patients without any pre-existing bowel disease. To investigate the occurrence of diversion colitis in these sigmoid-neovaginas we studied biopsy specimens from 13 patients. Most of the patients complained of discharge and slight blood loss from their sigmoid-neovagina. Microscopic examination of the biopsy specimens showed lymphocytic infiltration in all cases. Four cases showed an acute inflammatory infiltrate in the lamina propria. Our results indicate that the changes observed on clinical and histopathologic examinations represent the entity of mild diversion colitis. We conclude that diversion colitis also occurs in a sigmoid neovagina.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27208725,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Structure-informed insights for NLR functioning in plant immunity.\nTo respond to foreign invaders, plants have evolved a cell autonomous multilayered immune system consisting of extra- and intracellular immune receptors. Nucleotide binding and oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) mediate recognition of pathogen effectors inside the cell and trigger a host specific defense response, often involving controlled cell death. NLRs consist of a central nucleotide-binding domain, which is flanked by an N-terminal CC or TIR domain and a C-terminal leucine-rich repeat domain (LRR). These multidomain proteins function as a molecular switch and their activity is tightly controlled by intra and inter-molecular interactions. In contrast to metazoan NLRs, the structural basis underlying NLR functioning as a pathogen sensor and activator of immune responses in plants is largely unknown. However, the first crystal structures of a number of plant NLR domains were recently obtained. In addition, biochemical and structure-informed analyses revealed novel insights in the cooperation between NLR domains and the formation of pre- and post activation complexes, including the coordinated activity of NLR pairs as pathogen sensor and executor of immune responses. Moreover, the discovery of novel integrated domains underscores the structural diversity of NLRs and provides alternative models for how these immune receptors function in plants. In this review, we will highlight these recent advances to provide novel insights in the structural, biochemical and molecular aspects involved in plant NLR functioning.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31687408,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Association of Higher Circulating Insulin Antibody with Increased Mean Amplitude Glycemic Excursion in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional, Retrospective Case-Control Study.\nInsulin antibody (IA) may potentially affect a patient's glycemic control due to its variability in both binding and\/or releasing insulin. However, the association between IA titer and daily glycemic variability (GV) is still unknown. We thus performed this cross-sectional, retrospective case-control study to assess the relationship between IA titer and mean amplitude glycemic excursion (MAGE) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. We recruited 100 eligible patients (IA > 5%, IA positive) and divided them into two groups-a low (L) group and a high (H) group-based on their IA titer. The control (C) group consisted of 47 patients (IA \u2264 5%, IA negative) matched for age, BMI, gender, and glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The CGM determined the GV of enrolled patients. The primary outcome was the relationship between the IA titer and the MAGE, and the secondary outcome was the differences of GV among the three groups. We found that patients in the H group had higher levels of blood glucose fluctuation parameters than those in the L and C groups. The Ln(IA) was positively correlated with Ln(MAGE) even after adjusting for age, gender, BMI, HbA1c, and fasting and postprandial C-peptide(r = 0.423, p < 0.001). Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis revealed that Ln(IA) was an independent factor of Ln(MAGE) (beta = 0.405, p < 0.001). In conclusion, the higher circulating IA titer was associated with increased MAGE in T2DM patients, indicating that those patients with elevated IA titer should receive GV assessment and individualized treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27449116,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Medicaid Spending Differences for Child\/Youth Community-Based Care in California's Decentralized Public Mental Health System.\nThis study evaluated spending differences across counties during the decade after California decentralized its public mental health system. Medicaid data for 0-25 year olds using mental health services were collapsed to the county-year level (n = 627). Multivariate models with county fixed effects were used to predict per capita spending for community-based mental health care. While counties increased their spending over time, those with relatively low initial expenditures per user continued to spend less than counties with historically higher spending levels. Spending differences per user were most noticeable in counties with larger racial\/ethnic minority populations that also had historically lower spending levels.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20668046,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evidence for geographical and racial variation in serum sex steroid levels in older men.\nDespite considerable racial and geographical differences in human phenotypes and in the incidence of diseases that may be associated with sex steroid action, there are few data concerning variation in sex steroid levels among populations. We designed an international study to determine the degree to which geography and race influence sex steroid levels in older men. Using mass spectrometry, concentrations of serum androgens, estrogens, and sex steroid precursors\/metabolites were measured in 5003 older men from five countries. SHBG levels were assessed using radioimmunoassay. There was substantial geographical variation in the levels of sex steroids, precursors, and metabolites, as well as SHBG. For instance, Asian men in Hong Kong and Japan, but not in the United States, had levels of total testosterone approximately 20% higher than in other groups. Even greater variation was present in levels of estradiol, SHBG, and dihydrotestosterone. Group differences in body mass index did not explain most geographical differences. In addition, body mass index-independent racial differences were present; Black men had higher levels of estrogens (estradiol, estrone), and Asian men had lower levels of glucuronidated androgen metabolites. On a global scale, there are important geographical and racial differences in the concentrations of serum sex steroids and SHBG in older men.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30598509,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A ligand-induced structural change in fatty acid-binding protein 1 is associated with potentiation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor \u03b1 agonists.\nPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor \u03b1 (PPAR\u03b1) is a transcriptional regulator of lipid metabolism. GW7647 is a potent PPAR\u03b1 agonist that must reach the nucleus to activate this receptor. In cells expressing human fatty acid-binding protein 1 (FABP1), GW7647 treatment increases FABP1's nuclear localization and potentiates GW7647-mediated PPAR\u03b1 activation; GW7647 is less effective in cells that do not express FABP1. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, here we substituted residues in FABP1 known to dictate lipid signaling by other intracellular lipid-binding proteins. Substitutions of Lys-20 and Lys-31 to Ala in the FABP1 helical cap affected neither its nuclear localization nor PPAR\u03b1 activation. In contrast, Ala substitution of Lys-57, Glu-77, and Lys-96, located in the loops adjacent to the ligand-binding portal region, abolished both FABP1 nuclear localization and GW7647-induced PPAR\u03b1 activation but had little effect on GW7647-FABP1 binding affinity. Using solution NMR spectroscopy, we determined the WT FABP1 structure and analyzed the dynamics in the apo and GW7647-bound structures of both the WT and the K57A\/E77A\/K96A triple mutant. We found that GW7647 binding causes little change in the FABP1 backbone, but solvent exposes several residues in the loops around the portal region, including Lys-57, Glu-77, and Lys-96. These residues also become more solvent-exposed upon binding of FABP1 with the endogenous PPAR\u03b1 agonist oleic acid. Together with previous observations, our findings suggest that GW7647 binding stabilizes a FABP1 conformation that promotes its interaction with PPAR\u03b1. We conclude that full PPAR\u03b1 agonist activity of GW7647 requires FABP1-dependent transport and nuclear localization processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30849080,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A dynamic power-law sexual network model of gonorrhoea outbreaks.\nHuman networks of sexual contacts are dynamic by nature, with partnerships forming and breaking continuously over time. Sexual behaviours are also highly heterogeneous, so that the number of partners reported by individuals over a given period of time is typically distributed as a power-law. Both the dynamism and heterogeneity of sexual partnerships are likely to have an effect in the patterns of spread of sexually transmitted diseases. To represent these two fundamental properties of sexual networks, we developed a stochastic process of dynamic partnership formation and dissolution, which results in power-law numbers of partners over time. Model parameters can be set to produce realistic conditions in terms of the exponent of the power-law distribution, of the number of individuals without relationships and of the average duration of relationships. Using an outbreak of antibiotic resistant gonorrhoea amongst men have sex with men as a case study, we show that our realistic dynamic network exhibits different properties compared to the frequently used static networks or homogeneous mixing models. We also consider an approximation to our dynamic network model in terms of a much simpler branching process. We estimate the parameters of the generation time distribution and offspring distribution which can be used for example in the context of outbreak reconstruction based on genomic data. Finally, we investigate the impact of a range of interventions against gonorrhoea, including increased condom use, more frequent screening and immunisation, concluding that the latter shows great promise to reduce the burden of gonorrhoea, even if the vaccine was only partially effective or applied to only a random subset of the population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28699486,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Stress, Depression, Resilience and Ageing: A Role for the LPA-LPA1 Pathway.\nChronic stress affects health and the quality of life, with its effects being particularly relevant in ageing due to the psychobiological characteristics of this population. However, while some people develop psychiatric disorders, especially depression, others seem very capable of dealing with adversity. There is no doubt that along with the identification of neurobiological mechanisms involved in developing depression, discovering which factors are involved in positive adaptation under circumstances of extreme difficulty will be crucial for promoting resilience. Here, we review recent work in our laboratory, using an animal model lacking the LPA1 receptor, together with pharmacological studies and clinical evidence for the possible participation of the LPA1 receptor in mood and resilience to stress. Substantial evidence has shown that the LPA1 receptor is involved in emotional regulation and in coping responses to chronic stress, which, if dysfunctional, may induce vulnerability to stress and predisposition to the development of depression. Given that there is commonality of mechanisms between those involved in negative consequences of stress and in ageing, this is not surprising, considering that the LPA1 receptor may be involved in coping with adversity during ageing. Alterations in this receptor may be a susceptibility factor for the presence of depression and cognitive deficits in the elderly population. However, because this is only a promising hypothesis based on previous data, future studies should focus on the involvement of the LPA-LPA1 pathway in coping with stress and resilience in ageing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22548033,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mechanical circulatory support for end-stage heart failure in repaired and palliated congenital heart disease.\nApproximately one in one hundred children is born with congenital heart disease. Most can be managed with corrective or palliative surgery but a small group will develop severe heart failure, leaving cardiac transplantation as the ultimate treatment option. Unfortunately, due to the inadequate number of available donor organs, only a small number of patients can benefit from this therapy, and mortality remains high for pediatric patients awaiting heart transplantation, especially compared to adults. The purpose of this review is to describe the potential role of mechanical circulatory support in this context and to review current experience. For patients with congenital heart disease, ventricular assist devices are most commonly used as a bridge to cardiac transplantation, an application which has been shown to have several important advantages over medical therapy alone or support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, including improved survival to transplant, less exposure to blood products with less immune sensitization, and improved organ function. While these devices may improve wait list mortality, the chronic shortage of donor organs for children is likely to remain a problem into the foreseeable future. Therefore, there is great interest in the development of mechanical ventricular assist devices as potential destination therapy for congenital heart disease patients with end-stage heart failure. This review first discusses the experience with the currently available ventricular assist devices in children with congenital heart disease, and then follows to discuss what devices are under development and may reach the bedside soon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37376751,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Internal fixation of canine coccygeal vertebral fractures: four cases (2018-2022).\nTo describe the surgical technique and evaluate the outcome and complications after coccygeal vertebral fracture repair in dogs using internal fixation. Medical records and radiography of client-owned dogs were reviewed retrospectively. A lateral approach to the vertebral body was used, and a 1.5 or 1.0 mm plate was applied laterally. Initial follow-up included clinical and radiographic assessment at 6 to 8 weeks postoperatively. Short-term follow-up was assessed by the completion of an adapted functional questionnaire by owners. Four dogs presented with mid-vertebral body fractures. The neurological function of the tail was preserved, and fracture repair was performed in all cases. One dog developed a surgical site infection, which was successfully treated with antimicrobial therapy. One dog experienced prolonged postoperative pain and delayed union. Fracture healing occurred in all patients at the final follow-up. Neither discomfort nor reduced function or mobility of the tails was noticed during the postoperative patient assessment. The questionnaire was completed by all owners with a mean follow-up time of 40 weeks. Excellent outcomes were established from subsequent clinical reviews and owner questionnaires, related to their dog's activity and comfort levels. Excellent outcomes can be achieved following the repair of coccygeal vertebral fractures in dogs using internal fixation, including a return to normal function of the tail.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20215473,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"The tandem inversion duplication in Salmonella enterica: selection drives unstable precursors to final mutation types.\nDuring growth under selection, mutant types appear that are rare in unselected populations. Stress-induced mechanisms may cause these structures or selection may favor a series of standard events that modify common preexisting structures. One such mutation is the short junction (SJ) duplication with long repeats separated by short sequence elements: AB*(CD)*(CD)*E (* = a few bases). Another mutation type, described here, is the tandem inversion duplication (TID), where two copies of a parent sequence flank an inverse-order segment: AB(CD)(E'D'C'B')(CD)E. Both duplication types can amplify by unequal exchanges between direct repeats (CD), and both are rare in unselected cultures but common after prolonged selection for amplification. The observed TID junctions are asymmetric (aTIDs) and may arise from a symmetrical precursor (sTID)-ABCDE(E'D'C'B'A')ABCDE-when sequential deletions remove each palindromic junction. Alternatively, one deletion can remove both sTID junctions to generate an SJ duplication. It is proposed that sTID structures form frequently under all growth conditions, but are usually lost due to their instability and fitness cost. Selection for increased copy number helps retain the sTID and favors deletions that remodel junctions, improve fitness, and allow higher amplification. Growth improves with each step in formation of an SJ or aTID amplification, allowing selection to favor completion of the mutation process.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20822442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The genomic enzymology of antibiotic resistance.\nThe need for new antibiotic therapies is acute and growing in large part because of the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens. A vast number of resistance determinants are, however, found in nonpathogenic micro-organisms. The resistance totality in the global microbiota is the antibiotic resistome and includes not only established resistance genes but also genes that have the potential to evolve into resistance elements. We term these proto-resistance genes and hypothesize that they share common ancestry with other functional units known as housekeeping genes. Genomic enzymology is the study of protein structure-function in light of genetic context and evolution of protein superfamilies. This concept is highly applicable to study of antibiotic resistance evolution from proto-resistance elements. In this review, we summarize some of the genomic enzymology evidence for resistance enzymes pointing to common ancestry with genes of other metabolic functions. Genomic enzymology plays a key role in understanding the origins of antibiotic resistance and aids in designing strategies for diagnosis and prevention thereof.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29458072,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Influence of Xenorhabdus (Gamma-Proteobacteria: Enterobacteriaceae) symbionts on gonad postembryonic development in Steinernema (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) nematodes.\nSteinernema nematodes and their Xenorhabdus partners form an obligate mutualistic association. This partnership is insecticidal to a wide range of insects. Steinernema rely on their Xenorhabdus partner to produce toxins inside the insect cadaver to liberate nutrients from the insect, as well as antimicrobials to sterilize the cadaver, thus creating a suitable environment for reproduction. In return, Steinernema vector their Xenorhabdus between insect hosts. Disruption of this partnership may affect the success of both partners. For instance, when Steinernema associates with non-cognate symbionts, their virulence and reproductive fitness are affected. In this study, we examined the effect of symbiotic (cognate and non-cognate) and non-symbiotic bacteria on maturation time, gonad postembryonic development, and sex ratio of first-generation Steinernema adults. Two Steinernema spp. were considered: S. feltiae SN and S. carpocapsae All. In vitro assays were carried out by pairing each nematode sp. with symbiotic (cognate and non-cognate) Xenorhabdus, and with non-symbiotic bacteria (Serratia proteamaculans). Additionally, for comparative purposes, we also considered adult nematodes reared in vivo in Galleria mellonella larvae to assess nematode development under natural conditions. Results from this study showed non-symbiotic Serratia proteamaculans did not support adult development of S. feltiae but it allowed development of S. carpocapsae adults. Sex ratio decreased from 2:1 to 1:1 (female: male) when S. carpocapsae adults were reared with the non-symbiotic S. proteamaculans. Cognate or non-cognate Xenorhabdus spp. and\/or strains did not change the sex ratio of any of either Steinernema spp. tested. Morphometric analysis also revealed that bacterial conditions influenced adult size and gonad postembryonic development in both Steinernema species. Body size (length and width), and gonad length in both S. feltiae males and females, were significantly reduced when reared with a non-cognate Xenorhabdus species. In S. carpocapsae, males exhibited an enhanced body size (length and width) and gonad length when reared with a non-cognate X. nematophila strain. S. carpocapsae females also exhibited an enhanced gonad length when reared with a non-cognate X. nematophila strain. S. carpocapsae males and females were underdeveloped when reared with the non-symbiotic S. proteamaculans, and exhibited reduced body sizes and gonad lengths. We conclude that development of first-generation adults of both Steinernema spp. tested, in particular time to adult maturation as well as body and gonad size were directly influenced by the bacterial symbionts they were cultured with. However, response to the culture conditions was species specific.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2582548,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Histologic and ultrastructural changes in the liver in ageing rats and the effects due to food restriction and noise].\nHistologic and ultrastructural changes of the liver in old and non-old Wistar rats and the effects due to persistent restriction of food and exposure to noise were studied. There was increase of hepatocytes with enlarged or double nuclei, and apoptosis as well as fatty change of the liver in the old rats. The incidence of apoptosis and fatty change was lower in those rats with persistent food restriction, but no significant change of the liver was seen in those animals persistently exposed to noisy, environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17222126,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"rFVIIa--for acute rebleeding of a cerebral cavernous malformation.\nRecurrent bleeding episodes of cavernomas especially in the brainstem can cause progressive neurological deficits. Therefore brainstem cavernomas are still a therapeutic dilemma and a treatment challenge for the neuro critical care community. We report a 39-year-old woman with spontaneous ataxia diplopia and vomiting, who has been treated for multiple intracerebral cavernomas during the last 10 years. A cerebral computed tomography (cCT) revealed a re-bleeding cavernoma in the left cerebral peduncle with consecutive obstructive hydrocephalus. As a result of the difficult anatomical location, no surgical approach was possible. As an off-label treatment, recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) was administered to prevent possible further bleeding and especially further sequelae. The patient recovered well and no adverse events and especially no further bleeding of the cavernoma were observed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the safe and successful use of rFVIIa to treat re-bleeding episodes in cavernomas. Further clinical studies are needed to specify the future potential of rFVIIa.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25028578,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A case of plummer-vinson syndrome showing rapid improvement of Dysphagia and esophageal web after two weeks of iron therapy.\nPlummer-Vinson syndrome (PVS) is a rare entity characterized by upper esophageal webs and iron deficiency anemia. We report a case of PVS whose esophageal web was rapidly improved by iron therapy. A 77-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with complaints of dysphagia, vomiting, shortness of breath and weight loss for 1 month. Physical examination revealed conjunctival pallor, koilonychia, angular cheilitis and smooth tongue, and laboratory findings were consistent with microcytic hypochromic anemia with iron deficiency. Gastrointestinal endoscopy and barium-swallow esophagography detected a web that prevented passage of the endoscope into the upper portion of the esophagus. The patient received oral iron therapy daily; the hemoglobin concentration rose to 8.9 g\/dl and the complaints of dysphagia were dramatically improved after 2 weeks, with improvement of luminal stenosis confirmed by gastrointestinal endoscopy and barium-swallow esophagography. The PVS described in this report had a distinct clinical course, showing very rapid improvement of dysphagia and esophageal web after 2 weeks of oral iron therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34618395,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"An Immunomodulatory Peptide Dendrimer Inspired from Glatiramer Acetate.\nGlatiramer acetate (GA) is a random polypeptide drug used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease. With the aim of identifying a precisely defined alternative to GA, we synthesized a library of peptide dendrimers with an amino acid composition similar to GA. We then challenged the dendrimers to trigger the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) from human monocytes, which is one of the effects of GA on immune cells. Several of the largest dendrimers tested were as active as GA. Detailed profiling of the best hit showed that this dendrimer induces the differentiation of monocytes towards an M2 (anti-inflammatory) state as GA does, however with a distinct immune marker profile. Our peptide dendrimer might serve as starting point to develop a well-defined immunomodulatory analog of GA.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8383942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Effects of new quinolones on Mycoplasma pneumoniae-infected hamsters.\nThe efficacies of the new quinolones temafloxacin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin were investigated against Mycoplasma pneumoniae in an experimental hamster pneumonia model. Hamsters were infected intratracheally with M. pneumoniae and sacrificed 18 h after the final medication, and their lungs were aseptically removed, homogenized, and cultured quantitatively. The efficacies of these drugs were determined by the CFU of M. pneumoniae in lungs. Temafloxacin and ofloxacin, but not ciprofloxacin, were active when the oral administration of 200 mg\/kg of body weight per day (once per day) for 5 days was initiated 24 h after infection. Although no effect on the elimination of M. pneumoniae was observed after the administration of these drugs at 200 mg\/kg\/day at 5 days after infection, the continuous administration for 15 days of temafloxacin, but not ofloxacin or ciprofloxacin, significantly reduced viable M. pneumoniae in the lungs. These results suggest that temafloxacin and ofloxacin are effective in the acute phase of infection and, moreover, that temafloxacin is effective in the late stage of infection during which progressive lung alterations and continuous increases in mycoplasmal growth occurred. The peak levels of temafloxacin in sera and lungs after oral administration were similar to those of ofloxacin and higher than those of ciprofloxacin. The areas under the curve of temafloxacin in the lung tissue, however, were higher than those of ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin. On the basis of these results, temafloxacin and ofloxacin might be promising antimicrobial agents for the treatment of mycoplasmal infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31829791,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Interaction between two essential, conserved bacterial proteins YeaZ and glycoprotease as a potential antibacterial target in multi-drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.\nProtein-protein interactions among highly conserved and essential proteins can serve as new targets for antibacterial therapies. One protein-protein interaction between two widely conserved and essential bacterial proteins, YeaZ and its paralog, a putative glycoprotease, is being looked into for its antimicrobial drug potential. These two proteins possess tandem functions, including repression of the branched-chain amino acids biosynthesis and induction of a tRNA modification important in enhancing translation fidelity through anticodon-codon base pairing. Heterodimer formation between these two proteins is essential for Staphylococcus aureus, and other bacterial species including Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium. Such YeaZ-glycoprotease interaction could thus be a target for antimicrobial drugs designed for multi-drug-resistant S. aureus. In this review, we discuss the function, structure, and interaction between these two proteins and their orthologs in other bacteria.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31210238,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"On the magnetosensitivity of lipid peroxidation: two- versus three-radical dynamics.\nWe present a theoretical analysis of the putative magnetosensitivity of lipid peroxidation. We focus on the widely accepted radical pair mechanism (RPM) and a recently suggested idea based on spin dynamics induced in three-radical systems by the mutual electron-electron dipolar coupling (D3M). We show that, contrary to claims in the literature, lipid peroxides, the dominant chain carriers of the autoxidation process, have associated non-zero hyperfine coupling interactions. This suggests that their recombination could, in principle, be magnetosensitive due to the RPM. While the RPM indeed goes a long way to explaining magnetosensitivity in these systems, we show that the simultaneous interaction of three peroxyl radicals via the D3M can achieve larger magnetic field effects (MFE), even if the third radical is remote from the recombining radical pair. For randomly oriented three-radical systems, the D3M induces a low-field effect comparable to that of the RPM. The mechanism furthermore immunizes the spin dynamics to the presence of large exchange coupling interactions in the recombining radical pair, thereby permitting much larger MFE at magnetic field intensities comparable to the geomagnetic field than would be expected for the RPM. Based on these characteristics, we suggest that the D3M could be particularly relevant for MFE at low fields, provided that the local radical concentration is sufficient to allow for three-spin radical correlations. Eventually, our observations suggest that MFEs could intricately depend on radical concentration and larger effects could ensue under conditions of oxidative stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27882682,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prevalence of Equine Hepacivirus Infections in France and Evidence for Two Viral Subtypes Circulating Worldwide.\nLike hepatitis C virus (HCV) in humans, the newly identified equine hepacivirus (NPHV) displays a predominating liver tropism that may evolve into chronic infections. The genomes of the two viruses share several organizational and functional features and are phylogenetically closest amongst the Hepacivirus genus. A limited amount of data is available regarding the spread of hepacivirus infections in horses. In this study, we asked whether in a more representative sample the prevalence and distribution of NPHV infections in France would resemble that reported so far in other countries. A total of 1033 horses sera from stud farms throughout France were analysed by qRT-PCR to determine the prevalence of ongoing NPHV infections and viral loads; in positive samples, partial sequences of NPHV's genome (5'UTR, NS3 and NS5B genes) were determined. Serum concentrations of biliary acids, glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and L-gamma-glutamyl transferase (\u03b3-GT) were measured for most horses. We detected NPHV infections in 6.2% of the horses, a prevalence that reached 8.3% in thoroughbreds and was significantly higher than in other breeds. The presence of circulating virus was neither significantly associated with biological disturbances nor with clinical hepatic impairment. Our phylogenetic analysis was based on both neighbour-joining and maximum-likelihood approaches. Its result shows that, like almost everywhere else in the world so far, two major groups of NPHV strains infect French domestic horses. Based on genetic distances, we propose a classification into two separate NPHV subtypes. Viral loads in the serum of horses infected by the main subtype were, in average, four times higher than in those infected by the second subtype. We hypothesize that amino acid substitutions in the palm domain of NS5B between NPHV subtypes could underlie viral phenotypes that explain this result.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7350567,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mitral valve prolapse: etiology, diagnosis, and management.\nMitral valve prolapse is a common cardiac anomaly in which diagnosis is generally made by auscultation. In a typical case, a midsystolic click followed by a late systolic murmur is heard, although this pattern can vary. Selected pharmacologic agents (vasopressors and vasodilators) may be useful in diagnosis, and echocardiography can be helpful in cases without auscultatory signs. In the majority of cases, mitral valve prolapse is benign and no specific treatment is needed except reassurance and perhaps endocarditis prophylaxis. Patients with chest pain and symptomatic arrhythmias may benefit from propranolol, those with ventricular tachycardia should receive antiarrhythmic therapy, and those with abnormal resting ECGs or frequent ventricular premature beats should be further tested because of increased risk of sudden death or possibility of associated ischemic heart disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30615401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[The application of MALDI-ToF mini-sequencing for detecting genetically altered versions of cholera agent].\nThe genetically altered modifications of V.cholerae eltor are characterized by occurrence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in gene ctxB. To detect these modifications the technique is proposed based on mini-sequencing with MALDI-ToF by of products of reaction with selected probes adjacent to 115 and 203 positions of gene mentioned previously. The mass-spectrometry analysis of the results of reaction of mini-sequencing of strains of V.cholerae eltor isolated during epidemic complications at the territory of the Siberia and the Far East revealed mass-specters corresponding to values of molecular masses of probes (ctxB115, ctxB203) and those complementary completed to points of corresponding replacements (T\/C) of didesoxinucleotides (ddTTP, ddCTP). For analyzed strains of V.cholerae eltor isolated in the 1970s, elongation is establishedfor both probes by didesoxinucleotide that testifies presence in their genome ctxB3 allele with thymine in 115 and 203 positions, distinctive for typical representatives of V.cholerae eltor. For V.cholerae eltor, isolated in 1990s, hybridization to points of replacement of didesoxicytosine and presence of ctxB1 allele with cytosine at analyzed positions, distinctive to vibrio of classic biovars. This allele is detected in genome of one of modifications of atypical genetically altered clones ofV.cholerae eltor. This technique, by its sensitivity and specificity, matches direct sequencing of gene ctxB of strains of V.cholerae eltor and proves promising for analysis of other valuable single-nucleotide polymorphisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7786425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Pituitary function after selective adenomectomy for Cushing's disease.\nThis retrospective analysis was undertaken to determine whether selective adenomectomy for Cushing's disease can achieve acceptable cure rates while causing minimal pituitary dysfunction. Tumour size, histology and pituitary function were evaluated in 34 consecutive patients (26 F: 8 M, mean age 33.6 years) undergoing transphenoidal adenomectomy for Cushing's disease from 1975 to 1992. Follow-up averaged 5.8 years. Cure was defined as resolution of symptoms and signs and normalization of urinary cortisol excretion. Sixty-three per cent of patients achieved cure after selective adenomectomy, repeat adenomectomy cured an additional four patients. Twenty-eight per cent required bilateral adrenalectomy and\/or pituitary irradiation. Postoperative pituitary function remained completely intact in 81%. Secondary hypogonadism occurred in 8%, hypothyroidism in 155 and permanent diabetes insipidus in 4%. There was recurrence in 26% after a mean of 4.6 years (range 1-7). It is concluded that selective adenomectomy can achieve acceptable cure rates with a low prevalence of postoperative hypopituitarism, although an increase of recurrence may be the result of conservative surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10868640,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clinical determinants of multiple acute rejection episodes in kidney transplant recipients.\nRecipients with multiple (more than one) acute rejection (AR) episodes have significantly lower graft survival rates than those with no AR or only one treated episode. However, fewer than 50% of recipients treated for one AR episode will have another episode. We studied recipients with at least one AR episode to determine whether any clinical features could identify risk factors for multiple AR. Between January 1, 1984, and June 30, 1997, a total of 1793 recipients underwent a kidney transplant at our institution. Of these, 354 were treated for one AR episode, 307 for more than one. By multivariate analysis, recipients at highest risk for multiple AR episodes were those with initial delayed or slow graft function (relative risk=1.5, P=0.05), those with initially severe AR (as judged by vascular involvement or steroid resistance), and those with an initial early AR episode (<6 months posttransplant). The remaining variables tested were not significant. Graft survival in recipients with more than one AR episode was significantly lower than in those with only one AR episode. Graft survival at 5 years posttransplant was 52.5% in recipients with more than one AR episode and 85.1% in recipients with one AR episode (P=0.0001). Chronic rejection as a cause of graft loss was significantly more common in recipients with more than one vs. only one AR episode (34.8% vs. 8.9%, P=0.001). Clinical features may be used to identify recipients at higher risk for multiple AR episodes. These recipients can then be targeted with more aggressive or novel immunosuppressive regimens in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of another AR episode.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":485911,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Evaluation of Jensen procedures by saccades and diplopic fields.\nA total of 15 eyes of 13 patients with lateral rectus palsies underwent Jensen procedures; one eye had a medial rectus recession and lateral rectus resection. It was arbitrarily decided to perform a Jensen procedure for patients with less than 40% normal abduction saccadic function. The patients' conditions were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively by prism cover test. Versions, forced ductions, saccadic velocities, and diplopic field examinations were done. Postoperatively, all patients showed improved saccadic function; 12 of 13 patients acquired a functional range of diplopia-free vision; and 11 of 13 patients had aligned eyes with a good head position. By retrospective analysis we determined that the Jensen procedure gives good results for patients with severe lateral rectus palsy (less than 40% normal saccadic function).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":594791,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Bilateral synchronous transitional ureteral carcinoma: two additional cases.\nBilateral synchronous transitional ureteral carcinoma has previously been reported only 11 times. Herein, two additional cases are reported. Analysis shows these tumors to be of relatively low grade and low stage. It is necessary to fully evaluate the opposite side in a patient presenting with unilateral ureteral tumor. If bilateral disease is present, a conservative surgical procedure should be done.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10237645,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A sliding scale for hospital reimbursement.\nReimbursement by governmental agencies and by third party payors of general and voluntary hospitals currently does not take cognizance of the special financial burdens of inner city teaching hospitals. It is proposed that a formulation, previously described, be used to provide a sliding scale for reimbursement purposes which would ameliorate the situation in an auditable, justifiable, and fair manner.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16046651,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Trends in management and outcomes of patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.\nEarly mechanical revascularization in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock is a therapeutic strategy that reduces mortality. It has been a class I recommendation in guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association since 1999 for patients younger than 75 years. However, little is known about implementation of these guidelines in practice. To assess trends in early revascularization and mortality for patients with cardiogenic shock complicating AMI and to determine whether the national guidelines affect revascularization rates. Prospective, observational study of 293,633 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (25,311 [8.6%] had cardiogenic shock; 7356 [29%] had cardiogenic shock at hospital presentation) enrolled in the National Registry of Myocardial Infarction (NRMI) from January 1995 to May 2004 at 775 US hospitals with revascularization capability (defined as the capability to perform cardiac catheterization, percutaneous coronary intervention [PCI], and open-heart surgery). Management patterns and in-hospital mortality rates. There was an increase in primary PCI rates from 27.4% to 54.4% (P<.001) in hospitals with revascularization capability that paralleled the change in PCI for ST-elevation myocardial infarction. There was no significant change in rates of immediate coronary artery bypass graft surgery (from 2.1% to 3.2%). Propensity-adjusted multivariable analyses demonstrated that primary PCI was associated with a decreased odds of death during hospitalization (odds ratio, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-0.53). There were no differences in the rates of change in revascularization rates based on the date when the guidelines were released regardless of patient age. Overall in-hospital cardiogenic shock mortality decreased from 60.3% in 1995 to 47.9% in 2004 (P<.001). The use of PCI for patients with cardiogenic shock was associated with improved survival in a large group of hospitals with revascularization capability. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines had no detectable temporal impact on revascularization rates. These findings support the need for increased adherence to these guidelines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26370442,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Intracellular detection of Cu(2+) and S(2-) ions through a quinazoline functionalized benzimidazole-based new fluorogenic differential chemosensor.\nA new quinazoline functionalized benzimidazole-based fluorogenic chemosensor H3L is synthesized and fully characterized by conventional techniques including single crystal X-ray analysis. It acts as a highly selective colorimetric and fluorescence sensor for Cu(2+) ions in DMF\/0.02 M HEPES (1 : 1, v\/v, pH = 7.4) medium. Reaction of H3L with CuCl2 forms a mononuclear copper(ii) [Cu(Cl)(H2L)(H2O)] (H2L-Cu(2+)) complex which is characterized by conventional techniques and quantum chemical calculations. Electronic absorption and fluorescence titration studies of H3L with different metal cations show a distinctive recognition only towards Cu(2+) ions even in the presence of other commonly coexisting ions such as Li(+), Na(+), K(+), Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Fe(2+), Fe(3+), Mn(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Zn(2+), Cd(2+) and Hg(2+). Moreover, H2L-Cu(2+) acts as a metal based highly selective and sensitive chemosensor for S(2-) ions even in the presence of other commonly coexisting anions such as F(-), Cl(-), Br(-), I(-), SO4(2-), SCN(-), AcO(-), H2PO4(-), PO4(3-), NO3(-), ClO4(-), NO2(-), HSO4(-), HSO4(2-), S2O3(2-), S2O8(2-), CN(-), CO3(2-) and HCO3(-) in DMF\/0.02 M HEPES (1 : 1, v\/v, pH = 7.4) medium. Quantification analysis indicates that these receptors, H3L and H2L-Cu(2+), can detect the presence of Cu(2+) and S(2-) ions at very low concentrations of 1.6 \u00d7 10(-9) M and 5.2 \u00d7 10(-6) M, respectively. The propensity of H3L as a bio-imaging fluorescent probe for detection of Cu(2+) ions and sequential detection of S(2-) ions by H2L-Cu(2+) in Dalton lymphoma (DL) cancer cells is also shown.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34612899,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Optical transmittance of 3D printing materials.\nThe increasing prevalence of three-dimensional (3D) printing of optical housings and mounts necessitates a better understanding of the optical properties of printing materials. This paper describes a method for using multithickness samples of 3D printing materials to measure transmittance spectra at wavelengths from 400 to 2400 nm [visible to short-wave infrared (IR)]. In this method, 3D samples with material thicknesses of 1, 2, 3, and 4 mm were positioned in front of a uniform light source with a spectrometer probe on the opposing side to measure the light transmittance. Transmission depended primarily on the thickness and color of the sample, and multiple scattering prevented the use of a simple exponential model to relate transmittance, extinction, and thickness. A Solidworks file and a 3D printer file are included with the paper to enable measurements of additional materials with the same method.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30605919,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Clinical Characteristics and Neuroimaging Findings in Internal Jugular Venous Outflow Disturbance.\nRecently, internal jugular vein stenosis (IJVS) is gaining increasing attention from clinical researchers due to a series of confounding symptoms that impair the quality of life in affected individuals but cannot be explained by other well-established causes. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the clinical features, neuroimaging characteristics and pathogenesis of IJVS, and explore their possible correlations, in attempt to provide useful clues for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Forty-three eligible patients with unilateral or bilateral IJVS confirmed by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance venography of the brain and neck were enrolled in this study. Magnetic resonance imaging along with magnetic resonance angiography or computed tomography angiography was applied to identify the radiological pattern of parenchymal or arterial lesions. Cerebral perfusion and metabolism were evaluated by single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Of the 43 patients (46.0 \u00b1 16.0 years old; 30 female), 14 (32.6%) had bilateral and 29 had unilateral IJVS. The common clinical symptoms at admission were tinnitus (60.5%), tinnitus cerebri (67.6%), headache (48.8%), dizziness (32.6%), visual disorders (39.5%), hearing impairment (39.5%), neck discomfort (39.5%), sleep disturbance (60.5%), anxiety or depression (37.5%) and subjective memory decline (30.2%). The presence of bilateral demyelination changes with cloudy-like appearance in the periventricular area and\/or centrum semiovale was found in 95.3% (41\/43) patients. SPECT findings showed that 92.3% (24\/26) patients displayed cerebral perfusion and metabolism mismatch, depicted by bilaterally and symmetrically reduced cerebral perfusion and increased cerebral glucose consumption. IJVS may contribute to alterations in cerebral blood flow and metabolism, as well as white matter lesion formation, all of which may account for its clinical manifestations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30076323,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Complete human mtDNA genome sequences from Vietnam and the phylogeography of Mainland Southeast Asia.\nVietnam is an important crossroads within Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA) and a gateway to Island Southeast Asia, and as such exhibits high levels of ethnolinguistic diversity. However, comparatively few studies have been undertaken of the genetic diversity of Vietnamese populations. In order to gain comprehensive insights into MSEA mtDNA phylogeography, we sequenced 609 complete mtDNA genomes from individuals belonging to five language families (Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai, Hmong-Mien, Sino-Tibetan and Austronesian) and analyzed them in comparison with sequences from other MSEA countries and Taiwan. Within Vietnam, we identified 399 haplotypes belonging to 135 haplogroups; among the five language families, the sequences from Austronesian groups differ the most from the other groups. Phylogenetic analysis revealed 111 novel Vietnamese mtDNA lineages. Bayesian estimates of coalescence times and associated 95% HPD for these show a peak of mtDNA diversification around 2.5-3 kya, which coincides with the Dong Son culture, and thus may be associated with the agriculturally-driven expansion of this culture. Networks of major MSEA haplogroups emphasize the overall distinctiveness of sequences from Taiwan, in keeping with previous studies that suggested at most a minor impact of the Austronesian expansion from Taiwan on MSEA. We also see evidence for population expansions across MSEA geographic regions and language families.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26487412,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Exploration of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis to Improve Animal Welfare by Means of Genetic Selection: Lessons from the South African Merino.\nIt is a difficult task to improve animal production by means of genetic selection, if the environment does not allow full expression of the animal's genetic potential. This concept may well be the future for animal welfare, because it highlights the need to incorporate traits related to production and robustness, simultaneously, to reach sustainable breeding goals. This review explores the identification of potential genetic markers for robustness within the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), since this axis plays a vital role in the stress response. If genetic selection for superior HPAA responses to stress is possible, then it ought to be possible to breed robust and easily managed genotypes that might be able to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions whilst expressing a high production potential. This approach is explored in this review by means of lessons learnt from research on Merino sheep, which were divergently selected for their multiple rearing ability. These two selection lines have shown marked differences in reproduction, production and welfare, which makes this breeding programme ideal to investigate potential genetic markers of robustness. The HPAA function is explored in detail to elucidate where such genetic markers are likely to be found.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24831921,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Predictive patterns of early medication adherence in renal transplantation.\nPatients' adherence with posttransplant immunosuppression is known to affect renal transplant outcomes. Prospectively, individual medication adherence patterns in 195 kidney transplant recipients were quantified with electronic medication monitors. Monitored drugs were mycophenolate mofetil, sirolimus, or azathioprine. Monitoring began at hospital discharge and continued an average of 15\u00b18 months. Patient follow-up for clinical outcomes averaged 8\u00b13 years. Each month's adherence percentage was calculated as the sum of daily adherence percents, divided by the number of evaluable days. During the first 3 months after transplantation, patients (n=44) with declining medication adherence, defined as dropping by 7% or higher (equal to missing 2 days) between months 1 and 2, later experienced lower mean medication adherence for months 6 to 12, 73% versus 92% respectively (P<0.0001). Compared to patients with stable adherence, they also had more frequent (P=0.034) and earlier (P=0.065) acute rejection episodes. This was additionally associated with more frequent (P=0.017) and earlier (P=0.046) death-censored graft loss.In addition, daily medication adherence, expressed as the percentage of doses taken, decreased as the number of prescribed daily doses increased. During the first 3 months after transplantation, adherence with four doses per day averaged 84%, compared to 91% for patients on twice-daily dosing (P=0.024) and 93.5% for patients on once-daily dosing (P=0.008). Early declining medication nonadherence is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. This pattern is detectable during the first 2 months after transplantation. Early detection of nonadherence provides opportunities to target interventions toward patients at the highest risk for adverse behaviors and events.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8398903,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The activity of a 70 kilodalton I kappa B molecule identical to the carboxyl terminus of the p105 NF-kappa B precursor is modulated by protein kinase A.\nThe p50 subunit of NF-kappa B is derived from the amino terminus of a 105 kilodalton precursor. The p105 carboxyl terminus, which contains ankyrin-like repeats, a feature of I kappa B molecules, regulates the cytoplasmic retention of p105 and inhibits DNA binding by the precursor. Here, we describe an I kappa B protein identical to the carboxyl-terminal region of p105. Probes spanning the COOH terminus but not the rel homology domain of p105 hybridize to a distinct 2.6-kilobase mRNA expressed in a wide range of murine tissues. The nucleotide sequence of complementary DNA clones for this transcript, in vitro translation, and immune precipitation of metabolically labeled cell lysates establish that it encodes a 70 kilodalton protein that corresponds to the COOH-terminal 607 amino acids of p105. p70 suppresses p65 and p75c-rel mediated transactivation of reporter genes under the control of NF-kappa B elements and in vitro can prevent DNA binding of p50 and p75c-rel homodimers to NF-kappa B sites. The ability of p70 to stably associate with p49 and p65 in vitro, but not inhibit DNA binding by these proteins, suggests that the specific inhibitory properties of this I kappa B may reflect its relative affinity for different rel targets. p70 phosphorylated by protein kinase A fails to inhibit DNA binding by p50 or the c-rel protein, and sequencing of radiolabeled p70 tryptic phosphopeptides establishes that protein kinase A phosphorylates serine residue 576 of p70. This finding suggests that the inhibitory activity of p70 can be regulated by signaling via the adenylate cyclase pathway.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31995416,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Effect of Heat and Sonic Vibration on Penetration of a Flowable Resin Composite Used as a Pit and Fissure Sealant.\nTo evaluate penetration of a flowable resin composite into fissures using three different application methods: (1) conventional, (2) heat, and (3) sonic vibration. Forty-five sound maxillary third molars were divided randomly into three groups (n=15 per group). The occlusal surfaces of the teeth were etched and flowable resin composites were applied into the fissure using the assigned application method. The crowns were sectioned and examined with an optical microscope to assess penetration. In addition, three-point flexural strength was analyzed. The sonic vibration group exhibited significantly greater penetration into the fissure compared with the other test groups (p<0.001). The heat group exhibited greater penetration into the fissure compared with the conventional group (p=0.003). However, three-point flexural strength was similar among all groups (p>0.05). Sonic vibration and heat increased penetration into fissures. Notably, sonic vibration exhibited the greatest penetration. We found that the application method did not influence the three-point flexural strength.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33867964,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bridging Scales in Alzheimer's Disease: Biological Framework for Brain Simulation With The Virtual Brain.\nDespite the acceleration of knowledge and data accumulation in neuroscience over the last years, the highly prevalent neurodegenerative disease of AD remains a growing problem. Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and represents the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease. For AD, disease-modifying treatments are presently lacking, and the understanding of disease mechanisms continues to be incomplete. In the present review, we discuss candidate contributing factors leading to AD, and evaluate novel computational brain simulation methods to further disentangle their potential roles. We first present an overview of existing computational models for AD that aim to provide a mechanistic understanding of the disease. Next, we outline the potential to link molecular aspects of neurodegeneration in AD with large-scale brain network modeling using The Virtual Brain (www.thevirtualbrain.org), an open-source, multiscale, whole-brain simulation neuroinformatics platform. Finally, we discuss how this methodological approach may contribute to the understanding, improved diagnostics, and treatment optimization of AD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22204349,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Cancer regulator microRNA: potential relevance in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of cancer.\nMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (typically 22 nucleotides) non-coding, endogenous, single-stranded RNAs. MiRNA genes are evolutionarily conserved and are located within the introns or exons of protein-coding genes, as well as in intergenic areas. Before the discovery of miRNAs, it had been known that a large part of the genome is not translated into proteins. This so called \"junk\" DNA was thought to be evolution debris with no function. Recently, the explosive research in this area has established miRNAs as powerful regulators of gene expression. While only about 1,424 human miRNA sequences have been identified so far, genomic computational analysis indicates that as many as 50,000 miRNAs may exist in the human genome, and each may have multiple targets based on similar sequences in the 3'-UTR of mRNA. MiRNAs have been implicated in different areas such as the immune response, neural development, DNA repair, apoptosis, oxidative stress response and others and it is impressive the list of diseases which have recently been found to be associated with abnormal miRNA expression. Here, we focus our attention on the importance of cancer regulator miRNAs. They are divided into oncomiRs and anti-oncomiRs that negatively regulate tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes, respectively. Importantly, the association of miRNAs with cancer has prompted additional functional classification of these short RNAs and their potential relevance in cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":60856,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Protective properties of IgM in experiments on animals].\nOn a model of intraperitoneal infection of albino mice the authors demonstrated a protective action of the fraction enriched with IgM and of gamma-globulin isolated from the normal human blood serum, against E. coli O111. The intensity of the protective action depended on the method, duration of administration of the preparation and also on the infective dose. Protective properties of the fraction enriched with IgM were more pronounced in comparison with the gamma-globulin preparation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33066473,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Adipocytokines and Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Schizophrenia.\nThe adipokines leptin, adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-\u03b1), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) might be associated with metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, we attempted to confirm the results of previous reports and assessed their MetS-related correlation with body fat composition and biochemical parameters. We measured in 46 patients with schizophrenia and MetS serum levels of adiponectin insulin, leptin, TNF-\u03b1 and IL-6 and compared these levels to those of patients with schizophrenia without MetS. The MetS patients had significantly increased leptin levels and leptin\/adiponectin ratios, as well as decreased adiponectin levels. Leptin levels correlated with several metabolic parameters, both in patients with and without MetS, including body fat percentage, total fat fold, and body mass index (BMI). Patients without abnormal MetS components had lower levels of leptin and leptin\/adiponectin ratios compared with patients who had one or two MetS components. Leptin\/adiponectin ratios were higher in patients who had four rather than three MetS components. Multiple regression analysis revealed multiple associations for leptin but only one for adiponectin, TNF-\u03b1, and IL-6. Our results support an important pathophysiological role for leptin more than adiponectin in patients with schizophrenia with MetS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23623894,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":3,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Tobacco dependence treatment teaching by medical school clerkship preceptors: survey responses from more than 1,000 US medical students.\nTo determine factors associated with tobacco cessation counseling in medical school clerkships. Third-year medical students at 10 medical schools across the United States completed a 100-item survey, measuring the frequency with which they experienced their preceptors providing clinical teaching components: clear instruction, feedback, modeling behavior, setting clear objectives, and responding to questions about tobacco dependence counseling as well as frequency of use of tobacco prompts and office systems. Our primary dependent measure was student self-reported skill level for items of tobacco dependence treatment (e.g. \"5As\"). Surveys were completed by 1213 students. For both family medicine and internal medicine clerkships, modeling and providing clear instruction on ways to provide tobacco counseling were reported most commonly. In contrast, providing feedback and clear objectives for tobacco dependence treatment lagged behind. Overall, students who reported preceptors' provision of optimal clinical teaching components and office system prompts in both family medicine and internal medicine clerkships had higher self-reported skill (P<0.001) than students with no exposure or exposure during only one of the clerkships. Future educational interventions intended to help students adopt effective tobacco dependence treatment techniques should be engineered to facilitate these critical precepting components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8534357,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Two culture systems showing a biphasic effect on ovine embryo development from the 1-2 cell stage to hatched blastocysts.\nThis study compared the effect of using either CZB or TCM 199 media on both the development of 1-2 cell ovine embryos from superovulated ewes to the blastocyst stage (Experiment 1), and the hatching process of ovine blastocysts developed in vitro (Experiment 2). For the first 5 d, the CZB medium showed higher rates of embryo development than the TCM 199 medium (p < 0.001). The embryos reaching the > 16 cell stage were 79 vs 52% and 74 vs 20% with or without an oviductal monolayer, respectively, and those reaching the blastocyst stage were 71 vs 46% and 46 vs 13% with or without cells. The CZB medium was less able to support the hatching process of the blastocysts obtained in the first experiment than was the TCM-199 medium + 10% FCS (fetal calf serum) with cells (31 vs 92%; p < 0.001) or without cells (13 vs 66%; p < 0.001). No blastocysts completely escaped from the zona pellucida (ZP) in the CZB medium compared with 80 and 61% in the TCM 199 medium with or without cells, respectively. In Experiment 3, 47% of the blastocysts migrated through the artificial opening of the ZP and hatched completely. After 24 h of culture in the CZB medium, however, they showed blastocoelic cavity breakdown. During the preliminary cleavages, the ovine embryos developed better in CZB medium than in TCM 199, but the latter was more efficient in promoting the hatching process of the blastocysts.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31824896,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Prognostic Value of Troponin in Pediatric Polytrauma.\nIntroduction: Severe trauma accounts for a great number of deaths among children and adolescents. The diagnostic value of troponin serum levels of severely injured patients has been reported for adults, but data on pediatric polytrauma (PT) are scarce. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective monocentered study analyzing the prognostic value of troponin T (TnT) in pediatric trauma patients at the time point of hospital admission. Methods: Data of 88 polytraumatized pediatric patients admitted to the emergency room of the University Hospital of Ulm, Germany, between 2007 and 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. The data source was the written and digital patient records. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), creatine kinase activity (CK activity), and lactate and TnT levels were measured by a certified clinical diagnostic laboratory; and patients were stratified for the Injury Severity Score (ISS). The prognostic value for lung contusion, organ dysfunction, and fatal outcome was statistically explored. The study was approved by the independent ethical committee of the University of Ulm (#44\/18). Results: TnT levels were significantly increased in patients after severe PT compared with mild or moderate trauma severity as assessed by ISS values. Patients with TnT levels above the cutoff showed significantly increased levels of IL-6 and CK activity and a significantly prolonged stay in the intensive care unit. However, TnT levels did not correlate with absolute ISS values. TnT levels were significantly increased in patients with chest trauma and lung contusion. The incidence of lung contusion was associated with elevation of TnT. So was the onset of organ dysfunction, defined as a Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score \u2265 2 and fatal outcome, with a significant enhancement of plasma levels in children with organ dysfunction and in non-survivors. Conclusion: These descriptive data suggest that evaluation of TnT on admission of multiply injured children may help in predicting severity of injury and mortality in the clinical course after trauma and thus may be a useful addition to established prognostic parameters in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24885791,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"A prospective follow-up study on transmission of Campylobacter from poultry to abattoir workers.\nContact with poultry or poultry meat is a well-known risk factor for campylobacteriosis, but prospective studies on transmission of Campylobacter from chickens to humans during slaughter are scarce. In this study, we monitored transmission of Campylobacter from slaughtered chicken to originally culture-negative abattoir workers during the peak season of colonized chicken and human Campylobacter infection. Stool samples were obtained from 28 abattoir workers together with data on health status once a month between June and September 2010, with a follow-up sample collected in February 2011. Campylobacter-positive individuals and chicken flocks were identified by culture, and isolates were further characterized using molecular techniques. Campylobacter was isolated from seven asymptomatic individuals. Four of them had been newly employed and had not reported any previous Campylobacter infection. Four human isolates had matching genetic fingerprints with isolates from recently slaughtered chickens. Our results further support the role of chicken as the source of human Campylobacter infection but suggest that asymptomatic Campylobacter infection may occur even in individuals with only limited earlier exposure to Campylobacter.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30529896,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10}},"text":"Graphene-oxide quenching-based molecular beacon imaging of exosome-mediated transfer of neurogenic miR-193a on microfluidic platform.\nGraphene-oxide (GO) quenching-based molecular beacon was developed for rapid and sensitive detection of RNAs in living cells and tissues. Here, we applied GO quenching-based molecular beacon sensor to visualize neurogenic miR-193a levels delivered via exosomes during cell-non-autonomous neurogenesis in neural progenitor cells on a microfluidic platform. Exosomal transport was visualized using CD63-RFP plasmid vector, and FAM-labeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe for the miR-193 sequence was designed to detect endogenous miR-193 expression. Fluorescence signals of FAM-PNA193a-GO were recovered in dibutyryl-cAMP-induced F11 cells, resulting from increased expression of miR-193a after neuronal differentiation. We observed delivery of miR-193a-containing exosomes released from differentiated donor F11 cells to recipient undifferentiated F11 cells. Fluorescence recovery was evident in exosome-stimulated recipient individual F11 cells in the microfluidic system. We propose molecular beacon imaging using PNA-GO complex for visualization of individual cellular expression of mature microRNAs. This system reveals the precise spatial localization and temporal sequences of mature miRNAs by intercellular exosomal delivery of messages for processes such as cell-non-autonomous neurogenesis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36275072,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Barriers and facilitators of physical activity in children with bronchiectasis: Perspectives from children and parents.\nCurrent bronchiectasis management guidelines recommend regular physical activity but a large proportion of children with bronchiectasis do not meet public health recommendations which call for 60 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity daily. Knowing the factors that influence physical activity in children with bronchiectasis is necessary for the development of effective interventions to increase physical activity in this patient group. The objective of this study was to identify facilitators and barriers to physical activity in children with bronchiectasis unrelated to cystic fibrosis (CF) from the perspectives of children and their parents. This was a qualitative study informed by the theoretical domains framework (TDF). Children aged 7-15 years (8.8 years, 8.4-11.0) (median, interquartile range) and parents (45.8 years, 39.7-48.3) completed separate, semi-structured interviews (n = 21). Recordings were transcribed verbatim, and barriers and facilitators related to each TDF domain deductively coded. Emergent themes were inductively derived via consensus moderation. From the perspectives of children, fun with friends, organized sport and activities, and family co-participation in physical activity emerged as facilitators. Inability to keep up with their peers and time on technology emerged as barriers. From the perspectives of parents, instrumental and logistic support for physical activity and supportive social and physical activity environments emerged as facilitators, while management of symptoms associated with bronchiectasis emerged as a barrier. Programs to increase physical activity in children with bronchiectasis should be fun, accessible, provide opportunities for social interaction and address barriers related to exercise tolerance, perceived competence, and presence of respiratory symptoms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8547498,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Opportunistic coccidioidomycosis in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: prevention issues and priorities.\nCoccidioidomycosis is an uncommon AIDS-defining illness that is endemic in the southwestern United States. In profoundly immunodeficient patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the disease is usually manifest as severe pulmonary infection and is associated with high mortality. Although diagnosis is often made by routine serological tests, these appear to be less sensitive than when used for patients who are not HIV-infected. New ways to diagnose the infection in HIV-infected patients earlier and with more certainty are urgently needed. The optimal antifungal regimen for active disease in HIV-infected patients is currently undefined, but following acute disease in severely immunocompromised HIV-infected patients (CD4 lymphocyte count, < 200\/microL), lifelong systemic antifungal therapy is recommended. The role of chemoprophylaxis for HIV-infected patients in the area of endemic disease is also unclear. Improvement of preventive strategies must await the results of well-designed future studies to determine risk factors, particularly environmental factors, for development of coccidioidomycosis and to determine the proportion of disease due to new vs. reactivated infection. These studies are also needed to elucidate the role and efficacy of different types of antifungal drug therapies and the specific dosages useful for prevention, treatment, and long-term control of these infections.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30072890,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Dissociation of Tau Deposits and Brain Atrophy in Early Alzheimer's Disease: A Combined Positron Emission Tomography\/Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.\nThe recent advent of tau-specific positron emission tomography (PET) has enabled in vivo assessment of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, because PET scanners have limited spatial resolution, the measured signals of small brain structures or atrophied areas are underestimated by partial volume effects (PVEs). The aim of this study was to determine whether partial volume correction (PVC) improves the precision of measures of tau deposits in early AD. We investigated tau deposits in 18 patients with amyloid-positive early AD and in 36 amyloid-negative healthy controls using 18F-THK5351 PET. For PVC, we applied the SPM toolbox PETPVE12. The PET images were then spatially normalized and subjected to voxel-based group analysis using SPM12 for comparison between the early AD patients and healthy controls. We also compared these two groups in terms of brain atrophy using voxel-based morphometry of MRI. We found widespread neocortical tracer retention predominantly in the posterior cingulate and precuneus areas, but also in the inferior temporal lobes, inferior parietal lobes, frontal lobes, and occipital lobes in the AD patients compared with the controls. The pattern of tracer retention was similar between before and after PVC, suggesting that PVC had little effect on the precision of tau load measures. Gray matter atrophy was detected in the medial\/lateral temporal lobes and basal frontal lobes in the AD patients. Interestingly, only a few associations were found between atrophy and tau deposits, even after PVC. In conclusion, PVC did not significantly affect 18F-THK5351 PET measures of tau deposits. This discrepancy between tau deposits and atrophy suggests that tau load precedes atrophy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29467977,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"myTIPreport and Training for Independent Practice: A Tool for Real-Time Workplace Feedback for Milestones and Procedural Skills.\nFew tools currently exist for effective, accessible delivery of real-time, workplace feedback in the clinical setting. We developed and implemented a real-time, web-based tool for performance-based feedback in the clinical environment. The tool (myTIPreport) was designed for performance-based feedback to learners on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Milestones and procedural skills. \"TIP\" stands for \"Training for Independent Practice.\" We implemented myTIPreport in obstetrics and gynecology (Ob-Gyn) and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) programs between November 2014 and May 2015. Residents, fellows, teachers, and program directors completed preimplementation and postimplementation surveys on their perceptions of feedback. Preimplementation surveys were completed by 656 participants of a total of 980 learners and teachers in 19 programs (12 Ob-Gyn and 7 FPMRS). This represented 72% (273 of 378) of learners and 64% (383 of 602) of teachers. Seventy percent of participants (381 of 546) reported having their own individual processes for real-time feedback; the majority (79%, 340 of 430) described these processes as informal discussions. Over 6 months, one-third of teachers and two-thirds of learners used the myTIPreport tool a total of 4311 times. Milestone feedback was recorded 944 times, and procedural feedback was recorded 3367 times. Feedback addressed all ACGME Milestones and procedures programmed into myTIPreport. Most program directors reported that tool implementation was successful. The majority of learners successfully received workplace feedback using myTIPreport. This web-based tool, incorporating procedures and ACGME Milestones, may be an important transition from other feedback formats.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33215213,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hepatomegaly and short stature in a 14-year-old with type 1 diabetes mellitus: case report.\nMauriac syndrome is a rare consequence of poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes, characterized by hepatomegaly, growth failure, delayed onset of puberty, and cushingoid features. Case reports of patients with Mauriac syndrome are found infrequently in the literature given historic improvements in diabetes management due to readily available insulin therapy. We describe a case of a 14-year-old girl who presented with acute onset abdominal pain, distention, and orthopnea. She had a history of poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes as well as short stature. Abdominal imaging revealed impressive hepatomegaly. Laboratory testing showed markedly elevated triglycerides and cholesterol. Mauriac syndrome was suspected and diagnosed by liver biopsy, which demonstrated significant glycogenic hepatopathy. This case provides an illustrative example of Mauriac syndrome in a child who did not experience delayed onset of puberty and continued to have regular menses unlike what has been previously described. Furthermore, this case highlights the important consideration for significant dyslipidemia in patients with Mauriac syndrome and discusses the challenges of controlling insulin-dependent diabetes in the adolescent population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30731386,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Changes in ecotoxicity of naphthalene and alkylated naphthalenes during photodegradation in water.\nCrude oil released into the environment contains many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Alkylated PAHs are more abundant than unsubstituted PAHs and their toxicity is also of serious concern. Among the various physical, chemical, and biological weathering processes of crude oils, photodegradation is one of the most important for determining the environmental fate of oil residues. In this study, the photodegradation rate constants of naphthalene and alkylated naphthalenes were determined under simulated laboratory conditions at different temperature. Changes in the luminescence inhibition of Aliivibrio fischeri, as an indicator of the baseline toxicity, were observed in photodegradation mixtures. The major transformation products were also identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The photodegradation of naphthalene and the eight alkylated naphthalenes was described well by pseudo-first-order kinetics regardless of experimental temperature. The measured toxicity of the reaction mixtures obtained by photodegradative weathering slightly increased initially and then decreased with further weathering. In all cases, the observed toxicity was greater than accounted for by the parent compounds, indicating that the photodegradation products also contributed significantly to the overall toxicity of the mixtures. The identified photodegradation products were mostly oxygenated compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and quinones, which warrant further investigation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31636163,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Episiotomy use among vaginal deliveries and the association with anal sphincter injury: a population-based retrospective cohort study.\nThe rate of obstetric anal sphincter injury has increased in recent years, particularly among operative vaginal deliveries. We sought to characterize temporal trends in episiotomy use and to quantify the association between episiotomy and obstetric anal sphincter injury. Using a population-based retrospective cohort study design of hospital data from 2004 to 2017, we studied all vaginal deliveries of singleton infants at term gestation in Canada (excluding Quebec). Rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury were contrasted between women who had an episiotomy and those who did not. Log-binomial regression was used to estimate the association between episiotomy and obstetric anal sphincter injury among women with spontaneous and operative vaginal deliveries after controlling for confounders. The study population included 2 570 847 deliveries. Episiotomy use declined significantly among operative vaginal deliveries (53.1% in 2004 to 43.2% in 2017, p < 0.0001) and spontaneous vaginal deliveries (13.5% in 2004 to 6.5% in 2017, p < 0.0001). Episiotomy was associated with higher rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury among spontaneous vaginal deliveries (4.8 with episiotomy v. 2.4% without; adjusted rate ratio [RR] 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.00-2.11) and this association remained after stratification by parity and obstetric history. In contrast, episiotomy was associated with lower rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury among forceps deliveries in nulliparous women (adjusted RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.61-0.66), and women with vaginal birth after cesarean (adjusted RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.60-0.85), but not among parous women without a previous cesarean (adjusted RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.00-1.34). Episiotomy use has declined in Canada for all vaginal deliveries. The protective association between episiotomy and obstetric anal sphincter injury among women who gave birth by operative vaginal delivery (especially forceps) warrants reconsideration of clinical practice among nulliparous women and those attempting vaginal birth after cesarean.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17081181,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Misoprostol compared with prostaglandin E2 for labour induction in women at term with intact membranes and unfavourable cervix: a systematic review.\nMisoprostol is a commonly used prostaglandin to induce labour. A potential risk of induction, however, is caesarean delivery, especially in women with an unfavourable cervix. To evaluate the use of misoprostol, compared with prostaglandin E2 (PgE2), for labour induction in women at term with an unfavourable cervix and intact membranes. PubMed, Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched for articles published in any language from January 1987 to December 2005, using the keywords 'misoprostol', 'labour\/labor' and 'induction'. We identified randomised trials of women at term (> or =37 weeks of gestation) with intact membranes and unfavourable cervix, undergoing labour induction with misoprostol, orally, vaginally, sublingually or buccally, compared with PgE2 vaginally or intracervically. Caesarean delivery was the primary outcome, with tachysystole and hyperstimulation as secondary outcomes. The primary analysis compared any misoprostol with any PgE2 for all women, with a subgroup analysis for nulliparous women. Secondary analyses compared different routes and doses of misoprostol (oral or vaginal and 25 microgram or >25 microgram) and PgE2 (intracervical or vaginal). Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random effects models. Main results Fourteen of 611 articles identified met the criteria for systematic review, with three providing information for nulliparous women. There was no difference in the risk of caesarean delivery between misoprostol and PgE2 groups (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.83-1.17). Any misoprostol was associated with higher risks of tachysystole and hyperstimulation compared with any PgE2 (RR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.01-3.43 and RR = 3.71, 95% CI = 2.00-6.88, respectively). There was a higher rate of vaginal delivery within 24 hours among all vaginal deliveries with any misoprostol compared with any PgE2 (RR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.00-1.31), and among all deliveries, a lower rate of oxytocin use (RR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.60-0.85) but a trend towards increased meconium staining was observed (RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.96-1.55). The use of misoprostol at starting dosages >25 microgram had similar findings to the primary analysis. Studies of lower misoprostol dosing (starting dose of 25 microgram) did not show any differences in the outcomes of interest, but the sample size of this secondary analysis was small (304 women, 155 receiving misoprostol). Although misoprostol in women at term with an unfavourable cervix and intact membranes was more effective than PgE2 in achieving vaginal delivery within 24 hours, misoprostol does not reduce the rate of caesarean delivery either in all women or in the subgroup of nulliparous women, and it increases the rates of tachysystole and hyperstimulation. Further studies of misoprostol using a starting dose of 25 microgram may be warranted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30859811,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Discovery of Turn-On Fluorescent Probes for Detecting Bcl-2 Protein.\nB-cell-lymphoma-2-gene (Bcl-2) family proteins play a central role in regulating programmed cell death. In cancer, antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins, such as Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, are overexpressed. However, there are few developed labeling techniques for tracing the dynamic processes of Bcl-2. To study the physiological process of Bcl-2 protein, a novel series of small-molecule fluorescent probes (1-3) were designed and evaluated for their labeling properties. Our probes can be applied to the identification of tumor-tissue slices and the differentiation of tumor and normal tissues effectively, a feature that renders these probes compatible with future cancer diagnosis in clinical practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17880061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Accurate computation of reduction potentials of 4Fe-4S clusters indicates a carboxylate shift in Pyrococcus furiosus ferredoxin.\nThis work describes the computation and accurate reproduction of subtle shifts in reduction potentials for two mutants of the iron-sulfur protein Pyrococcus furiosus ferredoxin. The computational models involved only first-sphere ligands and differed with respect to one ligand, either acetate (aspartate), thiolate (cysteine), or methoxide (serine). Standard procedures using vacuum optimization gave qualitatively wrong results and errors up to 0.07 V. Using electrostatically screened geometries and large basis sets for expanding the wave functions gave quantitatively correct results, with errors of only 0.03 V. Correspondingly, only this approach predicted a change in the coordination mode of aspartate (i.e., a carboxylate shift) accompanying the reduction of the wild-type cluster, confirming results from synthetic models and explaining why electrostatic screening is necessary. Hence, the carboxylate shift appears to occur in the proteins from which data were collected. The results represent the most accurate predictions of shifts in reduction potentials for modified proteins, the success in part being due to the similar nature of the three amino acid ligands involved. The predicted carboxylate shift is expected to tune aspartate's degree of electron donation to the cluster's two oxidation states, thus making the reversible redox reaction feasible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23598207,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Selective speciation of inorganic antimony on tetraethylenepentamine bonded silica gel column and its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.\nA speciation system for antimony (III) and antimony (V) ions that based on solid phase extraction on tetraethylenepentamine bonded silica gel has been established. Antimony was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF-AAS). Analytical conditions including pH, sample volume, etc., were studied for the quantitative recoveries of Sb (III) and Sb (V). Matrix effects on the recovery were also investigated. The recovery values and detection limit for antimony (III) at optimal conditions were found as >95% and 0.020 \u03bcg L(-1), respectively. Preconcentration factor was calculated as 50. The capacity of adsorption for the tetraethylenepentamine bonded silica gel was 7.9 mg g(-1). The validation was checked by analysis of NIST SRM 1573a Tomato laves and GBW 07605 Tea certified reference materials. The procedure was successfully applied to speciation of antimony in tap water, mineral water and spring water samples. Total antimony was determined in refined salt, unrefined salt, black tea, rice, tuna fish and soil samples after microwave digestion and presented enrichment method combination.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":479496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The amblyopic eye: is it downtrodden or just lazy?\nOver the past decade or two considerable information has been compiled about the functioning of individual cells in mammalian visual cortex. Out of this data is developing a clearer understanding of the etiology of amblyopia. And with this clearer understanding is coming the development of new ideas for clinical practice in the prevention, treatment, and cure of amblyopia. While the leap from single-cell neurophysiology lab to optometric practice office seems like a huge one, the gap is narrowing; and taking the leap promises to provide a rich pay-off for vision health care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32392312,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The Appearance of the Warburg Effect in the Developing Avian Eye Characterized In Ovo: How Neurogenesis Can Remodel Neuroenergetics.\nThe avian eye is an established model for exploring mechanisms that coordinate morphogenesis and metabolism during embryonic development. Less is known, however, about trafficking of bioenergetic and metabolic signaling molecules that are involved in retinal neurogenesis. Here we tested whether the known 3-day delayed neurogenesis occurring in the pigeon compared with the chick was associated with a deferred reshaping of eye metabolism in vivo. Developmental metabolic remodeling was explored using 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the whole eye and vitreous body, in ovo, in parallel with biochemical and molecular analyses of retinal, vitreous, and lens extracts from bird embryos. Cross-species comparisons enabled us to show that a major glycolytic switch in the retina is related to neurogenesis rather than to eye growth. We further show that the temporal emergence of an interlocking regulatory cascade controlling retinal oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis results in the exchange of lactate and citrate between the retina and vitreous. Our results point to the vitreous as a reservoir and buffer of energy metabolites that provides trophic support to oxidative neurons, such as retinal ganglion cells, in early development. Through its control of key glycolytic regulatory enzymes, citrate, exchanged between extracellular and intracellular compartments between the retina and vitreous, is a key metabolite in the initiation of a glycolytic switch.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33205118,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Integrated Value of Influence: An Integrative Method for the Identification of the Most Influential Nodes within Networks.\nBiological systems are composed of highly complex networks, and decoding the functional significance of individual network components is critical for understanding healthy and diseased states. Several algorithms have been designed to identify the most influential regulatory points within a network. However, current methods do not address all the topological dimensions of a network or correct for inherent positional biases, which limits their applicability. To overcome this computational deficit, we undertook a statistical assessment of 200 real-world and simulated networks to decipher associations between centrality measures and developed an algorithm termed Integrated Value of Influence (IVI), which integrates the most important and commonly used network centrality measures in an unbiased way. When compared against 12 other contemporary influential node identification methods on ten different networks, the IVI algorithm outperformed all other assessed methods. Using this versatile method, network researchers can now identify the most influential network nodes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17786595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intraoperative cone-beam CT for image-guided tibial plateau fracture reduction.\nA mobile isocentric C-arm was modified in our laboratory in collaboration with Siemens Medical Solutions to include a large-area flat-panel detector providing multi-mode fluoroscopy and cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging. This technology is an important advance over existing intraoperative imaging (e.g., Iso-C(3D)), offering superior image quality, increased field of view, higher spatial resolution, and soft-tissue visibility. The aim of this study was to assess the system's performance and image quality in tibial plateau (TP) fracture reconstruction. Three TP fractures were simulated in fresh-frozen cadaveric knees through combined axial loading and lateral impact. The fractures were reduced through a lateral approach and assessed by fluoroscopy. The reconstruction was then assessed using CBCT. If necessary, further reduction and localization of remaining displaced bone fragments was performed using CBCT images for guidance. CBCT image quality was assessed with respect to projection speed, dose and filtering technique. CBCT imaging provided exquisite visualization of articular details, subtle fragment detection and localization, and confirmation of reduction and implant placement. After fluoroscopic images indicated successful initial reduction, CBCT imaging revealed areas of malalignment and displaced fragments. CBCT facilitated fragment localization and improved anatomic reduction. CBCT image noise increased gradually with reduced dose, but little difference in images resulted from increased projections. High-resolution reconstruction provided better delineation of plateau depressions. This study demonstrated a clear advantage of intraoperative CBCT over 2D fluoroscopy and Iso-C(3D) in TP fracture fixation. CBCT imaging provided benefits in fracture type diagnosis, localization of fracture fragments, and intraoperative 3D confirmation of anatomic reduction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35695206,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mechanisms and modeling of wound repair in the intestinal epithelium.\nThe intestinal epithelial barrier is susceptible to injury from insults, such as ischemia or infectious disease. The epithelium's ability to repair wounded regions is critical to maintaining barrier integrity. Mechanisms of intestinal epithelial repair can be studied with models that recapitulate the in vivo environment. This review focuses on in vitro injury models and intestinal cell lines utilized in such systems. The formation of artificial wounds in a controlled environment allows for the exploration of reparative physiology in cell lines modeling diverse aspects of intestinal physiology. Specifically, the use of intestinal cell lines, IPEC-J2, Caco-2, T-84, HT-29, and IEC-6, to model intestinal epithelium is discussed. Understanding the unique systems available for creating intestinal injury and the differences in monolayers used for in vitro work is essential for designing studies that properly capture relevant physiology for the study of intestinal wound repair.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38098095,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Exploring knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards artificial intelligence among health professions' students in Jordan.\nThe integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medical education and practice is a significant development. This study examined the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) of health professions' students in Jordan concerning AI, providing insights into their preparedness and perceptions. An online questionnaire was distributed to 483 Jordanian health professions' students via social media. Demographic data, AI-related KAP, and barriers were collected. Quantile regression models analyzed associations between variables and KAP scores. Moderate AI knowledge was observed among participants, with specific understanding of data requirements and barriers. Attitudes varied, combining skepticism about AI replacing human teachers with recognition of its value. While AI tools were used for specific tasks, broader integration in medical education and practice was limited. Barriers included lack of knowledge, access, time constraints, and curriculum gaps. This study highlights the need to enhance medical education with AI topics and address barriers. Students need to be better prepared for AI integration, in order to enable medical education to harness AI's potential for improved patient care and training.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29481564,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Short-term renal outcomes following acute kidney injury among dengue patients: A follow-up analysis from large prospective cohort.\nDespite myriad improvements in the care of dengue patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) remained least appreciated intricacy of dengue infection. Exiting literature does not provide any information on renal outcomes among dengue patients surviving an episode of AKI. Dengue patients who developed AKI were followed up for post-discharge period of three months and renal recovery was assessed by using recovery criteria based on different thresholds of serum creatinine (SCr) and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR). Out of the 526 dengue participants, AKI was developed in 72 (13.7%) patients. Renal recovery was assessed among AKI survivors (n = 71). The use of less (\u00b150% recovery to baseline) to more (\u00b15% recovery to baseline) stringent definitions of renal recovery yielded recovery rates from 88.9% to 2.8% by SCr and 94.4% to 5.6% by eGFR, as renal function biomarkers. At the end of study, eight patients had AKI with AKIN-II (n = 7) and AKIN-III (n = 1). Approximately 50% patients (n = 36\/71) with AKI had eGFR primitive to CKD stage 2, while 18.3% (n = 13\/71) and 4.2% (n = 3\/71) patients had eGFR corresponding to advanced stages of CKD (stage 3 & 4). Factors such as renal insufficiencies at hospital discharge, multiple organ involvements, advance age, female gender and diabetes mellitus were associated with poor renal outcomes. We conclude that dengue patients with AKI portend unsatisfactory short-term renal outcomes and deserve a careful and longer follow-up, especially under nephrology care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23691671,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Thresholds of ecosystem response to nutrient enrichment from fish aggregations.\nBiogeochemical hotspots can be driven by aggregations of animals, via excretion, that provide a concentrated source of limiting nutrients for primary producers. In a subtropical seagrass ecosystem, we characterized thresholds of ecological change associated with such hotspots surrounding artificial reef habitats. We deployed reefs of three sizes to aggregate fishes at different densities (and thus different levels of nutrient supply via excretion) and examined seagrass characteristics that reflect ecosystem processes. Responses varied as a function of reef size, with higher fish densities (on larger reefs) associated with more distinct ecological thresholds. For example, adjacent to larger reefs, the percentage of P content (%P) of seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) blades was significantly higher than background concentrations; fish densities on smaller reefs were insufficient to support sharp transitions in %P. Blade height was the only variable characterized by thresholds adjacent to smaller reefs, but lower fish densities (and hence, nutrient input) on smaller reefs were not sufficient for luxury nutrient storage by seagrass. Identifying such complexities in ecological thresholds is crucial for characterizing the extent to which biogeochemical hotspots may influence ecosystem function at a landscape scale.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30601485,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Position- and region-isomerized derivatives of a V-shaped fluorophore: the unique solution-state dual emission and the unusual force-induced solid-state turn-on emission.\nA V-shaped parent fluorophore as well as its position- and region-isomerized derivatives with a phenyl introduced on either the electron-donating or the electron-withdrawing moiety in the ortho-, meta- or para-linkage is prepared. Compared with the parent, these derivatives exhibit unique solvent-dependent dual emission in solutions presumably due to the considerably enhanced rotation energy barrier triggered by the insertion of the phenyl, which results in competitive relaxation between the LE and the TICT states. The intrinsically differentiated electron effect induced by the linkage position, which is strengthened by the twisted conformations, should be responsible for the faint or fully quenched fluorescence of the ortho- and meta-isomers in both solution and solid states. The rare turn-on solid-state emission of such isomers under force stimuli is caused by the enhanced \u03c0-conjugation effect on excited molecules, which are released from broken lattices to possess more planarized geometries. Moreover, the red shifts of emission wavelengths before and after force application are remarkably reduced from the parent to the derivatives. X-ray crystallography helps us gain a deep insight on the reasons for such a reduction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32516107,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Pleural Effusion as a Sign of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pneumonia: A Case Report.\nRecently, COVID-19 infection has become a public health concern. On March 12th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it as a global pandemic. Early diagnosis of atypical cases of COVID-19 infection is critical in reducing the transmission and controlling the present pandemic. In the present report, we described a patient with the chief complaints of dyspnea and dry cough referred to the oncology center at Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, with the differential diagnosis of lung cancer who was diagnosed and treated for COVID-19 infection in follow up. A 59-year-old patient complained of fever, dry cough, and dyspnea from two weeks ago. The patient had been referred to this center with the differential diagnosis of lung cancer due to the massive pleural effusion in the initial chest CT scan. Dyspnea was the patient's main complaint at the time of admission in this center and the oxygen saturation was 84%. In the new chest CT scan, similar findings were observed. Due to the severe respiratory distress, a chest tube was placed in the chest cavity to remove the pleural effusion fluid on day one. The patient's felt relieved immediately after the procedure; however, the oxygen saturation did not rise above 85% despite the oxygen therapy. The cytology of pleural fluid was negative for malignant cells. On day 2, the lymphopenia and high level of CRP suggested the COVID-19 infection. Therefore, a control chest CT scan was conducted and the test for COVID-19 was performed. The CT report indicated the clear pattern of COVID-19's lung involvement in the absence of pleural effusion. Thus, the treatment for COVID-19 was immediately initiated. On day 4, the test reported positive for COVID-19. Currently, it is important to bear in mind the COVID-19 infection in evaluating patients with respiratory symptoms. This report indicated how misleading the presentation of a chest CT scan could be in clinical judgment. Therefore, we recommend ruling out the COVID-19 infection in all the patients with any pattern of lung involvement to avoid missing the potential cases of this vicious infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27379345,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"New Analytical Tools for Evaluating Dental Care Systems - Results for Germany and Selected Highly Developed Countries.\nTo propose new analytical tools that facilitate the obtention of quantifiable results for evaluating different dental care systems. The paper describes the construction of a composite indicator that measures dental health on a population basis in one overall indicator, the Dental Health Index (DHI). If the DHI is combined with a Dental Care Cost Index, an efficiency index (EI) can be created. The use of these new instruments for analysing different dental care systems reveals that the Swedish and Danish populations enjoy the best dental health status, followed by US, Japanese, Australian and Canadian citizens. Germany ranks in the middle, while the Dutch and Finnish populations enjoy a lesser degree of dental health. Advanced dental health can be achieved in any oral healthcare system, irrespective of the underlying cost-sharing and funding structures. As a benchmark for industrialised countries, cost levels for dental care between 0.5% and 0.7% of GDP, seem to be the international norm. A population's dental status is determined by the degree to which preventive and tooth-preserving treatment approaches are practised, also amongst adults. The new instruments broaden the diagnostic possibilities for investigating different dental care systems. The greater the degree to which preventive and tooth-preserving treatment methods for the entire population are incorporated in daily clinical practice, the faster and better such systems progress and perform in terms of efficacy and efficiency.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31140496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Atomic-level crystallization in selective laser melting fabricated Zr-based metallic glasses.\nAs a promising additive manufacturing technique, selective laser melting (SLM) provides the possibility of fabricating metallic glassy components free of the constraints of geometrical complexity and dimensions. However, unexpected crystallization greatly affects the microstructure and degrades the mechanical performance of SLM-fabricated metallic glasses (MGs). To clarify the crystallization mechanism and the effect of laser processing on the crystallization, we investigate the atomic-level crystallization in the SLM Zr90Cu10 MG by using molecular dynamics simulations. The results show that crystallization highly related to scan speed lies in the atomic-level cluster changes. Lower scan speed leads to a dramatically increased fraction of the BCC crystal phase, accompanied by the nucleation of a few HCP and FCC crystal phases. As scan speed increases, more icosahedron-like clusters are formed, leading to the formation of the MG, while the nucleation of the crystal phase is suppressed. The suppression of crystallization is further attributed to a higher average temperature variation rate induced by higher scan speed, which reduces the relaxation time, preventing the nucleation and growth of crystal phases. This work contributes to the understanding of the crystallization in MGs during the SLM process at the atomic level, providing guidance to suppress the crystallization in the SLM process of desired metallic glassy components.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28068425,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Predictive Factors for Pressure Ulcers in an Older Adult Population Hospitalized for Hip Fractures: A Prognostic Cohort Study.\nOlder adult patients with fragility hip fractures constitute a population at high risk for complications, in particular pressure ulcers. The aim was to evaluate the incidence of pressure ulcers and potential predictive factors. A prospective multicentric prognostic cohort study in orthopedic wards in three Italian public hospitals. Participants were all consecutive patients 65 years of age or older diagnosed with a fragility hip fracture. Outcomes were incidence of pressure ulcers. The exposure variables were grouped into three macro areas in order to facilitate reading: \"intrinsic\" variables, \"extrinsic\" variables and variables linked to the organization of patient care. One thousand eighty-three older adult patients with fragility hip fractures were enrolled from October 1st, 2013 to January 31st, 2015, and pressure ulcers developed in 22.7%. At multivariate analysis, the following were found to be risk factors: age> 80 years (odds ratio (OR) 1.03; p = 0.015), the length of time a urinary catheter was used (OR 1.013; p<0.001), the length of time pain was present (OR 1.008; p = 0.008), the absence of side rails on the bed (OR 1.668; p = 0.026) and the use of a foam position valve (OR 1.025; p<0.001). Instead, the protective factors were the presence of a caregiver for at least half a day daily (OR 0.994; p = 0.012) and the number of positionings during the postoperative period (OR 0.897; p = 0.008). The study allowed the identification of the patients most at risk for developing pressure ulcers, and the construction of a pragmatic predictive model using significant risk or protective factors in order to reduce the number of pressure ulcers.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1200772,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Good patients and bad. Therapeutic assets and liabilities.\nThis is an extension of an earlier article that identified three utilization styles at an urban mental health center where, apart from a minority of intensive users, casual users, and pseudousers predominate and, combined, characterize the therapeutically passive user. The present article compares center data to added data from the private sector, where the intensive user predominates. Center\/private differences are examined, and correlates of differing utilization styles are identified, such as sex, diagnosis, marital\/living arrangements, referral source, and social engagement factor. The later is associated with differences not attributable to diagnostic severity of social impairment. The growing division of labor, wherein the privates sector is engaged in intensive psychiatric treatment while the center increasingly operates an emergency\/crisis\/maintenance service, is shown to reflect a gross public\/private maldistribution of therapeutic assets and liabilities.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25393567,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Results of Displaced Pediatric Tibial Spine Fractures: A Comparison Between Open, Arthroscopic, and Closed Management.\nDisplaced tibial spine fractures are frequently treated with surgical reduction and fixation, but no comparison studies have been performed. This study was undertaken to compare fragment reduction and adverse outcomes between open arthrotomy [open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF)], arthroscopy [arthroscopic-assisted internal fixation (AAIF)], and closed management [closed management and casting (CMC)] of pediatric tibial spine fractures. A retrospective review of children treated for displaced tibial spine fractures from 2003 to 2011 was performed after categorizing into the 3 treatment groups. Demographics, mechanism of injury, radiographic measures (plain film and computed tomography), treatment, duration of immobilization and follow-up, final range of motion, and complications were recorded. Families were contacted to obtain long-term Lysholm scores, return to activity, pain, and satisfaction with treatment. Seventy-six children (mean age, 12.4 y) met criteria with 29 ORIF, 28 AAIF, and 19 CMC. Radiographic measurements between x-ray and computed tomography scans found a mean error of 1 mm (SD=1.33 mm; inter-class coefficient = 0.977, P < 0.001). Initial fracture displacement was similar between AAIF and ORIF, 10.3 \u00b1 4.4 mm and 10.8 \u00b1 3.9 mm; but, less in CMC group (5.3 \u00b1 2.6 mm). The mean reduction amount was 8.6 \u00b1 4.7, 9.1 \u00b1 4.0, and 2.3 \u00b1 2.6 mm, respectively. A Bonferroni post hoc analysis revealed a difference between surgical and nonoperative reduction (P < 0.001), but not between AAIF and ORIF (P=0.9). Arthrofibrosis occurred with equal frequency in surgical cohorts (AAIF 12.5%, ORIF 11.1%), compared with none in the CMC group. Yet, the CMC group had a 16.7% risk for reoperation secondary to instability, loose bodies, or impingement. Twenty-four percent of each cohort was available (at mean 6.0 y) for interview with mean (median) Lysholm score: ORIF 97.4 (99), AAIF 95 (100), and CMC 86 (97.5), P = 0.35. Open or arthroscopic treatment of displaced tibial spine fractures affords a better reduction than closed management, but with higher risk for arthrofibrosis. Closed management may be successful when displacement is < 5 mm, and advanced imaging may not be necessary to delineate the amount of displacement.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27792535,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Dietary Supplementation with n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduces Torpor Use in a Tropical Daily Heterotherm.\nPolyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are involved in a variety of physiological mechanisms, including heterothermy preparation and expression. However, the effects of the two major classes of PUFAs, n-6 and n-3, can differ substantially. While n-6 PUFAs enhance torpor expression, n-3 PUFAs reduce the ability to decrease body temperature. This negative impact of n-3 PUFAs has been revealed in temperate hibernators only. Yet because tropical heterotherms generally experience higher ambient temperature and exhibit higher minimum body temperature during heterothermy, they may not be affected as much by PUFAs as their temperate counterparts. We tested whether n-3 PUFAs constrain torpor use in a tropical daily heterotherm (Microcebus murinus). We expected dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation to induce a reduction in torpor use and for this effect to appear rapidly given the time required for dietary fatty acids to be assimilated into phospholipids. n-3 PUFA supplementation reduced torpor use, and its effect appeared in the first days of the experiment. Within 2 wk, control animals progressively deepened their torpor bouts, whereas supplemented ones never entered torpor but rather expressed only constant, shallow reductions in body temperature. For the rest of the experiment, the effect of n-3 PUFA supplementation on torpor use remained constant through time. Even though supplemented animals also started to express torpor, they exhibited higher minimum body temperature by 2\u00b0-3\u00b0C and spent two fewer hours in a torpid state per day than control individuals, on average. Our study supports the view that a higher dietary content in n-3 PUFAs negatively affects torpor use in general, not only in cold-acclimated hibernators.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3957005,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Temporal and microgeographic variation in allozyme frequencies in a natural population of Drosophila buzzatii.\nTemporal variation in allozyme frequencies at six loci was studied by making monthly collections over 4 yr in one population of the cactophilic species Drosophila buzzatii. Ten sites were defined within the study locality, and for all temporal samples, separate collections were made at each of these sites. Population structure over microgeographic space and changes in population structure over time were analyzed using F-statistic estimators, and multivariate analyses of allele and genotype frequencies with environmental variables were carried out. Allele frequencies showed significant variation over time, although there were no clear cyclical or seasonal patterns. A biplot analysis of allele frequencies over seasons within years and over years showed clear discrimination among years by alleles at four loci. During the 4 yr, three alleles showed directional changes which were associated with directional changes in environmental variables. Significant associations with one or more environmental variables were found for allele frequencies at every locus and for both expected and observed heterozygosities (except those for Est-1 and Est-2). Thus, variation in allele frequencies over time cannot be attributed solely to drift. Significant linkage disequilibria were detected among three loci (Est-2, Hex and Aldox), but there was no evidence for spatial or temporal patterns. The F-statistic analyses showed significant differentiation among months within years for all loci, but the statistic used (coancestry) was heterogeneous among loci. Estimates of F (inbreeding) for all loci were significantly different from zero, with the loci in four groups, Adh-1 (negative), Pgm(small positive), Est-2 and Hex (intermediate) and Est-1 and Aldox (high positive). The correlation of genes within individuals within populations (f) for each locus in each month by site sample differed among loci, as did the (f) for each locus in each month by site sample differed among loci, as did the patterns of change in f over time (seasons). Heterogeneity in the F-statistic estimates indicates that natural selection is directly or indirectly affecting allele and genotype frequencies at some loci. However, the F-statistic analyses showed essentially no microgeographic structure (i.e., among sites), although there was significant heterogeneity in allele frequencies among flies emerging from individual rots. Thus, microspatial heterogeneity probably is most important at the level of individual rots, and coupled with habitat selection, it could be a major factor promoting diversifying selection and the maintenance of polymorphism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15363676,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"A model for restriction point control of the mammalian cell cycle.\nInhibition of protein synthesis by cycloheximide blocks subsequent division of a mammalian cell, but only if the cell is exposed to the drug before the \"restriction point\" (i.e. within the first several hours after birth). If exposed to cycloheximide after the restriction point, a cell proceeds with DNA synthesis, mitosis and cell division and halts in the next cell cycle. If cycloheximide is later removed from the culture medium, treated cells will return to the division cycle, showing a complex pattern of division times post-treatment, as first measured by Zetterberg and colleagues. We simulate these physiological responses of mammalian cells to transient inhibition of growth, using a set of nonlinear differential equations based on a realistic model of the molecular events underlying progression through the cell cycle. The model relies on our earlier work on the regulation of cyclin-dependent protein kinases during the cell division cycle of yeast. The yeast model is supplemented with equations describing the effects of retinoblastoma protein on cell growth and the synthesis of cyclins A and E, and with a primitive representation of the signaling pathway that controls synthesis of cyclin D.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14962351,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Fluoxetine: a review on evidence based medicine.\nBACKGROUND: Fluoxetine was the first molecule of a new generation of antidepressants, the Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). It is recurrently the paradigm for the development of any new therapy in the treatment of depression. Many controlled studies and meta-analyses were performed on Fluoxetine, to improve the understanding of its real impact in the psychiatric area. The main objective of this review is to assess the quality and the results reported in the meta-analyses published on Fluoxetine. METHODS: Published articles on Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases reporting meta-analyses were used as data sources for this review.Articles found in the searches were reviewed by 2 independent authors, to assess if these were original meta-analyses. Only data belonging to the most recent and comprehensive meta-analytic studies were included in this review. RESULTS: Data, based on a group of 9087 patients, who were included in 87 different randomized clinical trials, confirms that fluoxetine is safe and effective in the treatment of depression from the first week of therapy. Fluoxetine's main advantage over previously available antidepressants (TCAs) was its favorable safety profile, that reduced the incidence of early drop-outs and improved patient's compliance, associated with a comparable efficacy on depressive symptoms. In these patients, Fluoxetine has proven to be more effective than placebo from the first week of therapy.Fluoxetine has shown to be safe and effective in the elderly population, as well as during pregnancy. Furthermore, it was not associated with an increased risk of suicide in the overall evaluation of controlled clinical trials.The meta-analysis available on the use of Fluoxetine in the treatment of bulimia nervosa shows that the drug is as effective as other agents with fewer patients dropping out of treatment.Fluoxetine has demonstrated to be as effective as chlomipramine in the treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive-Disorder (OCD). CONCLUSION: Fluoxetine can be considered a drug successfully used in several diseases for its favorable safety\/efficacy ratio. As the response rate of mentally ill patients is strictly related to each patient's personal characteristics, any new drug in this area, will have to be developed under these considerations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38113976,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"ASDs of PROTACs: Spray-dried solid dispersions as enabling formulations.\nProteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are a promising class of pharmaceutical agents with a unique mode of action. PROTACs enable the targeting of a broad variety of structures including transcription factors and other \"undruggable\" targets. The poor solubility and slow dissolution of PROTACs currently limit the extensive use of their potential. Up to date, only very limited drug delivery options have been examined to address this challenge. Therefore, we explored the potential of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) by spray drying a model PROTAC with different polymers. The resulting formulations were assessed in terms of purity, solid state, dissolution performance, and stability. A strong increase in supersaturation compared to the physical mixture was provided, although in both systems the PROTAC molecule itself was already in the amorphous state. Evaluation of the reasons for the superiority of the ASD formulations revealed that the major factor was the homogeneous, molecular distribution of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the polymer matrix, as well as improved wettability of the formulation containing Soluplus compared to the physical mixture. The manufactured formulations were stable over a minimum of 8 weeks when protected from light and humidity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30605123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Single-particle reconstruction statistics: a diagnostic tool in solving biomolecular structures by cryo-EM.\nIn single-particle analysis (SPA), the aim is to obtain a 3D reconstruction of a biological molecule from 2D electron micrographs to the highest level of detail or resolution as possible. Current practice is to collect large volumes of data, hoping to reach high-resolution maps through sheer numbers. However, adding more particles from a specific data set eventually leads to diminishing improvements in resolution. Understanding what these resolution limits are and how to deal with them are important in optimization and automation of SPA. This study revisits the theory of 3D reconstruction and demonstrates how the associated statistics can provide a diagnostic tool to improve SPA. Small numbers of images already give sufficient information on micrograph quality and the amount of data required to reach high resolution. Such feedback allows the microscopist to improve sample-preparation and imaging parameters before committing to extensive data collection. Once a larger data set is available, a B factor can be determined describing the suppression of the signal owing to one or more causes, such as specimen movement, radiation damage, alignment inaccuracy and structural variation. Insight into the causes of signal suppression can then guide the user to consider appropriate actions to obtain better reconstructions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20662627,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Pap smear versus speculum examination: can we teach providers to educate patients?\nTo test whether provider-based training in focused patient communication can improve patient knowledge about Pap screening as part of the speculum examination in an urban urgent care setting. A separate samples pretest, posttest study evaluated the intervention. Before the intervention, we surveyed a convenience sample of 383 consecutive patients who received a speculum examination in a gynecology urgent care clinic of an urban public hospital about their understanding of the Pap smear and its correct use. The intervention trained healthcare providers to briefly explain speculum examinations and Pap smears. After the intervention, we surveyed 130 additional consecutive patients. The intervention was associated with improved identification that a Pap smear had not been performed (57.7% preintervention vs. 70.7% postintervention, p = 0.013) and improved knowledge that the Pap smear screens only for cervical cancer (12.0% preintervention vs. 23.8% postintervention, p = 0.002). In logistic regression analysis controlling for age and other potential confounders, being in the postintervention group and speaking Spanish predicted correct identification of Pap test use (odds ratio [OR], 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.70, 1.54-4.75, and 2.98, 1.48-5.98, respectively). In an urban urgent care setting, patients may lack awareness that screening tests are not being performed at the time of a problem-oriented pelvic examination. A targeted intervention to improve physician counseling was associated with partial improvement in patient awareness and knowledge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14959488,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Typological features of behavior and memory in Norway rats selected for absence of aggression toward a man].\nFeatures of behavior and retrieval of passive conditioned avoidance on a new and forgotten stimuli were compared in Wistar rats and Norway rats bred for the absence of aggression toward a man. As distinct from white rats, grey rats were characterized by low anxiety and high locomotor exploratory activity in the elevated plus maze and dark-light chamber. Norway rats demonstrated better avoidance performance with active defensive behavioral strategy than Wistar rats. Latent inhibition during conditioning with a previously forgotten situational stimulus was the same in both rat strains. The results are discussed in terms of the use of grey rats as a model for an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms of memory optimization.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22570558,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Obesity: considerations about etiology, metabolism, and the use of experimental models.\nStudies have been conducted in order to identify the main factors that contribute to the development of obesity. The role of genetics has also been extensively studied. However, the substantial augmentation of obesity prevalence in the last 20 years cannot be justified only by genetic alterations that, theoretically, would have occurred in such a short time. Thus, the difference in obesity prevalence in various population groups is also related to environmental factors, especially diet and the reduction of physical activity. These aspects, interacting or not with genetic factors, could explain the excess of body fat in large proportions worldwide. This article will focus on positive energy balance, high-fat diet, alteration in appetite control hormones, insulin resistance, amino acids metabolism, and the limitation of the experimental models to address this complex issue.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23204657,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Predictors of no-scalpel vasectomy acceptance in Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh.\nKarimnagar District has consistently achieved highest rates of no-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) in the past decade when compared to state and national rates. This study was conducted to elucidate the underlying causes for higher acceptance of NSV in the district. A community-based, case control study was conducted. Sampling techniques used were purposive and simple random sampling. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the socio-demographic, family characteristics, contraceptive history and predictors of contraceptive choice in 116 NSV acceptors and 120 other contraceptive users (OCUs). Postoperative complications and experiences were ascertained in NSV acceptors. Age (\u03c7(2)=11.79, P value = 0.008), literacy (\u03c7(2)=17.95, P value = 0.03), duration of marriage (\u03c7(2)=14.23, P value = 0.008) and number of children (\u03c7(2)=10.45, P value = 0.01) were significant for acceptance of NSV. Among the predictors, method suggested by peer\/ health worker (OR = 1.5, P value = 0.01), method does not require regular intervention (OR = 1.3, P value = 0.004) and permanence of the method (OR = 1.2, P value = 0.031) were significant. Acceptors were most satisfied with the shorter duration required to return to work and the most common complication was persistent postoperative pain among 12 (10.34%) of the acceptors. Advocating and implementing family planning is of high significance in view of the population growth in India and drawing from the demographic profile, predictors, pool of trainers and experiences in Karimnagar District, a similar achievement of higher rates of this simple procedure with few complications can be replicated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26365453,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Hypnotherapy for insomnia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.\nTo examine the efficacy and safety of hypnotherapy for insomnia as compared to placebo, pharmacological or non-pharmacological intervention, or no treatment. A systematic search on major electronic databases was conducted up until March 2014. Inclusion criteria are: (1) randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs; (2) intervention targeted at improving sleep; (3) hypnosis as an intervention; and (4) English language articles. Sleep diary variable is the primary outcome measure. Six RCTs of hypnotherapy and seven on autogenic training or guided imagery, comprising 502 subjects, were included. Eleven of the 13 studies had low methodological quality, as indicated by a modified Jadad score below 3, and high risks of bias in blinding and design of the control interventions. No adverse events related to hypnosis were reported, though seldom investigated. Meta-analyses found hypnotherapy significantly shortened sleep latency compared to waitlist (standardized mean difference, SMD=-0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.56, -0.19, P=0.01, I(2)=15%), but no difference compared to sham intervention (SMD: -1.08, 95% CI: -3.15, 0.09, P=0.31, I(2)=90%). Similar results were found for autogenic training or guided imagery (SMD with waitlist=-1.16, 95% CI: -1.92, -0.40, P=0.003, I(2)=0%; SMD with sham intervention=-0.50, 95% CI: -1.19, 0.19, P=0.15, I(2)=0%). Generalizability of the positive results is doubtful due to the relatively small sample size and methodological limitations. Future studies with larger sample size and better study design and methodology are called for.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1774050,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Increased incidence of cervical cytological abnormalities in women with genital warts or contact with genital warts: a need for increased vigilance?\nTo determine whether women who have a history of genital warts or whose sexual partners have such a history were more likely to have borderline or dyskaryotic cervical smears than other women. Prospective study conducted over a five month period. A genitourinary medicine clinic in Cambridge, UK. One hundred and eighty five women who attended the clinic during the study period, on whom cervical cytology was performed. Ninety-seven had a history of genital warts and twenty had partners with genital warts. Cervical cytology taken by standard methods. Demographic data and sexual history obtained by questionnaire. Colposcopy was performed on patients with a history of warts or wart contact. Relative incidence of cytological abnormalities in the various groups of patients. \"Borderline\" nuclear change was the most frequent abnormality reported in the wart contact group (six cases) whereas mild dyskaryosis was the most frequent abnormal finding in those women with a history of warts (21 cases). Women with warts or contact with genital warts were more likely to have borderline or dyskaryotic cervical smears than women without such a history. Recommendations for follow-up of these patients are made.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8530369,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Autophosphorylation induces autoactivation and a decrease in the Src homology 2 domain accessibility of the Lyn protein kinase.\nLyn is a member of the Src family of protein-tyrosine kinases that can readily undergo autophosphorylation in vitro. The site of autophosphorylation is Tyr397 which corresponds to the consensus autophosphorylation site of other Src family tyrosine kinases. The rate of autophosphorylation is concentration-dependent, indicating that the reaction follows an intermolecular mechanism. Autophosphorylation results in a 17-fold increase in protein-tyrosine kinase activity. Kinetic analysis demonstrates that phosphorylation of a substrate peptide by Lyn following autophosphorylation occurs with a 63-fold decrease in Km but no significant change in Vmax, suggesting that autophosphorylation relieves the conformational constraint that prevents binding of the substrate peptide to the active site of the kinase. Using a phosphotyrosine-containing peptide (pYEEI) that has previously been shown to bind to the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of Src family tyrosine kinases with high affinity, we found that autophosphorylation results in a significant decrease in accessibility of the Lyn SH2 domain, indicating that conformational changes in the protein kinase domain induced by autophosphorylation can be propagated to the SH2 domain. Our study suggests that autophosphorylation plays an important role in regulating Lyn by modulating both its kinase activity and its interaction with other phosphotyrosine-containing molecules.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6274638,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Electron transport to nitrogenase in Klebsiella pneumoniae: purification and properties of the nifJ protein.\nIn Klebsiella pneumoniae, the physiological electron flow to nitrogenase involves specifically, in addition to nitrogenase reductase, the products of the nifF and nifJ genes. The J protein was purified to homogeneity and was found to be an iron-sulfur protein devoid of molybdenum. In its native state, the J protein is a dimer of Mr about 245 000, made up of two subunits of the same molecular weight. It contains about 30 mol iron and 24 mol labile sulfur\/mol protein. The addition of J protein to crude extracts of a nifJ mutant reestablishes pyruvate-supported acetylene-reducing activity. This activity is further enhanced by addition of pure nitrogenase (Kp1). Based on its physical properties, the J protein is probably an oxidoreductase whose physiological role might be to transfer electrons from a metabolic donor to the F protein. In addition, another protein whose activity is also dependent on the nifJ gene seems to be required for the formation of a fully active Kp1.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27472660,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Intersection of the Roles of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes with Xenobiotic and Endogenous Substrates: Relevance to Toxicity and Drug Interactions.\nToday much is known about cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes and their catalytic specificity, but the range of reactions catalyzed by each still continues to surprise. Historically, P450s had been considered to be involved in either the metabolism of xenobiotics or endogenous chemicals, in the former case playing a generally protective role and in the latter case a defined physiological role. However, the line of demarcation is sometimes blurred. It is difficult to be completely specific in drug design, and some P450s involved in the metabolism of steroids and vitamins can be off-targets. In a number of cases, drugs have been developed that act on some of those P450s as primary targets, e.g., steroid aromatase inhibitors. Several of the P450s involved in the metabolism of endogenous substrates are less specific than once thought and oxidize several related structures. Some of the P450s that primarily oxidize endogenous chemicals have been shown to oxidize xenobiotic chemicals, even in a bioactivation mode.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7581193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"An architect's perspective on contemporary academic library design.\nThe making of space and place (architecture) requires cultural and financial consent as to societal value. Standards and values about the academic library of the immediate future are not always shared by librarians and architects; however, architects and librarians do possess several shared perceptions. Among these shared perceptions are that print collections will remain a primary function of libraries for the foreseeable future, flexibility in shelving arrangements are essential, adjacencies must be fluid, floor-to-floor heights should be generous, compact shelving has become commonplace, print and electronic media must coexist, and technology has not reduced library space requirements. Experience reinforces the continuing and increasing significance of the library on college and university campuses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23269957,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Guidelines for the management of postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty.\nThis clinical practice guideline was approved by Korean Knee Society on February 28, 2012. It is based on a systematic review of published studies on the management of postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty and was developed to include the overall pain management modalities. The purpose of the guideline is to help improve treatment based on current best evidence. Eleven recommendations have been developed based on a systematic review of research evidence and the consensus opinions of a multidisciplinary working group of experts. These recommendations will be revised regularly following systematic review of new research evidence as this becomes available.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27213980,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A primer on theory-driven web scraping: Automatic extraction of big data from the Internet for use in psychological research.\nThe term big data encompasses a wide range of approaches of collecting and analyzing data in ways that were not possible before the era of modern personal computing. One approach to big data of great potential to psychologists is web scraping, which involves the automated collection of information from webpages. Although web scraping can create massive big datasets with tens of thousands of variables, it can also be used to create modestly sized, more manageable datasets with tens of variables but hundreds of thousands of cases, well within the skillset of most psychologists to analyze, in a matter of hours. In this article, we demystify web scraping methods as currently used to examine research questions of interest to psychologists. First, we introduce an approach called theory-driven web scraping in which the choice to use web-based big data must follow substantive theory. Second, we introduce data source theories, a term used to describe the assumptions a researcher must make about a prospective big data source in order to meaningfully scrape data from it. Critically, researchers must derive specific hypotheses to be tested based upon their data source theory, and if these hypotheses are not empirically supported, plans to use that data source should be changed or eliminated. Third, we provide a case study and sample code in Python demonstrating how web scraping can be conducted to collect big data along with links to a web tutorial designed for psychologists. Fourth, we describe a 4-step process to be followed in web scraping projects. Fifth and finally, we discuss legal, practical and ethical concerns faced when conducting web scraping projects. (PsycINFO Database Record","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6331817,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Computerized tomography in patients with neurocysticercosis with intracranial hypertension due to obstructive hydrocephalus: comparison with Dimer-X ventriculography].\nThe authors reviewed the alterations observed on computerized tomography (CT) examinations of 16 patients with increased intracranial pressure and obstructive hydrocephalus due to cerebral cysticercosis. Plain radiograms of the skull were available in all cases and Dimer-X ventriculography in 12 cases. In 7 cases there were radiologic signs of increased intracranial pressure. CT scan showed normal cerebral parenchyma in 9 cases and low density areas, with various size, with or without surround contrast enhancement, and\/or small calcifications in the parenchyma. Hydrocephalus was the only alteration observed in the ventricular system in the case that the examination was done before ventricular drainage. Ventriculography was analyzed in other paper and permitted to situate the obstruction, determine its morphological characteristics and identify occuping space lesions within the ventricles. Comparison between ventriculography and CT scan made in the same period evidence that the former gives best information about the ventricular system and that tomography gives additional information about the cerebral parenchyma. In conclusion, CT scan and ventriculography are investigations that complete each the other for evaluation and diagnosis of cerebral cysticercosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27892707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Is firstly diagnosed ALS really ALS? Results of a population-based study with long-term follow-up.\nTo revise the first diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in patients from a well-defined population. Patients diagnosed with ALS in the years 1998-2002 and resident of Lombardy Region, Northern Italy were followed until death or April 30 2016 to assess long-term survival. During follow-up, the caring neurologists were asked to confirm the first diagnosis. Revised diagnoses were classified as confirmed and unconfirmed motor neuron disease (MND) with further specification where available. The two groups were compared for age, sex, disease duration at diagnosis, site of onset, and El Escorial category. Survival with predictors were also compared. Included were 280 men and 203 women aged 18-93 years. During follow-up, 25 cases (5.2%) received a diagnosis different from MND. Diseases of spinal roots and peripheral nerves and vascular encephalopathy predominated. Patients with definite (OR 0.15; 95%CI 0.04-0.52) and probable (OR 0.15; 95%CI 0.04-0.62) ALS were least likely to have an unconfirmed MND diagnosis. At end of follow-up, 2.2% of patients with confirmed MND and 44.0% of patients with unconfirmed MND were reported alive (HR 0.14; 95%CI 0.08-0.25). At the time of a first diagnosis of ALS, the possibility still exists that another, less severe clinical condition, is present.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30923811,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Determining parameters for non-linear models of multi-loop free energy change.\nPredicting the secondary structure of RNA is a fundamental task in bioinformatics. Algorithms that predict secondary structure given only the primary sequence, and a model to evaluate the quality of a structure, are an integral part of this. These algorithms have been updated as our model of RNA thermodynamics changed and expanded. An exception to this has been the treatment of multi-loops. Although more advanced models of multi-loop free energy change have been suggested, a simple, linear model has been used since the 1980s. However, recently, new dynamic programing algorithms for secondary structure prediction that could incorporate these models were presented. Unfortunately, these models appear to have lower accuracy for secondary structure prediction. We apply linear regression and a new parameter optimization algorithm to find better parameters for the existing linear model and advanced non-linear multi-loop models. These include the Jacobson-Stockmayer and Aalberts & Nandagopal models. We find that the current linear model parameters may be near optimal for the linear model, and that no advanced model performs better than the existing linear model parameters even after parameter optimization. Source code and data is available at https:\/\/github.com\/maxhwardg\/advanced_multiloops. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3494018,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Exploring the risk of early dismissal following cardiac operations.\nThe expense for routine postoperative surveillance contributes importantly to the cost of cardiac operations. This study was established to determine the feasibility of earlier dismissals following surgery and whether this would be accompanied by increased risk. All 80 adult cardiac surgery patients undergoing a cardiac operation at one institution during the final quarter of 1983 were included in this prospective study. Patient ages ranged from 34 to 81 years with a mean of 63. Fifty-two per cent were over 65 years old. There were 57 men and 23 women. Of the 80 cardiac operations 85% were coronary artery bypass procedures, with 15% valve operations or other. There was one hospital death. The mean length of postoperative hospitalization was 5 days, and 73% of the patients left the hospital by the 5th postoperative day. Follow-up for 60 days revealed no readmissions nor complications in patients dismissed in 5 days or less. There was one late death presumably from a ventricular arrhythmia in a patient dismissed on the 7th postoperative day. Three point eight per cent (3\/79) of the discharged patients were readmitted for varying reasons. The majority of adult cardiac surgery patients can be dismissed safely by the 5th postoperative day. Patients having ventricular arrhythmias or lacking adequate home care are not candidates for early dismissal.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3415284,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Perioral keratoacanthomas with extensive perineural invasion and intravenous growth.\nFour patients had squamous tumors of the perioral skin with clinical and microscopic hallmarks of keratoacanthoma. In addition, the lesions exhibited extensive perineural invasion and intravenous growth. Two of the tumors recurred soon after excision and required additional surgery. In another case, two subsequent keratoacanthomas developed in adjacent skin. There were no further recurrences after follow-up periods of 7, 24, 42, and 44 months. Lesions in two patients were extremely painful. Perineural invasion was found in each of nine pathologic specimens. The number of involved nerves in single sections of each lesion ranged from two to 59 and exceeded 20 in four specimens from three patients. Intravenous growth by keratoacanthoma was seen in five specimens from three patients. Nine veins were affected in one instance and four in another. Several of the tumors had a dispersed and deeply infiltrative pattern of growth. Measuring vertically from the surface of the lesion, the deepest focus of perineural invasion observed in the four patients ranged from 4.2 to 17 mm. Keratoacanthomas with this unusual constellation of findings may have a predilection for the central portion of the face.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38099327,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Role of platelet count in a murine stasis model of deep vein thrombosis.\nPlatelets are core components of thrombi but their effect on thrombus burden during deep vein thrombosis (DVT) has not been fully characterized. We examined the role of thrombopoietin-altered platelet count on thrombus burden in a murine stasis model of DVT. To modulate platelet count compared to baseline, CD1 mice were pretreated with thrombopoietin antisense oligonucleotide (THPO-ASO, 56% decrease), thrombopoietin mimetic (TPO-mimetic, 36% increase), or saline (within 1%). Thrombi and vein walls were examined on postoperative days (POD) 3 and 7. Thrombus weights on POD 3 were not different between treatment groups (p = .84). The mean thrombus weights on POD 7 were significantly increased in the TPO-mimetic cohort compared to the THPO-ASO (p = .005) and the saline (p = .012) cohorts. Histological grading at POD 3 revealed a significantly increased smooth muscle cell presence in the thrombi and CD31 positive channeling in the vein wall of the TPO-mimetic cohort compared to the saline and THPO-ASO cohorts (p < .05). No differences were observed in histology on POD 7. Thrombopoietin-induced increased platelet count increased thrombus weight on POD 7 indicating platelet count may regulate thrombus burden during early resolution of venous thrombi in this murine stasis model of DVT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24515008,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2015-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Universal power law for front propagation in all fiber resonators.\nWe consider a bistable system consisting of all fiber cavity driven by an external injected continuous wave. We report on front propagation in a high finesse cavity. We study the asymptotic behavior of the front velocity. We show that the front velocity is affected by the distance from the critical point associated with bistability. We provide a scaling low governing its evolution near the up-switching point of the bistable curve. We show also that the velocity of front propagation obeys a generic power law when the front velocity approaches asymptotically its linear growing value.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8979131,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Precision and accuracy of the international normalized ratio in oral anticoagulant control.\nPrecision is defined as the agreement between replicate analyses of the same material. Within-laboratory precision of the prothrombin time (PT) and INR can be optimized by choosing an appropriate combination of thromboplastin and instrument. Accuracy (true value) of the International Sensitivity Index (ISI), required for the calculation of INR, depends on the choice of international reference preparation for the thromboplastin, and on the instrument used by the local laboratory. Interaction between thromboplastin and each patient's individual coagulation factors influences the accuracy of the INR. The contributions of imprecision, inaccuracy, and interaction effects can be combined to calculate the total uncertainty of the INR using Tomenson's equation. Confidence intervals for the INR were calculated in typical examples. The 95% confidence intervals of the INR around 3 are approximately as wide as currently recommended therapeutic target ranges.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31237535,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Azospirillum palustre sp. nov., a methylotrophic nitrogen-fixing species isolated from raised bog.\nNitrogen-fixing bacterial strain, designated B2T, was isolated from methane-oxidation enrichment originating from a Sphagnum-dominated raised peatland in Tver region, Russia, and its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic characteristics were investigated. Cells of isolate were Gram-negative, aerobic, rod or spiral-shaped, with motility provided by a single polar flagellum in liquid media and peritrichous flagella on solid media. Strain was able to grow at 15-40 \u00b0C, pH 5.5-8.5 and tolerated NaCl to 2.0 % (w\/v). Strain B2T gave positive amplification for dinitrogen reductase (nifH gene) and acetylene reduction activity was recorded up to 1250 nmol ethylene h-1 (mg protein)-1. Analysis of 16S rRNA showed that B2T represents a member of the genus Azospirillum and had the highest sequence similarity with A. humicireducens SgZ-5T (97.92 %). The predominant quinone system was ubiquinone Q-10 and the major fatty acids were C18 : 1\u03c97, C16 : 1\u03c97 and C16 : 0. The strain was facultative methylotrophic and used methanol and formate for the growth. Genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 8.0 Mbp and a G+C content of 67.8 mol%. The mxaFI genes encoding methanol dehydrogenase were absent, but a homologous xoxF gene was detected. The genes encoding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of tetrahydromethanopterin (H4MPT) (formaldehyde oxidation) and NAD-linked formate dehydrogenase (fdsABG) were identified. Pairwise determined whole genome average nucleotide identity (gANI) values confirmed that strain B2T represents a novel species, for which we propose the name Azospirillum palustre sp. nov. with the type strain B2T (VKM B-3233T, \u041a\u0421\u0422\u0421 62613\u0422).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26479672,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Optical and thermal design of light emitting diodes omnidirectional bulb.\nThe penetration of LED light bulbs into the lighting market is growing quickly in recent years due to significant increase of LED efficiency and reduction of cost. One major issue to be improved is the overall light bulb efficiency, which can fulfill \"Energy Star for Lamps\" while keeping sufficiently high efficiency. The efficiency issue results mainly from the high directionality of the LED sources and the corresponding solutions to make the emission more diverse. In this paper, a diffusion white reflection sheet (DWRS) with an array of holes is proposed as a high efficiency solution for modulating a light emission profile with SMD type LED source. The hole size is adjusted with fixed hole pitch to both maximize the efficiency and meet the omnidirectional specification. In addition, the concept of thermal plastic insertion molding metal is proposed for thermal management without fins for cooling. The prototype demonstrates the efficiency (Ef.) of 87.6% and LED pad temperature of 85\u00b0C, which shows the feasibility as a total solution for high efficiency LED omnidirectional bulbs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16403897,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Nocardioides lentus sp. nov., isolated from an alkaline soil.\nGram-positive, rod- or coccoid-shaped bacterial strains KSL-17T, KSL-18 and KSL-19 were isolated from an alkaline soil in Korea. They were subjected to analysis using polyphasic taxonomy. Strains KSL-17T, KSL-18 and KSL-19 grew optimally at pH 8.0 and 28 degrees C and in the presence of 0.5 % (w\/v) NaCl. They were characterized chemotaxonomically as having ll-2,6-diaminopimelic acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan, MK-8(H4) as the predominant menaquinone and iso-C(16 : 0) as the major fatty acid. Their DNA G+C contents were in the range 74.6-74.8 mol%. Strains KSL-17T, KSL-18 and KSL-19 were identical in terms of their 16S rRNA gene sequences and exhibited a mean level of DNA-DNA relatedness of 85-90 %. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strains KSL-17T, KSL-18 and KSL-19 formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the genus Nocardioides. The levels of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between the three strains and the type strains of Nocardioides species were in the range 92.6-95.2 %. On the basis of phenotypic, genetic and phylogenetic data, strains KSL-17T (= KCTC 19039T = DSM 16315T), KSL-18 and KSL-19 should be classified as members of a novel species of the genus Nocardioides, for which the name Nocardioides lentus sp. nov. is proposed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26495650,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Chemical Constituents from Melissa officinalis Leaves].\nTo investigate the chemical constituents of Melissa officinalis leaves. The chemical constituents were separated by silica gel column chromatography and their structures were determined by spectroscopic experiments. 13 compounds were isolated and identified as protocatechuyl aldehyde(1), serratagenic acid(2), vanillin(3), 2\u03b1,3\u03b2-dihydroxy-urs-12-en-28-oic acid(4), ursolic acid(5), oleanolic acid(6), daucosterol(7),2\u03b1,3\u03b2,23,29-tetrahydroxyolean-12-en-28-oic acid-29-O-\u03b2-D-gluco- pyranoside(8), luteolin(9) rosmarinic acid(10), luteolin-7-O-\u03b2-D-glucoside (11), \u03b2-stitosterol(12) and palmitic acid(13). Compounds 1 ~ 8 are separated from this plant for the first time and compounds 1-4 and 8 are isolated from this genus for the first time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16484883,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Basic science for the clinician 36: protecting against autoimmunity: tolerance and aire, the immunologic shadow, and other mechanisms of negative selection in the thymus.\nOne of the miracles of immunology is tolerance, the ability of the immune system to differentiate self from nonself and leave the former alone. Autoreactive thymocytes (the cells that would otherwise differentiate into mature autoaggressive T cells) are deleted from the emerging immunologic repertoire within the thymus; only a very small proportion of thymocytes survive the thymus--perhaps 2% to 5% emerge to become mature T cells in the periphery, the rest dying to assure tolerance. This apparent wastage somehow works to the benefit of the developing animal and if the process works, all goes well for the maturing immune system. In some autoimmune syndromes, autoreactive thymocytes are not eliminated within the thymus by either clonal deletion or activation-induced cell death; these then emerge to wreak their havoc. However, how does this deletion happen? Recent research from a number of groups has (incredibly!) identified expression of nonthymic, nonlymphoid proteins within the thymus (casting of the \"immunologic shadow of self\"), and this is under the control of a single protein: AIRE (autoimmune regulator). By allowing autoreactive thymocytes to encounter a broad spectrum of proteins from extrathymic organs, aire allows deletion of these cells and the maintenance of tolerance. The absence of aire leads to autoimmune polyendocrinopathy, proof that aire is the center of an amazing \"filtering\" system. These and other molecular mechanisms underlying tolerance are explored in this and the next paper in this series.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19579106,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"The importance and challenges of assessing cognition in Indigenous Australians.\nThe aim of this paper was to investigate the importance and challenges involved in conducting serial cognitive assessments among healthy Indigenous adolescents. Cognitive assessments were conducted at fortnightly intervals for 2 months and again at 6 and 12 months among a group of Indigenous students from a boarding school in the Northern Territory. These students were to be the healthy control group in a long-term study of substance abuse. Recruitment and attrition rates were reviewed and related challenges for assessing participants were identified. From the recruited sample (n=49), 18% reported heavy or frequent use of alcohol, cannabis or petrol. Males were more likely to have used these substances compared to females. Attrition increased as the follow-up interval increased with 49 recruits reducing to 32 in the first 2 months and only 15 and 13 of the initial group remaining for the 6 and 12 month follow-ups respectively. Main challenges included (i) appropriateness of tests and assessment processes, (ii) high rates of substance abuse and other illness in the control group and (iii) high attrition rates. The importance of assessing cognition appropriately is highlighted by a lack of information regarding mental health issues in Indigenous populations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16849976,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prevalence and correlates of perineal dermatitis in nursing home residents.\nPerineal dermatitis is an adverse outcome of incontinence, which is common in older nursing home residents; yet knowledge about perineal dermatitis in this population is sorely lacking. To determine the prevalence and significant correlates of perineal dermatitis in older nursing home residents. Assessment data from 59,558 records in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) were linked with 2,883,049 orders in the medical record which enabled definition of variables related to perineal dermatitis, identification of cases, and determination of the prevalence of perineal dermatitis. Data from two subsamples, each with the records of 10,215 older nursing home residents, were analyzed using logistic regression to identify the significant correlates of perineal dermatitis. Perineal dermatitis was found in 5.7% (n = 3,405) of residents and 73% of these were incontinent. Having perineal dermatitis was significantly associated with (a) impairments in tissue tolerance (i.e., more health problems, presence of a fever, requiring nutrition support, and having more problems of diminished perfusion or oxygenation); (b)problems of the perineal environment (i.e., having fecal incontinence only, double incontinence, and more items associated with mechanical chafing); and (c) altered toileting ability from daily use of restraints. Several correlates of perineal dermatitis (mechanical chafing, fecal and double incontinence, and use of restraints) appear modifiable through nursing intervention. Clinical interventions should consider the complex health status of this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31142101,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Factors Related to Successful Energy Transmission of Focused Ultrasound through a Skull : A Study in Human Cadavers and Its Comparison with Clinical Experiences.\nAlthough magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) has been used as minimally invasive and effective neurosurgical treatment, it exhibits some limitations, mainly related to acoustic properties of the skull barrier. This study was undertaken to identify skull characteristics that contribute to optimal ultrasonic energy transmission for MRgFUS procedures. For ex vivo skull experiments, various acoustic fields were measured under different conditions, using five non-embalmed cadaver skulls. For clinical skull analyses, brain computed tomography data of 46 patients who underwent MRgFUS ablations (18 unilateral thalamotomy, nine unilateral pallidotomy, and 19 bilateral capsulotomy) were retrospectively reviewed. Patients' skull factors and sonication parameters were comparatively analyzed with respect to the cadaveric skulls. Skull experiments identified three important factors related skull penetration of ultrasound, including skull density ratio (SDR), skull volume, and incidence angle of the acoustic rays against the skull surface. In clinical results, SDR and skull volume correlated with maximal temperature (Tmax) and energy requirement to achieve Tmax (p<0.05). In addition, considering the incidence angle determined by brain target location, less energy was required to reach Tmax in the central, rather than lateral targets particularly when compared between thalamotomy and capsulotomy (p<0.05). This study reconfirmed previously identified skull factors, including SDR and skull volume, for successful MRgFUS; it identified an additional factor, incidence angle of acoustic rays against the skull surface. To guarantee successful transcranial MRgFUS treatment without suffering these various skull issues, further technical improvements are required.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24599184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of blood contamination and the rostro-caudal gradient on the human cerebrospinal fluid proteome.\nOver the last years there has been an increased focus on the importance of knowing the effect of pre-analytical influence on the proteomes under study, particularly in the field of biomarker discovery. We present three proteomics studies examining the effect of blood contamination and the rostro-caudal gradient (RCG) on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteome, in addition to plasma\/CSF protein ratios. The studies showed that the central nervous system (CNS) derived proteins appeared to be unaffected by the RCG, while the plasma-derived proteins showed an increase in concentration towards the lumbar area. This implies that the concentration of the plasma-derived proteins in CSF will vary depending on the volume of CSF that is collected. In the CSF samples spiked with blood, 262 of 814 quantified proteins showed an abundance increase of more than 1.5 fold, while 403 proteins had a fold change of less than 1.2 and appeared to be unaffected by blood contamination. Proteins with a high plasma\/CSF ratio appeared to give the largest effect on the CSF proteome upon blood contamination. The results give important background information on how factors like blood contamination, RCG and blood-CNS-barrier influences the CSF proteome. This information is particularly important in the field of biomarker discovery, but also for routine clinical measurements. The data from the blood contamination and RCG discovery studies have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000401.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22045913,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Gene expression analysis of whole blood, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and lymphoblastoid cell lines from the Framingham Heart Study.\nDespite a growing number of reports of gene expression analysis from blood-derived RNA sources, there have been few systematic comparisons of various RNA sources in transcriptomic analysis or for biomarker discovery in the context of cardiovascular disease (CVD). As a pilot study of the Systems Approach to Biomarker Research (SABRe) in CVD Initiative, this investigation used Affymetrix Exon arrays to characterize gene expression of three blood-derived RNA sources: lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL), whole blood using PAXgene tubes (PAX), and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Their performance was compared in relation to identifying transcript associations with sex and CVD risk factors, such as age, high-density lipoprotein, and smoking status, and the differential blood cell count. We also identified a set of exons that vary substantially between participants, but consistently in each RNA source. Such exons are thus stable phenotypes of the participant and may potentially become useful fingerprinting biomarkers. In agreement with previous studies, we found that each of the RNA sources is distinct. Unlike PAX and PBMC, LCL gene expression showed little association with the differential blood count. LCL, however, was able to detect two genes related to smoking status. PAX and PBMC identified Y-chromosome probe sets similarly and slightly better than LCL.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24836670,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A newly identified protein complex that mediates white spot syndrome virus infection via chitin-binding protein.\nWhite spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a large enveloped virus which has caused severe mortality and huge economic losses in the shrimp farming industry. The enveloped virus must be combined with the receptors of the host cell membrane by the virus envelope proteins. In the case of WSSV, binding of envelope proteins with receptors of the host cell membrane was discovered in a number of previous studies, such as VP53A and 10 other proteins with chitin-binding protein (CBP), VP28 with Penaeus monodon Rab7, VP187 with \u03b2-integrin, and so on. WSSV envelope proteins were also considered capable of forming a protein complex dubbed an 'infectome'. In this study, the research was focused on the role of CBP in the WSSV infection process, and the relationship between CBP and the envelope proteins VP24, VP28, VP31, VP32 VP39B, VP53A and VP56. The results of the reverse transcription-PCR analyses showed that CBP existed in a variety of shrimp. The speed of WSSV infection could be slowed down by inhibiting CBP gene expression. Far-Western blot analysis and His pull-down assays were conducted, and a protein complex was found that appeared to be composed of a 'linker' protein consisting of VP31, VP32 and VP39B together with four envelope proteins, including VP24, VP28, VP53A and VP56. This protein complex was possibly another part of the infectome and the possible binding region with CBP. The findings of this study may have identified certain points for further WSSV research.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36093893,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Characterization of a Novel Frameshift Mutation Within the TRPS1 Gene Causing Trichorhinophalangeal Syndrome Type 1 in a Kindred Cypriot Family.\nTrichorhinophalangeal syndrome (TRPS) is an extremely rare autosomal dominant multisystem disorder characterized by craniofacial and skeletal abnormalities. Three subtypes of TRPS have been described: TRPS type I, TRPS type II, and TRPS type III. Mutations in the TRPS1 gene can cause both TRPS type I and TRPS type III. Therefore, the genotype-phenotype correlation is crucial to determine the subtype. The current family study from Cyprus involves affected patients from 4 generations who presented with alopecia, unoperated umbilical hernia, caput quadratum, long philtrum, depressed nasal bridge, frontal bossing, pes planus, beaked nose, and some deformities in hands and feet. Sequence analysis of the TRPS1 gene revealed a novel c.2854_2858del (p.Asn952ArgfsTer2) frameshift variant leading to a premature stop codon. To the best of our knowledge, we report here the first case of a Turkish Cypriot family of 4 generations with a novel frameshift mutation leading to truncated protein in the TRPS1 gene causing TRPS type I clinical phenotype. Overall, as the genotype and phenotype correlation in TRPSI is still uncertain and complex, the present outcome can enhance our knowledge of this complicated, rare, and severe genetic disorder.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8926123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mutants of Streptococcus suis types 1 and 2 impaired in expression of muramidase-released protein and extracellular protein induce disease in newborn germfree pigs.\nThe contribution of muramidase-released protein (MRP) and extracellular factor (EF) to the virulence of Streptococcus suis type 1 and 2 infections was studied. For that aim, we constructed mutants of S. suis types 1 and 2 by inactivating the genes encoding MRP and EF. Moreover, we changed a type 2 strain producing the 110-kDa EF protein into a strain producing a modified protein (EF*) of increased molecular mass. The chromosomally located mrp and epf genes were inactivated by replacement recombination by using nonreplicative plasmids. Newborn germfree pigs were inoculated with pathogenic type 1 and 2 strains and with the isogenic mutant strains. Wild-type as well as mutant strains induced fever, specific signs of disease, and lesions. Moreover, all mutant strains could be reisolated from the central nervous system of infected pigs. These results showed that inactivation or alteration of the mrp and epj genes had no measurable effect on the pathogenicity of S. suis types 1 and 2.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2279100,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Effects of undecapeptide hydra morphogen on processes of cell division in the corneal and tongue epithelium of white rats].\nWe studied the effects of one and five time administration of peptide morphogen of hydra (PMH) in a dose of 10 micrograms\/kg on cell division and DNA-synthesis in corneal and tongue epithelium of white rats. PMH stimulated cell proliferation considerably. This was revealed in acceleration of mitosis, and in rising of quantity of DNA-synthesis nuclei in 1.5-2.1 time after a single injection. In 24 hours after the five time administration the number of DNA-synthesis nuclei increased 1.5 and 1.9 time in corneal and tongue epithelium, correspondingly. This data reflects the possible role of PMH in structural homeostasis regulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15114601,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Thrombocytopenia due to acute venous thromboembolism and its role in expanding the differential diagnosis of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia.\nThrombocytopenia is an uncommon but serious consequence of heparin administration. Occasionally patients with massive acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) will develop thrombocytopenia. As heparin or some thrombin inhibitor is strongly indicated in acute VTE, it is important to distinguish this event from heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Four patients are presented who developed thrombocytopenia so early in their course of VTE and\/or therapy with heparin that HIT was considered unlikely. The mean nadir platelet count for these four patients was 60,000\/microl occurring at a mean time of 18 hr after the initiation of heparin therapy. Because of strong indications to continue heparin for their acute VTE in the face of a very low likelihood that they did have HIT, heparin was continued with excellent results and resolution of the thrombocytopenia. The literature of this subject is reviewed. Thrombocytopenia following VTE is actually rather common, but it is usually milder than in these four cases. In some cases such as these four, the thrombocytopenia can be sudden and rather severe causing diagnostic confusion with HIT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23696911,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Deciphering the growth behaviour of Mycobacterium africanum.\nHuman tuberculosis (TB) in West Africa is not only caused by M. tuberculosis but also by bacteria of the two lineages of M. africanum. For instance, in The Gambia, 40% of TB is due to infections with M. africanum West African 2. This bacterial lineage is associated with HIV infection, reduced ESAT-6 immunogenicity and slower progression to active disease. Although these characteristics suggest an attenuated phenotype of M. africanum, no underlying mechanism has been described. From the first descriptions of M. africanum in the literature in 1969, the time to a positive culture of M. africanum on solid medium was known to be longer than the time to a positive culture of M. tuberculosis. However, the delayed growth of M. africanum, which may correlate with the less virulent phenotype in the human host, has not previously been studied in detail. We compared the growth rates of M. tuberculosis and M. africanum isolates from The Gambia in two liquid culture systems. M. africanum grows significantly slower than M. tuberculosis, not only when grown directly from sputa, but also in growth experiments under defined laboratory conditions. We also sequenced four M. africanum isolates and compared their whole genomes with the published M. tuberculosis H37Rv genome. M. africanum strains have several non-synonymous SNPs or frameshift mutations in genes that were previously associated with growth-attenuation. M. africanum strains also have a higher mutation frequency in genes crucial for transport of sulphur, ions and lipids\/fatty acids across the cell membrane into the bacterial cell. Surprisingly, 5 of 7 operons, recently described as essential for intracellular survival of H37Rv in the host macrophage, showed at least one non-synonymously mutated gene in M. africanum. The altered growth behaviour of M. africanum might indicate a different survival strategy within host cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36810956,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-22":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of 4069 children with glioma identifies 9p21.3 risk locus.\nAlthough recent sequencing studies have revealed that 10% of childhood gliomas are caused by rare germline mutations, the role of common variants is undetermined and no genome-wide significant risk loci for pediatric central nervous system tumors have been identified to date. Meta-analysis of 3 population-based genome-wide association studies comprising 4069 children with glioma and 8778 controls of multiple genetic ancestries. Replication was performed in a separate case-control cohort. Quantitative trait loci analyses and a transcriptome-wide association study were conducted to assess possible links with brain tissue expression across 18 628 genes. Common variants in CDKN2B-AS1 at 9p21.3 were significantly associated with astrocytoma, the most common subtype of glioma in children (rs573687, P-value of 6.974e-10, OR 1.273, 95% CI 1.179-1.374). The association was driven by low-grade astrocytoma (P-value of 3.815e-9) and exhibited unidirectional effects across all 6 genetic ancestries. For glioma overall, the association approached genome-wide significance (rs3731239, P-value of 5.411e-8), while no significant association was observed for high-grade tumors. Predicted decreased brain tissue expression of CDKN2B was significantly associated with astrocytoma (P-value of 8.090e-8). In this population-based genome-wide association study meta-analysis, we identify and replicate 9p21.3 (CDKN2B-AS1) as a risk locus for childhood astrocytoma, thereby establishing the first genome-wide significant evidence of common variant predisposition in pediatric neuro-oncology. We furthermore provide a functional basis for the association by showing a possible link to decreased brain tissue CDKN2B expression and substantiate that genetic susceptibility differs between low- and high-grade astrocytoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33840522,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Calf Vein Thrombosis Outcomes Comparing Anticoagulation and Serial Ultrasound Imaging Management Strategies.\nTo compare outcomes among patients with calf deep vein thrombosis (DVT) stratified by management strategy because distal or calf DVT is said to have low rates of propagation, embolization, and recurrence and, as such, guideline recommendations include provisions for serial imaging without treatment. Consecutive patients with ultrasound-confirmed acute DVT involving the calf veins (January 1, 2016, to August 1, 2018) were identified by scrutinizing the Gonda Vascular Center Ultrasound database. Patients were segregated into 2 categories depending on management strategy; anticoagulation vs serial surveillance ultrasound without anticoagulation. Outcomes including venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence, bleeding, death, and net clinical benefit were compared by treatment strategy. There were 483 patients with calf DVT identified; 399 were treated with anticoagulation therapy and 84 were managed with surveillance ultrasound. Patients in the surveillance group were older (70.0\u00b113.9 vs 63.0\u00b114.9 years; P<.001) and more likely to have had a recent hospitalization (76.2% [64\/84] vs 45.4% [181\/399]; P<.001). Common reasons for choosing ultrasound surveillance included guideline prescriptive (58.3% [49\/84]), active bleeding (21.4% [18\/84]), and recent surgery (17.9% [15\/84]). The VTE recurrence composite was lower for patients treated with anticoagulants (7.3% [29\/399]) compared with surveillance (14.3% [12\/84]; P=.04). The DVT propagation was less frequent in the treated group (2.8% [11\/399] vs 8.3% [7\/84]; P=.01). There was no difference in bleeding or mortality outcomes by management strategy. Net clinical benefit (VTE recurrence plus major bleeding) favored anticoagulant therapy (9.8% [39\/399] vs 20.2% [17\/84]; P<.01). Patients with calf DVT treated with anticoagulants had significantly better outcomes compared with those managed by a strategy of serial ultrasound surveillance without increasing bleeding outcomes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25420694,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Stress, depression and medication nonadherence in diabetes: test of the exacerbating and buffering effects of family support.\nStressors and depressive symptoms have been associated with medication nonadherence among adults with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). We tested whether these associations were exacerbated by obstructive family behaviors or buffered by supportive family behaviors in a sample of 192 adults with T2DM and low socioeconomic status using unadjusted and adjusted regression models. We found support for the exacerbating hypothesis. Stressors and nonadherence were only associated at higher levels of obstructive family behaviors (interaction AOR = 1.12, p = .002). Similarly, depressive symptoms and nonadherence were only associated at higher levels of obstructive family behaviors (interaction AOR = 3.31, p = .002). When participants reported few obstructive family behaviors, neither stressors nor depressive symptoms were associated with nonadherence. We did not find support for the buffering hypothesis; stressors and depressive symptoms were associated with nonadherence regardless of supportive family behaviors. Nonadherent patients experiencing stressors and\/or major depressive symptoms may benefit from interventions that reduce obstructive family behaviors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15376341,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Liver transplantation from non-heart-beating donors: current status and future prospects.\nLiver transplantation is the treatment of choice for many patients with acute and chronic liver failure, but its application is limited by a shortage of donor organs. Donor organ shortage is the principal cause of increasing waiting lists, and a number of patients die while awaiting transplantation. Non-heart-beating donor (NHBD) livers are a potential means of expanding the donor pool. This is not a new concept. Prior to the recognition of brainstem death, organs were retrieved from deceased donors only after cardiac arrest. Given the preservation techniques available at that time, this restricted the use of extrarenal organs for transplantation. In conclusion, after establishment of brain death criteria, deceased donor organs were almost exclusively from heart-beating donors (HBDs). To increase organ availability, there is now a resurgence of interest in NHBD liver transplantation. This review explores the basis for this and considers some of the published results.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26493264,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Thiazolidinediones and Parkinson Disease: A Cohort Study.\nThiazolidinediones, a class of medications indicated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, reduce inflammation and have been shown to provide a therapeutic benefit in animal models of Parkinson disease. We examined the association between treatment with thiazolidinediones and the onset of Parkinson disease in older individuals. We performed a cohort study of 29,397 Medicare patients enrolled in state pharmaceutical benefits programs who initiated treatment with thiazolidinediones or sulfonylureas during the years 1997 through 2005 and had no prior diagnosis of Parkinson disease. New users of thiazolidinediones were propensity score matched to new users of sulfonylureas and followed to determine whether they were diagnosed with Parkinson disease. We used Cox proportional hazards models to compare time to diagnosis of Parkinson disease in the propensity score-matched populations. To assess the association with duration of use, we performed several analyses that required longer continuous use of medications. In the primary analysis, thiazolidinedione users had a hazard ratio for a diagnosis of Parkinson disease of 1.09 (95% confidence interval: 0.71, 1.66) when compared with sulfonylurea users. Increasing the duration-of-use requirements to 10 months did not substantially change the association; the hazard ratios ranged from 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 0.49, 2.05) to 1.17 (95% confidence interval: 0.60, 2.25). Thiazolidinedione use was not associated with a longer time to diagnosis of Parkinson disease than was sulfonylurea use, regardless of duration of exposure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24283193,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Crystal structure of the interferon gamma receptor alpha chain from chicken reveals an undetected extra helix compared with the human counterparts.\nInterferon gamma (IFN-\u03b3) is an important cytokine that induces antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory effects on target cells, and is also crucial in the early defense against intracellular parasites, such as Listeria monocytogenes and Toxoplasma gondii. The biological activity of IFN-\u03b3 relies upon the formation of a complex with its 2 receptors, the interferon gamma alpha chain (IFNGR1) and beta chain (IFNGR2), which are type II cytokine receptors. Structural models of ligand-receptor interaction and complex structure of chicken IFNs with their receptors have remained elusive. Here we report the first structure of Gallus gallus (chicken) IFNGR1 (chIFNGR1) at 2.0 \u00c5 by molecule replacement according to the structure of selenomethionine substituted chIFNGR1. The structural comparison reveals its structural similarities with other class II cytokine receptors, despite divergent primary sequences. We further investigate the ligand-receptor interaction properties of chicken IFN-\u03b3 (chIFN-\u03b3) and chIFNGR1 using size-exclusion chromatography and surface plasmon resonance techniques. These data aid in the understanding of the interaction of chicken (avian) IFN-\u03b3 with its receptors and its signal transduction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31642775,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Targeting Strategies in Therapeutic Applications of Toxoplasmosis: Recent Advances in Liposomal Vaccine Delivery Systems.\nToxoplasma gondii is a prevalent parasitic pathogen that infected over one-third of the global population. Toxoplasmosis is diagnosed by isolating the parasite and detecting host antibodies. In contrast, the main problem with diagnosis relates to the sensitivity and specificity of the tests. Currently, treatment with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is recommended, despite their side effects and toxicity to humans. Moreover, the absence of a vaccine to completely protect against this infection is the main obstacle to the effective treatment and prevention of toxoplasmosis. Recently, nanoparticles and nanomaterials have been studied as delivery systems for the immunization and treatment of T. gondii infections. One of the most important applications of liposomes is drug and vaccine delivery, due to their biodegradability, low inherent toxicity, and immunogenicity. Liposomes are flexible delivery systems and immunological adjuvants able not only to load diverse antigens, such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates but also to combine them with immunostimulators. Liposomes have the incredible potential within the development of modern types of vaccines and numerous endeavors have been made to improve the effectiveness of vaccines in recent years. In this review, we concentrate on the viable targeting strategies of liposome-based vaccine delivery systems to prevent, control and treat toxoplasmosis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12595336,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mechanism of pacemaking in I(K1)-downregulated myocytes.\nBiological pacemakers were recently created by genetic suppression of inward rectifier potassium current, I(K1), in guinea pig ventricular cells. We simulated these cells by adjusting I(K1) conductance in the Luo-Rudy model of the guinea pig ventricular myocyte. After 81% I(K1) suppression, the simulated cell reached steady state with pacemaker period of 594 ms. Pacemaking current is carried by the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger, I(NaCa), which depends on the intracellular calcium concentration [Ca2+]i. This [Ca2+]i dependence suggests responsiveness (increase in rate) to beta-adrenergic stimulation (betaAS), as observed experimentally. Simulations of betaAS demonstrate such responsiveness, which depends on I(NaCa) expression. However, a simultaneous betaAS-mediated increase in the slow delayed rectifier, I(Ks), limits betaAS sensitivity.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":14621339,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Hybridoma cells immobilized on nonwoven polyester fabric discs: proliferation and monoclonal antibody production in stationary culture.\nMouse hybridoma cells (O146S) producing a monoclonal antibody against the 146S antigenic particles of O type apthhoviruses were proliferated on the nonwoven polyester fabric (NWPF) discs in a stationary culture. A series of batch experiments were performed in Petri dishes containing RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 10% (v\/v) fetal bovine serum. During the cultivation period glucose and lactate concentrations were measured and monoclonal antibody concentration was determined by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that in the presence of the NWPF discs cell viability, cell yield, and total monoclonal antibody production was higher than that of the disc-free culture.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27871718,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Aza\u00f1\u00f3n's disease. A 19th century epidemic of neurolathyrism in Spain.\nThe cultivation and consumption of grasspea (Lathyrus sativus) in Spain probably dates back centuries, especially during times of famine when the neurotoxic potential of this legume was expressed in the form of a spastic paraparesis known as neurolathyrism. Little known outside the country, the epidemic of neurolathyrism in the years following the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) came to affect more than a thousand people. In late 1872, during the Six Years Revolutionary Term, young Alejandro San Mart\u00edn Satr\u00fastegui (1847-1908), then editor of the popular weekly El Siglo M\u00e9dico, travelled to Aza\u00f1\u00f3n, a remote village in the province of Guadalajara, to clarify a so-far unknown disease. We analysed the original article published in 1873 by San Martin, as well as communications sent by El Siglo M\u00e9dico readers reporting similar cases in many other Castilian provinces. San Mart\u00edn's neurological findings in seven personally examined cases were astonishingly accurate; he concluded the subjects' neurological deficits resulted from injury to the lateral columns in the lower portion of the spinal cord. Description of the clinical findings provided both by San Mart\u00edn, and by the readers of El Siglo M\u00e9dico, leave no doubt as to the diagnosis of neurolathyrism. However, none suspected the patient's staple food was the determinant cause of the disease. San Mart\u00edn proposed the eponym Aza\u00f1\u00f3n's disease for lack of a better name the same year (1873) in which Cantani in Italy introduced the term lathyrism. The epidemic of neurolathyrism that affected many Castilian towns represents one of the best-documented in Europe during the last third of the 19th century.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15909331,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Firmness evaluation of melon using its vibration characteristic and finite element analysis.\nThe \"Huang gua\" melons were measured for their physical properties including firmness and static elastic modulus. The vibrational characteristics of fruits and vegetables are governed by their elastic modulus (firmness), mass, and geometry. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate firmness of fruits and vegetables based on their vibrational characteristics. Analysis of the vibration responses of a fruit is suggested for measuring elastic properties (Firmness) non-destructively. The impulse response method is often used to measure firmness of fruits. The fruit was excited using three types of balls (wooden, steel and rubber) and the vibration is detected by an accelerometer. The Instron device was used to measure the static elastic modulus of the inner, middle and outer portions of melon flesh. Finite element (FE) technique was used to determine the optimum excitation location of the chosen measurement sensor and to analyze the mode shape fruits. Four types of mode shapes (torsional or flexural mode shape, first-type, second-type spherical mode and breathing mode shape) were found. Finite element simulation results agreed well with experimental results. Correlation between the firmness and resonant frequency (r2=0.91) and between the resonant frequency and stiffness factor (r2=0.74) existed. The optimum location and suitable direction for excitation and response measurement on the fruit were suggested.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6444961,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The influence of technique modifications on sealant leakage.\nThree medications in etchant and sealant application technique decreased dye penetration in vitro. The data appear to indicate that the clinical success of sealants may be positively influenced by such handling, suggesting a reevaluation of manufacturer's recommendations. Significant differences in dye penetration apparently exist between brands of Bis-GMA sealant, when applied without modifications in manufacturers' recommendations. However, there was a decrease in the difference between brands when the described variations in the technique of application were employed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31455016,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Fracture Behavior of Bio-Inspired Functionally Graded Soft-Hard Composites Made by Multi-Material 3D Printing: The Case of Colinear Cracks.\nThe functional gradient is a concept often occurring in nature. This concept can be implemented in the design and fabrication of advanced materials with specific functionalities and properties. Functionally graded materials (FGMs) can effectively eliminate the interface problems in extremely hard-soft connections, and, thus, have numerous and diverse applications in high-tech industries, such as those in biomedical and aerospace fields. Here, using voxel-based multi-material additive manufacturing (AM, = 3D printing) techniques, which works on the basis of material jetting, we studied the fracture behavior of functionally graded soft-hard composites with a pre-existing crack colinear with the gradient direction. We designed, additively manufactured, and mechanically tested the two main types of functionally graded composites, namely, composites with step-wise and continuous gradients. In addition, we changed the length of the transition zone between the hard and soft materials such that it covered 5%, 25%, 50%, or 100% of the width (W) of the specimens. The results showed that except for the fracture strain, the fracture properties of the graded specimens decreased as the length of the transition zone increased. Additionally, it was found that specimens with abrupt hard-soft transitions have significantly better fracture properties than those with continuous gradients. Among the composites with gradients, those with step-wise gradients showed a slightly better fracture resistance compared to those with continuous gradients. In contrast, FGMs with continuous gradients showed higher values of elastic stiffness and fracture energy, which makes each gradient function suitable for different loading scenarios. Moreover, regardless of the gradient function used in the design of the specimens, decreasing the length of the transition zone from 100%W to 5%W increased the fracture resistance of FGMs. We discuss the important underlying fracture mechanisms using data collected from digital image correlation (DIC), digital image microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which were used to analyze the fracture surface.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16472865,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Determination of amino acids in saliva using capillary electrophoresis with fluorimetric detection.\nIn the present study a sensitive method for the quantification of main free amino acids in saliva using capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection was developed. As background electrolyte 20 mM borate buffer pH 9.5 was used. Amino acids were separated after derivatization with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and the conditions for derivatization were optimized. The main amino acids occurring in saliva (Pro, Ser, Gly and Glu) were separated in less than 7 min. The parameters of validation such as linearity of response, precision and detection limits were determined. The detection limits were obtained in the range from 0.1 to 2.4 nM. The developed method was employed for determination of amino acids in real saliva samples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23262874,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A single InP-on-SOI microdisk for high-speed half-duplex on-chip optical links.\nWe demonstrate for the first time that a single compact, electrically contacted indium phosphide based microdisk heterogeneously integrated on a silicon-on-insulator waveguide can be used as both a high-speed modulator and photo detector. We demonstrate high-speed operation up to 10 Gb\/s and present bit-error rate results of both operation modes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15137404,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Some thoughts about future perspectives of water and wastewater management.\nThe ideals of sustainability have a longer history than is sometimes realised, as they can be traced back to the insights of Von Carlowitz in 1713. However in the intervening centuries early successes in sanitation based on the \"flushing sewer\" led engineers to focus too much on sewerage-based solutions that are increasingly uneconomic and unequal to the challenges arising from population growth and urbanisation. The future strategy for globally sustainable sanitation will surely involve source separation and recycling and reuse: these are the technologies that environmental scientists and engineers should now be addressing.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15352398,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2015-18":2,"2017-13":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Influence of forward and multiple light scatter on the measurement of beam attenuation in highly scattering marine environments.\nUsing three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations, we examine the effect of beam transmissometer geometry on the relative error in the measurement of the beam-attenuation coefficient in an aquatic environment characterized by intense light scattering, especially within submerged bubble clouds entrained by surface-wave breaking. We discuss the forward-scattering error associated with the detection of photons scattered at small angles (< 1 degrees) and the multiple-scattering error associated with the detection of photons scattered more than once along the path length of the instrument. Several scattering phase functions describing bubble clouds at different bubble void fractions in the water are considered. Owing to forward-scattering error, a beam-attenuation meter (beam transmissometer) with a half-angle of receiver acceptance of 1.0 degrees and a path length of 0.1 m can underestimate the true beam attenuation within the bubble cloud by more than 50%. For bubble clouds with a beam attenuation of as much as 100 m(-1), the multiple-scattering error is no more than a few percent. These results are compared with simulations for some example phase functions that are representative of other scattering regimes found in natural waters. The forward-scattering error for the Petzold phase function of turbid waters is 16% for a typical instrument geometry, whereas for the Henyey-Greenstein phase function with the asymmetry parameter of 0.7 and 0.9 the error range is 8-28%.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26158534,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"[Choledocholithiasis after cholecystectomy at Landsp\u00edtali--The National University Hospital of Iceland 2008-2011].\nSymptoms of choledocholithiasis can appear after cholecystectomy. Stones diagnosed during the first two years following surgery are assumed to have been present at the time of surgery. The purpose of this study was to study patients who presented with choledocholithiasis at Landspitali--The National University Hospital of Iceland, during the period 2008-2011, who had previously undergone cholecystecomy and to assess whether cholodocholithiasis is underdiagnosed at the time of cholecystectomy. The study was retrospective, data was collected from medical records at Landspitali. Among recorded data were liver function tests, imaging results, time from surgery to diagnosis, treatment and complications. Forty patients presented with choledocholithiasis after previous cholecystectomy. Mean age was 50 years (20-89) and women were 24 (60%). Mean time from surgery to diagnosis was 382 days. Diagnosis was confirmed with imaging in 35 (87.5% cases). Thirty six (90%) patients were treated with ERCP, one with PTC and one underwent open surgery. Three patients healed without treatment. Three patients developed complications from treatment. Thirty one (77.5%) had choledocholithiasis in the first 2 years following surgery. Incidence of previous choledocholithiasis, elevated bilirubin or widening of the choledochus without visible stones where similar for those diagnosed with choledocholithiasis in the first two years and those diagnosed later. Majority of patients are treated without surgery. Most stones are diagnosed during the first two years following surgery. For the majority of cases it can not be concluded that stones should have been suspected at time of cholecystectomy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37682972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An immunoinformatics and extended molecular dynamics approach for designing a polyvalent vaccine against multiple strains of Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV).\nHuman T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), a group of retroviruses belonging to the oncovirus family, has long been associated with various inflammatory and immunosuppressive disorders. At present, there is no approved vaccine capable of effectively combating all the highly pathogenic strains of HTLV that makes this group of viruses a potential threat to human health. To combat the devastating impact of any potential future outbreak caused by this virus group, our study employed a reverse vaccinology approach to design a novel polyvalent vaccine targeting the highly virulent subtypes of HTLV. Moreover, we comprehensively analyzed the molecular interactions between the designed vaccine and corresponding Toll-like receptors (TLRs), providing valuable insights for future research on preventing and managing HTLV-related diseases and any possible outbreaks. The vaccine was designed by focusing on the envelope glycoprotein gp62, a crucial protein involved in the infectious process and immune mechanisms of HTLV inside the human body. Epitope mapping identified T cell and B cell epitopes with low binding energies, ensuring their immunogenicity and safety. Linkers and adjuvants were incorporated to enhance the vaccine's stability, antigenicity, and immunogenicity. Initially, two vaccine constructs were formulated, and among them, vaccine construct-2 exhibited superior solubility and structural stability. Molecular docking analyses also revealed strong binding affinity between the vaccine construct-2 and both targeted TLR2 and TLR4. Molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated enhanced stability, compactness, and consistent hydrogen bonding within TLR-vaccine complexes, suggesting a strong binding affinity. The stability of the complexes was further corroborated by contact, free energy, structure, and MM-PBSA analyses. Consequently, our research proposes a vaccine targeting multiple HTLV subtypes, offering valuable insights into the molecular interactions between the vaccine and TLRs. These findings should contribute to developing effective preventive and treatment approaches against HTLV-related diseases and preventing possible outbreaks. However, future research should focus on in-depth validation through experimental studies to confirm the interactions identified in silico and to evaluate the vaccine's efficacy in relevant animal models and, eventually, in clinical trials.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23244580,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects and mechanism of organ protection by cardiotrophin-1.\nCardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), a member of the interleukin (IL)-6 family, is reported to exhibit a plethora of pleiotropic effects in the heart such as cytoprotective, pro-proliferative and pro-fibrotic ones. An extensive research has been devoted on proliferative and profibrotic effects of CT-1 on the heart. Thus the present review has been aimed to critically define the cytoprotective effects of CT-1 and the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in them. Although many effects of CT-1 have been described on the heart, CT-1 has now also been reported to exhibit important protective effects in other organs such as liver, kidney or nervous system. CT-1 produces its effects through a unique receptor system comprising LIF receptor (LIFR\u03b2) and a common signal transducer, the glycoprotein 130 (gp130). The signaling pathway downstream from gp130 is based on at least, three distinct pathways: 1) the janus kinase\/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK\/STAT) pathway, 2) the p42\/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p42\/44 MAPK) pathway, also known as the extracellular receptor kinase-1\/2 (ERK1\/2) pathway, and 3) the phosphatidylinositol 3-OH kinase (PI3K)\/Akt pathway. Since CT-1 easily achieves its cytoprotective effects via a combination of the above three signaling pathways, it becomes quite necessary to determine which pathway(s) is involved in each particular effect of CT-1. In each of its target organs, CT-1 may also display differential mechanisms of cytoprotection, and thus it is relevant to understand how these mechanisms are locally regulated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23254652,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"A survey of global radiation damage to 15 different protein crystal types at room temperature: a new decay model.\nThe radiation damage rates to crystals of 15 model macromolecular structures were studied using an automated radiation sensitivity characterization procedure. The diffracted intensity variation with dose is described by a two-parameter model. This model includes a strong resolution-independent decay specific to room-temperature measurements along with a linear increase in overall Debye-Waller factors. An equivalent representation of sensitivity via a single parameter, normalized half-dose, is introduced. This parameter varies by an order of magnitude between the different structures studied. The data show a correlation of crystal radiation sensitivity with crystal solvent content but no dose-rate dependency was detected in the range 0.05-300 kGy s(-1). The results of the crystal characterization are suitable for either optimal planning of room-temperature data collection or in situ crystallization plate screening experiments.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27226776,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Autophagy Has a Beneficial Role in Relieving Cigarette Smoke-Induced Apoptotic Death in Human Gingival Fibroblasts.\nThe deleterious role of cigarette smoke has long been documented in various human diseases including periodontal complications. In this report, we examined this adverse effect of cigarette smoke on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) which are critical not only in maintaining gingival tissue architecture but also in mediating immune responses. As well documented in other cell types, we also observed that cigarette smoke promoted cellular reactive oxygen species in HGFs. And we found that this cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress reduced HGF viability through inducing apoptosis. Our results indicated that an increased Bax\/Bcl-xL ratio and resulting caspase activation underlie the apoptotic death in HGFs exposed to cigarette smoke. Furthermore, we detected that cigarette smoke also triggered autophagy, an integrated cellular stress response. Interesting, a pharmacological suppression of the cigarette smoke-induced autophagy led to a further reduction in HGF viability while a pharmacological promotion of autophagy increased the viability of HGFs with cigarette smoke exposures. These findings suggest a protective role for autophagy in HGFs stressed with cigarette smoke, highlighting that modulation of autophagy can be a novel therapeutic target in periodontal complications with cigarette smoke.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36090542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effect of Compound Polyethylene Glycol Electrolyte Powder on the Quality of Gastrobowel Preparation before Enteroscopy Intervention.\nTo study the effect of compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder (PGEP) on the quality of gastrobowel preparation before enteroscopy intervention. From March 2021 to January 2022, among the patients who needed enteroscopy in our hospital, 280 patients who volunteered for this study were randomly selected as the research objects. All the subjects were randomly divided into the control group (140 cases) and the observation group (140 cases). Both groups received routine treatment before enteroscopy intervention. On this basis, patients in the control group were given 9 g of senna every day before operation, and 250 ml of 20% mannitol and 2500 ml of water were taken orally from 9:00 am to 11:00 am on the day of examination. Patients in the observation group took PGEP orally from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The effective rate of bowel cleaning, the frequency of defecation and duration of diarrhea, the levels of blood electrolyte indexes such as Na+, K+, and Cl- before and after the intervention, and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. The effective rate of bowel cleaning in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The frequency of defecation and duration of diarrhea in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the levels of blood electrolyte indexes in the observation group after the intervention were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Using PGEP for gastrobowel preparation before enteroscopy intervention can achieve high bowel cleaning efficiency, short bowel preparation time, and low incidence of adverse reactions, which does not affect the water-electrolyte balance of patients, and the psychological state of patients before enteroscopy intervention is more stable. This program is worthy of clinical promotion.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35178470,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"An Introduction to Cystoscopy for OB\/GYN Residents.\nOB\/GYN residents' preparedness to perform cystoscopy after residency may vary as the ACGME requires only 10 cystoscopic cases to be performed during training. Given residents' potentially limited exposure to cystoscopy, supplemental educational activities centered around increasing familiarity with the procedure may be useful. The objective of this workshop was to provide an opportunity for OB\/GYN residents to become more comfortable with cystoscopic equipment and performing cystoscopy. We showed a video of common pathology seen on cystoscopy and then progressed through two hands-on stations. One station focused on equipment familiarity, with learners identifying equipment and then practicing assembling and disassembling the cystoscope. The other station allowed for simulated cystoscopy utilizing a pig bladder. We used a checklist assessment and pre- and postcourse surveys to evaluate familiarity with equipment and anxiety surrounding performing cystoscopy. Twenty residents ranging from PGY 1s to PGY 4s who participated in this workshop over the past 2 years completed both pre- and postcourse evaluations. There was statistically significant improvement in ratings of familiarity with equipment and anxiety surrounding the procedure. All participants whom we assessed showed improvement in identifying and assembling equipment as well as in performing the steps of the procedure independently. This workshop provided OB\/GYN residents with an opportunity for hands-on cystoscopic experience. Through direct assessment and evaluation forms, the workshop was shown to be a beneficial activity for improving cystoscopic knowledge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27562796,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Differential selection on pollen and pistil traits in relation to pollen competition in the context of a sexual conflict over timing of stigma receptivity.\nSexual conflict and its evolutionary consequences are understudied in plants, but the theory of sexual conflict may help explain how selection generates and maintains variability. Here, we investigated selection on pollen and pistil traits when pollen arrives sequentially to partially receptive pistils in relation to pollen competition and a sexual conflict over timing of stigma receptivity in the mixed-mating annual Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae). In this species the conflict is generated by early fertilizing pollen that reduces seed production, which is counteracted by delaying receptivity in the recipient. We performed sequential two-donor pollinations at early floral developmental stages involving two pollen deposition schedules (with or without a time lag of 1 day), using only outcross or self and outcross pollen. We investigated pollen and pistil traits in relation to siring success (male fitness) and seed production (female fitness). In contrast to previous findings in receptive pistils in C. heterophylla and in other species, last arriving pollen donors showed highest siring success in partially receptive pistils. The last male advantage was weaker when self pollen was the first arriving donor. Two measures of germination rate (early and late) and pollen tube growth rate of first arriving donors were important for siring success in crosses with a time lag, while only late germination rate had an effect in contemporary crosses. Curiously, late stigma receptivity was negatively related to seed production in our contemporary crosses, which was opposite to expectation. Our results in combination with previous studies suggest that pollen and pistil traits in C. heterophylla are differentially advantageous depending on stage of floral development and varying pollen deposition schedules. Variation in success of these traits over floral development time may result from sexually antagonistic selection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8300148,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"A novel target cell antigen involved in the NK-like lytic activity of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.\nMonoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been derived which identify a target cell antigen involved in human natural killer (NK) cell lysis. The effects of the mAbs on the NK-like cytotoxic activity exhibited by different populations of human cytolytic T cells were examined. The anti-target cell mAbs 1E7 and 18C2 inhibited the lysis of K562 target cells by endogenous NK cells, antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) with NK-like activity, and non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted T cells. Cytolysis of K562 target cells was not affected by treatment of the target cells with the anti-class I HLA mAb W6\/32. Further, the anti-target cell mAbs had no effect on antigen-specific lysis by the CTL. The mAb W6\/32, however, inhibited the antigen-specific killing. Experiments at the single-cell level revealed that the anti-target cell mAbs inhibited the formation of conjugates between the effector cells and K562 tumor cells but had no effect on CTL binding to the antigen-specific target cells. Thus, antigen-specific CTL exhibiting NK-like lytic function appeared to recognize a novel target cell antigen that is distinct from typical MHC antigens and is identical to the target-cell antigen recognized by true NK cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31831790,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Epigenetic deregulation of GATA3 in neuroblastoma is associated with increased GATA3 protein expression and with poor outcomes.\nTo discover epigenetic changes that may underly neuroblastoma pathogenesis, we identified differentially methylated genes in neuroblastoma cells compared to neural crest cells, the presumptive precursors cells for neuroblastoma, by using genome-wide DNA methylation analysis. We previously described genes that were hypermethylated in neuroblastoma; in this paper we report on 67 hypomethylated genes, which were filtered to select genes that showed transcriptional over-expression and an association with poor prognosis in neuroblastoma, highlighting GATA3 for detailed studies. Specific methylation assays confirmed the hypomethylation of GATA3 in neuroblastoma, which correlated with high expression at both the RNA and protein level. Demethylation with azacytidine in cultured sympathetic ganglia cells led to increased GATA3 expression, suggesting a mechanistic link between GATA3 expression and DNA methylation. Neuroblastomas that had completely absent GATA3 methylation and\/or very high levels of protein expression, were associated with poor prognosis. Knock-down of GATA3 in neuroblastoma cells lines inhibited cell proliferation and increased apoptosis but had no effect on cellular differentiation. These results identify GATA3 as an epigenetically regulated component of the neuroblastoma transcriptional control network, that is essential for neuroblastoma proliferation. This suggests that the GATA3 transcriptional network is a promising target for novel neuroblastoma therapies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27574761,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Cellular and Haematological Changes in Different Types of Caprine Pneumonia.\nGoats in the tropics are often reared under the traditional extensive and semi-intensive management systems. These and other factors influence the pattern of pneumonia complex in goats. We investigated the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALf) cellular changes and haematological response in different types of caprine pneumonia in Nigeria. Haematological indices and BALf cells were analysed from 300 goats randomly selected from 700 goats comprising different breed, age and body scores. The pneumonia status was well characterised using standard pathological tools. Data is summarized as Mean \u00b1 SEM and compared using non-parametric statistics at 5% significance. There was leukocytosis in the pneumonic animals. The overall lavage recovery rate was 55.5%. The differences in Haemoglobin concentration, and Lymphocyte-Neutrophil ratio were significant (p<0.05). BALf changes in the neutrophil, macrophage and eosinophil counts were significantly different (p<0.05). The diagnostic features including increased percentage neutrophils, Macrophage-Neutrophil ratio and eosinophils observed in BAL were reliable and also correlated positively to the pathological findings. BAL should be considered a component of the diagnostic approach to caprine pneumonia complex, as it may accurately aid diagnosis and identification of the causal organisms.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20466739,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Cerebral tissue oxygen saturation and extraction in preterm infants before and after blood transfusion.\nPreterm infants often need red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. The aim of this study was to determine whether haemoglobin levels before transfusion were associated with regional cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (r(c)SO(2)) and fractional tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) and whether RBC transfusions were associated with r(c)SO(2) and FTOE during the 24-h period thereafter. Prospective observational cohort study. Third level neonatal intensive care unit. Thirty-three preterm infants (gestational age 25-34 weeks, birth weight 605-2080 g) were included. None. R(c)SO(2) was measured during a 1-h period, before, 1 h after and 24 h after a 15 ml\/kg RBC transfusion in 3 h. Using r(c)SO(2) and transcutaneous arterial oxygen saturation (tcSaO(2)) values, FTOE was calculated: FTOE=(tcSaO(2)-r(c)SO(2))\/tcSaO(2). Results Forty-seven RBC transfusions were given. R(c)SO(2) and FTOE correlated strongly with haemoglobin before transfusion (r=0.414 and r=-0.462, respectively, p<0.005). TcSaO(2) did not correlate with haemoglobin before transfusion. 24 h after transfusion, r(c)SO(2) increased from a weighted mean of 61% to 72% and FTOE decreased from a weighted mean of 0.34 to 0.23. The decrease in FTOE was strongest in the group with haemoglobin below 6.0 mmol\/l (97 g\/l). The decrease in FTOE was already present 1 h after transfusion and remained unchanged at 24 h after transfusion. Following RBC transfusion, cerebral tissue oxygen saturation increases and FTOE decreases. The data suggest that cerebral oxygenation in preterm infants may be at risk when haemoglobin decreases under 6 mmol\/l (97 g\/l).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31973023,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"The Effectiveness of a Primary School Based Badminton Intervention on Children's Fundamental Movement Skills.\nThis study examined the effects of the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Shuttle Time program on fundamental movement skills (FMS) in English children. A total of 124 children; 66 in key stage 1 (ages 6-7 years) and 58 in key stage 2 (10-11 years) undertook the Shuttle Time program, once weekly for six weeks (n = 63) or acted as controls (n = 61). Pre, post and ten-weeks post, both process and product FMS were determined. Children in the intervention group, aged 6-7 years, had higher total process FMS (via test of gross motor development-2) compared to the control group at post and ten-weeks post intervention (both p = 0.0001, d = 0.6 and 0.7, respectively). There were no significant differences in process FMS scores for children aged 10-11 years. Ten-meter sprint speed decreased pre to post and was maintained at ten-weeks post for the intervention groups aged 6-7 years (p = 0.0001, d = 0.6) and 10-11 years (p = 0.001, d = 0.2) compared to control. Standing long jump distance increased pre to post (p = 0.0001, d = 0.8) and was maintained at ten-weeks post (p = 0.0001, d = 0.5) for the intervention group. Medicine ball throw performance increased pre to post (p = 0.0001, d = 0.3) for the intervention group. The BWF Shuttle Time program is beneficial in developing FMS for key stage 1 children (ages 6-7).","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31236234,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Speciation with gene flow: Evidence from a complex of alpine butterflies (Coenonympha, Satyridae).\nUntil complete reproductive isolation is achieved, the extent of differentiation between two diverging lineages is the result of a dynamic equilibrium between genetic isolation and mixing. This is especially true for hybrid taxa, for which the degree of isolation in regard to their parental species is decisive in their capacity to rise as a new and stable entity. In this work, we explored the past and current patterns of hybridization and divergence within a complex of closely related butterflies in the genus Coenonympha in which two alpine species, C. darwiniana and C. macromma, have been shown to result from hybridization between the also alpine C. gardetta and the lowland C. arcania. By testing alternative scenarios of divergence among species, we show that gene flow has been uninterrupted throughout the speciation process, although leading to different degrees of current genetic isolation between species in contact zones depending on the pair considered. Nonetheless, at broader geographic scale, analyses reveal a clear genetic differentiation between hybrid lineages and their parental species, pointing out to an advanced stage of the hybrid speciation process. Finally, the positive correlation observed between ecological divergence and genetic isolation among these butterflies suggests a potential role for ecological drivers during their speciation processes.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38133062,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Advanced Nanoscale Materials for Thermoelectric Applications.\nRecently, there has been growing academic interest in researching thermoelectric materials that exhibit energy conversion capability between thermal energy and electricity, providing solutions to energy crises and environmental pollution [...].","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34803031,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A modified presurgical alveolar molding technique for treatment of cleft in Down syndrome.\nCraniofacial clefts are extremely rare deformities. Tessier's classification is a widely accepted system that is based on clinical, radiographical, and surgical observations. The Tessier No. 0 cleft most commonly affects the upper lip, nose, and palate. This case presentation aims to report the outcome of a modified presurgical alveolar molding (PAM) appliance used in the treatment of an infant with Tessier No. 0 cleft as an alternate approach to mold such defects before surgery. The modified PAM appliance consisted of reciprocal parts connected by a helix. The segments were approximated by stripping the appliance at the midline in a V-shaped manner and the force was exerted by the extraoral elastics. The procedure gave results in 8 weeks, which may be regarded as a reasonable duration. The anterior cleft gap, which was 13 mm before the treatment, was reduced to 3 mm after the treatment by using modified PAM appliance. On a 21-month follow-up period, oral reshaping was regarded successful due to stability of the improved oral mold.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24842752,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Printable highly conductive conjugated polymer sensitized ZnO NCs as cathode interfacial layer for efficient polymer solar cells.\nWe report a facile way to produce printable highly conductive cathode interfacial layer (CIL) for efficient polymer solar cells (PSCs) by sensitizing ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) with a blue fluorescent conjugated polymer, poly(9, 9-bis-(6'-diethoxylphosphorylhexyl) fluorene) (PFEP). Herein, PFEP plays dual distinctive roles in the composite. Firstly, PFEP chains can effectively block the aggregation of ZnO NCs, leading to uniform and smooth film during solution processing via assembly on ZnO NC surfaces through their pending phosphonate groups. Secondly, PFEP can greatly improve the conductivity of ZnO NCs by charge transfer doping, that is the charge transfer from the sensitizer driven by electron-chemical potential equilibrium, which could be even more pronounced under light illumination because of light excitation of PFEP sensitizer. The increased conductivity in ZnO-PFEP layer renders more efficient electron transport and extraction compared to pristine ZnO layer. This ZnO-PFEP CIL was successfully applied to PSCs based on three polymer donor systems with different band-gaps, and efficiency enhancements from 44 to 70% were observed compared to those PSCs with pristine ZnO CIL. The highest efficiency of 7.56% was achieved in P(IID-DTC):PC70BM-based PSCs by using ZnO-PFEP film as CIL. Moreover, the enhanced conductivity due to the charge-transfer doping effect allows thick ZnO-PFEP film to be used as CIL in high-performance PSCs. Both the high conductivity and good film-forming properties of ZnO-PFEP CIL are favorable for large-scale printable PSCs, which is also verified by high-efficiency PSCs with ZnO-PFEP CIL fabricated using doctor-blading, a large-scale processing technique. The work provides an efficient printable cathode interfacial material for efficient PSCs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15933320,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Fewer but better auditory alarms will improve patient safety.\nAuditory warnings and alarms are used throughout the medical environment but often fall short of ideal. In some instances they can be a hindrance rather than a help to medical practice. The main reasons why alarms are less than ideal are: (1) they are used too often and people's hearing as the primary warning sense is over-used; (2) false alarm rates are often exceedingly high because trigger points are inappropriately set; and (3) their design is often poor. However, enough is now known about auditory warning design and implementation to overcome many of the traditional problems associated with them. A new draft international standard incorporates many of these measures, and increasing pressure from safety organisations such as the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations in the USA and the National Patient Safety in the UK can help to improve the way that auditory warnings are used in medical care by implementing what is known from research into practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24721954,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"[Diagnostic of ascites due to portal hypertension: accuracy of the serum-ascites albumin gradient and protein analises in ascitic fluid].\nTo evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Serum-Ascites Albumin Gradient (GASA), Protein Concentration in the Ascitic Fluid (PTLA), Albumin Concentration in the ascitic fluid (CAA) and the Protein Ascites\/Serum Ratio (IPAS) for the diagnosis of ascites due to portal hypertension. it was an observational and retrospective study of validation of diagnostic tests. The study population was patients from a National Public Health Hospital Daniel Alcides Carrion of Callao, Peru, during the period January to December of 2012, patients over 15 years old with a diagnosis of ascites which samples were taken for study by paracentesis with an standard technique, it was analyzed total protein and albumin, as well as study of total protein and albumin in blood. We obtained the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the Serum-Ascites Albumin Gradient (GASA), Protein Concentration in the Ascitic Fluid (PTLA), Albumin Concentration in the ascitic fluid (CAA) and the Protein Ascites\/Serum Ratio (IPAS) for the diagnosis of ascites due to portal hypertension. To determine ascites by HTP as diagnostic tests we took into account: GASA >= 1.1, PTLA <2.5, CAA <1.1 or IPAS< 0.5. There were 126 patients diagnosed with ascites, 10 patients was excluded for having incomplete data. Of the 116 patients, the average age was 53.03 +\/- 15.73 years old, male 65 (56%) and female 51 (44%). 61 (52%) had ascites due to portal hypertension from liver cirrhosis, and 55 (48%) of ascites due to NO HTP. The sensitivity and specificity for GASA was 93% and 47% respectively, for PTLA was 80% and 89% respectively, for CAA was 85% and 87% respectively and for the IPAS was 83% and 80% respectively. The \u00e1rea under the ROC curve for GASA was 0.70, ATPL was 0.84, IPAS was 0.81 and CAA was 0.86, we found statistically significant differences between GASA compared to the other three parameters (p<0.01 ). The diagnostic accuracy of CAA, ATPL and IPAS is higher than the GASA to discriminate between ascites due to HTP or NO HTP, so that they could be used in clinical practice alone or together to achieve a diagnostic approach more successful.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12356309,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The influence of intramolecular bridges on the dynamics of a protein folding reaction.\nThirteen versions of a beta-sheet protein have been constructed, each with a single, surface-exposed disulfide bridge. A comparison of folding kinetics, in oxidizing and reducing conditions, is used to elucidate the order in which beta-strands become associated during the folding process and, hence, the relationship between topology and folding dynamics. In common with the wild-type molecule, all the proteins fold through a two-step (three state) mechanism with a rapidly formed intermediate which slowly converts to the native state. In a majority of cases, the bridge is seen to stabilize the folded state, and for five of the modified proteins, the additional stability is greater than 3 kcal\/mol. Surprisingly, cross-links which connect beta-strands which are distant in sequence predominantly stabilize the rapidly formed intermediate state, suggesting that these strand-strand interactions occur in the initial stages of folding. Cross-links which stabilize local hairpins have their major influence on the second, rate-determining step leading to significant enhancements in the folding rate. We find that enhancement of the folding rate in the second, rate-limiting step is correlated with a reduction in contact order in the same way as in naturally occurring proteins of different folds. The large increases in native-state stability resulting from the insertion of disulfide bridges on the surface of beta-sheet structures have implications for enhancing the robustness of proteins by molecular engineering.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27715061,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"The Template Determines Whether Chemically Identical Nanoparticle Scaffolds Show Elastic Recovery or Plastic Failure.\nSubtle variations in the preparation of ice-templated nanoparticle assemblies yield monoliths that are chemically identical but exhibit qualitatively different mechanical behavior. We ice template aqueous dispersions to prepare macroporous monoliths largely comprising silica nanoparticles held together by a crosslinked polymer mesh. When the polymer is crosslinked in the presence of ice crystals, we obtain an elastic sponge that is capable of recovery after imposition of large compressive strains (up to 80%). If, however, the ice is lyophilized before the polymer is crosslinked, we obtain a plastic monolith that fails even for modest strains (less than 10%). The elastic sponge and the plastic monolith are chemically identical; they have the same organic content, the same ratio of polymer to crosslinker, and the same average crosslink density. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to probe the local mechanical properties of the crosslinked polymer mesh. These measurements indicate that plastic monoliths dissipate significantly more energy and have a larger spatial variation in local mechanical response relative to the elastic sponges. We believe that this behavior might correlate with a wider spatial distribution of crosslinks in plastic scaffolds relative to elastic scaffolds.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8524813,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A mouse model for beta 0-thalassemia.\nWe have used a \"plug and socket\" targeting technique to generate a mouse model of beta 0-thalassemia in which both the b1 and b2 adult globin genes have been deleted. Mice homozygous for this deletion (Hbbth-3\/Hbbth-3) die perinatally, similar to the most severe form of Cooley anemia in humans. Mice heterozygous for the deletion appear normal, but their hematologic indices show characteristics typical of severe thalassemia, including dramatically decreased hematocrit, hemoglobin, red blood cell counts, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, as well as dramatically increased reticulocyte counts, serum bilirubin concentrations, and red cell distribution widths. Tissue and organ damage typical of beta-thalassemia, such as bone deformities and splenic enlargement due to increased hematopoiesis, are also seen in the heterozygous animals, as is spontaneous iron overload in the spleen, liver, and kidneys. The mice homozygous for the b1 and b2 deletions should be of great value in developing therapies for the treatment of thalassemias in utero. The heterozygous animals will be useful for studying the pathophysiology of thalassemias and have the potential of generating a model of sickle cell anemia when mated with appropriate transgenic animals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23316545,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Professional aircrews' attitudes toward infectious diseases and aviation medical issues.\nAir carrier and professional corporate aircrews provide a unique and highly distinct population in which to examine potential transport and transmission of infectious diseases (ID). This study sought to assess frequency of flying while acutely ill, identify clinical triggers in self-grounding, determine employer support for self-grounding, examine rates of influenza vaccination, and identify unmet needs for current information on ID issues related to extensive travel required of professional aircrews. Anonymous questionnaires were completed by select European mainline, U.S. regional airline, and professional corporate aircrews on ID topics such as flying while ill, flying with ill crewmembers, receipt of influenza vaccination, disinfection, and other aviation medical issues. Data were analyzed and reported as composite and stratified by airline vs. corporate aviation respondents. Aircrews often flew while ill (or with ill crewmembers); 52% flew until fever reached 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees F) and an additional 37% flew up to 38.89 degrees C (102 degrees F). Rate of annual influenza vaccination was quite low for all groups, but especially so for airline crews (21-27%), even given potential occupational exposure risk. Crews also had strongly differing perceptions of employer views on self-grounding, depending upon employment setting. There were sizable disparities between aircrew flying for U.S. regional, European mainline, and large corporate aviation departments with respect to self-grounding when ill and routinely receiving a seasonal influenza vaccination. All study groups reported a pressing need for enhanced anonymous access to current ID and medical information.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28422214,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"(Diisopropylammonium)2MnBr4: a multifunctional ferroelectric with efficient green-emission and excellent gas sensing properties.\nCombination of excellent optical properties and ferroelectricity of hybrid materials leads to high-performance optoelectronic devices. Here we present a new organic-inorganic hybrid compound (diisopropylammonium)2MnBr4 (DIPA2MnBr4) which shows high temperature ferroelectricity accompanied by highly efficient green-light emission. DIPA2MnBr4 also exhibits sensitive and selective optical response to alcohol vapors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1433258,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Nosocomial infection with Clostridium difficile investigated by pyrolysis mass spectrometry.\nFifty-eight isolates of Clostridium difficile from two distinct outbreaks were examined for inter-strain similarity by pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PMS). The first outbreak began on a geriatric acute unit and spread to a long stay geriatric facility. PMS analysis showed that most isolates from both sites were indistinguishable. Isolates obtained in the preceding year from the long stay facility were found to be closely similar to these outbreak isolates. In the second, smaller outbreak on a female medical ward in another general hospital, PMS again showed that a single strain was probably responsible. Representative isolates from these two different outbreaks were shown to be distinct. The ability to compare rapidly large numbers of isolates of C. difficile makes PMS attractive for initial screening in suspected outbreaks, providing important information for outbreak management and allowing conventional typing methods to be concentrated on relevant isolates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31413184,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Role of asbestos clearance in explaining long-term risk of pleural and peritoneal cancer: a pooled analysis of cohort studies.\nModels based on the multistage theory of cancer predict that rates of malignant mesothelioma continuously increase with time since first exposure (TSFE) to asbestos, even after the end of external exposure. However, recent epidemiological studies suggest that mesothelioma rates level off many years after first exposure to asbestos. A gradual clearance of asbestos from the lungs has been suggested as a possible explanation for this phenomenon. We analysed long-term trends of pleural and peritoneal cancer mortality in subjects exposed to asbestos to evaluate whether such trends were consistent with the clearance hypothesis. We used data from a pool of 43 Italian asbestos cohorts (51 801 subjects). The role of asbestos clearance was explored using the traditional mesothelioma multistage model, generalised to include a term representing elimination of fibres over time. Rates of pleural cancer increased until 40 years of TSFE, but remained stable thereafter. On the other hand, we observed a monotonic increase of peritoneal cancer with TSFE. The model taking into account asbestos clearance fitted the data better than the traditional one for pleural (p=0.004) but not for peritoneal (p=0.09) cancer. Rates of pleural cancer do not increase indefinitely after the exposure to asbestos, but eventually reach a plateau. This trend is well described by a model accounting for a gradual elimination of the asbestos fibres. These results are relevant for the prediction of future rates of mesothelioma and in asbestos litigations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17919588,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Minimally invasive lateral approach to total knee arthroplasty.\nMinimally invasive knee surgery can be accomplished through several exposures used in standard total knee arthroplasty. These exposures include the medial parapatellar, subvastus, and midvastus approaches. The authors describe a new minimally invasive direct lateral approach in an attempt to minimize soft tissue damage and preserve quadriceps muscle function in 35 patients (35 knees). There were 23 women and 12 men with a mean age of 65 years. At a mean follow-up of 3.8 years, the mean Knee Society objective and functional scores improved to 94 and 92 points, respectively. The assessment of quadriceps muscle strength, anterior knee pain, and patient satisfaction was promising. However, the downside of this pilot cohort was that using instruments and implants that have not been customized for this approach led to a considerable rate of early complications that may limit the potential of this new approach. Thus, further refinements are needed to increase clinical success and allow this technique for general use.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26561371,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder with bipolar disorder: A distinct form?\nWe examined whether the patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) comorbidity may represent a distinct form of BD. The subjects diagnosed with BD (n=48), OCD (n=61), and BD with OCD (n=32) were compared in terms of several socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Previous history of suicidal attempts was more likely to be higher in BD-OCD group compared to the other two groups. A more episodic course of OCD, higher rates of rapid cycling, and the seasonality were found in BD-OCD patients. The frequency of bipolar II and NOS subtypes was more prevalent in patients with BD-OCD than in OCD patients. The first diagnosed illness was BD in the majority of BD-OCD cases. It was found that first affective episode was major depression in half of BD-OCD patients. Age at onset of BD was found to be earlier in BD-OCD group compared to pure BD patients. Bipolarity may not have a specific effect on the phenomenology of OC symptoms. The episodic course of OCD, seasonality, rapid cycling, earlier onset of BD, and impulsivity in BD-OCD patients may be indicative for a distinct form of BD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24509068,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Buprenorphine-naloxone therapy in pain management.\nBuprenorphine-naloxone (bup\/nal in 4:1 ratio; Suboxone; Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Incorporation, Richmond, VA) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for outpatient office-based addiction treatment. In the past few years, bup\/nal has been increasingly prescribed off-label for chronic pain management. The current data suggest that bup\/nal may provide pain relief in patients with chronic pain with opioid dependence or addiction. However, the unique pharmacological profile of bup\/nal confers it to be a weak analgesic that is unlikely to provide adequate pain relief for patients without opioid dependence or addiction. Possible mechanisms of pain relief by bup\/nal therapy in opioid-dependent patients with chronic pain may include reversal of opioid-induced hyperalgesia and improvement in opioid tolerance and addiction. Additional studies are needed to assess the implication of bup\/nal therapy in clinical anesthesia and perioperative pain management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10966233,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Antifungal activity of ibuprofen alone and in combination with fluconazole against Candida species.\nIbuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, exhibited antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans and non-albicans strains. At 10 mg\/ml, ibuprofen showed a rapid cidal activity against exponential growth phase C. albicans, accompanied by rapid and extensive leakage of intracellular K+, permeation to propidium iodide, lysis of spheroplasts and severe membrane ultrastructural alterations. These results indicate that the killing of Candida cells is due to direct damage to the cytoplasmic membrane. At 5 mg\/ml, ibuprofen inhibited growth; however, it did not kill the yeasts and did not directly affect the cytoplasmic membrane. Evaluation of yeast metabolic vitality with the fluorescent probe FUN-1 showed that growth inhibition induced by the fungistatic drug concentration was due to metabolic alterations. The combination of ibuprofen with fluconazole resulted in synergic activity with eight of the 12 Candida strains studied, including four of the five fluconazole-resistant strains. The MICs of fluconazole for the fluconazole-resistant strains decreased 2-128-fold when the drug was associated with ibuprofen. When in combination with fluconazole, MICs for ibuprofen decreased by up to 64-fold for all the 12 strains studied. These results point to the practicability of using ibuprofen, alone or in combination with azoles, in the treatment of candidosis, particularly when applied topically, taking advantage of the drug's antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35690970,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Intra-abdominal Adhesions among Patients Undergoing Repeat Caesarean Section in Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.\nAdhesions are one of the common complications encountered after caesarean section whose risk increases with the number of caesarean deliveries. This study aimed to find out the prevalence of intra-abdominal adhesions among patients undergoing repeat caesarean section in a tertiary care centre. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 74 pregnant women undergoing repeat caesarean section in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of a tertiary care centre from July, 2021 to December, 2021 after receiving the ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 2107202103). Pregnant women who met the eligibility criteria were included in the study. Convenience sampling was done. The severity of the adhesions was classified using the Tulandi and Lyell classification. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26.0 software. Point estimate at 90% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage for binary data along with mean and standard deviation for continuous data. Out of 74 women undergoing repeat caesarean section, 55 (74.32%) (65.99-82.65 at 90% Confidence Interval) had developed intra-abdominal adhesions. Our study showed that the prevalence of intra-abdominal adhesions among patients undergoing repeat caesarean section was higher when compared to similar studies conducted in similar settings. postoperative complications; repeat caesarean section; surgical adhesions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24132708,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Composite measures for profiling hospitals on bariatric surgery performance.\nThe optimal approach for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery is unclear. To develop a novel composite measure for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery. Using clinical registry data from the Michigan Bariatric Surgery Collaborative, we studied all patients undergoing bariatric surgery from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2010. For laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery, we used empirical Bayes techniques to create a composite measure by combining several measures, including serious complications, reoperations, and readmissions; hospital and surgeon volume; and outcomes with other related procedures. Hospitals were ranked for 2008 through 2009 and placed in 1 of 3 groups: 3-star (top 20%), 2-star (middle 60%), and 1-star (bottom 20%). We assessed how well these ratings predicted outcomes in the next year (2010) compared with other widely used measures. Risk-adjusted serious complications. Composite measures explained a larger proportion of hospital-level variation in serious complication rates with laparoscopic gastric bypass than other measures. For example, the composite measure explained 89% of the variation compared with only 28% for risk-adjusted complication rates alone. Composite measures also appeared better at predicting future performance compared with individual measures. When ranked on the composite measure, 1-star hospitals had 2-fold higher serious complication rates (4.6% vs 2.4%; odds ratio, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5) compared with 3-star hospitals. Differences in serious complication rates between 1- and 3-star hospitals were much smaller when hospitals were ranked using serious complications (4.0% vs 2.7%; odds ratio, 1.6; 95% CI, 0.8-2.9) and hospital volume (3.3% vs 3.2%; odds ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.4-1.7). Composite measures are much better at explaining hospital-level variation in serious complications and predicting future performance than other approaches. In this preliminary study, it appears that such composite measures may be better than existing alternatives for profiling hospital performance with bariatric surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22539984,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Comprehensive evaluation of corticospinal tract metabolites in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using whole-brain 1H MR spectroscopy.\nChanges in the distribution of the proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) observed metabolites N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), total-choline (Cho), and total-creatine (Cre) in the entire intracranial corticospinal tract (CST) including the primary motor cortex were evaluated in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study included 38 sporadic definite-ALS subjects and 70 age-matched control subjects. All received whole-brain MR imaging and spectroscopic imaging scans at 3T and clinical neurological assessments including percentage maximum forced vital capacity (FVC) and upper motor neuron (UMN) function. Differences in each individual metabolite and its ratio distributions were evaluated in the entire intracranial CST and in five segments along the length of the CST (at the levels of precentral gyrus (PCG), centrum semiovale (CS), corona radiata (CR), posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) and cerebral peduncle (CP)). Major findings included significantly decreased NAA and increased Cho and Cho\/NAA in the entire intracranial CST, with the largest differences for Cho\/NAA in all the groups. Significant correlations between Cho\/NAA in the entire intracranial CST and the right finger tap rate were noted. Of the ten bilateral CST segments, significantly decreased NAA in 4 segments, increased Cho in 5 segments and increased Cho\/NAA in all the segments were found. Significant left versus right CST asymmetries were found only in ALS for Cho\/NAA in the CS. Among the significant correlations found between Cho\/NAA and the clinical assessments included the left-PCG versus FVC and right finger tap rate, left -CR versus FVC and right finger tap rate, and left PLIC versus FVC and right foot tap rate. These results demonstrate that a significant and bilaterally asymmetric alteration of metabolites occurs along the length of the entire intracranial CST in ALS, and the MRS metrics in the segments correlate with measures of disease severity and UMN function.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":753671,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A consideration of some methods by which the cost of potency assays for diphtheria and tetanus vaccines might be reduced.\nAlthough recommended by WHO the high cost of parallel line quantal response assays for diphtheria and tetanus vaccines has retarded the introduction of comparative assays for these vaccines in developed countries and for the same reason is likely to discourage the introduction of adequate control standards in developing countries. These costs are mainly due to the large numbers of animals needed to obtain adequate precision when responses are assessed simply in terms of death or survival. The use of intradermal challenge scores for diphtheria and of semiquantal scores based on the onset of symptoms for tetanus together with the prospects for use of the same animals for both assays are discussed. Data are presented to show that the adoption of such methods would increase the information available from each animal and so reduce the number of animals required for the satisfactory standardization of diphtheria and tetanus vaccines.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15733295,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Substance P and opioid peptidergic innervation of the anterior eye segment of the rat: an immunohistochemical study.\nRecently discovered endogenous opioid peptides such as nociceptin are known to modulate neurotransmitter release of primary afferent neurons (especially substance P, SP) and they have also been demonstrated in peripheral nerve fibres. The aim of this study was to investigate the opioid peptidergic innervation of the anterior eye segment and to compare it with the innervation pattern of SP in order to shed light on the functional relationship between these peptides. Anterior eye segments of 20 rat eyes were cut in a tangential plane and the sections stained with antibodies against SP, nociceptin, nocistatin, endomorphin 1 and 2, leu-enkephalin and met-enkephalin. Sections of the spinal cord or brain were used as positive controls. Numerous SP-immunoreactive nerve fibres were found in the conjunctiva, cornea, episclera, trabecular meshwork, iris and ciliary body. A weak staining for met-enkephalin and leu-enkephalin could only be found in the iris and anteriormost ciliary body. Nerve fibres immunoreactive for nociceptin, nocistatin, and endomorphin 1 or 2 could not be detected in any part of the anterior eye segment. It is tempting to speculate that the opioid peptidergic innervation of the anterior ciliary body may play a role in the modulation of intraocular inflammation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30616600,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Treating extravasation injuries in infants and young children: a scoping review and survey of UK NHS practice.\nExtravasation injuries are caused by unintended leakages of fluids or medicines from intravenous lines but there is no consensus on the best treatment approaches, particularly in infants and young children. This paper presents a more succinct account of a study of treatments for extravasation injuries in infants and children which has also been reported in full as an NIHR HTA report. A systematic scoping review and survey of UK NHS practice were undertaken. Twelve databases - including MEDLINE and EMBASE - were searched for relevant studies in February 2017. Studies of children with extravasation injuries receiving any treatment for extravasation injury were eligible, providing they reported one of the following outcomes: wound healing time, infection, pain, scarring, functional impairment, and requirement for surgery. Studies were screened in duplicate. Data were extracted by one researcher and checked by another. Studies were summarised narratively. An online questionnaire was distributed to NHS staff at neonatal units, paediatric intensive care units and principal oncology\/haematology units. The evidence identified in the scoping review was mostly comprised of small, retrospective, uncontrolled group studies or case reports. The studies covered a wide range of interventions including conservative management approaches, saline flush-out techniques (with or without prior hyaluronidase), hyaluronidase without flush-out, artificial skin treatments, debridement and plastic surgery. Few studies graded injury severity and the results sections and outcomes reported in most studies were limited. There was heterogeneity across study populations in many factors. The survey yielded 63 responses from hospital units across the UK. Results indicated that although most units had written documentation for treating extravasation injuries, only one-third of documents included a system for grading injury severity. The most frequently used interventions were elevation of the affected area and analgesics. Saline wash-out treatments, either with or without hyaluronidase, were regularly used in about half of all neonatal units. Most responders thought a randomised controlled trial might be a viable future research design. There is some uncertainty about which are most the promising treatments for extravasation injuries in infants and young children. Saline flush-out techniques and conservative management approaches are commonly used and may be suitable for evaluation in trials. Although conventional randomised trials may be difficult to perform a randomised registry trial may be an appropriate alternative design.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8286994,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Benno Pollak Lecture 1992. Alcohol dependence--an illness with a treatment?\nUnlike some countries, Britain may have experienced a rise rather than a fall in alcohol-related illness during a decade when consumption has not risen. Objections to the \"illness concept\" may impede our vision and the range of services we develop. It is possible to agree with objectors to the illness concept that a unidimensional view is unhelpful; that explanations are often only attributions; that the construct \"illness\" is not needed for help to be offered, its use could undermine self-mastery, and its misuse can breach civil rights. Learning can explain much over-drinking. However, the concept need not imply bimodality of drinkers; the syndrome of alcohol dependence has uses and does not imply a cause; physical and mental explanations are not incompatible; genetic and biochemical research has promise. Developments in treatment are still limited, but the mysteries of the free-will dilemma should not prevent us seeing physiological, psychological and social contributants as partners rather than rivals.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26034515,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"IgG4-associated orbital and ocular inflammation.\nIgG4-associated orbital and ocular inflammation is a relatively unknown entity characterized by sclerosing inflammation with infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells. Some so-called idiopathic inflammation syndromes are being re-classified as IgG4-associated inflammation with histopathologic evaluation. We report three cases with differing manifestations of IgG4-associated ocular and orbital inflammation: a case of recurrent, treatment-refractory sclero-uveitis that was diagnosed as granulomatosis with polyangiitis with an IgG4-related component, a case of pachymeningitis with optic neuritis that resulted in permanent visual loss, and a case of orbital inflammatory pseudotumor. All three would have been incompletely diagnosed without thorough histopathologic evaluation (including immunohistochemistry). IgG4-associated disease is an idiopathic, multi-organ inflammatory state that can manifest as chronic, relapsing, sclerosing inflammation in virtually any organ system. There is a wide range of presentations in ocular and orbital inflammation. Ophthalmologists should keep IgG4-associated inflammation in mind when examining chronic, sclerofibrosing inflammation with multi-system involvement. The histology of biopsy specimens is crucial in making the correct diagnosis. Timely assessment may lead to fewer diagnostic tests and more targeted therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16982808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Spontaneous hemopneumothorax in children: case report and review of literature.\nSpontaneous hemopneumothorax is rare, occurs in young adolescents, and can be life threatening secondary to massive bleeding. An adolescent with spontaneous hemopneumothorax and shock managed by tube thorascostomy is described here. We compared our case with published data of spontaneous hemopneumothorax in the pediatric age group. Spontaneous hemopneumothorax involves the accumulation of air and blood in the pleural space in the absence of trauma or other obvious causes. Spontaneous hemopneumothorax is usually seen in adolescents, more common in males than females. The common clinical features of spontaneous hemopneumothorax include dyspnoea and chest pain, and 30% present with hypovolemic shock. The bleeding can result from a torn adhesion between the parietal and visceral pleurae, from a rupture of vascularized bullae, or from torn congenital aberrant vessels. Over the last 6 decades, the treatment has progressed from the thoracotomy to minimally invasive techniques such as video assisted thoracoscopic surgery, with great reduction in mortality and recurrence rates. Although a rare entity, diagnosis of spontaneous hemopneumothorax must be considered in young adolescents presenting with spontaneous onset of chest pain and dyspnoea with radiograph findings of hydropneumothorax and\/or signs of shock.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22204653,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Mining the gastric cancer secretome: identification of GRN as a potential diagnostic marker for early gastric cancer.\nGastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, and currently, there are no clinically relevant biomarkers for gastric cancer diagnosis or prognosis. In this study, we applied a 2D-LC-MS\/MS based approach, in combination with iTRAQ labeling, to study the secretomes of the gastric cancer cell lines AGS and MKN7. By performing a comparative analysis between the conditioned media and the whole cell lysates, our workflow allowed us to differentiate the bona fide secreted proteins from the intracellular contaminants within the conditioned media. Ninety proteins were found to have higher abundance in the conditioned media as compared to the whole cell lysates of AGS and MKN7 cells. Using a signal peptide and nonclassical secretion prediction tool and an online exosome database, we demonstrated that up to 92.2% of these 90 proteins can be exported out of the cells by classical or nonclassical secretory pathways. We then performed quantitative comparisons of the secretomes between AGS and MKN7, identifying 43 differentially expressed secreted proteins. Among them, GRN was found to be frequently expressed in gastric tumor tissues, but not in normal gastric epithelia by immunohistochemistry. Sandwich ELISA assay also showed elevation of serum GRN levels in gastric cancer patients, particularly those with early gastric cancer. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis confirmed that serum GRN can provide diagnostic discriminations for gastric cancer patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15918894,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2014-10":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Low back pain in military recruits in relation to social background and previous low back pain. A cross-sectional and prospective observational survey.\nTraditionally, studies on the etiology of low back pain have been carried out in adult populations. However, since low back pain often appears early in life, more research on young populations is needed. This study focuses on the importance of social background factors and previous low back pain in the development of low back pain in military recruits. During a three-month period, Danish military recruits with different social backgrounds live and work under the same conditions. Thus, there is an opportunity to investigate the influence of social background on the development of low back pain, when persons are removed from their usual environment and submitted to a number of new stressors. In addition, the importance of the recruits' previous low back pain history in relation to low back pain during military service was studied. This was done by means of questionnaires to 1,711 recruits before and after this three-month period. Sedentary occupation was negatively associated with long-lasting low back pain (>30 days during the past year) at baseline with an odds ratios of 0.55 (95% CI: 0.33-0.90). This effect vanished during service. Having parents with higher education increased the risk of low back pain during service (OR: 1.9;1.2-3.0, for the highest educated group), but not of the consequences (leg pain and exemption from duty), whereas high IQ decreased the risk of these consequences (odds ratios as low as 0.2;0.1-0.8 for exemption from duty in the group with highest IQ). Long-lasting low back pain prior to service increased the risk of long-lasting low back pain (OR: 4.8;2.1-10.8), leg pain (OR: 3.3;1.3-8.3) and exemption from duty during service (OR: 5.9;2.4-14.8). Sedentary occupation is negatively associated with low back pain at baseline. This protective effect disappears, when the person becomes physically active. For predicting trouble related to the low back during service, the duration of low back pain prior to service and IQ-level are the most important factors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10874921,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":3,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Current status of anticoagulants].\nDirect inhibitors of thrombin, such as hirudin, are directed against the active site and the recognition site of thrombin. Because of their low-molecular-weight, they can inactivate thrombin bound to fibrin. Prevention of thromboembolic complications in patients undergoing primary total hip or knee replacement is now an authorized indication of desirudin in France. The recommended treatment for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is lepirudin when there is a clinically evident thrombosis and danaparoid sodium, a mixture of anticoagulant glycosaminoglycans in an antithrombotic prophylaxis setting. LMWH: Low-molecular weight heparins are not yet authorized in France for the treatment of pulmonary embolism. However, deep venous thrombosis can be securely treated with one daily fixed dose of nadroparin or tinzaparin. The duration of anticoagulation therapy in patients with venous thromboembolism remains controversial. Three to six months of therapy is recommended after a first episode of venous thromboembolism; the shorter regimen may be chosen when there is an identifiable and transient risk factor, and the longer when the thrombosis is idiopathic. In the context of primary prevention of ischaemic heart disease low intensity oral anticoagulation could be recommended in men at high risk.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30840542,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"3-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Pelvic Floor Dissection for Bladder Exstrophy: A Single Arm Trial.\nWe determined the safety and efficacy of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging guided surgical reconstruction of bladder exstrophy for the identification of the urogenital diaphragm fibers and the thickened muscular attachments between the posterior urethra, bladder plate and pubic rami. Institutional review board and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval was obtained for the use of Brainlab (Munich, Germany) intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging guided navigation of the pelvic floor anatomy during closure of classic bladder exstrophy and cloacal exstrophy at our institution. Preoperative pelvic 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging was obtained 1 day before closure in patients undergoing pelvic osteotomies. Intraoperative registration was performed after preoperative planning with a pediatric radiologist using 5 anatomical landmarks immediately before initiation of surgery. Accuracy of pelvic anatomy identification was assessed by 2 pediatric urological surgeons and 1 pediatric radiologist. In 43 patients with classic bladder exstrophy and 4 patients with cloacal exstrophy closed at our institution, Brainlab technology was used successfully to navigate and guide the dissection of the pelvic floor intraoperatively. In all patients there was 100% accuracy in the correlation of gross anatomical landmarks with 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging identified landmarks intraoperatively, and all patients had successful closure without any major complications. Brainlab intraoperative 3-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging guided pelvic floor navigation and dissection is an effective way to accurately identify pelvic anatomy during classic bladder exstrophy and cloacal exstrophy closure. This technology offers a unique opportunity for surgical skill education in this complex reconstructive operation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33829961,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-30":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Photovoice as a tool for exploring perceptions of marijuana use among Appalachian adolescents.\nThis study explored perceptions of marijuana use and abstinence among urban and rural Appalachian high school students using photovoice, enabling this subset of youth to co-construct their perceptions of marijuana use and abstinence. Twelve adolescents, ages 14-17, participated in the study. Participants identified managing stress and feeling peer pressure as two reasons teens might use marijuana. Participants identified four reasons for adolescent marijuana abstinence including having positive relationships, identifying with religion\/spirituality, participating in extracurricular activities, and avoiding negative outcomes. Findings suggest that participants may smoke marijuana due to peer pressure and to cope with stress. Collective approaches including families, communities, and faith organizations may be important marijuana use prevention approaches for Appalachian adolescents.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38149105,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Risk Factors for Serogroup B Meningococcal Disease Among College Students.\nCollege students are at increased risk for invasive meningococcal disease, but which students are most at risk is unclear. US meningococcal disease cases in persons aged 18-24 years during 2014-2017 were included. Patients were classified as undergraduate students or other persons. Incidence in different student and non-student populations was compared. During 2014-2017, 229 meningococcal disease cases were reported in persons aged 18-24 years; 120 were in undergraduate students. Serogroup B accounted for 74% of cases in students. Serogroup B disease incidence was 4-fold higher in undergraduate students, 11.8-fold higher among first-year undergraduate students, and 8.6-fold higher among residence hall residents versus non-undergraduates. During outbreaks, students affiliated with Greek life had a 9.8-fold higher risk of disease compared to other students. A significantly higher party school ranking was observed for schools with sporadic or outbreak cases when compared to schools with no cases. The findings of increased disease risk among first-year students and those living on campus or affiliated with Greek life can inform shared clinical decision-making for serogroup B vaccines to prevent this rare but serious disease. These data also can inform school serogroup B vaccination policies and outbreak response measures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33266161,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Role of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity in Pseudomyxoma Peritonei: Implications for Locoregional Treatments.\nThe mechanisms by which neoplastic cells disseminate from the primary tumor to metastatic sites, so-called metastatic organotropism, remain poorly understood. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a role in cancer development and progression by converting static epithelial cells into the migratory and microenvironment-interacting mesenchymal cells, and by the modulation of chemoresistance and stemness of tumor cells. Several findings highlight that pathways involved in EMT and its reverse process (mesenchymal-epithelial transition, MET), now collectively called epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity (EMP), play a role in peritoneal metastases. So far, the relevance of factors linked to EMP in a unique peritoneal malignancy such as pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) has not been fully elucidated. In this review, we focus on the role of epithelial-mesenchymal dynamics in the metastatic process involving mucinous neoplastic dissemination in the peritoneum. In particular, we discuss the role of expression profiles and phenotypic transitions found in PMP in light of the recent concept of EMP. A better understanding of EMP-associated mechanisms driving peritoneal metastasis will help to provide a more targeted approach for PMP patients selected for locoregional interventions involving cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11150445,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Kasai portoenterostomy: when is it too late?\nKasai portoenterostomy is recommended as the primary initial therapy for extrahepatic biliary atresia if the procedure can be performed within 10 to 12 weeks of life. The optimal management for infants with delayed presentation of biliary atresia remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the success rate and outcome for patients who underwent a \"late\" Kasai portoenterostomy. The authors conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of all patients with biliary atresia who underwent a Kasai portoenterostomy at their institution from 1986 to 1999 (n = 31). The authors analyzed success rates compared with age at the time of the Kasai procedure and the association with patient demographics. Surgical success was defined as achievement of a total serum bilirubin < or = 2 mg\/dL. Long-term follow-up assessments included the need for liver transplantation and patient survival rate. The demographics of this study cohort showed a predominance of African-Americans, 19 of 31 (61%), and girls, 23 of 31 (74%). Assessment of success compared with subject age at the time of the initial portoenterostomy showed that 52% (13 of 25) had successful Kasai procedure at 0 to 75 days, compared with 83% success rate (5 of 6) at age 76 days or older (P = .359). Liver transplantation was performed in 16 of 31 patients (45%). Overall survival rate for the entire cohort is 23 of 31 (74%), whereas 12 of 31 (39%) are currently alive without a liver transplant. These data suggest that there is no contraindication to performing a Kasai portoenterostomy for biliary atresia in children over 75 days of age.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23307978,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Induction therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.\nTreatment options for patients with newly diagnosed myeloma have evolved significantly over the past 10 years. Although response rates after induction for older or younger patients were limited, with few patients achieving complete remission, more recent combinations have cleared the way for major response and even complete remissions after induction therapy. As a consequence of these changes, patients are now achieving more durable and longer remissions, which have ultimately improved overall survival for patients with myeloma. The age-appropriate use of induction therapy, autologous transplant, and maintenance therapy, all keeping in mind the specific genetic risk group of a given patient, requires a long-term treatment plan for each patient defined early in the treatment course.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29364935,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-22":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on employees' mental health: A systematic review.\nThe purpose of this exploratory study was to obtain greater insight into the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on the mental health of employees. Using PsycINFO, PubMed, and CINAHL, we performed a systematic review in October 2015 of studies investigating the effects of MBSR and MBCT on various aspects of employees' mental health. Studies with a pre-post design (i.e. without a control group) were excluded. 24 articles were identified, describing 23 studies: 22 on the effects of MBSR and 1 on the effects of MBSR in combination with some aspects of MBCT. Since no study focused exclusively on MBCT, its effects are not described in this systematic review. Of the 23 studies, 2 were of high methodological quality, 15 were of medium quality and 6 were of low quality. A meta-analysis was not performed due to the emergent and relatively uncharted nature of the topic of investigation, the exploratory character of this study, and the diversity of outcomes in the studies reviewed. Based on our analysis, the strongest outcomes were reduced levels of emotional exhaustion (a dimension of burnout), stress, psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and occupational stress. Improvements were found in terms of mindfulness, personal accomplishment (a dimension of burnout), (occupational) self-compassion, quality of sleep, and relaxation. The results of this systematic review suggest that MBSR may help to improve psychological functioning in employees.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9014014,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Experimental infection with a persistent influenza C virus variant leads to prolonged genome detection in the chicken lung.\nA persistent variant of influenza C virus was used to infect chickens by intraamniotic (i.a.) inoculation. The infected hatchings were analyzed for virus production in different tissues and for the continuous presence of viral RNA genomes. The permissiveness for infection was demonstrated primarily for the chicken lung, besides other organs. Viral antigens could be detected by indirect immunofluorescence staining for a period of 8 days and reisolates were obtained mainly at early time points post infection (p.i.). Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) directed to 3 genomic sequences was positive at least until day 53, whereby no distinct end point was determined. These experiments provide first evidence for the long-term stability of influenza C virus RNA segments in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22548454,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"N,N-addition of frustrated Lewis pairs to nitric oxide: an easy entry to a unique family of aminoxyl radicals.\nThe intramolecular cyclohexylene-bridged P\/B frustrated Lewis pair [Mes(2)P-C(6)H(10)-B(C(6)F(5))(2)] 1b reacts rapidly with NO to give the persistent FLP-NO aminoxyl radical 2b formed by P\/B addition to the nitrogen atom of NO. This species was fully characterized by X-ray diffraction, EPR and UV\/vis spectroscopies, C,H,N elemental analysis, and DFT calculations. The reactive oxygen-centered radical 2b undergoes a H-atom abstraction (HAA) reaction with 1,4-cyclohexadiene to give the diamagnetic FLP-NOH product 3b. FLP-NO 2b reacts with toluene at 70 \u00b0C in an HAA\/radical capture sequence to give a 1:1 mixture of FLP-NOH 3b and FLP-NO-CH(2)Ph 4b, both characterized by X-ray diffraction. Structurally related FLPs [Mes(2)P-CHR(1)-CHR(2)-B(C(6)F(5))(2)] 1c, 1d, and 1e react analogously with NO to give the respective persistent FLP-NO radicals 2c, 2d, and 2e, respectively, which show similar HAA and O-functionalization reactions. The FLP-NO-CHMePh 6b derived from 1-bromoethylbenzene undergoes NO-C bond cleavage at 120 \u00b0C with an activation energy of E(a) = 35(2) kcal\/mol. Species 6b induces the controlled nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization (NMP) of styrene at 130 \u00b0C to give polystyrene with a polydispersity index of 1.3. The FLP-NO systems represent a new family of aminoxyl radicals that are easily available by N,N-cycloaddition of C(2)-bridged intramolecular P\/B frustrated Lewis pairs to nitric oxide.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":91395,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Subsets of malignant lymphomas in children related to the cell phenotype.\nWe studied the lymphomatous cells of 39 children presenting with the classical features of malignant lymphoma. Twenty-two had T lymphoblasts. We could classify these patients into three subsets: The T lymphoblasts from children group 1 displayed antigen(s) shared by a thymocyte subpopulation, had terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT), but no affinity for peanut agglutinin (PNA). The T lymphoblasts from children group 2 lacked the thymocyte antigen(s), had no TDT, but showed affinity for PNA. The T lymphoblasts from children group 3 displayed mature T-cell antigens, had no TDT, and no affinity for PNA. Children from the three groups were similar in terms of clinical presentation, age and sex distribution, and cell morphology; however patients from the three groups might have a different prognosis. Fourteen children had B lymphoblasts that, in half of the cases, had affinity for Helix pomatia agglutinin. Three patients had lymphoblasts lacking specific marker. Two of them had cells displaying an antigen found on common acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells and had TDT.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22052455,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Neuronal activity regulates glutamate transporter dynamics in developing astrocytes.\nGlutamate transporters (GluTs) maintain a low ambient level of glutamate in the central nervous system (CNS) and shape the activation of glutamate receptors at synapses. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that regulate the trafficking and localization of transporters near sites of glutamate release are poorly understood. Here, we examined the subcellular distribution and dynamic remodeling of the predominant GluT GLT-1 (excitatory amino acid transporter 2, EAAT2) in developing hippocampal astrocytes. Immunolabeling revealed that endogenous GLT-1 is concentrated into discrete clusters along branches of developing astrocytes that were apposed preferentially to synapsin-1 positive synapses. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-GLT-1 fusion proteins expressed in astrocytes also formed distinct clusters that lined the edges of astrocyte processes, as well as the tips of filopodia and spine-like structures. Time-lapse three-dimensional confocal imaging in tissue slices revealed that GFP-GLT-1 clusters were dynamically remodeled on a timescale of minutes. Some transporter clusters moved within developing astrocyte branches as filopodia extended and retracted, while others maintained stable positions at the tips of spine-like structures. Blockade of neuronal activity with tetrodotoxin reduced both the density and perisynaptic localization of GLT-1 clusters. Conversely, enhancement of neuronal activity increased the size of GLT-1 clusters and their proximity to synapses. Together, these findings indicate that neuronal activity influences both the organization of GluTs in developing astrocyte membranes and their position relative to synapses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35172687,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Strategies to tackle SARS-CoV-2 Mu, a newly classified variant of interest likely to resist currently available COVID-19 vaccines.\nSeveral severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have recently been reported in many countries. These have exacerbated the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced global health threats and hindered COVID-19 vaccine development and therapeutic progress. This commentary discusses the potential risk of the newly classified Mu variant of interest, seeming a highly vaccine-resistant variant, and the approaches that can be adopted to tackle this variant based on the available evidence. The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.621 (Mu variant) lineage has shown approximately ten times higher resistance to neutralizing sera obtained from COVID-19 survivors or BNT161b2-vaccinated people than the parenteral B.1 lineage. Several urgent and long-term strategic plans, including quick genomic surveillance for uncovering the genetic characteristics of the variants, equitable global mass vaccination, booster dose administration if required, and strict implementation of public health measures or non-pharmaceutical interventions, must be undertaken concertedly to restrict further infections, mutations, or recombination of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its deadly strains.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28329042,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Longitudinal Cardiovascular Outcomes of Sleep Disordered Breathing in Children: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.\nThe presence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is known to impact long-term cardiovascular morbidity in adults; however, the long-term effects in children are poorly understood. We aimed to systematically review and synthesize studies published to date on the long-term effects of SDB in children. Meta-analysis and systematic review using PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Scopus (all indexed years). We searched for English-language articles containing original human data from prospective studies, with \u22657 participants, in children \u226418 years of age. Data regarding study design, demographics, clinical characteristics, outcomes, level of evidence, and risk of bias were obtained. Articles were independently reviewed by three investigators. Retrospective and cross-sectional studies were excluded. Of 1701 identified abstracts, 25 articles (combined n = 1418) were ultimately included. All studies reported longitudinal outcomes following treatment of SDB, 21 studies exclusively reporting outcomes after adenotonsillectomy. Therefore, studies were combined to objectively assess the effect of SDB treatment on cardiovascular outcomes. Although all cardiovascular parameters were within the normal range at baseline, at follow-up there was a significant decrease in mean pulmonary artery pressure, right ventricular end diastolic diameter, heart rate, mitral Em\/Am ratio, and C-reactive protein. There was no significant change in interventricular septum thickness, left ventricular parameters (shortening fraction, systolic and end diastolic diameters, ejection fraction, posterior wall thickness, isovolumetric relaxation time), left atrial diameter, and aortic and pulmonary valve peak velocities. Studies assessing the long-term cardiovascular effects of SDB in children are limited. The available literature indicates effects on autonomic function, right, and left heart function following treatment for SDB. However, well-designed, large-scale, prospective cohort studies (using standardized outcomes) are needed to better understand the relationship of cardiovascular morbidity in the context of pediatric SDB.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9641225,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of the uterine cervix: 110 cases treated by cold-knife conization.\nThe purpose of this study was to evaluate treatment by cold-knife-conization in women carriers of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). The histologic findings of pre-clinical neoplasia of the cervix after conization were compared to the previous findings of cytology, colposcopy and punch-biopsy in 110 women examined between 1985 and 1995. The chi square test (chi2) was used for the statistical analysis. A close correlation is clinically important where complementary roles of these three methods are used to identify lesions suitable for local ablative therapy. The Pap test alone is no longer sufficient for the screening of the pre-cancerous lesion of the cervix and colposcopy is compulsory each time the smear is inadequate or altered. Conization permitted us to single out 13 (11.8%) cases of carcinoma. After cold-knife conization we had six (5.4%) recurrences within two years and two (1.8%) within three years. Our data show that conservative therapy by conization in women with CIN reduces the risk of invasive cancer of the cervix but careful follow-up of these patients is essential.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28704969,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being.\nIndividual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors' level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors' crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents' aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors\u00b4 perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28397898,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"NMR probing and visualization of correlated structural fluctuations in intrinsically disordered proteins.\nA novel statistical analysis of paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) and paramagnetic relaxation interference (PRI) based nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data is proposed based on the computation of correlation matrices. The technique is demonstrated with an example of the intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) osteopontin (OPN) and brain acid soluble protein 1 (BASP1). The correlation analysis visualizes in detail the subtleties of conformational averaging in IDPs and highlights the presence of correlated structural fluctuations of individual sub-domains in IDPs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8048511,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"14-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme: structure of the rat gene and regulation upon fasting and by insulin.\nUpon fasting, an increase in proteolysis occurs in rat skeletal muscle and is associated with increased levels of ubiquitin-protein conjugates. As this suggests that formation of conjugates may be activated upon fasting, we studied the expression of the gene encoding the 14-kDa ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2(14k)). A cDNA encoding rat E2(14k) was isolated and used to probe Northern blots of RNA from extensor digitorum longus muscles of fed, fasted, and refed rats. Two mRNA transcripts of 1.2 and 1.8 kb were observed. Isolation and sequencing of a genomic clone determined that these transcripts arise from differential sites of polyadenylation. The 1.2-kb transcript increased threefold upon fasting at 2 days and returned to normal with refeeding. Northern analysis of RNA from various tissues of fed and fasted rats showed that E2(14k) mRNA was expressed at high levels in testes, moderate levels in muscle, heart, and brain, but low levels in liver and kidney. Upon fasting, increases in mRNA levels were seen in muscle, heart, liver, and kidney. In vitro, in rat L6 myotubes, insulin lowered levels of E2(14k) mRNA. Because E2s catalyze the first irreversible reaction in the pathway and E2(14k) gene expression appears to change in parallel with the changes in levels of ubiquitinated proteins and rates of proteolysis, conjugation mediated by this E2 may be a rate-limiting step in the pathway. This is the first demonstration of direct hormonal regulation of a gene in the ubiquitin system and argues strongly for a role of the ubiquitin system in the metabolic response to fasting in skeletal muscle.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2328317,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Polymerization defect of fibrinogen Baltimore III due to a gamma Asn308----Ile mutation.\nFibrinogen Baltimore III, a congenital abnormal fibrinogen with impaired fibrin monomer polymerization, displays a normal gamma-chain and a gamma-variant that has an apparently lower relative molecular weight (mol wt) than normal on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the lysyl endopeptidase digest of the purified gamma-chains of fibrinogen Baltimore III revealed the presence of a peptide that is not found in the digest of the normal fibrinogen gamma-chain. Amino acid sequence analysis of this peptide indicated that the gamma-chain residue 308, asparagine, is replaced by isoleucine. Concanavalin A bound both normal and variant gamma-chains of fibrinogen Baltimore III, indicating that the carbohydrate moiety is not altered and is not responsible for the increase in electrophoretic mobility of the Baltimore III gamma-chain. This study suggests that the integrity of gamma Asn308 is critical for fibrin monomer polymerization, since alteration to either a basic (fibrinogen Kyoto I, Asn----Lys) or hydrophobic (Asn----Ile) residue results in significantly delayed polymerization of fibrinogen to fibrin.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30082422,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"S1PR3 Mediates Itch and Pain via Distinct TRP Channel-Dependent Pathways.\nSphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive signaling lipid associated with a variety of chronic pain and itch disorders. S1P signaling has been linked to cutaneous pain, but its role in itch has not yet been studied. Here, we find that S1P triggers itch and pain in male mice in a concentration-dependent manner, with low levels triggering acute itch alone and high levels triggering both pain and itch. Ca2+ imaging and electrophysiological experiments revealed that S1P signals via S1P receptor 3 (S1PR3) and TRPA1 in a subset of pruriceptors and via S1PR3 and TRPV1 in a subset of heat nociceptors. Consistent with these findings, S1P-evoked itch behaviors are selectively lost in mice lacking TRPA1, whereas S1P-evoked acute pain and heat hypersensitivity are selectively lost in mice lacking TRPV1. We conclude that S1P acts via different cellular and molecular mechanisms to trigger itch and pain. Our discovery elucidates the diverse roles that S1P signaling plays in somatosensation and provides insight into how itch and pain are discriminated in the periphery.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Itch and pain are major health problems with few effective treatments. Here, we show that the proinflammatory lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and its receptor, S1P receptor 3 (S1PR3), trigger itch and pain behaviors via distinct molecular and cellular mechanisms. Our results provide a detailed understanding of the roles that S1P and S1PR3 play in somatosensation, highlighting their potential as targets for analgesics and antipruritics, and provide new insight into the mechanistic underpinnings of itch versus pain discrimination in the periphery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32317649,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Splice modulating antisense oligonucleotides restore some acid-alpha-glucosidase activity in cells derived from patients with late-onset Pompe disease.\nPompe disease is caused by mutations in the GAA gene, resulting in deficient lysosomal acid-\u03b1-glucosidase activity in patients, and a progressive decline in mobility and respiratory function. Enzyme replacement therapy is one therapeutic option, but since not all patients respond to this treatment, alternative interventions should be considered. One GAA mutation, c.-32-13T > G, impacts upon normal exon 2 splicing and is found in two-thirds of late-onset cases. We and others have explored a therapeutic strategy using splice modulating phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers to enhance GAA exon 2 inclusion in the mature mRNA of patients with one c.-32-13T > G allele. We designed 20 oligomers and treated fibroblasts derived from five patients to identify an oligomer sequence that maximally increased enzyme activity in all fibroblasts. The most effective splice correcting oligomer was chosen to treat forced-myogenic cells, derived from fibroblasts from nine patients carrying the c.-32-13T > G mutation. After transfection, we show increased levels of the full-length GAA transcript, acid-\u03b1-glucosidase protein, and enzyme activity in all patients' myogenic cells, regardless of the nature of the mutation in the other allele. This data encourages the initiation of clinical trials to assess the therapeutic efficacy of this oligomer for those patients carrying the c.-32-13T > G mutation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23242000,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Liver-to-thoracic volume ratio: use at MR imaging to predict postnatal survival in fetuses with isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia with or without prenatal tracheal occlusion.\nTo evaluate the relationship of the liver-to-thoracic volume ratio (LiTR) by MRI with postnatal survival in foetuses with isolated congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). In 30 conservatively managed CDH foetuses and in 31 who underwent fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO), logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the effect on postnatal survival of the observed-to-expected (O\/E) ratio of total foetal lung volume (TFLV), LiTR, gestational age at delivery, CDH side, intrathoracic position of the liver and, for those who underwent FETO, gestational age at FETO and occlusion period. For 19 foetuses undergoing FETO, a post-FETO MRI was available. The proportionate increase in O\/E ratio of TFLV at 3-8 weeks after FETO was compared with the pre-FETO value and correlated with pre-FETO LiTR using linear regression analysis. For conservatively managed foetuses, only LiTR provided a significant prediction of postnatal survival. For foetuses undergoing FETO, LiTR and gestational age at delivery provided a significant independent prediction of postnatal survival. There was a significant inverse association between lung response and pre-FETO LiTR. In foetuses with CDH with\/without FETO treatment, the LiTR is predictive of postnatal survival at discharge. In foetuses treated with FETO, LiTR is predictive of post-FETO lung response. \u2022 Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is usually managed conservatively before surgery soon after delivery \u2022 Fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) has been introduced for severely affected foetuses \u2022 In conservatively managed CDH, the liver-to-thoracic volume ratio (LiTR) predicted postnatal survival best. \u2022 In severe CDH with prenatal FETO, LiTR also helped predict postnatal survival. \u2022 LiTR should be integrated into the prenatal decision-making for foetuses with CDH.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27446925,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Personalized Medicine in Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery: Precision Neurosurgical Management of Cerebral Aneurysms and Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.\nCerebral aneurysms are common vascular lesions. Little is known about the pathogenesis of these lesions and the process by which they destabilize and progress to rupture. Treatment decisions are motivated by a desire to prevent rupture and the devastating morbidity and mortality associated with resulting subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). For patients presenting with SAH, urgent intervention is required to stabilize the lesion and prevent re-rupture. Those patients fortunate enough to survive a presenting SAH and subsequent securing of their aneurysm must still face a spectrum of secondary sequelae, which can include cerebral vasospasm, delayed ischemia, seizures, cerebral edema, hydrocephalus, and endocrinologic and catecholamine-induced systemic dysfunction in cardiac, pulmonary, and renal systems. Increased focus on understanding the pathophysiology and molecular characteristics of these secondary processes will enable the development of targeted therapeutics and novel diagnostics for improved patient selection in personalized medicine trials for SAH. In unruptured cerebral aneurysms, treatment decisions are less clear and currently based solely on treating larger lesions, using rigid aneurysm size cutoffs generalized from recent studies that are the subject of ongoing controversy. Further compounding this controversy is the fact that the vast majority of aneurysms that come to clinical attention at the time of a hemorrhagic presentation are of smaller size, suggesting that small aneurysms are indeed not benign lesions. As such, patient-specific biomarkers that better predict which aneurysms represent high-risk lesions that warrant clinical intervention are of vital importance. Recent advancements in genomic and proteomic technologies have enabled the identification of molecular characteristics that may prove useful in tracking aneurysm growth and progression and identifying targets for prophylactic therapeutic interventions. Novel quantitative neuroimaging technologies have also recently emerged, capable of non-invasive characterization of hemodynamic factors, inflammation, and structural changes in aneurysmal walls. The combined use of these quantitative neuroimaging and molecular-based approaches, called Radiogenomics, is a technique that holds great promise in better characterizing individual aneurysms. In the near future, these radiogenomic techniques may help improve quality of life and patient outcomes via patient-specific approaches to the treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms and personalized medical management of secondary processes following aneurysmal SAH.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6648479,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Section planes of sonographic epigastric diagnosis. Suggestion for standardization and codes in photodocumentation].\nThe positioning of the patient's body, the sectional plane employed (standardized as far as possible in the form as stated) and the respiratory position at the time of freezing of the setting, are inscribed on the margin of the viewing screen in three-digit coded form for identifying the photographic documentation. This group of three alphanumeric symbols can be extended by five further groups of three symbols each for accurate three-dimensional recording of the sectional planes in sonographic upper abdomen diagnosis. The point of contact of the ultrasonic applicator, which can be determined by previous skin markings (longitudinal position, transverse position) as well as its angular deviations from the plane of reference (rotation, tilt and inclination) are observed visually after adequate training. Input of the data to the viewing screen is effected via the instrument keyboard.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31993088,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Population genomics supports clonal reproduction and multiple independent gains and losses of parasitic abilities in the most devastating nematode pest.\nThe root-knot nematodes are the most devastating worms to worldwide agriculture with Meloidogyne incognita being the most widely distributed and damaging species. This parasitic and ecological success seems surprising given its supposed obligatory clonal reproduction. Clonal reproduction has been suspected based on cytological observations but, so far, never confirmed by population genomics data. As a species, M. incognita is highly polyphagous with thousands of host plants. However, different M. incognita isolates present distinct and overlapping patterns of host compatibilities. Historically, four \"host races\" had been defined as a function of ranges of compatible and incompatible plants. In this study, we used population genomics to assess whether (a) reproduction is actually clonal in this species, (b) the host races follow an underlying phylogenetic signal or, rather represent multiple independent transitions, and (c) how genome variations associate with other important biological traits such as the affected crops and geographical distribution. We sequenced the genomes of 11 M. incognita isolates across Brazil that covered the four host races in replicates. By aligning the genomic reads of these isolates to the M. incognita reference genome assembly, we identified point variations. Analysis of linkage disequilibrium and 4-gametes test showed no evidence for recombination, corroborating the clonal reproduction of M. incognita. The few point variations between the isolates showed no significant association with the host races, the geographical origin of the samples, or the crop on which they have been collected. Addition of isolates from other locations around the world confirmed this lack of underlying phylogenetic signal. This suggests multiple gains and losses of parasitic abilities and adaptations to different environments account for the broad host spectrum and wide geographical distribution of M. incognita and thus to its high economic impact. This surprising adaptability without sex poses both evolutionary and agro-economic challenges.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11538250,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Comparison of fluorescent and high-pressure sodium lamps on growth of leaf lettuce.\nRadiation from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps provided more than a 50% increased yield (fresh and dry weight of tops) of loose-leaf lettuce cultivars Grand Rapids Forcing and RubyConn, compared to that obtained by radiation from cool-white fluorescent (CWF) lamps at equal photosynthetic photon flux; yet, input wattage was approximately 36% less. It was postulated that the considerable output of 700 to 850 nm radiation from the HPS lamp was a significant factor of the increased yield. Under HPS lamps, the leaves of both cultivars were slightly less green with very little red pigmentation ('RubyConn') and slightly elongated, compared to CWF, but plant productivity per unit electrical energy input was vastly superior with HPS.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29478074,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Comparison of Cytotoxic Effects of Intra-Articular Use of Tranexamic Acid versus Epinephrine on Rat Cartilage.\nBACKGROUND Adequate visualization is known to be essential to perform arthroscopic procedures effectively and efficiently. We hypothesized that tranexamic acid may be considered as an alternative agent to reduce intra-articular bleeding during arthroscopic procedures, after comparing its potential chondrotoxicity with that of epinephrine. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-two rats were randomized into 3 groups with 24 rats each. The injections were performed in the right knees, as follows: Group 1: 0.25 mL of tranexamic acid solution, Group 2: 0.25 mL of epinephrine solution, and Group 3: 0.25 mL of 0.9% saline, serving as control. One week after the injections, the animals were euthanized. Samples were evaluated histologically based on the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) Histopathology Grading and Staging System and the \"live\/dead\" staining technique to determine chondrocyte viability. RESULTS Comparison of epinephrine and tranexamic acid revealed significantly higher OARSI scores in the epinephrine group (epinephrine: 3.42\u00b11.31, TA: 0.92\u00b10.90; P<0.001). The most significant difference between the 2 groups was in the number of joints diagnosed with OARSI grade III. The percentage of viability was significantly higher in the tranexamic acid group when compared with the epinephrine group (tranexamic acid: 79.74\u00b13.343; epinephrine: 63.81\u00b11.914; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Based on the histologic parameters and chondrocyte viability, tranexamic acid is less cytotoxic than epinephrine in rat chondrocytes at the doses typically used in irrigation fluid, and may be a good alternative to epinephrine in arthroscopic surgery.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28429867,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Health-related quality of life questionnaires in individuals with haemophilia: a systematic review of their measurement properties.\nThe evaluation of health related quality of life (HRQOL) is essential for a full assessment of the influence of an illness on patients' lives. The aim of this paper is to critically appraise and compare the measurement properties of HRQOL questionnaires studied in haemophilia. Bibliographic databases (Embase, Medline, Cinahl and PsycInfo) were searched for articles evaluating measurement properties of HRQOL questionnaires in haemophilia. Articles were excluded that did not report HRQOL measurement properties, or when <50% of the study population had haemophilia. The methodological quality of the selected studies was evaluated using the COSMIN checklist. The measurement properties of the HRQL questionnaires were rated as 'positive', 'indeterminate' or 'negative', accompanied by levels of evidence. The search resulted in 1597 unique hits, of which 22 studies were included. These articles evaluated three questionnaires for children (CHO-KLAT, Haemo-QoL and one unnamed measure) and five for adults (Hemofilia-QoL, Haemophilia Well-Being Index, HAEMO-QoL-A, Haem-A-QoL, and SF-36). The CHO-KLAT was the paediatric measure that showed the strongest measurement properties in high-quality studies. The Haemophilia Well-Being Index and HAEMO-QoL-A performed best among the adult measures. None of the studies reported measurement error and responsiveness. Our findings suggest that there is no need for new disease-specific HRQOL questionnaires for haemophilia, but rather that additional research is necessary to document the measurement properties of the currently available questionnaires, specifically focusing on the structural validity, measurement error and responsiveness of these questionnaires.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27185787,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Iron Limitation Triggers Early Egress by the Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Legionella pneumophila.\nLegionella pneumophila is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that replicates in alveolar macrophages, causing a severe form of pneumonia. Intracellular growth of the bacterium depends on its ability to sequester iron from the host cell. In the L. pneumophila strain 130b, one mechanism used to acquire this essential nutrient is the siderophore legiobactin. Iron-bound legiobactin is imported by the transport protein LbtU. Here, we describe the role of LbtP, a paralog of LbtU, in iron acquisition in the L. pneumophila strain Philadelphia-1. Similar to LbtU, LbtP is a siderophore transport protein and is required for robust growth under iron-limiting conditions. Despite their similar functions, however, LbtU and LbtP do not contribute equally to iron acquisition. The Philadelphia-1 strain lacking LbtP is more sensitive to iron deprivation in vitro Moreover, LbtP is important for L. pneumophila growth within macrophages while LbtU is dispensable. These results demonstrate that LbtP plays a dominant role over LbtU in iron acquisition. In contrast, loss of both LbtP and LbtU does not impair L. pneumophila growth in the amoebal host Acanthamoeba castellanii, demonstrating a host-specific requirement for the activities of these two transporters in iron acquisition. The growth defect of the \u0394lbtP mutant in macrophages is not due to alterations in growth kinetics. Instead, the absence of LbtP limits L. pneumophila replication and causes bacteria to prematurely exit the host cell. These results demonstrate the existence of a preprogrammed exit strategy in response to iron limitation that allows L. pneumophila to abandon the host cell when nutrients are exhausted.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3456434,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Phorbol esters mimic some cholinergic actions in hippocampal pyramidal neurons.\nMuscarinic receptor stimulation in the hippocampus has been associated with inositol phospholipid breakdown. In other systems this leads to the formation of inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol, which promotes the activation of protein kinase C. Phorbol esters, which directly activate protein kinase C, exhibit high and specific binding in the hippocampus. This, along with the advantages of the hippocampal slice preparation, including direct pharmacological access to a cell population (CA1 pyramidal cells) having clearly defined muscarinic responses, makes this an ideal preparation to examine whether protein kinase C serves as the intracellular signal for muscarinic receptor occupation. Like muscarinic agonists, phorbol esters abolish the slow calcium-activated potassium afterhyperpolarizing potential (AHP) and its underlying current without reducing calcium action potentials. Those phorbol analogs that do not activate kinase C have no effect, suggesting that activation of this enzyme is required to reduce the AHP. The accommodation of spike discharge normally seen during a long depolarizing stimulus is also markedly reduced by phorbol esters as well as by muscarinic receptor activation. However, unlike muscarinic agonists, phorbol esters have no effect on the muscarine-sensitive, voltage-dependent, potassium current termed IM, nor do they consistently cause an increase in input resistance. Moreover, unlike ACh, they do not appear to have a presynaptic inhibitory action on the fast EPSP elicited by orthodromic stimulation. The slow cholinergic EPSP was blocked by phorbol esters, but this could be accounted for by a postsynaptic action. Thus, if inositol phospholipid turnover is involved in mediating muscarinic responses in the hippocampus, the activation of protein kinase C can account for only part of the electrophysiological response.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":38132202,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Suitability of RNA from Positive SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Tests for Whole Virus Genome Sequencing and Variant Identification to Maintain Genomic Surveillance.\nThe COVID-19 pandemic has transformed laboratory management, with a surge in demand for diagnostic tests prompting the adoption of new diagnostic assays and the spread of variant surveillance tools. Rapid antigen tests (RATs) were initially used only for screening and later as suitable infection assessment tools. This study explores the feasibility of sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of rapid antigen tests (RATs) to identify different COVID-19 lineages and sub-lineages. Viral RNA was extracted from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs and, after a confirmation of positivity through a reaction of RT-PCR, viral genome sequencing was performed. Overall, the quality of the sequences obtained from the RNA extracted from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs was adequate and allowed us to identify the SARS-CoV-2 variants' circulation and distribution in a period when the use of molecular swabs had been drastically reduced. This study demonstrates the potential for genomic surveillance by sequencing SARS-CoV-2 from the residue of the nasopharyngeal swab extraction buffers of RATs, highlighting alternative possibilities for tracking variants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1420123,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The pathogenic classification of glaucomas.\nOn the basis of a pathogenic definition, our classification distinguished for each of the first intersections a main--mostly determinant mechanism and a secondary mechanism, mostly modulating the damages: hydrodynamic alteration and tissue resistance alteration--for the second intersection, outflow block and hypersecretion--for the third. Reflecting the state of present knowledge, from the corresponding forms of the disease, only outflow block glaucoma is completely analysed, the exogenous, trabecular, pretrabecular and mixed glaucomas being described. In order to permit the correct framing of all pretrabecular block glaucomas, the posterior push forms (retrovitreal or parietal) were introduced besides the anterior already described forms (pupillary or angular). As for low tissue resistance glaucomas, genetic, cardiovascular, metabolic, haematologic and ocular influences are mentioned. This classification avoids the theoretical inadvertencies of previous classifications offering the synthetic frame of a coherent system, open to any new developments, all inclusive, terminologically clear and with direct therapeutic references.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":9416895,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Tomographic three-dimensional echocardiographic determination of chamber size and systolic function in patients with left ventricular aneurysm: comparison to magnetic resonance imaging, cineventriculography, and two-dimensional echocardiography.\nTwo-dimensional (2D) echocardiographic approaches based on geometric assumptions face the greatest limitations and inaccuracies in patients with left ventricular (LV) aneurysms. Three-dimensional (3D) echocardiographic techniques can potentially overcome these limitations; to date, however, although tested in experimental models of aneurysms, they have not been applied to a series of patients with such distortion. The purpose of this study was therefore to validate the clinical application of tomographic 3D echocardiography (3DE) by the routine transthoracic approach to determine LV chamber size and systolic function without geometric assumptions in patients with LV aneurysms. In 23 patients with chronic stable LV aneurysms, LV end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes (LVEDV, LVESV) and ejection fraction (LVEF) by tomographic 3DE were compared with results from 3D magnetic resonance tomography (3DMRT) as an independent reference as well as with the conventional techniques of single plane and biplane 2D echocardiography and biplane cineventriculography. Dynamic 3DE image data sets were obtained from a transthoracic apical view with the use of a rotating probe with acquisition gated to control for ECG and respiration (Echoscan, TomTec). Volumes were calculated from the 3D data sets by summating the volumes of multiple parallel disks. 3DE results correlated and agreed well with those by 3DMRT, with better correlation and agreement than provided by other techniques for LVEDV (3DE: r=.97, SEE=14.7 mL, SD of differences from 3DMRT=14.5 mL; other techniques: r=.84 to .93, SEE=30.7 to 41.6 mL [P<.001 versus 3DE by F test], SD of differences=31.5 to 40.7 mL [P<.001 versus 3DE by F test]). The same also pertained to LVESV (3DE: r=.97, SEE=12.4 mL, SD of differences=12.9 mL; other techniques: r=.81 to .90, SEE=24.7 to 37.2 mL [P<.001], SD of differences=27.6 to 36.8 mL [P<.005]) and LVEF (3DE: r=.74, SEE=5.6%, SD of differences=6.7%; other techniques: r=.14 to .59, SEE=9.5% to 10.1% [P<.01], SD of differences=9.5% to 12.6% [P<.05]). Compared with 3DMRT, 3DE was less time consuming and patient discomfort was less. Tomographic 3DE is an accurate noninvasive technique for calculating LV volumes and systolic function in patients with LV aneurysm. Unlike current 2D methods, tomographic 3DE requires no geometric assumptions that limit accuracy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18995181,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-48":2,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Genomic profiling of left and right ventricular hypertrophy in congenital heart disease.\nThe right ventricle (RV) has a lower ability than the left ventricle (LV) to adapt to systemic load. The molecular basis of these differences is not known. We compared hypertrophy-signaling pathways between the RV and the LV in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Gene expression was measured using DNA microarrays in myocardium from children with CHD with LV or RV obstructive lesions undergoing surgery. The expression of 175 hypertrophy-signaling genes was compared between the LV (n=7) and the RV (n=11). Hierarchic clustering was performed. Seventeen genes (10%) were differentially expressed between the LV and the RV. Expression of genes for angiotensin, adrenergic, G-proteins, cytoskeletal, and contractile components was lower (P < .05) and expression of maladaptive factors (fibroblast growth factors, transforming growth factor-beta, caspases, ubiquitin) was higher in the RV compared with the LV (P < .05). Five of 7 LV samples clustered together. Only 4 of 11 RV samples clustered with the LV. Genes critical to adaptive remodeling correlated with the degree of LV hypertrophy but not RV hypertrophy. The transcription of pathways of adaptive remodeling was lower in the RV compared with the LV. This may explain the lower ability of the RV to adapt to hemodynamic load in CHD.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24983219,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Update in sepsis and pulmonary infections 2013.\nThe Journal has been in the vanguard of publications of the respiratory microbiome, including a National Institutes of Health Workshop report, establishing the normal microbiome in patients with various risks, and in the correlation of microbiome changes with disease exacerbations and lung transplant. A new classification scheme for healthcare-associated pneumonia, risks for nosocomial Pseudomonas pneumonia, and associations between community-acquired pneumonia and risks or outcomes have been reported. The increasingly recognized role of viral respiratory tract infections was reflected in publications regarding incidence rates, risk factors, and associations with other respiratory diseases. Significant contributions to understanding and treating sepsis emerged in 2013. The role of tissue damage was highlighted in a series of publications. A much greater understanding of the importance of pathways that directly impact the pathogen at the site of infection and subsequent pathogen clearance has emerged. The Journal published important contributions across the spectrum of ineffective therapy (activated protein C), novel therapeutic ideas (statins and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), and solidly beneficial approaches (early protocolized care). Biomarker development is maturing to include a wide array of molecular measurements increasingly aimed at aiding improved therapy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7774385,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Magnetic resonance imaging and microsurgical treatment of intramedullary hemangioblastoma of the spinal cord.\nThirteen cases of intramedullary hemangioblastoma of the spinal cord were studied radiologically, especially with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Microsurgery was used to remove the tumors in all cases. Signs and symptoms were improved in 84.6% of the cases after operation. The diagnosis and microsurgical techniques for excision of intramedullary hemangioblastoma of the spinal cord are discussed. This disease should be differentiated from hydromyelia, intramedullary ependymoma, and vascular malformation of the spinal cord. Total removal of the tumor is recommended.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1407235,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Additive value of transoesophageal echocardiography in the visualization of carcinoid heart disease.\nA 65-yr-old woman with atypical complaints and a tricuspid insufficiency murmur underwent transthoracic echocardiography, which showed right-sided abnormalities, but did not allow clear visualization of the valves. Subsequent transoesophageal imaging, however, raised the suspicion of carcinoid heart disease, because of the typical lesions. The diagnosis was thereafter confirmed by biochemical investigations, scintigraphy and abdominal ultrasound. This case suggests that transoesophageal echocardiography may have additive value in the detection of carcinoid heart disease.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23716619,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Cohort Profile: Understanding socioeconomic inequalities in health and health behaviours: the GLOBE study.\nThe main aim of the Gezondheid en Levens Omstandigheden Bevolking Eindhoven en omstreken (GLOBE) study (the letters of whose name represent the first letters of the Dutch acronym for Health and Living Conditions of the Population of Eindhoven and surroundings) is to quantitatively assess mechanisms and factors explaining socio-economic inequalities in health in the Netherlands. Baseline data for the study were collected by postal survey in 1991 among 18,973 respondents ranging in age from 15-75 years from the city of Eindhoven and its surrounding municipalities. Subsamples (total N=5667) were interviewed and\/or surveyed in 1991, 1997, 2004 (also including a new sample), and most recently in 2011. Information was asked on indicators of socio-economic position, a range of potential explanatory factors (material, behavioural, psychosocial, and environmental) and health outcomes. From 2004 onwards, special emphasis was given to the identification of physical, social, and cultural environmental factors in the explanation of socio-economic inequalities in health behaviours. Information from the baseline postal survey onwards can and has been linked to several registries of causes of death, hospital admissions, and cancer. Researchers are cordially invited to contact the project leader (email@example.com) to propose research based on the data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18218474,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Registration and three-dimensional reconstruction of autoradiographic images by the disparity analysis method.\nQuantitative autoradiography is a powerful radioisotopic-imaging method for neuroscientists to study local cerebral blood flow and glucose-metabolic rate at rest, in response to physiologic activation of the visual, auditory, somatosensory, and motor systems, and in pathologic conditions. Most autoradiographic studies analyze glucose utilization and blood flow in two-dimensional (2D) coronal sections. With modern digital computer and image-processing techniques, a large number of closely spaced coronal sections can be stacked appropriately to form a three-dimensional (3D) image. 3D autoradiography allows investigators to observe cerebral sections and surfaces from any viewing angle. A fundamental problem in 3D reconstruction is the alignment (registration) of the coronal sections. A new alignment method based on disparity analysis is presented, which can overcome many of the difficulties encountered by previous methods. The disparity analysis method can deal with asymmetric, damaged, or tilted coronal sections under the same general framework, and it can be used to match coronal sections of different sizes and shapes. Experimental results on alignment and 3D reconstruction are presented.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8048496,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Stimulation of trabecular bone formation by insulin-like growth factor I in adult ovariectomized rats.\nAlthough in vitro experiments indicate that insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is an anabolic hormone in bone cell metabolism, the effects of IGF-I in vivo on bone formation are unclear. We thus investigated whether IGF-I is able to stimulate bone formation in adult rats with established osteopenia induced by ovariectomy (OVX). IGF-I was administered at daily doses of 0.05, 0.2, and 0.8 mg\/kg for 3 wk. OVX induced a marked osteopenia in femur and tibia. Administration of IGF-I increased trabecular bone mass with a maximal effect at 0.2 mg\/kg. The same dose stimulated bone formation, as revealed by an increase in osteoid surface, osteoblast surface, triple tetracycline-labeled surface, and bone formation rate. The mineral apposition rate was equally stimulated at all doses. At the highest dose, IGF-I increased osteoclast surface and osteoclast number. These data indicate that, in the adult OVX rat, IGF-I stimulates bone formation and increases trabecular bone volume at medium doses and enhances the histological indexes of bone resorption at high doses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12297069,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Magnetic position determination by homing pigeons?\nHow pigeons return home from unfamiliar release sites is a long-standing puzzle in animal behaviour. Walker (1998, 1999) has described a \"vector summation model\" which \"identifies a novel coordinate that pigeons could use with magnetic total intensity to determine position\". The model is not applicable in a magnetic field generated simply by a geocentric dipole, but requires a field perturbed by higher-order sources. Tests are devised to simulate the addition of both regional and local magnetic anomalies to a geocentric dipole field, and to calculate the directions of the home loft from a number of release sites. The results indicate that a pigeon would be unlikely to derive useful information from the model.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10859418,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"2014-10":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Towards optimal recording and analysis of the mismatch negativity.\nIn this paper, the conceptual and practical issues related to the measurement of mismatch negativity (MMN) are discussed from the viewpoint of cost-efficiency. First, various criteria for efficiency or optimality of measurements are described, including reliability and signal-to-noise ratio. Then a critical look is taken at some currently used concepts and data analysis methods. Practical guidelines for the measurement and analysis of MMN are given, complementing the earlier reviews on the subject. Finally, reliability studies on MMN are critically reviewed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31674066,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Coagulation mixing studies: Utility, algorithmic strategies and limitations for lupus anticoagulant testing or follow up of abnormal coagulation tests.\nCoagulation testing underpins the investigation of hemostasis and\/or monitoring of anticoagulation therapy for prevention and\/or treatment of thrombosis related pathology. Assessment of coagulation results requires comparison against a normal reference range or interval (NRR\/NRI). Results flagged as \"abnormal\" (ie, above the NRR\/NRI for patients not on anticoagulant therapy), typically require further evaluation. eg, follow up or reflexive testing is used to identify the reason for prolongation, especially when supported by clinical context (eg, bleeding). Mixing tests may have utility to help identify the pathway of follow-up testing (ie, towards investigation of factor deficiencies, or else inhibitors), and are also useful for investigation of lupus anticoagulants (LA). In general, mixing tests that \"correct\" tend to suggest the presence of factor deficiencies, where as those that do not correct suggest the presence of \"inhibitors\". Various approaches can be used to identify correction\/non-correction, and all have strengths and limitations. Furthermore, eventual identification of causal factor deficiencies or even \"inhibitors\" may (eg, factor VIII or IX deficiencies or inhibitors) or may not (eg, factor XII deficiency) be clinically important. Ultimately, mixing studies performed in view of appropriate clinical scenarios (eg, bleeding patient) and for LA investigations in symptomatic patients will have best utility.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17807141,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Seasonality and interaction of biogenic and lithogenic particulate flux at the panama basin.\nTime-series sediment traps were deployed for an entire year at three depths (890, 2590, and 3560 meters) at a deepwater station (3860 meters) in the Panama Basin. The amount of horizontal and lithogenic particulate material arriving at the three depths was seasonally pulsed and directly reflected changes in surface primary production. Two spikes of organic flux were simultaneously recorded at all three depths: (i) a period of high productivity during regional upwelling in February through March and (ii) an unusual bloom of a single species of coccolithophorid during June through July. This latter spike delivered approximately 25 grams of coccolith per square meter of area at a depth of 3860 meters during less than 60 days. The flux of lithogenic particles increased with increasing depth and was seasonally correlated to surface production and current direction, and not to the detritus discharged in river flow. The data suggest that suspended clays are efficiently scavenged from the water column by rapidly sinking organic aggregates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27439999,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Treatment of chronic daily headache with comorbid anxiety and depression using botulinum toxin A: a prospective pilot study.\nPsychiatric comorbidities, including depression and anxiety, are clinical entities associated with chronic daily headache (CDH). Botulinum toxin A (BTA) is a Food and Drug Administration approved drug for the treatment of chronic migraine, a subtype form of CDH. This study aimed to investigate the potential efficacy and safety of BTA for controlling psychiatric symptoms in CDH patients. A prospective, open-label, pilot study (n = 30; 7 males, 23 females) was performed. A single low-dose of BTA (40-120 U) was injected into the pericranial muscle at multiple sites. Participants were evaluated before and 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks after BTA treatment. Primary outcomes included: (1) headache severity, determined by a visual analog scale; (2) depression and anxiety severity, assessed via the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scales (HAM-D and HAM-A, respectively); (3) headache frequency per month and (4) single headache episode duration. Headache severity was significantly ameliorated one week after treatment. Depression and anxiety symptoms were significantly reduced one month after treatment. At month four, the headache incidence per month decreased from 28.83 \u00b1 2.95 to 17.57 \u00b1 11.30 d (p < 0.001), and the single headache duration decreased from 12.03 \u00b1 9.47 to 6.63 \u00b1 8.98 h (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the percentage of patients who required analgesics significantly decreased. BTA was well tolerated, and the adverse events were mild and transient. BTA treatment alleviated the severity and frequency of CDH, with improvements in depression and anxiety. These novel findings indicate that BTA may represent an effective and safe intervention to target psychiatric comorbidities in CDH.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22042140,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":4,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Compassion fatigue and burnout: what managers should know.\nMost health care employees experience and are bolstered by compassion satisfaction as they deal with patients in need. However, the more empathetic a health care provider is, the more likely he or she will experience compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a negative syndrome that occurs when dealing with the traumatic experiences of patients, and examples of symptoms include intrusive thoughts, sleeping problems, and depression. Compassion fatigue is different from burnout. Compassion fatigue is a rapidly occurring disorder for primary health care workers who work with suffering patients, whereas burnout, a larger construct, is a slowly progressing disorder for employees who typically are working in burdensome organizational environments. Managers can mitigate problems associated with compassion fatigue with a number of interventions including patient reassignments, formal mentoring programs, employee training, and a compassionate organizational culture. With burnout, health care managers will want to focus primarily on chronic organizational problems.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36475958,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A Short History of Panspermia from Antiquity Through the Mid-1970s.\nPanspermia is the philosophical proposition that the precursors of life are present in space and able to initiate life on reaching a suitable environment (especially the Earth). Only in the past century has the subject advanced from the lowly status of a dreamy hypothesis to a vibrant new science that is testable and observable. This history of panspermia presents the major figures associated with such hypotheses. It examines their motives, methods, and arguments, situated when possible in their historical context and culture rather than their impact on the present. From antiquity to the early modern period (1500-1800), the debates on the plurality of worlds and panspermia overlapped considerably. In the later modern period (1800 to the present), the narrative thread interweaves panspermia with the origin of life and the theory of evolution, and we can see authentic inputs from scientists rather than philosophers. In the interests of concision, I have omitted topics such as the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, the exploration of the solar system by probes and landers, planetary protection (the inverse of panspermia), and the discovery of exoplanets. The historical literature is sometimes confusing: to correct for that, I have personally examined the original sources of every work cited rather than simply accepting the published findings of other scholars at face value.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10874738,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Virulence gene regulation inside and outside.\nMuch knowledge about microbial gene regulation and virulence is derived from genetic and biochemical studies done outside of hosts. The aim of this review is to correlate observations made in vitro and in vivo with two different bacterial pathogens in which the nature of regulated gene expression leading to virulence is quite different. The first is Vibrio cholerae, in which the concerted action of a complicated regulatory cascade involving several transcription activators leads ultimately to expression of cholera toxin and the toxin-coregulated pilus. The regulatory cascade is active in vivo and is also required for maintenance of V. cholerae in the intestinal tract during experimental infection. Nevertheless, specific signals predicted to be generated in vivo, such as bile and a temperature of 37 degrees C, have a severe down-modulating effect on activation of toxin and pilus expression. Another unusual aspect of gene regulation in this system is the role played by inner membrane proteins that activate transcription. Although the topology of these proteins suggests an appealing model for signal transduction leading to virulence gene expression, experimental evidence suggests that such a model may be simplistic. In Streptococcus pyogenes, capsule production is critical for virulence in an animal model of necrotizing skin infection. Yet capsule is apparently produced to high levels only from mutation in a two-component regulatory system, CsrR and CsrS. Thus it seems that in V. cholerae a complex regulatory pathway has evolved to control virulence by induction of gene expression in vivo, whereas in S. pyogenes at least one mode of pathogenicity is potentiated by the absence of regulation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8984941,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Fractal signature analysis measures cancellous bone organisation in macroradiographs of patients with knee osteoarthritis.\nTo determine whether fractal signature analysis (FSA) of digitised macroradiographs of knees quantifies alterations in trabecular structure in the tibial cancellous bone of osteoarthritic patients with either early or definite joint space narrowing compared with non-arthritic subjects. 90 osteoarthritic knees had macroradiographs at x5 magnification. Joint space width and FSA of horizontal and vertical trabecular organisation in the tibial subarticular cancellous bone were measured in the medial and lateral tibio-femoral compartments and compared to reference values obtained from the knees of 14 healthy non-arthritic volunteers, and to the subject's age and weight. Compared to the non-arthritic joints, FSA of the trabecular structure of the medial diseased compartment of the tibia was significantly different and correlated with the degree of joint space narrowing (P < 0.003); FSA of horizontal trabecular structures decreased (P < 0.001) in knees with early osteoarthritis (joint space > 3 mm) and vertical trabecular FSA increased in knees with marked joint space narrowing (joint space < 3 mm). In the lateral compartment of the tibia, FSA did not show a difference between any of the categories. With increasing age of all subjects, the changes in FSA indicated a significant increase in the number of fine horizontal and vertical trabeculae. No correlation was found between the subjects' body weight and changes in the subarticular cancellous bone organisation. FSA quantifies changes in cancellous bone organisation in knee osteoarthritis. In the diseased compartment, increased horizontal trabecular thickness occurred early and preceded the later changes in the vertical structures.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26363608,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Occurrence and risk assessment of organophosphate esters in drinking water from Eastern China.\nOrganophosphate esters (OPEs) are ubiquitous in the environment and may pose potential health risks to humans. Drinking water is suspected as one possible exposure pathway of OPEs to humans. In this study, we investigated the residues of 9 OPEs in five types of drinking water in Eastern China. The median concentrations of \u03a39OPEs were determined to be 3.99, 4.50, 27.6, 59.2 and 192ng\/L in the bottled, well, barreled, direct drinking and tap waters, respectively. Triethyl phosphate (TEP) was the most abundant OPE in the tap water and filtered drinking water with median concentrations of 50.2 and 30.2ng\/L, respectively. The mixture of tri(chloropropyl) phosphate (TCPP) and tri(chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), named here as TCPP, dominated in the barreled and well water with median concentrations of 8.04 and 2.49ng\/L, respectively. The calculated average daily doses of OPEs ranged from 0.14 to 7.07ng\/kgbw\/day for people consuming the five different types of drinking water. Among the drinking water, the tap water exhibited the highest exposure doses of OPEs. The calculated non-cancer hazard quotients (10(-4)-10(-7)) from OPEs were much lower than the theoretical threshold of risk. The carcinogenic risks posed by TCEP were very low (<10(-7)) for all types of drinking water. The results revealed that there was currently low risk to human health from exposure to OPEs through drinking water in Eastern China.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17799559,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Utah jet: a vitrinite with aberrant properties.\nThe gem-grade jet found in Upper Cretaceous rocks of the Jet Basin, Wayne County, Utah, has been shown to be a vitrinitic, high-volatile B bituminous coal with aberrant chemical constitution. The residual structure is entirely that of taxodiaceous conifer wood. The abnormally high volatile content (62 percent) and low reflectance (0.25 percent) of Utah jet compared with other vitrinites of similar rank is produced by the unusual derivatives of cellulose and lignin of which the woody structure is composed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27445680,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Systemic Low-Frequency Oscillations in BOLD Signal Vary with Tissue Type.\nBlood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signals are widely used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a proxy measure of brain activation. However, because these signals are blood-related, they are also influenced by other physiological processes. This is especially true in resting state fMRI, during which no experimental stimulation occurs. Previous studies have found that the amplitude of resting state BOLD is closely related to regional vascular density. In this study, we investigated how some of the temporal fluctuations of the BOLD signal also possibly relate to regional vascular density. We began by identifying the blood-bound systemic low-frequency oscillation (sLFO). We then assessed the distribution of all voxels based on their correlations with this sLFO. We found that sLFO signals are widely present in resting state BOLD signals and that the proportion of these sLFOs in each voxel correlates with different tissue types, which vary significantly in underlying vascular density. These results deepen our understanding of the BOLD signal and suggest new imaging biomarkers based on fMRI data, such as amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and sLFO, a combination of both, for assessing vascular density.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17893612,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Mutations to bid cleavage sites protect hepatocytes from apoptosis after ischemia\/reperfusion injury.\nApoptosis of hepatocytes contributes to many forms of liver pathology and can compromise liver function. Hepatocytes have been shown to require mitochondrial disruption to execute apoptosis, a process that is controlled by members of the Bcl-2 family. Bid is a proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member that is cleaved to its active form, tBid, by caspase 8 and granzyme B. Studies in the Bid-deficient mouse have established that hepatocytes require Bid to undergo apoptosis. We generated aspartic acid to glutamic acid mutations in the rat Bid protein, at the caspase 8 and granzyme B cleavage sites, and utilized recombinant adenoviruses to express this protein in hepatoma cells and in the livers of rats. Cells transduced with recombinant adenoviruses encoding Bid containing mutations to the caspase 8 and granzyme B cleavage sites are significantly protected from both tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced and cell-mediated apoptosis. Protection occurs through a mechanism that includes decreased Bid cleavage, caspase activation, and mitochondrial membrane damage. Further, after warm ischemia\/reperfusion injury, we show that rats expressing cleavage-resistant Bid in the liver display significantly less hepatocyte apoptosis as compared to control rat livers and this results in improved liver function and survival. Our results suggest that reagents that prevent the cleavage of Bid would be an effective strategy to inhibit hepatocyte apoptosis and decrease liver injury.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36631608,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Short tRNA anticodon stem and mutant eRF1 allow stop codon reassignment.\nCognate tRNAs deliver specific amino acids to translating ribosomes according to the standard genetic code, and three codons with no cognate tRNAs serve as stop codons. Some protists have reassigned all stop codons as sense codons, neglecting this fundamental principle1-4. Here we analyse the in-frame stop codons in 7,259 predicted protein-coding genes of a previously undescribed trypanosomatid, Blastocrithidia nonstop. We reveal that in this species in-frame stop codons are underrepresented in genes expressed at high levels and that UAA serves as the only termination codon. Whereas new tRNAsGlu fully cognate to UAG and UAA evolved to reassign these stop codons, the UGA reassignment followed a different path through shortening the anticodon stem of tRNATrpCCA from five to four base pairs (bp). The canonical 5-bp tRNATrp recognizes UGG as dictated by the genetic code, whereas its shortened 4-bp variant incorporates tryptophan also into in-frame UGA. Mimicking this evolutionary twist by engineering both variants from B. nonstop, Trypanosoma brucei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and expressing them in the last two species, we recorded a significantly higher readthrough for all 4-bp variants. Furthermore, a gene encoding B. nonstop release factor 1 acquired a mutation that specifically restricts UGA recognition, robustly potentiating the UGA reassignment. Virtually the same strategy has been adopted by the ciliate Condylostoma magnum. Hence, we describe a previously unknown, universal mechanism that has been exploited in unrelated eukaryotes with reassigned stop codons.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23709098,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"A conceptual model of health-related quality of life in sarcoidosis.\nSarcoidosis is a multisystem disease that commonly affects the lung, eye, skin, and lymphatic systems. Organ function has been a major focus of treatment outcome with less attention given to more subjective impacts, such as health-related quality of life (HRQL). The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual model of HRQL in sarcoidosis, which was developed through patient and clinician input. We surveyed sarcoidosis clinical experts (n = 5) regarding disease-specific symptoms and their impact on their patient's lives. We also conducted three sarcoidosis patient focus groups (n = 22) that reflected major sarcoidosis typologies (lung, skin, and eye). Data were coded and summarized using qualitative methodologies. Clinicians highlighted the following domains as being important (relative frequencies for comments are in parentheses): emotional distress (17%), lung problems (14%), pain (14%), physical limitations (14%), fatigue (10%), social limitations (10%), eye problems (7%), skin problems (7%), sleep disturbance (3%), and constitutional symptoms (3%). Similarly, patients highlighted the following domains: social limitations (14%), skin problems (12%), pain (10%), coping (10%), emotional distress (9%), lung problems (8%), eye problems (7%), negative impact of corticosteroids (7%), physical limitations (6%), fatigue (6%), sleep disturbance (3%), constitutional symptoms (2%), comorbidities (2%), other systems affected (2%), environmental factors (1%), and positive impact of corticosteroids (1%). Clinician and patient responses overlapped in several domains, including emotional distress, physical and social limitations, and sarcoidosis-specific impacts, such as eye, skin, and lung problems. These findings support the HRQL impact of sarcoidosis and provide the basis for a conceptual model which has the potential to inform new patient-reported outcomes measures for this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36145283,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Arabinoxylans-Based Oral Insulin Delivery System Targeting the Colon: Simulation in a Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem and Evaluation in Diabetic Rats.\nArabinoxylans (AX) microcapsules loaded with insulin were prepared by enzymatic gelation of AX, using a triaxial electrospray method. The microcapsules presented a spherical shape, with an average size of 250 \u00b5m. The behavior of AX microcapsules was evaluated using a simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem. AX microcapsules were mainly (70%) degraded in the ascending colon. The fermentation was completed in the descending colon, increasing the production of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids. In the three regions of the colon, the fermentation of AX microcapsules significantly increased populations of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and decreased the population of Enterobacteriaceae. In addition, the results found in this in vitro model showed that the AX microcapsules could resist the simulated conditions of the upper gastrointestinal system and be a carrier for insulin delivery to the colon. The pharmacological activity of insulin-loaded AX microcapsules was evaluated after oral delivery in diabetic rats. AX microcapsules lowered the serum glucose levels in diabetic rats by 75%, with insulin doses of 25 and 50 IU\/kg. The hypoglycemic effect and the insulin levels remained for more than 48 h. Oral relative bioavailability was 13 and 8.7% for the 25 and 50 IU\/kg doses, respectively. These results indicate that AX microcapsules are a promising microbiota-activated system for oral insulin delivery in the colon.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23618432,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Survey of atherosclerotic disease in Asian subjects with cardiovascular disease risk factors who were not receiving lipid-lowering agents.\nCarotid intima media thickness (CIMT) is a surrogate marker for atherosclerosis, used to identify asymptomatic individuals at increased risk of cardiovascular events. The primary objective of this study was to obtain the distribution of CIMT measurements in Asian individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors who were not receiving lipid-lowering agents. Mean CIMT based on ultrasonographic measurement of 12 sites within the common carotid artery was recorded for 2726 subjects across eight Asian countries who had two or more CVD risk factors but were not receiving lipid-lowering therapy. CVD risk factors and lipid and glucose profiles were analyzed with respect to distribution of CIMT and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) values. The overall mean (SD) of mean CIMT (mean-mean CIMT) was 0.662 (0.16) mm. There was a significant variation in mean-mean CIMT across countries (P<0.0001). Mean-mean CIMT values (mm) by age were: 0.485, 0.527, 0.614, 0.665, 0.715 and 0.797 for \u2264 29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and \u2265 70 years, respectively. Multivariate analyses confirmed a significant association between increasing mean-mean CIMT and increasing age, male gender, low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and elevated fasting blood glucose levels. Analysis of log-transformed hs-CRP levels showed significant association with increasing waist circumference, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, body-mass index, high blood glucose levels and low HDL-C. Our data show normative mean-mean CIMT data for Asian subjects with two or more CVD risk factors who are not receiving lipid-lowering therapy, which may guide CVD risk-stratification of asymptomatic individuals in Asia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3209501,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Photoperiod and heat stress influence on lactating sow performance and photoperiod effects on nursery pig performance.\nThree experiments were conducted to evaluate sow and piglet productivity under extended photoperiod. In Exp. 1, 98 crossbred, lactating sows were housed in one of four treatments: thermoneutral air temperature (23.6 degrees C) in either (h of light:dark) 1:23 or 16:8 photoperiods, or heat stress (30.4 degrees C) in either 1:23 or 16:8 photoperiods. Heat stress reduced (P less than .05) sow feed intake, piglet mortality and piglet weaning weight and increased (P less than .01) sow lactation weight loss. Number of pigs weaned per litter was increased (P less than .01) when sows were heat-stressed. Extended photoperiod reduced (P greater than .05) time for sows to rebreed postweaning by .4 d. The interaction between air temperature and photoperiod was significant only for sow lactation weight loss. Heat stress increased sow lactation weight loss, but this effect was more severe in the 1:23 than in the 16:8 photoperiod. Experiments 2 and 3 examined the effects of 1:23 or 16:8 photoperiods on nursery pig performance when pigs were weaned from sows experiencing 1:23 (Exp. 3) or 16:8 (Exp. 2) photoperiods. In both nursery studies, photoperiod did not influence (P greater than .10) postweaning pig mortality, feed intake, weight gain or gain:feed ratio. In conclusion, extended photoperiod reduced days to return to estrus and reduced sow lactation weight loss, especially during heat stress. No benefits in preweaning or postweaning piglet weight or survival were observed by use of extended photoperiod.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6349901,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"The effects of captopril on the acute vascular responses to frusemide in man.\nTo examine the importance of angiotensin II formation in the production of frusemide's acute peripheral venous and arterial responses, the effect of pretreatment with captopril was studied. Captopril abolished the acute increases in venous capacitance and blood pressure and attenuated the increases in forearm vascular resistance produced by intravenous frusemide. The study provides evidence that angiotensin II formation performs an essential role in the production of the acute vascular effects of frusemide in man.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28234540,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Characterizing Neutron-Proton Equilibration in Nuclear Reactions with Subzeptosecond Resolution.\nWe study neutron-proton equilibration in dynamically deformed atomic nuclei created in nuclear collisions. The two ends of the elongated nucleus are initially dissimilar in composition and equilibrate on a subzeptosecond time scale following first-order kinetics. We use angular momentum to relate the breakup orientation to the time scale of the breakup. The extracted rate constant is 3 zs^{-1}, which corresponds to a mean equilibration time of 0.3 zs. This technique enables new insight into the nuclear equation of state that governs many nuclear and astrophysical phenomena leading to the origin of the chemical elements.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23690995,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"HACEK infective endocarditis: characteristics and outcomes from a large, multi-national cohort.\nThe HACEK organisms (Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter species, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens, and Kingella species) are rare causes of infective endocarditis (IE). The objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with HACEK endocarditis (HE) in a large multi-national cohort. Patients hospitalized with definite or possible infective endocarditis by the International Collaboration on Endocarditis Prospective Cohort Study in 64 hospitals from 28 countries were included and characteristics of HE patients compared with IE due to other pathogens. Of 5591 patients enrolled, 77 (1.4%) had HE. HE was associated with a younger age (47 vs. 61 years; p<0.001), a higher prevalence of immunologic\/vascular manifestations (32% vs. 20%; p<0.008) and stroke (25% vs. 17% p = 0.05) but a lower prevalence of congestive heart failure (15% vs. 30%; p = 0.004), death in-hospital (4% vs. 18%; p = 0.001) or after 1 year follow-up (6% vs. 20%; p = 0.01) than IE due to other pathogens (n = 5514). On multivariable analysis, stroke was associated with mitral valve vegetations (OR 3.60; CI 1.34-9.65; p<0.01) and younger age (OR 0.62; CI 0.49-0.90; p<0.01). The overall outcome of HE was excellent with the in-hospital mortality (4%) significantly better than for non-HE (18%; p<0.001). Prosthetic valve endocarditis was more common in HE (35%) than non-HE (24%). The outcome of prosthetic valve and native valve HE was excellent whether treated medically or with surgery. Current treatment is very successful for the management of both native valve prosthetic valve HE but further studies are needed to determine why HE has a predilection for younger people and to cause stroke. The small number of patients and observational design limit inferences on treatment strategies. Self selection of study sites limits epidemiological inferences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":15128714,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A review of school drug policies and their impact on youth substance use.\nYouth substance use is an important social and health problem in the United States, Australia and other Western nations. Schools are recognized as important sites for prevention efforts and school substance use policies are a key component of health promotion in schools. The first part of this paper reviews the known status of school policies on tobacco, alcohol and other illicit drugs in a number of Western countries and the existing evidence for the effectiveness of school drug policy in preventing drug use. The review shows that most schools in developed countries have substance use policies but that there is substantial variation in the comprehensiveness of these policies (i.e. the breadth of people, places and times of day that are explicitly subject to policy prohibitions), and the orientation of their enforcement (e.g. punitive versus remedial), both across and within schools. The few studies of policy impact focus solely on tobacco policy and provide preliminary evidence that more comprehensive and strictly enforced school policies are associated with less smoking. The second part of the paper introduces the International Youth Development Study, a new longitudinal research project aimed at comparing school policies and the developmental course of youth drug use in the United States, where drug policies are abstinence-based, with Australia, which has adopted a harm minimization approach to drug policy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24142532,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-30":2,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Clinical significance of serum hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) levels in hepatocellular carcinoma.\nHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the commonest primary malignant cancer of the liver in the world. This study was conducted to investigate the serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)in HCC patients and the relationship with tumor progression and known prognostic parameters. Fifty-four patients with HCC were investigated. Pretreatment HGF levels were employed the quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay technique (ELISA). Age and sex matched 20 healthy controls were included in the analysis. The median age of the patients was 60 years (range 36-77 years); where males consistituted of majority of the group (88.8%). All of patients had cirrhotic history. Fourty-six percent (n = 25) of patients had Child-Pugh Score A, 30% (n = 16) had Score B or C. All of the patients were treated with local therapies but none of them received sorafenib. The baseline serum HGF levels were significantly higher in patients with HCC than in the control group (p < 0.001). Male patients had higher serum HGF levels compared with female patients (p = 0.01). Serum HGF levels were significantly higher in the patients with elevated serum ALT levels than others with normal serum ALT levels (p = 0.05). Poor performance status (p < 0.001), viral etiology of cirrhosis (p = 0.03), larger tumor size (p = 0.01), lower serum hemogloblin levels (p = 0.03), and not be treated for HCC (p = 0.001) related to worse survival. However, serum HGF did not have significantly adverse effect on survival (p = 0.58). Despite serum HGF levels were found diagnostic value, serum HGF levels had no prognostic value in patients with HCC.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19905916,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Effectiveness of asthma education with and without a self-management plan in hospitalized children.\nBackground. Formal education in primary care can reduce asthma exacerbations. However, there are few studies in hospitalized children, with none originating in Latin America. Methods. A prospective randomized study was designed to evaluate whether a full education with self-management plan (ESM) was more effective than an education without self-management plan (E) in reducing asthma hospitalization. Children (5 to 15 years of age) who were hospitalized for an asthma attack were divided in two groups. Children in the E group received general instructions based on a booklet. Those in the ESM group received the same booklet plus a self-management guide and a puzzle game that reinforces the lessons learned in the booklet. Patients were interviewed every 3 months, by telephone, for one year. Interviewers recording the number of hospitalizations, exacerbations, and emergency visits for asthma and oral steroid burst uses. Results. From 88 children who met the inclusion criteria, 77 (86%) completed one year of follow-up (41 from E and 36 from ESM group). Overall, after one year, the hospitalization decreased by 66% and the inhaled corticosteroids therapy increased from 36% to 79%. At the end of the study, there was no difference in exacerbations, emergency visits, oral steroid burst uses, or hospitalizations between the two groups. Conclusions. Asthma education with or without a self-management plan during asthma hospitalization were effective in reducing exacerbations, emergency visits, oral steroid burst uses, and future rehospitalizations. This evidence supports the importance of providing a complete asthma education plan in any patient who is admitted for asthma exacerbation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32930694,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Titanium oxide-coated titanium-loaded metal organic framework (MOF-Ti) nanoparticles show improved electrorheological performance.\nUniform small-sized MOF-Ti nanoparticles were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method, and then a 5-10 nm TiO2 shell was coated onto them by using the sol-gel method, and MOF-Ti\/TiO2 with a specific surface area of 50.2 m2 g-1 was successfully prepared. The nanoparticles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The above-analyses have elaborated the experimental study of their morphology, elements, and energy of organic functional groups. At the same time, through the use of a high-voltage rotary rheometer to test their rheological properties, the analysis of shear stress, ER efficiency, shear viscosity, etc. was performed and their dielectric constant and dielectric loss were studied by using a broadband dielectric spectrometer. Finally, we found that MOF-Ti\/TiO2 is a new core-shell nanocomposite particle with a small particle size and good electrorheological properties.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33561075,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Protocol for a Trial Assessing the Impacts of School-Based WaSH Interventions on Children's Health Literacy, Handwashing, and Nutrition Status in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.\nDiarrhea, soil-transmitted helminth infection and malnutrition are leading causes of child mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To reduce the prevalence of these diseases, effective interventions for adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) should be implemented. This paper describes the design of a cluster-randomized controlled trial that will compare the efficacy of four school-based WaSH interventions for improving children's health literacy, handwashing, and nutrition. Interventions consisted of (1) WaSH policy reinforcement; (2) low-, medium-, or high-volume health education; (3) hygiene supplies; and (4) WaSH facilities (e.g., toilets, urinals, handwashing basins) improvements. We randomly allocated school clusters from the intervention arm to one of four groups to compare with schools from the control arm. Primary outcomes were: children's health literacy, physical growth, nutrition status, and handwashing prevalence. Secondary outcomes were: children's self-reported health status and history of extreme hunger, satisfaction with WaSH facilities, and school restrooms' WaSH adequacy. We will measure differences in pre- and post-intervention outcomes and compare these differences between control and intervention arms. This research protocol can be a blueprint for future school-based WaSH intervention studies to be conducted in LMICs. Study protocols were approved by the ethics committees of the University of Bonn, Germany, and the University of the Philippines Manila. This trial was retroactively registered, ID number: DRKS00021623.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33833753,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lessons Learned From the Clinical Presentation of Common Variable Immunodeficiency Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.\nDiagnostic delay in common variable immunodeficiency disorders (CVID) is considerable. There is no generally accepted symptom-recognition framework for its early detection. To systematically review all existing data on the clinical presentation of CVID. PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane were searched for cohort studies, published January\/1999-December\/2019, detailing the clinical manifestations before, at and after the CVID-diagnosis. In 51 studies (n=8521 patients) 134 presenting and 270 total clinical manifestations were identified. Recurrent upper and\/or lower respiratory infections were present at diagnosis in 75%. Many patients had suffered severe bacterial infections (osteomyelitis 4%, meningitis 6%, septicemia 8%, mastoiditis 8%). Bronchiectasis (28%), lymphadenopathy (27%), splenomegaly (13%), inflammatory bowel disease (11%), autoimmune cytopenia (10%) and idiopathic thrombocytopenia (6%) were also frequently reported. A bimodal sex distribution was found, with male predominance in children (62%) and female predominance in adults (58%). 25% of CVID-patients developed other manifestations besides infections in childhood, this percentage was much higher in adults (62%). Immune-dysregulation features, such as granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease and inflammatory bowel disease, were more prominent in adults. The shift from male predominance in childhood to female predominance in adults suggests differences in genetic and environmental etiology in CVID and has consequences for pathophysiologic studies. We confirm the high frequency of respiratory infections at presentation, but also show a high incidence of severe bacterial infections such as sepsis and meningitis, and immune dysregulation features including lymphoproliferative, gastrointestinal and autoimmune manifestations. Early detection of CVID may be improved by screening for antibody deficiency in patients with these manifestations.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":18943737,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Population structure of Fusarium fujikuroi from California rice and water grass.\nThe recent observance of Fusarium fujikuroi, the causal agent of Bakanae disease of rice, in California provides a unique opportunity to assess the population diversity of an introduced pathogen in a new environment. We collected 172 isolates of this pathogen between 2000 and 2003 from California rice and two from water grass (Echinochloa spp.). Pathogenicity of F. fujikuroi was demonstrated on early water grass (E. oryzoides) and barnyard grass (E. crus-galli) indicating that weed control should be part of Bakanae management programs. Both mating types and six unique amplified fragment length polymorphism haplotypes corresponding to six identified vegetative compatibility groups were detected. The two most frequently isolated haplotypes encompassed 94% of the collected isolates, suggesting that clonal reproduction dominates. Coefficients of similarity between the unique haplotypes ranged from 0.94 to 0.98, and indicate that there is very little genotypic variation in the F. fujikuroi population in California. The near fixation of the MAT-1 idiomorph (observed ratio 170 MAT-1:4 MAT-2), is consistent with a hypothesis of predominant or exclusive asexual reproduction. The low level of introduced genotypic diversity, in conjunction with the asexual reproductive strategy of this population will slow evolutionary processes, including adaptation to the California environment.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26789400,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"HIV-Negative Partnered Men's Willingness to Use Non-Occupational Post-Exposure Prophylaxis and Associated Factors in a U.S. Sample of HIV-Negative and HIV-Discordant Male Couples.\nNon-occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (nPEP) is an underutilized biomedical option for HIV prevention. Few studies have assessed male couples' knowledge of and willingness to use nPEP. Cross-sectional dyadic data from 275 HIV-negative and 58 HIV-discordant male couples were used to describe HIV-negative, partnered men's awareness and willingness to use nPEP, and factors associated with their willingness to use nPEP. Data were analyzed with the use of multivariate multilevel modeling. Less than a third of the men were aware of nPEP, yet 73% were very-to-extremely likely to use nPEP. Partnered men's willingness to use nPEP was positively associated with having an individual income less than $30,000 USD and serosorting within the relationship. Willingness to use nPEP was negatively associated with greater age difference between primary partners and with higher scores on measures of couples' investment in their relationship. Efforts should be made to increase male couples' awareness of nPEP and how to access nPEP. Uptake of nPEP has the potential to help avert new HIV infections among male couples.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19861094,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Heart-rate variability and precompetitive anxiety in swimmers.\nThe aim of this study was to test the utility of heart-rate variability (HRV) analyses as a noninvasive means of quantifying cardiac autonomic regulation during precompetitive anxiety situations in swimmers. Psychophysiological state evaluation of 10 volunteer <> swimmers (6 women and 4 men) was obtained by comparing baseline training condition (TC) with competition condition (CC). Self-evaluation of precompetitive somatic anxiety measured by CSAI-2 showed significant increase from the TC to CC. Analysis showed that during higher precompetitive anxiety level, a significant reduction in the timing (RMSSD), frequency (HFms2 and HFnu) and Poincar\u00e9 plot (SD1) of heart-rate variability was observed, and a significant increase in the low frequency to high frequency ratio (LF\/HF %). The results indicate a shift towards sympathetic predominance as a result of parasympathetic withdrawal. Our results provide an HRV analysis in a valid, useful and non-invasive way to evaluate the change of sympathovagal balance in presence of precompetitive stress.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10860945,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A galpha(s) carboxyl-terminal peptide prevents G(s) activation by the A(2A) adenosine receptor.\nThe molecular mechanisms of interaction between G(s) and the A(2A) adenosine receptor were investigated using synthetic peptides corresponding to various segments of the Galpha(s) carboxyl terminus. Synthetic peptides were tested for their ability to modulate binding of a selective radiolabeled agonist, [(3)H]2-[4-(2-carboxyethyl)phenylethylamino]-5'-N-ethylcarboxam idoade nosine ([(3)H]CGS21680), to A(2A) adenosine receptors in rat striatal membranes. The Galpha(s) peptides stimulated specific binding both in the presence and absence of 100 microM guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS). Three peptides, Galpha(s)(378-394)C(379)A, Galpha(s)(376-394)C(379)A, and Galpha(s)(374-394)C(379)A, were the most effective. In the presence of GTPgammaS, peptide Galpha(s)(374-394)C(379)A increased specific binding in a dose-dependent fashion. However, the peptide did not stabilize the high-affinity state of the A(2A) adenosine receptor for [(3)H]CGS21680. Binding assays with a radiolabeled selective antagonist, [(3)H]5-amino-7-(2-phenylethyl)-2-(2-furyl)pyrazolo[4, 3-e]-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine ([(3)H]SCH58261), showed that the addition of the Galpha(s) peptide modified the slope of the 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) competition curve, suggesting modulation of receptor affinity states. In the presence of GTPgammaS, the displacement curve was right-shifted, whereas the addition of Galpha(s)(374-394)C(379)A caused a partial left-shift. Both curves were fitted by one-site models. This same Galpha(s) peptide was also able to disrupt G(s)-coupled signal transduction as indicated by inhibition of the A(2A) receptor-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity without affecting either basal or forskolin-stimulated enzymatic activity in the same membrane preparations. Shorter peptides from Galpha(s) and Galpha(i1\/2) carboxyl termini were not effective. NMR spectroscopy showed the strong propensity of peptide Galpha(s)(374-394)C(379)A to assume a compact carboxyl-terminal alpha-helical conformation in solution. Overall, our results point out the conformation requirement of Galpha(s) carboxyl-terminal peptides to modulate agonist binding to rat A(2A) adenosine receptors and disrupt signal transduction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30143595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Bimodal Expression of the Salmonella Typhimurium spv Operon.\nThe well-studied spv operon of Salmonellatyphimurium is important for causing full virulence in mice and both the regulation and function of the Spv proteins have been characterized extensively over the past several decades. Using quantitative single-cell fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate the spv regulon to display a bimodal expression pattern that originates in the bimodal expression of the SpvR activator. The spv expression pattern is influenced by growth conditions and the specific Styphimurium strain used, but does not require Salmonella-specific virulence regulators. By monitoring real-time promoter kinetics, we reveal that SpvA has the ability to impart negative feedback on spvABCD expression without affecting spvR expression. Together, our data suggest that the SpvA protein counteracts the positive feedback loop imposed by SpvR, and could thus be responsible for dampening spvABCD expression and coordinating virulence protein production in time. The results presented here yield new insights in the intriguing regulation of the spv operon and adds this operon to the growing list of virulence factors exhibiting marked expression heterogeneity in Styphimurium.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19741486,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A population-based analysis of outpatient colonoscopy in adults assisted by an anesthesiologist.\nThe use of propofol to sedate patients for colonoscopy, generally administered by an anesthesiologist in North America, is increasingly popular. In the United States, regional use of anesthesiologist-assisted endoscopy appears to correlate with local payor policy. This study's objective was to identify nonpayor factors (patient, physician, institution) associated with anesthesiologist assistance at colonoscopy. The authors performed a population-based cross-sectional analysis using Ontario health administrative data, 1993-2005. All outpatient colonoscopies performed on adults were identified. Hierarchical multivariable modeling was used to identify patient (age, sex, income quintile, comorbidity), physician (specialty, colonoscopy volume), and institution (type, volume) factors associated with receipt of anesthesiologist-assisted colonoscopy. During the study period, 1,838,879 colonoscopies were performed on 1,202,548 patients. The proportion of anesthesiologist-assisted colonoscopies rose from 8.4% in 1993 to 19.1% in 2005 (P < 0.0001). In the hierarchical model, patients in low-volume community hospitals were five times more likely to receive anesthesiologist-assisted colonoscopy than patients in high-volume community hospitals (odds ration 4.9; 95% confidence interval 4.4-5.5). Less than 1% of colonoscopies in academic hospitals were anesthesiologist-assisted. Compared to gastroenterologists, surgeons were more likely to perform anesthesiologist-associated colonoscopy (odds ratio 1.7; 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.6). In Ontario, rates of anesthesiologist-assisted colonoscopy have risen dramatically. Institution type was most strongly associated with this practice. Further investigation is needed to determine the most appropriate criteria for the use of anesthesiology services during colonoscopy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17943440,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Multistage sampling for latent variable models.\nI consider the design of multistage sampling schemes for epidemiologic studies involving latent variable models, with surrogate measurements of the latent variables on a subset of subjects. Such models arise in various situations: when detailed exposure measurements are combined with variables that can be used to assign exposures to unmeasured subjects; when biomarkers are obtained to assess an unobserved pathophysiologic process; or when additional information is to be obtained on confounding or modifying variables. In such situations, it may be possible to stratify the subsample on data available for all subjects in the main study, such as outcomes, exposure predictors, or geographic locations. Three circumstances where analytic calculations of the optimal design are possible are considered: (i) when all variables are binary; (ii) when all are normally distributed; and (iii) when the latent variable and its measurement are normally distributed, but the outcome is binary. In each of these cases, it is often possible to considerably improve the cost efficiency of the design by appropriate selection of the sampling fractions. More complex situations arise when the data are spatially distributed: the spatial correlation can be exploited to improve exposure assignment for unmeasured locations using available measurements on neighboring locations; some approaches for informative selection of the measurement sample using location and\/or exposure predictor data are considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29360820,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8}},"text":"Dynamic genome wide expression profiling of Drosophila head development reveals a novel role of Hunchback in retinal glia cell development and blood-brain barrier integrity.\nDrosophila melanogaster head development represents a valuable process to study the developmental control of various organs, such as the antennae, the dorsal ocelli and the compound eyes from a common precursor, the eye-antennal imaginal disc. While the gene regulatory network underlying compound eye development has been extensively studied, the key transcription factors regulating the formation of other head structures from the same imaginal disc are largely unknown. We obtained the developmental transcriptome of the eye-antennal discs covering late patterning processes at the late 2nd larval instar stage to the onset and progression of differentiation at the end of larval development. We revealed the expression profiles of all genes expressed during eye-antennal disc development and we determined temporally co-expressed genes by hierarchical clustering. Since co-expressed genes may be regulated by common transcriptional regulators, we combined our transcriptome dataset with publicly available ChIP-seq data to identify central transcription factors that co-regulate genes during head development. Besides the identification of already known and well-described transcription factors, we show that the transcription factor Hunchback (Hb) regulates a significant number of genes that are expressed during late differentiation stages. We confirm that hb is expressed in two polyploid subperineurial glia cells (carpet cells) and a thorough functional analysis shows that loss of Hb function results in a loss of carpet cells in the eye-antennal disc. Additionally, we provide for the first time functional data indicating that carpet cells are an integral part of the blood-brain barrier. Eventually, we combined our expression data with a de novo Hb motif search to reveal stage specific putative target genes of which we find a significant number indeed expressed in carpet cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11713938,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Progesterone receptor in patients with hepatolithiasis.\nAltered gallbladder motility by progesterone has been recognized as an important factor in the development of gallstones. There are two types of hepatolithiasis, that occurs de novo in the intrahepatic ducts with an intact gallbladder (primary hepatolithiasis) and that which originates in the gallbladder and the stones migrate into the intrahepatic duct (secondary hepatolithiasis). This study was designed to evaluate the possible role of the progesterone receptor of gallbladder in the pathogenesis of hepatolithiasis. Eighty-four patients with hepatolithiasis (34 patients had primary hepatolithiasis and the other 50 patients secondary hepatolithiasis) were included. Paraffin-embedded specimens of gallbladder were processed to have an immunohistochemical staining for progesterone receptor. Positivity for progesterone receptor of gallbladder specimens was noted in eight patients (23.5%) with primary hepatolithiasis and in 23 patients (46%) with secondary hepatolithiasis. There is significant difference (P = 0.031) in positive rate for progesterone receptor between the primary hepatolithiasis and secondary hepatolithiasis groups. In conclusion, many more patients (46%) with secondary hepatolithiasis show positivity for progesterone receptor of gallbladder specimens than patients with primary hepatolithiasis (23.5%) (P = 0.031). This phenomenon is intriguing and should be of further evaluation and elucidated.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36252284,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-22":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Understanding the depth limit of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa as a critical transition: Field and modeling evidence.\nChanges in light and sediment conditions can sometimes trigger abrupt regime shifts in seagrass meadows resulting in dramatic and unexpected die-offs of seagrass. Light attenuates rapidly with depth, and in seagrass systems with non-linear behaviours, can serve as a sharp boundary beyond which the meadow transitions to bare sand. Determining system behaviour is therefore essential to ensuring resilience is maintained and to prevent stubborn critical ecosystem transitions caused by declines in water quality. Here we combined field and modelling studies to explore the transition from meadow to bare sand in the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa at the limit of its depth distribution in a shallow, light-limited bay. We first describe the relationship between light availability and seagrass density along a depth gradient in an extensive unfragmented meadow (Alfacs bay, NE Spain). We then develop a simple mechanistic model to characterise system behaviour. In the field, we identified sharp decline in shoot density beyond a threshold of \u223c1.9 m depth, shifting from a vegetated state to bare sand. The dynamic population model we developed assumes light-dependent growth and an inverse density-dependent mortality due to facilitation between shoots (mortality rate decreases as shoot density increases). The model closely tracked our empirical observations, and both the model and the field data showed signs of bistability. This strongly suggests that the depth limit of C. nodosa is a critical transition driven by photosynthetic light requirements. While the mechanisms still need to be confirmed with experimental evidence, recognizing the non-linear behaviour of C. nodosa meadows is vital not only in improving our understanding of light effects on seagrass dynamics, but also in managing shallow-water meadows. Given the shallow threshold (<2m), light-limited systems may experience significant and recalcitrant meadow retractions with even small changes in sediment and light conditions. Understanding the processes underlying meadow resilience can inform the maintenance and restoration of meadows worldwide.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19584099,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Functional involvement of central cholinergic circuits and visual hallucinations in Parkinson's disease.\nVisual hallucinations (VHs) represent a frequent and disturbing complication of Parkinson's disease. Evidence suggests that VH can be related to central cholinergic dysfunction. Short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI) technique gives the opportunity to test an inhibitory cholinergic circuit in the human cerebral motor cortex. This inhibition of motor-evoked potentials can be observed when transcranial magnetic stimulation is delivered with a delay ranging from 2 to 8 ms, after a peripheral nerve afferent input has reached the somatosensory cortex. We applied SAI technique in 10 non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease with VHs, in 12 non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease without VHs (NVH-pts) and in 11 age-matched normal controls. All patients with Parkinson's disease underwent a battery of neuropsychological tests to assess frontal and visuospatial functions, memory and attention. SAI was significantly reduced in patients with VHs compared with controls and patients without VHs. Neuropsychological examination showed a mild cognitive impairment in 16 out of 22 patients with Parkinson's disease. In addition, we found that in our patients with VHs, performance of some tasks evaluating visuospatial functions and attentional\/frontal lobe functions was significantly more impaired than in patients without VHs. SAI abnormalities, presence of VH and neuropsychological results strongly support the hypothesis of cholinergic dysfunction in some patients with Parkinson's disease, who will probably develop a dementia. A follow-up study of our patients is required to verify whether SAI abnormalities can predict a future severe cognitive decline. Moreover, SAI can also be very useful to follow-up the efficacy of anti-cholinesterase therapies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":593108,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Apparatus for electric stimulation of the neuromuscular apparatus].\nThe application of the unit for electric stimulation of the neuro-muscular system with the use of a selected stimulus permits it to produce contraction of the muscles with the minimal energy of the stimulus and the least possible pain sensation. As such a stimulus serves a radio-pulse with a carrier frequency of 10 kHz and having a form enveloping the impulse emerging in the motor fiber. These stimuli are produced in electric stimulators of the type \"Bion\".","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17909391,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Evaluation and overview of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance Project (NEISS-CADES).\nAdverse drug events (ADEs) are an important cause of patient injury. Although most medications are prescribed and used in the outpatient setting, prevention efforts focus on the inpatient setting, partly because of limited data on outpatient events. We describe and evaluate a new system for surveillance of outpatient ADEs treated in hospital emergency departments (EDs). We used guidelines for evaluating public health surveillance systems, developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to assess the performance of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project (NEISS-CADES) from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004. NEISS-CADES is a nationally representative surveillance system that identifies ADEs using ED clinical records. Of 10,383 reports in 2004, 100% listed patient age, sex, and disposition; 98% listed the implicated drugs. A 6-hospital evaluation of data quality, completeness, and other system attributes showed that NEISS-CADES data accurately reflected clinical records with respect to patient age and sex (100%), primary diagnosis (93%), implicated drugs (93%), primary treatments (80%), and diagnostic testing (61%). Sensitivity of case identification was estimated to be at least 0.33; estimated positive predictive value was 0.92. Data collection does not require additional work by clinical staff and has been well accepted by participating institutions. NEISS-CADES provides detailed and timely information on outpatient ADEs treated in EDs and identifies specific drugs and circumstances associated with these injuries. Findings from NEISS-CADES can help design and prioritize patient safety interventions for outpatient ADEs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33838972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Public Health Foundations for Radiology Resident Education: Healthcare Disparities in Radiology.\nIncreasing recognition within the medical literature and by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has been attributed to the need for enhanced resident education on concepts related to public health and health equity. Despite increasing documentation of pervasive inequalities within the scope of radiology, dedicated curricula designed to improve cultural competency and understanding of healthcare disparities among radiology trainees remains sparse. With relatively fewer patient interactions, radiology trainees are particularly susceptible to insufficient contextual awareness of how socioeconomic factors influence patient health and behaviors, physician recommendations, and ultimately clinical outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide a high-yield background of foundational health equity and disparity concepts for radiology trainees, from which additional educational curricula may be derived. Specifically, this article will discuss the fundamental socioeconomic factors known to contribute to discrepant access and use of imaging services, followed by areas in radiology with well-documented disparities of which trainees should be aware. Lastly, previous and current strategies for addressing disparities in radiology will be discussed with the ultimate goal of stimulating trainee participation and the development of novel approaches.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10175550,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"The Balanced Budget Act of 1997: Medicare implications.\nEarly last month, President Clinton signed into law the historic balanced Budget Act of 1997. The Act contains many sweeping changes, including provisions that authorize provider-sponsored organizations to contract directly with the Medicare program on a risk basis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22554070,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Spectroscopic properties, excitation, and electron transfer in an anionic water-soluble poly(fluorene-alt-phenylene)-perylenediimide copolymer.\nAn anionic fluorene-phenylene poly{1,4-phenylene-[9,9-bis(4-phenoxy-butylsulfonate)]fluorene-2,7-diyl}-based copolymer containing on-chain perylenediimine (PDI) chromophoric units, PBS-PFP-PDI, was synthesized and its photophysical properties studied as aggregates and isolated chains in water and dioxane\/water (1:1) solution. UV-vis and emission spectroscopy measurements, time-correlated single photon counting, and wide field imaging have been employed to investigate the excited-state behavior of the PBS-PFP-PDI copolymer, including the effect of environment on the energy and electron transfer to the on-chain PDI chromophore. Although the F\u00f6rster overlap integral is favorable, no evidence is found for intramolecular singlet excitation energy transfer in isolated copolymer chains in solution. Fluorescence is suggested to involve an interchain process, thus revealing that isolated copolymer chains in solution do not undergo efficient intramolecular energy transfer. However, quenching of the PBS-PFP excited state by PDI is observed in aqueous media and ultrafast pump-probe studies in water or dioxane-water solutions show that electron transfer occurs from the phenylene-fluorene units to the PDI. The extent of electron transfer increases with aggregation, suggesting it is largely an interchain process. The interaction of the negatively charged PBS-PFP-PDI copolymer with the positively charged surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) in solution has also been studied. The copolymer PBS-PFP-PDI aggregates with the surfactant already at concentrations below the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and the nonpolar environment allows intermolecular energy transfer, observed by the weak emission band located at 630 nm that is associated with the emission of the PDI chromophore. However, the fact that the PDI photoluminescence (PL) lifetime (~1.4 ns) obtained in the presence of CTAB is considerably shorter than that of the nonaggregated chromophore (~5.4 ns) suggests that even in this case there is considerable PL quenching, possibly through some charge transfer route. The increase of the PBS-PFP-PDI photoluminescence intensity at surfactant concentrations above the cmc indicates deaggregation of polyelectrolyte within the initially formed polyelectrolyte-surfactant aggregates.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27459480,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Metabolomics of Breast Cancer Using High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Correlations with 18F-FDG Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography, Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced and Diffusion-Weighted Imaging MRI.\nOur goal in this study was to find correlations between breast cancer metabolites and conventional quantitative imaging parameters using high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and to find breast cancer subgroups that show high correlations between metabolites and imaging parameters. Between August 2010 and December 2013, we included 53 female patients (mean age 49.6 years; age range 32-75 years) with a total of 53 breast lesions assessed by the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System. They were enrolled under the following criteria: breast lesions larger than 1 cm in diameter which 1) were suspicious for malignancy on mammography or ultrasound (US), 2) were pathologically confirmed to be breast cancer with US-guided core-needle biopsy (CNB) 3) underwent 3 Tesla MRI with dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), and 4) had an attainable immunohistochemistry profile from CNB. We acquired spectral data by HR-MAS MRS with CNB specimens and expressed the data as relative metabolite concentrations. We compared the metabolites with the signal enhancement ratio (SER), maximum standardized FDG uptake value (SUV max), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and histopathologic prognostic factors for correlation. We calculated Spearman correlations and performed a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) to further classify patient groups into subgroups to find correlation differences between HR-MAS spectroscopic values and conventional imaging parameters. In a multivariate analysis, the PLS-DA models built with HR-MAS MRS metabolic profiles showed visible discrimination between high and low SER, SUV, and ADC. In luminal subtype breast cancer, compared to all cases, high SER, ADV, and SUV were more closely clustered by visual assessment. Multiple metabolites were correlated with SER and SUV in all cases. Multiple metabolites showed correlations with SER and SUV in the ER positive, HER2 negative, and Ki-67 negative groups. High levels of PC, choline, and glycine acquired from HR-MAS MRS using CNB specimens were noted in the high SER group via DCE MRI and the high SUV group via PET-CT, with significant correlations between choline and SER and between PC and SUV. Further studies should investigate whether HR-MAS MRS using CNB specimens can provide similar or more prognostic information than conventional quantitative imaging parameters.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23194647,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2015-11":1,"2015-06":1,"2014-10":2,"2013-48":1,"2013-20":1,"2015-18":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Polar release of pathogenic Old World hantaviruses from renal tubular epithelial cells.\nEpithelio- and endotheliotropic viruses often exert polarized entry and release that may be responsible for viral spread and dissemination. Hantaviruses, mostly rodent-borne members of the Bunyaviridae family infect epithelial and endothelial cells of different organs leading to organ dysfunction or even failure. Endothelial and renal epithelial cells belong to the target cells of Old World hantavirus. Therefore, we examined the release of hantaviruses in several renal epithelial cell culture models. We used Vero cells that are commonly used in hantavirus studies and primary human renal epithelial cells (HREpC). In addition, we analyzed MDCKII cells, an epithelial cell line of a dog kidney, which represents a widely accepted in vitro model of polarized monolayers for their permissiveness for hantavirus infection. Vero C1008 and primary HREpCs were grown on porous-support filter inserts for polarization. Monolayers were infected with hantavirus Hantaan (HTNV) and Puumala (PUUV) virus. Supernatants from the apical and basolateral chamber of infected cells were analyzed for the presence of infectious particles by re-infection of Vero cells. Viral antigen and infectious particles of HTNV and PUUV were exclusively detected in supernatants collected from the apical chamber of infected Vero C1008 cells and HREpCs. MDCKII cells were permissive for hantavirus infection and polarized MDCKII cells released infectious hantaviral particles from the apical surface corresponding to the results of Vero and primary human epithelial cells. Pathogenic Old World hantaviruses are released from the apical surface of different polarized renal epithelial cells. We characterized MDCKII cells as a suitable polarized cell culture model for hantavirus infection studies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33771883,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"A Parathyroid-Gut Axis: Hypercalcemia and the Pathogenesis of Gastrinoma in Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 1.\nPatients with multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 (MEN1) syndrome have a germline mutation in the MEN1 gene. Loss of the wild-type allele can initiate endocrine tumorigenesis. Microscopic and macroscopic pituitary, parathyroid, and pancreatic tumors (referred to as the 3 P's) show loss of the wild-type MEN1 allele up to 100%. In contrast, the duodenal gastrinoma pathogenesis in MEN1 syndrome follows a hyperplasia-to-neoplasia sequence. Gastrinomas have loss of heterozygosity of the MEN1 locus in <50%, and invariably coincide with linear, diffuse, or micronodular gastrin-cell hyperplasia. The factor initiating the gastrin-cell hyperplasia-to-neoplasia sequence is unknown. In this perspective, we argue that hypercalcemia may promote the gastrin-cell hyperplasia-to-neoplasia sequence through the calcium sensing receptor. Hypercalcemia is present in almost all patients with MEN1 syndrome due to parathyroid adenomas. We propose a parathyroid-gut axis, which could well explain why patients with MEN1 syndrome are regularly cured of duodenal gastrinoma after parathyroid surgery, and might cause MEN1 syndrome phenocopies in MEN1-mutation negative individuals with parathyroid adenomas. This perspective on the pathogenesis of the gastrin-cell hyperplasia and neoplasia sequence sheds new light on tumorigenic mechanisms in neuroendocrine tumors and might open up novel areas of gastrinoma research. It may also shift focus in the treatment of MEN1 syndrome-related gastrinoma to biochemical prevention.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3493821,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"A comparative study of longitudinal and cross-sectional changes in plasma levels of prolactin and estriol during normal pregnancy.\nPlasma prolactin (PRL) and total estriol levels were measured in normal pregnant women using blood samples collected from different patients at different gestational ages (cross-sectional study) and samples collected from the same patient at different gestational ages (longitudinal study). The cross-sectional study showed that PRL exhibited an ascending curve, with a tendency towards increased sample variability as pregnancy progressed. The longitudinal study showed that the slopes of the curves for the isolated cases differed according to the phase of gestation, in contrast to what was suggested by the cross-sectional study. A positive relationship between estriol and PRL was observed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19801339,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Advancements in anti-inflammatory therapy for dry eye syndrome.\nThe goal of this literature review is to discuss recent discoveries in the pathophysiology of dry eye and the subsequent evolution of diagnostic and management techniques. The mechanisms of various anti-inflammatory treatments are reviewed, and the efficacy of common pharmacologic agents is assessed. Anti-inflammatory therapy is evaluated in terms of its primary indications, target population, and utility within a clinical setting. The Medline PubMed database and the World Wide Web were searched for current information regarding dry eye prevalence, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. After an analysis of the literature, major concepts were integrated to generate an updated portrayal of the status of dry eye syndrome. Inflammation appears to play a key role in perpetuating and sustaining dry eye. Discoveries of inflammatory markers found within the corneal and conjunctival epithelium of dry eye patients have triggered recent advancements in therapy. Pharmacologic anti-inflammatory therapy for dry eye includes 2 major categories: corticosteroids and immunomodulatory agents. Fatty acid and androgen supplementation and oral antibiotics have also shown promise in dry eye therapy because of their anti-inflammatory effects. Anti-inflammatory pharmacologic agents have shown great success in patients with moderate to severe dry eye when compared with alternative treatment modalities. A deeper understanding of the link between inflammation and dry eye validates the utilization of anti-inflammatory therapy in everyday optometric practice.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34163874,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Conformational editing of intrinsically disordered protein by \u03b1-methylation.\nIntrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) constitute a large portion of \"Dark Proteome\" - difficult to characterize or yet to be discovered protein structures. Here we used conformationally constrained \u03b1-methylated amino acids to bias the conformational ensemble in the free unstructured activation domain of transcriptional coactivator ACTR. Different sites and patterns of substitutions were enabled by chemical protein synthesis and led to distinct populations of \u03b1-helices. A specific substitution pattern resulted in a substantially higher binding affinity to nuclear coactivator binding domain (NCBD) of CREB-binding protein, a natural binding partner of ACTR. The first X-ray structure of the modified ACTR domain - NCBD complex visualized a unique conformation of ACTR and confirmed that the key \u03b1-methylated amino acids are localized within \u03b1-helices in the bound state. This study demonstrates a strategy for characterization of individual conformational states of IDPs.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":23190117,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Colonization of spinach by Verticillium dahliae and effects of pathogen localization on the efficacy of seed treatments.\nVerticillium wilt on spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is caused by the soilborne fungus Verticillium dahliae. The pathogen is seedborne and transmission through seed is a major concern because of the dispersal of the pathogen to areas where fresh and processing spinach crops are grown in rotation with susceptible crops. Reduction in seedborne inoculum minimizes pathogen spread; therefore, knowledge of pathogen localization in seed is critical to develop methods to reduce seedborne inoculum. Spinach seedlings were inoculated with conidial suspensions of a green fluorescent protein-tagged strain of V. dahliae and colonization events were followed through seed production by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Between 24 to 96 h postinoculation (PI), conidia germinated and formed hyphal colonies on root tips and in root elongation zones. Hyphae colonized root cortical tissues both intra and intercellularly by 2 weeks, and colonized the taproot xylem with abundant mycelia and conidia that led to vascular discoloration coincident with foliar symptom expression by 8 weeks PI. At 10 weeks PI, the xylem of the upper stem, inflorescence, and spinach seed parts, including the pericarp, seed coat, cotyledons, and radicle, had been colonized by the pathogen but not the perisperm (the diploid maternal tissue). Maximum concentration of the fungus was in the seed coat, the outermost layer of the vasculature. Infection of V. dahliae in spinach seed was systemic and transmissible to developing seedlings. Additional analyses indicated that fungicide and steam seed treatments reduced detectable levels of the pathogen but did not eliminate the pathogen from the seed. This information will assist in the development of seed treatments that will reduce the seedborne inoculum transmission to crop production fields.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2590595,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Spontaneous displacement of a pacemaker electrode and its subsequent successful reimplantation.\nA case of what was assumed to be twiddler's syndrome was caused by spontaneous twisting and displacement of the electrode on the fortieth postoperative day. The pacemaker had not been manipulated by the patient, the pocket was tight, and the proximal electrode was well secured. The complication was managed successfully by reimplanting the same electrode after stiffening the lead near the generator with a portion of the stylet.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27343474,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Serum uric acid levels and risk of prehypertension: a meta-analysis.\nElevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels may increase the risk of prehypertension. However, the findings from these studies remain conflicting. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between SUA levels and risk of prehypertension by conducting a meta-analysis. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and the Wangfang database without language restrictions through May 2015. Observational studies assessing the relationship between SUA levels and prevalence of prehypertension were included. Pooled adjust odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) of prehypertension were calculated for the highest vs. lowest SUA levels. Prehypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (BP) ranging from 120 to 139 mmHg or diastolic BP ranging from 80 to 89 mmHg. Eight cross-sectional studies with a total of 21,832 prehypertensive individuals were included. Meta-analysis showed that elevated SUA levels were associated with increased risk of prehypertension (OR: 1.84; 95% CI: 1.42-2.38) comparing the highest vs. lowest level of SUA levels. Subgroup analyses showed that elevated SUA levels significantly increased the risk of prehypertension among men (OR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.12-2.21) and women (OR: 1.59; 95% CI: 1.17-2.16). Elevated SUA levels are positively associated with the risk of prehypertension in the general population. However, more well-designed longitudinal studies are needed before a definitive conclusion can be drawn due to the cross-sectional studies included are susceptible to bias.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8386074,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":8}}},"text":"Can ultrasound reliably detect renal scarring in children with urinary tract infection?\nOne hundred children with a proven urinary tract infection were studied prospectively using both ultrasound (US) and 99mTc dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy to assess the efficacy of US in the detection of renal scarring. Sixty-nine girls and 31 boys with an age range of 0.5-11.8 years were studied. DMSA scintigraphy detected 19 scarred kidneys in 17 children. Scarring was classified as mild, moderate or gross. US detected a total of seven of the scarred kidneys (sensitivity 37%). US detected 0\/6 kidneys with mild scarring, 1\/7 kidneys with moderate scarring and 6\/6 kidneys with gross scarring. Four kidneys with scarring on DMSA showed abnormalities other than scarring on US. 8\/19 scarred kidneys were thought to be normal on US. It is important to detect renal scarring in young children and US cannot be relied upon for this purpose. It should therefore be supplemented with DMSA scintigraphy.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":36267639,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Left atrial strain and clinical outcome in patients with significant mitral regurgitation after surgical mitral valve repair.\nThis study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of left atrial (LA) strain in patients with significant mitral regurgitation (MR) after surgical mitral valve (MV) repair. A total of 169 patients (age 55 \u00b1 15 years, 88 men) with moderate or severe MR on echocardiogram at least 6 months after surgical MV repair for primary MR were studied. Two-dimensional, Doppler, and speckle tracking echocardiography including MR quantitative measures, chamber size, and LA strain were comprehensively analyzed. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, heart failure hospitalization, and MV reoperation. During a median of 44.4 months [interquartile range (IQR): 18.7-70.3 months] of follow-up, 44 patients (26%) experienced clinical events; these patients had greater MR volume, elevated mean diastolic pressure gradient and pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and enlarged chamber size compared with patients who did not experience events. Patients with events showed significantly lower LA strain [13.3% (IQR: 9.3-23.8%) vs. 24.0% (IQR: 13.1-31.4%), p = 0.003] and higher MR volume\/LA strain [3.09 ml\/% (IQR: 2.06-5.80 ml\/%) vs. 1.57 ml\/% (IQR: 1.04-2.72 ml\/%), p < 0.001] than those without events. MR volume\/LA strain was a good predictor of clinical outcomes (cut-off 1.57 ml\/%, area under the curve 0.754, p < 0.001). On multivariable Cox proportional analysis, MR volume\/LA strain was independently associated with clinical outcomes (hazard ratio: 1.269, 95% confidence interval: 1.109-1.452, p < 0.001) along with pulmonary artery systolic pressure. A measure of LA mechanical function relative to MR volume is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with significant MR after surgical MV repair.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33030877,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7}},"text":"Establishing Validity for a Vaginal Hysterectomy Simulation Model for Surgical Skills Assessment.\nTo use the Messick validity framework for a simulation-based assessment of vaginal hysterectomy skills. Video recordings of physicians at different levels of training and experience performing vaginal hysterectomy on a high-fidelity vaginal surgery model were objectively assessed using a modified 10-item Vaginal Surgical Skills Index, a one-item global scale of overall performance, and a pass-fail criterion. Participants included obstetrics and gynecology trainees and faculty from five institutions. Video recordings were independently assessed by expert surgeons blinded to the identities of the study participants. Fifty surgeons (11 faculty, 39 trainees) were assessed. Experience level correlated strongly with both the modified Vaginal Surgical Skills Index and global scale score, with more experienced participants receiving higher scores (Pearson r=0.81, P<.001; Pearson r=0.74, P<.001). Likewise, surgical experience was also moderately correlated with the modified Vaginal Surgical Skills Index and global scale score (Pearson r=0.55, P<.001; Pearson r=0.58, P<.001). The internal consistency of the modified Vaginal Surgical Skills Index was excellent (Cronbach's alpha=0.97). Interrater reliability of the modified Vaginal Surgical Skills Index and global scale score, as measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient, was moderate to good (0.49-0.95; 0.50-0.87). Using the receiver operating characteristic curve and the pass-fail criterion, a modified Vaginal Surgical Skills Index cutoff score of 27 was found to most accurately (area under the curve 0.951, 95% CI 0.917-0.983) differentiate competent from noncompetent surgeons. We demonstrated validity evidence for using a high-fidelity vaginal surgery model with the modified Vaginal Surgical Skills Index or global scale score to assess vaginal hysterectomy skills.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7793021,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Surgical correction of left displaced abomasum in cattle.\nA left displaced abomasum was corrected surgically in 200 adult cattle by a modification of the method described by Dirksen. Manual repositioning of the displaced organ, localisation of the pylorus and fixation of the greater omentum are described in detail.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":20472693,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":2,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Microtubule-dependent mRNA transport in fungi.\nThe localization and local translation of mRNAs constitute an important mechanism to promote the correct subcellular targeting of proteins. mRNA localization is mediated by the active transport of mRNPs, large assemblies consisting of mRNAs and associated factors such as RNA-binding proteins. Molecular motors move mRNPs along the actin or microtubule cytoskeleton for short-distance or long-distance trafficking, respectively. In filamentous fungi, microtubule-based long-distance transport of vesicles, which are involved in membrane and cell wall expansion, supports efficient hyphal growth. Recently, we discovered that the microtubule-mediated transport of mRNAs is essential for the fast polar growth of infectious filaments in the corn pathogen Ustilago maydis. Combining in vivo UV cross-linking and RNA live imaging revealed that the RNA-binding protein Rrm4, which constitutes an integral part of the mRNP transport machinery, mediates the transport of distinct mRNAs encoding polarity factors, protein synthesis factors, and mitochondrial proteins. Moreover, our results indicate that microtubule-dependent mRNA transport is evolutionarily conserved from fungi to higher eukaryotes. This raises the exciting possibility of U. maydis as a model system to uncover basic concepts of long-distance mRNA transport.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8103635,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Influence of tactile stimulation of the rat gastric mucosa on blood flow and acid output.\nThe influence of tactile stimulation of the gastric mucosa (mimics the mechanical influence of the food bolus) on the gastric mucosal blood flow and acid output was studied in rats anesthetized with Inactin. Blood flow was measured with laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) with the probe positioned above the gastric mucosa, and acid secretion was measured at regular intervals by titration of the saline covering 0.8 cm2 of the mucosa. After gentle tactile stimulation (wiping with cotton tips) of the mucosa for 20 s, blood flow increased to approximately 250% of the control value and then returned to the control level 15 min later, whereas acid output was transiently reduced immediately after tactile stimulation. Pretreatment with lidocaine, methysergide, or hexamethonium did not change the results of tactile stimulation on the blood flow. After indomethacin (3 mg\/kg i.v.) LDF was significantly reduced by 33% and the hyperemic response to tactile stimulation was almost abolished. This suggests that endogenously released prostaglandins, not evoked through activation of intramural reflexes that can be blocked by lidocaine, methysergide or hexamethonium, are responsible for the hyperemia seen after tactile stimulation of the gastric mucosa.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22537117,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation after acquired brain injury: a systematic review of content of treatment.\nWe reviewed all randomised trials on cognitive rehabilitation in order to determine the effective elements in terms of patients' and treatment characteristics, treatment goals and outcome. A total of 95 random controlled trials were included from January 1980 until August 2010 studying 4068 patients in total. Most studies had been conducted on language (n = 25), visuospatial functioning (n = 24), and memory (n = 14). Stroke patients were the commonest subjects (57%; overall mean age = 52.2, SD = 15.0 years). Of the interventions 39% were offered more than 12 months after onset and 23% were offered within two months of onset. The mean (SD) number of hours of treatment actually delivered was 4.1 (3.6) per week; treatment was mostly offered individually. No papers gave specific information on the expertise or competences of the staff involved. With 95 RCTs there is a large body of evidence to support the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation, and the current study can serve as a database for clinicians and researchers. But most studies have given little information about the actual content of the treatment which makes it difficult to use the studies when making treatment decisions in daily clinical practice. We suggest developing an international checklist to make standardised description of non-pharmacological complex interventions possible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26552346,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-30":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Antioxidant and antithrombotic therapies for diabetic kidney disease.\nWith an increasing incidence, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has been the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, and conventional therapies did not change this situation. This study intended to review and analyze the antioxidant and antithrombotic treatments of DKD for seeking novel therapeutic strategies. Relevant articles involved with antioxidant and antithrombotic treatments in DKD were retrieved and analyzed via systematic assessment. Meta-analysis showed that pancreatic kallikrein definitely reduced glycated hemoglobin in DKD patients (mean difference, 0.36%; 95% confidence interval, 0.08% to 0.63%; P = .01). Apart from the classic agents such as aspirin, novel drugs such as pancreatic kallikrein, sulodexide, and especially the traditional Chinese medicine including Tripterygium wilfordii and lumbrukinase, exert beneficial effects in DKD patients. Antioxidant and antithrombotic treatments are beneficial for DKD patients and represent promising therapeutic strategies in the future.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17947641,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Lymphotoxin pathway and Aire influences on thymic medullary epithelial cells are unconnected.\nThe lymphotoxin pathway is critical for the development and maintenance of peripheral lymphoid organs. Mice with deficiencies in members of this pathway lack lymph nodes and Peyer's patches and have abnormal spleen architecture. These animals also develop autoantibodies to and lymphocytic infiltrates of multiple organs, provoking speculation that the lymphotoxin pathway may play a role in central tolerance induction. Indeed, a series of reports has claimed that lymphotoxin signals control the expression of Aire, a transcriptional regulator that is expressed in medullary epithelial cells of the thymus, mediates ectopic transcription of genes encoding a variety of peripheral tissue Ags, and promotes clonal deletion of self-reactive thymocytes. However, one report argued that lymphotoxin signals regulate the composition and organization of the thymus, particularly of the medullary epithelial compartment. Herein, we resolve this controversy in favor of the latter view. The expression and function of Aire were unaffected in medullary epithelial cells of mice lacking either lymphotoxin beta receptor or the lymphotoxin alpha-chain, and there was minimal overlap between the sets of genes controlled by Aire and lymphotoxin. Instead, both knockout lines showed abnormal medullary epithelial cell organization, and the line lacking the beta receptor had significantly fewer medullary epithelial cells. In short, the lymphotoxin pathway drives the developmental rather than selectional properties of thymic stromal cells.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19793707,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"Identifying patients in financial need: cancer care providers' perceptions of barriers.\nSome eligible patients with financial hardship may not be referred to assistance programs because cancer care providers do not know the full extent of patients' needs. This article describes barriers cancer care providers face in identifying patients who have financial concerns by using qualitative data from 21 interviews with providers from one Canadian province. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed with a thematic approach. Four major themes emerged: no standardized approach existed for assessing needs, family members rather than patients may have better awareness of financial concerns, patients may not be forthcoming about financial concerns, and financial concerns may change over time. Adopting a standardized assessment protocol that routinely screens patients at multiple times during their care, educating patients about out-of-pocket costs, and educating providers to identify and assess financial need may enable more patients to access available financial resources. Although the Canadian and U.S. healthcare systems are different, concerns about out-of-pocket costs may be similar.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35980031,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Decoding the Role of Temperature in RNA Virus Infections.\nRNA viruses include respiratory viruses, such as coronaviruses and influenza viruses, as well as vector-borne viruses, like dengue and West Nile virus. RNA viruses like these encounter various environments when they copy themselves and spread from cell to cell or host to host. Ex vivo differences, such as geographical location and humidity, affect their stability and transmission, while in vivo differences, such as pH and host gene expression, impact viral receptor binding, viral replication, and the host immune response against the viral infection. A critical factor affecting RNA viruses both ex vivo and in vivo, and defining the outcome of viral infections and the direction of viral evolution, is temperature. In this minireview, we discuss the impact of temperature on viral replication, stability, transmission, and adaptation, as well as the host innate immune response. Improving our understanding of how RNA viruses function, survive, and spread at different temperatures will improve our models of viral replication and transmission risk analyses.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6656806,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2017-13":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Sperm count and sperm abnormality in male mice after exposure to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation.\nAdult male mice had the posterior halves of their bodies exposed at 44 W\/kg in a waveguide system to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation for 30 min. They were killed sequentially over 10 weeks and assessed for decreased sperm count and abnormal sperm morphology. The response in each assay was maximal 2-4 weeks after the exposure. This corresponds to microwaves having their greatest effect on spermatids and spermatocytes. Male fertility, assessed as the proportion of normal sperm per epididymis, was compared with results of an earlier study on dominant lethality. It is concluded that reduced male fertility correlates well with reduced pregnancy rate but less well with pre-implantation survival. Whilst microwaves clearly induced abnormally shaped sperm, those which achieved fertilization cannot have possessed a dominant mutation which would result in the post-implantation death of the embryo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26538594,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Milkweed butterfly resistance to plant toxins is linked to sequestration, not coping with a toxic diet.\nInsect resistance to plant toxins is widely assumed to have evolved in response to using defended plants as a dietary resource. We tested this hypothesis in the milkweed butterflies (Danaini) which have progressively evolved higher levels of resistance to cardenolide toxins based on amino acid substitutions of their cellular sodium-potassium pump (Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase). Using chemical, physiological and caterpillar growth assays on diverse milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) and isolated cardenolides, we show that resistant Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPases are not necessary to cope with dietary cardenolides. By contrast, sequestration of cardenolides in the body (as a defence against predators) is associated with the three levels of Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase resistance. To estimate the potential physiological burden of cardenolide sequestration without Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase adaptations, we applied haemolymph of sequestering species on isolated Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase of sequestering and non-sequestering species. Haemolymph cardenolides dramatically impair non-adapted Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase, but had systematically reduced effects on Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase of sequestering species. Our data indicate that major adaptations to plant toxins may be evolutionarily linked to sequestration, and may not necessarily be a means to eat toxic plants. Na(+)\/K(+)-ATPase adaptations thus were a potential mechanism through which predators spurred the coevolutionary arms race between plants and insects.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30919852,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nanoscale hyperspectral imaging of tilted cholesteric liquid crystal structures.\nOngoing research on chiral liquid crystals takes advantage of the peculiar behavior of twisted structures subject to curvature. We demonstrate the fine tunability of the characteristics of the bandgap of a cholesteric structure in which the orientation of the helix axis spatially changes. To date, the spectral resolution of the order of 6 nm, herein reached by hyperspectral imaging, has not been solved in tilted helices. A correlation between spectral shifts and spatial twists is thus made possible.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27875713,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Prognostic value of degree and types of anaemia on clinical outcomes for hospitalised older patients.\nThis study investigated in a large sample of in-patients the impact of mild-moderate-severe anaemia on clinical outcomes such as in-hospital mortality, re-admission, and death within three months after discharge. A prospective multicentre observational study, involving older people admitted to 87 internal medicine and geriatric wards, was done in Italy between 2010 and 2012. The main clinical\/laboratory data were obtained on admission and discharge. Based on haemoglobin (Hb), subjects were classified in three groups: group 1 with normal Hb, (reference group), group 2 with mildly reduced Hb (10.0-11.9g\/dL in women; 10.0-12.9g\/dL in men) and group 3 with moderately-severely reduced Hb (<10g\/dL in women and men). Patients (2678; mean age 79.2\u00b17.4y) with anaemia (54.7%) were older, with greater functional impairment and more comorbidity. Multivariable analysis showed that mild but not moderate-severe anaemia was associated with a higher risk of hospital re-admission within three months (group 2: OR=1.62; 95%CI 1.21-2.17). Anaemia failed to predict in-hospital mortality, while a higher risk of dying within three months was associated with the degree of Hb reduction on admission (group 2: OR=1.82;95%CI 1.25-2.67; group 3: OR=2.78;95%CI 1.82-4.26) and discharge (group 2: OR=2.37;95%CI 1.48-3.93; group 3: OR=3.70;95%CI 2.14-6.52). Normocytic and macrocytic, but not microcytic anaemia, were associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Mild anaemia predicted hospital re-admission of older in-patients, while three-month mortality risk increased proportionally with anaemia severity. Type and severity of anaemia affected hospital re-admission and mortality, the worst prognosis being associated with normocytic and macrocytic anaemia.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27766233,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-26":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Implementation and analysis of initial trauma registry in Iquitos, Peru.\nBackground: In Peru, 11% of deaths are due to trauma. Iquitos is a large underserved Peruvian city isolated from central resources by its geography. Our objective was to implement a locally driven trauma registry to sustainably improve trauma healthcare in this region. Methods: All trauma patients presenting to the main regional referral hospital were included in the trauma registry. A pilot study retrospectively analyzed data from the first two months after implementation. Results: From March to April 2013, 572 trauma patients were entered into the database. Average age was 26.9 years. Ten percent of patients presented more than 24 hours after injury. Most common mechanisms of injury were falls (25.5%), motor vehicle collisions (23.3%), and blunt assault (10.5%). Interim analysis revealed that 99% of patients were entered into the database. However, documentation of vital signs was poor: 42% of patients had temperature, 26% had oxygen saturation documented. After reporting to registry staff, a significant increase in temperature (42 to 97%, P < 0.001) and oxygen saturation (26 to 92%, P < 0.001) documentation was observed. Conclusion: A trauma registry is possible to implement in a resource-poor setting. Future efforts will focus on analysis of data to enhance prevention and treatment of injuries in Iquitos.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27333014,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2017-13":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Failure of Orthodontic Mini-implants by Patient Age, Sex, and Arch; Number of Primary Insertions; and Frequency of Reinsertions After Failure: An Analysis of the Implant Failure Rate and Patient Failure Rate.\nThis study aimed to analyze and compare the failure rate of orthodontic mini-implants (OMIs) in terms of the number of implants (implant failure rate [IFR]) and patients (patient failure rate [PFR]) according to the age, sex, and arch of the patients, the number of primary insertions, and frequency of reinsertions after failure. A total of 394 OMIs (1.2 mm in diameter; 7.0 mm in length) were inserted in 125 patients (24 male and 101 female, mean age 21.95 \u00b1 7.60 years). IFR and PFR were evaluated according to the age and sex of the patient, the number of primary insertions, and the frequency of reinsertions after failure. PFR was 40.08% and IFR was 18.27% after the first insertions. PFR was higher than IFR regardless of the number of OMIs inserted. IFR increased with an increase in the frequency of reinsertions, reaching 66.67% after the fourth insertion, whereas PFR decreased to 25.00% after the second insertion and to 66.67% after the third and fourth insertions. The overall PFR and IFR were 40.80% and 19.29%, respectively. Although male patients, young patients, and location in the mandible showed higher PFR and IFR, there were no significant differences between PFR and IFR according to the sex, age, or arch. PFR was higher than IFR in this study, indicating that the treatment process could be more strongly affected by PFR than IFR. The failure rate can increase with the frequency of OMI reinsertions after failure. Sex, age, and arch may have no correlation with primary or recurrent OMI failure.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12973022,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Interferon-beta prevents cytokine-induced neutrophil infiltration and attenuates blood-brain barrier disruption.\nInflammation can contribute to brain injury, such as that resulting from ischemia or trauma. The authors have previously shown that the cytokine interferon-beta (IFN-beta) affords protection against ischemic brain injury, which was associated with a diminished infiltration of neutrophils and a reduction in blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption. The goal of the current study was to directly assess the effects of IFN-beta on neutrophil infiltration, with the use of an in vivo assay of neutrophil infiltration with relevance to ischemic brain injury. Intrastriatal injection of recombinant rat cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1, a member of the interleukin-8 family (1 microg in 1 microl), triggered massive infiltration of neutrophils and extensive BBB disruption 6 hours later, as measured using immunofluorescence microscopy and magnetic resonance imaging in the rat, respectively. Depleting the animals of neutrophils before interleukin-8 injection prevented BBB disruption. Treatment with IFN-beta (5 x 106 U\/kg) almost completely prevented neutrophil infiltration and attenuated BBB damage. Gelatinase zymography showed matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression in the ipsilateral striatum after interleukin-8 injection. Both neutrophil depletion and IFN-beta treatment downregulated matrix metalloproteinase-9. IFN-beta has already been approved for human use as a treatment for the chronic inflammatory disorder multiple sclerosis. The potential value of IFN-beta as a treatment that can attenuate acute brain inflammation is considered.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8984675,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-10":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Experimental immunotherapies for multiple sclerosis.\nMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS) principally in young adults. Although its etiology is as yet unknown current evidence suggests that tissue damage is mediated by autoimmune T cells. The examination of an experimental animal model for MS, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), has demonstrated that myelin basic protein (MBP)- or proteolipid protein (PLP)-specific T cells mediate the destruction of CNS myelin. In recent years, elegant studies in EAE have shown that encephalitogenic T cells recognize short peptides of MBP or PLP in the context of MHC\/HLA-class II molecules, express a restricted number of T cell receptor (TCR) molecules and secrete interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha\/beta. Understanding the pathogenetic steps in lesion development at the molecular level led to highly specific immunotherapies for EAE targeting each individual molecule. It has been the hope of many investigators that immunological events resembling those in EAE can be found in patients with MS and that the specific immunotherapies effective in EAE could also be applied to MS. However, to date, the evidence for a unique immunological abnormality in MS is not strong. Although MBP- and PLP-specific T cells with properties similar to those that are encephalitogenic in animals can be isolated from patients, they are not specific for MS and occur with similar frequency in controls. In addition, the variability in specificity and TCR usage has raised questions regarding the relevance of these cells in patients. The importance of the T cell responses to myelin antigens in MS may not be established until the effects of abrogating their activity through specific therapies targeting the trimolecular complex (TMC) have been demonstrated. Consequently, attention has begun to focus on modifying the biology of the MS lesion rather than targeting the initiating event at the level of the TMC, and the success of this approach is reflected by the effect of interferon-beta on lesion development in MS. The recent approval for the use of interferon-beta for the treatment of relapsing-remitting MS has raised great interest in examining novel strategies for immunotherapies in MS. The basic concepts as well as the current candidates for such new immunotherapies will be outlined in this short review.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34168827,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A dynamic picture of the halolactonization reaction through a combination of ab initio metadynamics and experimental investigations.\nThe halolactonization reaction is one of the most common electrophilic addition reactions to alkenes. The mechanism is generally viewed as a two-step pathway, which involves the formation of an ionic intermediate, in most cases a haliranium ion. Recently, an alternative concerted mechanism was proposed, in which the nucleophile of the reaction played a key role in the rate determining step by forming a pre-polarized complex with the alkene. This pathway was coined the nucleophile-assisted alkene activation (NAAA) mechanism. Metadynamics simulations on a series of model halolactonization reactions were used to obtain the full dynamic trajectory from reactant to product and investigate the explicit role of the halogen source and solvent molecules in the mechanism. The results in this work ratify the occasional preference of a concerted mechanism over the classic two-step transformation under specific reaction conditions. Nevertheless, as the stability of both the generated substrate cation and counter-anion increase, a transition towards the classic two-step mechanism was observed. NCI analyses on the transition states revealed that the activating role of the nucleophile is independent of the formation and stability of the intermediate. Additionally, the dynamic insights obtained from the metadynamics simulations and NCI analyses employed in this work, unveiled the presence of syn-directing noncovalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, between the alkenoic acid and the halogen source, which rationalized the experimentally observed diastereoselectivities. Explicit noncovalent interactions between the reactants and a protic solvent or basic additive are able to disrupt these syn-directing noncovalent interactions, affecting the diastereoselective outcome of the reaction.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":33061685,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Quality of Long-acting Reversible Contraception Provision in Lom\u00e9, Togo.\nProvision of high-quality contraceptive counseling and services is essential to ensure family planning (FP) programs are rights-based and voluntary. Togo's modern contraceptive use has steadily increased with almost a quarter of the method mix attributed to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC). The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of LARC provision in Togo. Data for this study were collected in 2016 as part of a larger research study conducted in Lom\u00e9, Togo to assess the effectiveness of the ongoing FP service delivery model. Quality of FP service was assessed in terms of program capacity and program performance. Program capacity was measured with five individual variables and program performance was measured with the Method Information Index (MII). Descriptive statistics and mixed effects models were used to assess likelihood of LARC uptake. Of the 669 clients included in the study, 19.4% received a LARC method. Multivariable results show that LARC uptake is significantly associated with supervisory visit at the facility in the last three months (program capacity indicator) (OR 1.44; 95%CI 1.48-2.39) and is twice as likely for those with a positive MII score, even after controlling for provider and client characteristics (OR 2.1; 95%CI 1.61-2.51). This study identified supervisory visits and comprehensive contraceptive counseling as the key quality factors positively associated with uptake of LARC. Continued focus on quality of care and provider-client information exchange is necessary to ensure women's FP needs are met.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21947972,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Anti-tumour effects of Egyptian propolis on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma.\nA total of 150 female Swiss mice were used to study the ability of water soluble propolis derivatives (WSPD) of Egyptian propolis to inhibit the proliferation and growth of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells in mice. The mice were divided equally into three groups: the first was kept as a negative control group, the second received an intraperitoneal injection of 2.5 \u00d7 10(6) EAC and was kept as a positive control group and the third an intraperitoneal injection of 2.5 \u00d7 10(6) EAC and treated with propolis (50 mg\/kg body weight) administered by gastric intubations 2 h prior to the intraperitoneal injection of EAC. The propolis was administered daily for 11 successive days. An examination of EAC cells revealed a reduction in the volume, total cell count, viable percentage and increase in the percentage of dead cells in the treated group with an increasing mean survival time (MST), increasing life span (ILS) percentage and treated vs positive control (T\/C) percentage. Immunological studies revealed a significant increase in the lymphocyte transformation rate (LTR), phagocytic activity and killing power in the group treated with propolis. A haematological study of the parameters revealed leucocytosis in cancer-bearing mice and propolis-treated groups with granulocytosis and monocytosis. The erythrogram revealed a significant reduction in red blood cell (RBC) count in group 2. The result showed that the implantation of EAC in Swiss mice without treatment resulted in a significant decrease in total protein and albumin levels without a change in globulin level and a significant increase in creatinine level, while the third group that received propolis showed an improvement in these biochemical parameters compared to the normal control group.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2265287,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Drinking, the construction of ethnic identity and social process in a Western Australian youth subculture.\nThis paper presents an anthropological analysis of the meaning of drinking for the male members of the Skinhead youth subculture in Perth, Western Australia. Perth Skinheads are an exported and modified form of the original English Skinhead subculture. Using participant observation as the primary research method, the style of drinking is analysed as one of the ways in which the members of this subculture express their English ethnicity and constitutive of the social processes which underpin the subculture. The article also explores the reasons why Perth Skinheads do not conform to a pattern of drinking in rounds held to be characteristic of some working class drinking groups.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27354387,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Crafting Stories in Hermeneutic Phenomenology Research: A Methodological Device.\nHermeneutic phenomenology, as a methodology, is not fixed. Inherent in its enactment are contested areas of practice such as how interview data are used and reported. Using philosophical notions drawn from hermeneutic phenomenological literature, we argue that working with crafted stories is congruent with the philosophical underpinnings of this methodology. We consider how the practical ontic undertaking of story crafting from verbatim transcripts is integral with the interpretive process. We show how verbatim transcripts can be crafted into stories through examples taken from interview data. Our aim is to open dialogue with other hermeneutic phenomenological researchers and offer alternate possibilities to conventional ways of work with qualitative data. We argue that crafted stories can provide glimpses of phenomena that other forms of data analysis and presentation may leave hidden. We contend that crafted stories are an acceptable and trustworthy methodological device.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":16404352,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Involvement of human beta-defensin-2 in proliferation of transformed cells of human cervix.\nTo evaluate the influence of human beta-defensin-2 (hBD-2) on viability and proliferation of cultured human epithelial cells and the patterns of hBD-2 expression in normal tissues and early-stage human cervical neoplasia in the relation to proliferative state of these cells. The influence of recombinant hBD-2 on viability and proliferation of cultured cells of A431 and M-HeLa lines in vitro was performed by MTT-test, 3H-thymidine incorporation and cell counting techniques. Immunohistochemical analysis of expression of hBD-2 and PCNA in tissue samples (10 normal cases (control), 30 carcinomas of the cervix uteri: 15 - squamous cell carcinoma in situ (Stage 0), and 15 squamous cell carcinoma (Stage Ia)) was performed with the use of anti-hBD-2 and anti-PCNA-mAbs, respectively. We have revealed that hBD-2 significantly stimulated proliferation of A431 and M-HeLa cells in a concentration-dependent manner in the range of 0.1-2 microg\/ml, whilst at higher concentrations (> 3-5 microg\/ml) it negatively influenced cell viability. The results of immunohistochemical study have shown that malignant transformation of human cervical epithelium is accompanied by the increase of expression of hBD-2 and PCNA. However, the correlative analysis of the expression of the mentioned markers has revealed no relation between them. The effect of hBD-2 on viability and proliferation of cultured epithelial cells possesses a concentration-dependent character. Expression of hBD-2 is increased in early-stage cervical carcinoma.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":21435519,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2013-20":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Prolongation of the atrioventricular conduction in fetuses exposed to maternal anti-Ro\/SSA and anti-La\/SSB antibodies did not predict progressive heart block. A prospective observational study on the effects of maternal antibodies on 165 fetuses.\nWe prospectively examined the prevalence and outcome of untreated fetal atrioventricular (AV) prolongation in the presence of maternal anti-Ro antibodies. It has been suggested that antibody-mediated congenital complete atrioventricular block (CAVB) may be preventable if detected and treated early when low-grade block is present. With this rationale in mind, dexamethasone has been advocated by others to treat prolonged fetal AV conduction >2 z-scores, consistent with first-degree heart block. Between July 2003 and June 2009, 165 fetuses of 142 anti-Ro\/La antibody-positive women were referred to our center for serial echocardiography. Our protocol included weekly evaluation of the fetal AV conduction between 19 (range 17 to 23) and 24 (range 23 to 35) gestational weeks. AV times were compared with institutional reference data and with post-natal electrocardiograms. Of 150 fetuses with persistently normal AV conduction throughout the observation period, a diagnosis of CAVB was subsequently made in 1 at 28 weeks, after the serial evaluation had ended. Of 15 untreated fetuses either with AV prolongation between 2 and 6 z-scores or with type 1 second-degree block, progressive heart block developed in none of them. Three of these 15 fetuses (20%) had a neonatal diagnosis of first-degree block that spontaneously resolved (n = 2) or has not progressed (n = 1) on follow-up examinations. No other cardiac complications were detected. Fetal AV prolongation did not predict progressive heart block to birth. Our findings question the rationale of a management strategy that relies on the early identification and treatment of fetal AV prolongation to prevent CAVB.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":7567282,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Estimating immunization coverage from school-based childhood immunization records.\nTo determine the accuracy of school-based childhood immunization records and to describe the effects of their use on estimates of community-wide immunization coverage, we verified the immunizations to 72 months of age for children born in 1986 to residents in Dallas County, TX, and in Minnesota. Verified immunizations were compared with those documented in the school record. Major transcription errors accounted for fewer than 1% of discrepancies between school and provider records. For 99 subjects with 987 verified immunizations in Minnesota, age-appropriate immunization coverage estimated from the school records was within two percent of actual coverage. For 86 subjects with 981 verified immunizations in Dallas County, age-appropriate immunization coverage from the school records underestimated actual coverage by as much as 21%. The primary factor explaining the underestimate in Dallas was incomplete school immunization records for 33 (38%) subjects and 126 (13%) immunizations. Selective recording of immunizations related to the minimum state requirements in Texas contributed to incomplete school records in Dallas County. Verification of the completeness of records selected to estimate immunization coverage is essential if the estimates are used to monitor trends or to make public policy decisions.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31684942,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9}},"text":"Determinants of occupational injuries among building construction workers in Kampala City, Uganda.\nGlobally, about 1000 people die and close to 860,000 people sustain injury at work daily. Injury prevention and control require contextual evidence, although most studies in Uganda have focused on general causes. Factors associated with occupational injuries among building construction workers were assessed in this study. A cross-sectional study among building construction workers was conducted in Kampala, Uganda. A standardized semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Three hundred nineteen (319) participants were randomly and proportionately selected from 57 construction sites. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the variables while generalized linear modeling was used to estimate the crude\/adjusted prevalence ratios. The prevalence of occupational injuries was 32.4%. Most injuries, approximately 70% occurred among nightshift workers. Age of \u226424 years (APR: 2.09 CI: 1.20-3.65, P = 0.009); daily income in or above the second quartile-USD \u22653.2 (APR: 1.72, CI: 1.06-2.80, P = 0.028); job dissatisfaction (APR: 1.63, CI: 1.17-2.27, P = 0.004); job stress (APR: 1.72, CI: 1.22-2.41, P = 0.004); poor safety environment (APR: 1.51, CI: 1.10-2.05, P = 0.009); PPE provision (APR: 1.47, CI: 1.05-2.05, P = 0.02) and routine use of PPE (APR: 0.57, CI: 0.34-0.95, P = 0.03) were significantly associated with occupational injuries. There was a relatively high prevalence of injuries mostly resulting from cuts and mostly suffered on night duty. Upper and lower extremities were the most hurt parts of the body during injury leading to loss of a substantial number of productive days. This could affect the health and wellbeing of construction workers. Most of the factors significantly associated with occupational injuries are modifiable thus an opportunity to address the problem. Efforts towards integrating education for behaviour change, advocacy and training workers to demand for their rights to safe and protection at work and legislation enforcement can help reduce occupational injury occurrence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":37484571,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Design, synthesis, and mechanistic study of 2-piperazineone-bearing peptidomimetics as novel HIV capsid modulators.\nHIV-1 capsid (CA) is an attractive target for its indispensable roles in the viral life cycle. We report the design, synthesis, and mechanistic study of a novel series of 2-piperazineone peptidomimetics as HIV capsid modulators by mimicking the structure of host factors binding to CA. F-Id-3o was the most potent compound from the synthesized series, with an anti-HIV-1 EC50 value of 6.0 \u03bcM. However, this series of compounds showed a preference for HIV-2 inhibitory activity, in which Id-3o revealed an EC50 value of 2.5 \u03bcM (anti-HIV-2 potency), an improvement over PF74. Interestingly, F-Id-3o did bind HIV-1 CA monomers and hexamers with comparable affinity, unlike PF74, consequently showing antiviral activity in the early and late stages of the HIV-1 lifecycle. Molecular dynamics simulations shed light on F-Id-3o and Id-3o binding modes within the HIV-1\/2 CA protein and provide a possible explanation for the increased anti-HIV-2 potency. Metabolic stability assays in human plasma and human liver microsomes indicated that although F-Id-3o has enhanced metabolic stability over PF74, further optimization is necessary. Moreover, we utilized computational prediction of drug-like properties and metabolic stability of F-Id-3o and PF74, which correlated well with experimentally derived metabolic stability, providing an efficient computational pipeline for future preselection based on metabolic stability prediction. Overall, the 2-piperazineone-bearing peptidomimetics are a promising new chemotype in the CA modulators class with considerable optimization potential.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29095018,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Nutritional status and quality of life in HIV-infected patients.\nNutritional status and the progression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are interlinked; though some studies have looked at the impact nutritional status has on quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic diseases, few have studied this in HIV-infected individuals. To investigate the relationship between nutritional status and QoL in adults with a recent HIV diagnosis. Individuals with an HIV diagnosis performed in the fourteen months prior to a medical visit to one of Lisbon's central hospitals were eligible. Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometry, body composition analysis, and dietary intake. QoL was assessed using the WHOQOLHIV-BREF questionnaire. Sociodemographic and clinical data were also considered. Fifty-one subjects were eligible for enrolment; the majority were male, Caucasian, employed, single, and under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Lower QoL scores were observed in subjects with inadequate energy intakes, reported weight loss, and a high waist circumference in bivariate analysis (p < 0.05); the same variables influenced QoL negatively after adjusting for confounders in multivariate analysis (p < 0.05). Various sociodemographic characteristics such as level of education, age, gender, and current health problems also predicted QoL significantly (p < 0.05). Various aspects of nutritional status were responsible for the variations observed in QoL, suggesting a potential for nutritional intervention in improving QoL in this population.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":1415705,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Role of prostaglandins in regulation of gastric mucosal blood flow and acid secretion.\nThe role of prostaglandins in the rat gastric mucosal vascular response to acid stimulation was studied. Blood flow was measured with laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and with red blood cell velocity measurements in the superficial mucosa; acid secretion was determined by titration. Baseline acid output was calculated to be 0.026 +\/- 0.011 mueq\/min. Pentagastrin (20 and 40 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 iv) significantly increased acid output to 0.387 +\/- 0.104 and 0.546 +\/- 0.220 mueq\/min and LDF to 119 +\/- 10 and 132 +\/- 13% of control, respectively. LDF was significantly reduced by 15% after indomethacin (3 mg\/kg iv) and was not changed by pentagastrin, whereas acid secretion increased to similar levels as without indomethacin pretreatment. The H2-agonist impromidine (100 and 500 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 iv) induced a dose-dependent increase in acid secretion (0.178 +\/- 0.068 and 0.330 +\/- 0.072 mueq\/min, respectively) while blood flow was unchanged. Despite a substantial blood flow reduction (-38%) by indomethacin, impromidine did not alter blood flow, and acid secretion was dose dependently increased to similar values as without indomethacin pretreatment. These results provide further evidence that there is not necessarily any correlation between blood flow and acid secretion and that the pentagastrin-induced blood flow increase depends on prostaglandin release.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2529852,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Effect of a heparan sulphate with high affinity for antithrombin III upon inactivation of thrombin and coagulation factor Xa.\nThe kinetics of inhibition of human alpha-thrombin and coagulation Factor Xa by antithrombin III were examined under pseudo-first-order reaction conditions as a function of the concentration of heparan sulphate with high affinity for antithrombin III. The maximum observed second-order rate constant was, for the antithrombin III-thrombin reaction, 1.2 x 10(9) M-1.min-1 compared with 2.4 x 10(9) M-1.min-1 in the presence of high-affinity heparin. However, the maximum rate was catalysed by much higher concentrations of heparan sulphate (1.3 microM) than of heparin (0.025 microM). Differences were also observed in the maximal acceleration of the antithrombin III-Factor Xa interaction: 1.2 x 10(9) M-1.min-1 at 0.2 microM-heparin sulphate compared with 2.2 x 10(9) M-1.min-1 at 0.04 microM-heparin. The differences in properties of heparan sulphate and heparin were analysed by using the random bi-reactant model of heparin action [Griffith (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 5460-5464]. It was observed that the apparent binding affinity for thrombin was higher for heparan sulphate (180 nM) than for heparin (14 nM). The rate constant for transformation of the antithrombin III-Factor Xa complex into irreversible product differed between heparan sulphate (96 min-1) and heparin (429 min-1). These properties of the high-affinity heparan sulphate may be of importance in consideration of a putative role in the control of intravascular haemostasis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30166519,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"MRE11 inhibition highlights a replication stress-dependent vulnerability of MYCN-driven tumors.\nMRE11 is a component of the MRE11\/RAD50\/NBS1 (MRN) complex, whose activity is essential to control faithful DNA replication and to prevent accumulation of deleterious DNA double-strand breaks. In humans, hypomorphic mutations in these genes lead to DNA damage response (DDR)-defective and cancer-prone syndromes. Moreover, MRN complex dysfunction dramatically affects the nervous system, where MRE11 is required to restrain MYCN-dependent replication stress, during the rapid expansion of progenitor cells. MYCN activation, often due to genetic amplification, represents the driving oncogenic event for a number of human tumors, conferring bad prognosis and predicting very poor responses even to the most aggressive therapeutic protocols. This is prototypically exemplified by neuroblastoma, where MYCN amplification occurs in about 25% of the cases. Intriguingly, MRE11 is highly expressed and predicts bad prognosis in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. Due to the lack of direct means to target MYCN, we explored the possibility to trigger intolerable levels of replication stress-dependent DNA damage, by inhibiting MRE11 in MYCN-amplified preclinical models. Indeed, either MRE11 knockdown or its pharmacological inhibitor mirin induce accumulation of replication stress and DNA damage biomarkers in MYCN-amplified cells. The consequent DDR recruits p53 and promotes a p53-dependent cell death, as indicated by p53 loss- and gain-of-function experiments. Encapsulation of mirin in nanoparticles allowed its use on MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma xenografts in vivo, which resulted in a sharp impairment of tumor growth, associated with DDR activation, p53 accumulation, and cell death. Therefore, we propose that MRE11 inhibition might be an effective strategy to treat MYCN-amplified and p53 wild-type neuroblastoma, and suggest that targeting replication stress with appropriate tools should be further exploited to tackle MYCN-driven tumors.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22544081,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":2,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-20":1,"2013-48":1,"unknown":2}}},"text":"The importance of adding EDTA for the nanopore analysis of proteins.\nNanopore analysis is a promising technique for studying the conformation of proteins and protein\/protein interactions. Two proteins (bacterial thioredoxin and maltose binding protein) were subjected to nanopore analysis with \u03b1-hemolysin. Two types of events were observed; bumping events with a blockade current less than -40 pA and intercalation events with blockade currents between -40 pA and -100 pA. In potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.8, both proteins gave intercalation events but the frequency of these events was significantly reduced in TRIS or HEPES buffers especially in the presence of 0.01 mM divalent metal ions. The frequency of events was restored by the addition of EDTA. For maltose binding protein, the frequency of intercalation events was also decreased in the presence of maltose but not lactose to which it does not bind. It is proposed that the events with large blockade currents represent transient intercalation of a loop or end of the protein into the pore and that divalent metal ions inhibit this process. The results demonstrate that the choice of buffer and the effects of metal ion contamination are important considerations in nanopore analysis.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3116031,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Clinical and hormonal effects of chronic gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatment in polycystic ovarian disease.\nPreviously, we reported that short term administration of a highly potent GnRH agonist (GnRHa) for 1 month to patients with polycystic ovarian disease (PCO) resulted in complete suppression of ovarian steroidogenesis without measurable effects on adrenal steroid production. This new study was designed to evaluate the effects of long term GnRHa administration in PCO patients with respect to their hormone secretion patterns and clinical responses. Eight PCO patients and 10 ovulatory women with endometriosis were treated daily with sc injections of [D-His6-(imBzl]),Pro9-NEt]GnRH (GnRHa; 100 micrograms) for 6 months. Their results were compared to hormone values in 8 women who had undergone bilateral oophorectomies. In response to GnRHa, PCO and ovulatory women had rises of serum LH at 1 month, after which it gradually declined to baseline. In both groups FSH secretion was suppressed throughout treatment. Serum estradiol, estrone, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, and testosterone levels markedly decreased to values found in oophorectomized women by 1 month and remained low thereafter. In contrast, serum pregnenolone and 17-hydroxypregnenolone were partially suppressed, and dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and cortisol levels did not change. Clinically, hyperplastic endometrial histology in three PCO patients reverted to an inactive pattern, and proliferative endometrium in two other PCO patients became inactive in one and did not change in the other. Regression of proliferative endometrial histology occurred in all ovulatory women. Vaginal bleeding occurred in all women studied during the first month of GnRHa administration, after which all but one PCO patient became amenorrheic. Hot flashes were noted by all ovulatory women and by four of eight PCO patients. All PCO patients noted subjective reduction of skin oiliness, and five had decreased hair growth. We conclude that in premenopausal women: 1) chronic GnRHa administration results in apparently complete persistent suppression of ovarian steroid secretion; 2) adrenal steroid secretion is not influenced directly or indirectly; and 3) its use may be helpful in the treatment of endometrial hyperplasia and ovarian androgen excess in women with PCO.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":2274301,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Vascular surgery and cardiac pacing.\nAdvances in vascular surgery and in the management of cardiac arrhythmias have benefitted thousands of patients in recent years. In New Jersey, one of several groups provides outstanding leadership in these important areas.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":6767808,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-10":1,"unknown":6}}},"text":"A sensitive, single-radial diffusion autoradiographic zone size enhancement technique for the assay of influenza haemagglutinin.\nA novel radial-diffusion technique in agarose gels is described which is applicable to the assay of small concentrations of influenza haemagglutinin (HA) antigen. The method is based on single-radial diffusion zone size enhancement (ZE) using autoradiography to demonstrate antigen--antibody reactions. The ZE technique is capable of reliably assaying concentrations of haemagglutinin as low as 0.1 microgram\/ml, which represents a 20- to 40-fold increase in sensitivity over conventional single-radial-diffusion techniques. The ZE response is dependent upon the antigenic identity of the 125I-labelled 'marker' HA and the HA antigen being assayed. Haemagglutinins showing variation within a subtype (e.g. H3) show reduced ZE responses and thus the method has potential value for distinguishing between closely related HA antigens.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8048915,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Poly(A) tail shortening of alpha-amylase mRNAs in vegetative tissues of Oryza sativa.\nThe pattern of expression for the entire alpha-amylase gene family in rice vegetative tissues during the developmental growth stages has been studied. We were surprised that the size of rice alpha-amylase mRNAs in the young roots, shoots, and different tissues from adult plant was shorter by approximately 250 bases than that in immature or mature embryos and aleurone layers of seed. Interestingly, the difference in the size of the alpha-amylase mRNAs of rice seed and vegetative tissues is due to the variation in the length of the 3'-poly(A) tracts. In addition, if without glycogen-precipitated treatment for alpha-amylase purification, no alpha-amylases can be detected in vegetative tissues by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, in vitro translation assay revealed that alpha-amylase mRNAs receiving shortened poly(A) tracts in vegetative tissues become translationally repressed. These results indicate that the 3'-poly(A) tract of eukaryotic mRNAs plays an important role in controlling mRNA translatability.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35513411,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Novel passive detection approach reveals low breeding season survival and apparent lactation cost in a critically endangered cave bat.\nCapture-mark-recapture\/resight (CMR) methods are used for survival-rate studies, yet are often limited by small sample sizes. Advances in passive integrated transponder (PIT) technology have enabled passive detection or 'resight' of marked individuals using large antennas with greater read-ranges than previously possible. We used passively-detected resight data and CMR models to study survival rates of the southern bent-winged bat Miniopterus orianae bassanii, a critically endangered, cave-dwelling bat. Over three years, we used PIT-tagging to monitor 2966 individuals at the species' largest breeding aggregation, using daily detection data (> 1.6 million detections) to estimate seasonal survival probabilities, structured by age, sex and reproductive status, and parameterise population projection matrices. This has hitherto been impossible using traditional CMR methods due to disturbance risk and low recapture rates. Bats exhibited lowest apparent seasonal survival over summer and autumn, particularly for reproductive females in summer (when lactating) and juveniles in autumn (after weaning), and high survival in winter. Lowest survival rates coincided with severe drought in summer-autumn 2016, suggesting that dry conditions affect population viability. Under all likely demographic assumptions, population projection matrices suggested the population is in deterministic decline, requiring urgent action to reduce extinction risk. Passively-collected resight data can now be used in combination with CMR models to provide extensive, robust information for targeted wildlife population management.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28700401,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Wiesner Nevus of the Eyelid.\nA healthy 31-year-old female presented with an elevated vascular lesion on the right lower eyelid margin. Histology results from excisional biopsy demonstrated a range of intradermally nested atypical melanocytes with negative staining for BRCA1-associated protein 1, confirming the diagnosis of Wiesner nevus. Wiesner nevi may be a cutaneous hallmark of the BRCA1-associated protein 1-associated cancer susceptibility syndrome, and to our knowledge, this is the first report of such a lesion presenting anywhere on the ocular adnexa.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34079228,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Self-Care in Type 2 Diabetes Patients with Urgency Lower Limb Amputation: The Influence of Sex, Marital Status and Previous Amputations.\nLower limb amputation (LLA) is a severe consequence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and can affect up to 1% of T2DM patients, leading to an increased risk of premature mortality. Among the factors to predict LLA, it has been highlighted sex, marital status, and previous amputation. However, there is a lack of information about the association between these predictive factors, self-care, and urgency LLA in T2DM patients. To verify the behavior of self-care and to relate it with the predictive factors (sex, marital status, and previous amputation) in urgency LLA T2DM patients. Non-interventional study, with 106 T2DM patients who were in the postoperative period of urgency LLA caused by complications resulting from T2DM. A structured questionnaire was used for sociodemographic and clinical characterization of the sample as well as the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) tool. It was used the Wilcoxon, Friedman, and Mann-Whitney tests (median, nonparametric populations) to assess the significance of the differences between groups (sex, marital status, and previous amputation), also Spearman correlation coefficient to assess the association between the data (comparison between diagnostic time, sex, previous amputation, ethnicity and systolic arterial hypertension) and a logistic regression analysis considering the item SDSCA related to sex, age and marital status (with partner). Significant differences (p<0.05) in the questions \"Specific Food\" and \"Foot care\" were found when the participants were grouped by sex. In the relation to marital status, significant differences (p<0.05) were observed for the question \"Specific Food\". No differences were found between groups with or without previous amputation. By SDSCA tool, we were able to report that T2DM patients submitted to urgency LLA presented differences in self-care, particularly for sex and marital status.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19741139,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2013-48":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Differential engagement of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex by goal-directed and habitual behavior toward food pictures in humans.\nAccording to dual-system accounts, instrumental learning is supported by both a goal-directed and a habitual system. Although behavioral control by the goal-directed system, through outcome-action associations, dominates with moderate training, stimulus-response associations are thought to form concurrently in the habit system. It is therefore challenging to isolate the neural substrate of the goal-directed system in neuroimaging research with healthy human volunteers. Recently, however, de Wit et al. (2007) developed an instrumental discrimination task that distinguishes between goal-directed and habit-based responding. In this task, cues are congruent, unrelated, or incongruent with subsequent outcomes. Whereas performance on congruent and control trials can be supported by both the goal-directed and habitual system, performance on the incongruent discrimination relies solely on the habit system. In the present study, we used this task with healthy participants undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging to demonstrate that engagement of the goal-directed system during learning is reflected in increased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Moreover, using a subsequent outcome devaluation manipulation, we show that this area is involved in guiding decision making when goal values change, even in the absence of external cues to guide performance. We can therefore exclude a purely Pavlovian account of ventromedial prefrontal function and unequivocally demonstrate its involvement in the acquisition as well as deployment of goal-directed knowledge.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":35972290,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"A Glycosylated RBD Protein Induces Enhanced Neutralizing Antibodies against Omicron and Other Variants with Improved Protection against SARS-CoV-2 Infection.\nSARS-CoV-2 has mutated frequently since its first emergence in 2019. Numerous variants, including the currently emerging Omicron variant, have demonstrated high transmissibility or increased disease severity, posing serious threats to global public health. This study describes the identification of an immunodominant non-neutralizing epitope on SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD). A subunit vaccine against this mutant RBD, constructed by masking this epitope with a glycan probe, did not significantly affect RBD's receptor-binding affinity or antibody-binding affinity, or its ability to induce antibody production. However, this vaccine enhanced the neutralizing activity of this RBD and its protective efficacy in immunized mice. Specifically, this vaccine elicited significantly higher-titer neutralizing antibodies than the prototypic RBD protein against Alpha (B.1.1.7 lineage), Beta (B.1.351 lineage), Gamma (P.1 lineage), and Epsilon (B.1.427 or B.1.429 lineage) variant pseudoviruses containing single or combined mutations in the spike (S) protein, albeit the neutralizing antibody titers against some variants were slightly lower than against original SARS-CoV-2. This vaccine also significantly improved the neutralizing activity of the prototypic RBD against pseudotyped and authentic Delta (B.1.617.2 lineage) and Omicron (B.1.1.529 lineage) variants, although the neutralizing antibody titers were lower than against original SARS-CoV-2. In contrast to the prototypic RBD, the mutant RBD completely protected human ACE2 (hACE2)-transgenic mice from lethal challenge with a prototype SARS-CoV-2 strain and a Delta variant without weight loss. Overall, these findings indicate that this RBD vaccine has broad-spectrum activity against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as the potential to be effective and have improved efficacy against Omicron and other pandemic variants. IMPORTANCE Several SARS-CoV-2 variants have shown increased transmissibility, calling for a need to develop effective vaccines with broadly neutralizing activity against multiple variants. This study identified a non-neutralizing epitope on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, and further shielded it with a glycan probe. A subunit vaccine based on this mutant RBD significantly enhanced the ability of prototypic RBD against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Delta and Omicron strains, although the neutralizing antibody titers against some of these variants were lower than those against original SARS-CoV-2. This mutant vaccine also enhanced the protective efficacy of the prototypic RBD vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunized animals. In conclusion, this study identified an engineered RBD vaccine against Omicron and other SARS-CoV-2 variants that induced stronger neutralizing antibodies and protection than the original RBD vaccine. It also highlights the need to improve the effectiveness of current COVID-19 vaccines to prevent pandemic SARS-CoV-2 variants.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":27562391,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"A Six Sigma Trial For Reduction of Error Rates in Pathology Laboratory.\nA major target of quality assurance is the minimization of error rates in order to enhance patient safety. Six Sigma is a method targeting zero error (3.4 errors per million events) used in industry. The five main principles of Six Sigma are defining, measuring, analysis, improvement and control. Using this methodology, the causes of errors can be examined and process improvement strategies can be identified. The aim of our study was to evaluate the utility of Six Sigma methodology in error reduction in our pathology laboratory. The errors encountered between April 2014 and April 2015 were recorded by the pathology personnel. Error follow-up forms were examined by the quality control supervisor, administrative supervisor and the head of the department. Using Six Sigma methodology, the rate of errors was measured monthly and the distribution of errors at the preanalytic, analytic and postanalytical phases was analysed. Improvement strategies were reclaimed in the monthly intradepartmental meetings and the control of the units with high error rates was provided. Fifty-six (52.4%) of 107 recorded errors in total were at the pre-analytic phase. Forty-five errors (42%) were recorded as analytical and 6 errors (5.6%) as post-analytical. Two of the 45 errors were major irrevocable errors. The error rate was 6.8 per million in the first half of the year and 1.3 per million in the second half, decreasing by 79.77%. The Six Sigma trial in our pathology laboratory provided the reduction of the error rates mainly in the pre-analytic and analytic phases.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":32525513,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Clarification of Definitions of Hyperprogressive Disease During Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.\nHyperprogressive disease (HPD) is an aggressive pattern of progression reported for patients treated with programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)\/programmed cell death 1 ligand (PD-L1) inhibitors as a single agent in several studies. However, the use of different definitions of HPD introduces the risk of describing different tumoral behaviors. To assess the accuracy of each HPD definition to identify the frequency of HPD and the association with poorer outcomes of immune-checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to provide an optimized and homogenized definition based on all previous criteria for identifying HPD. This retrospective cohort study included 406 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with PD-1\/PD-L1 inhibitors from November 1, 2012, to April 5, 2017, in 8 French institutions. Measurable lesions were defined using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 criteria on at least 2 computed tomographic scans before the initiation of ICI therapy and 1 computed tomographic scan during treatment. Data were analyzed from November 1, 2012, to August 1, 2019. Advanced NSCLC and treatment with PD-1\/PD-L1 inhibitors. Association of the definition with the related incidence and the HPD subset constitution and the association between each HPD definition and overall survival. All dynamic indexes used in the previous proposed definitions, such as the tumor growth rate (TGR) or tumor growth kinetics (TGK), were calculated before and during treatment. Among the 406 patients with NSCLC included in the analysis (259 male [63.8%]; median age at start of ICI treatment, 64 [range, 30-91] years), the different definitions resulted in incidences of the HPD phenomenon varying from 5.4% (n = 22; definition based on a progression pace >2-fold and a time to treatment failure of <2 months) to 18.5% (n = 75; definition based on the TGR ratio). The concordance between these different definitions (using the Jaccard similarity index) varied from 33.3% to 69.3%. For every definition, HPD was associated with poorer survival (range of median overall survival, 3.4 [95% CI, 1.9-8.4] to 6.0 [95% CI, 3.7-9.4] months). The difference between TGR before and during therapy (\u0394TGR) was the most correlated with poor overall survival with an initial plateau for a larger number of patients and a slower increase, and it had the highest ability to distinguish patients with HPD from those with progressive disease not classified as HPD. In addition, an optimal threshold of \u0394TGR of greater than 100 was identified for this distinction. The findings of this retrospective cohort study of patients with NSCLC suggest that the previous 5 definitions of HPD were not associated with the same tumor behavior. A new definition, based on \u0394TGR of greater than 100, appeared to be associated with the characteristics expected with HPD (increase of the tumor kinetics and poor survival). Additional studies on larger groups of patients are necessary to confirm the accuracy and validate this proposed definition.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3962530,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"[Electron microscopic study of the tegmentum vasculosum of the cochlear canal in chick embryos].\nUltrastructural studies have been made on the three types of cells composing the tegmentum vasculosum in the cochlea of chick embryos as well as on the growth of capillaries within the tegmentum. Inside the tegmentum, specific intercellular cavities were found filled with a fibrillar network. Temporal correlation is discussed between the development of the auditory function of the cochlea and differentiation of the tegmentum. Possible functional role of different cell types and of the described cavities is also discussed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":12170337,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Isolation of dengue 2 virus from a patient with central nervous system involvement (transverse myelitis).\nA dengue fever case is described in a 58-year-old male patient with febrile illness and thrombocytopenia complicated by neurological involvement characterized by transverse myelitis followed by weakness of both legs and flaccid paralysis. Muscle strength was much diminished and bilateral areflexia was observed. Dengue 2 (DEN-2) virus was isolated and the patient sero-converted by hemagglutination-inhibition and IgM-ELISA tests. The RT-PCR test was positive to DEN-2 in acute phase serum and culture supernatant, but negative in the cerebrospinal fluid. After three weeks of hospitalization the patient was discharged. No other infectious agent was detected in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. The patient had full recovery from paralysis six months after the onset of DEN-2 infection.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30890902,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Synthesis and homopolymerization kinetics of 7-(methacroyloxy)-2-oxo-heptylphosphonic acid and its copolymerization with methyl methacrylate.\nThe synthesis of polymerizable 7-(methacroyloxy)-2-oxo-heptylphosphonic acid M1 destined for self-etch adhesives is described. M1 is characterized by 1H, 13C and 31P-NMR spectroscopy. Its homopolymerization and copolymerization reactivity in the solvents methanol and dioxane between 45 and 70\u00b0C in the presence of azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) are examined. Polymerization proceeds readily through a thermal free radical initiation. The intensity exponents for the monomer and initiator are only slightly over 1 and approximately 0.5, respectively. This is in accordance with the results typically observed for an ideal free radical polymerization with termination mainly by disproportionation, which is typical for methyl methacrylate (MMA) homopolymerization. The kinetics of copolymerization with MMA are monitored by online 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Two copolymerization reactions for each pair of co-monomers are sufficient to evaluate the copolymerization parameters using the Jaacks method, the Fineman-Ross method and the nonlinear least-squares method. All three methods give similar results for particular monomer M1\/MMA couple.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":31998962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6}},"text":"Is background methotrexate advantageous in extending TNF inhibitor drug survival in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis? An analysis of the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register.\nTo evaluate drug survival with monotherapy compared with combination therapy with MTX in RA older adults. Patients from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register, a prospective observational cohort, who were biologic na\u00efve and commencing their first TNF inhibitors (TNFi) were included. The cohort was stratified according to age: <75 and \u226575. Cox-proportional hazards models compared the risk of TNFi discontinuation from (i) any-cause, (ii) inefficacy and (iii) adverse events, between patients prescribed TNFi-monotherapy compared with TNFi MTX combination. The analysis included 15 700 patients. Ninety-five percent were <75 years old. Comorbidity burden and disease activity were higher in the \u226575 cohort. Fifty-two percent of patients discontinued TNFi therapy during the follow-up period. Persistence with therapy was higher in the <75 cohort. Patients receiving TNFi monotherapy were more likely to discontinue compared with patients receiving concomitant MTX [hazard rate 1.12 (1.06-1.18) P <0.001]. This finding only held true in patients <75 [hazard rate (HR) 1.11 (1.05-1.17) vs \u226575 [HR 1.13 (0.90-1.41)]. Examining TNFi discontinuation by cause revealed patients \u226575 receiving TNFi monotherapy were less likely to discontinue TNFi due to inefficacy [HR 0.66 (0.43-0.99) P=0.04] and more likely to discontinue therapy from adverse events [HR 1.41(1.02-1.96) P =0.04]. These results were supported by the multivariate adjustment in complete case and imputed analyses. TNFi monotherapy is associated with increased treatment failure. In older adults, the disadvantage of TNFi monotherapy on drug survival is no longer seen. Patients \u226575 have fewer discontinuations due to inefficacy than adverse events compared with younger patients. This likely reflects greater disposition to toxicity but perhaps also a decline in immunogenicity associated with immunosenescence.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":30888095,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"11q24.2q24.3 microdeletion in two families presenting features of Jacobsen syndrome, without intellectual disability: Role of FLI1, ETS1, and SENCR long noncoding RNA.\nThis report presents two families with interstitial 11q24.2q24.3 deletion, associated with malformations, hematologic features, and typical facial dysmorphism, observed in Jacobsen syndrome (JS), except for intellectual disability (ID). The smallest 700 Kb deletion contains only two genes: FLI1 and ETS1, and a long noncoding RNA, SENCR, narrowing the minimal critical region for some features of JS. Consistent with recent literature, it adds supplemental data to confirm the crucial role of FLI1 and ETS1 in JS, namely FLI1 in thrombocytopenia and ETS1 in cardiopathy and immune deficiency. It also supports that combined ETS1 and FLI1 haploinsufficiency explains dysmorphic features, notably ears, and nose anomalies. Moreover, it raises the possibility that SENCR, a long noncoding RNA, could be responsible for limb defects, because of its early role in endothelial cell commitment and function. Considering ID and autism spectrum disorder, which are some of the main features of JS, a participation of ETS1, FLI1, or SENCR cannot be excluded. But, considering the normal neurodevelopment of our patients, their role would be either minor or with an important variability in penetrance. Furthermore, according to literature, ARHGAP32 and KIRREL3 seem to be the strongest candidate genes in the 11q24 region for other Jacobsen patients.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28698606,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-26":1,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Reading-induced shifts of perceptual speech representations in auditory cortex.\nLearning to read requires the formation of efficient neural associations between written and spoken language. Whether these associations influence the auditory cortical representation of speech remains unknown. Here we address this question by combining multivariate functional MRI analysis and a newly-developed 'text-based recalibration' paradigm. In this paradigm, the pairing of visual text and ambiguous speech sounds shifts (i.e. recalibrates) the perceptual interpretation of the ambiguous sounds in subsequent auditory-only trials. We show that it is possible to retrieve the text-induced perceptual interpretation from fMRI activity patterns in the posterior superior temporal cortex. Furthermore, this auditory cortical region showed significant functional connectivity with the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) during the pairing of text with ambiguous speech. Our findings indicate that reading-related audiovisual mappings can adjust the auditory cortical representation of speech in typically reading adults. Additionally, they suggest the involvement of the IPL in audiovisual and\/or higher-order perceptual processes leading to this adjustment. When applied in typical and dyslexic readers of different ages, our text-based recalibration paradigm may reveal relevant aspects of perceptual learning and plasticity during successful and failing reading development.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26515038,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Deletion of Cyclophilin D Impairs \u03b2-Oxidation and Promotes Glucose Metabolism.\nCyclophilin D (CypD) is a mitochondrial matrix protein implicated in cell death, but a potential role in bioenergetics is not understood. Here, we show that loss or depletion of CypD in cell lines and mice induces defects in mitochondrial bioenergetics due to impaired fatty acid \u03b2-oxidation. In turn, CypD loss triggers a global compensatory shift towards glycolysis, with transcriptional upregulation of effectors of glucose metabolism, increased glucose consumption and higher ATP production. In vivo, the glycolytic shift secondary to CypD deletion is associated with expansion of insulin-producing \u03b2-cells, mild hyperinsulinemia, improved glucose tolerance, and resistance to high fat diet-induced liver damage and weight gain. Therefore, CypD is a novel regulator of mitochondrial bioenergetics, and unexpectedly controls glucose homeostasis, in vivo.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":28337878,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase and immunoglobulin a responses to a morning session of basketball or volleyball training in boys aged 14-18 years.\nThis study investigates whether a single session of routine morning basketball or volleyball training affects saliva levels of cortisol, alpha-amylase (sAA) and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in boys aged 14\u201318 years. Twenty-nine boys who participate in basketball or volleyball training, recruited from the Marcin Gortat's Athletic Championship School in Lodz, were enrolled in the study. The 90-minute routine exercise program included 15 minutes of warm-up followed by basketball or volleyball practice. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected prior to and immediately after the exercise, and were analysed using ELISA. One training session resulted in a significant increase of sAA concentration in all participants, as well as in the volleyball and basketball subgroups (p=0.00022; p=0.0029; p=0.0011; respectively). Post-exercise cortisol levels were significantly lower than pre-exercise levels (p=0.00002) throughout the group, as well as in the volleyball and basketball subgroups (p=0.0048; p=0.0019; p=0.0048; respectively). The exercise protocol did not significantly affect sIgA level, either in the whole examined group or the volleyball subgroup, however a weak significant increase of sIgA was observed in the basketball subgroup (p=0.046). The routine morning training session comprising a warm-up followed by basketball or volleyball practice seems to activate the sympatho-adrenal-medullary system, with a subsequent increase of alpha-amylase, but does not affect oral immunity in 14-18-year-old boys.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":8927357,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"[Usefulness of transdermal hormone substitution in high risk postmenopausal patients].\nThe authors studied whether hormone replacement therapy can be performed in postmenopausal patients with high risk factors among anamnestic data such as thromboembolia, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, epilepsy. 50 mg 17 beta estradiol patch (twice weekly) and 10 mg medroxyprogesteron (in the last 12 days of the cycle) were prescribed. Data of 102 patients with the above conditions were analyzed at the beginning and at the 3,6, and 12 month follow-up visits. The frequency of exacerbation of anamnestic disease, biased and unbiased complaints, efficacy and side effects of the therapy were studied. In the authors opinion hormone replacement therapy can be safely performed in patients with high risk factors among anamnestic data, in addition it may be useful to prevent them.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":10631388,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Attribution of injury to alcohol involvement in young adults seriously injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.\nApproximately 40% of all traffic fatalities are associated with the use of alcohol. Hospitalization for serious injury after a motor vehicle crash related to use of alcohol may be an opportunity to change drinking behaviors in non-alcohol-dependent drinkers, thereby reducing the risk for future disability and death. To determine the degree to which non-alcohol-dependent adults aged 18 to 45 years with alcohol-related vehicular trauma attributed their injury to use of alcohol. During hospitalization, 132 subjects involved in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes were interviewed. The interviews included the question, \"To what extent do you believe your alcohol consumption was responsible for this injury?\" Responses were measured on a 7-point scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7 (totally). In response to the question about attribution of injury to alcohol, 37.8% of subjects responded \"not at all,\" 24.3 responded \"somewhat,\" and 37.9% responded \"mostly\" or \"totally.\" Spearman rank correlation between attribution of injury to alcohol involvement and blood alcohol content at admission was r = 0.440 (P < .001). More than 60% of patients injured in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes attributed their injury partly or totally to use of alcohol. When alcohol-free, hospitalized patients with higher blood levels of alcohol on admission were more likely than those with lower levels to attribute their injury to alcohol. Hospitalization for a motor vehicle crash related to use of alcohol provides an opportunity for interventions to decrease drinking.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26046297,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"2024-22":1,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Acoustic duetting in Drosophila virilis relies on the integration of auditory and tactile signals.\nMany animal species, including insects, are capable of acoustic duetting, a complex social behavior in which males and females tightly control the rate and timing of their courtship song syllables relative to each other. The mechanisms underlying duetting remain largely unknown across model systems. Most studies of duetting focus exclusively on acoustic interactions, but the use of multisensory cues should aid in coordinating behavior between individuals. To test this hypothesis, we develop Drosophila virilis as a new model for studies of duetting. By combining sensory manipulations, quantitative behavioral assays, and statistical modeling, we show that virilis females combine precisely timed auditory and tactile cues to drive song production and duetting. Tactile cues delivered to the abdomen and genitalia play the larger role in females, as even headless females continue to coordinate song production with courting males. These data, therefore, reveal a novel, non-acoustic, mechanism for acoustic duetting. Finally, our results indicate that female-duetting circuits are not sexually differentiated, as males can also produce 'female-like' duets in a context-dependent manner.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":24832421,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":10,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Effects of a Brief Case Management Intervention Linking People With HIV to Oral Health Care: Project SMILE.\nObjectives. Although people with HIV experience significant oral health problems, many consistently identify oral health as an unmet health care need. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a dental case management intervention on dental care use. Methods. We evaluated the intervention according to self-reported dental care use at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-ups. Multivariable logistic models with generalized estimating equations were used to assess the effects of the intervention over time. Results. The odds of having a dental care visit were about twice as high in the intervention group as in the standard care group at 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.52; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.58, 4.08) and 12 months (adjusted OR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.17, 3.35), but the odds were comparable in the 2 groups by 18 months (adjusted OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 0.62, 1.86). Factors significantly associated with having a dental care visit included frequent physician visits and dental care referrals. Conclusions. We demonstrated that a dental case management intervention targeting people with HIV was efficacious but not sustainable over time. Barriers not addressed in the intervention must be considered to sustain its use over time.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":25377943,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Structurally Controlled Bio-hybrid Materials Based on Unidirectional Association of Anisotropic Microparticles with Human Endothelial Cells.\nBiocompatible anisotropic polymer particles with bipolar affinity towards human endothelial cells are a novel type of building blocks for microstructured bio-hybrid materials. Functional polarity due to two biologically distinct hemispheres has been achieved by synthesis of anisotropic particles via electro-hydrodynamic co-jetting of two different polymer solutions and subsequent selective surface modification.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26549621,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"In silico characterization of protein partial molecular volumes and hydration shells.\nIn this paper we present a computational approach, based on NVT molecular dynamics trajectories, that allows the direct evaluation of the protein partial molecular volume. The results obtained for five different globular proteins demonstrate the accuracy of this computational procedure in reproducing protein partial molecular volumes, providing quantitative characterization of the hydration shell in terms of the protein excluded volume, hydration shell ellipsoidal volume and related solvent density. Remarkably, our data indicate for the hydration shell a \u224810% solvent density increase with respect to the liquid water bulk density, in excellent agreement with the available experimental data.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":3970447,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"Effects of cryotherapy on the palmar and plantar digital nerves in the horse.\nThe duration of anesthetic effect and the histopathologic changes resulting from a controlled freeze of the palmar and plantar digital nerves in the horse were evaluated. Two techniques were compared: (i) nerves were frozen by direct application of the cryoprobe after surgical exposure and (ii) nerves were frozen by percutaneous application of the cryoprobe to the overlying skin. Return of skin sensation and ability to detect a stimulus were used to determine return of nerve function. The duration of anesthetic effect was significantly (P less than 0.005) longer for nerves frozen after surgical exposure than for those frozen by the percutaneous technique (mean 156 days vs 47.5 days). At the termination of the study, horses were euthanatized and all nerves were examined histologically. Neuromas-in-continuity were observed in 10 of 28 frozen nerves. Classification was based on the involvement of the supporting fibrous connective tissues of the nerve, endoneurium, perineurium, and epineurium. The direct technique of freezing the nerve after surgical exposure was repeatable and could be used to provide temporary neurectomy in the horse. The percutaneous technique caused a temporary loss of pain perception, but could not be relied on to interrupt nerve function for longer than a few weeks.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":22214962,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Prevalence of human papillomavirus in breast cancer: a systematic review.\nWe performed a systematic review and meta-analyses to estimate the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in breast carcinoma and to explore the reasons for the ongoing controversies about this issue. A comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CANCERLIT, LILACS, and EMBASE databases was performed for papers published from January 1990 to January 2011. The medical subject heading terms were searched for the following: breast neoplasm, breast lesions, breast cancer, and HPV or human papillomavirus. Statistical analysis was performed using REVMAN 5.0. Twenty-nine primary studies, including 2211 samples, were analyzed. Overall, HPV prevalence in patients with breast cancer was 23.0% (95% CI, 21.2%-24.8%). The prevalence of HPV ranged from 13.4% (95% CI, 10.2%-16%) in Europe to 42.9% (95% CI, 36.4%-49.4%) in North America and Australia. The prevalence of HPV in controls was 12.9%. Combinations of 9 case-control studies showed that breast cancer was associated with HPV (odds ratio, 5.9; 95% CI, 3.26-10.67). We found a high prevalence of HPV DNA in breast cancer. There is strong evidence to suggest that HPV has an important role in the development of breast cancer.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26359908,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Convergent synthesis of digitally-encoded poly(alkoxyamine amide)s.\nBinary-encoded poly(alkoxyamine amide)s were prepared by oligomer ligation. These polymers contain digital sequences based on two monomers defined as 0 and 1 bits. A library of oligomers containing all possible dyads 00, 01, 10 and 11 was prepared and used to construct long coded sequences.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":17921519,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":7,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":5}}},"text":"Association of the gastric alcohol dehydrogenase gene ADH7 with variation in alcohol metabolism.\nSeven alcohol-metabolizing enzymes are encoded by the human alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) gene cluster on chromosome 4q22-23. One of these genes, ADH7, is uniquely expressed in the stomach mucosa and can influence metabolism of alcohol before its absorption into the blood. However, the contribution of ADH7 to the overall genetic variation in alcohol oxidation in vivo is unknown. Data on in vivo alcohol metabolism were obtained for 206 Australian twin pairs of Caucasian ancestry, following ingestion of a standard dose (0.75 g kg(-1) body weight) of alcohol. Twenty-five single nucleotide polymorphisms that cover the ADH7 encoding region were genotyped. The patterns of linkage disequilibrium among these SNPs identified a recombinational hotspot within intron 7 of the ADH7 gene. A model for the absorption and elimination of alcohol from the body led to the identification of haplotypes associated with inter-individual variation in the early stages of alcohol metabolism. These are within a 35 kb DNA tract contained in the region 5' of intron 7 in the ADH7 gene. The region accounts for 18% of the linkage for alcohol concentration associated with the ADH region, or approximately 11% of the genetic variance.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":19602470,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":3,"unknown":3}}},"text":"PET-CT imaging in pediatric oncology.\nPositron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) is emerging as a valuable tool for assessing a wide variety of pediatric malignancies, including lymphomas, soft-tissue tumors, and bone sarcomas. PET-CT may provide information that is not apparent on conventional imaging performed to stage these diseases and monitor their response to treatment. The use of PET-CT in children requires an awareness of the technical and logistical issues unique to this patient population. In addition, interpretation of pediatric PET-CT imaging requires familiarity with aspects of pediatric anatomy and physiology that differ from those of adults. In this article, the technical considerations in performing pediatric PET-CT, pitfalls in the diagnostic use of PET-CT in children, and current and emerging applications of PET-CT in pediatric oncology are reviewed.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":26041944,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Law in everyday life and death: a socio-legal study of chronic disorders of consciousness.\nThis paper addresses, from a socio-legal perspective, the question of the significance of law for the treatment, care and the end-of-life decision making for patients with chronic disorders of consciousness. We use the phrase 'chronic disorders of consciousness' as an umbrella term to refer to severely brain-injured patients in prolonged comas, vegetative or minimally conscious states. Based on an analysis of interviews with family members of patients with chronic disorders of consciousness, we explore the images of law that were drawn upon and invoked by these family members when negotiating the situation of their relatives, including, in some cases, the ending of their lives. By examining 'legal consciousness' in this way (an admittedly confusing term in the context of this study,) we offer a distinctly sociological contribution to the question of how law matters in this particular domain of social life.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":34158004,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":6,"dup_dump_count":1,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":1,"2024-18":1,"unknown":4}}},"text":"Severe vision impairment and blindness in hospitalized patients: a retrospective nationwide study.\nOutcomes among hospitalized patients with severe vision impairment or blindness have not been extensively explored. This study sought to determine clinical and resource utilization outcomes in patients with severe vision impairment\/blindness (SVI\/B). Because obesity is very common among those who are hospitalized, we also sought to understand its impact among patients with SVI\/B. We conducted a retrospective study using the National Inpatient Sample for the year 2017; hospitalized adults with and without SVI\/B were compared. In addition, for all patients with SVI\/B, we compared those with and without obesity. Multiple logistic regression and linear analysis were used to evaluate mortality, disposition, length of stay, and hospital charges; the analyses were adjusted for multiple variables including age, sex, and race. 30,420,907 adults were hospitalized, of whom 37,200 had SVI\/B. Patients with SVI\/B were older (mean age \u00b1 SEM: 66.4 \u00b1 0.24 vs. 57.9 \u00b1 0.09 years, p < 0.01), less likely to be female (50 % vs. 57.7 %, p < 0.01), more frequently insured by Medicare (75.7 % vs. 49.2 %, p < 0.01), and had more comorbidities (Charlson comorbidity score \u2265 3: 53.2 % vs. 27.8 %, p < 0.01). Patients with SVI\/B had a higher in-hospital mortality rate (3.9 % vs. 2.2 %; p < 0.01), and had lower odds to be discharged home after hospital discharge (adjusted Odds Ratio {aOR} =0.54, [Confidence Interval (CI) 0.51-0.58]; p < 0.01) compared to those without SVI\/B. Hospital charges were not significantly different (adjusted Mean Difference {aMD} = $247 CI [-$2,474-2,929]; p = 0.85) but length of stay was longer (aMD = 0.5 days CI [0.3-0.7]; p < 0.01) for those with SVI\/B. Patients with vision impariment who were also obese had higher total hospital charges compared to those without obesity (mean difference: $9,821 [CI $1,375-$18,268]; p = 0.02). Patients admitted to American hospitals in 2017 who had SVI\/B had worse clinical outcomes and greater resources utilization than those without SVI\/B. Hospital-based healthcare providers who understand that those with SVI\/B may be at risk for worse outcomes may be optimally positioned to help them to receive the best possible care.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":29456515,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":9,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":7}}},"text":"Relating (Un)acceptability to Interpretation. Experimental Investigations on Negation.\nAlthough contemporary linguistic studies routinely use unacceptable sentences to determine the boundary of what falls outside the scope of grammar, investigations far more rarely take into consideration the possible interpretations of such sentences, perhaps because these interpretations are commonly prejudged as irrelevant or unreliable across speakers. In this paper we provide the results of two experiments in which participants had to make parallel acceptability and interpretation judgments of sentences presenting various types of negative dependencies in Basque and in two varieties of Spanish (Castilian Spanish and Basque Country Spanish). Our results show that acceptable sentences are uniformly assigned a single negation reading in the two languages. However, while unacceptable sentences consistently convey single negation in Basque, they are interpreted at chance in both varieties of Spanish. These results confirm that judgment data that distinguish between acceptable and unacceptable negative utterances can inform us not only about an adult's grammar of his\/her particular language but also about interesting cross-linguistic differences. We conclude that the acceptability and interpretation of (un)grammatical negative sentences can serve linguistic theory construction by helping to disentangle basic assumptions about the nature of various negative dependencies.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} +{"meta":{"pmid":11431655,"dup_signals":{"dup_doc_count":8,"dup_details":{"curated_sources":2,"unknown":6}}},"text":"Predictors of left ventricular function after acute myocardial infarction: effects of time to treatment, patency, and body mass index: the GUSTO-I angiographic experience.\nDespite the significant survival benefit associated with successful reperfusion therapy for acute myocardial infarction, global indices of outcome left ventricular function, such as ejection fraction, have often demonstrated little or no improvement. Although these measurements are confounded by numerous clinical, physiologic, and angiographic variables, no comprehensive analysis of this issue in a large series of patients is available. We used the Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO-I) database to better understand this phenomenon by determining independent predictors of left ventricular function and their interplay with regard to outcome ventricular function and improvement in function during the initial postinfarction week. Ninety-minute and 5- to 7-day posttreatment global and regional indices derived from left ventriculograms were analyzed from a population of 676 patients. These observations were combined with clinical data to describe independent determinants of ventricular function outcome. Clinical factors predictive of global and regional ventricular function as well as improvement in function between 90 minutes and 5 to 7 days included time to treatment, early infarct-related artery flow grade, and body mass index. These same factors contribute significantly to compensatory hyperkinesis of the noninfarct zone, which is critical to maintenance of global ventricular function during this time period. The ventricular function benefits of early complete reperfusion after myocardial infarction are readily demonstrable after adjustment for multiple covariables and include (1) maintenance of global ventricular function and (2) prevention or delay in ventricular dilatation.","subset":"pubmed_abstract"} diff --git a/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/26_260.jsonl b/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/26_260.jsonl new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..670ab5f31baa01294c91f8f6c4b639006193fd76 --- /dev/null +++ b/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/26_260.jsonl @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1 +oid sha256:a2b6c074d1af202fc69c1a8e64e248b3d9e0732917d903042478640a2f1a3b19 +size 17114867 diff --git a/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/27_260.jsonl b/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/27_260.jsonl new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..8a37cb91d734e926e274b48c4ae295e3e987e8b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/data/pubmed_abstract/6-10/27_260.jsonl @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ 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